NERVE-WRACKED

 

 

            Buck and Mill-wheel, having gathered boughs for their bedding, had returned to the campfire ahead of Penny and Jody.

            Mill-wheel grinned conspiratorially at his brother. "Hey! Wanta play a joke on them two?"

            Buck smiled back at him. "What you got in mind?"

            "I got a idee when Penny said wildcat liver'd make him brave 'nough to romp on us agin. Let's pretend it's made us want to!"

            "Ooo, we might skeer 'em!"

            "We'll not go too fur."

            Buck nodded slowly in acceptance.

            The two nudged each other when the unsuspecting Penny and Jody returned. The Baxters bent to arrange their own beds, unaware that the two brothers had come up closely behind them.

            "Penny," Mill-wheel suggested. "I still think you should try some o' that wildcat liver."

            Penny went on working. "Now I done told you, I don't need none o' that kinda courage right now."

            Mill-wheel said significantly, "Well, mebbe you do."

            Penny straightened and faced him. "Now why would you say that?"

            Buck grinned. "Well, mebbe it's affected me and Mill-wheel. We're feelin' a mite cantankerous. We're thinkin' we'd like to relive that fine fight."

            Jody spun in shock from his own preparations, lost his balance, and sat down hard on his makeshift bed, staring up at Buck towering directly over him.

            Buck struggled not to burst out laughing at the boy's comical expression.

            "Now, wait a minute." Penny swallowed hard. "Ain't we missin' some fellers?"

            Mill-wheel shrugged it off as unimportant. "We don't need Lem and Oliver."

            Buck agreed, "We'll have more fun without 'em."

            "Fun?" Penny questioned. "That's your word for that hell??"

            "Oh, 'twa'n't hell to us," Buck assured him.

            "No, I reckon not. 'Twas our side got near 'bout kilt."

            Buck grinned. "Aw, Penny, are we skeerin' you?"

            "Well...," Penny hesitated. They grinned wider.

            Mill-wheel teased, "Tell us, Penny, how did you feel when you first seed all three of us comin' at you at oncet that day?"

            Penny admitted, "Scairt. I knowed you-all was gonna beat hell outen me, and I was scairt."

            Buck was amused. "You admit that?"

            Penny nodded. "Well, that was your purpose with all of us, wa'n't it? To intimidate us, frighten us, hurt us, make us suffer?"

            Both Forresters nodded.

            "Well, you succeeded." He waited.

            Both bearded men were slightly taken aback. They hadn't anticipated such matter-of-fact, unashamed, naked honesty.

            Then, Buck chanced to glance down at Jody. He was thunderstruck to see the boy in tears. "Aw, Jody!" Buck bent and lifted him into his arms.

            Jody clung to Buck, weeping in terror.

            "Aw, Jody, what've we done?"  Buck cuddled him, and exchanged guilty looks with Mill-wheel.

            Mill-wheel said, "I'm sorry, Penny. We was jest teasin'. We wa'n't gonna do no harm."

            Buck agreed, "Hit was a joke. A poor one, I reckon. I'm right sorry."

            Penny sat down in relief, and mopped at his brow. But Buck and Mill-wheel were past the point of being tickled by Penny's evident relief.       

            Mill-wheel added his own pats to Jody, and soothed him, "Easy, boy; we ain't gonna hurt you."

            Jody continued to cling to Buck and to issue terrified whimpers.

            Penny explained, "Fellers, Jody was a'most kilt in the fight. He was knocked out for hours, and we wa'n't sure he would make it."

            The Forresters were incredulous.

            Buck protested defensively, "But Lem only hit him oncet!"

            "That's all it takened," Penny said softly. "And now Jody's terrified. He has to live with the fear that, iffen ary one o' you fellers ever hits him agin, it could end his life."

            The men promised contritely to always protect Jody from ever being struck by a Forrester fist again, by warning their brothers of the deadly danger.

            Penny thanked them, and said, "I ain't blamin' you. And I s'pose I ain't even really blamin' Lem. You-all cain't he'p it you're so powerful. But now we know. This here leetle feller jest cain't take it."

            Buck and Mill-wheel nodded solemnly, and Buck hugged Jody closer.