“ You what?!” asked Buck as he stood facing the small, frail looking woman in front of him.
“ I want you to kidnap my daughter,” she repeated softly as she nervously glanced around trying to be certain no one else had heard her.
“ Are you crazy, Lady?” Buck said as he started to back away from her.
“ No,” she said with a touch on panic in her voice. He was leaving and she was losing the one and only chance she had. She quickly reached out and grabbed his arm. “Please, listen to me,” she pleaded.
Buck froze. He couldn’t get away from her without drawing attention to them and he knew from experience that attention would only bring trouble. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and carefully studied the woman before him. As he looked at her, he noticed the panicked look in her eyes and what he thought may possibly be old bruises on her shoulders and wrist. He knew he’d regret this later, but something about the desperation in her face made him ask, “Why?”
“ They’ll hurt her if you don’t,” she whispered.
“ Who?” Buck inquired.
“ The boys,” she managed to say before turning deathly pale. Buck followed her gaze and saw that it rested upon a young man who had just entered the store. At first glance, he appeared to be around the same age as Buck and the other riders, but he seemed to be slightly older upon a second glance. As the man approached her, she tightened her grip on Buck’s arm. When he returned his gaze to her, she shook her head ever so slightly.
“ Mama, you about ready?” the young man said as he made his way to her side. He noticed the hand and turned to face Buck with the suspicion clearly evident on his face. “Everything alright?”
“ Everything’s fine, Henry,” she smiled. “This is Buck Cross. He’s the boy I was telling you and your brother about maybe being able to help us learn to communicate with the Indians. I was just asking if he’d be willing to come out and give us lessons.”
The look on Henry’s face softened a little. “And?” he asked.
“ Well,” Buck began as his mind raced to figure out how to play this. “I’d be happy to help. Why do you need to communicate with Indians?”
“ I didn’t get to explain our plans,” the woman quickly cut in. “I didn’t even tell him my name; I just accosted the young man and asked for his assistance.” She let go of Buck’s arm and took hold of Henry’s.
Henry smiled at her. “That’s my mama,” he said. “Always talking before she thinks it through.” He turned to face Buck. “Name’s Henry Miller. My older brother, Travis, and me want to set up a tradin’ post. When we was in town the other day, Emily, that’s our baby sister, noticed you talking to your friend. She pointed you out to Mama who asked around.” Henry stopped talking and glanced at the woman beside him. Then he continued, “Guess she decided to keep asking even though we told her we’d take care of it ourselves.”
Buck noticed the way the small woman cringed slightly at these words. He had also picked up on an ever so subtle change in demeanor from the man beside him. Buck said, “So you want to learn sign in order to deal fairly with the Indians you trade with?”
Henry smirked and then nodded. “Yeah, that’s it,” he said as he again looked at the woman next to him.
“ I’d be happy to help then,” said Buck. “I can’t today; I have things to do at the station, but I can come out early in the morning.”
“ That would be fine,” said Henry.
“ Where do I go?” asked Buck.
“ Out past the Jenkins’ farm,” said Henry as he turned to leave.
“ You mean the old mine?” asked Buck somewhat puzzled.
“ That’s right,” said Henry. “There’s an old house out there. We ain’t staying here long. Just time enough to get some supplies and figure out where’s the best location to build.”
Buck nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning then.” He turned to leave and join his friends as they finished up the shopping for the station.
“ Thank you,” said Mrs. Miller as Henry ushered her out of the store.
Buck simply nodded as they walked away.
As he joined the others, Emma came over to him, “You alright?”
“ Yes, Ma’am,” he answered hoping his face didn’t reveal all the feelings he was experiencing.
“ So, what was all that about? You know them?” Emma asked.
Buck shook his head, “They’re new to town. They’re planning on setting up a tradin’ post and want to be able to understand all their customers. They saw me and Ike talking’ and asked if I’d be willing to teach them sign. I told them I could, but that it would have to wait until the morning.” He glanced at Emma. “That’s alright, isn’t it?”
“ That’s fine,” said Emma with a smile. “I think it’s wonderful that you can help others understand the Indians better. Are you sure that’s all they wanted? You looked a bit troubled there for a few minutes.
“ I was just surprised at the way Mrs. Miller brought up the request,” Buck answered. He decided he needed to talk to Mrs. Miller alone again before he said anything about her original question or the nagging feeling he had that things weren’t exactly as they appeared when it came to the Miller family.
Emma nodded. “Let’s go then. Everyone is waiting on us.”
