General John Reid kissed his mother goodbye in Chattanooga. It had been good to see her. It had also been good to get face to face information on Dora and Johnny, who was now almost fourteen. Dora had presented Isaac with another daughter. The twins were now almost seven and Martha now four.
Isaac Martin had never completely regained his full health since his bout with the flu but he was able to keep up with the farm work. Johnny was a big help. Johnny was a strong, handsome, bright boy as had been his father but Isaac's frail health made him much less carefree. Sadie Reid didn't think Isaac's health was a matter of real concern but the influenza had hit him hard.
John hurt for Dora. She had had to deal with his "death" and now with concern for Isaac's health. But Sadie said that the Martins lived well and Dora had never lost her pluck. She was a strong woman, not given to worry.
There was nothing John could do except be happy that she had a good life. It was still heartwrenching but somewhat easier to deal with now that he had Declan.
John, Declan and Mrs. Bartlett took a train to Cincinnati. John had decided that a riverboat ride would be exciting for Declan. It was. They rode a sternwheeler from Cincinnati to Louisville. It was not a long trip but enough to give the boy the experience and Mrs. Bartlett considerable discomfort. She had been a prairie person all her life and fast flowing rivers were not among her favorite things.
From Louisville, they took the train to St. Louis and then on to Goodland, Kansas. It was a long, wearing, uncomfortable trip but considerably more luxurious than the stage coach of a few years past. Declan got restless but traveled quite well for a usually excitable boy.
The Army had arranged to have a military escort meet him in Goodland. There was really no danger but he was a General now and certain protocols were required. When in the area of his command, proper military deference must be paid to the rank. John didn't need the pomp but he did appreciate the indulgence. It had been a long trip and he enjoyed the relaxing ride in the carriage rather then having to drive and manage everything himself.
Most of the men and older boys were with the cattle when John's entourage arrived at the village. John relaxed at the Fox's. He had heard of Broken Bough's chairs but had not known their sturdiness or their comfort. He almost drifted off to sleep sitting outside the cabin door in the relatively cool shadow of the cabin.
While Abraham Fox still had to be considered the most progressive and ingenious man of the village, Paul Mann was proving to be the most entrepreneurial. The idea came to him when the salesmen and the teamsters who serviced his store frequently slept on the ground or in their wagons. One wouldn't call what Paul built a hotel. It was more of an eighteenth century bed and breakfast - a three room addition to his store. The store now had a table in the back where Running Lion served hungry travelers.
Genevieve Bartlett was of hardy pioneer stock. She had come west with her husband as a bride. She raised seven children while she and her husband scratched out both sustenance and a new way of life. Norbert Bartlett had become moderately wealthy and life was good. The children were raised and successful and the Bartlett future was bright.
At fifty, Norbert began to feel the pangs of lumbago. His boys had pretty much taken over the operation of the ranch but Norbert was not ready to sit around. He should have. All of his life he had been agile enough to elude disgruntled cattle but by the time he saw the bull coming, he couldn't move fast enough to elude him. Being gored by an angry bull can be anything from an embarrassment to a fatality. In Norbert's case, it was a fatality.
Ginny Bartlett grieved but was stoic. The rugged prairie life had made her so. She had worked hard all her life and the life of leisure the Bartletts had planned did not prove to be to her liking. When the unmarried Colonel John Reid was stationed in Denver, Ginny decided that he needed a housekeeper. It had proven to be an advantageous relationship for both of them. When Declan came into the picture, Ginny glowed. If there was anything she was really good at, it was raising children. There was no doubt who Declan loved most but Ginny was a very close second.
Her pioneering background would have made Ginny very comfortable in a teepee but John situated her in one of Paul Mann's "hotel" rooms. It was comfortable and Ginny and Running Lion became quite friendly. Ginny gave Running Lion her white man's name. Leona seemed appropriate. Lion - Leona - made sense.
Ginny also gave her some tips on white man's cooking, particularly the use of spices. There were none available but Ginny told Paul what to order.
But Ginny's real mission while in the village became Amos. The boy was regaining strength but was still far from well. He had actually been close to death. Leona Mann did what she knew to do for the boy but Ginny was older, had the experience of seven children and the wisdom of other women. Amos consumed most of her time. His health was her primary concern but the boy needed love and his manner of speaking was atrocious. By the time Ginny left for Denver, Amos was more hearty, was beginning to understand love and, while he was not anywhere near Demosthenes, his speech was almost civilized.
