Hardscrabble

This story takes place during the era of the cowboy, ca 1870s-1890s. Texas was largely unsettled and wild. The central families in this story have settled in a farming and ranching area a half-day ride (15-18 miles) south of San Antonio.

All four of my grandparents were born a few years either side of 1890, and some of their friends well before that, so they spoke of those days with familiarity. Herding, branding, and driving cattle, raising crops, the wonder of the windmill and indoor plumbing were subjects they loved to discuss, and I loved to listen. They remained mystified by rural electrification, radio, and television, even until their deaths in the 1960s.

Their opinions and prejudices were shared without guilt; they had lived through a lot of heartbreak and change, and their beliefs were forged in fire. As a child of the 50s, I considered them ‘old fashioned’, but I respected their right to believe as they did.

They and their friends were storytellers; each story reminded someone of something similar, or opposite, and when they got together, they often talked until well after dark, which was their normal bedtime.

I tried to stay true to the language of the times in this story, or at least that of my grandparents and their friends, and added some of the historical events of the times. One-armed Elijah Hays and his gang are figments of my imagination, but the events associated with them are events that occurred around south Texas during that era.

The Sutton-Taylor Feud and the Mason County / Hoodoo War are factual, as are most of the characters and places mentioned. If you want perfect accuracy you’ll have to go elsewhere, because I did fudge a date or two by a year or two, but close counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and government work, right?

NO ONE under the age of 18 is engaged in sexual activities or in viewing sexual activities; in fact, there is no sexual activity in this chapter. Your comments are welcome, but civility is appreciated.

 

Hardscrabble — Chapter 1

 

His dirty, sweat-stained straw hat pulled as low on his head as possible, Silas belly crawled the last twenty-five yard across the crown of the rocky, brush-covered hill. He ignored the thorns on the ground sticking in his hands, and those grabbing at his denim brush jacket and jeans as he crawled through the brush. The rifle in his left hand complicated the crawl, but he might need it suddenly.

He felt confident that the shouting and shooting he heard last night came from somewhere close to this hill and he suspected it was just the other side. He stopped and untied the string holding his pistol in place, tucked his head like a turtle, and crawled across the crown. Sure enough, there was a house down below, and something that looked like a body was lying on the ground in front of the house.

He lay still for ten more minutes, making sure there was no movement in the area. It was early, but the sun was already creeping into the clear Texas sky, and he knew he needed to get down there and see if there was anything to be done. The mules and wagon were waiting back at the camp, and today was the day he was supposed to make it to Dogtown to buy supplies.

Whatever happened last night was really none of his business, but on the southern frontier in Texas, anyone not a bandit, outlaw, or renegade was a neighbor, so, regardless of the danger, he felt he had to take a closer look before he moved on.

His model 1873 Winchester rifle was chambered for the same 44-40 cartridge his Colt Peacemaker fired. There were 11 cartridges in the rifle and six in the revolver, plus eighteen in the ammunition belt, so he could engage in a sustained battle if necessary; however, he didn’t believe any hostiles were still there.

Regardless, he took his time, darting quickly from bush to bush, but waiting after each move to see if anyone down there moved… or if he drew fire.

By the time he reached the cleared area around the house, he was confident the homestead was deserted. Nonetheless, being wrong meant being dead, so he shucked his pistol, carried his rifle in his left hand, and ran to the barn. The large double doors facing the house were open, but he had noticed an unopened side door. Entering that way would give him an element of surprise if he were wrong.

Pausing only long enough to throw the door open, he crouched, stepped quickly inside, and then stepped sideways along the wall. His pistol was extended and ready to be fired, but nothing stirred. Straightening, he searched the barn and hayloft before deciding on the best way to enter the house.

There was less open ground to the back, so that was the route he chose.

Silas sprinted across the clearing and slipped in the back door. He carefully searched the house, moving from room to room with his pistol drawn. He found a closet in the larger bedroom with clothing for both a woman and a man, and a second bedroom with clothing for a girl.

Like the barn, the house was well made, and it was immaculate. The kitchen was well stocked and the rooms were nicely furnished. One wall of the main room had a built-in bookcase that was filled with rows of books, many of which he had read, and even more he had not. He touched the book backings covetously; he loved books and the knowledge they held.

Silas knew he was in the home of a family: a well-educated and cultured family, based on what he had seen. Yet there was only one body outside, and he was sure it was a man.

Keeping clear of the glass to keep from presenting a target, he surreptitiously moved from window to window, and then stood beside the open door. Having seen nothing of concern, he walked onto the front porch, looked around carefully, and stepped down to the body.

Just as it appeared, it was a man. Even in death, he appeared young, fit, and handsome. An old double-barrel shotgun lay by his side. Silas put himself in the man’s shoes and surveyed what he had faced. Based on the way the ground was broken up, the three horses were standing about 8-10 feet apart. That was not a friendly way to approach a house, especially at night. All three had fired into his body, yet the shotgun beside him was unfired.

Hindsight is always right, but Silas wondered why the man went outside carrying a shotgun to face three mounted, armed men who were spread out too much for a scattergun to be helpful. That made no sense, especially with a wife and child inside.

He couldn’t make himself leave the body lying there, so he fetched the shovel from the barn and looked for a site to dig a grave. He picked a spot in the shade of a big Pecan tree on the edge of the clearing, propped his rifle up against a nearby bush, took off his shirt, and started digging in the sandy soil.

When the grave was four feet deep, he retrieved a sheet of canvas from the barn, gently wrapped the body in it, and pulled it to the gravesite. Just before he got there, he caught a glimpse of something white in the nearest brush that hadn’t been there before.

Pretending he hadn’t seen anything, he aligned the body and grave, turned sideways, and wiped his brow with his left hand.

That movement covered his draw, and he turned to the place he had seen the apparition. “Come out, or I’ll start shooting.” The apparition hunkered down further under the bush, and Silas identified it as a small person; perhaps the missing girl!

Pistol still drawn, he walked quickly toward whoever it was and announced, “I believe you know I’m not one of them, but I need to see you right now or I’ll no choice but to open fire. I’m giving you three second: one….two….”

The apparition stood and stepped around the Huisache bush. “Don’t shoot. I’m unarmed!”

It was the girl whose clothing he had seen inside the house. She looked to be about 11-12 years old, with a thin body, shoulder-length, wavy red hair with golden highlights, and eyes that seemed both blue and green; she was wearing a nightgown and sandals.

“What’s your name, little girl?” Silas asked.

“Lilly Thomson,” she answered snidely, “What’s yours, little boy?”

He frowned at her impertinence, but told her his name was Silas Carr and explained that he was from a settlement further west. “I was headed to town to get supplies and camped in the valley along Turkey Creek last night. After I turned in, I heard shouting and gunshots. It was dark and I don’t know the country, so I waited until early this morning to determine the situation, and that’s when I found this man’s body, but no one else. When I searched the house I learned that there was also a woman and young girl living here, but since there was no sign of either, I decided to bury your daddy before I began searching for you and you mother.

As you can see, I’m not one of them, or I wouldn’t be burying the dead.”

She seemingly accepted his story, and approached without any sign of fear. As she came closer, he saw that she was a pretty little thing, if dirty and skinny; she was taller than he thought, and her face was resolute.

“We need to bury Daddy and then go get my momma. I’m going to change into riding clothes, and then I’ll be back with our Bible so we can lay him to rest with God’s words.”

Silas was shocked by her sudden assertiveness; what was that little thing doing giving him directions! She acted as if he were a hired hand, not a volunteer risking his life to help her!

Still, the plan she outlined was the same plan he had developed, so he held his tongue. “Get dressed; we’ll hold the service and then we’ll decide what to do,” he said, to reassert control. She made a face and went inside.

He used the time to find two short ropes, loop them around canvas at the lower hips and upper chest of the man, tighten the loops, and lay the ends of the ropes where he stood.

She returned in jeans, a tan shirt, a brush jacket, and riding boots, carrying a large Bible. “Please lower my father’s body into the grave, Silas,” she ordered solemnly.

She did like giving orders, but he took off his hat in respect, picked up the ropes one in each hand, and lowered her canvas-wrapped father into the shallow grave. He was at least 5’8″ and 150 pounds; Silas was 5’10”, 160 pounds, and it severely tested his strength to slowly and carefully lower the body. Yet, that’s what the occasion demanded, so that’s what he did, while Lilly read passages from the Bible.

After the 23rd Psalm, she read Ecclesiastes 12:7. 7… and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God, followed by Ecclesiastes 3:1-4.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace

Lilly emphasized “and a time to hate; a time of war”, and the look on her face said she meant those words!

She continued in prayer. “Father, Dearest, we will mourn and remember you always. You were a great man, a great husband, and the best father any daughter ever had! We will remember and love you forever!

Father, the Lord has sent someone, as he promised in Romans 13:4 — ‘For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.’

Silas will help me find my mother, your loving wife, and return her to our home. He will smite mightily those who harmed you and took Mother, in accordance with the scriptures!

Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer, Silas.”

A bit stunned by Lilly’s words and the service she had conducted; Silas prayed and then filled in the grave. He laid an old door he found in the barn on top of the dirt, and laid two logs on top of that. “We’ll build a cairn when we can, but we need to get on the trail of those men who have your mother.”

Lilly whistled; a blue-roan mare trotted from the brush near the creek and came to her. She shied away from the stranger, but Lilly said, “Come, Blue,” and the mare obediently followed the girl to the barn. Silas retrieved his gelding from the hill, watered him, and checked to see his rifle and pistol hadn’t picked up dirt from the crawling he had done.

Lilly rode Blue out of the barn; she was carrying an 1866 Winchester rifle in a saddle scabbard and a double barrel shotgun across her lap. “Let’s go; I think I know where they took her! Dad and I went to Dogtown a few weeks ago and came upon a hidden campsite off the road a ways that looked like it was used regularly. I believe they are there!”

She started her horse down the trail at a canter, without even looking to see if he was following. Silas shook his head at her reckless audacity, and raced Tiberius to catch up. He had no idea whether her conclusion was right or wrong, but it was her mother, so she must be confident to race off without even trying to follow the tracks.

