Spake As a Dragon

by Larry Hunt

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Taxes

 

  “Mama!” Mattie Ann yells as she runs up the back steps into the house. “There’s dust down on the main road, looks like company is comin’ from town.”

  Leaving the kitchen Malinda wipes her hands on her apron as she walks to the front porch to see for herself. Mattie Ann was right. She could see the dust floating above the treetops, but it worries her too. She fears it is someone coming from the Western Union office. Were they coming to tell her a telegram has arrived saying something terrible has happened to Robert or one of her sons? A fear of dread flows over her, she tries to push the thought from her mind, but it is too overwhelming...she remembers the hawk!

  Watching the dust she thinks this might not be the telegraph man, after all, it might be that rascal Captain Louie Labeau. He did say he would come back in a week to collect on that bale of cotton.

  It had been a lot longer that a week, in fact; it has been more than a month since he was last at Malinda’s farm seeking food and rations for the Confederacy. Surely, she thought he had forgotten about her by now, but she still has three sons William, Isaac, and Stephen that he could impress into Confederate service. She could deal with Labeau but please, not the man from the telegraph office!

  William and Isaac are out on the back forty clearing a new ground for next year’s planting season. They are so far away Labeau cannot see them, and if he does try to ride out their way, her boys will hear him long before he arrives. They can hide before he can get to them. Stephen Ingram was a target though. He is shoeing his horse Blaze in the hallway of the barn. The whole family loved Blaze, a mixture of a racing thoroughbred and a Tennessee walking horse. A large white blaze down the front of her head accented her dark chestnut color. The beauty of her long, graceful neck was enhanced with a jet-black mane, which matched her silky, flowing tail. Her appearance was complete with three of her feet displaying white socks. Blaze was just a beautiful horse the Scarburgs adored.

  “Stephen! Stephen Ingram!” she yells.

  “Yeah, Ma,” Stephen answers stepping from the barn into the light, “what you want?”

  “Get the horse and go hide behind the house to one of those caves on the bluff above Hog Creek. Labeau might be coming! If he sees you, he will take both you and Blaze away.”

  Stephen slips a bridle on Blaze, grabs a handful of black mane and swings up onto his horse’s back. A quick barefoot nudge and the horse and rider skirt around the house and head toward the bluff a few hundred feet from the main house. Stephen stays low to Blaze’s neck to ensure being unseen by Labeau if he is, indeed, one of the approaching riders.

  As Stephen escapes, the horsemen turn from the main road and pass through the gate leading to the main house. It is Labeau. Malinda is nervous but somewhat relieved. It isn’t the man from the Western Union’s telegraph office!

  About ten men lope up to the house followed by a cloud of choking dust. Dusting off her face with the tail of her apron, she looks at Labeau, “What do you want? I told you to stay off my place before! You hard of hearing?”

  Leaning over on his impressive, silver saddle, he spits tobacco juice at Malinda’s feet, “Yer done forgettin’ yer place Missy! Like I done told you afore, I’m head of the Home Guard.”

  “And, like you found out before, I don’t care! I don’t have any provisions to give you.”

  “For shore, you got it all wrong. I ain’t looking for supplies this trip I have me two other missions though. First, I got something to show you and second, I’s come after them boys of yer’n.”

  He reaches into his jacket pocket and withdraws a piece of folded paper. He hands it to Malinda.

  Unfolding the paper, Malinda asks, “What is this?”

  “Taxes! You’re behind on yer land taxes!”

  “Taxes? You people know I don’t have any money! My husband is in the Army, along with my two oldest sons, and they haven’t been paid any money since they left home over a year ago. Even if I had gotten money due my men folks it would be in that worthless Confederate money.” Looking at the paper, “It says here I owe twenty-five dollars, U.S. I don’t have twenty-five cents much less twenty-five dollars in greenbacks.”

  “For shore, I would tell you to use some of that money you was goin’ to get from sellin’ that bale of cotton, but do you think I’s stupid? I didn’t think you ever had no cotton to sell. But, this is something I do know, I am goin’ to take this here farm away from you if you don’t come up with that taxman’s money.” Leaning over in his saddle again he speaks softly, “Of course now, there’s other arrangements me and you could make that might jest let you keep on livin’ on this place. You git what I mean?” Labeau said with a wink and a sly, knowing grin.

