The Owen Family Saga Sampler

by Marsha Ward

  “Ma, that was right canny thinking. I’d like to see Sheridan’s face should he find out you outfoxed him.”

  Julia shook her head and continued with the meal.

  “We ain’t tooting our horn about the food we got, Carl,” Rod said. “It’s mighty little for our needs, and even so, we had to send the girls into town.”

  “How serious was Rulon hurt, Pa?”

  “Well, he had a right smart mess of holes in him. The surgeon sent him home to die, but there ain’t no quit in Rulon. That little wife of his nursed him along real well, too. He’s mostly out of bed now, finally on the mend.” Rod rose to his feet. “Say, come out and help me milk, son. That brindle cow the Yankees stole last fall wandered up to the fence today, bawling and kicking and carrying on to be let in the gate, but she’s still half wild. There’s a calf trailing her, so she must have milk.”

  Carl nodded. “Sure, Pa. I reckon a body don’t forget how to do the chores.”

  As the men stepped out the back door, Carl glanced around at what was left of the yard behind the house, and took in a rasping breath. The vegetable garden was a sea of mud, while out yonder, wreckage marked where the barn had been. All that remained were the burned beams and blackened supports that had fallen onto the floor. Two mounds of gray ashes, scattered by wind and rain, showed where the hay had been stacked. The animal pens were in ruins, poles broken and strewn about. Someone had piled brush in the gaps until new poles were cut.

  Carl waved an arm at the view. “Was it like this when you got home, Pa?”

  “Pretty near. The boys and I ain’t had a lot of time to clean up much.”

  The brindle cow tied in the pen rolled her eyes and lowed in fright at the men’s approach. Rod expelled his breath. “She always was skittish, Carl. I reckon she got away from Sheridan’s soldiers and wintered back in the oak groves. She had her calf, then got lonely for home.”

  Carl stepped around behind the cow. “Mind that hoof.” Rod spoke sharply as the brindle kicked out at the young man.

  Carl dodged away and snorted. “She must be a Yankee lover. Welcome home to you too, cow.” He patted her flank.

  “Grab the pail and set to work, son. She wants milking.”

  Just then the hungry calf tied behind the remains of the barn began to bawl. Brindle pulled her head backward, and Rod reached for the rope to snub her on a shorter line. Lacking a stool, Carl squatted on his heels and began to milk.

  The cow sidestepped, nearly catching Carl’s foot. He avoided her hoof, and then she whipped her tail against his face. He turned away, saving his eyes from the coarse hair. Then she lifted her hoof and banged it hard against the pail, but Carl snatched it away in time to save the contents from spilling.

  “Whoa, cow!” he yelled, as she swung her hindquarters against him. “You’re right, Pa. She’s gone wild.” He scrambled out of the way, bringing the pail with him. “I call the job done. Let that calf come over here.”

  Rod grinned, went for the bawling creature, and untied the tether rope. “We’re all out of practice of milking, son,” he called. “I reckon I’d druther fight Yankees than get stepped on by a wild cow. I know James feels the same, after milking the white-face cow.”

  “Is he in one piece?” Carl asked, looking sidelong at his pa.

  Rod turned the calf loose, and it ran to its mother. He grinned again as it began to suckle. Then his face went somber. “He got a flesh wound at Five Forks, outside Richmond, but it’s healing clean. He can swing an ax, so I sent him up by the mountain to cut wood. Likely he’ll be home tomorrow night with a load of fence poles.”

  “It’ll be good to see him.” Relief softened Carl’s voice.

  The two men headed for the house as the sun dropped toward the horizon. The rain earlier in the day had left the air cool and sweet, and a light breeze was blowing the final clouds away. Carl handed the milk pail to his father at the door.

  “I’m all covered with mud, Pa. Best I wash up before I eat.”

  “You’ll have to use the crick, son. The Yankees knocked the top of the well apart and dumped it into the shaft. I ain’t got it cleaned out yet.”

  “Then I’ll bring back some water.”

  Carl took two pails from the back stoop and slogged his way through the muck of the yard to the creek path. He felt like a small boy again, recalling the times he’d walked this path before the well was dug.

