The Homestead: Part Twenty-Three

~ beetleypete

This is the twenty-third part of a fiction serial, in 865 words.

It wasn’t long before daddy found out who the men were. The moustache man was Bill Mathewson. He had made his money from buffalo hunting and skins, and was buying up land along with the German, who was called Grieffenstein. That German was a successful merchant and trader who soon had a hand in most things bought and sold in Wichita. But with no railroad yet, all they could do was to keep accumulating property, hoping to cash in later.They left us alone for a while, but pretty soon the building jobs got less, as they made sure never to use us for any construction or repairs. Reckon they also told their friends not to employ us too.

Daddy said he weren’t that bothered. We had a good amount of money behind us, and the steady stream of new settlers meant that there were still jobs to pick up from time to time. One good thing was that Shawn Ryan went to work for the German, and after that he never called on us no more. And when I rode past their place, Maggie didn’t come out waving no more neither.

The next spring, railroad men started to lay the rails heading north to Newton. That would connect with the railroad that had already reached there, so it seemed it wouldn’t be long before trains from up north would soon be arriving in town. But on the homestead, life was still good. The planting got done, and with less work for us in Wichita, we set to improving our own buildings, and doing repairs. Daddy and Henry got some work over in Delano, building a new saloon near the riverbank. We had always avoided that place, but Henry said ‘Work is work, Mister Jessie”. That left me working around the homestead with Walter.

Susan used to bring us something to eat and drink mid-morning. As we stopped work to eat, she would show me her practice at writing in an old notebook daddy had given her. She was doing good, and keen to learn more. Reading the old Bible was hard though, ’cause of all the funny names and old words. I thought to get her a better book, next time I was in town. One day, as she cleared away the plates and cups to take back to the house, she gave me a smile. It was a certain sort of smile, and it made me notice her in a way I hadn’t thought of before.

She was sure pretty, I had to admit.

When I got to the new General Store in Wichita, the man told me there was no call for books, but he could order some for me from Topeka if I knew which ones I wanted, and paid up front. Then he suggested I go see Mrs Parker, the reverend’s wife. She was running a school for little kids from her house behind the church. She was a nice lady, and happy to make some suggestions. I wrote down what she recommended, and went back to the store and paid for them. I ordered a copy of Moby Dick, also Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Mrs Parker said that was about slaves before the war, and Walter might like to hear it read. The books were mighty expensive, and the man in the store said they would take three weeks to arrive.

Daddy picked them up for me on his way home one evening, and that night after dinner, I read some chapters from Moby Dick as everyone sat around the fire. The characters were so well-described, it was like we could see them in our heads, and hearing about fishing for the big whales was something new to us all. As they were leaving, I handed Susan the copy of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, wrapped in some white cotton, and told her it was for her. I don’t reckon anyone had ever given her anything before, as her hands were trembling, and I could see tears in her eyes as she took it. Turning in the doorway, she said, “Will you help me with the words I don’t know?” I smiled and nodded.

All through that summer, we carried on working around the house, with daddy and Henry away most days finishing the saloon. They also got more work at the hotel, adding more rooms at the back. The hotel owner said he paid no mind to what the rich cattlemen said, and he was happy because daddy did good work at a fair price. The corn, potatoes, and greens were growing well, and Walter did indeed show his skill at producing a fine crop. Which we later harvested and stored.

Around the time I was coming up eighteen that fall, Susan gave me a package wrapped in some soft hide. Inside were a pair of moccasins she had made me, all sewed real fancy, with small beads and injun designs. She said I could wear them around the house when I took my boots off, to save tearing holes in my socks.

I put them on and walked around some, declaring they were the most comfortable shoes I had ever owned.

30 thoughts on “The Homestead: Part Twenty-Three”

  4. I have read accounts of the railroad’s expansion and like its inclusion here. My great great grandmother’s diary talks about her reading. Although she didn’t mention Melville, she does comment on loving the “new Dickens.”

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    1. I checked the publication dates of the books, and they were both available in America in the 1850s, many years before 1870. Dickens was also being published at the time, but often in a serialised form, a lot like ‘The Homestead’. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  8. (1) My favorite western is “Once Upon a Time in the West,” which deals with similar issues involving the arrival of the railroad. Also, I’m fonda Henry’s role as the villain.
    (2) Daddy said he weren’t that bothered by bad grammar.
    (3) It grieves me to report that there is no such thing as a good Grieffenstein.
    (4a) The difference between “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and “Moby Dick” is like the difference between black and white.
    (4b) “I read some chapters from Moby Dick as everyone sat around the fire.” And everyone had a whale of a good time!
    (5) The saloon was built near the riverbank to provide drinkers with a nearby place to go piss and puke. Needless to say, children weren’t allowed to swim in the river.
    (6) “The corn, potatoes, and greens were growing well,” but the greens tasted like soylent, the French fries were soggy compared to the ones sold at the golden arches, and the children of the corn proved to be rather problematic.
    (7) A girl once gave me a pair of water moccasins. I dumped them in the pool, and locked up the house. Something tells me she wanted me dead.

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  11. This story is moving along nicely. I’m currently reading Wallace Stegner’s, Wolf Willow, about homesteading in the Canadian prairies. It takes place close to where I was raised. It is interesting how there are some similarities. Well done.

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