Drifter – Part 22
Chapter XLIII
“So what is the plan,
“Not at all, Keezheekoni. We will set up a perimeter around the
area. When Washburn comes, he will be
surrounded.”
“Why do I get the feeling it will not be that easy?”
Donoma muttered under her breath, but Koko turned and met her eyes.
“Because you are wise beyond your years and
experience, ka’eskone.” She turned back
to the warriors of the People. “I will
not tell you it will be easy, because I do not think it will. Washburn has been around for a long time.”
“What if he does not come? How long are we to wait here?”
“
“Why you?” Honaw asked abruptly. “Why come after you? Why implicate you at all?” He shook his head and looked at Koko. “It seems to me that it was rather stupid to
bring such attention to you when had they simply left you alone, none of this
would have happened.”
Koko sighed.
That question still plagued her.
“I was something they could not conquer… could not tame. It started when I won
“You were not meant for them. You were meant for
“I am aware,” Koko replied to the outrage drolly. “But they were not suited for that kind of
rejection.”
”Koko,” spoke up one of the more silent warriors
unexpectedly. “There is something I do
not understand.”
“There are many things I do not understand, Rogi. What is your question?”
“How did they expect to darken your name with this
accusation? By your own account, the one
who shot Donoma did so in order to steal
“I believe he was under the mistaken impression that
the people in town would believe him because of his Blue Coat. Or he thought that by accusing me, I would be
more likely to join him in his endeavors.”
“What an idiot!
That has to be the dumbest idea....”
Donoma snickered.
“From what I have gathered, he was not noted for his intelligence. I am beginning to believe that lack runs in
the family.”
“Then we should be glad there is only one other to
contend with. I wish we did not have to
wait for him to come to us, though. I
would like to get this over with so we can all go home,” Honaw said, not
missing the glances Donoma and Koko exchanged.
“What?”
“We may not be returning to the People right away,
Honaw,” Donoma said softly, but the camp was so quiet, everyone heard her
words. “Koko and I would like to spend
some time reacquainting ourselves with one another... spend a bit of time alone
together.”
“So suddenly the People are not good enough to be your
family?” he asked outraged. “We watched
over you and cared for you when she left you alone, but now that she has
returned we are not enough??” He rose
from his place and stomped off into the darkness before anyone could formulate
an answer. Keez stood to follow him, but
Donoma laid a hand on his arm and shook her head
“My place,” she stated and with a nod, he
acquiesced. Donoma and Koko shared a
glance so intimate, the rest looked away out of respect for their privacy. Koko ran a tender hand down the side of
Donoma’s face, smiling at the tremor she evoked with her touch, then sucking in
her own breath when Donoma kissed her fingertips.
“Be quick, ka’eskone.”
“I will, warrior.”
Then she turned and headed out into the darkness in the direction Honaw
had disappeared.
************
“Marshal, how much further you figure we gotta go til
we find ‘em?” one of the men from the back of the crowd called out.
“Dunno,
“But you do expect to find her,” half statement and
half question.
“Yep. It’s just
a matter of time.” Just about that time
he heard the cry of a hawk and he pulled up short, forcing everyone behind him
to do the same. “Drop your guns... now!”
before they could protest. He dropped
his gunbelt and held up his hands, showing he was unarmed. The rest followed his example and they
waited.
A long moment passed before a figure emerged from the
darkness and the Marshal gave a sigh of relief when the moonlight revealed Reb
Stone’s set features.
“
“We wouldn’t let him, Reb,”
“You don’t owe me....”
“Well, we’re still not gonna let you face him alone,
Reb,”
Koko nodded thoughtfully. “That does sound like he’s here to cause
trouble all right. But, um... who’s
looking after the town? If all of you
are out here with me,” she continued as she watched comprehension dawn in their
eyes, “who is watching out for your wives and children?”
“The Army,”
“Clemmons? Why
not
“He was in a closed door meetin’. I think it was with Washburn.”
