the Lonesome Gods (1983) Read Free

difference in the way Farley, Kelso, and Finney treated him. They seemed to accept him as one of themselves, but the others were not treated so. Why was this so? Of course, my father had been over the trail before, yet even that did not seem reason enough.
    "How much farther?" I asked.
    "The hardest part will be after we cross the river. From the river to the mountains is a long way, all of it desert. There are bare ridges, lava beds, some cinder cones, and--" "What's a cinder cone?"
    "Easiest way to explain it is, it's a small volcano. Most of 'em are a couple of hundred feet high, or less, cone-shaped, with a crater inside."
    "Is there water in the desert?"
    "Here and there, if you know where to look. There's a river, too. Water's not too good, and it isn't much of a river, only a few feet across, and some places no more than an inch deep."
    "Where will I live?"
    My father was silent for a few minutes and then said, "Your grandfather is a very rich man. He has thousands of cattle, sheep, and horses. He has a big ranch, and then he has a house in town, too.
    "Most of the men who work on the ranch are Indians, those in town are Mexicans. Good men, most of them." I wanted to ask him about Felipe, and what he might have known that he was not wanted to know, but I did not. I could not let my father realize that his private conversations had been overheard, even though I only listened when they spoke about the past or about my grandfather.
    We dozed, awakened, then dozed again. Fletcher paced irritably. He was a difficult, impatient man, one accustomed to having his own way, I thought, and he did not like being just one of a group, nor did he like my father. I did not like Fletcher. nor did he like me.
    "What's the matter with him?" he demanded once. "He doesn't talk like any boy I know."
    My father's expression was bland. "He has spent much more time with adults, so he talks like one, even thinks like one. We've been in few places where there were other children, a fact I regret."
    Later, when I had gone to get a drink from the pool, I heard Farley talking to Kelso. "He's trouble, and I don't want trouble. I'm not worried about Verne. He can take care of himself, but I don't want shooting."
    "There's been no trouble so far."
    "No, and I want to keep it that way. Fletcher looks like a tough man, but he doesn't know anything about Verne, and I don't think he knows much about the West."
    There was a pause. "I want to get these people through safely and with as little trouble as possible. I nearly refused Fletcher on sight. I am sorry I didn't."
    Fletcher finally seated himself against a tree, removed his hat, and closed his eyes. I watched him curiously, wondering why he was going to California in such a hurry. Yet I had no idea why any of them were going except for my father.
    So far, neither of the two women had tried to talk to me, which seemed strange, as women traveling always seemed to fuss over youngsters, and I had been wary of them for that reason.
    Miss Nesselrode was a slender, graceful woman who might have been thirty and was probably younger. She wore high lace collars that were always immaculate, no matter how dusty the trail. Her gray traveling dress was much worn and there were signs of raveling at the cuffs. She was rather pretty in a fluttery way, but I did notice that with each day we were on the trail she fluttered less and her eyelashes were steadier. If she had a first name, I had never heard it.
    Mrs. Weber was a stout lady in black satin--or what looked like it. I felt sorry for her in that old stiff black dress she wore that seemed to have so many layers. She held a small handkerchief to her nose most of the time, and sniffed a good deal.
    Sometimes I tried to imagine why they were all going west, but could not.
    It was very still. Not a breath of air stirred. Occasionally one of the horses would stamp a hoof to drive away flies. Jacob Finney, who had been lying under the wagon, got up, and taking his rifle,