Storiesonline.net ------- Helga by cmsix Copyright© 2010 by cmsix ------- Description: My Dad was a wimp. Why in the hell did he think he could make it to Texas with a cobbled together wagon train? Codes: MF mF cons het hist ------- ------- Chapter 1 My father was a wimp, a pussy, or whatever deragutory name you want to call him. He was raised in the North East by a farmer, and while he did learn to farm he never learned to take up for himself. It was pitiful really. His father owned a large farm and they were well to do. Still, even going to school the other boys often kicked my Dad's ass and he'd always run home crying to his mama. I don't guess there was any other way he could turn out. His father was a church going man and he stressed Tom shouldn't lower himself to fighting with the other children. Tom didn't have to lower himself, the other boys did all the lowering required by knocking him down and kicking his ass. Grandpa finally got sick of seeing Tom all stove up and he let his farm hands know which boys had given Tom the business and also told them about the dollar they'd get for making things right. Soon enough Tom didn't have much to worry about. After the biggest bully in school gave him a minor whipping Grandpa raised the ante on retribution and five dollars bought the bully two broken arms and a couple of black eyes that were real beauties. He also had to have a nut-ectomy for the testicle that was severly ruptured in the fracas. This changed the attitude of most of the bulliess toward Tom. They pretty much spent the rest of their schoolyard careers in mortal terror of getting crossways with Tom. Tom was left out of the loop for the details and wrongly thought his mild mannered ways were the cause of everyone trying to get along with him afterwards. He finished school, was set up on a small farm by Grandpa and he showed his real talent there. His crops paid off handsomly and before he turned twenty-one he had plenty of money to catch a beautiful wife. They had a baby, me, almost right away and the farm kept doing well. Everything rocked along nicely for the next fifteen years. I'll admit I started the one room school as a pussy in the making myself. Yes, I was wimpish from the getgo, but Tom, my father, harkened back to his own youth and gave me advice from his own experience. The trouble was his experience didn't mean shit since he never cottoned to what had stopped his harrassment. Luckily for me, I'd taken after my mother more than after Tom, my Dad. My mother was a tall woman along with being a beautiful one and it was obvious from the start I was going to be tall myself. Tom wasn't so tall, but he was broad and muscular and the chores I was assigned tended to make my muscles bulge a little in their own right. My first three years in the one room schoolhouse were basically a repeat of Tom's, but something happened after the forth grade since I had a little growth spurt. Starting with my fifth grade year I was taller and broader than most of he boys in school at any grade level. I'll never forget the day Wilbur Frankston, three years older than me, thought it would be fun to give me a dose of shit. Wilbur wasn't a small boy, but he wasn't in my league at all. He picked a fight with me after he'd spent the day bragging about the lessons his father had paid for from a real fighting man. Too bad for Wilbur his lessons hadn't included sizing up your opponent and at that they had come from a drunk who did most of his fighting against other drunks. Wilbur started the fight in a boxer's stance intending to pepper me with left jabs and then really let me have it with a wicked right hand. Poor Wilbur didn't have a wicked right hand and in fact he didn't have much of a left jab. I just lowered my head, charged into him, knocked him down, and then beat the ever loving shit out of Wilbur. I broke his collar bone and blacked both his eyes, knocking two of his front teeth out in the bargain. Wilbur also had the indignity to have the whole episode seen by Mrs Jenkins, the school marm. She sent him home at once and told him not to come back before his father and mother came by to see her. The word was Wilbur got a beating after his father got the lowdown on him starting the fight. Turns out that was it for Wilbur's schooling and the word around town was Wilbur was getting most of his education from a mule's ass while he was busily plowing some of his father's land. Hell, I was doing plenty of plowing myself by now and I was also involved in cutting and gathering hay almost daily. It didn't strain my big frame and it even made me bigger. Ah, the leisure of youth. It all came crashing down around my ears soon enough. Once this year's crops were in my Dad sold the farm, bought two Connestoga wagons and loaded us up for a trip to Texas to stay. The war was just now over and it was said us yankees had it made if we'd just move down south and take over. Maybe, but I remembered no battle in the civil war had ever been won by the North in Texas. Still, it was Tom's decision and I dutifully spent my time packing and repacking the wagons until they suited my mother. We weren't involved in a wagon train or anything similar. We did go along with four other families and there was one man who'd been that way before and he was putatively our leader. I didn't really care about the details. I was armed