Chapter 2

Hannibal watched until it was evident that the trouble had passed before turning his attention to his son. "Are you going to be okay, kid?"

Face looked at him with fear still in his eyes, and Hannibal sighed.

"We will have to stay close for the next few days, guys; I feel this incident will produce nightmares."

"You can sleep next to me tonight, little brother, and I'll make sure those nightmares won't get a chance to get at you."

"Thanks, Harry."

The nightmares didn't come that night. Not only did Murdock sleep bedside him, but BA was on his other side. Face felt so secure that he slept the whole night through without nightmares. It took a couple of more nights with his big brothers sleeping on either side of him before Face was able to sleep without them nearby. By the end of the week, it seemed that the crisis was gone and all returned to normal. Face still got glares from the Ames' when he walked or rode by their wagons, except for the older brother, Hollis.

Hollis was one of Face's teachers at the public school he attended. Hannibal learned later that Hollis would bring Face food during his time at school to make up for the meals Face was denied as punishment by Robert Stevenson. It was nice to learn that one of the Ames boys had a loving and caring heart.

For the next few days, Face was too scared to venture far from the wagon or the protection of his brothers. But little by little, he gained his confidence back. Soon Face was back helping Barney with his chores so they would have more time to themselves before the day was over.

It was a week later that trouble for Face reared its head. Although the day started great, it was the day that Frank Lynch joined the Wagon Train. Frank's father was an old friend of Chris', so when he rode up in the company of Cooper Smith with a letter from his father asking his friend to give his son a job, Chris couldn't refuse. Chris gave Frank the position of seeing the passengers' needs. He would hear their complaints and then, after discussing them with Chris, would try and come up with solutions. It took one more tedious chore from Chris and Bill Hawks' shoulders.

Frank turned out to be a good mediator for Chris. He had no trouble in working out any disputes between the passengers. For the first few weeks, Chris insisted on having the final vote. Over the following weeks, Chris saw Frank handle the conflicts and turned them over to him. Eventually, he saw him as someone he could trust with his wagon train when he or Bill Hawks were away.

For all of the good that Frank did, the one thing he hid amazingly well was his dislike for children, except those from influential families like the Ames family…both sister and brother and their children. Frank knew that if he wanted to be successful in life, he would need the support of influential families. He knew that when difficult decisions were required, he would have to be firm with his conclusions. It didn't take him long to believe that Face was all the Ames family believed. He was a thief, liar, and con artist, and the only way to break him of these talents was with a strong arm and a leather strap or cane. He assured them that if the boy did anything deceitful or illegal, he would hand out swift and painful punishment.

His time came about a month later when Chris stopped the train around mid-day and announced to all. "We are stopping for the day. Fort Pierce is just over that hill, and it will be our last stop before we begin our hard journey west. Wooster, myself, and Bill will be going for supplies. We always buy extra if needed, but I invite anyone who wishes to accompany us to stock up on extra supplies to be ready in the next thirty minutes. Frank Lynch will be in charge, and his commands as if they were mine."

Hannibal returned to their wagons and relayed what was said. "I think we should buy extra for the journey. I will be taking our wagon since it is the biggest. We can always share the load once we return." Hannibal decided that BA and Murdock would be accompanying him and Maggie. Mrs. B and Face would stay behind. Maggie wanted to go to pick up extra medical supplies.

"Now, Face, I don't want to hear that you got into any mischief while we were away." Warned Hannibal.

"Face will behave, won't you, little brother?" BA said with a smile.

Face nodded.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Hannibal curiously.

"Scooter knows I will warm Face's bottom if he doesn't."

Face blushed at the warning causing all to laugh. "It's not funny, Hannibal," he whined. Mama B's spankings hurt."

"Hey, Facey…the best way to keep from getting spanked is not to get into trouble!"

"Sometimes that is easier said than done, Harry, but I'll try and behave. I won't do anything on purpose to cause trouble." Face said sincerely.

Hannibal saw Bill Hawks ride up and hurriedly said, "We should be back by early morning, and if you behave well, Face, we will have a present for you. Good Bye."

And with that, he pulled the wagon away with Maggie sitting beside him and BA and Murdock riding behind. Face and Mrs. B watched as they pulled away. "Can I go? Barney has some chores to do, and then he is free for the rest of the day. I thought I would help him, and then we could have more time together."

Mrs. B nodded and watched her grandson scamper off. She returned to getting ready for the evening meal. As she was preparing, she thought about Face and how happy she was when he came into her life. She loved him as much as if he was her flesh and blood. She readily accepted him as the grandson she didn't have.

There were only two wagons that followed Wooster to the fort. Hannibal and the one driven by Hollis Ames. His young cousin Gerald, who was sixteen, was along for the journey. Gerald was a boy with the same temperament as Hollis and nothing like his father or younger brother. He took after his mother.

"Cousin Hollis, why do you think my brother and yours hate the Smith kid so much?" Gerald said as the wagon moved on.