  Carl came up to the creek, knelt, and dipped the pails into the deepest part of the water. After he set them high on the bank, he removed his shirt, tossed it aside, and plunged his arms into the water. Gasping with the impact of the cold, he splashed it onto his head and chest.

  Once his face was clean, he wiped off his boots and rubbed most of the mud from his pants, then rinsed his shirt in the stream and wrung it out several times. He shook out the shirt and put it on, shivering when the cold, wet cloth made contact with his flesh.

  Twilight took away most of the daylight as Carl paused to look into the water of the creek where it pooled below him. He saw a distorted reflection of the outline of his form in the dim light. Nineteen years had built his body well and tall, but the last four, with the privations of war, had hardened the muscles of his frame and made his features gaunt. His hair was too long, and the week’s growth of sandy red beard itched. He’d have to hunt up scissors and a razor as well as a comb.

  As night fell, Carl shrugged his shoulders to rearrange the damp shirt, picked up the pails, and headed back to the house, guided by the lamplight from the kitchen window. Breeze on the shirt chilled him, and he walked a little faster. At the steps he re-scraped his boots, then opened the door and went inside.

  “We’re just fixing to eat,” Julia called. She turned and saw the water buckets. “Thank you, son. You saved me a trip.”

  Carl pulled up a chair to the table and joined Rod and Albert.

  “It ain’t much, Carl, but it’ll keep you from blowing away.” Julia waved her hand toward the food. “We’re lucky to have greens. They popped up down by the crick, and I picked them late this afternoon. ‘Course, there’s corn pone, and we have milk, but there ain’t no real coffee, just roasted chicory.” She sighed as she sat at her place. “We’ll have real food again once we get a crop up.”

  “That’s something we need to do some talking about,” Rod declared. “First, let’s give thanks for Carl’s safe return, and for this food we got.”

  At the end of the grace, Carl glanced across the table at his father. There’d been something in his voice that foretold serious business. Rod must have felt his stare, for he looked up, his beard wrinkling as he chewed.

  Rod swallowed. “Tell me how it looks south of here, son. What did Sheridan leave for the folks in the south end of the Valley? You came from Staunton, I reckon?” Rod took a bite of greens.

  “He burnt or pulled down homes, barns, crops, orchards, ‘most everything, all the way to Staunton and beyond. It’s a famine time. A crow flying by would have to bring his own rations.” He paused to chew a piece of pone. “Ma, it’s a wonder to me the Yankees left our house alone when they came back through.”

  “I had my good Sharps rifle, and I set right there in the doorway and wouldn’t budge none. After a while they left me be and went out back to burn the barn.”

  “Marie could-a been killed,” Albert said, frowning. “Them dirty Yankees didn’t wait ‘til she was out of the barn to set it afire.” Albert’s eyes looked dark and fierce. “I wish I’d a been down here shooting me some Yankees instead of up in the hills with Clay and all them cows!”

  “Likely they’d have shot you, Albert,” Carl said. “Praise God you was up there!”

  Rod’s mouth tightened. “What about livestock, son? What did you see?”

  “I reckon we’ve got more cattle than any five stock men down the Valley, Pa. Maybe five pigs, thin stuff; not more’n ten hens anywhere. I reckon Grant didn’t want no more supplies coming out of the Shenandoah. He meant for little Phil Sheridan to clean us out,
and he did the job.”

  “Lucky I was warned some,” Julia said, “or I wouldn’t have had time to send the boys off up the hill.”

  Rod chewed his food slowly, his face looking thoughtful. “I reckon we’re eating about as well as Rand Hilbrands. The Yankees missed burning the store in Mount Jackson, so he still has food to put on his table.”

  “What happened over to Chester Bates’ place, Pa?”

  “He lost his barn, and the house is gutted out. They burned his fields bare. The Bates family is about wiped off the face of the earth, I’d say.”

  “Are they all dead?”

  “They’ve got their lives and little else.”

  “That’s sure a pity.” Carl wiped his mouth with his hand. “They had the prettiest stone house I believe I’ve ever seen. Where are they living now?”

  “Right on the place, in the old tool shed.”

  “Hush, that’s a shame. There’s no finer man than Chester Bates, ‘cept for you and John Mosby, Pa.”

