Chapter 12 - Turned Out

Caleb's efforts to take his relationship with Elizabeth further leave him on his own again. Caleb also learns the details of his father's death.

          During the winter, Caleb and Elizabeth did not have as many opportunities to sneak away, but when spring came, however, they began excursions more frequently again.  One afternoon, while Mr. Meyers was away on business, they took a couple of horses and rode to their place by the stream.  Elizabeth laid a blanket down on the new green grass and they sat together. 

They sat silent a moment and finally Elizabeth spoke.  “Caleb, do you love me?” she asked softly.

          He took her hand and looked into her sparkling blue eyes.  “Of course I do.”

          “Do you no longer think I’m too young?”

          “Well,” he thought a moment before continuing, “You are still very young…but that does not change a thing, I still love you.  I always have.”

          “Caleb, will we get married.”

          “Perhaps, one day,” he replied.  “If that is what you wish.”

          “Oh, it is,” she told him with a smile and a twinkle in her eye.  “Will you ask my father for my hand?”

          “Of course.  When that time approaches.  It is the only right way to do it.”

          “And when do you suppose that time will approach?”

          Caleb looked into her eyes and caught an almost mischievous twinkle in them.

          “Will it be soon?” she asked.

          He sat silent a moment.  “Perhaps, soon enough,” he answered.

          “Is it soon enough, now?” She asked with childlike innocence.  “I believe it is.  I believe it is time for us to be wed.  Would you ask him now?”

          He looked at her with surprise. “But your father would never allow it; not now.”

          “He would if he knew it would make me happy.”  She looked away from him.  “Would it make you happy?”

          “Of course, but…”

          “Would you just speak with him?  Caleb, please,” she pled.  “He’ll listen to what you have to say.  I know he will.”

          Caleb was quiet.

          “Do you want to?” she asked.

          “Yes, but…”

          “Then, promise me.”

          “Okay, but I’ll need just a little time.”

 

          Caleb finally found the strength to ask Mr. Meyers for Elizabeth’s hand after nearly a month of arguing with himself and Elizabeth.  Elizabeth had a strong will and, while Caleb was certain Mr. Meyers would never allow the marriage of his young daughter, she would not let up.

          He found his chance one evening after dinner.  Mr. Meyers had slipped into his study like he did every night.  Caleb knocked on the heavy wooden door, with a trembling hand.

          “Come in,” was the reply from the other side.  Caleb nervously pushed the door open and stepped inside.  Mr. Meyers sat at his desk across the room.  A large record book lay open in front of him and he carefully wrote in its grids.  When Caleb stepped in, he looked up.  “Good evening, Caleb.”

          “I’d like to speak with you a moment, if you don’t mind.”

          “Of course,” he replied with a grin, putting his pin down.  “What is it?”

          “It’s about Elizabeth.”

          Mr. Meyer’s face grew concerned.  “Is there a problem?” he asked motioning for Caleb to sit down.

          “No, of course not,” Caleb took a seat in front of the desk.  His heart raced and his stomach knotted tightly.

          “Well, then what is it?”

          “Elizabeth and I…” he paused and swallowed hard.  He knew he could not turn back now.  “Elizabeth and I have been seeing each other for a while now, courting of sorts I suppose you would say, and…” Mr. Meyers’ expression went from concerned to slightly shocked and irritated.  He glared over the top of his narrow reading spectacles, and listened to see what else Caleb would tell.

          “Well, Elizabeth and I have grown very fond of one another.”  Mr. Meyers grew pink then, red in the face.  Caleb, thought for a moment, he could almost see the steam coming out of the man’s ears as his expression became more and more distraught with every word.  Caleb’s heart began to race so fast, it felt as though it may leap from his chest.  “She has decided…umm…we have decided…we…we…we want to marry.” 

          Mr. Meyers slammed his book closed.  “No!”  He bellowed.  “How dare you ask for such a thing!”

          He sprang to his feet and leaned over the desk.  “This will not happen!” he yelled in Caleb’s face.  “My daughter will not marry you.  It is bad enough you come to me with word that you have been courting her behind my back.  How devious you have been, stealing her innocence while I was occupied with business.  Now…now you are asking me to give my precious child away…to you.  I will not allow it!”  He panted heavily. 

Mr. Meyers moved quickly for his corner gun cabinet. 

Caleb jumped to his feet and backed toward the door as Mr. Meyers spun around and aimed his rifle at him. 

“You son-a-b***h!  I brought you into my home and treated you like family and you stab me in the back.  Elizabeth is an innocent child.  She is fourteen years old and is not to be taken from me by a filthy farm boy.  You stupid son-a-b***h!  Get the hell out of my house and off my property!  I’ll blow your head off your shoulders if you ever come near my daughter again!”

          “Father!”  Elizabeth screamed from the door, where she had silently appeared without either of their knowledge.  “Father, no!  I want to marry him!”

          “Elizabeth, get out of here!”  Mr. Meyers demanded. 

          Elizabeth stepped between him and Caleb.  “I will not!  I love him and we will be married!”

          “Elizabeth, leave immediately!” he demanded again.

          “William, what is going on in there?”  Mrs. Meyers called down the hall, her voice growing closer.

          “Elizabeth!”  Mr. Meyers yelled sternly.

          “William? Oh, my…” Mrs. Meyers stepped in through the doorway. “Elizabeth, come out of there!”  She directed hysterically.

          Caleb turned and ran from the room. 

