Joelle's Secret

by Gilbert, Morris

Ash glanced at the gunfighter. “There’s a little more than luck to poker. There’s skill involved.”

  “No, it’s just luck. Come on, Cherry, let’s me and you go take a walk.”

  “I guess not.”

  The other members of the game glanced at each other, and Ash hid a smile. Jack had been after Cherry from the time he had seen her, but she paid him no attention. Any other man would have taken that and moved on to another woman, but Benbow was not a man to take a slight from anyone, male or female. He gave her a bitter look and said, “I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to get your hooks into Majors.”

  Cherry gave him a cool look. A quick flare of anger touched her eyes then as she considered the man. “Jack, let me give you some free advice. Don’t butt into a woman’s business.” She glanced over across the open space to where Majors was outlined against the fire, talking to members of his group. “Owen is about the only man I’d ever trust with anything anytime.”

  Ash said with asperity, “That’s pretty hard on me, Cherry.”

  She gave a short laugh and shook her head. “You’ll live, Ash.”

  “I’m a better man than he is,” Benbow said.

  Cherry gave him a contemptuous look. “Don’t try to prove it. Men have tried before. They’re not around anymore.”

  “Tough, is he? He may be a good scout, but I can shade him with a gun.”

  “Well, don’t you try it,” Cherry said shortly. “You’ve led a full life, I guess, Jack.”

  The card game continued, and finally Cherry was surprised to see Owen come over. He nodded to Ash and said, “We’re going to be leaving a little bit early tomorrow, Ash, if you can get your folks ready.”

  “Sure. What’s the hurry?”

  “Pretty long drive from here to the next water. May be a little late getting there. The animals will be thirsty.”

  Benbow was watching Owen Majors. “Sit down. Take a hand, Majors.”

  “Pretty late, Jack. I guess I’ll pass.”

  Benbow leaned back. There was something in the coiled, skinny body that reminded everyone who saw him of a serpent. He was thin but not unhealthy, strong enough for his weight, but there was something sinister about the man. He smiled and said, “A man that won’t gamble ain’t much, Majors.”

  Majors suddenly turned to face Benbow. He recognized the challenge, but his voice was calm as he said, “I guess we got different standards. I don’t measure a man by whether he can turn a card or not.”

  “You scared of losing your money?”

  “Nope. I’m just not in a card-playing mood.”

  Benbow smiled, at least his lips drew up at the corners, but there was no humor in his expression. “Won’t make any difference to me. I’ll bet on anything.”

  “Anything?” Owen said, lifting one eyebrow. “That’s hard to believe, Jack.”

  “Try me.”

  “All right. I got fifty dollars here that says that I can give you a glass of iced lemonade in twenty minutes.”

  Every eye turned to Majors, and Benbow said, “That’s crazy. We’ve been sweltering out here under this heat. There’s not any ice any closer than Fort Laramie and probably none there.”

  “I thought you wanted to gamble, Jack. Fifty dollars says I can do it.”

  “I’ll cover you.” He reached into his pocket, peeled off some bills, and said, “There’s my money.”

  Owen reached into his pocket and pulled out some money. “Well, Cherry, you hold the stakes.”

  Cherry didn’t understand what was happening. Reluctantly she took the cash and studied Benbow. He was smiling slightly, and he said, “You ready to start the count?”

  “You got a watch, Ash. What time is it?”

  Ash pulled a watch out of his vest pocket and glanced at it. “It’s three minutes after eight.”

  “Go on, big man,” Benbow jeered. “You got twenty minutes to give me some iced lemonade.”

  “You got any lemons, Cherry?”

  “We got a few.”

  “Mix up some lemonade while I get the ice.”

  “I want to see this,” Ash grinned. He didn’t know what was in Owen’s mind, but he realized that Majors was never foolish in the matter of gambling.

  “I’ll be right back. Come along,” Owen said, “anybody that wants to go to the icehouse with me.”

  “You got twenty minutes,” Jack repeated.

