milliways_bar | (no subject)

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William hasn't found any more doors to Milliways for about a week and he hasn't quite been looking, it was too confusing with good food, nice people and then Wade.

This morning he's only thinking up about saddling up Les and checking the fences now that Mark's off to school. The little healing vial is tucked away in his hiding place alongside the drawing of his Pa that Wade did since he's not sure what to do with it.

When the door to the tack room opens onto the Bar, he stares at it for a while before walking up to the counter and asking for some coffee. He's not quite sure how he feels about being here, but he's here now.

Tiny tag who needs to wake up: William Evans

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"Yes," Urquhart says. "Everybody has a family, after all."

Beat.

"I guess where you are there's no universities or even better schools anywhere, is there?"

"They're back East and we've got schools. I don't see what how that matters,"

He has to take care of his family, that comes first, he'll go to school if there's time.

"You ask very interesting questions," Urquhart says. "You seem to be quite able to think on your own. Somebody like you is wasted on cattle."

"I take care of my family and that gets us the money we need,"

Whatever he wants for himself comes later.

"Surely, you're far too young to have a wife and children!" Urquhart says.

"My Pa was killed a year ago so I have to take care of my Ma and brother. I ain't that young."

"If you went away to learn and came back, say, as a doctor, you'd be more useful to your family, too," Urquhart says. "How much younger is your brother?"

"Year or so and I can't do that."

"Then he can take over after a while so you can go and learn something which fits that mind of yours," Urquhart says.

William stares down into his coffee cup, he's missed going to school, but there's no time,

"We're working so much now, just isn't possible. Better if he goes to school and learns what he can than me."

"What if he can't learn as much as you could?" Urquhart says.

"Doesn't matter, I'll get to school when I can,"

He's stronger than Mark so better than he goes.

"How far away is the school you ought to be going to?" Urquhart says.

"Not a long ride, its in Bisbee."

"What can you learn there?" Urquhart asks.

"Reading, writing and arithmetic,"

Just what they need to learn.

"History? Science? Other languages?" Urquhart asks.

"Some history, but there aren't that many books."

"What a pity," Urquhart says. "But at least you got here now. What year is it for you?"

"I like reading,"

William says a year not long after the end of the Civil War and hates feeling on guard.

Urquhart says something to the bar in a low voice, and gets a stack of books.

They're all from the late 1860, and consist of a 'Short History of the World', a book about natural history, a Spanish primer, an anthology of translated Greek and Roman classic, as well as three popular novels of the time.

"Books," he says, pushing it over to William.

He stares at the pile, carefully looking each one over,

"I can't afford these, don't want get to owing anyone again."

"You need an education, young man," Urquhart says. "They're a gift."

Long pause.

"I was the younger son, and went away to study in Paris. I think you ought to have some chance to do something with that mind of yours. Perhaps Milliways is that chance."

It doesn't seem like enough, these are good books and no one gives away things like this easily.

He traces the design on the cover of the natural history,

"Hell of a gift to someone you don't know and just met."

"Not to me," Urquhart says. "Seven books are not that much. And I'm quite wealthy. There's good money in killing archbishops and the like."

At least an archbishop won't have a wife and kids.