Chapter 6
Larry’s Family
The three boys trotted their horses quietly through the settlement stopping at John and Larry’s cabins to say goodbye and to give thanks. Their adopted parents hugged them wishing them well and Godspeed. It wasn’t what you’d call a real family moment so much as it was familiar faces saying goodbye and being polite. The boys mounted up and headed down towards the trail. Once on the outskirt they turned their mounts' noses to the south and brought them to a gallop. It was a well-maintained trail and they knew it well enough to run the horses in the light of the moon. They hoped they could get far enough away from the settlement before Foster’s body was found. Ray figured it would take several days for the crew on Emery’s land to realize their boss was dead and that no one was around to pay them. By the time they deserted the site and got back to the settlement, the boys would be long gone or at least enough of an inconvenient hanging, that nobody would follow. Most of the lumbermen would forget about the boy; their greatest concern would be the future of the mill. Since it was all about the money and nothing personal, the muscle should just move on.
After a few miles of distance were established Ray turned to his partners.
“We better stop and give the horses a rest. There's a stream over there and we can pull up behind those large rocks where no one will be able to see us. Besides I'm getting’ hungry.”
“You’re hungry?” said Larry, in more disbelief. “I've been eatin’ chunks out of the back of this horse for the last five miles.”
“Larry,” laughed John, “your horse barely puts up with you riding on her back, let alone lettin’ you take bites out of her. There may come a time when she turns and eats you.”
“Now John, You know that Princess is the nicest, most easy goin’ horse you ever come in contact with,” Larry said.
“Princess? Who in hell calls his horse, Princess?” Ray quizzed.
And again they all began to laugh, Larry, slow to start, but he joined in. It felt good after several days of hardship to laugh and laugh hard. Larry even had tears running down his face.
They dismounted their horses behind the rocks and led them to the water, careful to gauge how much they drank. If they had too much water they wouldn’t be able to ride out in a hurry if need be. After drinking, the boys removed their saddles picketing them in the tall grass to graze and roll.
Trying to relax a little, they sat with their backs up against the rocks and ate the last of the venison and drank from the cool stream.
“John, I know you lost your parents comin’ out from New York, but Larry, you’ve never told us how you came to be an orphan?” Ray inquired.
“I don’t like talkin’ about it much that’s why I never brought it up, but, well, when I was about ten, my parents and me and my two brothers moved out west from Virginia,” started Larry, slowly.
“Why did you leave the South Larry?” asked John
“The war. Pa had lost everythin’ and he didn't want any part of the war in the first place. He and Ma didn’t believe that Americans should be fightin’ Americans. He was afraid the South would take us boys away to fight. So he packed us all up and we slipped out. He figured going clear out to Texas would keep us clear of the fightin’.”
“So you been on a wagon train?” interrupted John.
“Yeah, it wasn't that big a deal, there were several wagons headin’ out every few days,” answered Larry, a little annoyed by the interruptions.
“I didn't know you had any brothers Larry,” Ray said, a question in his voice.
“Yeah, Tim and David, they were both some older than me. I didn’t spend much time with David but Tim and I used to do a lot of stuff together. We had this old creek down behind the cabin that we’d go fishin’ and swimmin’ in. Tim always caught more fish than me. David stayed around Pa more. Well we pulled up stakes and left the south for Texas. We made it too. We settled into a small farmhouse that had been left by the previous owner, started puttin’ in fields, buildin’ fences. I remember that as the best time of my life. We built up a place that we were all proud of.” Larry stopped talking and stared at a small rock on the ground. In his mind he was reliving those days in Texas.
“Larry, if you don't want to talk about this just say so,” said Ray, softly.
