Medicine Hair by Mark Wildyr

Author:Mark Wildyr [Wildyr, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: STARbooks Press
Published: 2015-08-31T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17

When the spring winds ceased to blow, Howling Wolf filled the valley with fire and smoke. I stood on the hillock behind the house and looked south to where a gray haze clung to the earth like nature’s fog. We were in that peculiar state where the upper air hung heavy and pressed smoke against the ground.

There was plenty of army activity. Patrols often passed in the distance. Then one day, on a Friday, if I recall correctly, Gideon led one to my door. To my surprise, Rachel Ann accompanied them.

My brother-in-law handed his wife down from her mount – careful of the small bundle she carried – before turning to greet me. “Look who I’ve brought for a visit.”

I hugged my sister and gave her a peck on the cheeks. A broad smile brightened her pretty features as she held out an infant for my inspection.

“Meet William, your new nephew. Isn’t he handsome? Like his papa.”

More like his mother, although I did not express the thought aloud. There was little of the father in his dark features. Even so, Gideon grinned as though his senses had leached away.

“William like his grandfather Strobaw and William like his grandfather Haleworthy,” he said.

“He’ll do both of them proud.” So Rachel had not shared the family secret with her husband. That was all right. It was good he continued to consider us quarter-bloods. “When did he arrive?”

“In March. On the 15th. You’d have known if you had bothered to stop for a visit.”

“An Ides of March child.” I slid past her censure.

She frowned. “Is that a bad omen?”

“Not unless your name is Caesar. No, it is merely an interesting observation.”

“We’ve come to stay a bit, if you’ll have us,” Rachel Ann said.

“Is Matthew here?” Gideon asked.

“No, he accompanied Winter Bird to Pine Ridge with a load of supplies. I expect him to be gone awhile.”

Gideon tarried only long enough to have an enlisted man carry his wife’s bag into the cabin. Rachel Ann watched them ride west, apprehension clouding her dark eyes.

Several hours passed before my sister loosened up enough to speak her mind. She was generally happy with her life at the post. Most of the women had come to accept her, but when raids placing their men in danger started, resentment bubbled to the surface. Even the steadfast friendship of Mrs. Colonel Irons wasn’t enough to shield my sister from covert hostility.

Having a woman in the house was good, although I had to surrender my bedroom and sleep on blankets beside the stove. The baby … something a little over three months old … kept Rachel Ann from joining me in the fields, but she threw herself into heavy housework. Although I believed myself a clean, tidy man, she was soon scrubbing the interior of the cabin like Ma would have done.

During the day, we spoke of the world as it was. At night after chores were done, we read books and relived our childhood. Little Ides – as I elected to call him – proved as comfortable in Uncle John’s lap as he was in mother’s.

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.