Waco did not speak for a while. Finally he said, “You’re not telling me about the trouble you had.”
“All right,” Reverend Stoneman said heavily, and a sober look chased away the good cheer that seemed to be habitual with him. “Well, my wife and I were deeply in love when we married, but we separated.”
“I never knew that, Reverend.”
“Not many people do. It was a long time ago in another town.”
“What happened? I don’t mean to be nosy, but—”
“It’s all right, Waco. Maybe you need to hear this. My wife left me.”
“Well, why did she leave you?”
“My fault. I became infatuated with another woman. Ran off with her.”
The news was somehow shocking. He had never thought of a preacher having that kind of a problem. “I can’t believe it. You’re still a minister.”
“It wasn’t easy. I soon found out I had made a terrible, terrible mistake. I had to go back and beg my wife’s forgiveness, and she forgave me, and I had to go before the church to confess what I had done. I was out of the ministry for five years. I was too ashamed to even speak to God. My wife helped me though. I got her forgiveness, she stayed with me, and the church members were kind. None of that was easy.” He turned and said, “There are a great many ways for a marriage to go wrong, and only one for it to go right.”
“What’s that one way?”
“When you both love each other so much that nothing else matters.”
As Waco entered the store, he found Will and Alice putting up stock. Will said, “Well, about time you got back. You deliver the goods?”
“Sure. What have you two been doing?”
“Oh, Waco,” Alice said, her eyes shining. “I found a wedding dress.” She began to describe it.
Will shushed her, saying, “Don’t tell him a thing. When you walk down that aisle, let it be the first glimpse of it.” Will had been sitting on the counter chewing on crackers. He was a cracker addict and kept the barrel pretty well filled, but now he slid off and shook his head. “You know you have everything, Waco. You got a good business, and now a fine wife.”
Waco did not know exactly how to answer that and was troubled by it.
Will said, “I’ve got to go to the bank. You two watch the store.”
After his friend left, Waco turned to Alice and said, “You know, I feel bad about Will.”
“I know. He was telling me how he would be all alone.”
“Well, he’ll have us.”
“He said a marriage was sort of a closed corporation, a man and a woman, and nobody could really get inside.”
“Why, that’s foolish! They could have friends. They should have. I’ll tell you what. Maybe we could find a young woman for Will to court and marry.”
Alice suddenly laughed. “It’s not like buying groceries, Waco, or a loaf of bread.”
“No, I guess not. You know I’ve never been a Christian man, Alice, but I can’t help but believe that God put us together, you and me.”
Alice smiled and put her hand on his chest. “You are a romantic, Waco. I never knew that before. I’ll bet you like stories with happy endings.”
Waco reached out and drew her to him, holding her tightly. “Don’t you?”
Alice suddenly grew serious. She bit her lower lip and then said quietly, “I don’t think that happens very often.”
“Look, Alice, horses could be your friends.”
“I’ve always been afraid of them, Waco.”
The two had come out to the livery stable. Waco had determined to teach Alice to ride. He had been shocked when he discovered she had never ridden, and now as they stood before the chestnut he had saddled for her, he said, “You shouldn’t be afraid of horses. They’re really nice.” He patted the horse and said, “Aren’t you nice?”
The horse threw its head up and drew its lips back.
“Haven’t you ever been hurt by a horse?” Alice asked.
“Well, a few times, but I always thought it was my fault. Horses are good until somebody hurts them.”
“Well, I’m sorry to give you your first disappointment in marriage. I know you love horses, but I’m going to be too busy being a wife. You’ll have to get a buggy for the honeymoon.”
Waco grinned, shoved his hat back, and said, “I’ll make you a fine rider, Alice.”
Alice shook her head. “You know, I noticed something about you. You think you can change people, but I don’t think so.”
“Why, sure you can. Haven’t you ever changed?”
An odd look crossed Alice’s face. “I don’t think so. I always knew I needed to change, but I never could.” She turned abruptly, saying, “Let’s go back to the store.”
They made their way back to the store, and when they walked in, Will showed them a new line of boots that he had managed to get. “Our men are walking around in worn-out boots falling to pieces. Some of them they had in the army.”
“Well, what’s happening to General Lee?” Alice asked.
Will shook his head. “The Confederate Army is whittling down. I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time until the South is forced to give up.”
They discussed the war until Alice insisted they turn the conversation to lighter topics. The talk turned again to the wedding and who they were going to invite.
Waco finally said, “Invite whoever you want. I will just be happy when we are married.”
Alice replied, “Don’t let yourself get too happy, Waco. Nobody should. Usually when a person does, something bad happens.”
“Never happen to us.” Waco grinned.
He had no sooner spoken than a man entered. He was a sullen-looking man with one pant leg pinned up and a crutch. He hobbled in.
Waco said, “Hello, Jake.”
