The Man from Shenandoah (6 page)

“I was crossing the street in front of those stupid Yankee soldiers running their horses down the way, and I tripped and fell. Your brother kicked that big horse of his and fetched me out of there. Then he set me on my feet and cussed me up and down. He really flapped his tongue some at me,” she mumbled. “You’ve got to hide me before he comes in.”

“You’re not afraid of Carl, are you?”

“Not afraid. Just shamed. It was highly foolish of me to try to beat those Yankees across the street, and to get plucked out of the mud like a rag doll.” She shuddered. “I’ll never be able to hold up my head around him my whole life long.”

“That’s likely, but you can’t keep from seeing him. He’s here to take me on home. Ma needs

me right now. We’re going….” Marie looked sideways at Ellen. “I mean, we’re going to be busy with…the planting.”

“Marie, you’re telling a fib. What’s happening?”

“I’m sorry, Ellen. I can’t say.” She sighed. “But I will tell you, real soon, I promise. We’ll clean you up, and I’ll find some clothes so you can go home.”

Marie left Ellen by the fire and went into the yard. She found Carl washing his shirt in a bucket of water. As she approached the well, Carl flicked drops of water at her and grinned.

“I’m sorry I was so fierce with you,” he said. “Seems like ever since I got home, I’ve been muddy more than clean, and it’s wearing on my nerves. Once, a cow knocked me into the mud, and now I’m filthy on account of a dumb girl.”

“Well, that ‘dumb girl’ was coming to visit me, and she’s out in the parlor dying of fright that you’ll cuss at her again. Carl, how could you?”

“What? She’s here?”

“She’s my best friend.”

“You surely do pick dumb friends.”

“I ain’t looking to fight with you, Carl. You had no business yelling at her, though.”

“She nearly got us killed by a bunch of Yankees I had trouble with once before.” He held up his dripping shirt. “Look at that. I was on my way home and they cut off all my buttons. Claimed I was violating my parole. I do not favor them casting their eyes on me again, seeing as how they’re running the show hereabouts.”

“Ellen knows she done a fool thing, but she’s sorry. You’d best come in and make amends for yelling at her.”

“Not me, Sis. Let her die of fright. I ain’t apologizing for giving her something she earned.” Carl put on his wet shirt and tied it closed with some bits of string.

“I see. Well, she needs to clean up, so if you don’t aim to meet her, you’d best remain out here.”

Carl mumbled something.

“What did you say?”

“You don’t want to hear it.”

Chapter 4

Two hours later, Rod Owen whistled as he tossed little Roddy into the air.

“Please, Mr. Owen,” Mary cried out. “The baby is so delicate.”

“Mistress Mary, you worry too much. This young’un is strong as an ox. And he’ll need strength where we’re going.”

“You’re still trying to get us to go with you? Rulon, tell him we can’t go,” she pleaded.

Rod continued. “Would you druther stay here and bid good-bye to your folks? Your pa agreed to go with me. Not only him, but Tom O’Connor, Angus Campbell, and Ed Morgan are going. I figure we need only one other family, and I’ll talk to them on the way home.”

Mary found a chair and sank down into it. Rulon crossed the room to squat by her side, and lifted her chin with his blunt fingers. “It won’t be as bad as you figure, Sugar. I’m getting stronger every day, and you’ll have your ma and sisters along. Look here, it’ll mean a good start for us, and we’ve never had one, with this war. Mary, we’re four years wed, and all we have to show for it is Roddy and some pots and pans.” He got up and turned to his father. “Pa, we’re going with you.”

“Rulon, I’m pleased. You won’t regret it none. Well now, are those girls ready to go home? I expect I’ll need a wagon to haul their things.”

Mary got up, sighing heavily, and went to get the girls, and as she passed her husband she gave him a long, despairing look.

“Afternoon, Mary,” a young male voice called from the kitchen.

“That’s Clay home for lunch,” Rulon said. “He likely don’t know you’re in town, Pa. Clay,” he called. “Come here a minute. Someone’s here to see you.”

