brother? I thought not. You go tell him, Darcie. I don't even wanna look at him just now."
Darcie found Calhoun cowering on the floor of the woodshed. He was ashamed she could see he had been crying, and tried to compose himself. "What's Calvin gonna do to me?" he asked, sniffling and wiping the tears from his face.
"Nothing. It's all done with now. C'mon back to the house."
She put her arm around his back, and he yelped.
"Jesus! What'd that man do to you? Pull up your shirt and lemme see." His back was covered with welts. "We better get you cleaned up."
Calvin and Julia had gone into the kitchen. Darcie, seething, ignored her husband. "Get me some hot water and a rag," she told Julia. "Calhoun, take off your shirt."
"If you think his back is a mess, you should see his backside," Calvin said. "I gave it to him good there. I bet it's bleeding."
Darcie glared at him, then turned away. "You better take off them pants, too, Calhoun." "No you don't. No wife of mine's gonna look at my brother's bare bottom. It ain't proper. Take him to his room, Julia, and you take care of it. You seen it already, and you'll be seeing alot more of it in the years to come."
"I promised I wasn't gonna do it again," Calhoun protested.
"You'll do it all right, but not until you've married her. Now get. And remember, just doctoring, none of that dirty stuff."
Caleb was sitting on his bed in their room, dealing out poker hands to himself. "What's with you, Calhoun?
Your eyes're all red and puffy. You been crying or something? Hi, Julia."
"Yeah, I been crying. What's it to you?" Calhoun took off his shirt and started unbuckling his pants.
"Hey, you two ain't… You want me to leave?"
Calhoun answered by turning his back to him.
Caleb let out a long whistle. "Calvin do that to you?"
"That and more," Calhoun sulked, and dropped his pants. His buttocks were crisscrossed with cuts and looked like raw meat.
"Oh, baby, I'm so, so sorry," Julia said. "It's all my fault."
"Ain't nobody's fault but Calvin's," Caleb growled.
"His own brother, for God's sake! I'm gonna give him a 4piece o' my mind."
Calhoun stopped him. "Don't. It's done with now, and he won't be doing it again. Not to a married man, he won't."
Caleb broke into a broad grin. "You lucky bastard!
If you weren't all banged up, I'd give you a big hug."
"Better not let Calvin hear you saying words like bastard. You seen what he can do." Then he started giggling. "He said shit, though. He was that angry." Then, serious again, he added, "But I ain't having nothing to do with him till he apologizes."
A couple of days later, Calvin did apologize. He called Calhoun aside and said, "I'm sorry I roughed you up that bad, kid. I didn't mean to. I guess I just sorta lost my temper. I promise I won't never raise my hand to you again."
"You coulda killed me."
"I felt like it, but you know I wouldn't a. You gotta understand, Calhoun, it ain't been easy on me being responsible for all of us, making sure everybody does what they're supposed to and don't get into no trouble. So when I found out you been messing around and not taking no precautions, I felt like it reflected bad on me, and I wasn't up to the job. I guess I was mad at myself, too."
"Except you didn't give yourself a whipping." "You can give me a few good whacks now, if it'll make you feel better. Wanna go with me to the woodshed and get even?"
"Nah, that's okay. Just don't you try doing it again."
"I promised I wouldn't, didn't I? Honest, Calhoun, I feel terrible about it. Can I give you a hug?"
"Nah, it still hurts too much, and I don't go round hugging guys. It just better feel alot better on my wedding night or I'll really have something to hold against you. We can shake hands, though, if you want."
"Then I'm forgiven?" There were tears in his eyes.
"Yeah, I forgive you. But I got a bone to pick you.
Julia's gonna be my wife. Now, them things you been saying about her, about her wanting to weasel her way into the family,
Darcie found Calhoun cowering on the floor of the woodshed. He was ashamed she could see he had been crying, and tried to compose himself. "What's Calvin gonna do to me?" he asked, sniffling and wiping the tears from his face.
"Nothing. It's all done with now. C'mon back to the house."
She put her arm around his back, and he yelped.
"Jesus! What'd that man do to you? Pull up your shirt and lemme see." His back was covered with welts. "We better get you cleaned up."
Calvin and Julia had gone into the kitchen. Darcie, seething, ignored her husband. "Get me some hot water and a rag," she told Julia. "Calhoun, take off your shirt."
"If you think his back is a mess, you should see his backside," Calvin said. "I gave it to him good there. I bet it's bleeding."
Darcie glared at him, then turned away. "You better take off them pants, too, Calhoun." "No you don't. No wife of mine's gonna look at my brother's bare bottom. It ain't proper. Take him to his room, Julia, and you take care of it. You seen it already, and you'll be seeing alot more of it in the years to come."
"I promised I wasn't gonna do it again," Calhoun protested.
"You'll do it all right, but not until you've married her. Now get. And remember, just doctoring, none of that dirty stuff."
Caleb was sitting on his bed in their room, dealing out poker hands to himself. "What's with you, Calhoun?
Your eyes're all red and puffy. You been crying or something? Hi, Julia."
"Yeah, I been crying. What's it to you?" Calhoun took off his shirt and started unbuckling his pants.
"Hey, you two ain't… You want me to leave?"
Calhoun answered by turning his back to him.
Caleb let out a long whistle. "Calvin do that to you?"
"That and more," Calhoun sulked, and dropped his pants. His buttocks were crisscrossed with cuts and looked like raw meat.
"Oh, baby, I'm so, so sorry," Julia said. "It's all my fault."
"Ain't nobody's fault but Calvin's," Caleb growled.
"His own brother, for God's sake! I'm gonna give him a 4piece o' my mind."
Calhoun stopped him. "Don't. It's done with now, and he won't be doing it again. Not to a married man, he won't."
Caleb broke into a broad grin. "You lucky bastard!
If you weren't all banged up, I'd give you a big hug."
"Better not let Calvin hear you saying words like bastard. You seen what he can do." Then he started giggling. "He said shit, though. He was that angry." Then, serious again, he added, "But I ain't having nothing to do with him till he apologizes."
A couple of days later, Calvin did apologize. He called Calhoun aside and said, "I'm sorry I roughed you up that bad, kid. I didn't mean to. I guess I just sorta lost my temper. I promise I won't never raise my hand to you again."
"You coulda killed me."
"I felt like it, but you know I wouldn't a. You gotta understand, Calhoun, it ain't been easy on me being responsible for all of us, making sure everybody does what they're supposed to and don't get into no trouble. So when I found out you been messing around and not taking no precautions, I felt like it reflected bad on me, and I wasn't up to the job. I guess I was mad at myself, too."
"Except you didn't give yourself a whipping." "You can give me a few good whacks now, if it'll make you feel better. Wanna go with me to the woodshed and get even?"
"Nah, that's okay. Just don't you try doing it again."
"I promised I wouldn't, didn't I? Honest, Calhoun, I feel terrible about it. Can I give you a hug?"
"Nah, it still hurts too much, and I don't go round hugging guys. It just better feel alot better on my wedding night or I'll really have something to hold against you. We can shake hands, though, if you want."
"Then I'm forgiven?" There were tears in his eyes.
"Yeah, I forgive you. But I got a bone to pick you.
Julia's gonna be my wife. Now, them things you been saying about her, about her wanting to weasel her way into the family,
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