by Lynn Donovan
Just then, Cole hollered down by the creek. He sounded scared. Gavin tore his eyes off Lily and looked Cole’s direction. “Can you help Lily?”
Emma Grace nodded. “Of course. Go see what Cole’s gotten into.”
Gavin ran toward the creek, while Emma Grace hiked her skirt and climbed up to where Lily clung to a branch with one hand over her head. The bird screeched and flew a sweeping approach at Lily.
“Come on.” Emma covered Lily’s body with her own. “I’ve got you. Let’s climb down together.”
Lily whimpered. “I saw three baby birds. Then the momma attacked me.”
“Um hum.” Emma coordinated her climb down to remain over Lily so the bird could not hurt the child. “Momma’s are like that. Very fierce when protecting their young.”
Emma touched foot to ground, and then lifted Lily from the tree to let her stand on her own. “So, that was exciting!”
Lily had tears in her eyes but smiled when Emma said this. “Yeah. The babies were ugly. All fuzzy and grey looking.” She giggled.
“There’s a story about an ugly duckling that grows into a beautiful swan. I’ll see if they have it in the library next time we go to town.”
“Really?” Lily’s eyes widened. The tears had dried. “You’ll read it to me?”
“Of course, but I’d rather you read it to me.” Emma Grace smiled.
She looked toward the creek. Voices. Men’s voices, she couldn’t understand what was being said. Should she and Lily walk there? Gavin could handle any situation Cole might have gotten himself into, but would he need Emma’s help? Just then she heard it. Gavin’s whistle. She and Lily ran as fast as Lily’s little legs could carry her. Gavin did need help.
Chapter Ten
Something in the sound of Cole’s outcry, Gavin’s stomach tightened. It wasn’t fear Cole had fallen in the water, it was something more threatening. Gavin ran as fast as he could toward the sound of the creek water, searching for his brother.
What he found was a shabby looking man holding Cole by the scruff of the collar. The gunny sack lay behind Cole’s feet, evidence of several frogs squirming inside. Gavin halted his run, let out a shrill whistle to get the man’s attention, and continued to walk toward him and his brother. “Let go of my boy!” Gavin said in as deep and threatening a tone as he could muster.
The man let go of Cole. “I don’t mean yo boy no harm. I just want them frogs.”
“They’re my frogs. I found ‘em fair and square.” Cole grabbed the gunny sack and held it to his chest.
“Them’s good eatin’, boy, and me and my partners, we need ’em to survive.”
Gavin considered the situation. “You live in that shanty town over yonder?”
“Yeah. Me and about eight or so other men.”
“Well,” Gavin eyed the wiggling content in Cole’s gunny sack. “How many frogs did you catch, Cole?”
“A dozen.” The pride in Cole’s voice was unmistakable.
Gavin smiled. “We only need four to feed our family, why don’t you give this gentleman the rest.”
Cole vehemently shook his head. Gavin put his hand on his little brother’s shoulder. “Now, Cole. You know it’s the Christian thing to do.”
Cole looked ashamed and dropped his eyes to the ground. “But I caught ‘em fair and square.” He whined.
“I know.” Gavin smiled up at the man. “And what a kind gesture it would be to give them to these people who don’t got nothing but a tent and the food they catch.”
The man didn’t appear to be offended at Gavin’s words. He reckoned the man was grateful to be given the bounty.
“Gavin? What’s this?” Emma Grace’s voice called out from the tree line. He turned to see her and Lily staying back. Fear filled Emma’s face, and Lily’s.
“It’s alright. This gentleman was just negotiating for his supper.” Gavin smiled at Emma Grace in an attempt to calm her. “Cole, go ahead and take out your four frogs and hand this gentleman the gunny sack.”
Emma Grace approached them. “Excuse me, but are you—”
“Yes.” Gavin interrupted. “He’s with the men who live outside of town in tents.”
Emma crossed her arms over her chest. “Hmm. We were wanting to ask you men a question.”
The man’s eyes softened. “Yes ’em?”
“Do you want work?”
“Yes, ma’am.” The man took a step back. “We haven’t been able to find work for some time. No one is hiring, it’s too late in the season.”
