Will O Wisp

by Risner, Fay

  “Just get Shana out here so we can go home before he wakes up,” Melinda demanded.

  “I'll call her for you.” Lettie stuck her head in the door and called, “Shana, your aunts are here. You can go home now.”

  A white faced Shana appeared in the door. With relief on her face, she ran down the steps to put an arm around both aunts. “For certain and all time, am I glad to see both of you. I've never been so scared in me whole life. Wait until you hear what just happened here.”

  “We know, dear. We were standing in the trees watching the whole thing and praying you would be safe,” Melinda told her.

  “If we could have figured a way passed Neff's shotgun to get you out of here sooner we would have,” Gracie said.

  “You saw what happened?” Lettie asked.

  “We're just glad everything turned out the way it did,” Melinda said. “Lettie, why do you stay with that man? You can see how dangerous he is.”

  “I don't think he'd let me leave if I tried.” Lettie's voice trembled. “He's never done anything like this before.”

  “I don't expect this will be the last time. Neff was so drunk out of his mind he didn't know what he was doing. Get away from him with your younguns before he does some real harm. He ain't going to change if that's your next excuse,” Gracie warned.

  “I know that, Miss Gracie,” Lettie whined.

  “What are you going to do if he wakes up soon and wants his gun back?” Melinda said in a whisper.

  “I don't expect he will wake up soon, but I'm locking the door. He most likely will sit back down in the char and go back to sleep if he cain't get in the house. At least, I know we'll have some warning if he tries to come in the door with it locked. If he knocks, rattles the door or yells he'll wake me up. Maybe for once, we will all get a little sleep tonight unless that happens,” Lettie said in a dispirited voice.

  “Come on, Shana. Let's go home,” Melinda said.

  “What about May Jean? I hate to leave her here in danger,” Shana whispered.

  “May Jean's lot was picked for her when she was born into this family. We cain't save any of them by ourselves. That crazy, drunken man might just come after us next if we tried,” Gracie said bluntly.

  “I don't want to find out my friend is dead in the morning,” Shana said, tears running down her face.

  “Gracie, could we take May Jean home with us?” Melinda asked.

  Gracie gave her a doubtful look. “What will Neff say when he wakes up and finds out one of his younguns is gone? He might just load that shotgun and come after her and us.”

  “Don't worry about that,” Lettie said. “Neff doesn't even know how many children we have. He won't miss one. With the hangover he's going to have, he won't be himself for the next couple days.”

  “Shana is going to worry about May Jean until we leave the farm to go back to Locked Rock if we don't let the little girl come home with us, Gracie,” Melinda said.

  “All right. Shana, it's against my better judgment,” Gracie gave in. “We're for sure not going to let you come back to this house ever again so if you want to play with May Jean it will have to be at the farm. Go get, May Jean.”

  Shana wheeled around to run inside.

  Gracie grabbed her by the shoulder. “Wait. Don't tell her to come with you in front of the others. We don't want all the younguns camping out at our house. Neff would notice for sure if all the younguns were gone. His aim with that shotgun might be better the next time he shoots it.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Gracie got up the next morning, angry about what happened to the Graves children. She was upset about the danger Shana had been put in because of that drunken no good man. At breakfast, she told Melinda, “I'm going into town to get the law out here. You and the girls can ride along if you want.”

  “I'd like that. I sure don't want to be out here alone until we know it's safe,” Melinda said.

  “Me and May Jean want to go with you, too,” Shana said. “I miss me mama and papa.”

  Gracie harnessed up the horse to the buggy and parked by the house. She got out and went in to see if the others were ready to go.

  When they came out of the house, Orie Lang, in his buckboard, rolled down the lane with Millard Sokal behind him on a horse and leading the men was the sheriff.

  Gracie folded her arms over her chest and waited for the men to stop behind her buggy. The sheriff stopped his horse over at the barn and tied his reins to the metal hoop attached to the barn.

  “Morning, Miss Gracie,” Orie said as he climbed out of the buckboard.

