X. is for The Mountain Girl (Chapt.8)

The Mountain girl
Chapter (8)
The Breakdown

Angel looked in on the children before they continued on with their
trip. She asked Jay, "How much further did he think it was?" He told
her, "possibly a day, and a half with no problems."

He hadn't gotten it out of his mouth when one of the led lines to the
horses broke. It wrapped around one of the front wheels. Jay was doing
the best he knew how, in getting the wagon under control.

It was going from one side of the road to the other. Angel looked
through the canvas door at the children they, were been tossed back,
and forth.

She grabbed Jay's arm, she almost got flung off when the wagon turned
sideways it, was sliding towards a deep ditch. Jay was yelling, "for
Gabby to halt!"

He had no led on old Gal it was one sided for Gabby. The wagon finally
slid into a tree and stopped. Angel let out a deep breath, looked over
the embankment.

Jay told, "her to slide over his way, and get down." Jay jumped down
stretched his arms out, and helped Angel down.

Angel ran to the back of the wagon. Beth, and Jess stuck their heads
out, and wanted to know what had happen. Angel asked, "if they were
ok?" They both nodded, "yes".

Jay yelled, back to Jess, "I need you to help me son!" Jess quickly
climbed out of the wagon.

Angel, and Beth, watched as they, tried to pry the line from around
the spokes in the wheel. "It's no use we've, got to back the wagon up
some how," Jay, stated.

Jay went to where the horses stood, he patted Gabby, and old Gal on the
head. You two are going to have to back up!

Angel yelled they, "can't back up to much the back wheel is very close
to the embankment!" Jay assured, "her it would be alright as long as
she, never let the wheel roll over the edge."

Jay said, "When the wheel gets close yell!" He told, "Jess, son as soon
as you can grab that line and start pulling!" Jess grabbed the short
end as Jay started coaching the horses to back up.

Jess shouted, "I got it papa, have them go front wards. He pulled on
the line, and it came free.

Jay took the line shook his head, and said, "what a mess!" He pulled it
back to the front, and noticed blood on the ground. He checked old
Gal's leg it had been scraped pretty bad by the double tree, that snaps
onto the tongue of the wagon.

Jay thought, "It must have happen when the line broke." He checked sure
enough to much slack. She was limping something terrible. He knew she
couldn't pull her end with such a bad leg.

Jay yelled, "Angel we, have more problems". Angel came over, and looked
at her leg. She asked, "What are we going to do?"

Jay said, "Well" I've got to find something to mend this line with.
Jess muttered, "Pa, how about the piece of leather we, used to tie the
tarp on with?" Jay smiled and replied, "good thinking son!"

Jay went to the back of the wagon an untied the knot. Jay muttered,
"This side will have to flap!" Angel said, "Jay" tie it down with my
apron string.

Angel told him, "I have more aprons in the back of the wagon, if you
should need them! He told her, "I hope we, want need anymore!"

Jay walked back to the horses. He took each end of the led lines, and
braided them together with the leather strip. He said, "if I can get
old Gal to pull her, part of the weight with Gabby over there, pointing
to the clearing by the trees." Then we, can check her out, and decide
what we, should do next.

Jay muttered you, "did just fine old Gal." He led over, and tied her to
a tree. Her leg was scraped bad but, not deep. He knew she would be
sore a couple of days.

Jay yelled Jess, and Beth, "you two go fetch some firewood!" Angel came
over set down next to Jay, and asked about, "old Gal?" "She will be
good as new in a couple of days," Jay, replied!

Jess came back carrying an armload of firewood, and told, "Jay about
seeing turkey tracks." Jay jumped up, and shouted, "let's go see if we,
can shoot us one."

Beth came over dropped a few sticks on the ground, and said to Angel,
"mama" lets go pick greens for supper. Angel replied, "sounds good to
me, as she, grabbed a pan, knife, and her pistol."

