Haunted

Cordia’s eyes widened in horror as she thought about what Jaris’s cousins had been through. Their brother had been killed? How awful! Though she didn’t know these people, the thought of what they must have just gone through was inconceivable to her. She dropped the bucket of water, a small portion of its contents splashing her leg, and ran to Jaris, who still looked a little stunned himself. “My goodness!” she exclaimed, grabbing her betrothed by both hands. “How terrible. What happened?”

“I’m not exactly sure,” he replied. “Will doesn’t seem to want to talk about it, and Julia is too out of sorts. They lived ten or fifteen miles from the town of Nevada, no other towns close by, just some neighbors here and there. Pretty close to the Kansas border.”

“We are pretty close to the Kansas border,” Cordia exclaimed.

Carey actually laughed at her, causing her to turn her head and look at him, stunned that anyone could be laughing at a time like this. His dark eyes were menacing even when he was amused and Cordia had difficulty looking directly into them. “Your woman scares easily, Jaris,” he said crossing back to where they had all been sitting peaceably only moments before.

She started to follow him, wanting to know why she shouldn’t be alarmed at this news, but Jaris had her hand and pulled her back, well aware that she would be ready to argue with Carey at the drop of a hat. “They were closer, Cordia,” he explained, although not so sure she didn’t have reason to be concerned.

“Still,” Cordia continued, staring at Carey who no longer seemed to be paying her any attention at all. In fact, he had drawn out a pipe and was smoking, nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened. Jaris led Cordia back over to where the majority of the guests were congregated. “I don’t think we should just be casual about this. Are there some authorities in Vernon we should notify? Isn’t there something we can do?” she asked.

Jaris sighed, not knowing what to say next. Luckily, he didn’t have to. “Cordia,” her father was saying, “I don’t think there is too much anyone can do about these raiders. You know they have been riding through Kansas for years. If people are going to make their homes out there, practically in the wilderness, then they will need to be careful of them. It is a shame that Jaris’s cousin has died. Let us help him by tending to his brother and sister. Especially his sister. Poor girl. So young to have lost so much.” He sighed, turning to Arthur who began to fill his guests in on the history of the family. Isaac Pike had his hand on his daughter’s shoulder, and he pulled her with him as he crossed back to the chair where he had been sitting.

Cordia sat down on her father's knee, as if she were still a little girl, without even realizing it, half listening to the story, half lost in her own thoughts. There must be something that she could do to help that poor girl and her brother. She just needed to figure out what it could be. Meanwhile, she felt the icy eyes of Carey Adams crawling up her skin. She had known Carey her whole life and never cared for him. Unlike his gentle cousin, Jaris, Carey could be mean spirited. He had sandy blond hair and a handlebar mustache, which he was often seen twirling between his fingers. When they were younger, he would find it funny to catch an animal and threaten to torture or kill it in front of Cordia. Usually, Jaris could convince him not to harm the animal, but occasionally, he would break its neck, or cut it open, just to hear her scream. There was something not right, in her mind, about people who liked to cause pain to other living creatures. In fact, she was surprised that Carey hadn’t enlisted in one army or the other yet. She had thought he would be the first to sign up when it came to causing bloodshed.

As she sat there on her father’s knee, Carey continued to stare at her, and she began to wonder if he wasn’t thinking of all of those times when he upset her so as a child. Perhaps he was wondering what she would sound like if he cut her open or rang her neck. A chill went down her spine, and then, thankfully, she realized that Susannah was calling her to come back to the table and finish the task they had been working on before the visitors had arrived. Margaret was coming out of the house as well. The hostess forced a smile, and Cordia knew it was only because she did not want to ruin this special day for Jaris.

Cordia crossed back over and picked up the bucket where she had left it. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed that Jaris watched her walk away. Carey, however, was no longer staring at her. He was sitting in his chair, looking bored with Arthur’s tale of his wife’s brother and the woes of his children. Then, she realized she must have been listening to the story more than she had originally thought. She did know that it was Margaret’s brother and his wife who had moved up to Vernon about twenty-five-or-so years ago and eventually started a family. She also knew that they had died of tuberculosis, which the girl, Julia, still suffered from, and that Nolan and Will were hardworking, respectable men. She had heard that they had only been to visit a few other times, when Julia was very small, though Margaret and Arthur had gone up to visit them several times. As she began to pitch in with the necessary chores, she wondered if she had ever met these folks before. Chances were that she had if they had visited the Adams Farm.

Susannah was asking Margaret how her niece and nephew were doing. “Those are strong kids,” she said, proudly. “Julia is resting, and Will is getting cleaned up. I don’t know if he will be joining us, or if I’ll just bring them some food later. They must be famished. Can’t imagine they are much in the mood for celebrating though, and I don’t want to spoil this day for Jaris, if it can be avoided.”