confidently. “Once he sets his mind, he won’t back down.”
“I’ve noticed that.”
“He made a deal with Garrick Rowe to get the town going so that men who work for his lumber company can bring their families
here and have a place to live.”
“Who’s Garrick Rowe?” Jane had scraped the thick mush from the pot and now was washing it.
“He owns the lumber mills over at Trinity. Ya see, T.C. and Colin had filed on the land here that included the town, but they
want to ranch the part east a here. T.C. don’t want any part of the lumber business even if he has been lumberjacicin’ most
a his life. They sold the timber to Rowe. In the bargain T.C. agreed to stay a year and get the town goin’ again.”
Jane poured water into the pot from the teakettle and set it over the hole in the top of the range.
“Where’s the meal?”
Herb lifted a cloth sack up on the counter.
“I opened it this mornin’,” he said when Jane dipped some of it out into a bowl and looked carefully for weevils.
“It should be in a tin with a tight lid.”
“Miss Jane, will Miss Polly be goin’ with ya?”
“No.”
“She’s in the family way, ain’t she?”
“yes.”
“Where’s her man?”
“She doesn’t have one.” Jane turned and looked at the boyish face of the big man. “She was… forced.”
Herb’s mouth opened in surprise, then snapped shut.
“Gawdamighty!” The word exploded from him. “A man who’d do that to a young girl ain’t fit to live.”
“I agree.” Jane took the salt box to the stove and sprinkled salt in the boiling water. “Mr. Kilkenny and Sunday Polinski
and now you know Polly’s situation. I’m telling you this because Polly will need friends, understanding friends, in the months
ahead.”
“Ya can count on it, Miss Jane. I’ll see to it nobody hurts her.”
Jane’s gaze flicked up to the youth’s face. It was cold and void of expression, but the skin at the corners of his eyes tightened
ever so slightly, narrowing his gaze. It occurred to her that this man, scarcely old enough to grow a beard, had a deep-seated
sense of moral obligation, but a hard life and strong survival instincts had left their mark.
He could be deadly if crossed
.
“It eases my mind to know that you’ll be around if she… if something should come up.”
“I’ll be here.” Herb shook his head. “It’s a shame… ya ain’t stayin’, Miss Jane.”
“We can’t always do what we want to do. You’ve probably discovered that.”
“Ya mean ya don’t want to go?”
“No. No, I didn’t mean that,” Jane said quickly, and while stirring with a wooden spoon, began to sprinkle the cornmeal into
the boiling water. She’d let her mouth run away with her and it was best to drop the subject.
When the gruel had thickened to her satisfaction, Jane removed it from the stove. On a shelf above a work bench were several
bowls. Choosing the one with the fewest chips, she wiped it with a cloth, and poured some of the gruel into it.
“Ain’t it a wonder what a little know-how will do? I put a cup a meal in all at once.”
“I’ve made mush hundreds, maybe thousands, of times. It’s thin now, but in a few minutes it will set up.” Jane spooned onto
the gruel some of the syrup from the flapjacks they had brought from the cookhouse. “You better eat these before they get
any colder I’ll take this up to the doctor?”
“Ya best let me take it, Miss Jane. Doc’s not been in his right mind lately.”
“I’ve dealt with sick children—”
“—He ain’t no young’un, ma’am. He’s got a nasty mouth when he’s feelin’ poorly.”
“At least he won’t ignore me.”
“But, Miss Jane—”
“I promise I won’t be offended no matter what he says. Show me the way, Herb, then come back down here and eat. Before we
go, set the biscuits in the oven to keep warm.”
“Won’t they burn?”
“Not if you leave the oven door down.”
Jane looked around for
“I’ve noticed that.”
“He made a deal with Garrick Rowe to get the town going so that men who work for his lumber company can bring their families
here and have a place to live.”
“Who’s Garrick Rowe?” Jane had scraped the thick mush from the pot and now was washing it.
“He owns the lumber mills over at Trinity. Ya see, T.C. and Colin had filed on the land here that included the town, but they
want to ranch the part east a here. T.C. don’t want any part of the lumber business even if he has been lumberjacicin’ most
a his life. They sold the timber to Rowe. In the bargain T.C. agreed to stay a year and get the town goin’ again.”
Jane poured water into the pot from the teakettle and set it over the hole in the top of the range.
“Where’s the meal?”
Herb lifted a cloth sack up on the counter.
“I opened it this mornin’,” he said when Jane dipped some of it out into a bowl and looked carefully for weevils.
“It should be in a tin with a tight lid.”
“Miss Jane, will Miss Polly be goin’ with ya?”
“No.”
“She’s in the family way, ain’t she?”
“yes.”
“Where’s her man?”
“She doesn’t have one.” Jane turned and looked at the boyish face of the big man. “She was… forced.”
Herb’s mouth opened in surprise, then snapped shut.
“Gawdamighty!” The word exploded from him. “A man who’d do that to a young girl ain’t fit to live.”
“I agree.” Jane took the salt box to the stove and sprinkled salt in the boiling water. “Mr. Kilkenny and Sunday Polinski
and now you know Polly’s situation. I’m telling you this because Polly will need friends, understanding friends, in the months
ahead.”
“Ya can count on it, Miss Jane. I’ll see to it nobody hurts her.”
Jane’s gaze flicked up to the youth’s face. It was cold and void of expression, but the skin at the corners of his eyes tightened
ever so slightly, narrowing his gaze. It occurred to her that this man, scarcely old enough to grow a beard, had a deep-seated
sense of moral obligation, but a hard life and strong survival instincts had left their mark.
He could be deadly if crossed
.
“It eases my mind to know that you’ll be around if she… if something should come up.”
“I’ll be here.” Herb shook his head. “It’s a shame… ya ain’t stayin’, Miss Jane.”
“We can’t always do what we want to do. You’ve probably discovered that.”
“Ya mean ya don’t want to go?”
“No. No, I didn’t mean that,” Jane said quickly, and while stirring with a wooden spoon, began to sprinkle the cornmeal into
the boiling water. She’d let her mouth run away with her and it was best to drop the subject.
When the gruel had thickened to her satisfaction, Jane removed it from the stove. On a shelf above a work bench were several
bowls. Choosing the one with the fewest chips, she wiped it with a cloth, and poured some of the gruel into it.
“Ain’t it a wonder what a little know-how will do? I put a cup a meal in all at once.”
“I’ve made mush hundreds, maybe thousands, of times. It’s thin now, but in a few minutes it will set up.” Jane spooned onto
the gruel some of the syrup from the flapjacks they had brought from the cookhouse. “You better eat these before they get
any colder I’ll take this up to the doctor?”
“Ya best let me take it, Miss Jane. Doc’s not been in his right mind lately.”
“I’ve dealt with sick children—”
“—He ain’t no young’un, ma’am. He’s got a nasty mouth when he’s feelin’ poorly.”
“At least he won’t ignore me.”
“But, Miss Jane—”
“I promise I won’t be offended no matter what he says. Show me the way, Herb, then come back down here and eat. Before we
go, set the biscuits in the oven to keep warm.”
“Won’t they burn?”
“Not if you leave the oven door down.”
Jane looked around for
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