Seth

by Lynn Donovan

  Seth finished his meal and paid Gladys. “Thank you for being open.”

  “Thank you.” Gladys scooped up his money and the sheriff’s tip. “I guess I’ll see you later at the Founders’ Day Dinner?”

  “No. Patience asked me to help them out in town. I’ll be staying around here.”

  “Oh, well, you be careful out there.”

  Seth smiled. “I will. Thanks again, Gladys, sure was good.”

  “You’re welcome, Seth. Come back, anytime.”

  Seth pinned the star on his shirt and walked out slowly as if he were waiting for someone to notice he was now a deputy. Sheriff Caleb walked up to him as if summoned. “Hey, Seth. I hear you’re our extra man today.”

  “Yeah. Looks like I am. What you want me to do?”

  “Just keep your eyes peeled for anybody who looks like they’re lookin’ for trouble. Especially when the parade is finished. Once everybody goes to the pastor’s house, I suspect any real troublemakers will be hanging back. With the stores empty, who knows what they may have in mind, but it may seem like the opportune time to rob a place or get inside the bank. Good thing we got that new dynamite-proof safe. I’m not so worried they’ll get any money out of the bank, but if they get into the general store or what not, they could take you business peoples’ money boxes. Or some of y’all’s goods.”

  Seth nodded and looked across the crowd. There were unfamiliar faces. Rough looking men walking through the crowd. He’d keep his eyes on them and holler to Caleb if any of them looked like they were paying too much attention to one store or another. He stepped away from the sheriff, and worked his way down to the end of the parade route and back, crossed the street and walked to the end and back. Patience and Caleb did the same, only they stayed on the opposite sides of the street from each other.

  The scent of cooked beef and other meats on the spits at Uncle Harrison’s wafted across the downtown area. Nick Garcia, Foreman from Hope Ranch, and Andre Hernandez, Foreman from Second Chance Ranch, had been cooking that meat on three open spits with rotating bars all night. Seth inhaled and closed his eyes. Man, he hoped Purity brought a plate or two of that home.

  The parade started with Cousin Cyrus and Faith Burke in the mayor’s carriage. It was hard to keep his attention on the people rather than the parade, but Seth did his best. He made a mental note of where the strangers gathered together and where they went when they separated. They really did seem like they were planning something. But what?

  The last time he could remember bushwackers in town was just after the War. He was about eleven and Purity was thirteen. Her older sister, Grace, had a kissing booth in the street fest, and it was the first time Seth kissed Purity on the lips. He paid a penny to do it. The bushwackers had got fresh with Grace and Sheriff Patience stepped in to handle the situation. As long as he could remember, Cousin Patience had kept this town safe.

  A wagon full of children rolled by and caught Seth’s attention. They were precious and sang like cherubs. Scarlett Bivens, Cole’s wife, directed them in their songs. Looked like they were five or six years old up to early teens. How he wished one of them was his and Purity’s child. He shook his head at the thought. Why couldn’t they have a child? Neither Momma nor Evelyn Graham, the town alchemist and nurse to Momma’s clinic, could find anything wrong with either one of them. So, why—?

  Seth lifted his eyes to the hill where the church sat on several acres covered with cottonwood and elm trees. Further up the hill was Uncle Harrison’s homestead, where Purity was helping get ready for the entire town and several local ranches to converge on them for dinner. It was a lot of people and a lot of food.

  He remembered Founders’s Day being a lot of fun. But nowadays, he and Purity didn’t have fun. They just did what they had to do. He went to work and used his talents to tan bovine hide and turn it into nice things like belts, wallets, and even saddles. He sold what he tanned to the tailor, the seamstress, and the cobbler. They made clothes and boots and shoes for the people of Lantern. All kinds of hides came through his shop, mostly from the ranches’ cattle, but also deer, snakes, and lizards. He could tan anything and he enjoyed doing it.

  When he got home, Purity always had a good meal ready to eat and a clean house to come home to. She kept his clothes washed and pressed. Even Charlie, their dog, was well cared for. Seth smiled at the thought. But for some reason the joy and excitement of being together had left their marriage. He missed it.

