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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781546269809 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 11/22/2018 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 180 |
| File size: | 4 MB |
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CHAPTER 1
Jason McIvers woke to the familiar surroundings in the guardhouse. He rubbed his hand across his bearded chin and wondered how long it had been this time. He focused his eyes on the water bucket to his left and dipped the cup into it, stopping to remove a bug from the cup before drinking. He stared at the cup and threw it across the cell. The water did not take care of the gnawing hunger in his stomach.
He noticed he was alone in the cell. Usually, there was at least one other man there. Jason tried to remember how he had come to be in this all-too-familiar cell. He smiled as he figured he had drunk himself into a fight, which usually ended with him tossed into the guardhouse to sleep it off.
Jason stood up and tested his legs. They were a little weak, but he'd be all right. He would pay his fine and sit through another one of the colonel's lectures about his savage and barbaric ways, and then he would go back to the hills and tend his traps. In time, he would have enough furs to bring back to the fort to sell. With the money he got for the furs, he'd go to Ike's Saloon to drink away the long days spent in the hills and maybe engage in a fight or two. It was always the same; it was the only life he knew.
Jason heard the door to the outer cell open and saw the guard approach. He was a young boy who had probably just come out from the east for his first assignment at a fort. The young boy cleared his throat, faced Jason, and said, "Colonel wants to see you."
"Doesn't he always?" Jason asked. He picked up his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. "Come on, boy, open this door," he said. "I've seen this place long enough."
The guard said nothing as he opened the door and let Jason out. In the front office, Jason spied his rifle. He went to reach for it, but the guard stopped him and said, "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm to take you straight to the colonel."
Jason flashed the guard a curious look. Defiantly, he walked over and picked up his rifle and then went out the door. The fort hadn't changed any. It was still the same hot, dusty place. He looked around the compound. It was small in comparison to some of the other forts, but it was neat and well kept. There were a few buildings to house the soldiers, a mess hall, the telegraph office, a general store, Ike's Saloon, the stable, Miss Ellie's place for fine eating, the trading post where Jason sold his furs, the bathhouse, and of course, the guardhouse.
The fort was surrounded by a huge wooden fence. A few soldiers stood on a catwalk at the top of the fence with their rifles pointed toward the barren plain. To the right was a large lookout tower with one soldier standing inside, his eyes fixed on the desolate land. Suddenly, the guard in the tower stiffened and shaded his eyes against the sun to make out more clearly what he had seen. Soon the soldier yelled down to the others at the gate, "Riders comin'! Open the gate."
A dozen soldiers on horseback rode past Jason. He watched them pass with their sabers clanking inside their scabbards. They had entered the only civilization around for miles. Jason watched the soldiers dismount, and the lieutenant hurried into the colonel's office. Jason was aware of the guard behind him.
"Mr. McIvers, can we go now?" asked the guard. "The colonel is waiting."
Jason put his arm around the young solider and laughed. "All right, boy, let's go. I'm kind of curious as to what that lieutenant is in such a hurry for."
As they approached the colonel's office, Jason saw the sign above the door: "Colonel Tyson Ashby — Commander, Fort Ryerson." When they entered the office, another officer looked at him and told him to be seated. Jason eyed the mirror on the wall and walked over to it. He looked closely, as if for the first time, at himself. Tired brown eyes stared back at him. He rubbed his cheek with the palm of his hand and groaned. He never had liked beards; they only look good on colonels. He grinned and flashed a row of straight white teeth as he smiled to himself. His brown hair was sun-bleached to a honey color, but it was dirty and matted from his visit to the guardhouse. He'd get cleaned up after he talked to the colonel.
The door opened, and the officer motioned for Jason to come in. "The colonel will see you now."
Jason strode past the soldier and entered the colonel's office. The colonel was seated at an oversized oak desk, and behind him hung the flag of the States. The colonel was a stout man with a white beard. He was dressed smartly in a blue uniform with polished brass buttons down the front of his jacket. Jason could see just a hint of the large yellow sash around his rounded belly.
Colonel Ashby stood up and pointed to a chair by the desk. "Sit down, Mr. McIvers," he ordered.
Jason sat and eyed the lieutenant at the window. He too was smartly dressed, except for the dust that covered his uniform from the day's ride.
"McIvers," the colonel said.
Jason held up a hand to the colonel and said, "I know. Just tell me how bad I busted up Ike's place, and I'll pay for the damages."
The colonel sat back down and leaned back in his chair. He took a deep breath before he said, "It's not that simple this time, McIvers."
Jason looked at the colonel and studied him for a while. His face was set with tight lips, and he had a serious look about him. "What do you mean, 'not that simple'?" Jason asked.
The lieutenant at the window turned to face Jason and said, "Damn it, McIvers. Don't play innocent with us. Don't think you can excuse yourself from murder."
Jason's eyes narrowed as he looked at the lieutenant and asked, "What do you mean by murder?"
The lieutenant roared, "I mean Ike Davis! You rode in and shot up his place and killed Ike!"