"I don't know, but I don't believe he is the thief. My mother can be so stubborn in her beliefs that it is nearly impossible to change them once she sets her mind. I guess she has poisoned Benjamin's mind with the boy's guilt, and he has passed it on to Thomas. Your father hasn't helped in changing any of that either, as you well know."

Gerald nodded, "I know. I overheard Benjamin and Thomas talking about the boy, about how they would love to see him whipped, and I spoke up. They told my father that I didn't believe that the boy was guilty. My father lectured me about it, saying that if he heard where I spoke up for that thief again, I would feel his strap to my backside. Hollis, he never punishes Thomas for anything he punished me for when I was his age."

"Unfortunately for Thomas, he won't. Thomas is the apple of your father's eyes, pretty much the same way Benjamin is for my mother. They can do no wrong in their eyes, but when they do something horrible, it will hit their parents hard. We hope they don't do anything bad to Face on this journey west."

"Hannibal, are you sure Face will be safe without us? I mean, nearly the whole train was ready to turn him over to that ex-director, Stevenson, only a few weeks ago." Maggie asked as they moved further away from the wagon train.

"He'll be fine. Remember, we left him in the care of Mrs. B, and like her son, she is a force to be reckoned with. It's been almost a month since that unpleasant incident happened, and nothing since then. Chris Hale meant what he said about throwing any wagon off his train if anyone caused Face any harm. The boy has been keeping away from the Ames' wagons, and I can't see him doing anything to cause any trouble now, knowing that if he does, Mrs. B will warm his bottom. He'll behave if for no other reason than to be able to sit comfortably, and don't forget Chris left Frank Lynch in charge. He has shown himself to be capable; he will be there to protect Face."

With her worry eased, Maggie and Hannibal talked about what they would need as they moved on towards the fort, not for the world to realize that they had left their youngest in danger with no male protection.

It didn't take Barney long to do the chores. Wooster left him with Face there to help. "Mr. Frank, I've finished the chores Mr. Wooster left me. The supper is simmering, and the firewood box is full. I put your bedroll under the tree. Is there anything else you need me to do?" Barney was careful to ask sincerely.

"That's fine; check on supper off and on throughout the afternoon. We don't want it to burn."

"Yes, sir!" With that, Barney and Face walked away.

Frank watched as the boys walked away with a frown on his face. He didn't like that Barney spent so much time with that little thief and knew nothing good would come from it. He wasn't in charge of Barney and couldn't order him from seeing the boy they called Face.

The wagons had made it to the fort. It had taken them only an hour, and they were now seeing what the fort's store had to offer. As the weapons specialist, BA was deciding how many bullets for both revolvers and rifles would be needed for the remainder of the journey and was now piling up the cases.

Maggie was looking over the selections of medicines and medical supplies not only for her family but for anyone on the train that might need them. Hannibal and Murdock were in charge of replacing food and clothing. All in all, they were moving in an orderly fashion. Soon they paid for all they needed before loading their purchases in the wagon.

Once the Murdock loaded the supplies, he headed back to make some personal selections. Soon afterward, he felt uneasy and knew that Face was in danger.

He knew the boy was in trouble, and without stopping to explain, he jumped into his saddle and rode away.

"Where is Harry going, Hannibal?" Maggie asked and turned to her husband to see that he was troubled.

"We got to go back. Maggie, are you ready?"

"What's wrong? Hannibal, you are scaring me!"

"It's the kid…he's in trouble!" gasped Hannibal as they watched BA ride by at a gallop to catch up with Murdock.

"How do you know?"

"We have a sixth sense when it comes to that kid." Replied Hannibal as he hurried to Chris Hale to explain.

"Mr. Hale, we have to leave. My son is in danger. My two men have already left."

Chris Hale looked around and, not seeing anyone from the wagon train who might have just arrived to give that information, asked like Maggie. "How do you know this?"

"It's a gut feeling…but it is seldom wrong." Hannibal helped Maggie up before climbing up next to her and, after gathering the reins, set off.

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It was a few minutes later that Hollis appeared with a bag in his hand. "Mr. Hale, I've just found this hidden in my mother's wagon." He said as he handed over the bag. Chris glanced at it before looking at Hollis.

"Do you know what's in here?"

Hollis nodded. "One of the items is a necklace that my mother accused Face of taking. I recognize the bag as belonging to my brother Benjamin. That's his initials on the front."

"Do you know what you are applying?"

"Yes, sir. Benjamin is the thief and not Face, and if that was the case, then I believe it is also the case now. That boy has been threatened and scared for something he didn't do. He is innocent." Hollis said soulfully.

Chris thought for a minute before calling Bill over. "Bill, hurry back to the wagon train and resume your duties as second in command. I feel that something terrible may be happening back there that requires extra hands to quell. It seems that Benjamin Ames is the thief and not Face. I have the proof in my hand," as he showed his second-in-command the bag of jewelry and what he knew. Bill lost little time in riding out after the Smith family.