They rode briskly for half an hour before she held up her hand and slowed her horse to a walk. Five minutes later, she got off the horse and tied it to a mesquite tree; he did the same.

“The campsite is just ahead. We should be right on top of them when we crest this hill.”

Silas responded quietly, “We don’t want to be together to give them easy targets; you go straight ahead and I’ll work around to the right so we have them from two sides. Wait for my signal before you fire!”

She gave him a questioning look, but started ahead. Silas circled the backside of the hill and found a bigger mesquite tree that offered cover and a good field of fire. For the first time, he looked for the campsite.

There were three men; two were lounging against a fallen tree trunk, drinking coffee and laughing. They were facing Silas. The third was wrestling with a woman who was struggling and crying.

“Maybe she don’t want you as bad as you thought! She’s putting up quite a fight for someone who asked you to come get her!”

Silas saw the man slap the woman across the face with an open hand. He covered his cheek with his hand, and yelled, “The bitch clawed me!”

His compadres laughed louder; one said, “So even killing her husband for her wasn’t enough of a dowry? Hell, you told us she practically begged you in the store last week! I don’t know why she won’t give it up if she wants you so bad! That’s three times you’ve slugged her and she’s still fightin’!”

“Get over here and hold her hands!”

The woman kneed him in the balls, pulled loose, and started running into the brush; he screamed and yelled, “I’m going to kill you, bitch!” He drew his pistol and snapped off a shot in her direction that missed. He steadied and sighted the pistol as she dodged through the brush, but before he could aim and fire, two shots rang out; he pitched backward and spun sideways. The pistol discharged harmlessly into the air, and blood spread across his chest. Silas could hear the death rattle from 50 yards away.

He immediately turned his attention to the other two men. They jumped up, drew their pistols, and each fired toward the area a shot had come from. Silas shot the one firing at him in the upper chest, just below his neck; he spun and fell. The other gunman had fired toward Lilly, and then turned and snapped off a shot toward Silas. He then ran toward the brush. Silas’ shot caught him in the ribs just before he made it out of the clearing. He lurched forward, tried to crawl, and then lay still.

Silas remained in position to see if they moved, but the big .44 caliber bullets did their job; all three men went down and stayed down. He remained in place to be sure, and then started down the hill.

Lilly was running down the hillside, rifle in hand, shouting, “Momma, Momma, are you all right?”

Her recklessness made Silas run toward them too, but he ran while watching the two men he shot, hoping they were dead and not playing possum. Pistol in hand, he nudged each hard with his boot; they were dead, so he checked the one who had slapped the woman. He was also dead, from two bullets.

Lilly and her mother were holding each other, crying. The woman’s blouse was torn, and her face was red and swollen. Even in those conditions, Silas could tell that she was beautiful.

***

The women shared Blue on the ride back to their home; Silas kept well in front, rifle at the ready, eyes searching the hills and valleys for trouble, but finding none.

Mrs. Thomson cleaned up and changed into a dress for the trip to town. Her face was swollen, but if she were embarrassed about her appearance or the things that had happened, she hid it well. Once they were seated on the wagon, she properly thanked Silas.

“Mrs. Thomson, I appreciate you saying that, but Lilly had as much to do with your rescue as I did. She’s a very brave lit… brave girl.”

“Silas, she is my daughter; she loves me and I fully expected her to track us down and try to save me. You didn’t have to get involved, but you did, and the two of you saved me from death, or a fate worse than death! Therefore, I believe you are old enough and bold enough, to call me by my given name: Gwen.”

Lilly didn’t look like she approved, but he immediately thanked Gwen and gave Lilly a smile she did not return. He knew she was mourning, but was it necessary to look so sour whenever he looked at her?

They stopped by the campsite where the bodies lay, and drove into Dogtown with the three dead men stacked in the wagon. A crowd started following as they came across the wooden bridge across the Frio River, and grew as they made it down the single street of town to the general store. Silas helped Lilly and Gwen down and escorted them to the door. The storekeeper had heard the commotion and stepped outside.

“Where can I find the sheriff?” Silas asked. The storekeeper pointed to a square building on the next block.

“Who are they?” he asked, pointing to the dead men, “and what happened?”

Gwen spoke up, “These are the men who came to our home late last night! They murdered my husband and kidnapped me. The one with the blue shirt tried to rape me, but I fought back and got away in the brush. He was shooting at me when my daughter and Silas found us. These men fired at Silas and my daughter, and Silas shot all three of them.”

The small crowd around the wagon listened quietly, and you could hear the murmur of outrage. Murdering men and kidnapping wives! They deserved to die!

One of the men moved the body obscuring the one below, and exclaimed, “That’s Josiah Hays! One- Armed Elijah Hay’s youngest son!”

The murmur grew louder, and the storekeeper asked, “You Silas?”

“Yes, Sir, I am” he replied.

“Son, you, the woman and girl should mount up and head north right now! Elijah Hays is a hard man, and he and his gang are going to come after you for killing his son!”

Silas stood up straight and vowed, “I’m not running from anyone! The first thing I’m going to do is make a report to the Sheriff and hand over the bodies. Then I’m going to come back here and load up the supplies on this list. After that, I’m taking the supplies to our settlement. If Elijah Hays or anyone else wants to find me, that’s where I’ll be!”

The crowd grew quiet, not certain if the boy was that brave or merely foolish.

“You saying you shot these three gunhands, boy?” a skinny man wearing two guns challenged. “Must have been in the back, from ambush!”

Silas bowed up, but Gwen interjected, “Silas gave them more of a chance than they gave my husband! Robert walked out to greet them last night and the three of them gunned him down on our porch without saying a word!

This morning, the one you call Hays had drawn his pistol and shot at me, an unarmed woman! When he saw me dodging and running in the brush and Hays aiming again, Silas shot him in the chest. The other two started shooting at Silas, and he shot both of them! If you look, the bullet holes are in the front, not back!

You weren’t there — I was! The chance he gave them was better than the chance they gave my husband, or me, so don’t try to insinuate otherwise!”

“What she mean by in-sin-u-ate?” a bald man with a big beard asked.

“She mean the boy shot them fair and square!” another replied.

The gunslinger with crossed pistols spoke up again. “I don’t believe it! Hays, Knowles, and Anderson were too good with a gun! And, they were friends of mine! You such a gunman, you step out from behind the women and face me!”

Silas had been trained with a gun since he was a child and had shown a talent from day one. He was carrying a Colt Peacemaker with a 4.5-inch barrel in a holster made for a quick draw. He was good and he knew it; he wasn’t afraid!

Gwen and Lilly tried to stop him, but he shook free and stepped to the side. “You calling me a back shooter? If you are, draw those pistols and die!” The storekeeper grabbed Lilly and Gwen and pulled them aside. The crowd moved quickly away, leaving the two alone, facing each other.

The gunman was surprised by the boy’s response, and he was between a rock and a hard place! He had called the boy out; now he had to try, or be humiliated. His hands dropped for his guns… and before he wrapped his fingers around them, he was looking down the barrel of a drawn pistol from ten feet. He let go of the handles and spread his hands wide in a sign of surrender.

“Shuck both those pistol belts and let them fall. You called me out and went for your guns. I have every right to shoot you, so don’t make me think you’re going to use one of them!”

“Damn! Did you see that? He had his pistol in ol’ Clyde’s face afore Clyde got his hand on his gun!”

“Now, you hand those belts up here, holding them by the buckle. I’ll leave them with the sheriff after I talk to him, but if I were you I’d give up carrying guns — you’ve got a big mouth, and you’re too damn slow!”

***

The sheriff wasn’t happy to see the three dead bodies, or to find out Josiah Hays was one of them. Neither was he happy to learn about the killing of Robert Thomson, standing on the porch of his home, or the kidnapping of his wife. All of those things meant more work and more trouble for him, and he sure as hell didn’t want more of either!

He was scared of Elijah Hays anyhow, and considered arresting the boy just to cover his ass. The problem was, the woman had told the story to practically everyone in town, and the boy said his dad was a deputized Texas Ranger, so he really couldn’t arrest him without bringing the town down on himself. And those damn Rangers would have his hide!

All three gave him their written statements, and he let them go after promising to conduct an investigation. He warned that he would come get them if he found out they broke any laws!

The woman’s face hardened, and the boy’s eyes turned to blue ice. “You have our statements; you won’t find evidence we lied, but we expect to see you at the Thomson ranch early tomorrow to look into the murder of my husband!” Gwen told him coolly. He muttered that he already had obligations for the next few days, but he’d be out later on.

“Sure you will,” Silas said sarcastically. “Probably bring Elijah Hays along too, won’t you?” They turned their backs on him and mounted the wagon.

He watched them disappear into the brush after they crossed the bridge, and then went back to his office to read their statements. He was at least literate, which many if not most folks around weren’t, and he could cipher a bit, but all three statements were written in flowing longhand, with capitalization, punctuation, paragraphs, and all that stuff!

He knew they were likely people to be reckoned with, but he figured One-armed Elijah wouldn’t care about that anyway, so he stuffed the papers in a drawer and went to get an early start on his daily drinking. He had a bad feeling about this.

***

Silas drove the heavily laden wagon back to the Thomson’s house. Lilly wanted to stay, but Gwen cautioned her that the rest of the Hays Gang could show up at any moment, so they needed to go with Silas. She sent Lilly to gather the clothes she would need, and she did the same. Silas put the wagon in the barn to keep the goods safe and out of the weather.

Back inside, he was again drawn to the library of books — more than he had ever seen. Gwen reentered the room while he was examining one. “I can tell you’re well educated by your manner of speaking and your excellent writing skills, Silas. My husband was a professor at the state university of Kentucky, before the war. He chose not to enlist for either side when the war started, but was conscripted by the union after the Conscription Act passed in ’63.

Fortunately, he was assigned to the forces on the western frontier where he saw little action, beyond chasing outlaws, deserters, and renegade Indians. When he returned to Kentucky and learned of the plight of his cousins in Georgia and South Carolina, he was deeply disturbed. Their crops and homes had been burned, their livestock slaughtered, and two of his female cousins had been raped by Sherman’s troops.

