The Visitor_Texas 1863_1869

by Barbara Svetlick

  “Who is 'we'?” She looked at all of them.

  “Everyone in this room.”

  “The four of you have bought land in Texas?”

  “Yes.”

  “But we have a home here. Why do you have to go to Texas?”

  “Because there is nothing we can do here while there is a war.”

  She slowly sat back. “We can have children and enjoy being married. I thought that was why you married me.”

  “I…” He was perplexed because he didn’t anticipate her reluctance. “Sweetheart, we can enjoy all of those things in Texas.”

  “But I love the Plantation.”

  “Fine but the boys are moving to Texas.”

  She looked at them seriously, stood up leaving the library without responding.

  “Is she upset?”

  Dominic sat back down in the desk chair and poured a shot. “I have no idea. Her moods change so fast that I can’t make heads or tails out of them.”

  VICKSBURG surrendered at the end of July and Grant basically took control of a great part of Mississippi. There was mixed feelings but McPharson sent a message to them after the surrender that the medical units would not be detained or prevented from leaving and he believed her father would be heading east at the end of the week.

  Weeks passed with Garnett and James finishing up the legal issues and by early fall they were ready to head back to Texas to begin building the ranch and stocking the pens. It was decided to start with a small bunkhouse and the large stable before running the fence lines around the southern portion of the property. They had already hired a dozen men and would probably have at least thirty or forty working full time by the year’s end. This was the first time in a long time that they all felt a sense of purpose. There was so much beyond Texas that the thought of going further was in the back of their minds.

  Meeks drew a larger map of the property and they were discussing the layout of the buildings when Mrs. Chauvin came in with a tray of food and put in on the end of the table. Dominic thanked her while continuing to listen to Meeks describe the Brazos River which ran along the western property line. They had pretty much mapped out the buildings and the building material was being delivered in September.

  Meeks walked to the window looking out at the clouds forming to the south. “I think we might be fortunate enough to get a good thunderstorm tonight.” He lit a cigar then walked out onto the veranda to find Mirisa curled up in the rocking chair with a book in her lap. “Enjoying the lightning show?”

  “I am.” She had noticed that Meeks had become quieter since they returned from Texas. “Would you like to join me?”

  He walked over and sat down next to her as the storm continued to move up the river. They didn’t talk but just sat and listened to the thunder that came so frequent that you knew the rain was not far behind. Dominic stood in the doorway for a few minutes before he walked out.

  “I wondered where you had gone after dinner.”

  She looked up at him. “I do believe dinner was five hours ago and I have been here the whole time. I think I shall retire for the evening.” She stood kissing her husband and then said good night to Meeks who merely nodded. She ran into Garnett coming out of the library.

  “Where do you go when the sun goes down?”

  “I entertain myself.”

  “We are being very rude and poor house guests. Please accept my apologies.”

  She touched his cheek softly and then leaned up kissing him as he fought to keep from responding. Mirisa bid him good night and proceeded up the stairs. James watched Garnett struggle as he stood in the library door then realized that both Meeks and Dominic had been watching her. Garnett turned from the stairway to find all three just staring at him. “I think I’ve had enough conversation for one night.”

  “We still have a lot of work to do before you leave.”

  Garnett knew the calm edge on Dominic’s voice and he laughed. “Dominic, frankly I don’t need any more preparation to start a ranch. You run the fence, put up some buildings, kill a few rustlers and find a good saloon. I’m heading to bed because your wife has this knack for making me feel bad about bedding whores.” He bid them goodnight and went to bed. Dominic turned down the lanterns and closed up the house. Mirisa was sitting at her table brushing her hair.

  “You are beautiful tonight.”

  She turned on the stool as she continued to run the brush through her hair. “And I find you irresistible at the moment.”

  “Then maybe we need to make a baby.” He took the brush away from her and brought her into his arms. He was very hungry and she was very lonely.

  Mirisa had received a letter from her father in the morning post. After reading it, she neatly put it back in the envelope leaving it on the desk. She walked into the mudroom and put on her gardening hat tying it loosely under her chin before picking up her basket and shears. The morning was warm with a gentle breeze that whispered across her cheeks. She walked out to the north pasture where the wildflowers were in final bloom. The breeze wrapped around her as the fragrance filled her with so many memories of her childhood with her brothers.

  “Mirisa.” Dominic said it softly and she turned her focus to his face.

  “It’s alright. I didn’t think with five brothers and a father in this war that I would be so fortunate to escape the tragedy that seems to plague so many of our friends and neighbors.” She took in her breath and wondered why she never thought it would be Charlie. Her father said he was killed by a stray shot while trying to get the horses out of the way of the gunfire. She knew if he ever died it would be saving an animal and not himself. What hurt the most is her three younger brothers were riding with Lee in Gettysburg. It would be hard for the family to come to terms with this but she wouldn’t cry because she didn’t know who to cry for.

  “What can I do?”