and dangerous now. Tom had looked around and bought weapons for all of us. My mother had two peperbox pistols she carried on her person and Tom had bought me a double holster with a 44-40 for each one. He also bought a Henery rifle for himself and one for me. The best thing he bought was plenty of ammunition. He turned me loose to practice up and I did it. It didn't take long to learn to use the Henry but the pistols were another thing. Not only did I need to learn to hit what I was shooting at, I realized, whether Tom did or not I'd have to be able to get the pistols out fast. Hell, it was fun to practice and I did plenty of it. Mostly I practiced my fast draw, but I actually shot enough rounds to get good with my aim too. Dad, Tom, was expecting a lot more trouble on the way than ever came about. We did have one incident where four of the former rebels tried to hold us up on the road. We'd been traveling for about a week before it came. Our wagons happened to be in the lead that day and I was driving the first in line. I had already noticed I couldn't get my pistol out with any speed from sitting in the wagon's seat so naturally I had one in my lap. We were driving along the road, fairly slowly, and a tree fell down into the road from the woods on the side. It blocked out path and I pulled the team to a halt just as four men rode out of the woods and approached our wagon. I took it as a slight insult when the leader looked at me and dismissed me as no problem. When his had dropped to his pistol I raised my from my lapt and shot him squarely in the chest. It worked so well I shot the other three too. My first two shots were dead center and the men fell off their horses right away. The other two were moving by this time but I got one in the shoulder and the other in the hip. They dropped their weapons at once and put their hands up. Tom came racing back to the front, where he should have been all along if you asked me, and started nearly screaming questions at me. I told him what had happened and he looked at me and said. "But you've killed two me." "I'd have killed four if they hadn't moved so on their horses," I said. "What? What do you mean?" he asked. "I mean I shot the other two too, but their horses moving around spoiled my aim," I said. "Give me those guns right now. I should have known better than to let you have them in the first place," he said. "The only way you'll get these guns away from me is to pry them out of my cold dead fingers. Why don't you look around and see what was happening before you look for a reason to blame it on me?" "He's right, Tom." These men intended to rob us and if Jack hadn't acted as he did they'd have done it. In the first place what were you doing in the rear while you should have been in the lead making sure we were safe. I've known for years your were a dandified fool, but I've never brought it up before. You decided to take us on this dangerous jorney and you wasted your time in the rear letting your son take care of your family. I'll shoot you myself if you try to take the guns away from him. And where is the supposed leader of this fiasco? I guess he's at the rear still hiding." "We'll talk about this later, Helen. I've got to get down and see if I can help these two men your son shot," Tom said. "No you don't," I said as I pulled my other pistol and shot them both dead center of their heads. "What have you done?" Tom asked. "I've made sure we don't have live enemies behind us. You really need to pull your head out of your ass and understand we ain't driving to a Sunday Church Meeting. There are going to be outlaws all along this road and I'm not letting them rob us and rape Mom no matter how stupid you act," I said, and then got down off the wagon seat to go and strip the bodies. I got a gunbelt and a .36 Patterson off each of the dead men and they also had a sharps rifle each in saddle scabbards. I gathered the horses and tied them to the back of our wagon just about the time Mose Jackson rode up. "What's going on here?" he asked. "I just had to kill the men who were going to rob us is all," I said. "How did you know they were going to rob us?" he asked. "My first hint was when they dropped that tree in the front of the wagons." "Why I had them do that," he said, and I just drew my pistol and shot him in the knee. The bullet kept on going and stung his horse on the ass and the rodeo was on, for a little while at leasts. In the mean time, while still trying to keep his seat he reached for his pistol and so I shot him in the chest this time. The horse won shortly after that and Mose was lying in the road while I caught and settled his horse. Then I picked up his pistol from where he'd dropped it." My father came right back up and started in on my ass again then. I put my pistol back in its holster and then knocked fire from his ass. Actually I hit him right on the end of his nose and he hit the ground on his back right away. I didn't even say a word to him. I now knew he was a fool and didn't really want to have much to do with him any more. I finished stripping Mose's body and dragged him over into the woods at the side of the road. The rest of the men from the other wagons walked up then and there was quite a discussion. When it came out that the men had dropped the tree in front of our wagons and I'd killed the four robbers and then I told