12

Grace walked home from school enjoying the crisp autumn air.

A wheelbarrel mounded with corn sat in front of Edith’s house. Grace picked up an ear and pulled back the husk. Firm yellow kernels.

“What’ll we do with that big pile?”

“I could make a meal out of nothing but fresh corn, but this is quite a load you have here.” Grace responded.

“Why Erastus thought you and I would ever need that much I have no idea.”

“Erastus?” Grace’s smile diminished. Please don’t let it be…

“Littleberry is his name. Owns a farm a ways out of town.”

“Yes, his niece Minnie is in my class.” Her heart sank.

“Well, he stayed here for about an hour and chatted with me on the porch. I thought you’d be home by now.”

Grace grabbed four ears of corn. “I wash and scrub the floors on Fridays, remember?”

Edith shook her head. “I can’t keep my mind straight half the time.”

“I’ll heat some water and cook us some corn with dinner.”

“Why don’t you have a seat and sit for a spell?”

“I’m afraid that I won’t get up.” Grace began to remove the husks. “Think I should take an armload of these to school each day and give them to the children to take home?”

“Might as well. Raccoons will get to them if we don’t bring them inside.”

“I’ll bring whatever I can in the house and pile the rest in the shed. Hopefully the raccoons won’t find them in there.”

A grin snuck across Edith’s face. “I’m sure if we run out, Erastus will bring more.”

“That doesn’t need to be done.” Grace narrowed her eyes at the witty old woman.

“Well, he said he’d bring us out some green beans the next time he makes a trip into town.”

“Too bad a bookseller doesn’t live in Sheldon. Maybe I’d have the same luck getting some new books for the classroom.”

“I kind of like all this attention. Didn’t realize my life was so dull until you came along.”

“I’m glad you’re amused, but there’s no need in you encouraging Erastus Littleberry, Edith.”

“Why not? Hardly ever had any visitors. Now I’m gettin’ all kinds of surprises.” Edith’s eyes opened wide. “And that reminds me. Hail Talbert has been driving by almost every late afternoon in his carriage. Slows down as he nears the house and waves at me.”

“Well, tell him to keep on waving. I’m not allowed to court.”

“No, not while you’re teaching, but that won’t be the case come next May.”

“Well, I wouldn’t, Edith. It’s not me to be married. Better off fending for myself than relying upon a man.”

“You might change your mind someday. Looks like you could have two possible suitors.”

Grace opened the front door, her arms loaded with the fresh, husked corn.

“Grace?” Edith’s voice softened, and Grace looked back at her. “If a business owner like Hail Talbert and a farmer like Erastus Littleberry don’t interest you, then who does?”

A name flashed in Grace’s mind, and her heart fluttered. She shook it off. “I don’t need a man. I’ll find a teaching job elsewhere. Perhaps with a larger school. My students will be all I need.”

Edith just smiled.

Grace let the door close. She placed the corn on the work table. The love of her favorite vegetable had just diminished significantly.

~*~

Jed rubbed the back of his neck and felt the sweat and grit under his fingers.

“Are we getting close to a break?” Griffin rubbed his stomach. “I’m starving.”

“Go on ahead back home and get something in you. I’m gonna finish what I started here.”

Instead of unlatching the gate, Griffin lobbed his legs over to one side of the railing. His boots landed in the soft dirt.

Two figures approached the entrance. Hortense Beauregard and Hail Talbert stood on the threshold.

The old woman’s gaze bored into Griffin.

Mr. Talbert remained behind her, an amused grin on his face.

Griffin moved toward the house, but then he paused.

“Go on ahead.” Jed nodded to him. “Rest a spell.”

Hortense’s condescending glare fixed on Griffin.

The boy walked past them, his head high and his eyes sharp.

Jed stirred the coals, jabbing with the poker.

“Mr. Green.” Hortense entered as she spoke. She hadn’t gone more than two steps when she looked down at her polished, black, laced-up boots.

Jed pulled the poker from the fire and placed it on the edge of the forge. He gave it a few quick bangs, then set it aside.

Apparently, intimidation by close proximity was not as important as keeping the dust off Hortense’s fancy shoes. “I will make my sentiments known quickly as I know you are a busy man.”

How generous of you.

“I’m concerned about the relationship you have with the schoolmistress, Miss Cantrell. As I have been clearly made aware because she resides with my sister, your…the three boys who have come to stay with you…they have frequented the house.”

Jed blinked.

“Schoolteachers, Mr. Green, must follow a list of guidelines. And as you know one of them is not to be courted—”

“I’m not courting her.” The edginess in his voice was pronounced.

“Nor can that happen in the future as long as she is employed as such. I have reason to believe that mis-goings on may have occurred. And word in town has circulated as such.”

