Revenge, the sequel to Runaway

by
Kaitlyn

Part 1

“Sarah, what did you do to my saddle?” Jem chuckled and looked at his daughter.

Sarah’s lower lip trembled and her eyes filled with tears as she realized that the ‘improvements’ that she had made to her father’s saddle were being laughed at.

Sarah’s mother came out of the house to see where Sarah had gone, holding Tad by the hand. When she saw what Sarah had done to the saddle, she bit her lip, trying not to laugh; but it didn’t work. Her laughter floated out over the yard as she stared at the ribbons and pinecones attached to the saddle with some wood glue that Sarah had found in the barn.

Daddy swallowed his laughter and knelt beside Sarah. Taking her in his arms, he asked, “Sarah, why did you put those things on my saddle?” He wiped the tears from her eyes.

Sarah turned her face to him. “That saddle is so old and ugly, Daddy. I wanted it to look pretty for you.”

Daddy gave Sarah a hug. “Thank you, Sweetheart. I appreciate it, but let me tell you something. Wood glue is very bad for the saddle.”

Sarah’s eyes filled with tears again. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”

 “I forgive you, Sarah. This time it’s all right; that saddle had been chewed up by mice, and I was going to get rid of it anyway. But next time, ask me or Mama, okay?”

Sarah nodded happily and her eyes cleared. “Okay, Daddy—”

“Sarah? Are you all right?”

I awoke from my daydreaming to see the Carters staring at me.

We all sat at the supper table, waiting for Justin to arrive. The room was silent, and I reddened.

“I-I’m sorry,” I stammered. “I was just thinking about a time when I was three, and I tried to improve my father’s old saddle by attaching decorations to it with wood glue.”

Everyone laughed.

“I hope it didn’t ruin it too bad,” Chad commented with obvious concern for the saddle.

I shook my head and smiled. “I’m not sure how bad it hurt the saddle, but Daddy said he was going to get rid of it anyway.”

“You remember that from way back when you were three?” Andi asked incredulously.

“I have an exceptional memory, I’m told,” I replied.

“But anyway, does anyone know when Justin is going to get here?” Andi asked.

Mrs. Carter sighed. “Andrea, Justin will be here soon; be patient.”

Andi sighed and threw her hands in the air. “He hinted that he’s expecting some news about Sarah’s parents this morning when he left, and now he’s leaving us in suspense! How can I be patient?”

I giggled at her outburst, and Chad winked at me from across the table.

“She does it all the time,” he said with a smirk. “All these temper tantrums wear everyone out.”

Andi sent Chad a glare and crossed her eyes. “Well, at least I’m not the one who comes barging in the house and yelling about which mare has just had a new foal or which horse broke out of the corral or---”

Melinda smirked. “Yes, you are, Andi.” 

Andi heaved a big sigh and rested her chin on the palm of her hand. “I’ll just keep my mouth shut,” she said in a mock pout.

“Finally! Peace and quiet!” Mitch exclaimed with a grin.

Andi stuck her tongue out at him, but quickly pulled it back in when Mrs. Carter sent her a warning look.

Everyone lapsed back into silence, but I couldn’t hold my giggles back anymore. And when I get started, I can’t stop.

I started giggling quietly, but then Andi caught my giggles. Melinda bit her lip, trying to hold it back, but finally burst out laughing. Mitch smirked and started chuckling. Finally the whole dining room was filled with laughter; that was why we didn’t hear the front door open.

“What’s all the laughter about?” Justin wondered with a raised eyebrow.

Mrs. Carter wiped a tear from her eye and answered, “Oh, you know how contagious laughter is.”

Justin smiled. “Indeed. Now, you are all probably wondering about my hint at some news that was expected today.”

We all nodded, looking at him expectantly.

“Well my news came, and...”

I fidgeted in my seat, wishing he would quit stalling.

“...Something very interesting walked into my office this morning.”

I frowned, wondering what that was supposed to mean.

