Nan's Journey (17 page)

“Old chicken house? You mean the storage shed?”

“It was a chicken house before Claire and Joy died, but I turned it into storage because I just couldn’t take care of anyone or anything properly after… I took the things that were in there and put them in the barn in the crates we brought the chickens in. I don’t know what I will do with those things.”

Nan didn’t ask him what they were. She already knew that they were probably personal items of his family. He must have had a hard morning doing that type of work. She edged around the barn and opened the door to the small chicken house. Even though the sun was shining, it was pretty cold out with snow on the ground.

She looked at them and decided that they were beautiful. Yes beautiful! They were black
with white speckles all over them. The rooster was spectacular to look at. Fred said they were called Barred Plymouth Rock. They also got some Guineas to warn them of predators lurking about. They gratefully took the feed that she scattered on the floor of the chicken house. She decided to put so
me feed in an old tin plate
and
filled a bowl with
water. She didn’t want them outside yet.

Elmer slept an hour or so longer than Nan had. He stood in the door of the cabin and stretched as far as his body would go. He was growing quickly now. They celebrated his sixth birthday with Nate and Martha. The cake had been delicious. Martha taught Nan how to make many dishes and she enjoyed the instruction on making that special cake most of all. Mainly because the celebration would not have taken place at all if the doctor hadn’t done the surgery on him in time. Nan observed him as he scampered across the yard to Fred.

Elmer called out, “Fred, are we going to check your traps today? I bet you have caught a lot since we have been gone so long.”

“Yes, we are going and I have a special treat for the two of you today. Nan is going to join us and we are going to a real Ute village. I want you to meet James’ family.”

“Are you certain that it is alright for us to go there?” Nan had heard many bad things about Indians and was not anxious to get too close for too long to them.

“James is a remarkable Christian man. You will enjoy meeting his family.”

Nan remembered that James was trying to give Fred his sister as a wife and wasn’t sure that she agreed.

After eating a quick breakfast, Fred brought Ruby and Sonny around for them to ride. He walked along side of them. The camp wasn’t very far, but they would take it slow for Nan’s sake. She was in her fifth month of pregnancy. She was beginning to show her condition and because of it he took special pains to be certain not to push her very hard. By noonday they were at the edge of the camp. Nan observed the children running after little pups and the women tending fires outside the teepees. They were obviously tending fires inside them too as smoke curled up through the posts at the top. The people stopped their activities and gathered at the side of the visitors.

“Greetings, friends! I brought my family to meet you.”

Out of the crowd a familiar face approached Fred. “It is a good day to see my brother, Fred.”

“I agree, James. You remember my family?”

James strode up to Elmer and peered into his glowing face. “This one looks much stronger than the last time I saw him.”

“That’s Elmer. He couldn’t have made it if you hadn’t helped him. I wanted to come and show you how well he has fared.”

“Did you find the cause of his sickness?”
”It was a poisoned tooth that had broken off in the back of his mouth.”

“Simple things can cause death.”

“Yes.”

“Your wife is of a better temperament it seems.”

“Yes, Nan feels much happier since her brother is well.”

“Nan, I am James. I welcome you to our camp.”

“Thank you.”

James led them to his comfortable home. The floor was cushioned on the perimeter with hides of deer, buffalo and many other pelts. A young woman was stirring a pot of stew-like substance cooking over a low flame. She looked up and smiled at Fred. “Hello
,
brother! It is good to see you after such a long time. Is this the wife my husband told me about?”

“Nan, this is New Moon
,
the wife of James.”

The woman looked amused, “Fred could never get his mouth around our native tongue so he gave us the names he could say. My name and my husband’s name are very difficult for the white man to say so we accept the ones that Fred gave us. Fred, what meaning does your name have?”

Fred laughed heartily, “Nothing, absolutely nothing. I don’t know many white people with a name that means anything!”

“What a waste! Our names are given to us in remembrance of something or someone or to help us live up to great feats.”

“I am named in remembrance of my mother. Her name was Nancy and so is mine. I just am called Nan
.
”

“That is good.”

James took Fred
and
Elmer outside while Nan visited with New Moon. Elmer quickly made friends with some of the children of the camp. “Fred, I want to give you some gifts for being my good friend.”

“I couldn’t take anything more from you, James. You have been a good friend ever since you came to my church in Trinidad and gave your life to the Lord. You stood by me when I fell into sin and helped me get out of it. Of all the people in the world, you have been my truest friend and brother.”

They spied Elmer playing with some of the boys who had a litter of wolf pups. He was laughing at their wrestling and snipping at each other. “James, if you would like to give me something, I do need a dog now. Maybe one of those pups?”

“What happened to Rufus?”

“An intruder killed him.”

“Indian?”

“No, trapper.”

James called out to the boys in his native tongue, “Little brothers, help Elmer choose a pup. One that will grow up strong and loyal.”

One of the boys handed a reddish-blonde pup to Elmer. He was part wolf, part husky because he was fathered by Rufus. The young boy spoke in broken English to Elmer, “I call him Shasta for a great mountain in the north that a white man who came to our camp told me about.”

“Shasta! What a
great name. Thank you
James!” Elmer couldn’t remember a day that he had been this happy. The little pup licked him as he laughed and wrestled with him.

