Flower of My Heart
1894
The first day of the trip was uneventful. Matthew lit a fire to ward off the chill in the air while Lilly prepared a meal for both of them. After the meal was finished they continued to talk as the day slowly faded into night. The conversation centered around her father and what had brought on the illness.
"I swear Miss Lilly, I just don't know what happened. One minute your father was fine and the next minute he collapsed. I ran and got Doc Graham, but he couldn't find anything wrong."
"I know you did your best Matthew, and I'm grateful. We'll see about getting my father well. Don't blame yourself."
"A touching sentiment," a voice said out of the dark.
Matthew quickly grabbed the rifle lying by his side when the gun of the stranger in the dark went off. Matthew collapsed grabbing his left side.
"Matthew!" Lilly screamed and knelt down by Matthew's side. "What do you want with us?"
The man moved further into the light of the fire and Lillian caught her breath. The next thing Lilly knew, she was being dragged from her wounded friend, tossed over a horse, and disappearing into the night.
*****
On that same day, Kwai Chang Caine was pulling more shingles from the roof. As he slowly worked, those riding into town from the road caught his attention. He would watch as they passed by. Some would wave in his direction while others would stop and wonder just who he was.
Caine jumped down from the roof as a man approach the house. He recognized him as Mr. Peabody.
"Miss Lilly told me you would be stayin' on to help with the repairs and watch the place. I'd thought I come out and see if there was anything you might need."
Caine silently shook his head. He walked over to the horse trough and spilled water over his head to remove some of the grime.
"Not much of a conversationalist are you?"
Caine gave the man a shrug.
"Actually, I did bring something you might need." Mr. Peabody reached inside of the buggy he had driven and pulled out a large shank on beef. He carried it over to Caine and started to hand the meat over to him.
"I do not eat meat," Caine said.
"No kidding. I'd thought a strong guy like you might need something like this to keep up your strength."
"It is by choice," Caine added. "There are many plants that provide me with what I need."
"Well, maybe Miss Lilly can use it."
"She will not be returning for some time. The meat may spoil."
"I notice there was a smokehouse out back. If you don't mind, I could get that going and store it in there. It should keep for a long time."
Caine gave the man a short bow and allowed him to take the meat out back. Though the smell of smoking beef did not appeal to him, he knew the fondness that others had for the flesh of other animals. He would not hinder the man's progress or turn down a gift meant for someone else. It wasn't long before there was smoke rising from the chimney of the small wooden shack. Then Mr. Peabody emerged, wiping his hands on an old rag.
"Well, I better be gettin' back to town. With Miss Lilly away, I'm going to need to watch my saloon very carefully. Things get pretty rough when the men don't have some kind of entertainment to amuse them on a Saturday night."
Caine watched as Mr. Peabody climbed back into his buggy and headed back the way he came. As soon as he was out of sight, Caine went to the barn and removed his belongings. The smell from the smokehouse drifted in his direction. It would not due for him to sleep here. Moving back to the house, he laid his belongings on the front porch. Though the night would be cool, at least he would be out of the way of the cooking meat, until the wind changed.
The rest of the day went peacefully. Caine made himself a bowl of soup and settled on the floor of the porch in lotus position. Though the soup was simple, it was nourishing to his weary body. With his meal finished, Caine pulled out his bamboo flute and began playing. The sound of crickets began emerging as the sun dipped below the horizon. Within an hour after sunset, Caine was suddenly on his feet and raising away from the house and into the dark.
End of Part 8
Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2000.
This story cannot be reprinted or sold in any other form without strict permission from
the author. It is being distributed here solely for your enjoyment.
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