Spake As a Dragon (38 page)

“
What happened to the farm
Doc?”

“
The farm was purchased by
Judge Slade. The worst sort of carpetbagger the South has ever had
to endure – he has bought up most all the land up and down Hog
Creek, except mine. So far I have been able to stay barely ahead of
him and the tax collector. Slade has a strong-arm by the name of
Simeon LaPree, who does all his dirty work. He is a scoundrel from
New Orleans, I believe. Judge Slade has his Yankee tentacles in the
county courthouse also. When Slade finds land he wants, he gets
that other carpetbagger county judge to foreclose on ’em. Then
Slade picks the land up for pennies on the dollar.

“
Nate, even tho’ we have
never officially met I have known about you all the years I have
been acquainted with your Ma and Pa, and I hate to be the one to
inform you of the death of your father and brother – it was at the
hand of that dastardly Simeon LaPree. Shot’em down in the yard,
they never had a chance. During the War, LaPree was Captain of the
Home Guard and had come to Malinda’s place to conscript William and
Isaac into the Army – Uncle Jed and Jefferson stood up to him and
he killed them both. Shot your Mama too, but she survived. Uncle
Jed and Jefferson are buried right there under that red oak tree in
the edge of the yard. One good word though Nate, your Ma’ma is
fine, she went with Malinda back to Carolina.”

“
Yessir, thanks, Doc, we’d
done seen theirs graves. Thank ya, for the story ‘bout how they
done got kilt tho’, I appreciate it. I sure do appreciate knowing
about Ma.”

“
Mrs
Scarburg...”

“
Please Doc, call me
Catherine.”

“
Uh, Catherine, Sam, you
all are welcome to stay here with me until you can decide what your
next plans are – I have plenty of room for all of you.”

“
Thanks, Doc, but I
already know what our plans are – we heading to
Scarlettsville.”

“
I don’t blame you son,
but I know your horses and mules are done worn out. Before you
leave go out to my barn, get you a couple of strong mules and some
fresh horses. Turn yours loose in my pasture – they deserve a good
rest. They’ll be right here if you ever get to come
back.”

“
Nate, to show Doc our
appreciation how about going out to your wagon and let’s get Doc
one of them things we keep wrapped up in the back.”

“
Yous means one of the
hounds, does you?”

“
Well, now that you
mention it yes, if it’s all right with Sam, I’d like Doc Crawford
to have one of those beautiful Kentucky coon hounds. Doc has always
been a big coon hunter, he’ll really appreciate a dog like
that.”

“
Darn right, Luke I’d love
for Doc to have one of the hounds.”

“
But, Nate in addition to
the hound, bring Doc one of the rifles.”

“
Well, I be,” said Doc
standing on the porch looking at the Kentucky coon dog. “That’s one
of the finest dogs I’ve ever laid my eyes on, what’s his breed you
say?”

“
Doc, just call him a
‘Walker’.”

Nate handed Doc the Henry rifle. Doc
jerked his hand back like the gun was hot, “What is that? That
ain’t a Henry is it? I’ve heard boys comin’ home from the War
talkin’ about them. Never knew they really existed until now. My,
oh my, a Henry! They say it holds sixteen shells at one
time.”

“
That’s ‘bout right Doc,”
Luke handed him one of the outlaws pistol belts with every loop
loaded with an extra Henry cartridge. Luke just left the Colt .44
in the holster, besides they still had a wagon full of
them.

“
You givin’ me this Colt
six-shooter too. Why, that’s way too much Luke. You keep ’em you
might need ‘em on the trail to Carolina.”

“
Nah, Doc we got plenty
more where that one came from. Take care of yourself; hope to see
you some day. Oh, has any word ever be received about Father or
Matthew?”

“
I’m sorry Luke, not a
single word about them, the only word lately is about the War
finally ending.”

“
The War is over!” Asked
Nate? “When Doc?”

“
I heard is was sometime
around the first week in April.”

“
Over, it’s finally over!”
Said Luke, astonished.

“
Luke you surely must have
not received any news lately?”