  Cherry went to the wagon, pulled a lemon out, squeezed it into a pitcher, and put in sugar and water. She stirred it with a spoon and returned quickly to the men. A half dozen were there, and she saw that Owen had a pickax. He got clear of the camp, and in the moonlight there was still enough light to see by. He raised the pick and started digging.

  Benbow jeered, “You going to dig through to China and find out if them Chinese have any ice?”

  Owen didn’t answer, but suddenly the crowd heard his pick strike something. “You hit bedrock, Owen,” Ash said.

  Owen struck furiously, and then he bent down and picked up something. “How about this?” He handed something to Cherry.

  Astonishment showed in her features, and she gasped, “Why, this is ice!”

  “Sure is. Here, I’ll get some more, then we’ll go wash it off. Still got fifteen minutes.”

  He struck several more chunks of ice and returned to the wagons.

  “I can’t believe it!” Cherry gasped. “What’s ice doing here?”

  “We’re in the high country. They call this the Ice Slough. Ice here the year-round, just a foot or so down. Everybody who passes here knows about it.” Owen turned then and said, “It looks like you lose, Jack.”

  Even in the growing darkness, by the flickering light of the fire, all of them saw that Benbow’s face was flushed. He said not a word but turned and walked softly away in the darkness.

  “Here,” Cherry said shoving the money toward Owen.

  Owen took it and separated the bills. “I guess I ought to give this back. It wasn’t a good bet.”

  “Never give money back to a man who bets like a fool,” Ash said. He was thoughtful for a moment, and then he added, “Jack’s a bad man to get even. Watch yourself, Owen.”

  “I try to.”

  He turned and walked toward his wagon, pocketing the money, and Cherry said, “He’s always doing things like that.”

  “Remind me never to play poker with him.”

  Owen dug more ice and took it in a bucket to where Jump, Joelle, and Chad were drinking coffee. “How about some iced lemonade?” he said. He laughed at their expressions and explained where he found the ice. “Let’s wash this off. Some iced lemonade would be pretty good. I’ll wash the ice if you fix the lemonade, Joe.”

  Ten minutes later they were sipping lemonade, and Jump said abruptly, “I’ll take some of this over to Lily and Rachel. I guess they’ll be surprised.” He made his way to the Ogden wagon where he found Rachel listening as Lily read to her. The child looked up and said, “Here’s Harry.”

  “Got a treat for you,” Jump said, always remembering to face Lily when he spoke. “Iced lemonade.”

  With a half-startled glance, Lily’s eyes widened, and color came to her cheeks. She leaned toward Jump with sudden interest.

  “You got any cups?”

  “Yes, what’s in the pitcher, Harry?”

  “Lemonade. Ice cold.” He saw the expression on her face and laughed. “It’s hard to believe, but we’re standing on ice right now. Owen told us about it. Get some glasses. Let’s enjoy this.”

  The three were soon drinking lemonade, and Rachel said, “This is so good.”

  Jump sat down beside the fire and described how Majors had dug up the ice. “He’s all kinds of a fellow, that Owen Majors,” he said.

  “He knows this land,” Lily said. Her voice didn’t sound quite normal, but it was pleasant enough for a woman who could not hear herself speak. They talked for a time, and Rachel finally leaned over and said, “I’m sleepy, Ma.”

  “Well, go to bed.”


  “Good night, Ma.” She kissed Lily on the cheek and left.

  “That’s a sweet child, Lily. Pretty and smart. Going to make some man a wonderful wife.”

  Lily asked the question that had been on her mind. “Were you ever married, Harry?”

  “Me? No.”

  “Why not?”

  He handled the cup awkwardly, turning it around in his hands, drank the last of the lemonade, and then looked up at her. Sadly, he said, “I’m too worthless for a good woman, and who wants a bad one?”

  Lily considered him and said, “There are lots of women who would like to have a good man like you, Harry.”

  He didn’t answer. Something was moving within his chest or in his mind, he couldn’t tell which, and finally he said, “What about you, Lily?”

  A startled expression disturbed her features. “Me? What do you mean?”

  “Would you have a worthless fellow like me?”

  “I don’t think you’re worthless. You’ve been so good to Rachel and me too.”