Declan had soon made friends with Jay Schwartz. Declan had never seen the sense in the bodily modesty that was now required of him so he and Jay were soon frolicking naked in the creek. Soon Vaasco joined them. He really didn't like cows. They smelled bad and he was a little afraid of them. Vaasco played with the two younger boys for a while and then went to watch Broken Bough. He was glad the Colonel was here. He'd get to go to Golden and be with his papa soon. He still liked Wili but he wasn't the same Wili. Vaasco just couldn't understand how anyone raised around the sea could love cows and the prairie. Vaasco was glad that he had come to see Wili but he wasn't the same Wili.
Bess Hawk had to remind John that the summer Kansas sun could cause the very fair skinned Declan some serious discomfort and Declan gave a demonstration, although mild, of his Irish temper when John made him come out and dress. Jay was shocked. Indian boys certainly didn't talk to their papa's that way.
John asked if Jay knew Wili. Well, of course Jay knew Wili.
"Well, then, you know how stubborn he can be."
"Yes."
"Wili's German and Germans are stubborn. Declan is Irish and the Irish get angry easily and say things they don't mean. Declan's learning how not to be quite so Irish and he usually does a good job but sometimes he forgets."
Jay Schwartz knew about many different tribes of Indians. But he also knew three white boys. Wili was German. Vaasco was Portuguese and now, Declan was Irish. He just didn't know that white people had so many different tribes.
Declan had been sunburned and remembered its discomfort so was glad that his Pa had made him get out of the sun after he heard John's explanation to Jay. The sun would not so quickly bother Jay's darker skin but Declan's very white skin would burn quickly. Declan thought again that he better learn to think before he got angry. His pa was taking care of him. Sunburn hurt.
The boys found other things to do and John was proud of how quickly Declan had become "diplomatic" rather than aggressive in new relationships. The boy had lived with John less than a year and had become a pretty normal little boy. Anyway, Declan was away from the big cities. He'd heard stories about wild Indians but these Indians were not as scary as Washington had been. Wild Indians were just stories. Big cities had been all too real in Declan's life and he didn't care if he never saw one again.
The boys were behind the Schwartz cabin, Jay trying to teach the impatient and occasionally irascible Declan Hoop and Lance. Jay was not put off by Declan's outbursts. The "Colonel" had explained about the Irish tribe. Jay had been told that the Utes were like that but even though he kind of thought he was supposed to hate the Utes, he didn't hate the Irish. So far as Jay knew, the Arapaho and the Irish had never fought each other.
Jay couldn't think why he was supposed to hate the Utes. Lark and Sally were Ute and they were like all the other girls in the village. His papa and mama never told him he should hate the Utes but the child had picked up a vague, unspoken negative sense that Utes were bad people. He knew they had not fought each other for more years than his papa was alive but that "sense" was subtly pervasive in the village. Jay thought about that. He could think of no reason that he should hate the Utes. He could think of reasons to hate white people but he didn't get that sense from the village. Why should he hate Utes who hadn't bothered the Arapaho for years and not hate the whites who had killed many Arapaho not very long ago? Jay didn't understand that. Actually, he didn't want to hate anyone. He'd ask his papa if he had to hate the Utes.
Wili and Billy, sweaty, hot and with manure on their britches - bone weary and smelling of wood smoke, were off their horses, out of their britches and in the creek. It was the fastest they'd moved in the last two hours. It had been a long day and eleven-year-old boys tend to wind down toward the end of a long, hot day. The spring calves were old enough for branding now and it was probably the least pleasant job in the cattle business. It was the hottest time of the year and working around the fires that heated the irons, and wrestling calves - some of which were now big enough to shake a boy loose or drag one too stubborn to let go like Wili was, through numerous cow pies, the smelling of singed hair and burned hide, listening to the calves bawl and keeping a wary eye on some cow that still felt protective of her calf - all that made notching ears, even with all the blood, seem like fun compared to this.
