Joelle's Secret

by Gilbert, Morris

  “It’s all ancient history.”

  “She’s very pretty.”

  “Oh yeah. Cherry’s always been pretty.”

  “Where did you know her?”

  Owen suddenly turned and grinned. “Why are you so interested?”

  “I’m just nosy, I guess.”

  Harry Jump had been thinking. “That woman needs to be saved. As a matter of fact, there’s two kinds of folks on this train. Most of them are farmers, but two or three wagons was filled up with gamblers and—”

  “I know.” Owen slapped Jump on the shoulder as he interrupted. “That will give you something to work on. Maybe you’ll leave me alone.”

  Joelle said no more, but all that day she wondered about Cherry Valance. She cooked a simple supper, and after eating, Jump wandered off. As soon as he was gone, the two of them cleaned the plates and then sat down before the fire cross-legged. “I guess you were surprised to see your old . . . friend.”

  “You mean Cherry? Sure was.”

  Joelle waited for him to continue, and when he didn’t, she said, “I guess you’ve met a lot of people traveling around.”

  Majors reached down and picked up a small stick. He held it in the fire until it caught flame and then watched it as if it had some meaning. His voice was soft as he said, “I guess about all I’ve got is memories, Joe. I remember once outside of Shreveport, Louisiana. I was walking down the street, and there was a young girl no more than seven or eight years old. She had light blonde hair and a blue dress that matched her eyes. She was playing with a fuzzy black and white kitten. As I passed by, I stopped to look at her, and she held the kitten up to her cheek, and she said, ‘Her name is Pickles. Ain’t she pretty?’”

  Owen blew the flame out, tossed the twig into the fire, and then turned to look at her. “I guess that’s all my life is, Joe. Just some pictures that I keep, memories of people and things. Not much behind me and nothing much that I can see in front of me.” He sat for a minute, then rose, and said, “I’m going to bed.”

  Joelle watched him go. For a long time she stared down into the flame, her eyes going to the still form of Majors as he lay under the wagon. Something about his last speech had saddened her. He’s a sad man really. I wish he weren’t. She got up then, found her own blanket, and went to sleep.

  Chapter Ten

  “WE BETTER STOCK UP as well as we can with the necessities, Joe. Won’t be a general store along the way.”

  “We stop at some army posts, don’t we?”

  “Oh sure. Fort Laramie and some others, but they don’t have much, and what they have is high as a cat’s back. I’ll tell you what, you make out a list of groceries, and I’ll look it over. While you’re doing that, I’ll make sure we’ve got plenty of ammunition.”

  “All right.” Joelle took a piece of paper out of her pocket, sat down on top of a pickle barrel, and wrote industriously. It helped to be able to look around the store, and finally Owen came back.

  “You about finished?”

  “I think so.” She handed him the list and said, “This is all I could think of.”

  Owen stared at the list, and his lips turned upward at the corners in a smile. “We’re not going to China, you know. Last time I went, all I had was my rifle. I shot game along the way.”

  “I’m not going to eat tough jackrabbit all the way to California. We need all this stuff.”

  Looking down at the list, Owen saw a string of items. He read them out loud. “Flour, bacon, coffee. That’s all good. There’s baking soda, cornmeal, hardtack, dried beans, dried beef, dried fruit. What do we need all this dried fruit for?”

  “To make pies with.”

  “Well, I reckon that’s OK. Molasses, vinegar, pepper, eggs.” He stopped and said, “How we gonna haul eggs without getting them broken?”

  “We’ll get fruit jars and pack them in cornmeal.”

  “How do you know about that?”

  “Never mind. What about the rest of the items?”

  “Salt, sugar, rice, and tea. Well, that ought to keep us from starving to death.”

  “What about what you bought?”

  “Well, I bought you a rifle. Harry and me both got rifles of our own. Can you shoot?”

  “Of course I can shoot.”

  “Well, come over here.” He picked up a rifle. “This one ought to do you. It’s a Spencer. I’ll give you some shooting lessons.”

  “I don’t need any.”

