Tall Elk's Woman

by

Sherry Derr~Wille

Charlotte Martin cringed under the blows raining down on her from her husband’s fists. She’d waited supper for him, knowing full well he was in the tavern with his friends and he wouldn’t arrive home until late. When he did, he would be in a foul mood, as he always was when he got drunk.

“Who was he?” Jacob shouted between blows from his clenched fists. “You didn’t think I saw you talking to that man, but I did. You’re my woman and you have no business talking to a man if I’m not with you.”

“I was talking to the new minister,” Charlotte sobbed. “If you came to church more often, you’d know who he is.”

“What would a parson have to say to the likes of you?” Jacob demanded, before slamming his fist into her stomach.

“He-he,” she gasped trying to get the breath back into her lungs.

“Don’t stammer, woman, answer me.”

“He asked me to help him set up the Sunday School for the children. He...”

“He probably asked you to spread your legs for him. I know all about your kind of woman. What do you know about teachin’ younguns about the Bible?”

Before she could answer, she saw her son enter the kitchen. “Why are you hurtin’ my ma?” he cried, as he pulled on his father’s arm.

“Stay out of this, boy. It ain’t none of your concern.”

“It is my concern, menfolk shouldn’t hurt women. That’s what the preacher says.”

Jacob turned his wrath on Matt, giving Charlotte time to reach for the butcher knife lying in the sink.

“Get away from him,” she shouted, stopping Jacob before he could backhand their son. “Get away from him or I swear I’ll castrate you with this knife. I won’t have your life on my conscience, but I’ll at least have the satisfaction that you won’t ever be a man again.”

Jacob turned back toward her and stared at the knife in her hands. Even if he doubted she had the courage to carry through with her threat, he knew she had the ability. Only last week she’d helped him with the castrating of the hogs.

Pure hatred radiated from his eyes as he backed away from Matt. Without saying a word, he turned and ran out the front door. As soon as he disappeared into the night, Matt slammed the door and bolted it before running to her side.

Relief flooded her being as the knife clattered to the floor. “Did he hurt you, Ma?” Matt asked as he wound his arms around her waist.

She cringed with the knowledge of her son’s concerns and his need to be comforted brought pain to her newly bruised midsection. “We don’t have time to waste,” she said as she disentangled her son’s arms. “Go and get the bag from under your bed and put your clothes in it. I don’t think he’ll be back tonight, but you never know. We’ll leave through the back door and go to Grandma and Grandpa for help.”

While Matt ran to do what she asked, Charlotte took her one spare dress and a change of underwear from her bedroom, along with the egg money she kept in the sugar bowl. Her parents lived in the next county, but by taking the horse they gave her as a wedding present, they could easily arrive by morning.

In less than ten minutes, she mounted the mare and held Matt in front of her. She’d taken more time in mounting the horse than in packing their belongings. Doing something she usually did so easy now brought pain to her battered body. She looked back only for a moment before leaving behind the farm where she’d made her home ever since her marriage to Jacob. Tonight Jacob finally ended their marriage with his drunken rage.

It didn’t take long for Matt to fall asleep in her arms, leaving only the star-studded sky as her companion. She kept the horse running at a gallop until there was enough distance between her and the farm to slow her down to an easy gate.

With each step the horse took, the pain Jacob inflicted grew more intense. She prayed she’d make it to her parents without passing out and putting Matt in danger of falling from the horse.

The first light of dawn colored the eastern horizon with the pinks and blues of morning when she finally arrived in the dooryard of her parents’ farm. Too weak to even call out, she was relieved to see her father leaving the house to begin the morning milking.

“Charlotte!” he called as he rushed to her side. “What has happened to you?”

Upon hearing his grandfather’s voice, Matt became alert. “It was Pa,” he declared as though he knew her strength reached its limits and wouldn’t allow her to make an explanation. “He was drunk again. He beat Ma something fierce until she went after him with her butcher knife. We’ve been ridin’ all night.”

She allowed her father to lift first Matt and then herself from the saddle. With Matt running toward the house, her father carried her as though she was once again a small child.

“The boy said Jacob beat you again. How many times has he done this in the past?”