Jason stood up, and his chair overturned as he slammed his fist down on the desk and said, "Look, soldier boy, I don't hold kindly to a man who says I killed someone, and I don't hold kindly to a man like you all decked out in your finery, riding around on that fine horse of yours, thinking there ain't no one fit to wipe your boots."
The Lieutenant's voice lowered to a growl. "And what about you?" he said to Jason. "You come from the hills with your furs, and you turn this compound into your own personal playground. You think because you're up in those hills all the time that it earns you the right to come down here and do what you please?"
Jason grabbed the lieutenant by the collar and pulled him close. The nerve in his cheek twitched.
Colonel Ashby quickly stood up and broke the two apart. "Sit down, McIvers. Lieutenant, go outside and cool off. I wish to speak to Jason alone."
The lieutenant straightened his collar and grabbed his hat as he walked out the door, slamming it behind him.
The colonel looked at Jason and said, "McIvers, I won't tolerate such outbursts in my office."
"Tell that jackass lieutenant of yours to back off and quit making accusations he can't back up," Jason said angrily. "Now I know I was in Ike's place, and I know I broke the place up in that fight, but I didn't kill anyone."
The colonel looked at him and said, "Not directly, no."
"What do you mean, 'not directly'?" Jason's voice was rising now. "Damn it, Colonel, stop playing this cat-and-mouse game with me. Tell me straight out, what happened to Ike?"
The colonel's voice was low as he spoke. "Ike was killed during the fight. He must have caught a stray bullet when the shootin' started."
"Get to the point, Colonel," Jason pushed.
"The point is, McIvers, every time you come into this fort, you get drunk at Ike's place and make a shambles of it." The colonel hesitated. "If you weren't here to start all that ruckus, Ike would be alive today."
Jason eyed the colonel and said, "You're saying I didn't kill Ike, but it's my fault he's dead?"
"Well," the colonel said.
"Damn it!" Jason roared.
"Yes!" the colonel shouted. "Yes! That's what I'm saying!" The colonel lowered his voice. "I think it would be better if you weren't seen at the fort anymore. I think it would be best if you cleared out."
"Cleared out?" Jason said. "You know there isn't another outpost within a hundred miles of here. Where do I sell my furs? Or have you forgotten that's how I make a living?"
The colonel took a deep breath and let it out slowly before answering. "No, I didn't forget." He turned to face the window, his hands clasped behind him. "McIvers, I'm going to make you a proposition. I've got something very important that has to get to Fort Cross. You can take it there for me, and I'll pay you, of course."
Jason stared at the colonel and asked, "And what if I say no?"
"Then you answer for Ike's death," the colonel said.
Suddenly, the situation was clear to Jason. The colonel needed him to ride to Fort Cross, and these trumped-up charges were just to make sure that he took the job. "Colonel," Jason said, "why me? Why don't you send that pompous lieutenant? I'm sure he'd jump at the chance."
"He doesn't know the hills as good as you do," the colonel replied.
"The hills? What's wrong with going across the flatlands?" Jason asked.
The colonel turned to face Jason. "Lieutenant Straton and his men just came back from patrol; he says there are Indian signs all over the prairie. So if you take the hills along with a man of mine, you'll get through. A small party of men crossing over the flatlands would surely be seen. They'd be cut down before they got halfway to Fort Cross."
Jason thought about this. He couldn't figure what would have brought the Indians out of the hills. He had trapped there for years, and he'd never been bothered. True, he'd seen signs now and then, but he'd never come across Indians. He looked at the colonel and said, "We have a treaty with them, and we've had no trouble since it was signed. If the treaty was broke, they didn't break it. They'd have more to lose than us." Jason thought about the signs the lieutenant had seen. "What signs did the lieutenant see out there, Colonel?"
Colonel Ashby stared at his desk. "Straton found the payroll detail a ways out. They were all killed, and the payroll was gone."
Jason cocked his head. "Wait a minute. What makes you think it was Indians that did it? I never knew an Indian who'd kill for money. Money means nothing to them."
"The money was in the saddlebags, and the saddlebags were gone," the colonel said. "They probably didn't even know what was in them. Besides, they were all killed with arrows."
Jason said quietly, as if to himself, "Don't make no sense, them comin' out of the hills like that."
The colonel looked at Jason and said, "Regardless of how much sense it makes, McIvers, it's been done, and I need your answer now. Will you take the job?"
Jason sighed and said, "Well, I sure don't want to answer for a murder I didn't commit. And I don't like the way you've backed me into a corner like this. But I'll do it."
The colonel let out a sigh of relief and said, "Good, good."
With that the colonel turned to the large safe standing in the corner of the office. He spun the dial around a few times, then lifted the long handle up and outward. He brought out a valise and carried it to the desk.
Jason moved closer to see what was in it. The colonel looked at Jason. His hands seemed to be caressing the valise. "This is my daughter's dowry," he said. "She is to be married at Fort Cross in one week. I was going to send it with a small party of men until Lieutenant Straton gave me his report on the payroll detail. That's why I decided that you and Lieutenant Straton would have the best chance of getting through."