The next day, Buck made his way to the old mine. He vaguely remembered a run-down house near the main shaft entrance. As he approached, something told him to be careful. He slowed his horse and cautiously entered the yard area. Mrs. Miller came out the front door as Buck dismounted. “I’m so glad you made it,” she said. “The boys are just finishing up breakfast. They’ll be ready to start signing lessons directly. Please, come in.”
Buck secured his horse to the porch railing such as it was. “Thank you,” he said with a smile.
Mrs. Miller returned the smile as they entered the house. “This is Emily,” she said as he followed her inside.
Buck looked at the child sitting in front of him. She was a beautiful young lady, probably 12 or 13 years old. She smiled at him, but her big blue-green eyes held a look of fear that stopped him in his tracks. He hesitated a second before saying, “Pleased to meet you, Miss Emily. Do you plan to learn sign also?”
Emily nodded and blushed as she quickly dropped her gaze back to the floor. Buck walked over to her and sat down next to her on the old sofa. He was about to ask her another question when Henry and Travis entered the room. Emily quickly stood and went to join her mother by the door. Buck saw the flicker of fear that crossed the older woman’s face as the girl passed by the two men. He stood and turned to face them. “You want to meet in here or someplace else?” he asked Henry.
“ Here’s fine,” said Henry. “I see you met Emily.”
Buck nodded. “You have a very pretty sister,” he said.
“ She’s a bit shy ‘round strangers,” Henry continued. “She’ll get more polite once she gets used to you coming.”
Buck nodded again.
“ This here is my older brother, Travis.”
Buck took the offered hand, “Nice to meet you. I’m glad to know that you want to be fair with the Indians in this area.”
Travis nodded and fought back a grin. “How long you think this is gonna take? We was hoping to be gone from here in about a month.”
“ I figure about a week’s worth of lessons should get you to where you’ll be able to understand most of the basics,” said Buck. “Especially if you practice with each other.”
“ Good,” said Travis. “The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get started workin’.”
They spent the next few hours learning the signs for basic everyday words. As noon approached, Buck said, “I think that’s probably enough for today. I need to be getting back to the station. I can’t come back for a couple of days because I’ve got a run. I could send someone else if you want.”
“ That’s alright,” said Travis. “We’ll just practice on what we’ve learned today until you can get back. We’ll be expecting you sometime on Thursday.”
“ Great,” said Buck. “I’ll see you all in three days,” he added as he stood to leave.
“ Let me see you out,” said Mrs. Miller. “Emily, you go start lunch. Boys, you could go check on the animals.”
“ Sounds like a good plan, Mama,” said Travis as he stood and moved toward the door. Before he left he turned back to face them, “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Emily. Don’t work too hard and tire yourself out now. You don’t want to be sick on your birthday.” Then he and Henry left.
Emily hurriedly went toward the kitchen. Buck would have sworn she was crying. He started to follow her, but Mrs. Miller took his arm and walked him toward the front door and his waiting horse. As he untied his mount, she whispered, “There’s a note for you at the Jenkins’ place. Please read it before you go on your run. It’s a matter of life and death.” Then she stepped back from the porch rail and said loudly, “Thank you so much for your help. We’ll see you again on Thursday.”
Buck nodded. “You’re welcome,” he said, “Remember to keep practicing until then.” He mounted and rode back toward the station. He waved to the boys as he left.
He was trying to decide if Mrs. Miller was crazy or not as he neared the Jenkins’ home. He decided stopping by would be alright since he hadn’t been out for a few days. The elderly couple had made him feel like a part of their family after events had led them to discover that they had known his father. Buck had barely dismounted when Abigail Jenkins was at his side. “Here,” she said. “Take this and leave. Those poor women could be in deep trouble if those devils find out you’re friends with us.” She handed him a small envelope and quickly returned to her house.
Buck put the envelope in his vest pocket and got back on his horse. He headed toward home wondering exactly what it was he had gotten himself into.
