by Easy Jackson
“Yes, ma’am,” Tennie said.
Helen smiled. “I really just wanted to say thank you.” She squeezed Tennie’s arm. “God bless you.”
“And you, too, Miss Helen.” Tennie hoped Helen found the house worth the price she was going to pay for it.
Helen left her, and the judge appeared at Tennie’s side. Tennie smiled and told him again how much she appreciated his hospitality.
“My darling girl,” the judge said. “It has been my pleasure. If things don’t work out between you and your young man, you are always welcome here. I have no one, you know.”
Tennie, feeling sorry for him, reached over and pecked his dry cheek lightly with a kiss. She took his hand and squeezed it.
The whistle blew, and the conductor yelled, “All aboard!”
“They won’t let us ride in the caboose, will they, sir?” Lucas asked the judge.
The judge smiled and shook his head. “Sorry, son. That is reserved for the railway employees. You take good care of your stepmother, hear?”
“Yes, sir,” Lucas said, taking her by the hand. “Come on, Miss Tennie.”
They called and waved their farewells to the judge as Gid got on behind them.
“Did Miss Maribel ask to speak to Mr. Hawkshaw?” Tennie whispered to Gid as they walked to their seats.
“No, I asked her, but she give me this funny look and said no, it weren’t necessary,” Gid whispered.
“All for the best,” Tennie whispered back, looking behind her at Hawkshaw sitting alone in the corner. She sat down in the middle of the carriage with Lucas and Badger, while Gid took up his usual spot by a window at the other end. He already looked bilious.
Tennie watched the picturesque town recede from sight, and all she could think about was getting home to Texas.
* * *
They continued to pick up passengers as they hurtled their way to Mobile. Two bachelors in their early thirties got on and sat on the other side of the aisle from Tennie. They dressed in nice suits, wearing new narrow-brimmed hats. When they tipped their hats to her, she saw pleasant faces with regular features. She gave them a nod and brief smile before turning her eyes away. Before becoming betrothed, she probably would have enjoyed talking to them. Now, she had little interest in anything but listening with half an ear to their conversation. Married or not, she would never tire of hearing the sound of men’s voices.
They would be getting off the train before it reached Mobile to attend the wedding of a former comrade in the army. In between time, they talked about crops, politics, the weather, and horses.
Although Gid lurched when he walked and was so unsteady he had to hold on to the backs of seats to stay upright, he forced himself twice to walk to first class to check on Maribel.
“She told him she was fine and to leave her alone,” Lucas whispered. “She sure isn’t very nice to him.”
Tennie made no comment. Instead, they ate supper out of the baskets Viola had prepared, with Lucas taking Hawkshaw his share. Badger took Gid food, but he could only eat a few bites. The men next to Tennie were some of the last to visit the dining car attached to the train.
Gid sat in the corner of the train car, staring morosely out the window. He had already held his head out twice and vomited, much to the disgust of his fellow travelers. Hawkshaw had tried to get him to buy another bottle of whiskey to help him sleep, but Gid refused.
“The colonel won’t let me drink on the job, and I don’t want to end up like my ole pappy, so I best not,” he said, but Tennie thought the real reason was because he didn’t want Maribel to see him drunk and think even less of him.
The light outside began to fade. Tennie didn’t know why they were so tired. All they had done most of the day was sit and wait. She stood up, rousing the boys so they could fold down the wooden seats to sleep on. Hawkshaw had surprised her at the previous stop by buying handwoven blankets from a vendor and tossing them to her. She looked toward his corner and found a solitary figure, legs stretched out, arms crossed, and hat over his face.
After placing one blanket down as padding, she folded the other as sort of a pillow. They curled up on the seats, the rhythmic sounds and rocking motion of the train cradling them into sleep.
She was awakened by the sounds of boots scraping against the wooden planks of the train car floor. The two young men had returned from the dining car, laughing and whispering. Occasionally they spoke a word or two too loud, but they weren’t disruptive. Tennie let them think she was asleep.
She caught snatches of conversation about a woman. As their voices rose and fell, and Tennie’s ear became accustomed to them, she found their laughter and conversation increasingly derisive. She hoped they were not talking about Maribel.
