Dutch Uncle

by Marilyn Durham

  He stalked out of the cantina and back toward the jail, his mind almost blank with rage at his latest defeat.

  Outside the feed store a wagon was being loaded with sacks of mash and grain. Mrs Cuddeback directed the work with a stout arm.

  ‘Gut morning, Marshal Hollander,’ she called to him in her hearty guttural. ‘I brought you some company you like to see, ja?’ He walked by her without hearing.

  ‘Tío!’ A blur of energy burst out of a door he was passing and flung itself on him, nearly knocking him off the walk. He caught his balance, then reached down for what seemed determined to climb him like a tree and jerked it loose.

  ‘It’s me! Paco, Chake! Look, I got a haircut—’

  ‘Get off me, Goddamn it!’ Paco’s rump hit the walk with a solid thud.

  ‘Chake, ain’t you glad to see me?’ There was hurt and surprise in the voice, but Jake didn’t hear it. He saw a woman with a pale face coming toward him. Carrie. He brushed by her and her stunned ‘Jacob!’

  ‘Keep him out of my way. I’ve got things to do,’ he said in a colorless voice. He slammed the door of the jail behind him, and went straight for his valise and the few scattered belongings that were strewn around the room. The front door opened again, but he paid no attention to it.

  Carrie stood in the door. ‘Call him back and tell him you’re sorry. It won’t be too late, if you hurry. Give him his present and tell him you didn’t mean to hurt him.’

  ‘Give it to him yourself. And keep him out of my way.’

  She came into the room and closed the door. ‘Whatever grievance you have against us, it has nothing to do with Paco. He’s just a little boy. He loves you. He’s never done you any harm, and you’ve hurt him terribly, without reason. You frightened Urraca, too. She ran when she saw you, and I don’t blame her. You should have seen your face. What’s the matter with you?’

  He threw his valise on the bed.

  ‘There’s nothing the matter with me. I just came into my right mind, that’s all. I’m through playing nursemaid and marshal and general all-around sucker. I quit! I’m getting out, and I don’t need any company meanwhile.’

  ‘You’re leaving now, just when we need you? Where? How? With the soldiers?’

  ‘No, they won’t have me. And that damned money-grubbing greaser down the street is too civic minded to sell me a horse. But I’m getting out of this patch of quicksand anyway. I’ll go up to the Silver Man or even down to the cantina, if he’ll rent me a room. If not, I’ll pitch a tent until the stage gets here. But until it does I’m going to mind my own business, and you can do the same.’

  ‘But why? What is it? You’re not afraid of handling the men here, I know that. What is it you’re so afraid of?’

  ‘I’m not afraid of a goddamned thing!’

  ‘You are! I can see it. You’re sick with it.’

  He grabbed her away from the door and shook her as if he’d break her neck, then stopped, still gripping her arms.

  ‘I can’t remember if I ever hit a woman, but if you say that again, I will. And I don’t think I’ll lose any sleep over it!’

  Her eyes searched his face, widening slightly with understanding. ‘Did you lose sleep? Did you have a bad night, Jake? Is that what the trouble is? And are you mad at yourself now, or just at me?’

  ‘Yes, you bitch, I had a bad night! Does that make you happy? Make the most of it. I expect to catch up on my sleep and maybe a couple of other things as soon as I’m out of here! How are you going to work it off?’

  She blinked rapidly, like her brother, as she registered that, making him want to shake her again. ‘If you’re breaking Paco’s heart and deserting Clem because of me — if I’m to blame for your temper and nastiness — why not take it out on me instead of them?’

  ‘Shut up, Miss Hand. I don’t want to play any more games with you!’

  ‘Poor Jake! I’m always misjudging your motives. I said you were being gallant last night when you were only being cautious. You were really showing a little weakness, weren’t you? You let some old rusty scruple come between you and something you wanted, and went to bed with the colic from it. You must feel you’ve slipped, terribly. And you’re scared. But the remedy is easy, isn’t it? Just bury that little weakness in a good healthy rage, then run like you always do! Or take what you want and feel better. Isn’t that so? Isn’t that what you’d really like to do? Because if it is — if that’s all it would take to make you a man again — it’s a bargain! Here I am. Hurt me instead of Paco. Help yourself, and then help Clem.’

