Griffin paced behind Jed, running his fingers through his hair.
“Open your mouth, Josiah. I need to see how bad you’re hurt.”
Josiah cringed, tucking into Thomas’s side.
“It’s all right. I’m right here. Let Mr. Green see.” Thomas said, wiping his face.
Josiah sniffled, then opened his mouth.
Coldness ran through Jed’s body. Josiah had lost at least one tooth.
“Who did this?” Griffin asked in a demanding tone.
Thomas turned, not answering. He searched the ground. He paused, then picked up a long stick. Straddling a puddle, he used the stick to fish his hat out of the muddy water.
“Don’t worry about your hat,” Griffin told him.
“They did something with my book too.” Thomas’s lips quivered.
Griffin took Thomas’s hand and went further down the road.
Jed couldn’t tell if Josiah’s nose was broken—they’d ask the doctor about that—but the boy certainly received quite a bang. Even breathing seemed painful for the youngster.
“Here it is.” Griffin lifted the book by its spine. A few loose pages fell out and floated to the ground. Griffin helped as Thomas pick them up and placed the loose pages inside the cover.
Josiah whimpered and wrapped his arms around Jed’s neck, which made a smooth transition for Jed to pick him up and carry him. Jed put an arm around Thomas, who tucked the book under his right arm.
Griffin‘s shoulders were tense and his back stiff. He walked backward, scanning the opened area. “Who did this?” Griffin yelled to a silent audience. “It was them, wasn’t it? Are we going to do something about this?” He opened his palms to Thomas. “What’d they look like?”
Jed’s eyes stung. Anger. Sorrow. Love. He wasn’t entirely sure. But he knew three things. First, no one would ever hurt these boys again. Second, he knew who did this. And third, he knew what he would do about it.
~*~
Jed checked his pocket watch and then snapped the lid shut. The boys hadn’t been in with the doctor that long, but time seemed to drag. He folded his arms.
Griffin sat on the front stoop and glared straight ahead, a blade of blue stem between his lips. “When’s that sheriff gonna get here?”
“He’ll be here when he can.”
Jed handed Griffin some the money. “Run over to the mercantile and get the boys a piece of candy and pick one for yourself. Thomas likes peppermint, and get Josiah a lemon drop.”
“I was kinda hopin’ to be around when you talk to the sheriff and to wait and see what the doctor says.”
“I’ll be sure to tell you everything. Besides, you won’t be gone that long, and they might be a while longer.”
“You trust me?” His question seemed sincere.
Good point. “The boys have been through enough without hearing about you getting into more trouble. So, if anybody questions you, tell him you’re my apprentice and that I’m over here.”
Griffin stood. The boy’s stomach rumbled. In the chaos, none of them had had dinner.
“And stop by Hawkins Boarding House on the way back and see if Gerald will sell you some rolls for the money you have left. If it ain’t enough, tell him I’ll settle up with him later.”
Griffin looked back toward the closed door to the doctor’s office.
“Go on.” Jed gestured with his head. “Boys will be happy to get that candy.”
Griffin trotted to the end of town.
Jed took off his hat and ran his fingers through his sweaty hair. Wispy clouds had gathered in the western sky. A soft orange glow painted the horizon. The immensity of the heavens and the events of the day caused deep reflection. Over time, Jed had learned to drown those kinds of thoughts between hammer and anvil. But his knees felt weak. He leaned forward with his elbows on his thighs and laced his fingers behind his head.
Images of Thomas covering Josiah’s bloody nose pierced his mind. And the pain in their eyes. Jed had never known eyes to reveal so much about a person. Back when he first got them, they’d looked so lost and afraid, as if they had no way out of their predicament. Today, their eyes held the same look.
Jed had always loathed meanness. Even with his size and strength, the temptation to cause pain on someone else never surfaced. What about your father? Jed’s throat tightened. He had hurt his father. Purposely. Jed made sure his father felt the pain of his coldness. The leather-bound journal. The unread letters. His refusal to respect. He covered his face with one hand, and his gut knotted so bad he thought he might get sick.