Justin’s face suddenly broke into a wide grin and he turned to the empty doorway. “Get in here, Jem!”

I gasped and jumped from my seat as the familiar form of my father suddenly filled the doorway.

“Come here, Sarah!” He exclaimed. I ran into his open arms, hardly believing my eyes.

“Daddy, you’re here! You’re really here!” I squealed, sending up a silent prayer to God, thanking Him for bringing my daddy back to me.

Daddy’s voice was gruff. “Yes, Sarah. I’m here, and I’ll never leave you again!”

I sniffed and pulled away, brushing tears from my eyes. I grabbed his hand and led him to the table and introduced him.

“Daddy, this is Andi, Mrs. Carter, Melinda, Mitch, Chad, and you already know Justin. Everyone, this is my daddy!”

Everyone gave my father a warm welcome, then an extra place at the table was quickly set next to mine, and supper was served.

I still wasn’t used to all the food the Carters had every evening; tonight it was mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits and jam, chicken and dumplings, and corn.

I could hardly eat because of my excitement, and I had to keep looking to my side to make sure Daddy was really there. Each time he winked at me assuring me that this night was real.

Finally, after supper, Daddy and I were left alone in the study.

“I still can’t believe you’re here, Daddy,” I said as I sat beside him on the sofa, my head resting on his shoulder.

“I can’t believe it much myself, Sweetheart,” he replied. “But now I suppose I should tell you why we left you in the first place.”

“I suppose so, but first, where’s Mama?” I asked.

Daddy sighed and closed his eyes, as if to block out a bad memory. “That comes with the story, Sarah.”

I snuggled in close as Daddy began the story.

“You see, Sarah, when your mother and I were first courting, her brother always ran around with the wrong crowd. One time he became drunk and killed a man. I, unfortunately, happened to witness that scene, and it was my testimony that sent him to prison. He was not happy with me; in fact, he was so angry with me that he said he’d kill me.”

Part 2

My eyes widened. “He said he’d kill you?”

Daddy sighed. “Yes. But I never thought about it, because he was locked behind bars and would never get to me.”

“But... then he got out?”

“Hang on, wait till I get to that part.” Daddy smiled and continued his story, “When you and Tad came along, life was wonderful. Your uncle Henry was in jail where he couldn’t harm us, and we were living here in California. But there was one thing that put a damper on everything when you were five years old.

“On the day after Terri’s second birthday,” Daddy continued, “A man from town rode out to our ranch with the news that Henry had been released from prison and was on his way here for revenge.

“Your mother and I tried moving from place to place; but Henry was always right behind us. We finally decided that it was too dangerous for you children to be chased by a criminal, so we left you with some good friends in Sacramento and doubled back to meet Henry.”

I frowned, puzzled. “Daddy, I don’t remember being on the run like that.”

“That’s no surprise, Sweetheart. You were only five years old.”

“But I can remember when I was three, and I decorated your saddle with ribbons and pinecones.”

Daddy laughed. “No, Sarah, I don’t think you remember that. You’re probably thinking of the stories your mother and I have told you.”

I sighed. “Continue.”

“Well, when we found Henry, he was drunk and called me into the street. There we were, ten paces away from each other, and I told him that I wouldn’t fight him; so I tossed my gun to the side. I thought that having to shoot an unarmed man would take some of his confidence away, but that didn’t faze him a bit. He drew his gun, cocked it, and squeezed the trigger.”

I bit my nails nervously.

“It misfired, and I took that chance to leap forward and try to wrestle the gun out of his hands. But I had overestimated him; he had been getting into shape in prison, and quickly overpowered me. The last thing I remember after that was waking up in the doctor’s office with my head aching and feeling about five times its size, and being told that Henry had taken your mother.

“When I had recovered enough, I tried for years to track your uncle, but no one seemed to know where they went, and I couldn’t find anything.

“So I headed back to Sacramento to check on you children, but when I got there, I found out that the friends we had left you with had moved away, and that Tad and Terri had found good homes, but that you were dumped at an orphanage.”

