Chapter 22: A Time To Heal And To Build

Dog seemed to heal almost overnight. A month after the fracas with the bootleggers and crooked police, he was recovered from his wounds. He raised a minor a ruckus whenever a stranger came around. It didn't matter if he recognized our callers as friends or not, he still let us know someone was coming.

Never once did he get chastised. He did exactly what we wanted him to do. He had appointed himself our protector and Pa said flat out he wasn't about to "unappoint" him.

Most of the bad element had either left the county or were locked up pending their trials. The Chief of police, the man who appointed himself "acting chief" and Herm Larkin all paid high bails to get released.

Of course they high tailed it out of town before the ink was dry on the bail papers. Since they ran away it meant their money was forfeited. As a result the county became three thousand dollars richer and we didn't have to bear the expense of three trials. In the main we were glad to be shed of them.

Three weeks after we had all the trouble, we sat down to a late dinner. It was almost two in the afternoon. We had begun drilling a new well just north of the house some three hundred yards and ran into rocks. The auger head was ruined and we had to work hard to bring the casing back up to the surface. Finally, an hour an a half later we got it extracted and Pa said, "Let's go eat."

We took our time as we walked toward the house, both of us bone tired. "Davy, after we eat let's take it easy for a bit. My back is bothering me and you seem a little peaked. If there is water down there, it won't go any place; it'll still be there waiting when we get back to work again."

"Well shoot, Pa, I so wanted to get right back to work wearing my fingers to the bone. And now you've ruined my day."

"Well, in that case, why don't you just come on back out here alone and do it by yourself if it's all that much fun. I don't want anyone to ever say I deprived my son of anything."

"Naw, Pa, I want to make sure to share all that fun with you. So I'll just wait till you decide to start in again." I smiled at him and he made a face.

"Just as I suspected. Here I brought you out here to let you enjoy yourself and you want to call it quits. That's gratitude for you. He cuffed me on the shoulder and I grinned. I made a bet with myself it would be tomorrow before we got started drilling again.

We were barely inside the house and washed up when Dog announced we had strangers coming. It turned out to be just one, an emaciated specimen in filthy rags. He looked to be on his last legs. I stepped out on the porch and asked, "Can I help you?"

"Mister, you sure can. I haven't eaten in over three days and I don't think I can..." His voice failed and he fell over in a crumpled heap.

Pa was right behind me. He exclaimed, "Jehosaphat. It can't be, but ... it is. Davy go open the door to the guest bedroom, quick."

That surprised me, I never saw Pa get so worked up over some tramp. We usually fed them and sent them on their way with a small bundle of food. "You act like you know him, Pa."

"Well, if this isn't Lieutenant Petty, it's his twin brother." Pa squatted and gently placed one arm under the derelict's shoulders and the other under his knees and lifted him up and carried him into the guest bedroom.

"Oh dear." Ma exclaimed as she looked at the unconscious man. "Is this the officer you told me about in your letters from the war?"

"Sure looks like it. He looks hard used. I wonder what has happened to him?" He turned to me and asked, "Davy, you got a pair of clean jeans that would fit him? And one of your shirts you've outgrown would be nice. You and I are a little heftier than he is, but your old clothes should be a fair fit."

"Dear, would you go kill a chicken? I'll boil it down and add some herbs to the broth. Your mother taught me about healing with herbs." Ma had already begun to take over. When there was a crisis, or other problem she was always ready to help out any way she could.

Pa nodded and said to me, "Davy, I want to stay in here with the lieutenant. Will you pick out a nice fat hen and kill it and bring it in?"

"Sure, Pa," I answered and hurried out to the chicken yard. I picked out a nice plump pullet. I wrung her neck and as soon as she stopped flopping around on the ground I carried the carcass up on the back porch. Ma put a bucket of water heating on the stove. Just as soon as it started to come to a boil I lifted it down and set it on the back steps and dipped the chicken, waited a moment and pulled it back out. The near boiling hot water loosened the feathers and I plucked them out with ease.

I handed the plucked chicken to Ma and she took it over to the kitchen sink and cut it open and cleaned out all the innards. I took the mess outside and dumped it away from the house in a trench and covered it up while she cut up the chicken and placed it into a pot of boiling water.

She added the herbs and salt and cayenne pepper. After it had cooked for a couple of hours, she dipped out about a third of the broth. The rest was put back on the stove to simmer. Ma wanted the broth to use as a base for her herbal remedy. Our guest lay on the bed, unconscious and unaware of all the activity going on in the house

Pa came out into the kitchen and pumped a glass full of water and returned to our new guest. It looked like we were done drilling for the day. I sat out on the back steps and petted Dog and the cats. I never heard about any Lieutenant Petty. I figured Pa would tell me when things all got sorted out.