Billy wasn't as covered with manure as Wili. If he saw that he wasn't going to get the calf down, he let go. His Papa could do that one. But Wili was still Wili. Even if he could not get the calf down, he had the satisfaction of having made the calf work for its freedom. Abraham had stopped cajoling Wili about his stubbornness. Wili would just have to learn from experience. None of the spring calves were big enough to really hurt the boy - just to make him work harder than necessary. Abraham was proud of his son's tenacity and saw Wili's need to go after the larger calves as a stretching of himself - a testing of his limits - rather than foolishness. His boy was stubborn and adventuresome but he was wise enough to find and respect his limits. At least Abraham hoped so. He still kept an eye on the boy just in case Wili went too far.
Wili and Billy soaked in the cool water coaxing some vigor back into their weary bodies. After half an hour they drug their filthy britches and sweaty shirts toward home and supper.
Wili stopped dead and shrieked, "John!" and ran to greet his friend. But he realized that there was a game to be played. He stopped about ten feet from the Colonel - hey wait, that was a star on his shoulder. The uniform was different. Wili had seen pictures of army uniforms and he understood what it all meant. The Colonel wasn't a Colonel anymore. He was a General.
"So, you're a General now. I don't care if you're President Grant, I still won't go."
"Well, I'm not President Grant but I did see him when I was in Washington. He said you had to go."
"No he didn't. He doesn't even know who I am."
Abraham who had finished his ablutions grinned at the repartee.
"You mean to tell me that there could be someone in the whole United States that doesn't know about that stubborn little German Indian that gives me so much trouble?"
"Lots of people and you're the one giving me trouble. I won't go!"
Wili's curiosity about John's new attire had unconsciously drawn the boy closer and closer for a better look.
John leapt from the chair and grabbed Wili, pulled the boy into a hug and began to tickle him. Wili's giggles echoed throughout the village. They drew Declan and Jay to investigate.
Declan froze. Someone was in his Pa's lap and it wasn't him. SOMEONE WAS IN HIS PA'S LAP and his pa was hugging and tickling him.
Without uttering a sound the little Irish ball of fire ran toward this outrage. That was HIS pa and that lap was his. Declan pounded with both fists on the back of the impostor. Wili reacted as an Indian boy would. With a kind of round-house swing, he hit Declan full in the jaw and knocked the smaller boy to the ground. Wili then was off John's lap ready to continue the fray.
John moved to get up and rush to his son. Abe placed a hand on John's shoulder. John understood. He knew that Abe would not allow Declan to be severely injured but wanted this to be resolved in "Indian" fashion.
Wili had no idea who this strange boy with fire in his eyes was. Where did he come from? Why had he pounded on his back? He was considerably smaller than Wili and that would not allow Wili to press the fight.
Declan was deciding. The boy was a lot bigger but he had no right to steal his pa. The temptation to launch into this thief was strong but, his jaw hurt and while Declan was impulsive, he wasn't stupid. After due consideration, Declan choose words rather than fists.
There was, however, defiance and some threat in his tone. "That's my pa."
Now Wili was confused. He glanced at John. This was not exactly what John had envisioned as the introduction of his son to the village but he took Abe's tacit advice and, although ready to spring to the defense of his son, awaited developments. He nodded his head indicating that Declan was right.
Now Wili had some considering to do. After a few moments, Wili chose words too. "But he's my friend. I always sit on his lap."
The ire drained from both boys but the confusion was thick. They looked at each other, each a little sheepish and neither, for the moment, knowing how to proceed. Wili finally broke the standoff.
"Your pa and I have been friends for a long time and I have something I have to tell him. You can sit on my Papa's lap while I tell your pa," Wili indicated Abe."
"That ain't your pa. That's a Indian."
"He got to be my papa just like your pa got to be your pa."
"A Indian adopted you?"
"In a way we adopted each other. Now sit in Papa's lap so I can tell your pa."
Declan look to Jay for affirmation. Jay nodded.
Declan hesitated. He had wanted to see Indians but this one was big. He'd played all afternoon with Jay and had decided that Indians were not as dangerous as the stories he had heard. But Jay was a little Indian. Declan wasn't sure he was ready to trust an Indian that big. But his pa was right there and if that boy was going to sit in his pa's lap, then he'd sit in the Indian's lap. Declan would not have said it this way but he would hold Wili's pa hostage until he got his own back.
