VIII
"I don't think it's such an unusual request. I mean the women of Virginia City are knowledgeable about city politics. Many other states and territories allow women limited voting rights. We could start off small, you know, school board elections, minor offices…" Adam looked about the table at the other men in the council-room. Not a one would meet his eye. Even his own father, looking down at the table as if studying the pattern of the woodgrain, didn't appear to support him.
Hoss and Joe stood against the wall; not being members of the council, they could only listen and observe along with the other townsmen who stood or sat in the few available chairs. Roy Coffee stood in the open doorway, catching any breeze. The room full of people, was quickly becoming hot and added to Adam's nervousness; he appeared to be the only advocate for the women. He could feel the sweat roll down his temples, his chest and back. He wondered if he would end up in a fight with one or more of these men before the morning was over.
"We're comin' along just in case," Hoss said, standing by the saddled horses. Joe stood alongside, a stubborn look on his face, his hat low on his forehead.
Adam stood, holding his horse's reins. "Pa's coming along and I don't need bodyguards."
"We think you do," Joe said. Hoss nodded in support. "Besides, we want to know what happens, what the council decides."
"Yeah, we ain't gonna wait around here until you and Pa get back."
"I thought you and Joe had work to do," Ben Cartwright said, walking out of the house. At his voice, his horse raised its head. "I could have sworn that we had cattle to brand and count. But of course, I'm only the oldest member of this family who oversees everything. What the hell do I know?"
Adam smiled and fingered the leather reins in his hands.
"Now, c'mon, Pa," Hoss said, his face taking on the mien of a 10-year-old boy asking for another piece of pie. "Joe and me, well, we been talkin' 'bout how you and Adam might be the target of…what was that you said, Joe?"
"Sublimated hostilities."
Adam laughed. "Well, I'll be damned! Where the hell did you learn a ten-dollar word like that?"
"I read it in a book. You aren't the only one who knows things, Adam."
"Yeah," Hoss agreed, bristling. "Joe said that people are mad at Sibella but they can't do nothin' to her 'cause she's a female woman, so they might take that anger out on you. It's like when you're mad at someone but can't hit them so you punch the wall instead."
"Hmmm. I know exactly what Joe means," Adam said. "For example, there's that fresh hole in your bedroom wall from last night when you learned Bessie Sue wouldn't be consorting."
Ben put up one hand to end the conversation before he mounted his horse. "Adam, I think it might be a good idea for them to come along after all. Joe might be right and, well, I don't know if I'd be any good in a fight anymore."
And all four Cartwrights rode to town early on a Saturday morning for an impromptu town council meeting.
"So you're saying we should just give in?" Mayor Spencer said, frowning. "You think we should allow ourselves to be blackmailed by the women, by our wives. The man is supposed to be the head of the household."
"That's right," Clovis Hardy said, nodding in agreement. Nods and murmurs went about the room. "In the Holy Bible, in the good book itself, it says that wives should be busy at home and subject to their husbands."
A few "amens" could be heard but someone joked, "You better tell that to Agnes, not us," and laughter broke out. Even Adam had to smile as they all knew that in Clovis' house, his broad-hipped, big-boned wife ran everything, including him. Crockery often flew at Clovis' head.
"Clovis has a point though," Abner Rowley said. "I've always kept a Christian household, raised three Godfearing children and in Timothy, verse 2, it says, 'I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet'."
A noise went up from the room as the men talked between themselves.
"Listen to me," Adam said, pushing the chair back and standing. "This has nothing to do with blackmail or the Bible verses, it has to do with what's right. We can't keep women in the background any longer as if they haven't brains, haven't the ability to think." Adam raised his voice to be heard but no one was listening—the others were either agreeing with a point another had made or disagreeing. It was mass confusion.
