Payne Township, Sedgwick County, Kansas
They were just finishing tea the following evening when hoof beats drummed on the drive. Mum froze for a moment, grasping tight an empty cup and saucer in her hands. She looked at Dad as he slid from the table and walked to the window.
“Daddy?” JW whispered.
“It’s alright, son. Not every visitor is planning to do us harm.” He pulled the curtain back. “It’s the sheriff.” he said. He pulled his coat from a hook and opened the door. ARJ went and stood at the window, watching as Dad and the sheriff talked in the yard. He couldn’t hear the words they were speaking but Dad’s expression told him it wasn’t good news.
Mum readied the palette and placed the baby in her bed, as she kept one eye on the door.
After a few minutes, ARJ saw the sheriff shake Dad’s hand. He climbed into the saddle of his tall, cream-colored horse. Dad walked to the porch and stood for a minute, watching the sheriff ride off.
“Boys, it’s time you were in bed.” Mum said as Dad walked back in.
ARJ settled under the quilt as told, but his eyes remained open. He wanted to hear what the sheriff had to say.
“So, what was that about?” Mum asked as dad sat back down at the table.
“He came to let me know that Misters Williams, Mason, and Rockey are counter suing me; saying I committed perjury against the state by filing a false report.”
Mum sat across from Dad, elbows on the table, her forehead resting on the palms of her hands. After a moment she raised her head and looked at Dad.
“It wasn’t about the land claim?”
“No. They were probably afraid they’d lose on that one. They want it to appear that they just paid a friendly, neighborly visit the other night.”
“Arthur!” Mum started and then remembering the children, lowered her voice. “That couldn’t be farther from the truth!”
“And…” Dad continued, “because perjury is a crime against the state, I have to go to court to settle this nonsense.”
“I don’t understand how you can be guilty of perjury! You just told the truth!”
“That’s just it. It’s their word against ours. Massey said I should come in tomorrow. I think he believes us… you, for sure. The best thing I did was take you and the children with me into town the other day. The sheriff said he could hear the fear and distress in your voice, and he could see it in the boys’ eyes. To repeat his words, ‘that kind of fear is hard to fake.”
“What happens next?” Mum asked.
Dad shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll have a better idea of our way forward after I visit the sheriff’s office tomorrow.”
“You’re going alone? What if they retaliate?” Mum sounded worried and ARJ felt his own stomach do a slow flip.
“They’ve had a warning with the arrests. Don’t worry! Those men will be on their best behavior.”
Dad left for town again early the next morning. Between ARJ and JW, the window had someone watching from it all afternoon as they waited for his return. As evening approached, Mum set the table for tea. It seemed like she was moving much slower than usual, getting the cups out, putting the kettle on, and slicing the bread. When everything was ready and Dad hadn’t shown up, she brushed her hands across her apron and said, “Boys, it’s time for tea.”
“What about Daddy? Should we wait for him?” JW asked from the window.
“Tea is ready now. I’m sure as soon as we sit down, he’ll walk through the door.”
Mum smiled slightly, and the boys found their seats.
ARJ noticed how slow Mum was at getting through her tea, sipping a little at a time. He knew she was hoping her words would come true and Dad would come through the door.
It was only when the last dish, except for Dad’s cup and saucer, was cleaned and put away, did they hear the wagon roll into the yard. Suddenly, the air in the darkening cabin felt light again!
“Daddy!” JW cried as their father came through the door. He and ARJ crowded close, hugging the cold coat Dad was attempting to remove.
“Just a minute, boys!” he told them as he slid out of his coat, scarf, and hat. He proceeded to the fireplace and stood there rubbing his hands in front of the flames.
“You’re later than I expected.” Mum said, as she poured Dad’s tea.
“There was quite a lot to do once I got there. The charges being filed against me are serious. I visited a law firm while I was in town. They’d like to speak to both of us in their office next week. They’d especially like to speak with you, since so much of the threatening acts happened before I got home that night.”
“Just how serious are these charges, Arthur?” Mum asked as she sat down across from Dad.
“It could mean seven years in…” Dad ended the sentence abruptly, glancing over his shoulder.
He continued, “IF… I’m found guilty, Anna. We must have faith. It’ll be a jury trial.”
Dad looked at Mum for a long minute. She finally broke his gaze and looked down at the table. She picked up a small card Dad had laid there.
“Howitt, Salisbury and Brewer, Attorneys at Law,” she read. “Well, at least Salisbury sounds a bit like home…” her voice faded away.
“I don’t care if it sounds British, Danish, or Greek, as long as they know American law, and how to prove my innocence! They do come highly recommended; some of the best around.”
“Well,” Mum said, “we’ll just have to make our way through it.”
ARJ walked over to Dad and put his arm around his shoulders.
“I’m scared, Dad. Can we go home now?”
Dad pulled him onto his lap. “I saw something today in the office I visited that I think you’ll find interesting.”
ARJ looked in Dad’s eyes as he listened.
wall. “Dad’s hand moved in a circular motion as he explained what he saw. “It was the seal of the state of Kansas—where we live now. It had a nice picture of a farmer plowing, buffalo, covered wagons, a cabin like ours, and even a steamboat, right in the middle of the picture! Across the top were some words written in an old language called Latin.” His hand swept the air in a wide bow as if he was looking at the seal. Dad looked back at ARJ as he recalled the words. “– AD ASTRA PER ASPERA – I asked the man what it meant, and he told me it’s the Kansas State Motto. It means ‘To the stars through difficulties.”
Dad patted ARJ’s shoulder and continued. “I thought about it all the way home. Even when times are hard, we’ll just keep reaching for the stars! Ad Astra Per Aspera!” He set ARJ on the floor and smiled at him. “Now, go say your prayers and get into bed, son.” One hand nudged him toward the palette. “It’s going to be alright.”
ARJ thought he understood what Dad was trying to tell him. As he crawled under the quilt next to his little brother, who was already sleeping, their new motto floated through his head.
‘AD ASTRA PER ASPERA - To the stars through difficulties.’
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