Once Bitten: Twice Mad

Chapter Five

Chapter Five: I may not be a smart man but I know when something's wrong

Joshua Gilcrest, better known to the folks in southern Georgia as 'that dumb big ox of a son those Gilcrest's have' or 'Ox' for short, rode beside his pa in the wagon, his concern growing for the other man.

They had left home before dawn this morning to go pick up the suitors that his pa had in mind to make Evangeline choose from. Evangeline was Ox's younger sister, twenty-two years old and the prettiest damn woman in the state of Georgia, and yet still unmarried. She said she didn't want to get married just to get married, she wanted to fall in love first. She admitted to Ox that she wanted to feel 'tingles' but he had grumbled under his breath and let her know that she shouldn't tell her overprotective brother things like that because if he ever caught a man giving her 'tingles' he'd kill him before the man could draw another breath.

Ox shook his head and turned his attention back to his pa. What had Ox worried was the fact that his pa seemed to be shivering and a sheen of sweat was covering the man's stern brow. Ox glanced around at the few ranch hands that had come to town with them to help with supplies and realized that they looked to be in the same shape as his pa was. Every man was very tired looking and all their shoulders were slumped.

Ox rubbed the back of his neck. "Pa, you feelin' okay?"

"I'm fine, Ox." Augustus snapped. Ox nodded and closed his mouth. His family hated him, it wasn't a secret and so everyone knew. Ox was a disappointment. At first glance Ox was exactly what every parent could wish for. He was tall, roughly seven feet, and he had thick muscles and broad shoulders, which had helped to earn him the name 'ox'. He was good looking, he knew that much was true because women flocked to him and rode him good and proper quite often, but they were always gone just as soon as the ride was over because Ox was dumb. His brain didn't work quite right.

His mama liked to say that God was so busy making Ox handsome that He forgot to fill his head up with anything other than hot air. It wasn't that Ox was dumb like people thought he was it was just that it took him a while to learn things, a long while. Long enough that his teachers and tutors had quickly given up. And he had a hard time turning his thoughts into words.

The only person in the whole world who seemed to like Ox and defended him was his sister Evangeline. She had taken the time, night after night, to teach Ox his numbers and how to read a little. He still couldn't read very good but he knew more words than he had before she'd begun their lessons. It was sad that he, a twenty-seven year old man, needed lessons from his younger sister.

"Are you sure, pa? Did y'all eat somethin' rotten? Ya look a bit ill."

"We ate the same things you ate, Ox and you're just fine so think before you ask me such ignorant questions."

"Yessir." Ox replied meekly as he looked down at his big hands folded in his lap. He hated that he always seemed to say the wrong thing to his pa. Every boy just wanted to make his pa proud but Ox had learned a long time ago that he never would.

"Sir..." A hand, Daniel, said with a groan as he rode closer. "I ain't feeling too good......"

"I bet I know what it is pa!" Ox spoke up suddenly and Augustus blew out an irritated breath before swiping his jacket sleeve across his sweaty brow.

"What, Ox?"

"That medicine. I'll just bet it's that medicine you all took. I didn't take none, nope I didn't, and I ain't a bit sick."

For once his pa didn't tell him he was wrong. Instead the man appeared thoughtful for a moment and then nodded.

"You might be right, Ox."