Chapter 11 - Trouble Of His Own

Caleb finds his own set of troubles both in the fight and love.

          Caleb and Elizabeth’s feelings finally got the best of them within the next year.  Mr. Meyers had once again lifted the restraint on his family, allowing them to visit town with a chaperone, usually himself.  On this particular morning the family had decided to make one of their, now, frequent trips.  Mr. Meyers was to go with the family and Caleb was asked to stay behind and look after the house and property.  After much pleading and convincing, Elizabeth was also allowed to stay home. 

As noon approached, Elizabeth asked Mary, the cook, to prepare a picnic, and she met Caleb in the yard with the basket.  It did not take much to convince Caleb to take a break and join her. He saddled their horses and they rode slowly together.

They rode about a mile when they came upon a grove of tall shade trees.  Elizabeth led the way along a path through the trees and came upon a quiet, gently flowing stream.

“Here!”  She exclaimed, jumping down from her horse.  She immediately began unpacking the lunch, starting with a blanket which she spread out carefully on the soft green grass. 

“Sit here,” she told him patting a place next to her.  She poured tea into a small china cup and handed it to him with a smile.  Caleb took it and fumbled with it clumsily a moment, trying to hold it by the tiny, delicate handle.  Elizabeth put her hand over her mouth and giggled softly as she watched.

Both sat quietly for a while.  Neither were sure what to say to the other.  Finally, Elizabeth leaned over and lightly kissed his cheek.  He turned and looked at her with surprise.  His face grew pink with embarrassment.  Again, Elizabeth giggled and covered her mouth with her hand.

“You have so much to say when you should be studying,” she said examining his face with a smile.  “But now you have nothing to talk about.”

He smiled and his face darkened to red.

After a couple of minutes, Elizabeth spoke up again, “I have a secret.”

Caleb looked up and caught a twinkle in her eyes.  She leaned closer as though she were afraid someone else might hear and whispered, “Caleb Campbell, I love you.”

He jumped back away from her.  A lump formed in his throat and he blurted, “No! … No, you can’t!”

She looked at him surprised by his outburst. “Why not?”

“You are just a child!” He explained, beginning to calm down some, but his voice remained shaky.

Tears began to form in Elizabeth’s eyes.  “No, I am not!” she cried.

“You can’t love me.  You’re still a child.  You… you just don’t know.”

She sprang to her feet and climbed onto her horse.  Before riding off, she looked down at him as though she were about to say something, but stopped herself at the last moment.

Caleb rapidly gathered their items and rode back to the house.  There, he found Elizabeth’s horse roaming the front yard and the front door standing wide open.  He made his way into the house, where he heard muffled sobs coming from the window seat.   Elizabeth sat, curled up in the window, crying into her hands. 

          The large lump in his throat had grown and moved into his stomach.  He began to feel sick.  He knew how he felt about Elizabeth and he knew he had wanted her to feel the same.  Now she had made it clear she felt the same for him, but he still could not help but remind himself she was just a child, only thirteen years old.  He did not want to hurt her, however. 

          By the time the family returned home the crying had ceased and Elizabeth had fallen asleep where she sat.

         

          For the next several weeks, Elizabeth avoided Caleb as much as she could.  During his lessons she kept distance between them and spoke few words to him.  Caleb even noticed the glow was gone from her eyes.  He knew he had hurt her.  He loved her, but she was only thirteen and he seventeen.  He was not sure how to make it up to her, or even if he could.  During his lessons, Caleb tried starting conversations with Elizabeth, but she refused to take part.  He slipped off and went to town on a couple of occasions bringing back gifts for Elizabeth, but she would not accept them.  There seemed to be a permanent sadness in her eyes and the sick knot in his stomach would not go away because of this.  The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Elizabeth, but he had succeeded in just that. 

One afternoon before his lesson, he decided this time he would fix everything.  The whole lesson he tried to think of what to do.  As the lesson came to an end he moved closer to Elizabeth.  When he moved she turned to look at him.  He leaned in and stole a kiss.  For a moment she sat looking at him in disbelief.  Her face grew red and she jumped to her feet. 

“What are you doing?”  She exclaimed.

“I…”

“Stop it!  Stop it with your games!”

