CHAPTER 16
Daylight cracked and they were eating breakfast in the cool morning air. The wrangler had his herd in the rope and an iron post portable corral ready to select the horses the cowboys needed. He’d already cut out both her, his, and Harp’s mounts for the day.
When Jimmy came by with the large coffeepots, she asked him about Alex.
“He’s riding in the chuck wagon today. Got a fever and he’s dizzy.”
“No idea?”
“I don’t have much medical training.”
“If I can do anything, tell me,” Jan said.
“Maybe resting some will help him. I just fear it is a deeper thing. He’s no crybaby and has a really high fever.”
“If you need me call out,” she said.
But nothing stopped the fever that consumed him. By that mid-afternoon Jimmy shook his head when he met Long with the chuck wagon at the night’s site.
Mid-day in north Texas, the spring sun shone hard. The tender new grass blades waved in the eternal wind.
“That boy ain’t doing good.” He reined up his mules.
“I hate to hear that,” Long said, hitching his horse to a small tree sprout.
Jimmy looked around. “Ain’t no sign of a town is there?”
“Probably not short of the Red River. We’re two to three days’ short of there.”
Jimmy shook his head. “He won’t last that long. And I doubt a doctor could save him.”
“My wife will hate that.”
“No more than I do.”
“I agree. Sorry I am not a medicine man, either.” He kicked a pile of horse apples. There were things in life beyond a human’s ability to repair them, no matter how hard they were to swallow when they happened.
“He won’t last through the night.” Jimmy tucked his upper lip over his mouth and shook his head. “I guess we can pray God accepts him?”
“Yes.”
They both dropped to their knees.
Long began, “Lord, we are some cowboys who have a good friend about to be delivered to you, sir. His mother is a widow and we will help her, but make him at home in your big meadow and hold him in the palm of your hand. He is a great person, generous and polite—in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”
“Thanks.”
They helped each other up. He could hardly stand the sorrow he knew his wife would feel when she learned what was happening—God bless her.