Joelle's Secret

by Gilbert, Morris

  “They had a revival meeting come through here a couple of weeks ago. A lot of people got religion. I reckon he was one of them. He told me he got baptized, and he’s been preaching at meetings.” Sheriff Moseby grinned. “I’ve been a Christian since I was twenty-two years old, and he flies at me like I was Judas Iscariot! He’ll preach at anybody that will stand still.”

  “Well, is there a fine?”

  “Yeah, the trouble is Judge Harlen owns half the interest in the Shady Lady Saloon. He said I had to get the damages before I turned your friend loose.”

  “How much?”

  “Eighty-five dollars. He’s got the money, like I say, but he’s stubborn. He won’t pay it.”

  “Well, I’ll take care of it, Sheriff.” Owen reached into his pocket, pulled out a leather sack, and fished out some bills. “Here you go.”

  “OK. Let me get a receipt.”

  “Oh, I don’t reckon I need that. Just get him out here.”

  “Sure, I’ll bring him right out.”

  Moseby left by a door in the back of the office that evidently led to the jail. Joelle said, “You never told me he was a preacher.”

  “He’s not—at least he wasn’t when we were running together. Jump’s about as superstitious as a man can be, but he didn’t have any religion that I could tell. No more than I did.”

  The two waited, and finally the door opened. The man who came through was not impressive, Joelle decided. He was no more than five-eight, probably weighed a hundred thirty-five or forty pounds, very spare. He had a shock of blond hair and a pair of bright blue eyes. His clothes looked wrinkled, he had bruises on his face, and a cut was healing over his eyebrows.

  He grinned at once. “Well, what took you so long, Owen? I’ve been waiting for you to come and get me out of this.”

  The sheriff shook his head. “He paid your fine, Harry. Here’s your belongings.” He went to a shelf and pulled out a gun belt and several smaller items. “Do your preaching someplace else besides the Shady Lady. You hear me?”

  “Can’t promise that,” Harry grinned broadly. “If the Lord moves me to do it, that’s what I’ll do. I didn’t finish preaching to you, Sheriff. I got some more Scripture for you.”

  “You get him out of here, Majors. If he pulls a stunt like this again, I’ll throw him in the insane asylum.”

  “Come on,” Owen said shortly, shoved his hat on, and left, followed by Joelle and Jump. As soon as they were outside, Owen turned and said, “What in the world is going on with you? What’s this about you being a preacher?”

  “Why, I done been washed by the blood of the Lamb, Owen. Sure wish it had happened a long time ago.” There was regret in his voice, and he shook his head sadly, but then he brightened up. “There was this here revival meeting, and I went to make fun of the preacher. But something happened to me.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, I was just getting ready to mock the preacher when suddenly something started happening on my insides. I got scared, Owen. I saw myself dying and going to hell, and suddenly I found out I was about ready to squall like a baby, but then I fell flat on my back. Don’t know what happened to me. While I was lying there, I fell under the power, and I called on God, and He saved me. Ain’t it wonderful?”

  Owen smiled and shook his head. “Well, I guess it is if you say so. Just don’t try your preaching on me.”

  “Oh, I’ve got to do that.”

  “Well, are you still aiming to go to California, or are you going to stay here and convert Independence?”

  “Why, I’m going. The Lord told me so.” He turned and stared at Joelle. “Who’s this?”

  “This is Joe Jones.”

  “Have you been washed in the blood of the Lamb, Joe?”

  Joelle liked the man who appeared to be somewhere in his early thirties. “I’ve been a Christian since I was fourteen years old.”

  “Well, that’s great!” He put his arm around Jo and gave her a hug. “You and me, buddy, can get Owen into the Kingdom. He needs the good Lord bad.”

  “I reckon I’m a lost cause, Harry,” Owen smiled.

  “No, you ain’t. You may go kicking and screaming, but you’re one of the elect. Why, Owen, God picked you out to be saved before you was born.”

  Owen saw that Jump was poised to deliver a full-fledged sermon and said quickly, “You find somebody else to preach to, Harry, or I’ll soak your head.”

