Editor’s Note: This is an ongoing series which runs each Thursday morning titled the Richland Chronicles Volume 2, by author Paul Lintern. It is set in the summer of 1831 and tells the story of Richland County through the eyes of young people. This is the second in a three-book trilogy. Volume 1 was Amelia Changes Her Tune.
The next two weeks went quickly, as it always did at the Inn, with guests coming and going every day, which meant food to prepare, cooking fires to maintain and horses to tend.
The farm duties never stopped, either, especially since the side-by-side farms of the Zeiters brothers demanded double attention from Isaac, and whatever other hands were available.
Sometimes Isaac felt pushed down by the amount of work expected of him, especially if John was the one expecting work. But other times, he felt lifted up by the work, the sense of accomplishment it gave him and the pride of knowing that he was able to do it.
Usually, he had somebody to work with, whether it was his uncle or stepfather, or Autumn and Amelia, who were used to helping with barn chores or anything related to animals.
Even Emily Pittinger, related somehow because of his grandfather and hers, was around a lot to help. Emily’s mother had died, and her father was off trying to stake a claim in the Arkansas territory.
Isaac couldn’t remember when he had last seen her father, or even what he looked like. Her older sister was in Baltimore, while she and her younger sisters lived with her granny a couple miles up toward Olivesburgh.
Emily was a few months older than Isaac, and they had played together from the time they could crawl. They often watched out for each other and sometimes tattled on each other.
Emily was all girl when she was with her sisters, but acted every bit the boy when she was around Isaac. When Wolf Paw was not around, Emily was his best friend, and both of them were fine with not letting too many people know that.
“Hey cousin,” Emily said as she rode her brown mare up to Isaac’s house one clear morning in the middle of July. “Need some help?”
“Are you offering to help weed the garden?”
“Let me at ’em. Weeds tremble at my presence,” Emily said.
“Don’t we all,” Isaac said, and Emily slugged him in the arm.
It was an annoying habit Emily had, hitting people. Annoying, because she didn’t do it lightly, in fun. She did it hard, in fun.
“Ow,” Isaac said, pretending he was pretending that it hurt, because it really did hurt!
He didn’t like the fact that Emily was as strong as him, and able to do so many things so well, or that she had always been able to run faster than him. Then he stopped himself. That’s exactly what I do like about Eliza. She’s just a Wyandot version of Emily. And vice versa. He stared at Emily.
What does that mean?
“Well, let’s get started, you mule,” Emily said, and they set about the task of removing about three weeds for every tomato, green bean, carrot and potato plant in the two-acre garden.
“Did you hear that Uncle Jacob and your father found a ravine full of snakes last night?” Emily asked a little while later.
“Where?”
“Up on the Big Hill. That old Indian Cornstalk found it. Heard them saying they want to go harvest them,” she said.
“Harvest? That will be tricky.”
“Sure will.”
“But fun,” Isaac said.
“For you maybe. I’ll stay back at the Inn and help make dinner.”
“Wolf Paw will be coming up tomorrow. He can come with us,” Isaac said.
“Wolf Paw? Maybe I will come along,” Emily said.
“Oh?”
“Now don’t you go reading anything into that, Isaac David Baughman Zeiters. I just said, ‘Oh.’”
“Oh,” said Isaac, and he tried not to smile as he pulled weeds.
“Anyway, Peggy and Elizabeth can use my help.”
“Yes they can,” and Isaac kept smiling.
Emily was getting flustered.
“Isaac David Baughman Zeiters, wipe that smirk off your face or I’ll wipe if off for you.”
She’s used my full name twice. I’ve really got her shook up.
“Don’t get your bloomers in a bunch. Everything is fine,” Isaac said.
But he knew it was not fine. Everyone around him was acting different than they ever had before, including him. Things change, he thought.
Wolf Paw arrived the next day, as expected, and Isaac noticed that Emily had found an excuse to come back to the Inn, where the boys happened to be.
It didn’t make any difference that Isaac and Wolf Paw didn’t seem to notice. They were busy getting ready for the next day’s excursion to the Big Hill to hunt rattlesnakes.
Farmers in Ohio considered rattlers a big enemy of the livestock, and while the snakes tend to keep to themselves, the thought of a rattler prompted any local to action.
That is why 10 local men gathered early the next morning to go up against the multitude of snakes that were spotted on the Big Hill, a familiar four-mile long landmark, halfway to Olivesburgh.
Mr. Charles, whose farm was at the top of the Big Hill, met the crew at the road to lead them to the ravine, after leaving the horses far enough away.
Autumn and Amelia came along to collect the rattlers and help pile up the dead snakes.
I don’t know how smart it is to have them here. They aren’t even dressed for it, Isaac noticed, then instructed them to keep their distance. Isaac had an axe, and Wolf Paw a large knife and forked stick to hold a snake’s head to the rocks.
The others had guns, axes, shovels and large blades, whatever it took. Mr. Charles started a few fires, to smoke them out of the holes. No one was sure how many they would find, and at first, it seemed as though nothing was happening.
But as soon as the first rattle was heard, a hundred rattles were heard, and snakes suddenly emerged from everywhere. The men all had dressed with tall thick leather boots, two and three layers of heavy material on their legs and arms, and thick gloves.
The boys knew not to panic, but to make every move count. Kill one snake at a time, while keeping away from any others. The whole army of hunters set about with great efficiency. A snake was held down with a stick, the head cut off and the body tossed on a nearby pile.
Ten, 20, 30 snakes killed and still they came. Isaac was sweating in his heavy clothing but glad to know he was so good at this.
Suddenly there was a piercing scream. With all the smoke and gunshots, it was hard to know where it came from, but then Isaac saw it. Amelia was lying down on a rock with a huge snake clamped on her wrist.
He turned with his stick and axe and ran toward her, but he saw that Wolf Paw was ahead of him, arriving in another second, cutting off the snake’s head with one swing of the knife, then squeezing the snake’s jaw to remove it from her arm.
Amelia looked horrified as Wolf Paw took his knife and cut her wrist at the fang wounds, then sucked the venom out. Suddenly, she just faded away. Oh Lord, she’s dead. Just like that. And Isaac felt himself get sick.
