Miss Annie And The Chief (4 page)

Even this
revelation shocks Annie.
 
“No
wonder you haven't written in so long.”

“Please don't be
disappointed, Annie.
 
This country
can change you.”

“It doesn't
appear to be in a good way.” Annie says quietly.

“Spend enough
time here, you'll understand.”

“I don't think
I'll be spending any time here at all.”

“It's late, you
at least have to stay the night. Please stay at my house.”

“There's plenty
of room now that no one's there,” the marshal adds sarcastically.

“It's down the
street, next to the theatre.” Selma tells Annie.

Annie doesn't
move; she doesn't look at her aunt.
 
She's befuddled by this unexpected turn of events.

Selma smiles
lovingly at Annie.
 
“I thought I
would never fall in love, Annie. I resigned myself to the fate of growing old
alone, never having felt the embrace of a kind, caring man. Then I met Jim. He's
bright, noble, makes me laugh.
 
He
respects what I was doing out here.”

“As he should,
you're teaching children.” Annie retorts.

The marshal
snickers.
 
Selma corrects Annie.
“I'm not teaching children. I'm teaching Indians.”

This is just
another major shock dropped on Annie regarding her aunt.
 
“You're teaching Indians?”

“Scouts
mainly.
 
For the Army.”

“Correction. She
was teaching the scouts. Not doing much teaching from here.”
 
The marshal is thoroughly enjoying
injecting.

“I'm teaching
you to play chess.”
 
Selma sasses
the marshal.

*****

Moments later,
down the street from the saloon and jail, Emmet stands with Annie in the doorway
of the row house adjacent to the theatre.

“Never would
have expected that bird to end up with a gunman and in the slammer.
 
And teaching those savages.” Emmet
declares.

“I never
imagined it either, Mr. Howes.”

“You wanna
continue on to Santa Fe with the Newtons and me in the morning?”

“Yes, very much
so.”

“We'll be
headin' out first light. Good-night, Miss Annie.”
 
Emmet heads back towards the saloon.

Annie enters
Selma’s house and shuts the door behind her.
 
She looks around the place, examining her aunt's home.
 
She looks over the piles of books,
artwork, Elizabethan furniture, velvet tapestries.
 
She seems as alone and out of place here as she did in her
home back in Pennsylvania.

She takes a seat
on the plush sofa and pulls out a black and white photo of her husband in his
Army uniform. She looks at him fondly. Then she buries her face in a pillow,
not able to hold the tears at bay any longer.

*****

Morning arrives
and Annie is still seated on the sofa, looking exhausted.
  
There's a knock on the door. She
rises from the sofa, walks to the front door and opens it.

Standing on the
front step is Captain Mark Caldwell. He immediately looks concerned when he
sees her tired, tear-weary eyes.
  
“Good morning, Mrs. Landon.”
 

“'Captain.”
 
She quietly responds.

“First and
foremost, you have my deepest sympathies for the loss of your husband.”
 
Mark says kindheartedly.

“Thank you.”

“I understand
that you are a teacher, like your aunt.”

“News travels
fast in this town.”

“Like
lightning.”
 
Mark quips.
 
His tender smile comforting Annie.

Annie sees Emmet
approaching.
 
“I'm going to be
leaving momentarily, Captain.”

“I wish you
wouldn't.”
 
He says with heartfelt
sincerity as he locks eyes with Annie.

Mark’s response
surprises Annie.
 
The way he said
it with such meaning in the words and warmth in his eyes, catches her breath
and she's helpless to control her blush.
  
“Why is that?”

“With your aunt
incarcerated, we need a teacher. Out at the fort.
 
To teach the scouts. Our lack of understanding each other
has significantly hindered our efforts in forging true peace with the Indians.
You would be doing the army a great service.”

Annie doesn't
answer. She's contemplating her options as she watches the wagons
approach.
 
Emmet reaches the row
house. He joins Mark on the front step.

“Ya ready to go,
Miss Annie?”
 
Emmet asks.

Annie looks at
Mark.
 
His eyes are tender, hopeful.
 
She thinks for a moment.

“The day ain't
waiting for us.”
 
Emmet encourages.

“I think I'm
going to stay for a while, Mr. Howes.” Annie announces.
 
This news surprises Emmet and relieves
Mark.

‘'You sure you
wanna be doing that, Miss Annie?”
 
Emmet wants to know.

“Not
completely.”
 
She quietly
replies.
 

Annie looks at
Mark again, he shares a grateful smile; there is relief in those remarkable
eyes.
 
“Thank you, Mrs. Landon.”

“All righty.
I'll get yer belongings from the wagon.”
 
Emmet shrugs.

“I'll give you a
hand.” Mark offers.

Annie approaches
Peter and Jenny's wagon.
 
They hop
down to greet her.

“We'll be
staying at the Curtis Ranch in Santa Fe.
 
With artists and writers, good people, with good hearts. Their ranch
will be a haven for like-minded souls. You'll always be welcome there.”
 
Peter shares.

Jenny gives
Annie a hug. “You will be missed.”
 
Jenny tells her.

Mark and Emmet
are within ear shot of the conversation as Mark retrieves Annie's belongings
from the wagon.