  “Nothing. I just needed time to reflect on things. When I was very little, Charlie would take me out in the fields to pick flowers for his rabbits. We would spend hours along the banks playing and gathering the flowers. My favorite was always the yellow buttercups which he would hold under his chin turning it yellow and making me laugh. I love all of my brothers but it was always Charlie who would spend hours laying with me in the dark teaching me about the stars and the changing of the moon. Because my mother would not allow wildflowers in the house, he would fill the vases putting them in my room and when I was sick he would always bring up his rabbit to keep me company as he read me stories. I shall miss him so much. So very much.”

  He took the basket away from her before taking her in his arms. James watched them from the veranda. Dominic ran his finger across her lips and told her he loved her as she struggled not to cry. He walked back to the house as she continued to pick flowers.

  Meeks and Garnett walked into the library as Dominic turned away from the window.

  James sat down on the edge of the desk lighting a cigar. “How’s she doing?”

  “She’s in shock.” He poured a shot and stood at the window watching her. “I think I need to spend more time with her.”

  Garnett put down the new drawings. “Something happen?”

  “One of Mirisa’s brothers was killed at Gettysburg.”

  “That’s rough. How’s she handling it?”

  “I’m fine but thank you for your concern.” She was wearing a pink summer dress that seemed to soften the green of her eyes. She put the basket of flowers on the desk, took off her bonnet heading down the hall to find a glass vase. When she returned they stopped talking. She slowly arranged the flowers in the vase and set it on the small table by the window rearranging the flowers until she was satisfied.

  “Dinner will be served in a moment.” Mirisa picked up her basket that was still overfilled with flowers and walked down to the kitchen asking Jasmine if she would help her put flowers in the entry as well as all the bedrooms. She changed her clothes since the dew had dampened her hem and when she stepped onto the landing she took a moment t
o rearrange the flowers until they were perfectly arranged.

  As a child, everything was done for her by someone else except picking wildflowers and now she could do so much. Mirisa looked at her hands then at the flowers. These hands could pick the smallest of flowers, bake a perfect pie or shoot a gun with accuracy. She loved the feeling.

  “Mirisa.” He called out from his office as she was walking toward the kitchen. She stopped and looked into the library.

  “Do you need something?”

  “I need to talk to you.” She looked at his desk and saw the accounting books spread out everywhere. She came into the room and stood in front of his desk. He got up and walked around the desk and took her hand and led her over to the couch. “I have decided to take you away for our anniversary.”

  She searched his face for some hint on what he was doing but couldn’t read him at all. She sat and waited.

  “We’re leaving on Friday for Texas. We’ll be there for your birthday and Christmas. I know it doesn’t give you much notice but…”

  She looked at him skeptically. “Am I part of the we?”

  “Yes sweetheart.”

  “I thought you were going out in the spring?”

  “I thought it would be a good time to see the land and take you away.”

  She ran into James as he was coming down the stairs and without thinking he put his arm around her waist bringing her up against him. She looked into his eyes and when he started to say something she kissed him, untangled herself then continued up to the third floor. He watched her smiling at how beautiful she made every day.

  “I see you told her.”

  “How could you tell?”

  “How could you not.” He lit a cigar and sat down in the chair opposite Dominic. “The supplies and the wagons will be at the dock by the time we get there. We have a total of four wagons of supplies and I hired extra men to ride shotgun since there is a lot of rumors of deserters and we’ll be moving too slow to outrun anyone.”

  “Are Meeks and Garnett meeting us at the pass?”

  “Yep.”

  Dominic closed the books and put them back in the drawer. Mrs. Chauvin came in and told him lunch was set out on the veranda.

  After lunch, Dominic took her to town. Mirisa spent half the day shopping by herself while James and Dominic looked over new saddles and tackle for her Bay. When they finally found her, the carriage was filled with packages. “What in the world did you buy?”

  “We will be gone for Christmas so I had to do my shopping for the staff, shopping for the ride, and finally presents for everyone on Christmas. Do I have to sleep in a bag again? I think since we have wagons it would be nice to have something other than a smelly thin bed roll.”

  Dominic shook his head. “Are you going to whine all the way to Texas?”

  “Not as long as I get my way.”

  WINTER 1863

  THEY MADE it across the Mississippi River before noon and had lunch in a tavern along the dock waiting for the last of the hired men. They would be pulling out early morning and take the route directly across Louisiana bringing them above the lake and into Texas. It would be a slow crossing. Dominic hadn’t intended to make it this big of a party but decided it would be a good opportunity to get the supplies there and it would be nice to have Tom Ross and Alexander Taylor traveling with them. James had decided to add two more wagons including a covered wagon so that Mirisa wouldn’t have to sleep around the campfire. James put in the new feather mattresses he had bought for the camp and five comforters that had been up in the attic along with all of the cooking utensils and food.

  Mirisa had almost as much fun with the change of company as she did on the first trip to Texas. They kept her so busy that the only time Dominic had alone with her was after they turned in for the night. He appreciated the privacy even if the squeaking of the wagon springs made her break into uncontrolled giggling and relentless teasing. They reached the Texas border in four days and met up with Garnett and Meeks late in the afternoon. The camp had already been set up and you could smell the aroma of the coffee. Meeks reached up and swung her around before setting her down on the ground.

