Under the Distant Sky (21 page)

The sky remained clear all morning as Solomon and Mary Beth walked beside the Cooper wagon. Solomon was used to looking at the lead wagon and seeing either Chris riding beside it or Buster tied to the rear of it. Today neither Chris nor Buster were at the lead wagon.

Solomon turned around and looked along the line of wagons. There was Chris, riding beside the Chuck Lander wagon.

Thinking aloud he said, “I wonder what Chris is doing at the Lander wagon.”

Mary Beth giggled. “He discovered Joy Lynn Lander a couple of days ago, Papa. You haven’t noticed it, but he’s been back there quite often the last two days. It’s just that he’s stayed there all morning today”

Solomon grinned. “Joy Lynn, eh? I’ve noticed that both of the Lander girls are pretty. What’s her sister’s name?”

“Trina Lee. She’s sixteen. From what I could tell, Chris was attracted to Trina Lee first, but lost interest when he found out she was an older woman.”

Solomon laughed. “That boy. It sure didn’t take him long to forget Lula Mae Springer.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. I heard Chris telling Micah that Joy Lynn likes the way he rides Buster.”

“Oh-oh. Don’t let your little sister hear about that. She’ll be teasing him about Joy Lynn till we get to Fort Bridger.”

Mary Beth giggled again. “Well, I won’t be the one to tell her, you can count on that!”

It was almost noon when the wagon train reached the stream Ezra had promised would be there. The heavy rain of the night before had muddied it some, but they were able to get some
clean water by using heavy towels to strain it. As the train moved on, the water barrels were blessedly full once more.

Later in the afternoon there was a short rainstorm, but nothing like what they had experienced the night before.

The next morning, the sky was clear again. Everyone had slept well, and the train pulled out less than an hour after sunrise.

By early afternoon, what was a clear sky began to take on a cloud cover. Soon the wind was growing strong, and overhead the sky became dark with swirling black clouds. Lightning flashed to the north and the west, and everyone who was walking began climbing into the wagons.

At the Lander wagon, Chris Cooper trailed at the rear, talking to Joy Lynn and her sister. Both sisters had jet-black hair and creamy complexions. Every time Joy Lynn set her eyes on Chris, his heart felt like it was going to leap through his chest.

As the storm took on a fierce look, Chuck Lander leaned from the seat and called back, “Chris!”

“Yes, sir?”

“It’s going to rain pretty soon, son. Why don’t you tie Buster on the back and climb inside?”

“Yes, sir!”

Chris was about to swing his leg over the saddle when Ezra Comstock came trotting along and shouted, “We’re makin’ a circle, Chuck! Storm’s gonna be a bad one! Form a circle!” With that, the wagon master was gone.

The wagons ahead were already beginning to form a curve.

When Comstock pulled up to the Walt Cuzak wagon and repeated the message, Walt frowned. “Whatta you talkin’ about, Ezra? That storm ain’t gonna hurt us none. We gotta keep goin’.”

“No we don’t!” Ezra said. “I know about storms on these plains… I’m callin’ for a circle because it’s the safe thing to do.”

Cuzak hawked and spat. “Look Ezra, if we stop now, we’re losin’ valuable time…”

“We could lose a lot more than time! We’ve got a dozen saddle horses in this train, plus yours. I’m tellin’ you, we gotta secure ’em before that storm reaches us!”

Cuzak ejected a string of profanity, eyes blazing. “Look, man, every day me and my sons ain’t in California is a day we won’t be diggin’ for gold! Delay will cost us money! We’ll lose time if we stop. I say we keep goin’!”

“Your say don’t count! Make the circle!”

“I ain’t gonna do it, and neither are my boys!”

“Make the circle, and don’t argue!”

“I ain’t doin’ it!”

Ezra shouted above the wind, trying to control his mount, who was dancing nervously. “You’re free to go ahead on your own, if you please, but keep in mind that there are lots of hostile Indians between here and where you’re goin’! Only four wagons in a train would be real temptin’ for ’em!”

Walt cursed and shook his head. “Okay, okay, okay! We’ll get in the circle.”

Ezra guided his wagon train to a spot where several tall cottonwoods stood in a row and heavy bushes grew between them. The trees and bushes would serve as a windbreak.

When the animals were secured and the cords that held the wagon covers had been checked, everyone climbed inside their wagons to wait out the storm.

Solomon paused for a moment to look at the black, rolling clouds, and then climbed inside. When he had secured the canvas covers at both ends and eased onto one of the benches, he said, “This one’s going to be bad. Let’s ask the Lord to keep us safe.”

When the “Amen” came, great streaks of lightning ripped
across the black sky, lighting the inside of the wagon. Thunder came rumbling almost immediately like the chest-deep growl of a monstrous, attacking beast.

T
he rain came in torrents, driven by the violent, howling wind. The lightning struck more frequently now, sometimes hitting the ground. The horses neighed in terror, pacing in half-circles on their hind legs, pulling at the ropes that held them.

In the Lander wagon, Elsie and her husband were sitting near the front of the wagon, and sisters Trina Lee and Joy Lynn were side by side at the rear.

Trina Lee wrapped her arms around her knees and put her head down as lightning illuminated the interior of the wagon. “I wish Bob was with us,” she said.

Elsie smiled. “Funny how you and your brother pick on each other and act like you’re enemies, but at a time like this, you want him with you.”

Trina Lee grinned. “It’s an act, all right. Bob is the greatest brother any sister ever had.”

“That’s for sure,” Joy Lynn said. “Right now I wish he was riding our wagon instead of driving Mr. Cooper’s.”

Trina Lee giggled and elbowed her sister. “I have an idea, little sis, that if you could choose between having Bob sitting here with you or Chris Cooper, you’d choose Chris.”