Waco knew Jake Callahan resented the fact that Waco and Will did not serve in the Confederate Army. He knew that Waco had served as a soldier for a year at the very beginning, but to Callahan that did not count. Confederate men served until they died or were injured so badly they could no longer fight, and he always let his feelings be known. Callahan had a thin face with a pair of muddy brown eyes. “Gettin’ hitched, I hear, Smith.”
“That’s right.”
“This your little woman here?”
“Yes, it is.”
“I guess you ain’t been by the post office today, have you?”
“No, I haven’t.”
Callahan grinned. “You won’t like it.”
“What is it, Jake?” Will asked.
“You don’t know either? Well, the notice just went up, and I talked to Colonel Johnson in charge of the troops here in Little Rock. It’s a new law.”
“What kind of new law?” Waco asked cautiously. “What’s it all about?”
“It’s called the Conscription Law.”
“Conscription? What does that mean?”
“It means that the Confederate Army’s got to have men, and at least one of you is headed that way. Conscription Law says every able-bodied man’s got to serve in the army. I guess that means you.”
Waco could not answer for a moment. There was a triumphant look in Jake’s eyes as he said, “You will be gone pretty soon. You’ll catch up with General Lee somewhere in Virginia. Let me know how you make out.”
As he turned and left, the three were quiet for a time.
“Look, there’s Micah. He’ll know about this,” Will finally said. He went to the door and hollered, “Sheriff, come over here, will you?”
Micah Satterfield came in and looked at the three. “How’re the bride and groom?”
“Never mind that,” Waco said. “What’s this about a Conscription Law?”
“Well, that just came out. The notice is on the post office wall.”
“Is there any way to get out of it?” Will asked.
“Sure. Run. I guess if you make it to the North, you won’t have to serve.”
“It won’t be too bad,” Waco said.
“
I knew something like this would happen,” Alice said, her voice tight and a tense look in her eyes.
“It ain’t as bad as it sounds,” Micah said. “This war can’t last too much longer. You fellas just go on and stay out of the way of any bullets.”
Alice turned and ran out of the store even before Micah.
“She’s plumb disturbed,” Satterfield said. “Women are crying all over the Confederacy, I guess. She’ll feel better, Waco.”
“I don’t know. I don’t think I will.”
“Well, one of you might be able to stay to run the store. It’s a pretty lame excuse, but it might work.”
Waco quickly replied, “I’ll be going back for sure.”
“You didn’t believe much in the Confederacy, did you, son?”
“No, I didn’t, Sheriff. Oh, I did at first when the bugles were blowing and the flags were flying and we were winning, but it became pretty obvious that we couldn’t win this war. I knew that a long time ago.”
“Well, you better go talk to Alice,” Will said. “Women are weak, but she’ll stay with you.”
Waco’s world had been shaken. He had talked to Satterfield several times and to the commanding officer of one of the Confederate groups and got the same story.
The major was a tall man with a fierce mustache. “Lee’s penned up, and Grant will get Richmond surrounded. That’ll be the end of it. Your woman will wait for you.”
He did not go back to the store for some time but just walked around town.
Finally when he returned, Will said, “Where have you been, Waco?”
“Thinking.” He stopped and gave Will a sober look. “I can’t marry Alice, Will.”
“Why, of course you can.”
“What if she got pregnant? Who would take care of her and the baby? When I come home, I may be blind or crippled. She needs a whole man.”
“You’ve got to do it, Waco. I wish you didn’t have to go. Just trust the Lord. He’ll bring you through.”
“You don’t believe that any more than I do. I don’t know about you, but I’ve ignored God so long He’s forgot about me.”
Later in the afternoon, Waco and Alice were in the store.
Will had gone on one of his errands, and he came back with his face alight. “I’ve been talking to the major. He says a man can pay a substitute to go into the army in his place.”
Waco stared at him. “That’s a pretty sorry kind of man to hire somebody to do his fighting for him.”
“No, listen. Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll be your substitute. Then you can stay here, get married, and take care of the store.”
Waco shook his head firmly. “You know I couldn’t take care of this store. We’d be broke in a week. But you’re right. One of us has to stay.”
They argued about the situation most of the day, and after closing time, Will said, “You may not like it, but one of us has to stay here and take care of the store and Alice.”
“You’re the only one to take care of the store, Will.”
“And you’re the only one who can take care of Alice. Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll cut cards for it. The high card goes to the army. The low card stays here and takes care of things until this war is over.”
“I don’t like it,” Alice said. “It doesn’t seem right.”
“I don’t like it either,” Waco added.
In the end, though, Will had his way. He walked over and took a deck of cards out of the drawer and said, “Here. Alice, you hold the cards out, and I’ll pick one and Waco will pick one.”
Waco watched as Will picked a card out and showed it to them. “The nine of spades.”
Waco reached out and said, “It’ll take a high card to beat that.” He picked a card out and stared for a moment. When he turned it over, he said, “Queen of hearts. I guess I’m going after all.”
“I still think it should have been me,” Will said.
“We did this your way, which was fair. As I said earlier, the store needs you anyway.”