“. . . like a wild mare going to stud,” one of the men said. The other laughed in agreement.
Tennie became afraid Gid would hear and feel like he had to do something noble to protect the honor of his cousin. Without looking at the men, she rose on one elbow and adjusted the blanket around Badger. The voices beside her became muted and stopped.
The facilities in first class were much better than those in the other cars, and Maribel wasn’t required to make mad dashes every time the train stopped. Esther would alight alone, ignoring everybody. Not only did Maribel never step foot off the train, she sent word to Gid by Esther that until they reached Mobile, he wasn’t to bother her. To Tennie’s relief, Maribel did not request a visit from Hawkshaw.
The handsome young men had departed at the previous station, and the train had partially filled with more people headed the short distance left to Mobile.
Once the train began moving, Tennie walked to where Gid sat and took a seat across from him. “Don’t fret about Miss Maribel, Mr. Gid. She’s perfectly fine in first class. Mr. Hawkshaw says we are going to stay a few days in Mobile so he can tend to the horses. You’ll see more of her there.”
He sighed and looked out the window. “It’s always been the same. ‘You Coltranes jest get back now.’”
Tennie didn’t know how to reply, so she changed the subject. “I’m thinking I need to send a wire to Mr. Lafayette telling him we are on our way back. I don’t know if it would do any good to send one to Wash in Waco, or if he is still in South Texas roaming from place to place.”
Gid drew his eyes away from the window to look at her. “I reckon the colonel would get word to him if there was any way of doing it. I’ll help you send the wire.”
When they tumbled from the train in Mobile, Hawkshaw said he was heading for the livery stable to check on his horses, telling Gid to see the ladies situated in hotel rooms. Lucas and Badger put up an argument to go with Hawkshaw; they wanted to see Rusty. Tennie didn’t blame them.
Hawkshaw agreed they could, but issued dire warnings. “I’m not watching out for you imps. You better follow me, because if you get lost, I’m not coming to look for you.”
They started off, but Tennie held on to Lucas for a second. “If you get lost, find a police station and stay there until Mr. Gid and I can fetch you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed before running to catch up with Hawkshaw and Badger.
“And take care of Badger!” Tennie called after him.
She turned to Gid, and together they walked to first class.
“We’re going to have to rent a wagon to get all her trunks to the hotel,” Tennie said. “I think people can check their luggage in at the station and pick it up later, but I have a feeling she’s not going to let us do that.”
Just as she thought, Maribel insisted on taking everything with her. It took a while before Gid could find a wagon to rent and load it. Maribel wasn’t happy riding in a wagon and wanted a buggy for hire. Gid found one and helped her get in.
“Pay the driver now, Gid,” Maribel ordered.
Gid did as she said without comment, emptying his pockets. “Gonna have to go into the boot money now,” he grumbled.
When they arrived at the inn, Tennie found it charming, wi
th architecture reminiscent of what she had seen in New Orleans. It didn’t look like an inn to Tennie; it was more of a smaller version of a nice hotel. However, Maribel wasn’t impressed and wanted to stay at a much larger, statelier hotel down the street.
Surprisingly enough, Gid put his foot down. “No, ma’am. This here is where Mr. Hawkshaw said we was to stay, and this is it.”
Maribel frowned, sailed in to demand the largest available suite for herself, leaving Gid to pay for the wagon.
Once inside, Gid obtained two rooms with an adjoining door as they had before. He and Tennie carried their bags up the stairs. A porter and a loaded-down Esther struggled to carry Maribel’s luggage into a room across the hall. Gid opened the door to their rooms and motioned Tennie inside, where he quickly followed her. He left the door open just enough for them to peek out. The porter stood at the door of Maribel’s room, hoping for a tip, but was turned away. Gid hastily shut the door. He had already been burned twice. He wasn’t going to be stuck with the porter’s tip, too.
He took Tennie’s things through the adjoining door and deposited them on the bed. “Are you wanting to stay here and get rested up?”
“No, I want to go down to the livery to see the boys and the horses. We can send Mr. Lafayette a telegram tomorrow when we know more about how long we’ll be here.”
