by Joannie Kay
“Someone hung a man a short ways from here, friend. I was barely able to keep my wife and boys from seeing. We need to cut him down, and I’ll either have to haul the body to town to the sheriff, or bury the man, I suspect someone did for him, but it was hard to tell from just a glance.”
“Not the sort of thing one expects on a Sunday drive.”
“No, it isn’t, friend. I also came to tell you what’s bein’ said in town about Jordy. Mrs. Fairchild accused Jordy of having sex with Otis because she’s spending time at his place working. We don’t believe it, and I don’t think most folks believe it, either, but it only takes one person who is angry the slaves were freed to make trouble for Otis… and for Jordy.”
“That woman needs a tanned hide.”
“She does, and I intend to speak with Ferd about her.”
“It’s my place, and I am going to insist he take a stick to her or I am going to do it myself.” Cray was livid. He fumed the entire distance to where they found Otis.
He gave them a sad look. “I done found a body hanging here.”
“Yes. I saw it earlier, but I had Ally and the boys with me, Otis. I took them to stay with Jordy and asked Cray to come with me to see if we could determine what happened.”
“I already cut him down and covered him with a blanket. It ain’t right he be all nekkid like that.”
“Was he shot or wounded in any way?”
“No, they done hung him to kill him. His hands was tied behind his back. He couldn’t stop them.” He bowed his head. “They cut off his balls before they hung him.”
Jim thought he was going to be sick. “We’ll have to take the body to the sheriff.”
“I’ll go with you, Jim. But, we’d best let the ladies know.”
“I can do it so yous don’t have to,” Otis offered.
“We’d better go with you, Otis. There’s something else you need to know about,” Jim said.
*****
“I am so sick right now, Alice, I feel terrible. But later, I will feel better. I keep thinking it’s something that I’m eating, but I can’t pinpoint it.”
“I think I know,” Alice said with a smile. “I’ve had this particular ailment a few times now.”
“Really? You don’t think I’m dying?”
“No, you aren’t dying. Silly, you are a married woman now, and I suspect you are going to have a baby.”
“What?” Jordy exclaimed, forgetting she was sick. “A baby? But, we didn’t decide to have a baby!”
Alice would have laughed except for the fact that Jordy was perfectly serious. “If you are making love, and your husband is spilling his seed inside you, then your body will respond and you will become pregnant, Jordy. Your symptoms are called morning sickness, and most women go through this for a little while, and then it goes away and the rest of the pregnancy you will feel pretty good. Now then, how long has it been since you had your monthly?”
“Not for two months,” Jordy whispered, once she took the time to think. “That means I’m pregnant?” she asked, trying to learn more.
“I would think it does, Jordy. Most women do not have their flow when they are expecting. Just think, your first baby! Isn’t that exciting?”
“It’s scary! I don’t know how to be a mother!”
“It’s not hard; it comes naturally, and you have me. I’ll help you. The first thing we’ll do is start to make some things for the baby, and for you to wear. Your clothing will soon be too tight.”
“Oh my gosh! I just made all of these things!” Jordan whispered.
“So? We’ll make new things, and pack these away for afterwards,” Alice said soothingly.
“I feel so foolish,” Jordan finally admitted. “My poor husband is convinced I am dying just because I didn’t have a clue that I could be with child! Aunt Hermione sure didn’t tell me about this.”
“She probably didn’t know herself,” Alice defended the deceased woman. “She never married, and was raised by her Pa who was a really mean man from everything I’ve heard.”
“Aunt Hermione surely hated him. You don’t think that Cray will be mean to our children, do you?”
“No, I don’t think that. I think he will be like Jim, firm but loving.”
“That would be good.” She looked at Alice and said, “I can’t wait to see his face when I tell him that we are expecting.” She noticed that Alice’s smile was on her face, but her thoughts were elsewhere. “What is wrong, Ally? It isn’t like you and Jim to drive out here on a Sunday unless we’ve made plans. Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy to see you, but what is going on?”
