Chapter 21
That evening, Will cornered the twins and said, "Okay, boys, tell me about the fist fight."
Jesse looked a little sheepish, "Johnny Bristow told me to go back to my wet nurse, and I lit into 'im. Two other boys tried to help Johnny, so Josh and I had to teach 'em a lesson, and we'll do it again if they keep talkin' like that."
Will nodded. "So what led up to him saying that?"
"I'm kinda friends with Nellie Blair, and she and I spent recess together just talking, and I guess Bristow thinks she's his girl, but she doesn't even like him. She told me so."
Will ended by saying, "Best try to avoid those if you can."
"We know, Pa, but sometimes you just can't walk away."
"I know that too, but try to avoid it if you can."
The next morning, Will got up to ride the fence and found that Jacob already had two horses saddled and wanted to ride with him. "So you're comin' this morning?"
"I rode the fence every day you were gone," Jacob said.
Will eyed him and asked, "Did it make your day go better?"
"I wouldn't have been able to handle things around here if I hadn't done it." Will looked at him, smiled and nodded.
They rode the fence together largely in silence, each with his own thoughts. When they'd finished, Will said, "Didn't find a single flaw in the fence." That was all the praise Jacob needed or wanted.
As they were unsaddling their horses, Will asked, "Anything else I should know?"
"I paid the hands for this month," Jacob said, "sold the cattle and put Mister Pritchard's draft in the bank account."
When the horses were unsaddled, Will put his hand on Jacob's shoulder and said, "I've been looking at that land south of us that's for sale. I think we oughta buy it and over the next few years, we'll develop it for you to have your own place when you're ready."
"That's about six hundred acres."
Will nodded. "I'll talk to the lawyer about it tomorrow. I'd kinda like to have you close by."
Jacob smiled, "And I'd like to settle close to you and Ma."
Later that morning, Will took the train into San Antonio.
He wanted to touch base with Judge Freeman.
Will waited until the court's mid-morning recess.
When he was invited into the judge's chambers, Freeman said, "I haven't heard about any shootings in Mexico, so I assume you got your man back without killing anyone down there. "
Will laughed before saying, "We did, Judge." He related the whole story of breaking Del out of jail, recovering his wife and child and dodging the Rurales all the way to the border.
"So they're all home now, and Isum and I didn't raise any kind of ruckus, but the Rurales are still looking for a norteamericano with a mustache riding a roan horse who broke outta jail in Ciénega del Norte."
"How's Isum?" Freeman asked.
"Always alert," Will said. "Saved our bacon down there when he spotted a troop of Rurales behind us. We got off the trail just in time to avoid being captured."
"Good to hear," Freeman said. "You know I think a lot of him."
"There's no better chief deputy in the country," Will said.
"Nothing much going on, except there's a mail robbery down at Bandana, where the railroad ends.
They transferred the mail bags onto a stagecoach, and a gang hit the stage and took two mail bags of U.S.
Mail. Theder's sent two of his deputies down to look into it, and two postal inspectors from St. Louis are trying to find out how the gang knew to hit that particular stage.
The First National Bank of San Antonio sent $10,000 to the First National Bank of Galveston, which they had requested as a temporary loan. Nothing for you to do at this moment."
"Alright, if you need help on it, let me know," Will said.
At Epstein's Jewelry on Commerce Street, Will told the clerk, "I'd like to buy a gold locket for my daughter. She'll be fifteen tomorrow."
"Just this way, sir," the clerk said. He showed Will several lockets, and Will asked, "Is this one pure gold?"
"Absolutely no base metals at all," the clerk said.
"Okay, I'll take the one in the shape of a heart," Will said. "I assume it opens so that she can put a photograph or a lock of hair in there."
The clerk opened it and Will said, "Just what I want." He paid for it and headed down to the train station.
When he got off the train in New Braunfels that afternoon, he headed over to the office of F. Ward Buckles, the lawyer handling the sale of the land just south of his own property.
When he walked into the office, Buckles looked up and said, "Hey, Will, how you doin'? I'll bet I know why you're here."
Will chuckled, "You prob'ly do, Ward. How much they askin' for the Berger property."
"They want four dollars and fifty cents an acre," Buckles said.
"Is the house in good shape?"
"I'm told it is, but I haven't been out there."
"The barn and other outbuildings?"
"Best I give you the key, and you can go out and look it over."
"Okay, I'll do that," Will said. "Any other buyers who've looked at it?"
"Nobody."
When Will got home, he walked around and spoke with each of his workers, telling them he appreciated them and getting their take on how things were going. Afterward, he watched while Jacob was training a colt. When Jacob saw Will, he stopped and walked over.
"I got the key to the Berger property. Why don't you saddle up, and we'll go over and take a look."