“
Naw Doc, We have been on
the trail for weeks and didn’t hear about the War ending. We laid
over at Fort Payne and news there was the War was about
over.”

“
You didn’t hear about the
President either, I gather?”

“
The President? You
talkin’ about President Davis?”

“
No, President Abraham
Lincoln. He was assassinated on the 14
^th
of April and
died the next morning. A man by the name of Booth killed
him.”

“
Booth? John Wilkes
Booth?”

“
Yes that was his name.
You look surprised? Did you know him Luke?”

“
Kind of, I suppose,” Luke
replied thinking of his friend Jamie Morefield, and the night they
spent in the wagon in front of Surratt’s Tavern. “Yeah, I knew
him.”

Nate walked upon the porch, “Doc, I
want you to do me a favor.”

“
Anything Nate, if it’s
within my power.”

“
I want you to tell that
Simeon LaPree feller to sleep with one eye open from now on, ‘cause
one day, he won’t know when, he won’t know where and fer sure he
won’t know how, you tells him I’m gonna kill him – stone cold dead!
I swear it before you, Luke and God...on my Pappy and Jefferson’s
graves...tell him this ain’t no warnin’, it’s fer sure a
promise!”

Chapter
Forty-Seven

CANDY GROWS ON
TREES

“
I’m sorry,” Luke pats
Catherine on the leg, “I thought we would be home, but I guess home
is somewhere else.” He said as he pulls the wagon up to the
hitching rail in front of Lang’s Mercantile store in Albertville.
“Let’s load up with supplies – we need beans, bacon, salt, flour,
coffee, sugar if they have it and whatever else you think we need
to get to Carolina.”

Nate and Sam walk up to Luke as he
steps upon the board sidewalk in front of the store, “Luke, you
know we ain’t got no hard money to buy supplies with,” said
Nate.

“
Nope, you’re right,” said
Luke walking around to the rear of Nate’s wagon and removing a
Henry rifle. They all walk into the store, Nate and Sam begin
picking up the needed supplies and piling them on the counter by
the store clerk. They are both worried that Luke is going to rob
the store for their supplies.

Catherine has migrated over to the
women’s apparel and stands in front of a full-length mirror trying
on frilly hats. First she tries on one, ties the ribbon under her
chin, turns her head one way then the other. Tries others doing the
same with each. Luke sees her standing in front of the mirror and
walks up behind her, puts his arms around her waist, places his
face next to hers and says, “That one is sure pretty – pretty hat
for a pretty lady.”

“
Oh shush, I was just
looking. Now go own about your business.”

As Luke walks away grinning, he looks
back over his shoulder toward Catherine and quietly says to her, “I
thought I was going about my business.”

Nate and Sam pass the counter with the
glass bowls full of hard candies. “My oh my Sam, its been a month
of Sundays since I done had me one of these here
sweets.”

“
Well Nate, you’ve done
better’n me, I ain’t never tasted one of ’em.”

“
Oh, now Sam, I jest wish
you could get a taste of that yeller one there,” Nate said pointing
with his finger. “Them candies come from somethin’ called a limmen
tree – feller sez to me once they grow on trees sommers in a place
called Flarriday. They must harden up once you pick
’em.”

Luke walks by and hears them talking –
he hears Nate trying to explain the lemon drop candy and the look
of awe on Sam’s face as Nate tells him about them. Luke grins and
walks on.

All the goods are piled on the counter
and the clerk removes the pencil from behind his ear and starts
scribbling on a scrap of paper, “Well sir,” he says, “the bill
comes to $12.50 even.”

“
All right, but I believe
I’ll have me a poke full of them lemon drop candies and the Missus
will take that blue bonnet she last tried on.”

“
Why Luke, that cost a
dollar and a half!” Exclaimed Malinda.

“
Let’s see now, $12.50
plus the bonnet, that’ll make $14.00, then add in ten cents for the
bag of candy – I believe your total will be, let’s see now, yeah
that’s right fourteen dollars and ten cents.”

