Lazy Days (8 page)

But, oh, the smells: soggy earth from a recent
rain, animal dung, flowering trees, spring grasses, even the odor of pioneers
needing a bath. When a cool morning breeze lifted the odors, mingled them, and
pushed them across the road, Hallie pressed her handkerchief to her nose just as
Cooper turned around. He laughed at her squeamishness, cracked his whip, and
yelled, "Haw," to correct the animals to the left. Then he called
"Gee" because he'd overcorrected them. Finally he got them moving
straight ahead.

Hallie wished she hadn't shown her distaste for the
blended fragrance, for surely it was to become part and parcel of their
journey. Removing her handkerchief, she hoped to redeem herself by appearing
indifferent.

Cave Spring was located two miles outside of Westport
and many of the pioneers, including the Hankersons, had already arrived. Cooper
followed the hand signals of one of their fellow travelers and pulled their
schooner to the backside of the one ahead of it forming the wagons into a
circle.

Tim asked, "Why are we making a circle? Why
can't we just camp where we want?"

Hallie listened to Cooper's reply. "Because
forming a circle encloses the animals when necessary and keeps them from escaping.
Also, it's protection from wild animals. It's also great for gatherings and
holding meetings, which I suspect Captain Jones will do after everyone's
arrived."

It was late afternoon before the last wagon
completed the campsite, making a total of fifteen in an inner circle and
twenty-seven in an outer one, with somewhere around two hundred and fifty
people. Just as Cooper had predicted, Captain Jones, looking as fearsome as
ever, walked around the wagons and boomed, "Listen up, pioneers! Finish
whatever you're doing and meet me in the center of the circle in one
hour!"

Hallie and Lydia, who had fried bacon and warmed
beans in a pot hung on a tripod over the fire at Hallie's wagon, hastened to
pack a loaf of bread away and clean dishes while the men continued readying for
the following morning’s departure.

In exactly one hour, all the pioneers gathered
to hear what Captain Jones had to say. Hallie noticed that Stubby and Harley's
dismal looking wagon and pathetic animals were almost directly across from where
she was standing, and when she glanced at Stubby, he quickly averted his gaze.
Unexpected rage suffused her heart and she wanted to stomp over and slap him.
How dare he treat a woman the way he had treated her!

"Listen up, pioneers!" the captain
called.

Muffled sounds of talk and laughter suddenly
ceased and everyone directed their attention toward Captain Jones. So
intimidating was his presence that even children halted their antics and
quieted.

"I've called ya'll together to appoint some
leaders. I've been checkin' ya'll out, talkin' amongst ya, and here are my
decisions." He lifted a paper and began calling off names. "Theodore
Tackman, Frank Jensen, Hardy MacIntosh, and Cooper Jerome, please step to the
center."

The men stepped forward and Hallie smiled
inwardly. She just
knew
Cooper would be one of the men chosen.

Captain Jones pointedly scanned the crowd,
causing some folks to shrink backward when he stared directly at them. Loudly,
he announced, "These men are my right-handers and I'll be choosing several
more in the next few days. When I give my leaders instructions to give to
you," he paused for effect, "you
will
obey. Have I made myself
clear?"

As they had become accustomed to doing, the
crowd responded collectively, "Yes, sir."

Captain Jones smiled, but it did little to
soften his stern countenance. "Good." He repeated, "good."
After that, he instructed everyone to be ready to leave one hour after daylight
on the following day. Then he gave specific instructions regarding safety
precautions. He finished by saying, "We'll travel as far as the Shawnee
Mission and then camp for the night. Now, except for the men whose names I
called earlier, ya'll can return to your wagons and continue your
preparations."

Tim tugged on her skirt. "Ma, can I go with
Sam so we can look at the pictures in the book again?"

Standing beside Hallie, Lydia said, "I
don't mind. In fact, I'd welcome his company to keep Sam distracted."

Hallie gave her permission and watched the
Hankersons and her son walk in the direction of their schooner. Cooper was
speaking with the captain. Mentally ticking off tasks she still wanted to
accomplish before sunset, she started toward her own campsite. She had to pass
several women and paused when one of them introduced herself. "Hello, my
name is Sarah Jackson and I couldn't help but notice that your husband was
chosen by the captain to be a leader. I'm pleased to meet you. Let me introduce
you to the rest of these ladies."

Hallie smiled in return, happy to meet other
women who would become her traveling companions for over two thousand miles.
She stuck out her hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, Sarah Jackson. My name
is Hallie Wells, but you must call me Hallie, and Mr. Jerome isn't my
husband."

A confused expression passed across Sarah's
face. "I'm sorry. I just assumed you two were married."

