Once again I owe a deep debt of gratitude to Blackrandi1958 for her editing and suggestions. Her assistance has made this a much better story.
*
Sixteen year old Seth Thomas stood with his arm around his weeping mother's shoulder as the rail-thin preacher droned on and on with his sermon. Truthfully, Seth found it almost impossible to not join his momma in tears. His face looked like a thundercloud as he clenched his jaws mightily to keep from bellowing out his sorrow, also. The damn preacher had been hired to perform the funeral for the last remaining son of his mother (save for Seth) and her new daughter in law, not to preach about the sins of coveting your neighbor's wife or those who lived by the sword dying by the sword.
True, those things did enter into the problems facing the now two-person family but only tangentially. Seth felt as if the preacher was looking deep into his soul when he stared at him and continued, "...we must remember, Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord. Sinners who break the commandments will be judged and punished by the Lord."
Finally, after almost an hour and a half of preaching, the parson completed the funeral, and Seth guided his somehow frailer appearing mother toward the buckboard. She stumbled a few steps and stopped to look back at the two new graves. She whimpered when the gravediggers began throwing dirt into the holes containing the now lifeless bodies of his older brother and his wife.
It somehow didn't seem right for Eli to survive the horrible civil war and die at the hands of a rapist while defending his new wife. Not right at all. Of course, Reed Samuels told a different story.
****
Seth remembered back to the evening before. Seth, his brother and his mother were talking in the kitchen about the next day's work on their worn out farm when they heard a gunshot and Abigail scream. Eli took off out the back door of the old log cabin farmhouse, running as fast as he could. He was pulling his pistol as he went.
Seth ran into the front room and took his rifle off the hooks on the way past. He burst out the front door, also heading for the cabin his brother and sister-in-law shared. He heard another burst of gunfire and saw a shadow running across the barnyard toward the road. He fired a quick shot and saw the shadow fall, then rise and continue running away, but more slowly, limping as he ran.
Seth rushed into the cabin to find his brother lying on the bed cradling his dead wife and crying as his lifeblood bubbled out of his mouth and chest. He looked up at Seth and with his last breath said, "twere Reed. He done it." Seth watched as his brother took one last breath and relaxed against the bloody bed, still cradling Abi in his arms. Seth then noticed the white discharge coming from Abigail's pussy. Even in his anger and sorrow he blushed, seeing that which he was not supposed to see. He quickly covered her privates and turned in time to see his mother standing in the doorway, shaking with her tears.
Seth looked around the room and picked up Eli's pistol. He placed it in his waistband, then began removing the holster for it from his brother's body lying on the bed. After the holster was off Eli, Seth placed the pistol in it and began fitting the belt around his slightly smaller waist. He took care to properly settle the heavy rig. After the pistol was settled to his satisfaction, Seth walked over and picked up Eli's rifle. The pistol and rifle had come home with Eli from the war. He claimed the Henry rifle and Starr DA pistol, both in .44 caliber, were the best weapons in the world. The Henry used the .44-40 caliber round, but the pistol was still cap and ball.
When Wilma, Seth's mother, saw him taking up the weapons she grabbed him and said, "No Seth. Ya're alls I got left now. Don't do it."
Seth gently took his mother's hands off his arm and said, "All's I'm gonna do is sic tha sheriff onta him Ma. We'll let the law handle it if they will. If they don't then I'll take care of it."
"Seth, ya knows Reed and his family are the top dog in the county. Twont do no good. Onliest ones more important than them is tha Ogles."
"Well, we have to try, Ma. I will give the law a chance first but mark my words; Reed will pay for this one way or another."
Seth rode into town and roused the sheriff from his sleep to report the murder and who did it. Like his Ma said, it didn't do much good. The sheriff listened to Seth then said, "I'm sorry son but there is not much I can do. It will be your word against his, and his daddy is an important man. I will ask them about it but you know even if he did what you say he will not own up to it."