“Sounds like a mighty fine plan to my ole jug ears.” Gid opened the door and looked up and down the hall to make sure the porter wasn’t lurking about waiting for him.
“We need to tell Miss Maribel, though,” Tennie said.
Gid nodded and followed Tennie to Maribel’s door. Tennie knocked, and Esther answered.
“We are going to the stables to look at Mr. Hawkshaw’s horses,” Tennie said. “Would Miss Maribel care to walk with us?”
“Certainly not!” came a voice from deep into the room.
Esther, looking like black thunder, closed the door in their faces.
Tennie didn’t know what devil possessed her, but she knocked again. When Esther opened the door, Tennie called into the room, “If you don’t need Miss Esther, perhaps she’d like to go with us?”
Maribel appeared at the door. “Of course, I need Esther here. Really, Mrs. Granger,” she said, so forcefully Tennie blushed.
“Okay. We’ll be back in time to see about supper.”
“There is no need,” Maribel said. “I will dine in my room. Now good-bye.” And she shut the door in Tennie’s face.
Tennie turned to Gid. “I guess she told us.”
They began to walk down the hall. Gid looked so despondent, Tennie, as before, changed the subject. “I hope Lucas and Badger didn’t get lost. Or we are going to be spending all our time trying to find the police station.”
When Tennie and Gid arrived at the livery nearest the tracks where they thought they would be, Lucas and Badger were watching Hawkshaw examining the horses.
“They look fine to me,” Tennie said.
“I told you Floyd would take good care of them,” Gid said.
“Where are they?” Tennie asked, looking around.
“I sent them for lumber,” Hawkshaw said. “We’ve got a stock car, and we’re putting in a door and a platform on one end so Rusty and I can walk back and forth from the cars to check on them. I want to knock up some stalls inside the car, too, instead of just having them loose.”
Tennie thought it was perhaps the most words he had spoken since they left the Coltrane farm. “Miss Maribel’s at the inn. She said for us to eat supper without her.”
“Good,” Hawkshaw replied, stroking the neck of one of his horses.
“Are you going to need Mr. Gid to help you with the carpentry work?” Tennie asked, knowing how much Gid liked to gad about town. “If not, maybe he could escort me around Mobile and meet you back here later.”
Hawkshaw looked up. “Not today. He can help tomorrow. It’s better you get a feel of the town today if you think you want to roam tomorrow.”
“I thought maybe Miss Maribel and I could take a carriage ride around Mobile tomorrow.”
Hawkshaw stopped messing with the horses and looked at her. He turned to Gid. “Take her around to land agents and see if there is anything for rent around here.”
Gid nodded, but Tennie could see he didn’t totally understand what Hawkshaw meant. She grabbed his arm. “Come on, Mr. Gid. We’ve got to find a house agent, preferably a handsome one.”
She stopped and asked the first policeman she came to in the business district. “We’re trying to talk a friend into moving to Mobile, but we don’t want her to think we are pushing her. She’s a widow, and we thought she might be more receptive to a handsome agent.”
The big policeman looked at her askance, shook his head, and pointed. “Go across the street there. He’s not so fine, but the rest of them are older than dirt.”
Tennie thanked him, and she and Gid walked across the street, entering the land agent’s office. The policeman had been right. The house agent was a small man with a chin that hadn’t kept up with the rest of him, but he was nice. She repeated what she had told the policeman and expanded on it.
At the same time, she realized she and Gid did not look entirely prosperous. “Perhaps you have heard of the Beauregard plantation. Miss Maribel is Mr. Raiford Beauregard’s sister.”
He looked about to deny any knowledge of them when a slow dawning crossed his face. “Oh yes, Maribel Beauregard. That was her maiden name.” He looked at Tennie keenly. “And you say you are a friend of Judge LeRoy?”
“Yes, my stepsons and I stayed in his home. A very kind man. A perfect host. His son was in a regiment commanded by a friend of mine back in Texas.”
“Not Winn Payton?” he asked.
“Oh, yes,” Tennie said.
It was a little scary how everyone in the South knew everybody else and all their business. They discussed the Paytons briefly.
