Under the Distant Sky (17 page)

“Yes.”

“He told me that he’s noticed you reading your Bible quite often.”

“That’s right.”

“Do you believe it?”

“From cover to cover.”

“When and where did you get saved?”

“At a revival meeting in Hot Springs, Arkansas, when a hellfire-and-brimstone evangelist came to our church. I was nine.”

“Well, isn’t that a coincidence? I came to the Lord in a revival meeting in Roanoke. And guess what? I was nine years old, too.”

“Wonderful, Miss Deborah. We really do have a lot in common!”

“You can just call me Deborah,” she said, smiling warmly.

By the time the clothes were all washed, both young people knew they wanted to get to know each other much better.

On the opposite side of the circle, at the Tolliver wagon, lovely Vanessa Tolliver was sitting on a straight-backed wooden chair, doing some sewing while she chatted with a young
woman named Katherine Oakley. After a while, Katherine jokingly said she needed to go find her husband. It would soon be time to spank him and put him to bed.

Vanessa was still giggling when a beefy male figure came out of the shadows as if he had been waiting there. She recognized Walt Cuzak’s third eldest son, Dwight, in the firelight.

“I’m sorry, Vanessa,” Dwight said. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Vanessa gave him a wary glance and said, “I don’t recall giving you permission to call me by my first name, Mr. Cuzak. I’m
Mrs. Tolliver
to you.”

Dwight scratched at his beard and chuckled. “No sense standin’ on ceremony, Vanessa. Let’s be honest. I’ve noticed you, and you’ve noticed me.”

“Pardon me?”

“Aw, come on… you know it, and I know it.”

“You can be on your way now, Mr. Cuzak.”

“I ain’t brushed off that easy. Now, warm up a little.”

Curtis Holden had carried Deborah Smith’s wet clothing to the Marlin wagon and was heading for his own wagon when he passed by and heard Vanessa say, “I told you to leave, mister! Now, do it!”

“Is there a problem here, Mrs. Tolliver?”

Vanessa looked at Curtis with relief and said, “Yes, there is, Mr. Holden.” She put down her sewing basket and rose to her feet. “Mr. Cuzak, here, seems to have his ears full of wax. I told him to leave, but he insists on being a pest.”

Curtis sized up Cuzak—at least two inches taller and about forty pounds heavier. But Curtis knew how to box and was good at it. He fixed Dwight with steady eyes and said, “Best thing for you to do, mister, is grant Mrs. Tolliver’s wish.”

The rising full moon and the firelight revealed a smoky glare in Dwight Cuzak’s eyes. He looked Curtis up and down
and sneered, “And just what are you prepared to do if I don’t, pee-wee?”

“If you don’t leave on your own power, I’ll be forced to use mine.”

C
urtis Holden gracefully sidestepped Dwight’s swinging fist, causing the bulky man to stumble.

“Now, Dwight,” Curtis said, still holding his wet wash rolled up in a bundle, “you heard what Mr. Comstock said about fighting. You want to get thrown out of the train?”

“There won’t be any fight, pee-wee, if you mind your own business.”

“As a gentleman, I am minding my own business—looking out for a lady who’s being annoyed by a rodent.”

“Rodent, eh?”

“That’s what I said. Now, go find your rat hole and jump in it. Mrs. Tolliver’s husband isn’t going to be very happy when he learns about you pushing yourself on his wife.”

“I can handle him! And I can handle you, too!”

Curtis dropped his wet wash, dodged a hissing fist, and countered with a solid blow that split Dwight’s upper lip. The big man staggered backward and put a hand to his mouth. When his fingers came away crimson, his features contorted with anger.

By this time, a few people had gathered around.

“I’m gonna kill you, pee-wee!” Dwight roared.

“I don’t think so.”

Curtis’s words had a ring of challenge, and Dwight
charged like a maddened bull.

Curtis sidestepped again and landed a chop to Dwight’s temple. The big man fell in a heap, shaking his head.

Now people were coming from every direction as Dwight struggled to his feet, cursing Holden and going after him again. Curtis met him with a stiff jab to the nose, a left jab to the mouth, and a hissing right cross.

Just as Dwight went down, his brothers Frank and Edmund and his father piled on Curtis from behind, taking him to the ground.

Suddenly Ezra Comstock’s voice cut through the night. “Hold it right there! Frank! Edmund! Walt! Stop it!”

The Cuzak brothers rose to their feet. Curtis got up, too, brushing dirt from his hair. When Walt stood up, he swore at Curtis and surprised him with a punch to the jaw. Suddenly Walt felt powerful vise-like arms around him, lifting him off the ground.

“That’s enough!” Solomon Cooper said into Walt’s ear, squeezing so tight that Walt could barely breathe.

Lafe Tolliver pushed his way through the crowd to his wife’s side. Vanessa gripped his arm with trembling hands, and told him how Dwight Cuzak had accosted her and Curtis Holden had stopped to help. Lafe charged toward the man who had dared harass his wife.

Ezra jumped in front of him, throwing up his palms. “No, Lafe! No more fightin’!”

Lafe stopped with great effort. “Only because it’s you saying it, Ezra,” he said, breathing hard.

Ezra turned toward Walt Cuzak, still held tightly by Solomon, and said, “You know the rules, mister, and so do your boys! I made it clear before we started this trip that there would be no fightin’.”

“Don’t blame us!” Walt said. “I’m sure Dwight didn’t start the fight!”

“Oh, yes he did!” Vanessa said. “I told him to leave me alone. Curtis Holden was passing by and heard me. He told Dwight to do as I said and disappear. It was Dwight who started the fight.”

Tony Cuzak listened but said nothing. He was so weary of the ways of his father and brothers.

Walt struggled to free himself, but to no avail.