  He grinned at her and then pointed out the other items. “Let see. I got gunpowder, lead, a bullet mold, a powder pouch, a bullet pouch. Got enough ammunition here to kill half the Sioux nation.”

  The two wandered around the store, and Owen suddenly gave Joelle a searching look. “You’re going to burn up in that outfit. You need to get rid of those heavy clothes and get you something lightweight.”

  “I’m cold-natured. I like a coat.” Joelle had deliberately worn her large clothes, mostly to hide her figure.

  “Well, we’d better both get some underwear and socks. What size you wear?”

  “I’ll pick out my own stuff. You buy yours.”

  “You’re one finicky young buck. Well, be sure you don’t buy too much. We don’t want to load the wagon down with personal stuff.”

  “I think Harry about filled it up with stock to sell when we get to California, but I’ll tell you one thing,” Joelle said, “I’m going to sleep in the wagon. I’m making a bed on top of all that gear.”

  “I may just crawl in it with you if it rains.”

  Owen saw that this idea didn’t appeal to Joe. “Harry will probably crawl in there too. We’ll be snug as three bugs in a rug.”

  Joelle didn’t answer, but she knew that would never work. She shooed Owen off and bought a few things she would need—personal supplies Owen would never think of. A woman needed things a man didn’t.

  They were interrupted when Jump came in, his eyes bright. “We spent all the money you turned loose of on stock. We’re going to get rich when we sell that stuff.”

  “I’ve heard you sing that song before. You never did get rich.”

  “Well, don’t need to be rich,” Jump said. He turned and walked over to a glass cabinet and said to the clerk, “Give me a big sack full of that there hard candy.” He waited and then asked, “Have you got any sunflower seeds?”

  “No, we don’t have that. What would you want with sunflower seeds anyway?”

  “You don’t know they’re the secret to health? I carry my own stock. The sunflower seeds got everything a man needs to keep him healthy.”

  “I get tired of seeing you chew on those things and then spitting out the hulls,” Owen said. “They’re just seeds. What do you think you are, some kind of a bird?”

  “I’m telling you they’re good for your health. That and garlic.” He turned to the clerk. “Give me some garlic.”

  The clerk sighed, came out with the item, and said, “How much you want?”

  “You better give me all you got. We got a long trip to go.”

  “You’ll keep the Indians away when they smell your breath,” Owen grinned.

  “I’m getting enough for all three of us.”

  “I’m not eating any of that mess,” Owen said. “Come on, Joe. If you’re going to be the cook, you probably need some utensils.”

  The two wandered toward the back of the store where she picked out a Dutch oven, a three-leg skillet called a spider, a sharp butcher knife, and several other items.

  Jump wandered around the store, holding the garlic and the sack of candy, one sack in each hand, and he looked over and saw the young woman, Ogden’s wife’s sister. What is her name? Well, that little girl she’s got there will like candy. He moved over, and the woman had her back turned. He said, “I’d like to give your girl some candy.”

  He waited, but the woman didn’t turn although the girl leaned over and stared at him. She was a pretty girl, and she looked up into the face of her mother.

  The woman turned t
o face him, and Jump said, “I said I want to give your girl some candy. What’s the matter—you deaf?”

  The woman turned suddenly, and he saw that she had light brown hair with a touch of gold in it and green eyes. Her daughter had the same coloring. “Yes, I’m deaf. What do you want?”

  Jump was embarrassed. Why didn’t somebody tell me she was deaf? he thought. “Well, I just thought your girl might like some candy.”

  “You stay away from my daughter.” She turned away and left, pulling the young girl after her.

  “She’s right sensitive.” Jump turned to see Cleo Ogden standing there. “I didn’t mean no harm.”

  “I’m sure you didn’t.”

  “How long she been deaf?”

  “Since she was six. She had a high fever, and it went into her ears. Hasn’t heard a sound since.”

  “Where’s her husband?”

  Cleo Ogden stared at Jump and said evenly, “She don’t have one. She went to work as a housemaid for a man, and he got her in trouble. She loves Rachel better than anything else. She’s afraid to let her be around men.”

