The Boar by Lansdale Joe R

Author:Lansdale, Joe R. [Lansdale, Joe R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction & Literature
Publisher: Gere Donovan Press
Published: 2011-09-15T04:00:00+00:00

Thirteen

I knew I had to get Mama to town and to Doc Travis, and to do that I had to hitch the wagon up. That meant going outside to the barn. Not something I was anxious to do. But there was no choice.

The cabin still smelled of Old Satan’s stink, and even though he’d only pushed his snout into the room, his odor clung to the place like molasses to a deep-grain board.

“Ike,” I said, “get a rag and dampen it. Put it on Mama’s forehead.”

Mama was starting to bead up with sweat, and it didn’t take a doctor to see she was in fierce pain.

I picked up the Winchester and went to the door to look out through the hole Old Satan had made.

My fear was that soon as I put my eye to that hole his snout would dart through with those big sharp tusks gleaming in the lamplight, or maybe worse, he’d put one big red eye up there to match mine.

But now that the lantern had quit swinging, I felt a bit braver. Nothing like a good, strong light to harden the nerves, Papa always said.

“Anything?” Ike said.

I looked back. He was bending over Mama, touching the damp rag to her forehead. Mama had closed her eyes and was breathing heavy.

“Nothing,” I said. “But that don’t mean he’s gone.”

“She’s hot,” Ike said. “Real hot, like she’s on fire.”

“We got to get her to the doctor. Listen here, I’m going out to the barn—”

“You can’t!”

“I gotta. Now shut up and listen, Ike. I’m going out to the barn. I’m going to take the Winchester in case I meet up with him. I’m going to go out through the window over the dish counter. That way I won’t have to open the door and give Old Satan a chance to get in. I think that window is too high for him to get his fat self through. But when I go out, you close it and throw the bolt.”

“How you going to get back in?”

“If I get the wagon, I ain’t going to need back in. I’ll pull it up to the door, and we’ll load Mama in the back. When you get her comfortable there, you get some pillows and blankets and have them ready so we can make a bed for her.”

“I can run faster than you can. I ought to go.”

“Yeah, but you can’t hitch up a wagon faster than I can, can you?”

Ike finally shook his head. “Guess not.”

“All right now, do what I told you about the window and the blankets.”

Ike nodded.

I took in a deep breath, swallowed, climbed up on the dish counter, unbolted the window, and flung back the shutters. All I could see was the night and the woods, and high up, the stars and a little piece of moon.

Outside it was quiet, except for some frogs croaking and some crickets kicking up a hoedown tune. Way off I could hear some kind of night cry, a bird probably.

The wind

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