Uh oh.
Hallie hadn't considered the effect her
introduction would have on the ladies. "Uh, Mr. Jerome is driving my wagon
to Oregon because of the recent passing of my husband."

Relief washed over Sarah's face and Hallie
thought,
That was simple enough.

Unexpectedly, another woman in the group stepped
forward, her face seemingly frozen in a sneer. "So, you're traveling with
a man who isn't your husband?"

Hallie blinked, surprised at her hateful tone.
"Yes, ma'am. But as I just explained, my husband recently passed
and…"

Ignoring Hallie's explanation, the woman
snorted,
"Proper women
do not travel with men they are not married
to, no matter the explanation. My name is Prudence Pittance and I am the wife
of Pastor Pittance. These ladies are part of our congregation and until you are
properly escorted, we will
not
associate with you. Come, ladies."

Hallie watched the women's expressions, so
welcoming at first, transform into pity on some and hostility on others. Mrs.
Pittance lifted her black skirt and, with exaggerated movement, turned her back
on Hallie and stomped away. The other women followed her example. Sarah was the
last to leave, giving Hallie a tiny, apologetic smile.

So shocked was Hallie by the event that she
remained motionless, attempting to process what had just transpired. Her first
reaction was a desire to cry because she had never been treated thus in her
life. In another instant, anger welled up in her heart.
How dare she judge
me!

Lifting her skirts in indignation, Hallie turned
toward her wagon and saw Cooper watching her from the center of the circle. Had
he witnessed that horrible confrontation?

Cooper walked to Hallie's wagon and turned his
attention to checking the wheel spokes. Unfortunately, he had heard prune-faced
Mrs. Pittance chastising her.
Damn, I knew this was going to happen.

Not wanting to embarrass Hallie further, he
pretended ignorance of their encounter. In just a short time around Hallie, he'd
come to realize that for all her bravado, she was a sheltered woman, not
familiar with the unkindness of people—well, at least until now. Cooper,
however, had learned to shrug off the bitterness that clung to holier-than-thou
contentious people like a creeping vine, having been raised around them.

He felt a protective streak wanting to sprout
and tried to kill it. Safeguarding Hallie physically was one thing; shielding her
emotionally was out of the question. Helping her because of Tim he could
handle. Allowing her to get under his skin was absolutely unacceptable.

Walking away from the wagon, he resolved to
remain detached and decided to check on Sweet Pea.

* * *

Hallie woke long before dawn and waited to hear
the first stirrings of pioneers before rising. Dressing quickly and slipping
from her wagon, she was grateful she had harkened to Cooper's wisdom and not overloaded
it, leaving plenty of room for herself and Tim. Unless absolutely necessary,
she had no intention of sleeping on the ground. Besides, she didn't want to
give the gossip mongers more to wag their tongues about.

Turning her gaze away from Prudence Pittance's
wagon, she prayed quietly, "Lord, give me patience. Keep my tongue from
speaking evil and my heart from being bitter against that woman." But even
as she prayed, Hallie knew she was fighting a losing battle. She already
harbored bad feelings. Forcing her thoughts to more important matters, she stoked
the fire Cooper had already started.

The sun crested on a beautiful, chilly morning.
With campfires sprouting around the circle, the camp began to hum with
excitement as women prepared breakfast, men prepared their modes of
transportation, small children played, older children cared for their family's
animals, and Captain Jones circled inside and outside the camp on his gelding,
his sharp eyes on constant alert and his tongue calling out orders.

A frisson of excitement skated up Hallie's
spine. Like herself, this was the day many of the pioneers had been
anticipating for months, possibly years.

Pulling the reflector oven, cast iron skillet,
and necessary utensils from their crate, she instructed Tim to unpack a pound
of salted bacon from its storage in the wheat barrel. Cooper said he'd learned
on cattle drives that bacon preserved longer and less fat melted on hot days if
stored in that manner. Again, Hallie felt thankful for his presence and
wondered about his life before joining the military.

Before long, she had biscuits baking, bacon
sizzling, and eggs frying in bacon grease. Pleased with her efforts, she asked
Tim to find Cooper and let him know breakfast was ready.

From sunup until departure, the time taken was
about an hour and a half, and when Captain Jones made his final check, he
called, "We're half an hour behind schedule. Look lively, people!"
Trotting his horse to the lead wagon handled by Hardy MacIntosh, one of his
chosen leaders, he boomed in a voice as loud as a foghorn, "Westward
Ho!"

Standing behind Cooper, Hallie laughed and
turned to Tim beside her. With tears of joy, mingled with tears of sadness that
Thomas hadn't lived to experience his dream, she whispered, "Tim, we're on
our way."

