Cy in Chains by David L. Dudley Page A

times.”
    â€œSorry,” Jess told him. “We be quiet now.”
    â€œWhat happened to that Miz Ada?” Billy asked.
    â€œShut
up!”
West cried.
    â€œHold on,” Jess told him. “Lemme finish all the way to the end, and then Billy won’t have no more cause to ask any questions. Will you, Billy?”
    â€œNaw. Sorry, West.”
    West turned over and put his hands over his ears.
    â€œI don’t know what happen to Miz Ada,” Jess went on. “She was gone that next morning when I come to, and we didn’t see her on the way to town, or in town, neither. Mr. George kept cussin’ her, sayin’ she was gon’ get it good when he got his hands on her, and he had a good mind to bring her up before the judge fo’ stealin’ his horse. I pray she got clean away from that man. Let’s go to sleep now. Big day tomorrow.”
    â€œHuh,” Mouse muttered. “What so big about it?”
    Then it was quiet. Soon, Jess started to breathe slow and deep, and Mouse curled into his little ball and slept too. But Cy couldn’t sleep. Jess’s story had worked on him the way it always did, put questions into his mind he couldn’t answer.
    On the other side of Jess, Billy wasn’t asleep, either. “Cy, you awake?” he whispered.
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œMy daddy
is
gonna be here tomorrow. Remember I told you.”
    â€œAll right.” There was no point arguing with the kid.
    â€œHe is.”
    â€œSure he is.”
    â€œYou don’t believe me!”
    â€œCourse I do.”
    â€œMaybe your daddy’ll come too. I want my daddy to meet him.”
    â€œMaybe he will.”
    â€œGood night,” Billy said.
    But sleep still wouldn’t come. It wasn’t just Jess’s story that kept Cy awake. Jess had done something to help that woman. He, Cy, had tried to save Travis and failed.
    At least the woman had gotten away.
    Another sleepless night before visiting day. Every three months it was the same: some part of him still wanted to believe his daddy would finally come, the part that still held on to hope, and he had to fight it down.
    Tonight was no different. In fact, it was worse, after all that crap West had fed them. Getting their hopes up like that. Let the others keep on believing. He was done with that nonsense. Free? It was a word, nothing more.
    But maybe, just maybe, that hopeful voice said, tomorrow would be different. His father would come, would have figured out a way to take him home.
    Home. His mama’s pink bonnet . . .

Ten
    N EXT MORNING , S UDIE, THE GIRL WHO HELPED in the cookhouse, had on a freshly washed apron. Pook, clinging to his mother’s skirt as usual, had on a clean pair of pants and jacket. His hair was brushed, too. Rosalee herself was wearing a different dress—blue calico. Her hair was brushed back from her face and tied at the back with a piece of red ribbon. For once, she looked pretty.
    â€œSomebody been extra nice to Cain lately,” Cy remarked while the boys were waiting in line for grits and fried fatback.
    â€œWhat that suppos’ to mean?” West asked.
    â€œNew dress, pretty ribbon. Rosalee had to get ’em from somewhere, and Cain don’t give out nothin’ for free.”
    â€œShut up!” West cried.
    â€œWhat’s eatin’ you?”
    â€œCy didn’t mean nothin’ by it,” Jess broke in.
    â€œThen he can keep his stupid mouth shut,” West said. “I’s tired o’ the way he always got to say somethin’ low-down.”
    â€œAin’t nobody askin’ you to listen,” Cy shot back.
    â€œIt hard not to hear your big mouth.”
    Cy made a move toward West, but Jess stopped him. “Quit it!” he ordered.
    Cy pushed Jess away. He felt like punching West, but there’d be another time to settle things.
    After breakfast was done and cleaned up, Stryker and Prescott took off the