Jubal Page #4

Why sure, if I just swat her in private...

- Do you think she likes being swatted?

- Don't all women?

- Shows them you love them, don't it?

- There are other ways, you know, Shep.

Of course. Why, that's exactly

what's been bothering her.

That's right. She's just fed up

with being whacked on the rump.

Thanks for the tip, Jube.

I guess you know women after all,

better than I do.

How's that little Rawhider responding

to expert handling?

I haven't seen her.

I've been too busy working.

Yeah. Doing so good, you take tomorrow off

and get down to that Rawhide camp.

Maybe you can cut that little heifer

out of the herd?

- Morning.

- Morning.

- What you doing?

- Picking wild strawberries.

- You come to run us off?

- No.

The boss, he just asked me to check up,

find out how you folks were doing.

Right, well, thanks. Even Ma's up.

We'll move on soon.

- Where to?

- The Promised Land, I guess.

I'm sorry.

Guess I shouldn't laugh, should I?

It's promised in the Bible.

Pa says we'll find it some day.

He doesn't know where it is, though.

Do you like that, wandering around?

I mean, looking for something that...

Didn't you ever want to have

a home of your own like other people?

Sure.

Sometimes when we're moving at night...

we pass houses with lights in them

and people.

Sometimes you can hear them laughing

or even singing.

Once, we stopped at a place...

and I worked for some people

while Pa was getting our wagon fixed.

And I stayed in their house. Inside.

You like it?

I cried when I left.

- I guess you wouldn't know why.

- Well, maybe I would.

Yeah, I never had a home.

I mean, a real home of my own like...

Real home.

- Not ever?

- No.

I was born on a barge on the Ohio River.

That's the only home I ever had.

- You lived on the water?

- Me and my pa, we liked it just fine.

- Your ma didn't?

- Well, she...

I guess she liked it before I come but...

You see, my mom didn't want me to be born.

I was a wood's colt. You know what that is?

- They wasn't rightly married.

- Yeah.

I guess Ma figured I come along,

that it'd make Pa mad and he'd leave her.

I don't know.

Whatever the reason was, she hated me.

That ain't natural. Are you sure?

Sure, I'm sure.

I found out one night for sure

that she wanted me to die.

I was 7 years old.

I stumbled on the deck of our barge

into the water...

and I hollered for help up at Ma there...

she's standing up by the wheel...

and all she did, she just looked at me.

Just stood up there

and looked down at me...

hoping I'd drown.

Pa, he was down below,

he must have heard me holler.

He comes running up, sees what's going on.

He jumps in the water

and comes swimming out to me.

And then, out of the dark,

around the bend...

this other barge comes bearing down us.

Didn't see us, you know.

It hits Pa.

The propeller starts cutting into him.

And even when that's happening,

Pa holds me safe away from the blades.

He was a wonderful man.

He was, you know, really strong...

and we was real close, him and me.

And when they brought his body

back to our barge...

Ma comes up and looks at him...

she looks at me, and you know

what she says, looking right at me?

She says, "Why couldn't it have been you?

Why did it have to be him?"

Looking right at me, she says.

I just started to run.

I ain't stopped running since...

until Shep gave me this job.

What am I talking this way to you for?

You know something, I never talked like this

to anybody in my life.

I'm truly glad you did.

It makes me beholden to you.

Shem, who's that with daughter?

That's the one who helped us.

Hello, Shem.

I understand your folks are better.

This is Ma.

- What do you want here?

- Nothing. Nothing at all.

- You want us to move on? We're ready.

- No. You can stay. You're doing no harm.

We've been talking about heading west.

Idaho.

- Land opening up out there.

- The Promised Land?

Could be.

I see you're not laughing

the way most unbelievers do.

I've learned not to.

Yeah, I guess almost everybody spends

their lives looking for a place like that.

I hope you find it.

Storm's coming up. I got to get going.

What with the roundup and all,

I may not see you all again.

- I want to wish you luck.

- God bless you, mister.

- Where you going, Jake?

- Nowhere.

Stay away from Naomi.

She's been promised to me.

Shem gave his word a long time back.

- Then you got nothing to worry about.

- Well, just keep away from her.

Anybody wants more of anything, holler.

- No.

- No, Cookie.

See you at Pinewood Camp tonight.

- Yeah. Goodbye, Cookie.

- Goodbye, Cookie.

Yeah, the first time old Jesse James

pulled this stunt...

I mean to tell you...

my eyes just popped out

like a couple of fried eggs.

Jube!

Doggone, you sure got

that thing down pat now.

Well, if that ain't Troop's

little old twist of calico.

That Troop's gal?

You sure train them right, Troop.

What's the matter, something wrong?

I just wanted to see you.

I have something for you.

- It's real nice.

- It's nothing but a handkerchief.

I came to say goodbye, too.

- When you going away?

- By sunup.

They just had the meeting.

Jake kept saying the land will be all gone...

so I slipped off to see you.

Your pa know you come here?

- What's he going to do when he finds out?

- I'm not doing nothing wrong.

- What about Jake?

- I don't like him.

But someday you're going to marry him,

aren't you?

I want you to know how it is with my people.

I never had no choosing to do.

It's my folks done it for me.

- It's their way.

- I know.

I won't ever see you again.

How can we tell?

Jube, I've not been kissed.

I'd like it always to remember

that you were the first.

Bye.

No. You can't fool a quart of liquor

or a deck of cards.

Now, I'll tell you what I'm going to do.

- I'm going to mule-kick this, two simoleons.

- You aiming to win them all?

You gonna stop playing

that same tune over and over?

I'll go right out of my mind.

Over and over and over.

That's Sam's "Ionesome tune."

When he plays it he feels better, hey, Sam?

That's right, Shep. Sometimes I even cry.

I got a mite of curiosity and a heap of faith...

I'm going to see you, Shep.

Well, it's all there is, ain't no more.

Well, I got Jacks, back-to-back.

I had a pair of queens.

You ain't got no sense in your head at all.

You going to stop playing

that hard-luck violin...

or I'm going to break it right over your head.

Come here...

Bust my brand-new Sears-Roebuck fiddle,

Pinky...

and I'll string your eyeballs on the catgut.

- Shep.

- What?

What are you doing all the way out here?

You said if the Cattlemen's report came,

to bring it.

- Well, not at night, honey.

- It's only an hour's ride. I enjoyed it.

- Evening, everybody.

- Evening.

It's our last night here.

You didn't have to bother.

Yeah, another assessment.

Yeah, you should've burned it.

- Won't you sit down a minute, honey?

- No.

Might have guessed it was poker night.

I'll be riding back.

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