Posted August 6, 2021
Where: Shack on Miggins' Homestead
Two days later...
He should have been back now, Clara tried not to fret but frankly all that was on her mind was Jacob's safe return. Yes, they needed the money and Jacob had just wanted to do his fair share to provide some but how could he risk himself like that, the father of a yet to be born child and a newly married wife. And to find out the exact nature of this job of his from a gossip of all things, instead of him leveling with her. That was highly disappointing.
Jemima and her....truthfully mostly Jemima had fixed up the chimney some, there was only so much one could do but at least smoke could come out of it safely now. The place still didn't look liveable long term without a whole lot more work, she simply was unwilling to put into it such as glass windows. It was not worth the effort as very soon they would be living above the Lick Skillet thanks to Emeline's kindness. Clara tried to put out of her mind Jemima's poisonous tale of this Diedrich woman sweeping into the diner and replacing her. Emeline just would not do such a thing. It was all some sort of exaggeration or outright mistake. As for the woman and her father. Well, that was up to him. After what Clara had done herself, suddenly becoming pregnant and marrying hastily to help hide the fact (for awhile of course), she could hardly be critical if her father decided on a second marriage. He had been loyal to his wife, Clara's mother, even after her sudden violent death for some years now. Why should he spend the rest of his life all alone? Especially as Clara had done all the woman's work after her mother passed, now that was on him along with the farming and raising Wyatt.
Wait! Was that the sound of a horse? Lunging for the Dragoon Colt lying upon the table, she then moved to the door and opened it enough just to peek out. Oh god, oh god, please no Indians.
"Yes, Dear"
Posted August 6, 2021 / Jacob Lutz
From without the cottage came an Indian war whoop: a woo-woo-woo! But then Jacob's unmistakable voice could be heard shouting "Shut up, Heck! That's not funny!" "Oh, she can take a joke!" "You won't be laughing when she blows your brains out, like you've got any!"
They were climbing off their horses and Hector tied them both up while Jacob bounded to the door of the shack and felt himself veering to the right and tapping it from the side, in case she really did shoot him with her Pa's enormous Colt Dragoon through the door.
"It's all right, it's just me! Jacob!" he yelled. "I'm back!" he added, rather needlessly.
"Clara?!" he asked, a note of panic in his voice when she didn't answer immediately, feeling a taste of what she had perhaps been going through the last few days.
Posted August 7, 2021 / Clara Redmond Lutz
Clara spotted the young men, her Jacob and THAT disgusting Hector, just when that idiot let out some Indian war whoops. At least Jacob did not think it funny. He was in enough hot water with her already for lack of honesty. She stepped back and of course lowered the gun, however much it was tempting to go on out there and shove it in Hector's face to scare him.
There was a light tap on the door then her husband's voice.
"It's all right, it's just me! Jacob!" he yelled. "I'm back!"
Setting the gun down on the table once more she then crossed her arms like many do when they are angry and glared at the door.
"Clara?!"
"What? You can gallivant all about Indian territory in the middle of the biggest uprising in years but you cannot open a simple door? I am not going to shoot you - I make no promises about Hector though."
"Yes, Dear"
Posted August 8, 2021 / Jacob Lutz
Setting the gun down on the table once more she then crossed her arms like many do when they are angry and glared at the door.
"Clara?!"
Jacob pushed the door open gingerly and popped his head around. The one thing that he really hadn't expected was to find Clara in a towering rage when he got home, as he hadn't even been there to annoy her!
"What? You can gallivant all about Indian territory in the middle of the biggest uprising in years but you cannot open a simple door? I am not going to shoot you - I make no promises about Hector though."
"Wha...?" he came inside and started to raise his arms to hug her, as he'd been looking forward to doing for the last two days, but hitting the frosty glare and forcefield emitted by the folded arms, sort of faltered back.
"What's wrong?" he asked puzzled and concerned for, like most men, when his wife turned frosty for no reason, there was a battery of sins somewhere out there that she might have found out about to haunt him!
Then Hector either saved the day or made things worse by sticking his head around the door with a jolly shout of "Someone mention my name? Oh, howdy Clara, ain'tcha glad to see old Lutzy then?!" Even his socially inept brain couldn't fail to recognise the less than ecstatic reception the poor feller was receiving.
Posted August 9, 2021 / Clara Redmond Lutz
Oh Clara was glad enough to see he was alright, she had been worried sick about him but now that he was back, her frustration took over.
