They were only a short distance away from the farm when the acrid smell of wood burning assaulted them. Jeremiah's head whipped up and he peered anxiously through the dark night. Fear swept through him as he noticed smoked spiraling upward into the sky from the direction of the farm. With a sharp cry to the girls, he spurred the horses into a gallop. Over the rocky road the horses sped, the wagon bouncing up and down, throwing its occupants to and fro. Nothing was more important to Jeremiah than reaching the farm and seeing that Theresa and J.J. were all right. As the wagon careened into the farmyard, Jeremiah was horrified to see a raging pyre burning where the cabin had once stood.
Jeremiah leaped to the ground before the wagon had come to a complete stop, throwing the reins into Lucinda's lap. He raced towards the engulfed cabin, screaming his wife and son's names over and over again. Frantically he searched the interior of the barn and corral for any signs of Theresa and J.J. Mary Louise and Lucinda scrambled off of the wagon with terrified on their faces. Tears streamed down their faces as they raced forward, calling out their ma and J.J.'s names.
"Mama! Mama! J.J.!" they screamed together.
Fearing that the two distraught girls wouldn't be able to stop themselves in time to keep from falling into the flames, Jeremiah rushed forward and caught both girls in his arms. He held them close against him as they sobbed. The shock of coming home to a burning cabin was chased away by the reality that his wife and son were dead. Jeremiah's knees collapsed from under him and he fell to the ground, bringing the girls with him. His tears mixed with those of his daughters as they each mourned the loss of a wife, a mother, son and brother.
He wasn't sure how long it was that he and the girls had stayed huddled together on the ground. It wasn't until he felt the rumbling vibration and heard the sounds of dozens of hoofbeats, that he finally became aware of his surroundings. He drew his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the tears from his face. He rose to his feet, pulling the girls up beside him.
"You girls get behind me." He ordered quietly.
Both girls nodded and stepped behind their pa. Each girl grasped a handful of their pa's shirt and clung to one another as horses thundered into the farmyard. Jeremiah tensed up as he searched the faces of the approaching riders. When he caught sight of Tom Cine and his sons among the men, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Jeremiah! Thank God! Is everyone all right?" Tom called as he dismounted.
Jeremiah choked back the lump that had formed in his throat. "The girls and I just returned from town. This is what we came home to."
"Dear Lord! Jeremiah I am so sorry." Tom said. He drew Jeremiah into his arms and held his friend as he wept. He was hard pressed to keep his own tears from falling. The two families had been close for several years and his would feel the loss of Theresa and J.J. keenly. Aware of the other men milling in the yard, Jeremiah broke free of the embrace and fought to control his emotions.
"What made you come all the way out here? You couldn't have seen the smoke from town." He asked.
"We didn't. There were several farms attacked by a bunch of outlaws tonight. Barns stripped, livestock stolen, cabins set ablaze. The death count is twelve, including Theresa and J.J. there's a posse of men heading out after them. We can't let them get away with doing this to anyone else." Tom told him.
"I want to come to. Can the girls stay at your place until we get back?" Jeremiah said, his jaw clenched in angry determination.
"Of course."
After depositing his daughters into the tender care of Maude Cine, Jeremiah and the other men headed out after the outlaws. Neither Lucinda nor Mary Louise slept much that night. Fear of losing their pa was added to the overwhelming grief they felt over the loss of their ma and brother. Maude did her best to console them, but felt inept at doing so because of her own grief at the loss of her close friend.
Maude was relieved when the men returned home the following evening. She went out to welcome the men home, but was stopped outside the door by her eldest son Tommy. Her heart sank as she took in her son's solemn expression and red eyes. She was on the verge of collapsing, thinking that either her husband or one of her other sons had been killed, when Tom exited the barn followed by his sons. Relief swept through he until she realized that Jeremiah wasn't with them. She looked up into her husband's eyes and saw the answer to the question she couldn't bring herself to ask.
"What are those poor girls going to do? Not only have they lost their ma and brother, but now their pa too? They're all alone now! Why Tom?" Maude cried, leaning against him for support.
"Mary Louise and Lucinda will never be alone as long as we're around. It's the way Theresa and Jeremiah would have wanted things if they had been given a choice." Tom vowed.
Mary Louise and Lucinda took the news as well as could be expected. Not wanting to prolong the girls' agony, a brief ceremony was held the next day for the McClouds. On a day that they should have been picking berries, gathering wildflowers or walking with their beaus, the two girls said goodbye to their pa, ma, and brother. Each felt as if a part of their hearts had been buried along with their family.
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