“But, I…”

“You said I was just a child and that I couldn’t…”

“But, I…”

“Oh, stop it, stop it right now!  Just leave me alone, Caleb Campbell! Do you hear me?  Leave me alone!”  Tears began to run down Elizabeth’s cheeks and she turned and ran from the room.

“What is the matter, Elizabeth?” Mrs. Meyers called down the stairs.

“Nothing, Mother.”  Elizabeth called back.

 

          Caleb decided he would have to do something extra special for Elizabeth.  He had to wait a couple of weeks, but finally he had his chance.  The family once again was making a trip to town and, as Mr. Meyers was busy with business, Caleb was to escort them. 

          Caleb leaned over the counter at the General Mercantile and asked Mr. Johnston quietly, “Could you do me a small favor?”  He glanced back over his shoulder at Elizabeth who was across the room looking over the stores’ treasures. 

          Mr. Johnston looked over the top of small wire glasses at Caleb, “Of course.  What can I do for ya?” 

          “Could you make a list of what you have in this store that makes her eyes sparkle?” He spoke in almost a whisper looking back at Elizabeth again.

          Mr. Johnston caught the look on his face and did not need to ask.  “Of course I will,”  he replied with a smile.

          “I’ll come back soon and buy it for her,” he said half to himself, then suddenly remembering, “And…and could you be as discrete as possible.  I want it to be a surprise.”

          Mr. Johnston smiled wider and nodded.

 

          Within the next week Caleb found his opportunity to get Elizabeth’s gift.  Mr. Meyers had just retired to his study and Mrs. Meyers was upstairs with all the younger children giving them their lessons.  Elizabeth sat in the window seat with a book.  Caleb slipped out the door and rode into town. 

          As he stepped onto the wooden deck of the store he heard a distinct voice call out, “Campbell!”  He knew immediately it was the voice of Thomas Butler.  He turned and there stood Butler with a gang of five men behind him.

          Caleb put his hand on his gun in anticipation of a fight.

          Butler only smiled and remarked, “Just like your father.”

          “What do you know about my father?”  Caleb asked bitterly.

          “He was a hell of a fighter.  Stupid son-a-b***h fought even when he didn’t know what he was fighting for.”  He smiled wider.  “And you are just like him.”  He paused a moment and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.  “One hell of a damn temper, too.  Redder’n hell.  No damn wonder it rubbed off on his boys.  Suppose that’s why William hired you up so fast.  Figured a little Douglas Campbell would leech into you too.”  The smile faded from his face, “You don’t watch out and you’ll find yourself six feet under with a bullet through your skull just like him.”

          “It’d be worth it to see you burn in hell!”

          “Do you even know why you hate me?”

          Caleb was silent.

          Butler smiled and started away.  He turned back slowly.  “I would suggest you know what your cause is before you are so willing to die for it.” He walked away, mumbling under his breath, “Stupid boy.”

Caleb pulled his gun and shot Butler in the back as he walked away.  “What the hell you doin’?”  One of the men in Butlers’ band bellowed pulling his own gun.  “Shootin’ an ol’ man in the back as he walks away from you.”

Bullets began flying all around Caleb as the men fired on him.  His heart began pounding loudly and he thought he could hear it over the sound of gunshots and whizzing bullets. 

He shot back at the men emptying his gun.  Then he heard the crack of gunfire behind him.  One of Butlers’ men dropped to his knees holding his stomach.  His hands were red and his shirt soaked with blood.  The whole scene seemed, to Caleb, in slow motion.

The eyes of Butler’s men grew wide and they turned and ran.  Caleb turned to see six men coming toward him.

“You’d better watch your back,” a tall thin man in the group, warned.  His wide flat brimmed hat cast a shadow over his eyes.

“Ya don’t want ta get into Butler’s fights if ya don’t have ta,” a young blonde man informed Caleb.  His yellow hair hung straight against his collar.  “We seen you pick that fight.”

“I didn’t pick the fight.  He picked it himself.”

“He’ll provoke ya, sure,” the blonde man continued.  “I ain’t sayin’ he won’t.  Fightin’ is up to you.  That’s what he wanted you ta do.  Take the first shot and he can sick his men on ya without the law tryin’ to place the blame on him.”  