It wasn’t until much later that evening that Buck managed to find time alone to read the note Abigail had so quickly forced upon him. It was hastily written on the back of a wanted poster from someplace in the east. Buck didn’t pay attention to the poster at first. He carefully read the note:
Dear Mr. Cross,
I realize that you hardly know us, but I desperately need your help. Mrs. Jenkins suggested I approach you; she said she felt sure you could save my child. The men I live with are not my sons. They were my neighbors in Boston. Even though I was older by at least 10 years, the oldest one expressed an interest in courting me. I was not interested; there was something about them that I did not trust. Anyway, one evening they killed their parents in order to get their money. They then came to my home and killed my parents before taking me as their prisoner. They have spent the last 14 years making my life a living hell. I could continue to endure this for Emily’s sake, but I fear that they are beginning to tire of me. She is nearing the age where she will be considered a woman; I am afraid that they will begin to use her as they have me. I need you to get her away from them before Friday. That is her 13th birthday. I accidentally overheard their plans for the celebration they have arranged. I don’t care what happens to me so that should not be a concern. Please save my daughter. Please,
Buck stopped reading. He turned the paper over and looked at the information. It was the Miller boys. He noted that they weren’t really boys; they were a few years over thirty. He was filled with rage when he thought about what they had been doing to this kind, gentle woman; and what they planned to do to that poor, innocent child he’d met this morning. He took a deep breath to steady himself before he went to find Teaspoon. He was going to need help with this if he had any hope of saving them both, as well as staying out of jail.
He found Teaspoon sitting on the porch of Emma’s house enjoying the pleasant night air and admiring the stars. Buck walked over and stood for a few seconds before asking, “Can I talk to you, in private, about something?”
Teaspoon chuckled as he looked around, “Ain’t nobody else here. Go ahead.”
Buck hesitated. It was too public here. The other riders or Emma might come over at any second. “I’d rather go someplace where we can be sure we won’t be bothered,” he said. “It’s kind of personal.”
Teaspoon looked at the boy before him. There was obviously something troubling him, and this boy wasn’t one to ask for help lightly. Teaspoon decided that if he didn’t agree to go elsewhere, he’d most likely never find out what was wrong. “Alright, Son. Let’s go to my room. Nobody will bother us there.”
Buck smiled his thanks and followed Teaspoon across the yard to the room he inhabited next to the tack room. “Thank you,” he said as they walked.
“ Ain’t done nothing yet,” Teaspoon commented.
“ Yes, you have,” corrected Buck. “You’re willing to listen.”
Teaspoon shook his head and laughed, “Well then, you’re most welcome.”
They entered Teaspoon’s room and Buck silently handed him the paper he’s been clutching since reading the letter. As Teaspoon read, Buck explained how he’d gotten involved in this situation, he concluded his explanation by saying, “I’ve got to help them, but I don’t know how. I have a run tomorrow and won’t get back until Thursday afternoon. I’d have to do something before then, but I have no way to get word to them.”
“ You said you are supposed to go for another lesson when you get back, right?” Teaspoon asked.
Buck nodded.
“ Fine,” said Teaspoon. “You and me will work out a plan. I’ll get word to the ladies and you can rescue them that evening.” He paused before asking, “You have any idea where to keep them?”
Again Buck nodded. “I’ll need to have someone take my run so I can work it out, but I have the perfect place.”
“ Alright, I’ll get Cody to cover for you. I suggest we don’t let anyone else in on this for the safety of the ladies,” Teaspoon said.
“ I need to tell Ike,” Buck said. “I’ll need his help getting them to safety. He’s the only one other than me who can get them there.”
“ Fine,” said Teaspoon. “Go fetch him so we can plan.”
Buck nodded and went to find Ike while Teaspoon debated when to tell Cody about the change in schedule. He decided it was best to wait until after Buck left.
Soon, Buck Teaspoon, and Ike were locked in Teaspoon’s room plotting the daring rescue of two lovely women who were stuck in a most unfortunate situation.
As the riders were preparing for bed, they heard someone shouting. They ran out of the bunkhouse just in time to see Buck riding off. As he left, he yelled back at Ike, “When he comes to, tell him I quit!” Then, he disappeared down the road away from town.
The boys and Emma ran over to where Ike stood watching his friend disappear into the darkening night. “What happened?” Emma asked when she reached Ike’s side.
Ike shrugged, *I’m not sure. We were just talking and suddenly Buck became angry. He told Teaspoon to quit calling him ‘Son’, punched him, stormed out, and rode off.*
“ What were you talking about?” asked Lou.
Ike blushed, *Girls. Seems Buck’s taken a fancy to this girl he met today.*
“ Why would that be a problem?” asked Cody.
*She’s not even 13 yet,* explained Ike. *Teaspoon told Buck that she was too young, and Buck got mad. When Teaspoon tried to calm him down, Buck just got madder, hit him, told him not to tell him what to do, and quit calling him Son as he wasn’t his father.* Ike paused to let this information sink in. As he noticed that the others had processed this, he added, *You saw the rest.* As he finished, Teaspoon stumbled out of his room rubbing his jaw where Buck had punched him.