His cousins came through Kentucky on their way to Texas and stayed with us for a week, and that’s when Robert decided we needed a fresh start… in Texas, away from all the turmoil, the hatred, and Yankee carpetbaggers. We bought land, built a nice home and barn, raised crops and livestock, and our neighbors were all salt of the earth people, if poorly educated. We were happy, and thought we had made the right decision.

Now, he’s dead, and his widow and daughter are without protection from the gang of ruffians whose members killed him! It’s just not fair!”

Gwen sobbed, bringing Lilly hurrying into the room; she hugged her mother and they sobbed together until Lilly held out her arm for Silas to join them. He was devastated by Gwen’s words, but holding the woman and girl almost overwhelmed his senses. He had a mother and sisters he hugged often, but it did not affect him like this!

When the crying diminished, Silas offered, “Losing your husband, Gwen, and your father, Lilly, that has to be very difficult, and my heart feels your suffering. But please don’t think you are alone or without protection; if you will come with me, you will become one of us, and you will be safe and loved.

Our settlement consists of four families plus my uncle Lorenzo, who left the Seventh Cavalry after the Black Hills Expedition. He added a room to our barn and sleeps there, but he’s bought some nearby land and we will all help him build a house and barn when he’s ready to live on his land.

There are five men, four women, seven boys, and eight girls. We’ve all been trained to contribute to our common protection. Even the kids between five and ten know how to reload or carry ammunition. You can share one of our rooms and my youngest sisters can share another until we get things worked out.

I’m asking you to come with me and I hope you agree, but I’m not sure I can allow you to stay here, knowing the danger you would be in.”

Gwen smiled, but Lilly frowned at his last statement. “What do you think you’re going to do? Pick us up like flour sacks and carry us with you? If we decide not to go, we won’t go!”

“If I have to, I will! Remember — you don’t weigh as much as a sack of flour!”

Lilly’s dander was up, but Gwen intervened. “It won’t come to that, Silas; we accept your kind offer, but we will want to come back here after the danger is past. Everything inside we brought from Kentucky in wagons, and we’re not going to abandon it.

We should spend the night here and get on the trail early tomorrow. This is safer and more comfortable than sleeping in the open tonight.”

She put her hand on his shoulder, gave him a teasing smile, and said, “Silas, I’ve seen you eyeing our books more than once; would you like to bring some along to read?” He eagerly picked ten and put them in a sack in his wagon. He kept a small one to read tonight.

Gwen look through and sorted clothing, and then prepared a meal. Lilly called up the two mules and three horses. She put them in a corral and fed them, then went into the barn to organize the harness, reins, and saddles for tomorrow. These were things her father taught her, and she was quite proficient.

Silas rode his horse back to his camp, where he retrieved the few things he had hidden in the brush. He returned, unhitched the mules, unsaddled the horse, rubbed all three down, and put his horse and mules in a separate corral. Lilly tossed them some hay from the barn, and he brought them grain from the sack in the wagon.

The two corrals shared a water trough that was kept filled by something Silas had never seen before: a windmill with a rock cistern set four feet above the ground. He spent the better part of an hour examining the well and water storage, with the idea of building one at Carr Settlement if the water table was shallow enough, as it was here.

He thought he could convince his family, because he knew his father would like having ready water for the livestock and garden, but his mother and sisters would love having indoor water for cooking and an indoor bathroom. He had seen indoor bath facilities at the nicest hotels and homes in San Antonio, but the Thomson’s was the only one he had seen on the frontier!

***

Silas was the first one to awaken; he checked his pocket watch and saw it was 4:30. He dressed, lit a lantern, slipped out the back, took a look around, and peed in the brush. He had slept well enough, knowing his mules would sound the alarm with their peculiar whinny-bray if someone approached during the night, and he was anxious to get going. They longer they were here, the more time Elijah Hays had to find them!

He fed the horses and mules in each corral, and then slipped back inside. Gwen was cooking biscuits and bacon for breakfast; she greeted Silas and told him to take a seat. Coffee was on the stove, so he poured a cup, added sugar, and sat down. He couldn’t take his eyes off the beautiful woman, who looked regal even when wearing a denim shirt and pants. The pants were loose fitting, as was the shirt, but her curvy figure was obvious.

She was attractive, gracious, and personable; her daughter was plain looking, skinny, bossy, and had an attitude problem! Oh, you could tell that someday she might look more like her mother, but right now there was little resemblance.

Gwen questioned him about the distance they would travel today, where he thought they would spend the night, and the general direction they would be traveling. He replied that he believe they could make it to the settlement if they got started by six, and they were traveling north by northwest.

Lilly appeared just as he finished his answer; she glanced at him and murmured good morning, and then initiated a conversation with her mother. He ate the delicious breakfast in silence while Lilly prattled on. Getting up, he took his dishes to the sink and thanked Gwen profusely.

She put her hand on his sleeve and told him it was her pleasure. She then suggested that if Lilly drove their wagon and she drove the Carr’s, he would be free to keep an eye on the road ahead and behind, and give them fair warning if someone approached.

Silas was planning to drive his wagon and let Lilly scout, but he saw the advantages of Gwen’s plan. He nodded and agreed that was the better plan. Lilly looked disappointed, but didn’t say anything.

Everything they were taking was ready, so Lilly hitched the mules to their wagon and brought it around to the front porch. After moving the wagon, she saddled their three horses, put lead halters on them, and tied them to the wagon.

Silas carried out the suitcases and boxes of clothing and other items Lilly and Gwen had settled on and loaded them in the wagon. They were off at first light, and Silas was optimistic they would be at the settlement by dark. These last twenty miles would test the draft mules, loaded as the wagons were, but the land was mostly flat and the wagon trail hard. They would water and rest every second hour, and still be there for supper.

Early on Silas ranged far and wide to keep an eye on their trail and on any direction from which they might come. That meant riding up hills the wagons were skirting and using his spyglass to look for dust or movement that would signify someone or a group following them. After they had covered about ten miles, however, he relaxed and rode alongside the wagon Gwen was driving and talked.

After a wide-ranging conversation that lasted hours, he decided that her beauty, as exquisite as it was, was inferior to her intellect. He was smitten with the older woman in a way he didn’t understand.

Lilly, on the other hand, he did understand! She was as temperamental and spiteful as his sisters could be, and she bedeviled him with belittling comments at every opportunity — even when, at her mother’s behest, he rode back to ask if he could be of assistance.

“No, I don’t need anything from you! Just return and bother my mother the rest of the trip!” Angry at her cutting words and difficult attitude, he rode off to scout the trail behind and ahead.

The wagons broke out of the brush in into the open fields of home an hour earlier than he originally expected. He had been making one last circle around the wagons to ensure no one was following closely, so he raced past the wagons and rode ahead to assure his family that things were okay. Only his mother was on the porch, but he saw gun barrels in the shooting slots: safety first, as his dad preached.

Once he had been seen, he returned to escort the wagons to the house. Carr Settlement wasn’t much to see; four houses set about 100 yards apart in a rectangle, with barns and sheds set away from the houses. The quadrangle in the middle included a road that went from house to house, with a large vegetable garden that took up about 2 acres situated on the southwest corner. There was a flagpole flying the Lone Star Flag of Texas just past the road in front of the Carr home.

Once Silas had appeared, signaled to his mother, and returned to the wagons, families appeared on the porch of each home to greet them. Silas stopped just past his home, allowing Gwen and Lilly to park the wagons in front of the house. He jumped off his horse, waved for everyone to come join them, and then helped Gwen and Lilly down from the wagons.

“I’d like to introduce you to my new friends, Lilly Thomson and her mother, Gwen Thomson. Miss and Mrs. Thomson and I encountered some problems that we will disclose later, and I invited them to join us here.

The supplies you ordered are in the first wagon; their personal items are in the second. If you would, please put the common supplies in storage and take your own to your homes. Mother, with your permission they will be staying with us until things get settled at their ranch. Billy, Tommy, please help them put their belongings wherever Mother says.

I’m going to ride back to Spyglass Hill and check our back trail. The problems that bedevil us may come to visit, so I suggest we implement our defense plan.

It appears that Papa and the other men aren’t here; are they in the fields or pastures?”

Samuel had been listening; he left when Silas said trouble might be following, disappearing into his family’s barn and quickly returning mounted on his saddled horse. He sat astride the horse, listening.

“No, Son, they were deputized by Ranger Wallace and are with him hunting three escaped rapists and murderers. We don’t know when they will return, so we will use the defense plan that doesn’t include help from the men.” She looked around at the neighbor women, who nodded in agreement.

Turning to Gwen and Lilly, she smiled, “Ladies, my name is Madelyn Carr; welcome to Carr Settlement, and to our home. Please come inside and let me show you to your room. Kathleen, please move your things in with your sister and she can help you change the sheets for our guests.

Boys, help put our supplies in storage, and then bring everything from the Thomson’s wagon inside. I’ll show you where to put it.”

Samuel rode beside Silas as they galloped back up the road. “I just got back from checking the cattle, saw you coming, and came around to hear what you had to say. I had a bad feeling when I saw two wagons and the womenfolk, so I figured I’d need the horse soon enough. I’ll ride out with you, and I’ll take first watch.”

They made it to Evan’s Hill, aka Spyglass Hill, in fifteen minutes; they saw no dust or other sign of anyone approaching, so they rode to an outcropping of rocks and checked for snakes. “Samuel, you need to eat and your horse needs to be fed, but I need to go talk to Mother. I’ll go back now, and send Abe out to watch. He’s old enough to help, and there is no sign of pursuit right now.

I’ll take the second shift, from ten until dawn, and you can take over after you’ve had breakfast.

Let’s spruce up the signal fire so we can see it easily enough tonight if need be. I’ll cut some green mesquite and bring it when I come back, so you will have it stacked beside the fire when you get here.”

