Chapter 47

As we resume ‘The Legend of Eli Crow’, we return to the closing scene of Part 3. We left Eli sitting before the fire in the new easy chair his girls had given him for Christmas. As he sat holding his new grandsons, his thoughts turned to the events of the past few years in his life and all the changes that had taken place...

Eli looked over at his new rifle hanging on the pegs over the mantel. He saw the U.S. Marshal engraving on the side, and his thoughts turned to that part of his life. He knew they could get another assignment from Judge Parker at any time and be sent out to ride the Territory. Wearing that badge had been a big part of his life and he didn’t know if he could give it up. He also didn’t know if he could stand the looks on his family’s faces if they had to ride out in harm’s way for weeks at a time. Eli felt like he was being pulled in two directions and knew that he and the other marshals had some decisions to make.

“Joe, you and John David take these handsome Young Bucks back to Sissy and Amanda for a little while. Let’s find Duncan and Moses and walk out to the barn for a spell. Jon David, Son, you come with us; I want you in on this. We’ve all got some important things we need to talk about.”

Crow Ridge Tulsa, Indian Territory January 15, 1885

“Joe, go ahead and round up Moses and Duncan. Jon David and I will be along right behind you,” Eli said as he placed his hand on Jon David’s shoulder to get his attention.

Jon David knew immediately what was on Eli’s mind. He and his dad had discussed his career with the marshals service before and he knew his dad was going to ask the other marshals to reveal their decision. This would be a major step for the marshals, as each of the lawmen made personal decisions and plans for them, their family, and their future. He also knew it would be hard on his dad, no matter what the others decided.

“Dad, I know how much being a marshal still means to you. It means the same to the others too and they will have an even harder time making their decisions than you. You’ve told me before, that at one time all of you had decided to get out together. I think they may sense that you’re having second thoughts now...

“Today, you still have the biggest decision of all to make. If you go first and tell them about us contacting Judge Parker and that you’ve already decided to stay on, they may all follow you, out of respect to you as a friend and leader,” Jon David told him.

Eli heaved a big sigh as he sat silent, looking at Jon David. Without a word, he stood and smiled at his son.

As they walked out of the house and headed toward the barn, Jon David could sense the change in his dad. Jon David knew Eli Crow would do what was best for the others, yet he’d also do what was best for himself. He felt better about this meeting now, as he walked with his dad to meet Duncan, Moses, and Joe in the tack room to discuss their future.

Though there was no heat, the tack room was built snugly inside the barn and was warm enough for them to meet for more than two hours as each of them talked, giving their own reasons for the decisions they’d come to about their future.

Each of the others in that small room was nervous as Eli stood before them. Nervous about what they had decided and nervous about what Eli may think about their decision.

As the men sat in front of their saddles, looking down at the floor between their feet – each one lost in his own thoughts – Eli stood silent for at least a minute before he began to speak. He too was still searching for the right words, having chased his thoughts through his mind for most of the day, trying to get his head together enough to make this talk.

Now the time had come for the marshals to let their future plans be known to the others. Standing before them deep in thought, he let his eyes come to rest momentarily on each of them as they sat with their heads down. Finally he cleared his throat, trying to make the big lump go away as he began to speak...

“I’m sure all of you have thought about this many times, before today. We’ve even talked about it a few times back before we moved up to Crow Ridge, but we never made permanent plans and we kept putting off a final decision. Today, each of us needs to decide if we’re going to be a lawman or retire from the U.S. Marshal’s Service,” Eli told them point blank as they sat around by the saddles.

They were all very solemn with their eyes fixed on the floor at Eli’s feet. Not a one of them looked up as he spoke. Each of them had their own minds filled with thoughts and were trying to sort through them before they took their place in front of the others to have their say.

Eli paused to let his words sink in, then began to speak once more, “I’m not going to tell you my plans first. All of you will have to go in front of me. I know each of you well, and I don’t want something I say or do, to have any bearing on your personal decisions for you and your family.

“I do want to tell you before we start, Jon David told me just this week that we have even more money now than we ever dreamed we would a few years ago when we first talked of this day. There is more than enough for each of us to live a good life the rest of our days without working another day as a lawman.

“We have enough going on here to keep us all busy too, if any of you should decide to go that way and help run a part of this company. I just wanted you to know this, to maybe help you make a fair and final decision for you, your family, and our businesses we have started.”

Eli stopped talking abruptly, letting his words sink in again, as each of them continued to sit and stare at the floor.