“You think?”
“Hard to say with the door closed,”
“Too late to worry about it now,” Koko commented. “Come join us around the fire and we’ll see
if we can figure out what we need to do now.”
“Why do we need to do anything, Reb? I trust Clemmons - he’ll make sure Spence
knows.”
Koko shook her head, not sure how to convey her doubts
about
“Where’s Donoma?” the Marshal asked, bringing her out
of her brown study. Koko motioned to the
north.
“Talking to her brother.”
Murphy’s eyebrows rose, but he left well enough
alone. He figured he’d hear about it
eventually if he needed to know. If
not... well, it wasn’t like there wasn’t plenty on his plate already. Koko made the introductions around and then
they all sat and started discussing possibilities.
************
“Honaw?”
“Go away, Donoma. I do not want to talk to you right
now.”
“Well, I am not going anywhere so you let me know when
you are ready to talk about it.”
Honaw turned his back to her and Donoma took the
opportunity to look up at the stars.
Honaw wondered at the complete silence and shifted enough to catch the
look on her face. There was happiness
there... something that had been missing for five very long cycles. But more than that, there was peace. He sighed.
“Why, ka’eskone?
Why do you not want to return home with us?”
“I am not sure I can explain well enough for you to
understand, Honaw.”
“Try,
Donoma turned back towards the stars, gazing at them
with a small smile on her face. Honaw
watched her, wondering what special magic the lights in the sky held for his
sister. “All my life,” she began softly,
“I have been part of the People... part of the whole that make up our clan.
They gave me a home and a family and they are very important to me. I have always tried to give my best back to
the People, sharing my sight with the elders and becoming a healer to those who
needed one, even when my first priority was Koko.”
“But...?”
“When Koko left, the People were all I had and I put
everything I had... everything I was... into the People. They were my whole world... my sole focus.”
Honaw shrugged.
“I know, ka’eskone. I was there;
I saw it all.”
Donoma sighed. “I
cannot do that now, Honaw. Koko comes
first, last and always for me. I still
love the People and they will always be a part of my family, but Koko is my
life. I cannot return to the People in
the capacity I left - I am no longer that person. And I am not sure the People would understand
the change.”
“Why? We are
not stupid, Donoma.”
“No, Honaw. The
People are not stupid. But this is not
about intelligence nor is it about the wisdom of our fathers. This is about how things have changed. Things would not be like they were when Koko
lived among us before, nor would they be like they were while she was gone from
us.” She paused. “I am not saying we
will not visit and I am not saying we will not one day return to the People one
day to remain. But for now... for right
now, Koko and I need to be alone together for a while. We need to adjust to life as an us without
anyone else’s expectations on us.”
“Donoma, we all have had to live with expectations
from the People as we have grown up. It
is the way of life.”
“Not like this, Honaw.” He cocked his head and waited. Donoma sighed again and turned to face
him. “When you and Gaagii were joined,
nothing much changed except she had a fire and a home of her own that she shared
with you instead of with her Nahko’e and Neho’e. Her responsibilities did not change and
neither did yours. She remained a
gatherer and provider - you remained a warrior.”
“Yes, so?”
“It would not be that way for me. I would no longer be healer and seer to the
People. I would return to my role as
warrior advisor to Koko Kanti. And she
is no longer the warrior you knew growing up.”
“You did not see her in action against the white men
who threatened us.”
“You have not seen her in any other way. To you she has always been a warrior. To me she is much more. And I do not think the People would not
accept what she is now. She is more than
just People, Honaw - she is white also.
And she has a life among the white man just as she had one among us.”
“And what of you, Donoma? Do you have a life among the white man?”
“I have a life wherever Koko Kanti is, Honaw. And that may be among the People again one
day. But not now. Now we need to be us together... just for a
little while. When all this is over, I
just want a little time to be with her - to rediscover the people we are
together.”
