The Gatherers by Marla Fair – Chapter nine
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Laura sat straight up in her makeshift bed. She was shaking. She'd had another nightmare, only this time when Pa fell off the horse and down the hill, he just kept falling and falling. She hadn't had a nightmare like that since they'd come to the cabin, which was a couple of days back. She supposed it was the fact that Pa was away that had made her have another one. That, and the fact that Ma was worried that he wasn't back yet.
As of this morning, Pa had been gone three whole days.
On the good side of things, Mr. Shelby was better. He'd sat up last night and been able to eat the soup Ma made. Ben had told them where all the stores were, and there were a lot of them since they were headed into winter! She wasn't that fond of bear meat, but Ma said it made a heart broth, good for makin' a man healthy. Back when Pa had been hurt, Ben had made him soup too. It had seemed like Pa would be okay, but he'd had a fever for five whole days and she could tell Doctor Canby was worried. Just about the only thing Pa could keep down was soup.
She made a face. Yuck.
Probably wasn't bear.
Ma was up already. Laura could hear the older woman moving around the cabin, most likely preparing breakfast. Every so often her mother's feet would take her to the window where she would lift the curtain, look out, and then drop it with a sigh. Mr. Shelby's curtains were heavy and they made a noise when they brushed the cabin wall, so she knew. Laura sat still for a moment and then climbed to her feet. Her ma was checking on Mr. Shelby, so she took the opportunity to go to the window and look out to see if she could spot something her ma had missed.
It was snowing!
"Gosh!" she said.
"It's early this year," her mother remarked as she came to her side.
"It sure is! It's not even the end of October."
Ma pulled the curtain back and looked out on the white landscape. "Hopefully, that means it won't stick. I hate to think of your father traveling over Avalanche in this kind of weather."
"Pa knows what he's doing," she said, her tone surer than her belief.
"Yes. Yes, he does." Ma sighed again. "I just wish Charles would get back."
Laura took her mother's hand between her own. "I'm sure Pa's okay, Ma. Maybe Winona needed him to do something for her before he could leave. She said her grandma was sick. Maybe Pa had to go get the doctor."
Her mother's look brightened. "I suppose that could be it. That would be just like your father."
Laura looked out the window again. The dawning light was turning the heavy dusting of snow the colors of autumn – red, gold, and orange. The snow had ice in it, so it sparkled like the diamonds in the ring on Mrs. Oleson's finger.
There was just something about snow that sure made a body want to run outside and jump in it!
"Go ahead. Just be sure you dress warmly," her mother said.
Laura laughed. "How'd you know what I was thinking?"
The older woman's hand brushed her cheek. "I was young once too. Now, you go have some fun while I get Mr. Shelby ready for breakfast."
The little girl was heading for her coat before her mother's words had time to register. She turned around to stare at her. "You mean he's gonna sit at the table with us?"
Ma grinned. "I mean exactly that. I believe our prayers have been answered. Mr. Shelby is going to be okay."
"Yippee!" Laura shouted, and then clamped her hand over her mouth. She glanced at the bed and was relieved to see she hadn't wakened the older man. "Yippee," she repeated more quietly, and then skipped into her makeshift bedroom to get her coat and hat.
The snow was cold and she was warm and all was right with the world – or it would have been if Pa had been here. She was sure, like she told her mother, that Pa was okay. After all, he knew what he was doing and there wasn't no one there this time…she swallowed hard…to mess things up for him. Pa traveled all the time and was away for weeks hunting and he always came back home just fine. It wouldn't be any different this time. There was a reason for him bein' late, she was sure. A good reason and it didn't have to do with any trouble…like what was walking toward her.
Or, maybe she should have said, stumbling toward her.
Laura gasped and then ran for all she was worth toward the woman who had fallen face-down in the snow. She dropped beside her and went to turn her over, but stopped, suddenly afraid. The woman had long black hair. She was wearing skins and had an old Indian blanket wrapped around her.
That was on account of she was an Indian.
Laura pulled the mitten from her hand and used it to brush a lock of hair from the woman's face. The woman stirred at the touch and turned toward her.
That was when she knew things were bad.
Really bad.
The little girl leapt to her feet and ran toward the cabin shouting, "Ma! Ma!"
Her mother appeared almost instantly. "Laura?"
Laura was huffing and puffing so hard by the time she reached her ma that she could hardly talk. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Oh, Ma…."
Ma raised a hand and looked over her head. The light was shining in her eyes, so she couldn't see. "What is it? Is it your father?"
The little girl blinked. Yes, it was her father. Not laying there in the snow, but it was her father who was in trouble.
"No…" she managed to say. "It's not Pa. It's Winona."
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Mr. Shelby was awake and in his chair before the fire when they brought the Indian woman into the cabin. Ma gave him a stern look, but said nothing, so of course he didn't know since he was blind.
"What is it?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"
Laura crossed to take his hand. "It's Winona, Mr. Shelby. She's come back."
"What for?" he demanded.
"We don't know. Ma's talking to her right now."
Her mother had taken the Indian woman to the bed and had her sit down. They were talking quietly.
"What are they sayin'?" he asked.
"I don't know. I can't hear them. They're on the other side of the cabin."
"Well, get over there child and find out what's happenin'. Then come back here and tell me!"
She kind of doubted her ma was gonna like his idea, but Laura did what Mr. Shelby wanted and crossed over to the cabin's bedroom.
"Laura," her mother said sternly. "What are you doing here?"
"Mr. Shelby wants to know what's going on and, well, it's his house, so it was kind of hard to say 'no'."
Her mother's stern look softened. "I suppose it was."
Ma had a cloth in her hand. Laura swallowed hard when she saw it had blood on it. "Will you tell me what happened?"
