Lazy Days (18 page)

Hallie walked beside Mrs. Pittance as they
traveled toward Thousand Springs, a place Captain Jones assured the emigrants
they would never forget. They caught up with the Snake River again and followed
the winding trail as it turned north, west, and then north again.

Hallie had discovered a wonderful friend in Mrs.
Pittance and wished it hadn't taken the death of Pastor Pittance to breathe new
life into the woman. She sighed, resigning herself to the fact that life was
sometimes discovered in death.

Mrs. Pittance said, "Hallie, are you
feeling all right? You haven't seemed yourself for several days."

Hallie wanted to confide in Prudence, but
confessing her feelings for Cooper would only entrench her heartbreak more
deeply.

"I'm fine. I think I'm just succumbing to the
walking blues." She chuckled. "We've only been walking for three
months."

Prudence patted her hand. "Dear, maybe you
should stop fighting your feelings for Cooper."

Hallie fingered a tear. "I try and I try,
but what Clarissa told me once is so true—the heart does what the heart wants.
Besides, he's made it clear that as soon as he has me and Tim settled in
Oregon, he's returning to Missouri." Hallie's voice caught on a little
sob, "And I'll never see him again."

Prudence placed her arm around Hallie's
shoulder. "Honey, as sure as I am that the Good Lord hears our prayers, I
know that Cooper has feelings for you."

Hallie glanced a few wagons ahead at Cooper leading
the oxen and felt such love her heart wanted to burst. No longer did she
silently apologize to her dead husband for loving another man. The love she
felt for Cooper could never be wrong.

After a few more descending zigzags in the
trail, Thousand Springs came into view. The phenomenal vista of water gushing
from black rocks seemed surreal. For a moment, Hallie forgot her heartache as
she absorbed the scene. It was as if everything good and beautiful and
honorable existed in those fleeting seconds, and when Cooper turned around and
met her gaze, even at a distance, that goodness, beauty, and honorableness
became a living thing between them.

After he turned back around, Prudence leaned in
and whispered, "He loves you, Hallie."

The rest of the day was spent traveling through
what Captain Jones said was the Hagerman Valley, a place of pristine beauty.

The next day, Captain Jones led them to an area
called Three Island Ford and called his leaders together. After an hour's
meeting, the men returned to their designated sections of the train and
explained what Captain Jones had decided would be best.

To the group gathered around him, Cooper said,
"We're going to ford the river here because the water is low and we’ll
save time. If the water were high, we'd be forced to continue along the trail
to another crossing upstream, but Captain Jones says it's more difficult there.
After we leave the river we'll cross some more plains, and then we'll enter the
beautiful Boise River Valley where Fort Boise is located." He winked.
"And we're going to see trees again."

Although the emigrants appeared apprehensive
about the river crossing, his last statement brought smiles to everyone.

Clarissa said, "What I wouldn't give to lay
under the shade of a tree."

One of the Liverman boys called out, "And I
want to climb one."

After a few more comments that lightened the
atmosphere, Cooper gave instructions for preparing for the crossing. Whereas
most of their crossings had been by ferry or bridge, or easily accomplished on
small streams, this one would be their most daunting.

Before the group disbanded to attend to their
wagons, Cooper said, "Now ya'll know after traveling with me that I'm a
cautious man. I'm hopin' my words will comfort you. The water's not so deep
that we have to lash the wagons together or swim the animals across. The
river's wide, I'll grant you that, but we'll make it over just fine."

Cooper's smile and words of encouragement were
just what the pioneers needed and spirits lifted.

As the first wagons began crossing with Captain
Jones in the lead, the water reached high on the wheels and even floated some
wagon beds. But the pioneers, having traveled so far, faced the task of fording
the river with courage and determination.

Under the sharp tongue of Mrs. Pittance,
Stubby's cart was lashed to her own wagon to ensure its safe crossing. Walking
alongside Mrs. Pittance's oxen, and up to his chest in water, Stubby appeared
more fearful of the preacher woman than he did of the deepening river as she
sang high praises to the Lord from her perch.