Silas put his hand on his friends arm to get his full attention. “Samuel, I’m not gonna lie: the men after us are well known gang, and I expect them sometime tomorrow. The leader is One-Arm Hays, and you know his reputation. So when you take over tomorrow, as soon as you see first sign of someone coming, light the fire and get it burning hot, then add four pieces of green wood. As soon as the smoke billows, get on your horse and skedaddle back. We need you at your post for the defense plan to work!”

The younger boys had already fed, watered, and rubbed the mules down. Silas took his horse into the barn, unsaddled and brushed him while he drank water, and then fed him hay and grain. After hanging his saddle and tack, he walked to the house and entered from the back door.

The Carr household was buzzing with all the womenfolk of the settlement, and everyone else not on sentry duty. Silas hung his hat and walked down the hall toward the living room.

He could hear the women in the kitchen talking to Gwen, and the youngsters on the front porch listening to Lilly. He heard Gwen say his name, and stopped to listen.

“Oh, yes, it is an amazing story! After he found Lilly and buried my husband, he found the outlaw gang that kidnapped me. We all know what they had planned, and would have done that night, except horsemen kept riding down the road close to where we were camped. Every time it got quiet, they would tell me what they were going to do to me, but then another horseman, or several, would come by, and they would spread out again. I was bound and gagged so I couldn’t escape, but I kept praying someone would come save me!

By mid-morning Hays decided he would have me or kill me. I fought him, clawed his face across his eye, and ran into the brush. He fired at me, and then Silas and Lilly both shot him with their rifles. The other two men started shooting at them, and Silas shot both of them. He was just so heroic! Madelyn, you must be so proud of him!”

“Oh, I’m very proud, but he only did what his father and I taught him to do. I’d be ashamed if he hadn’t.”

“His father must have taught him how to handle a pistol too! I’ve never seen anyone draw a gun that fast!” Gwen said excitedly.

“What? Tell us what happened!” Mrs. Turner squealed.

“When we went to the store to get your goods, this dirty man with crossed gunbelts and two pistols called him a back shooter, and Silas faced him down. Everyone scattered, and Silas told him to take it back or draw, and the gunman went for his pistols. He barely got his hands on the handles before Silas had drawn his pistol and pointed it right between his eyes from only a few feet away!

Let me tell you, that evil man was terrified!” The buzz grew louder, but it was hard to determine who was talking or what was said because so many were speaking.

Silas stood where he couldn’t be seen. Clearly, this amazing woman thought highly of him, because the story was told with certain embellishments. He was smiling, enjoying the moment, when he heard one of the girls on the front porch ask excitedly, “And what did Silas do then?”

Keeping out of sight, he took a couple of steps toward the open porch door so he could hear Lilly’s answer. He expected he would not fare as well with Miss Thomson as he had with her mother’s retelling, but he wanted to hear for himself.

“Oh, without any regard for his personal safety, Silas shrugged off our hands and stepped out to face the gunman, who had two pistols! Both of his pistols had notches on them, meaning he had killed men in gunfights! Silas faced him from only a few feet away, so they couldn’t miss, and told him to draw and prepare to meet his maker!

The gunman smiled evilly and his hands dropped to his pistols! Before he could even grasp the handles, Silas had his pistol drawn and aimed right between the bad man’s eyes! His barrel was only a foot or two from his face!

The gunman moved his hands away from his guns and held them wide. His arrogance was replaced by pure fear! When Silas ordered him to drop his gunbelts or he’d shoot him between the eyes, he begged him not to shoot, and quickly unbelted and dropped his gunbelt! Then Silas told him he shouldn’t carry guns because he was too slow on the draw and everyone laughed!

That evil killer was terrified of Silas, and all the crowd could do is talk about how fearless and fast he was!”

Silas stood stock-still; he was shocked by Lilly’s retelling! If anything, she embellished even more than her mother had, and yet she had treated him coldly almost the entire time they had been together. He was confused.

Feeling guilty about eavesdropping, and fearing he might be seen if he kept doing it, he retreated to the hallway, stomped his boots at the doorway, and called out that he was home.

His mother called him into the kitchen, where he was greeted by ten sets of adoring eyes, including those of his mother and sisters, the other women and older girls, and, most importantly, Gwen. He smiled self-consciously and said hello to everyone before asking his mother for something to eat.

He was treated like a king with ten servants waiting on him hand and foot, and he noticed the way Carol Ann and Samantha hovered over him. They were pretty girls and they were around his age, but they had been friends since birth, so he thought of them more as sisters than as potential girlfriends. Apparently, they saw him in a new light.

Gwen, on the other hand… yes, she was older and far more sophisticated, but they had become close, and he could tell she had strong feelings for him. How would that work, he wondered? He was nearly eighteen, she was thirty-two, and Lilly was fourteen. It would be a strange dynamic, but he knew he could make it work if it meant he could have the beautiful and brilliant woman of his dreams!

***

The youngsters came inside while he was eating, and their eyes were absolutely worshipful. The boys gathered around him, patting him on the shoulder and telling him they were proud of him for saving the pretty women. The younger girls stood across from him with their best smiles.

And Lilly… Lilly took the open chair beside him and asked if he wanted second helpings or more water. He almost dropped his fork, but mumbled not right now.

She even had a silly grin on her face, which was quite pretty now that she was clean and her wavy hair was brushed. He smiled back; she gave him a beaming smile in return, and then flipped her golden-red hair back with her hand.

He quickly returned to eating, discombobulated by her changed attitude and wondering what happened to her in the last two hours to cause the change.

After eating, Silas talked to Abe, who rode out to relieve Samuel. Silas went from station to station, ensuring ammunition, rifles, and shotguns were in place and sufficient in number. The three sentries — a boy of twelve and two eleven-year old girls — were in the lofts of the barns, watching the distance. He reminded them to check the hill every few minutes, and to alert everyone if they saw a fire.

The boy merely nodded, but the two girls acted insulted that he would tell them what they already knew and had practiced often, as if they were silly children or something!

Before he rode back to the hill to assume watch, his mother and Gwen spoke to him on the porch, reminding him the would need him here to defend the women and children, so don’t do something dangerous way out at the watch site. Now he knew how the two girls felt at being reminded of the obvious; he promised and rode away.

When he passed the two barns, Lilly called out to him from behind one. He stopped and rode over to her. “Can you get off for just a moment? I want to give you something for good luck.”

He slipped off onto the ground, and told her he appreciated her concern, but he wasn’t going to do anything tonight where he would need luck. She approached him with her hand behind her back, as if holding something. “Bend down” she ordered, and he complied.

She took off his hat and tied a leather necklace around his neck that held a Celtic cross. She told him it was her grandfather’s cross, and she wanted him to wear it for protection. When she finished and he began to raise his head, he discovered that her mouth was only inches from his. He looked into her eyes for a second and she boldly pulled his head to her and kissed him.

He was so surprised he just stood there for a second, but her soft lips felt so good he crushed her lips to his and wrapped her in an embrace. She felt tiny in his arms, and as their lips ground together, he grew concerned that he was hurting her.

Lightheaded, dazed, and confused by their sudden passion, Silas tried to turn loose and pull away, but Lilly clung to him and kissed him again, this time with her mouth slightly open!

A few seconds later she broke the kiss and embrace, and said with a giggle, “That was my first kiss… and my second!”

He smiled goofily and replied, “Mine too! I didn’t hurt you did I?”

“No, although my lips are still tingling from the power of your kiss!” she replied with the hint of a smirk playing around that mouth he had barely noticed before their lips met.

“I have no comparison, but you are an excellent kisser, Lily.”

“You are too! Now, go forth and keep us safe, my hero! I’ll have your breakfast ready when you return!”

Silas rode back to Spyglass hill with a muddled mind. He had just experienced his first foray into the mysterious and wonderful world of womenfolk, and he was as bumfuzzled as the rest of mankind.

***

Dawn broke slowly on the eastern horizon, spreading fingers of flame among the scattered clouds well before it spread light. As the sunlight spread, Silas watched carefully for any signs of Hays and his gang. He saw none, so when Samuel relieved him they simply reviewed what to do if he saw someone coming.

Others of the settlement were about their chores when he rode up, but Lilly was indeed hovering in the kitchen, ready with his food. She looked at him shyly, and then served coffee, milk, sourdough biscuits, bacon, and eggs. Gwen and his mother were standing in the doorway with knowing smiles, watching. Now he felt embarrassed and shy!

Only a few words were exchanged, but he ate heartily. He thanked her; she looked him in the eyes for the first time since he came in, and told him it was her pleasure. She gave him a quick smile, and went to her mother.

Gwen told her that Silas needed to get some sleep now, and took Lilly to work in the community garden. He went to his room, washed himself with the pitcher and basin he found ready, dried with his towel, and lay on his bed. His mother opened his door and came inside before he could close his eyes. She brushed his hair back and kissed him on the forehead. He reached up, patted her arm, and thanked her.

She unexpectedly sat on his bed, and began, “You know your father and I have high expectations for you, and that we are always proud of you. You are an intelligent and well-educated young man, in spite of the lack of formal schooling. You have strength of character and strong values, and you are a willing and able worker.

All that said, what you did for Gwen and Lilly, Son, went far above and beyond even our high expectations! We are glad you could save them, and pleased you brought them here. They already fit in nicely because they are good people and willing workers.

I only have two cautions for you. One, I saw the way you look at Gwen, and I her the emotion in her voiced when she speaks of you. That is dangerous… for both of you! Such a relationship has many hidden pitfalls that could derail your life.

Two, you must have forgotten that your rendezvous with Lilly took place right under the sentry nest in the barn, so that story is all over the settlement. I don’t know if Peggy embellished, but if her version is even somewhat true, that is another danger you must avoid! You are eighteen; she’s fourteen — far too young for a… romantic relationship, much less marriage.

You are a handsome and intelligent young man, and will be a real catch for some lucky girl someday, but remember your dream of attending university before you go too far.

And, Silas, courting both a mother and her daughter is EXTREMELY dangerous; think before you act, Son.

Now, sleep well; I’ll wake you if anything happens, or at four if it doesn’t. And don’t worry; we all know what to do, and we will do it properly without your oversight.”