Honaw stepped up to Donoma and put his hands on her
shoulders. “I think I understand,
ka’eskone. I will try to explain to
Nahko’e and Neho’e, but I am not certain I can make them recognize the truth
alone.”
Donoma smiled.
“Koko and I will explain it to them, Honaw. Neho’e will understand; Nahko’e will not be
happy but she will accept it.”
“You have seen?”
Donoma shook her head.
“I just know. Now we need to
return. I believe we have guests.”
Honaw cocked an eyebrow but Donoma didn’t answer. She simply headed back to Koko and the
fire. Honaw jogged to catch up and
together they walked back.
************
Washburn returned to the town just as the sun touched
the horizon. He drew in a deep breath of
spring air, then stepped inside the hotel.
Carver was no longer behind the desk and none of Washburn’s own cowboys
were to be seen. Blowing out a frustrated breath, Mordecai walked back out into
the cooling air and stuck his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the
railing. Something odd was going on.
He looked around the town, trying to pinpoint what had
set off his intuition, but couldn’t find anything out of place. Then his eyes landed on the saloon brothel.
He growled.
“Oh, they better not’ve,” he muttered to himself. Mordecai pushed away from the railing and
headed across the street.
It was quiet, which Washburn found strange. He’d never heard of a quiet saloon
before. Even on week nights like this
one was, there were always rowdy men making noise inside - getting drunk,
playing cards, being chatted up by the whores who worked there. So the silence was a bit unnerving.
Unfortunately, the curtains over the glass windows had
been pulled and he couldn’t see in, forcing him to go inside. When he did so, he was met by a mountain of a
woman with the darkest skin he’d ever seen.
He just looked at her while Big Mama glared at him.
“We’s closed,” she said in a tone that brooked no
argument. He snorted his disbelief and
she walked right into his personal space.
“I said we’s closed.”
He stepped back slightly and her eyes lit in
triumph. It made him angry. “Who’dya think you are, nigger woman? This is a bar and I want a drink. Now get outta my way,” pushing against her
before finding his hand caught. Her eyes
bore into his.
“We. Is. Closed.”
“Is there a problem, Big Mama?”
“No, Miss Kitty,” she called back to the woman on the
stairs. “This gent’man was jus’
leavin’.”
Mordecai looked back and forth between the two women
and finally shrugged his defeat. He had
the answer he’d come in for. With a
snarl he shoved his way back out the door.
He noted Riggins coming back towards him from the direction of the
church schoolhouse and crossed back over to the hotel. Maybe he’d have some answers, because
Washburn couldn’t imagine Riggins going to church for any other reason.
Riggins stepped onto the porch and leaned against the
opposite post from his boss. Mordecai
looked at him impatiently. “Well?”
“Stone’s not here,” he replied succinctly. “But it appears that all the able-bodied men
in town have departed - headed out to parts unknown. I’m bettin’ that they’ve gone lookin’ for
Stone.”
“And left the town unprotected?”
“Well, the Army is still here.”
Washburn laughed without a trace of humor. “I can take care of the Army.” He scraped a hand across his chin
thoughtfully. “We should be able to make
this work in our favor... force Stone to come to us. That will give us an added advantage.”
“What’re we gonna do?”
“Tonight? We’re
gonna have a bite of supper and a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow will be soon enough to figure out a
way to get Stone back here without actually killin’ too many of the townsfolk
here.” He chuckled again. “We do it right... no one’ll have to die...
‘ceptin’ for Stone and her little whore.
And I don’t think too many here will mourn her passin’ for very long.”
Riggins wasn’t sure he agreed, but he didn’t comment. Instead he turned and held the door open for
Washburn to enter the hotel ahead of him.
Neither man noticed Kitty step out of the shadows nor head down the
street towards the church, determination in her stride.
************
Daniel Hawkins looked up from his desk when Kitty
flung the door open. He sat back when
she leaned over his desk, fire burning in her eyes.
“Daniel, we need to talk.”
