Hardscrabble Pt. 02

Ending of Part 1: "Go ahead and shuck that rifle," the voice said. "My pistol is holstered; you could probably get me before I could draw."

Clement knew better. "No thanks. I'll need it for protection though, as I ride out of here and out of state. I'll never see you again."

"If we do see each other again, it will be the last time. And don't think about stopping somewhere out in the brush and shooting into the crowd. We're posting sentries, and they will shoot on sight."

"Wouldn't think of it. I'm not much, but I'd never shoot into a crowd with women and children.

And Silas, the girl: she didn't know. I kept a low profile around her. She was just using me to make you jealous, which is something I'm not used to. I'm usually lucky with the ladies, but this time I shot snake eyes. Go gentle on her; she's still young."

With that he rode way, both hands on the reins. Silas and the crowd watched him ride over the hill. Samuel patted Silas on the shoulder, "I'll watch from the barn until he's out of sight over the last hill. Want me to stay and keep watch after that?"

"No, Sam, just until he's over the hills, but thanks for offering. I believe him when he says we'll never see him again."

Sam scrambled up into the loft, and Silas turned back to the lingering crowd. "You came here from all over the country, and my family and friends have been cooking for days. Let's put his behind us and enjoy each other. We have a lot to celebrate, and I appreciate each and every one of you coming. Now, let's go back and have a party!"

They turned en mass and began jabbering among themselves. His dad and Ben Wallace clasped him on the shoulders, and Ben assured him, "You did good. Handled that as well as it could be, and rid the state of a scoundrel at the same time. Now YOU need to come enjoy YOUR celebration!"

He took three steps between the two men before they encountered Gwen and a very contrite Lilly. "Silas, she needs to talk to you for a moment. Will you allow a foolish girl that opportunity, please?"

He sighed deeply, but the combination of Gwen's pleading look and Lilly's tear stained but breathtakingly beautiful face was too much to turn down. He turned and stood in front of Lilly, whose eyes were still downcast.

Gwen joined the two men and they walked away, leaving them alone, but the center of attention.

"Silas, I'm sorry. I swear I didn't know who he was! He was just a big, handsome man that all the girls and women fluttered around, giggling about him being a 'bad boy'. I honestly had no idea he was a criminal! Please..."

Silas placed his crooked forefinger under her chin and brought it up so that she was looking into his face. "Lilly, I believe you. Nonetheless, your lack of judgement put yourself and others at risk. What made you do that? Were you trying to show all of us what a... social maven you've become? Being in the company of such a man -- who is at least fifteen years older than you -- tarnishes your reputation and calls your character into question."

She burst into tears again and fled around the crowd to the guesthouse she and her parents were staying. Silas stood, confused by her response to his softly spoken, if direct, words. He saw disapproving looks on the faces of his sisters, his mother, and her mother, who followed her daughter to their quarters.

"Got a lot left to learn about the women of the species, son," said Bigfoot Wallace as he approached the Rangers, his dad, and uncle. "You're mighty good with outlaws and scoundrels, though!"

Uncle Lonnie put his arm around his nephew's shoulders and quietly said, "I'm sure before the night is over she, her momma, or your sister is going to tell you what she's been up to. Just understand: no matter how she looks and acts, she's still an eighteen year-old girl, which is about as difficult as anything can be. To make it even more difficult, she was her Daddy's princess. When he was killed, she trained all that emotion on the one who saved her and her Momma, and got revenge on Daddy's killers too.

Like it or don't, you two have a special bond, and, even when she makes a big mistake like she did this weekend, remember that HER ultimate goal is to turn that special bond into a matrimonial bond. If you don't want that," he concluded a grin, "I suggest you might also want to try Californi, because she's relentless!"

All four of the men laughed; he smiled and shook his head. "I'm afraid the University education we're celebrating today may not have fully prepared me for situations like this. Anybody have advice?"

They all chuckled again, and Ben answered, "What advice does a young man need when the most beautiful girl in fourteen counties is chasing him? On top of being beautiful, one of her teachers told me she's the smartest girl they've had at Ursuline Academy in many years, and we all know she can charm a coon out of a tree. My advice? Either buy a ring, or follow Lonnie's advice!"

