Morning in Nicodemus by Ellen Gray Massey Read Free Book Online Page A

see anyone. He thinks I’m still his little girl. He don’t know I’ve grown up.”
    Â Â  “I sorta figured that.”
    Â Â  “All the other babies died, one after another. There’s just me left.” She stared at him, begging him to understand her father’s behavior.”
    Â Â  “I know,” Virgil said.
    Â Â  “He’s afraid I’ll leave him.”
    Â Â  Virgil nodded his understanding.
    Â Â  “But I won’t,” Bethel said, “never.”
    Â Â  Neither one moved as they each devoured the other with their eyes. 
    Â Â  “You sure are pretty,” Virgil said.
    Â Â  Bethel giggled. She smoothed out her dress and straightened her sunbonnet. Its brim directed Virgil’s gaze to her sparkling eyes. “You don’t hurt my eyes none looking at you neither.”
    Â Â  Both laughed.
    Â Â  Unwillingly, Virgil took his eyes off of her and looked over the plains. “I gotta go.”
    â€œI know.”
    Â Â  “I have to find the horses.”
    Â Â  Bethel nodded. “We saw them early this morning grazing out here in front. Then when Papa came after them, they ran down that draw over there and disappeared over the rise. They were headed south.”
    Â Â  “Good. I’ll go that way after them.”
    Â Â  “I’ll go with you.”
    Â Â  “No, you better not. No use making your pa any madder at me.”
    Â Â  Virgil glanced back to Martin’s soddy to see if anyone was looking. Seeing no one, he kissed Bethel quickly and grinning, jogged off in the direction she had indicated.
    Â Â  He understood Martin’s unfriendliness. When the Martins first moved here last fall, he was very neighborly. The Landers helped the newcomers as all neighbors did. Just as they were helped themselves when they arrived over a year ago. It was like they were all an extended family. He shook his head. Well, he guessed it would be hard on a man to realize his only child was grown up enough to be sweet on someone and leave home.
    Â Â  But Bruce’s hatred was unexplainable. He was a young man just a few years older than Virgil. Bruce should be a friend. But even when Bruce arrived last fall, he seemed to hate the Lander brothers. He called them names, tried to pick fights with them, or otherwise harassed them.
    Â Â  Shaking his head, he returned to the narrow strip in the prairie where the storm had passed. The sun and wind were already drying the soil. Marcus was right again. The soil at their cornfield would be ready for him and Liberty to plant the field this afternoon. He reasoned that was good for him. What they got done, he wouldn’t have to do, and he’d have all day to scout around, even if he couldn’t do it on Lady.
    Â Â  However, he warned himself he shouldn’t rejoice over this misfortune. The loss of the two horses would be a major setback if he couldn’t find them. 
    Â Â  He had worked long back in Kentucky to save enough money to buy them. 
    Â Â  Then when they arrived here and he found the ones he wanted, he had worked hard to break the young horses for riding. 
    Â Â  Though he wouldn’t mind starting out again with new horses even if he had the money to buy them, he didn’t want to spend the time needed to redo the work he’d already done. So far Lady was the only one he’d broken to the plow, but he intended to work with the buckskin as soon as he had time. Then he would have a team. He knew where he could trade work for a fairly good Springfield wagon. When Ma and Pa came, Marcus could escort them home in style from the train depot in Ellis.
    Â Â  Figuring that the runaway horses needed water and would go to the river, he cut across the eastern forty acres of his land. So far this area was untouched. Marcus’s plan for it was to leave it in the native buffalo and blue stem