Dorothy Garlock - [Wabash River] (34 page)

“We’ve decided what we think is the best thing to do,” Farr said as if he were adding to an ongoing conversation. He had noted Amy’s swollen, tear-drenched eyes and Liberty’s shaking hands and thought it best to get to the point.

“The captain tells me that Lieutenant Perry, backed by his men, has the authority to take Amy and turn her over to her father. I don’t intend to let that happen,” he added quickly when Amy clutched Liberty’s arm fearfully. “Someone would be killed, preferably Perry, but when the bullets fly you can’t be sure who will get hit.”

“What can we do?” Liberty asked, strangely calm now that Farr had taken over the problem. “Hammond will be determined because he hates me and . . . you.”

“We have an idea, but Amy will have to be the one to decide whether she’s willing. The four of us have discussed it and come up with a solution. She can do what you did, Libby. She can marry. Then her husband would be responsible for her and not her father.”

“Marry? Who?” Liberty gasped. “Good heavens, Farr, she’s only twelve years old!”

“There’s no age limit to when a woman can marry. Some do it at ten.”

“I don’t want to marry yet,” Amy wailed and looked at Rain through teary eyes.

“We’re not suggesting a
real
marriage. It would be to give your husband the right to take care of you and manage your affairs,” Farr explained patiently. “Colby plans to ask someone to share his life, so that leaves—”

“Let me tell it to the youngun.” Juicy’s watery old eyes were filled with compassion for the young girl. “Listen ta ole Uncle Juicy, little purty. I know ya’ve been asettin’ yore cap fer the boy here ’n it’s a good choice ya made. He’s as fine a lad as there is.”

Amy blushed hearing his blunt words, and her eyes darted to Rain again. He was whirling a blade of grass between his fingers and looking off toward the barn.

“I’m not so sure about that,” Colby murmured teasingly with an affectionate slap on Rain’s back.

Juicy refused to be distracted by the horseplay.

“Rain’s got him some growin’ ta do ’n ya ain’t full growed yoreself. Rain here’s awantin’ ta pull foot fer a spell till thin’s quiet down some. It won’t help none a’tall if’n ya married up with him ’n him gone. Now I be eighty-two years, the best I can recollect. I got me two, three more years to live, maybe four on the outside. By the time I be gone, you’ll be all growed up ’n free ta choose a man ya’d want.”

Amy gaped at the old man.

“It’s a solution, Amy.” Farr’s voice came to Amy through the pounding of blood in her ears. She turned slowly to look into his face. His eyes were full of concern—for her.

“I be far past the age ta bed a woman, child. Do ya fear me? Is that what troubles ya?”

Amy shook her head slowly from side to side. Her face changed in an instant and she burst out laughing.

“It’s perfect! Oh, Uncle Juicy. I’ll be ever so pleased to marry you.” She jumped up and threw her arms around the old man’s neck. “Won’t Papa be fit to be tied?”

Juicy chortled happily. “I can’t wait ta see his face when I call him Papa.”

Farr got to his feet, took Liberty’s hand and pulled her up beside him. “Libby? What do
you
think?”

“I’m trying to think of how I’m ever going to thank you and Juicy.”

“Then Colby can go for Preacher Ellefson?”

Liberty grimaced. “That old mule’s ass!” she whispered just to Farr.

He laughed. “He’s the only preacher around and he’ll do most anything for five shillings.”

“Amy is just a child. Will he wonder why she’s willing to marry Juicy?”

“He won’t care if she’s willing or not. In his lecherous old heart he considers a girl is old enough to marry if she can cook mush and boil coffee and that it’s her duty to do so. You’d better prepare Amy, sweetheart. I know how shocked you were when you met him.”

Sweetheart.
The word echoed in Liberty’s mind as she watched Farr go to the corral where Rain and Colby were each saddling a horse. She said a silent prayer that he would one day love her.

The mood was almost joyous as they waited for Colby to return with the preacher. Rain saddled his horse and Colby rode out, leading the sorrel for the preacher to return on. Rain stayed on in the barn.

Amy had listened patiently to what Liberty had told her about Preacher Ellefson and had promised to be docile and keep her head bowed. As soon as she could get away she took off to seek Rain. She found him rubbing bear grease on strips of leather hanging on the wall.

