Quantrill

“Did you have to do a lot of cooking for yourself when you were encamped?” Cordia asked, finishing up the rabbit stew Will had prepared for her while she was out scrubbing the bedding. The sheets were hanging on a makeshift laundry line now, her efforts successful.
“Sometimes, if we could find something to cook,” he replied. “Spent most of the time eating hardtack though.” The memory made him grimace, and he was thankful, once again, that the army life was behind him.
“Well, this was very tasty,” Cordia said, finishing up and wondering what she was supposed to do with her dishes. At home, they had a sink with a water pump. Clearly, she would be doing more washing in the basin outside.
“Thank you,” he said smiling. “You like to cook though, don’t you?”
“I do,” she said, nodding. “But we’re gonna have to figure out how to get a stove in here if you want me to cook. I’ve never cooked on an open fire before.”
“We can get a stove,” Will assured her. “I’m planning on building on. We’ll need a private space for Julia. I saved up most of the money I earned over the last few years, so we should be able to make some improvements around here.”
Cordia tried not to look too relieved. “That’s good,” she said. “I was wondering if Nevada was close enough for me to get a nursing job there.”
“Possibly, if you want to,” Will said, not realizing she had considered working outside of the home. “It’s certainly something we can look into if you want. But I don’t want you to feel like you have to work. I’m more than prepared to provide a good life for you, Cordia. We’ll just have to get some things worked out.”
She nodded, hoping she hadn’t offended him. She was sure he could take care of her just fine. Working with Dr. Walters had given her the opportunity to help others, and she found that she really enjoyed nursing. Of course, once they brought Julia to live with them, she would have the opportunity to take care of her, at least until she was strong enough to take care of herself.
“Speaking of Nevada, what do you think about riding over and sending a telegraph to your parents and one to my aunt and uncle?” he asked, stacking their dishes together.
“Do you think that will alert the authorities as to our whereabouts?” she asked.
“They’ll know we are near Nevada but not exactly where. Besides, if we let them know you’re safe and sound, hopefully, it will dissuade them from sending out any further search parties.”
“All right,” Cordia agreed. She had been extremely worried about her parents. Though she had written the note, there was a possibility that her father had lost his appetite if he had been considerably worried about her. It was also possible that Carey had found the note.
“We’ll have to make sure we’re back before dark, though. It’s Halloween and that might lead to some rambunctious behavior for some folks,” Will explained, taking the dishes outside to wear Cordia had left the wash basin to dry.
She grabbed the bucket and followed. “Do you think that the devil’s holiday will stir up any devilish behavior?” she asked.
“Hope not,” Will replied, taking the bucket and going to retrieve enough water from the well to wash the dirty dishes.
Cordia stayed behind, wondering exactly what the devil was planning to do.
* * *
Carey Adams was staring the devil in the face. William C. Quantrill himself, the ex-school teacher who had abandoned Gen. Sterling Price’s division and rode out to form his own band of guerrillas. He had become famous for many of his raids in the area but none so much as the one on Lawrence, Kansas, in August. Now, he was on his way back from northern Missouri, headed to Texas for the winter and pondering whether or not to stop by the county seat of Barton on his way, just to cause a little mischief.
Carey had also served with Price, but he had never met Quantrill. Some of the men he was riding with had, however, and the assured the commander that, despite his disability, Carey was one he would want to have on his side. “Name sounds familiar,” Quantrill mentioned, looking Carey over.
“I believe you knew my cousin, Lt. Jaris Adams,” Carey explained. “Died at Wilson’s Creek.”
Quantrill nodded. “Hell of a fighter, that one. You’re his cousin? You’re all right by me then. Tell me what you know about the defenses set up at Lamar.”
Carey smiled. He knew plenty, and he wasn’t afraid to sell his soul to the devil in the name of revenge.
* * *
Margaret wasn’t surprised to see Isaac standing at her door. She let him in and invited him to the kitchen for some coffee. He accepted and waited until she joined him at the kitchen table before starting the conversation. “Do you know where they are?” he asked simply, taking a sip of the warm beverage.
“I reckon I do,” Margaret admitted, stirring a small amount of milk into the steaming cup. “You know he didn’t take her against her will, don’t you?”
Isaac nodded. “She left a note. Looks like Carey was up to no good, and Will defended her.”
“Sheriff still looking for him?” she asked, finally taking a drink.
“No, straightened that out this morning before I headed over here. They’re keeping an eye out for Carey, but he done disappeared,” Isaac explained.
“We should have known Cordia never intended to marry Carey,” Margaret sighed. “Why ever did she agree to do so?”
“I’ve been thinking about that a lot,” Isaac admitted. “You know, looking back on it, Cordia never did say ‘yes.’ He put that ring on her finger, and we threw a party. I guess she felt obligated. Sure wish I’d known about Will, though. This whole time, she kept that a secret. Feel like I missed out on two years of her life, having no idea what she was going through, worrying about him, missing him. I just wish she would have trusted me enough to let me know,” he took his hat off and brushed his thinning hair back before replacing it.
Margaret felt herself beginning to get emotional and did what she could to prevent it. “It wasn’t you she was afraid of hurting, I don’t reckon,” she explained. “I think she was afraid of offending me and Arthur. And rightly so. It wasn’t the easiest thing I ever heard, you know, to find out she never loved Jaris, that she was corresponding with Will before he was even gone.”
“I know, I know,” Isaac assured her, nodding his head. “And I am truly sorry for that. She loves you and this family dearly. And I know she loved him, too, she truly did. Just not in the way she was supposed to, I guess. If she’d’a never met Will, maybe she would have gone through and married Jaris and learned to be happy, the way so many do. But Cordia’s never been one to acquiesce. That’s why I find this situation with Carey so confusing.”
“Maybe she was scared,” Margaret reasoned. “Scared that he would try to hurt her or another member of your family if she didn’t consent. Maybe she was just waiting for Will to get back.”
Isaac nodded his head. “Maybe so. And I guess she had reason after what transpired last night.” He took another sip of his coffee, considering the statement. “Now, where do you think they might be?”
“I suppose they’re at Will’s folks' house, up by Nevada. But I don’t think you should ride out there, not just yet. I figure they’ll let us know where they are when they’re good and ready.”
“But her mother. . .” Isaac began.
“Tell her mother that we heard from her, and she’s fine. She’ll believe you. Otherwise, you’re walking into a situation where you’re not welcome, and you’ll just end up stirring up trouble. She’s twenty-one years old, Isaac. She’s a grown woman. Give her some space. She ain’t seen him in two years. Let ‘em be.” Margaret seemed fairly certain in her convictions, so Isaac nodded. Just then, there was a loud fit of coughing from the adjoining bedroom, and Margaret jumped up to go tend to Julia.
“I’ll let myself out,” Isaac said, walking back toward the front door. “Thank you, kindly, Margaret.” He thought he heard her acknowledge him as she attempted to help Julia bring her coughing back under control.