Her son's eyes clouded with his own tears.
"Pa would be right proud, Ma."

Hallie allowed herself one last sniffle, smiled
at Tim, and asked, "Son, can we hold hands just this once as we begin our
journey?"

Without hesitation, Tim grabbed his mother's
hand. "I'd like that, Ma."

Cooper turned around and winked. "Here we
go." Lifting his whip, he cracked it in the air above the oxen and shouted
"Giddup!" Hallie squeezed Tim's hand and they both laughed as the
train started forward.

For the next three hours Tim and Hallie
speculated about their land in Oregon, played word games, and teased each
other. Then unexpectedly, the wagons in front of them came to a halt. Captain
Jones rode the length of the train informing everyone that a mule had thrown a
shoe. During the interim to re-shoe the animal, husbands assisted family
members from their schooners, though most of the pioneers had walked alongside
their wagons so as to not overtax their animals. After a half hour's stopover,
the train resumed its plodding progress.

At the noon hour, Captain Jones halted the
wagons again, but did not motion them into a circle. He simply rode the length
calling out a two-hour break for lunch.

Cooper glanced at Hallie. "When we leave, I
think you should ride in the wagon and save your feet. It's best to begin
slow."

Hallie paused in slicing bread, attempting to
keep her weight off her foot that now had blisters. "If you think so, okay."

Cooper stared pointedly at her feet. "I
think so."

After warming beans over the fire that Cooper
had started, she handed him a plate of food, but he said, "Feed Tim
first." Hallie called to Tim visiting the boys in the wagon ahead of
theirs and then dished Cooper's plate. While she scooped beans for herself, several
ladies led by Prudence Pittance stomped to her wagon. Hallie recognized two of
the women from the day before, but three more were new to her.

Cooper had stepped to the back of the wagon and
now rested his hip on the tailgate. Mrs. Pittance glanced toward him and her
lip curled into a snarl, but she said nothing, choosing to turn her gaze on
Hallie. With a sniff that stuck her nose in the air, she announced, "Mrs.
Wells, my ladies and I have a request to make of you."

Her words surprised Hallie. What could they want
from her? Keeping her dislike for the woman out of her voice, she responded,
"What is that, Mrs. Pittance?"

The distasteful woman lifted a haughty eyebrow,
glanced at the women surrounding her wearing the same haughty expressions, and
said, "We would like your wagon to travel at the rear of the train, as
well as the wagon with the strumpets. Since you are currently in sixth
position, your wicked ways are visible for all to see. If you traveled at the
rear, the God-fearing folk on this journey would be spared from watching your
sinful living with this man."

Hallie's mouth gaped and her eyes widened. From
the corner of her eye she saw Cooper push off the wagon and step forward.

The voice of Captain Jones startled everyone.
"Well, now, Miz Pittance, when did you become the leader of my
train?"

Prudence turned her hateful gaze from Hallie to the
captain, seemingly invincible. She sneered, "I was going to speak with you
privately, Captain Jones, but since you are here, I will take you to task
now." She paused for effect and pushed her tall, stiff frame into even
more ramrod straightness before continuing. "I find it appalling, sir,
that you have allowed such audacious behavior to run rampant on this train of
families traveling west to continue their God-fearing, decent lives, and
promote the Good Word." Her voice rose in volume. "Not only have you
allowed this man and woman to travel together unmarried, without a chaperone, you
have…" she paused again with a face so red and contorted it was frightful,
"…you have allowed strumpets and forty-niners to mingle among the good
folk. I simply cannot…"

Hallie saw Cooper return to lazing against the
wagon. She blinked. He was almost smiling as he glanced back and forth between
Mrs. Pittance and Captain Jones.

The sudden boom of the captain’s voice sounded
like a clap of thunder. "WOMAN! I'VE HEARD ENOUGH!"

Hallie gasped; even Mrs. Pittance's austere
expression wavered for a second. She opened her mouth, most likely to lambast
Captain Jones again, but he said, "I am the leader of this train! In
fact…" he craned his neck toward her, "you can call me God as far as
that leadership is concerned!"

Mrs. Pittance and her group of ladies gasped and
placed their hands over their hearts. Two of the women appeared about to swoon
and were steadied by the others. For once, Mrs. Pittance looked dumbstruck.

Staring first at Mrs. Pittance and then at each
woman in turn, Captain Jones said in a softer voice that in some ways was more
frightful than his booming one, "If you accost Mrs. Wells again, or
anyone
traveling on
my
train,
you
and your group will be the ones
bringing up the rear." Shocked silence hovered like fog, and then the captain
shouted, "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

Hallie's own hand covered her breast, not only
because of his words, but because of his commanding personage. Sliding her gaze
to Cooper, she saw an out-and-out grin plastered across his face.