  ‘Lady, you’ve got yourself a deal!’ he whispered furiously, and jerked her forward, crushing her mouth against his; wanting to hurt her enough to make her cry out and fight him. But she didn’t.

  He staggered, and they fell against the bed and sat down. He ran his hand over her roughly so there wouldn’t be any misunderstanding about his intentions this time. She didn’t pull away. Things began to go wrong from then on.

  He pulled her shirtwaist out of her skirt and reached up under it, then found her fingers there right after him, opening the buttons, loosening her chemise for his invading hand.

  The valise was in his way. They had fallen against it awkwardly so that it was up under his left arm and she was on top of it. He couldn’t get off it or move it because of her weight. Her slight breast detained his other hand, too warm to leave, too tender to bruise.

  She put her arms around him; stroked his head and shoulders with gentle hands. Her sharp tongue had learned a soft obedience that was addictive as some Chinese drug.

  They sprawled together quietly for a time, touching each other with slow fingers, until he let her mouth go to try for her soft throat and breast. The increased strain the movement put on his supporting arm made him groan and settle for the closer juncture of her throat and ear. The handle of the valise was boring painfully into his side. ‘Oh, Christ,’ he sighed, with his mouth against her ear.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked in a muffled voice.

  ‘I don’t know. I’ve never raped anybody before. I can’t seem to get the hang of it.’

  18

  Repeated knocking on the outside door woke them some time later. ‘Thank God you slammed the door,’ Jake murmured into her hair. ‘I think it latched itself.’

  ‘Oh, my stars!’ Carrie gasped. ‘We’ve been asleep! How long? Oh, dear Lord, we have to get up! That must have been Clem, looking for me. What will we do?’

  ‘Go back to sleep.’

  She started to struggle out of his arms, then groaned and fell against him once more. They made very close company on the narrow bed. ‘I can’t even get up,’ she said in a small tight voice. ‘I don’t have anything on.’

  The validity of that made him open his eyes. ‘So I see. And very pretty that way, too. When did this first begin to bother you?’

  ‘You’re laughing at me,’ she accused him. He was; and stroking her smooth back, which was all he could reach at the moment. ‘All right. I see it sounds false when I’ve been so shameless. But I have to dress and I really wish you wouldn’t watch me. It’s different — and I’m not used to it, and besides, there’s nothing very pretty about putting on drawers and stockings and pulling corset strings — oh, shut up!’

  ‘No — no, what you say makes sense. So why don’t we just forget about the drawers and corset strings and what your brother wants with you?’

  ‘Oh-gh!’ She sat up and twisted around with her back to him and her arms crossed over her breasts. He touched her near arm lightly with one hand and she drew away from it.

  ‘I feel terrible,’ she said in a shaky voice.

  ‘You’re not terrible.’

  ‘They must have already had their meeting. What kind of excuse can I give for not being there? I was supposed to make tea. I was supposed to be in charge of entertaining those women this afternoon.’

  ‘Turn your face this way a minute.’ She did, cautiously, frowning at him. ‘That’s what I thought. You’d entertain
them, all right, if you ran out there now.’

  ‘How? What do you mean?’

  He touched her chin with a careful finger. ‘You got a bit scoured up by my whiskers, I’m afraid. Sorry. It isn’t so bad by itself, but your bottom lip is sort of puffed up.’

  ‘Oh, no.’ Her hands left guard duty to test the damage. ‘Does it look bad?’

  Jake smiled lazily. ‘A couple of other places, too. Bad? No, just — noticeable. You could say it was due to wind burn, I guess. Or do you fall down much? Maybe you could tell them you tripped over some of that junk out back, and fell and lay there unconscious for — oh, now, don’t do that,’ he said to her tears. He drew her back down carefully and kissed all the afflicted places.

  ‘I’ll have to face Clem, and I can’t! What’s he going to think?’

  ‘If you go tearing out the door right now, he’s apt to think you’ve been doing just what you’ve been doing. He’s a pretty clever man. He’s even surprised me.’ She turned her face away, impatient with his humor, but he turned it back again and kissed her mouth very gently. He was amused, but also somewhat touched by her real distress. So many years had passed since he had dealt with a conscience-stricken woman, he’d almost forgotten how tenderly one must be treated. It was delightful to practice such care with her.

