Southern Legitimacy Statement: Texas born. Texas raised. Anyone not born in Texas is a Yankee in my book. I think that about covers it.
To Dust You Shall Return
Sandy picked up her supplies and tucked them into the old pillowcase she used to gather and bring home the peas. She kissed her daddy on the way out like she always did. Only this time, he grabbed her hand to stop her.
“I wish you wouldn’t go. Not yet, anyway. You should wait for your brother to get back. He’ll be here soon enough.”
“Hush, Pop. Ain’t nothing gonna happen. It’s just peas.”
“I know. But, I got a bad feeling about today is all.”
“That’s just the dust in your nose.”
“No, it ain’t that. It’s a bad feeling.”
“It’s only peas, Pop.”
“Well, you be careful anyway. Times are tough. No telling what a man might do. You know that.”
“I can handle myself. You know that.”
“I know, I know. You got it, right?”
“I got it. Always do.”
Reluctantly, he let her hand go.
It wasn’t even a mile down the road from their house to the family pea patch, but the dust storm that had settled in made it feel like more to Sandy that day, especially with the wind blowing like it was. Even though it was at her back, she still used a handkerchief to shield her face from it. She turned back into the wind to look home, but it had long disappeared in the cloud.
The pea patch was only a small corner of the richest soil in the county. Her family had owned the land for as long as Sandy could remember and then some. They were able to keep the farm alive primarily off that land. And her family’s peas had become the envy of everyone around. Even in dry times like now, those peas grew bigger and fuller than anyone else’s for a hundred miles. And no one could ever figure out how, though they always tried to. Some said it was luck, others special fertilizer, still others that they were practicing witchcraft. That always made them laugh, but they never would share their secret.
Sandy got to the patch after a quicker walk than she had anticipated. “Maybe Pop was right,” she said to herself as she looked around worriedly and loosened the handkerchief, looking over her shoulder as she set to work picking and stuffing her pillowcase.
The peas were perfect for picking, the first batch of the season. With the first few handfuls, she realized coming today was the right call. They’d all be eating good tonight.
It didn’t take long before Sandy had the pillowcase as full as she needed. She twisted the top and slung it over her shoulder to begin the trek home. She tied her handkerchief around her face again and headed into the wind this time.
About halfway home, two figures slowly appeared in the dust in front of her. Sandy swung the pillowcase off her shoulder and down to her chest as the two men came clearer into sight.
“Howdy, stranger,” one of them called out. The other stayed quiet.
Her daddy hadn’t raised her to be rude, so she replied with a cautious, “Hello there.”
“What’s a pretty thing like you doing out here in the dust like this?” she heard one of them rumble as they came closer.
“I was just headed home,” Sandy said.
“Is that right?” the talker asked. “Say, what’s that you got there in that pillowcase? Looks like you’re running away. You’re not running away from home, are you?”
“No, sir. I’m headed home, just like I said.”
“Are you now? And just where’s home at, lady?”
“Just up the road, maybe half a mile.”
The men both turned back and smiled at each other.
“That old farmhouse we just passed?”
“I guess so,” Sandy said, adjusting the pillowcase in front of her.
“Say, now. I sure would like to see what you got in that bag there,” the talker said as he stepped toward Sandy.
“It’s food for my family. That’s all,” she said, backing up away from them.
“Well, how about that? The two of us,” he smiled, motioning to his friend, “are mighty hungry. And that old man at the house told us there was a pea patch just up the road that we could help ourselves to if we were really hungry.”
“Did he, now?” Sandy asked.
“Sure did. Said we might see you along the way, too. Told us to steer right clear of you if we knew what was good for us.” The talker chuckled at the thought.
“I’ll bet he did say that.”
“Such a pretty thing like you, though, we can’t be scared of you. But just in case-”
The talker pulled a small revolver from his belt. He slowly cocked the hammer and hung the gun at his hip.
“You won’t give us any problem, will you now?”
Sandy shook her head.
The quiet one stepped forward and took hold of the pillowcase. Sandy gripped her hand tightly on it as he tugged.
“Say, now. I thought you said you wouldn’t give us any trouble,” the talker said as he raised the revolver from his hip and pointed it at Sandy.
“You wouldn’t really shoot me over a few pounds of peas, would you?”
Both men started to laugh as Sandy gripped the bag tighter. The dust in her eyes started to feel like gravel scraping at her lids, but she refused to blink.
The talker started up again. “Well, I sure was hoping I didn’t have to,” he said as he moved in closer.
“Alright,” Sandy said, as she relaxed her grip. “Alright. I’ll give you the bag full as long as you let me keep one handful for myself. You’re welcome to the rest.”
“Now, see? That wasn’t so hard, was it? One handful ought to be alright, don’t you think?” he said, motioning to the quiet one to let go so she could take some out.
He loosened his grip on the pillowcase as he stepped back. Sandy opened the top and began to dig inside.
The talker lowered his revolver slightly as Sandy smoothly summoned her own revolver from the pillowcase and deftly delivered one deadly round into each man’s chest. Their bodies collapsed into the dust before they even knew what hit them.
Sandy picked up the talker’s gun and put it in the pillowcase beside her own. She set the sack down gently and began to move the two bodies well off into the ditch where no one could see them before walking the last half mile or so home.
When she arrived, she noticed her brother standing on the porch next to their daddy, who had a fresh bandage on his eye.
“They got to Pop. Said he told them about the pea patch.”
“I figured as much,” Sandy said, as she looked at them both.
“We heard the shots. I knew I had a bad feeling about today. You scare ‘em or kill ‘em?”
Sandy retrieved the smaller revolver from the pillowcase and tossed it on the porch in front of them. They nodded in unison.
Sandy’s brother walked off to fetch a nearby shovel.
“You at least clear out enough room in the patch for two more?”
