by Al Lacy
Again Vanessa spoke up. “Curtis was being a gentleman, Mr. Comstock. When he heard me tell Dwight to leave, he stepped in to take my part. It was Dwight who swung first.”
“Well, he called me a rodent!” Dwight said.
“You were pushing yourself on a married woman,” Curtis said. “It’s bad enough to be that way with any woman, but you sure shouldn’t be bothering a married woman!”
Ezra looked at the senior Cuzak, who was still in Solomon’s powerful grasp. “Like I said, Walt, be gone.”
Walt struggled to get free of the crushing arms. “Make him let go of me, Ezra!”
The wagon master nodded. “Turn ’im loose, Sol.”
Solomon eased the husky man to the ground and released him.
“You can’t do this, Ezra,” Walt said in a wheedling tone. “Me and my boys jumped Curtis because he was fightin’ Dwight. We didn’t know any more than that. It was an honest mistake. I apologize for what Dwight did.”
Ezra was silent for a moment, then said, “That ain’t good enough. I’ll consider lettin’ you stay if Dwight sincerely apologizes and promises not to cause any more trouble.”
Walt was still trying to get his breath as he fixed his third son with a hard, meaningful look.
Dwight bristled then looked at Vanessa. “I…I’m sorry, Mrs. Tolliver. I really meant no harm, but I’m sorry.”
Dwight turned to Curtis Holden. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean no trouble. Just don’t like bein’ called a rodent. ’Specially a rat.”
“Vanessa… Curtis…,” Ezra said, “do you accept his apology?”
Both nodded.
“I’ve got one coming, too! It was my wife you were flirting with!”
A stubborn look etched itself on Dwight’s bearded face.
“Do it,” Walt said.
Dwight managed to ease the stubborn set of his features and said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Tolliver. All I was doin’ was just bein’ friendly. I really didn’t—”
“Don’t you ever go near her again!” Lafe cut in. “Best thing for you to do is leave all the women alone!”
“He won’t bother any of the ladies,” Walt said. “Married or not. Will you, Dwight?”
“No,” Dwight said. “No, I won’t.”
Silence settled over the crowd as everyone waited for Ezra to speak. “Dwight, do I have your solemn promise you won’t cause any more trouble in this wagon train? I mean, all the way to Sacramento?”
Dwight didn’t look at his father, but he could feel the heat of his look. “Yeah. You got it.”
Ezra was silent for a long moment. “Okay, Walt. I’ll let you and your wagons stay in the train. But the five of you had better toe the line. There won’t be a second chance. Understand?”
“Yeah… I understand.”
Ezra told the crowd they’d best get to bed…tomorrow was another long day.
Elmer and Maudie Holden had waited for their grandson, and now watched him look around on the ground for the clothing he’d dropped when the fight started. “I… I dropped the wash around here somewhere. I’ll take it back and wash it again.”
Just then, Deborah came toward them, carrying the wash and smiling. “I picked up the clothes and rinsed out the dirt.”
“Why, thank you,” Curtis said. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know. But it’s my way of saying how much I appreciate what you did for Mrs. Tolliver. You are a real gentleman.”
Curtis blushed and introduced Deborah to his grandparents.
“Would you like me to help you hang them up?” Deborah asked.
“That would be great,” he said.
When the wash had been hung on a line strung from the Holden wagon to a nearby tree, Curtis said, “Thanks a lot. Girls are better at this kind of thing than fellas are.”
“I won’t disagree with that,” she said. “Well, I’d better be going.”
Curtis stepped close, wanting to take hold of her hand, but refrained. His heart was banging against his rib cage. “See you tomorrow, Deborah.”
“Sure will.” Deborah turned and took a couple of steps, then turned and said, “I want to say again that I appreciate what you did for Mrs. Tolliver.”
Curtis grinned. “I’d do the same for you.”
On the thirteenth day out, Ezra announced they were near the Nebraska border. The hot sun bore down out of a cloudless sky, causing tempers to flare, but no fights broke out.