The captain pointed to the two women unsteady on
their feet. "Cooper, help these ladies back to their wagons."

Cooper's smile vanished, but he did not argue.
Mrs. Pittance, with eyes as round as saucers, opened her mouth to speak, but
Captain Jones raised his hand to stop her. "The rear of the train eats the
most dust." He then turned his horse and galloped away.

Mrs. Pittance sputtered and when Cooper stepped
forward to assist her ladies, she said, "Don't touch them! We take care of
our own!"

Cooper raised his hands in mock surrender and
backed away.

Dumbfounded by the events of the past five
minutes, Hallie stood rooted to the spot. Then she thought about Tim and scanned
the area. He stood off to the side, his eyes as wide as hers.

* * *

In Cooper's estimation, nothing could top the
showdown he'd witnessed that day. He'd been so angry at the preacher woman that
he'd intended to give her an earful. However, when the captain stepped in, he knew
the fiery Mrs. Pittance was about to get burned.

Neither Hallie nor the other pioneers knew that Cooper
had served under Captain Jones's military command for a short time. Cooper didn’t
see any reason to advertise his previous acquaintance with the captain, and
obviously Captain Jones felt the same way. After the captain had selected him as
one of his leaders they'd met later at the saloon in Westport and reminisced
old times. Captain Jones had noticed Cooper drinking sarsaparilla and
commented, "I'm glad to see you quit drinkin' that rot gut."

Cooper took a draw on his drink and replied,
"If I hadn't, I'd be six feet under right now."

"Ain't that the truth. I gave it up years
ago, meself." The captain laughed. "Shall I order us another round of
sissy drinks?"

It was late afternoon when they reached the
Shawnee Mission and camped south of several buildings built by Methodist missionaries.
While Cooper cared for the animals, Tim pulled pots and pans from their crate
at his mother's direction. As she was laying firewood, Cooper watched her
movements to see how she was faring after the afternoon's confrontation. Her
countenance seemed none the worse for Mrs. Pittance's words and he breathed a
sigh of relief when she laughed at something Tim said.

Leaving the care of the animals, he joined
Hallie and Tim and teased, "You two are having quite a laugh. Is it
anything I can be privy to?"

Hallie placed a hand over her mouth, covering
her giggle, and pointed to the milk canister hanging on the side of the wagon.
"We've got butter churned into a ball in the center of the can from all
the jostling of the wagon."

Tim pointed toward the chickens in their cage.
"And I said I sure hope we don't have loco chickens after all that
jostling." He moved his finger in a circular motion beside his head for
emphasis.

Cooper laughed loudly and slapped his leg. He added
to the fun, "Loco fried chicken and biscuits dripping with wagon churned
butter."

The three of them laughed so loudly that
families in the wagons closest to them looked in their direction.

Cooper reached in his pocket for his match tin, got
the fire started, and then went back to tending the animals and brushing his
horse. While he was checking Sweet Pea's shoes, he heard a woman's concerned cry
from across the circle. "Oh, my! There's Injuns!"

Cooper glanced up to see Captain Jones escorting
four middle-aged Shawnees to the center of camp: two women and two men. The captain
called out, "Listen up, folks. This here is Big Bear and his wife Falling
Star, and Red Wolf and his wife Little Elk Sees." He pointed to each
person as he named them. "Now, I been friends with them for years. The
women make jewelry to sell to pioneers passing this way and their prices are
reasonable, so if you've a mind to buy somethin', now's a good time. Charges for
everything gets higher the farther west we travel." He turned a meaningful
stare toward the Pittance group. "I expect my
friends
to be treated
with the utmost respect. Does everyone understand?"

The pioneers nodded and answered, "Yes,
sir."

Even at a distance, Cooper could see the scowl
that darkened Mrs. Pittance's expression. He shook his head, wondering how someone
could turn so hateful. Returning his gaze to the Indians—dressed for effect, a
good marketing strategy—he admired their colorfully beaded buffalo skin
clothing, feather dressed hair, and ornate necklaces. Some of the pioneers who
were already used to trading with Indians hastened to greet them and haggle
prices. Cooper watched Hallie biting her bottom lip, alerting him that she was
nervous, and wondered what she was thinking. As he watched, she said something to
Tim, motioned for him to wait for her, and then joined the group bargaining
with the Indians. Cooper smiled as he saw her speak warmly to the women while
the men, Indians and whites, stepped to the side to discuss other matters.
Within minutes, she was exclaiming over the necklaces, and after several more
minutes, she reached into her pocket and slipped out a coin to trade for the
treasure she had found. Smiling happily, she thanked the women and returned to
camp.