A Man for Temperance (Wagon Wheel)

by Gilbert, Morris

  Quaid jerked his arm loose. “You lost your mind? God hasn’t told you anything. You’re just crazy!”

  Thad lost his temper. He grabbed Quaid by the arm and started dragging him toward the door. Quaid jerked loose and hit Thad in the chest with his fist. “Take your hands off me!”

  The blow triggered something in Thad, and he countered with a roundhouse right that caught Quaid high on the neck. It drove him back so that he overturned a small, fragile walnut table, knocking a lamp over, and then he crashed into the wall, knocking pictures down. He came up swinging, and the two men battered each other all around the room, breaking furniture. Belle cried, “Stop it you two! Stop it!” but they could not hear her.

  As they were throwing wild punches, Temperance came in. “What are they doing, Belle?”

  “Fighting over you. You better stop it before they kill each other.”

  Temperance ran forward. “You two stop it at—”

  She didn’t finish her sentence, for one of them—and afterward neither would own up to being the perpetrator—threw a blow with a hard fist that caught Temperance in the temple. It drove her down, and she fell loosely, unconscious.

  Thad stopped, his eyes wild, and ran to her. “You see what you done, Quaid!”

  “Me!” Quaid shouted. “I didn’t do a thing. You was the one that busted her!”

  Mrs. Norris came in, along with Luther. “What’s going on here?” Luther said.

  “These two idiots got in a fight over Temperance,” Belle said, “and one of them hit her and knocked her out.”

  “It was him!” Thad said, pointing at Quaid.

  “Was not! It was you.”

  “Both of you keep your mouths shut! The very idea!” Mrs. Norris snorted. “I’ll get some cold water, Belle. Somebody put her on the couch.”

  “I’ll do it,” Quaid said and stepped forward.

  Thad shoved him. “No, you’re not picking her up. I’ll do it.”

  “Neither one of you will do it,” Luther Norris said sternly. “Get out of my way. I’ll handle this.” He was a burly man with the strength of a blacksmith’s arms, and he picked her up easily. Belle sat down and held her, and when Rachel Norris returned with a bowl of cold water and a cloth, the two began washing her face.

  “She’s going to have a terrible black eye,” Belle said.

  “She’s—she’s all right, isn’t she?” Thad said.

  “Yes, no thanks to you!”

  Eventually, Temperance’s eyes fluttered. “She’s coming out of it,” Belle said. “Are you all right, Temperance?”

  Her eyes opened, and she was totally confused. Belle helped her to sit up, and Temperance reached up and touched her head. “Who hit me?”

  Both Quaid and Thad pointed at each other and said at the same time, “He did!”

  Quaid at once stepped forward. “It was his fault. I just told him I was going to ask you to marry me, and he—”

  “He can’t marry you because God told me to marry you!” Thad said loudly.

  Temperance was regaining her balance and her senses now, and she looked around at the room, which was wrecked. “You’re both insane! Get out of here! Go marry squaws like you’re always boasting about. I’ll take the children by myself. Leave!”

  “I reckon you fellows better go. Let the lady calm down. If you want to fight, maybe we can sell tickets,” Luther said sarcastically, and they had no choice but to leave.

  Belle hugged Temperance. “I thought I’d seen fools before but never two like these. Well, you’ve got your choice now. Two men want to marry you.”

  “No, Thad feels sorry for me, and Quaid just wants a woman to sit on his veranda and make him mint juleps. That’s what he’s got in mind for the rest of his life.”

  “Well, you may not take either one of them,” Belle said, “but at least, honey, you’ve been asked.”

  Chapter Twenty-three

  “I GOT A GOOD price at the auction for the wagon.” Thad extended a fistful of bills toward Temperance. “This is a good place to sell stock and wagons. Everybody’s heading to Oregon country.”

  Temperance had been aloof since the fight in the Norris house—at least toward Quaid and Thaddeus. She felt humiliated by the whole scene although Belle had told her she ought to be honored to have two men fighting over her. Belle’s words did not ring true. She felt that both of the men were somehow playing a game for which she didn’t know the rules. She had tossed and turned for two nights, waiting until the boat was ready to leave, and each night she had cried and thought, They’re making a fool of me. Quaid’s a woman chaser, and Thaddeus doesn’t know what he is.

