Solomon. Marilyn Bishop Shaw
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Название: Solomon
Автор: Marilyn Bishop Shaw
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Учебная литература
Серия: Florida Historical Fiction for Youth
isbn: 9781561645855
isbn:
“Lela, honey, you just name it,” said Moses.
As Solomon called out items, Lela found places for them in their wagon. Meal, coffee, sugar, a few cans of milk and peaches were settled into place. For just a moment she cradled a bag of salt as though it were a fragile treasure then held up her hand. “Stop. That’s good enough to teach them manners and to take us through the winter just fine. We won’t go greedy.”
The men didn’t argue. Just as Moses was about to step from the larger wagon into his own, he spied something he had missed before. He reached his hand down and pulled out an old, but serviceable, shotgun. Solomon took in a gasping breath. “We could sure be puttin’ meat on the table with this.” He passed the gun gingerly to Harker’s outstretched hand.
“Why, Moses, this old thing is in fine condition,” Harker observed as he turned the gun over in his hands. “I don’t know whose it was; sure not those fellas, but it’s been taken care of. There must be shells.”
Solomon dragged four boxes of shells out from under the piles of goods and looked for more. Moses hung his head. “Mr. Harker, I’d dearly love that gun, but I got to tell you I ain’t never shot one before. Don’t know as I can.”
Immediately sorry he hadn’t anticipated Mr. Freeman’s lack of experience with guns, Pete said, “Moses, I’ll take my old whip given a choice, but I’m a fair shot. It won’t take a thing to teach you and Miss Lela and young Solomon, too, how to put this old thing to good use. Don’t you worry about that.”
“We’d be obliged, Mr. Pete, much obliged.” Moses knew that if he looked directly at Lela now, her smile from a few minutes before would be gone. He’d hear her fears later. He didn’t know just when, but he knew he’d hear them. For now, nothing was going to spoil their good fortune.
Moses nodded purposefully. “Family, I think maybe we had ’bout as big a dose of adventure as we need right now. Let’s go home. Mr. Harker, you welcome to join us if you a mind to.”
“If I’m gonna teach you to shoot, I’ll have to. Guess that means I’ll finally have to eat some of that awful cooking Miss Lela makes you two eat.” Their mingled laughter echoed through the forest as they moved northward.
5
They covered the twenty-two miles home in only two days since they moved directly toward the farm. It had been an eventful trip, but they were all glad to be home. He couldn’t have explained it, but Pete Harker felt oddly like he had come home, too.
“Why, Moses, you’ve done some work here,” Pete said as he surveyed the homestead. This’ll beat being in the open in a cold winter and, believe me, winter here can be as bad as they get anywhere.”
Moses knew their new friend had probably never lived in any house as rude as this one, but appreciated the comments. “It ain’t what I hope to give my family, Mr. Harker, but it took us weeks and ’bout kilt us couple a times. Takes some muscle to handle them logs.”
“I’d say so! How about the front part, Moses? Any plans for that?” Pete asked, hopefully.
Solomon jumped in enthusiastically. “It’s fixed so we can put the front wall in, too, Mr. Harker. We just afeared we wouldn’t get that done before cold comes. We have some blankets to put up there.”
“I have an idea that none of us can hold out to practice shooting all day long. How about my helping you for a few days and see if we can’t get a front wall with a door in there?”
“Oh, Mr. Harker, we couldn’t oblige you to do that. You’ve done enough for us already,” Lela said, not wanting to take advantage of this man’s kind heart.
“I’m not obliged to do any of it—the shooting or the building or anything else. I’ll stay and help out awhile, though, if you’ll allow it.” He paused, silently admitting that, despite his intentions to accept the Freemans as equals, he had never done such before. “While we’re still getting acquainted, let’s just drop all this Mister, if you don’t mind. Just sounds way too high and mighty for . . . for friends.”
There was silence as three mouths dropped open. Never had a white man suggested that they call him anything but mister or master. Lela stammered as graciously as she could, “Mister, I mean, Pete, if that’s how you want it, that’s how it’ll be. Don’t know as I like Solomon calling a grown man so familiar, though.”
“I can understand that, Lela. Would you settle for Mister Pete?”
Solomon’s eyes gleamed in admiration for Pete Harker, and Lela nodded her consent.
Moses broke the silence of newness. “Family, it’ll soon be dark and we got lots to do.” He turned and grinned. “And, Pete, if you gonna be part of this family, guess you can start by helpin’ me unload this wagon!”
In no time at all, Lela had the supper fire going, and the load was stowed properly. Sunny and Sudie were unharnessed, watered, and hobbled to graze in a grassy spot nearby.
Supper that night was cornpone and fresh rabbit with peaches for dessert. Lela and Solomon enjoyed listening to Moses tell Pete of his plans for the place and Pete offering suggestions along. Easier companions would have been hard to find. More unlikely companions would have been even harder to find.
For the next two days, the four worked tirelessly to give the house a front wall. The wide door opening would let in light and ventilation in fair weather, and could still be closed for protection in foul weather. Even with the door open, the house was shadowy, so Lela got her window. Really, it was just a good-sized hole in the wall, but it let light in and let Lela see the world outside. She looked out the window down toward the spring and just sighed. Moses stepped close behind her and gave her shoulders a little squeeze. She knew her man. He was telling her this extra effort was for her. He was telling her that he loved her. She could see him becoming more his own man day by day, and he knew it, too.
Moses knew the discarded harness leather wouldn’t make long-lasting hinges for the door. He just hoped they would last until someone went to town to buy real hinges. Just as he and Pete began attaching the door to its frame, it started to drizzle. Within the hour, drizzle turned to a downpour. All four people ran inside and listened to the rain beat down on the palmetto roof, each praying that it was laced tightly enough. They managed to cover the window with oilcloth. It was a mite cozy with one whole corner taken by their new store of supplies, but not unpleasant. They took advantage of the time to better sort and arrange their new stock of provisions, protecting it with the rest of the oilcloth. They also rested and ate cold supper, the now extinguished cookfire remaining outside of the house. They bundled into their bedrolls and enjoyed rainy slumber. Pete considered what his rigid father would have said about his friends. The moment that question entered his mind, he knew that he didn’t care about his father’s opinion. His eyes closed and he slept more deeply than he had in over a year.
It was still raining the next morning while Moses and Pete worked on the window shutters. They didn’t have enough leather for the hinges, so the shutters slid on the inside wall to meet and cover the window. A little lard rubbed in the tracks made them slide better, but having the window was worth the little muscle it took to cover it up. Finally, the wind just blew the rain in by the bucket, so the window was closed. The single oil lamp did little more СКАЧАТЬ