Wiping away a small tear that he was surprised to find in the corner of his eye, Larry continued. “They came early in the day… they told Pa they were authorized by the Confederacy to take the two older boys to serve. There were about eight or nine of them on horseback. Pa stood his ground though, tellin’ them he didn’t agree with the war and no one was gonna force his sons to fight. They threatened him but he didn’t back down. Well, we thought that was the end of it, but about three nights later I woke up to a loud bang and my Ma’s screaming. I jumped out of bed and ran out the front door onto the porch. My brothers were right behind me. Lying stretched out in the front of the house was my Pa. My Ma stood in the doorway crying. The men from the other day were sittin’ their saddles all around him. As I started to call out, one of the men placed another round into the back of Pa’s head. I saw his head bounce…my oldest brother, David, turned and ran back into the house, and got a rifle. Tim and me grabbed Ma and jumped from the porch just as David opened up on the eight men. He placed two rounds into the man that shot Pa. The force of the bullets knocked him off the back of his mount; he was dead before he left his saddle. The others returned my brother's fire. He was hit by so much lead that it almost lifted him off the ground. Tim ran for the fallen rifle but was hit in the leg and couldn’t get up. Ma ran back to where David was lying on the porch and fell beside him weeping.
“I guess I was in shock or somethin’, cause’ I just stood up, walked past Tim and retrieved the rifle. I chambered a round and began walkin’ towards the riders. I heard one of them tell me to put the gun down. They looked at me as if I was a little kid and I guess I was one, right up until they killed my Pa and brother. They were less than twenty feet away, just starin’ at me. From the hip I shot two of them out of their saddles before I felt a bolt of lightning strike my head. I could feel myself fallin’ and everything went black. I must have been out cold for some time. When I woke up I found myself layin’ face down in the dirt.” John and Ray sat motionless with their mouths half open in shock, trying to hold back tears for their friend.
“My face was turned to the side and every-time I breathed, the dust would blow away from me in a puff,” Larry continued, “Then I remembered why I was layin’ there and what had happened. I rolled over slowly onto my back. My head was pounding like a sledgehammer hit me. I got up onto my elbows and looked around. There was no one, not even the bodies of David and Pa. All was quiet and calm. I thought at first maybe I hit my head and dreamt the whole thing up. I rose slowly to my feet and began to walk towards the front porch. There in the door way was a pool of dried blood, my brother's blood. I could tell that David's body had been drug away towards the barn. Figurin’ Ma and Tim must a moved Pa and David I followed the tracks to the entrance of the barn. From there I could see them. I....”
“Jesus, Larry, what happened to 'em?” Ray asked, scared of what the answer might be.
“They had hung Pa and David up, already dead, and they also hung up Tim. There was a paper stuck to Pa that said “Traitor to the Confederacy” on it. I couldn’t look any more. I took out my pocketknife and cut ‘em down. I heard the bodies hit the ground and I ran out of there. I headed for the house calling for Ma. I called several times but got no answer. I busted through the open door and there was no one around. I headed for my parent's room. I thought maybe Ma was there thinking we were all dead. I knocked on the door, callin’ out to Ma. I heard some moving around so I pushed the door slowly open. My mother was stripped down naked and tied to the bed. Her face was badly beaten. I guess they had taken her and then left her for dead. I covered her with a blanket and then cut her ropes. She just stared at the ceiling… she never moved… she just star
ed. I cleaned up her face and got her under the covers. Once she fell off to sleep I went outside and dug three graves. It was when I was throwin’ the last shovel full of dirt on Pa's grave I heard the rifle shot from inside the house. I was old enough to know what that shot meant. The next day before I rode out I burned that farm to the ground. None of that filth was gonna move in after I left. All that was behind me was the four graves up on the side of the hill.
I joined up with the Snyder family out on the trail. They were leaving Texas and asked if I wanted to tag along.”
“So the Snyders brought you to Wisconsin?” asked John, his voice reduced to a reverent whisper.
“Yup, and now it looks like I'm heading west again.”
“Larry I don't know what to say. You sure turned out okay after all that. Hell I probably would have gone crazy or somethin’. Life sure can be one great big piece of shit sometimes,” Ray exclaimed, not really knowing what to say to all he had heard.
“What do you say we get to movin’? I've had enough rememberin’ the good old days,” Larry said sardonically as he got up and walked out towards the horses.
Once Larry was out of earshot John looked at Ray, “Holy shit Ray, did you have any idea that happened to Larry's family?”
“Hell no and I suggest we don't ever bring it up again,” Picking up the small rock that Larry had been staring at and tossing it into the creek, “Lets’ ride damn it.”