  Jump had taken his hat off, and now he ran his hand through his hair. “Well, I just wanted to buy her some candy. I do that for most kids I run into. A man did it for me once when I was no older than that girl there. I ain’t never forgot it.”

  “Well, you won’t get anything out of Lily. She’s afraid of men. She doesn’t like any of them, and she keeps them away from Rachel.”

  Jump didn’t answer and waited until Owen and Joe were through, then he helped them carry their purchases to the wagon. He was quiet for a while, so quiet that Joelle said, “What are you so quiet about? Are you mad?”

  “No. It’s that woman—Mrs. Ogden’s sister. Did you know she was deaf?”

  “No, I didn’t know that.”

  “And she ain’t got a husband either. A man got her in trouble. She had that baby.”

  Joelle saw that Jump was troubled. “Some women have a hard time, don’t they?”

  “Some of them do. You reckon she’ll ever marry?”

  “I don’t know. Do you think so?”

  The three walked along, and finally Owen said, “You always want good things to happen, Joe. Mostly they don’t. I’m glad you feel that way. I hope you always do.”

  Joelle looked up at him. “Think you’ll ever get married, Owen?”

  “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know, boy. Why you asking?”

  “I’m just wondering.”

  “I’ve kind of given up on something like that.” He was quiet for a moment as they finished loading, and finally he leaned against the wagon. She saw that he was pondering something.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Just thinking about married folks. You know, Joe, a man without a woman, he’s not much. I don’t know the Bible, but I know the first thing, almost, that God said to Adam was, ‘Son, you need help.’”

  She laughed. “He didn’t say it like that. He said you need a helpmate.”

  “Well, God was right. By himself,” Owen said, his voice soft as the summer breeze, “a man doesn’t have much purpose. Just like that wind blowing out there with no idea where it’s going. But when a man finds his woman, he sees himself, and he knows what he is. I guess that’s what I’m looking for.”

  This was the most profound insight that Joelle had heard from Owen Majors. She saw that there was a loneliness in him that he kept well hidden. She studied him carefully until finally he turned and met her eyes. “What about you, Joe Jones? Are you looking for the woman you need?”

  Joelle was confused and said, “No, I’m not.”

  “Well, you got plenty of time. On this trip maybe I’ll educate you.”

  “What do you mean educate me?” Joelle asked. “About what?”

  “Why, about women, of course. I’ll give you the benefit of all my vast knowledge about women.”

  His words stirred something in Joelle. “Is that Cherry Valance what you want in a woman?”

  Owen turned to face her. “You ask too many questions. Come on. Let’s go to the meeting. It will be the last time we meet before we leave in the morning.”

  “All right.”

  Owen called to Jump, and the three of them headed for the center of the train.

  When they got there, the meeting had already started. There was already an argument going on about the leader, and they stood beside a man whose family they had met. His name was Caleb Taylor. He was a bulky man with thinning brown hair and muddy blue eyes. Not a very forceful man. His wife’s name was Pearl. She had reddish hair and big eyes and was still an attractive woman even in her late thirties.

  Joelle was standing close enough to hear Pearl say, “Caleb, I didn’t want to leave Missouri.”

  “We had to leave. There’s no future for us there.”

  “Of course we got to go, Ma.” Danny Taylor, age sixteen, had yellow hair and blue eyes. He was a lanky young fellow very uncertain about himself. He fancied himself almost grown but, in fact, he was not.

  An older woman with steel gray hair and a pair of alert dark eyes was standing nearby. She said, “How are you this morning, Joe?”

  “I’m all right, Miss Ketura.” Ketura was Caleb Taylor’s mother. Joe had met her briefly and was impressed with the spirit of the woman who seemed ancient to her.

  “It’ll be a long trip, Miss Ketura.”

  “You think I’ll wear out, boy, ’cause I’m too old to make it?”

  “Oh no, ma’am, I didn’t mean that at all! You’re right sprightly.”

  “Well, I am a little bit long in the tooth, but Danny will take care of me, won’t you, Danny?”

