Teaching Miss Maisie Jane (10 page)

She
looked at him with questioning eyes when he helped her out of the wagon. “The smell of blood will attract scavengers. I’ll have to keep a closer watch tonight.”  Jake cut two chucks of meat off the large piece on the spit and stuck them each on the end of stick, and lay them in the frying pan on the coals.

“I’m
sorry,” Maisie Jane whispered.

Jake
looked at her with angry eyes but he spoke low. “Juan Alvarez has the hearing of cougar, and that talent has saved my life many a time. I won’t embarrass myself tonight by giving you what you deserve. I won’t have him hear that I married a brat that needs to be spanked because she does not listen. I have told you repeatedly not to touch my guns but you persist in doing just that and seem quite determined to either harm yourself or kill me, since you keep pointing the damn things at me.”

“I
didn’t know he was a friend of yours,” Maisie Jane protested, speaking equally as low. “I don’t speak Spanish. I didn’t know.”

“Maisie
Jane I will protect you, with my life if need be, but I will not tolerate waywardness. I’m not speaking of it any more of it tonight. But, prepare yourself, because I do intend warm your backside good. Apparently you have a problem with listening.”

They bedded down for the night in the bed of the wagon. Jake pulled the canvas over the sides of the wagon to cover them. Maisie Jane knew Jake was angry with her but that didn’t stop him from removing her camisole and pantaloons. He made love to her very quietly, and very gently and then told her to redress herself because he was going stay awake for a while to watch for scavenging animals. Maisie Jane drifted off to sleep eventually, but a few hours later he awakened her as he climbed into the wagon and she felt his hands on her. He undressed her again made love to her very quietly a second time and then a third. It was nice but not as nice as what he’d done to her the previous day.

They
ate the tough meat of the boar for breakfast, and Maisie Jane despaired because there wasn’t enough water left to even wash her face. She didn’t complain out loud through because every once in a while she could see Jake giving her a look that made her bottom kind of wince. She decided to keep quiet and certainly not bring up the subject of her pointing his gun at a man he called his friend.

The
terrain that they were traveling in was changing and it took her a bit to take notice. They seem to going uphill steadily. “Jake, there are trees here. Real trees,” Maisie Jane said with delight.

“We’re
almost to the Little Humboldt River. From here on out we’re heading into a high desert basin.” Jake said looking out over the horizon. “Prettiest country there is; hills, valleys, plenty of water and timber. It’s prime land.”

An
hour later, Jake pulled the wagon over into a wooded area, and pulled up alongside a shallow stream of water. He unhitched the horses, led them to the stream to drink and then led them back out and tied them to a tree. He looked around for Maisie and smiled. She was upstream standing in the water where it was clear. Her skirt was wet to her knees, and she was dipping a cloth into the water and scrubbing herself. She’d unbuttoned the sleeves of her blouse and had it rolled them up to her elbows, and had unbuttoned the front so her camisole was showing. He looked around carefully, but no one was around. A few minutes later she waded out with bare feet and sat down on the creek edge and rubbed her toes.

He
went over a sat down beside her. “Maisie Jane, you’re going to have to start being more discreet. We’re in a more populated area now.”

Maisie
Jane looked around. “Jake we haven’t seen a single soul since we left the ranch except for your friend last night. Oh, and it feels so good to be clean.”

“I
understand that, but there are a lot of people out here. Best, you stay dressed decent.”

Maisie
Jane gave a sigh and headed for the wagon where she climbed under the canvas and he heard her opening trunks and fumbling around. A few minutes later she appeared dressed and stood outside the wagon straightening her clothing. Jake was changing into his last clean shirt when he saw her throw something in the water.

She
was standing by the creek bed in her bare feet.

Maisie
Jane did you just throw your shoes away?” Jake asked buttoning up his shirt.

“Yes,”
Maisie Jane answered with a happy bounce. “I hate all those buttons and they hurt my toes.”

“Do
you have another pair in among all those clothes you brought with you?” Jake asked.

“Yes,
but I don’t like them either,” Maisie Jane pouted. “I’m going barefoot. I’ve read in the dime novels where women go barefoot out west.”