  “Yeah, I get it, but I’d just soon lose this place!”

  “I just hardly don’t understand uppity people like you, if you won’t take my invite, why you don’t sell one of them blackies to raise that money?”

  “Free! I have already told you, free! Sary, Jed, and Jefferson are all free. I have no right to sell them!”

  Returning his attention to Malinda, “I’m gonna ask you one last time: Where’s yer boys?”

  “The boys aren’t here; they have gone to South Carolina to stay with their uncle. He has a mill and the boys can get work there.”

  Looking at his men he grins wide enough to see the gold tooth in front of his mouth, pulls aa plug of tobacco from his pocket and bites off a chew. “What she said?” Looking back at his men again and grins, “You know Missy, I want to believe you, but hit’s just not in my nature. I knows you is lyin’.” He orders his men to search the place for Malinda’s sons.

  Uncle Jed and Jefferson had been in the barn helping Stephen shoe Blaze when the riders approach. They remain hidden in the barn and watch through the cracks between the wood siding. Uncle Jed knows the first place they will search is the barn; he tells Jefferson to get under the pile of hay and remain still and stay put regardless of what happens. Before the riders can reach the barn Uncle Jed steps out and walks toward the group of horsemen.

  “Well now, he ain’t one of them boys, he be too old and way too dark, but I wager he knows where them boys is. Come here you old fool. Where are this here woman’s boys? The ‘federacy needs good men.”

  Jed does not answer. He stops dead in his tracks, removes his hat, and stares at the ground. “What’s wrong there Blackie, cat got yer tongue?” Uncle Jed remains silent.

  Labeau removes his Colt revolver, points the muzzle at Jed and demands, “I’m gonna ask you jest one time, where is them boys?” Not waiting for an answer he fired a shot nearly hitting Uncle Jed’s foot. Jed jumps on the other foot; Labeau laughs and fires again and again causing Uncle Jed to dance from one foot to the other. Six shots and the dance come to an end Labeau’s Colt is empty. Labeau pulls his second Colt and is about to resume his ‘fun’ when −

  The screen door opens and out steps Jed’s wife Sary with a double-barreled shotgun. “Now that’s ‘nuff, I’m fixin’ to blow you from that fancy saddle of your’n you Cajun scoundrel.”

  “For shore there Mammy, you lift that gun, and you be good as dead. Drop that scattergun on the porch.” Pointing at Jed, “I guess this here white-haired slave is yer husband, right?” Uncle Jed stands quietly offering no answer.

  “He ain’t no slave! We’s free. He be my husband all right, but hes is free.” Sary responds placing the shotgun down.

  “Fore true? A free black woman and a free black slave, huh? What’s this here world comin’ to? No matter, I still wants them white boys? Where’s they at Mammy?”

  Sary will not respond; she stares at the man with hatred only a past slave can have. She shakes her head from side to side.

  “So you two blackies think more of her boys than yer lives, that ‘bout right?” Turning, he barks an order to one of his men, “Throw yer rope over that big tree limb over yonder, then git down off yer saddle. Put this black, deaf mute on yer hoss and lead him
over to that tree.”

  Meantime, some of Labeau’s men who were searching the place walk along the edge of the cliff overlooking Hog Creek, but they cannot see the cave hidden underneath the overhang. Stephen and Blaze can hear them talking. In fact, Stephen is so near he can hear the gunfire from the house. He is worried about the safety of his mother, but he cannot leave his hiding place. When the men are directly overhead, Stephen takes his thumb and index finger and inserts them into Blaze’s nostrils and pinches the skin together. He does not want the horse to whinny and give away the location of his cave. Whispering into Blaze’s ear as he rubs her neck, “Shhh, shhh, easy girl, easy,” it works; Blaze remains silent and motionless. In a moment or two the searchers move on without discovering Stephen and Blaze’s secret hideaway.

  Back at the barn, Uncle Jed has been thrown upon the horse and is being led to a large tree with a hangman’s noose swinging from a lower limb.

  “What you think Boy, yer tongue gettin’ any looser? Where’s this woman’s two strapping examples of Southern manhood? I’s tellin’ you Boy, this be yer last chance.”