  To Thaddeus, she now said stiffly, “Thank you,” and took the money. She was surprised at how much it was and counted out four hundred dollars and handed it back to him. “Here’s the rest of the money I promised you.”

  Thad took it reluctantly and shook his head. “You better keep it, Temperance. You don’t know how much expense you’ll run into getting the kids to Baton Rouge, and then I guess you’ll be going back to Walla Walla.”

  “No, you’ve earned it.”

  Her tone was cool, and Thad tried to think of a way to express his feelings, but he could not. She turned and walked away, and as she did, Rena approached him. “Is she still mad at you, Thad?”

  “Reckon so.”

  Rena reached out and took his hand. “She’ll get over it. Don’t you give up now.”

  “I need to be as stubborn as you are. To tell the truth, I don’t know how to act around women.”

  “She got her feelings hurt, but she likes you. I know it.”

  At that moment Luther came to say, “I guess we’re ready to go to the boat now, so you’ll be on your way.”

  Rena and Bent found Rose, and both of them hugged her. Then Rose kissed Bess. “I’m going to miss you so much,” Rose whispered, clinging to Rena. “I won’t ever forget you!”

  “We won’t forget you either,” Rena said huskily. She released the girl and walked away, her eyes filled with tears. When Bent caught up with her, she said, “We’ll never see them again.” Bent stared at her but could think of no answer.

  Thad had bought a small canvas bag to carry his few clothes and shaving items. He got into the carriage along with Mr. Norris, and the Overmeyer children got in the back. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that in the second carriage Quaid was sitting beside Temperance.

  Luther spoke to the horses, and they broke into a trot. “You’ll enjoy the trip on the Arkansas. My nephew’s a good captain.”

  “Nice of you to put in a word for us, Mr. Norris.”

  “Not at all! Not at all! Not after what you folks done for us.” He glanced over his shoulder and then turned his eyes on Thad. “A little problem with Miss Temperance, I see.”

  “She’ll be all right.”

  “She’s a mighty fine woman.”

  “Best I’ve ever known.”

  “Well, you did a good job getting her here. Miss Belle and the kids have been telling me how you got them through. Rena told me about how you saved her and her brother from the Indians.” Admiration shaded his tone, and he shook his head. “You took out six Indians? That’s some pumpkins, Thaddeus.”

  “I guess the good Lord was with me.”

  “I know you’re a little bit downhearted now, but serving the Lord goes that way sometimes. I remember when I was courting Rachel. Sometimes I got so downright despondent I wanted to blow my brains out. There were two other fellows wanting her. I whipped one of them, and the other one whipped me. I thought she would take the winner, but she took me instead.” He grinned slyly. “I asked her one time why she didn’t take him. She told me his eyes were too close together. Who knows what a woman’s thinking? I watch them sometimes at the market. You ever notice how they go around pinching the fruit? They’ll pinch every tomato before they pick out the ones they want. I think they’re that way with menfolk, looking for the right man. They just pinch a little here and a little there, but don�
�t you give up, son. I think she’s got something in her eye for you.”

  “I don’t see how you can say that.”

  Luther chatted all the way to the wharf, and he led them up the gangplank. A man wearing a uniform and a captain’s hat was there to greet them. “Morning, George. Here we are. This is Miss Temperance Peabody. Her and her friends brought our grandchildren back to us. We’ve got Billy and Rose now.”

  “I heard about it.” Captain George Marsh was not tall, but he was a deep-chested, powerful-looking man. His skin was tanned a deep mahogany and there were lines around his eyes from the blistering sun. A life on the deck of his boat had hardened him, but there was an openness in his expression. When he shook hands with Thad, his grip was like a vise. “Glad to have you aboard, all of you.” He nodded to the rest. “Of course, the Mary Alice isn’t really a passenger ship. We’ve got a few empty cabins. You ladies can settle among yourselves, and we’ve got a good cook. Come along. Let me show you around.”

