Chapter 31 - Search High and Low

Caleb finds work and searches for his family.

          Caleb unrolled his bedding and spread it out on the cold dirt floor.  He laid down slowly, groaning in pain, and rested on his stomach, his good arm folded under his head.  He laid in the darkness for what may have been hours, listening to silence and the occasional thud of Frank’s boots on the wooden floor above him.

          Finally he Caleb dosed off to sleep.   In what seemed like no more than a moment, a blinding light shined in Caleb’s face as the outside cellar door was swung open.  The sunlight glared through an opening in the trees at the rear of the cabin and into the small underground room.  Caleb squinted and looked up at two dark figures standing over the opening.

          “There he is!” One of the men exclaimed.  “I knew we’d find the b*****d here.”

          The two men came quickly down the dusty stairs toward him.

          “You thought you could hide from me?”  One asked Caleb.  As his eyes adjusted to the light, Caleb recognized the man to be Matt Butler.  “You should know by now, that no matter where you go, a Butler will always find you.”  Butler chuckled devilishly as he reached down and grabbed Caleb by the arm.

          Caleb screamed in agony as his wounded arm was yanked and twisted recklessly behind him. 

          Matt Butler pushed him from behind, never loosing his hold on Caleb’s arm, and forced him up the stairs and out into the daylight.

          Caleb squinted and looked around.  As his eyes became accustomed to the light he could see a dozen men gathered around with rifles in hand.

          “Let’s claim our prize, boys,” Butler told him.  “Bart, you do the honors.”

          Caleb was pushed forward as Butler stepped out of the way.  He fell onto his knees in the dirt.

          One man with his arm bandaged, stepped forward.  He lifted his pistol out of its holster and put the cold barrel against Caleb’s forehead.

          “Not in the head,” Butler demanded.  “We need a clear identification.”

          The man knelt down and dug the gun deep into Caleb’s gut.  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes tight.

          “Tell her I’m sorry,” Caleb muttered.

          “What?!”

          “He opened his eyes and looked desperately to Butler.  “Tell Elizabeth, I’m sorry.  I never meant it to be this way.”

          “Bang!”

          The cabin rattled.

          Caleb awoke instantly and leapt to his feet.  He shook off the disorientation from awaking to fast, and grabbed his gun in one hand and his cane in the other.  Then in the darkness he felt his way to the stairs leading up into the cabin.  He crept quietly up the stairs and stood listening, his ear pressed to the door.

          Jess was home from town and he spoke forcefully in his drunken stupor.

          “That son-a-b***h done shot Butler now!” he told Frank.  “You can jus’ ‘bout bet when that goddamn son-a-b***h brother o’ his comes this way they gonna be lookin’ fer us too.”

          “Caleb didn’t do it like the paper’s claimin’.”

          “How you know so goddamn much?  You been talkin’ to tha son-a-b***h?  Ya seen him an’ ya ain’t shoot him fer what he done to you an’ me an’ what this bullshit might do ta us?  We coulda drug him ta town an’ collected on that reward.”

          “You go on to bed now,” Frank directed.  “We’ll talk about all this in the mornin’ when you sober up.  I ain’t talkin’ to you when you’re so goddamn drunk.”

          “I ain’t drunk,” Jess slurred.  “Jus’ gettin' started.”  Then as if forgetting where he was in converstation, “Five-hundred dollars each if we got him.  Five-hundred each, Frank.”

          “I know.  Now get yerself off to bed.”

          “I jus’ need another drink or two is all.” 

Caleb heard him as he moved toward the cellar door.  He moved quickly down the stairs and stepped further into the darkness.

          “You don’t need more to drink,” Frank insisted.  “Now just get yerself off to bed.”

          “Get the hell outta muh way,” Jess demanded irritably.  “You wanna get yerself shot?”

          “You wouldn’t shoot yer own brother?”

          “Ya know that do ya?  Ya wanna try me,” Jess dared.  He turned the doorknob and yanked the cellar door open.