A slim youth entered the room with his hat still on his head, brushing specks of straw off his colorless homespun shirt and faded brown trousers. “Pa!” he exclaimed, hastily taking the hat off his blond head. “When did you get into town?”

“I been here all morning, son. I bring happy news. We’re pulling up stakes and heading for Colorado Territory.”

“We’re what? Where Uncle Jonathan lives? What do you want to do that for, Pa?”

“I’ve sold the farm, Clayton. We need a fresh start, and I’m sick of the sight of Yankee soldiers.”

“You sold the farm? Our home, Pa?”

“I’ve decided, son.”

Clay stood silent for a while, then said, “All right, Pa.”

“By the way, your sisters are going home with me, but you stay here and help Rulon get ready to travel.”

“What about my job, Pa?”

“Give in your notice this afternoon. Your brother needs you full-time, him not being so spry yet.”

“Oh lawsy,” Marie interrupted, coming down the stairs. “This house has been full of people all day.” She came into the room with her bundle, trailed by Julianna, Mary, and Ellen, whose dignity had been restored by a wash-up and a change of clothes.

“How’re you going to get us home, Papa?” Julianna did not like to walk if she could ride.

“I’ll hire a team and buggy with Clay to drive us,” Rod teased.

“Papa,” Julianna wailed. “That takes money, and the Yankees have all of it.”

“You’ll ride behind me, and your sister will double with Carl.” Rod looked around the room. “Where is Carl?”

“He’s in the yard being a blue-nosed, stubborn fool,” Marie told him.

“He’s angry on account of me, Mr. Owen,” said Ellen.

Rod finally noticed the extra face. “You’re Chester’s girl. Is your pa home?”

“Yes, sir, he was when I left this morning.”

“Well, we’re heading out to your place, so you can come along with us. You can ride with Marie, and Carl can walk.”

“Oh, please, Mr. Owen. I’ll be happy to walk. You don’t need to bother Carl none.”

“He’s already almighty bothered.” Marie giggled into Ellen’s ear.