Daddy’s face darkened. “When I visited the orphanage, I was told that you had run away and were last seen headed this way.” Daddy paused his story to ask, “By the way, how did you get all the way over here?”

I grinned sheepishly. “I sort of hitched a ride in the back of a farmer’s wagon when he wasn’t looking.”

Daddy smirked. “Anyway, I sent Justin a telegram, asking if he would help me look for you. He sent me a telegram saying that he had some news that would interest me very much.”

He smiled broadly. “I walked into his office this evening, and he was waiting for me. He said that you were out here at the ranch, and I could see you this very evening if I came out for supper. I gratefully accepted, and that brings me to now.”

I sat there for a few moments, letting this all sink in. “Daddy,” I began, “Where are Tad and Terri now?” 

“I left them where I found them. I thought it would be best, since they seemed to really like it there, and in case I ran into Henry again...” his voice trailed off.

I smiled and gave Daddy a hug. “But you’re here, and that’s all that matters now!”

Daddy returned my hug. “Well, it’s late, and time for bed. I got myself a room in the hotel in town, so I’ll see you first thing in the morning.”

 He walked me up to my room, kissed my forehead, and left. 

 As I changed into my nightgown that the Carters had generously given me, I thought about the evening’s events, hardly believing them to be true.

 I crawled into bed, silently thanking God for bringing my Daddy back to me.

Part 3

 The next morning, when I stepped outside my bedroom, Andi was just stepping out of hers.

 “Can you believe that your father’s really here at Fresno?” She exclaimed, eyes shining. 

 I grinned. “I’m so excited, I could slide down the banister!”

 “Why not?” Andi led me to the stairs and hopped up on the banister. She slid down with ease, landing on her feet at the base of the stairs.

 I slowly walked to the banister, remembering the last time I had tried sliding down the banister. That was one embarrassing memory that I didn’t care to remember.

 I carefully sat down on the sleek, shiny wood, closed my eyes, and shoved off.

 It was a wonderful feeling to be sliding down like that, until Chad walked into the room, followed by none other than Jeremiah Coulter himself.

 Surprised, I tried jumping back onto the stairs, but my foot slipped and I went crashing down the rest of the stairs to the hard floor--- and the surprised look on my father’s face.

 “Sarah! Are you all right?” Daddy exclaimed. 

 I sat up and rubbed my backside and slowly stood up, leaning heavily against him. “Yes, I’m all right; I must have twisted my ankle, though, and I can’t put any weight on it.”

“Well, then, we’ll just have to try something else!” Daddy scooped me up in his arms and whisked me away to the breakfast table.

That afternoon I sat on the sofa in the study, reading a book with ice on my ankle. At that moment, Andi was out riding Taffy, Daddy was touring the ranch with Chad and Mitch, Melinda was out for a buggy ride with her latest beau, and Mrs. Carter had gone visiting.

I was just fine with staying inside by myself; a book is wonderful company in my opinion.

I had just closed the book and picked up my makeshift crutches to go find a snack when I heard the door open quietly and a heavy footstep in the entryway.

A shiver ran down my spine. Had Henry come back and found us? I tensed, ready to wield my crutch as a weapon if need be.

“Sarah! I have a surprise for you!” A voice called.

I melted with relief; it was Daddy’s voice. “I’m coming, Daddy!” I yelled. I hobbled out the room towards my smiling father.

“Sarah, come outside with me; I want to show---” his sentence was suddenly cut short as he came crashing down to the floor.

I stared with horror at my fallen father, then raised my head to see a large silhouette in the doorway.

“Hello, Sarah,” A deep voice said. “I’ve been waiting a long time to see you.”

Part 4

I took a step back. “Wh-who are you?”

The man stepped inside and I could see his face; it looked just like I remembered Mama’s. I gasped. “Uncle Henry?”

He smiled and nodded. “I’m glad you know my name. It will save me from having to do some explaining.” He took another step towards me.

I turned and tried to run from him, but he quickly overtook me and scooped me up in his arms.