"Roy! Roy!" Cosmo, the barkeep of The Sazerac, came running up to the door and the men fell silent. "Better come quick! Old man Caffey and Paulie Thompson been drinking all morning, complaining about what the women are doing. I finally had to stop serving them, they're so glassy-eyed drunk, and that made them even more ornery. Now they're heading over to the community center with torches – say they're going to burn the women out and end this whole thing! You best come fast!"
"Oh hell," Roy said and headed out at a fast jog. Adam, Hoss and Joe along with their father and the other men in the room, followed, all running to the community center.
Adam quickly overtook Roy, Joe, and a few other men who stayed close behind. There was a group standing in front of the community center and Adam shouldered his way through – and then stopped. In the clearing in front of the community center, Caffey and Thompson stood, wavering on unsteady legs, each one holding a lit torch. Empty kerosene containers lay about the base of the wooden building. The acrid odor of coal-tar creosote filled the air from the rising greenish-smoke made by the torches. Sibella, Bessie Sue, Mrs. Spencer, Miss Opal and Mrs. Hardy stood in front of the double doors as if blocking the entrance. But the men didn't need to be inside to light the building ablaze. Adam paused before he acted; he wasn't quite sure what to do.
"No, we're not leaving," Sibella said to Thompson and Caffey, a determined expression on her face, her arms akimbo.
"You bitches'll leave when we burn the goddamn place down!" Caffey said. He stepped closer and waved the torch threateningly. "I'll set your goddamn skirts afire!"
"You wouldn't dare!" Sibella said, and she and Bessie Sue stepped closer to the two men. Caffey stepped back; Bessie Sue's size was intimidating.
Roy Coffee had pushed through the crowd by then and stood in the clearing between the two factions.
"Now just what's going on here? Caffey, Thompson, put down those torches – now - or I'll drag you both off to jail! You hear me?"
"We're tired of havin' no women around," Thompson whined. "Ain't been no barmaids nowhere – I ain't got no wife and I need a woman to talk to me, keep me comp'ny!" Light laughter ran through the group of men. Thompson was a skinny, stinking, unsuccessful gold miner. He worked menial jobs about town and every penny he earned was spent on whiskey. Last month, Dr. Martin had taken one look at his jaundiced condition and predicted he'd be dead in a year – continued drinking or not. So Thompson was continuously soused.
"Now look," Sheriff Coffee said, presenting a friendly face as he approached, his hands out almost beseechingly. He knew the two men were drunk – were past being merely drunk, and that made a man a fool. "Just lay them torches down and I'll buy you both another drink – a whole bottle of the best rye each from the Sazerac. You can relax in a cell and drink your misery away."
"You stand back," Caffey said. "We ain't backin' off until all the barmaids go back to work! Don't give a damn about them other women. Just send them barmaids back to work." He held the torch high. "I'll throw it 'gainst the wall and burn that buildin' to ashes– women and all!"
Sibella was furious. "You just try! Go ahead and try!"
Adam stepped forward and Ben grabbed his arm. "Adam, let Roy handle this!"
"No, Pa, I've had enough." Adam jerked his arm away and strode into the clearing. He grabbed the torch from Caffey and tossed it flying in an arc over the group of men to land in the dirt street. The he swung one forearm and Caffey went down flat and hard into the dirt. Thompson, seeing what happened to Caffey, dropped his torch and took off, shuffling as fast as he could. Roy Coffee was too surprised to even move or say anything.
Adam strode to Sibella and grabbed her arm. "I've had enough of this, Sibella," he said. "This isn't a game. You're coming home with me. Now."
"Not until we get the vote…" Sibella twisted her arm, trying to force Adam to release her.
"When people's lives are at stake, it's time to call it quits!" Adam grabbed Sibella and roughly tossed her over his shoulder. Sibella struggled, kicked and demanded Adam put her down. He reached over and gave her rump a solid smack. The men in the crowd applauded and roared with laughter.
"Oh! Adam! Don't you dare…" Sibella yelled, pushing herself more upright by pressing her hands against Adam's back. But he only smacked her again. He strode with Sibella through the hooting, parting crowd of men. Even Miss Opal and Bessie Sue had to smile at Sibella being hauled over Adam's shoulder like a sack of feed.