  He’d been crazy about Purity most of his life. Taking her as his bride was the ultimate dream to him. He still loved her with all his heart, and he thought she still loved him. Why else would she stay with him? But something… just… wasn’t the same.

  Seth hung his head and stared at the boardwalk. Suddenly he realized he was alone. His head popped up and he looked around. The parade was over. The people were all wandering toward the hill and the next part of the celebration. His eyes darted across the street and back. Where were those bushwackers? Even Caleb was missing. Seth walked swiftly toward the end of the boardwalk, turned and walked back to the other end. Surely Caleb was here somewhere. Patience had said Caleb would stay back with him to prevent those men from trying to get into any of the stores while all the townsfolk were at Uncle Harrison’s.

  He hurried down to his shop, checked the door to be sure it was locked, and then continued on. He jiggled each door knob. Everybody had been good about locking their stores. That was a relief. He continued walking the length of town, checking doors, watching for strangers. When he got back to his shop, he went around back and crossed over to where his and Purity’s house stood. He needed to use the privy.

  Charlie whined at the back door. Seth went inside and rubbed Charlie’s ears. Purity had left him some kibble and scraps and a bowl of water. Charlie probably needed to go outside for the same reason Seth had come home. He let Charlie come out with him as he walked to the outhouse. Charlie barked, but didn’t sound like he was alerting to any danger. Probably a rabbit in the yard. A crow flew overhead, its caw faded with distance. Finishing up his business he stepped out and looked around. Charlie stood facing toward the next street over. His hackles were stiff and Seth could see his rib cage slowly move in and out.

  “What is it, boy?” Seth approached his dog. Then he heard the low deep growl Charlie was making. “Come on, Charlie. Let’s get you back inside.” He took his dog by the nape of his neck and walked him to the house. “Be a good boy.” He said as he closed the back door.

  He searched the yard, and the next, but couldn’t see what Charlie had had in his sights. Gingerly, Seth returned where he was supposed to be, scanning between buildings and down the alley behind them as he approached Main Street. It was eerily quiet. He’d never known downtown to be so quiet. This was his first time to hang back from the Founder’s Day Dinner.

  Who knew it would be so spooky to walk downtown streets alone. Seth swallowed and lifted his chin. Relieved Caleb wasn’t seeing how skittish Seth was being, he continued walking and looking in windows, checking doors, and moving on. Then he noticed the bank’s door looked opened. He walked toward it. A scuffling noise came from inside. Seth stepped up to the open door and froze.

  Chapter Three

  Three men Seth didn’t know, scuffled back from a long, dark rope. The bright midday sun made it difficult to see well inside the bank. Seth stepped inside the door and recognized sticks of dynamite taped to the safe and the fuse running along the floor to where the men were scrambling to light it.

  “Hey!” was all Seth could think to say. The men looked up, startled, and froze in place. One of them held a lit match between his finger and thumb. The match burned down the shaft while they all stared at each other. The one holding it suddenly jumped and shook his hand. “OW!”

  A loud pop sounded behind Seth and a white-hot pain slammed into his back. Something shoved him forward and his face collided with the floor. He couldn’t see but he heard the three men hollering. Some other men’s voices yelled somet
hing outside and the three fellows leapt over him. A really loud explosion and debris scattered across Seth’s body. The men leapt over him again, then yelled obscenities. Their voices sounded muffled, then they ran back out, leaping over him again. Their horses whinnied and he heard hooves pounding the cobblestones and fading like the crow he’d heard while he had been inside his outhouse.

  Blackness surrounded Seth. Coldness engulfed his body like a snow-frozen blanket. He shivered. Why had the sun gone dark? Caleb’s voice called to Seth from a long way away. “Seth, you all right? Seth! Speak to me, son.” More horse hooves pounded the cobblestones but these were growing louder, coming nearer. Were the bushwackers coming back? Caleb! Seth wanted to warn him to get down!

  Then Seth heard Patience. She had come to step in and handle the situation! Everything would be all right.

  “The bushwackers shot Seth.” Caleb’s voice sounded coarse and still a long way away.