“Sarah, you should know better than to run away from me; that would just make trouble for everyone.” He set me down and glanced at Daddy. “I may as well finish him off now; no use putting it off.”

He whipped his pistol out of its holster, pointed it at Daddy, and pulled the hammer back. He was moving his finger to the trigger when Chad and Mitch suddenly burst in the door.

Uncle Henry, caught by surprise, froze.

“Who are you?” Chad demanded.

Henry jumped into action. He seized me and held me out in front of him, pointing his pistol at my head. “Make any wrong moves, either of you, and you’re a dead man!” 

He slowly backed up, dragging me in front of him. It was all I could do to keep from crying out from the pain in my ankle.

Henry rushed me out the back door and tossed me up on his horse, then jumped on behind me and kicked his horse into action.

My injured ankle bounced against the horse, sending horrible pains up my leg each time. I turned my head around at the sound of hoof beats behind us and saw Chad riding after us.

Henry cursed under his breath as he realized we were being chased and pulled out his gun. He stopped the horse with a jerk and turned. He waited until Chad was in range, raised the gun up to eye level, and fired. Chad plummeted to the ground. 

Uncle Henry nudged the horse forward again, a smirk of satisfaction on his face. As the horse cantered away, I stared back at Chad’s lifeless form that was fading in the distance, along with my hope.

We continued on to Fresno, passing on the outside of the town. By this time it was getting dark, I was getting hungry, and my ankle had swollen to more than twice its size, now that I didn’t have ice on it.

We finally stopped about ten miles away from Fresno, Uncle Henry making sure that we were out of sight of the road. He got off the horse and lifted me down. 

“Fix us something to eat,” he ordered, gesturing to a small sack tied to the saddle. I untied the sack and tried to limp my way over to where he was building a fire, but it didn’t work; my ankle collapsed under me, and the sack went flying into some bushes, emptying its contents on the way.

Uncle Henry cursed and stomped over to the sack, picked it up, and made his way over to me while stuffing the jerky and cans of beans back into the sack. 

Once he got to me, he just stood towering over me, apparently trying to decide whether to get mad at me or not. I cringed on the ground, dreading his judgment.

There he stood, lips drawn into a line, eyes filled with annoyance. “Girl, you’re going to be a wonderful traveling companion,” he stated sarcastically, putting emphasis on the word “wonderful”.

He roughly picked me up, set me on my good foot, and helped me over to the fire.

I finally got up the courage to ask, “What are you going to do with me?”

He gave me a sideways glance from where he squatted beside the fire. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” was all he said.

While I warmed the beans by the fire, Uncle Henry gathered some sturdy sticks and began whittling them. I was curious to know what he was doing, but I knew better than to ask. I just sat and watched him, and at length realized what he was doing: making crutches!

Finally, after supper, the crutches were finished, and he handed them to me. “See how they work,” he commanded and helped me to my feet.

I placed the crutches under my arms and began to walk around. 

“They’re perfect!” I exclaimed. “Thank you, Uncle Henry.”

He walked over to where he had set his saddle. “I can’t be bothered with helping you around all the time; You’ll be able to do the work better now.” Uncle Henry untied his bedroll and spread it out on the ground. “After you clean up supper, you can sleep here.”

I scraped the plates into the fire and rinsed them with water supplied from Uncle Henry’s canteen. After that was done, I eased myself into the bedroll and lay there, wondering what would become of me.

I suddenly sat bolt upright as a thought hit me. “Uncle Henry, where’s my mother?”

Henry turned and stared at me. “She’s dead,” he stated the fact bluntly and without any explanation.

I gasped. “She-she’s dead?” In shock, I lay back down and put my arms behind my head and just lay there, gazing at the stars. Mama... dead? It couldn’t be true!

Tears gathered in my eyes. I turned on my side away from Uncle Henry, and cried myself to sleep.

******

The next morning I woke up to the sight of Uncle Henry building a fire. 

