face. “I’m
sorry.”
May shivered, but the doctor was right. He had removed
the strangely ornamented leathern collar and breastplate from off of Jim and
hung it on the wall near the chest of drawers. There, in the neckpiece, and all
about the shoulders of it, were the puncturing and tearing marks left by canine
teeth bearing down into it. Here and there too, were marks that looked to be
made by knives or razors slashing at his neck and chest.
May looked at Jim’s face. He looked at peace. Here and
there, long red scratches zagged and flecked. His face was square and thin and
handsome, and May did not notice this, but as she was looking at him her body
had begun to lean forward and closer as she inspected him.
Huck came in and looked at Jim Falk and looked at May.
“Doc,” he said, “I don’t like this. I don’t like this
outlander being laid up here at my place of business. What if he dies?”
May turned away from the convalescing stranger and looked
at her pa with raised eyebrows.
The doctor closed his bag. “I have given your daughter
specific instructions and bandages. This man appears to have some fever from
the wolf bites and the scratches. He also has lost a good deal of his own
precious blood. He will be weak for some number of days. He may never regain
full use of his right arm. His fever, if not kept in check, could bring on a
delirium; but, with proper care and attention, he will not die. I will come by
often, but he should not be moved and I cannot have him in my home right now.”
Huck looked at the doctor and frowned. He looked at May,
who was wringing the wet cloth in a basin. He looked out the window. It was
gray. The chicken man’s cart was out there—busted, horseless, chickenless.
The doctor put on his hat and said, “He should not be
moved.”
He tipped his hat to May and turned his back to them
to leave.
He said without turning around, “I’m expecting another
shipment of medicines shortly. More that might help this stranger. If he wakes
up, come and get me straightaway. There are diseases of the blood and of the
mind and spirit that can be caused by the bite of a wild animal. Especially the
wolf. Come and get me straightaway should he wake.”
The doctor left.
May looked at her father. He was incredibly unhappy.
He walked over and watched the doctor go out through the front of the shop. Then
he closed the door to the safe room where they were.
“This used to be where your mother napped after dinner,”
he said.
“He’ll wake up soon and we’ll get him on out of here,
Pa,” May said and stepped toward him. She could see in his eyes that deep green
ring growing ever deeper. He was thinking heavy thoughts.
“May,” he said and moved toward her, placing his big
hand on her little shoulder, “I don’t know what you heard or saw last night. I don’t
know what all I heard or saw last night exactly either. But from what I can
tell . . . from what I can tell, there’s a chance that, well, I think I might
be wrong about this here outlander, Jim Falk. I don’t know, May. I don’t know
for sure, but things in my mind are starting to change, and I don’t know for
sure.”
Big tears were dropping out of May’s eyes now and her
head was down. The sound of wolves raised up the worst and darkest of her mind.
What she had heard last night had shaken her up. Her face grew pale. While she
couldn’t remember exactly everything she had heard, her mind turned the words
into pictures, wicked things, spiders, spooks, witches, and wolves swirling
about in the snowy tornado of her mind.
She said, “Stop it, Pa. Stop it. I don’t like it when
you talk like this. I don’t like you being in a way where you can’t make up
your mind. What is it that you don’t know?”
“What did you hear?” he asked, lifting her chin up so
he could see her eyes.
“Pa, I don’t know exactly. Noise. Noises. I heard a lot
of noises.” May didn’t want to say. “I don’t want to say,” she
sorry.”
May shivered, but the doctor was right. He had removed
the strangely ornamented leathern collar and breastplate from off of Jim and
hung it on the wall near the chest of drawers. There, in the neckpiece, and all
about the shoulders of it, were the puncturing and tearing marks left by canine
teeth bearing down into it. Here and there too, were marks that looked to be
made by knives or razors slashing at his neck and chest.
May looked at Jim’s face. He looked at peace. Here and
there, long red scratches zagged and flecked. His face was square and thin and
handsome, and May did not notice this, but as she was looking at him her body
had begun to lean forward and closer as she inspected him.
Huck came in and looked at Jim Falk and looked at May.
“Doc,” he said, “I don’t like this. I don’t like this
outlander being laid up here at my place of business. What if he dies?”
May turned away from the convalescing stranger and looked
at her pa with raised eyebrows.
The doctor closed his bag. “I have given your daughter
specific instructions and bandages. This man appears to have some fever from
the wolf bites and the scratches. He also has lost a good deal of his own
precious blood. He will be weak for some number of days. He may never regain
full use of his right arm. His fever, if not kept in check, could bring on a
delirium; but, with proper care and attention, he will not die. I will come by
often, but he should not be moved and I cannot have him in my home right now.”
Huck looked at the doctor and frowned. He looked at May,
who was wringing the wet cloth in a basin. He looked out the window. It was
gray. The chicken man’s cart was out there—busted, horseless, chickenless.
The doctor put on his hat and said, “He should not be
moved.”
He tipped his hat to May and turned his back to them
to leave.
He said without turning around, “I’m expecting another
shipment of medicines shortly. More that might help this stranger. If he wakes
up, come and get me straightaway. There are diseases of the blood and of the
mind and spirit that can be caused by the bite of a wild animal. Especially the
wolf. Come and get me straightaway should he wake.”
The doctor left.
May looked at her father. He was incredibly unhappy.
He walked over and watched the doctor go out through the front of the shop. Then
he closed the door to the safe room where they were.
“This used to be where your mother napped after dinner,”
he said.
“He’ll wake up soon and we’ll get him on out of here,
Pa,” May said and stepped toward him. She could see in his eyes that deep green
ring growing ever deeper. He was thinking heavy thoughts.
“May,” he said and moved toward her, placing his big
hand on her little shoulder, “I don’t know what you heard or saw last night. I don’t
know what all I heard or saw last night exactly either. But from what I can
tell . . . from what I can tell, there’s a chance that, well, I think I might
be wrong about this here outlander, Jim Falk. I don’t know, May. I don’t know
for sure, but things in my mind are starting to change, and I don’t know for
sure.”
Big tears were dropping out of May’s eyes now and her
head was down. The sound of wolves raised up the worst and darkest of her mind.
What she had heard last night had shaken her up. Her face grew pale. While she
couldn’t remember exactly everything she had heard, her mind turned the words
into pictures, wicked things, spiders, spooks, witches, and wolves swirling
about in the snowy tornado of her mind.
She said, “Stop it, Pa. Stop it. I don’t like it when
you talk like this. I don’t like you being in a way where you can’t make up
your mind. What is it that you don’t know?”
“What did you hear?” he asked, lifting her chin up so
he could see her eyes.
“Pa, I don’t know exactly. Noise. Noises. I heard a lot
of noises.” May didn’t want to say. “I don’t want to say,” she
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