Standing on the bank, Hallie laughed at the sight.
Prudence seemed determined to make Stubby a believer.

Before the day was over, all the wagons had
crossed the Snake River and a shout arose among the pioneers.

At Bonneville Point three days later, an even
greater shout arose than the one after crossing the river, for a verdant valley
lay before them with trees!

Two days after that they camped beside the Boise
River and Captain Jones boomed at their meeting, "Folks, we're over
fourteen hundred miles from Westport! That's almost three quarters of the way to
Oregon!

* * *

Cooper kicked back with Captain Jones and Emmett
at a saloon in Fort Boise and listened to an old-timer share the fort's history
with anyone who would listen. Seems this was the latter of two forts with the
same name. The first one, fifty miles northwest, had been pioneered in the
1830s by the Hudson's Bay Company and abandoned in the 1850s. This newest fort
built by the Union Army during the War of the States boasted a sawmill, lime
kiln, and sandstone quarry. The fort’s location was outstanding for water,
grass, wood, and stone. In fact, it was a popular place for travel weary
emigrants to stay and make their homes there.

Captain Jones confirmed this. "This is a
right nice place and some of the families in our train have let me know they'll
not be movin' on."

Cooper was curious. "Which families might
that be?"

"The Ludlows, for one, and the McAllisters,
for another. I kinda got my suspicion that a few more might join them."

Cooper glanced at Emmett. "How about
you?"

Emmett said, "As beautiful as it is, Lydia
and I have our hearts set on the Willamette Valley."

Captain Jones grinned and asked, "Well,
Emmett, since I'm losing two of my leaders, how would you like to volunteer for
the position. Saves me havin' to appoint you."

Emmett gave the captain a speculative look,
reminding Cooper of a juror weighing a verdict, and asked seriously, "Do
you think I have what it takes?"

Captain Jones glanced at Cooper. "Well,
Coop? Does Emmett have what it takes?"

Cooper frowned as if pondering a deep question
and then, suddenly smiling, said, "I surely do."

Relief washed over Emmett's face. Captain Jones
said, "Since we all gave up whiskey years ago, how 'bout we celebrate with
some more sarsaparillas?"

Cooper and Emmett lifted their glasses and said,
"Hear, hear!"

A pretty saloon gal delivered a round of
sarsaparillas and Captain Jones lifted his mug. "Damn, I miss the whisky."

Again, Cooper and Emmett agreed. "Hear,
hear!"

For the next hour the men enjoyed jovial conversation
and praised a journey that had only seen the death of two men, four mules, a
few oxen, three horses, two cows, and all of the chickens. They laughed over
the latter. Emmett said, "My Lydia makes the best fried chicken I ever
tasted."

Cooper said, "I have to agree with you
there." He swigged the last of his drink. "Guess I best get back and
check my animals."

Captain Jones and Emmett concurred and started
to push away from the table when scuffling across the room and shouting got
everyone's attention. "Get the hell out of my way!"

The three of them looked up to see a tall man
who obviously hadn't bathed in days—maybe weeks—with a salt and pepper straggly
beard, matted hair, and wild eyes, pointing at Emmett. Still sitting at the
table, Cooper edged his hand toward his revolver.

The wild man said, "Move your hand again
and you're a dead man." Then with his hand poised over his own gun he said
to Emmett, "Stand up, Cheyenne Jack. I'd know your face anywhere. You
killed my brother, Smoke Jenkins, in a gunfight and now I'm gonna kill
you."

Cooper said calmly, "You're obviously
mistaken, sir. Why don't you join us while we figure this out?"

Without moving his gaze to Cooper, the
gunfighter said, "Shut yer mouth!"

Emmett, who had thus far been silent, slowly
rose with his hands extended, palms up. "I'll handle this."

Patrons of the saloon had removed themselves to
the edges of the room and suddenly made haste toward the swinging doors.

