We've Only Just Begun

by Kathleen Ball

  Chapter Six

  It was their turn to ford the Platte River. The morning sun was shining, and they’d all be across well before dark. The Platte River always seemed to take a person from each party that crossed, and Mike prayed that wouldn’t be the case today.

  He purposely put other wagons ahead of the Mott and Lewis wagon. He didn’t want to be accused of favoritism again. So he led the Sugar Tons, the Rangers, and a few of the other complainers across first. He even allowed Clancy to cross over before Susan. Smitty was already on the other side and had a big fire built in case someone fell in and needed to be quickly warmed. They also had men lined along the riverbank for extra safety.

  He motioned for Clarke Mott to drive down the bank. The wagons teetered and that always made him nervous. Next came Susan driving the Lewis wagon. Her mouth was shaped into a grim line, and he could tell she had a tight hold on the lines.

  “I think I should drive the team,” he suggested trying to give her a reassuring smile.

  She shook her head. “Everyone else drove their own wagons. I’m sure I can too.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck recognizing the stubborn look in her eye. “Have a good hold on the traces and follow the path. The poles mark where it is safe for a wagon to travel. Drive slow and steady and don’t stop. Just be careful Eli and Smitty are on the other side and they can help you if needed. Good luck.” Their gazes met and held, and this time she gave him a smile before she flicked the lines to move the oxen forward.

  He really wished she’d let him drive her wagon. He was nervous the whole time waiting and watching and praying. Relief swept through him when the wheels of her wagon were safely up on the other side. He felt like he could breathe easier as he led the other travelers one by one down the bank to the Platte River.

  Everyone had crossed, and Mike would’ve liked for them to all take a rest but they had to keep moving. The two parties ahead of them had already crowded the riverbanks, and he always found nothing but trouble camping near other parties. Whether it was things that were stolen, insults, or the worst sicknesses, something always went wrong. They’d keep going at least

  for the next three or four hours.

  He hoped everyone had followed his warning about the water around the Platte. He told them to stay away from it but as in all things it was usually one or two who refused to heed his warning. He hoped that wouldn’t be the case this time around. Tomorrow they’d come to the North Platte River where the water was plentiful and clean. They’d follow that River for a good long while.

  Susan’s arms ached from being so tense. The river crossing had been more treacherous than it looked. She should’ve taken Mike up on his offer and allowed him to drive, but unfortunately, her pride had stood in her way. But they made it, and she was proud of her accomplishments. While helping with supper, she heard some grumbling about people not having enough water.

  Why some people didn’t listen to Mike and his brothers she didn’t know. He had mapped out for them when they should fill the water how much they would need until the next place they would find water. Luckily, she and Natalie worked well together, and they had plenty of water. She wondered if she should offer some but then again it was the same people who had said things about her that seemed to be in dire straits.

  Perhaps, if someone came and asked her she’d be happy to share but she wasn’t about to offer. Besides, Mike said they’d be near the North Platte River sometime tomorrow. It would be nice to travel along the river for a change. Some days it seemed as though the scenery was the same over and over and over, so anything different was a welcome sight.

  “I really admire you,” Natalie said. She dished up some stew and handed Susan the plate. Lily was already eating. “You are very brave. It took everything inside me not to scream as we crossed the river.”

  “Natalie, I felt the exact same way. I’m just grateful that everything worked out fine. You are stronger than you know.”

  Smitty seemed to appear out of nowhere, and he stopped at the fire. “Susan, Clancy’s real sick and is asking for you. Now it’s up to you whether you want to come or not, but I’m just thinking how it would look to everyone else if you didn’t check on your husband.”

  Susan felt the blood leave her face, and her heart pounded faster. She stood up and nodded. “Let me grab some of my things and then we can go.”

  Natalie stood up to. “Susan, do you want us to come with you?”

  Susan crawled up into the wagon, grabbed a few things, and came right back out. “No, absolutely not. If there’s a sickness I don’t want you or Lily anywhere near it. You just stay put. I don’t know how long this is going to take. It could be that I won’t return until morning.”

