“Maizie?” Josie interrupted.
“Yes, Josie?”
“Do you think someone could ever love me for a long, long time?”
“I do.”
“Do you think a man could love me?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I don’t have no one who loves me, never did.”
“Me and Sugar and Ol’ Jon, we all care for you. That’s a form of love.”
“Yes, but what about a man? I’m soiled and scarred. I had it all wrong, how to get along.”
“Your scars don’t show.”
“I can’t have no children either.”
“Not everyone can have children, but that won’t keep someone from loving you.”
“Maizie, did it happen for you? Do you feel loved?”
“Now, that’s a good question. My mama did love me, but do you know about guardian angels?” asked Maizie. “I’m not talking about angels in the sky. I’m talking about angels that walk on earth, real people.”
“No, can’t say I do.”
“I have lots of guardian angels. They help me. They make good things happen.”
“I never had none.”
“You got to look for them, Josie. When something good happens, look around. It’s the guardian angel doing it.” Josie was quiet for a while and then her eyes opened wide.
“Leon? He was the one who found me.”
“Yep, he’s one. Now you keep Leon in your heart. It helps to fill those empty spaces.”
“Sugar, Ol’ Jon, you? Are you all guardian angels?”
“Yes, that’s what my mama taught me, but you have to believe it. Helped me through rough times, thinking I had guardian angels. Made me feel loved somehow. Taught me to be grateful.”
Josie relaxed and looked up to the ceiling and closed her eyes. Maizie, softly smiling, resumed her reading.
Chapter 84
Man Talk
Capp looked at the sun and figured it was nearing time to climb up the hill to the ranch house. He couldn’t imagine why James wanted to speak with him privately. Worried that maybe his work on the track didn’t please his employer, Capp’s steps felt heavier than usual. He figured he was doing a good job overall, but he didn’t know if his jockey and horse training was good enough. The thought made him nervous.
When Capp arrived at the ranch house, he was shown to the small table on the porch looking down on the backside. Leon invited Capp to sit. “Would you like a glass of beer, mon ami? Philippe and I made a batch of stout. C’est bon!”
“Could use a beer. Thanks.” Capp pulled out his chair and appeared deep in thought as he took his seat. Adjusting his collar and brushing a piece of lint off his chest, he waited.
When James approached the small table, Capp immediately stood and shook his hand.
“Capp, thank you for coming. You are probably wondering why I called you up here.”
“Yeah, I… ah… I thought maybe you were…” Capp wiped his sweaty palm on his pants and sat back down.
“I want to talk to you about Maizie, but that isn’t where I’ll start,” interrupted James. Capp felt his stomach tighten.
“Capp, I sent you to Louisville to get an education. I hoped you’d glean every bit of knowledge you could.” Capp remained silent and now more nervous than ever. James continued: “It seems you did just that.” Capp felt his mood and body lighten. “Your dad showed me your journal. I was impressed with your notes. And the work you’re doing with the riders and the thoroughbreds looks good to Wil, so…”
Capp’s shoulders relaxed completely and he interrupted James. “Thanks, I’m feelin’ confident. Appreciate you trustin’ me.”
“There is one thing. I heard rumors when we were in Louisville.”
“Rumors?”
“Yes, that you were involved with Tilly Coombs before you left for Arkansas, but that it ended badly.”
“I broke off with her. Made it real clear.”
“I see.” Leon arrived with two cold stouts and two plates of salad. James picked up his fork.
“Anything else for now, monsieur?” asked Leon.
“No, thank you, Leon,” replied James and took a quick bite of salad and a sip of beer. “So, if Tilly Coombs is out of the picture, where are you with Maizie?”
“Where? With Maizie?”
“Yes, are you serious about her?”
“Oh,” Capp scratched his head. “I’m not sure.”
“I think a lot of men your age get confused about love.”
“Yeah, so I ain’t so sure where I am with Maizie. How do you know you are in love?”