“Mrs. Fairchild said something horrible after church this morning. It was only to her daughters and me, but I gave her a piece of my mind!”
“Oh no! Jim is not happy, is he?”
“No, but that is neither here nor there. Jordy, there is no easy way to tell you this, but that horrid woman is making mountains out of you and Otis spending too much time together. She thinks the two of you are—”
“You’re kidding, right?” Jordan asked, keeping a tight rein on her temper.
“I wish I was.”
It was then that Jim and Cray returned, Otis with them. “Jordan, I need to go into town with Jim and Otis to take care of something.”
“I know all about Mrs. Fairchild, and I’m going to knock her on her fat ass the next time I see her!” Jordan promised.
“I’m not happy over that, either, honey, but I expect you to let me take care of it. That is a firm order, Mrs. McCormick.” She gave him the look that warned him she fully planned to disobey him the first chance she got. “I’ll turn you over my knee if you disobey me,” he promised, not caring if he embarrassed her in front of their guests. When she didn’t answer, he said, “That isn’t why we need to go to town, sweetheart.” He looked at Jim, searching for words that wouldn’t upset the women.
“Missy, there done be trouble,” Otis said softly. “It’s men’s business to handle.”
“Otis, what’s happened?” Jordan wanted to know.
“Jim? Is this about what Timmy saw?”
“Damn, I didn’t want to tell you ladies, but you’ll hear about it anyway. Someone lynched a man. By the time Cray and I got back there to handle it, Otis had spotted him too, and already cut him down.”
“We need to take the body into town and see the sheriff,” Cray added. “While we’re gone, I think you should pull the boys inside and bar the doors. We don’t know why the man was hanged, although we have our suspicions. Still, I would feel better if you barred the doors and windows until we get back.”
“Of course.” Jordan didn’t want to upset Cray or Jim. And, she wanted to protect those precious little boys, too. “I’ll put together a nice meal while you’re gone,” she promised.
“Are you feeling better now?” Cray asked hopefully.
“I am feeling great now,” she answered with a big smile. “We’ll discuss this later, all right?” She didn’t want to tell him the news in front of everyone. It should be a private moment for just the two of them.
“All right,” he agreed. They really needed to get the body into town. “Hopefully the sheriff won’t keep us too long.” He also intended to speak to Ferd Fairchild about his wife, and if he didn’t intend to take her in hand, well, he would! No one was going to talk about his Jordan in that manner. Otis was an honorable man and he’d give his life to protect Jordan, or Missy, as he called her. It was a term of respect from him, and he hated to see Otis unfairly accused, too.
They headed for town and Jim said, “You seem too quiet, friend. Are you angry or just upset?”
“Both. I’m angry with Ferd Fairchild for allowing his wife to flap her tongue with such ugly gossip, and I’m worried sick about my wife. She is deathly ill one minute, and then she feels all better until the next day.”
“She’ll be fine,” Jim said with a smile.
“Do you really believe that?” Cray asked with a worried look.
“I know so.”
“What do you know? Did Alice tell you what’s going on?”
“She doesn’t need to, friend. Just trust me and be patient. I know that Jordy will want to tell you herself.”
“What’s we gonna do ‘bout them town folk?” Otis called to them from the rear of the wagon where he rode beside the blanket-wrapped body.
Cray turned to face him. “I’m going to go and speak to Ferd Fairchild and if he doesn’t take a stick to his wife’s fat behind, then I’m going to do it for him.”
“You know that ain’t true, Mister Cray?” Otis asked sadly.
“I trust you, Otis, and I trust you with Jordan. You are a man of honor, and I know you. I also know my wife. There is no truth in those lies, and I would stake my life on it.”
“Thank you, Mister Cray. You and Missy is good to me. So is you, Mister Jim, and Miss Alice, too.” Otis had a sheen of tears in his eyes. “I know the Bible and I know right from wrong. I’s glad you believe me. It ain’t always so.” He sighed, and then asked, “You seen what they did to this boy; you ain’t thinkin’ them men figured he was me, do you? If that Miz Fairchild been runnin’ her mouth, and folks done heard ’er, maybe they come huntin’ to teach me a lesson and done got this boy?”