Suddenly I stood up and called inside, "Pa, if you don't need me, I'd like to go into town and see Betty. Would you do my milking for me please?"

"Go ahead, son, I can take care of things here," he called back out to me.

"Come on Dog, let's go for a ride." He ran ahead of me to the new truck and waited by the passenger door. I opened it and he climbed right in and placed himself right in the middle. He liked to feel his body against mine while I drove. I went directly to the Henderson's house and stopped. Betty was in the front yard. I honked and she came running over.

She gave me a kiss on the lips and stepped back, "What are you doing in town today, Davy?"

"Would you believe I came in just to see you?" I asked her.

"Of course I would. Now tell me, why did you really come to town." She wasn't quite ready to believe that I drove all the way into town on a Friday afternoon unless I had errands to run.

"Well, it's a good thing you believe me because that is why I came in, just to see you." I told her about the tramp that turned out to be some army officer Pa knew from back during the war.

"Davy, you're so sweet." She kissed me again and I put the palm of my hand on her cheek. I loved to touch her face and look at her. It seemed she got prettier and prettier every time I saw her.

"Let's go get a malted, okay?" I asked her. Then I remembered I didn't have any money with me. "You got to pay for it, though. I'm flat busted right now."

She laughed and said, "Wait for me." She ran into the house to get her purse and off we went, Dog in the middle, our chaperone.

We had our Malted and talked about our impending marriage. My cousin Samantha came in and joined us. "How is your husband taking to sheriffing?" I asked her. The governor did as Mister Cossinger requested and made Hank sheriff and the Republican's son chief of police.

She laughed, "Right now all he wants to talk about is selling shoes. Arguing with vain people who try to get their feet in shoes a size too small is easier than being sheriff, he claims." She shook her head, "He's trying to cover the whole county with just one deputy. Your Pa scared all the others away."

I laughed and asked her how she was doing. "I'm going to have a baby, Davy. And if it's a boy I want to name him David Henry. If it's a girl baby we are going to name her Martha Lenore after your mother."

"Ooh. That is swell." Betty clapped her hands. She hugged Samantha.

We sat and gossiped for almost an hour. "We better get going, Bets, I should get on back home." I felt guilty leaving Pa to do the milking while I had a good time.

"Oh, you go right ahead, Davy. Samantha and I have so much to talk about. I'll see you tomorrow and go back home with you after you do your shopping." She turned her back on me and started to talk to Samantha again about the baby. I felt hurt that she could just dismiss me so easily like that. I decided I would talk to her tomorrow when we could get alone.

When I got home our new guest was sitting at the kitchen table drinking Ma's chicken broth from a heavy mug. He still looked like he had had a bad time of it recently. But he was smiling and nodding as he talked to Pa. "Davy, come in and meet John Petty."

He was a pleasant looking man about Pa's age or perhaps a year older. "How do you do, sir?" I greeted him and stuck out my hand.

We shook hands as he answered, "I do very well, now that I have found Sergeant ... er ... Walter. Would you believe, I never knew your father's first name until today? He and I saved each other's hide a couple of times. And today he saved mine for certain." He took another drink of the broth. "I don't know what all's in this cup, but whatever it is it seems to be helping me considerably."

Ma laughed and told him, "What you are drinking is pure chicken broth with none of the fat removed. Your body can digest the fat and grow strong from it when needed. A few herbs and salt and cayenne pepper make it a restorative as well."

Grandmother Hansen had been famous locally for treating people with many common ailments. Many people swore by her. Ma left doctoring to the doctors usually, but had learned much from her mother in law about folk remedies that worked.

Although he was gaining strength seemingly by the minute, he walked like a feeble old man when he went outside with Pa. He had to be helped down the steps from the back porch. Dog came wandering up and John Petty tried to get back out of his way.

"That's our friend Dog. He looks after things around the place and keeps the bad people away." I laughed when Dog banged his head against my leg, demanding attention. He never took his eyes off of our guest for more than a second or two, "It's okay, boy, he's a friend. He won't steal your milk bowl."

John Petty' eyes grew round as Dog turned away from him and paid close attention to me. "That dog acts like he understood every word you said," he marveled.

"I don't know if he understands every word, but he seems a cut above any other dog I have ever seen. He saved Ma's life when a man had a gun held to her. We just went through some bad times and Dog did more than his share to protect us.

"He is a member of our family and that is all there is to it. We owe that ugly beast more than we could ever repay."

"I don't remember him barking," John said.

"Oh, he announced you and then slipped around the side of the house. He was waiting to see if you were trouble. If you had of been, he would have attacked from the rear, no mercy given."