“Who are you?” Caleb demanded examining and memorizing each face.

“Well, name’s Call, Jesse Call.  Most guys just call me Jess, though,” the blonde man answered.

“You been shot?” the tall man asked.

“No, don’t think so.”

“Sure looks like it,” the tall man said nodding at Caleb’s shoulder.

Caleb looked at the blood soaked sleeve of his shirt then asked again, “Who are you?”

“Well, we’re your Goddamned guardian angels here to save ya from yerself,” Jess said sarcastically.

“I’m Jim Atkins,” the tall man told him ignoring Jess’ comment.  “Me and these boys are working for Mr. Meyers just like you.”

“Only we know how ta stick ta the damn rules and keep the fightin’ off the streets,” Jess declared.

“You probably need to get on back home,” Jim told Caleb.  “Get that there shot fixed up.  We’ll take care of this mess.  You get on back now.”

 

When Caleb arrived at the house everything was just as when he had left.  He stepped into the sitting room and Elizabeth looked up from her book.  “Where have you been?”  She paused looking at his arm.  “Oh my!”

“Shhh!” Don’t say anything.  Just help me get it bandaged before someone sees.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing.  Just a little fight in town.  I don’t want someone to see and worry.  I don’t want your father thinking it isn’t safe for you to go to town and keeping you restricted to the house again.” 

“You went to town?”  Elizabeth asked ignoring the rest.  “Why did you go?  And without saying a word?” she asked accusingly. 

“I needed something.  Could you please just help me take care of this?”  He asked irritably.

“Come on.”

She led him through the kitchen where she collected several items and then crossed the yard to the well.

Caleb began to roll up his sleeve.  “No, no.  You’ll have to take it off.”  He paused a moment then followed her direction and removed his shirt.  Elizabeth cleaned the wound with a rag and then pulled out a knife.

“Wait!  Wait!”  He grabbed the hand she held the knife in and held it away from his arm.

“Well it’s a gun shot wound isn’t it?”  She asked.

“Yes, but…”

“Well we have to get the bullet out first.”

She made a small puncture in the skin next to the wound and carefully worked the bullet back out from under the flesh. 

          “Damn it, that hurt worse than getting shot in the first place,” he cried pulling his arm back.

          She grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.  “Caleb Campbell, you had better watch that mouth of yours or I’ll fetch the soap and wash it out for you.  Now stay still or I can’t do this.”  She tore another rag into strips and wrapped it around his arm.

          Caleb grinned, “My you have gotten quite feisty recently.”  He chuckled. 

          Elizabeth glared back at him, “Don’t talk back to me or I’ll get the soap anyway…there…done.”  She sat back and he looked down at his bandages.

          “So are you not mad at me anymore?” 

          “Oh, I’m still mad.  Mother just reminded me that I have to talk to you whether I like it or not.  I figured I might as well do it the easy way rather than the hard.”

          Caleb smiled back at her. 

“What are you smiling about?” she demanded. 

He chuckled lightly. 

“What?” she insisted. 

He began to laugh a little harder. 

“Caleb Campbell, tell me right now, what is so funny?”

          He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips.  She sat with a look of surprise on her face.  A moment later she leaned forward and kissed him back. 

          She looked at him with a smile, “I am still mad at you.”

 

          The visitors to the Meyers’ home grew in the next week.  Mr. Meyers had not expressed any knowledge of Caleb’s recent fight in town, nor had Caleb made any mention of it himself, however, he knew the added activity around the estate was a result. 

One afternoon Caleb was walking along the edge of the property when he came upon a thin blonde man on horseback.  Upon approaching him, he realized this was one of the men he had met in town.  The man turned toward him as he came closer.

          “Good afternoon,” the man said looking down at him.

          “Who are you?” 

          “I’m Frank Call.  Meyers got me guarding the perimeter of the property.”

          Caleb looked at him blankly and said nothing.

          “I believe you’d remember my smart a*s younger brother, Jess, better than me.  Ma woulda slapped him plum silly if she’d been there to hear him talk like that.  Raised seven of us and I’m the only one ever learned anything from the whoopin’s.”  He chuckled to himself.

          “So what’s going on around here.”