“I’ve only heard things to the contrary.”

“And how would you know, Mr. Green? You rarely leave your home or shop and speak no more than two words to a single soul at any church service I’ve ever been to.”

Jed rubbed his chin with his right hand.

“It is my belief that Miss Cantrell is not mature and sophisticated enough to do the job assigned. And perhaps her being here is not entirely her fault. She is young, and the poor girl probably has no idea what she is doing.”

Hail Talbert turned toward her with a sharpness, as if he would interrupt her.

“Nevertheless,”—Mrs. Beauregard looked down and shook her head—“she is what Sheldon has for now. So until Mr. Hennessy returns, or until the fall term, my eye will be on her. Like a hawk.”

“I have done nothing wrong, Mrs. Beauregard, and I assure you Miss Cantrell has not, as well.”

Hail Talbert placed his hands on his vest and gave Jed an arrogant look, his tongue running under his top lip. “I believe Mrs. Beauregard just wants to make sure that impropriety does not take place. It would be a shame to have such rumors floating around to damage an innocent young woman’s reputation. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be the cause of that, now would you?”

Footsteps stirred the gravel outside. Griffin crunched on an apple as he entered. He lightly underhanded Jed another, which Jed caught easily with one hand. Griffin lobbed over the railing again, apple in his teeth.

Mrs. Beauregard seemed disgusted.

Mr. Talbert haughtily concealed a smirk.

“You all get what you came for?” Griffin asked loudly. He took another large bite of the apple.

Mrs. Beauregard spoke, but her lips barely moved. “I believe we did. Thank you, sir.”

“Sir? You don’t need to call me that, ma’am.” Griffin crunched as he spoke. “I’m an orphan.”

Mr. Talbert’s eyes sharpened toward Griffin.

Mrs. Beauregard’s chest broadened.

“Oh, but I bet you knew that already, didn’t ya?” Griffin said with a wink.

Hail Talbert placed his hand on the center of Mrs. Beauregard’s back.

“We are done here,” she replied coldly.

Both of them walked toward the door.

“Hey, you be sure to come back now,” Griffin spoke with more enthusiasm than was called for. “Anything we can do to help, you just tell us.”

Jed coiled his fingers around the apple and imagined chucking the fruit at Griffin’s temple.

Griffin opened his arms. “What?” He pointed toward the door as he chewed. “Got the strange feeling those people don’t like me much.”

Jed went back to work. Griffin worked beside him just the way Jed liked. Quiet, no talking. They made progress over the next hour with only a few interruptions from townsfolk doing business. If only every day could be like this.

Wails drifted through the opened shop doors.

Griffin’s gaze met Jed’s.

Jed dropped the half-done chain link on the forge.

Griffin went over the rail and sprinted toward the dirt road.

Josiah was crying. Thick tears streamed down Thomas’s red cheeks, too. His arm was wrapped around Josiah’s shoulder while his other hand covered Josiah’s nose. Blood trickled from underneath Josiah’s hands.

Griffin made it to the boys first and fell on his knees in front of them.

Thomas’s lip had been cut and blood seeped down his chin. One cheek had already started to swell.

“Let me see. Move your hand.” Jed knelt and placed his hand over Thomas’s fingers.

Thomas complied, still sobbing.

Jed’s heart hardened.

Josiah’s sweet face was streaked with blood that dripped from his nostrils and mouth.

Griffin paced behind Jed, running his fingers through his hair.

“Open your mouth, Josiah. I need to see how bad you’re hurt.”

Josiah cringed, tucking into Thomas’s side.

“It’s all right. I’m right here. Let Mr. Green see.” Thomas said, wiping his face.

Josiah sniffled, then opened his mouth.

Coldness ran through Jed’s body. Josiah had lost at least one tooth.

“Who did this?” Griffin asked in a demanding tone.

Thomas turned, not answering. He searched the ground. He paused, then picked up a long stick. Straddling a puddle, he used the stick to fish his hat out of the muddy water.

“Don’t worry about your hat,” Griffin told him.

“They did something with my book too.” Thomas’s lips quivered.

Griffin took Thomas’s hand and went further down the road.

Jed couldn’t tell if Josiah’s nose was broken—they’d ask the doctor about that—but the boy certainly received quite a bang. Even breathing seemed painful for the youngster.

“Here it is.” Griffin lifted the book by its spine. A few loose pages fell out and floated to the ground. Griffin helped as Thomas pick them up and placed the loose pages inside the cover.

Josiah whimpered and wrapped his arms around Jed’s neck, which made a smooth transition for Jed to pick him up and carry him. Jed put an arm around Thomas, who tucked the book under his right arm.

