Dorothy Garlock - [Annie Lash 03]

by Almost Eden

  Aee came out of the house and went to the well. Eli stood. Knowing that the conversation had stopped and the men were watching him, he went to her and took the well rope from her hand.

  “Let me help you.”

  “Why? I ain’t no mamby-pamby town-woman.” Aee kept her face turned from him.

  “I know that.”

  “I ain’t no married woman either.”

  Eli pulled the bucket to the top of the well and poured the water into the one at her feet. He didn’t speak until he had lowered the well-bucket and tied the rope to the crossbar. He took her arm and turned her toward him. Even in the near darkness he could see the swelling on the side of her face.

  “Why do you keep harping on that?”

  “’Cause ya can’t take yore eyes off her. That’s why.”

  “Don’t you like Maggie? Godamighty! She fought like a wildcat to keep that crazy fool off you.”

  “’Course, I like Maggie. It ain’t nothin’ against her.”

  “I’m just worried about her going off with Lightbody.”

  “Well now, don’t that beat all! Light’s her husband—”

  “—He’s not. He’s her . . . companion.”

  “What do ya mean by that?”

  “They’re not married. Leastways not by a preacher or a magistrate.”

  “Is that what’s it about? That don’t mean doodle-dee-squat. Ma and pa didn’t stand up to a preacher. There wasn’t one that’d marry a white man to an Indian. But Pa loved her and knew she was right for him. They married each other in their hearts. I’m thinkin’, Swede, ya ain’t got no notion a’tall about what goes on in a woman’s heart.”

  Aee bent to pick up the bucket. Eli’s hand covered hers, and she dropped the pail as if it were hot.

  “I’ll take it to the door.”

  Not trusting herself to speak, Aee walked ahead of him.

  The meeting at the well had not gone unnoticed by Paul. He glanced at MacMillan and saw the man watching Aee and Eli. The seed he had planted was taking root.

  * * *

  The Osage camp of domed huts was in an uproar when Light reached it. He was extremely glad he had not brought Maggie with him. A warrior had caught his wife under a blanket with a young brave and had cut off the end of her nose, the classic Osage punishment for adultery. The brave was to be beaten by the indignant husband until his relatives or friends came forward with presents of sufficient value to persuade the outraged man to relent.

  The husband took great care with his choice of weapon. The club of chokeberry was heavy enough to strike cruel blows, but not so heavy that the brave would die too soon.

  After the brave was stripped, bound and thrown to the ground, the beating commenced. Knowing the young brave would be beaten to death if no one came forward with compensation, Light realized how far removed he had become from his own people. He tried to close his ears to the sound of the club hitting flesh and the groans of pain. Although he wanted to turn away from the boy’s suffering, he watched. It would not do for Sharp Knife to appear squeamish.

  The beating stopped when a gray-haired old man came forward leading a spotted pony. The husband looked at the pony with disdain.

  “Grandfather, why you bring this skinny beast?”

  “Because it is the boy’s most prized possession. He rather die than part from him. I bring so he can see one last time.”

  “He die without the horse?” A crafty look came over the husband’s face.

  “It is so.” The old man struck his chest with his fist in a gesture of grief.

  “Then he will die.” The husband threw down the bloody club, jerked the rope from the old man’s hands and walked away with the horse.

  The wise old grandfather knelt, cut the bonds holding the young brave and helped him to his feet. He was dazed and blood ran from his mouth. A young girl came from the crowd to help lead the youth away. The crowd murmured at the strange end to the punishment.

  Chief Dark Cloud stepped forward and raised his hand. There was instant silence.

  “It is done, grandfather. Take him away and tell him to control what is under his loincloth.”

  He motioned to Light and walked into the circle of domed huts. A crowd followed them, then stopped when they approached a hut of tremendous size.

  “Sharp Knife! Sharp Knife! Sharp Knife.” The call came from the collective voices of the people.