They rode for several days and never saw any pursuit on their back trail, puzzled as to why the marshal wasn't coming down out of the woods after them. The only man with enough money to keep that place going was dead by Ray’s hands and his daughter had been hit in the face and shot.
“I don't get it?” said Larry “where’s all the pursuit?”
“I don't know Larry,” Ray answered, “I expected that girl to wake up screaming for blood.”
“Maybe she can't wake up,” questioned John with a scared look on his face.
“Oh bull shit,” cussed Ray, “It was only a small rap on the jaw. She would have been awake within an hour of us pullin’ out and the gunshot wound was only to her shoulder.”
“Well I guess we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth,” said John. “Let’s just keep ridin’ before someone decides we should be hunted down.”
“Where we headed anyway?” asked John.
“I heard tell that most of the wagon trains start somewhere down around Missouri, if they don’t we should still be able to sign on to one travelin’ through,” Ray guessed.
-CKS-
“Missy, Missy, you’re at the doctors. I bandaged up your shoulder. It was only a flesh wound, nothin’ too serious as long as you keep it clean. If you want to you can stay here until you feel better,” explained Doc Meyers to the Foster girl lying on the bed in his office.
Samantha rose up from the bed and with a look of defiance told the Doc, “I do not want to remain here. I need to go home. I have things to attend to.”
“Miss, I know about your Pa. I am so sorry, but how old are you, seventeen, or maybe eighteen?” Doc asked with a tone of concern in his voice.
“I am seventeen, Doctor,” she said as she buttoned her blouse and prepared to leave.
“Do you have family back east that you can go and live with? It was just you and your Pa out here. I could try and contact a member of your family for you if you’d like,” offered Doc.
Placing her feet on the floor and heading for the front door, Samantha replied with little fluctuation in her voice. “What on earth are you talking about? I have a mill to run, timber to cut, and the tracking down of the three who murdered my Pa.” The doctor was left standing there with his mouth dropped open all the way to the floor.
At the door she turned ever so slightly and looked over her shoulder to the doctor, “Did those murderers bring me here?”
“Yes they did and they are not murderers. From what I heard, your Pa drew on
Ray first,” defended Doc
“That is a bold faced lie. I was there I should know. Did they say where they were headed? I’d love to thank them,” she said in thick sarcasm.
“They said they were headed for Canada,” lied Doc.
“Since you and the trash that caused me all this pain are so close, I'm sure they will want to pay my bill.” With that she left the room.
As she walked across the Doc's yard she thought how easily he had given up their direction. Standing in front of Cooper's cabin, Samantha knocked on the door. Only a small crack opened in the door. It was just enough for a gun barrel to push through.
“Who's there and what in hell do you want? If that's you Ray I got no more money to give you, you get gone, on to California, if you know what’s good for ya.” came the voice from inside the cabin.
“To California huh? So that's where they’re going?” asked Samantha.
“Why Miss Foster, I didn't know it was you, I thought it was someone else.” explained Gus.
“I know, you thought it was Ray Cooper at your door. Now answer me quick, where in California?” Samantha Foster demanded.
Now Gus was a natural born coward and types like him did not have many friends, but he was the type to try and stay clear of other people’s affairs. He knew he’d stay alive a lot longer that way.
“I don't rightly know, Miss Foster, they just said California,” shied Gus.
She could tell he knew more, “Gus, there could be a little extra money in your pay if you can be more specific.”
“Well by God, I don't know for sure,” he said as he stepped out onto the porch in his long johns and scratching his chin.” Those three sons-a-bitches are probably headed for the southern part of California. The Mrs. has a sister out there, I heard tell.”
Without another word she turned her back to Gus and marched off the porch. Gus's eyes followed the curve of the nightgown as she marched away. “Shit, look at the swing in that gate, but I'm sure glad I'm not the one that little bobcat is after,” Gus licked his lips and called after her. “You won’t forget about that little extra cash in…”Gus’s voice trailed away as he realized Samantha had already dismissed him from her thoughts.
Revenge Requires Two Graves Page 7