Moses looked up at Eli and with a slight wave of his hand, he nodded. Eli nodded back at him and sat down next to Jon David, as Moses stood to talk.

“I may have a hard time just talking to all of you about this. I’ve never been at a place in my life like this one before.

“To begin with, I never had a dime to my name until I met Eli and Duncan. Eli had to pay my due bill to the cavalry, before I could even go with them that day up at Fort Supply. I was scared half to death to even make that small decision. Now I’m scared as hell to be standing here to try and tell all of you what I’ve decided for me and my family.

“Suh and me have stayed awake for a lot of nights, especially here in the past few months. We wanted to make the best plans for both of us and for Pike, now that he’s growing up to be a young man.

“I got to tell all of you first, just how much I love being here on Crow Ridge and being a part of something so big, we can’t even see the other side of it. It’s still hard for me to believe that something this good has come along in my life. I owe it all to Eli and his belief in me as a man and as his friend.”

Moses stopped talking to look over at Eli, as his friend raised his head. They looked each other eye to eye. They didn’t have to speak. Their bond was that close.

Moses looked around at the others as they sat with their heads down, then started once more, “Eli, I know you tell us that we’re equal partners in all this and that we have more than enough to make it the rest of our lives without working. We all still look to you to lead us, just as you’ve always done since we started riding together. After a lot of thoughts on this, Suh and me have decided that I need to get out of the marshal business and just help with the other stuff we have going on. I don’t want to just sit on the porch and let my life go to waste though. I want to be busy, but I want to be home with Pike and Suh at the same time, if we can work all that out.

“I’m proud to say I rode with all of you as a deputy U. S. Marshal, and I’ll always remember the good times ... and the bad, we shared out there. I reckon I’ve said all I need to say right now. I hope that I didn’t put any of you others in a bad way with my decision.

“Eli, I hope you’ll not be angry with me for gettin’ out, after you spoke to Judge Parker to get me this deputy marshal’s badge in the first place.”

Moses was looking at the floor as he finished. This was a hard decision for him to make and his eyes were cloudy with tears, but he was among friends and he didn’t mind that they saw him. He slowly raised his head, looking toward Eli and saw him smiling.

That was enough for Moses Kidd, just knowing Eli was alright with his decision.

Moses sat down in front of his saddle where he’d been before standing to talk. Joe was sitting beside him and as Moses wiped his eyes, he saw Joe’s moccasins shuffle.

“Eli, I reckon I need to say what’s in my heart right now, before I wait too much longer and can’t even get it to come out,” Joe said as he stood quickly and stepped over to stand in front of them. No one spoke as each of them glanced up at Joe for barely a second, then stared blankly at the rough plank floor in front of Joe’s feet.

With his closest friends in the whole world looking up at him briefly, all with solemn looks on their faces, Joe choked back his emotions. Then with one last glance toward Eli, he took a deep breath.

“I almost stood up before Moses did, but I couldn’t make my feet move. Moses said some things that helped me say the things I want to say. What he said didn’t make a bearing on the things Sissy and I have already talked about many times though. When Chane was born healthy, kicking and screaming yesterday, I knew then what I needed to do and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I talked to Sissy most of the night and both of us cried when she told me she was very happy with my decision. Then she turned right around and told me she would’ve been happy no matter what I had decided, as long as I was happy with it.

“I’m not going to try and tell y’all what Eli means to me and how being a deputy marshal has changed my life. I’m married to his daughter now and I’ll tell you quick that I never knew life could be so good. It all started for me that day over at Little Tree when I woke up to see Eli standing over me, blocking out the sun as he looked down at me grinning.

“I know Eli has tried hard to teach me about being a man, just like all of us have done with the Young Bucks. Then when I married his daughter, he made me a partner in his businesses just like all the rest of you.

“Eli, Sissy and I have decided that I need to get out of the Marshal’s Service,” Joe said suddenly and gulped a deep breath to stifle the sob that was about to knot up in his chest.

Joe knew he couldn’t say anymore without crying. He glanced over toward Eli and saw his smile. Eli nodded slightly as he accepted Joe’s decision. Joe moved over to sit back down between Moses and Duncan, not daring a glance at either of them. He knew he was close to losing control of his feelings and all it would take was just one of them to look him in the eye.

No one moved for the longest time. They all knew that other than Eli, Duncan was the last one of them who still wore a marshal’s badge.

Jon David looked over at Eli’s hands where he held them clasped together between his legs as he sat with his elbows on his knees, his head down, looking at the floor. He saw Eli’s hands shaking, then watched as Eli grasped his legs to stop his fingers from trembling.