She left Silas to consider her words and to ponder his feelings. He tried, but he was so tired he fell asleep quickly and slept until his sister woke him at four.

***

His feeling remained unexamined, but he felt much better: more alert and able.

Once dressed, Silas strolled to the kitchen where he was surprised to find his sisters and Lilly preparing a meal. “Good afternoon! Where’s Mother?”

“Good afternoon, big brother. Did you sleep well?” asked Kathleen.

“Yes, I did! But now I’m starving — how long until we eat?”

“Mother said you would awaken as hungry as a wolf, so we’ve been cooking for over an hour. Are you going to eat with all of us at five, or do you want to eat now?” asked Mary Virginia, his younger sister. She was 13; Kathleen was almost 15, about the same age as Lilly, who merely stood and watched him, with a smile on the face he now found quite attractive.

“I’d best eat now. I need to ride up to the hill and take a look around with Dad’s Italian binoculars. I keep thinking they might get here before dark, and I want us to have adequate time to prepare.”

He was well served by the three young ladies, who had prepared a delicious meal of fried venison steak, potatoes, and carrots, with fried apple pie for dessert. He kissed each on the cheek, thanking them individually and collectively. Lilly had continued to be shy around him, and as he rode out, he pondered her shyness today compared to her aggressiveness yesterday. It just seemed strange, is all, and it confused him.

The more he was around her, the less he noticed her skinny… well, thin, frame, and the more he noticed her pretty face and red-gold hair. And Gwen: she had barely spoken to him since yesterday — what was that about?

Those two are so confusing!

***

Samuel was more than ready to be relieved! He complained about the heat, the lack of shade, and how boring it was just sitting and watching, and then untied his horse and galloped back to the settlement to eat.

Silas climbed on the rocks that made the highest point on Spyglass Hill, sat on a ledge, and carefully searched every hill and canyon with a road or trail from the south, the east, and the north; he saw nothing. He hadn’t bothered to check back to the west because that would require them to make a big circle, but he did so now, just in case; still nothing.

He rested his eyes, and then resumed his search along the most likely routes. He had been up there for the better part of an hour, and he almost missed it. Something on the distant horizon seemed off. There was a light spot on the blue horizon that he began to watch, with and without the binoculars. It was impossible to discern whether it was dust or his imagination, so he carefully searched the rest of the area.

When he returned to the suspect area ten minutes later, he could tell that what he was seeing was a dust cloud, and that it was moving! That meant riders, and more than a few!

They were at least thirty minutes from this hill, even if running their horses, so he grabbed his horse and raced toward the settlement. There was plenty of time for final preparations without lighting the fire and letting them use the smoke as a guide!

Those working behind the barn saw his running horse first; they ran to alert the others, and everyone was waiting as he approached and dismounted.

“There are riders about 30-40 minutes out! Go to your stations and prepare! Remember your training; we have to do this correctly!”

Everyone rapidly dispersed, leaving him standing with his mother, Gwen, and Lilly.

“Is it them?” asked Gwen.

“I don’t know, but they are riding fast, so we have to assume it is and get ready. What responsibilities has Mother assigned to you and Lilly?”

“Lilly has her rifle; I have my double-barrel shotgun and my husband’s rifle. We will be at the front, overlooking the porch. Where will you be?”

“I’m going to stand on the porch and talk to them.”

“NO!” Lilly yelled. “That’s the same thing my Daddy did, and they killed him before he even spoke! You have to be inside with us! You can’t let them kill you!”

“There are many differences, the greatest being that they will be surrounded by shotguns and rifles. Also, I know Elijah Hays will want to tell me what he’s going to do to me and why. Maybe I can reason with him, maybe he will just have his say and draw.

Leave the door open. If I decide he won’t listen to reason, I’ll step inside and we will fight it out with the gang. But I’m going to try to talk some sense into him first. I’ve killed three men already this week; I’d like to stop right there, and I’d like to keep others in our settlement from knowing how that feels. But if they want to die, I guess they will.”

“You don’t know which of us killed his son; I think it was my shot!” Lilly announced. “I’m sleeping just fine, because he killed Daddy and it was kill him or let him kill Momma! And I feel the same right now!

They are coming here to kill us, not talk, Silas! Don’t waste your breath!”

He knew she was right, but he had to try. Not everyone holding a rifle or shotgun today would be as strong as Lilly if they had to shoot someone, but he knew they would. If it came to killing or having their kids, brothers, or sisters killed, they would kill!

“You make a good point. I’ll stand in the open doorway, Lilly. If it turns into a shootout, I’ll step inside beside the oak frame and you can push the door shut with the butt of your rifle. We built this house to withstand gunfire, and we have gun slots to shoot through, so we should be safe as long as we stay away from the windows.”

He went inside. Even though they did it monthly, and had done it twice since Silas returned with the warning, they checked their rifles, shotguns, and pistols. Ammunition was laid neatly in rows in the lids to the ammunition boxes that had been built for that purpose, and more ammunition was available in the box. Silas would fire through the slot beside the doorframe, so he leaned his rifle on the wall beneath.

They sat quietly, waiting. When the bell rang, they stood or knelt at their slots. Gwen was standing to his left, Lilly kneeling to his right; they were facing the open quadrangle to the south. His mother was at the slot in the kitchen on the east; Kathleen was in her bedroom, covering the west side; Mary Virginia and his younger brother, Adam, were in the back bedrooms, at slots facing north.

There were six men with Elijah Hays. They rode into the quadrangle with rifles raised, looking carefully at each building they passed. Hays spun his horse in a circle and yelled, “I want the man and women that ambushed my son! If they come out, we won’t kill you all, but if they don’t, we will kill everyone here and burn your buildings to the ground!

We know your menfolk are off with the rangers, chasing after my dead son and his friends, so all you have here are women and children! You stand no chance against us, so send them out, or we start shooting!

Silas stepped into the open doorway. “I’m Silas Carr. I’m the one who killed your son and the other two, after they murdered Robert Thomson and kidnapped his wife! There was no ambush; they shot first, and they died!

You say there are only women and children here. Do you men care whether the bullet or shot that kills you was fired by a man, woman, or child? Because you are surrounded and outgunned — look around you!”

At that, rifles and shotgun barrels were extended through the slots of the homes and barns. “Do you see? If this turns to shooting, you will all die. We won’t bury you either — we’ll toss your bodies on a pile of wood, cover it with more wood and light it!

Now, Mr. Hays, we can end this right here and you can all live another day. Your son was a murderer and would-be rapist! When his prey fought back, he pulled a gun and tried to shoot her in the back, so he got what he deserved!

Ride back to your ranch, bury your son, and raise your cows, Sir. There is no reason for all of you to die today!”

Hays had listened, but his rage wouldn’t let him stop. He squared his horse and prepared to reach for his pistol when the rider beside him grabbed his hand and yelled, “PA! STOP! You know what he says is true! I loved my brother, but he was a hellion and he brought this on himself! Let’s just ride back to the ranch, give him a proper burial, and take care of things there.”

“The hell I will! I’m going to kill this boy, and then anyone else who fires on us!” He wrestled lose, and turned to his son. “If you’re yellow, then you ride away now!”

“Goodbye, Pa. I’ll carry your body back and bury you beside Josiah, if these folks will let me, and I’ll take care of the ranch,” he promised, then made a last plea. “Please, come with me!”

“Get out of here you yellowbellied coward!”

His son raised his hands and walked his horse away from the quadrangle.

Elijah Hays steadied his horse again and faced Silas. “Damn you boy!” he cried, and grabbed for his pistol. Silas drew his Peacemaker and shot him out of the saddle before his gun cleared the holster. He stepped inside just as a bullet struck the doorframe by his head. He heard Lilly and Gwen fire, stuck his rifle through the slot, and saw that two more saddles were empty.

Samuel fired from the barn loft, clearing another saddle. The remaining outlaw raced his horse the way he had come in, and took a shot at Samuel as he rode. A shotgun roared from the Townsend house, and he was blown backward off his horse.

The sole survivor of the gang waited a few minutes before slowly riding his horse back into the quadrangle, hands high in the air. He stopped in front of the Carr porch, and Silas stepped out.

“My name is Jefferson Davis Hays. I’m sorry it came to this, young man. You did your best. At one time he was a good man, but losing his wife, his plantation, and his arm in the war, and being mistreated in a union prison camp for two years, changed him. My brother made it worse, always getting in trouble, lying about it, and begging Pa to get him out.

If you’re willing, I’ll toss Pa across his saddle and take him home. I’ll leave the rest of them to your conscience, but as far as I know none has family in Texas, and certainly none in this area.”

Silas agreed, and helped Jefferson tie his father on his saddle.

Just as they finished they heard the sound of running horses. Silas looked at Jefferson, who said, “I don’t know, but we best get inside!”

They ran into the house; Gwen and Lilly both covered Hays with their weapons, and he raised his hands to show his intentions. Silas slammed the door and stuck his rifle through the slot, prepared to do battle again. The running horses slowed, and someone shouted, “Hello the house! This is Ranger Wallace and your fathers; do you need our help?”

Samuel yelled from the barn, and doors flew open all around the quadrangle. Family members poured out of each house, but Silas stayed in place, just in case. When the posse appeared and he recognized them all, he breathed a sigh of relief and turned to ‘his women’; the ones he rescued and brought to the settlement, the ones he had killed for, and who had stood by his side today. Perhaps they had killed for him; he didn’t know where the shots that downed the outlaws came from, so he didn’t know. Nevertheless, he knew they fought!

Jefferson Hays stood back and waited as Silas gestured to Gwen and Lilly. They flew to him and wrapped their arms around him. Neither was crying, but he could feel their emotions through his shirt. “Shhh, it’s all right now. We’re safe.”

Jefferson met his eyes and smiled. He had hated his life, but stayed out of love and concern for his deranged father. Now he was a free man, and he wanted to be someone people looked up to and pretty women hugged… someone like Silas, who was only a few years younger than his 22 years, but was leaving a positive mark on people.