"What about wounds on him. That should show he done it. Abi had skin under her fingernails, and I am sure I hit him as he was arunnin' even if Eli didn't get lead into him before he left the cabin.
After Seth helped his mother into the buckboard, he walked behind it to the other side and climbed up beside her. He picked up the reins and flicked them as he clicked at the old mare pulling the rig. They were driving through town headed toward their home when he saw Reed stagger out of the better of the three saloons in town. He saw them almost at once and stood grinning as they drove toward him. Seth saw a bandage on his right thigh and left side. There were scratches on his face. When they were almost even with Reed Seth heard him say "That was some good pussy boy. You ever get any of it?"
With an oath, Seth shouted, "Whoa" at the old mare as he pulled back on the reins. Before the buckboard stopped moving he bailed off and ran the two or three steps to Reed. Reed blanched when he saw him coming and fumbled for his pistol. He got it out of his holster just as Seth reached him. Seth drove his fist into Reed's belly just before he crashed into his body. Reed grunted and fell backward, releasing his pistol as he did so. The pistol flew up into the air and landed in the dusty street under the buckboard.
Reed's head hit one of the benches on the boardwalk in front of the saloon and there was a sharp crack. Seth landed on Reed and rolled off onto the boardwalk. He staggered to his feet and stood looking down at Reed, fists clenched for another blow. When Reed didn't rise after being hit, Seth kicked him and said, "Get up and take your beating like a man you son-of-a-bitch."
Reed didn't move. He made no sound. By now a crowd had gathered and one of the bystanders bent down to check on Reed. The man looked up and said, "You done kilt him boy. Was I you, I would light a shuck afore the sheriff and his daddy hears about this."
Seth stood for a moment, then walked quickly back to the buckboard, climbed in and drove away toward their ramshackle home. After they left the small town, Wilma turned to her youngest, and last, child. She said, "Well boy, you have done it now. We get home you need to pack up and light a shuck out of here like old Simpson said. It does not matter if he deserved it or not or if you killed him by accident or not. His daddy is going to come after you."
"I cannot do that ma. What will become of you? I have to stay and take care of you."
"No, you do not. I will go to your uncle's farm and live. We will lose this little patch of ground but it is wore out anyway. Mayhap I can sell it. If not, we will just let her be. Now you best pack and light a shuck right quick like. You know Mr. Samuel's temper and you done him and his wrong in his book, so he will be after ya soon as he hears. He most likely will have tha sheriff and a posse after ya, too."
They pulled into the yard of their house as Mrs. Thomas finished speaking. Seth started to open his mouth and argue with his mother, but she cut in once again and said, "No sass now. Ya get Toby saddled and throw that ole pack saddle on the good mule," as she jumped down from the buckboard and bustled toward the door of the house, heading for the kitchen.
"I'll throw some grub inta a sack fer ya. Soon as ya git yer animals ready, ya come inta tha house fer some clothes and some more powder and ball. I'll have what food there is ready fer ya by then."
Seth sat for a moment and then flipped the reins and clucked at the horse pulling the buckboard. He guided the rig to the barn, unhooked the mare and led her inside the old log building. He gave her a quick rubdown and threw some oats and hay in the feed trough before he put her into her stall.
Seth quickly saddled their best horse, Toby, a beautiful 5-year-old sorrel stallion he raised from a colt. Abner, their young mule, gave him some trouble when he put the old packsaddle on him. He wasn't used to being a pack animal and didn't like the thought, apparently. Finally, Seth finished his work in the barn and led the animals toward the house.
When Seth walked into the small cabin, his mother met him near the door with a bag of food. She said, "Now you hustle up to tha loft and grab yer clothes while I put together some powder and ball."
Seth made his way up the steep stairs to the loft where he still slept and grabbed his extra set of clothes and heavy coat. He also pulled the three blankets from his corn shuck mattress and picked up his ground cloth. He walked past his mother carrying the clothes and bedding, headed toward Abner.