"Would you men quit gabbing and get the meat cut up?" Silas' mom asked with an air of exasperation. "Looks plenty done, and we've got everything ready to load the serving table, except the meat!"

They shouted 'yes, mam!' and did as they were told. Within fifteen minutes they were ready for the blessing, which Preacher Robbinson did for another five minutes. They lined up by family, and everyone loaded their plate and found a place to sit. The kids tended to break off and sit on the steps or porch of the house so the adults could sit at the tables.

A subdued but impeccably made-up Lilly returned to eat with her family. There was enough room at their table that Kathleen and Mary Jane sat with her after they finished serving. The plates were full to overflowing, but there were a lot of seconds served anyway, and even those who proclaimed they couldn't eat another bite found room when the myriad desserts were brought out.

Silas had read about French meals lasting for hours when the extended family got together, and, for the first time, he understood.

After an hour and a half, Silas was suggesting they get started on the clean up when Ben Wallace climbed on a bench under the big oak and called for attention in a booming voice. When some on the outer fringes didn't hear, Bigfoot roared to be quiet, and that did the trick.

"We're here to honor a young man we all know and are proud to know, Mister Silas Carr, in recognition of his recently-earned university degree. Let's start with a round of applause for him, and then we can get about the business of telling tales about our young friend!"

The applause ended when Silas finally rose to acknowledge it, nod, and say thank you to the assembly.

Ben resumed. "Most of you folks are familiar with his exploits in this area of God's Country. The run in with Josiah Hays and his two cronies after the murder of Professor Thomson and the kidnapping of his wife, Gwen." He nodded toward Gwen, who waved.

"Josiah's daddy, ol' One-Armed Elijah, took offense and brought his gang right here, demanding they turn over the one who ambushed his son. All the menfolk were with me, off hunting him and the rapists Silas had already killed.

Silas faced him down, then shot him down when he wouldn't relent. These good people here took care of the gang when the shooting started, and the only survivor was the son, Jefferson, who refused to engage in a fight with boys and women. He is now one of Silas' best friends, and only missed this gathering because he is on his honeymoon down in Mexico!"

There was loud applause again, and it would not end until Silas stood up, raised his hands, and said, "I didn't do more when the Hays Gang came here than Samuel, over there, or my momma, sisters, and brother, or the other women, girls, and boys who stood their ground. Everyone did their job, and they were courageous and resolute, as was Miss Lilly Thomson, who was only fourteen at the time we faced Josiah Hays and his gunhands. She is a dead shot with her rifle, and to this day, we don't know which of us killed Josiah. Doesn't matter: she was courageous and resolute and bossy that whole day!"

The last part about bossy drew a laugh, and Gwen stood up. "My turn. Yes, my daughter was bossy that day, because she goes after something when she wants it, and she always believes her way is the right way!"

After the laughter died down, and Lilly's blush receded, Gwen said, "As it turned out, she was right about where they were holding me, and her certitude got Silas there at just the right time to save me. I can thank her and Silas for being alive.

But there's another part of the story you probably don't know. That part happened in Dogtown when we went in to get supplies and leave the bodies of the outlaws with the sheriff."

From the back a man yelled, "Oh, I was there at the General Store, and I'll back up the story she's agonna tell, even though it sounds unlikely!"

"Thank you, John! You're right: it does seem unlikely that an 18 year-old man would face down a hardened killer with two tied-down guns, but when he called Silas a liar and backshooter, that is exactly what happened! In fact, Silas exhibited a restraint that is unusual in anyone of any age that day. The gunhand grabbed the handle of his pistol, but he was looking down the barrel of a drawn gun. Silas could have shot him, and no one would have questioned it. But he just made him drop his guns and walk away."

John stood up in back and yelled, "Fastest draw I've ever seen, and that old Peacemaker was dead steady in his hand! Ol' Clyde knew he was a dead man, and like Missus Gwen says, most people would of killed him, but Silas just let him look down that barrel at death and made him drop his gunbelts. He's a legend over to Dogtown!"

Gwen smiled, thanked John, and continued, "Of course, our story is a lot easier to believe now than it was a few hours ago, before you saw his courage and restraint in person.