  “Sweetheart, it’s been awfully lonely without you around.”

  “I didn’t know you were going to meet us.”

  “You should have known we would since you have so many supplies and I am out of good cigars.”

  Garnett looked at Meeks. “Don’t let him fool you Mirisa; he doesn’t care about the supplies.”

  She smiled and hugged Garnett. Dominic tied up the horses and was walking over to them when the shot came out of nowhere grazing Mirisa’s arm. Garnett grabbed her and threw her on the ground as everyone took cover. Dominic dragged her over next to a large rock and told her to stay put. He signaled to Meeks who worked around the boulders and slipped into the woods as Garnett went in the other direction. James was pinned down between two wagons as was Alexander and Tom. When James attempted to move, another shot hit just above his head splintering part of the wagon.

  “Son of a bitch.” James hated being shot at more than anything else in life. He got up on the balls of his feet and sprinted across the opening rolling out of the way of the bullets that were now coming from two different sources. The sun was just about to set so dark would soon work in their favor. James slowly started working to the north of the camp toward the shooters.

  Another shot ricocheted off the rock near Mirisa so she moved lower to the ground. Her arm was throbbing as she felt the blood soaking through her blouse. Dominic motioned to Alexander who nodded but didn’t change his position. They waited. The wagon drivers were experienced enough that when they stopped they had all set the breaks which kept the horses from bolting. Most were lying under the wagons with their guns drawn. All of a sudden a barrage of gunfire came from the hillside to the northwest and everyone covered up until it stopped.

  Dominic held up his hand indicating there were two shooters possibly three. Mirisa looked up at him and didn’t understand how they could all be so calm when she was trembling uncontrollably. He reached down and took her hand but was still watching. It was getting darker and as soon as it was safe Alexander headed east of the camp. The two sharpshooters went with him. More shots rang out and Dominic motioned to the wagon drivers to move the wagons out of the way which they did one at a time. Several shots hit the wagons but didn’t do any damage.

  Mirisa wondered why no one was shooting back. Garnett slipped up behind her and spoke to Dominic but she couldn’t hear the conversation. Dominic pulled Mirisa to a safer location and told her not to make a sound. He left with Garnett and they as well headed toward the eastern part of the camp. It was now very dark and she couldn’t see anything except the occasional fire coming out of a gun at several locations on the hill. It was so much easier to find someone at night when they were shooting at you. She remained on her stomach while trying to see what was happening when another shot came within inches of her head and scared her half to death. How could they see her if she couldn’t see them?

  Mirisa’s breathing became labored as she began hyperventilating. She closed her eyes for a moment and opened them again but still couldn’t see anything. She was looking up toward the hill when numerous shots rang out behind her. Mirisa spun so fast that the side of her head slammed up against the rock. The whole world spun in front of her and she felt like she was going to throw up when the shots started coming fast and furious. They suddenly came from the hill and after about a minute it was quiet again. She was terrified to move as the blood trickled down the side of her face into her eyes.

  Meeks silently slid down the side of the rock wall next to her. His gun was cocked and he put his hand across Mirisa’s mouth realizing that her head was bleeding. She started to really tremble but didn’t make a sound. Meeks stood up and fired so fast she didn’t realize he had moved. The man fell dead not ten feet from her as she passed out.

  When Mirisa woke up she was lying next to a large fire but the ringing i
n her head blocked out everything else. James was washing her arm and getting ready to bandage it. She looked up at him and he just smiled. “Hey beautiful, didn’t I teach you how to roll yet?” Mirisa tried to talk but her head hurt too much. When she reached up to touch it, James stopped her.

  Dominic walked over and squatted next to her. “How is she doing?” Mirisa closed her eyes because the voices were echoing in her head. Dominic looked at her arm before James wrapped it. “Sweetheart, your head is going to hurt more than your arm. You have a knot the size of an egg that is already turning blue.” Meeks brought over his canteen of water and Dominic made her drink from it until she started to choke. They got enough in her before she fell asleep allowing James to clean off the nasty gash on her head.

  Garnett and Alexander came back into camp. “I don’t think there are any more but I’ll stay out of camp tonight to make sure. How is she doing?”

  “She’s alive but I think she’s going to be really hurting in the morning.”

  The sunlight slowly breached her consciousness as Mirisa rolled over. She tried to sit up and almost fell over before Meeks caught her. Mirisa leaned up against Meeks placing her head on his knees as he pulled her hair away from the injury which was still oozing. “Meeks, am I dying?”

  “Darling, I didn’t save your life so that you could die but it will be a day or two before you don’t feel like you are.”

  “I missed you but I don’t like Texas anymore.”

  Dominic came over and asked Mirisa if she needed help and she nodded but couldn’t move. He waited a moment and when she tried to get up Dominic put his arms under hers and slowly lifted Mirisa out of the wagon. The whole world kept spinning and she started to collapse again. Meeks stood up and stretched. “I don’t think she’ll be able to ride the rest of the trip.”

  James walked up and looked at her head before examining her arm. “It’s an extremely bad concussion. She’ll probably be delirious today but hopefully by tonight she’ll be able to stand without wanting to throw up.”