Chapter Six
Mr. Sweet helped carry out the supplies and he and Adam loaded the buckboard; Mr. Sweet cautiously handed Adam the receipt.
"That'll be due at the end of the month," Mr. Sweet said nervously indicating the paper.
"You'll be paid," Adam said and tucked the paper in his pocket alongside the ribbon and climbed up. Mr. Sweet went back inside his store with a sense of relief and stood at the window watching. That swarthy, dark-haired Cartwright man made him anxious; there was something about his eyes. Mr. Sweet always imagined that was the way the eyes of a killer would look, as if he himself didn't care if he lived or died so what could another man's life mean to him?
Elias was about to pull away when they both noticed the sheriff approaching them.
"Mornin', Elias," the sheriff said but he was looking at Adam. "Don't believe I've seen you around these parts, mister."
"No, you haven't," Adam said. He noticed that the sheriff was assessing him and taking stock of his military-issue revolver and holster.
"Hire yourself a new hand, Elias?" The sheriff turned his attention to Elias.
"Yes. He's just passing through and needed work and I need the help. I was shot not too long ago. Remember, Sheriff?"
"I remember. You were trespassing, remember?" The sheriff now addressed Adam. "What's your name? I don't cotton to strangers in my jurisdiction and how'd you come to have a military issue holster and firearm?"
Adam exchanged looks with Elias and then looked back to the sheriff. "Name's Adam Cartwright. I happen to have the holster and gun because they were issued to me and the army didn't ask for their return. That answer your questions?"
"Now don't get so high and mighty with me. I'm the law here in Direville and you'd best respect the law if you want your short stay to be peaceable, understand?"
"Oh, I understand," Adam said lightly. "You couldn't make it clearer and I assure you, I have nothing but the highest respect for the law."
"Glad to hear that. Now you two have a nice day." The sheriff stepped back and watched as Elias snapped the reins on the hose's back and turned the buckboard to head back to his property.
Once they were some distance, Elias said, "Thank you for what you did in the store. I appreciate it and I'll see the bill gets paid. It'll take a while if you don't mind staying on. I'll tell Rachel to make more aprons and she can also crochet some. I'll have her make some doilies and such. Those fancy townspeople can't seem to get enough of them."
"How would Rachel find the time to do all that and keep the house?" From what Adam could see, Rachel had her hands full. She tended a vegetable garden, fed the chickens and cows as well as milked them, gathered eggs, washed and cooked and then lay down for Elias at night.
"She'll find the time; she always does."
"Well, I feel I should pay some of it and I will. I asked for sugar instead of sorghum. Rachel can use it in her baking."
"Rachel's learned to make do with what we can afford. Nevertheless, I'll pay."
They rode in silence for a while and Adam thought of the blue ribbon in his pocket. He was having second thoughts about giving it to Rachel. Elias' voice broke into his thoughts.
"Adam, you sure I can't hire your gun?"
"I'm sure but tell me, when did This Truck start wanting your land?" Adam was curious as to why Elias Fell's land was so desirable. In his opinion, it could, at its best, barely sustain a hundred head of cattle. It seemed now as if it couldn't even sustain the Fells.
"Well," Elias said, "I guess it was about two—close to three years ago-right before my son was killed. That was the first time that I felt that Truck wanted me and my family dead—or scared enough to leave so he could have my land."
"Anything interesting happen before that?"
Elias looked over at Adam, his brow furrowed. "Now that you mention it, yeah. I found three men on my property. They said they were geologists hired by Truck. They had this hollow pole forced into the ground and when I held my rifle on them and told them to get the hell off my land, they packed up their gear and hauled out. They left behind these round, long lengths of dirt—packed dirt. It was after that that Truck offered to buy my land for the first time."
"Did those men tell you what they were looking for?"
"No, and I didn't ask. I figured they were looking for silver or such but you know this land doesn't produce silver. And the funny part is that the area they were lookin' at isn't even a good patch; it's about fifty feet in from the fence line and has this black muck patch. But I guess that is when the trouble started now that I consider."
"Can you show it to me, the area, before we head back to the house?"
"Yeah, but why is it important?"
"I'm not sure but I have a feeling that's why Truck wants your land and why he's offered you so much money for it. Now he's hoping to force you off. Probably hoping you can't pay your taxes. I'll be able to tell you more once I see the area—that is if I'm right."
Elias was puzzled but he turned the buckboard to take Adam to the area.
Once they arrived, both men climbed down. It wasn't much—held a few scraggly clumps of grass and some thin trees but as Adam scanned the ground he saw it, what Truck wanted. He walked over to a black spot that was about five feet wide. Adam kneeled beside it and using a stick, dipped it in and pulled it out to smell the black, viscous substance. Adam stood up and held the stick out to Elias.
"This is why he wants your land. Oil."
"Oil? Why the hell would he want that? I've got no use for it." Elias took the stick and touched the substance, rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger.
