Lynna Banning by Plum Creek Bride

Author:Plum Creek Bride
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

“Cures everything, folks! Rheumatica, worms, even female troubles.”

Erika craned her neck to see the owner of the melodic tenor voice, but the jostling crowd around her hid the raised speaker’s platform from view.

“Genuine Peruvian oil of coca,” the voice sang. “Eases pain, builds strong bones. No mother’s medicine cabinet should be without—”

A guttural voice broke in. “Will it help crippled leg?”

“Why, shore it will, mister! Just rub it in twice a day! Step right up now and purchase your bottle.”

She saw the hawker now, an animated, pudgy figure in a rumpled seersucker suit. A jaunty straw hat rode high on a thatch of red hair. He doffed it as he waited for his customer to make his way forward.

“Come on, son. Come on. Time’s a-wastin’.”

An Indian man pushed his way out of the crowd. Erika gasped as she recognized the face under the threadbare felt hat. It was the same man who had come for Samuel that night-the Indian boy’s older brother. What was his name? Micah, that was it. Micah Tallhorse.

“How much?” he grunted.

“That’ll be tw—three dollars, boy.”

Micah dug in his shirt pocket and came up with three silver dollars.

The crowd murmured. “Hey,” someone called out. “Where’d an Injun get that kinda money?”

“Stole it, most likely,” a man’s voice said.

“Stole it most certainly!” That from a woman Erika vaguely recognized. One of Tithonia Brumbaugh’s quilting circle ladies.

Micah turned to face the crowd. “Not steal. Sell horse.”

“Where’d ya get the horse in the first place?” This time the speaker was Nate Ellis. Erika knew he worked at the bank. What was he doing in the town park at ten in the morning?

She gazed about her. In fact, half the town had gathered around the public square. Rutherford Chilcoate’s speech and his elixir certainly drew a crowd! At the moment, however, she wished the people would thin out so Micah could purchase his medicine in peace.

It was for Micah’s younger brother, Samuel, she reasoned. She longed to ask about the boy’s broken leg.

Micah turned back to the medicine vendor, his face closed. “Money good,” he said.

Doc Chilcoate reached out his short arm to take the money when a woman’s shrill cry stopped him.

“Rutherford Chilcoate, don’t you dare accept that silver!” Tithonia Brumbaugh bustled to the front of the swelling knot of townspeople.

“The mayor’s wife is right, Doc!” Nate Ellis yelled.

Three coins clanked into Chilcoate’s palm, but before he could pocket the money, two men stepped up and pinned Micah’s arms behind him.

“Wait just a darn minute,” one of them growled. Erika recognized burly, red-faced Madison Lander, Mr. Valey’s part-time grocery helper. He tossed a coil of rope onto the ground. Erika noted it was tied with twine in two places and still bore a price tag.

“Grab it, boys!” Madison yelled. “Let’s get rid of that thievin’ Indian once and for all!”

Doc Chilcoate blanched. “Now, wait a minute, gentlemen.”

“Can’t see the need, Doc,” Madison retorted. Micah began to struggle, and Madison kicked the Indian’s legs out from under him. “Damned Indian stole my horse last year.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.