James remained silent and continued eating as Capp gathered his thoughts and said, “You know, I see how you treat Mrs. Glidewell. How you respect her. I never had feelings like that for anybody. Girls were just fun, I thought. Tilly got like she owned me. And I didn’t want her in the same way. I was probably mean, but I didn’t know how to handle it. I just did what Bob Hench told me to do.”
“So you and Tilly were lovers?”
“Not really. It was a game, like I said. I thought she was just having fun, but she took it wrong.”
“Kind of like Josie took it wrong?”
“No. Look, I’m trying to learn how to be a man. A man like my dad and you. I want to be a good man, a kind man. And I want to find a good woman.”
“A good man does not look at interactions with a woman as a game, Capp.” James put down his fork and looked at Capp. “I think it’s safe to say you have not been good for either Josie or Tilly.”
“Good for Josie and Tilly? I didn’t love them.”
“I see,” James said as he stood to retrieve a letter from the side table. “This came for you, Capp. It’s from Tilly.”
Capp swallowed hard as he reached for the letter and opened it. He read it out loud.
Dear Capp,
I have married Martin Garner. He asked me four times and I finally said yes. You remember him. He and I are perfect for each other. He is handsome and rich. My parents are happy cause Martin is a Garner. His daddy may lease our ranch and Martin and I will live here with my parents. I’ll have my horse farm after all.
Tilly
“Ain’t that great?”
“Maybe,” said James with a hint of caution.
“I get it now. I’m getting smarter about girls.” Capp felt almost giddy, so happy about the revelation that Tilly was married.
James smiled and said, “I’m glad to hear it. You’ll find a nice girl one day, one that you can respect and love.”
“Maybe I already have,” said Capp as he stood to leave.
“Maizie?”
Capp nodded.
“What makes you think you’d be good for Maizie?”
“She’s different. I want to protect her. I thought I liked her like a sister, but when I saw her in Louisville, everything changed.”
“In what way?”
“She looked so beautiful and sweet. We talked. She’s more grown-up. More interesting. A woman I think I could love.”
“You think? Capp, Mary and I have discussed your relationship with Maizie. We disagree about some things, but one thing we agree on is that you are young, and young people make mistakes.”
Capp pushed his plate to the side. “I know, but that doesn’t change how I feel.
“I’ll be honest, Mary has some real concerns with you being with Maizie. She feels responsible for her, you understand?”
“I do. Would you trust me to see Maizie, to court her? I won’t hurt her, I promise. We have been having fun. Just talking. Like friends.”
“Mary worries that you’ll take advantage of her. She worries you’ll compromise both your futures. And I admit, knowing some of your history, I fear she may be right.”
“But I respect her. I’d nev
er—”
“I hope that’s true.” James, his eyes deep with sympathy, looked at Capp. “But you and Maizie… well, it’s complicated.”
“I don’t understand. What’s complicated about wanting to protect, respect, and maybe love someone?”
“Frankly, Maizie is colored and you’re white. A relationship with her is taboo. I know it isn’t right, Capp, but society has a way of making your love for her wrong. You know you couldn’t legally be with her and marry her. We don’t want you or her to get hurt. So take it easy, Capp. Hear what I’m saying?”
A genuine sadness came over Capp’s face. James knew Capp had heard the words but wasn’t sure he understood the gravity of the situation.
Chapter 85
Maizie’s Diary
January 10, 1933
James has invited Capp to come to the ranch house any evening he wants for a cup of tea. James and Capp talk about horses. Mary is pretty quiet unless we are talking about stuff like education. I can tell that Capp likes to come. The only thing he won’t talk about is Josie. I go and read to her. We are friends. She is the first girlfriend I ever had. We’re only two years apart in age. Josie lied to Mary about her age too. She was eighteen when she started here at Glidewell.
Meadowlark is back home. I’m so happy. He says that his blues, jazz, all of it, is taking hold and if he works hard maybe he can make it big. He even made a little money in St. Louis. Guess the times are better there for some reason. He says musicians actually get paid real money there.