  Temperance followed him to the cabin, and Captain Marsh said, “I’ll let you and your husband have this cabin.”

  “I don’t have a husband. It’s Miss Peabody.”

  “Oh, sorry. I thought that tall fellow standing by you was your man.”

  “No, he’s guided us all the way from Walla Walla.”

  “Pardon me, Miss Peabody.”

  Temperance looked around the cabin, which was small, but at least it had a bed, then she turned and went out on the deck. She saw that Quaid had come aboard, and he quickly said, “Got to get to New Orleans, Temperance, and this boat’s going that way.”

  Temperance started to speak, but she noticed Thaddeus coming up the gangplank. “You don’t need to go all the way to Baton Rouge with us, Thad,” she said.

  Thad swallowed hard. Captain Marsh and the others were listening. “I’m going to do what I set out to do and that’s to get these children to their people.” He turned and gave Quaid a hard glance and then asked Marsh, “How much is the fare?”

  “My uncle says he’ll break my back if I charge any of you any money,” Captain Marsh smiled.

  There was some confusion getting everybody on board, and Captain Marsh moved over to speak to Belle. She had bought a new dress at one of the stores in Fort Smith and had her hair fixed. Marsh obviously admired her. “Good to have you aboard, Miss Belle,” he said. “Maybe you and I can have dinner. I want you to come to the captain’s table.”

  “Will your wife like that?” Belle asked.

  “I haven’t been fortunate enough to find a bride yet.” He smiled, and Belle found him roughly attractive. “Those two men, Mitchell and Brennan, I don’t quite understand. Seems like there’s some problem with Miss Peabody. Is one of them engaged to her?”

  Belle shook her head. “No, Captain, but they both claim they want to marry her.”

  Marsh was amused, but his mouth was set in a stubborn line. “They better not cause any trouble, or I’ll put them ashore. What about you, Miss Belle? You’re headed for Baton Rouge?”

  “Going to New Orleans. It’s my old home.”

  “Well, I’ll make life as pleasant as I can. Doesn’t hurt to have the captain for a friend.”

  Belle smiled as the captain flirted with her. She knew he had spotted her for what she was, and it didn’t trouble him. “We’ll have a good time, Captain,” she said. She slipped her hand in his arm. “Now, show me around the Mary Alice.”

  The days seemed to flow by as evenly as the Arkansas flowed to the south. The trip was pleasant and restful. Thad spent most of his time with Rena and Bent, which pleased them a great deal. Belle was romancing Captain Marsh, and Quaid and Thad each took every opportunity to speak to Temperance, but her comments to them were so short they were both kept at a distance.

  On a Thursday evening after supper, a knock came at Temperance’s door. She had been sitting on the single chair in her room, reading from her Bible. She laid it down, and when she opened the door, she found Quaid standing there.

  “Can I come in? I need to talk to you.”

  With a sigh Temperance stepped back. “Come in, but we don’t have anything much to talk about.”

  “I think we do.” Quaid stepped inside and looked down at her. He was accustomed to having his own way. He had found out, however, that this woman could not be pressured, and his voice was conciliatory as he said, “I don’t know why you’re acting like I was some kind of a monster, Temperance.”

  “I just want to be let alone.”

  Quaid shook his head. “I have to tell you how much I admire you. I want to marry you.”

  Temperance gave a short laugh. “You admire the president of the United States, but you don’t want to marry him.”

  Quaid’s judgment failed him at that moment. He had known women who needed persuading, and usually a full-scale assault was his method. He reached out, grabbed her, pulled her to him, and tried to kiss her, but she turned her face away so that he could not and avoided his caress. “Let me go, Quaid!”

  Quaid released her reluctantly and said, “Do you think I’m not an honorable man? I’m asking you to marry me. That’s about as honorable as you can get.”

  Temperance had spent most of the trip avoiding both Quaid and Thaddeus. She was confused and could not understand it. Had this been what she wanted, a man to make a life with? Why was she then running from the two men both professing to care for her? Something was wrong with the whole situation, and she desperately wished to find a way out, an answer, but she had not been able to. Now she said as evenly as she could, “I want you to go now, Quaid.”