It was quite evident to Elmer and Maudie Holden that Curtis and Deborah had a powerful attraction for each other. Others in the train saw it, too. Elmer offered to ride in the back of the wagon for a while that day, so Curtis could invite Deborah to ride with them. Deborah gladly accepted the invitation.
Because of the intense heat, everyone was drinking more water. It had been two days since they had come to a stream, and the water barrels were getting low. Ezra assured everyone that they would reach a stream the next day.
The wagons lumbered slowly over an undulating sea of wind-blown grass, and trees had become scarce. When they came to an area where there were large patches of earth with no grass, Ezra ordered the wagons to spread out once again, so the people didn’t have to eat each other’s dust.
Hannah sat next to Solomon and wiped her sweaty dirt-streaked forehead, longing for a good soak in a stream. Her hair was full of dust, and like everyone else, there was grit in her mouth.
As the wagon rocked and creaked, and the heat and dust tormented her, Hannah thought of the home she had left in Independence and the convenient place to bathe, unlike this journey between streams, when all they could manage were “spit baths.”
At midafternoon, Solomon handed the reins to Hannah and swung into the saddle on Nipper. The three oldest Cooper children were riding in different wagons with their friends, but Patty Ruth, who had been crabby and quarrelsome since she’d awakened, rode inside the Cooper wagon with only Ulysses for company.
Ezra rode from wagon to wagon to say they would stop at sundown and were coming back to grassy fields where they could graze the animals. He pointed out that according to the guidebook published by John C. Fremont in 1846, they were now 209 miles from Independence. They had averaged sixteen miles a day, and he was pleased.
As the sun was setting, there was a welcome sight on the western horizon. Heavy clouds were gathering, blocking the sun, and the air began to cool down.
However, the cool air had not eased Patty Ruth’s fussiness. At supper, she toyed with her food, and when corrected by her mother, she sassed back. Solomon took her behind the wagon and spanked her. When she returned to supper, her lower lip protruded, and though she gave no more sass, she was quite obviously still in a bad temper.
Solomon and Hannah realized that it wasn’t easy for their little girl to stay cooped up in the wagon all day, especially in the heat, and they were giving her the benefit of the doubt. But when she only stared at her food and refused to eat, Solomon told her to get inside the wagon and stay there until she could straighten up.
With Ulysses in hand, Patty Ruth went to the back of the wagon where a couple of wooden boxes were stacked high enough for her to climb up to the tailgate. Biggie, who had already had his supper, welcomed her.
Just as the Coopers were finishing supper, Buck Mylan, who drove one of the Coopers’ supply wagons, and his parents were passing by. The Mylans had taken a liking to the Coopers.
Rosalie Mylan greeted the Cooper children, then looked around and asked, “Where’s that sweet little Patty Ruth?”
Chris and B. J. looked at each other and snickered.
“That’s enough, boys,” Solomon said.
“Patty Ruth is in the wagon,” Hannah said with a sigh. “She… ah… she’s been a bad girl today.”
“Why, I can’t imagine that,” Rosalie said. “Don and I have talked about what a charming little thing she is.”
“Oh, she’s got her charm all right,” Solomon said, chuckling. “But along with all that charm lives a very stubborn wil
l. She’s a precious little girl, and very loving, but periodically she has to be dealt with.”
Don Mylan snorted, then laughed. “Who does that sound like, Rosalie? Buck’s big sister, Donna, was just like Patty Ruth when she was her age. It’s Donna and her family that we’re joining in California. Donna was a charmer, but had a stubborn streak. She needed a lot of correcting. But let me encourage you, she’s turned out okay. She married a fine man, and they have two wonderful children.”
“Well, that is encouraging,” Solomon said. “I guess there’s hope for us, honey.”
Hannah laughed. “I’ve never doubted it. I’ll admit that the little one is very different from her sister, here, but she’ll turn out all right.”
As the Mylans moved on, Solomon said, “Sweetheart, I told Cecil Oakley I’d come over after supper and help him repair one of his wagon wheels.”
“All right, darling. Better head on over there then.”