He motioned her to a chair and waited for her to
speak.
Chapter XLIV
It had been a long, long time
since Daniel Hawkins had ridden trail as he was attempting to do now. He’d been something of a rebel rouser growing
up and had learned to follow the signs to keep away from trouble when things
started to get too hot. Now he was
trying to remember lessons he’d deliberately put from his mind when he’d become
a preacher.
There’d been a fight with his
wife when he’d left. She more than any
one else in town had trouble accepting Reb Stone as anything other than an
abomination against everything she thought God intended a woman to be. Daniel wondered what secrets Mary was keeping
from him to make her opinions of Stone so vehement.
He had prevailed however,
when he stressed the danger she and the other women of the town could possibly
be in given what Kitty had overheard.
And despite Mary’s disdain for Kitty and the other whores because of
their profession, even she had to admit that none of them were prone to
lying. In fact, in her opinion, they
were generally disgustingly honest if only for the shock value it provided
them.
So she’d packed him a lunch
and kissed him goodbye before closing the door behind him and going to their
bed alone.
Now he rode along in the
dark, pondering Kitty’s words even as he looked for signs of the way the
Marshal and his posse had traveled earlier.
Fortunately, it was a large group and they had made no real effort to
hide their tracks. Daniel had to wonder
at the wisdom of that particular circumstance, but he was smart enough to
realize there was probably very little the Marshal could do about it, given
that he had somewhat unwillingly accepted the help of his unlooked for troop of
men.
He sighed with exhaustion -
it had been years since he’d been able to go all day and all night too, and
marriage had only added to that change. He
rubbed at his burning eyes, hoping his horse was smart enough to continue to
follow the tracks for a minute while he rested his eyes. The next time he opened them, the sun was
just edging over the horizon and the horse had come to a complete standstill.
Daniel blinked and looked
around, wondering what had caused his horse to stop and him to waken. Then he felt the chills skitter up his spine,
recognizing that he was surrounded by some very unhappy looking Indians. He slowly raised his hands above his head,
hoping that his surrender would keep him from dying long enough to allow him to
get a message to Reb Stone. After
that....
The natives didn’t move,
merely kept an eye on him. Daniel
remained completely still and silent, waiting for something to happen. He was not stupid enough to believe he could
do anything at the moment.
After a little while, the
group parted though they never took their eyes from him. He wasn’t really surprised to see Stone step
from their midst, but he kept his hands raised as a precaution. A signal from Koko brought down the weapons
aimed at Hawkins and at her nod he slowly lowered his hands as well.
“Reverend? What brings you out here?” Not unfriendly, but definitely not welcoming
either.
He cleared his throat awkwardly. “A message from Kitty. She said you needed to know.” He cleared his throat again. “She overheard Washburn and his trail boss
Riggins talking. Seems they’re looking
to turn the town into some kind of a trap for you.”
“What about the Army?”
“Washburn thinks he can
handle the Army - control them somehow.
I dunno if she knows how - she didn’t share it with me. But he figures if he owns the town, you’ll
come to him and he’ll have the advantage over you.”
Koko ran a hand over her chin
thoughtfully. “He might be right about
that. Then again, he might not.” She motioned him down from his horse. “C’mon and have some breakfast with us. Then we’ll see if we can come up with
anything to counteract whatever it is he’s planning.” Hawkins slid from his horse’s back and Koko
looked at him sharply. “Does anyone else
know you’re out here?”
“Only Mary,” he replied
instantly. “And I think I impressed upon her the danger of talking outta turn
about this. At least I hope so.” Koko threw a look at him and Daniel
continued. “I didn’t like the looks of
those fellas. Riggins seemed like a
fairly decent sort, but as long as he’s tied up with Washburn....”
“What about Washburn set you
off?” Murphy asked when Koko motioned Hawkins to a seat around the campfire. Most of the warriors were seated on one side
and the Marshal’s posse was on the other.