"What's wrong?" Jacob was oblivious of course. Just figures!
Well, since he asked, she was just about to educate him on the details when Hector popped in to temporarily derail the discussion. Not a good move on his part.
"Someone mention my name? Oh, howdy Clara, ain'tcha glad to see old Lutzy then?!"
Clara now stomped on straight over to the young man, he was a convenient lightning rod for her bad mood. With one finger she poked him hard twice in his chest as she spoke.
"And you! That was not funny! Not funny at all! Trying to give me such a scare. Indians indeed! I will have you know that my mother was murdered by those savages. And I took an arrow right in the chest and almost died."
Oh she was mad about his attempted joke alright but mostly she was angry with him for having talked Jacob into risking his life out there in the first place. How dare he?
" ... - - - ... "
Posted August 9, 2021 / Hector Wigfall
Clara now stomped on straight over to the young man, he was a convenient lightning rod for her bad mood. With one finger she poked him hard twice in his chest as she spoke.
Wigfall threw his hands up in surrender, but that did not save him from the vicious double poking, which elicited an "Ow" and an "Oooh!" from him. He rubbed the place on his sternum where the two jabs had hit while Jacob sidled over to a rickety sideboard and filched an apple, which he ate quietly while Hector took a hit for him, for a change.
"And you! That was not funny! Not funny at all! Trying to give me such a scare. Indians indeed! I will have you know that my mother was murdered by those savages. And I took an arrow right in the chest and almost died."
"Oh! I... I'm sorry, I didn't realise!" he said in genuine shock. "I'm really sorry." he repeated taking off his cap as he was inside and trying to make amends.
"But... you oughten't be mad at Lutzy, he's been a real bear this trip. It's thanks to him the Indians this side of Lake Koocanusa are still friendly..." friendly to the Western Union company, at least, he might have added!
"... when we got out there, the old boy we used to deal with, Chief Antelope Sits, well he'd upped sticks and gone off to the Happy Hunting Grounds, and the new Branch Manager, Chief Bald Eagle, he wa'nt too friendly at all, I thought the pair of us were gonna get our wigs lifted!" It was becoming clear that Hector Wigfall could have given Arabella Mudd a run for her money when it came to imparting breathless narratives. He now folded his arms and did a passible imitation of a stoic Indian Chief.
"'Western Union men not powerful. No have guns like Cavalry. No have guns like Settlers. Just have lines in sky!' and old Lutzy, he just pulls off his shirt and he says 'I'll fight any of your braves or beat 'em in a shooting contest, and then you're see the power of the Western Union men!' and that stern looking Chief was just about to agree when this pretty little Indian maid runs out from behind him and says she likes this white warrior and wants to marry him! And she was real pretty too, in her buckskins and braids, and I was thinking Oh Lord, how's he going to get out of this one!? and your husband looks at the Chief and says 'I already have a wife' and then the Chief says 'No matter, Indian brave can have more than one wife!' Say, Lutz, what was that pretty little girl called again?"
The sound of Jacob, speaking with a mouth full of apple, came from the corner "Possum Fat."
"That's it, Princess Possum Fat. Anyhow, now we're for it, I thought, Lutz is either going to have to refuse and the Chief'll be hoppin' mad an kill us, or he'll have to marry the squaw and Clara'll kill us instead! And then Lutz just stands there cool as a cucumber and says 'Chief, in my tribe, when two women are as beautiful as my wife and Princess Possum Fat are, they are deemed to deserve a husband of their very own!' And guess what? The old boy swallowed it, and more amazing yet, so did the Princess!"
Posted August 9, 2021 / Clara Redmond Lutz
Hector started apologizing profusely. Now proper behavior required that one accept apologies so Clara bit her tongue and reluctantly did so, though honestly she doubted his sincerity.
"Very well.." she started but Hector was far from finished.
"But... you oughten't be mad at Lutzy, he's been a real bear this trip. It's thanks to him the Indians this side of Lake Koocanusa are still friendly..."
"Huh?" Clara blinked, so he - they had run into Indians! ?
"... when we got out there, the old boy we used to deal with, Chief Antelope Sits, well he'd upped sticks and gone off to the Happy Hunting Grounds, and the new Branch Manager, Chief Bald Eagle, he wa'nt too friendly at all, I thought the pair of us were gonna get our wigs lifted!"
"Branch manager..." the look on Clara's face showed she was not buying what he was selling.