“I think a little tour of the town tomorrow afternoon would be in order,” the agent said. “I have a few homes that might pique Miss Maribel’s interest.”
Tennie walked to the door with relief. The agent turned to Gid. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name. You are Miss Maribel’s cousin?”
“Yes, sir,” Gid nodded. “Giddings Coltrane. The younger.”
“Coltrane,” the agent pondered. “Your sister breeds horses, doesn’t she?”
Gid agreed with gratification as the agent’s eyes lit up. “I’ve heard they are something special.”
“Well, heck, yeah,” Gid said. “We got a few of them down yonder at the stable yard right now. We’ll be carrying them to Texas in a day or two. You ought to come on down and have a look at them.”
The agent agreed, and instead of sightseeing in Mobile, Tennie got to endure standing around the livery stable again.
But the next day, hopefully, she would get a tour of Mobile courtesy of the land agent. It was a fair enough exchange. She was glad to see Rusty again in any case. He looked excited, happy, and smelled strongly. He and Floyd had scrounged up the lumber Hawkshaw wanted and were eager to see more of the town. Tennie and Gid agreed, as long as they met them back at the inn in time for supper.
That evening, Tennie knocked on Maribel’s door. Esther opened it, and Tennie asked if she might come in and speak to Miss Maribel.
Maribel came to the door before Esther could relay the message. “What is it, Mrs. Granger?”
“A gentleman wants to take us on a buggy ride and show us the sights of Mobile tomorrow afternoon, Miss Maribel. He’s a friend of a friend of Judge LeRoy.”
Maribel stared at her for a few brief seconds before saying, “All right,” and shutting the door.
Tennie thought if she had just muttered “man, buggy ride” Maribel would have agreed.
That night as she prepared for bed, Tennie thought of all the lies she had told on Lafayette’s behalf and hoped she didn’t burn in hell because of them. She paused, thinking she heard the sound of Maribel’s door opening. Going to
her own door, she opened it a crack and peeked out.
Maribel was garbed in a red silk gown that pushed all the limits of what a lady should wear. The neckline plunged; the shoulders under her flimsy wrap were uncovered, and Tennie thought if she sneezed, a breast might pop out. Around her still lovely throat was a pearl necklace. Maribel sashayed down the hall, unseeing, with a mumbling Esther looking at the floor, trailing behind her. Maribel seemed determined to follow a headstrong path. Behind that determination, Tennie sensed desperation.
She closed the door, feeling guilty for being so judgmental of Maribel, yet at the same time, knowing nothing could excuse her treatment of Gid, or Esther either.
CHAPTER 21
After breakfast the next morning, with another nonappearance by Maribel, Gid walked Tennie to the telegraph office. After much discussion and advice from the operator, she sent a telegram to Lafayette saying in a shortened version that everything was fine, and they would be leaving Mobile for Texas in two days. The telegraph office in Cat Ridge was good about relaying telegrams to the stage drivers to deliver to Shorty. Her world in Ring Bit seemed a hundred years away. She wondered how all her friends were doing, how Rascal was getting along. She almost felt like sending Shorty a telegram saying how much Badger missed his puppy. Wash had promised they would go back for the puppy. Wash . . .
“Miss Tennie, I need to get back to the train yard to help Mr. Hawkshaw with that there stock car,” Gid said.
Tennie was brought back to the present. “I’ll stay around the inn. Do the boys need to come back with me? I don’t want them getting into trouble in a train yard.”
“Naw, naw,” Gid said. “Them young’uns will be fine. If they get to pestering us, I’ll make Rusty and Floyd bring ’em to you.”
Tennie hung around the inn and Dauphin Street, trying to look like a visitor, not a prostitute. It must have worked—several men smiled and spoke, but nobody offered her money or tried to pull her into an alley.
Hawkshaw and Gid would find something to eat close to the train yard. Taking a small purse from her pocket, she opened it and counted her money, deciding that cheese and crackers would be enough to hold her until supper. After making her purchases, she went back to the inn to nibble on them. By the time the land agent arrived, she had been waiting in the lobby an hour.