He is so happy to be back to Glidewell. He said he cried when he saw our thorny fence. Something about it, he said. The way it protects all of us inside, allows us to be free and be who we are. I think I know what he means.
Bonne nuit, mon ami,
Maizie Sunday Freedman
Chapter 86
The Unexpected
February 1933
Chief Jack was up earlier than usual checking on the thoroughbred barn. The temperature was in the mid-thirties. Having left his gloves in the quarter-horse barn he blew air into his clenched hands to warm them. Looking after thoroughbreds wasn’t his usual duty, but he liked doing it. He liked these horses, different in body and spirit from the quarter horses that he loved and knew so well. The groom on duty that night stirred and stretched on his pallet of hay as the chief quietly made his rounds. He couldn’t help but notice that the mare, the barren one, was slightly agitated, pawing at the ground. He knew Damkins was a good mare, well dispositioned with improving conformation. She had put on some weight and muscle since she was purchased last spring. Her stark and troubling thinness was not evident.
Wil was on the rail at the finish line when the chief arrived at the track with Damkins on a lead. He noticed Capp, Tommy, Ernesto, and Alvaro running horses down the backstretch. Remaining quiet, he returned his gaze to the horses that were nearing the last bend. Capp was on the gray dapple, in fourth position. Capp let up on his hold and the horse felt the release from the restraint and took off, easily passing the other three and finishing first.
Wil stopped his watch, read the time, and recorded it on his clipboard. “Two minutes, ten seconds and the horse wasn’t even working hard. We are going to race him for sure in some of the lesser races this spring.” Wil turned to face the chief. “What you got, Chief?”
“This mare’s udder is swollen. Damkins hasn’t mated here at Glidewell, has she?” asked the chief.
“Never had a heat cycle. You thinking she might be getting ready to foal?”
“Looks like it to me. Maybe three, four weeks out.”
“We’ll know more, if the teats drop. If she’s pregnant, it’s a gall-dang miracle,” said Wil.
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking, if she’s pregnant she was that way when we bought her. The timing is right. They’d been trying to breed her at Rising Star but thought it didn’t take. Guess she wasn’t much interested. But she looked thin, real thin. That’s why we bought her. We took a chance, but look how healthy she looks now. Tell the grooms to keep an eye out. I’ll check on her when I’m through here.”
Within three weeks the men at the Glidewell backside had their answer. Damkins was showing signs of foaling. The first Glidewell thoroughbred delivery was thought to be biblical in some ways. “Could be the horse version of an immaculate conception,” joked some. Of course it wasn’t, but it was fun to talk about. “You don’t see a virgin birth every day,” said one wrangler, winking as he did. “If it’s a colt, let’s call it Baby Jesus!” said another.
The night that Damkins was expected to foal, the weather was crisp and dry. On display in the cloudless, moonless sky was a starry showing of twinkling points of light. In a large birthing stall, the mare was lying on her side, breathing steadily. Having known Capp and Wil for months now, she relaxed in their presence, stretching and pressing as her contractions dictated. The chill in the air made the fog of her labor clearly visible. Wil and Capp were there to tend to the birth should she run into any trouble. “Capp. Call James. He’ll want to see this.” Capp ran to get James.
When James and Capp returned, James focused on the scene in front of him. He said nothing and stood back as Wil and Capp soothed the horse. The mare seemed to understand what drama was unfolding. After hours of vigilance and tenderly soothing Damkins, Wil and Capp saw a hoof. James stepped closer for a look himself. Eventually, following one final hard press by the mare, the foal, a colt, was born.
