“Cade?”
It was a woman’s voice, a very familiar voice. Cade turned and saw Melinda standing there. Even though Adam had mentioned she was pregnant, it was a surprise to see her so pregnant.
“We all are so happy you came to see us,” she said with a lilting southern accent.
“I shouldn’t have stayed away so long, but first one thing and then another seemed to get in the way.”
As Cade looked at her, it was as if he was greeting an old friend from long ago, not the woman he had once thought he loved. He was surprised that there were no residual feelings at all, and he almost felt guilty for not having any lingering sentiment.
“We got your letter about your wife,” Melinda said. “I’m sorry she never got to meet your family.”
Cade nodded his head. He didn’t want to talk about Arabella, especially what she had gone through at the end of her life, and for a moment there was an awkward silence.
“I fixed chicken and dumplin’s,” Melinda said. “Effy told me that was your favorite when you were a little boy.”
“It was, and I’m pleased that you went to the effort to make them when you are . . .”
“So big?” Melinda finished the thought. She laughed nervously.
“Yes, but I know you are proud of your children.”
“They do bring Adam and me a lot of pleasure.”
“You mentioned Effy,” Cade said changing the subject. “Adam said that she and Julius have their own farm now.”
“Oh yes, you should see how proud Julius looks when the county has a meeting of all the land holders. But you can see for yourself, because they’re up at the house right now. There’s no way we could keep them from seeing you when they heard you were coming home.”
After supper that evening Cade pushed back the plate that had twice been filled with chicken and dumplings, and looked at the old black woman who had been a part of his family for as long as he could remember.
“Effie, Melinda told me she cooked these dumplin’s, but there’s no way I believe her. These are yours.”
Effie laughed. “La’wd, child, you just paid me a big compliment ‘n you don’t even know it. It was me that taught that girl how to make ‘em, ‘n you thinkin’ it was me that cooked ‘em means I done a real good job of teachin’. Yes, sir, Miz Mellie, she done them dumplin’s all by her ownself.”
“Well, Melinda, you had a good teacher, because these were exceptional.”
“I’m goin’ to learn how to make ‘em too,” Margaret said. “Maybe next time you come you’ll eat my dumplin’s.”
“I don’t want to eat your dumplin’s,” CG said. “They’d be awful.”
“Well, I’ll be proud to eat them,” Cade said.
Later that night Cade sat out on the front porch, listening to the night concert provided by the crickets and the frogs.
“You were going to tell me about the boy,” Adam said.
Cade told the story of finding Stone in a whiskey camp run by two white scoundrels who were not only selling whiskey illegally to the Indians, but were also keeping some Indian women as their slaves.
“As it turns out Stone’s mother was the daughter of Spotted Wolf, a chief of the Cheyenne,” Cade said, and he proceeded to explain how Stone had been a ‘gift he couldn’t refuse.’
“But he seems to be a real good boy, and he’s remarkably resilient, and adjusts quickly and to conditions.” Cade continued. “He’s been staying with Jeter Willis—you remember him; we were in the war together, and he got along really well with Jeter’s girls.”
Jeter’s girls. Cade couldn’t believe that was how he thought about Chantal, but she was in every way Jeter’s daughter. And if he stayed in Tennessee, would it be nine years before he saw her again?
“So, what you’re saying is the boy will be all right living here? He won’t get homesick?” Adam asked.
“Homesick for what? So far, he’s never actually known a home. I plan to give him one here.”
“I think CG and Jimmy have already made friends with him,” Adam said. “I think he’ll get along fine.”
“I hope that’s true.”
“Tomorrow, if you would like, I’ll hitch up the buckboard and we can drive over to see Chris Dumey.”
“Mr. Dumey’s still around? Damn, how old is he now?”
“I think he’s coming up on eighty or so. Anyway, he has two hundred acres of good bottom land that butts up against our farm. We can buy that land, and that’ll give us 510 acres. That’ll be plenty big enough to support two families.”
