The Gatherers by Marla Fair – Chapter one

oooooooooo

"Pa?"

Charles Ingalls glanced down – way down. He was high up on a ladder fixing a hole in their barn roof with pitch before the rain hit. The bucket of steaming coal tar swung beside him. He'd warned the girls to give both of them a wide berth, so he was irritated to find his middle child standin' at the bottom of the ladder staring up at him.

"Half-pint, you do as I say! You get away from this ladder!"

"But Pa…."

"I mean it!" He took hold of the bucket and slowed its swing. Charles hesitated to think what would happen if it dropped and the boilin' pitch splashed out. "Now!"

Laura frowned mightily and backed away three feet or so. "Is this far enough?" she called out.

Wisconsin probably wasn't far enough.

"Go sit on the porch with your sisters."

"But Pa…I gotta tell you something!"

"Tell me from the porch," he growled.

"What on Earth is going on?" his wife's ever calm and constantly exasperated voice chimed in. "Charles, why are you letting Laura stand so close when you're pitching the roof?"

You couldn't win with that woman.

"I ain't."

She was using a hand to shield her eyes. "You're not?"

"I ain't," he repeated. He knew the 'proper' word, but he liked how the 'improper' one riled his schoolteacher wife. "I told her to go to the porch."

Caroline dropped the hand – just so she could put it, along with the other, on her hips. "Laura, you heard your father. Now, go sit on the porch."

"But MA!" The girl was practically in tears. "He's gonna get away!"

Charles turned toward the road. There was a man moving along it, leading a pack horse. "Who?" he asked.

"That's what I was trying to tell you, Pa. That's Ben Shelby! I think he's lookin' for us!"

The farmer looked again and, sure enough, it did look like Ben Shelby's long lanky form movin' away from them. Ben had his usual mule-skinner's hat and buckskins on. His head was hangin' down like he was tired, or sad, maybe.

Charles caught hold of the bucket and began a quick but safe descent. "You run and catch him, Half-pint," he said as he placed it on the ground. "Let him know we're here."

Laura's grin was bright enough to lighten the rainy day. She went tearin' off like a house on fire, shouting, "Ben! Mister Ben! We're here!"

"Opera," Caroline said.

"Politician," he replied.

The child had the lungs for either profession.

"Pa, who's Ben Shelby?" Mary asked as she came to their side with Carrie on her hip.

"Who's Ben?" his youngest echoed.

Caroline let out a little sigh. "You remember last year when your father…and Laura went hunting?"

The oldest of his three had pale skin. She went even paler. "…yes."

"Sam Shelby is the man who helped Laura and your Pa. Ben is his son."

"I wonder what he's doing here," Charles asked out loud as he capped the bucket of pitch and placed a heavy rock on the lid. "I understood from Sam that they rarely came into Walnut Grove."

"I guess it's one of those rare times." Caroline frowned. "He looks a bit…haggard."

She did love those ten dollar words.

Laura had hold of Ben's hand and was pulling him toward them. His wife was right. The young man was missin' the spring in his step he remembered. Ben always had a quick smile and a kind word.

He wondered what was wrong.

"Missus Ingalls?" Ben asked as he came to a halt.

She smiled. "Caroline, please. And you're Ben Shelby?"

They hadn't met before. Caroline had stayed home with Mary and Carrie while he and Laura had their 'great adventure.' Of course, that particular hunting trip turned out to be a bit more adventurous than either of them intended.

"Mm-mm," Ben said as he turned to him. "You were holdin' out on me, Charles. You never said you'd got yourself a queen of beauty."

"You mean like one of those ladies in the pageants?" Laura asked.

"I sure do. Seen one of those in Mankato once upon a time." Ben bent down and whispered in Half-pint's ear. "Not one of them could hold a candle to your ma." He tweaked her nose. "Or you!"

Both ladies blushed rose-red.

"Glad as I am to see you, Ben, I have to ask what brings you to these parts," Charles said as he offered his hand. "Your Pa told me you seldom come this way. I hope it doesn't mean there's trouble."

Ben let out a sigh. "Well, sir, I'm afraid that hope is in vain. Pa and me, we got trouble right and left. I come by this way 'cause I wanted to see you and yours, but actually I'm on my way to Sleepy Eye. I got me some legal business to attend to."

"You don't have to tell us about it out here in the damp," Caroline said. "Supper is almost ready and you're welcome to join us."