  “That’s not hard to do. You’re both fine ladies.”

  A flush touched Lily’s cheeks, and she turned away for so long that Jump worried he had hurt her feelings. When she turned back, however, she was smiling and said, “Go along with you, Harry. We start early in the morning. Thanks for the lemonade.”

  “Good night, Lily.” He walked back to the wagon, lay down, and for a long time studied the stars, but he was thinking of the light on Lily’s face.

  * * *

  “WELL, THAT’S THE SOUTH Pass.”

  Joelle stared at the hills and said impulsively, “Doesn’t look like much, Owen. I thought there would be huge mountains and a little narrow gap.”

  “Most people are disappointed, but it’s the only way to get through the big mountains. They get higher as you go farther west.”

  The South Pass was the gateway to the West. It was nothing like the dramatic gorge that most people envisioned. Instead the trail rose slowly over broad, grassy plains and then sloped downward to the west.

  They had come five miles ahead of the train, and Owen said, “Let’s rest up here until the wagons get here. We’ll probably get on through later today.”

  He led the way to a small creek where they watered the horses and then tied them to shrub bushes. Owen suddenly laughed at her and said, “It’d be a good time for that bath I threatened to give you.”

  “You stay away from me, Owen!”

  The corners of Majors’s lips turned upward, and he said, “I’d do it, but I’m too tired. I’m going to stretch out and take a little nap.” Without another word he lay down, and soon the sun was in his face so he rolled over on his stomach.

  Joelle saw how quickly he was able to go to sleep. A thought came to her. He’s so ticklish. Chad poked him in the side one time, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Without much thought, she crept forward, reached down, and grabbed his sides, digging him with her fingernails. She got more than she bargained for, for Owen gave a screech and rolled over, carrying her down. He grabbed her by the front of her loose shirt said, “You fool, kid! You know I don’t like to be tickled. I got a good mind to throw you in the creek.”

  “Don’t do it, Owen!”

  His hands suddenly dropped, and he was tickling her, gouging her in the sides. Pure terror filled Joelle. She knew that with one touch he might recognize her sex. She shoved her arms down, hugged herself, and said, “No, don’t do it, Owen!”

  Owen stopped tickling her and shook his head. “You are a foolish boy. Don’t you ever tickle me like that again.”

  Joelle gave a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry, Owen,” she said. “I was just funning you.”

  “Well, fun me some other way,” he said grumpily.

  He rolled over and faced the east. “Look, there’s Chad. The train doesn’t need two scouts. He’s as good a man as I am.”

  “You really think a lot of him, don’t you?”

  “Sure do.”

  “The women sure keep their eye on him.”

  “Always been like that,” Majors said. “Women always like Chad.”

  “Better than you?”

  “Of course better than me.” He turned and studied Joelle. “Yep, women are always after Chad. It’ll be that way with you pretty soon.”

  “No, it won’t.”

  “Why, of course it will. You know”—he was smiling— “I’ve been meaning to give you a little help on how to handle women now that you’re getting to be the right age.”

  “I guess I know all I need to know.”

  “No, you don’t. You got to be careful around women, boy.”

  “Why is that?”

  “’Cause they’re all out to tame a man. They just want to get him and rip his manhood from him. Never fails. So, what you have to do is make sure they know who’s the boss. Teach them there’s one king in a castle, and you are it.”

  Joelle knew that Owen could be intensely serious, but he also had a sense of humor. She could always tell when he was getting ready to tease her. “I don’t think I need any lectures on women from you.”

  “Oh, sure you do,” Owen said. “But anyhow, before you settle on a woman, I want to test her out.”

  “Test her out? What are you talking about?”

  “Well, you know the Bible says a woman is made out of a rib. Now you wouldn’t expect a rib to be uppity, would you? But they get that way sometimes. Anyway, I’ll see if you know that part of the Bible that says that a woman is supposed to obey her husband, be submissive to him and all.”

  “Submissive?”

  “Yeah. You know what that means?”

  “You mean a woman always lets a man have his way?”

  “Well, you hang on to that idea. Now listen. The first thing you got to understand about women, Joe, is that they got a bad start. They got us in all this trouble. The whole mess started when Eve started listening to that snake.”