  “My God!” Patience cried out. She too was not near.

  “I’ve gotta go, darling. They’re getting away!” Caleb’s boots stomped on the boardwalk and then a horse’s hooves pounded, faded in the same direction as the bushwackers.

  Seth swallowed against a painfully dry throat. Shot! He was shot! In his back and he couldn’t get up. That was why he fell to the floor so hard. Purity! She needed to know! He wasn’t coming to the Founder’s Day Dinner because he had been shot! And… was… dying—

  “Honor, wait!” Patience yelled.

  Momma is here! Horse’s hooves clomped to a halt.

  “What is it!” Adam’s voice! “Oh, God, No!” Seth heard Adam’s boots hit the ground.

  “Adam! Wait!” Patience was handling the situation. “It’s Seth, and he’s hurt bad. Shot in the back.”

  Adam! Adam! Seth wanted to scream for his big brother. Help me Adam! I’m hurt real bad!

  Patience’s voice continued outside. “Now, I need you to go take a look at him, but not as his mother. As the town doctor.”

  Another voice, “What’s wrong?”

  Poppa Monty! He was here, too. Adam and Monty and Momma were here! Seth smiled and panted. It was hard to breathe. Momma and Patience would handle the situation. Maybe he’d be all right, after all. But he felt strange. The voices outside were fading, and Seth felt like he was floating up, toward the ceiling—

  Momma’s knees rammed into Seth’s side, yanking him back down to the floor. Ow, that hurt! He wanted to say but his tongue was dry and stuck to the inside of his mouth.

  “He’s losing a lot of blood. Get me something to stop the bleeding!” Momma shouted.

  Someone leaned in hard on his back. Oh God that hurts! Please stop! Momma make them stop hurting me! Darkness wrapped tighter around him. The blanket seemed colder and colder. Momma’s voice faded further away. “Monty, go ge—”

  There was nothing. No pain. No voices. Just blackness. A pin-point of light appeared in the distance. He squinted to see what it was.

  “Seth.” Purity’s voice.

  He tried real hard to see the growing beam of light. “Purity? Is that you, my darling? I love you so much!”

  Purity spoke again. “Come back to me, my sweetheart.”

  

  “Seth.” Purity’s voice penetrated his darkness. “Come back to me, my sweetheart.”

  He tried real hard to see the fading beam of light. Purity? Is that you, my darling? Please help me!

  “Seth, wake up.” Purity sounded closer this time. She touched his hand and he could feel her warm breathe against his ear. “Seth, darling. Wake up now.”

  His eyes wouldn’t open. He tried to swallow, so he could speak, but his mouth wouldn’t work. Frustration filled his heart. He wanted to see her.

  “Seth, it’s time to wake up, Sweetheart.”

  He strained to make his eyelids open. One slit appeared at his right eye. He could see a sliver of light and some shapes. He fought it and strained more. The other lid parted. A fuzzy silhouette of Purity filled his vision. He blinked and blinked again. “Purity.” He croaked.

  Something was pressed against his face. No, he was lying on his stomach, his face against a sheet. He wanted to roll over, but couldn’t.

  “Yes, baby. It’s me. I’m here.” Then she turned and yelled. “Momma Honor! He’s awake!”

  She turned back to him. Tears dropped from her eyes and splashed on his cheek. It felt warm. He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back.

  “Purity,” he croaked.

  “Yes, darling. I’m here. You’re all right. You survived the surgery.”

  Surgery? What surgery?

  “There he is!” Momma’s voice filled the room. “How you feeling?”

  Seth adjusted his vision to find his mother at a sharp angle, then she moved closer to where he could see her without straining his neck. He swallowed painfully and licked his lips. Momma! I thought I was gonna die. Did you save me?

  “Don’t try to talk. It’s all right. Just take your time. I gave you chloroform. It’ll take a little time for it to wear off. Don’t rush things. It’s good that you are awake.”

  He nodded and let his face sink deeper against the mattress.

  Chapter Four

  “Seth?” Momma called his name, pulling him from the darkness. “Son, can you hear me?”