  “Andy Campbell says his pa’s so mad about his place being wrecked, he wants to clear out and go someplace else,” Albert reported.

  Rod Owen cleared his throat. “That’s just what I aim to do.”

  Chapter Two

  Rod’s words seemed to echo in the room, fading into silence. Stunned, no one moved or spoke for several seconds, then the air was split with the clamor of the family reacting to his declaration.

  Julia raised her chin a bit as she stared down the length of the table. “This has been my home since we wed.”

  “Pa, I took an oath I’d come home and wait to be exchanged proper. I don’t reckon the Yankees will let me leave.” Carl shifted in his chair, sitting up straight.

  Albert jumped to his feet. “But Pa, I was born right here in this house.”

  Rod waved away the arguments and held up his hand for silence. “I’ve decided to sell the farm and go to the Colorado Territory. You ma’s brother Jonathan is out there somewhere, and we’ll find him. There’s gold and silver to be mined, but I been contemplating.” Rod paused to lift his cup and try the chicory. He made a face, then drank some more before setting down the cup.

  “There’s no future for us here in the Valley. Since we’re going to cross the country to make a new start, why not start a cattle ranch?” Rod looked around at his family. “We have good cattle here that we can sell as beef to the miners,” he said. “There’s a sight of folks out there that like to eat. I reckon raising cattle is as good a way to earn a living as digging in the ground for metal.”

  “I took an oath, Pa.” Carl leaned forward. “I’m bound to stay here until my papers come.”

  “Carl, an Owen’s oath is sacred word, but you saw the way of things out there. Since the Yankees paid their call, if we stay here our only choice is to starve. I reckon your oath is null and void.”

  Carl slouched against the back of his chair. “Who’ll buy a burned-out farm? Nobody around here has any federal cash to give you.”

  “There was a feller here last week from New York State, looking for farmland. His brother was one of Sheridan’s torch men, and told him all about the fine crops he set fire to. Well, the man offered a good price, and I took it.”

  “But Pa,” Albert burst out, “he’s a damned Yankee!”

  “Watch your tongue, young’un. Yes, he’s a Yankee, but he has good Yankee currency and coin to give me. Now that you’re home, Carl, I aim to leave in two weeks.”

  “Two weeks!” Julia echoed. “We can’t be ready by then.”

  “How long did it take you to send the boys off up the mountain with the corn?”

  Julia stared at her plate.

  “We’ll be ready in two weeks, because Mr. Avery will take possession then. He’ll be back from Washington next week with the money, then he’s off to get his family to move them here.” Rod slapped the table and stood up.

  “You really sold the place?” Julia got to her feet. “You never thought to ask me?”

  “We’re bound for Colorado. That’s all.” His words were sharp, final.