"A friend
may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature."
 
Annie quotes to Jenny.

“Them funny
words by the respectively brothers?”
 
Emmet asks.

“Emerson.”
 
Peter informs.

Emmet thinks he
knows what he's talking about now.
 
“Yuup, one of them brothers.”
 

Peter doesn't
bother to correct Emmet's delusion as Emmet and Mark place Annie's things
inside the row house and then join the wagons.
 

Annie approaches
the back of Emmet's wagon where her horse is tied.
 
She tenderly pets his nose. “Good-bye, dear friend,” her
voice quivering slightly.
 
Mark
watches Annie's moment with the horse finding it poignant; this lovely widow
captivates him.

I'll take good
care of yer steed, Miss Annie.
 
Emmet tells her, his voice quivering a bit as well.

“Thank you, Mr.
Howes. You are a fine guide and a decent man.”

“Decent?
 
I wouldn't go that far.”
 
He smirks.

The quip
inspires Annie to smile, a bright, wide, lovely smile.
 
The first since she arrived in town.
 
Another moment that captures Mark's
attention and heart.

Emmet gives
Annie a hearty handshake. He hops up into his wagon.
 
“Try not to follow too closely in your aunt's footsteps,
Miss Annie.”
 
Emmet warns.

“Make your own
footsteps, Annie.”
 
Jenny encourages.

The wagons pull
away from the house, riding down the main street of town.
 
Mark stands next to Annie.
 
"Hitch your wagon to a star,"
he says.

“You're familiar
with Emerson?”
 
Annie responds,
pleasantly surprised.

“Thanks to my
roommate at West Point. One quote of Emerson's I have tried to live by. “‘The
purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be
compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived
well.’”
 
Mark shares.

Annie looks
directly at Mark, deeply moved by the quote he aspires to live by. “That is a
fine quote and one I have long held in regard.”

They share a
look, which, if held much longer would ignite sparks.
 
Annie looks away.

“When would you
like to start your assignment, Mrs. Landon?”
 
Mark inquires.

“I have no prior
obligations, Captain.”

*****

A horse-drawn
buggy approaches Fort Mills, a military outpost in the wilds of the Colorado
Territory.
 
Mark drives it with
Annie seated next to him. Mark parks the buggy in front of the main building.

Mark helps Annie
out of the buggy.
 
His close
proximity to her body as he helps her out of the buggy allows him to pick up on
her nervousness.
 
His kind eyes
connect with hers as he keeps her in his embrace for an extra comforting
moment.
 
He could hold her forever
if she’d let him he thinks, but quickly pushes the thought out of his mind.

“Don't
worry.
 
You'll do fine.” Mark
reassures Annie.
 
Offering her his
arm he escorts her to the schoolroom.
 
When they reach the room, Mark opens the door for Annie.
 
They enter.

Inside the
schoolroom, six male Indian scouts sit at desks working on reading and
writing.
 
Although dressed in Army
garb, they still do look intimidating.

Mark addresses
the scouts.
 
“This is your new
teacher, Selma is her aunt.”

“What does
"aunt" mean?” One of the scouts asks.

Mark looks to
Annie to answer.

Annie musters
courage.
 
“Aunt is the sister of
your mother or father.
 
Selma is my
father's sister.”
 
It's unclear by
their expressions if the scouts understand the meaning.
 

Mark motions to
the desk.
 
“Selma kept detailed
notes on reading and writing assignments.
 
They're on the desk.” Mark gives Annie an encouraging smile with those
beautiful eyes of his.
 
“I'll be
right outside should you need anything.”

“Thank you,
Captain.”
 
Annie nods politely.

Mark
leaves.
 
Annie is alone in the room
with the Indian scouts.
 
She looks
at them.
 
They look at her.
 
Silence.
 

Chato, one of
the scouts, in his early twenties, good-looking, friendly smile, stands.
 
“I am Chato. Son of Running Bear.
 
I have two aunts.”
 
He takes a seat.

Another Indian
scout stands up, tells Annie his name, his father's name and how many aunts he
has. He takes a seat.
 
And then
another scout stands up and does the same.
 
And another.
 
And another.
 
Until every
scout has stood up and told Annie his name, his father's name and how many
aunts he has.
 

Annie is touched
by the gentle politeness of these young Indian men.
 
There's nothing savage about them. “I am...” She begins but
pauses, thinking of how she should be known.
 
Finally she adds, “Miss Annie...” As she says her name, she
smiles; it's a turning point moment for her.
 
“I am the daughter of Stephen MacHattie. I have one aunt.”

After class
Annie leaves the schoolroom followed by the scouts.
 
She carries a couple of books.
 
As promised, Mark is nearby.
 

Chato walks with
Annie. “You are good teacher, Miss Annie.
 
Like your aunt.” Chato tells her.

“Thank you,
Chato.”

“She teach us to
fit in wasichu world.”

“Wasichu?” Annie
is confused by the word.

“White eyes.”

Annie still
doesn't quite understand.

“White man.”
Chato elaborates.

Mark joins them.

“Captain sir,
may I bring Miss Annie back to town?” Chato asks.

Mark looks at
Annie. “Chato used to bring Selma home after class.”