Checking my stats today I saw that Forever Annie was rising in the ranks. I have always thought that this second book in my series was slighted in sales where as her big sister Sweet Annie was on the Best Seller List many times. In this second book there is a chapter and a character that so many of my readers have commented on and asked about: Charley Two Shoes, Annies Comanche friend. I am posting a short bit about Charley after he disappeared from the Cowan farm three years earlier in the story. I hope you enjoy this snippet. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The lightning bugs were just coming out when the old Comanche came down the street in his buckboard pulled by a fine looking team of horses. The Comanche were excellent horsemen and chose their animals carefully. When he stepped into the light shining through the parlor window, Annie’s hand went to her throat; he looked so much like Charley that for a moment her heart sang with joy! Then she realized this man was much shorter than Charley and not quite as weathered. Still she felt an instant kinship before even one word was exchanged. Of course the old man did not know who Annie was or why she seemed so glad to see him. But when he was introduced to her and the others he realized that she was “Bright Eyes,” Charley’s little friend that he had spoken of so fondly. He was taken aback by this information and a little confused that the employer of his granddaughter was in fact a relative of the family that had befriended his brother. He was invited to sit with them, something that he was not use to doing. Sitting with a white family on the front porch was definitely something he had never experienced before. But with a little urging he sat in the comfortable rocking chair that he was offered. Jessica quietly joined them and sat on the front steps with the personal things she was taking with her tied in her shawl. She would not understand much if anything about the conversation but she knew her grandfather would tell her what was said on the ride home. Maryjo had gone to the kitchen and returned with a tray holding a pitcher of lemonade and a plate of sugar cookies. She made sure that each of her guests had a glass of lemonade. She had a feeling that they would be on the porch for awhile and that the old man might especially need something to sooth his throat, using his voice for such a long time. First Annie asked if it would be alright to ask him some questions about his brother and assured him that they did not wish to intrude on his privacy and also they did not want to detain him if he did not have the time for such a conversation. The old man gently replied that if he could help Charley’s little friend he would be happy to do so. The old man talked slowly but very precise. His tone of voice was pleasant and articulate as he talked with pride about his family and their lives. He was willing to share his history and to tell Annie all he knew of the man she called Charley Two Shoes. The first question Annie asked the man was his name. The name the white man had given him, he told her, was Spotted Pony because he was good with horses and at the time of being given this new name his favorite horse was a pretty little pinto. Now he was known simple as Old Pony. He told her that his mother named him Dichali, which means “speaks a lot” in Sioux. He explained that his mother was kidnapped by the Apache as a young girl. His father bought her at a rendezvous shortly after her capture. It was common in those days to have trading fairs where hostages of all kinds, white and Indian were sold, sometimes back to their own people, sometimes to other bands or tribes. The Apache that owned his mother had picked her up on his way to the rendezvous for the purpose of selling her. He had come upon her getting water from a stream not far from her band’s encampment. He rode fast knowing that he would be followed as soon as she was missed by her people. She could not have been more than fourteen or fifteen winters, he judged. She was quiet and complacent for she had heard of the savage Apache and she would comply until she saw opportunity for escape. She hoped her band would find her and she intended to stay alive until they did. The Apache took good care not to harm her or mark her skin. She was pleasing to look at and he hoped he would get many horses for her. They rode for many days and she became more frightened when she realized his intentions upon their arrival at the rendezvous. He secured her hands with a leather lead and led her to a place where she could be seen. He made camp there and staked her out so that potential buyers could have a good look at her but he warned them not to touch her. Many men, Indian and white, eyed the young girl with much interest. Many knew that such a prize was out of their price range but enjoyed looking just the same. It was not the Indians that she feared as much as the rough looking mountain men; they smelled of dried blood and many days of being unwashed. She still held out hope of rescue although it was getting harder to hold onto that thought. Old Pony’s father was a young warrior, unmarried and not looking for a wife but the very pretty Sioux maiden caught his eye. Her eyes were large with fear yet she held herself as one that was calm and steady. The young warriors name was Mato, “bear.” He stood taller than most of the men there and when he caught the girl’s eye; she saw kindness in his relaxed face. The trading for the girl would begin the next day, giving other travelers time to get there with their wares. The Apache did not want to miss any opportunities for a good trade by letting her go too quickly. He would wait until all had a chance to see her. Mato camped nearby, wanting to keep an eye on the girl in case there was trouble. The next day after the Apache opened the bidding, Mato moved in closer to the spirited trading. Mato wanted this young girl but he made no move to enter the bargaining himself until the Apache appeared to be closing the deal with a rough looking mountain man with many furs to barter. “Six horses,” Mato said quietly. A hush fell over the trading area. Mato had seen that the old mountain man had no more furs and could not increase his trade. The old man cast a look of hatred toward the younger man and Mato noticed the long knife that he wore on his belt. He would have to watch this man if he won the young girl. The Apache looked at the new bidder with calculated interest, he had come for horses and 6 horses were worth more to him than a pile of furs which he would then have to trade to someone else. He asked to see the horses and Mato brought them forth. They were beautiful animals, well cared for and strong. Being a greedy man, he tried also to get Mato’s riding horse. Mato stood firm, knowing the man wanted his 6 horses. The deal was struck and the girl was turned over to the young Comanche. Speaking Sioux, he asked her name, she replied, “Takoda” (meaning a friend to everyone) and Mato pointed to himself and told her his name, and then he took the girl and left the trading area right away. He did not trust the Apache, he kidnapped her once, and he might do it again. He counted on the Apache to stay at the rendezvous and get drunk and gamble with his friends, the reasons many came to the trade in the first place. Mato thought such things a fool’s game and took no part in either activity. He had come to the rendezvous to trade for rifles and any other useful items he might find. He had earlier traded one horse for a rifle, a good long knife, and a cooking pot for his mother. He was satisfied and now wanted to put as much distance between himself and the Apache as possible. He also considered the old mountain man and sought him out. He was relieved when he saw that he had found another girl to trade his furs for, a stocky Sioux with a stricken look about her. He felt empathy for her but he must take care of the girl he had bought and he had nothing left to trade. He walked causally around the rendezvous just in case the Apache was watching, and slowly drifted to the edge of the trading grounds. Once he and the girl walked into the shadows, he quickly mounted his horse and pulled the girl up behind him. He rode his horse along the beaten trail for several miles before turning cross-country to a small creek. Here he entered the water and walked the horse along the creek’s edge before finally leaving the water on the other side of the creek. He stopped and let the girl down to drink and rest for a few moments before they continued on. He told her that they would ride all night and that she should take advantage of this stop. He trusted her as she disappeared into the brush knowing she would not run for fear of being recaptured by the Apache. This time when they mounted the horse, he placed her in front of him so that if she fell asleep she would not fall off. His arms held her securely as they reached around her to grab the mane of his horse. She felt safe there and he felt her body relaxing. She wore her hair braided in the front on either side but the back hung long and loose; it blew across his face as they rode. He did not mind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can read more about Annies friend Charley Two Shoes, his parents Mato and Takoda in Forever Annie on Amazon on Kindle. If you do not have a Kindle you can download the free app to your computer and other devices. Please feel free to share this excerpt.....Happy reading!.....Joyce Bishop Morris
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 20:51:11 +0000
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