As Solomon limped among the campfires, he came face to face with Walt Cuzak. Cuzak just stared at him and started to move past when Solomon turned and said, “Walt…”
“Yeah?”
“Look, there’s no need for you and me to be at odds. Here we are, traveling in this wagon train together with a long time to go. Being enemies is foolish. How about we bury the hatchet, and—”
“You’re the one who put the bear hug on me, Cooper. I didn’t do it to you. So, who started it, anyway?”
“I was only helping Curtis, Walt. I didn’t start anything.”
“Another thing… you stay away from Tony with your religious stuff.”
“Tony will tell you that he approached me,” Solomon said.
“Well, you stay away from him. I don’t want him hearin’ all that Jesus stuff.”
“If Tony’s willing to listen, I’m going to talk to him about being saved until he opens his heart to the Lord. Would do you some good too, Walt. Not only will Jesus give Walt Cuzak a place in heaven, if you’ll let Him, He’ll take that sour attitude out of you and give you real joy.”
Anger suffused Cuzak’s face. “I don’t want anything to do with Jesus Christ!”
Solomon kept his voice low and looked at Walt with compassion. “You will have plenty to do with Jesus Christ one day, whether you like it or not. Every Christ rejecter is going to stand before Him at the White Throne Judgment and be cast into the lake of fire.”
Cuzak swore again, and said, “I don’t believe that!”
“It’s your very unbelief that will land you in hell forever. By saying you don’t believe what I said about the Lord Jesus Christ, you’re telling me that you’re headed for hell.”
Tony stepped out of the shadows just as Walt turned to walk away. When father and son came face to face, Walt stopped long enough to say, “You stay away from that fanatic!” With that, he moved stiff-leggedly across the circle.
Tony lifted his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry for Dad’s behavior, Mr. Cooper, and I appreciate the kindness you showed him in spite of his attitude.”
“You were listening?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, what about you, Tony? Do you want to escape the lake of fire?”
“Of course.”
“You can be saved right now, if you will. I’ll be glad to help you.”
Tony wiped a nervous hand over his mouth. “I… uh… I’m not ready yet, Mr. Cooper.”
“Are you ready to die?”
“Well, no—”
“Then you’d best turn to Jesus right now.”
“Mr. Cooper, I appreciate your concern for me, but… well, I need some more time.”
“Are you reading those Bible passages I marked for you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, keep it up. And Tony…”
“Yes, sir?”
“Read Luke chapter 12—the part about the rich man who thought he had many years to live. See what happened to him on the very night he assured himself he had a long life ahead of him.”
“I’ll read it right now, sir.”
“Good. I’m always here for you, Tony. Don’t ever hesitate to come and find me when you need help with this.”
“I won’t, Mr. Cooper. Thank you.”
At the Cooper wagon, Hannah and Mary Beth were drying the dishes and cookware. Hannah turned to her sons, who were sitting by the fire talking, and said, “Would one of you boys go inside the wagon and bring the box that the cooking stuff goes in?”
“I’ll get it, Mama,” B. J. said, and darted away.
Hannah turned to her other son. “Chris, throw some wood on the fire. We’ll need more light when Papa returns for Bible reading before bedtime.”
Chris went to the small pile of broken tree limbs and bent to pick some up just as B. J. came running back, saying, “Mama! Patty Ruth’s not in the wagon!”
“What? Of course she is. She was told to stay there until she was ready to straighten up.”
“No, she isn’t. Biggie’s in there, but she and Ulysses are gone.”
Chris dropped the wood and followed his mother as she rushed to the rear of the wagon. Biggie made little whining sounds, wagging his tail.
As Hannah searched, panic rose within her. She returned to the rear of the wagon and climbed down, looking around the circle. There was no sign of her youngest daughter.
She went to the outer perimeter of the circle and called Patty Ruth’s name repeatedly. When there was no response, she turned to Chris. “Go get Papa! Mary Beth… B. J.…split up and go around the circle and ask if anyone in camp has seen your little sister. I’ll wait here for Papa.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The brilliant moon spread its silver light over the prairie as the wind picked up, popping the wagons’ canvas covers.