“We’ll work something out,” Rod declared.

~~~

As Ellen walked down the pike with Marie, she daydreamed herself onto the back of Carl’s horse. She imagined she felt the hard muscles of his torso under her encircling arms, bit her lip, and gave a shudder of delight. Then she realized her arms were wrapped around her own front. “Pleased, God,” she prayed under her breath, “let him forgive me for being a fool.” She squeezed her eyes shut in her fervor.

“Miss Ellen, are you ailing?”

Ellen jumped, and opened her eyes as Rod Owen came alongside her, leading his horse with Julianna aboard.

“You were making such a face, I wondered if you was feeling poorly.”

“Oh, no,” she hastened to assure him. “I was doing a mite of thinking.”

“Would you favor riding for a spell? You can hop up there with Julianna and the baggage.”

“I’m fine, Mr. Owen. I like to walk.”

“You don’t always do it so good,” a scoffing voice broke into the conversation.

Ellen whirled around, her face flushing with anger. “That’s not fair, Carl Owen. Tripping was an accident. You wasn’t invited to busybody your way into my bad luck. Better for me had the Yankees run me over.” She turned and ran off a ways before walking once more.

“You do have spunk, I’ll say that,” Carl called after her.

Rod scowled at his son. “That’s no way to treat the little lady. You apologize to her.”

“Pa!” Carl protested. “It’s a misunderstanding betwixt her and me. Them Yankees were hooraying her in town, and I got some riled at her for getting in their way.”

“No son of mine ever spoke to a girl in like manner, Carl, and you ain’t going to behave in a new fashion because your temper’s short. You get along and make sure she’s smiling when she gets home.”

Carl shrugged his shoulders and set out after Ellen, frowning as he trotted his horse up the road. Ellen had gotten about ten yards ahead of his sister even though Marie called for her to wait and ran after her.

Carl slowed his horse to a walk alongside Marie, who was breathing hard and holding her side. “Save your breath, Sis. Go back and walk with Pa.”

Marie looked up and giggled. “You’re going to apologize, ain’t you. Afraid I’ll listen?”

“You’ll try. Go along back to Pa. This is all his idea.”

“I told you to say you was sorry, but you wouldn’t listen to me.”

“Go along, or I’ll help you,” he threatened.

“I’ll go. I obey Pa better than you.” Marie wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue, then stopped walking to wait for her father and sister.

Carl heeled Sherando into a faster gait to catch Ellen. As he came up beside her, he slowed the horse again and looked down at her angry, set face. “Say, you ain’t still sore at me, are you?”

Ellen kept walking.

“I was mean as a mad dog to you back there in town. I’m sorry.”

Still she walked, facing front, giving no notice to his words.

“I was worried about you. Looked like you were going to get yourself killed.”

She stopped, hesitated, then looked up at him, shading her eyes. “You were worried? Why?”

Carl reined in the horse. “That was no way to treat any girl, especially a Southern girl. Them Yanks figured to hurt you. That scared me.”

“You were scared?” She began to walk again, and Carl followed, walking his horse.

“Yes. You was, too.”

“I saw them horses coming faster than I had figured, and that’s what made me trip. I about died of fright.”

“You about died of trampling!”

“I’m sorry you got so muddy, and worried, but I’m most sorry I didn’t get a chance to thank you. You saved my life, I reckon.”

Carl was silent for a moment, wondering why the conversation was so easy.
One thing
, he told himself,
this girl don’t talk funny like that Hilbrands gal, playing a man like a fish on a hook
. After a while he asked, “Is your pa planning to rebuild the farm?”

“What choice does he have? We got to put the crops in, and I guess the barn goes up after that. But I reckon we don’t need much of a barn, since the Yankees came through and took almost all the stock!”

“You’ve got you a temper, girl. Almost as bad as mine.” He laughed.

“That’s what my ma keeps telling me. She says, ‘Girl, you’re never going to catch—’” Ellen’s face turned red again.

“What’s that she says?”

“Never mind. Not important.” Ellen began to walk faster again.

Carl nudged Sherando to a faster gait and caught up to her.

“If you’re in such a hurry, you can ride behind me for a ways. Likely Marie’s bag is soft enough to sit on.” He put down his hand to help her up.

Ellen stood still in the road for a moment, then she accepted Carl’s offer, took his hand, and he boosted her up on the baggage behind him. “Hang on tight,” he advised. She slowly put her arms around his waist, and he felt the warmth of her body against his back. Then she rested her cheek against him, and he noticed that the thud of her heart matched the beat of his.

~~~

“Chester, you been wiped out. Come with me to Colorado. You can grow acre after acre of wheat there.” Rod Owen sat in the Bates’ front yard on a tree stump, looking from Chester to his wife, Muriel.

Chester Bates was a mild, weather-beaten man, thick of chest and shoulder, but with no spare fat on his bones. His reddish hair was thinning a little on top, and his square jaw made a proper floor for his square face. Rod had seen the light fade from his dark blue eyes when he returned from the war to find his wife and daughter living in the former tool shed, compliments of the Yankees who burned his home. Now the light was back.

Chester glanced from his dark, matronly wife to his friend. “You’re a God-send, Roderick Owen. I’ll go with you,” he replied. “I’ll leave this place and go with you, and the Yankees be damned!”

“Chester, the young ladies,” Muriel scolded, smiling.

Ellen pounced on Marie. “This is your secret,” she burst out. “And now we’re going with you. Lawsy me, if we didn’t go, I’d just die!”

~~~

“James is back,” Julia greeted Rod. “He brought in all that wood. What are we going to do with it? It’s no use to us on the road.”

“We’ll sell it. Likely there’s some lazy man around who’ll take it off our hands. Did Albert get the corn shelled for you?”

“That boy’s been working his fingers to the bone—not to mention his tongue—with all his questions. I reckon he’s anxious to go west.” Julia hugged the girls. “How’s Mary? Were you a help to her? Is Rulon on the mend?”

“He’s up and about, Ma,” said Marie. “Soon he won’t even limp no more.”