          Caleb moved further backward, trying to stay out of view, but bumped into a rack of liquor.  One of the bottles toppled off the shelf and crashed to the floor.

          “Who’s there?” Jess demanded, putting his hand on his pistol.

          “Jess…” Frank tried to push between his brother and the doorway.

          Jess raised his gun and squinted into the darkness to identify the man or beast lurking in the shadows.  “Who’s there?” he demanded again.  “I’ll blow yer head off!”

          “Now, Jess…” Frank tried again.

          Caleb tossed his pistol to the floor and it landed in the dirt at the bottom of the stairs.  He put his hands up and slowly walked forward toward Jess.  “It’s me, Jess,” He told him.  “It’s Caleb.  Don’t shoot.  Let’s just talk this out like men.”

          Jess pulled back on the hammer with a click that echoed through the small room.  He took a wobbly step down on the first plank of the stairs, never lowering his weapon.

          “Jess,” Frank said sternly.  “Now just put down the gun and go off to bed.  We can settle this in the mornin’.”

          “Jus’ get tha hell back, Frank,” Jess warned.  “I’m gonna finish what you didn’t.”

          Jess took another step down the stairs.

          “Now, let’s just talk this through,” Caleb told him.  “You wouldn’t shoot an unarmed man, would you?”

          Jess took another wobbly step, not lowering his gun.  His foot slid out from under him as he put it down on the next plank and he lost his balance.  He fell backwards and landed hard on the stairs.  The gun went off and the shot went through the cabin’s floor.  There was a crash in the room upstairs, followed by a flash of light and then pitch-black darkness.

          “Now look what you went and did this time,” Frank told Jess.  “Shot out the lantern.  Damn good thing it didn’t have much kerosene in it or the whole cabin might have gone up.”

         

          Caleb was awoken in the morning as Frank came down the stairs into the cellar. 

          “I had a word with Jess about your situation,” Frank told him.

          Caleb sat up slowly.  “Well, what’s he say.”

          “I talked him into lettin’ you stay.  We’re goin’ to be out lookin’ for work today.  You’d better stay down here and rest up.  At least until the doc says it’s ok to move about.  We’ll listen for word on your family, as well.  Let you know if we find out anything.”

          “I sure appreciate it,” Caleb told him.

          “I talked Jess into lettin’ you stay, but I can’t talk him outta bein’ sore toward you.  Just for the time bein’ it might be best to stay outta the boys way.  He’ll come through in time.”

          “Sure,” Caleb said with a nod.

 

          Caleb remained a recluse for a couple of more weeks.  The doctor finally told him his wounds were healed enough to allow him to work again.  He then began his daily search for his family, scouring the countryside for any sign of them.

          The hostility between Jess and Caleb finally began to fade.  Jess became more willing to help Caleb hide out from Matt Butler as well as help him track down his family.

          Then, one evening, Frank came to Caleb with word of a new work opportunity.

          “We ran into an ol’ boy from the dock this afternoon,” Frank told Caleb.  “You remember ol’ Marcus Jenkins?”

          “Sure do,” Caleb confirmed.  “What he have to say?”

          “He’s startin’ up a livery stable just this side of the city.  On the road between town and the dock.  Says he needs a few hands to help build the barn, fences, corral, dig a well, and so on.  Says he ain’t got much money to give us just yet.  Not until business starts up and he starts bringin’ a profit and all, but says he’s wife’ll set us up with a nice home cooked meal every night at least.  He’s a good ol’ boy and he’ll do us right either way.  He said you’re more than welcome to a job.”

          “Just keep the fightin’ away from the job,” Jess spoke up as he came into the room.  “You lose me another good job and I will shot you.”

          “You ain’t got to worry about nothin’,” Caleb told them.  “I’ll take him up on the offer.  Gotta get some money together for when I get my family back.”

          Frank and Jess looked at him skeptically.

          “Marcus also said he might need some help runnin’ the stables when business picks up.  There’s a good job for us for some time.” Frank told him.  “When business gets up and runnin’ we’ll be gettin' a cut of the profit.”