Wili snuggled back into John's lap and Declan very tentatively allowed himself to be pulled into Abe's lap. Wili rather smugly told of his conversation with Wolfgang. He said it in a teasing but also triumphant manner. John looked at Abe and got a nod of confirmation.
"So, Wolfgang. You must have dreamt that. I'm a General now and Generals don't let people just dream things up."
Wili knew that he was being teased. "How could you be such a smart Colonel and such a dumb General? I told you he was my cousin. He said that everybody calls him Wolf. That sounds like an Indian name so I'm not the only German Indian.
"Abe, are you sure you want to keep this little pest?"
"Oh, I have to. Fern and the girls would run me off if I let him go. I wouldn't have any place to sleep."
Wili enjoyed being teased by his Papa. "You couldn't run the place without me and you couldn't let me go because you love me and I love you."
"Tell you what, John; the boy's got a point. When Wolf said he could stay it was one of the happiest days of my life."
"So, you're going to keep him?"
"I vowed never again to fight the army but if you try to take my boy, you'll have to fight me for him."
John hugged Wili tighter and kissed his cheek. "Well, now. That certainly solves a major problem for the United States Government. I thought we'd have to add four battalions to keep the peace after you moved to Denver."
Wili playfully punched John on the shoulder.
John again kissed Wili on the cheek. "I'm very happy for you. I know how much you love your papa and mama."
Wili wanted to say more but was afraid that what he wanted to say would further offend Declan. He glanced toward his papa and saw the little red-head now deeply snuggled into his papa's hug. Declan was taking love from his papa so Wili felt it safe to say what he wanted to say.
"I love you too, you know. When did you get to be a General?"
John recounted his experiences of the last several weeks: his visit with the Secretary of War and General Sherman, the President's attendance at his commissioning ceremony, the trip to Georgia, which necessitated the telling of the story of Paddy.
Wili knew that Declan and Paddy were in some way connected. Paddy's story was sad so probably Declan's was too. Wili had to know that story but he thought he'd have to wait until Declan wasn't around.
Wili glanced at his papa. The rigors of the past several weeks of travel, particularly the trip from Chattanooga to the village had taken their toll on Declan. He was snuggled deep in Abraham's lap - fast asleep. Wili felt a rush of tender joy as he watched his papa cuddle and gently stroke the sleeping boy. He knew that Declan and he would become good friends.
By the time John had finished Declan's story, Wili had tears in his eyes. So did Abe. Wili had not allowed himself to consider the calamities in his own life as devastating, so he saw no need for sympathy. But having no one to care for you when you may have been as young as six or seven, having to eat garbage or steal food, constantly having to fear older boys, men, the police - almost everyone you saw - that to Wili was sad and he was deeply sorry for Declan. Wili could not have imagined that anyone would have to live like that, much less a little child. Wili understood why Declan was ready to fight when he thought someone was trying to take his pa. Wili was overcome with a tender, protective feeling toward Declan. He realized that since John loved this tough little kid, so did he. Wili had never seen tears in his Papa's eyes before so they must mean that his Papa loved Declan too.
Declan had sensed the tenderness and love in Abe's caress. He had heard Wili say that he loved his pa. Declan realized that he loved Wili's papa too - not like he loved his pa but he loved him. It felt good loving and being loved by more than just his pa. As he thought about it, he knew that Mrs. Bartlett loved him too. Maybe some other people did too. He'd just never thought about it. He had been too engrossed in loving his pa.
John remained at the village for a week before he had to return to duty in Denver. It was a good week. The trip east had been hectic and emotional. He was tired. The village was a busy place but he could relax and, frankly, he came to enjoy having his aide's obsequiousness. He'd put a stop to that when back in Denver. He was not the autocratic type. But, here - for a week - why not enjoy the privileges of rank.
Declan became Wili's shadow. If his pa loved Wili, so did he. When Wili had to help his papa, Declan cajoled Jay into taking him to the herd. He rode behind Jay and hung on tight. He was fascinated but a little frightened. Everything was so big. He had seen cattle from the train window but when you were this close, they were BIG and there were so many of them.