“Well, it shouldn’t be for long. You’ll go off to the army and get the fighting done. When you get back, the store ought to be doing well, and you and Alice can get married then.”
Seeing the stricken look on Alice’s face, Waco smiled and said, “Well, that’s the way it’s got to be. I’ll be back before you’ve even missed me. Now I’d better be getting you home.”
Alice and Waco left the store and walked together. She said, “I knew something would go wrong.”
“Wars break up things, Alice. I’ll be careful. I’m no hero.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“Well, there are ways to keep from being shot. Take one of the wounded men out of the battle back to the hospital. It won’t be for long. You can fix the house up. Will will help you.”
Alice said sadly, “I thought my life was planned. Now it’s a wreck.”
“Your life is all right, sweetheart.” He stopped, turned her around, and held her tightly. “I’ll be back, we’ll be married, have a house full of kids, and grow old together.”
“If you say so, Waco.”
CHAPTER 4
The law office of L. G. Simms was cluttered to such an extent that Waco wondered how any work ever got done there. All the walls had shelves going up to the board ceiling, which were packed with books, magazines, newspapers, and souvenirs. The big desk, with its back to the single window, was illuminated by sunlight, and the surface was filled with artifacts, books—some of them open, some of them closed—and old newspapers.
Simms himself was a large man bursting out of his clothes almost. He had a large stomach decorated by a gold chain that led, no doubt, to a gold watch in his pocket. His white shirt had the sleeves rolled up, and the buttons seemed ready to burst off. All in all, L. G. Simms was a disappointment.
Waco had not known the man, but he and Will had come in to have him do some work.
“So, you’re going off to war. Is that right, Mr. Smith?”
“That’s right,” Waco said sparingly. “We have a little legal matter we want to take care of before I go.”
“Very well. That’s my specialty, little legal matters.” Simms grinned, pulled a half-smoked cigar from a desk drawer, stuck it in his mouth, then struck a match on his thumbnail and sucked the blue flame in. As soon as the purple smoke was rising as if from a miniature engine, he said, “What can I do for you, gentlemen?”
Will spoke up at once. “Mr. Simms, we went into business, a hardware store, as partners. We’re doing real well, but then this conscription thing comes up and throws us into a bind.”
“I should imagine it does.” Simms had small eyes and glasses that were propped up over his head.
“Yes sir, it really does.” Will nodded. “But only one of us has to go.”
“So I hear. So what’s your decision?”
“We cut cards for it, and I won, I guess you might say.” Will made a face. “I didn’t like it. I still don’t like it. It’s not right. It’s not fair, and I hate the whole idea.”
“Will, we already thrashed this out.” Waco shrugged. He turned to look at Lawyer Simms and said, “What we want to do is put everything in Will’s name, the business and a house we recently bought.”
“Well, that should be simple enough. You have the papers here?”
“Here are the Articles of Partnership,” Will said, opening up a folder. “And here’s the papers for the mortgage on the house. Still a little bit owing on it.”
“Well, this will be fairly simple. You gentlemen just wait one minute. I’ll get this matter out of the way.”
Waco watched as the lawyer worked on the papers. He appeared to be rather messy and almost turned the ink bottle over once, but he got through the business without total disaster. “Here, you two gentlemen sign right where I have marked. That’s all that will be necessary. You’ll need to go to the court with this at the capitol building.”
Will shook his head but leaned over and signed his name carefully. He h
anded the pen to Waco, saying, “I still don’t like it, Waco.”
Waco shook his head. He signed his name and said, “How much do we owe you?”
“Ten dollars ought to cover it, I reckon.”
Waco fished in his pocket, but Will beat him to it. He came up with cash and said, “Thank you, Mr. Simms.”
“Well, good luck to you both.” He turned to Waco. “And you dodge them bullets now.”
“I’ll do my best.”
As soon as they were outside, Waco said, “I guess we might as well head for the train station. From what I hear, the train will be pulling in sometime this afternoon. Trains don’t run on schedule with this war going on.”
The two walked along the boardwalk, and finally Will said, “Waco, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Are you scared? I mean scared of getting shot?”
“Not right now, but they’re not shooting at me.” Waco managed a grin. “I will be when about five hundred Yankees are trying to kill me.” He glanced over and saw a flight of blackbirds circle the town, making their harsh, guttural cries, then disappear behind the taller buildings. “I remember when I served the last time. I didn’t like it a bit.”
Will was quiet for a while and said, “We’ve never talked about this, but do you believe in God?”
“Of course I believe in God. What do you take me for? Just look around you. With a world like this, there’s got to be a world maker.”
The two trudged silently on, threading their way between the people going to work and soldiers wandering the town, and finally Waco said, “You know I’m not afraid of dying.”
“I would be.”
“Well, it’s what comes after that bothers me.”
Will shot a quick glance at his partner. “Maybe you’d better go talk to the minister.”
“No, I reckon not.”
“I expect he can tell you how to get right with God.”
The Western Justice Trilogy Page 28