Emma’s eyes darted to Gavin and back to the man. “Do all your… friends want to work?”
“Yes, ma’am. What yo got in mind?”
“My husband and I own three hundred areas, but he’s only one man. We have thirty acres sitting in corn right now, we’ll harvest next month, but if you’ll come work for us, get those other two-hundred and seventy acres ready for a winter planting and stay to tend the fields, once the harvest is in, we’ll split the profits with you all.”
The man’s eyes brightened, and a big grin rose on his mouth. “That would certainly beat just sitting out here doing nothing, ma’am.”
Emma glanced at Gavin, who gave her a nod of approval. “Good. If you and your friends want to pick up and move out to our farm, we’ll ask you to set up your tents until we can build cabins, and if you can continue to hunt for meat, we’ll work together so none of us goes hungry.”
“I’ll go talk to the men, ma’am. But I think your terms are agreeable.”
“Good.” She turned to Cole. “You keep your frogs. We’ll fry them up and have a community meal this evening.” Returning her eyes to the man. “We are the Sallee’s. This is my husband Gavin and I’m Emma Grace.”
The man reached out a dirty hand and shook Gavin’s. “Much obliged, Sir, Ma’am. My name’s Nicolas Cragg.”
“Gavin,” Emma Grace asked. “Could we bring the wagon around and help them load up their tents, show them the way to the farm?”
“Of course.” Gavin looked at his sister. “So, Lily’s alright?”
“Yes. She learned to stay clear of baby birds and momma birds.”
Gavin chuckled. “A good lesson to learn.” He turned back to Mr. Cragg. “We’ll ride down to your tents and help everyone load up.”
“Good. I’ll run ahead and let ’em know we got work… and supper!”
Gavin put his hand around Cole’s neck and walked with Emma Grace and Lily back to the wagon. They rode down the road a little ways to where the shanty town stood. Mr. Cragg had spoken to the men by the time they arrived. A few didn’t want to go, but most did. Those who did eagerly took down their tents and gathered their belongings. Gavin and Cole carried their things to the wagon.
Emma climbed onto the bench and turned to Cole and Lily. “Come on you two, sit up here with us.” Lily gladly climbed up and sat on Emma Grace’s lap. Cole sat between her and Gavin. The men sat on the sides of the wagon which was filled with tent material and poles, cast iron cookware, and saddle bags. A few men had horses. They rode behind the wagon. The mule was slower under the weight she was pulling but the atmosphere was expectant and joyful. Gavin smiled at Emma Grace. “This might be one of your better ideas, yet.”
She just smiled and held Lily against her chest with a snug hug.
Gavin and the men sharpened the old plows that had set outside the barn for years. His poppa had intended to hire workers and plant the entire three hundred acres but hadn’t been able to do so. Thanks to Emma Grace’s good thinking, Gavin could now fulfill his father’s dream. He designated an area where the men could set up their tents along the creek and bought more mules on promise to pay once the crop came in.
The men began turning the soil. Gavin, and sometimes Cole, put in long days. The fall harvest brought good money. Gavin paid for the mules and gave a portion to the men since they also helped weed and set irrigations.
Emma and Lily smoked venison, beef, and pork. Occasionally, the men brought a batch of birds: quail, p
heasant, and doves. Doodle, the rooster, did his job and the chickens produced eggs and chicks. It took five chickens to feed everyone and half a day to fry them all up.
Emma fried, stewed, and baked depending on the size of the game the men brought to her. They came in every evening and ate at long tables they had built out of old barn wood. Gavin built outdoor fire pits to warm the yard as the winter weather got colder.
Emma and Lily stayed busy cooking for twelve rather than four. It gave her an opportunity to teach Lily how to cook more than just cookies, although sugar cookies were Lily’s favorite. Even the men shared family recipes with Emma Grace and Sundays, they ate cold meals so Emma didn’t have to cook one day a week. They all went to town for church on Sundays, also. The men were grateful to the Sallees for giving them work. Everyone felt like extended family by spring.