Capp and Will carefully dragged the foal and positioned him near his mother’s head. The bonding process could now begin. After a period of time, the mare stood and the umbilical cord snapped two to three inches from the foal’s abdomen as nature intended. Wil lightly swabbed the foal’s detachment area with iodine. The newborn horse was finding his legs and attempting to stand. The mare waited as her afterbirth was delivered. Her foal teetered, wobbled, and fell but eventually found his balance. He succeeded in getting up on his legs and attempted to find his mother’s underbelly. It didn’t take him long and, staggering on newborn legs, he began to suckle.
“Glory be,” Wil said quietly, shaking his head. “Who would have thought that skinny mare would give us a fine, strong colt like this? Look at him. He’s a champion already.”
“I don’t know what to say. Seems unreal. Damkins kept her secret well,” said James. The moment was so tender, his eyes were moist.
“I know horses. This little colt is a winner,” said Wil.
“What should we call him?” asked Capp. Wil waited for a moment, removed his Stetson and scratched his head. He placed his hat back on his head and glanced at Capp and then to James. James threw up both his hands.
“Don’t ask me. Your call. You two saw the potential in that mare,” said James.
“Has to be something special. Don’t you think, Dad?”
In true Wil Wembley style, the man of few words began with certainty, “Glory Be, that’s what we’ll call him, Glory Be. I’m feeling this here is a glorious event.” James and Capp nodded and smiled. Father and son stood together with their arms on each other’s shoulder looking at the little foal and his dam. James watched in wonder. Could it be that the Glidewell legacy of racehorses would start with this happenstance birth? He knew enough to know it was highly unlikely, but he would not entertain any skepticism now, not in this moment. He looked upon this birth as a sign of good fortune. The birth was so easy, so normal, the colt so impressive. For now, they all could dream that glory may be on its way to Glidewell in the form of a little colt named Glory Be.
Chapter 87
A Letter to Mama
February 1933
Dear Mama,
The first Glidewell thoroughbred foal arrived early this morning. They named him Glory Be. I ran to tell Jebediah, my yearling, the good news. I love saying that name, Jeb-eh-di-ah. I say it slow. Why it is like saying a whole sentence in just one
word. The little horse’s ears twitch when I say his name. Seems he likes it too. He works for me. He wants to please me. Tommy is going to help me learn to ride him with a race saddle when he’s old enough. How to stand in the stirrups. How to hold the reins. Tommy says I don’t need any help with the training. Capp isn’t helping me with horses anymore. He’s too busy with the older thoroughbreds. But he does come have tea with us. He still makes my heart beat faster.
Capp and I, we talk and go for walks sometimes with Mary’s permission. But seems like she doesn’t like it. Capp kissed me one night. I felt like I was being swooped up in this soft billowy cloud. He stopped. My eyes were still closed. He walked away. I ran to catch up. He never said one word about it.
I know I have feelings for Capp. Mary says those feelings are just puppy love. I hate it when she says that. How does she know what I feel? Makes me not want to talk with her about Capp. I wonder about you and Daddy, Mama. Was that puppy love? Seems to me you really loved my daddy.
I look at the map and try to figure it all out. Meadowlark wants to take me to the Mississippi Delta. I could see where I was born (I think) and some of the places on your map. Meadowlark said maybe one day it would work out for us to go and have a few concerts in Vicksburg with his friend Slick. But Mary won’t let me go unchaperoned. She says it’s not right for a young lady to travel with a man. I’m learning that Mary has lots of rules about men, especially Capp.
Mary hired a tutor to teach me history, literature, math, and some science. He works on my vocabulary and communication skills. He comes on Wednesdays and spends the day with me. We talk a lot with each other on the days he is here. Mary says education is the key to getting along in the world and thinking straight. My tutor is Dr. Calloway, a retired college professor from Springfield. He is old, but I like him. He says when he is satisfied with my learning, he’ll write a letter explaining my education and maybe I could get into college. I don’t know nothin’ about college. I don’t think I need to go. I’m so busy here. Capp is here. My horse is here. Meadowlark, Ol’ Jon, Leon, Philippe, Sugar, and all my other friends are here. I don’t want to go away. I may never get back. The thought scares me.
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