Second Excerpt from Forever Cry

          Author's note: This segment introduces Harry Poynter, a real life historical figure in the Pope County Militia War of 1872-73. He is also my uncle. His actions described in Forever Cry are all true historical events.
No new posts will be put up before the Forever Cry Book Launching, Saturday, June 13 at the Wing Community Church in Wing, Arkansas. Wing is no longer on state road maps. Just go to Rover on Hwy. 28, west two miles, only church on right. Don't miss the salt pork and cold biscuits! Book signings at 1PM, story readings at 2 PM. Wild blackberries if they ripen on time. We'll have a good time then.

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          The thirty man posse found Harry leaning against a tree in the town square

chewing on a weed, two pistols strapped on and a double barrel shotgun in his hand. All the townsfolk around were as friendly as could be to the posse. But they all gathered around. The leader of the posse told Harry that they had come to arrest him and try him. Harry told him he was willing to be tried, if they could guarantee his safety. The lawman told Harry, “We will guarantee your safety to the best of our ability. We need your guns.”

          Harry replied, “I will give up my guns with my life, and I will make the man who takes it pay a heavy price.”

          The deputy walked back to his men and they discussed this in detail. I was standing near the posse so that I would have a good angle if shooting started, and I heard one man in the posse tell him, “These people would kill Jefferson Davis himself before they will let us take Harry by force.” After much discussion, the deputy walked back over to Harry, pointed to Harry’s friend standing nearby, and said, “I hereby deputize you, and order you to hold Harry Poynter prisoner until we get back to you.”

          The posse turned and left. The deputy was heard to say on the way out of town, “Well, we have arrested him, to the best of our ability. I personally don’t think it was much of an arrest, but we have done our duty, safety considered.”

          After things had settled down, Kade was not happy with me for leaving his wife and baby alone in the cave, and putting myself in this dangerous position. Then afterwards he said it was too late for me to go back to the cave.  It would be dark soon. I should spend the night at Kade’s house, and head back to the cave the next day. I agreed. It was getting awfully late.

***

          Tenny would soon turn seventeen. She felt she was old enough to make her own decision about spending the night alone with Kade in his house. She cooked Kade a big meal that night, and they talked long about the events of the day. Afterwards, Tenny had just finished cleaning up the kitchen and was about to head to her room for the night. She had to get an early start the next day. Also, she suspected this was about to become a touchy situation, and she didn’t trust Kade, or herself with Kade, that night. She knew Sandy was not a loyal wife to Kade, but she kept telling herself that did not matter. Sandy was her sister. She had to stay in control of this situation, and get away from Kade quickly tonight.

            Kade was standing in the hallway. She stopped, and their eyes met for a time. Tenny was softly chewing on one side of her lip, in the fashion she sometimes did when she was in an uncomfortable situation. He looked at her lips, pushed ever so slightly to the right, and he thought, at that moment, they were the most sensuous, wonderful lips he had ever seen.

          World class lips; lips he just had to kiss, and right now.

          He gently grasped her arms, and pulled her to him. Tenny did not try to resist. Kade put his fingers under her chin, and guided her lips toward his.

          Their lips almost touched; she pushed back. Tears came. “I can’t do this, Kade, even though I know you realize I want to, so badly. I just can’t. I cannot do this to my sister.”

          “Tenny, we both want this. And you know full well Sandy is not a loyal wife. We both could have died today. In this war, I could die tomorrow, and that would be the end of us. This is our special occasion, our one night. What harm could just this one time do? Tomorrow, we will forget about tonight, and just go on with our lives, like nothing happened.”

          “Loyal or not, Kade, she’s still my sister. And I would always remember. Good night, Kade.”

          Tenny brushed by Kade and, with tears on her cheeks, walked to her room, went inside, and closed the door. Kade was left standing in the hall, his thoughts of those wonderful lips still running through his mind, heartbreak in his soul.

          “Someday, I will kiss those world class lips.”

          Someday, he would.