  He touched her lips and throat and breasts as if they were made of fine blown glass and might break under the slightest pressure until he felt her hand caress his head, then press it hesitantly down.

  ‘Oh, Lord, how could I have been so thoughtless? What am I going to do?’

  ‘We’ll think of something.’

  *

  Half an hour later, when the first miners arrived from the north with a clatter of mule shoes and whoops of joy, she was dressed and holding a compress of cold water to her mouth and chin while he searched the bed and floor for the rest of her hairpins.

  ‘You haven’t laced me tight enough,’ she complained through the wet cloth. ‘I feel as if my waistband is going to burst.’ There had been no second consideration of the esthetics of communal dressing. She had only sniffed when she saw he didn’t need to be told how to manage the laces.

  ‘I didn’t want to break your ribs. You women are crazy to wear those things anyway. Here are your pins. Let me see your face now.’ He would have kissed it, but she drew back sternly. ‘It’s just like a little rash. Go home and put some talcum powder on it, and nobody will know the difference. I’ll cover for you. Though by the time we get there I imagine things will be too lively for anybody to notice you, and tomorrow chin rashes will be like an epidemic around town.’

  ‘Jake, promise me you’ll find Paco first, and make it up to him. He must be miserable now, poor little boy. It makes me ashamed to know that I forgot about him, too.’

  ‘Sure. I’ll give them both their presents and buy them a beer. How’s that?’

  ‘No beer! Just tell him you really didn’t mean to be so rough with him. If it weren’t for the need for that, I’d hope he wasn’t even still in town. But I’m afraid Mrs Cuddeback will have to still be here, doing my job for me. I must go.’

  He looked out the door for her first; then she left, twisting her hair into a hasty knot, jabbing the pins in haphazardly.

  Jake sighed. After splashing a little water on his own face and swiping at it with the damp towel, he picked up the jackknife and the cedar cat and went to find the kids.

  The cantina was full but not riotous, yet. Nevertheless he had to sidestep a small crowd that had gathered just inside the door, surrounding the flaxen-haired girl. A young giant named Ekman was catechizing her in Swedish. He turned, grinning, as Jake brushed by him.

  ‘Hey, marshal. I found me a perfect woman. Listen to this. Honey, say hello to the marshal.’

  ‘Sure,’ the girl said, beaming at Jake.

  ‘Ain’t that something? That’s about the only English she knows. If we get married, I’m gonna make it the rule that we don’t fight except in English. Honey, do you like me?’

  ‘Sure,’ said the girl.

  ‘That just tickles me!’ Ekman groaned. ‘Say it again.’

  ‘Sure.’

  Clem was standing at the bar with Sánchez. A half-empty bottle was by his elbow and the gleam of an empire builder in his eye. There were no more than two or three men for every woman, so far. The competition was strong, but the women looked flattered and the suitors good natured and boisterous as boys at a fair. Musicians were already tuning up, and the laundry drudges had brightened and were trying to get an edge on the competition as they hustled beer to the men.

  Some of the ladies of the town had prepared large quantities of tea for a reception that never took place because of Carrie’s absence, and they were sipping it themselves and pressing it on the newcomers, a noticeable number of whom, however, showed an aversion to tea. Even one or two girls from the Golden Moon had drifted in, attracted to the cheer. It was all very pleasant.

  ‘You see, it’s all going to work out fine,’ Clem said when he saw Jake. ‘They were just tired and hungry. They began to settle down when Sánchez offered the whole second floor here for their use until they make other arrangements.’ Jake looked at Sánchez, who shrugged helplessly. ‘Of course, they felt a bit lost when the troops rode out, but I think we can safely say the crisis is over, if there ever was one. Where have you been, Jake? I knocked at the jail and you didn’t answer.’

  Jake didn’t answer again. ‘Where’s Paco and Urraca? Have you seen them?’

  ‘No, are they here? Maybe they’re with Carrie. I couldn’t find her, either. She was supposed to be here. I can’t think of anything else that would keep her away. Why don’t you ask Mrs Cuddeback? She’s over there pouring tea for — my God! Well, German women! I guess she ran out of tea.’

