Echoes of War

1

Wade?

Yep.

M-Marcus.

Marcus McCluskey.

Marcus McCluskey?

Yeah.

What the heck you doing

out here picking flowers?

Uh, for my ma.

Yeah?

Eh.

You always was a mama's boy.

Heh.

How you been?

I... I been good.

What are you doing here?

Came to see my family,

find some peace.

I better be...

Better be getting back.

I'll ride with you.

Come on.

All right.

Good to see you again, Wade.

How's Jasper?

He didn't make it back.

Sorry to hear that.

He was a good man.

How are your parents doing?

My mama heard,

something went wrong in her head.

She hasn't been the same since.

And your pa?

All right, well,

I'll ride over this week,

give them my condolences at...

Marcus...

where are all your cattle?

Army took 'em all.

How you making ends meet?

I... I can't be

late for supper.

It's good... good

to see you, Wade.

You, too.

All right.

Who goes there?

Open up, Seamus.

State your name.

It's Wade.

Wade?

Oh. Howdy, Seamus.

That's how you're gonna

greet your brother-in-law?

Abby.

Uncle Wade.

Darling,

let me look at you.

Look at you.

I can't believe it.

All right.

Sammy...

you better get over here,

hug your uncle.

Look at you.

You're strong...

like your old man.

Wade.

Seamus.

Come here.

Come here, both of you.

Hungriest I've

ever been, Arkansas.

God-awful place.

Don't ever go.

But they marched us

for four days

to the battle at Pea Ridge.

No food.

You get a little bit of water,

but there's no food.

And our general,

Earl Van Dorn...

gives a big, passioned speech

about how... how a viper

has a split tongue,

and we are the split

tongue of the snake.

There will be a left flank,

there will be a right flank,

and then we will surround

the blue bellies

with our tongue,

and we will gut them.

So we find ourselves

in the woods at night,

and it is dark.

I mean, I can't even see

my big old nose.

It is dark outside.

And I'm standing there,

and no one's speaking,

and we're just waiting.

And all I can hear...

is my stomach...

my stomach yelling at me,

"I need corn bread..."

"and I need beans."

And then... and then they give the...

The order to charge,

and all I can

think to myself is,

"Oh, Lord, please just

let me die in Texas."

And that was the battle

of Pea Ridge.

So where's home now?

Will you be staying

with us, Uncle Wade?

That's up to your father, Sammy.

Papa?

Uncle Wade can stay, can't he?

Afraid we don't have much

in way of a bed.

You can stay in my room.

Abby, I don't need much.

You just dig me a hole.

It's just for a little while...

till I can find someplace

a little more permanent.

My roof is yours.

I appreciate that.

Don't feel right

being here without her.

Her grave's in the field.

You'll find it.

Careful with that.

Oh, I'm sorry, Uncle.

I... I was just, uh...

No, no, no, don't apologize.

Just don't want you

hurting yourself is all.

You still have these?

Every one you made me.

You used to say that that was what

you was gonna be like out there.

Sure did.

Ah, damn it, Doris.

It's like f***ing a corpse.

Ahh, no, you gotta...

- Stupid rabbit.

- You gotta aim low.

- I know. I know.

- Look, I'll...

I'm gonna get it.

I ain't stupid.

Ah, come on.

No.

- I can't...

- Aim low, like...

Okay, like this, right?

Out here wasting time and

ammunition again, Marcus?

Give me my damn riffle.

Gotta...

We gotta eat, Pop.

What, you going hungry, son?

Could learn to catch our own.

You mind telling me

how a son of mine could

end up so goddamn useless?

You ain't half the man

your brother was.

Wade's back.

Who?

Wade, Mary's brother.

La-de-da.

You're useless.

Wait up, Pa!

Morning.

Morning.

So how do they fit?

Mm, fit just fine, Abby.

Whoo, look at this.

You got your garden

looking real nice.

Thank you.

Got you mother's touch,

sweetheart.

Come on.

Howdy.

Morning, Uncle Wade.

All right, it's been a while.

Maybe you could show me how you've

been doing things around here, Sammy.

Hey, Uncle,

bet you've never run traps in a while.

Ah, I seen a few during the war.

- Really?

- Uh-huh.

We'd be marching through fields.

Sometimes in broad daylight,

a grown man'd step into

one of these things.

And you know what sound a grown man

makes when he steps into a trap?

What?

"Ouch."

Taking too long.

All right.

"Ouch."

That's good.

Samuel.

Hold these here.

Hold these.

Set this one here.

What are you doing here?

I had to see you.

You crazy?

Someone could've seen you.

He always checks

the traps this time.

I thought a girl

as beautiful as you

deserved better

than plain old mustard seed.

Thank you.

Till tomorrow, Abigail.

Now, Sammy, a boar,

they're creatures of habit,

just like people.

They tend to follow

the same routines.

So now if he's

bedding up down there,

chances are he's gonna follow

this path down to the river,

which means, if we get lucky,

we'll run right into him.

Ah, look at you.

Oh, what you made of?

You made of meat.

Look at you.

Oh, you...

Oh, come on.

Daddy's gonna be happy.

Pa!

Pa!

That's a mighty nice piece

you got there, boy.

It's a big pig.

Good eating.

Where you been?

Out, riding.

Riding?

Look what your brother

brought home for us.

What you been doing

for the family?

You need to man up, son,

and stop daydreaming.

Good job, boy.

I caught him.

You clean him.

No, come on.

You gotta help...

I caught him.

You clean him.

Dillard, come back!

I'm sick of eating this.

You ever had raw mule?

No, but I had a locust once.

It just...

t just popped in my mouth like a berry,

and... and it

just flew around,

and I could feel its

little wings flapping.

Oh, and then, one time,

this fly went down my throat,

and it was buzzing all the way down.

It... It tickled.

How long have the McCluskeys

been stealing from you?

How long?

I don't know.

Since Mama died.

Your old man

ain't doing nothing?

It's not that bad.

Pop says they're just desperate,

like all folk.

Well, they can catch

their own goddamn food.

They don't know how to trap.

They don't know the spots,

how to catch 'em.

Not like Pop does.

May this food

restore our strength,

giving new energy

to tired limbs,

new thoughts to weary minds,

giving new visions

of dry spirits,

new warmth to cold hearts,

and once refreshed,

may we give new pleasure to you,

who gives us all.

Please be with Mama in Heaven.

And protect Uncle Wade.

- Amen.

- Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

You hear that?

That is the type of love

that kept me

in one piece out there.

Did you think

I could hear you, hmm?

In my darkest moment,

I knew you two were

right there with me.

Oh, we was only praying

for you to come back

so you could shoot us

some dinner like you done.

Oh, Abby just ruined it.

I don't want to hear you joking

about your prayers to the Lord.

Oh, heaven forbid you have

a sense of humor, Lord.

Mm, I know.

I know it's not boar,

but raccoon will have to do.

Of course, them McCluskeys got a thing

or two to do about that, don't they?

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