Jason's eyes widened. "Wait a minute, Colonel. Not Straton. There is something about that man that does not set well with me."
The colonel quickly answered, "I need a man with military authority to go along."
"All right," Jason said, "but not that quick-headed fool. Give me Sergeant Emory or Lieutenant Swane. I won't have that man along to slow me down!"
The colonel looked at him and said, "Regardless of how you feel about him, he's going." The colonel hesitated, as if not wanting to say any more. He raised his eyes to meet Jason's as he continued. "I cannot leave the post at this time. And that means that I cannot give my daughter away at the ceremony. Lieutenant Straton is a friend of the family, and he has offered to stand in my place. My daughter has agreed. She is not very happy about me not being able to attend her wedding. Frankly, I'm not very happy about it either, but Washington isn't as compassionate about such matters as I am."
Jason smiled and said, "You're just full of surprises, aren't you, Colonel?"
"No matter what you may think, it's important that both the money and the lieutenant reach Fort Cross safely," the colonel replied.
"Does Straton know about this new route you want me to take?" Jason asked.
"He knows," the colonel replied, "and if it will make you feel any better, McIvers, he is just as unhappy about it as you are. But with things the way they are, it's the only way. He doesn't know those hills as well as you do, and as I said, it is most important that you reach there safely."
Jason gave him a reassuring look. "When do we leave, Colonel? Tomorrow?"
"Yes," said the colonel. "Oh, and McIvers, I'd like to wish you luck."
Jason sneered, "With Straton along, I'll need more than luck."
Jason excused himself from the colonel's office.
While walking across the compound, he saw Lieutenant Straton leaning against a wall. Straton's hair was black, and he had a black mustache that seemed to split his face in two. His chin was free of any beard, and the deep cleft in it was clearly visible. His shoulders were not as broad as Jason's, but he was just as tall.
Their eyes met, and a cold feeling came over Jason. Arrogant fool, Jason thought as he stared at him. Jason knew they would tangle someday.
Jason headed for the bathhouse.
CHAPTER 2In the morning Jason made his way to the colonel's office. He entered to find Lieutenant Straton already there. The two men eyed each other. Straton smiled, but Jason did not return the greeting.
"I didn't recognize you, McIvers, with all that dirt off. And what happened to your beard? It's too bad you can't figure out how to stay clean all the time."
Jason glared at him and said, "My way of life is not the cleanest, but it's honest work. It's a pity you don't know anything about that."
Straton stiffened as he clenched his fist.
Colonel Ashby said, "Cool off, Lieutenant. You deserved that. I suggest the two of you make peace between yourselves. The both of you will be depending on each other to reach Fort Cross in safety." Colonel Ashby looked at Lieutenant Straton. "I should think you would put aside all your feelings toward this man to ensure your safe arrival at Fort Cross."
"Colonel Ashby," the lieutenant said, "I don't need him to lead me into the hills. Besides, what's to stop him from taking the money himself after we are well into the hills and away from civilization?"
Jason banged his fist on the table. "Damn it, Colonel! I didn't ask for this job, and I didn't ask for Straton to accompany me. If you want your daughter's dowry to reach Fort Cross, I'll take it, and if I have to take this arrogant jackass with me, that's fine too. But I don't need his cheap talk." Jason checked the anger in his voice as he said to the colonel. "Now get that valise out here, and let's get going."
Colonel Ashby took the valise out of the safe and placed it on the desk.
Jason opened the case and put the money in his saddlebags. Once they were filled, he slung them over his shoulder and extended his hand to the colonel. "It's best we start now, Colonel. I have my horse outside." He turned to Straton. "You ready?"
Straton nodded his head. He too extended a hand to the colonel and then turned to leave. When he reached the door, the colonel stopped him.
Jason heard the colonel say to Straton, "Lewis, give my love to Martha and tell her how sorry I am that I can't be there on the day of her wedding."
Straton smiled and said, "I will, sir." He walked outside, where Jason was securing the saddlebags on his horse.
Jason mounted his horse and said to Lieutenant Straton, "All this time, I never knew you had a first name."
Straton gave him an angry stare, got on his horse, and said to Jason, "There's a lot of things you don't know about me, McIvers." He spurred his horse and rode off toward the gate.
Jason shook his head and rode after him as he heard the familiar call from the guard tower: "Open the gate!" The two men rode out as the gate closed quickly behind them.
It was sundown when the two men made camp. Lieutenant Straton gathered some small sticks to make a fire. He was ready to light the wood when Jason stopped him.
"No fires, Straton."
"How are we gonna eat?" Straton asked.
Jason went to his saddlebags and pulled out some jerky. He tossed Straton a piece. "We eat this," Jason said. "Too risky for a fire. Indians can spot it a mile away."
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Embers on the Hearth"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Frances Boricchio.
Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
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