"Truck wants it because this oil can make you—or him-a rich man. There's probably more on your property, more spots. I wouldn't be surprised if he's discovered some oil on his own property but I'll bet those geologists were taking core samples and told him that you have oil-rich property. Passing through Pennsylvania, they were already talking about seep holes—what this is-and how oil was going to pave the way for the future. You see, raw oil can be refined. They can produce kerosene, and types of fuel that can power machinery; prototypes for engines that use fuel from oil byproducts are already being created. They say that oil is going to open up the world. More people are beginning to drop wells, not for water anymore but for oil."
"Well, I'll be damned." Elias stood in contemplation. "So how do I go about getting some wealth from this oil on my property?"
"I'm not quite sure but if it was me, I'd contact a geologist like Truck did to come out and write a survey of where the oil lies. And I'd watch my back."
Elias and Adam moved back to the buckboard and took their seats. Elias picked up the reins.
"I'm not much on writing letters, Adam. Would you be willing to write one for me—or at least tell me the words to put down?"
"Yes. I think I could do that but let me ask you—do you own the land fee simple?"
"What does that mean?"
"Well, there are two types of ownership—just owning the surface rights—that means that anything found on the surface, gold nuggets and such are yours, and fee simple, meaning that you own even what's below the surface. If you don't own what's lying untapped below the surface then the state can claim it. That was all the talk in Pennsylvania."
"How do I know?"
"You'll have to check the legal documents that were drawn up and signed when you purchased the land but my guess is that it's fee simple. Most land is sold that way but I think it's going to change soon and land buyers are going to have to double-check their documents."
"But even if I own the land—fee simple as you called it, I don't have the money or the time to drop a well for that oil; I have bills to pay and a family to feed. And what would I do with the oil even if I did?"
"You could sell the mineral rights to a company—many are forming back east—oil companies, and they would drop wells on your property if that's what you want to do. But you'd have to give up ranching probably, that is depending on how many wells they'd find, and put up with company people on your property and there's no saying where they'd find oil. But you'd be a rich man."
"What if I choose not to sell the mineral rights? What do you think would happen?"
"I think Jeb Truck will force you off-or kill you. Or someone else once word gets out."
Elias nodded as if to himself. The two men rode the rest of the way in silence. At least now Adam felt he understood what was really going on and he wondered how safe any of them were as long as Truck lusted after the oil rights on Elias' land.
Rachel came out on the porch as they pulled up in the buckboard. Adam saw his clothes hanging on a line alongside the family's wash.
"Lunch is ready," she said to Adam as he pulled out the sack of flour from the back. "It's just some cold ham and black bread but I have a rhubarb pie in the over that should be done any time now. I have some cream and if you like, you can pour some over the pie if it's too hot."
"Thank you, ma'am. It sounds good." Adam smiled at her and Rachel grinned back until Elias reprimanded her.
"Wife, I swear that you talk more than a group of gossiping church women. Go serve the food. Oh, and it looks like Mr. Sweet wants more of you aprons to sell. There's two bolts of cloth in the back for you. You'll need to get started tonight. Anything else you can make will help. Adam set up credit in his name for us."
Adam walked to Rachel with a crate holding the sack of flour, a smaller sack of sugar, salt and a few canned goods. "Any place other than the kitchen table you want these, ma'am?"
"Um, yes, I'll show you." Rachel turned and Adam followed her into the small kitchen watching her supple figure as she moved. Like a young deer, Adam thought. "Please put them here on the floor. I thought I'd feed you two on the kitchen table. If you'd like to wash up before lunch…"
"Oh," Adam said. "I almost forgot. I had a few bits so I bought Sonny some penny candy." Adam reached into the pants' pocket and pulled out a small brown paper bag, giving it to her. "I hope it's all right."
Rachel smiled. "Oh, you've won Sonny as a friend for life now. I can't remember the last time Sonny had any candy except what I make but nothing's as good as store-bought. I'm tempted to filch a piece for myself." Her eyes glittered with a touch of mischief and Adam grinned. He hesitated a moment and then reached into the shirt pocket.
"This is for you. I hope Elias won't mind my giving it to you but I wanted to thank you for…well, for doing my wash and feeding me." He handed the roll of blue ribbon to her.
Rachel took it and stared at it as if she had never seen a simple roll of grosgrain ribbon before and didn't recognize it.
Adam felt uncomfortable, regretting that he had given her anything; it wasn't his place after all—he had overstepped. "I just thought maybe you might want to wear it in your hair or…" He watched as Rachel ran a section of the ribbon through her fingers. Then she looked up at him and Adam feared she was going to cry.
"I haven't had a pretty thing in so long that…" Rachel quickly tucked the length of ribbon in her apron pocket as Elias came in the room with a few other of the purchases: coffee and a jug of cider. Anyone more sensitive would have suspected that something was going on between his wife and their hired hand but Elias could only think of his stomach and the oil on his property.
"Rachel, stop running your mouth and serve our food. I'm hungry and Adam and me have the barn to repair. And don't let that pie burn. You know I hate it when the crust is too browned." He sat down and Rachel began to put the food on the table, smiling once more at Adam before he went out back to wash up for lunch.