Santa Fe Woman (23 page)

“No. Good News is gonna do the preaching.”

Wiley Pratt shook his head and grunted. “I ain’t needin’ to hear no preachin’ from no mule skinner.”

“Why, it’d do you good, Wiley,” Stuffy McGinnis said. “Maybe even get you a pass to the pearly gates.”

Brodie Donahue and Eddie Plank, both big men, were seated across the fire from each other. Brodie winked and said, “Eddie, there’s your chance. I reckon you could use a little religion.”

Eddie Plank glared at Brodie. “I’ve got as much religion as you have, I reckon.”

“All of you need to come,” Carleen said and stood waiting.

Wiley Pratt said with a curse, “Get out of here, girl, we don’t need you or no preachin’!”

“Let the girl alone, Wiley. If you don’t want to go, that’s fine, but otherwise keep your mouth shut.”

Herendeen had suddenly appeared and loomed over the group. His eyes locked with Wiley Pratt, a hot-tempered man himself. Wiley started to answer, but something in Herendeen’s attitude caused him to be silent. Finally he grunted, “None of my business. Go on if you want to.”

Brodie Donahue was examining Herendeen carefully. All of them had been shocked when Rocklin had beaten Herendeen. None of them had thought it was possible. Donahue asked cautiously, “You reckon you’ll be goin’ to the preachin’, Grat?”

“Yeah, I’m goin’.”

Grat Herendeen stared at Brodie, who shrugged and said, “Well, if it’s good enough for you, I reckon it’s good enough for me. Come on, let’s go hear what Good News has got to say.”

* * *

GOOD NEWS STOOD RATHER awkwardly in front of the group that had gathered. They were all standing and waiting for him, and, though he was a man of firm convictions and never shirked from declaring his faith, something in the eyes of his fellow mule skinners intimidated him.

Kate saw this at once and said, “Leland, I think you ought to say something to get the meeting started.”

“Me?” Leland was startled. He started to speak and deny the honor, but he saw Kate watching him. “Why, I’m no preacher, and I guess I’ll have to admit that I haven’t served God the way I should have. But I know He’s real, and I’m trusting in Jesus Christ for my salvation.”

Jori listened with surprise as her father spoke. Religion with him had been a private thing, but she was impressed at how
sincere he was. She knew him well enough to understand that he was not just mouthing words.
Something in Papa has changed.
I think the loss of everything and having to start over again has broken him, but he means what he’s saying.

Finally Leland shuffled his feet and said, “God’s never failed me yet, and I don’t think He ever will.”

When Leland fell silent, Kate spoke up and said, “Well, that’s a fine testimony, Leland. I think before Good News gives us something from the Word of God we ought to sing a hymn.” Without hesitation she raised her voice and began to sing:

Jori knew the song and joined in. She had a strong alto voice and had learned to sing parts with her aunt when she was but a girl. Now she glanced around and saw to her surprise that Chad Rocklin’s lips were moving.
He knows the song,
she thought with surprise and saw that there was a strange expression on his face. She could not know what he was thinking, but he joined in with the rest of the verses ending with the final one:

Kate sang three more hymns, and, although the Haydens were familiar with them all, most of the mule skinners did not know any of them. Jori saw that Callie was totally silent, making no attempt to join in, and the thought came to her,
She doesn’t
know anything about all this.

Finally Kate turned and nodded at Good News who at once stepped forward. He had a Bible in his hands, and there was a light of gladness in his eyes and a sound of joy in his voice. “I don’t have to tell any of you fellows here that I’m no preacher, but I am a believer in the Lord Jesus. Miss Kate’s been teaching me how to read, and it’s been the finest thing in my life to be able to read the Word of God. I’ve learned to read enough to give you a few verses right out of the Book. The first one is found in the Gospel of John, the third chapter. Most of you probably heard the sixteenth verse. It goes, ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ I reckon that’s everybody’s favorite verse, but for a long time I’ve been thinkin’ on verses fourteen and fifteen, which come just before this one, of course.” He opened his Bible and ran his finger along the words. His voice was halted but clear, “‘And as Moses … lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, … even so must the Son of man be lifted up: … That whosoever believeth in him … should not perish, but have eternal life.’”

Good News obviously was proud of being able to read the words, as faltering as it might have been. “I didn’t understand that verse for a long time, folks. I couldn’t read the Bible, and I didn’t know what it meant when it talked about a serpent. But since Miss Kate has been teaching me, I found in the old Book, the Old Testament, that is, what it’s all about. Maybe you heard how that God delivered the children of Israel out of bondage, out of the land of Egypt across the Red Sea to dry land. Well, they was on their way to the Promised Land, and the Bible says in the book of Numbers, the twenty-first chapter and starting with verse four, a little story there that makes the words of Jesus be a help to us.” He stumbled through the verse and began to read
again in the same faltering fashion. “‘And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses. Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.’”

Good News looked up and shook his head. “I guess people aren’t a lot different today. I don’t think we had gotten out of Franklin before some of us started gripin’ and bellyachin’ about the hardships. We didn’t have anything like the children of Israel. They didn’t have any food or any water. They didn’t know where they were goin’, and they were mighty scared, so they began to complain. And as I just read to you out of the Book, God sent fiery serpents to bite ’em. I guess the preachers would all tell us that we don’t need to complain about anything that happens to us. God was gonna take care of the Israelites, and I’m believin’ that God’s gonna take care of me—and of you, too. Anyway, them fiery snakes, they began to bite people. We’ve seen that when poor old Jake Fingers got snakebit. I reckon all of us saw him die—a hard death it was, too. I think we’d have given anything if we could have saved old Jake, but there wasn’t anything we could do. We just had to stand there and watch him die. But look at what verse seven says.” He began to read again, and it was obvious that he had read it many times.

