The Land(105)
“That’s sure the truth,” grumbled Mitchell.
Caroline playfully slapped at his shoulder, then looked back at me. “So, how’d it come ’bout? You and Mitchell ’comin’ friends?”
I waved any response off to Mitchell. “So, what did you tell her?”
Mitchell shrugged. “Told her I was born on yo’ daddy’s land.”
“That’s all? You tell her about who my daddy was?”
“What else I need to tell? Caroline’s a smart woman. One look at you and she done figured out who your daddy was.”
“Well, Paul-Edward, he already done told me that,” interjected Caroline. “But what I’m wantin’ t’ know is how y’all came t’ be so close. Mitchell ain’t said, so, Paul-Edward, you tell me.”
Caroline’s eyes pierced mine across the fire. I glanced at Mitchell, and he shrugged as if resigned to his bride’s demands. I smiled. “He beat me into a friendship with him.”
“What!” exclaimed Caroline.
I grinned. “Well, see the way it was, when we were boys, Mitchell there was always beating up on me—”
“How come?”
“Jus’ ain’t liked him, that’s all,” said Mitchell.
“Told me,” I said, “’cause he wanted to.”
Caroline cast a disapproving eye on Mitchell, and Mitchell threw the look over to me. “Watch it, Paul.”
I laughed. “It’s the truth!” I vowed. “Mitchell was always picking on me, and he knows that’s the truth! One time he just up and hit me on the head, and when I asked him why he did it, he said right out without cracking a smile, ‘Felt like it.’ ”
Caroline turned abruptly to Mitchell with a hand on her hip, as if to chastise him. “You mean t’ tell me you done that? You was that kinda youngun?”
“Paul doin’ the talkin’,” said Mitchell, straight-faced. “Let him tell it.”
“Not talkin’ t’ Paul-Edward now. I’m talkin’ t’ you.”
“Then I guess I done that,” he admitted with a laugh. “I s’pose I was kinda mean.”
“Kind of?” I retorted. “You had me scared to death of you! I had to even go to my daddy and my brothers about you!”
“Yeah . . . but I whipped ya still.”
“Yeah, you sure did.”
“Them brothers of yours, though, I had t’ think on them ’fore I done it.”
“Did?”
“Yeah. That Hammond, I liked him pretty well, and Robert, I could take him or leave him. He ain’t done nothin’ t’ me. But that George, I was kinda scairt of him.”
“You were?” I asked, somewhat surprised.
“Yeah. Respected him too. Kinda would’ve liked t’ gone head t’ head with him.”
I smiled, thinking of the match.
“So how y’all get t’ be friends?” Caroline asked again.
“We made ourselves a deal,” I replied.
“And jus’ what was that?”
“I said I’d teach Mitchell to read and write, and Mitchell agreed to teach me how to fight.”
Caroline nodded. “Good deal for both of ya, then, huh?” “Course now, I got the better of it,” said Mitchell. “I learned how to read and write, but Paul there, he still can’t fight.” We all laughed, and then Mitchell added, “Ah, he do all right sometimes, I s’pose. I gotta admit he done helped me outa more’n one scrape, startin’ back from that time he saved my hide when I gone and rode Ghost Wind.”
“Ghost Wind?” questioned Nathan, taking an interest.
“Yeah. That was a stallion Paul’s daddy had. Done bought him special jus’ for racin’, and that man, he was sure proud of that horse!”
“That’s the truth,” I agreed.
“My daddy, he was the one s’posed t’ take care of that stallion, brush him down, take care of his ailments, stuff like that, but nobody was ’lowed t’ ride that horse ’ceptin’ Paul’s daddy and Paul. Well, I was ’bout thirteen at the time, and that didn’t sit well wit’ me. Fact t’ business, I kinda resented the fact Paul got t’ ride that horse and I let my feelings be known t’ him too. So Paul, one day when his daddy wasn’t round, he up and let me ride Ghost Wind. Now, up to this time I ain’t rode nothin’ but a mule, let ’lone no creature had the speed in him like that Ghost Wind. I got on that horse’s back, and that horse knowed I ain’t had no business whatsoever sittin’ up on him! That horse looked back at me one time, then took off—WHAM!” Mitchell shot his hands together, then extended one arm straight ahead. “I’m tellin’ y’all, I thought I was gonna die!”