From a long-ignored place in his heart a sweet voice rang. His mother’s. Remember what I said to do when you’ve had enough? You get on your knees and you pray, Jedidiah. You pray, and you believe, and you thank the Lord for what He’s about to do. Although you can’t see it, and ain’t nobody knows it, you believe it, Jed. You believe it as sure as the sun’s gonna shine in Texas.
He stood, looking at the sky. God’s presence wrapped him as a mother would swaddle her baby, and he prayed for Thomas and Josiah. His head fell forward as words flowed from his heart.
The door to Dr. Holt’s office opened. The doctor nodded to Jed and then motioned for him to come in.
“Hey!” Griffin held a paper sack in one hand, and he leapt onto the porch. “Did you fix them up right, Doc?”
“Come on in here, and we’ll talk.” Dr. Holt stepped behind his desk and motioned for them to sit. He took off his glasses, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped his spectacles. The man sat down, placed his elbows on the desk, and brought his fingertips together. “The boys are in the other room. They’ll be fine, but they’ve been scuffed up quite a bit and suffered some injuries. Especially the little one. The one with the scar.”
“That’s Josiah. Is his nose broken?” Jed asked.
“Oh, yes.” The doctor put his glasses back on. “I set it. His two front teeth have been knocked out. They’re baby teeth, so they’ll grow back. His ribs are badly bruised, but he’s lucky they aren’t broken. They’ll be mighty tender. I couldn’t get him to say much; the older one did most of the talking. But it sounds like whoever did this whacked them pretty good. Have you contacted the sheriff?”
Jed nodded. “He wasn’t in, but I sent word. And Thomas?”
“His eye will be swollen for a few days, maybe longer. And it’ll turn black. He’ll have bruises, but no real damage was done to the internal organs or bones.”
Griffin’s face paled to the color of milk.
“The older boy did say there were three of them. He fought them as best he could. Said he bit one of their fingers. When two of them went after the younger one he rolled on top of him to shield his body. He’ll have bruises on his back the size of your fist.”
The air in the room seemed to have been sucked out.
“Can I see them?” Jed asked.
“They’ve been asking for you.” Dr. Holt nodded as his gaze shifted to Griffin. “And for your apprentice.”
“How much do I owe you?”
“Tell you what, Jed.” He paused. “This one is on me. I’m sure I’ll be needing your services before winter gets here.”
“I can pay, Dr. Holt.”
“I know you can.” Dr. Holt’s voice elevated. “But I also know you’re a good man who’s taken more than your fair share of bartering for your work. And you’ve got three children to feed, so please allow me to indulge you this one time. Besides, these boys need to know that kindness can be found around here.”
Jed nodded.
Dr. Holt moved from behind the desk. “Looks like you’ve been in a tangle yourself.” He touched Griffin’s cheek and under his eye. “Is it still tender?”
“Never was,” Griffin said.
Dr. Holt raised his eyebrows and then opened the door to the back room. “Boys should be fine to go home tomorrow. Probably best they not be moved tonight, and I’ll check them over first thing in the morning.”
Thomas sat up when they entered
. His shirt sleeve had been torn and his eye had swollen considerably in such a short time. Josiah’s heavy eyelids opened somewhat.
Jed sat on the corner of Thomas’s bed. “You hungry?”
Thomas nodded.
Griffin opened up the sack. “Hey, look what I got you. Still warm too.” He handed a roll to Thomas and then to Jed. He went over to Josiah’s bed. “Hello, little man.”
The sheets had been pulled up to Josiah’s chin. He didn’t move.
Griffin tore off a piece of bread. “Here, take a bite of this.”
Josiah barely shook his head.
“Come on. You’ll like it.” Griffin knelt on the floor. “I got you a lemon drop, but you gotta eat something first.”
Jed brushed Josiah’s hair with his fingers. “You should eat, Josiah, to get your strength back.”
Josiah’s swollen lips parted, and Griffin stuck the small piece of bread inside.