  Natalie hugged her then stepped back. “If you need anything you send word. You hear me?”

  “I will, I promise.” Susan hurried away with Smitty at her side. Hopefully, Clancy just broke a finger or something. But as they neared his wagon she knew it was much more serious than that. The first person she spotted was Mike, who turned and gave her a sad smile.

  Mike reached out his hand to pull her through the crowd. “He’s mighty sick, and it looks like cholera. Now, it’s not a death sentence. Some people do pull through, and if there was any other choice, I wouldn’t ask you to do this, but he needs you to nurse him. Can I count on you?”

  She squeezed his hand. “Of course you can.” She held on as Mike helped her up into the wagon, and then she turned away.

  The smell inside the wagon was so putrid she wanted to vomit. Clancy lay on the wagon floor holding his stomach and writhing in pain. She’d seen cholera before, and was positive that Clancy had it. Poking her head out of the back of the wagon she yelled to Mike that she needed clean water and for someone to dump out the water in Clancy’s barrel.

  She rummaged through the wagon to find fresh linens and cloths. She wiped the sweat off Clancy’s brow, surprised at the look of hatred on his face.

  “It hurts bad, real bad.”

  “I know, Clancy, I know.” She hurried to the back of the wagon when Mike called out that he had the water. She had him pour some into a cup and some into a basin. She then put both near Clancy, wet a cloth and began bathing him.

  Cleaning his upper body didn’t give her any qualms but she’d have to clean the rest of him, and she’d never seen the rest of them. She shook her head. If she didn’t do it, no one else would. She slipped off his soiled clothes and did what she could. Next, she tried to get him to drink some water, but he didn’t want any. In fact, he told her to leave but she refused. It only became worse from there.

  Clancy’s mind wasn’t clear, and he didn’t seem to know her. He refused to drink, so when he fell into a deep sleep, she took a cloth and dripped water into his mouth. It seemed to work for a while but it just came back up again. He couldn’t seem to hold anything down. She felt bad for him he really didn’t have anybody. Not one person volunteered to help. She could hear them all outside the wagon whispering to each other. His soiled clothes and bedding lay at the end of the wagon and she quickly threw it all out the back. The resulting screams of disgust made her smile.

  An hour later, Mike stuck his head in and said he had some tea Smitty had made for Clancy and a cup of coffee for her.

  “Thank you. Are people still standing out there?” She put the cup of tea next to the cup of water and then she held the coffee. It had cooled off enough for her to drink and it tasted wonderful. “Thank Smitty for me too.”

  “When you threw his contagious clothes out the back of the wagon, everyone scattered. What else can I do for you?”

  “There’s nothing much to do, but seeing you helps. You know, I really don’t know much about Clancy. I know he never married before, he has no children, but that’s all I know. I have no idea if he has a mother or father out there if there’s anyone to notify in case…”

  “You’re doing the best you can. Right now, the other things don’t matter. The only thing that matters is Cl
ancy’s health and yours. I’ve seen cholera wiped out whole families and a big portion of wagon trains. Make sure you keep your hands clean and wash them after touching him. Don’t share a cup or anything else. I want you to stay well.” His eyes briefly held his feelings for her, but all too fast it was gone.

  “Can you let Natalie know I’ll be spending the night here? I don’t want her to worry. I’ve nursed people with cholera before, and I’m being careful. If I can’t get him to take water, I don’t think I can save him.” Her heart felt heavy, and sadness washed over her.

  Mike’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he gazed at her. “Smitty said he’ll have some supper out to you. He said he interrupted your meal when he came to get you.”

  “How long have you known Smitty? He sure is a giant of a man with a great big heart.”

  “Most my life. My parents died a while back, and Smitty’s been helping me raise my brothers. He’s been the one constant in our lives. I don’t know what we’d do without him.”