  “Why, I can’t give up on you, Owen. But we got to get to California right enough. I got some money, and we need to get outfitted.”

  “I had some good luck, Harry. We got eight good oxen and a fine Conestoga wagon. Not new, but it will do to make the trip.”

  “Well, you see how God’s already working. Let’s go take a look.”

  “No, we’ll take a look later. I’m starved.”

  “Me too. The grub was a little skimpy in that jailhouse.”

  “There’s a café down here.”

  “Oh, I know that. I’ve eaten there several times.”

  “Why didn’t you pay your way out? You had the money, didn’t you, Harry?” Joelle asked.

  “Need that money for converting the heathens at the California gold camps.”

  Jump talked constantly until they reached the restaurant. When they entered, Joelle saw that the place was almost full, but there was a table by the back wall. When the waitress, a tall, raw-boned young woman in her early twenties, came to them, she said, “What can I get you folks?”

  “Are you a converted woman? The Lord’s handmaiden?” Jump demanded, staring up at her, his eyes almost on fire.

  “Am I what?”

  “Are you saved? Converted? Born again?”

  “No, I ain’t. Do you want something to eat?”

  “I want to talk to you about your soul.”

  The waitress gave him a hard look. “We serve food here. If you want something, order. If you don’t, get out.”

  “Why, let me do the ordering,” Owen said quickly. “What’s your specialty?”

  “We got steak and potatoes and peas and fresh bread.”

  “Bring us all a bunch of that,” Owen said.

  As soon as the waitress left, Joelle said, “You scared her off, Harry.” She was amused by the man. “You can’t hit people right between the eyes with the gospel like that.”

  “Why, John the Baptist did. He called them a bunch of snakes and said they had to repent. If it’s good enough for John the Baptist, it’s good enough for me.”

  “Are you a Baptist?” Owen asked, studying his friend carefully.

  “I reckon I am. The preacher, he was a Baptist, and he baptized me so that makes me a Baptist.”

  Owen listened as Harry gave a steady stream of talk, describing his conversion and how he had set out to witness to everybody he met. “You’re going to become a public nuisance if you do that.”

  “Jesus was a public nuisance.”

  “Well, you’re not Jesus,” Owen said, “so why don’t you sit back and listen awhile. Before you start preaching, you need to know what you’re preaching about.”

  Joelle listened as the two argued. She could see that Owen had a real affection for the smaller man. There was a warm light in his eyes, and he smiled most of the time.

  Finally the food came, and the waitress kept her eye on Jump. He opened his mouth, and she said, “I don’t need none of your preaching. You’re the guy that broke up the saloon, ain’t you?”

  “That wasn’t me. That was Bing.”

  “You was arrested for it. Don’t you break nothing in here. This is my place. If you break any of our furniture, my husband will take your head off. That’s him over there. He’d make two of you, and he does everything I tell him.”

  “That must be a nice arrangement,” Owen grinned. “Did you two agree on that before you got married?”

  The waitress gave Owen a hard look. “That ain’t none of your business. We serve food, and we don’t need any help running our lives.”

&
nbsp; “The food looks good,” Joelle said quickly. She tasted the steak and said, “It’s tender.”

  “We serve good grub here.” She glared at Harry. “If you don’t like our grub, don’t eat here.”

  Harry watched her with surprise. “I don’t know what she’s upset about. I’m just trying to get her on the right road.”

  “I think you need a little tact,” Joelle said. “Don’t jump on people right off.”

  Harry shrugged and argued, but at the same time he ate like a starved wolf. After they had finished and were working on slices of apple pie, Harry said, “You’re probably wondering why I didn’t pay my fine.”

  “I was wondering about that.”

  “Well, like I told you, I’m going to the gold camp. You’re going, too, ain’t you?”

  “I don’t know, Harry. All I’m thinking of is getting to California.”

  “Well, God’s told me to go to the gold camp, and He’s my partner so I guess we’ll both go. You can dig for gold, and I can dig for souls.”

  “Sounds like a good arrangement. What about the money?”