          “Hell if I know,” he climbed down from the saddle and stretched.  “I know a little just fightin’ the ol’ man’s fight for him, but not much.  You probably know more than me.  I’ve only been on for six months.  Jess been workin’ for the ol’ man a year now.  Tol’ me all he knows.  That ain’t much either.” 

          “What is it you know?”

          “Well I know this ol’ man Meyers here is fightin’ some other rich son-a-b***h named Butler.  Don’t really know why, seenin’ as they supposed to be family or somethin’.”

          “Brother-in-laws, I understand,” Caleb verified.

          “Well damn Butler is a hell of a guy to fight.  And his men know what the fight’s all about.  We don’t know a damn thing e’cept we get to eat purty damn good if we do what we’re tol’.  Restaurant food everyday and drinkin’ every night.  As long as it don’t get in the way of business, Meyers don’t care.  You seem pretty damn lucky.  I hear you used to do his fightin’ for him, but now he’s given you the damn good job of livin’ in that house and eatin’ his fancy meals.”

          “I’m in charge of safeguarding the family,” Caleb corrected him.  “I started off living in the barn and shoveling horse manure.  So what you know?”

          “Well like I said, Butler’s guys all know what they’re fightin’ for.  We don’t know bull.  Just out there gettin' shot at and don’t know why, other than we need the money.  Butler’s got his own boys in the fight.  Don’t guess he’s got to pay them extra.  Has five of ‘em.  Well four after that fight you got into.  That boy shot out there was his youngest.  He ain’t too happy, I hear.  Lost a son a couple of years ago and now he’s lost his youngest too.”

          “He survived that shot?”

          “He sure did.  You think its that easy to kill that man.  This fight’s been goin’ on long’n any of us been workin’ around here.  The fight’s probably been goin’ on since we was babes, if not longer.  If it was that easy to kill that man we never woulda been in this mess.  This war woulda already been won.  You shot that man and he stood up and walked out in the middle of all that gunfire like nothing happened.  Not quiet sure he’s even human.  Couldn’t be.  I ain’t never seen no man go like that.”  Frank chuckled.

          “You sure do like to talk don’t you?”  Caleb asked jokingly.

          “Ain’t had no one else to talk to in about two days.  Been out here ridin’ along the perimeter the whole time.  Sorta wish Jess was out here to keep me company.  Coulda gone all year without hearin’ him bullshittin’ when we was kids, but now I kinda miss it.”  He chuckled to himself again. “That boy’s one of Meyers’ best shots though.  He needs him in the fight.  Besides that son-a-b***h brother of mine has more fun doin’ that than chewin’ the fat with me.  Always was the trouble maker.”  He smiled and thought to himself.  “Well I had probably better be ridin’ on.  You can come along if you’d like.  Be nice to have someone to chat with for a while.”

          “I have plans this evening.  Maybe some other time though.”

          “Well alright.  See ya then…Hey, by the way, what’s your name kid.

          “Caleb.”

          “Well then I’ll see ya later Caleb, nice meetin you.”

          “You too.”

 

          Caleb really did have plans this evening.  He and Elizabeth planned to sneak away this night to be alone together.  After the family retired to their bedrooms for the night, Elizabeth slipped down the back stairwell and out the door.  Caleb met her on the backside of the barn with a lantern and the two walked hand-in-hand to the sight of their picnic on the creek banks.  Caleb and Elizabeth sat and talked softly to each other for a couple of hours before deciding to return to the house. 

          “Can we do this again?” she asked.

          “We will,” he answered.

          “But we can’t let my father know.  He would be angry.” 

          Caleb nodded.

          They started back to the house.  As they reached the edge of the property a voice came out of the darkness ahead of them.  “Who’s there?”

          “It’s alright, Frank.  It’s just me, Caleb.”

          “Who you got with you?”

          “Miss Meyers,” he answered.  As they came closer, Frank’s figure came into the low lamplight.

          “What is she doin’ out here at this hour?”

          “We went for a walk,” she answered quickly.  “Please don’t tell my father.”

          “Your father doesn’t know your taking a walk this late?”  Frank asked.

          “Don’t tell him.  I just wanted some fresh air.  He might not understand.” 

          “It’s dangerous being out this late,” Frank announced.

          “It’s alright.  I can take care of her,” Caleb told him.