  “But we need to talk.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about.” She opened the door and shook her head. Her lips were set in a stubborn frame. “I’m not the kind of woman you want.”

  Quaid Mitchell looked at her, and at that moment he understood that for once in his life he had failed with a woman. He could not understand it, for it was the first time he had ever asked a woman to marry him. All of his other women had been merely for ornament or convenience, but this woman, who was not nearly as beautiful as some of the others, had a spirit he knew he could never overcome.

  “All right, Temperance,” he said flatly, “I won’t bother you anymore.”

  As soon as the door closed, Temperance sat on the bunk and found she was trembling. What’s wrong with me? He’s handsome and has money and he’s a Christian. What do I want? Have I lost my mind?

  She heard the engines of the Mary Alice churning and the paddle wheels slapping the water, and had the sense of motion as the ship plowed downriver. She dreaded making the trip to Baton Rouge, for she had apprehensions about the Overmeyer children’s family. She finally muttered, “As soon as I get the children settled, I’m going back to the farm in Walla Walla and stay there the rest of my life!”

  * * *

  THAT NIGHT AT SUPPER at Captain Marsh’s table, Temperance noticed he was favoring Belle. She was well aware that Belle was carrying on a romance with the captain, but she said nothing. Belle was Belle.

  “I know a lot of the captains of the boats, big pleasure palaces, are going down to the gulf,” Marsh said to Temperance. “I’ll get you a good deal on passage.”

  “Thank you, Captain. That’s nice of you.”

  After the meal Temperance went to her cabin, and Rena said, “I’m going out on deck and sit with Thad.”

  “All right, Rena.”

  “We like to sit up in the front of the boat and talk.”

  “What do you talk about?” Temperance asked curiously.

  “Just about everything. I didn’t like him at first, but I guess now I’ve told him everything that’s ever happened to me, and he’s told me a lot of stuff too. He was a soldier and a trapper. He’s done all kinds of things.”

  “You’re going to miss him, aren’t you, Rena?”

  “Yes, I am and Bent is too. He—he’s been nice to both of us and to Bess. He even likes her. Most men don’t pay any attention to babies unless
it’s their baby.” Rena asked suddenly, “Why don’t you want to get married, Temperance? I thought you wanted a man and children.”

  “Oh, I don’t know, Rena.”

  “You never had a man. Now you got two of them ready to cut each other’s throats for you. Why are you running away from them?”

  Temperance began to speak, and as she tried to explain to Rena her hesitancy, it all seemed to come together in her mind. “Marriage is forever, Rena,” she said carefully. “At least for as long as a person’s on this earth. If a woman marries the wrong man, she’s tied to him for all her life.”

  “But people do get married. Maybe you just have to take a chance.”

  “I can’t do that, Rena. I can’t gamble my life like that. God will have to tell me what to do.”

  Rena stared at her unblinkingly, then turned and went out on deck without another word.

  As soon as she was gone, Temperance sat down. Her hands were trembling, and she was not far from tears. She thought about her life, what a desert it had been for so many years and how she had feared the loneliness of never having anyone beside her. The very thought of going back to the farm in Walla Walla suddenly turned into a bitterness that seemed to sour in her throat. Yet, what else was she to do?

  A knock sounded and she started. Quickly she got up and paused for a moment to be sure that her mind was clear. When she opened the door, she found Thad standing there.

  “What are you doing—taking turns with Quaid?”

  “No, just have something I want to say to you.”

  “Do you want to come in?”

  He shook his head. “No, I know you don’t want to be around me, but there’s something I got to say.” Taking a deep breath, he looked down at her, and for a moment the silence was broken by only the slapping of the paddle wheels on the water and the cry of a night bird that haunted the edge of the river.

  “I didn’t say it right when you asked me how I felt about you, Temperance. I do feel sorry for you, but then I feel sorry for myself. I made a wreck out of my life.” His lips grew hard, and his eyes had an unusual sadness. “But you made me do one good thing. Helping get these children to someone who will care for them has been the only decent thing I’ve ever done.”