"But beyond his courage, beyond his University degree, there burns a bright intellect, a sterling character, and a burning desire to see justice done! We should all sleep better, knowing he will be in Austin, helping to undo the wrongs done by the Reconstructionists in the past ten years, and helping chart the proper course for Texas in the future!"

The applause ran on, until Ben shouted that he had some stories to tell; then it grew quiet.

"You know about his degree, which we are ostensibly here to celebrate, but I want to take a minute to celebrate not the scholar but the man. You folks - probably even his parents - don't know this, but Silas rode with the Rangers three times while at University. The first time there were only three of us tracking five rustlers, one of whom is a well-known outlaw. We never encountered him, but we did find the herd and three of the rustlers up near Lampasas. Silas was supposed to keep guard while we rode in on them, but they saw us coming and ran their horses down a canyon -- right into Silas, who had a rope strung across the trail between two trees. They pulled up, and he sat on his horse holding a double barrel scattergun. They threw up their hands, and we arrested them.

"The next time we were sent to Gonzales to intervene in the Sutton-Taylor feud. It was right after Willie Sutton and Gabriel Slaughter were gunned down waiting for a boat down at Indianola, and tensions were running high. We were supposed to stop the killing, and we did -- for a while.

"Silas talked to Rube Brown, the leader of the Sutton faction after Willie was killed, and then he talked to Jim Taylor, the leader of the other faction. He had them convinced to call it quits, and things got quiet. Then some Taylor boys John Wesley Hardin had hired to move a herd north were hung up after being arrested up near Hamilton. The Taylors' blamed it on the Suttons, and it started up again.

We had been sent home during the peace, so Leander McNelly and a large contingent of Rangers were sent in our place. They didn't have much luck either, until Rube Brown and Jim Tayor were both killed. Then the feud just fizzled out.

Maybe the worst problems Silas faced with us was up in Mason County - what you might have heard called the Hoodoo War. The Anglo settlers in the north and the German settlers along the Llano River got into a range war over rustled cattle, and at least a dozen men had been killed. Governor Richard Hubbard ordered me and Major Jones to gather Company D of the Rangers, and any willing and able law-abiding citizens who were willing to go, ride up to Mason, stop the killing, and bring justice to the perpetrators.

Silas was the youngest of us, but he held up strong in difficult circumstances. From the Anglo side we arrested George Gladden and Johnny Ringgold, who is now known in Arizona as Johnny Ringo. Ringgold was going to give it a try when two rangers and Silas confronted him, but Silas shucked his gun so fast Johnny decided he'd go along peaceful.

Former Ranger Scott Cooley, who had killed at least three German ranchers involved in killing his adopted father, got away.

From the other side, Sheriff Clark and three of the German ranchers were arrested. No one was ever convicted of anything, and the records were all burned when the courthouse was set fire.

Lot of hard lessons were learned there and with Sutton-Taylor feud. As many of us here can attest, a 'civil' war is the worst kind because the feelings run so deep, and Silas saw that first hand. Both sides were certain they were right, and maybe they were, but what they did to one another wasn't.

He's still a young man, but he's been places and done things most older men haven't.

I'm confident the maturity he gained from those experiences will serve Silas well in the future, and I expect him to have a great future!

One thing's for sure: if he decides he doesn't want to be a lawyer, he's got a bright future in law enforcement." Everyone laughed, but then Ben wound it up.

"Silas will be working for the Attorney General of Texas, who is himself a former Ranger, and a man who will root out corruption and fight to right wrongs, so the man we are here to celebrate will be in a good place working for a good man.

Now, let's bring him up here with a round of applause and see what he has to say for himself."

"I certainly appreciate the kind words, Ranger Wallace, and I also appreciate your discretion in storytelling. We did have a few adventures beyond those Ben mentioned, but they took good care of me and I learned a lot.

I'll admit it: I'm torn! I just finished a university degree and passed the bar, and then got a job working for an Attorney General I admire. That gives me a chance to help clean up the lawlessness that exists in Texas, and I'm not just talking about the burglars and train robbers. Money is also being stolen from the great State of Texas, and therefore from its citizens, by unscrupulous men who have rewritten our constitution and laws to their benefit.