“Caleb!”  He heard Elizabeth call behind him, but he did not stop.  He ran down the hall, down the stairs, and out the door, the whole time Elizabeth calling behind him.  He did not slow down until he was half way to town.  It was dark now and in town only a few people walked the streets.  He reached into his pockets and pulled out a small roll of bills.  Nearby was a hotel where he was able to get a room for the night, and reflect on what had occurred.

 

          He was unable, however, to sleep the entire night.  He just lay in the darkness and thought.  He thought it might be easier if he just set out for the next town.  Mr. Meyers had influence all over Boston and Caleb knew once word was out that he had betrayed him, it would be impossible to find work.  If he left, he thought, what would happen to Elizabeth?  He knew as soon as she had the chance she would come looking for him.  She was a girl of strong will and he knew, in his heart and gut, that she would not give up so easily.  Besides, he could not just leave her.  Then he thought, if he stayed in Boston where and how would he live.  He could make it on his own without money, or on very little at least.  He still had his guns.  Perhaps not the most appropriate hunting weapon, but he could still make do with what he had.  The real question was where to stay.  While the weather was warm it would be no problem to simply “sleep under stars”, but winter could be rough.  He remembered his father’s cabin but did not know if it was still standing or even if he could still remember where to find it.  His father’s old horse that had known the trip so well was long dead and he was now on foot.

          The sun rose casting its orange glow on the room.  He got out of bed, dressed, and went out into the street.  The city was waking up.  Wagons and buggies passed in the street as people came into town for their day’s business.

          “Caleb,” he heard a voice say.  He turned and saw Jim Atkins coming toward him.  “What are you doin’ out here so early?  Not planning on making more trouble for us I hope,” he said jokingly.

          “No. I stayed here last night.  Meyers run me off.”

          Jim’s smile faded.  “What you do?”

          “I got too close to his daughter.”

          Jim shook his head.  “Ain’t she a little young for ya anyway?”

          “Only by four years.  My pa was ten years older my ma.  She was fifteen years old when she married him.  And her pa gave her away to my pa proudly.  Course ma and pa were the same kind of people.  Let’s face it, I’m not a damn thing like Meyers.  Don’t come from the same kind of people as him.  I never did figure he would be willing to let his daughter marry a man like me.  I just fell for her.”

          Jim nodded his head, as if he understood.  “Well what you plannin’ on doin’ now?  Gonna be goin’ or what?”

          “Don’t know.  My pa had a cabin a ways out of town.  I was thinking about going there and seeing if it’s still there.  I might stay there for awhile.”

          “Where is it?”
          “Not sure I remember exactly.  It’s been a while since I’ve been there.  I left home when I was thirteen and haven’t been back.  I don’t even have a horse.  Going to be one hell of a walk.”

          “Well, I could get you a horse,” Jim told him.

          “I don’t want to be any trouble.  I’ve caused enough of that lately.”

          “It wouldn’t be no trouble.”

          “I sure appreciate it.  I never thought I’d be headed back out to that old cabin.”  He thought a moment, and then went on, half to himself.  “Pa built that cabin with his bare hands.  He and ma raised me and my brother there.”

          “From what I hear, your pa was a good man.”

          “What you know about him?”  Caleb asked, surprised to hear Jim knew anything about his father.

          “Well not much.  Meyers sure spoke high of him.”

          Caleb looked at him with further surprise.  “What’s he been saying about my pa?”

          “Well he said your pa was one hell of a fighter.”

          “He fought for Meyers?”

          “Well sure.  This here fight’s been goin’ on since before I was much more’n a boy.  Back then, both sides had damn good fighters.  Your pa was one of Meyers’ best.  Butler’s men were a force to be reckoned with too I hear.  Course that was when he had to hire men to do the fightin’ on account of his boys bein’ too young.  Now he’s got his boys fightin’ for him.  You might expect emotions and kinship to talk louder than money to a stranger, but you’d be surprised to find those boys of his just ain’t in it like that.  They’re all about their own glory and this fight ain’t given them none, seeing as it’s Butler who’s getting on the blame or praise for what happens.  Well, anyway, Meyers spoke damn high of you too.  Said you was just like your father.  Could hold a whole gang off and never get shot.  Never back down neither.  Your pa held his own in a fight.  I figured you’d known what kinda man your pa was.”

          “Ma died when I was young and he was never around much after that.  My brother and me just saw him when he came in from work in the evenings.  He never talked.  Usually to damn drunk to even know we was there.  He died when I was thirteen.  Come to think of it, we were told he was killed in a fight.”

          “What I hear, that was one hell of a fight.”

          “What you know about that fight?”

          “Well I don’t really know how it came about.  I wasn’t there for the fight.  I hadn’t been fightin’ for Meyers long.  He was supposed to have held that Butler gang off purty damn good though.  Hell, he was outnumbered four to one.  Still managed to shoot down two before beenin’ shot full of holes.  And the poor b*****d still didn’t die right off.”  He paused and examined Caleb’s face.  “Well, s**t, that’s your pa I’m talkin’ about.  I shouldn’t of gotten so carried away.  Don’t guess you wanted to hear all that.”

          “I asked you to tell me, and you did.  No hard feelings.”

          “Well, it’s no wonder Meyers sent for you after your pa died.  Sent a couple more of his men out for you and your brother.  Guess they got you the message seein’ as you came out afterward.  One of them men was shot all to hell the next morning.  Mr. Meyers didn’t seem to think you would be comin’ but I guess they got you that message before Butler’s men got to him.”