John shuddered and said solemnly, "Let's just make certain I never get on his bad side."

Pa was feeling a bit prideful. "Davy, tell your dog to go get the cows in."

"Go get the cows, Dog," I said as I pointed to the northwest. He just sat there looking at me.

"Well, where are the cows, boy?" He pointed his nose in a southerly direction, so I said, "Go get them, Dog." He took off running toward where the cows would be milling around, waiting to be driven in.

"When did you teach him that, Davy?" Pa asked, surprised.

"I didn't, Pa, I just figured he would have sense enough to not go on a wasted trip. I was right."

"Well, just so he doesn't start to using a knife and a fork to eat with," Pa laughed. Every time Dog did something unusual, Pa always said that.

We slowly walked down to the barn. The cows could be seen in the distance, all bunched up and heading toward the barn. After a bit I could hear Dog's barks as he kept our small herd together. Soon the cows entered the barn, pushing at each other to get lined up into their own stalls.

John laughed as Dog and the cats lined up and waited for their share of the milk. Later as we separated the milk and fed the stock, he marveled at how everything got used so there was little or no waste anywhere. "Walter, your farm is a marvel of efficiency. No wonder you seem to prosper in the face of the depression. You work as hard here as you did in the army."

The little tour of the back yard and the milking seemed to take all of his strength. Pa escorted him inside and Ma gave him more of her "miracle chicken soup." He went to bed early and slept through the night. The next morning Ma gave us steak and eggs for breakfast. "Beef builds the blood," she said. Since it was Saturday we all prepared to go to town.

We took the new car and John and I rode in the back seat. I pointed out "my" dam as we pulled out of the yard, headed toward the highway. He was amazed at all we had accomplished. I waved at a neighbor who was watering his four remaining cows and team of horses.

"We have about the only decent surface water in the area," I told him. "You ought to see our little pond when it's full."

In town we were greeted by the usual neighbors and suddenly Betty May was there at my side. She smiled a friendly greeting at the stranger with us and turned to me, "Davy, I am sorry for the way I treated you yesterday. Are you mad at me?"

"No, but I sure was hurt when you just all at once acted like you didn't care whether I was there or not."

"Well, when I heard Samantha was going to have a baby I got all excited and wanted to hear all about it. Do you understand, Davy?"

"Yeah, I guess so. What are you doing down town? I thought I'd have to get you at your house."

"Davy, I have made some drawings and found a picture of a house in a magazine that has a lot of windows. I want to show them to you when we get to your house. We have to get started building our house if we want it done in time for our wedding."

"I'd like to see your drawings when we get back to the farm, if you don't mind," John said. He added, "Perhaps I can help you with your design. That was my business back in Chicago a lifetime ago.

Chagrinned, I turned to Betty and introduced her to John. "Honey, this is John Petty. He and Pa were in the army together."

She nodded and said, "I'm pleased to meet you." Then without preamble she asked, "Do you know about building houses?"

He laughed and replied, "I was an architect before the army. We designed homes for the very wealthy." He sighed wistfully, "Well, I did before our firm, like many others, went broke."

"Well, if you are a friend of Pa Hansen, you are on your way back up. He never lets a friend down." Betty was a loyal Hansen booster.

I feigned being left out. "Hey. How about me? Don't you have anything nice to say about Davy Hansen?"

Airily she answered, "Oh, I don't have to say nice things to you, I already got you. But come your birthday, I'll say something nice, you just wait and see."

John laughed. "I can see that you two aren't going to get bored in marriage. But if you like, I'll look at what you have drawn up and perhaps make a few suggestions."

We agreed and he went off with my parents to purchase some better fitting clothing. Betty and I headed over to Backus drug store for another malted. Somehow, just to be near Betty May made my whole being sing. I could hardly wait for our wedding.

When our shopping was completed we headed home John crowded in back with Betty and me. I liked the feeling of being tight against her. We grew closer by the day. I had no idea what love was all about until we finally got together. It was a wonderful time for us.

Once we got home Betty stayed with the folks and Dog and I went to bring the cows in as Pa still preferred me to check things out. As soon as I finished milking I wanted to head over to our place and walk around. Although Pa helped me to get my first wheat crop planted, not much else had been done.

Betty was right about one thing, we were going to have to start to build our house, barn and storage sheds real soon. We also had to bring in a new water well. The water table had dropped and the old well was almost dry.

When we got back to the house, John had drawn a house, using nothing but a pencil and a sheet of heavy wrapping paper. He made the drawing look three-dimensional. The viewer felt he could almost reach inside the picture. I recognized the general idea of what Betty had been trying to draw, lots of windows and plenty of space.