The Healer by Chelley Kitzmiller

Author:Chelley Kitzmiller [Kitzmiller, Chelley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: TKA Distribution
Published: 2014-05-06T00:00:00+00:00

“The measles prevail in Tucson…The mercury got up to 114 in the thermometer at the military hospital one day this week.”

Arizona Citizen

June 10, 1871

Chapter 15

“Tucson!” Eli called out from atop the coach. “Get up there ya good fer nothin’ wind suckers or I’ll trade ya in fer a bunch of them John Daisies.”

Tucson wasn’t at all what Sadie had expected. It was worse, a hundred times more primitive than she’d imagined. It was a bleak, dried up town that seemed to be coated with floury dust. Long, narrow adobe buildings squatted beside equally narrow and deeply rutted streets. What few windows she could see were high and small, like those of a European fortress.

Sadie couldn’t imagine people living in such a forlorn, God-forsaken place. And yet there were people everywhere: walking, riding on horses and in wagons. The majority of the citizens appeared to be of Mexican or Indian descent. The Caucasian population looked to be mostly made up of soldiers wearing faded blue uniforms and misshapen caps and hats. As for the women— There wasn’t one White woman anywhere that Sadie could see.

She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to cry and not to let anyone, especially Logan, see her misery. She should have taken his description of the town more seriously. He’d said Tucson was primitive. Obviously, he’d meant it.

The thought of spending the next two years of her life on a ranch even further away from civilization than Tucson made her stomach knot.

Two years.

Sadie took a deep breath. It wasn’t just Tucson that was the cause of her misery, she realized a moment later. It was Logan, too. More than once she’d caught him studying her, trying to figure out just exactly what she had done to him at Antelope Peak.

A noisy crush of people surrounded the stage as it came to a stop. Major Garrity got out first and set the three-legged stool in place.

A trio of young Mexican women, dressed in white blouses and gaily-colored cotton skirts, flocked around Carmen and Almeta as the major handed them down. Like frightened starlings, the women shrieked and chirped over Almeta’s bandaged head.

Sadie was next to alight. The moment her feet touched the ground, Carmen turned away from her friends and put her arms around Sadie.

“Remember, you promise to come see me when you in town,” Carmen said.

“I will. I’ll miss you, both of you,” Sadie returned.

“Carmencita!” Almeta called, pulling on her sister’s arm. “We must go!”

“Uno momento, Almeta.” Then to Sadie, she said, “I do not know the words in English— Quíen bien te quiere, siempre te hará llorar. She smiled at Sadie. Vaya con Dios, amiga.” She turned to her sister. “Come, Almeta. We go now.”

Sadie watched Carmen and Almeta disappear into the crowd. She turned to the major. “What did she say?”

Jim pulled his hat down lower over his forehead and cleared his throat. “My Spanish isn’t all that good but I think she said the one who loves you will make you cry.”

Sadie stared at him, pretending not to understand Carmen’s meaning.

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