"Should I saddle Mama's horse?"
"Good idea. I'll see if she can come. And we'll need to take Josephine along too."
A few minutes later, the four of them rode off toward the Berger property with Will holding Josephine in front of him on the saddle.
"So, Josie, what's been happening?"
"Nothin', Pa, but I miss you reading to me at night, and I can count to fourteen now."
"Did Mama teach you to do that?"
"We go over it every night before bedtime."
"I'm impressed," Will said. "I'll read to you tonight and every night I'm home. You can count for me too."
When they reached the Berger house, Will lowered Josie down to Jacob, and they all had a look at the house. It had a wide porch that wrapped down the east side. The wood floor planks were tight, stained and sealed well. Will walked around the outside with Jacob.
"No termites," Jacob said. "This foundation has been treated with a real thick coal tar."
Inside, Virginia said, "Needs a good paint job, but otherwise they've kept it very nice. It does need indoor plumbing."
"Where's Josephine?"
"Up here, Pa!" she shouted. Will looked up and saw her at the top of the stairs.
They all headed upstairs and found it in good condition. "He's asking $4.50 an acre," Will said, "and I think it's worth it."
"Let's look at the barn," Jacob said.
Jacob walked around the barn which was made of stone up four feet, then finished in durable cypress wood. When he opened the door, he could smell the hay. Looking up, he saw that the loft was half-filled with fresh hay.
"It's in good condition," Jacob said.
"I'll talk to Buckles and we'll buy it," Will said. "We can run cattle on it until you're ready to take it up."
The next day, Virginia had baked two large birthday cakes, both frosted, one white with white frosting and one chocolate with chocolate frosting.
She knew all the children would want slices in their school lunches for the next few days.
After Annabelle had opened several gifts from everyone, they settled down to eating cake.
Will was sitting beside Annabelle, "Well, Angel Eyes, your mother and I have one more gift for you." He pulled out the box with the gold locket in it. "We hope you'll like it," Will said.
She put down her fork and opened the box, "Oh my goodness. I've wanted a gold locket forever," she said. She threw her arms around Will and said. "Oh, Pa, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
Virginia stepped over and said, "Let me do the clasp for you."
Once it was on, Annabelle said, "I want to look in the mirror." She jumped up and ran to her room. When she returned, she said, "It's just exactly what I've always wanted in the shape of a heart. I love you both for giving me this. It's the nicest gift I've ever had."
"Better than Silvio?" Will asked.
"Oh, that's different," she said. "But he was a wonderful gift too.
" When she was twelve, Will had bought her an Aussie sheep puppy, and she'd named him Silvio.
He was the family dog and friendly with everybody around the ranch, but when somebody approached the home place at night, he would raise a ruckus with his barking.
Between Silvio barking and the geese honking, there was no chance anybody could sleep through it.
Later that day, Isum rode down and knocked on the door. Will, lemme speak to you for a minute." Will stepped out onto the porch.
"Today, James and I were working on the south quarter, and we saw some footprints.
We followed them, and they led down to the road behind our property.
I don't know who it was or what he was doing there, but I found a spot where he waited and smoked several cigarettes, which means he waited a long time.
I think he was there last night. The boot impressions there were mostly pointing toward Del's place. "
Both men were quiet for a moment. "You don't think Vega would be stupid enough to send a shooter up here, do ya?"
"Don't know 'bout dat, Will, but at least we gotta let Del know. He can ask Elena if she thinks old Vega would do such a thing. She know him better'n anybody."
"Yeah, first get a telegram off to Abram and Ross," Will said.
"Tell 'em to forget for now that investigation in Waco, and get back here now.
Until we've found out who it is, I want us to have two night guards, roaming the property and staying out of sight.
It's possible he could be after Del. That's most likely, but he could also be after Elena. "
When Isum told Del, he said, "Let's ask Elena."
Del went into the house, and Elena returned with him to the porch. "Go ahead and tell her, Isum."
"Well, I found some boot prints on my property, so I followed 'em, and then lost 'em in the prints on the road along the south side. But I could see where the man smoked several cigarettes and waited. And it looked like he might be spying on your house. I don't know that for sure."
"What Will and Isum are asking themselves," Del said, "is whether Vega is capable of sending a shooter up here for me...or maybe you. Do you think he's capable of that?"
Elena said nothing for long seconds. "I don't see it.
He's a patient man, and the whole time we were captive there, he was a perfect gentleman.
But if his patience has run out, and he has no hope of achieving his goal, he might do anything.
I don't see it, but it's possible. He didn't seem to be a violent man... vengeful yes, but not violent."
"We got Ross and Abram comin' back," Isum said. "I sent a telegram today. You two go about your regular chores. Tonight, Will and I gon' be roamin' round the property after dark keepin' an eye on things."