  Light lifted his hand in a gesture of friendship, then ducked into the hut. The chief sank down on a blanket, motioned for Light to sit, then began to fill his pipe. A powerful man in his early fifties, he wore his gray-streaked hair long and unbound. He was very large with the muscular, flat-bellied body of a much younger man. His eyes were fierce in their pride.

  “It is good that you have come, Sharp Knife. Much has been said about how you saved Zee.”

  “It was my duty as an Osage.” Light accepted the pipe, drew on it and handed it back.

  “That is so.”

  “I came to tell you that I will be staying here until spring.”

  “You stay with Mac?”

  “I stay near him, but in my own lodge.”

  “You are welcome here, Sharp Knife.”

  “I thank you, Chief Dark Cloud, but my woman would not understand the Osage way.”

  “She would approve of adultery?”

  “No, but neither would she approve of cutting off the woman’s nose, or beating the brave. It is her white blood that makes it so.”

  The chief shrugged. “It is of no importance that Singing Bird does not approve.”

  Light was wise enough not to argue. “I will continue my journey to the mountains in the spring. I came, Chief Dark Cloud, to buy hides to cover my lodge. I have the white man’s coin to pay.”

  “We have no need for white man’s coin.”

  “It is all I have.”

  “Because of you we have Zee. You will have the hides to build your lodge.”

  “It is good to be an Osage.” Light drew on the pipe again. “When I hunt, I will bring meat to your lodge. Should your enemies come, I will be here to fight them with you.”

  The chief nodded.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Light chose a place among a stand of pine for his lodge. It would be shielded from the winter wind and near the creek that flowed into the river.

  Many Spots and his warriors arrived two days after Light’s visit to the Osage camp. They brought not only furs and hides but the willow poles needed for the frame. Upright poles were set in the ground and arched to overlap on top where they were tied together—the lower poles being at the ends, the higher near the center. The vertical poles were then interlaced with tiers of horizontal saplings and the dome-like structure took shape. A hole was left in the top to draw smoke, and the frame was covered with mats and skins. Stones were set in the middle for a fire and furs placed on the floor for warmth.

  In less than two days the lodge was finished.

  Eli watched with interest as Light’s winter home took shape. He and Paul had been staying in the shed on the boat. It served as a shelter, but did very little to keep out the cold. Eli and Paul had talked over the idea of taking a canoe and going downriver with the trappers who had stopped a few days back. The two rivermen had decided that everything they had in the world was here, and here it would stay until their flatboat was repaired.

  Work had stopped on the flatboat until planks for the deck could be hewn from downed oak trees MacMillan had cut the year before. It would not do to use green wood on the deck because when dried it would shrink. That backbreaking work on the oak was better suited for weather colder than the present warm autumn.

  Bodkin and Dixon had decided to cast their lots with MacMillan and become the first residents of his village. Eli was certain that the homesteader’s two older daughters had a lot to do with the decision.

  Work began on a stockade-type cabin for the two men. Eli, Caleb and Paul cut trees, trimmed them, and used the oxen to drag them to t
he homestead. Under MacMillan’s direction, the logs were cut to the proper length and set upright in a trench. The work continued from daylight until dark and the cabin took shape rapidly.

  Autumn was also a busy time of year for the MacMillan women. Pumpkins and squash were gathered; some were dried, others stored in the dugout root cellar. Beans were shucked and corn shelled. The corn that was not made into hominy was ground into cornmeal or bagged for future grinding and hung in the rafters. Some meats were smoked and others salted. Fish was caught, skinned and placed in brine. Walnuts and pecans were gathered by the younger children.

  Maggie was delighted not only with her first home, but that they would be near the MacMillans for the winter. Watching his young wife, Light was grateful for the patience of the MacMillan women. Maggie was as unskilled as the youngest MacMillan child when it came to preparing food for winter and other housekeeping duties. Knowing this, Mrs. MacMillan worked with her, or gave her jobs to do with one of the older girls.

