Astounded: Day 3

Word Count: 18,007

Summary of Events:

Penrod joined several other local men on a hunting trip and inadvertently got separated from them pursuing what he thought was a moose; it turned out to be a draft horse who led him to a house in the woods. Jemima answered the door, suspicious at first, then startled to learn that her horse had gotten out, she asked Penrod to fix the fence; which he did, along with feeding and watering the horse and giving the cow extra bedding. Jemima then invited him in for dinner and told him about her Papa's disappearance. When Penrod got back to town he found his hunting party mates were rallying a posse to go find him, which he stopped by arriving.

Excerpt of the Day:

""And you're the deputy?" Miss Vaughan asked, looking like she was hoping against hope.

"I am miss," Penrod replied.

"Well then would you know something about what happened to my Papa?" Miss Vaughan asked.

Penrod swallowed his bite. "What happened?"

"Yes, I haven't heard from Papa in several months, I'm sure," Miss Vaughan replied.

"When about would you say you last heard from him?" Penrod asked.

"It was still warm out," Miss Vaughan replied. "About August sometime."

"You haven't heard from him in six months and you haven't come and told the sheriff?" Penrod asked.

"I can't hitch a horse, and Elijah's size doesn't help anything," Miss Vaughan replied.

Penrod nodded, that was true. "What did he go to do?"

"He went to check his small herd of cattle he keeps just over the mountains," Miss Vaughan replied.

"And he never came back?" Penrod asked.

"No," Miss Vaughan replied. "And I've left poor Elijah starving because I never thought that Papa wasn't around to feed him."

"How many cattle does he have?" Penrod asked.

"Only about twenty head," Miss Vaughan replied. "He'd like to get to around forty and then set up a butchering shop like he'd had back in Illinois."

"What was your father's name?" Penrod asked.

"Henry Thomas Vaughan, Senior," Miss Vaughan replied. "My brother's name is also Henry, but he lives in South Dakota."

"What else do you have for family?" Penrod asked.

"Only my sister Hannah," Miss Vaughan replied. "She lives over nearer to Sheridan."

"Are they both married?" Penrod asked.

"Yes," Miss Vaughan replied.

"And you're not?" Penrod asked.

"No," Miss Vaughan replied. "It's been just me and Papa since Hannah married six years ago."

"Had your father been having any troubles of late?" Penrod asked.

"Yes, there's a big rancher who lives toward Sheridan as well, and some of his hands had been coming and talking unkindly to Papa and telling him to get his cattle off of their land when it's not anybody's land," Miss Vaughan replied. "Well, technically it belongs to the state of Wyoming, but it isn't in the name of any individual man, it's free for all to make use of; and Papa has nowhere else to put cattle, there's too many trees around here, although he usually brings them back to the clearing here for the winter and calving."

"And they're not here now," Penrod said.

Miss Vaughan nodded, having just put the last bite of her meal into her mouth.

Penrod thought it sounded rather sinister, he didn't like it. "I'll see what I can find in town for records that might say where your father's gone."

"I wouldn't think he'd abandon me, he was always so worried about me, and I am assuredly convinced that he loved me," Miss Vaughan said.

Penrod nodded. He didn't think Mrs. Vaughan would've abandoned his daughter either, especially if it was that she truly was blind like Penrod was suspecting."