Page 27 of Wagon Train Melody
“Bo, have you forgotten your broken arm. It will make it hard for you to control a horse. Maybe you could take the girls for a short walk before we leave,” Alice suggested.
Maybe shecouldread his mind. Or else she had her own concerns. Of course, she did. Why would he think it was because she understood what he didn’t say?
Bo hesitated.
Sissy held out a hand to him and with a laugh, they walked away, Kitty skipping beside them.
“The girls will make sure he doesn’t go too far.” Alice rubbed her neck as if she wasn’t as certain as she tried to make him believe.
“They can go a long way without getting out of sight,” Rudy pointed out. That might be to his advantage. He scanned the horizon. In the distance, he saw another bull train, but no sign of a lone rider.
Alice came to his side and followed the direction of his gaze. “Maybe he decided to forget about finding you.”
“Maybe.” He didn’t admit that he doubted Big Al would let it go. Big Al was not known for his forgiving nature.
For a moment, they stood side by side watching Bo and the girls. Kitty bent over and picked up something and showed it to Bo. He nodded and they glanced toward the wagon and then started back.
“Look what we found.” Bo, his voice full of excitement, nodded to Kitty. Sissy hovered at her sister’s side.
Kitty lifted up a tiny, feather-lined bird nest. “What happened to the birdies?”
“They grew up and left the nest.” Alice looked toward the sky.
“Oh.” Kitty sounded half disappointed.
Rudy chuckled. “Aren’t you happy about that?”
Kitty shrugged. “Course I am. But I wanted to see them.”
Rudy looked around. Sure enough, little birds flitted above the grass. He pointed them out to the girls. “Maybe that’s them.”
“I think it is.” Kitty seemed satisfied with the thought.
A few minutes later, they were on their way with the girls playing behind the seat. Bo again rode in the back where he lay curled up and slept.
“He shouldn’t be so tired.” Alice’s voice was thin with concern. “Should he?”
“I wish I knew.” He’d love to be able to reassure her that sleep was the best thing. But he didn’t know.
The sun beat down on them. Mercilessly. The sky tinny ,the air motionless. Rudy was soon wet with sweat. Inside the wagon would be just as bad. It didn’t surprise him when Kitty began to fuss.
Bo sat up and moaned. “It’s so hot.”
There was little they could do to relieve the suffering for any of them except to keep moving and hope for a cloud or two in the sky.
They labored on, soaked in misery. They stopped for the noon break. Everyone ate a little and tried to find relief in the skinny bar of shade cast by the wagon before they moved on.
“Storm coming.” As they traveled, huge black clouds billowed from the west, twisting and writhing. He did not care for the look of it but kept his worries to himself. Instead, he concentrated on appreciating the cooling breeze.
Bo poked his head out over their shoulders. “Wow, look at that.”
Rudy knew what the boy meant. He’d watched the cloud form an advancing bank, circular in formation. He looked around hoping to find a place to shelter, but there was nothing but grass and hills.
“Rudy!” Alice grabbed his hand.
“I see it.” A black twist formed and headed for the ground. A tornado.
“Can we outrun it?” Her voice was barely audible against the increasing wind.
