Prairie Song Read Free

smiled to himself. “I figured none of you’d want ta miss it. What a sight it’s gonna be. A hangin’ in the middle of nowhere. It’ll be somethin’ ta tell.”
    Cherish hugged herself as she fought the urge to vomit. The woman across the aisle awakened her children as joyously as if it were Christmas morning. A few of the men in back began to make bets on whether he’d jerk for a while or drop straight with his neck broke.
    All at once the old man was an expert, passing among the crowd, talking and laughing and being thanked for spreading the news.
    As he neared Cherish, he sank to one knee. “Ain’t nothin’ ta be afeared of, miss. He’s just gettin’ what he deserves. I hear tell he’s sent many a man ta meet his Maker.”
    “I don’t want to see him die,” she managed to whisper.
    The old man patted her shoulder as though he were her father. “I understand that. I felt much the same way the first time I saw a hangin’. Two black bucks, back ‘fore the war, swung from the same branch. They was accused of attackin’ a white girl. Town got so upset, they didn’t even wait till sunup. Since then I’ve seen my share of hangin’s and they do tend ta sober a man up.”
    He looked toward the woman across the aisle who was pushing her sleeping son’s arms into a coat. “You let that boy see this, ma’am, I promise ya he’ll never step outside the law. All it takes is one hangin’ ta put the fear of the Lord in a boy.” He patted her child on the head. “Don’t stand too close, son. When they die, they lose all control of their vitals.”
    Cherish jumped up and ran from the car. She could stand no more of the old man’s talk. Welcoming the cold air against her burning face, she leapt from the step as the train pulled to a stop. The night was cloudy but the rain had halted, and darkness spread like a black quilt over the earth. Either the train had frightened off any creatures of the night, or they too sensed the impending death in the air.
    Staring into the shadows, she remembered how excited she’d been only hours before when she’d boarded with a telegram from Margaret. It read, “Tobin’s will was found. He left me the house he told us about. Meet me as soon as possible where we planned.”
    Now, before the train would take her any closer to her new life, a man would die. Somehow the grand house in Fort Worth didn’t seem so wonderful.
    “Better hurry, miss,” the old man yelled, “or you’ll be too late.”
    “Too late!” Cherish lifted her skirts. She had to hurry, not to see this hanging, but to stop it. Somewhere among all these people must be a man of reason. There must be someone who realized a man’s life was worth more than a midnight intermission on a train ride.
    Pushing her way through the crowd, Cherish spotted the bald deputy standing on the first step of the last car, his rifle crossed over his chest and cradled into the bend of his arm as he guarded his captive.
    Cherish calmed her breathing, knowing this man would respond to no words of reason about the value of life. His mind was probably set as firmly as the wrinkles across his forehead, but she had to try. “I’m a nurse. I understand the prisoner is wounded. If you’ll take me to him I may be of some help.”
    Several men laughed with the bald man. “I reckon he is wounded, miss. It was my bullet that plugged him. That was probably what slowed him down. He’s pale as a ghost from loss of blood. But I can’t see no use in you fretting over his wound when he’ll be dead in a few minutes from a rope.”
    “But I must see him; he’s dying,” Cherish pleaded. “I could patch him up and maybe he’d live to make it to the next town where he could have a trial.”
    Again all the men laughed. “Don’t see no use in that. Wouldn’t want to disappoint all these folks after waking them up. He’s in pretty bad shape, but he’ll make it a few feet more.”
    Cherish thought of trying to push her way past the man