  Maggie was a willing helper but she occasionally ran off to look for Light. When she found him, she would throw herself into his arms and kiss him soundly as if all she needed to know was that he was there and that he was safe.

  * * *

  The middle of November brought a few flakes of snow. The first pole cabin was finished. The clay in the rock fireplace had slowly dried so that a fire could be built. Linus built a table, benches and shelves for the new owners and received ample praise for his work. Bunks were attached to walls and a scraped skin was stretched over the window to afford a measure of light. Although small, it was a snug and comfortable cabin.

  MacMillan suggested building another cabin some distance from Bodkin’s and Dixon’s and the work began. Paul and Eli could use it this winter, and later, if they did not stay, it would become part of a homestead for a settler. Eli had not committed to settling here permanently. He talked of going back downriver in the spring to try to recoup his loss. Nevertheless, he appeared to Paul to be more content than he had been in a long while. He and Aee did not snipe at each other quite so much, but there was still a coldness between him and Light. They avoided each other when possible.

  The crewmen, Paul and Eli were still eating at MacMillan’s table. The work they would do during the winter, MacMillan assured them, would more than pay for the food they ate. The family enjoyed the evenings. The younger children had taken to Paul, and little Eee would often climb onto his lap. The men sat before the fireplace spinning yarns while the women cleaned up after the meal. They all missed Zee. Many Spots had taken him back to the Osage.

  Aee continued to ignore Eli and had managed, so far, not to be alone with him. She was, however, aware every time he looked at her, but not once did she let him catch her looking at him. Her large brown eyes passed over him as if he were a fly on the wall.

  Bodkin wanted to court her. Everyone in the family knew it and often teased her about it. Even though he was clean and pleasant, compared to Eli, he was plodding and dull. Sometimes when Eli was watching, she deliberately turned her attention to young Bodkin. This brought happy smiles to the crewman’s face and disapproval to Eli’s. None of this went unnoticed by Paul.

  One evening, feeling she could sit still no longer under Eli’s watchful eyes, Aee threw her shawl about her shoulders, picked up the bucket and went out to the well. The night was still and cold, the stars bright. She breathed in the cool pine-scented air.

  At the well she lowered the tin bucket and waited to hear the plop as it hit the water. Suddenly a hand reached over her shoulder and took the well rope from her grasp. Aee jumped and let out a little squeak of fright.

  “Scared you, did I?” It was the Swede’s voice.

  “Ya sneaked up on me!”

  “You’ve been avoiding me as if I had the plague. This is the only place I can catch you alone. And . . . I was not sneaking.”

  “Then what would ya call it?” she demanded. “Ya certainly didn’t come up behind me like a herd a buffalo.”

  “I could have been a Delaware. You shouldn’t come out here alone.”

  “Why not?”

  “You know why not. Did you think that poor love-sick Bodkin was going to follow you and you’d have a few minutes alone in the dark with him?”

  “Linton Bodkin?”

  “He’s the only Bodkin here,” Eli said dryly.

  “Well . . . what if I did? It ain’t no business of yores.” Aee’s heart was beating so fast that she was breathless.

  “He’s not for you.” he said crossly. “Not by a jugful!”

  “Well . . . I never—” she sputtered.

  “Mind what I say, Aee. Stop leading him on. He’s a decent enough fellow. It’s not fair to let him think he’s got a chance with you.”

  “Leadin’ . . . him . . . on? How do ya know that he don’t have a chance—”

  “—You’re stammering, Aee.” Eli chuckled. “It isn’t like you. You’re usually ready with a smart answer.”

  “I . . . I could slap ya!”

  “If you do, I’ll slap you back. On second thought I’d rather kiss you.” He poured the water into the bucket at her feet, swung the well-bucket back and tied the rope. “Come on. Your pa knows I came out here with you. I don’t want him coming out with his gun.” He picked up the bucket. “Come on,” he said again when her feet seemed glued to the ground. “Or do you like being here in the dark with me?”