  Shana ran to hug him. “Papa Orie, am I glad to see you.”

  “Miss me did you?” He asked, grinning at her.

  The girl shook her head yes as she hugged him.

  Millard looked at all the sober faces and said to the men, “Looks like we three had the same idea to come visit at the same time.”

  “From the look on all those long faces, they look like they're going to a funeral,” Orie surmised.

  “Something must be wrong.” Sheriff Logan walked around Gracie's buggy. “Was you ladies going somewhere?”

  “We sure was,” Gracie barked. “We were going to get you, Sheriff. You're only a week late. Where have you been?”

  The sheriff held up both hands. “Whoa there? I'm sorry about that, but the phone lines have been down between the county seat and Locked Rock. It took a while to fix them.”

  “I'll give Earl Bullock a piece of my mind. He should have gone after you instead of letting this go. He knew I needed help out here,” Gracie complained.

  “Whoa, don't go giving Earl a hard time,” the sheriff said. “There was a brawl at the saloon. He has his hand full trying to settle everyone down. He had a jail full of drunks. Doing for the prisoners, and taking each to city hall to get sentences read. He admitted he forgot, but as soon as the lines were working, he called me.”

  “The city marshal's problems are his job. That don't help us out any,” Gracie said.

  “It would have been good if Earl could have arrested Neff Graves in that brawl. He probably had been there some time or other before we saw him in his condition,” Melinda said.

  “Gracie, you ladies best just tell us what's wrong,” Millard said. “You're really upset. We can see that.”

  The sheriff pushed his cowboy hat back off his forehead with one finger as he eyed Gracie. “Millard, been my experience when Miss Gracie simmers like a stewing pot, she about has the lid ready to blow off her before she gets what's wrong said out loud. Buggy is hooked up. That means you were headed somewhere.”

  “To find you like I said. That's where. I wanted you to look at what we think is a fresh grave in my family cemetery. We think someone tried to hide the fact that a baby or tiny youngun was buried there. If we hadn't been staying here right now the grass would be grown over the spot. No one would know a body was in there until you dug it up to bury me next to my baby brother. Did anyone tell you they was burying a body in my cemetery?”

  “No, but that isn't usually reported when a newborn is born dead or dies shortly after birth. Folks tend to bury the body in the back yard or start a cemetery of their own, thinking they're going to live in that spot a long time. No telling how many little babies are buried around the country that I don't know about. Wooden markers rot away, and people move off without new owners knowing about a burial on the property.”

  “That's so sad,” Melinda said.

  “I reckon if that's the way people want to handle losing a baby that's their business, but when they bury that body in my cemetery it makes it my business. The fact that a woman we thought might be the mother is sneaking around at night to visit the grave makes me wonder if there might not be more to the baby's death than just being born dead,” Gracie said.

  “You actually saw a woman in the cemetery? Did you recognize her?” The sheriff asked.

  “Nope, we were too far away, and it was dark. She stuck out like a sore thumb, because she had one of
those white dresses and white straw hats on that women wear to look fancy these days,” Gracie said.

  “Dressed like she was just having the funeral for the wee one, for certain,” Shana added.

  “When I yelled at her to let her know I wanted to talk to her, I could see she wasn't going to stay around. I threatened to shoot her. The woman put out her lantern and ran off,” Gracie said.

  “If I heard you say you were going to shoot me I'd run, too, Miss Gracie,” the sheriff said, trying not to grin.

  Millard and Orie didn't have any trouble chuckling.

  “You want to hear what happened or not?” Gracie barked.

  “Yes, ma'am. Sorry to interrupt,” the sheriff drawled.

  “All right,” Gracie said, frowning at him. She began again, “No way could we keep up with her out in that timber. She knew where she was headed, and we didn't.”

  “I see. Well, all I can do is take a look at the spot that was dug in. We might have to dig up the spot to see what's there. I can ask around to see if any of the neighbors know of someone that has lost a baby,” the sheriff said.

