rule.
And why wouldn’t he, when superstitious men like Olmun and Tay Nashoba and two dozen others plus a wagonload of silly women, too, believed that he was a shaman and a damned
alikchi
, into the bargain?
Jacob’s blood fairly boiled.
“I’d like to send him and that cat straight to hell,” he muttered.
“Where’s the coyote?” Phillips said.
“I hope it died. Then maybe everybody’ll come to their senses and stop saying that his stupid animals are spirits and that he’s got powers.”
“According to him, they’re not his animals, remember?” Phillips murmured sarcastically.
“I’ll make him wish he had admitted the truth,” Jacob muttered, “that he’s got no more powers than a bessie-bug. I aim to encourage the crowd saying he’s got evil powers, though, because I want him gone. If they kill him as a witch, so much the better.”
They watched in silence as the ignorant throwback to a red savage—his hair was tied in two braids this morning, for God’s sake!—and his mountain cat began to angle toward the board sidewalk and Brown’s General Store on the opposite side of the street.
“Looks like he’s headed to Brown’s for his monthly supplies,” Phillips said.
Jacob clenched his jaw.
“Let’s hope he keeps on trading with Brown after our mercantile opens. If he comes in our store, I can’t say what I might do. I’m liable to leap over the counter and strangle him.”
Phillips laughed, long and loud. The white bastard actually laughed at him, Jacob Charley!
“Don’t be attacking our customers, now. We need all of ‘em we can get if we’re gonna pay for this building, remember?”
“We’ll have this building paid for in no time,” Jacob said sharply, “remember?”
At least I will
.
How could Phillips make such a simpleminded remark when they both had the extra money coming from the Boomers? Phillips was stupid, that was the truth, and Jacob Charley and his business would be better off when the white turnip-head was gone.
But irritating as Phillips was, he couldn’t hold Jacob’s attention for long. His vision swam, he was staring so hard at the scene across the street. The woods rat andhis big cat stepped up onto the boardwalk and vanished into Brown’s Store. Imagine! Taking a dangerous animal into a business establishment! Brown ought to throw him out and not hesitate about it.
He ought to be wiped off the face of the earth. At the very least, he ought to be scared out of showing his ugly face in town, arrogant fake that he is
.
When that thought hit him, the plan began to form in Jacob’s mind almost faster than he could sort it out, and he spoke even before it was finished.
“William!” he shouted. “William Sowers!”
It took a moment, but then the man came bursting in through the open back door of the building and running toward Jacob with a deep look of concern on his face.
Jacob’s chest swelled. The builder certainly wanted to please him, and he liked that.
“Go into Brown’s and find that medicine man woods walker. Give him my invitation to come see our building—the first brick building in Tuskahoma—and to talk to me. I need to speak with him.”
Phillips stared at him, alarmed.
“Now, Jacob, what do you have in mind? What’re you planning?”
Jacob felt a great surge of anger. The arrogant white-eyes actually had the nerve to question him in front of an employee!
He clamped his lips together tightly and sent William on his way with a commanding gesture.
“I thought you were going to grab the medicine man and hit him at supper last night, abuse of the Chief’s and Miss Emily’s hospitality or not,” Phillips said worriedly. “I don’t hanker to be a party to trouble, and we don’t need trouble here at our store.”
Jacob forced his pulse to slow and his words to come out light and cool.
“That’s why I want to talk to him. I’d better smooth over that disagreement from last evening—it didn’t set too well with Miss
And why wouldn’t he, when superstitious men like Olmun and Tay Nashoba and two dozen others plus a wagonload of silly women, too, believed that he was a shaman and a damned
alikchi
, into the bargain?
Jacob’s blood fairly boiled.
“I’d like to send him and that cat straight to hell,” he muttered.
“Where’s the coyote?” Phillips said.
“I hope it died. Then maybe everybody’ll come to their senses and stop saying that his stupid animals are spirits and that he’s got powers.”
“According to him, they’re not his animals, remember?” Phillips murmured sarcastically.
“I’ll make him wish he had admitted the truth,” Jacob muttered, “that he’s got no more powers than a bessie-bug. I aim to encourage the crowd saying he’s got evil powers, though, because I want him gone. If they kill him as a witch, so much the better.”
They watched in silence as the ignorant throwback to a red savage—his hair was tied in two braids this morning, for God’s sake!—and his mountain cat began to angle toward the board sidewalk and Brown’s General Store on the opposite side of the street.
“Looks like he’s headed to Brown’s for his monthly supplies,” Phillips said.
Jacob clenched his jaw.
“Let’s hope he keeps on trading with Brown after our mercantile opens. If he comes in our store, I can’t say what I might do. I’m liable to leap over the counter and strangle him.”
Phillips laughed, long and loud. The white bastard actually laughed at him, Jacob Charley!
“Don’t be attacking our customers, now. We need all of ‘em we can get if we’re gonna pay for this building, remember?”
“We’ll have this building paid for in no time,” Jacob said sharply, “remember?”
At least I will
.
How could Phillips make such a simpleminded remark when they both had the extra money coming from the Boomers? Phillips was stupid, that was the truth, and Jacob Charley and his business would be better off when the white turnip-head was gone.
But irritating as Phillips was, he couldn’t hold Jacob’s attention for long. His vision swam, he was staring so hard at the scene across the street. The woods rat andhis big cat stepped up onto the boardwalk and vanished into Brown’s Store. Imagine! Taking a dangerous animal into a business establishment! Brown ought to throw him out and not hesitate about it.
He ought to be wiped off the face of the earth. At the very least, he ought to be scared out of showing his ugly face in town, arrogant fake that he is
.
When that thought hit him, the plan began to form in Jacob’s mind almost faster than he could sort it out, and he spoke even before it was finished.
“William!” he shouted. “William Sowers!”
It took a moment, but then the man came bursting in through the open back door of the building and running toward Jacob with a deep look of concern on his face.
Jacob’s chest swelled. The builder certainly wanted to please him, and he liked that.
“Go into Brown’s and find that medicine man woods walker. Give him my invitation to come see our building—the first brick building in Tuskahoma—and to talk to me. I need to speak with him.”
Phillips stared at him, alarmed.
“Now, Jacob, what do you have in mind? What’re you planning?”
Jacob felt a great surge of anger. The arrogant white-eyes actually had the nerve to question him in front of an employee!
He clamped his lips together tightly and sent William on his way with a commanding gesture.
“I thought you were going to grab the medicine man and hit him at supper last night, abuse of the Chief’s and Miss Emily’s hospitality or not,” Phillips said worriedly. “I don’t hanker to be a party to trouble, and we don’t need trouble here at our store.”
Jacob forced his pulse to slow and his words to come out light and cool.
“That’s why I want to talk to him. I’d better smooth over that disagreement from last evening—it didn’t set too well with Miss
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