          “Just come up with us in the mornin’,” Jess told Caleb.  “He wants to get started as soon as possible.”

          Caleb, Frank, and Jess began to work for Marcus Jenkins the following morning.  They worked throughout the day and as the sun sank in the western sky Marcus’ wife, Luanne, rang the dinner bell.  The men shuffled quickly off from their work and to the house for dinner. 

Luanne stood on the back porch of the house, with her hands on her hips, when the men arrived.  “You boys washed up?” she asked.  They looked up at her a bit ashamed.  “Well, then go to the well and get yourselves cleaned up,” She directed.  “Marcus, is Jeremy with you?”

“No, Luanne, I ain’t seen him in a couple of hours at least.  Figured he was up here at the house.”

“Oh, that boy of yours,” she sighed.  “Always getting himself in trouble like his daddy.”

Marcus shook his head and chuckled to himself as they walked to the well.  After he washed his hands and face in the cool water, he stepped out to the edge of the yard.  He cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed, “Jeremy, dinner time!”

A moment later a small boy emerged from a wooded area near the edge of the yard, followed by a large black dog.

“Get yourself cleaned up for your momma,” Marcus told him.

“Can Ralph come in too?”  The boy asked, looking up at his dad.

“Animals don’t belong in the house.  Now hurry and get cleaned up.”

“Yes sir,” the boy answered.  The dog followed close behind him and let out a couple of short whimpers.  “I tried,” he told the dog.

Marcus met the other men at the back porch.  “Any of you boys have little ones?”  He asked as they went into the house. 

“I have three,” Caleb told him, looking to the floor.

“Well, then I suppose you know what a handful they can be.”

“I suppose so,”  he answered after a moment.

Marcus led the men into a small room with a long table in the middle of it.  At one end of the room sat a cast iron stove, with two large pots sitting on top.  Luanne and a girl, about ten years old, were finishing the job of setting the table.  Two other children, about five and three years old sat patiently in their chairs at the table.

Caleb focused on the girl who helped her mother.  He was suddenly lost in an old memory of Elizabeth at that same age.  He remembered her golden curls hanging down her back and her sparkling blue eyes.  A knot formed in his stomach.  His thoughts then shifted to his daughter, Hannah, who was a spitting image of her mother.  He began to feel sick to his stomach as the images of his family flooded his mind.  Jeremy squeezed past him in the doorway and rushed to the table, shaking him from his thoughts in an instant.

Caleb took a seat at the table with the Jess and Frank. 

Marcus stood at the head of the table and waited for everyone to be seated, then went about introducing everyone.  “Everyone, this here is Caleb, Jess, and Frank.”

The children all said “Hello,” quietly and in unison.

Marcus continued, “They’ll be working for me for a while, so they’ll be around here most days.  They’ll be having dinner with us most evenings as well.”  He paused a moment, then continued, “Boys this is my family.  You met my wife, Luanne, earlier today.”

Luanne bowed her head slightly and smiled at the men.

“This is my oldest boy, Jeremy.  That there is James,” he said motioning to the boy of about five years old.  “That is Isaiah and that is Ruth.”  He took a seat and then looked to the men.  “You boys are our guests, so…how ‘bout you give grace tonight, Frank?”

Frank sat frozen a moment, his eyes wide.  “Well...well I wouldn’t know where to begin,” he told Marcus. 

“Just say what’s on your mind,” Luanne told him with an encouraging smile.  “The Lord won’t mind none.  Just as long as you try.  He’ll understand.”

“Well…alright then,” Frank said somewhat reluctantly. 

The family bowed their heads and closed their eyes.  Frank took a deep breath and looked to Jess as if asking for help.  Jess smiled crookedly and lowered his head as everyone else had.

“Well, Lord,” Frank started.  “You know I ain’t much of a prayin’ man so please forgive my clumsiness.  Thank you for allowin’ Marcus to hire us up for this job.  My brother and Caleb and I sure appreciate it.  Thank you also for this lovely meal and this lovely family we have to share it with this evening.  Amen.”  Frank lifted his head and looked around.