“Not
my woman,” Jake said. “Go put your other pair of shoes on.”

“They
hurt,” Maisie Jane complained.

“Then,
I’ll buy you a larger size,” Jake said. “But until then, wear what you have.”

“Drat,”
Maisie Jane complained. “I want boots, like you wear. Pull them on, pull them off. No buttons!”

“No,”
Jake warned mildly. “Now, go put your shoes on and watch your language.”

But,
when Jake hitched the horses and went to wagon she was still barefoot.

“Maisie
…”

“They
hurt,” she pleaded. “I’ll put them before we get to your friends house, please.”

“All
right,” Jake gave in and lifted her up on the seat. “You didn’t throw them away did you?” he asked suspiciously.

Maisie
Jane shook her head. “No, but I going too!” she threatened.

“Not
until you have something to replace them with,” Jake warned shaking his head. “And, then you don’t throw them away, you give them to a church so they can find someone who needs them.”

“I
want boy boots,” Maisie Jane said grinning and propping her little toes up on the front of the wagon and wiggling them.

“No,”
Jake said grinning back.

Two
hours later, when Jake and Maisie Jane drove up to a good sized log house Maisie Jane had her shoes on. She had brushed her hair and had taken off her plain bonnet and put on a jaunty hat decorated with silk flowers and feather plume with the ribbons tied neatly under her chin.

Jake
pulled the wagon to a stop and looked around. The place looked deserted, no signs that anyone was living there. “Stay put for a minute,” he warned Maisie Jane.

Jake
went to door but there was padlock on it. Then, he walked over to barn, and opened the doors. No horses, no cow.

“What
is it Jake?”  Maisie asked.

“He’s
not here,” Jake said. “No one is here. He must have gone off for spell, because there’s a lock on the door. Most people don’t lock their doors because most people are honest.”

Jake
lifted Maisie down.

“What
are you going to do?”

“We’ll
stay the night. We’ll put the wagon in the barn. Brett wouldn’t begrudge us night of shelter. Tomorrow, we’ll head off to Elco and then onto Virginia City to the land office.”

“What
are we going to do all day?” Maisie asked.

Jake
gave her a grin and she blushed.

“We
can’t do that all day,” she said rolling her eyes.

“I
agree, reluctantly,” Jake admitted. “There’s a stream down past that pasture. Last time I was here it was running clean. “You can wash up our clothes. You do know how to wash clothes don’t you?”

“Yes,
I can do that,” Maisie said sounding like she was being put upon.

Jake
was mending harness when he heard a rider come into the barnyard. He walked out of the barn and faced a double-barrel shotgun.

One
lone old man sat a horse with a shotgun aimed at his chest.

“Whoa,”
Jake said spreading his hands wide. “I’m not wearing a gun, I’m not a threat.”

“Who
are you and what are you doing here?” the old man asked.

“My
name is Jake Maddox. I’m a friend of Brett Madison, known him for twelve years.”

“What’s
his wife name?” the old man demanded.

“Mrs
. Charlotte Bundy Madison.”

“What’s
his boys’ name?”

Jake
shook his head. “I don’t know, the baby hadn’t been born the last time I was here, it should be about two now. His dog’s name is King.”

“Fair
enough.” The old man said. He lowered the shotgun, dismounted and offered his hand. “Levi Campbell. Brett’s land borders mine. I’ve been keeping my eye on the place because he said he was expected you.

“Where
are Brett and Charlotte?” Jake asked and then jumped back when he heard gunfire off to the side of the barn.

Jake
turned when he heard a gasp behind him and there was Maisie Jane, his rifle on the ground in front of her where she’d dropped it. Jake shut his eyes and turned back to Levi Campbell. “Excuse me, sir,” He marched over to Maisie Jane, picked up his rifle, leaned it against the outside barn door and took her arm and marched her inside.

Levi
Campbell was putting his shotgun in sidesaddle holster, when he heard a whomp and a yelp. The old man chuckled. That didn’t sound like a hit on flesh, but he’d bet a dollar that Jake Maddox had just whomped that pretty little gal a good one on the behind.

