The Secret Saddle: Anna Troy's Emancipation (The Emancipation Series Book 2)

by Dani Larsen

  Anna made a sort of sling out of old muslin, in which she could hold Helen, and her hands were then free to get a hold of John when he was getting into things or wandering off. She found she could easily nurse the baby in the sling and complete a number of other tasks at the same time. That made it much easier when they went to Sunday mass and to supper at her in-laws.

  When it was time for the Union County Fair, she felt like she was prepared for anything. Helen was four months old and a chubby, healthy baby. John was going on two and a curious, happy little boy. Frank was ready to fully participate in the fair this year. The family transported produce and a stall that the hands had made to sell their crops from at the market. Anna and Mary would tend to the stand where they sold bushels of alfalfa, Italian prune plums, eggs, cheese, and rashers of smoked bacon. Anna was looking forward to a little change in her routine. The family arrived early at the fair.

  "Thanks, Sylvester, for setting up the booth for us. Everything looks perfect. This produce is so beautiful and fresh. I'm sure we will be able to sell all of it." Anna smiled at her brother-in-law.

  "You're welcome, Anna, I think a lot of people will be attracted to the booth by my two pretty relatives standing behind the goods." Sylvester grinned, doffed his hat, and took off for the barns.

  The two young women giggled and starting rearranging everything, to make sure it looked enticing to their potential customers. The Italian prunes were by far the biggest seller of the day. Frank was one of the few ranchers who sold them in the Grande Ronde Valley, and this was the perfect time for them as they ripened at the end of September. They brought several closed crates of both fresh picked and dried prunes, and they would sell them by the pound, weighing them on balance scales, and wrapping them in old newspapers they had been saving for that purpose.

  Agnes brought her goat and calf for the 4-H show and to sell after the competition. Frank brought some stock to sell and his favorite stallion for George to ride in the rodeo part of the Fair.

  Jude was mad that George got to ride the horse that he had raised from a baby. Although he was participating in the rodeo, he wanted to ride that horse. Smokey belonged to George, but Jude coveted anything George owned. He had spent the last two days trying to figure out what he could do to ruin the day for George without getting caught. Finally, he had a plan in mind. The rodeo didn't start until two o'clock. George was only going to ride Smokey in the Parade around the arena. Frank didn't want any harm to come to the horse; he just wanted to show him off.

  Anna and Mary worked the booth from ten a.m. until one thirty p.m. Helen sat in an apple crate behind Anna, and twenty-three month old John was with his grandmother, listening to music by the gazebo. The women sold almost everything before noon, and were just selling the last few items when Sylvester came to take their booth apart and load it in the buck board, so Anna and Mary could enjoy the rodeo. When their job was finished, Anna put Helen in the sling, and they went to retrieve Caroline and John, then they all headed for the arena to get a good seat for the rodeo.

  Bleachers had been built for the people to watch the show, and the family got there early enough to get front row seats. Agnes arrived with two blue ribbons she had won for her animals. Sylvester joined them after he finished loading the buckboard. Ida and her new husband lived too far away to join them for the festivities, but they saved a seat for Frank, who intended to join them just before the show started

  George and Jude had sold the cattle, and George took the profits over to his father while Jude finished grooming Smokey. The horse's black coat looked like velvet, and he swished his long beautiful tail back and forth swatting the flies that were heavy in the air this time of year. Jude combed the beautiful mane and cinched the saddle tight. He glanced around the barn to make sure no one was looking his way. Everyone seemed to be tending to their own animals and too busy to see what he was about to do. He picked up the brush again and walked to the horse's rear end, while he continued brushing and watching his surroundings. As he brushed, he took a tiny strand of the horse's tail and carefully put the end of it below Smokey's tail and into his anus as far as he could get it. The horse immediately started moving around and swinging his tail around. George came back and started checking the saddle to make sure all was done right.

  "Smokey looks beautiful, Jude, thanks for sprucing him up for me."

