The Executions by Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

Author:Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer [Sawyer, Sarah Elisabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: RockHaven Publishing

Chapter 25

It wasn’t Ruth Ann’s first time across the Red into the state of Texas. She’d attended Kidd-Key College in Sherman before deciding she wanted to spend her time at home when Matthew urged them to move into town and start a newspaper. Truth told, she didn’t like being away from home and her relatives. That was last year, and Ruth Ann was grateful she made the decision. Although they’d had their own set of troubles, she wouldn’t have wanted Matthew and Della to face them alone.

Besides, she realized just how attached she was to the newspaper during her five-week absence. She couldn’t wait to get back to typesetting and looking for little stories around town. But first, she needed to obtain a settling in her mind about the whole witch incident. And that meant leaving behind the familiarities of Indian Territory to do it.

Paris was a booming city in its own right. With the cotton industry, it briskly evolved before the War, suffered and survived Reconstruction, and thrived as the nearest city to Dickens on the south side of the Red River.

The train depot was more crowded with purpose than the Dickens depot, which was more an attraction to most that loitered around. Here, everyone had somewhere they were going, a job they were doing, or an important trip to make. The train now made two runs a day up to St. Louis instead of one. Another change during Ruth Ann’s confinement.

Matthew stayed protectively at her side as Ruth Ann navigated the heavy crowd with her skirt and crutches. Mercifully, Della had pinned a few of Ruth Ann’s dresses and petticoats up slightly above her ankles and taken in some of the fullness to make it possible for Ruth Ann to modestly use the crutches in public. Her mother was such an artist when it came to clothing, no one could notice the adjustments without close examination. And Ruth Ann never stopped long enough for that.

Matthew guided her along the platform, staying in front of her to make a clear path through the crowd. They went down a loading ramp instead of the stairs, and Ruth Ann managed it without falling. She was good at using the crutches, but the city noises and hurrying jarred her nerves. There was little relief when they reached the sidewalk, and she needed to pause to catch her breath. Using the crutches caused Ruth Ann to gain stronger muscles in her arms than she thought possible.

But the muddy streets beyond the brick around the depot, the fast-trotting horses and foot traffic were beyond what she wanted to handle. She lifted her chin, but it still quivered when she said to Matthew, “I don’t think I can make it across town.”

He nodded, squeezing her shoulder. “Stay here.” He helped her settle on a wood bench by the depot then left.

Soon, Matthew returned, riding in a hack with a friendly faced man sitting high atop the enclosed vehicle. The man bounced down from the seat and tipped his hat to Ruth Ann.

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