Silas turned his attention to the windows and watched the joyful, tearful reunions going on outside. He saw his mother talking to his father, and saw them both look toward the house. “Okay, ladies, Jefferson; it’s time to go outside and meet my father, his brother, Ranger Wallace, and the other men of the settlement.”

He walked out first, but stopped, turned, and waited for the others to join him on the porch. They walked four abreast toward the suddenly quiet celebrants. “Papa, Uncle Lonnie, Ranger Wallace, Mr. Townsend, Mr. Gaddis, and Mr. Simmons, may I introduce Mrs. Gwen Thomson, Miss Lilly Thomson, and Mr. Jefferson Davis Hays. They are my new friends, and are friends to our settlement.”

Ranger Wallace dropped his pistol back into his holster and spoke up. “Jefferson Hays. You’re the ‘good son’, if I remember correctly. You have no wants or warrants that I know of, but why are you standing here rather than lying on the ground with the others?”

Silas interjected, “Ranger, I offered all of them the chance to leave. Jefferson tried to persuade his father, and when he refused, Jefferson raise his hands and rode away. After the fight, he came back to claim his father’s body and we heard running horses so he came inside with us in case we were facing another fight. When it turned out to be y’all, we came back out. He’s Elijah Hays son, but I believe, as you said; he’s the ‘good son’.”

The ranger nodded and said, “Good enough for me. Now, tell me which one of these lovely ladies is which again — I got distracted!”

The introductions were on a personal basis this time, and Uncle Lonnie, fresh from five years with the Seventh Calvary, was stunned by his introduction to Gwen. She shook his hand and smiled at him; he held her hand and gawked.

Silas chided him: “Come on, Uncle Lonnie! You’re supposed to be a galante, a man of the world; can’t you even say hello?”

Lonnie did come to life, and spent the rest of the evening proving why women generally found him irresistible. Gwen, however, merely found him entertaining, and Lilly ignored him to watch Silas as he endured seemingly endless rounds of congratulations for the things he had accomplished since they left. Humble as ever, he blushed and gave the credit to others, then changed the subject.

***

A year later, Silas attended Gwen’s wedding in San Antonio and congratulated Lorenzo for “the greatest achievement of his life!” The morning after the wedding and reception, he hugged his family, and then Gwen and Lilly, who had tears running down her cheeks. He hoisted his duffle onto his horse, and rode to the station to catch the train going north, to Austin and Georgetown.

For the next several years, he would be matriculating at Southwestern University. Southwestern was formed a few years earlier, in 1873, from the consolidation of the four other Methodist Universities in Texas. That included the first, at Rutersville, in Fayette County, chartered in 1840, where a well-known Methodist minister — a distant cousin – had been one of the early presidents.

His education was being paid for with scholarships raised by the Texas Rangers, with the understanding that he would study law and consider serving the State of Texas in some capacity after he read for the bar.

He took Tiberius on the train with him, and fully intended to return home from time to time during the summers. Those plans were thwarted by the desire of various state officials to have this ‘up and coming young man’ serve as an intern for them when school was not in session, and it had been three years since he had been home.

After Gwen and Uncle Lonnie married, they decided to return to the Thomson ranch, which Lonnie had kept in good condition while no one was living there. Lilly moved with them temporarily, but soon enrolled in Ursuline Academy, which was the premier secondary education program for females in the region. It was located on the river in San Antonio, and the daughters from the best families from Austin to San Antonio went to school there.

He hadn’t heard from Lilly in over a year, but his sisters kept him abreast of her educational and societal achievements via their letters. They also joyfully kept him apprised of her many beaus, and her celebrity in the social scene of San Antonio, as if they were rubbing it in.

They needn’t have bothered; Silas dated the daughters of state officials and the upper crust of Austin and central Texas society, many of whom were Lilly’s classmates and friends. They kept him well informed about her exploits, although, because everyone seemed to think he and Lilly were romantically involved, he suspected their versions were shaded to her disadvantage.

For some reason, hearing of her educational achievements was satisfying, but hearing of her many beaus and suitors was discomfiting. Silas knew he couldn’t complain, for his own standing in Austin society was at least her equal.

Though he would never speak of it, there were many maidens he had successfully courted, including the current governor’s oldest daughter. In spite of his success in satisfying her needs, however, she married the son of a wealthy donor, and now lives in Dallas. He pretended to be heartbroken by her decision, but, in truth, was happy she was gone. There were many fair fish in his little village by the river and the surrounding environs, and he intended to catch his full share. To make it better, the governor was embarrassed by his self-serving hand in his daughter’s decision, and tended to favor Silas thereafter by way of apology.

Although he had learned much of value at the University, his advanced education had come at the hands of a wealthy widow who owned the ranch adjacent to Southwestern where he stabled his horse. She was 38 to his nineteen, and she took a shine to him immediately upon meeting.

He lingered to enjoy tea and crumpets with her after caring for his horse in the afternoon, then stayed to enjoy the evening meal with her. Within a week, she was serving his supper, waking him in the most delicious way, and then serving him coffee and biscuits with gravy for breakfast, followed by a kiss before he returned to university.

Tillie was born into wealth in England, but traveled extensively and frequently lived in France and Italy with her parents. While in Paris, she met and was charmed by wealthy cattleman. He convinced her to give up her life of leisure and French sexual liberation to marry him. They moved to one of his big ranches just outside Georgetown, and she adapted well to life here, even though it was radically different from the life she had led before.

They had been happily married, though childless, for ten years when he was killed in a stampede on a cattle drive, and she was distraught. To compound her agony, her parents were lost only a few months later when their ship sank crossing the Atlantic to come see her.

She mourned for two years before she began accepting suitors. Her suitors, however, were not to her liking, primarily due to their primary interest being spending her fortune.

At age thirty-five, she was in the prime of her life, single, beautiful, and a very wealthy woman, yet she had been celibate for two years… before Silas came on the scene.

Because she was a woman of the world and quite experienced in its ways, her beliefs about sex were very different from that of the women of Silas’ world, where the purpose of sex was procreation, and enjoyment of the act was not discussed in polite society. In fact, the inference was that women who enjoyed sex were hussies.

Lilly laughed at such backwater thinking, and went about teaching her young protégé the manifold ways of pleasuring your partner. She skillfully trained and tutored him on the finer points of finding and properly addressing the female erogenous zones, both external and internal. She taught him the use of foreplay to inflame and prepare, and that the skillful use of cunnilingus can make a woman speak in tongues or howl at the moon.

Not that it was one sided: her skillful fellatio kept him satisfied until she believed he was ready to proceed to intercourse, which she depicted as a rather athletic event in which both partners seek to meet the needs of the other in the course of satisfying their own. She was quite frank in explaining that orgasm for men was a simple physical act, while for women it was a complicated event that relied on emotion as much as physical stimulation.

Her training ended after the first half-year, and the final two years of his university experience were about perfecting his techniques. Just before she bade him farewell, Tillie pronounced him the best lover she had known, and warned him to use his gifts wisely and discriminately.

He had “tested” his techniques on several young women and a lonely young widow, none of whom expected more of him, and he had gotten rave reviews.

Tillie was now engaged to an equally wealthy man to whom Silas had introduced her, and they were happily inseparable. He wished them well, and agreed to serve as best man when they married in the fall.

And so, in 1880, at the ripe old age of 22, he graduated university and successfully passed the bar. The Attorney General issued an offer to join his staff; he agreed, with the stipulation that he would begin after a two-month sabbatical. The AG quickly assented, and Silas made plans to return to Carr Settlement for an extended visit.

Two days later he loaded Tiberius on the boxcar provided for horses, and presented his ticket to San Antonio to the conductor.

No one knew he was coming, and the impromptu celebration when he arrived went on well into the night. It was too late to kill the fatted calf, but his father promised they would have a celebration to beat all celebrations next Saturday. Word was sent out far and wide, and a grand crowd was expected.

“Uncle Lorenzo and Gwen will be arriving Friday night; they will stay in the guest house out back that he and your father built before they moved to the ranch,” his mother informed him on Thursday. Then, with a devious smile, she innocently informed him, “Gwen asked if you would be willing to take the buggy to San Antonio on Friday and pick up your old friend Lilly at the Academy. Would you be willing to do that?”

Knowing he was being set up, he returned her innocent smile and replied, “Of course, Mother. Will she be bringing a guest or a fiancé, perhaps? I hear she’s quite popular with the gentlemen in San Antonio.”

His mother arched an eyebrow. “As you are with the young ladies in Austin, we hear. No, I doubt she will bring anyone, but our new covered buggy seats four, so there will be sufficient room.”

Smiling at her retort, he asked, “And at what time should I be there to pick up ‘the darling of San Antonio society’?”

With the eyebrow again arched, Mother answered, “Her classes are completed at noon. Perhaps the ‘prince of Austin society’ would like to arrive a bit early to make his presence known among the young people?”

He chuckled and kissed his mother on the forehead, “I had no idea you had spies in Austin, Mother Dearest.”

“If you want your private life to remain private, you should stop dating Lilly’s classmates and friends from Austin, Son. Texas is a large but sparsely populated state, and word travels faster than trains.”

***

Silas changed horses at Ben Wallace’s ranch, located about mid-way to San Antonio. Mrs. Wallace informed him that her husband was away on Ranger business, but would be back in the afternoon.

With a smile, she cautioned him to expect to spend some time in conversation because her husband was going to be excited to see him after several years.

He could have arrived as early as 10, but chose to explore the downtown area before proceeding to Ursuline Academy to pick up the girl he had not seen in more than three years. He knew she would have grown and changed by age 18, as compared to when he last saw her at age 15, but he was confident he could spot her. If nothing else, her red-gold hair would identify her.

Would she recognize him? Probably, but he was two inches taller and twenty pounds heavier than when they last saw each other, and he was wearing a broadcloth suit rather than denim.

He parked the horse and buggy under the shade of a Live Oak and wandered toward the campus. He hadn’t been told specifically where she would be, but the three story building housed classes and the offices, so he would start there.

He didn’t make it to the building; one of the Robertson girls he had dated (and bedded) saw him walking toward the building and intercepted him. After a hug and kiss, she excitedly asked why he was there, and he informed her he was there to pick up Miss Lilly Thomson and take her home to see her parents.