Emma went to his side, “You alright, Mr. Spoon?”
“ I’m fine,” Teaspoon answered. He looked around, “Where’d he go?”
“ Rode off saying he quit,” said Lou.
“ Good,” said Teaspoon. “That boy is headed for more trouble than we need.” He turned and went back toward his room. At the door he stopped and looked back to face the group, “Who’s up after him?”
Cody said, “I am.”
“ Well, now you’re up instead of him. We’re just shifting everything up one run,” Teaspoon explained and went back to his room.
From the tree line, Buck watched the reaction of the others. It appeared that no one was questioning the truth of the story Ike was telling. Buck couldn’t decide if this was really such good news or not, but he didn’t have time to waste worrying about it. He turned his horse around and rode toward the plains away from town. He needed to so some fast riding and even faster talking in order to convince Red Bear his help was needed if this plan was going to work.
Thursday afternoon found Buck riding toward the Miller home. He made two stops on the way there and then rode slowly along the river’s edge, carefully studying the way the cliff went up as the river wound its way down from the cluster of trees just before the Jenkins’ property.
When he arrived, they started their lesson by reviewing what they had covered the last time he had been there. Buck was genuinely impressed with the memory all four people had. He began to introduce some new signs and soon everyone was busy working.
“ I think I’ll excuse myself and go start dinner,” said Mrs. Miller after they had been working a few hours. “Mr. Cross, will you be staying to eat with us?”
“ I’d enjoy that very much if it’s not too much trouble,” said Buck.
“ No trouble at all,” replied Mrs. Miller. “I’ll just need to go over to the Jenkins’ place and borrow a few items. I’ve been meaning to go check on Abigail anyway, seeing as she’s been feeling poorly the last few days. This gives me an excuse. Alright with you boys?”
“ Sure, Mama. You want me or Travis to go with you?” said Henry.
“ No, I’ll be fine,” said Mrs. Miller.
“ Alright,” said Travis. “Just be sure to hurry back.”
Mrs. Miller left and the lesson continued. After a while, the boys noticed that it seemed to be taking their mother a long time to return. Travis suggested taking a break from the lesson. “Me and Henry need to go tend the stock. Emily, you go start dinner since Mama ain’t back yet. I guess Miss Abigail is feeling better and got to talking.” As they stood, Emily went to the kitchen while the boys and Buck walked out the front door.
“ You need any help?” asked Buck.
“ Naw,” said Travis. “Just stay up here and keep Emily company. We’ll be right back.”
They walked toward the area where they had the animals penned. When they were far enough away from the house so Buck couldn’t hear them, Henry said, “You think I need to go looking for her?”
“ Naw,” said Travis. “She ain’t gonna do nothing; she cares too much about her precious baby.”
They quickly finished up the chore of feeding the stock and returned from the animal pen just in time to see Buck and Emily disappear into the tree line that separated their place from the Jenkins’.
Once they entered the trees, Buck quickly pulled up his mount. He dismounted and walked the animal toward a small opening in the cluster of trees. Inside this cove, Ike and Mrs. Miller were waiting. Buck helped Emily off of his horse and onto Ike’s. He watched as the three of them rode off in the direction of Red Bear’s village. As soon as they were out of sight, he grabbed an old scarecrow he’d borrowed earlier that day from the Jenkins. He remounted his horse, made his way to the far edge of the trees where the river began to drop away from the hillside. When the Miller boys came into view, he burst out of the trees riding along the cliff edge. Just before they got close enough to be able to see what he was carrying, he caused his horse to rear. As the horse’s front legs pawed the air, Buck lost hold of his passenger dropping her the fifty feet to the river below. Unfortunately, he lost his balance and tumbled to the ground in the process. The last thing he remembered was seeing his horse running away.
When he came to, he was tied to a tree on the edge of the cliff. His arms were tied to a branch that hung out over the river and his feet were loosely tied to the trunk of the tree barely staying on the ground. Henry Miller was sitting with his back against the tree. “You’d best hope Travis gets back before nightfall with the marshal; cause if he don’t I’m suppose to bring you into town, and I’m not too sure how I’m gonna manage pulling you in all by my lonesome. It was a tricky bit of business for the two of us to get you out there like that.”
Buck did his best to ignore the pain in his shoulders. The longer the Miller boys were occupied with him, the better Ike’s chance of getting the women to safety. He needed to hold out until Ike got back. Then they could show Sam the note Buck had been given by Mrs. Miller. As the sun began to sink toward the horizon, Buck heard hoof beats. He relaxed a little when he heard Sam saying, “You need to get him down. Nothing had better happen to him if you know what’s good for you.”
