Unshaken

Further Questions of Female Suffrage

Liam worked the next morning around camp. As he was finishing feeding the chickens, he heard a dispute between Sadie and Pearson. He walked around to see Sadie holding a knife. Arthur also approached. "Say whatever you damn well please but I tell you, if I don't get outta here soon, I'm gonna kill somebody." She said angrily. Pearson stopped chopping vegetables and also held his butchers knife at her. "If you don't stop hissing at me, I'm gonna kill you!" He threatened. "Come near me sailor, and I'll slice you up!" She said holding the knife menacingly. "You put that knife down or you're gonna be missing a hand, lady!" Pearson yelled.

"What is wrong with you two?" Arthur asked them, scolding. "I ain't chopping vegetables for a living!" Sadie told him, stabbing the knife into the cutting board. "Oh, I'm sorry madam. Was there insufficient feathers in your pillow?" Arthur asked sarcastically. Liam knew what she meant. "Look, I ain't lazy, Mr. Morgan. I'll work, but not this!" She said turning her back to him to hide her scowl. "Well ain't cooking work?" Arthur asked. She stormed passed Pearson bumping into him unapologetically. She folded her arms and stopped. She composed herself and turned back to Arthur. "My husband and I, we shared the work. All of it. I was out in the fields, I can hunt, carry a knife, or use a gun. But you keep me here, I'll skin this fat old coot and serve him for dinner!" She yelled at Pearson. Pearson started towards her. "You watch your damn mouth, you crazy goddamn fishwife!" He yelled pointing his finger in her face. Arthur was caught between the dispute.

Liam watched as Sadie screamed and lunged in a fit of rage at Pearson, but Arthur caught her and threw her back. "Enough! Both of you! Well come with me then. You wanna head out there? Run with the men? So be it. But we do more than just hunting. We're hunted." Arthur said, serious. Liam definitely backed this statement. "And them things hunting us, well they got guns of their own." Arthur told her. She looked at him with a serious expression. "I ain't afraid of dying." Sadie told him. "Good." Arthur replied coldly. Liam had never really thought about if he was afraid of death or not. He was afraid to die. He also knew that it wasn't the best trait to have living a life like his. He pushed the thought away and listened to the drama.

"You need anything Mr. Pearson? Maybe me and Mrs. Adler are gonna take a little ride." Arthur asked. "Yeah, sure. Here's my list and um, can you post this letter for me while you're there?" Pearson said giving him the papers. "Yeah, sure. Come on, Princess. You too, kid." Arthur told the two. Sadie stood for a second. Almost not believing she was actually leaving camp. "Are you coming with me then, woman?" Arthur asked her impatiently. The three walked to the wagon. Liam climbed in the back while Arthur and Sadie sat up front. "So I've graduated from chopping vegetables to shopping?" She asked sarcastically. "Shut your goddamn mouth." Arthur grumbled. Liam laughed. "I don't know, maybe a skinned Pearson would be good for dinner." He jokingly suggested. "You shut your damn mouth too." Arthur said as Liam laughed again.

"You cooled down then yet?" Arthur asked Sadie as they rode through the trail. "I guess. And I ain't no scullion, and I sure as hell ain't taking orders from that sweating halfwit!" Sadie yelled. "We all gotta do our share, Princess." Arthur said. "Where's that letter?" Sadie asked. "Oh, you're reading his mail now?" Arthur asked her. "Oh, robbing and killing's okay, but letter-reading's where we draw the line?" She asked sarcastically. Arthur rolled his eyes and gave the letter to her. "Dear Aunt Cathy..." Sadie read in a deep and booming voice, mocking Pearson. "You are something else." Arthur said. She proceeded to read the letter in his voice that had the three rolling laughing. "He ever even talked to a woman he ain't paid for?" Sadie asked. "Look, we're all hiding behind something." Arthur said as the three of them laughed on. "And what's this? "Return to Tacitus Kilgore"." Sadie asked, reading the letter. "Oh, that? That's Dutch's idea. All mail to be sent to the same alias. Whenever we set up somewhere new, Strauss, he heads up into town and tells 'em to start expecting mail from a Tacitus Kilgore, or whatever they changed it to. Here, gimme that back. We got work to do." Arthur said as they pulled up beside the General Store. Liam kept his head low.