“Oh, so it is your graduation party she is attending! I should have known by the catty way she informed us of her plans! Be careful around her, Silas; she is shrewd and has quite the way with men!”

Did he discern more than a hint of jealousy in her warning? Certainly, no well-bred young lady of this enlightened age would speak ill of another without cause?

He chuckled quietly, knowing full well that they would gladly shred one another to grasp an advantage with a desired beau.

They walked arm in arm toward the boarding house where Ruth was certain she would be, and her jealousy of Lilly could not have been more obvious. He doubted it had much to do with him; she just seemed to view his old friend as a mortal enemy.

There was a small crowd of young men in a semi-circle around a fashionably dressed young woman who was standing on the front porch of the building. As he got closer, he caught the glint of gold highlights in the red hair of the young woman, which was piled on her head. Her back was to him, and he could see that her very fashionable dress had a bustle in back, but otherwise flowed along her frame.

If that is Lilly, he thought, she certainly appears to have filled out quite nicely.

“Good day!” He boomed toward the congregants, “I’m here to see Miss Lilly Thomson. Could someone please direct me to her?”

The frowns on the men’s faces told him what he suspected; the object of their attention was Miss Lilly! She turned with a sanguine smile, affecting a look of mild surprise. That look hardened rather quickly when she saw the busty girl hanging on his arm.

Although he was certain she recognized him, she replied, “I’m Lilly Thomson; who are you and why do you seek me?”

Two could play that game. “Oh, I didn’t recognize you, Miss Thomson; it’s been a lengthy time since I last saw you. You probably don’t remember me, but my name is Silas Carr. Your parents sent me to pick you up and bring you home.

Will it be only you, or are one or more of these gentlemen coming along?”

“Oh, Mr. Carr, I didn’t recognize you either! It certainly has been a long time! No, I’m the only one traveling.”

“The buggy is parked by the main building; shall I bring it around?”

“Please do! Perhaps I can impose on these gentlemen to assist me with my luggage. It’s quite extensive, as I’m going home for the summer. Do we have room?”

“I’ll bring the buggy and we shall see.”

He kissed Miss Robertson on the cheek, told her he enjoyed seeing her and hoped to see her again soon, and then strolled off toward the buggy, which was several blocks away.

The gentlemen and ladies were standing beside the road when he returned. There was enough room, for the luggage and chests she brought, but barely! She kissed all the men on the cheek, air kissed Ruth Robertson, and allowed one of her suitors to assist her onto the buggy. Silas started the horse, and she made a minor production of waving and saying goodbye yet again.

“So,” she said, turning to face him after they had departed, “you got a university degree to become a carriage driver?”

He saw her devilish grin from the corner of his eye, so he looked straight ahead and replied, “It is one of the many things I do well, but the reason I’m here is your mother; she asked me to come get you. Since it was your mother, of course I said yes.

And what about you? Are you still majoring in social events and suitors?”

“Actually, I’m the most outstanding academic on this campus!” she replied haughtily, and took a cut of her own: “For some reason, the young men do like me, so it’s true that I don’t lack for male companionship, but social events and young men are hardly my major interests! I’m here, with young women of the finest families in Texas, acquiring a first-class education!”

“That’s good to hear. Strangely, my sisters only seem to know about the parties and beaus. I assume you don’t write to them about your academic achievements?”

“Perhaps they only tell you about the other. Besides, why do you care?”

“I’d hate for your family to waste their money developing another social butterfly. Texas needs educated men and women, not more flighty debutants who marry for money and status.”

His answers were not unexpected, but she had been listening beyond the words and watching his facial expressions as well. Staring straight ahead made it hard to read his eyes, but he sat stiffly in a stilted position, which spoke volumes. Normally, he would be looking around and establishing eye contact with her, but his obvious effort not to do so was telling.

“What about your, Mr. Carr? From what my Austin friends tell me, you are quite the social butterfly and pursuer of flighty debutantes yourself! Are you trolling for a rich wife, or are you intending to use your university education to benefit Texas?”

That got a rise out of him; his jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. “On September first I report to Attorney General McLeary, who hired me to assist in prosecutions across the state. While it is true that I have dated a number of young ladies of distinction during my time at University, it is a half-day ride from Georgetown to Austin, and I was quite busy after class and on some weekends.

My social opportunities have been limited; whereas, you have been residing in the center of San Antonio, easily accessible to the scores of young men whom you ceaselessly entertain, and also in the midst of San Antonio society.”

“Why Silas, it almost seems as if you are jealous! Why would you care what your ‘skinny little friend’- I believe that is what you called me to your sisters just before you left — is doing or dating?”

He shrugged, continuing to look straight ahead: “Idle curiosity, nothing more.”

She giggled lightly; he turned and looked at her, and then kept looking at her, slowly, blatantly, from head to boots. She blushed, but she blushed proudly; she had dressed and even used makeup for this moment.

In his most seductive voice, he flattered her: “Well, it appears that my ‘skinny little friend’ has filled out and matured quite nicely. You’ve become a very attractive young woman, Miss Thomson.”

“Ha!” she chided. “I encounter that kind of flattery and hear that tone of voice far too often, Mr. Carr! There is no chance at all that you will add me to your substantial list of conquests!

Therefore, if you are willing, we can simply have a pleasant conversation and catch up on the past three years without these little games you are attempting to play.”

Silas smiled at her, and said, “My tone of voice might have been offensive, but I meant what I said, Lilly. You have definitely matured quite nicely!

Now, how are your lovely mother and Uncle Lonnie doing?”

“My mother and Lorenzo are doing very well, thank you. Will we be going to the ranch, or to the settlement?”

“They should have arrived at the settlement by now. They will be in residence at the guest house Lonnie and my father built; I assume you will reside with them?”

“Yes, until after the celebration. Then we plan to return to the ranch.”

The remainder of the trip to Ranger Wallace’s ranch was spent in cordial conversation, although Silas caught a hint of jealousy when he described Governor Hubbard’s ball in 1878, to which Silas accompanied the governor’s daughter, Serena. Mentally enjoying her jealousy, Silas failed to inform her that Serena was only thirteen at the time and that he was her escort at the Governor’s request, not for romantic reasons.

He also failed to inform her about his relationship with Tillie Johnson. Although his relationship with the older woman was certainly not something he was ashamed of, he felt it better that she not know. Some tales a gentleman does not tell, nor make a lady aware of.

Kathryn and Ben Wallace were waiting on the porch when they pulled up to their ranch, and the Carrs’ well-rested and fed Morgan horse was in the corral. After the men exchanged a warm greeting, they unhitched Ben’s draft horse while the ladies chatted, and then went inside for sandwiches and tea.

Lilly’s reputation as a charmer was well earned. She had Kathryn ensnared before they got the table set, and the calloused old Texas Ranger was under her spell before the sandwiches were eaten.

Silas sat quietly, drinking in Lilly’s enchantingly expressive voice and marveling at her ability to read and draw people out. It was good to see her in action, if for no other reason than it would make it easier for him to recognize if she turned her considerable charms on him.

Given the hour and the distance still to be traveled, they said their goodbyes until tomorrow. Ben and Kathryn would be joining them at the celebration, of course, where Ben threatened to tell tales about his young friend, in spite of his young friend’s strenuous objections.

A few miles down the road, Silas stated, “You certainly made a favorable impression with them, Miss Thomson.”

“They are wonderful salt-of-the-earth people, aren’t they Mr. Carr? I really enjoyed our short visit, and I’m looking forward to Mr. Wallace’s stories tomorrow. He seems very fond of you!”

“He’s Dad’s best friend. They served together in the ‘War of Yankee Aggression’, as they put it, and Dad joins him from time to time when he needs help fulfilling his duties as a Ranger. He’s more like an uncle than an acquaintance.”

“And as a rising young politician, Mr. Carr, do you also see it as the ‘War of Yankee Aggression’?”

“I see it as a terrible mistake by both sides. The Yankee penchant for using votes based on their larger population to burden the agricultural south and impinge on states’ rights were primary causes of the war, and the stubbornness of the 30% of southerners who owned slaves to see the writing on the wall was the other primary cause. My family owned no slaves, but we were hardscrabble farmers in Tennessee, and the Tariff of Abominations cost my father and grandfather dearly.

The Reconstructionists act as if they are morally superior, but it was their own actions in passing the Tariff of 1828 over the vigorous objection of the southern agriculture interests that caused the resentment that spurred insurrection! Likewise, it was not the Army of the Confederacy that burned crops and homes, and raped women in the name of ‘unity’!

So, Miss Thomson, I’m sure you can derive my position from my statements. And yes, I’m aware that your father was conscripted into the Union army; that does not change my position!”

She sat quietly for some time before quietly responding, “You’ve just shown me a part of you I’ve not seen before, Silas. The strength of your feelings about something that occurred when you were an infant is… a bit disquieting. I hope I never see your feelings if you are personally wronged.

Or have I? The gunman at Dogtown, perhaps?”

He saw no reason to reply, but knew his behavior during that incident was well controlled compared to what he had proven capable of in other circumstances. He hoped Ben would not tell those stories.

***

The folks of the settlement saw them from miles away, and there was a welcoming contingent composed of kids, nearly grown kids, and young adults, with adults waving from the houses or nearby fields. Decorative bunting was hung from the barn doors closest to the quadrangle between the four properties, and pennants were strung around the slab that had been poured in the midst of the quadrangle while he was away at university.

A well had been drilled and a windmill installed a few yards from the slab. A large cistern standing ten feet high stood west of the windmill, and fresh water could be accessed by turning on a spigot located at the bottom of a metal pipe that came down from the cistern. The water could be captured in a bucket, or in the large trough below it. More pipes came out of the cistern, but disappeared underground in the direction of the Carr home and barn.

The pennants ran from pole to pole around the slab, circled around the windmill just below the blades, and on up to the cistern, where they tied off at the point of the cistern roof. These were quite elaborate decorations, for a place like Carr Settlement, and Silas was appreciative.