“More than you need to know about, Pa,” she gasped. “I ran away and I won’t go back. I took the egg money from the sugar bowl. With luck it will be enough to get us far away from Jacob.”

Her father held her closer and told her to hush. Once in the house, he called to her mother to open the bed in the spare bedroom. Moments later he laid Charlotte down on the clean sheets while her mother took off her shoes and stockings. She hadn’t meant to do more than close her eyes for a moment, but as soon as she did, the exhaustion took over and she drifted off into a deep sleep.

Charlotte awoke several hours later. After telling her father she was running away, she gave herself permission to sleep, knowing for the time being, she would be safe.

“I didn’t think you’d ever wake up,” her mother said as soon as Charlotte opened her eyes. “You haven’t stirred a bit since you fell asleep. You didn’t even wake when I washed the blood and dust from your face. Why didn’t you tell us Jacob was mistreating you?”

“Oh, Ma, I didn’t think I should burden you with our problems. We were so happy at first, but over the past two years he started drinking and nothing has been the same. Last night was the worst. I went into town yesterday and the new minister stopped me to talk about me teaching Sunday School. Jacob saw us talking and accused me of having a lover. I told him how I only spoke to the preacher and if he came to church with Matt and me, he would have known him.”

“Well, now you’re safe with us. Your pa will fill Jacob’s hide full of buckshot if he so much as steps one foot on this farm. I must say you had us both worried. When you didn’t wake up for dinner, I sent your pa and Matt into town for the doctor.”

Fear filled Charlotte’s mind. By now Jacob would know that she and Matt left in the night. This would be the first place he looked for her. With her father in town, who would protect her from her husband’s wrath?

“Don’t fret so, Charlotte,” her mother continued. “I’ve got your pa’s shotgun by the front door and your brother, Daniel, has been here for the past week helpin’ with the haying. Matt told us what happened and Daniel is hoppin’ mad.”

Charlotte relaxed a bit. Daniel was her older brother. Two years ago he finally married and purchased a farm less than a mile from the home place. It came as no surprise to learn he and their father worked together for not only the harvest, but also for the planting. If she and Jacob lived closer, they too could have worked together with her family and just maybe Jacob’s drinking wouldn’t have been such a problem.

“You rest and I’ll bring you some dinner.”

Charlotte knew she should go out to the kitchen, but even the slightest movement brought pain to every bone and joint in her body. How she had ridden the entire distance between the two farms was a complete and utter mystery.

“Now, what’s this I hear about you being hurt?”

Charlotte opened her eyes to see Doc Abrahams standing by her bed. “I never meant to be a bother. I only wanted to get away from Jacob. Dragging you all the way out here was Pa’s idea. I’m bruised up a bit. It’s nothing to worry about. By morning I’ll be fine.”

“You let me be the judge of that, young lady,” Doc remarked. “Your son and your pa are worried about you and from what I can see, they have good reason to worry.”

She resigned herself to the exam Doc insisted on doing. When his fingers touched her tender midsection through the nightgown her mother must have dressed her in, she fought the urge to scream in pain.

“I know it’s going to be embarrassing for you, but I have to bind your ribs. I’m afraid you have some deep bruising and possibly a broken rib. How could Jacob do such a thing to you?”

“This is the worst it’s ever been. That’s why I left. I know I said ‘til death do us part, but I’m afraid if I stay with him any longer he’ll kill me.”

Tears of pain mingled with frustration and humiliation ran down Charlotte’s cheeks as Doc bound her midsection tightly. All her life she’d longed to be a wife and mother. She’d failed miserably at the first but she prayed somehow she could raise her son without the worry associated with Matthew being in Jacob’s presence.

“Where’s my wife? I know the bitch came here full of her crazy stories. She took my son away from me. I want back what belongs to me.” Jacob’s shouts reverberated through the open window of the downstairs bedroom, causing Charlotte to shake uncontrollably.

“Take another step closer and it won’t be Pa’s buckshot to drives you off,” Daniel said. “My gun is loaded with lead and I’d just as soon kill you as look at you for what you did to my sister. She came here this morning more dead than alive from the beating you gave her last night. How she made it this far is beyond me.”