  Clancy cried out in pain, and Susan hurried back to him. She tried to get some tea down him, but he didn’t want it. She began dripping the water drop by drop into his mouth. She didn’t give him very much at a time, and he kept it down—for the moment, at least. Leaning back against the side of the wagon, she closed her eyes and let the tears roll down her face. Right now, he could go either way, and she hoped he lived. Not that she wanted to live with him again, but she’d never wished him ill.

  Mike shook his head, and his eyes grew wide. People never ceased to amaze him. He glanced at Eli and Jed as they sat the morning campfire. Their eyes were wide too. A number of people had come to them asking to leave Clancy and Susan behind. They didn’t care that Susan wasn’t sick. One of their group even suggested it would be the equivalent of cutting off a toe to save a foot. No one cared that he was going put them at the end of the train and no one offered to help except for the Motts and Natalie. He shook his head. People always started out on the journey as nice, generous people, and somewhere along the way, they turned mean and stingy. All he could hope for was when this crisis was over they turned somewhat nice again.

  “I’m going to check on Susan and let her know they’ll be at the end of the train today. Jed would you mind driving their wagon?” Mike didn’t wait for an answer he marched off into the direction of Clancy’s wagon.

  The first thing he noticed was a neatly folded pile of the soiled items Susan had thrown out the wagon the previous day. He also saw another pile of extra bedding. Perhaps people weren’t as mean as he thought. But the lack of people standing around the wagon was obvious. People just didn’t like sickness, and they were afraid. He called out her name softly and waited.

  Susan poked out from the back of the wagon. Her long black hair stuck up at odd angles. Blue half-moons lay under her eyes, and the smile she gave him was sad. “It’s good to see you, Mike. Clancy is the same, but at least he’s no worse. If you could get Smitty to make me more tea for him I’d appreciate it.”

  “Sure I can do that. Jed’s going to be driving your wagon today.”

  “Perhaps Jed can drive Natalie’s wagon, and I can drive this one. I was almost afraid we’d be left behind.”

  Mike smiled at her. “The Lewis wagon will stay up front where Smitty can keep an eye on Natalie as she drives. She wants to do it, so I thought that we’d give her the chance. Jed’s going to drive this wagon. There were a few that wanted you left behind, but you’ll be at the end of the train so be prepared for some dust. Smitty is making you a pot of tea, a basket of food and some coffee. I’ll have him stop by and grab some of your things from Natalie if that’s alright with you.”

  “Be sure to thank Smitty for me. I’ll need some more clean water too if anyone is willing to share. Will we make it to the North Platte River today?”

  Mike took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “We should later in the day. I wish there was something I could do to help you. Susan, you look so tired. Did you get any sleep at all?”

  “I cat napped here and there,” she said, but her cheerful smile seemed forced.

  He didn’t want her to know just how bad she looked so he nodded. “That’s good I’m glad you were able to get some rest. I’ll check on you again when we stop for the noon meal.” He put his hat back on his head and tipped it toward her. “You take care.”

  “Mike? Thank you for caring.” She pulled her head back into the wagon.

  Mike’s heart sank. He hoped she didn’t end up sick too. He wished he hadn’t had to ask her to nurse Clancy, but there’d been no other choice. He turned away from the wagon and was surprised to find plenty of people watching him from a distance.

  The Sugar Tons stopped him as he tried to walk by. “We are leaving them behind, aren’t we?” asked Trudy Sugarton.

  “They’ll be riding the tail end of the train. They’ll be of no concern to you.” He started to walk away when Elton grabbed his arm. Mike looked down at Elton’s hand then stared hard into the other man’s eyes until Elton unhanded him. “Like I said, they will be of no concern to you.” Mike walked away. How he wished he could plant his fist into Elton’s face. He heard other people call out to him, but he didn’t stop. He didn’t have a kind word for anyone at the moment.

  Soon enough, everyone was ready, and he yelled, “Wagons ho!” Smitty took the lead, followed by Natalie and the rest of the train with Susan and Clancy in the rear.