Emma Grace found that she was growing more and more fond of Gavin, too. She cherished lying in bed at night when all was quiet, talking to him through the hanging quilts that separated their sleeping area. They talked about their day, their past, and their dreams for the future. Despite the commitment she and Gavin had made to celibacy, Emma Grace’s body longed for more with her husband. She wasn’t sure how to, or if she should, say anything to him about her desires. She resolved to pray about it instead. Surely God would show her the way to address the issue with her husband.
Chapter Eleven
David Collins dismounted outside the cave. He had it on good authority a gang of bushwackers held up here. He cleared his throat, hoping not to surprise any of the men, and approached the dark opening. “Uh, excuse me?” He leaned into the cavernous washout. “Hello.” His echo bounced back to him. “Hellllooooo iiinnnn ttthhheerrreee!” He chuckled.
A click behind his head caused him to freeze. He swallowed hard as cold metal pressed in hard behind his ear. “What you want, ol’ man?”
David lifted his hands even with his head and slowly turned around. “I— just looking for some bush— uh, that is, I was looking for you gentlemen. I heard you had a hideout, that is, you were taking up residence in these caves.”
“So? What business is it of yours where we choose to live?”
The man’s breath was rancid with whisky, and his teeth looked like muddy stones. David swallowed again, this time he had nothing to swallow. “I got an offer for you.”
The man never wavered with his gun aimed for David’s temple now. “What kinda offer?”
“The kind you won’t want to turn down.”
The man uncocked his gun and glanced at his brother. They looked like twins. “We’re listening.”
David spoke quickly lest they decided to shove their guns in his face again. “Looky here.” He held out ten gold coins in his open palm.
The bushwhacker dropped his eyes to the coins and grinned. He reached out to take them, but David quickly closed his hand. The man jerked back. David grinned. “There’s more. A lot more. My-my wife’s sister got the lion’s share of the family treasure, but-but… but she died. Her son doesn’t even realize where the treasure is, but I know. If you’ll retrieve it for us, we’ll… we’ll split it with you half and half, fifty-fifty. How’s that sound?”=The man rubbed his scruffy chin. “Split it, eh? How about we just take it, and you call it even on account I didn’t shoot ya.”
“Well.” David licked his dry lips. “I reckon you could go ahead and shoot me, but then you wouldn’t know where the gold coins are hidden. I haven’t told you my name or nothing.”
The man turned to his twin. They shrugged as if they had silently conversed about this proposition. “M’name’s Dalton, Angus Dalton, this here’s my brother, Arnold. There. Now you know who we are. Who are you? And where’s this treasure?”
David grinned. “David Collins, my nephew-in-law is Gavin Sallee. He’s got a farm southwest of Seward. Been using some of them shanty-town immigrants to turn his soil. You can’t miss it. There’s a full three-hundred acres of corn growing. Their house is dead center of the cornfields. The trunk with these gold pieces are buried under the house.” David paused. “Now, don’t go killing no one. I don’t want ’em shot or nothing. That wife of his hadn’t done no one any harm.”
“We can’t make no promises.” Arnold growled.
“Now, hold up there.” David regretted telling them so much detail. “I didn’t say nothing about killing my wife’s family members. We just want the gold coins.”
“Yeah,” Angus got right up in David’s face. “So, do we.” He hissed. “Now that we know where it is, we gotta go after it.”
“Oh, all right, but we gotta deal, right? We’re splitting the gold fifty-fifty?”
“Sure.” Arnold shoved David toward his horse and lifted his gun to his back. “You get on outta here and we’ll notify you when the deed is done.”
“But you don’t know how to get ahold of me.” David stumbled toward his horse.
Arnold shot in the air. David flinched, ducking slightly. He glanced over his shoulder to see the two men aiming their guns at him. “I’ll go, but-but you remember, w-we gotta deal. Where do you want to meet after you find the trunk?”
“How about round back of the Seward Saloon?” Angus offered.
David looked Angus in the eyes. Was he telling the truth? “All right. When?”
“When we got the money.” Arnold wiggled his gun, encouraging David to mount his horse.
David complied and reined his horse to face the men. “How will I know?”