Ben tipped his hat. "Thank you, Ma'am, I'd be right happy to do that. Pemmican and Elk jerky can only take a man so far." He glanced at the sky. "Besides, it looks like there might be a whopper comin'. Ain't no point in tryin' to go further tonight."

Half-pint clapped her hands. "Good! You can stay with us tonight!" She paused as she realized what she had done. "That's okay, isn't it, Ma? Pa? You wouldn't want Ben to have to sleep outside, would you? It's gonna be awful wet."

It was gonna be wet and cold. It was late-October and any storm was bound to contain sleet.

"Now, Laura, I don't need no special treatment," Ben said. "When I do my trappin', I use ice for my pillow and snow for my blanket."

"Ice for your pillow?" his middle girl asked. "Doesn't your head slide off in the middle of the night?"

"Don't be silly, Laura, Mr. Shelby doesn't really mean he uses ice for a pillow," Mary said in that long-suffering way she had. "He's just pulling your leg."

"Cross my heart and hope to die," the skinner said as he crossed his heart with two fingers. "You just gotta wait for it to melt. Then your head sinks in and don't roll off."

Charles tried not to giggle, but it was useless.

"What's so funny, Pa?" Laura and Mary demanded, almost in unison.

He popped them both on their pert little noses. "You two are!"

"It's decided then," Caroline said as she reached out for Carrie. "You will be our guest for as long as you need." His wife turned to him with their littlest girl on her hip. "Carrie and I will get the room ready. Laura and Mary can finish up supper."

"Yes, Ma'am," his girls said before heading for the house. At the door, Laura turned back and called, "I'm so happy you're here, Ben! You'll have to tell me how Mister Shelby is doin' when you have time."

Ben smiled until the child entered the house, and then seemed to deflate.

"Somethin' wrong with your pa?" Charles asked.

"There sure is," Ben replied as they started for the house. "It's what I come to see you about."

oooooooooo

Caroline sat across the table from Ben Shelby. It was late and the rain had started. They'd finished their meal and Ben had helped the girls do their evening chores, before climbing the loft ladder to read them a story and send them off to sleep. The young man had never married and insisted he took great joy in doing so. While their three girls listened, Charles made his final rounds of the out-buildings and saw to the animals. He'd just returned. She'd set a pot of coffee before the two weary men and taken her seat. The younger man had been quiet throughout the meal and said little since.

It seemed that was about to change.

Charles was puffing on his pipe. He took a long draw and blew out the smoke before speaking. "Now, Ben, tell us what brought you here."

Ben nodded. "Well, there's a couple of things. First of all, I got that business to attend to."

"In Sleepy Eye? Is it with the circuit judge?" It was about time for the man's final rounds before winter set in.

"Yep."

"What is your business, if you don't mind my asking?"

Sam's son let out a sigh. "Some high-falutin' attorney showed up one day claimnin' Pa's land ain't his. He had all sorts of papers. Well," the young man smiled, "you know Pa. He was on his feet in a minute, makin' a bee's line for the chest near the door. You might remember it?"

Her husband seemed to draw a blank. "Go on," he said.

"Pa keeps all the family papers in it. The family Bible too. He called me over and told me to look for a piece of paper with a red wax stamp on it. I found it and handed it to the man."

"Was it an original land deed?"

"From President George Washington, himself!" Pride shone out of Ben's eyes. "My grandpappy's name was there right next to the President's!"

So, perhaps the land had been a grant for military services rendered. Charles wasn't certain if that had been the case in Minnesota at the time and said so.

"That's what that there lawyer feller said it pretended to be. He told us the deed was fake and said his client owned the land and we had to get off it." Ben ran a hand over his chin and leaned back. "You know my pa, Charles. He was mad as a rat in a trap. But there was somethin' else. When that man rode away, it was like he took somethin' of Pa with him. He ain't been the same since. In fact," Ben looked to Charles and then his eyes returned to her, "I think he might be dyin'."

"Dying?" she exclaimed.

"Pa's right sick, Ma'am. So sick he can't get out of bed."

Charles had told her that Sam Shelby was blind. "If you're gone, who's looking after of him?"

"I hired an Indian woman to come, name of Winona. She can only stay a week." Ben ran a hand through his dark hair, shoving the fringe off his forehead. "I been gone two days and I gotta go on to Sleepy Eye."

Caroline glanced at her husband. "Are you asking Charles to help your father?"