  He chuckled indulgently and poured himself another drink. Jake looked at the bottle, but decided to forgo the risk of liquor on an empty stomach. He saw that Sánchez’s mother was making a raid on her son’s stock, unnoticed. ‘Very homey,’ he said. ‘When does the rest of the brotherhood arrive? Before, the beer runs out, I hope. It’d be too bad if they missed out on everything, wouldn’t it?’

  Clem gulped his drink and choked a little on it. ‘Well, I don’t think they’ll be too rough. These weren’t. There’s a lot more respect for women in small towns like this than in the big cities, Jake. They get pretty bad among themselves, but you should have seen how these men looked when they first came in here and saw the ladies. It was almost as if they had stepped into a church. All the war whoops stopped at the door. When the rest come in I’ll talk to them. I’ve got a little speech worked out in my mind to get them all in a good humor. They’re sportsmen. They’ll see the thing in the proper light.’

  ‘You sound a lot more certain of that than you did this morning. It must be that Irish courage you’ve been drinking. Better take it easy. You wouldn’t want to grow fur on that silver tongue and mess up your speech.’ He turned to the listening cantinero.

  ‘How’s business, Sánchez? Good? Got plenty of everything? Beer, booze, barricades? If you run out, I guess the other saloons will be glad to send you some more. It’d be the fair thing to do, I think, seeing that you’ve got all the customers, and the best place in town for the celebration. Thick walls, no windows to speak of. I’m sure they’ll see it in the proper light when you ask them. Say, have you got any more food? I haven’t had a bite to eat all day.’

  Sánchez, looking suddenly thoughtful, snapped his fingers for one of the girls, but no one heeded him. He called for his wife. ‘Soledad!’ She didn’t appear, either. He went to find her, grabbing his mother by her skinny elbow on the way and dragging her with him, protesting incoherently.

  Jake decided to have a drink after all. While he was pouring be said to Clem, ‘I don’t suppose any of the women have asked you about the wedding arrangements here — a preacher and all that?’

  ‘Oh, damn it, Jake, you’re just looking for trouble so you can stand back and laugh!
No, they haven’t. That Sánchez woman was supposed to get a minister in Santa Fe while she was waiting for the women — if she could. But she couldn’t find one who was willing to come, she said. She’s so anticlerical I doubt if she even looked. But it’ll work out. They can sign papers testifying to their intention to marry and file them in the county court. It’s perfectly legal. People have to do it all the time out here. Then the first circuit rider who comes through, or the first damned judge up for election, can marry the whole lot of them.’ He looked defiantly at Jake’s dry smile. ‘Are you going to do anything to help if there is trouble, or are you just going to let them tear up the place? I have to know, so I’ll know what to do myself.’

  ‘Now you’re making more sense. I can’t handle all of them if they come in with guns. Nobody can. But most of the men at the Hassayampa don’t wear guns. We need somebody big, who doesn’t get too mad when he’s pushed, for a deputy.’

  ‘There’s Judd.’

  ‘He’s too slow. Get that kraut Gebhardt and his brother. And Patchy Murdoch. Tell them they’re temporary deputies, and you’ll pay them for the work. Ten dollars apiece ought to be enough for a day or two.’

  ‘Ten dollars for a day’s work! My God, the governor doesn’t get that much! Where would I get the money anyway? I don’t have it.’

  ‘Screw it out of Sánchez.’

  ‘Listen, Dutch, I can handle a gun and I’m not afraid to use it.’

  ‘I know, you’re not afraid of anything but Carrie, but guns are for saving your life, not for calming things down. You saw what happened when you helped me make a fool of myself in front of the shooting gallery. The deputies ought to have guns, but tell them to keep them in their belts, for God’s sake, and not to go waving them around when they talk. That’s why I picked the two Gebhardts and Patchy. They could all stun a mule with their fists, but they’ve got a healthy respect for the odds.’

  ‘But if shooting starts—’

  ‘Just a minute ago you were sure nothing was going to happen. Maybe you’re right. Like you say, I come from another kind of town. Maybe I forgot about country boys, but let me tell you what I know about the rest of the race. Rape is ill mannered, but the hurt is temporary and all it breeds is babies, unless the girls have fighting families close by.