Daniel took his place between Murphy and Honaw, accepting a mug of
coffee with a sense of relief. His eyes
were still scratchy and burning from a distinct lack of rest and the coffee was
strong enough to make the hair on his arms stand up and take notice.
“I think,” Hawkins said after
several swallows of the hot liquid, “it was mostly his attitude. Obviously he came to town looking for trouble
- he refused to let his cowboys visit the saloon. And despite my religious bent on the subject,
I find that highly disturbing. You can’t
make me believe those boys aren’t ready for a little action with the
ladies. And he swaggered back from the
fort like he already owned the place.”
He took another sip and
accepted a piece of buffalo jerky from Honaw with a grateful nod. “I was standing on the steps of the church
just as he stepped outta the saloon.
According to Kitty, he was checking the place out. Big Mama stopped him like a stone wall,”
chuckling at the imagery. “I didn’t see
him but a minute when Riggins left, but there’s just something about him that
don’t set right with me.”
“I’m thinkin’ that if what
you say is true, Reverend, and I don’t doubt it is, then we’ve got ourselves a
right fine mess of trouble. Question is,
what’re we gonna do about it?”
Murphy looked at Koko who
realized every single eye was on her. “I
will speak with Donoma.” Without another
word, she turned and walked away from the camp.
“What t’hell?” Murphy turned to Honaw and waited for an
explanation. Honaw returned his gaze
impassively and the Marshal felt compelled to expound on his query. “Honaw, where is Reb goin’ and why does she
need to talk to Donoma? Surely someone
as delicate as Mrs. Stone can’t be expected to understand the seriousness of
the situation we’re in.”
“Donoma Chepi seer and
warrior advisor to Koko Kanti. She will
tell Koko what Great Spirit gives.”
Murphy blinked. Whatever answer he’d expected, this hadn’t
even been close. “Are you tellin’ me she
can see the future?”
“Sometimes... if Great Spirit
wishes to share knowledge.”
“I’ll be a son of a
biscuit. That could come in real handy.”
“Does... but only when
knowledge is given. Not often.”
“Do you think your Great
Spirit shared with Mrs. Stone about this?”
Daniel speaking this time and Honaw turned to look at him a little more
clearly as he chewed the tough jerky. He
wrinkled his nose at the white man’s address of his sister. He understood why - Koko had been very
patient in her explanation with the warriors about it. And he appreciated the respect it afforded
Donoma in the white man’s world. It was
still disconcerting to hear her called so.
“Do not know. Only know she went on vision quest after
Marshal arrived.”
“Well, I hope t’hell somebody
gives Reb an idea on how to deal with all this, ‘cause I am right fresh outta
ideas.”
Honaw nodded but said
nothing. Instead, he settled back to
wait.
************
Koko walked swiftly but silently
to the place where Donoma Chepi had chosen to make her quest. She remained in the same position Koko had
seen her in many times before - sitting on her legs, hands on her thighs with
palms upturned and eyes closed in peaceful repose. Koko did nothing to disturb her, but assumed
the same position behind and slightly to the right of Donoma.
After a few minutes of light
meditation, Koko opened her eyes to find Donoma looking at her with a tiny grin
on her face. She couldn’t stop the
answering smile that graced her lips.
“I missed you last night,
ka’eskone. The blanket was very cold
without you.”
“How would you know that,
warrior? You sat in exactly the same
spot and kept watch over me last night.”
“You noticed that, did you?”
“Oh yes, Nutta. I felt you
beside me even during my quest.”
“Did you learn anything
interesting?”
“Perhaps, but we need to
return to the town. I will explain to
you what I saw on the way. You will have
time to consider the knowledge before we arrive. I do know that we should arrive under the
cover of darkness. It will give us an
advantage that Washburn expects to have for himself - the element of surprise.”
“That is very wise, Donoma
Chepi.” Koko rose from her place
smoothly, then extended a hand down to Donoma, helping her stand and steadying
her on exhausted legs. “Will you be all
right to travel, ka’eskone?”