  "No problem, George. You know I love this horse."

  "I know you do. Good luck in the bucking bronco competition."

  "Thanks. Hope all goes well in the parade." Jude walked off to line up with the cowboys for the parade. George took Smokey's reins and led him to the barn door and got in line for their walk around the arena. Smokey was acting antsy and George tried to calm him down. They were supposed to just lead their horses around the arena the first time, then mount them, and ride them at a trot the second time around, while holding their hats up in the air.

  George was third in line as he led Smokey around the arena. He thought Smokey was just showing off as he pranced around the arena as if agitated, unlike the other horses that were just walking. After the first time around, George put his foot in the stirrup and swung his leg over the saddle. Smokey was not acting like his usually calm self. As they got out in the middle of the arena and started trotting, Smokey started pulling his head down and jumping around. George kept trying to talk to him to calm him down, but he just got worse. As he tried to pick up speed, Smokey started bucking. George tried to hold on as the horse reared up on his hind legs, then lifted his back legs as high in the air as he could. He had never seen the horse act like this before. George grabbed a hold of the saddle horn and Smokey's mane as he tried to hang on for dear life. He stood up in the stirrups and tightened his legs around the horse, but that didn't help. After eight to ten seconds he knew he couldn't hold on any more, but as he fell, his boot got caught in the stirrup. Jude came running from the back of the line and grabbed the horse's reins. George was being dragged around the arena by that time, and Anna was standing and screaming along with her mother-in-law. Jude pulled the horse's head close to him keeping him still, while another man helped get George's foot out of the stirrup. Jude led the still prancing horse back to the barn and immediately pulled the hair back out of the horse's anus. Frank arrived a few seconds later.

  "What is the matter with that horse? I've never seen him act that way."

  "I don't know, Frank. He seems to have calmed down now. Is George okay?"

  "The doctor is looking at his ankle now. I hope it's just a sprain. Yes, the horse seems to be okay now."

  "Maybe it's just the big crowd of people, or another horse he doesn't like."

  "Well, he won't be coming to anymore fairs if he pulls those antics again, he will be up for sale too. Thanks, Jude, for coming to George's rescue. You will be getting a bonus for that for sure. You better get back out there, or you'll miss the bronco event. I'll take care of him now."

  "Thank you, sir." Jude turned around and headed back out to the arena, feeling really proud of what he had accomplished. When the crowd saw him they started clapping and yelling loudly, thinking he was the hero of the day. He raised his hat to everyone as he joined the cowboys he would be competing with. His mother sat in the front row, and she stood up cheering and whistling, and then she waved at him. He was pretty happy, until he saw the man in the big white hat sitting three rows behind his mother, smugly smoking his pipe. Somehow, Jude knew that he was the Pinkerton detective, and he wondered how long he was going to be in town this time. His euphoria changed to angst, as he got ready for the bronco competition.

  Anna and George missed the rodeo completely after that. The doctor wrapped his ankle and told him to stay off of it for a few days. Caroline walked them out to their wagon where Anna took the reins with the baby wrapped in the sling. Caroline lifted John up to George, who held him in his lap.

  "Is Smokey okay?" George asked her.

  "Yes, Frank said he was just fine now. I sure don't know what came over that
horse."

  "I don't know. I've never seen him act like that before. He's always been pretty even tempered."

  "Well, you stay home tomorrow, George. We can do without you for a day or two."

  "I don't know how Pa would feel about that. I'll see how my foot is in the morning."

  "Sorry you all have to miss the rest of the rodeo."

  "That's okay, Caroline." Anna said. "It's time for the children to take their naps anyway."

  Anna drove the buckboard back toward Cove, and Caroline waved and watched them drive down the road, before she turned around and headed back to the arena.