  Julia reached down for her plate and turned her back in silence.

  ~~~

  Rod climbed into bed. Julia turned away from him.

  “Still mad at me?” Disappointed, he reached out to touch her shoulder. She shrugged off his hand.

  “I got a right.”

  “I figured you’d want to leave this place.”

  “I defended the house. I saved it, and I aimed to live in it.” She turned over to glare at him.

  “You need a change. This war has took your spirit, along with your boys, Julie. I figured you’d want to go.”

  “There ain’t nothing wrong with my spirit, Rod Owen. I’ve plenty left to tell you what I think. It’s a low-down, slimy, snake trick to take a gal’s home away from her, without even a by-your-leave.”

  Rod pushed himself up with his elbows and stared at Julia. “You’ve changed a right smart whilst I was gone.”

  “I’ve had to fend for myself and the young’uns, Rod. I got so I was the boss around the place. I did my chores and yours, too. Now you come home and sell my place without considering my side of the matter. Yes, I’ve changed a right smart, and I’m mad at you.” Julia turned away and hit the wall with her small, work-worn fist.

  Rod sank back into the featherbed and let the air leave his lungs in one fast exhalation. When he spoke again, his voice was contemplative.

  “I reckon we’ve both changed. Me, I got used to having my orders obeyed without a word of question coming back at me. It was do it right now or die. My guess is we’ve lost the habit of working together like we used to.” He screwed up his face and rubbed his beard with both hands. “I just hope we ain’t lost the habit of loving together,” he added, barely audible.

  “Um,” she sighed, almost a sob, and after a long silence, she turned to look at Rod.

  He put out his hand, touched her cheek, and said, “My Julie.”

  “I never got free of needing you to love me,” she whispered. “We need to learn again how to get on with one another, is all.”

  “I give you my word I’ll work hard to look after you like I used to.”

  “I don’t need looking after like I did before the war took you away. I need you to work with me and think about my feelings and thoughts before you jump into something like this.”

  “I can’t change what I did. The paper’s signed.”

  “Oh, Rod, that means we have to leave Baby John lying over yonder in the burying ground.” She clutched his forearm, then relaxed her grip to smooth the grizzled hair. “It about breaks my heart.”

  “Julie, I ain’t an unfeeling man. I know it pains you to leave him, and Peter and Benjamin, too, but this is our chance to make a new start.” Rod sat up, and the covers fell forward from his torso, exposing his long underwear. “We’ll have the cash to buy an outfit to get to Colorado Territory. I’ll try to shed my bossy ways, if you’ll forgive me, and go with a willing heart.”

  Julia looked at Rod’s back, gauging his excitement by the rapidity of his breathing. It finally returned to normal, and he sank back into the tick.

  “Twenty-five years ago I made my vow to love you and to live with you wherever you went,” she whispered. “Since you’re bound to go, I’d best keep my promise.”

  Rod turned and looked at Julia. “I love you, woman,” he sighed, gathering her into his arms.

  ~~~

  Carl woke up in his bed. I’m home, he marveled, rolling over in the quilt. He was warm under the covers, barricaded against air chilly from the night’s rain. Looking over at Albert, he saw the regular rise and fall of his brother’s chest. He’s such a young’un, Carl mused. He’s been doing all my chores for three years. It’s time I took some of ‘em back and let him sleep.

  He sat up and flicked the covers back from his bare legs. It had been a long time since he’d had a chance to get out of his pants at night. On the run with the Rangers, he had practically slept in h
is saddle. Carl got up and dressed quickly, yearning for a change of clothes.

  He left Albert still asleep and went downstairs to stir up the fire. As he made it blaze to life, the chill around the fireplace faded, and he put a boiler of water on the hearth to heat for washing up later.

  Carl crossed the room and got his coat before he went outdoors. From the doorway he looked at the morning sky. The clouds were thinning out, waiting for the sun to rise, and the rain had quit falling. Toward the east, the bulk of Massanutten Mountain rose up to prevent Carl from seeing the Blue Ridge Mountains, but he knew they were there, and he knew they were hazy and covered with fog on such a morning as this. He’d spent enough time dodging the Yankees, riding up into the sanctuary of the isolated gaps and hollows, that he knew the moods of the mountains.

  The yard was under water from the night’s rain, and Carl wondered how the animals would fare in the open in this weather. Then he recalled with a jolt that soon they would be used to it. There were no barns on the way to Colorado Territory.

  Carl set about feeding the animals, and with courage born of morning freshness, he decided to tackle milking Brindle by himself.

  “Cow, I been over the hill and down the river in the last few years. I ain’t going to be licked by the likes of you.”

  Brindle promptly knocked him over, sprawling him into the mud and water. He scrambled up, soaked and sputtering, and went back to work, wiping his hands on his pants.

  “I reckon I’ll milk you, so you’d just as well surrender, you crazy cow.” Carl set his jaw and grabbed a handful of teat. Brindle turned her head and rolled her eyes, unconvinced of Carl’s prowess. He went on the attack, and the cow mooed with fright.

  When he had a half-pail of milk, Carl figured he’d won the battle, and let the calf have its breakfast. He straightened his back, then probed the sore spot on his side where the cow had kicked him, but decided it was nothing to worry about.

  Carl took the milk to the house and washed up with the water he’d left heating. Checking the wood box, he found it half empty and returned to the yard for an armful. From the looks of the stack of firewood on the left edge of the clearing, James had made more than one trip to the mountain for wood. Carl pulled some logs from the center of the pile where the wood was dry, and took them into the house.