Griffin‘s shoulders were tense and his back stiff. He walked backward, scanning the opened area. “Who did this?” Griffin yelled to a silent audience. “It was them, wasn’t it? Are we going to do something about this?” He opened his palms to Thomas. “What’d they look like?”

Jed’s eyes stung. Anger. Sorrow. Love. He wasn’t entirely sure. But he knew three things. First, no one would ever hurt these boys again. Second, he knew who did this. And third, he knew what he would do about it.

~*~

Jed checked his pocket watch and then snapped the lid shut. The boys hadn’t been in with the doctor that long, but time seemed to drag. He folded his arms.

Griffin sat on the front stoop and glared straight ahead, a blade of blue stem between his lips. “When’s that sheriff gonna get here?”

“He’ll be here when he can.”

Jed handed Griffin some the money. “Run over to the mercantile and get the boys a piece of candy and pick one for yourself. Thomas likes peppermint, and get Josiah a lemon drop.”

“I was kinda hopin’ to be around when you talk to the sheriff and to wait and see what the doctor says.”

“I’ll be sure to tell you everything. Besides, you won’t be gone that long, and they might be a while longer.”

“You trust me?” His question seemed sincere.

Good point. “The boys have been through enough without hearing about you getting into more trouble. So, if anybody questions you, tell him you’re my apprentice and that I’m over here.”

Griffin stood. The boy’s stomach rumbled. In the chaos, none of them had had dinner.

“And stop by Hawkins Boarding House on the way back and see if Gerald will sell you some rolls for the money you have left. If it ain’t enough, tell him I’ll settle up with him later.”

Griffin looked back toward the closed door to the doctor’s office.

“Go on.” Jed gestured with his head. “Boys will be happy to get that candy.”

Griffin trotted to the end of town.

Jed took off his hat and ran his fingers through his sweaty hair. Wispy clouds had gathered in the western sky. A soft orange glow painted the horizon. The immensity of the heavens and the events of the day caused deep reflection. Over time, Jed had learned to drown those kinds of thoughts between hammer and anvil. But his knees felt weak. He leaned forward with his elbows on his thighs and laced his fingers behind his head.

Images of Thomas covering Josiah’s bloody nose pierced his mind. And the pain in their eyes. Jed had never known eyes to reveal so much about a person. Back when he first got them, they’d looked so lost and afraid, as if they had no way out of their predicament. Today, their eyes held the same look.

Jed had always loathed meanness. Even with his size and strength, the temptation to cause pain on someone else never surfaced. What about your father? Jed’s throat tightened. He had hurt his father. Purposely. Jed made sure his father felt the pain of his coldness. The leather-bound journal. The unread letters. His refusal to respect. He covered his face with one hand, and his gut knotted so bad he thought he might get sick.

From a long-ignored place in his heart a sweet voice rang. His mother’s. Remember what I said to do when you’ve had enough? You get on your knees and you pray, Jedidiah. You pray, and you believe, and you thank the Lord for what He’s about to do. Although you can’t see it, and ain’t nobody knows it, you believe it, Jed. You believe it as sure as the sun’s gonna shine in Texas.

He stood, looking at the sky. God’s presence wrapped him as a mother would swaddle her baby, and he prayed for Thomas and Josiah. His head fell forward as words flowed from his heart.

The door to Dr. Holt’s office opened. The doctor nodded to Jed and then motioned for him to come in.

“Hey!” Griffin held a paper sack in one hand, and he leapt onto the porch. “Did you fix them up right, Doc?”

“Come on in here, and we’ll talk.” Dr. Holt stepped behind his desk and motioned for them to sit. He took off his glasses, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped his spectacles. The man sat down, placed his elbows on the desk, and brought his fingertips together. “The boys are in the other room. They’ll be fine, but they’ve been scuffed up quite a bit and suffered some injuries. Especially the little one. The one with the scar.”

“That’s Josiah. Is his nose broken?” Jed asked.

“Oh, yes.” The doctor put his glasses back on. “I set it. His two front teeth have been knocked out. They’re baby teeth, so they’ll grow back. His ribs are badly bruised, but he’s lucky they aren’t broken. They’ll be mighty tender. I couldn’t get him to say much; the older one did most of the talking. But it sounds like whoever did this whacked them pretty good. Have you contacted the sheriff?”

Jed nodded. “He wasn’t in, but I sent word. And Thomas?”

“His eye will be swollen for a few days, maybe longer. And it’ll turn black. He’ll have bruises, but no real damage was done to the internal organs or bones.”

Griffin’s face paled to the color of milk.