After being home for three days, he was old news, but Lilly’s greeting was as effusive as his had been a few days ago; apparently, she didn’t get home very often either. She was quite gracious with everyone, but her special attachment to the Carr sisters was immediately obvious. They hugged and kissed and hugged some more, until a vision in baby blue came around the house and stood watching.

Gwen’s beauty and grace almost took Silas’ breath away, just as it had from the beginning, but she seemed to have a special glow to her today. Lilly spotted her mom, broke away from the Carr sisters, and run to her. They hugged, and then Lilly backed away a step and looked down at her mother. Still holding her hands, she asked a question; Gwen responded with an answer and a smile, and Lilly began hopping up and down and squealing.

Silas was puzzled, but clarity arose when he saw the Gwen’s waistline was greatly expanded. He hoped down from the buggy, tied the horse at the hitching rail, and hurried over to add his congratulations. Gwen saw him approaching; she turned loose of her daughter and ran into his arms. They hugged tightly, and then she leaned back, looked at his face adoringly, and kissed him briefly.

“I knew on the occasion of our first meeting that you were special, Silas! Some are surprised that you have a university degree and have passed the bar at age 22, but that isn’t surprising to me; I expected no less! My fondest hope is that your new job allows you more time to come visit your folks and your friends, and to see your new cousin!”

Silas was badly choked up, but he maintained his control. “That is also my fondest wish; I eagerly await the birth of my new cousin and the opportunity to spend time with her… or him.

Speaking of, where is my favorite uncle?”

“With your father, preparing the pits, of course! The steer is slaughtered, cut up, and is curing. The pits are dug, the firewood is gathered, and they are distributing the firewood while enjoying a beer from the cellar. Would you like to join them, or go inside to thank your mother and sisters, who have spent the day baking and preparing for tomorrow’s feast?”

“Let’s start with Mother, shall we?” he answered, and escorted his never-ending crush inside the house. If only he were fifteen years older!

They didn’t see the look Lilly gave them, but her mother felt it and giggled. She had to prepare her future son-in-law for the chicanery she knew her daughter was planning; he simply could not lose control of the relationship before it even blossomed! Her headstrong daughter needed a tight rein, but she wasn’t sure Silas was as aware of the wiles of her woman-child as he needed to be!

The other three wives of the settlement were with his mother, and he received kisses on the cheek from each. They asked him about his trip to pick up his friend, how it felt to have a university degree, and about intrigues around the state capitol. He was both polite and forthcoming, but his responses were carefully measured to provide only enough information to placate.

When they began another round of making bread, he excused himself and joined his father, Uncle Lonnie, and several of the other men at the pits. The steer head, wrapped in layers of wet burlap, would be placed on a bed of coals and covered tonight, allowing it cook all night and well into the day before the edibles would be harvested and served to the brave. For some, brains, tongue, eyeballs, lips, and other portions of the head were highly sought after delicacies; Silas was not one of those.

Silas turned the conversation to the extensive plumbing and water works he had seen. He asked about the process: who had done what, how well it functioned, and the major benefits it brought. He learned that his dad, Lonnie, and the other men had traveled with Gwen to the Thomson ranch to see their plumbing firsthand.

After devising a tentative plan, they brought in a plumber from San Antonio familiar with indoor plumbing. He caused them to significantly revise the plan, so they secured a driller to advise them on the well and cistern. Following Silas’ suggestion, they hired a company that used cable tool rig to drill for water that was deeper and cleaner. Based on expert advice, the men of the settlement ordered the pipe and fixtures to install to the houses and in the new washrooms, toilet rooms, and kitchens

In addition to the Carr well located in the quadrangle, each home in the settlement had its own well and plumbed facilities.

They readily admitted that the hardest part for them had been digging the holes and building the septic tanks and drainage fields for the toilets, but all agreed that it made the womenfolk so happy it was well worth the effort. The wastewater from the bath and sinks was deposited in separate tanks, and was used to water the vegetable and flower gardens.

Overall, they agreed, it was a boon for their homes and worth the effort and cost to build and maintain.

All the talk made them thirsty, so they dispatched Silas to the root cellar for more homebrew, a gift from their German neighbor to the north. Mr. Steinbach was a brewer before he emigrated, and his was potent stuff; it didn’t take many to give you a fuzzy brain and thick tongue. Fortunately, they were called to supper, consisting of beef stew and cornbread, before they got too drunk. They ate sitting on the steps and the edge of the porch while the women completed their baking and preparations, and then returned home before dark.

Silas was used to evenings that ran until midnight, so he found a chair in the back yard that offered a good view of the sunset over the hills to the west. He was soon joined by Lilly and his sisters, Kathleen and Mary Virginia, who in turn attracted Samuel and Sonny. They gathered chairs, faced the west, and watched the sun set while they shared information about their lives and events of interest.

Lilly was attentive to the stories told by the others, but offered little of consequence about herself. All but Silas inquired about her school, the young men she had met, and the social life of San Antonio, but her only answers of substance were about her school and studies.

When pressed, he used the same tact. It seemed neither was keen to expound on their love lives or societal escapades, at least in front of the other.

***

The youngsters had retired soon after the sun, knowing tomorrow would be a long and tiring day. It began quite early, when breakfast was served an hour before normal so they could clean up and begin the final preparations and cooking for the afternoon festivities. Today the wood stoves in all four homes would be used, but the Carr home was central and they were the hosts, so more would be done here.

The main pit was long enough to cook the entire steer after it was butchered, but some cuts needed to be cooked at lower heat for longer times, and some were best if cooked hot for a short time. These differences were reflected in the depth of the pit under a section of mesh wire, which was reinforced by rods made from pipes.

In the same manner, the wood from the north end of the pit through the middle had been set afire and was burning down to coals. There was a steel plate barrier about three quarters of the way down the pit serving as a divider; the remainder would be lit later in the day, to braze and grill the choice cuts of meat.

They were using a mix of native Mesquite and Post Oak logs. These woods burned hot and left coals that lasted longer than other woods, like Pecan or Hickory, that were often used to smoke, grill, or barbeque meats in other parts of the country.

The men took great pride is their cooking, just as the women did. They had sausage rings ready to grill to tide them over, and two big pots of beans were cooking over a ground fire built just past the north end of the main pit, nearer the pit where the steer head was still baking.

Silas caught up on the happenings of the years he had been away, and learned that the settlers were becoming more proficient at raising crops in south Texas, where the blazing sun split the growing season. One season extended from planting in late February or early March through harvesting in June or July; the other from planting in late August through harvesting in late November. The months of July and August were so hot and dry that crops simply withered and died, so they had learned which crops to plant in each season and which could be planted in both.

The winter/spring season was the time for leaf crops like spinach and lettuce, as well as corn, peas, beans, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, melons, and peppers. The fall season was also good for beans, tomatoes, and peppers, but the better time for small grains such as oats, and pumpkins. Onions, a staple of many south Texas dishes, were planted in the fall or winter and harvested in the spring and summer, and other seasonings and herbs were usually planted in summer and harvested in the late fall.

They had tried to grow wheat, but it didn’t do well this far south, so they also raised cash crops that they could sell or barter for flour and sugar.

All the farming talk made them hungry: they grilled up some sausage, got some bread from the house, and ate a late morning snack. A nearby family, the Jamesons, had arrived early, and Bud brought a sack of venison jerky that also helped stave off the hunger pains until the late afternoon meal.

Inside the houses, the women and girls were finalizing the baking and cooking the vegetables. The whole area smelled like fire and food, which perhaps helped guide the influx of revelers that arrived between two and the scheduled beginning of the celebration at three. Silas spent that entire hour greeting people, answering questions, and thanking them for coming. He was ready for a beer by three, but the numbers weren’t slowing down quite yet.

The arrival of Kathryn and Ben Wallace and their guest, legendary Ranger William A. A. “Bigfoot” Wallace, created quite a stir. Their notoriety left Silas free from his duties as host and greeter, if briefly, and he took the opportunity to get a drink of water from the well.

When he turned, back toward the crowd, he saw a single rider approaching. It wasn’t someone he knew, the man was tall, well dressed, and rather handsome, if a bit ‘slick’ looking. He was wearing two .44 Smith and Wesson Russian pistols and had a saddle gun, which seemed out of place when coming to a celebration. Something about him made Silas wish he was wearing his own pistols, but he stepped out in the road to intercept him anyway.

“Greetings, stranger. What can I do for you?”

“I’m here at the invitation of Miss Lilly Thomson, son. Please direct me to her.”

“My name is Silas Carr; this is my family home, and you are at a celebration hosted by my family. You will stay on your horse, and I’ll check with Miss Thomson about your invitation.”

The stranger did not offer a name, but he did smirk at Silas and say, “You do that, boy. I’ll be right here.”

Silas went inside the house and looked for Lily. He didn’t see her, but did see her mother. “Where is Lilly, Gwen? There’s someone outside who says she invited him.”

Gwen looked troubled; she went to the window and looked out, then turned and walked quickly to the back, where Kathleen’s room was located, and shut the door. He heard her voice raised, and then heard Lilly’s raised in return. When he heard Gwen again, it was in a tone and at a volume he had never before heard.

A defiant Lilly came rapidly down the hall and walked right up to Silas. “I understand you have refused entry to my date! Why is that?”

At first taken aback by her attack, Silas felt his hackles rise and addressed her just as forcefully. “While I haven’t yet denied him entry, this is my celebration and I will deny entry to anyone I choose, including your date! Or you, for that matter! Perhaps you and your date would be more comfortable elsewhere, Miss Thomson!”

Lilly was surprised by his response, and quickly changed her tone of voice. “I’m sorry, Silas. I was told I could invite someone if I chose, so I did. Please invite him to join me inside and we will stay out of your way.”

“Out of respect for your family I will, but I don’t like his attitude and I’ll be keeping an eye on him. Frankly, he looks like a well-known scoundrel; if I learn he is that man, he will be immediately escorted from the premises.”

“I don’t know that you are up to that, Silas,” she replied with a hint of disdain. “He’s a mature man with a reputation for being able to hold his own with other grown men, whereas…”