“Two families?”
“Yes, Me, Mellie, and our kids, and you and Stone.” Adam smiled. “And don’t think there aren’t enough women around here for you to find a wife. Why, Mellie ‘n some of her friends will make that their special project.”
“Uh, yes, well, tell them not work too hard on that,” Cade said. “I’d like to at least get settled in.”
“All right, you’ll have plenty of time. Like I said, there are quite a few good women around here for you to choose from. Lots of young widows who lost their husbands in the war.” Adam stood up, stretched, and yawned. “One thing you’re going to have to learn again, in case you’ve forgotten. Farming means you get up early and you go to bed early, so if you don’t mind, I’ll be turning in, now.”
“No, go ahead, I think I’ll just sit out here a while longer.”
After his brother left, Cade stayed out on the porch. Whippoorwills and an owl added their night calls to that of the crickets and frogs.
This was all so familiar to him, but it was like a dim memory. Could he actually come home again?
And then the next question was, is this his home?
Chapter 28
Chris Dumey was a big man, at least as tall as Cade, but without doubt, he was sixty pounds heavier. What hair he had remaining was snow white, and it stood out like little puffs over his ears. He had offered his visitors coffee and now the three of them were sitting in his parlor.
Mrs. Dumey had greeted them when they arrived, and had been the one who served the coffee, but as the men were discussing business, she kept herself busy elsewhere in the house.
“I got two hunnert acres of some of the best bottom land in Tennessee,” Dumey said, “which I don’t have to tell you boys nothin’ about it, on account of you got land that’s just as good, seein’ as my property bumps into the McCall farm. Didn’t always, used to be that way, seein’ as the Byrd farm used to stand twixt the two farms, but since you bought the Byrd land well, now, the two of us bump into each other.”
“It is good land, Mr. Dumey,” Adam said agreeing with the old man. “But I must say, I’m surprised you’re letting it go.”
“I’m a’ sellin’ ‘cause I’m getting too old to work it no more. But I ain’t a’ sellin’ all of it. I’m keepin’ the home place ‘n the acre of land it’s settin’ on, so’s me ‘n Ethyl has us a place to live out the rest of our years. They’ll be enough room for a garden, ‘n for Ethyl to keep flowers and such in the yard.
“But, they’s a nice little thicket o’ trees on the land I’m sellin’ where a feller could build hisself a right nice house ‘n be in the shade in the summer, ‘n protected from the cold wind in the winter.”
“I know just the spot you’re talking about,” Adam said, “but the question is, how much are you asking?”
“I had Ethel cipher it out for me, she bein’ good at that sort of thing. I figure on gettin’ twenty-two dollars ‘n acre, ‘n that’ll come to forty-four hunnert dollars.”
“That’s pretty steep,” Adam said. “You know I bought the Byrd land for eighteen dollars an acre. And I sold Julius Decker his farm at twelve dollars an acre.”
“Yes, sir, that may be. But we all know Byrd had been wantin’ to sell that land for nigh on to 20 years now ‘n was more ‘n likely glad to get rid of it. And you can’t count what you sold that land to Julius for, seein’ as how he worked for you ‘n you pappy, from the time he was a real
young man. Why, he’s most earned it just from that.”
“I can’t argue with that,” Adam agreed. “I tell you what, Mr. Dumey, Cade and I’ll talk about it, and we’ll get back to you.”
“Yes, sir, but don’t you be waitin’ too long. I’ve got two, maybe three others a’ lookin’ at it, so’s I don’t ‘spect it to be for sale much longer.”
“I’ll let you know very soon whether or not I want to make an offer,” Adam said.
That afternoon Cade followed Adam through the fields. Adam was raising cotton, corn, and wheat.
“I’ve been thinking about putting in some tobacco,” Adam said. “But I’m havin’ to pay to get my cotton chopped and of course, picked. I could do a lot of the work myself for the tobacco, and the boys are getting’ old enough to prime it so I wouldn’t have to pay for that. I’ll bet your little Stone would have a lot of fun crawling through those rows pulling off the bottom leaves. You know if you do that, it makes a better crop.”