"Well, girls," Miss Opal said. "guess it's all over. Me and my girls might as well get back to work!"
A cheer went up through the crowd of men at Miss Opal's pronouncement.
Adam had thrown Sibella over his saddle and then managed to mount-up behind, sitting awkwardly on the horse's rump. Sibella thrashed and kicked as they rode out of town and it upset the horse which threw its head and couldn't concentrate on following Adam's cues. Adam smacked Sibella's rear and she yelped.
"Stay still. You're upsetting the horse."
"The horse! Upsetting the horse! What about you upsetting me!" Sibella pounded on the side of the horse and it shied and moved in a circle. Holding tightly onto the reins with one hand, Adam sharply smacked Sibella's backside again.
"Stop that!" She was so angry and frustrated that tears stung her eyes. "You humiliated me in front of everyone! I hate you!"
"You put those women's lives at risk, Sibella, not to say anything about your own."
"I did not!" the tears started down her flushed cheeks.
"No? What would keep someone from setting the place ablaze in the middle of the night? Did you think of that?"
Sibella became still and silent. "Let me up," she asked quietly. "Please."
"Will you ride calmly and not try anything reckless?" Adam waited.
"Yes." She had placed her hands against the saddle to raise her head.
Adam stopped the horse and then, one arm about Sibella's waist, helped her manage to sit in the saddle, her skirts awkwardly twisted and exposing her legs below her pantalets. Adam kicked the horse that seemed more settled now that it's load was balanced, and the husband and wife headed to the Ponderosa.
~ 0 ~
Ben came into the house to see his eldest drinking coffee.
"Where's Sibella?" Ben asked.
"Upstairs. She's putting Noah down for his nap."
Hop Sing came out of the kitchen, frowning. "No one home for lunch! Lunch cold! Mistah Adam only want coffee, Missy Cartwright say not hungry! Only baby Noah eat!"
"I'm sorry, Hop Sing. I am hungry and I am home but Hoss and Joe stayed in town. I'm sure they'll be home for dinner though." Ben took off his hat, holding it submissively while Adam sat morosely, not even following the conversation. "I'll eat whatever you've cooked – even cold."
"Humph!" Hop Sing stood, deciding if "Mistah Ben" needed more chastising. "Chicken and gravy over biscuits?"
"Sounds delicious!"
Hop Sing smiled and went back into the kitchen; he was in charge again.
Ben unbuckled his gun belt, tossing it on the settee, and stood looking at Adam who held his coffee mug in both hands staring morosely into the dark liquid.
"What happened after I left, Pa?"
"Well, husbands came for their wives and the working women went back to work. Mr. Blackthorn piled all your quilts and the ones that were left behind in the back of his delivery wagon and then took Mrs. George to lunch. She said to tell you she'd be back in time to make dinner. Seems things are returning to normal." Ben sat down in his familiar red, leather chair opposite Adam. "Sibella speaking to you?" Ben reached for his pipe but thought better; he could smell the warmed-up chicken and biscuits and lunch would soon be ready.
"Barely. I think I went too far. Here she was, trying to get voting rights for the women of Virginia City and I blew it all apart."
"Does she understand why you did what you did?"
Adam grimaced. "Well, I explained and she listened but…I don't know." He shrugged. "I'm afraid she'll take Noah and leave, go to her parents. It's something she would do and she's that angry."
"I see, "Ben said. "Did she say she was going?"
"No, but she was cold. Ice cold. I think if I laid her now, my prick would snap off if I didn't pull straight out."
Ben suppressed a smile. "Well, looks like she's still using the same tactics with you that she did with the whole town." Ben stood when Hop Sing stepped into the dining room holding a plate of steaming biscuits smothered with chunks of chicken in golden gravy, and stated lunch was ready. "I think you're in for a bad time, Adam. A damn bad time."