  Jump leaned forward and waved his hands as he talked. “Well, here’s what we’re going to do. You’ve got the wagon and the oxen. All these folks headed for Oregon are farmers. They got their wagons loaded down with tools and stuff. What we need to do is buy some kind of lightweight goods that we can sell at a big profit when we get to California. Stuff like clothes or maybe hats and boots. Maybe some fancy canned stuff but nothing too heavy.”

  Owen listened as Jump outlined his plan to load the wagon down, and finally Jump said, “We won’t need any money out there on the trip so we’ll buy everything we can here. Stuff is pretty high but not as high as it is in California.”

  “Sounds all right to me. What do you think, Joe?”

  Joelle was startled. She didn’t feel she had anything to contribute. “Well, I guess Harry’s got a good idea. Sure won’t need any money on the way.”

  “We’ll need some. We’ll be stopping at army posts. You always run out of stuff,” Owen said idly. He was leaning back, lifted the coffee cup, and drank steadily. Finally he asked, “What about a train? Have you got one staked out, Harry?”

  “Well, there’s three trains, or was. One of them is leaving in the morning. We won’t be ready for that. One of the others is going to Oregon, which we ain’t. That leaves only one, but it’s headed for California.”

  “Made up of people wanting to get rich quick, I’d guess,” Owen observed.

  “Not really. Most of them are farmers, but they don’t like the sound of all that wet weather in Oregon Territory. They like the sound of that good climate in California and aim to get into farming there. Got a few men who want to get to the mines and some gamblers and saloon hall girls.”

  “Doesn’t sound like a typical wagon train,” Owen said.

  “Well, mebby not, but it’s headed for where we want to go. Wagon master is a big fellow named Ralph Ogden. Only eighteen wagons, but there may be more by the time they leave. They’ve been trying to find a guide before they pull out.”

  “I wish it was a larger train,” Owen said quietly.

  “Why do you want it to be larger?”

  “The bigger the train, the less likely the hostiles will attack.”

  “They’re not going to get us, them hostiles. God’s already got it all planned. He’s in charge of everything. Why, Owen, I didn’t know this, but He’s got a Book, and everything we do is

  writ down in that Book.”

  “So we don’t have anything to say about it?”

  “Oh, we have to get in the wagon, but as long as we’re following the Lord God Jehovah, we’re going to be all right. We’ll get to the gold camps, and we’ll preach the gospel.”

  The three finished their meals and left, and when they returned to their stock and the wagon, Harry said, “I can’t see too good, but they look like good stock. The wagon looks fine. I’m going to sleep. You got some blankets or something?”

  “Yeah, but you better get your own.”

  Jump took the blankets Owen fished out of the wagon, crawled underneath, and soon was snoring.

  “Is he always like this, Owen?”

  “Well, he never was before. Like I said, he had about as many sins as I did. Maybe it’s just a phase. He’s good about getting excited about something, but then he gets tired of it.”

  “Well, I think this phase might last,” Joelle smiled. “I’m going to bed. I’m tired too.”

  “We’ll go talk to the wagon master tomorrow.” He reached over and ruffled Joelle’s hair. “You sleep good, Joe.”

  “Don’t paw me!” Joelle said sharply and pulled her head back.

  “You are finicky! Good night, boy.”

  * * *

  “OWEN, THIS HERE IS Ralph Ogden and his wife. Ralph, this is my old partner Owen Majors and our other partner, Joe Jones.”

  Ralph Ogden put out his hand, which Owen took and found his own swallowed by the man’s enormous paw. Ogden was a huge man, sideways and in depth and in height. He obviously was a strong individual. He had a pair of mild brown eyes and light brown hair and smiled readily. “Glad to know you, Majors, and you, too, Jones. Harry’s been waiting on you. You plan to join the train, I hope.”

  “Looks like it.”

  “Well, we’d be glad to have you.”

  “You’re not married, Mr. Majors?” Cleo Ogden was a tall, attractive woman with a pair of steady gray eyes.

  “No, ma’am. Haven’t had that good fortune.”

  “Well, you’re a young man. There’s time yet.” She glanced over and said, “That’s my sister over there with that little girl. Her name is Lily Frazier. That’s her daughter, Rachel.”