When he saw me, he said, “Well, it’s high time you woke up. It’s time for you to make breakfast; take this bucket to the creek over there and fill it.”

I stood up on my crutches, took the bucket from him, and hobbled to the creek without a word, wondering how in the world I would fill a bucket with a twisted ankle and crutches.

When I reached the creek, I was glad to bathe my face and aching neck. As I remembered the previous night’s news, my eyes stung with tears. I couldn’t believe I would never see my mother again in this life.

Of course, there was always the hope of meeting her in heaven, but being eleven, it seemed like an eternity in itself to wait.

I filled the bucket and slowly made my way back to camp; I wasn’t in any hurry to be Uncle Henry’s slave. It seemed like I’d been with him for years, rather than less than a day.

My thoughts turned to Daddy. Would he be all right? Had Uncle Henry’s knock on Daddy’s head killed him?

I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the headache that had come on with all the worrying. I quickly sent up a silent prayer, asking God to give me “wings like the eagle’s”.

When I got to camp, Uncle Henry was nowhere in sight, and his horse was gone.

“Uncle Henry?” I called. There was no answer. A wave of panic started to sweep over me, but I shoved it back.

I sat down next to the fire for a long time. After about half an hour, although it seemed like much longer, I resigned myself to the realization that my own uncle had abandoned me in the middle of nowhere.

Part 5

I sat beside the fire for a while, stunned. Why had Uncle Henry left me here like this? It wasn’t as if I liked him at all, but at least he made sure I was safe and well-fed. And what about Mama? How did she die, and why? My mind spun with all the questions; I was so lonely.

“God,” I began, “My mother is dead, my father might be dead, Chad was shot because of me, and my uncle has left me out here with a twisted ankle.” I stared up into the sky with tears in my eyes, and shouted, “You say everything works together for good for those who love You. I don’t see any good in this!” I broke down and sobbed, covering my face with my hands.

I don’t know how long I sat there, but the sun was high in the sky by the time I pulled myself together and began to plan what I would do now.

I decided to find my way to the road, start walking in the direction of Fresno, and hope that a passing buggy would give me a ride- and that the buggy was not carrying Uncle Henry.

I doused the fire, waited until I was sure that it was completely out, and set off towards the road. I had walked for what seemed like hours, though it was probably less than half an hour, when a rustling in the bushes off to my right caught my attention. It’s probably just a rabbit or squirrel, I thought to myself.

I continued walking, and the rustling beside me continued, keeping by my side. I became nervous, and stopped; the rustling stopped with me.

“Who’s there?” I called. There was no reply, and I called again, “Who’s there?”

Finally, after a long pause, a woman stepped out of the brush and made her way to me. The woman had long brown hair that looked like it hadn’t seen a comb for weeks, a torn dress with a blue flower pattern on it, and well-worn black shoes covered with dust.

“Who are you?” I asked curiously.

The woman looked at me intently, as if she were studying me. Finally shock spread over her face. “Is that you, Sarah?”

I took a step back; it couldn’t be! Yet I recognized her voice, and the long, dark hair... I knew that under all the dirt and mass of tangled hair, was the mother of whose death I had mourned.

“It’s me, Mama.” I choked out the words around the lump that had suddenly lodged itself in my throat. Mama spread her arms wide, and I dropped my crutches and threw my arms around her as though I’d never let her go again.

After a few moments Mama pulled out of my embrace. “Well, we’d better get going, in case Henry wakes up and comes after us,” she said briskly.

I looked at her, a puzzled frown on my face. “Wakes up? What are you talking about? And how does it happen that you’re alive? Uncle Henry told me that you were dead!”

Mama shook her head in disgust. “That man! Always ready to lie in order to save himself from embarrassment.” She turned her face to me, noted my clueless expression, and chuckled. “I suppose I should start from the beginning. Has your father told you what happened up until Henry took off with me?”

I nodded slowly, frowning. “Wait a minute, how did you know that Daddy had found me?”

