A Sound in the Night

April 1861

Will Tucker was startled. He sat up in bed quickly; sure that he had heard something. Not quite sure what it was. And then he heard it again. It sounded like the thump of horses’ hooves moving through the woods just in front of the Tucker cabin. His brother, Nolan, must have heard the noise, too. Will could see him standing at the window, his rifle in one hand. Will sat up and pulled on his pants and boots as quickly as possible. In the moonlight, he could see that Nolan was already dressed. His sister, Julia, was still asleep on her cot across the room.

“What is it?” he whispered, crossing to the window to join his brother.

“Not sure,” Nolan replied. “Thought I heard branches breaking, hooves. Maybe three or four horses. Don’t see anything though.” Just then, Julia began to stir. Will glanced back over to see his sister pulling on her robe.

“What’s going on?” she whispered as she crossed the room. Just then, out of the trees appeared four shadowy figures on horseback. They entered the front yard of the little log cabin, guns in hand. Nolan shuddered, and walked to the front door. He stepped out slowly.

“What can I help you with?” the oldest brother asked, squinting in the moonlight, trying to make out any of the marauders' faces.

Atop a sorrel stallion, one of the men, who seemed to be the leader, cocked a double barrel shotgun. “This the Jones place?” he yelled down. The other three riders fanned out beside him. It was hard to see in the pale light, but all of the figures seemed menacing. He continued, “Word has it that the Jones family has been harboring Union raiders.”

Nolan stepped out of the door, gun in hand but not raised. “No, sir,” he answered. “Name’s Tucker. Jones place is a few miles up the road.”

Will wondered what these people could possibly be planning to do with the Joneses. Peaceable family, older man and his three daughters. The leader leaned over to one of the other riders and whispered something. The other man laughed out loud, and then spat on the ground.

“That’s funny,” the first man continued. “We were right sure this was the Jones place. Folks down the lane said so.”

Now the other three men seemed a little restless. Will stepped out the door as well, trying to get a better understanding of exactly what was happening. Julia was still concealed in the darkness beyond the threshold.

“Neighbors must have given you wrong directions, sir. Like I said, name’s Tucker. My daddy built this house with his own two hands about twenty-five years ago, and we’ve worked the land ever since.” Nolan and Will both stepped farther out into the yard. An old well, long ago dried up and since that time used mostly to collect trash, not to mention a hiding place that gave their mother fits before she died, was all that stood between the boys and these strange riders.

“Where is your daddy?” a third man asked. He seemed not quite as old, but something about the tone of his voice seemed very evil to Will, as he stood behind his older brother, wishing he had grabbed a gun himself.

“Dead,” Nolan replied. “Our ma is dead, too. Both died about five years ago.”

“You all that’s left?” the first man asked.

“Yes, me and my brother and my sister,” Nolan replied. Will assumed Nolan thought he had better tell the truth right up front.

“Sister?” the final man asked. “I like the sound of that word, sister.” He looked at the other men and they all began to laugh in a purely devilish fashion, all but the leader, who kept his cool.

At her mention, Julia stepped out the door, holding her robe tightly around her. Nolan continued. “We ain’t the Joneses, and we ain’t looking for trouble. We’ve got some provisions, if you want to take them. Some ham, a few beans. They’re yours if you want. Otherwise, please be on your way.”

“Provisions?” The younger man repeated. His horse seemed restless, and it began to bounce around a little bit. “Is your sister there a provision?”

The other man who had seemed so interested at the idea of a woman began to laugh. He commented, “I like the idea of that, too.”

Nolan shifted his position, stepping between Will and Julia, who was now closest to the old well. Will took a step backward, thinking he could dart into the house to get his gun if need be. “No, she ain’t.” Nolan said, taking hold of Julia’s arm.

Now the leader chuckled. “We’ll see about that. Manny, get the girl,” he said, looking at the younger of the men. Manny was more than happy to oblige. He quickly dismounted.

Nolan started to raise his gun, but then realized that all three of the other men had their guns drawn on him. Once again, he began to verbally protest, but all he got out were a few words. “Wait a minute now, let’s talk about this.” Then, in a flash so bright, the sky seemed completely lit up, the leader’s gun went off. Will could see the whole thing unfolding, as if in slow motion. Before he could even register what was happening, he saw his brother’s head snap backward, and a tiny bead of blood start to roll down his forehead. His brother’s expression changed from a look of total shock and surprise to anguish. And, just before he began to fall, he turned his head slightly, and looked right into Will’s eyes.

Horror swept over Will. He knew he had to react quickly because he would be next. Acting instinctively, he snatched his brother’s rifle out of the air with one hand and pushed his sister into the well with the other. Fortunately, Julia, though equally stunned at the fate of her oldest brother, had the same idea, and she was already jumping into the well herself. In one fluid motion, Will turned the gun on Manny, the closest marauder, and shot him, right in the chest. Then, with no time to reload his own weapon, he grabbed Manny’s shooter and trained it on one of the other men, at the same time dodging behind the well, using it for protection. He exchanged fire with the other two mounted raiders as their leader reloaded. His second shot hit one of the men square between the eyes, and he slumped backward, nearly falling off his mount. Both of these two men’s shots had missed, hitting the cabin behind him.

Just then, Julia popped out of the well, handing another gun to her brother, and training her own weapon on the leader. By this time, the large man had reloaded and fired in the general direction of the well, but his horse had been startled by all of the noise, and he missed. Julia, as good a shot as either of her brothers, hit him in his stocky chest, knocking him to the ground.

Will had his gun trained on the remaining gunman, but seeing the fate of the rest of his company, the man took off into the woods. Without even considering letting him go, Will ran to Manny’s empty horse and leaped atop it. He took off after the final assassin. Branches snapped back, hitting him in the face as he began to close in on his prey. He didn’t feel them, though, nor did he feel the blood trickling down his sallow face. Finally, the two riders came to a small clearing and the outlaw ahead of him drew his steed to a stop.

Throwing up his arms and dropping his gun, he turned his horse partially around. “Please,” he begged, and Will could see in his face that he knew he could not escape. “Please let me go. I got a wife. I got two kids.”