  “Looks like they’re having school,” Joelle remarked. The two were seated on boxes and had a tablet. The woman didn’t look up although the girl did. They both had the same auburn hair, Joelle noticed, and Lily was very attractive.

  “Well, when we pulling out, Ralph?” Jump asked.

  “I expect we’re all ready. I’m sorry they picked me for a wagon master. Don’t feel up to it.”

  “You always put yourself down, Ralph,” Cleo Ogden said. “You’re as good a man as anybody else on the train.”

  “Why, sure you are,” Jump said. “A big fellow like you. If anybody acts up, you just squash them like a bug. Either that or I’ll preach at them.”

  Ogden smiled and said, “Well, I hope one or the other will work.” He turned to Owen and shook his head. “We’ve been waiting for a guide, and finally we got one just yesterday. A fellow called Mace Benton.”

  Joelle happened to be looking at Owen’s face, and at the mention of the guide’s name, she saw something pass across his face. He knows him, she thought.

  “I know Benton,” Owen said.

  “You do?” Ogden said.

  “Yeah, we trapped together in the mountains.”

  “Is that a fact? I guess you’ve never made this trip before.”

  “Sure, I made it about five years ago. All the way to the coast.”

  Ogden was excited. “Now that’s good news! We need experienced folks. Somebody that’s been over the trail will help.”

  “I was on horseback. Getting wagons there will be different.”

  “Still, I hope you come along. We sure need some experienced help, and three more guns would be a real blessing.”

  “Most trains head for Oregon. A little surprised that you folks aren’t going after that free land.”

  Ogden shook his head. “From what I hear, it’s a killing trip to get there. I heard you have to build rafts and float down a pretty bad river. And from what I can pick up, the climate’s pretty wet. We decided to go where the sun shines.”

  “Might be a wise choice. Well, we can be ready to leave when the train pulls out.”

  “Really good to have you with us, Majors.” Owen nodded, and Joelle and Jump said their good-byes, and they started out of the camp. They passed by
half a dozen wagons, and suddenly Joelle heard a woman’s voice call out,

  “Owen—Owen Majors!”

  Joelle turned quickly and saw a woman come from one of the wagons. One look at her revealed her calling. She was an attractive blonde with large green eyes. Something about her dress proclaimed she wasn’t a homesteader. She was wearing jewelry, and despite it being the early part of the day, her face was made up with powder and lip rouge.

  Joelle watched as the woman came forward. She judged her age to be late twenties, and when she stood before Owen, Joelle looked her over critically. She was well formed, and her clothes were tighter than was absolutely necessary. Why, she’s a saloon girl! Joelle thought. She shifted her gaze and saw that Owen was staring down at the woman. He took off his hat, and the sun caught a glint in his coarse black hair. “Hello, Cherry,” he said.

  “What are you doing here, Owen?” She had to look up at him for she was not a tall woman. She was smiling as if the two of them had a secret.

  “Headed for California.”

  “Well, so am I. Will you be with the train?”

  “Looks that way. Surprised to see you here, Cherry. When did you leave Dallas?”

  “Oh, about a year ago.”

  Suddenly Owen turned and said, “These are my partners. This is Harry Jump. This is Joe Jones. Like for you to meet Cherry Valance.”

  “Glad to know you,” Joelle said.

  “I’m glad to know you, too, ma’am. Are you saved?”

  Cherry Valance stared at Jump. It was a question that had not come up recently. “I’m a dance hall girl, Harry.”

  “Well, you don’t have to be. God can make you all over again, sister.”

  Cherry Valance laughed and shook her head. “You carry him along to keep you from the dangers of dance hall girls, gambling, and whiskey, Owen?”

  “That’s it. I pay him a small fee for keeping me pure.”

  “Well, I doubt if it’ll work.” She would have said more, but Owen suddenly nodded and said, “I’ll be seeing you, Cherry.”

  “Good to see you again, Owen.”

  As they left, Joelle was filled with curiosity. She knew there was some kind of history, and she asked impulsively, “You’ve known that woman a long time?”