The family followed with a soft and mellow, “Amen,” and raised their heads.

“That was just lovely,” Luanne told him with a smile.  “Now wasn’t it children?”

“Yes ma’am,” they chimed.

Frank sat up straight and smiled widely.

“Now let’s eat,” Marcus told them, and they began to pass the bowls around the table and fill their plates.

After dinner was eaten, the men thanked Luanne for the meal and then went on their way.  They spent the remainder of the evening in the city, hoping to gather more information on the whereabouts of Caleb’s family.  This became their daily routine.  They would work for Marcus from sun up until Luanne rang the dinner bell and after dinner they would head out in search of Caleb’s family, returning back at the cabin late into the night.

 

Several months passed and Caleb had still not learned of where his family was staying.  He was becoming increasingly hopeless, feeling he would never find them.  The likelihood that Elizabeth and the children had been taken back to Boston was becoming quite evident in his mind. 

One afternoon, while the men were working, the subject of Caleb’s family arose in conversation. 

“I read about that incident with Daniel Butler a while back,” Marcus told them, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt.

The men all paused and looked to Marcus with surprise. 

“You knew about all that?” Frank asked.

“Well, only what the papers told.  I didn’t really figure there was much to it though.  The Harold is always stretching the truth ‘til there ain’t much truth left in it.  Besides that, I remember the kind of trouble you boys had with him out at the dock.  Seein’ what hell he was givin’ you out there it just didn’t seem too likely that it happened that way.”

          “It sure didn’t,” Caleb told him, returning to his work.

          “Well just how’d things go?”  Marcus asked.  “If you don’t mind me askin’ that is.”

          “Don’t mind.  It’s kinda nice to finally clear the air about it.  With someone at least.  Get the real truth out there instead of the bullshit the Butlers are tellin’,” he took a breath and then continued.  “Well, I supposed I’d have to start at the beginnin’.”

          Marcus nodded.

          “I grew up near Boston.  When my pa died I went to work for a rich b*****d by the name of William Meyers.  His daughter was the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen and I fell for her instantly.  Of course he wasn’t too happy about that.  I was just a poor ol’ laborer’s boy and she was from one of the most prominent families in the area.  I found out the hard way what trouble it can be to fall for a girl of wealth and privilege.”

          “I can certainly understand that,” Marcus told him.  “Luanne was brought up in an upper class family and I was a poor merchant’s son.  Her father was not very pleased with our marriage himself.  The truth is, he still is not fond of me.”

          “Well, when ol’ Meyers found out I was courtin’ his daughter he kicked me off the property.  She ran off shortly after and we went and got married without his blessing.  To make things worse, Elizabeth’s mother was the younger sister of Daniel Butler’s father.”

          “So you’re married to that b*****d’s cousin?” Marcus asked with surprise.

          Caleb nodded.  “We’ll Butler and Meyers had this feud goin’ on.  Was goin’ on long before I came to work for him in fact.  Of course to the Butler’s, however, I was workin’ for the wrong side so they already had a natural dislike for me.  Then to be a poor boy running off and marrying one of their own…” Caleb shook his head, as he thought.  “Those Butler’s have been after me ever since.  One of Elizabeth’s uncle’s, a Meyers, lived here near the city when we got up this way.  There was a fire at their house a couple of years ago and a couple of them died.  They were caring for Elizabeth’s mother, so after the fire her family came to take her back to Boston.  That’s when they found I was here.  Butler set up down here so he could ‘keep an eye on’ me.  That’s when all the trouble started with him.  That day we got into it down on the dock, he took my family from my cabin and hid them off somewhere.”  Caleb stopped and thought a moment.  “I only went up there to his place to find them, or at least find out where they were.  When I got there, Butler wasn’t around so I decided to wait for him.  When he found out I was on his place, he and his men opened all hell on me.  I shot Butler out of self-defense.”

          “I rode up on Caleb, here, the next mornin’.  He’s lucky he made it,” Frank told Marcus.  “He was shot up real bad.”