  “So men don’t have anything to do with what’s wrong in the world.”

  “Well, I’m just telling you what the Bible says, so you got to watch out. Women got ways to get a fellow on the wrong foot.”

  “Ways like what?”

  “Oh, they take lots of baths so they smell good.”

  Suddenly Joelle laughed. “Is that bad if somebody smells good?”

  “Well, it makes men weak. They use perfume to make themselves smell even better. They do it to draw men into their clutches.” Majors was lighthearted and enjoying himself. “Well, you watch out, too, when they start leaning on you.”

  “What do you mean ‘leaning’?”

  “Well, you know, they’re soft and round, and they know that if they lean on a fellow, it’ll make him weak.”

  “You found out about that.”

  “Oh, I’ve been leaned on a time or two. The thing is you got to be wise to them, boy. You got to keep them in their place firmly, and that’s what it takes. Got to give them discipline just like breaking a horse.”

  “I see. And have you had to discipline many, Owen?”

  “Oh, it wouldn’t be proper of me to speak of it—not to a young fellow like you. Just take my word for it. Women are a snare, but I’ll be giving you lessons from time to time.”

  Joelle laughed. “I appreciate it, and I hope that you’ll help me when women start crowding in on me.”

  “Oh, I’ll do it. Well, come on. Let’s mount up. What’s for supper tonight?”

  Chapter Seventeen

  THE WEATHER HAD BEEN hot and stifling, and the nights were little better than the days. Joelle slept in her oversized, heavy clothes for fear of being caught and her secret found out. On this particular night, she had tossed and turned, and her heavy clothes were damp with perspiration. Half-asleep, sometime in the middle of the night, she sat up and took off her heavy shirt and then slipped out of the oversized pants. She always kept the canvas flap of the wagon down, which allowed for no breeze at all, but, at least, wearing only a pair of cotton drawers and a tight-fitti
ng undershirt was like coming into a cool room. She lay down and went to sleep instantly.

  Suddenly she heard Owen calling, “Joe, get out of bed! You can’t sleep all day.”

  Joelle made a wild grab for her shapeless shirt, but before she could get it on, the canvas at the end of the wagon flew up. A hand seized her ankle and started dragging her out of the wagon. She made a wild grab at the ribs of the wagon and managed to catch hold, but Owen was laughing and saying, “You sleepyhead! Come out of there right now.”

  If he sees me like this, he’ll know I’m a woman!

  Joelle kicked at him, and Owen yelled, “You crazy kid! Get out of there. We got to get moving.”

  “I’m coming. You just leave me alone.” Joelle was relieved when she heard Owen leave. She pulled on her pants and the shirt. When she pulled aside the canvas and stepped out, she saw that it was late, and she had overslept. She jumped out and saw Harry Jump grinning at her from the fire. “Hey, sleepyhead.”

  “First time I overslept like that, Harry.”

  “Well, it won’t hurt you. I’ve been making biscuits. Made two big bunches here. Too many for us.” Jump made a rough shape as he squatted before the fire. His hat was pushed back on his head, revealing the tawny hair, and his blue eyes seemed bright, almost, in the midst of the tanned face. “You must have a good conscience, Joe, to sleep like that. We’ve been making enough racket to wake the dead.”

  “I guess I’m just worn out from this trip.”

  “Can’t blame you for that.” Jump gestured at the biscuits and said, “This is the last of the eggs. If we don’t get to the fort pretty soon, we’ll be going hungry.”

  “I’ll cook the eggs and the bacon.” She began fixing breakfast, and when it was ready, she and Jump ate. Owen was already gone, and looking at the large mound of biscuits, Joelle said, “You know, Harry, I think I’ll take some of these over to Edith Riker. She was feeling poorly for the last couple of days.”

  Harry gave her an odd look and turned his head to one side. “Be careful, kid. Her husband is jealous of her. I thought he was going to shoot Phil Strickland over her, and the two were just talking.”

  Joelle avoided smiling but was amused. “I’ll do the best I can not to make him jealous.”