But most days, Wili could play. Fern got a cloth flour sack from Paul Mann and made a kind of swimming "dress" for Declan. It kept the part of him that was usually out of the water covered so the creek was the play area of choice. Declan didn't have the patience for the Indian games of skill. When he couldn't get the lance through the hoop or hit the target with the road apple, he became frustrated - not angry but frustrated. He did not become angry because Wili had learned to "read" him and if it appeared that things were getting away from Declan, Wili suggested that they change games. About the middle of the week, Declan realized what Wili was doing. He was kind of taking care of him and that made Declan's feelings for Wili stronger. By Friday, Declan worshiped the boy.
Soon after he had arrived at the village, John had started talking to Wili about going with him to Denver for the trial of Leah Sidell.
"But she was nice to me."
"Wili, she broke the law."
"No she didn't. Rub and Buford broke the law."
"Did you want to stay there?"
"No!"
"Then she held you against your will. That's against the law."
"But she was nice to me when she was breaking the law."
"Wili, please try to understand. A law was broken and something has to be done. If we just ignored it, everybody would think they could break the law."
"That Major said that you'd take care of it. Can't you just take care of it here?"
"Part of the law is that she must have a trial."
"What's that?"
"It's like a council. The people who represent the law tell their side and she gets to tell her side and then some people called a jury decide who's telling the truth."
"I'll tell you the truth and save you all the trouble."
"The law won't let us do that."
"The law is awful bossy."
"I guess you could say that it was, but we have to do what the law says."
"You're a General now. Can't you just make up a different law?"
"No, congress makes the laws."
"Who's that?"
"Congress is like a council in Washington, D. C."
"Well, this is Kansas and Kansas is none of Washington, D. C.'s business."
"I thought you'd be more Indian by now. You're still just a stubborn little German. Talk to your papa. He'll tell you I'm right. You have to go back to Denver with me."
"Well, I won't go!"
"I've heard that before."
"I was right, too, wasn't I?"
"You won't be this time. Talk to your papa about it and you and I will talk more later."
Declan had heard that exchange. He appeared almost frightened. "Don't you love my pa no more?"
"Yes, I love your pa but he's not going to take me to Denver."
"I want to tell you something. If my pa says he's going to take you to Denver, he's going to take you to Denver. He's a good pa and I love him a lot but he'll whip your behind if you keep on fussing with him."
"My Papa won't let him."
Abe who had been listening said, "Your papa will help him. Wili, you need to go with the General."
"But, Papa - - "
"We'll talk later but please make me proud. This is something you have to do and the son I know and love meets his responsibilities like a man."
Wili hated it when his Papa did that. He didn't hate his Papa but when his Papa's pride was brought into the equation, well, how can you not do what he wanted? Wili needed his Papa to be proud of him. Wili would fuss about it a little more because he was an eleven-year-old boy and that's what eleven-year-old boys do but he already knew that he would end up going with General Reid to Denver.
Vaasco asked if it could be just him and Wili and Declan in the teepee that night. He was afraid that Wili would be mad at him because he couldn't like the prairie. When they were alone, Vaasco cried. He had missed Wili and their friendship and wanted it to be as it always was.
"Vaasco, we will always be friends. We can write letters to each other. We didn't always like the same things when I lived in New Bedford. Sometimes we got in fights and stayed mad for a while but we were still best friends.
"I might come back and visit New Bedford sometime and I know I won't like it anymore. I think the prairie is right for some people and the sea is right for others. I'm sorry you didn't have a good time here."
"I had a good time. It's just that you are not like you were in New Bedford. It's like I don't know you anymore and that makes me sad."
"Vaasco, I love the prairie because there are people here who love me. We are good friends but kids our age need our papas and mamas. I think you miss your papa and mama. That's why you're sad."
"I do miss my papa and mama but I also missed you. I thought it would be like it was before.
"Don't you miss your New Bedford papa and mama?"
"I think about them and I love them but they are not here to love me back. If I didn't have the papa and mama I have now to love me, I'd really miss them and I'd be sad. Everybody, big and little need people to love them and when you're our age, you need them right there. You'll see your papa soon.
"Think about Declan. For a long time he didn't have anyone to love him. He didn't even have a home. He really knows sad. Tell him, Declan."
"Do I have to? I got my pa now and he loves me and when I think about New York I get mad. You want me mad, Vaasco, or do you want to go to sleep?"
Vaasco giggled. "I've seen you mad. I think I'll go to sleep.