          “You find your family yet?” Marcus asked.

          Caleb looked to the ground and shook his head.  “Not yet.  Haven’t even heard word about them.  I have my fears that they were taken back to Boston.  If that is so, I may never see them again.”

          “If you don’t mind,” Marcus began.  “Luanne still maintains many of her social connections in the city, attending social events and such.  Did you say your wife’s name is Elizabeth?”

          “Yes, it is Elizabeth,” Caleb confirmed. 

          “I can have her ask around and see if she can find out anything from the women she speaks with.”

“I would sure appreciate it if she can find out something.”

          “Just be careful Luanne doesn’t disclose Caleb’s whereabouts or intentions,” Jess added.  “We don’t need a lynch mob gatherin’ up at our place.”

          “I’ll be real careful,” Marcus reassured.  “I don’t need no lynch mob formin’ on my land either.  I sure, don’t want to put my family in any trouble.”

          Luanne stepped onto the back porch of the house and began to ring a large brass bell that hung suspended from a bracket on one of the porch’s support beams.  “Dinner, boys!” she called.

          “I’ll talk with her about it this evening after she puts the children to bed.”

 

The next day, as the men worked, Luanne and Ruth treaded across the large yard to their workplace, carrying a basket and a pitcher. 

          “You boys have time for a break?”  She asked as she approached them. 

          “Oh, yes ma’am,” Frank told her with a big smile.

          “What you got there in that basket?” Jess asked with a grin.

          Luanne pulled back the cover and revealed a pile of golden biscuits. 

Frank leaned forward to look into the basket and seeing its contents, he licked his lips.  “That sure looks good.”

“Well dig in, boys, there’s plenty,” Luanne told them.  “I have you some lemonade to wash it down with too.”  She took the pitcher from Ruth’s arms.  “Go back up to the house and watch your brothers.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ruth told her mother.  She turned and ran back toward the house.

          “Caleb,” she said turning toward him.  “Marcus told me about your unfortunate situation.  I believe I may be able to help a bit.  I am actually somewhat acquainted with your wife, Elizabeth.  She is staying in the home of a lovely lady I have tea with on Wednesday afternoons.  I met her briefly several times.  I haven’t seen her in about two months, however.  The last time I saw her, she was beginning to show.”

          “Show?”  Caleb asked bewildered.

          Luanne looked gently into his eyes.  “You didn’t know?  She’s expecting.  You have another child on the way.”

          Shock came over Caleb.  A lump formed in his throat and he was unable to utter any sound.

          “It has been a while since the last time I saw her,” Luanne told him.  “I still speak with her mistress, however, so I will find out this Wednesday if she is still staying there and how she is doing.”

          “Thank you,” Caleb choked.

 

          Several days later, Marcus reported on Luanne’s investigation.

          “Luanne spoke with Elizabeth’s caretaker yesterday,” he told Caleb.

          Caleb stopped in his tracks.  “What did she say?”

          “Elizabeth is staying with her former employer’s sister, Janie Bell.  Luanne said she is doing fine, but they have her on light duty at the moment so she doesn’t have any problems.  The children are also doing well.”

          “Where are they?  Where is Ms. Bell’s home?”

          “The Bell’s have a home about a half a days ride up the river from O’Connor’s dock,” Marcus told him.  “It is a large estate.”

          “Thank you,” he told Marcus.  “Tell Luanne I thank her as well.  I think I am goin’ to skip dinner tonight.  I need to ride up there and see my family.”

          “It’s a half a days ride,” Marcus told him again.  “If you were to go, it would be best if you just waited until morning to go.  Make the trip in the daylight.”

          “Would you give me the day off?  So I can see my family again?”

          “I’ll let you take the day if you need to.  I wouldn’t want my family kept from me either.  Just be careful.  I’m sure her family is keeping a watch out for you.”

          “I’m sure Matt Butler has a whole load of men waitin’ for me up there.  I’ll watch out for them,” Caleb told Marcus reassuringly.