  Chapter Eleven

  "Life in Cove"

  1911 ~ 1913

  Jude decided to lay low after he saw Charlie Siringo at the Union County Fair. He went directly back to the ranch after the rodeo, which he didn't want to do, as he had expected to get lots of praise for his actions in helping George that day. The last person he wanted to see was the Pinkerton man, who had been on his trail ever since the murder in Idaho. He didn't go into town with the other ranch hands when they went to the saloon on Saturday nights for the next month. While he stayed at the ranch, he tried to come up with a plan, just in case the man found out that he was Bud Dampierre. He thought about what route he would take to California, or even to Mexico if necessary, but he knew he would need plenty of money and that saving money was what he needed to do to be able to leave on the spur of the moment. Saving was hard for Jude though, as he liked nice things, and his pay was usually gone shortly after he received it. He was proud of his new hat, boots, spurs, and the sorrel which had depleted his last several paydays. He also enjoyed gambling and couldn't resist the weekly poker game at Anton's. Seeing Siringo really shook him up and kept him at the ranch for six weeks. He decided to start a poker game with the other ranch hands on Saturday nights in the small bunkhouse.

  Although their sleeping quarters were small there was a rough table and four chairs in the middle of the room. Even though he loved the game, it seemed winning wasn't usually in the cards for him, no matter what game he played. He often started out winning, but by the end of the night he was almost always out of money, which put him in a foul mood. Instead of quitting when his luck turned bad, he thought if he kept playing his luck would return, so he never quit when he was ahead, and always ended up losing the money that he won and what he had started with. The other ranch hands knew Jude well by now, so they kept playing until he started losing, as they knew they might end up pocketing all the money on the table. Jude tried cheating once, and wasn't good at that either, as he was caught right away. Gambling was not a money maker for him, but he couldn't resist the game.

  Frank asked him one day if everything was okay, as he knew he hadn't gone into town very often in the last several weeks.

  "Everything is fine, Frank, I'm just trying to save some money, and I seem to spend it all if I go to town on Saturday night."

  "Good for you, Jude. That is a sign of a responsible young man. It's important to start saving your money, if you ever want to make something of yourself. I know you didn't have much of an upbringing. It's important to start thinking about the future, so your children will have a better life than you had."

  "Yes, sir. That is what I've been thinking about. I'm hoping to be foreman of your ranch someday, sir. Then I could really save some money."

  "Well, Jude, I'm sure you will eventually get that opportunity. Whenever George decides to get a place of his own, you will be next in line for that job."