Dr. Holt stepped between the beds. “Their appetite should return by tomorrow. You can take them on home, but might be best you leave them here for the night. As I said, the ride home will be hard on their ribs. And I can look them over again in the morning.”
Thomas lifted his chin. “Will we stay here by ourselves?”
Josiah spoke weakly. “I want to go back to Mr. Green’s house.”
Jed’s gut knotted. Josiah didn’t say he wanted to go back home.
Griffin bit into the roll, then tore off another piece for Josiah.
Jed tapped Thomas’s blanket-covered foot. “How about we all stay here tonight?” he suggested.
“Then will we go back to your house?” Thomas asked.
“We will go back to our house,” he assured the boys. Then he turned to Dr. Holt. “Thanks for letting us stay.”
“Suits me fine,” he said. “You can bring chairs in from the other room.”
“No need for me,” Griffin said as he pulled his boots off and dropped them onto the floor. He crawled onto the bed with Josiah and put his back against the wall. “I’ll be fine right here.”
Thomas scooted as if to make room for Jed.
“I may have to grab a chair. Think I’m too big to fit on there with you,” Jed said with a smile.
Thomas turned to Griffin. “Make sure not to roll over on Josiah and squish him.”
“I ain’t gonna squish him,” Griffin growled. “This little guy is too tough for that anyway.”
“I’m not tough.” Josiah shook his head. “Thomas is tough.”
“Well.” Dr. Holt folded his arms. “I’ll leave you to work this out on your own, and I’ll return in the morning.” The doctor exited.
Jed dragged a chair in from the other room. He sat down, pulled off his boots, and placed them on the floor at the end of the bed.
Griffin tossed him the sack. “One more roll left. And the candy.”
“We’ll save the candy for tomorrow.” Jed broke off a piece of bread, popped it in his mouth, and gave Thomas the rest. “We won’t tonight, but at some point we’ll have to talk about what happened. And the sheriff will want to know as well.”
Thomas‘s eyes misted.
“But for now, we’ll pray and give thanks that we’re all together. And that you’re safe now,” Jed said.
“Mr. Green?” Thomas asked. “Are you sorry you took us in?”
“Why would you think that?”
“Seems like we’ve been a lot of extra work for you.”
“Hard work is good for a man.”
Griffin scoffed, his head buried in a pillow. “Yeah, but if we could get him a woman, things would be a lot better.”
Jed wadded the paper sack into a ball and tossed it toward Griffin, where it bounced off the bed and landed on the floor.
All three boys laughed.
Jed stretched out his legs, leaned his head back against the wall, closed his eyes, and listened to the quiet.
13
Grace lifted the iron from the heat of the fire.
Edith sipped tea at the kitchen table. “You know, I’m sure I could ask Hortense the name of the lady who takes in her laundry. That would save you time from ironing your dresses.”
“I refuse to pay someone to do what I can on my own.” Grace thought of the Mexican woman. She wouldn’t give the lady more laundry, but there might be other ways to help, such as tutoring her children. “Besides I can take my frustrations out this way.”
“What’s got you so frustrated?”
Jedidiah Green, which is absurd and pointless since I refuse to be dependent upon a man. “Oh, just things,” Grace said. She dipped her fingers in a bowl of water and flicked droplets on the wrinkles in the sleeve of her dress. “And I miss my sisters. I must find the time to write Joy a letter since I don’t think they’ll make it to town very often.”
The pounding of horse hooves came through the open window.
Edith set her cup down. “Perhaps one of your suitors has come a callin’ again.”
Why couldn’t it be Jedidiah? Grace propped the iron on the board and pulled back the curtains.
A horse-drawn wagon sat in front of the house. A tall figure stepped onto the porch. Jedidiah.
Grace’s stomach fluttered and she opened the door.
Jed removed his hat and placed it against his chest, his face grim. “Miss Cantrell.” Jed bowed his head slightly. “I’m needing to talk with you and Mrs. Farley.”
“Of course, Mr. Green,” Edith called as she stepped toward them. “Come on in.”