  “I’d rather be here in the dark with a . . . with a polecat!”

  He laughed.

  “Don’t ya laugh at me, ya . . . ya mule’s arse!” She headed for the cabin, her face flaming.

  He laughed again. “You ever been kissed, Aee?”

  “No!” she gasped.

  “I’m going to kiss you someday . . . soon,” he said just as she reached the cabin.

  Aee pushed open the door, hurried inside and retreated to the far corner of the room. She busied herself hanging her shawl on the hook.

  Unable to keep the grin off his face, Eli followed. Every eye in the room turned toward them when they entered. Eli set the water bucket on the shelf.

  “I think I’ll turn in. Thanks for the supper, Mrs. MacMillan.”

  Eli was still smiling when he went out and entered the room in the side cabin where he and Paul were staying while working on their own cabin.

  * * *

  Light and Maggie cooked their meals in their own lodge. Light hung deer, turkey, goose and ’coon in MacMillan’s smokehouse. There was no shortage of fish, nuts and root vegetables. The days were short this time of year. Light and Maggie spent long hours in the warm cocoon of their blankets, making love and making plans for their future.

  It was an ideal time for Maggie.

  “Will our home on our mountain be like this?” she asked one night. Snuggled close to Light, she could just barely see the outline of his features in the red glow of the fire in the middle of their lodge.

  “Better, pet, because it’ll be ours. We’ll have a cabin with a floor. We’ll have our own smokehouse and corral for our horses. You’ll have a root cellar and a well and . . . a privy.”

  “A privy?”

  “A privy, mon amour. My wife will not have to squat in the woods. In the winter, I’ll set a trap line and we’ll take the furs to a trading post.”

  “Is one there, Light?”

  “There will be. People are moving west.”

  “Maybe Eli an’ Aee’ll come with us.”

  Light was quiet for a moment. “Why do you say that, chérie?”

  “She likes him. Her face turns red when he looks at her.”

  “She talks to Bodkin—”

  “That’s to bother Eli. He don’t act like it, but he likes her.”

  Light rolled her over and looked down at her. “I suppose you just know that too.”

  “Uh-huh. I wish you an’ Eli liked each other, Light. He wonders about ya.”

  “Has he said that, sprite?”

  “No. But he looks at ya . . . funny.
”

  Light rolled onto his back and took her with him. The intuition of this small, wonderful creature never ceased to amaze him. The Swede seldom spoke to him but always listened intently when he was speaking to someone else. For a while it seemed that Maggie was the contention between them. Light was sure the Swede wanted her. He was still interested in her, but now it was a different interest, one Light couldn’t put his finger on.

  “I had a bath t’day in the washtub,” Maggie whispered as if it were news of monumental importance.

  “I could tell. You smell like soap.”

  “We put the tub in the girls’ sleepin’ room an’ started with the littlest first.” Maggie giggled. “After Eee an’ Dee, it was my turn cause Cee is bigger than me.” Maggie giggled again. “Noah Dixon likes Bee. Did ya know that, Light?”

  “I kind of suspected it, pet.”

  “Are ya goin’ to love me again tonight, Light?” Maggie moved to lie on his chest so that she could kiss his face.

  “Do you want me to?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  He rolled with her again, locking his arms and legs about her.

  “Ho! Ho! I’ve got a little vixen for a wife.”

  “Is . . . that . . . good?” she murmured between kisses.

  “It is very, very, very good for your husband, mon amour.”

  * * *

  Because Light was more skilled at hunting than at carpentry, he was the designated hunter. It took a goodly amount of meat to feed fifteen people, and he had not forgotten his promise to take meat to the Osage camp. Each day while the others worked on the cabin, he took to the woods with his rifle, bow and quiver of arrows. For the first couple of weeks after his lodge was finished, he hunted through the area five miles east of the settlement, leaving the north and west for the Osage.