  Before Uncle Jed can answer, even if he has the desire, Jefferson runs from the barn brandishing a sharp pitchfork. “Let my Pappy go, or I’s goin’ to fill you full of holes!” He said making a threatening move with the pitchfork toward the man leading the horse. Without warning, Labeau raises his pistol and fires. Jefferson crumples face down to the ground his body motionless. He is dead.

  Uncle Jed quickly slides off the horse’s back and runs to his boy. Before he can kneel down to check on Jefferson’s condition Labeau fires again. The .44 caliber bullet finds its mark, and Jed tumbles to the ground with a thump, falling dead on the dirt beside his son.

  Sary stunned by seeing her husband and son being shot dead in front of her very eyes falls to the floor of the porch, grabs the shotgun and wheels the barrel around to fire. She does not get the chance; Labeau is faster and fires his Colt for the third time. The impact of the large caliber bullet carries Sary back against the screen door where she collapses in a heap on the porch floor. A red stream of blood flows across the porch and drips from the wooden planking onto the steps.

  “I guess yer house woman must’ve been tellin’ the truth or them slaves of yer’n would’ve fessed up,” said Labeau.

  With a stern look of determination, Malinda glares at Labeau, “As God is my witness I swear retribution to you Labeau. You won’t always be the man! If I cannot do it, someday someone I know will do it, your day is coming, and you’ll get yours!”

  He looks at Sary and then to Malinda, laughing, “Un huh, talk big, we’ll see... we’ll see. You got to get money from somewhere or this place is goin’ on the auction block, and I’m gonna be the onliest bidder, ya hear?” He pulls on the horse’s bridle and says as he turns to leave, “Don’t get too comfortable I’m gonna be back! And don’t ferget Missy, yore is a fine lookin’ woman and my invitation to you still stands.”

  “SCATTERGUN”

  As Labeau and his men gallop out the front gate, Malinda immediately runs to aid Sary. Kneeling down she can see her friend is still alive. The bullet from Labeau’s gun entered the shoulder just below the right collarbone. Using her apron to thwart the flow of blood she can see the bullet passed directly through Sary’s body. A lot of the blood running across the porch is coming from the entrance wound, but just as much, if not more, is pouring out the exit hole on her back.

  Malinda knows if the flow of blood isn’t abated, and very soon, Sary isn’t long for this life. Running back into the house, she grabs a clean sheet and begins tearing it in strips before arriving back on the porch. Malinda applies compress bandages to both the front and back bullet holes and then runs to Jed and Jefferson, who lie in the yard.

  Jed has a .44 caliber hole that entered above his heart and tore a jagged hole under his left shoulder blade as it exited. Jefferson’s wound is squarely in the center of his chest.

  Using the cloth strips from the bed sheet, she applies a pressure dressing to their wounds, but she knows it is futile.

  “Mama! Mama, what’s happened, I heard shots,” said Stephen riding up on Blaze.

  “Jed, Sary, and Jefferson were all shot by that scoundrel Labeau. Stephen take Blaze and ride to Doc Crawford’s house and fetch him here – I need real medical help, and I need it now!”

  Running into the yard William and Isaac ask, “What’s going on! What can we do Mama?” Malinda tells them to get more sheets from the house.

  As Stephen rides out of sight Malinda looks at her bleeding friend – Sary needs immediate attention. Malinda examines the entrance and exit hole, the blood flow has not abated, she knows it must be stopped. The last few pints of Sary’s life are flowing across the wooden planks of the front porch. She also knows Sary cannot wait for the doctor something must be done immediately.

  “Boys!” she yells, “get back out here.” Both sons run from the house back to the porch. “We’ve got to stop Sary’s bleeding, or she is going to die.” Speaking to Isaac, “Hurry into the sitting room and remove the iron curtain rod from the front window. Take it to the kitchen and stick one end in the hot coals in the stove – get it white hot – we have to cauterize these two bullet holes.” William picks Sary up and carries her inside. “I hope she stays unconscious, this is going to hurt. Please make her as comfortable as possible, I have sent Stephen for the doctor.”

  Placing Sary on the sofa in the sitting room Malinda turns to William, “Run out to the barn and get Uncle Jed’s jug he keeps hidden in the tack room. That old cuss thought I never knew about his white lightning. Come on don’t waste time, go get it!”