Cecil Oakley looked skyward and commented, “Those clouds in the west are getting closer, Sol. I think we’re about to get some rain.”
“Papa! Papa!”
Solomon glanced up to see his oldest son running across the open circle.
“It’s Patty Ruth, Papa! She’s disappeared!”
Solomon dropped his tools and lay aside the wheel. “What do you mean, disappeared?”
“You sent her to the wagon during supper and told her not to leave it till she was ready to straighten up…well, she’s gone. Mama asked me to come and get you.”
Solomon turned to his friend. “Cecil, I’ll have to finish this later.”
“I’m coming with you,” he replied. “Katherine, would you bring me the lantern from inside the wagon?”
Ezra Comstock was already at the Cooper wagon with several other men when Solomon arrived, and Micah Comstock’s voice could be heard in the camp, recruiting men for the search.
Ezra nodded encouragement and said, “Sol, we’ll find her. She couldn’t have gone far. We’ll get every man to help us. We’ll spread out with the lanterns.”
Hannah’s grip tightened on Solomon’s arm. “Oh, Sol. You don’t suppose she ran away because you sent her to the wagon?”
“Honey, she’s been sent to the wagon three times since we left Independence. She didn’t run away the other two times.”
Hannah brushed a trembling hand across her forehead. “But, maybe she decided this time would be the last time.”
“We’ll have the answer when we find her. Now, you stay here with the women and children while we go after her.”
Micah joined the group with four more men.
Quickly Ezra organized the men into four teams and sent them off in different directions. Before they left he told them, “When you find Patty Ruth, fire three shots in quick succession. The rest of us will converge at that spot.”
The wind was getting stronger, carrying the unmistakable smell of rain as it stirred the campfires and made the lanterns flicker.
Ezra glanced at the sky. “It won’t be long till those clouds cover the moon… and there’s rain comin’. We’re all glad to get the rain, but we’ve got to find that little gir
l before the storm hits. Let’s go!”
Chris had one of the lanterns from the wagon in hand. “Is it all right if I go, Papa?”
“Sure, son. You can be on my team.”
“Can I go, too, Papa?” B. J. asked.
“You’re a bit young yet, son. I don’t want to have to go looking for you, too. Sorry, but I can’t let you go.”
“But I want to help find my little sister.”
“I know, but you’ll need to stay here and give strength to Mama and Mary Beth. You’ll be a big fella if you do that.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll take care of them for you.”
“Good boy.” Solomon turned to Hannah and laid a hand on her shoulder. “I know you’re already praying, sweetheart. Keep it up. We’ll find her, and she’ll be all right, too. I love you.”
Hannah nodded, blinking to hold back the tears. She stepped to the edge of the circle of wagons and watched her husband and son move out onto the prairie with the other men. She felt two small bodies press against her and arms go around her waist.
“Patty Ruth will be all right, Mama,” Mary Beth said. “Jesus knows where she is, and He loves her more than we ever could. He will take care of her.”
“That’s right, Mama,” B. J. said. “Jesus will take care of her.”
Every woman in the wagon train was gathered around Hannah, Mary Beth, and B. J., and took turns speaking words of encouragement.
Twenty minutes had passed when little Polly Winters looked up at her mother and whispered, “Mommy, could I tell Mrs. Cooper that I love her? Maybe that would make her feel better.”
“I’m sure it would, honey,” Gladys said. “Go ahead.”
Hannah was looking toward the prairie once more, praying in her heart.
“Mama…” Mary Beth said. “Somebody’s here to see you.”
Hannah turned to find the sweet little five-year-old who had become Patty Ruth’s friend. “Why, Polly… hello.”
“Mrs. Cooper,” came the tiny voice, “I love you.”
A lump rose in Hannah’s throat, and she bent down to pick up the little girl and hug her close. “I love you, too, sweetheart.”
Polly wrapped her arms around Hannah’s neck and leaned close to whisper, “My daddy and Patty Ruth’s daddy and the rest of those men will find her, Mrs. Cooper. Patty Ruth is my friend, and I know God will take care of her.”