The two Miller boys managed to get Buck back away from the edge of the cliff without hurting him. Travis pulled him to where Sam waited, “We should have just strung him up right here after what he done, but seeing as he’s a friend of yours, we didn’t want no trouble.”
“ What exactly happened?” asked Sam.
“ He tried to steal our baby sister and he done dropped her over the edge,” said Henry as he struck Buck in the stomach. Buck doubled over as the wind left his body. He dropped to his knees and fought to regain his breath.
“ That will be enough of that,” said Sam. He dismounted and went to where Buck knelt on the ground. “Want to tell me what happened?”
Buck just glared at Sam as he continued to try and catch his breath.
When Buck didn’t respond, Sam asked, “This the same girl you and Teaspoon was arguing about?”
Buck managed to nod.
“ You take her from her home?”
Again, Buck nodded.
“ Why?” asked Sam shocked that Buck would have done something so outlandish.
“ Wanted to,” Buck managed to gasp out.
“ See?” said Travis. “We should just hang him right here.”
Sam stopped Travis as he moved to grab Buck. “No, we take him to town to stand trial. That’s the way the law works in my town.” He helped Buck stand. “Can you ride on your own?”
Buck nodded. He was breathing easier now.
Sam walked Buck over to the horse that had thrown him. It was grazing nearby having returned to its rider once it settled down. Sam helped Buck get into the saddle and then tied his hands together. “Want to tell me anything else?” Sam asked as the Miller boys went to get their horses.
Buck shook his head.
“ You’d better come up with a more convincing reason for taking her then you wanted her if you don’t wish to have serious trouble when we get back to Sweetwater. Can you at least tell me what happened to her?”
Buck shrugged.
“ I can’t help you if you won’t talk to me,” Sam said.
“ You can’t help me anyway,” Buck said. “It don’t matter why I took her since she ain’t here. The people of Sweetwater are gonna hang me no matter what I say.”
“ Too bad we need to waste time waiting,” Henry said as he and Travis pulled along side Buck.
Sam shook his head and mounted his horse. They all rode into town. As they passed the way station, Sam had Henry stop by to tell Teaspoon what had happened. By the time Buck had settled into the jail cell, Emma and the other riders were on their way into town. Soon they were all crowded into Sam’s office demanding to know what was going on.
A few minutes later, Teaspoon joined them. He ignored the knot of people around Sam’s desk and went to the cell where Buck sat, staring at the floor. “It’s a good thing this door is locked,” Teaspoon said. Buck just continued to look at the floor.
“ I’d string you up myself if I could,” Teaspoon continued. “I told you nothing good would come of you trying to take her. Now look what you done. You proud of yourself? You think it’s a good thing to have killed an innocent girl?”
“ She ain’t dead,” Buck said still staring at the floor.
“ We seen you drop her,” said Henry.
“ She ain’t dead,” Buck repeated this time turning to face Henry. “You don’t believe me; go look. You won’t find a body.”
Teaspoon turned to Sam, “Did you find the body?”
Sam shook his head, “Didn’t have time to look. It was getting dark; it will have to wait until morning.”
Teaspoon turned back to Buck, “Where’d you stash her? She gonna be alright?”
Buck shrugged. “It’s supposed to get cold tonight so I’m not sure. I didn’t have time to make her comfortable; I just dropped her off and staged my get away. I wasn’t supposed to actually fall off my horse.”
The town’s people were beginning to try and crowd into the office despite the late hour. “I always knew he was no good,” someone said.
Others agreed. “We ought to have run him off long ago.”
Emma finally had enough, “Sam,” she said. “Get these people out of here. They have no call to be in here talking that way about Buck. Send them away, and let me talk to him – alone.”
Sam cleared the office, “Alright everyone. Show’s over. Go on home. Move along.” He ushered the people out. “That includes all of you,” he said to the other riders, Teaspoon, and the Millers.
Emma crossed the room to Buck’s cell. “Buck, look at me,” she said. He just kept looking at the floor.
She went back to Sam’s desk and got the keys. She came back, opened the door, locked it behind her, threw the keys across the room, and went to stand directly in front of Buck. “I said to look at me,” she said.
Buck slowly raised his eyes to meet hers. “What happened?” she asked.
“ I took her,” he responded.
“ Why?” Emma asked.
“ I wanted to,” Buck answered.
