Penny Bad or Lucky

By Judithe Williamson

Sometimes a woman has to prove even to herself, she can weather any storm if necessary. And All Indians aren't bad and many men of any color cannot always be trusted.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Judithe Williamson
• Release date: Sep 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393758884

Book preview

Part 1

LEAVING

Penny rode blindly , her wild dark auburn locks flying across her face. She reached up with a tightly clenched fist to bash at the tears falling uncontrollably. She had always hated tears, a sign of weakness her paw told her.

She was a child of three when her mother left with a man from the ‘theater’, her father said. Since her mother had left, Penny had run more like a boy than a girl. Her father had always wanted a boy anyway. He expected her to do chores and do anything a man could do. At four she had been put on a large horse and made to ride for hours until she fell off, suffering from sheer exhaustion. At which time she had been picked up by her father shaken severely and put back on until after the supper hour was over. Then she was made to walk her horse and brush him, carry water for him and hay, all before going in to get her own cold meal. Often times she would be too tired to eat, by then anyway. They had an old black cook at that time and she would pick Penny up wash her face and hands and tuck her into bed. Penny didn’t remember much during those first few years, except mostly she was always tired and hungry. She was made to work like an older girl (or rather a boy), with never a kind word or smile. Then one day even the old cook left, but this time Penny watched her go. There had been a bad fight with arguing and yelling and Penny heard her father hit the old cook; it was the first time Penny had ever seen her father back down from anyone and probably the last. But after he hit the Cook, she pulled a knife from her waist and stuck him in the arm with it; there was blood everywhere. But old cook never backed down she pulled that knife out of his arm and then raised it over her head and hit him hard enough to knock him out for a time. Then she calmly wiped her knife off and turned to take what few belongings she owned and left the ranch in a wagon turning once and smiling a small smile at Penny as she went out of sight.

Then things changed, her father brought a very young woman in to live. He claimed he had married her, but Penny was never sure, the thing Penny found the oddest was this woman was treated even worse than Penny. His new wife’s name was Lydia, and she was only a few years older than Penny herself.

Whenever her father went to town for one of his long drunks, Lydia would creep out of the house looking for Penny. They would spend a couple of pleasant days together before he came stumbling home again. He had made Penny learn to cook and sew, as he wanted to get rid of the expense of a housekeeper eventually he said. But that was an excuse as the old black cook was already gone and now there was Lydia to do the cooking and cleaning, which she did to perfection although her father never acknowledged it. The only other thing he had insisted on, was that Penny be able to clean and cook whatever she killed. This had come in handy during a couple of round-ups.

It could have been a very nice house with the proper care and love in it. But to Penny, it seemed more like a jail. Not the kind that kept you locked in a room, but rather the kind that kept you shackled to it. The house was quite large with six bedrooms upstairs and a front Parlor downstairs as well as a kitchen and dining room. The dining room had been shut up for as long as Penny could remember. She had snuck in there once and saw a picture of a young girl who looked very much as she did. She nearly got caught and only went in after that when no one was around. For years it had been one of Penny’s jobs to see to it that the wood boxes were always filled. Piece by piece she would carry wood until it was filled to suit her father, for the kitchen stove as well as for the large round stove in the front parlor. Now that she was older and bigger it was much easier than it had been when she was four.

The morning had dawned with a sharp chill in the air. Winter was over but spring wasn’t very warm yet. April was supposed to bring May flowers, but all Penny ever saw was hard work, not flowers. Lydia had stayed inside this morning as her time was nearly here for the babe to be born. There had been four others now lying out by the stand of old pine trees. None of them had made it this far. Penny’s paw always said it was Lydia’s own fault they had died as she was not woman enough to carry a child full term and she was lazy too. Penny never did understand what one thing had to do with the other.

He had been gone on one of his long drunks again, for a week this time. When he had come home last night, Penny could hear him yelling at Lydia. "You lazy good fer nuthin the least you could do is have my meal ready for me when I get home.’ Penny could hear her father slap Lydia and shove her across the kitchen, and then he grabbed her and hauled her up the stairs to their bedroom. She screamed once and then there was very little sound for awhile. But Penny could hear Lydia crying far into the night, while her father lay there as always snoring.

The next morning as Penny brought the milk into the house, she could hear the mid-wife fretting about how frail she was. It ain’t any wonder, that the woman didn’t make it or the babe either.

Penny could stand no more, for nearly eighteen years she had cowed down to her paw as had everyone else for that matter. She ran into the room just as the mid-wife was finishing up, looking first toward the bed and then toward where her father stood.

You, she shouted. You with your drinking and hitting and raping any time you wanted. You are the cause of her death and the baby’s too. I’ve stood here while you bullied and battered everyone who crossed your path. You drove my own mother away and then claimed you had married Lydia. How could you have done that, when you don’t know where your first wife is? Lydia was only a couple of years older than me, and you raped her over and over every night. Did you think no one would hear you? Go back to your drinking, or whatever it is you do. But I’ll be gone when you return and I won’t be back this time. Who will you have to beat on then? Look around you old man most of the hands have run off and the neighbors don’t even come by anymore. I hate you, hate the very sight of you, you drunken lout you disgust me.

As she turned to leave she felt her father grab her arm, and he swung her around to face him. He lifted one hand and slapped her so hard she stumbled up against the mid-wife. That was the only thing that kept her from falling.

Get out you thankless hellcat, you’re probably gonna wind up just like your mother a good for nuthin tramp.

Well if she was, it was because that is the only kind of woman that would have you willingly, Penny shot back at him.

His face started to turn purple with rage but as he went for her he tripped over the midwife's foot and fell hitting his head, knocking him temporarily out cold.