  “We already asked Lettie Graves. She said she didn't have a baby recently, but we think she's lying,” Gracie said.

  “Why is that?” The sheriff asked.

  Melinda spoke up. “I saw Lettie in the Mercantile a couple of months ago. She looked like she was due any minute then. She claims she wasn't when I brought it up.”

  “Unhuh,” the sheriff said, scratching a sideburn as he thought about it.

  “Lettie has another problem that might go along with a dead baby, Sheriff,” Gracie said. “Melinda and I walked over to the Graves place last night. Neff fired his shotgun in the air, and yelled for his kids to all come outside so he could kill them.”

  Millard and Orie straightened up.

  “He's never sober anymore,” Orie said.

  “I agree with that. I gave him some laying hens recently,” said Millard. “He could barely stand up the day he came asking for them.”

  “What happened, Miss Gracie?” The sheriff asked.

  “The younguns came out of the house and lined up in front of the porch like Neff yelled at them to do. Neff waved the shotgun at them. He said he was trying to decide which one of them to shoot first, but he intended to kill them all. He said they were good for nothings.

  Lettie grabbed the youngest and held on to her when she started crying because that made Neff mad. They all just stood there scared to death and waited for Neff to pull the trigger. Sure enough he did, but he was so drunk his aim was way off. He shot the house roof. Sheriff, you need to arrest him for attempted murder,” Gracie demanded.

  “I could arrest him, but a charge wouldn't stick if his wife won't testify against him. In cases like this, the wife and the younguns are usually so scared they won't admit to what's been going on,” the sheriff said.

  “We wouldn't need them to testify. I and Melinda can do that. We saw the whole thing,” Gracie said.

  “Still not sure it would get Neff sent up for long,” the sheriff said. “Since it wasn't your family.”

  “That is where you're wrong, Sheriff. Shana was one of the children Neff pointed that gun at,” Melinda stated.

  “Shana was over there in that mess,” Orie cried.

  “Yip,” Gracie said.

  “Why did you let her anywhere near that family?” Orie asked.

  Shana put an arm around May Jean. “Papa Orie, I wanted to visit May Jean. I didn't know what was going on over there. It was my idea to stay the night with May Jean. None of us had any idea what would happen,” Shana defended Gracie and Melinda.

  “Mr. Orie, we're sorry, but Gracie and I didn't know how bad it was over there,” Melinda said.

  “Lookee here, you better believe we wouldn't have let Shana anywhere near that place if we knew what was happening. Not after the way Miss Molly worried about the girl coming out here with me,” Gracie said gruffly. “Well, how about it, Sheriff? Will you arrest Neff?”

  “If you're sure you want to sign an arrest warrant for me,” Sheriff Logan said.

  “We're very sure,” Melinda butted in. “If we get that man out of that house, we can help Lettie and those children. The church members will help take care of her and her family.”

  “All right, Orie and Millard, you two want to go over there with me for backup. Normally, Neff wasn't hard to handle, but if he has been waving a shotgun around, I don't want to take any chances.”

  “We're with you, Sheriff,” Orie said.

  “I just hope we aren't too late. He might have already shot the rest of the family,” Millard added.

  “What about that grave in my cemetery?” Gracie barked.

  “I will look at that on my way over to Neff's farm. Orie, see if Thad has a shovel in his tool shed we can borrow,” the sheriff said. “Bring it along.”

  Gracie, Melinda and Shana with May Jean on Melinda's lap followed in their buggy behind Millard and Orie's buckboard. The sheriff took the lead on his horse. Gracie watched two eagles soar over them and disappear into the trees. So much to admire around her place when they were on a ride, but none of them could enjoy this ride.

  Ben Logan dismounted and tied his horse to the fence by the front yard, and Millard tied up right beside his horse.

  Gracie started to get out of her buggy. Sheriff Logan's arm shot out. “Hold up, Miss Gracie. You're staying put until we look the area over. Men, stay behind me for a spell until I tell you to start digging. I want to look at around as I go.”