  Isaac and William return about the same time. Malinda takes the whiskey jug, removes the corncob plug, and pours the alcohol over both the entry and exit holes. “Hand me that hot curtain rod.” Taking the rod, she sticks it into the shoulder wound. Even unconscious Sary winces. Before she has time to open her eyes, Malinda jabs the searing, hot iron into the exit wound in her back. Isaac turns his head; he hears the flesh sizzling and smells the burning skin. Both the sound and smell are sickening. He thinks he is going to lose his breakfast, but he manages to get outside for a quick breath of fresh air before doing so.

  Isaac, his face white as a sheet, anxiously asks from the door, “How’s she doin’ Mama? Is she gonna die?”

  “Boys, I’m not going to lie to you, she’s in a bad way. I don’t know if she will live or not, I’ve sent for the doctor, but Sary’s life is in God’s hands now. The Doc may not get here in time. You all get back outside, put Uncle Jed and Jefferson in the barn, take a couple of sheets and cover them up – they weren’t as fortunate; they are both dead.”

  A while later, the screen door flies open, Mattie Ann announces loudly, “Mama! Riders are coming up from the main road.”

  ‘Oh no,’ Malinda thinks, ‘I can’t handle more of Labeau right now.’ “Matthew get me that scattergun lying on the front porch, I’m going to put a stop to this right now. Mattie Ann take Margaret into the back room and no matter what happens you stay in there.”

  Shotgun in hand Malinda moves to the front porch with all the intentions of killing Labeau as he rides up into the yard. The sun is beginning to set. In the twilight, she could not quite make out the riders. Within a moment or so she can see it is one lone horseman followed closely by a buggy. It is Stephen and Doctor Crawford. Doctor Crawford is a vet, but he serves the community as both an animal and the people’s doctor too, there is no one else.

  Relieved, but exhausted Malinda sits down in one of the porch chairs and lets out an audible sigh of relief. In a while Doc Crawford comes out on the porch, “Mrs. Scarburg, you did a good job. If you had not thought to cauterize Sary’s bullet holes, I believe she would have bled to death before I arrived. As far as Uncle Jed and Jefferson, there is nothing I can do for them. I changed Sary’s bandages and left you some ointment to be applied later – I believe she might pull through. Grinning, “They told me about
the white lightening, it really did the trick for Sary, it must have been two hundred proof! Fast thinking on your part, now just let her rest. Oh, before I go, what do you hear from Robert and the boys?”

  “Not much Doc, the last I heard from any of them was right before that big battle up in Pennsylvania, but I haven’t heard a word since then. I had to get word from one of the neighbors, Mrs. Cleland, who said Robert and Luke were somewhere in Virginia, I think, with General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. It worries me that I have never received a post from them.”

  “Don’t fret Mrs. Scarburg, General Lee is a fine commander. He hasn’t lost a battle yet. Where is Matthew?”

  “Mrs. Cleland’s husband is in Robert’s unit and she said her husband had told her Matt was assigned to Stonewall Jackson’s Brigade. I believe he was an aid or dispatch rider to him. After Stonewall was killed I don’t know what has happened to him.”

  “When you write to them give them my regards. Oh, by the way, maybe some good news for you, I did hear that Stonewall’s old Brigade was not at Gettysburg.” Fortunately for Malinda Doctor Crawford was not aware that the Stonewall Brigade had been re-assigned to General Johnson’s division and his boys lost heavily in the fighting at Gettysburg. “Again, keep the wounds clean, and put a little dab of that ointment on those bandages when they are changed.” Stepping to the front porch steps Doc turns to Malinda, “Call me if she gets worse.”

  “Thank you for coming Doctor Crawford. I’m sorry, but you know I have nothing but worthless Confederate money to pay you with.”

  “I know, I know, my dear, if I’d gotten in this doctoring business to get rich I’d of quit years ago. I believe,” patting his coat pocket, “the rest of Uncle Jed’s ‘snakebite’ medicine you gave me will do just fine. This terrible War surely cannot last much longer. Maybe then we can all get back on our feet.” Leaving the porch, Doc slaps Blaze’s flank admiringly as he rounds her to get to his buggy. “Stephen you still won’t sell Blaze will you? I’d give her a good home.”

  “Nah, thanks Doc, but I think I’ll keep her for a spell longer. She is part of the family.”