“Oh, you’ll know.” Angus shot his gun in the air and David’s horse reared up and took off running. He didn’t get control of his ride, or his pounding heart and panting breath, for quite a ways. If they killed Gavin or those two kids, what would Carolyn do? Worse yet, what if he never saw those men or that gold again? He swallowed hard, reined his horse to a halt, slid from the saddle and retched. What had he done?
“Emma,” Cole padded down the ladder from the loft. “I don’t feel so good.”
She turned from the stove and put the back of her hand on his forehead. “He does feel warm, Gavin. Maybe he should stay in bed today.”
Gavin put his coffee cup down and looked at his brother with concern. “Of course. Can’t have you coming down with another fever. Besides, with the men we hired, I can manage without your help for a day or two.”
Cole frowned. “I’m sorry. I just really…” the boy leaned over and threw up.
Emma Grace leapt for a bucket. “OH!” She shouted as she shoved it in front of Cole. Her four years of teaching made her reflexes sharp for a sick tummy. He managed to get most in the targeted bucket. She rushed to the water bucket that Gavin had brought in from the well and dipped a tea towel in, then laid it over the mess that had not hit the inside of the bucket. “You get back to your bed. Here, take the bucket with you. I’ll be up after I clean this up.”
He nodded and climbed back to his room. Emma smiled at Gavin. “Probably just a stomach bug. He’ll be all right.”
Gavin shrugged. “Good thing you reacted so quickly.”
She giggled. “Years of experience.”
“Well,” Gavin scooped the last of his scrambled eggs and the last bite of bacon in his mouth, swallowed and stood, with his coffee. Downing the last swig, he set the cup on the washboard and turned to Emma. “I leave him in your capable hands.”
“I’ll fix him some broth after a while. He’ll be all right.” She assured Gavin. She stood as if to kiss him goodbye. It felt awkward not to. “Well,” She held herself back, struggling with the notion of giving him a peck on the cheek. What would it hurt? “Have a good day.” She said the words instead.
He paused as if he too needed to do something. He took his hat down from the nail, turning it in his hands then finally placing it on his head. “See you this evening.”
“Yep. See ya then.”
Lily leapt up from the table and hugged Gavin’s leg. Emma Grace envied her. “The men said they’d put out a trotline last night, if they don’t bring fish, I’ll
fix fried chicken this evening.”
“Sounds good.” Gavin hesitated. “Well… I better be going.”
“Sure.” Emma Grace took Lily by the shoulders and stepped back from the door. “Bye.”
“Bye.” He looked as if he were forcing himself to turn and walk away. She understood how he felt, but why couldn’t they talk to each other about it?
Emma busied herself cleaning up from breakfast. She put on a large pot to boil some chicken bones for Cole’s broth. Rather than just making a small amount of broth for this one time, she’d make a large pot of it and store it in mason jars for another time. If the men brought fish, she would cut up a cabbage and make slaw. If they didn’t, she would need to go kill four pullets. But the slaw would still be a good side dish. She went out to the root garden and pulled some carrots. Shredded carrots sweetened slaw. Looking across the cornfields, she didn’t see any of the men coming to her with a stringer of fish. Must not have caught any fish, she thought. “Lily, we need to prepare chickens for tonight. You want to come?”
“Not really.” Lily whined. Emma Grace didn’t blame her. Killing chickens was one of the least pleasant things about living in the country. “How about you go get me two heads of cabbage from the root cellar and I’ll be back with the chickens.”
“Yes.” Lily’s eyes lit up. She scurried down into the cellar while Emma Grace walked to the chicken pen. She’d already been out here once to feed and gather eggs. Now she would decide which of them were going to be dinner. She sighed and gritted her teeth. On her way back, she would pump some more water to salt and soak the hens so the feathers would come loose more easily. Emma hummed as she walked among the chickens. Which were older? Her preference was to kill the ones who didn’t lay very good anymore, but not the ones she had brought from Ohio. It might not be fair, but it was what it was. Determining which ones were the right ones for today’s meal, she caught one and cradled the hen in her arms. Stroking her head. “It’s all right.” She cooed, manipulating the hens head down and under her wing. She spoke softly as the chicken fell asleep. She tiptoed out of the pen and swiftly killed the chicken. Laying the carcass beside the wood block, she repeated her actions until she had four.