“The older boy did say there were three of them. He fought them as best he could. Said he bit one of their fingers. When two of them went after the younger one he rolled on top of him to shield his body. He’ll have bruises on his back the size of your fist.”

The air in the room seemed to have been sucked out.

“Can I see them?” Jed asked.

“They’ve been asking for you.” Dr. Holt nodded as his gaze shifted to Griffin. “And for your apprentice.”

“How much do I owe you?”

“Tell you what, Jed.” He paused. “This one is on me. I’m sure I’ll be needing your services before winter gets here.”

“I can pay, Dr. Holt.”

“I know you can.” Dr. Holt’s voice elevated. “But I also know you’re a good man who’s taken more than your fair share of bartering for your work. And you’ve got three children to feed, so please allow me to indulge you this one time. Besides, these boys need to know that kindness can be found around here.”

Jed nodded.

Dr. Holt moved from behind the desk. “Looks like you’ve been in a tangle yourself.” He touched Griffin’s cheek and under his eye. “Is it still tender?”

“Never was,” Griffin said.

Dr. Holt raised his eyebrows and then opened the door to the back room. “Boys should be fine to go home tomorrow. Probably best they not be moved tonight, and I’ll check them over first thing in the morning.”

Thomas sat up when they entered. His shirt sleeve had been torn and his eye had swollen considerably in such a short time. Josiah’s heavy eyelids opened somewhat.

Jed sat on the corner of Thomas’s bed. “You hungry?”

Thomas nodded.

Griffin opened up the sack. “Hey, look what I got you. Still warm too.” He handed a roll to Thomas and then to Jed. He went over to Josiah’s bed. “Hello, little man.”

The sheets had been pulled up to Josiah’s chin. He didn’t move.

Griffin tore off a piece of bread. “Here, take a bite of this.”

Josiah barely shook his head.

“Come on. You’ll like it.” Griffin knelt on the floor. “I got you a lemon drop, but you gotta eat something first.”

Jed brushed Josiah’s hair with his fingers. “You should eat, Josiah, to get your strength back.”

Josiah’s swollen lips parted, and Griffin stuck the small piece of bread inside.

Dr. Holt stepped between the beds. “Their appetite should return by tomorrow. You can take them on home, but might be best you leave them here for the night. As I said, the ride home will be hard on their ribs. And I can look them over again in the morning.”

Thomas lifted his chin. “Will we stay here by ourselves?”

Josiah spoke weakly. “I want to go back to Mr. Green’s house.”

Jed’s gut knotted. Josiah didn’t say he wanted to go back home.

Griffin bit into the roll, then tore off another piece for Josiah.

Jed tapped Thomas’s blanket-covered foot. “How about we all stay here tonight?” he suggested.

“Then will we go back to your house?” Thomas asked.

“We will go back to our house,” he assured the boys. Then he turned to Dr. Holt. “Thanks for letting us stay.”

“Suits me fine,” he said. “You can bring chairs in from the other room.”

“No need for me,” Griffin said as he pulled his boots off and dropped them onto the floor. He crawled onto the bed with Josiah and put his back against the wall. “I’ll be fine right here.”

Thomas scooted as if to make room for Jed.

“I may have to grab a chair. Think I’m too big to fit on there with you,” Jed said with a smile.

Thomas turned to Griffin. “Make sure not to roll over on Josiah and squish him.”

“I ain’t gonna squish him,” Griffin growled. “This little guy is too tough for that anyway.”

“I’m not tough.” Josiah shook his head. “Thomas is tough.”

“Well.” Dr. Holt folded his arms. “I’ll leave you to work this out on your own, and I’ll return in the morning.” The doctor exited.

Jed dragged a chair in from the other room. He sat down, pulled off his boots, and placed them on the floor at the end of the bed.

Griffin tossed him the sack. “One more roll left. And the candy.”

“We’ll save the candy for tomorrow.” Jed broke off a piece of bread, popped it in his mouth, and gave Thomas the rest. “We won’t tonight, but at some point we’ll have to talk about what happened. And the sheriff will want to know as well.”

Thomas‘s eyes misted.

“But for now, we’ll pray and give thanks that we’re all together. And that you’re safe now,” Jed said.

“Mr. Green?” Thomas asked. “Are you sorry you took us in?”

“Why would you think that?”

“Seems like we’ve been a lot of extra work for you.”

“Hard work is good for a man.”

Griffin scoffed, his head buried in a pillow. “Yeah, but if we could get him a woman, things would be a lot better.”

Jed wadded the paper sack into a ball and tossed it toward Griffin, where it bounced off the bed and landed on the floor.

All three boys laughed.

Jed stretched out his legs, leaned his head back against the wall, closed his eyes, and listened to the quiet.