“
Sounds about right,” said
Luke placing the Henry down on the counter. Nate and Sam cringe,
here it comes they think. Sam turns away he can’t watch. Nate hopes
Luke won’t kill the young kid behind the counter.

“
Fourteen dollars and ten
cents huh? That seems fair,” Luke picks up the Henry. He cocks the
lever, chambering a cartridge into the rifle. Sam shuts his eyes,
he can’t stand the sight of the blood he knows is about to start
flowing.

“
How about a trade, my gun
for these goods?”

“
But...but...mister that
there is a ‘Henry’ repeating rifle! I’ll have to go in back and get
Mr. Lang, the owner.”

Coming from the back is a portly man,
wearing a white shirt with black sleeve garters holding up his long
sleeves. He has a green visor on his baldhead and a vest that’s a
tad too small for his bulging stomach. His short cigar is now
nothing but chewing material, it has long since burned out. He
appears to be a man with an unpleasant disposition. “What the
galldurn’s goin’ on up here Fred, can’t you handle something simple
as checking these folks out?”

“
Yes sir, Mr. Lang, but
they want to trade for the goods.”

“
Trade, we don’t trade!
It’s cash on the barrelhead. Cash I tell you. You know the policy
Fred, good old U.S. greenbacks, none of that Confederate stuff.
What you folks think, my fine establishment is a Swap and Shop?”
Mr. Lang said in an un-friendly manner.

Luke picks up the rifle, “We’d like to
trade you this here rifle for our supplies.”

“
Hen...Hen...Henry! That’s
a sixteen shot Henry rifle mister. Ain’t never been one in these
parts. Ain’t that the rifle they say you can load on Sunday and
shoot all week?”

“
Well,” says Luke, “There
it is, and you can be its new owner, and I’ll throw in ten, no make
that fifteen extra cartridges to go with it, but as far as shooting
it all week, I’ve found I usually have to load her again around
Thursday!”

“
Well Fred, what you
waiting for, get these fine folk’s supplies loaded up in their
wagon,” Mr. Lang said admiringly rubbing the rifle as he walked
back to his office.

Nate and Sam grin as they suck on the
lemon drops and watch the wagon ahead as Catherine ties the blue
ribbon on her new hat. They know Scarlettsville can’t be but a
couple of weeks away. “Giddy up, horses, we got some more travelin’
to do.”

Chapter
Forty-Eight

“
MORNIN’ MAJOR”

Riding into Albertville a few days
earlier Luke had worn a jacket over his blue Union shirt. He was
not sure how the folks in and around Albertville would take to a
Union dressed soldier coming into their town.

Riding out of town, he removed the
jacket and worn the old blue Yankee shirt and yellow suspenders he
had been wearing for months now. They seemed a part of him and he
felt comfortable wearing them.

Luke and his convoy dropped off the
top of Sand Mountain into the valley but passed the fort at Fort
Payne. They were anxious to get to South Carolina and were not
wasting any time on this trip, besides, the horses and mules were
fresh and the load was easy for them to pull.

In a couple of days, they were in the
Blue Ridge Mountains of northern Georgia. At night, Luke would not
post a guard and during the day he wasn’t concerned about running
into soldiers. After all, the War was over.

It must have been the second or third
day traveling down a winding trail through the mountains when from
the woods to their left five men approach. They were dressed in
Confederate gray, but their uniforms are worn, dirty and ragged.
The leader’s collar indicates he has held the rank of
Major.

“
Mornin’ Major,” said Luke
as the men approach. “You fellers trying to make your way
home?”

“
What’s it to you Yank!
Mind yer own business, what you got in them wagons?”

“
Hold on there Major, I
was Confed just like you boys.”

“
Nah, I see yer still
wearin’ that stinkin’ Yankee blue. I should shoot you down here and
now!”

“
Wait a minute Major, the
War is over – I know we lost, but you fellers should get on back to
your homes and get on with your lives. Y’all probably got a missus
and young ’uns that are waiting on y’all to come home.”

“
You Yankee scum, don’t
you be tellin’ us Southern boys what we need or don’t need to be
doin’. You got a rifle in that there wagon yer ridin’
in?”