Much Ado About Madams by Jacquie Rogers

leave them alone, they leave us alone. Mostly.”
    “ Mostly?”
    “ Ever now and then some buck renegade scalps a few white folks, but other than that we don’t never have any problems.”
    Lucinda scanned the horizon for intruders. “How comforting.” Maybe this picnic wasn’t such a good idea, after all.
    “ You do have to watch for them rattlers. Be careful when you step over rocks that you don’t tromp on one. Snakes don’t have no humor a’tall.”
    Lucinda shivered. “Rattlesnakes?” She hated snakes. Just the thought of them made her heart pound and her palms sweat.
    “ There ain’t many. Just be careful if yer walking around.”
    All Lucinda’s courage melted. “Maybe we should have our picnic in the wagon.”
    “ You cain’t have a picnic in a wagon !” Sadie patted Lucinda’s arm. “I’ll check the ground ‘fore you get off. How’s that?”
    Lucinda conceded, not wanting to appear like the cowardly city girl she was.
    “ Good thing we ain’t staying the night, though. I hear tell grizzlies been feeding on the cattle lately, and the damned wolves howl something fierce, just waiting their turn.”
    “ Oh, my heavens,” Lucinda whispered.
    “ Don’t worry yourself. We’ll be on our way home well before the bears and the wolves come looking for supper.”
    Lucinda couldn’t think of a single thing to say, even for polite conversation. They traveled—jostled was a better word—three or four more miles until she saw the most beautiful little grassy meadow surrounded by scrub brush filled with singing birds. A trout jumped and little brown birds flitted from bush to bush. She could envision a nice clapboard house with a picket fence and a path running to a springhouse by the stream.
    “ Whoa, there!” Sadie hauled on the reins and brought the horses and wagon to a stop. “We’re here. Hop down and stretch your legs while I set up the picnic.”
    Lucinda thought of the snakes, renegade Indians, bears and wolves. She couldn’t bring herself to move a muscle.
    With a chuckle, Sadie climbed down. “I’ll check the grass and the rocks, then you get down.”
    “ All right.” Lucinda’s voice squeaked, much to her continuing embarrassment.
    After a few minutes, and what she thought was quite a show on Sadie’s part, she heard Sadie announce, “Ever thing’s fine. Come on down, miss.”
    Sadie spread a blanket and put a jug of lemonade on one corner and two cups on the other corner on the upwind side. “Keep something on the corners so’s the wind don’t pick up your blanket and you end up chasing it all over the countryside.” She pointed to the other side. “You set over there.”
    She stood pointing until Lucinda seated herself. Actually, Lucinda wanted to stand for a while, having ridden in a wagon with no springs for over an hour. Tired and bruised from the ride, her backside would have relished a nice walk to work out the kinks. But Sadie insisted she sit, so she complied. Besides, she felt safe from snakes, bears, and Indians while she sat in her designated spot.
    “ We have about an hour, then we’ll head home or we’ll be caught in the dark,” Sadie said as she climbed into the wagon. “I’ll just unload this here food, then we’ll have us a nice little spread.”
    Lucinda attempted to stifle another shudder, but failed. Soon the beauty of the country entranced her. Birds hopped around searching for food and purple wildflowers swayed in the breeze. Lucinda wished she’d paid more attention in her biology class so she could identify them.
    Hoofbeats shook the earth and Sadie shouted obscenities at the horses. Lucinda jumped up to see the wagon bounce a foot in the air as the horses raced across the meadow and vanished over the hill.
    Her heart sank. The wagon was gone! And Sadie with it! Calm yourself down, ninny. She’ll be back as soon as she gets the team under control . She sat down in her appointed spot.
    She spied a flour sack lying where the wagon had sat.