Man of Justice

I do not own The Big Valley or any of the original Barkleys.

Chapter Twenty-One

Victoria stood outside the huge white stucco home Tom had had built for the family, their new infant son, Eugene, in her arms, Audra ran around on the grass and Nick stood beside McCall. For the second time in thirteen months, Tom found was saddling his horse and preparing for a journey, one they all hoped was not a waste of time. It was being made due to an unexpected visitor they'd had the day before.

Brandon Justin, a gold prospector from *Pair of Dice, had been visiting relatives in Stockton. He had met the Barkleys when he had accompanied his brother to a business meeting with Tom. Things had gone fine until Brandon had stepped into the living room and seen an old family portrait of the Barkleys. The fact that the man had caught his breath had grabbed Victoria and Tom's attention. When they asked him what the problem was he'd pointed to Jarrod and asked, "Is that yer boy?"

"Yes, but we lost him last year. Why?" Tom found himself holding his breath and keeping an eye on their visitor and a hold of his wife's arm.

"Lost him? How?" Brandon asked cautiously; not wanting to say anything if the boy had simply died from some illness or accident.

"Modoc attacked the wagon train he was on and grabbed him killed most everyone else." Tom answered and then again asked again why the man was asking, his tone on the verge of a demand rather than a request. Tom suppressed his desperate emotions, but he needed to know the reasons for the man's obvious interest in about Jarrod.

"Modoc, huh?" Brandon shook his head assuming he was wrong about whom he thought the boy was. Still, he answered, "Well, put yer boy into buckskin clothin' and make his hair ten times longer and yer son's twin's livin' near the Feather River among the Shoshone. They call him Man of Justice. I'm sorry I can't give ya more details, I only just settled in that area and have been so busy it's a miracle I know what little I do about the people, white or Shoshone. In fact, I would still be gettin' settled into the area, but my brother pestered me to no end 'bout visitin' Stockton." The man had then been pulled out of the house by his brother who had ridden hard to get to the ranch, as Brandon's son had fallen and injured himself in town. That being the case, the prospector had excused himself and left as fast as he could.

Tom and Victoria talked well into the night. The next morning Tom discussed their plans with McCall. He noticed Nick, standing nearby and called the eleven year old over, including him in the discussions. It was decided that Tom would make the trip to Feather River and visit the Shoshone in spite of what Brandon had said about the way whites weren't exactly welcome in the village. Though, he would stop in at the trading post just outside Pair of Dice and get new supplies, along with finding someone who knew the Shoshone well enough to go with him.

Nick took hope and comfort in his father's actions, and he stood there without commenting listening to McCall and his father discuss the journey.

Before mounting his horse Tom squeezed his boy's shoulders. "We don't know fer sure Nick that it's him, but there's no harm in hoping. Just do me a favor, don't let it worry you or throw temper tantrums in front of your mother."

Nick smiled and nodded, "Yes father."

Tom mounted his horse. "Take care of your mother, Nick." Tom leaned forward in his saddle, his eyes and voice pled with his son to listen to him. "She needs your help worse than ever. I'm depending on you. McCall is here to help you too. Don't be afraid to tell him if you need anything." Tom looked at McCall letting his eyes send a similar message to his foreman. McCall simply nodded and hoped for the best.

"Yes, father." Nick threw his shoulders back as he did his best to hide the fear he felt. "I'll behave myself," he said and then added, due to the grin that came onto McCall and his mother's faces, "well, unless I find a few boards that need to be busted." That had everyone chuckling and, for a few seconds, the tension that hung in the air was gone. Tom then turned his horse around and rode off.

0000

Straight Arrow looked at his son. The storm clouds that gathered were brighter than the mood Man of Justice seemed to be in. He'd been down all morning, but now the mood was getting heavier and the older Shoshone did not like it. Many of the Shoshone people relied heavily upon this son of his to help them when they had a problem to solve and answers to find, even if he was just over fifteen. Was it too much too soon or was it…he stopped his thoughts and walked up to his son and stated firmly, yet not harshly, "Hin-ah-mus?"

Man of Justice sighed. How was he supposed to tell the man he had learned to love dearly he didn't know exactly what it was? After all, he didn't understand himself, only that he sensed another huge change was coming and that made him nervous. "Ka-mah-shum-ben-y." He sighed, he didn't know.

While Straight Arrow had kept his promise never to press his son to talk about his past, a strong impression come over him, one that told him to stop worrying about his son's capability when it came to helping those in need of justice, or dealing with life in general and to start questioning his son about his past. That being the case, Straight Arrow insisted that he and Man of Justice have a talk, outside, as straight Arrow's s new wife was in the wigwam working on mending a few items. "Come, let us walk." Straight Arrow said as he walked out of his, Man of Justice followed.

"Tell me about your white family." Straight Arrow sent a wave of surprise through his son as they walked alongside the river that had lulled him to sleep on more than one occasion.

Man of Justice stopped momentarily. Shocked mostly, because he had not thought about them in some time…not that he'd ceased caring or had forgotten, but because it hurt to think about the Barkleys; he hadn't wanted feel the pain.

"My white parents are good people; they work hard and are honest. I have a brother, Nick and a sister Audra. Maybe, they have another one by now; they said they wanted at least one more. Who knows? Why do you ask?" Man of Justice was growing more uncomfortable and he didn't like that.

Straight Arrow's eyebrows turned down and he asked confused, "If they are good people, why did you act so upset when I asked about them before and offered to help get you back to them?"

Man of Justice's shoulders sagged as he fought to find the words he needed. "They were not my family anymore…you were." The young man sat down on a nearby boulder and gazed over the river. "I am a Shoshone, I have gone through many changes and am not the same as I once was. Besides, they are far away. Why talk about them?" he paused and then added softly, "It's just…why do they press themselves upon my mind now?" That's what the real problem was, the fact that he'd gone to bed more than one time that week only to find his white father calling him, trying to find him. It unsettled him as he had enough to deal with. He found himself telling his Shoshone father about the dreams.

Straight Arrow felt his heart go out to his son and out to Man of Justice's white father. "I did wrong by not making you talk sooner." He laid his hand upon his son's shoulder, one he considered to be a full grown brave. "You and I might consider you Shoshone, our people might, but your white father would not. If he is calling you in your dreams, there is a reason you need to go back. We must go to the trading post and find someone who can tell us how to get you back to the world of your white father. That is, if that is what you decide to do." The man's voice cracked as he finished speaking and he fought the tears in heart. He might be speaking the truth, but it still hurt him just as bad as the day he'd lost his first son. And even as tempting as it was, he knew he couldn't keep this son any longer if he decided to go. After all, Man of Justice was no longer a boy.

Man of Justice did not fight his Shoshone father as the man embraced him. In fact, his embrace was just as strong, if not stronger, than Straight Arrow's. "Let's go hunting first." He pulled away from his Shoshone father and did his best to smile. "Let's forget I might have to leave for just a few more days." He did not want to deal with the fear of entering back into a world he no longer knew or the way others might look upon him at the moment. It was a request Straight Arrow readily agreed to.

TBC

* An online friend of mine who lives in California told me that Paradise, California used to a pretty lawless town and was called Pair of Dice. When things started changing for the better, the name was changed.

** Meaning of Shoshone words, according to the book I have in front of me.

Hin-ah-mus= What is it?

Ka-mah-shum-ben-y=I don't know.