Free Lazy Days by Verna Clay Page B

wanting to sprout
and tried to kill it. Safeguarding Hallie physically was one thing; shielding her
emotionally was out of the question. Helping her because of Tim he could
handle. Allowing her to get under his skin was absolutely unacceptable.
    Walking away from the wagon, he resolved to
remain detached and decided to check on Sweet Pea.
    * * *
    Hallie woke long before dawn and waited to hear
the first stirrings of pioneers before rising. Dressing quickly and slipping
from her wagon, she was grateful she had harkened to Cooper's wisdom and not overloaded
it, leaving plenty of room for herself and Tim. Unless absolutely necessary,
she had no intention of sleeping on the ground. Besides, she didn't want to
give the gossip mongers more to wag their tongues about.
    Turning her gaze away from Prudence Pittance's
wagon, she prayed quietly, "Lord, give me patience. Keep my tongue from
speaking evil and my heart from being bitter against that woman." But even
as she prayed, Hallie knew she was fighting a losing battle. She already
harbored bad feelings. Forcing her thoughts to more important matters, she stoked
the fire Cooper had already started.
    The sun crested on a beautiful, chilly morning.
With campfires sprouting around the circle, the camp began to hum with
excitement as women prepared breakfast, men prepared their modes of
transportation, small children played, older children cared for their family's
animals, and Captain Jones circled inside and outside the camp on his gelding,
his sharp eyes on constant alert and his tongue calling out orders.
    A frisson of excitement skated up Hallie's
spine. Like herself, this was the day many of the pioneers had been
anticipating for months, possibly years.
    Pulling the reflector oven, cast iron skillet,
and necessary utensils from their crate, she instructed Tim to unpack a pound
of salted bacon from its storage in the wheat barrel. Cooper said he'd learned
on cattle drives that bacon preserved longer and less fat melted on hot days if
stored in that manner. Again, Hallie felt thankful for his presence and
wondered about his life before joining the military.
    Before long, she had biscuits baking, bacon
sizzling, and eggs frying in bacon grease. Pleased with her efforts, she asked
Tim to find Cooper and let him know breakfast was ready.
    From sunup until departure, the time taken was
about an hour and a half, and when Captain Jones made his final check, he
called, "We're half an hour behind schedule. Look lively, people!"
Trotting his horse to the lead wagon handled by Hardy MacIntosh, one of his
chosen leaders, he boomed in a voice as loud as a foghorn, "Westward
Ho!"
    Standing behind Cooper, Hallie laughed and
turned to Tim beside her. With tears of joy, mingled with tears of sadness that
Thomas hadn't lived to experience his dream, she whispered, "Tim, we're on
our way."
    Her son's eyes clouded with his own tears.
"Pa would be right proud, Ma."
    Hallie allowed herself one last sniffle, smiled
at Tim, and asked, "Son, can we hold hands just this once as we begin our
journey?"
    Without hesitation, Tim grabbed his mother's
hand. "I'd like that, Ma."
    Cooper turned around and winked. "Here we
go." Lifting his whip, he cracked it in the air above the oxen and shouted
"Giddup!" Hallie squeezed Tim's hand and they both laughed as the
train started forward.
    For the next three hours Tim and Hallie
speculated about their land in Oregon, played word games, and teased each
other. Then unexpectedly, the wagons in front of them came to a halt. Captain
Jones rode the length of the train informing everyone that a mule had thrown a
shoe. During the interim to re-shoe the animal, husbands assisted family
members from their schooners, though most of the pioneers had walked alongside
their wagons so as to not overtax their animals. After a half hour's stopover,
the train resumed its plodding progress.
    At the noon hour, Captain Jones halted the
wagons again, but did not motion them into a circle. He