Next Hector imitated this so-called chief and launched into this fantastic story where Jacob strips down and challenges these Indians to fighting and/or shooting. All sixteen years of him against god knew how many warriors? And let's face it, Jacob did not exactly have an intimidating build to say the least. Did Hector read one of those penny novels penned back East?
"Oh really?" Clara was back to folding her arms in a sure sign of doubt about this whole thing.
Wait,now a beautiful Indian 'princess (?)' (sure, why not, much more dramatic) races up and instantly wants to marry this skinny white boy? Clara already knew by then where this was going and just wondered if Jacob was in on this fantastic yarn?
"Just like that? Amazing..." muttered Clara but Hector was not finished yet, no way! There was more tripe coming.
Yep, she was right - Jacob declared his loyalty to his wife (too bad he didn't believe in honesty with her) and when the Indian chief pointed out Indians could have more than one wife but of course Jacob was ready with not just a comment about the beauty of both women but a clever line about both only deserving one husband. And - no surprise of course - not just the chief......wait...branch manager....swallowed it hook line and sinker but so did the ardent princess.
"And not just the chief but this squaw spoke English? Because I know for a fact Jacob does not speak Indian," Clara only took time to point out one little flaw in a tale swollen with them.
"Do you think I am a little child to believe that fairy tale? Get out of my house, Hector, leave right now - I am warning you!" even as Clara glared at the brazen story teller she backed up closer to the table and her father's Dragoon Colt then grabbed it.
"Yes, Dear"
Posted August 9, 2021 / Jacob Lutz
"And not just the chief but this squaw spoke English? Because I know for a fact Jacob does not speak Indian," Clara only took time to point out one little flaw in a tale swollen with them.
"Are you sure about that?" asked Hector, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Do you think I am a little child to believe that fairy tale? Get out of my house, Hector, leave right now - I am warning you!" even as Clara glared at the brazen story teller she backed up closer to the table and her father's Dragoon Colt then grabbed it.
"Whoa whoa whoa!!!" yelled Hector shaking his hands and backing out the door "I'm going, I'm going! Hey, Jake, come by the office as soon as you can! I'm going to tell Pa how great you were, you'll be able to take you pick of the special delivery jobs! Deawagawik!!"
"Deawagawik, Diiawachisshik!" echoed Jake, grinning at Hector's unceremonious retreat from his wife. Boy she looked beautiful when she was on the war path.
With the door slammed behind the Wigfall boy, Jacob threw down the apple core and approached Clara, arms wide.
"Thank goodness he's gone, huh? I can't wait to hold you!" he said, hoping she had exhausted her anger (about something! Who knew what?!) on poor old Hector.
Posted August 9, 2021 / Clara Redmond Lutz
The look on Hector's face was pure terror as he first backed up then raced out of the wreck that was their temporary home and quickly mounted his horse. Clara knew that would work, there would have no way she would have actually shot him but then Hector didn't know that. Anyhow he was out of their hair at least.
Her husband said some nonsense words as Hector left. Boys! Clara then turned to face him, holding the pistol but pointed down toward the floor. It wouldn't go off as she hadn't even pulled the hammer back and of course had no plans to do so.
"Thank goodness he's gone, huh? I can't wait to hold you!" Jacob came forward arms spread out.
Clara let him hug her then, she could only respond for the moment with one arm but she buried her face into his chest.
"Oh Jacob, I was so worried for you," she declared with a sniff, she had been determined not to get emotional but now that all fell aside as she began to sob into his shirt.
"Yes, Dear"
Posted August 10, 2021 / Jacob Lutz
Clara let him hug her then, she could only respond for the moment with one arm but she buried her face into his chest.
Jacob took Clara in his arms and sank into her warmth, kissed the top of her head and smelt her hair. Nothing else mattered, she was perfect: this was perfect, he could have stood like this forever. But she was sad all of a sudden instead of angry.
"Oh Jacob, I was so worried for you," she declared with a sniff, she had been determined not to get emotional but now that all fell aside as she began to sob into his shirt.
"Hey..." he cooed comfortingly "... didn't you just hear Wigfall tell you what a big brave hero you married?" he said ironically. "It was fine, it was you I was worried about: I asked Arabella to get Jemima to come out and stay with you, didn't she come?"
He half wondered if Jemima had come, but been sent away: he knew Clara didn't like such things to be foisted upon her unexpectedly.