Joy Lynn blushed. “Well …”

Suddenly they jerked in surprise as a giant bolt of lightning
struck a cottonwood tree next to the wagon, splitting off a huge section of the tree. With a powerful jolt, the limb crashed through the wooden ribs and canvas covering, landing in the rear of the wagon.

Chuck and Elsie sprang from their seats as Trina Lee’s screams filled the air. Chuck strained to lift the tree but couldn’t budge it.

“I’ll get help!” he said, and leaped from the wagon.

Elsie peered through the leaves and clawed at the smaller limbs as rain poured through the torn canvas. “Hold on, Trina!” she cried. “Daddy’s gone for help! We’ll get you out in a few minutes! Is Joy Lynn all right?”

“I don’t know, Mother!” Trina Lee wailed. “She’s behind me, and I can’t move! I can’t turn to look at her!”

“Joy Lynn, honey… are you all right?”

When no answer came, Elsie cried, “Joy Lynn! Talk to me, honey! Are you all right?”

Elsie could hear voices above the sound of the storm. She wheeled around and looked past the ripped canvas to see her husband and son, along with Solomon Cooper, Curtis Holden, Tony Cuzak, and others.

Elsie fought to keep her fear at bay as she shouted, “Chuck, I can’t get a sound out of Joy Lynn! And Trina Lee can’t move!”

Chuck lifted Elsie out of the wagon and then went to help the other men. While the tree was slowly raised, Elsie looked up to see Hannah Cooper. Conversation was a lost effort against the noise of the storm, so Hannah just threw her arms around the worried mother and held her tight.

Finally the massive section of cottonwood dropped to the ground with a thud, and father and brother climbed inside the wagon.

Trina Lee moaned as Bob lifted her carefully into his arms. “Here, Bob. I’ll take her,” Solomon said.

Bob eased his sister into Solomon’s arms and turned back to see about Joy Lynn, just as his father ejected a loud cry and wailed, “She’s dead! Elsie, our baby is dead!”

Elsie tried to climb into the wagon. “No-o-o!”

“You don’t want to see her, Elsie!” Chuck shouted, preventing his wife from coming over the tailgate.

“She’s my baby! I want to see my baby!”

Hannah and the men stood by, their wet faces solemn, as Elsie pressed herself against the wagon and released a wild, almost demented scream. Chuck jumped down and folded her into his embrace, and together they wept for their inconsolable loss.

The violent storm raged on. Chris Cooper had been left to watch over his brother and sisters in the family wagon. Outside, Nipper and Buster were wild-eyed, pulling at their tethers. All the children pressed together closely, and Mary Beth held a terrified Biggie on her lap.

When B. J. began to tremble uncontrollably, Chris put an arm around him and said, “It’s going to be all right, B. J. The storm will be over in a while.”

“Why are Mama and Papa stayin’ gone so long?” Patty Ruth asked, clutching Ulysses.

“It must be taking a while for the men to lift the tree off the Lander wagon, honey,” Mary Beth said. “They’ll be back soon.”

Chris felt antsy at mention of the Landers and stuck his head out the back of the wagon to check on the horses.

Chris cared about Nipper, of course, but he had a special love for the horse that belonged to him. Three years ago he had watched Buster’s birth and had raised him from a colt. The two of them were special buddies.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck nearby and Buster
pulled hard at his rope, loosening it. Chris gasped as his horse gave a shrill scream and bolted.

“No, Buster! Come back!”

In a flash, Chris leaped out of the wagon, running after Buster, who galloped across the open circle. The horse dashed about, pivoting and wheeling in fear. There was an opening in the circle where an equally frightened team of horses were giving Gordon Cuzak a real battle as he held tightly to the reins.

In his terror, Buster headed straight for the opening and plunged past the rearing, pawing horses. Chris was right behind him, yelling at the top of his voice.

Mary Beth leaned outside the wagon and shouted as loud as she could for Chris to come back, but the wind carried her voice into the rumbling thunder.

While the savage storm continued to lash the Nebraska prairie, Joy Lynn’s body was wrapped in blankets and placed in the rear of Ezra Comstock’s wagon.

The remaining Landers were invited into Stuart and Tracie Armstrong’s wagon. Since they had no children, there was room for all. Bob joined them, and the family wept together, venting their grief.

The wind had torn another canvas top off a wagon, and Solomon went to help with it while Hannah hurried back to her children. When she arrived at the wagon and heard about Buster and Chris, she told Mary Beth, B. J., and Patty Ruth to stay in the wagon. She was going to try to find Chris.

At the Norwood wagon, Hank’s saddle horse, eyes bulging, fought to free himself. Hank was watching him from inside, with an arm around Lisa.

“Is the rope strong enough to hold him?” Lisa asked.

“Should be,” Hank said. “It’s practically a new rope.”

There were five wagons separating the Norwoods from Walt Cuzak. At the same time the Norwood saddle horse was fighting to free himself, Walt’s team was rearing and pawing the air, neighing in terror. Lightning struck all around the outside of the circle, and thunder sent its deafening shock waves upon the prairie.

Walt sat on the wagon seat, pulling hard on the reins while Edmund was on the ground, gripping the bridles of the lead pair of horses. Their movement had worked the wagon to the side, leaving space between it and the next wagon.

Suddenly the bridle snapped on the Norwood horse. From his position on the Cooper supply wagon, Perry Norwood saw the family saddle horse break loose and charge through the opening left by the Cuzak wagon. Instantly, Hank Norwood was out of the wagon, following on foot. When Perry saw his mother running after Hank, he left his ox team and charged after her. By the time he caught his mother, she was outside the circle. Hank was already on the open prairie.