“ Again, why?” Emma persisted.
“ She’s pretty,” Buck replied. “I wanted . . .” he stopped. He couldn’t bring himself to say it – even if it wasn’t the truth.
“ Tell me where she is so I can go get her,” Emma said.
“ I can’t,” Buck said nervously glancing at the door where the Millers stood outside talking to a group of town’s people.
“ Yes, you can.” Emma stated firmly.
When Buck didn’t respond she sighed and asked, “Do you want her to freeze?”
Buck dropped his gaze and shook his head. Emma knelt down in front of him and took his hands in hers. “I don’t know what is going on, but I know it’s not what you are trying to make everyone think it is. You didn’t take her because you wanted her. You’re not that type of man.” She paused and moved her hand to his chin which she forced up until he was looking her straight in the eye.
He looked scared, as if something simple had all of a sudden gotten out of hand. “Talk to me,” she whispered.
“ I can’t,” he whispered back. He again glanced nervously at the door. The people were beginning to move away, but they were still clumped together. He swallowed and turned back to face Emma. “Not yet. Please, trust me,” he added.
Emma smiled; the relief of knowing this really wasn’t what it seemed flooding through her body. “Promise me she’s alright, safe and that you will explain everything soon.”
Buck nodded, “I promise.”
Emma stood and hugged him. When she did she noticed that he flinched as if in pain.
“ Are you hurt?” she asked.
Buck nodded.
“ Where?”
“ I hurt my arm when I fell,” he said.
“Is it broken?” Emma asked motherly concern filling her voice.
“ I don’t think so,” Buck answered.
“ Let me see,” Emma instructed.
Buck took off his coat, vest and shirt so Emma could look at his left shoulder. It didn’t appear to be seriously injured. “I think it’s just bruised,” she remarked.
Buck nodded and put back on his shirt and vest. He kept nervously glancing at the door. He was beginning to be frightened at what might happen if Ike didn’t return soon. He’d seen the way the people of Sweetwater responded to waiting for an Indian to stand trial. He wasn’t sure Sam could hold them off on his own this time. He’d admitted he was guilty. He deserved to be punished.
Emma followed his gaze and noticed Sam watching them closely. “I’m ready,” she said to him. As he went to pick up the keys from where Emma had tossed them, Emma turned to face Buck again.
He looked up at her, “Thank you.”
“ Any time,” Emma replied “Can I do anything else for you?”
Buck nodded, “Let Ike know where I am. I was supposed to meet him at the Jenkins’ place.”
“ Alright,” Emma said. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Sam unlocked the door and Emma walked out of the cell. She gave Sam a quick kiss good night and went to join the other riders to go home.
Buck sat staring at the floor as Sam sat at his desk wondering what was really going on because none of this made any sense. Emma would not condone kidnapping, especially not one of a helpless child, but that was exactly what it looked like had just happened. Sam shook his head, and turned his back on his prisoner so he didn’t notice the worried look on Buck’s face.
Buck sat staring out the window at the gathering mob, nervously clutching his medicine bag, praying Emma would find Ike in time. Ike had the note, and without the note Buck was as good as dead. After a few minutes, Buck turned his attention from the surly mob to Sam. He watched as Sam began to prepare for the face-off he knew was coming.
Sam loaded a couple of shotguns, checked his sidearm to make sure it was ready, and started to prepare a second pistol. Then he stopped and looked at Buck, “You could stop all this if you’d just tell me where she is so I can go get her.”
Buck shook his head, “They’d still want to hang me. I took her from her family.”
“ I’d have a better chance of convincing them to wait, if she was back with them,” Sam said testily. “You might just have to spend some time in jail.”
Buck looked back outside and watched the people enter the saloon. He spoke without emotion, “I’d still hang.” He lay down on the cot and stared at the ceiling. His hand still clutching his medicine bag as he again prayed silently that Ike arrived soon.
Sam let out an exasperated sigh and returned to his preparations. He couldn’t believe he was once again going to have to face down an angry mob to prevent a lynching. Sometimes he hated this job.
When the noise from the saloon reached the jail, Buck sat up and walked to the window. He looked up the street toward the way station – no help was coming. He’d known there wouldn’t be any, but he’d still hoped. He went back and sat down on the cot. After a few seconds, he spoke softly, “Sam?”
Sam turned from where he stood in the doorway watching the saloon. “What?” he asked shortly.
“ Don’t stop them when they come,” Buck said flatly.