          “I wouldn’t count on that.  Not now, and not with this mess.”

          “What is going on with my father, Caleb?” Elizabeth asked turning to him.  A look of concern spread across her face and he could see it clearly in the flickering light.

          “Nothing.”

          “I know something is going on and I know you know something, Caleb,” she plead.

          “There is nothing for you to worry about.  Your father only wants to keep you safe.”

          “Safe from what.  He seems to be acting awful strangely and I want to know what is going on.  Caleb, what do you know?  Please tell me.”

          “There is nothing for you to worry about.  Your father is just trying to protect you and your family.  He loves all of you very much and just doesn’t want to see anything happen to you so he’s taking every measure to prevent it.  I don’t blame him.”

          “But what is he so worried about?” She cried.

          “There is nothing.  Elizabeth trust me, would you?”  Caleb told her frustrated.

         She looked sideways at him and then turned her face on Frank as to ask him for answers.  “Everything is fine, Miss Meyers,” he told her reassuringly.

          She turned back to Caleb, “Do you promise?”

          He took a deep breath and looked past her into the darkness.  A moment later he answered, “Yes.”

          “Look me in the eyes and tell me you promise there is nothing,” she demanded.

          He looked into her concerned eyes and replied, “I promise.”

 

          Caleb and Elizabeth spent much more time together.  They were however very careful to not get caught sneaking away together.  The couple usually chose to sneak away at night when the family was sleeping but occasionally they were given the chance to get away during the daytime.  It was during this time that their lover for one another grew immensely, and they grew virtually inseparable.

          It was also during this time that, Frank and Caleb became good friends.  Each kept the other well informed of what they knew.  Most of Frank’s information was fed to him through occasional visits by Jess and Jim.  Most of the news, however, was nothing new to hear.  Several fights had broken out on Butler’s land.  Meyers’ men seemed to be dropping like flies.  New men were hired quickly, but as time went by it became harder and harder for Meyers to find men as news of his defeats spread quickly and few would fight for him, regardless of how much he offered them.  Of the six men Caleb had met after his fight in town, only the three he kept contact with still remained, Frank, Jess, and Jim.  Frank stayed on the Meyers’ property as a guard, so was rarely faced with trouble, as both parties seemed rather reluctant to bring the fight onto the Meyers estate.  Jess was Mr. Meyers’ best gunman, and, as Frank explained, Jim was “just Damn lucky”.

          One evening Frank informed Caleb that Jim was on the inside.  “He knows what it is that has these two b******s at each other’s throats.  He just won’t tell nothin’.  Don’t know how much he knows about it.  Just know he knows more than he’s tellin’ anybody.  Probably found it out and Meyers has a knife to his throat to keep quiet.  Don’t know what that ol’ son-a-b***h has up his sleeve, but it must be some hell of a thing.  I ain’t never seen a son-a-b***h so tight lipped.  Won’t even let the guys doin’ his fightin’ in on it.  He’s like a damn king and we’re his soldiers.  Don’t need us to know nothin’.  All we need to know is that Butler’s the damn enemy and it is our job to bring him down.”  He shook his head.  “I swear.  Soon’s I get a nice big stash saved up I’m hittin’ the road.  If I ain’t dead before then.”

          “Well, what ever it is he’s hiding, I’m having to lie for him.  Everyday Elizabeth seems to be getting more and more suspicious of me and I ain’t even doing anything but trying to protect her.  Every time she asks me what’s going on I have to look her in the eyes and lie to her.  What’s worst of all is it’s getting easier and easier to tell her there’s nothing happing.”  Caleb stared up the hill at the house.  It stood tall against the gray mid-winter sky.

          “What is it with you and that girl of his?” Frank asked curiously.

          Caleb turned back to him.  “I don’t know.  Just don’t want to hurt her.”

          “Ya fallin’ fer her, ain’t ya?”

          “Hell, I fell along time ago,” he answered with a smile.  “You’re a good man not saying nothin’.  I appreciate that.”

          “Ain’t my place to get in the middle of somethin’.”

          “You got in the middle of this fight,” Caleb reminded him.

          “Well, now that’s something different,” Frank said with a chuckle.  “Besides, I gave ya my word.  Ain’t no man goes back on his word.”