  “Sure I will, Grandma. I won’t let the Indians get you.”

  Pearl turned to her husband. “Caleb, I’m not sure Ralph Ogden’s the right man for a wagon master. Maybe Lyman Riker would have been better.”

  “No, he wouldn’t,” Ketura said. Her lips drew into a fine, white line. “He’s a tyrant to his family. He’d be the same to the whole train.”

  Maggie Taylor appeared and stood next to her brother Danny. She was fifteen now and was already showing signs of young womanhood. “When are we leaving?” she asked her father.

  “As soon as everything gets straightened out, I guess,” Caleb said. “You anxious, Daughter?”

  “Yes.”

  At that moment Ralph Ogden stood up and said, “All right, folks, gather ’round.” He had a high tenor voice, strange in so large a man, and said, “We’ll be leaving in the morning. We’ve got to get everything straight today.”

  “One thing we need to get straight, and that’s how much gear and food people have.” The speaker was Lyman Riker. He was fifty-three with black hair and dark eyes—an imposing man and the richest in the train. His wife, Edith, was much younger than he, and she stood beside him along with two of his sons, Clyde and Sid. They were not Edith’s children but children of Riker’s first wife.

  “What do you mean, Lyman?” Ralph asked.

  “We’ve got to put a limit on who can go. People have to have some cash and have to have plenty of food. Some people don’t have it.” He turned and nodded. “The Picketts over there don’t have it. I say they can’t go.”

  The Pickett family was standing out of the circle. Delbert Pickett was a small man with thin blond hair and faded blue eyes. His wife, Ada, had mousy brown hair. She was tall and thin. Their daughter Jennie, age sixteen, was different from either parent. She was blossoming like a flower in the desert, a pretty girl. The three smallest Picketts were barefoot and dressed almost in rags.

  Joelle listened as Riker humiliated them, saying that the Picketts were all for charity.

  “I wish I could shut that man up, that Riker!” she muttered under her breath.

  Owen looked down at Joelle and grinned. “I think you’re right.” He spoke up and said, “The Picketts will be all right. I’ll see to them.”

  “What do you mean, yo
u’ll see to them?” Riker asked.

  “I made this trip once. The country had plenty of game. I reckon it still does.”

  “That’s not good enough,” Riker said.

  A big man approached. He wore buckskins and a fur cap. He had blunt features and a pair of sharp, dark eyes. “I’ve seen the day you couldn’t bring in enough grub to feed yourself, Majors.”

  “Hello, Mace.”

  Riker glared at Ogden and said angrily, “It won’t do! I won’t have them on the train.”

  “Well, now. I guess if Owen says he’ll take care of their food, he will. It’s good enough for me.”

  “I want a vote,” Riker said angrily. “How many are in favor of leaving the Picketts?”

  Only a few hands were raised, and Riker, who hated to be crossed, then glared at the family. “Don’t be coming to me when you get hungry!”

  The meeting went on for some time, and when it broke up, Cherry Valance approached. A tall man, handsome and well dressed, was with her. He had chestnut hair and hazel eyes. “Owen, this is Ash Landon. He’s a good man. Just don’t play cards with him. This is Owen Majors, Ash.”

  Landon smiled and put out his hand. “Glad to know you, Majors. Glad you stood up for the Picketts there.”

  “They won’t be any trouble.”

  Cherry said, “I remember you talking about Mace Benton. You had some trouble with him when you were in the mountains, didn’t you?”

  “A little bit.”

  “He better watch his manners, or Owen will stop his clock,” she said to Ash.

  “Is that right?”

  “Are you going to Oregon to farm?” Owen asked Ash. “You don’t look much like a farmer.”

  “Nope, going to California. Just letting the breeze blow me.”

  Owen had spotted Ash Landon’s trade. He was obviously a gambler, and even though a wagon train promised rough circumstances, he was still carefully dressed.

  Cherry Valance laughed and took Owen’s arm possessively. “You going to find that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?”

  “I never did believe that story. I expect I’ll break my back digging dirt and come up with nothing but gravel.”