“Rain? Why’re you staying out here? Are you coming to see me be married to Uncle Juicy?”

“No.”

“Why? It’s the only thing that’ll keep Papa from making me marry Stith. You didn’t want to many me,” she said accusingly.

“I’m not ready to get married.”

“I’m not either, but I have to. I was going to marry you . . . if you’re like Farr when you grow up.” She put emphasis on the last words.

He dipped into the bucket and threw a handful of grease onto a soft doeskin rag. He worked on the leather strips as if she weren’t there.

“Sometimes you make me so mad, Rain Tallman!” Even her sputtering, sarcastic voice failed to get a rise out of him. Amy wormed her way around so that she was almost between him and the wall, but he merely stepped back and pulled the strip with him. “Why are you so anxious to leave here? Where are you going to go after you take the Indian woman back to her people?”

“They’re my people too. They raised me. And she’s got a name. It’s Tecumapese. Her son’s name is Chiksika.”

“What does that mean?”

“Gunshot.”

“For goodness sake! Why did she name him that?”

“How do I know? It’s her brother’s name too.” He shouted so loud she put her hands over her ears.

“Well! You don’t have to be so mad, I was only asking. When are you leaving?”

“Two days, four days.”

“I want to see Tecumapese and the baby again. Will you bring them by here?”

“I plan on it.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“Don’t you do anything but ask questions?”

“You are so stingy with your words, you make me sick! Some day I’ll be grown up and so pretty that you’ll want to talk to me and I won’t say a word. I’ll just stand there while you ask questions that I won’t answer.”

“When that time comes, the world will tremble and the rivers will flow backward.”

“Oh! I don’t know why I bother with you.” Amy felt like she wanted to cry again. This time for a different reason. Rain acted like he hated her . . . and he was leaving. It could be months or years before she was alone with him again. “Rain? Please don’t be mad at me,” she pleaded. “I just want you to like me a little bit.”

“I do. Now are you satisfied?”

“I want to kiss you before you go.” Before he could move, she threw her arms about his neck and kissed him square on the mouth. “Bye, Rain. I know I’ll see you again but not like this.”

Startled to feel soft lips on his for the first time, Rain’s arms went around her and this time he touched his lips to hers, and held them there for a long moment. When he released her, Amy ran from the barn.

*  *  *

“Phew! What’s that I smell?” Liberty was helping Amy out of her short everyday dress and into one that she had given to her. Preacher Ellefson would be arriving soon, and she wanted her sister to look as grownup as possible.

“Bear grease. I was in the barn with Rain. I kissed him right on the mouth, and he kissed me back.”

“Well!” Liberty turned quickly to hide her smile. “That doesn’t tell me how you got in the bear grease.”

“Rain had it on his hands. He hugged me. He hugged me. tight, Libby. I know he likes me, but he’s too blasted stubborn to admit it.”

“I don’t know how anyone could help but to like you,” Liberty said staunchly. “But then I’m your sister,” she added teasingly. “Hurry now and fasten your dress. I’m going to pin your hair up on your head.”

“Rain said he isn’t coming to see me be married.”

“He might change his mind.”

“Rain doesn’t change his mind. Oh, they’re here.” Amy darted back from the door.

“Cover your head with this shawl, Amy. It’ll not matter if your hair is up or not. I forgot that the preacher thinks a woman’s hair was put there to lure men into sinful ways.”

“He thinks that?”

“He has a lot of foolish notions. Don’t pay any attention to him. Cover your head. And Willa, cover yours too,” Liberty said hurriedly.

The preacher got off the horse with his huge Bible in his hand. Juicy got up from the bench under the tree, knocked the ashes from his pipe and put it in his pocket. He and Farr shook hands with the preacher. Liberty could hear the man’s booming voice asking the same questions of Juicy he had asked Farr the morning they were married.

“Will you properly chastise this woman? Make her docile and obedient? Set her feet on the path of righteousness?”

Juicy must have given the right answers, because Farr beckoned for them to come out into the yard.

It was no easier for Liberty to hear the insulting questions asked of Amy than it had been when they were asked of her. The only thing that kept her from lambasting the preacher with all the scathing remarks that came to mind was the fact that he was providing a means for Amy to escape Stith, and Amy didn’t seem to mind.

