Leonidas: A Short Story

There’s an old saw that says that what seems too good to be true, most likely is; and such was the case in this instance for my Pa, my family and our crew. Leonidas, for all his skill and once-sterling reputation, was, by that time, damaged goods—we Shays just didn’t know it until it was too late. When that realization finally came, my Pa was forced to fire Captain Turnbow, and he and Melody left our company in disgrace. I’ve told the details of that unhappy episode earlier in this narrative; but what I haven’t told is what happened to the Turnbows after. . . . Following Leonidas’ discharge, the rumors of the reason for his firing spread up and down the river. Even so, there never was any serious possibility that he might lose his pilot’s