“This boy can’t be very old, Otis, and he’s not built like you. I’ve got a feeling we’re going to learn that he was secretly meeting with some young girl and her daddy found out and warned him off, but the boy didn’t listen, and her daddy made sure he wouldn’t be back.”
“I don’t wish that harm on him, Mister Cray, but I’d rather hear that over what I been thinkin’.”
“Even if it was that way, Otis, it would not be your fault. Do you agree with me, Jim?”
“I do,” the other man said firmly. “Otis, you are not responsible for other folks’ actions.”
“I wouldn’t wish that on no one.”
They pulled up in front of the jail and the sheriff was sitting in one of the chairs outside. “What’s goin’ on, boys?” he called out as he got to his feet to approach him. Jim explained the situation, and the sheriff nodded sadly. “It’s a shame, and damn, there comes his mama right now. She’s been huntin’ the town over for this boy.”
“Sheriff,” the woman said, tears in her dark eyes. “This here is my boy, right?”
“Yes, ma’am, Miss Sophie. I sure am sorry.”
“What happened to him?”
The sheriff looked at her helplessly. She turned to Otis. “Sir?”
“Ma’am, this ain’t gonna be easy for you to hear, and I sure be sorry to tell you the truth. We done found him. He was already daid. He was hanged, and best you know, they unmanned him.” When she started to faint, it was Otis who caught her and lifted her and sat her on one of the sheriff’s chairs.
“It had to be them Curtis brothers. They didn’t like my boy courtin’ their sister,” she said, weeping. “She’s a nice girl, and Charlie loved her so. She’s gonna be heartbroke.”
“I’ll come with you to tell her if you like?” Otis offered.
“No, Otis. That is my job,” the sheriff insisted. “I’m going to need to question the Curtis brothers. It’s best if you stay away from them folks; they got a mean streak in ’em.”
“Yes sir, Sheriff,” Otis was quick to reply. “Miss Sophie, can I help you home?”
“What am I gonna do with my boy? He need’s buryin’.”
“We’ll go see the reverend.”
“I’ll make sure that Charlie gets to the undertaker, ma’am,” Jim offered.
“Thank you. Thank you all for helpin’ my Charlie. You’re good men.”
Otis took her arm and walked off with her to see the reverend.
“Can you handle taking Charlie to the undertaker, Jim? I need to see a man about his wife.”
“Be firm, friend. There are a lot of people in this town who would love to see Vickie Fairchild get her comeuppance.”
“That woman causes more trouble than a band of bank robbers,” the sheriff grumbled. “Ferd needs to take a strap to her.”
“If he doesn’t, I will,” Cray promised, then took off down the street, planning to stop by Ferd’s office and make sure he wasn’t there instead of at home. To his surprise, he found Ferd hard at work, bent over the worktable in his shop. Ferd jumped when Cray tapped on the window to get his attention. He got up and came to the door.
“What can I do for you, Cray?”
“You can do something about your wife before I am forced to do so.” Ferd blinked and his mouth dropped open in surprise. “This conversation needs to take place at your house and in front of your wife. She’s gone too far.”
“I don’t understand,” Ferd told him. “What has Vickie done?”
“She is a vicious gossip, Ferd. She stood on the church steps this morning and accused my wife of having sex with Otis Brown. Otis is our hired hand, and my wife works over there with the new colts. The place belongs to Jordan; Otis lives and works there. That is all there is to the situation. It wouldn’t be any different than if your wife worked with another man you hired. I’m not going to tolerate this, Ferd. Vickie needs a sharp lesson so that she watches what she says from now on. You know how things are in this country right now. Accusing Otis of something like messing with a married white woman could put his life in danger if someone believed it to be true.”