The Governor and legislature are changing those laws, and it will be my pleasure to assist lawmen across Texas in enforcing the new, fairer, and more equitable laws.

All that said, another part of me wants to move back here to south Texas so I can spend my life with the kind of friends and neighbors who are here tonight. My dad calls this 'hardscrabble farming', but to me it is the finest people on the face of the earth coaxing life and sustenance out of what was barren ground.

That is a higher calling than being a lawyer by far, so let me end by giving my heartfelt thanks to the folks who raised me right and sacrificed to send me to school -- including these two rangers and their wives. These folks do God's Work daily. Let's toast to Hardscrabble Farmers and Ranchers, both male and female!"

Silas raised his beer, waved it in salute to the crowd and drank a toast. The crowd loved it, and there cheering lasted more than a few minutes.

***

After their response to his words, Silas invited everyone to go to the slab in the Quad and dance to the band. He stepped down from the bench, but let the others go ahead before he started.

His mother took him by the arm and said, "Wait a minute, Silas, we need to talk to you." When he turned, he saw that Kathleen and Gwen were with her, and all had concerned looks. Kathleen seemed to be the spokesman; she cleared her throat and began.

"Silas, you know all three of us love you, and we're only butting in to your business because we love you and we love Lilly. Brother, you have to know how much Lilly loves you, don't you? She fell in love with you way back when she saw you burying her Daddy. Then you saved her and her mother, not once but twice! That's why we always told you about her and what she was doing, because she wanted you to know she had grown up."

"Kathleen, how is being a social butterfly who dates scads of boys and men showing you are all grown up? How is inviting someone with the reputation of Bill Clement to a party showing you are grown up? How is..."

Gwen interrupted him. "None of those things show maturity. She's not mature; she's eighteen years old, Silas -- the same age you were when you went away to university!

Let me put it another way: she wanted you to notice her. She is the belle of every ball because she wants you to know everyone else considers her a beauty, not some 'skinny little friend'. She invited someone she thought would make you jealous: older, larger, good looking, and with a bit of a reputation, she thought. Yes, it is more than a bit of a reputation, but she didn't know that.

"She intended to get your attention, make you see that older men also consider her a catch, and, somehow, that would make you want to date her rather than treat her like a third sister."

Silas snorted. "So, in her mind, manipulating me is the way to my heart? I'm sorry, but that is a very juvenile approach to developing a relationship. I'm NOT ready to settle down anyway, but when I do I want a woman of substance by my side. Someone others look up to for her intellect and character, not her beauty.

"Frankly, I was far more impressed with learning that she is the top scholar in her school than that she is the 'belle of every ball', which is all I'd ever been told by you, Kathleen."

Sighing, Silas continues. "Her failure to judge Bill Clement for what he is concerns me greatly. As an assistant Attorney General, I can hardly have a wife who is charmed by rapscallions, much less an outright outlaw.

"No, I'm sorry. It's not all about her faulty judgement of Bill Clement; she is simply not the kind of stable, focused, and forthright woman I need in my life at this time. She is more a butterfly than a bee. Perhaps someday in the future she will be, but certainly not right now.

"Besides, she will be in San Antonio completing her secondary education, I will be in Austin beginning a new job, so there will be little chance for us to be together."

"Son, I understand your position; I'm sure we all do. But there are a few things I want you to consider. As to being manipulative, that is in the genes of the female species. I manipulate your father, Gwen manipulates Lorenzo, and we have both manipulated you; so has Kathleen. It's the way a woman can influence a man to go a different direction without confrontation. That Lilly, who so successfully manipulates males in San Antonio with her intellect and beauty, would try to manipulate the male she cares most about, is certainly not unexpected.

We all admit, I believe, that every reservation you expressed is relevant. But I -- we -- want you to understand that she was doing what an immature young woman thought would improve your judgement of her. After all, Silas, it is quite well known that you are very active in the social scene in Austin; in many cases, with Lilly's fellow students at Ursuline, so is it surprising that she simply surpassed those young women in the contest that is San Antonio society?