Jake
reappeared at the barn door. “Sorry about that, sir. My wife seems to have a problem with keeping her hands off my guns. Now, Mr. Campbell, you were about to explain about Brett and Charlotte.”

Levi
Campbell chuckled and nodded toward the barn. “If Brett had done that a few times to Charlotte she might still be here.”

“She
left?” Jake asked.

“Let’s
walk down to the creek. The time for these old bones to be riding is over. It stiffens me up something awful.”

Jake
followed the older man. “’bout a year and a half ago, Brett was over at the Hoffenburgers place helping him build a feed shed for wages. He was gone four days and he comes home to an empty house. Charlotte and that baby boy of his, Sammy was gone. Brett hightails it off to town, but she’d already taken the stage three days earlier heading west to San Francisco. Her folks sold the mercantile a few years back, and moved on to San Francisco. Her father got some fancy job with the railroad. Charlotte left Brett a letter saying she wasn’t coming back and if he wanted her and baby, he’d have to go to California. Brett took it real bad. He went into the bottle for a while, before I threatened with a horsewhip. He wrote her, she wrote him, he wrote her back but the bottom line was she wasn’t coming back. She didn’t want to live the life as a homesteader’s wife. She was living in some fancy house in a fancy neighborhood in San Francisco. Her leaving and taking his boy just about kilt Brett.

Two
months ago, he come riding over to my place and told me he was going to San Francisco. Said this place wasn’t worth losing his family over. Said his father-in-law had a good job waiting for him here. Told me he’d locked up the place and there was a letter to you inside. I was to give you the key so that’s what I’m a doing.”  The old man handed Jake a key.

Jake
took the key. “Did you read the letter?”

“Can’t
read, never learned. Brett pretty much told what’s in it though. He left this place to you. Went to the new land office in Elco and changed over the deed to your name, all legal. All you got to do is sign your name to the deed. I’ve got two good plow horses, and a cow in my barn, and half dozen steers mixed in with mine that belong to you. Cora, that’s my wife, has the chickens. All you have to do is come over and get them.”

“I
can’t take Brett’s property,” Jake said. “That’s not right.”

The
old man wagged his head. “All Brett has in this land is the $10.00 filing fee and years of hard work. He completed the prove-up two years ago, so he has a clear deed. He didn’t want to sell it to you. He wanted to give it to you. He told me what you did for him when he was kid, putting a knot in his tail and keeping him on the straight and narrow. He wasn’t proud of what he did, but he was proud to call you a friend, Mr. Maddox. Said, you were the big brother he didn’t have, but needed.

It’s
been two months already since Brett left. If you don’t sign the legal papers in four months the state will consider the land abandoned. The land will revert back to state and they’ll put a price value on it and sell it. It’s got a good house - better than most, all fancied up for Charlotte ‘cause her folks was always a-freighting something out here to her. It’s got a sturdy barn, good equipment and tools. He left all of it to you. I don’t know you, Mr. Maddox, but I know Brett. This is what he wanted. The house and everything in it is yours. He didn’t want any part of trying to take it with him. He left with a riding horse, and a pack horse, and that’s all he wanted.”

Jake
took a few steps away and turned back. “This doesn’t sit well with me. Taking what another man worked for; put his sweat into.” He shook his head. “That’s not right.”

Levi
Campbell leaned back to get crick out of his back. “If’n this property reverts back to the state, it would probably sell for about a $1.50 an acre, and I ain’t too fond of state taking what doesn’t belong to them and making a profit on it. You might want to offer the fair value of it to Brett. But, having said that, I don’t think he wants money. He’s done with it, but he wanted it to go to someone who would work it and make something out of it. You got yourself a pretty little wife, and it’s the end of September already. Snow’s gonna start maybe as early as next month. You don’t have time to file a claim, build a house and barn this year. You might get a cabin built, but wintering over would be real rough. My advice, although you ain’t asked for it, is sign the papers and winter it out here. That will give you thinking time and I have an address where you can write to Brett.”

Jake
faced the old man. “Mr. Campbell, if I was the big brother Brett needed, I’ll bet you were the father he needed.”