“I don’t have time. I’m needing a favor, and if you’re able to help I’d be mighty beholden to the both of you.”
“Of course. What is it that you need?”
“I have to work in the shop this morning and make a delivery before noon. If I brought the boys here, would you watch Thomas and Josiah? I have neighbors that might help, but seeing how both of them know you, I think they’d be more comfortable.”
“I think that’d be all right.”
“Where are they now?” Grace asked, looking out at the empty wagon.
“At the doctor’s office. And that’s another thing. They’ve been injured, Miss Cantrell.”
“Injured? How?” Grace’s voice rose. “What happened?”
“On the way home from school yesterday three boys jumped them. They were beat up pretty bad, Josiah’s got a broken nose and bruised ribs. But really they’re more shaken than anything.”
Grace grabbed the doorknob to steady herself. “I’ll walk down to see them.”
His strong arm reached out to stop her. “Not now, the boys are resting and finally comfortable.”
Her legs weakened even as her heart skipped.
“My apprentice will help until I can bring them here.”
“Who would ever do such a thing?”
Jed just stared at her, hurt and anger reflected in his gaze and tightened jaw.
“We will do whatever you need, Jed,” Edith said.
“I appreciate this very much, ladies.” Jed put on his hat and walked back to the wagon.
Grace stayed on the porch until the wagon pulled out of sight.
A carriage appeared from the other direction. Hail Talbert waved at Jed as they passed each other. The carriage slowed as it approached the Farley home.
Grace went inside.
~*~
The one day Jed didn’t have Griffin was when he needed him the most. Seemed as if everybody in town wanted something fixed right away. He answered questions and took orders all morning. At noon, he closed the shop for a break. He hung the sign over the knob that said he would return later.
With the hay knife in the back of the wagon, he headed to Dr. Holt’s office. The doctor wasn’t at his desk, so he pushed open the door to the back room.
Josiah and Griffin were asleep.
Thomas sat in bed, eyes red from crying and cheeks still swollen. Dried mud splattered the pages that now lay wrinkled on his bed.
Jed sat on the end of the mattress. “They been asleep all morni
ng?”
“No, Griffin told us funny stories and then went to get more rolls when we got hungry. They just fell asleep a little while ago.”
“How’re you feeling?”
“I can’t see out of this one eye too good. The doctor had me put some ice on it.”
“We’ll get some more later. That’ll make the swelling go down.”
“How long is it gonna be like this?”
“At least a week or so. It’ll look worse, and then it’ll get better.”
Thomas lifted one of the loose papers. “I don’t ever want to walk to school again.”
“Either I or Griffin will give you a ride.”
“But I still don’t think I should go. It’ll just happen again. The kids either make fun of Josiah for his scars, or me and my book. It’s not just about us being orphans.”
“I’m sorry this happened. But this wasn’t your fault.”
“I’m trying to put this back together, but it isn’t working. I think some of them got lost.”
Jed turned Thomas’s book around. The message from his mother was still on the inside cover. “You know, Thomas,” he said softly, “even if this got completely destroyed, you’d still have this book in your heart.”
Thomas’s brown eyes locked on Jed.
“When you read your mother’s words at school that day, everyone in that room felt how much she loved you. And how much you loved her. And nobody can take that from you.”
He nodded softly, and tears welled in his eyes. “But I wanted to keep it forever.”
“Well, you can, Thomas.” Jed brushed Thomas’s bangs to the side. “Only you can decide what gets destroyed. You don’t have to let the meanness of people tear you into pieces.”
“I’m glad you came that day. To hear me read. We was supposed to learn something we didn’t already have memorized, but I chose that anyway.” Thomas began to put the loose pages inside. “But don’t tell Miss Cantrell that.”
Jed patted Thomas’s leg. “Speaking of your teacher, we’re going to see her. I need to make a delivery, and I need Griffin’s help. She and Widow Farley said you could stay with them while we’re gone.” Jed looked over to the two sleeping princes. He moved to get up, but Thomas grabbed the crook in his elbow.
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