Cade nodded, only half listening to Adam. Everything Adam was saying was so foreign to him, even though Cade could remember walking behind a mule as he plowed the fields or picked the cotton or dug the potatoes. The thing he remembered most about farming was that it was hard work for not a lot of money.
But on the good side, it would be rare to ever have someone shooting at him.
After supper that evening, while the kids were out in the yard playing some sort of game which was totally inclusive of Stone, Cade and Adam were, once again, sitting on the porch. The only difference between now and last night, was that Melinda was sitting with them.
“Truth is, I know for a fact that if we made Dumey an offer of eighteen dollars an acre, he would jump on it,” Adam said. “The best offer he’s had so far has been from Burt Marshal, and that was for seventeen dollars an acre.”
Cade nodded, but he didn’t say anything.
“Thirty-six hundred dollars,” Adam said.
A spontaneous laughter from the kids interrupted the flow of conversation.
Adam turned toward Melinda. “Hand it to me, Melinda.”
Melinda pulled a piece of paper from the folds of her dress and gave it to Adam.
“I want to read something to you, Cade,” Adam said. He cleared his throat, and began to read aloud.
“Dear Adam, you probably won’t hear from me for a while, I feel the need to travel for a bit. Here is a bank draft for $3,500. I got very generous terms for the loan, which I will be able to handle myself, so there is no need for you to pay it back. This is my wedding gift for you and Melinda. Sincerely, Your brother, Cade”
Adam looked over to Cade. “Do you remember sending me that letter?”
“I remember.”
“What I’m getting at, Cade, is I’ll pay the $3,600, and I’ll also help you put up a house. I owe that to you.” He reached over and took Melinda’s hand. “Hell, I owe you more than that.”
“If you’ll read the letter again, I said there would be no need for you to pay me back. I also said that it was a wedding present.”
“All right, then don’t consider this as a pay back. Consider this as me doing something for you when you need it, the way you did for me, when I needed it.”
Cade was silent for a long moment. He had not told Adam that he had his half of the money he and Jacob got for selling the freighting company. He could buy the Dumey property straight out, without having to get a loan from anybody if he wanted to do it.
“Adam, I hate to say this, but I don’t want to stay here, and I don’t want to be a farmer. I got a taste of the West this last nine, coming up on ten years, and I like it. I thought I could come back here and make a new life for myself, but I just don’t think that I can.”
“You want to go back,” Adam said. It wasn’t a question, it was an acknowledging statement.
“Yes, I do.”
Adam nodded. “I sort of had a feeling that might be the case. The way you were acting over at Dumey’s place, you didn’t say a word while we were there, and you haven’t said anything about it since we got back either.”
“I feel bad for Mr. Dumey, though. I know he’s looking to sell the place and retire,” Cade said.
“Don’t worry about it. I was planning on buying his place anyway. Then, when we got your telegram, I just thought it might fit in well with you coming back home.”
“What about Stone?” Melinda asked.
Cade sighed. “The truth is I don’t have any idea what I’m going to do with him. One bad thing about the West is that people don’t look too kindly on Indians. And when that Indian is a ‘breed’ that makes it even worse.”
“Then leave him here,” Adam said.
“I couldn’t do that. You have four children already and another one on the way.”
“Are you saying that you don’t think we could handle another child?” Melinda asked. She laughed. “I’m sure Adam won’t stop at five or six, or even seven or who knows how many kids we’ll have.”
Adam chuckled. “You might say we’re raising our own hired hands. You don’t know how much tobacco I can plant when they all get bigger.”
“You can’t take him with you, Cade. He’s been through so much and you can’t pull him around from pillar to post. Now you tell me what kind of life that would be for the little fellow?” Melinda pointed to the children who were playing hide and seek in the shadows of the evening. “Look at those little ones. Stone is already one of them.”