“ You really want to hang that badly?” Sam asked angrily. “I mean, you could have saved us all a lot of trouble and let me know that before. I could have just. . .” he stopped when he saw the look of terror on Buck’s face. He closed the door, barred it, and went to stand next to the cell. “Talk to me,” he said. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”
Buck dropped his gaze to the floor. “I can’t” he whispered.
“ Why not?” Sam demanded.
“ I don’t have any proof; Ike has it,” Buck said, his voice barely audible. He sank to the floor suddenly too weak to stand.
Sam knelt outside the cell. “I’ll believe you,” he said placing his hand on the bars.
Buck looked at him. “She wanted to leave,” he said.
Sam nodded. “So why the big show? Why make it look like you took her by force?”
When Buck finished explaining, Sam stood. “Alright,” he said returning the shotgun to its rack. “We’ll play this out your way.”
The next morning found Sam trying to hold off an angry mob out for blood – Buck’s blood. The Miller boys had spent the previous evening regaling the locals with tales of their sweet innocent sister and how Buck had wormed his way into their home to steal her from them. They had the good people of Sweetwater in an uproar and Sam was on his own. Teaspoon wasn’t allowing the other riders to get involved because as soon as they’d returned last evening, Emma had disappeared. Teaspoon decided that finding her was top priority, because, if he had things figured correctly, finding Emma would also be saving Buck.
They were getting ready to start their search when Emma pulled the buckboard into the yard. Ike was riding his horse beside her, and sitting in the back were Mrs. Miller and Emily.
“You go on into town, Ike,” she said. “We’ll be along directly. I want to let these two freshen up a bit first.”
Ike nodded and kept on riding.
Emma turned to Teaspoon. “I have a feeling that Sam would appreciate some help. I’ll bet you anything that people are upset and demanding ‘justice now’.”
Teaspoon nodded. “She’s right. Let’s get to town,” he said as he mounted his horse and followed Ike. The other riders followed along, totally confused by this strange turn of events.
Ike arrived at the jail just in time to see the angry mob pulling Buck from the jail. He quickly went in the back and located Sam who had been locked in the cell. Ike let Sam out and handed him the wanted poster as they went to the back of the room and the gun rack. Sam glanced at the poster, and then handed Ike a shotgun; he also took one for himself. As they exited the jail, Sam fired one shot into the air over the heads of the mob which was heatedly debating whether or not to hang Buck.
The mob froze. “Everyone move away from him,” Sam ordered. The crowd stepped away from Buck who collapsed to the ground. Ike looked at Sam before rushing to Buck’s side.
“ I’m ashamed of you all,” Sam continued as Ike assisted Buck back toward the jail. “You’ve tried and convicted him on the say of strangers even after all he’s done for this town. Have you forgotten who it was that stopped the Kiowa attacks a few weeks ago?”
The people from town started to feel uncomfortable. Those on the edge of the crowd began to drift away. “Everyone go home and think about how you’ve behaved,” Sam said. He turned to the Miller boys, “Except you two; you I want in my office now.”
They nodded and followed him inside as most of the others did as Sam had suggested. The mayor and a few of the other town leaders decided to go see what Sam was planning to do. They entered the front door of the office just as Sam finished locking the Millers into a cell.
“ What are you doing?” the mayor demanded.
Sam turned to face him. “My job,” he said as he studied the group of men before him. “Glad you’re here, Doc. Saves me the trouble of coming to look for you. Buck’s shoulder was injured in the fracas outside. Mind looking at him?”
Doc Burke went to the unlocked cell where Ike was helping Buck sit up on the bunk.
“ Why ain’t he locked up?” Tompkins demanded.
“ Because he isn’t going to try and escape,” explained Sam. “Do you know the only reason you had no trouble getting him out of here this morning is because he made me promise him last night that I wouldn’t put up a fight that caused me to get injured, or hurt any of you? I was to let you take him, only please don’t let you hang him. I was to shoot him to prevent that from happening.” Sam stared at the men standing in front of him.
Sam’s pause allowed his audience to process what he had just said. He was getting ready to explain the reason the Millers were in jail when the other riders, Emma, Teaspoon, Mrs. Miller and Emily came into the room. When Emily saw Buck, she ran to him. “Are you alright?” she asked as she watched the doctor finish bandaging Buck’s arm.
Buck nodded and smiled, “I am now that I know you and your mother are safe.”
Everyone stood watching them in silence. Emily smiled back at Buck and then turned to face Sam, “Why is he in jail?” she asked.
“ He was accused of kidnapping you,” Sam explained.