  Orie leaned on the shovel with Millard by him while Sheriff Logan looked at the ground all the way to the far end. He stopped by Gracie's baby brother's stone and studied the freshly dug earth.

  “All right, men. Come look at this. Reckon we won't need the shovel after all,” the sheriff said.

  “What does he mean by that?” Melinda asked Gracie.

  “Don't know. They're talking too low for me to catch what they're saying. We should be there with them,” Gracie groused.

  Finally, Millard came back to the buggy. “All right, you ladies come look now.”

  “Look at what?” Gracie snapped at Millard.

  “You aren't going to like this, Gracie. Just go look,” Millard said, following behind them.

  The women and the girls stopped by Orie. They stared at the ground. What they saw was a hole dug down about four feet, just right for a shallow grave for a baby.

  “What do you think, Miss Gracie?” Logan asked.

  “Some time or other in the past two days, we or someone else has scared off the person who dug that hole. The dirt still looks fresh,” Gracie said.

  “That's what I think,” Sheriff Logan agreed. “If we knew who did this, we could arrest the person for desecrating a cemetery to start with until we find a body. I'd say this looks like a grave. Since the hole is so neat, the body must have been in some sort of box.”

  “For sure, this has something to do with the mischief of the will o wisps I do believe,” Shana said softly.

  May Jean grabbed her arm. “Hush!”

  “Whoa, what are you girls talking about?” Sheriff Logan asked.

  May Jean ducked her head and shuffled from one foot to the other.

  “For certain, will o wisps have been roamin' in the timber. Aunt Gracie and meself saw one,” Shana declared.

  “What's a will o wisp, if you don't mind me asking?” Orie said, looking at Gracie.

  Gracie waved at Shana. “Best ask her. She's the expert on this.”

  “Will O Wisps are spirits that roam near where they died,” Shana said.

  “What do they look like?” Sheriff Logan asked.

  “They be dressed in white and are see through. They sort of float along through the trees and try to hide when they see anyone comin',” Shana said.

  “Dress in white, huh? Like the woman standing here by the grave?” The sheriff asked.

  “Only difference between that woman and Shana's will o wisps was we were close en
ough to see the woman was real. I figure the creature Shana and I saw might be, too. We were too far away to know for sure. I think someone would rather we didn't wonder around in the timber. I figure who ever it was tried to scare us off. It worked on the Indians. They won't come near my timber now, because they saw spirits.”

  “Sure enough. Now how do you know that about the Indians?” Sheriff Logan asked.

  “I took Gracie to find the Indians in Junior Singleton's timber,” Millard said. “I was with her when Black Eagle told her his people were afraid of the spirits that roamed in her timber.”

  “I will be dadburn,” the sheriff exclaimed. “All right, men, let's go arrest Neff Graves. After he's in jail, we'll come back and spread out over the timber to see what we find. Sounds like Miss Gracie is right. Someone is hiding something.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “We'll be right behind you,” Gracie said.

  “We don't know what kind of fight Neff will put up,” the sheriff drawled slowly. “I sure wish you women would stay home where it's safe.”

  “We can come back and let you know what happened, Gracie, when Neff is safe and sound in jail,” Millard said.

  “Nope, I want to be there to see that man arrested,” Gracie declared. “Melinda and the girls can go home if they want.”

  “Take me home with you if you intend to put my father in jail,” May Jean said. “I need to be with my family.”

  Melinda said to Shana, “What do you want to do?”

  Shana put an arm around May Jean's shoulders. “May Jean and her family will be upset. I want to be with them,” Shana said.

  “You're right. Poor Lettie is going to be beside herself. I need to go along and comfort her,” Melinda said. “We're all going.”

  The women and girls climbed into the buggy. The procession worked its way to Neff Graves farm. When they arrived, the sheriff rode back to Gracie's buggy. “I want all of you to stay in that buggy until we're sure Neff is in handcuffs. If you see him waving a gun, you hightail it out of here. You got that Miss Gracie.”