“I will manage, Koko
Kanti. We cannot delay our journey. To do so would mean death or hardship to
those we call friends, and I do not want that to happen if we can prevent it.”
Koko stared into Donoma’s
eyes and read the truth in them for herself.
She blew out a breath and nodded.
“Very well, Donoma. I do not want
that either. Come. We will head back to our cabin so you can
rest for a little while. We will leave
from there in time to assure our arrival in town after darkness falls.”
“That sounds like a good
idea, warrior,” Donoma conceded. “I am
glad we are at the closest of the safe places you prepared for battle.”
“As am I. I will have the men and warriors bunk down in
the meadow - they will be safe enough there and it will give them the
opportunity to get a little more rest as well.
I do not think many got much rest last night - too anxious about the
whole situation. Perhaps we will also be
able to share a hot meal with them before we leave for town.”
“I think I can manage some
sort of stew or something. We have the
supplies - it is simply a matter of finding a pot big enough to feed everyone.”
They arrived back in the camp
then and looked around to find every eye on them waiting expectantly. “Mount up,” Koko commanded. “We’ll return to our cabin to wait until we
can leave to reach the town under the cover of darkness. Donoma has offered to prepare a hot meal and
there’s a meadow where you’ll be able to rest in relative safety.”
The men nodded their
understanding and rose in one body to go to their horses. Making sure the fire was doused, Koko
followed suit, riding up beside Donoma to lead her little band back towards a
confrontation with Mordecai Washburn.
************
Mordecai Washburn opened his
eyes just as the sun rose from its bed and started painting its way across the
morning sky. He stretched, wincing as
his back popped several times - this bed wasn’t nearly as comfortable as the
feather down one at his ranch, but if sleeping here for a few days would allow
him the revenge he sought, then he would bear the discomfort stoically.
He lay still, working out the
logistics of his plan. The first item on
his agenda, after breakfast of course, would be to take care of the Army and
assure that if he didn’t have their complete cooperation and backing, at least
they would not interfere in his right to justice. After that, he would do some scouting in the
town... find the best places to put his men for an ambush if it became
necessary. Despite his desire to eliminate Reb Stone himself and his
expectation of doing so, he wanted to leave nothing to chance. The woman had been a bane to his family long
enough and had already proven her elusiveness by the sheer fact that she
continued to survive despite every effort to the contrary.
Satisfied he had a plan for
his day, Washburn stretched again - this time enjoying the pull of muscles
without the pain of realigning his spine.
He rolled from his bed and washed his face, then headed downstairs to
see what was for breakfast.
Riggins was already sitting
at a small table with a plate in front of him and the rest of the cowboys
occupied the two larger tables in the room.
Washburn looked around curiously before taking the seat across from
Riggins, wondering when he’d gotten so old that he was the last man to drag
himself from the bed. Then he gave a
mental shrug. It wasn’t like he wasn’t
entitled to a sleep in once in a while, he supposed - especially given how
draining this whole damned trip had been so far.
The woman brought out a full
plate and set it in front of him, then filled his coffee cup. He nodded his thanks and picked up his fork
to dig in, waiting until she had moved on to the other tables before looking at
Riggins.
“Everything quiet?”
“Everythin’s good, boss. The boys stayed in last night just like they
were told and the townsfolk, while not sympathetic towards you, don’t seem to
be antagonistic towards you either. I
think....” Riggins trailed off, not
certain Washburn wanted to hear his thoughts on the subject.
“You think what, man?”
shoveling more food into his mouth and making it clear he expected Riggins to
fill the silence that was left between them.
“I think you’d be better
served if the folks here didn’t know they were bein’ used against Stone. If they find out, it might cause them to rise
up an’ riot. Not sure we really want
that.” Riggins picked up his cooling
coffee and took a large gulp.