“Now we will get a horse for Nan
,
” said James.

“You have done too much already, James.”

“I give a gift to the bride of my friend.” James spoke softly as he handed the
reins
to Nan. She was overwhelmed as she looked at the beautiful appaloosa mare. It was black with white splotches on its hindquarter. What a horse!

“She is the tamest horse I own. She will serve you well. I call her Moon Shadow but you may call her what you wish.”

“Moon Shadow is perfect! How can I thank you enough, James?”

“Just make my friend happy. Treat him well and be a good wife to him. Is that a bargain?”

“I will do my best.” Somehow the exchange between James and her felt more like giving a marriage vow than the pitiful ceremony in Silverton did. “I will.”

Fred smiled and knew that she had truly vowed to be his wife this time.

*****

Nan enjoyed watching Fred as he planed the boards to make a large cradle for the baby. He said that it should be good-sized so that the child could use it for a couple of years. That made sense. The wood curled as it was planed from the board. It reminded Nan of Elmer’s curls when he was a toddler. She smiled at the thought. The baby was kicking a lot these days.

She could swear that he felt that her belly was a drum that needed to be pounded night and day. Lately the baby had been stretching or something. She seemed to not be able to sit tall enough to give him enough room. She stood as much as possible, but it made her very tired. Fred had made her recline in the bed after dinner and in the evening time. She was embarrassed to be in the bed in the middle of the day. What would people think of her? She did it because it was the only way she could seem to relax these days. She had given up on ever seeing her feet again.

It was a good thing that she had moccasins because her fee
t were too swollen for the high-
topped boots she usually wore. Even at that Elmer or Fred had to help her get them on. She felt awkward and helpless. Fred said that they would go down to Trinidad at the end of this month so that she would have a month to get settled there before the baby came. If she had a little
more than
a month to go, how big was she going to be by the time she delivered? How big would the baby be? Nan was frightened. She tried to hide her concern and concentrated on watching Fred construct the cradle. Elmer was laughing in the distance. He was training Shasta to fetch a stick. They were inseparable. It was good to see him so happy and healthy.

“I’m going to start packing up the cabin in a few days. We will load the animals down with our household good
s
and prepare to move from the mountain for good.”
Nan frowned, “For good?”

“It is time for me to face the world again. Elmer needs to attend school and you will want to be near civilization when the baby comes.”

“We won’t live here
anymore
?”

“No. I…
we must go back home to Trinidad. Ma and Pa were anxious about you being up here when they found out that you were having a baby.”

Nan remembered and nodded.

“We will take as much of our things as possible when we go, but I imagine I will be coming to clear the rest of the things here for setting up our own home in Trinidad.”

Chapter
19

Like a viper winding its way through the cracks and crags of the rock outcroppings, a man of slight build gazed down at the little cabin in the clearing. He stayed downwind of the small dog. He didn’t want the critter to catch scent of him before he had time to load his gun and take aim. A smirk crossed the young dirty face and traces of tobacco juice slipped do
wn the corner of his mouth.

Dan
was out for revenge. That preacher man had a lot of nerve killing h
is pa like that.
So what if we
took the girl. She wasn’t all that much. Shoot, they thought she was a boy before the kid yelled her name out
. A sly smile widened across his leathery face. She was a girl. The first white girl he had ever taken.

His eyes scanned the property around the barn and house. What was that sound? A scream? The girl was screaming? He would sit a spell and observe the situation. Could it be that the preacher man was a man given to violence? Would he hit a woman? Maybe he wasn’t the “man of God” he pretended to be. After all, he was a killer!

Dan
whistled through his blackened teeth and settled himself in for a spell. He would bide his time and take in the situation.

Another scream pierced the silence and then an infant’s cry bugled into the afternoon calm.
A baby?
The cries from the girl and the baby ceased a
nd all was quiet once more. Dan
formulated a plan in
his evil, twisted mind
. I’ll
go into
the cabin while the preacher is
distracted and b
low his head off before he
know
s
what hit him. Without help th
at simpering girl and baby will
die a slow death. It was perfect!

Quickly he slipped down the embankment. Where was that dog gone to now? He appeared to be running off to chase after something in the distance.
Good.
He edged his way around the house and busted through the door. His rifle was ready. The only occupants of the cabin were the girl and a newborn baby. Shoot, she hadn’t even cleaned him up yet.

The girl’s eyes were wide in horror but she appeared too weak to scream again. She grabbed the baby close to her and held on tight.

“Where’s the preacher?” barked the man.

Nan opened her mouth but no so
und escaped past her lips. Dan
stood there in confusion. Now what? Fred wasn’t there and it was useless to kill the girl. He might come get her later when she looked strong again, but he had no use for an ailing female.

The babe made a small whimpering sound. Without hesitation he grabbed the baby from the little mother and tore the quilt off the bed and stuffed it around th
e helpless little creature. Dan
stood for a brief moment and looked down at the starkly pale face. She had fainted and looked dead against the white sheet.

The bed was covered in blood.
Poor, stupid kid, she just didn’t have what it takes to make it in the wilderness.
He tucked the baby under his arm and ran. Fred wouldn’t be very far away and he didn’t want to be caught in the cabin with a dead girl.