  It was smooth traveling for them, and they were able to go a bit faster. They covered much more ground than he’d anticipated by the noon meal. They stopped, and he immediately went to see how Susan was. He’d worried about her all morning. What if she caught what Clancy had? What if she died? His heart felt as though it was being clamped in a vise and he was helpless to make it stop.

  As he drew closer to the wagon, Jed motioned for him to be quiet. He peeked quietly into the back. Both Clancy and Susan were sleeping. Poor Susan was sitting up with her head at a weird angle. She was bound to have a sore neck when she woke. He eased away and nodded to Jed before he got on Arrow and rode back up to the front of the wagon train. He smiled when he saw the Lewises and the Motts at Smitty’s fire. They were good folks.

  As soon as he was off Arrow’s back, they surrounded him, all talking at once, asking how Susan was faring.

  “Right now, she’s sleeping and that’s a good sign since she looked so tired this morning. I’ll have Smitty bring her more tea and food before we leave.”

  Savanna Mott stepped forward. “Would it be alright if I went down to take a peek?”

  Mike shook his head. “I know you’re worried about her, but the rest of the travelers are not happy. They expected me to leave both her and Clancy behind and I can’t have them getting upset and assuming that the sickness is spreading.”

  “Hogwash,” Savanna said. “I try to be tolerant of others really I do but some people just make me want to scream.” The rest nodded in unison.

  Mike took the cup of coffee that Smitty offered him. “I think that happens in most communities and that’s what we are, a community. We’re stuck with each other for months, and I’m trying my best.” He took a swig of his coffee and in turn to Natalie. “How’d you do?”

  She smiled brightly. “Much better than I ever thought. This whole experience has made me realize just how strong I am. When Susan gets back we can take turns driving.”

  “Good, that’s good to hear. We should be near the North Platte River by the end of the day. I’ll have Jed watch Clancy while you ladies take Susan for a much-deserved dip in the river.”

  Lily clapped her hands together. “Yea, for going swimming.”

  Mike smiled. It was nice to make at least one person happy.

  His smile of making it to the North Platte River faded when they stopped for the night. He motioned for them to circle the wagons, watching as each driver pulled the wagon into the right position, but before the last wagon was part of the circle men had gathered and blocked Jed from joi
ning. Dang, the possibility of death scared people stupid. He urged Arrow to move forward.

  “What’s going on here?” He recognized many men he’d thought to be reasonable.

  Ranger stepped forward, rifle in hand. “We’re not allowing that sick, diseased wagon in with ours. You might be sweet on Susan, but that doesn’t mean you can put our lives in danger.”

  Much of the crowd yelled in agreement.

  Mike stared at Jed, who had a rifle across his lap. These men meant business, and he couldn’t put his brother in harm’s way. He raised his hand to quiet the unruly crowd. “Listen, you know I wouldn’t have had Jed drive the wagon if I thought cholera was contagious. You have to be careful is all. But, if you all feel so strongly about this, I’ll have Jed drive the wagon outside of the circle and next to mine.”

  “We want them to just turn around and go in another direction!” someone shouted.

  Mike sighed. “That’s the best I can do. By rights, I have the authority to allow them inside the camp, but I’m listening to what you have to say, and I’m making a reasonable compromise.” He stared at each man until they nodded and looked away. All except for Ranger.

  “We’ll go along with it for now but this isn’t the end of it!” Ranger shouldered his way through the crowd and headed to his wagon.

  Mike nodded to Jed who drove away and around the wagons. Jed stopped the wagon next to Smitty’s, close but not too close. Jed was smart.

  Susan peeked out the back of the stopped wagon. How could people be so cruel? A shudder rippled through her, and she wrapped her arms around her waist. They’d have their wish soon enough. Clancy was getting worse, and she couldn’t get him to keep anything down. The wagon was filled with soiled clothes, and this time she didn’t dare throw them outside. She didn’t need to be lynched or banned.