She smiled. “I’ll get there, Sweetheart.” She paused. “Wait here; I’ll be right back.” She disappeared into the brush and emerged again after a few moments, leading a horse. She helped me on, then mounted behind me and nudged the horse forward.

Mama began her story: “When your Uncle Henry and I were on the run, the thought of escaping was always in my mind. Then one night the opportunity came; Henry had fallen into a drunken sleep, and I saw my chance. I took the one horse we had and left. I was so scared that Henry would catch up with me at first, but after weeks of wandering around, I became convinced that he had lost my trail, and I headed back to where I last saw your father; of course, he wasn’t there. I was devastated to know that Jem was gone, but I should have realized that as soon as he was able, he would try to find me.

“Since I had no way of finding your father without marking the trail for Henry, I decided to head straight to where your father and I had left you and your siblings.

“You can imagine my despair when I found you were gone; but the very day I heard the news, I was on my way to the hotel and guess who I saw riding down the street.”

She nodded at my horrified face. “That’s right; your Uncle Henry. I had no idea how he found me, but I had to hide. I slipped into an alley and made my way to the livery stable. Thankfully, Henry had stopped at the saloon before going to board his horse there, and I quickly saddled my horse and left.

“I made camp outside town, and miraculously Henry never found me. He was probably too drunk. When he headed out of town, I followed him. Skip forward a few tense days and we arrived at the Carter ranch. I waited out in the back yard for him to come out of the house, but when I saw him dragging you out, I stayed hidden and followed you all the way here to camp.”

I was silent for a moment. “So what did you mean when you were talking about leaving before Uncle Henry wakes up?”

Mama chuckled. “After Henry sent you for water this morning, I threw a rock in front of him. When he didn’t respond, I threw another. When he came looking for whatever was throwing rocks at him, I hid behind a tree and hit him hard over the head with a large rock. I didn’t kill him, though; I made sure of that.”

I sucked in a big breath and let it out slowly. “Wow. I didn’t have any idea that my family’s life was so... exciting.”

Mama smiled grimly. “Yes, but not the type of excitement that I’d care to have again.”

******

A week later, we were all seated at the Carter’s supper table: Mrs. Carter, Melinda, Andi, me, Mama, Daddy, Terri, Tad, Justin, Chad and Mitch.

After dessert was served, Justin stood and tapped his spoon against his glass for attention. “Everyone, I’d like to share some news with you all. 

“As you know, Henry was sentenced to prison; well, on the way there, he escaped.” This statement was met with gasps all around the table.

Justin held up his hand for silence. “Now, the sheriff is right this minute search-“ He was interrupted by a loud knock on the front door. “I wonder who that could be?” He exited the room. I heard the front door open, and Justin shout, “Who are you? What-” his speech stopped abruptly with a thud.

Daddy, Mitch and Chad had just jumped out of their chairs when a large, muscular figure filled the doorway, the unmistakable shape of a pistol in his hand.

“Henry!” Daddy exclaimed. He jumped forward just as the gun swung in his direction, fired, and missed.

Chad and Mitch, and Daddy jumped into action. They tried to wrestle the gun out of his hands, but Chad was still stiff and sore in the shoulder from when Henry had shot him, and Henry proved to be a hard match for both Mitch and Daddy.

Finally, after several tense moments, Mitch slowly turned the pistol back towards Henry’s stomach. The gun suddenly went off, and Henry slumped to the floor.

While Mrs. Carter and Melinda rushed out to tend to Justin, Mama and I ran to Henry, his face a deathly pale.

“Oh, Henry, why did it have to come to this? Why didn’t you listen to me, and Jem, and Mother and Father?” Mama asked mournfully.

Henry opened his mouth. With effort, he said, “I- I’m sorry... no hope... for me... now.”

“But there is hope!” Mother tearfully exclaimed. “Remember what Mother and Father taught us about God’s forgiveness?”

Henry nodded with effort. “I’d... I’d like some of that forgiveness now.”

And so Henry died on the dining room floor that night. Mama was grieved but assured that she would see her brother again someday.