“‘Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses,
Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.’

“Well, glory, ain’t that a fine, fine thing that God done for the people?” Good News lifted his voice and his eyes flashed. “Just imagine if there’d been something like that for old Jake. When he was a dyin’, if he had just had somethin’ to look at like that brass serpent. And the Book says it, so it’s true. And that’s what Jesus meant when He said if anybody wants God, all he has to do is look to Me. Just like Moses lifted up that serpent, I’m gonna be lifted up, and I’m the way that will save everybody that will just look.”

Good News got carried away and spoke vehemently and with great excitement. He ended by saying, “Well, I’m talkin’ too much maybe, but I remember the day I looked to Jesus. I was worse off than anybody with a snakebite. My soul was dyin’. I was headed straight for hell, but I remember that day as if it was yesterday. I called out to Jesus, and I looked to Him and right at that moment, folks, God came into my heart. The Lord Jesus took up residence, and He ain’t never left and He never will.” Tears suddenly came into Good News’ eyes, and he said, “I know there are men that could have said this better, but all I know is that Jesus saves sinners because He saved me.”

* * *

CALLIE HAD LISTENED WITH some astonishment to the sermon. She had never been to church in her life and knew absolutely nothing. The name of God she had heard blasphemously
from the rough men she had grown up around, but something about the words that Good News said had touched her. Her eyes had gone around the crowd, and she was shocked to see that Molitor had tears in his eyes. When the crowd broke up, she went over to him and said, “Paul, what is it? Why are you crying?”

Molitor pulled his handkerchief out and wiped his eyes and said, “I envy Good News, at least his faith.” A sadness came over him that was obvious from the expression of his eyes and the way his face was drawn. “I had faith once, but I ruined it.”

Callie did not understand what he meant, but her heart suddenly grew warm. “You’re a good man, Paul. It’s never too late for a man to change.”

“That’s a kind heart speaking, Callie,” Paul Molitor said. He cleared his throat but then murmured, “For me it’s too late.”

Callie watched him go, and Kate, who had been standing close enough to hear the conversation, came over. “Paul’s a very sad man, isn’t he, Callie?”

“I don’t understand him. He’s educated. He could do anything.”

“His heart’s empty. When a man’s heart is empty, Callie, it doesn’t matter what he does.” She suddenly said, “What about you? Do you know Jesus?”

Callie shook her head. “No. I don’t know anything about religion.”

Kate put her arm around the girl. “Well, we’ll have to talk about that if it’s all right with you.”

Callie had known little of the love of women. She had lost her mother early, and that mother, indeed, had never been demonstrative. “All right,” she said, “I’ll listen to you.”

* * *

HERENDEEN HAD NOT SPOKEN to Rocklin directly since the fight, but he came upon him abruptly early one morning and said, “Rocklin, my mules ain’t gonna make it. They’re played out.”

“I reckon you’re right, Grat, but we’ve got to keep goin’.”

Herendeen shook his head. “They’ll never make it to Santa Fe.”

“I know it, but I got good news. Four Bears and Kicking Bird came in last night. There’s a bunch of Pawnees right up ahead. We’ll have a meeting with them.”

“A meeting with Injuns? What for?”

“They got mules, Grat. Probably in good shape, too.”

“You can’t trust Injuns.”

“You don’t trust anybody, do you, Grat? We’ll keep our eyes open, but we’ll be all right.”

Rocklin was aware that Herendeen would spread the word, and he knew that most of the mule skinners hated Indians and feared them. But he himself was glad.

Jori saw him and said, “What’s going on, Chad?”

“We’re about to get some new stock, Jori.” He nodded toward the long low ridge that lay ahead of them. “Right over that ridge there’s plenty of mules, all we need.”

“Mules?” Jori asked with surprise, “What are mules doing out here?”

“The Pawnees raid the Spanish villages. They go to the south and steal the mules. Now we’re going to trade ’em out of some of ’em.”

“Indians? But won’t they attack us?”

“Not these. Four Bears said it’s not a war party. Just a few of the older men and some of the young boys and their squaws, of course.”

He saw that she was troubled and said, “Don’t worry. There’ll be no trouble with these Indians. Maybe later on we’ll run into some tougher ones, but this will be all right.”

* * *

THE TRADE FOR THE mules went very smoothly. Jori was shocked when she saw the Indians. She had been brought up on the stories of the Wild West and the noble redskin with strong, fiery warriors, but there was nothing like this in the group that she saw. It was mostly squaws and children, and they were led by a very skinny man who seemed ageless. The lines in his face were scored deep. It was with him that Chad did most of the trading.

Jori watched as the group came on, and she asked Chad, “Where are the mules?”

“They’ve got ’em staked out somewhere. They wouldn’t show them to us until we show ’em what we have to trade. Come along,” he grinned. “You can brag to your grandchildren how you met wild Indians on your way to Santa Fe.”

Jori was indeed eager and accompanied Rocklin. The skinny man, whose unpronounceable name meant
flying arrow
in English
,
was old but not feeble. His eyes were the liveliest thing about him, and he obviously expected a great ceremony and Rocklin obliged him. The Indians came closer, and Rocklin had left strict orders that there would be no show of guns. This went against the grain for those like Wiley Pratt who hated Indians, but they knew better than to disobey Rocklin’s orders.

The swap took place over a long period of time. Kate had fixed food that was snatched and gobbled down by the Indians. Jori, of course, could not understand a word, but Chad did. He interpreted for her, and once he smiled. “What did he say, Chad?”

“He wanted to know if you were my woman. He said that you weren’t strong enough. I needed to get two or three more just like you. A man needs more than one wife, he says.”

Jori felt her face glow and saw that Chad was laughing at her. She made herself smile. “You give him the truth of that because I’m not anyone’s squaw.”