“Mellie and I talked about this,” Adam said. “I want you to understand, we’re not telling you we’re willing to raise him, we’re telling you we want to raise him.”
Again, Cade was silent. He had given Chantal’s guardianship to Jeter and Magnolia, and now he was about to give up Stone. With Chantal, he could truthfully say it was better for her to have a mother and a father, and if he was honest, it would be better for Stone to stay here.
His only problem was his own conscience. Was he destined never to take the responsibility for any child?
“All right,” he said. “If you’re certain this is what you want to do, but I want to go to the magistrate and have him officially adopted. He needs to know that he belongs here.”
A huge smile spread across Melinda’s face. “I agree.”
By the end of July, Cade was back in Dodge City and he headed for Jeter and Magnolia’s house. When the door opened, Magnolia squealed in delight.
“You’re back!”
“Surprised to see me?” Cade asked.
“Surprised?” Jeter said. “Not surprised, happy. Oh, and a little bit richer.”
“Richer? What do you mean, richer?”
“I have two to one odds that you’d be back by the end of the month. And let’s see, by my calculations I just won $1,207.00.”
“You bet I’d be back within a month? Damn, wasn’t that taking quite a chance? What if I’d decided to stay and try it out for a while?”
Jeter shook his head. “I know you better than you know yourself. I said you’d be here within a month and here you are back, with almost four days to spare.”
“I don’t suppose Jacob’s still in town. I need to figure out what I’m going to do, and I thought maybe I’d head down to Texas with him.”
“He’s gone, but your friend, Billy Dixon was in the saloon the other day.”
“Salon,” Magnolia corrected.
“All right, salon. But, you might look him up. He’s got a new job and it might be something you’d be interested in.”
Cade shook his head. “He’s not out hunting buffalo is he? He said he’d killed his last one.”
“No, he’s not hunting buffalo, but he’ll probably be back down along the Canadian,” Jeter said. “General Nelson Miles is the new commandant at Fort Dodge, and the word is General Sheridan is hell bent to bring the Indians in to the reservations.”
“So, what is Billy doing?”
“Scouting for the army. They’ve got some Delaware Indians with them, but they need men who kno
w the territory.”
“Well, I must say I do know the territory, but scouting for the army? I don’t know about that,” Cade said. “I was sort of partial to grey.”
Jeter laughed. “Those days are over.”
Epilogue
Twin Creek Ranch 1927
Molly had packed a lunch of fried chicken, biscuits, potato salad, and fried peach pies for Cade and Owen Wister. The two men rode their horses out to a shady, grassy knoll on the banks of Dugout Creek, one of the two creeks that gave Twin Creek Ranch its name.
“Apparently, I don’t have to ask what happened to the boy,” Wister said. “He became a veterinarian.”
“Not just a veterinarian, a very good veterinarian. And you two share something in common, you know.”
“Oh? And what is that?”
“You’re both writers.”
“Really. Would I have seen anything that he has written?”
Cade laughed. “I don’t think so unless you’ve read Eradicating Cattle Scabies or Every Man His Own Cattle Doctor or Cattle: Their Breeds and Management.”
“You’re right, those aren’t on my reading list,” Owen said. “But what about Billy Dixon? And Jacob, too? Did you stay in contact with either of those two?”
“Of course, I did. Billy had the job as an army scout, for about nine or ten years. Then he filed a claim on three sections of land down in Texas. Do you know where it was?”
“I don’t have any idea.”
“The old Adobe Walls ruins. Yes, sir, he built his house right west of where the old stockade was. I don’t know how many years he lived there, but the last time I saw him, he had diverted the water of the creek, and he put in an orchard. Probably had at least 200 fruit trees right there at the Walls.”
“I would never have guessed that Billy Dixon would be content to stay in one place,” Owen said.
“He didn’t stay there forever. He married a good woman and eventually they moved to be near a school for their children.”
The Western Adventures of Cade McCall Box Set Page 81