couple of Indian attacks and a
partially burnt out floor left Sam with an idea that Comanches had
raided the place a couple of times.
“ Not much of a place, but we can rest up here for a while,” Sam
said. “Looks like a norther blowing in. Looks like we’re gonna need
some shelter before long.”
Riley
nodded.
He walked
around the shack and opened a cellar door around the side. “Got a
storm cellar too. And looks like we found a little food here. It’s
all canned goods, but we can take some.”
“ I
hate storm cellars; they are so dark, and there are spiders and
sometimes snakes in them.” Riley shivered visibly.
“ Well, you may hate them, but if the weather is bad enough you
might be glad of it,” Sam informed her none too gently.
“ I’m sorry, but I was bitten once…” Riley offered her
excuse.
“ By
a snake?”
“ Yes, dad had shoved me into the cellar when a bad storm came
up and he’d gone to check the stock, and there was a rattler down
there just waiting. With no doc around, I almost died. Old Gordy,
he fixed me up though. He had some Indian cure and it
worked.”
“ Gordy?”
“ Yeah, the hired hand I told you about that I trusted so
much.”
“ That must have been a real experience. But your dad and this
Gordy took care of you…?”
“ Yeah, I was pretty sick for a while, but I healed up. I was
about ten when it happened.”
“ Look, I agree they aren’t the best places to be, but we do
what we have to do in an emergency,” Sam added.
“ Yeah, but at least you know why I don’t like these kinds of
places.”
“ I
guess I do. We won’t go down unless we have to,” Sam promised.
“Besides, Nodog can sniff out a place better than any two legged
animal. If there are snakes there, we’ll know it before we go
inside.”
“ Good. I trust your dog.” She glanced at Nodog who eyed her
then wagged his tail.
Sam went
around the back and found a well. He raised the bucket and pulled
the ladle from the handle. He trickled the water on his face then
opened his mouth and tasted it. It was cool and sweet. He poured
some into his hat and let Nodog have a drink then he did the same
for his horse that he hobbled out back.
“ We’re in luck. I can make some coffee.” He proceeded to take
the bucket inside. “Looks like they left a trunk of stuff here too.
Go through it and see if there is anything we can use. Cut some of
it into bandages with this knife and we’ll bind you up
soon.”
“ All right.”
Finding some
twigs, he scrounged up enough for a fire in the old stove inside
the partially burnt out cabin. He dug his bag of coffee out of his
saddle bags and made a pot in an old burnt up pot he found near the
stove. He had a can of peaches in his bag and took them
out.
He saw the
huge pile of bandages she made and he told her to go stuff them
into the saddle bags.
“ After I doctor you again,” she insisted.
“ I
don’t need doctorin’,” he insisted.
“ We’ll see about that; now take your shirt off, Sam,” she
instructed.
“ Look, I got things to worry about other than that right
now…”
“ Maybe you do, but this comes first. I don’t want you comin’
down sick on me, Sam. It won’t take long,” she promised.
“ Good grief girl, I ain’t gonna get sick on you.” Sam finally
shucked the shirt, and Riley dug out the aloe and began running it
over him gently. He barely flinched, but she saw goosebumps on his
arms and smiled.
He saw her
look and he shrugged. “It’s cold.”
When she
doctored his chest, he couldn’t stop staring at her. She ignored
him ‘til she was done, then looked up at him with innocent eyes.
“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it? And you remembered to keep the
shirt off for a while.”
He kept
staring at her for so long, she turned pink.
“ It’s healing up good.” She cleared her throat.
“ Let’s check the area for things we might need,” he suggested
as he started to put the shirt back on.
“
partially burnt out floor left Sam with an idea that Comanches had
raided the place a couple of times.
“ Not much of a place, but we can rest up here for a while,” Sam
said. “Looks like a norther blowing in. Looks like we’re gonna need
some shelter before long.”
Riley
nodded.
He walked
around the shack and opened a cellar door around the side. “Got a
storm cellar too. And looks like we found a little food here. It’s
all canned goods, but we can take some.”
“ I
hate storm cellars; they are so dark, and there are spiders and
sometimes snakes in them.” Riley shivered visibly.
“ Well, you may hate them, but if the weather is bad enough you
might be glad of it,” Sam informed her none too gently.
“ I’m sorry, but I was bitten once…” Riley offered her
excuse.
“ By
a snake?”
“ Yes, dad had shoved me into the cellar when a bad storm came
up and he’d gone to check the stock, and there was a rattler down
there just waiting. With no doc around, I almost died. Old Gordy,
he fixed me up though. He had some Indian cure and it
worked.”
“ Gordy?”
“ Yeah, the hired hand I told you about that I trusted so
much.”
“ That must have been a real experience. But your dad and this
Gordy took care of you…?”
“ Yeah, I was pretty sick for a while, but I healed up. I was
about ten when it happened.”
“ Look, I agree they aren’t the best places to be, but we do
what we have to do in an emergency,” Sam added.
“ Yeah, but at least you know why I don’t like these kinds of
places.”
“ I
guess I do. We won’t go down unless we have to,” Sam promised.
“Besides, Nodog can sniff out a place better than any two legged
animal. If there are snakes there, we’ll know it before we go
inside.”
“ Good. I trust your dog.” She glanced at Nodog who eyed her
then wagged his tail.
Sam went
around the back and found a well. He raised the bucket and pulled
the ladle from the handle. He trickled the water on his face then
opened his mouth and tasted it. It was cool and sweet. He poured
some into his hat and let Nodog have a drink then he did the same
for his horse that he hobbled out back.
“ We’re in luck. I can make some coffee.” He proceeded to take
the bucket inside. “Looks like they left a trunk of stuff here too.
Go through it and see if there is anything we can use. Cut some of
it into bandages with this knife and we’ll bind you up
soon.”
“ All right.”
Finding some
twigs, he scrounged up enough for a fire in the old stove inside
the partially burnt out cabin. He dug his bag of coffee out of his
saddle bags and made a pot in an old burnt up pot he found near the
stove. He had a can of peaches in his bag and took them
out.
He saw the
huge pile of bandages she made and he told her to go stuff them
into the saddle bags.
“ After I doctor you again,” she insisted.
“ I
don’t need doctorin’,” he insisted.
“ We’ll see about that; now take your shirt off, Sam,” she
instructed.
“ Look, I got things to worry about other than that right
now…”
“ Maybe you do, but this comes first. I don’t want you comin’
down sick on me, Sam. It won’t take long,” she promised.
“ Good grief girl, I ain’t gonna get sick on you.” Sam finally
shucked the shirt, and Riley dug out the aloe and began running it
over him gently. He barely flinched, but she saw goosebumps on his
arms and smiled.
He saw her
look and he shrugged. “It’s cold.”
When she
doctored his chest, he couldn’t stop staring at her. She ignored
him ‘til she was done, then looked up at him with innocent eyes.
“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it? And you remembered to keep the
shirt off for a while.”
He kept
staring at her for so long, she turned pink.
“ It’s healing up good.” She cleared her throat.
“ Let’s check the area for things we might need,” he suggested
as he started to put the shirt back on.
“
Similar Books