“You just cool down,” Solomon said. “I’ll let you go when you cool down.”

Ezra stepped closer to the head of the Cuzak clan. Biting off each word, he said, “Walt, you and these four are no longer part of this wagon train. Get your wagons and go your way.”

“But Ezra, you can’t put us out! We paid you in advance for the whole trip!”

“So did everybody else. You and your oldest four broke the rules. Be gone.”

“Wait a minute, Ezra!” Dwight said. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean Vanessa no harm.”

“It’s
Mrs. Tolliver
to you!” Lafe said, his arm draped protectively around his wife.

Dwight nodded at Vanessa. “Yes, ma’am…
Mrs. Tolliver.”
Then to Ezra: “If Holden hadn’t butted in, there wouldn’t have been no fight.”

Again Vanessa spoke up. “Curtis was being a gentleman, Mr. Comstock. When he heard me tell Dwight to leave, he stepped in to take my part. It was Dwight who swung first.”

“Well, he called me a rodent!” Dwight said.

“You were pushing yourself on a married woman,” Curtis said. “It’s bad enough to be that way with
any
woman, but you sure shouldn’t be bothering a married woman!”

Ezra looked at the senior Cuzak, who was still in Solomon’s powerful grasp. “Like I said, Walt, be gone.”

Walt struggled to get free of the crushing arms. “Make him let go of me, Ezra!”

The wagon master nodded. “Turn ’im loose, Sol.”

Solomon eased the husky man to the ground and released him.

“You can’t do this, Ezra,” Walt said in a wheedling tone. “Me and my boys jumped Curtis because he was fightin’ Dwight. We didn’t know any more than that. It was an honest mistake. I apologize for what Dwight did.”

Ezra was silent for a moment, then said, “That ain’t good enough. I’ll consider lettin’ you stay if Dwight sincerely apologizes and promises not to cause any more trouble.”

Walt was still trying to get his breath as he fixed his third son with a hard, meaningful look.

Dwight bristled then looked at Vanessa. “I…I’m sorry, Mrs. Tolliver. I really meant no harm, but I’m sorry.”

Dwight turned to Curtis Holden. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean no trouble. Just don’t like bein’ called a rodent. ’Specially a rat.”

“Vanessa… Curtis…,” Ezra said, “do you accept his apology?”

Both nodded.

“I’ve got one coming, too! It was my wife you were flirting with!”

A stubborn look etched itself on Dwight’s bearded face.

“Do it,” Walt said.

Dwight managed to ease the stubborn set of his features and said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Tolliver. All I was doin’ was just bein’ friendly. I really didn’t—”

“Don’t you ever go near her again!” Lafe cut in. “Best thing for you to do is leave
all
the women alone!”

“He won’t bother any of the ladies,” Walt said. “Married or not. Will you, Dwight?”

“No,” Dwight said. “No, I won’t.”

Silence settled over the crowd as everyone waited for Ezra to speak. “Dwight, do I have your solemn promise you won’t cause any more trouble in this wagon train? I mean, all the way to Sacramento?”

Dwight didn’t look at his father, but he could feel the heat of his look. “Yeah. You got it.”

Ezra was silent for a long moment. “Okay, Walt. I’ll let you and your wagons stay in the train. But the five of you had better toe the line. There won’t be a second chance. Understand?”

“Yeah… I understand.”

Ezra told the crowd they’d best get to bed…tomorrow was another long day.

Elmer and Maudie Holden had waited for their grandson, and now watched him look around on the ground for the clothing he’d dropped when the fight started. “I… I dropped the wash around here somewhere. I’ll take it back and wash it again.”

Just then, Deborah came toward them, carrying the wash and smiling. “I picked up the clothes and rinsed out the dirt.”

“Why, thank you,” Curtis said. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know. But it’s my way of saying how much I appreciate what you did for Mrs. Tolliver. You are a real gentleman.”

Curtis blushed and introduced Deborah to his grandparents.

“Would you like me to help you hang them up?” Deborah asked.

“That would be great,” he said.

When the wash had been hung on a line strung from the Holden wagon to a nearby tree, Curtis said, “Thanks a lot. Girls are better at this kind of thing than fellas are.”

“I won’t disagree with that,” she said. “Well, I’d better be going.”

Curtis stepped close, wanting to take hold of her hand, but refrained. His heart was banging against his rib cage. “See you tomorrow, Deborah.”

“Sure will.” Deborah turned and took a couple of steps, then turned and said, “I want to say again that I appreciate what you did for Mrs. Tolliver.”

Curtis grinned. “I’d do the same for you.”

On the thirteenth day out, Ezra announced they were near the Nebraska border. The hot sun bore down out of a cloudless sky, causing tempers to flare, but no fights broke out.

It was quite evident to Elmer and Maudie Holden that Curtis and Deborah had a powerful attraction for each other. Others in the train saw it, too. Elmer offered to ride in the back of the wagon for a while that day, so Curtis could invite Deborah to ride with them. Deborah gladly accepted the invitation.

Because of the intense heat, everyone was drinking more water. It had been two days since they had come to a stream, and the water barrels were getting low. Ezra assured everyone that they would reach a stream the next day.

The wagons lumbered slowly over an undulating sea of wind-blown grass, and trees had become scarce. When they came to an area where there were large patches of earth with no grass, Ezra ordered the wagons to spread out once again, so the people didn’t have to eat each other’s dust.

Hannah sat next to Solomon and wiped her sweaty dirt-streaked forehead, longing for a good soak in a stream. Her hair was full of dust, and like everyone else, there was grit in her mouth.

As the wagon rocked and creaked, and the heat and dust tormented her, Hannah thought of the home she had left in Independence and the convenient place to bathe, unlike this journey between streams, when all they could manage were “spit baths.”