  "Thank you, sir. I appreciate that." Jude went back to cleaning out the stalls in the stable, and laughed to himself, thinking how stupid Frank was to think he was thinking about having a family someday. That was the last thing on his mind.

  ~~~

  Anna was happy in her little cabin, but when she realized she was pregnant again, she knew they were growing out of the Perry Place. It was the fall of 1912, when she started feeling nauseous in the mornings, just before the annual county fair. She was going to help with the booth again this year and hoped she wouldn't have to excuse herself too many times during that stint. John was only three and Helen was sixteen months old, which meant there would be two years between Helen and the new baby.

  There was no way she could watch those two and work the stall, so Caroline and Agnes offered to take care of the children while she worked with Mary. Agnes hadn't liked selling her animals in the 4-H program after winning her ribbons, so she didn't compete after that first year. She found it heartbreaking to part with the animals after raising them from the time they were born, and she prayed they would not be led to slaughter. Her thoughts were often filled with wondering about what happened to her precious pets.

  Frank asked Jude to ride Smokey in the opening parade during the rodeo this year, and George was fine with that. The animal had never acted up again, and Frank thought maybe Jude could handle him better in crowds. George took care of selling the stock and collecting all the moneys for his father. Jude was pleased that his trick had earned him the position George had held the year before. He decided not to cause trouble this year, as he was afraid that Charlie Siringo would be in the audience again, and he didn't want to draw any attention to himself.

  Anna and Mary had twice as much produce to sell this year, and when it was time for the rodeo to start they had a lot of goods left to sell, so they didn't go to the arena. A lot of the excitement at their booth had been for the sausage they added to their stall this year. The Hempe family made it every year from the old family recipe. They normally gave their sausage away, or sold it at Church benefits, and every year their friends and neighbors wanted more. So this year they decided to sell it at the fair, and they had lines of people wanting to get their share before lunch. The sausage was all gone before noon, and it helped them sell more of their other produce, especially the Italian prunes. Animal noises and cheering from the crowd could be heard all over the fairgrounds. There were very few people at the booths while the rodeo was in progress. Most of the fair goers that were not in the arena were at the park listening to a small band in the gazebo. Caroline and Agnes had taken the children to watch the rodeo with Frank and Sylvester. George had collected the booth's morning profits and was taking the cash to Frank.

  Anna and Mary were exhausted; from standing on their feet all morning, and decided the break in the crowd was a good time to rest their feet. They sat down on the two hay bales that Sylvester had left them and took their shoes off for a few minutes, before the rodeo was over and the crowds returned.

  "My feet hurt."

  Anna was rubbing her feet, after unbuttoning her shoes and slipping them off. She wiggled her toes, as they were stiff from wearing the high top shoes. Her feet often swelled when she was pregnant, so she often went barefoot when she was at home.

  "Yes, mine too." Mary began to unbutton her shoes too. "Hope I can get them back on when it's time to go."

  "Yes me too. I hope the children are okay."

  "I'm sure they are, Anna, don't worry. Mama will take good care of them. After what happened to our little Albert, she won't let them out of her sight for a minute. She has always blamed herself for his death."

  "Albert? What are you talking about? Who is Little Albert, and what happened to him?"

  "Didn't George ever tell you about Albert?"

  "No, I don't know anything about him."

  "It happened seven years before I was born. I would have had another big brother. George was five, so he remembers it well. He told me about it when I was about ten. Ida was three when they lost him. His name was Albert Sylvester, and George said that he was a curious little guy, who at eight months old was walking and getting into everything, George blames himself because he was supposed to be watching him, but he was only five, and he had to watch Ida too. Mama had some water boiling on the stove. She was boiling some eggs for Easter Sunday, which was the next day. She went to the chicken coop to get some more eggs, while the three children were playing with the wooden toys
Papa had made them. Mama said she would be right back. George and Ida didn't notice Albert get up, as they were busy playing, and suddenly they heard the crash and Albert screaming. He had reached up and grabbed the pan handle and pulled the scalding water on his head."

  Mary's eyes teared up, and she could hardly speak as she told the story. Anna gasped, and she began to cry too, as she imagined the horrible accident.

  "I wasn't even born yet, and I have trouble talking about it. George cried when he told me what had happened. Nobody brings it up around Ma or Pa. It is too painful. They rushed him to the doctor, but there was nothing they could do. He was burned over most of his body, and he died a few hours later. George remembers that day too well. He said all Mama did was cry for a long time. Peter Sylvester was born three years later, and that is why they named him Sylvester. George said Mama got better after he was born. I just can't imagine what she went through."

  "I'm so sorry, Mary! That is just the most terrible thing I've ever heard. Your mama must have suffered so much. The thought of something like that happening to George or Helen makes me sick. In fact, I think I am going to be sick. Please excuse me, Mary. I'll be right back."

  Anna went around behind the stall and brought up everything that she had eaten that morning. She couldn't stop thinking about that poor little baby, and she prayed that nothing like that would ever happen to her children. It took her a few minutes of deep breathing to settle her stomach and rejoin Mary.

  "I'm sorry, Anna. I didn't mean to upset you."

  "You didn't, Mary. It's just that I'm going to have another baby, and they are all about as far apart as George, Ida, and Albert, and I can't stop thinking 'what if' and that really upsets me. Thank you for telling me though. I wouldn't want to say the wrong thing around your mother and father. Did that happen here in Oregon?"