"I would if I knew," her mother said. Then she turned to Winona. "Can you talk now?"
The Indian woman was battered and bruised. In fact, it looked like someone had struck her face. You could almost see the imprint of a hand on her dark skin. There were bruises on her arms as well and her hide dress was torn.
Winona drew is a deep breath, shuddered, and then nodded.
"What happened? Was it those men?"
"What men?" the native woman asked sharply.
"The ones who came here after you and Charles left," Ma replied. "I don't know why, but I knew they were evil the moment I saw them."
Winona reached out to touch Ma's chest, right on her heart. "Wankan Tanka has told you this."
That was the Sioux's name for God.
"Who are they? They said they were from the government."
Winona made a gesture she didn't understand, though it seemed Ma guessed what it was 'cause she frowned.
"That for these men!" Winona spat. "They come from Sleepy Eye. They work for an evil man named Marcus Greeley. It is his desire to own all men and everything between Mankato and Sioux Falls." Her look darkened. "Many years ago, it was he who drove my people off their land."
"That's the man tryin' to take my land too!" Sam Shelby declared.
Laura looked up to find that the older man had worked his way across the cabin and was standing at the foot of the bed.
"Oh, dear!" Ma declared. She went right over and got his chair and made him sit in it. "You'll make yourself sick again!"
"You just put a rifle in my hands and see how sick I am!" Mr. Shelby countered.
Laura chuckled under her breath. They'd have to point him in the right direction or he'd shoot one of them!
Ma rolled her eyes and said, in her best 'ma' tone', 'You sit right there and don't you move!" Then she turned to Winona. "Did those men hurt you?"
Winona pressed a hand to her arm where it was bruised. Her dark eyes flicked to Laura before she spoke. "I was coming here. I did not know they were watching the cabin. When I saw them, I turned to run, but it was too late. Among their number is one who knows the ways of my people. He was waiting."
"Did he hurt you?" Laura asked.
Winona's lips curled up. "Not as much as I hurt him."
Ma blinked. "Oh. Well…we're glad you're not hurt…."
"So why were you comin' here?" Mister Shelby demanded, in that way he had.
Laura had wondered that too.
Winona's face grew pinched. She looked down, gathered herself, and then met her mother's worried gaze.
"I have news of Charles Ingalls."
Ma went pale. "What…news?"
"Yesterday morning there was a knock on the door of my grandfather's house. I went to answer it. Outside there were three men. I did not know them at first, so many moons had passed since we had been together. When I saw who they were, great joy filled my heart – until the oldest showed me this." She reached into a pouch at her waist and pulled out a bear claw necklace. Laura noted that the leather thong that held the claw had broken just below the knot. "Then my heart trembled with fear."
"Who were they?" Laura asked.
Her mother glanced at her, but said nothing.
Winona sighed. "My brothers. Chayton and Mato. You would say Falcon and Bear. With them was my uncle's son, Chatan or Hawk. He who has much anger in him."
"Why is that?" Ma asked.
"When the sickness swept through the reservation, all of Hawk's family was lost. He was very young and the man who took him in taught Hawk to hate all white men."
"You said..." Ma cleared her throat. 'You said, when you say them, you were afraid?"
Winona nodded. "Afraid of what they had done." She held the bear claw necklace out. "This was on the neck of Charles Ingalls. It was my parting gift to him."
Ma sat on the bed beside the other woman. Her face had gone pale as the sheets.
"Is Charles…alive?"
Winona placed a hand on her mother's arm. "This is what my brother told me." She went on then to explain how Pa had taken her to her grandfather's house and stayed the night, and then started out the next morning to come back. He ran into her brothers on the way and when they saw the bear claw, they thought Pa had done something to Winona, so they were mad. Bear or Mato explained how he and Pa talked, and how he came to know that wasn't true. Bear decided to let Pa go on his way, but Hawk wasn't happy about it.
"Chatan held onto the necklace as he pushed Mister Ingalls off of Avalanche," Winona finished, her voice soft and sad. "That is how Mato came to have it."
The room fell silent except for Mr. Shelby's labored breathing.
Now, Laura knew her mother. She knew every look and gesture. She could tell when Ma was buildin' up a head of steam, and when she was going to cry. Right now, well, the older woman was making up her mind.
Her mother shot to her feet. "Take me to him."
"Now, Caroline," Mr. Shelby said, "that ain't no trip for a lady."
Her ma looked right at her. "Laura did it. I certainly can as well."
"The snow will make it harder," Winona said, "and the men who keep watch. They may not let you leave."
"I'd like to see them stop me!" Ma proclaimed.
The Indian woman spoke again, softly, "And what would Mister Ingalls say to this? Would he have you risk your life?"
"I certainly can't sit here not knowing if Charles is alive or dead!"
"Ma."
Her mother turned toward her. "What?"
"It took Mr. Shelby to get me to the road-head last time and…he can't go. He's too sick."
"Winona can take me."
The Indian woman shook her head. "I can, but I will not. Even I cannot cross Avalanche when it is buried in snow."
Tears streamed down her mother's face. "Then what are we to do?!"
Winona rose and came to her side. "My brothers search for Mr. Ingalls. Our family has done this wrong and must make it right."
"What of Hawk?" Ma demanded.
The Indian woman sighed. "We do not know. He too is missing."
Her mother paced the small area they occupied, and then pushed past and went to the front of the cabin. Once there, she lifted the curtain and looked out – as if sheer will alone would show her where Pa was.
Ma's slender form went rigid.
"What is it?" Winona asked as she crossed to Ma's side.
Laura knew, even without looking.
The bad men had returned.
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to be continued….