Well if you’re planning on getting out now is a good time to be doing it. I doubt he will be out for long. So long Penny and good luck to ya, where ever you go.

Penny thanked the mid-wife and strode from the room, going quickly to her own room. Here she grabbed her blankets from the bed and spread them out throwing the few clothes she owned on top of them. Then she took her coat and gloves, strapped on her gun and hunting knife, and rolled the rest of her belongings tightly in her blankets. She tied this with a couple of old belts, and then hurried down the stairs. Penny stopped in the kitchen and looked around quickly, Grabbing and old cloth bag she quickly filled it with some supplies, first, she thought, a coffee pot, some pots and a pan for cooking, and a fork and spoon for eating. Then she moved on into the larder and took down some coffee, flour, cornmeal, some sugar, which she tied up in a smaller bundle, a few biscuits, and a small jar of jam. Penny knew how to find onions growing wild, but some salt would come in handy as well as some ham and a little bacon. She lifted this down and hoped it was not too much for her horse to carry once she finished getting everything. Penny walked quickly to the barn and got her horse Blueboy, out of his stall. She saddled him and began tying on her bedroll as well as the bag of food which she hung from her saddle horn. Trying to think ahead she thought if she was going to make it for good this time then she would probably need some money as well. Someone had told her once that her mother had left her some money before she left, so Penny decided to try and find it. Ground hitching her horse Penny ran to the back door and went in through the kitchen and into the parlor. There she went straight to the desk; where she had seen her father go one day putting something away there, it had appeared to be money; looking around furtively she reached under the desk for the small button that would release the secret drawer, finding it she pushed. There was a soft click that sounded to Penny like a gun going off, nerves she laughed at herself. Looking around again to be sure she was alone, she reached into the drawer drawing out a bag of coins. She decided not to take the time to count it she also grabbed the pile of paper money that was in the drawer as well and shoved it into her pocket. Carefully she closed the drawer again and stepped back away from it. Now she could hear voices coming from the upstairs bedroom, loud voices. Penny paused and listened, then moving to a spot under the stairs where she would not be seen as easily, she listened to what was being said. This had proved to be a valuable lesson over the years.

"You told her Mary ran off? You are a fool, Floyd. Mary died in childbirth just like this poor young thing did. Too much hard work and too little food as well as being knocked around by you. Your girl was right you did kill her, you killed both of them. Nothing you can be hung for, but you’re just as guilty. Yeah go ahead try to hit me too, I’ll drop you in your tracks. I know how to use this whip I carry and well you know it too. Now go and make arrangements for your wife and the babe. Before I forget I’m a lady and whip you cuz, I want to real bad. Go on get out of here, just talking to you leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Penny heard her father leave the bedroom, and she backed away from the stairs then turned and raced out the back door. She had no idea where she would go, but it would be far from here. Penny ran back into the barn grabbed her saddlebags, pausing only long enough to make sure her flint and steel were in there as well as her hooks and string for fishing, then still trying to think straight she put a bridle on shadow the young mare she sometimes rode, she led her outside of her stall and reached for her rain cape and rushed back outside to her horse, still leading shadow. Throwing her saddlebags on Blueboy and hooking her rain cape in front of her saddle she mounted Blueboy and rode out of the yard, leading the mare. She stopped at the top of a hill and looked back, still no sign of anyone around the yard. She turned again in the saddle and murmured to Blueboy. Well it’s just you and me and Shadow now, she whispered. Turning Blueboy east she started off at a run and then slowed as the tears started falling, it hadn’t been much but at least it was home. Now there was nothing and no one. Penny rode for several miles then angled more to the north. She could still see snow in the higher hills and felt as if there were more coming. She had left before, but usually, after a day or two, she had given up and gone back.  Her Pa made her work twice as hard to make up for the lost time. Not this time she thought. Figuring if he had seen her heading east, that was where she was going again.

Now she reined Blueboy to a halt and dismounted. I’ve got to think and plan; she said aloud to herself. The wind was beginning to pick up making it harder to travel.  Now that she had stopped for a minute she started crying again. Not really sure why, because she had lost her friend Lydia, or the much-expected babe? Or because she was alone now with nowhere to go; or perhaps it was the fact she now knew her own mother was dead as well. For the first time in a very long time, she just let herself go until she was beyond crying. Washing her face in the stream she reached into the saddlebag and pulled out the jam and a slightly crumbled biscuit. After she had eaten, she repacked her saddlebags, so things fit in there better. Then she took her bedroll down and opened it up, putting her two extra blankets and her clothes inside. Then she rolled the whole thing up tightly again, tying this all together she placed it on Shadow’s back. As she swung up into the saddle she put her rain cape back in place in front of her and rode off. She was heading north now but changed directions again after a couple of more miles. She found herself in the foothills of the mountains. It made progress slower but also served to make following her more difficult. Penny was heading west now; she managed to skirt the town and the reservation to the south of town. She had managed to stay far enough to the south of the fort as she did not like the Sergeant, there or the Captain either for that matter. She stayed in this direction until night fell. She rode on until she found an outcrop of rocks near a small stream; there she stopped for the night.

Penny built a small fire behind a couple of rocks so the rocks would deflect the heat back toward her sleeping area; and also it would be harder for someone to spot. There had been enough hired hands at the farm over the years so she knew what to expect. After a little ham and some bread washed down with coffee, she guessed she should get prepared for the worse. Taking her needle and some thread, out of her saddlebags, she took her knife out of the sheath and began to slowly rip the hem out of the bottom of her coat. It had become a habit to always carry a needle and thread after tearing her pants at round-up once. Now she carefully sewed the coins in the hem, being careful that they did not touch so they wouldn’t clink when she moved. Then she also sewed part of