Captain Jones said low, "Cooper, Cheyenne
Jack is well able to handle this."

Cooper's gaze shot to Emmett, who nodded his
agreement, and he felt like he'd been gut kicked. Mild-mannered Emmett was legendary
lawman Cheyenne Jack, who supposedly died in a cholera epidemic back in the late
fifties?

Emmett pushed his chair back with his foot. To
his accuser, he said, "Sir, if you would like to know the truth of what
happened I would be happy to explain."

The man's face contorted in rage and he snarled,
"You bushwhacked my brother!"

Calmly, Emmett responded, "No, sir. You
have it backward. Your brother bushwhacked me."

The man sputtered some profanities and Emmett
said, "I don't want to kill you. Like my friend said, why don't you join
us and we'll talk this out."

With a crazed expression, the cowboy went for
his gun. Before it was barely out of its holster, Emmett shot the man dead
center between his eyes with the gun Cooper knew he kept strapped inside his
jacket above his waist.

Silence filled the saloon, and then men began
rushing back through the doors. Those who had heard of the famous Texas lawman
stared at Emmett in admiration. Cooper was still trying to process the
revelation when the captain of the fort and several military men burst in.
Emmett dropped his gun on the table, raised his hands above his head, and said,
"I'm ready for you to take me in for questioning."

* * *

After an hour-long interrogation, Commander
Rickert released Emmett to be reunited with his tearful wife. Captain Jones had
given his statement earlier, along with the eyewitnesses, and returned to camp
shortly thereafter. Cooper now walked back to camp with Emmett, Lydia, and
Hallie, who had stayed with Lydia to offer support.

Emmett said, "I guess I owe ya'll an
explanation."

Lydia sniffed and Emmett wrapped his arm around her
shoulders. "My ma and pa had eight boys and I was the youngest. My given name
is Charles Jack, but my eldest brother nicknamed me Cheyenne. He said I was as
red as an Indian after I was born. Anyway, we lived on a small cattle ranch and
I learned young to fend for myself. My brothers taught me how to rope, shoot,
wield a knife. They were all big, tough cowboys and they always gave me a hard
time because of my size and studious look. They said if I didn't know how to
defend myself, I'd always be recovering from beatings. My family wasn't
perfect, but they weren't criminals. When I was seventeen, my ma sent me to
town to pick up something for her and when I returned…" He paused, took a
deep breath and said, "My family was dead; even my ma. They'd been
ambushed."

Lydia gasped and Hallie let out a little cry.

Cooper said, "You don't have to talk about
this if you don't want to."

Emmett sighed. "It's okay. I came to terms
with my loss years ago." He paused again before saying, "It seems my eldest
brother, Joe, had tangled with the wrong man. He got in a card game with a
young buck and won everything. When the loser accused my brother of cheating
and then jumped him outside the saloon, my brother beat him up bad. Like I
said, my family wasn't perfect. Anyway, the young man ended up going blind. He was
just shy of turning twenty and his father, a wealthy rancher, brought charges
against Joe that were dismissed because witnesses said the boy started the
fight."

The group slowed their progress as they
approached the circle of wagons and Emmett lowered his voice. "Anyway, the
boy killed himself. Shot himself in the head and his pa found him."

Other than Lydia sniffling, no one said anything
until Cooper asked, "So the father took revenge on your family?"

"Yeah. I won't go into the particulars, but
he hired killers to shoot them all. After I found out who'd done it, I went
crazy and swore I'd find them and exact revenge. I told the sheriff my intent.
He tried to talk me out of it, but when he couldn't, he offered an alternative.
He said he'd swear me in as a deputy if I promised to let another lawman know
when I'd located them so they could be brought to trial." Emmett chortled,
"I wasn't fooled. The men were already wanted for heinous crimes and the
sheriff knew I wouldn't be deterred in killing them. He was offering me a way
to eliminate evil men without going to prison. Course, he figured they'd kill
me first."