When the ceremony was over, the preacher drew the paper from his pocket, and Farr sent Willa to the house to get the ink horn and the quill. Amy painstakingly signed her name to the paper and Juicy scratched his name also. Then he sat back down and took out his pipe as if being married was an everyday occurrence. Amy began to play with the kitten Daniel had brought from the barn. Farr dug into his moneybag for the shillings.

“I’m glad to see you’ve taken a firm hand with your woman, Mr. Quill. I had my doubts about your success. No doubt you’ve worn out a dozen willow switches, for I could see she had a rebellious spirit.”

“Yes, she did, and she still does, Preacher Ellefson. I’ve made her dance to the swish of the willow switch more than once. Show him your legs, Libby.” Only Liberty saw the mischief that danced in Farr’s eyes.

“I’ll do no such thing, and you can’t make me.” She tossed her head sassily, stuck her tongue out, and jerked the covering from her head.

She heard the preacher gasp with indignation.

“Get to the house, woman, before I lay my hand on your backside right out here in the yard. I mean to teach you that I’m your master.”

Farr’s shout was convincing. Liberty could hear the sympathetic words from the preacher as she ran giggling to the house.

She entered to see Colby and Willa standing beside the wash shelf. Colby had the dipper in his hand, but his eyes were on Willa’s turned-up face and she was looking at him as if—as if he had just hung out the stars, she thought. This was not the first time Liberty had caught them alone. She backed out the door. They didn’t even know she had been in the room.

*  *  *

There was much to mark the next morning different from the other mornings when Liberty and Willa had cooked breakfast for the men. Everyone was quieter than usual; the men ate more hurriedly. When Liberty went to wake Amy as she slept with Mercy, she jumped up at once and didn’t plead for just a few more minutes of sleep. And finally, the children fed, the cabin tidied and the noon meal started, there was nothing to do but wait for Captain Heald and the troops to return.

Farr went to the sawyer camp to see that the work was started and to speak to Mr. Washington about what was to be done. Juicy, Colby and Rain stayed at the cabin. When Farr returned, they busied themselves at the woodpile making stakes. It was a place where they could see both the sawyer camp and the road.

Two hours after sunup the patrol came up the road from the south. The captain and Hammond Perry were in the lead; the others followed in an orderly fashion, Elija and Stith Lenning bringing up the rear. They rode up to within a dozen yards of the house. The captain held up his hand and the sergeant barked an order. The troops stopped, the captain and Hammond came on. Elija and Stith rode around the troops and followed the officers into the yard. They alighted and Captain Heald walked forward to meet Farr and shake his hand.

“Morning.”

“Morning, Captain.” Farr pointedly ignored Hammond.

“You know why we’re here, Quill. Lieutenant Perry has business with you.”

Farr turned frosty eyes on Hammond. A wave of anger stormed through him. Hammond arrogantly returned his stare. He stood with feet apart, balancing on the heels of his boots. Farr desperately wanted to wipe the satisfied smirk off his face.

“Say your piece, Perry, and then get off my land before I plant my fist in your face.”

“Now, Quill, let’s be civilized about this.” Heald’s words made the smirk on Hammond’s face widen.

“Yes, Quill. Be civilized for
once
in your life.”

“What do you want here?”

“I’ve been told by Mr. Elija Carroll that you have his daughter, Amy Louise Carroll, and that you refuse to allow him to see her or take her to the home he has provided for her.” Hammond moved so he could look beyond Farr’s tall frame that obstructed his view of the cabin. “You are to turn the girl over to him immediately. Where is she?”

“In the cabin.”

“Call her out. Her father is here to fetch her.”

“No.”

Captain Heald had the feeling Farrway Quill was enjoying the encounter. He folded his arms and waited to see what card he would pull from his sleeve to avoid giving up the girl. He hoped to hell Quill had one.

“Must I remind you that I can take the girl by force?”

“You don’t have to remind me. You’re just stupid enough to try it.”

Hammond’s face turned a dull red, and his lips worked before he shouted, “Damn you! My patience is running out. Fetch the girl or—”

“Or what?” Farr taunted.

The captain decided he’d have to step in before things got out of hand.

“Quill, you know as well as I do that a female is under the jurisdiction of her father until she marries, and that he has the right to give her in marriage to a man he feels will make a suitable husband for her. If you have any proof that Mr. Carroll is not Miss Amy’s father, please say so, and let’s get this over with.”