“ He didn’t,” she said. “Mama asked him to take me.”
The men all turned to stare at Mrs. Miller in horror. “Why on earth would you give such a beautiful young woman to a no-good half-breed?” Tompkins asked.
“ To save her,” replied Mrs. Miller. She turned to face Sam, “Do you have my note?”
Sam nodded and handed it to her. “May I explain without interruption?” she asked.
“ Yes, Ma’am,” Sam answered. “Anyone who can’t listen quietly will be escorted into the nearest cell where they can wait until the judge comes.”
“On what charges?” asked the mayor.
“ Interfering in the investigation of a murder,” replied Sam. “Everyone understand?”
The men all nodded.
“ Good. Go ahead, Mrs. Miller,” Sam said.
“ Thank you,” said Mrs. Miller. She went across the room to stand by Buck, Emily, and Ike. “I need to start at the beginning of my story. Please bear with me.” She paused and glanced at Emma who smiled and nodded.
“ My name is Cassandra Jennings. My father was a wealthy Boston businessman. His partner was Travis Miller, Sr. The Millers were our neighbors. The boys and I grew up together; they were sort of like my younger brothers.
“ When they turned twenty, they murdered their parents, murdered my parents, and took me by force from my home after killing my husband. They have always looked young for their age, and they soon discovered that two boys traveling with their Mama were not as suspicious as two men traveling with an unmarried woman. They had me dress to look older and started calling me ‘Mama’. I was too frightened to rebel. By the time I had the courage to stand up to them, there was Emily to consider. She was born about a year after our adventure started. I was never alone; one of them had been with me at all times since my parents and husband were butchered in front of me.”
Again she paused to allow her audience to process what she’d just told them. “Finally, I’d had enough of their abuse. I decided that I had to get Emily away from them before they started to use her the way they did me. When we came here, I managed to spend some time away from them alone with Abigail Jenkins. They figured she was just a dotty old lady and no harm could come of my having a friendship with her.
“ I explained my situation. She suggested I approached Mr. Cross or one of his friends for help. She told me out of all the people she knew in town they would be the ones she would ask for assistance.” Once more she paused. She looked at them all. They each personally knew Abigail and hadn’t been recommended as a savior to this poor, frail woman. Cassandra repeated, “They were the people Abigail suggested I approach; she made this recommendation before I knew who any of them were. When we saw them in town a couple of days later, Buck was using sign language to talk to Ike. Emily came up with the idea of asking Mr. Cross to teach us sign to help us sell the other story about starting a trading post. The boys figured it would be easier to get people to invest in our new business if it looked like we were really interested in making it work.
“ When Mr. Cross agreed, I took the wanted posted from Boston that told about the Millers and wrote a note explaining our situation. I gave the note to Abigail to give it to him. She did and she was right. He saved us both; there’s no way I can ever repay him.”
She turned her gaze to Tompkins and waited until his eyes met hers, “Does that answer your question? I asked Mr. Cross because he was one person I was told would help. When he agreed, I was so relieved that I didn’t dream of asking anyone else.”
She let her gaze move to the others in the room. “Before you judge me for my choice or him for his actions, you should ask yourself a question: What would you have done in either of our places? Wouldn’t you readily have accepted help from whoever offered it? Wouldn’t you have given assistance without question to protect a young girl?”
She took Emily’s hand and turned to face Sam, “Would it be alright with you if Emily and I left?” She was suddenly tired and wanted to rest.
Sam nodded, “You’ll need to stay around until the judge comes so you can tell him your story.”
Emma stepped out of the group of people. “You can stay with us,” she said.
“ Thank you,” said Cassandra. She then turned to Doc Burke, “Is it alright fro Mr. Cross to travel?”
Doc nodded.
“ Let’s get you home then,” she said. She looked up at the group of men before her, “Unless anyone has an objection.”
They all hung their heads and moved out of her way. She and Ike assisted Buck to the buckboard. Emma, Teaspoon, and the other riders followed them out of the office. Soon they were all on the way back to the station.
Sam stood in the doorway of his office watching them leave. He wished he had half the courage of Cassandra Jennings. This small, frail-looking woman had single-handedly silenced all the stuffy, self-righteous men he had to deal with on a regular basis. Sam Cain decided he really liked this woman and hoped she would stay around town. It would be good for these men to have a dose of her every so often.
Disclaimer: Ed Spielman created the characters of The Young Riders for television. The series aired on ABC TELEVISION from 1989 - 1992. Thanks to Sameena for all her help.
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