“Vickie runs her tongue all of the time, but I had no idea she was saying such terrible things about anyone and especially about Jordan. I’ve told Vickie for years that Jordan was a very sweet girl, but Vickie simply hates her for some reason. I won’t permit this to continue, and I thank you for letting me know. I am aware she rubs people wrong, but I had no idea she was making accusations of this sort.” He reached for his hat and his coat. “Let me lock up and I’ll be right with you, Cray.”
Cray could see the man was furious and trying hard to hide it from him. However, Cray was furious too. He wanted this settled in such a way that Vickie Fairchild would never speak of Jordan again. When they arrived at Ferd’s home, Cray could hear loud laughter while they were standing on the porch.
“Mama, it isn’t right that Papa works so hard all the time. You need to insist that he stay home on Sundays and spend some time with the family. You certainly don’t need the money.”
“Your father loves to work, and Sunday is the one day of the week that people don’t interrupt him and he can get the books caught up,” Vickie said in her loud, raucous voice. “I don’t want to talk about him.”
“Mother, you have already talked about everyone who was at church this morning,” another daughter said tiredly.
“What are you saying, Amanda?” Vickie asked harshly.
“Amanda would like to talk about the party she is giving in a couple of weeks,” Susan answered for her. “Remember, she asked for our ideas for the refreshments.”
“Oh, that is right. I would rather discuss the guest list. Of course you aren’t going to invite that horrible Jordan McCormick, or Alice Evans. Alice was positively rude to me this morning at church, and that nasty Jordan is lowering herself to lie down with that former slave! How low can a woman go? Why, her husband should beat her!”
“I have heard enough, Victoria Fairchild!” Ferd hissed. “I have never been as humiliated in my entire life as I am right now, and I am going to see to it that you never speak in that manner about anyone ever again. Girls, if you know what is good for you, you will not repeat anything your mother has said about Jordy or about Ally. Both of those girls are sweet young women, and I won’t allow them to be maligned by anyone in my family. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Papa!” the three daughters answered at once.
“I want all of you to leave now. Your mother is going to be harshly disciplined, and she won’t want you here to witness her punishment.”
“Papa, Mama is too old for that!” Susan stood up to her father. “I am not going to leave and permit you to strike her!”
“If you stay,
Susan, I will spank you, too.” He turned to Cray and said, “I humbly apologize for my family, Cray.”
Chapter Nine
“Papa, I hope you know that Anne and I don’t repeat any of Mama’s gossip. It’s gotten so that all she wants to talk about is other people, and if she doesn’t have anything awful to say, she makes it up. I am going home, and Mama, I am not coming back until you can be more like a mother to us. I really needed and wanted some help from my mother today, but instead all I got was another session of untrue gossip.”
“I agree with Amanda, Mama,” Anne said quietly. “I’ll come with you, Mandy, and we’ll see what ideas we can come up with for your party.”
“You two actually think it is all right that Papa punish Mama?” Susan asked in disbelief.
“He certainly needs to, and Max needs to take a hairbrush to you, too,” Anne bluntly told her sister. “You do nothing but encourage Mama in her lies.”
“That’s not true!” she cried out, but it was to a closed door. The older sisters were on their way… without her
“Susan, leave now and tell Max he is to come and see me in an hour. I refuse to permit you to behave like your mother.” Ferd was furious, and Susan decided to leave before he carried out his threat to spank her. She grabbed her things and ran out the door.
“You may go and fetch my razor strop and bring it here.”
“I will not!” Vickie refused. “And I don’t care that you heard me speak, Cray McCormick. It’s the truth!” she insisted.
“The truth is that you are maligning my wife, who is the sweetest woman alive, and putting our friend’s life in danger. If you stir up anger against Otis, there are men who would see him dead, and all because of your lies. There is no truth to what you say, and I best not hear rumors from anyone else because of you.”
“You are the one who will be proved wrong!”
“Victoria, enough! Listen to yourself! Your father owned a mercantile. How often did he leave you alone to wait customers, and with the hired man to help carry things? You were alone with a man you worked with; should everyone assume you were sleeping with him?”