"Ma'am," he began, "I just…well…I don't know where else to turn. Pa and me, we've lived by ourselves since my ma died when I was only a little feller. The only company we get is the peddlers who come by."

"What about the Indian woman? Do you see her people?"

"There ain't any Indians left. She lives with a white family across the ridge."

"What do you think I could do?" Charles asked.

"I don't know. I guess, just watch Pa 'til I get back. Maybe make sure that lawyer feller doesn't come along and bother him again."

"You said your father is sick." She turned to her husband. "Maybe I should go along."

"Oh, no, Ma'am. I wouldn't want you to leave your girls."

"The Edwards could look after them," Charles said as more smoke filled the room.

"But, I…."

The farmer smiled. "Ben, Caroline is right. If your father is ill, there's not a lot I can do for him. Oh, I got enough knowledge to look out for myself when I'm huntin', but that's about the extent of it. Caroline's seen the girls through all kinds of sickness."

"Charles is right," she said as she placed her hand on Ben's. "The girls would be perfectly happy to spend a few days, or even a week at the Edwards. Isaiah and Grace's children are among their best friends."

"Can I come along, Pa?" a small voice asked from the loft.

Charles looked up. "What're you doin' awake, Half-pint?"

Laura was at the foot of the ladder in a heartbeat. "I'm sorry, Pa. I couldn't sleep and I heard you all talking and well, I owe Mister Shelby soooo much. Please let me go with you. I could help Ma look after him."

The child's face was so earnest. Laura, of course, expected Charles to be angry that she had disobeyed him. Instead, he called the little girl over and circled her with his arms. Charles held his 'half-pint' close for half a minute, during which time something passed between them of which she had no part. When Laura pulled back, there were tears in her eyes.

Charles had them too.

"You feel you owe Mister Shelby?" he asked softly.

"Oh yes, sir, I sure do! If Mister Shelby hadn't done what he did, you would have…died." Laura blinked back more tears. "You just gotta let me pay him back."

Charles wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. "Now, understand this, Half-pint, I don't got to do anything. I'm your Pa and I got final say. Right?"

Laura nodded. "Yes, sir."

"I'll talk it over with your ma and we'll decide what's best for Mister Shelby – and you. Now you get back to bed. We'll talk more about it in the mornin'."

Laura wrapped her pa in her arms. "Yes, sir. Thank you, Pa!" And then, for good measure, she added a kiss to his cheek.

In return he gently swatted her behind and sent her up the ladder.

"You got yourself quite a girl there, Charles," Ben said a moment later.

"Don't I know it!" Charles replied.

"You're not thinking of letting Laura go along, are you?" she asked. The thought of her child going back into the wilds was almost more than she could bear. If she had known of the journey through the wilderness Laura would be forced to make to save her father, she would never have let her go!

"I am." At her startled look, Charles held up a hand. "Now, listen to me before you fly off the handle. Laura's been carryin' a load of guilt for over a year now – one that's way too big for her small shoulders. I'm thinkin' this just might help to lighten it."

"You mean…." Caroline paled. "…because she…caused you to be shot?"

"I mean because she thinks she shot me."

"Oh, Charles!"

"It's true and you know it." He rose and moved to the hearth where he placed his pipe on the mantel. "After we first got home, Half-pint talked about it. I told her it wasn't her fault and she seemed to believe me. Then, she got quiet – real quiet."

"How do you know that means she's not let it go?"

"Mary. I asked her and she told me. She said Half-pint's been havin' nightmares. Sometimes she can't wake up. Sometimes she's callin' my name." Charles's voice faltered as he went on. "Sometimes she's callin' for you." Her husband looked directly at her. "Laura's callin' for you because you turned your back on her for killin' me."

Her face was wet with tears now. "No. She knows I never would – "

Her husband came to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Laura's a babe, Caroline. Her head knows it, but her heart tells her somethin' different." He looked at Ben, who was still seated at the table. "I'm thinkin' the good Lord sent Ben here to us. The mill's closed down for repairs. The winter crop is in. Isaiah can take care of what few chores need doin'. There's nothing to stop us from going."

Nothing but her fear.

It was irrational, she knew. Just because the last trip to the Shelby's had nearly cost her husband his life, there was no reason to believe that this one would be in any way the same. They were traveling there to take care of an old man – a blind man who'd saved Charles' life and braved the wilderness to do it. She had always wanted to meet Sam Shelby, to tell him 'thank you' in person.

Caroline guessed this was her chance.

oooooooooo

To be continued…..