  He nodded. Where was Purity? He forced his eyes open. His wife filled his vision. He moved his eyes to see Momma next to Purity. “Son, I need you to move your toes.”

  Move my toes? Sure I can—

  “It’s all right.” Momma sounded sad. “It may take time.”

  What? Didn’t he move his toes? He looked at Purity. Tears filled her eyes and she sat back in a chair. She looked tired. No, she looked exhausted.

  “Son.” Momma moved in front of Purity this time. “You were shot in the back by bank robbers. They got away, but Sheriff Caleb is still out tracking them down. People are saying you are a hero for stopping them.”

  I’m no hero! I didn’t stop them. The new dynamite-proof safe stopped them. All I did was yell ‘Hey’ at them.

  “I kept the bullet I pulled out of your back for evidence. When Caleb comes back with them, they’ll use it to convict them for attempted murder.”

  Seth nodded. She had it all wrong. He didn’t stop the bushwackers from anything.

  “The bullet was really close to your spine. I’m not sure how much damage there is, but I did my best not to hurt you any more than they already had. Your recovery may take a while. Your attitude and determination will make a big difference in how much or how soon you do recover.”

  “And,” Purity interrupted. “You’ve got a great big reason to recover, Seth!”

  Momma turned to look at Purity. Curiosity flashed in her eyes.

  “We’re gonna have a baby, Seth!” She smiled but tears fell from her eyes. “You gotta get better for your son… or daughter. You’re gonna be a poppa!”

  Seth strained to understand.

  “See!” Momma continued speaking. “The Good Lord has all kinds of good reasons for you to recover! It’s all up to you, Son.”

  Seth tried to roll over. “Oh, no, son.” Momma stopped him from trying. “You’ve gotta heal first. Then we’ll turn you over. Be patient on that account.”

  Get better, it’s all up to me, be patient— which is it? He frowned. The bullet was near his spine. He couldn’t move his toes. He tried to draw his knee up. But nothing happened. He looked into his momma’s eyes. “Am I paralyzed?”

  She smiled, but it looked strained. “We don’t know for sure. You need time to heal and then we’ll see.”

  We’ll see? Purity was having a baby! But he might be paralyzed! Good Lord, was this some kind of a joke? “Purity…”

  “Yes sweetheart, what is it?”

  “I want a divorce.”

  

  “WHAT?” Purity leapt to her feet. “What are you talking about? You can’t possibly want to divorce me now! I’m going to have your baby!”

  Seth sq
ueezed his eyes closed.

  Momma stepped over and took Purity by the shoulders. Good, Momma will make Purity leave. Talk some sense into her. She would be better off divorced from me. How can I take care of a wife and a child? I’m paralyzed!

  “Purity,” Momma spoke softly. “I want you to calm down. He’s in shock and he doesn’t know what he’s saying right now.”

  “But I don’t want a divorce, Momma Honor! I love him! I thought we were growing apart, but I never wanted a divorce! Especially now! This accident has woken my heart up and I realize I love him more than ever! He-he can’t be serious!”

  Momma nodded and guided Purity to the chair. “You’re right. He’s not serious. He’s not thinking clearly. You have to give him time. It’s going to be all right. Even if—” Momma lowered her voice as if Seth could no longer hear her. “Even if he doesn’t heal all the way, there are ways to get around this. He can learn to use a wheeled chair. But even that won’t stop him from being a good husband and father. He-he just doesn’t realize that yet.”

  Purity whimpered. “All right.” She sat back and stared at Seth.

  Seth stared at her. I don’t want this for you. I love you too much to put you through this! Seth closed his eyes. Sleep carried him away.

  Chapter Five

  Evelyn Graham woke Seth. “Time for your sponge bath, Mister Featherstone.”

  “Call me Seth, please.”

  “All right.” She smiled as she gently ran a wet, soapy rag over his torso. The air chilled him and goose bumps rose on his skin. She gently and efficiently changed his night shirt and the sheets as well. She finished by positioning him more to his side than flat on his stomach. Maybe this was a good sign that he was getting better? Lastly, she changed the bandage on his back. “Are you feeling hungry?”