Washburn continued to shovel
and chew as he pondered Riggins’ words.
The man had a good point, and there was really no reason to stir people
up early if he didn’t have to. He really
didn’t want to hurt the folks in this town - they were simply a means to an
end. And with the Army behind him....
He nodded his head and pushed
his empty plate away, signaling the woman to refill his coffee. When she was done and had retreated to the
kitchen, Washburn turned his attention back to Riggins.
“All right,” he admitted. “You’ve got a good point. Tell the boys to lay low - groom the horses,
take a ride out of town as long as they don’t go too far, whatever - just stay
out of trouble and out of sight. As soon
as I have the Army on board, we’ll siddown and figure out the quickest way to
end this.” He winced as another twinge
went through his back. “I wanna get back
home to my own bed.”
Riggins nodded and made to
stand. A hand on his arm caused him to
look at Washburn with a question in his eyes.
“I want you to go take a good look around town - see where we can put
the boys when we get word that Stone is inbound. I was gonna do that myself, but I trust you
to take care of it while I go deal with the Army.”
“All right, boss. It might take me a while. I don’t want the women here to get up in
arms.”
“Take your time. We’ll have Stone brought in on our
timetable. Once we’re set and know how
to proceed, I’ll have the Army send a runner out to find her. I’m sure that’ll cause her to come racing
back. And if we’re really lucky, we’ll
get that little Injun whore of hers I’ve heard so much about. Two Stones with one birdie blow,” he added,
laughing at his own twisted joke. “If
I’m not at the fort, I’ll be here. And
if I’m not here when you get done, wait for me.”
“Will do, boss.” Then Riggins motioned to the cowboys, who
rose as a single unit and followed him outside to get their instructions. Washburn drank the last of his coffee, then
stood and headed out of the hotel and towards the fort. He had things to do.
************
Sergeant Jake Clemmons was in
a bit of a quandary. He knew what he had
overheard the day before and what it meant.
The real question now was what to do with the information and who he
could trust - not only to believe him, but to do the right thing about it.
Before he could come to any
conclusions, Colonel Spencer walked in, greeting him good morning and
continuing into his office. Clemmons
rose from his seat and followed him in with a cup of coffee. Spence accepted if gratefully and took a sip
before he spoke again.
“Report.”
“Quiet so far, sir. The staff meeting is at ten and you scheduled
an inspection of ‘B’ barracks for this afternoon. The men of companies ‘A’ and ‘D’ are drilling
today and ‘C’ company has the watch.”
“Thank you, Sergeant. I need to draft a letter to the Secretary of
the Army, so could you please see that I’m not disturbed for the time
being? Just let me know about five
minutes before the staff meeting is to start.”
“Yessir.” Clemmons closed the door behind him as he
left and went to his desk, still pondering his dilemma.
For his part, Spencer went
around the desk and took his seat. He
had work to do.
For a little while, things continued
to run smoothly and the Colonel was able to concentrate on drafting the letter
he felt compelled to write. Then a noisy
disturbance outside his office interrupted his concentration and he went to the
door, jerking it open with more than a hint of annoyance. He saw Mordecai Washburn and his guts roiled
with a sick sense of chagrin.
However, he put on his
military game face and bellowed, “What is going on here?!?”
Clemmons snapped to
attention. “Mr. Washburn demanded to see
you, sir. I told him you were
unavailable, but he refuses to take no for an answer.”
“You’ll take the time to see
me!“ Mordecai fumed.
“Of course I will, just not
this particular moment. I need to take care of Army business first. Why don’t you join me for lunch?”
Mordecai eyed
“We’ll take care of you,
sir. The Army takes care of its own and
you lost two sons in its service. Now if
you’ll excuse me....” He gave a half-bow
before closing his door once more.
Washburn growled, but stomped away in a fit of pique. Clemmons just sat down dazedly shaking his
head. Something was definitely going on
here and he needed to find out what it was before it was too late - for any of
them.