Jay, and Jess followed the turkey tracks for about a mile. Jess said,
"over there, papa pointing just beyond the trees." They dismounted, and
tied Gabby to a tree. Jay whispered, "I'll let you take the first shot.
If you miss I'll shoot!"

Jay put his finger up to his lips, and told, "him" lets stay close to
these bushes so we, don't spook them. Jay whispered, "Jess get ready!"
Jess did just that he, fired, and the turkey fell over.

Jess screamed, "I got it pa!" Jay patted him on the shoulder, and said,
"you" did just fine son I'm, proud of you! Jess ran over, and picked it
up, and handed it to Jay.

"That would fill the pot, Uh, pa," Jess, muttered. Jay held the turkey
while Jess mounted, than he, handed it to Jess.

Beth was washing the wild greens. Angel was peeling apples when they,
rode into camp.

Jess yelled, look, "mama what I got!" "He got it all by himself." Jay
shouted. Angel hugged him, and said, get that, "big pot, and fill it
with water we, will soak it for a while!" It will be easier to pluck!
Jess laid the turkey on a stump while he, went to fetch the
water.

Jess got out the biggest pot they had, and poured water into it to
boil. Angel told, "him get your turkey, and put it in the boiling
water."

Jess went over to the stump. "Mama, papa, it's gone," he shouted. They
all went running over where Jess stood. Jay said, "something has
dragged it off, the blood leads into the bushes!"

Jay shouted look, "Stinky had blood all over his mouth.

Jess said, "I knew it was you!" He turned, and walked back to the
fire.

"This isn't good if Stinky, will do that he, will start killing our
chickens, Jay, stated. We are going to have to get rid of him.

Beth started crying, "No, pa"! She mumbled, "I don't think it was him!"
We have left meat out before, and he never touched it.

Angel said, "honey a wild animal is hard to tame." "Beth", your mama,
is right, we, got to get rid of him," Jay, responded.

Beth reached down, and picked Stinky up. Pa, are you going to shoot
him? Jay replied, "No I, will take him up in the mountains, and leave
him."

Jess muttered, "Pa, maybe Beth, is right maybe he, didn't do it. I to
hate to see him go he, saved my life!" Jay replied, "I'll think about
it, we, will discuss it, after dinner!"

Angel said, "Well I, guess we should be thinking about, what we're,
going to have with our greens". "We'll go back down to the lake, and
gig some more frogs," Jay, told her!

Jess asked, "pa" can I, go with you, this time?

Angel smiled, as she, watched them ride out of camp.

Beth said, "mama" I, heard something in the bushes! Angel stopped to
listen she, couldn't hear anything. She told, "Beth, it was probably a
squirrel running through the brush or a rabbit!"

Angel walked over to the wagon to get a drink of water. She glanced
down on the ground, and saw big tracks in the blood from the turkey.
She bent down to get a closer look, it was some sort of a big cat she,
thought.

Angel stared out towards the bushes, and wondered if it, was still out
there. She yelled, "Beth, get in the wagon honey!"

Beth asked, "what is it mama?" She mumbled, did, "you hear it crying to
mama?" Angel said, "crying!" Did it sound like it was crying to you
Beth? She replied, "yes, mama"! Angel's heart sunk she, knew now it was
a panther.

She said, "I want you to be quite ok, Beth." Stinky jumped up in her
lap. Angel could feel the little fox shake, she, knew it was still out
there.

Angel grabbed her shotgun. She thought that cat could jump through on
either side of the wagon, that canvas would not stop it. She also knew,
Jay, and Jess would be gone for a while.

Angel checked her gun it was loaded. She reached behind Beth, for a box
of shells. She opened the box they, were all gone but two. She told,
"Beth look under the quilts, for more shells honey." They have spilled
out of the box!
Beth said, "I can't find any mama!" "Beth" they, got to be here
somewhere, keep looking. "She grabbed Beth by the arm listen", Angel
muttered. They could hear old Gal snorting, and pawing the ground.
Angel said, in a shaky voice, "that panther is coming back into
camp!"
(To be continued)

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