them what Mose had said about him telling them to do it the man in the last wagon turned around and kicked Mose right in the ribs. "I always thought it was a little funny him saying he could lead us and not having a single man with him. You proably saved us all," a man from the last wagon said. "What happend to your paw?" he asked. "I got tired of him telling me I shouldn't have done a thing about it. I hate to say it, but paw has always been a little slow on the uptake. He don't have sense enough to see what's gonig on and naturally he thinks I don't either. I'm tired of his shit and I think I've had about all of it I'm gonna take. I do know one thing, I'm not going to let his dumb ass get me and my mother killed. I guess she can keep him around for a pet if he minds his manners, but if he don't, I'll leave him laying naked in the roadside woods just like I'm doing these others." "I don't mean to be talking bad about your fathr son, but that's the impression I got from him the first time we talked about going to Texas." "Well, I do owe him thanks for getting me started, but he's about worn out the thanks I owe him by now. I don't know what he thinks about during the day, but he damned sure don't pay any attention to what's going on in front of his eyes." I said. "Well, do you want to put him in your wagon now?" one of the men asked. "I'll ask my mother," I said, and then I did. She made a place for him and the others helped me get him inside. We traveled on about four more miles and then pulled off into a clearing and set up camp for the night. Mother cooked supper and then took Dad a plate. She came back out to sit beside me and eat. "Jake, you're going to have to be more careful around Tom from now on. He was cursing you when I put him to bed and he kept saying he was going to kill you the first chance he got," Mother told me. "Where are your pepperboxes?" I asked her. ------- Chapter 2 "I've got them both on me," she said. "Let me see them a minute please," I said. When she handed them to me I unloaded them. I left the percussion caps in place but removed the bullets and shook out the powder. I told her to store them inside the wagon and to let Dad know where they were. "We'll see if he wants to kill me now and when he tries it there'll be nothing but a loud pop from the caps," I said. She looked at me so funny then but said ok. We were up with the sun the next morning. Mom fixed us some breakfast and we ate. This morning Dad rode on the wagon seat with me instead of saddling his horse. We'd only been moving for about an hour when Dad pulled one of the pepperboxes out of his pocket, pusshed it into my ribs and pulled the trigger. I took my right hand pistol and shot him right between the eyes. I heard mother scrambling to get up and see what was going on, but I told her to just stay back there. I stopped the wagon, threw Dad's body over the side and then got down to retrieve anything of value from his body. After I had him cleaned out, with damned little to show for it, I removed his clothes and threw his body out into the woods. A couple of the men from on back came up then to see what was going on. I explained about unloading the pepperboxes and about what Tom tried. I even showed them the burn mark the cap made on my shirt and then told them what I did. "It was the only thing you could do. When a man loses his mind like that and tries to kill his own child the whole world is better off without him." one of them said. "That's a damned good place for him too. Naked beside the road. Now the animals can scatter his bones when they eat him up," another man said. We didn't stop long and ended up making about twenty miles before we stopped for the night. After supper I reloaded the pepperboxes and made sure all the other weapons I took off dead men were loaded and in the front of the wagon too. I got up before sunrise and hitched the teams. Mom had already told me she could handle them for a couple of hours and I knew Joe, our hired driver, could handle the second wagon with mostly freight in it. I built up the fire so Mom could cook breakfast and then saddled Dad's horse and took off down the road. I rode ahead for about an hour and a half and then went back to join Mom in the wagon and take over the driving. What with Mose and Dad both dead I thought someone should at least scout ahead a little. We were fine as far as I'd scouted and when we got there I mounted the horse again and took off. I scouted for about two hours and then came back again. We stopped a little before sunset, made camp, and then had supper. I helped Mom clean up after and then we went to bed. It was about the same thing for the next three days. I'd get thngs ready to go and then take off scouthing. I'd put both of our saddle scabbards with my saddle and carried both Henry's with me along with my 44-40s. Today I noticed some men in the edge of the woods about two miles from where we'd stopped. I went past them about a mile, tied my horse in the woods and then slipped back up on the other side of the road to where the men were. Sure enough when the wagons came in sight a tree fell across the road and the men mounted up. I waited until they rode out into the road intending to stop the wagons and then I cut down on them with the Henry's. There had been six of them and I took care of four right off the bat. The others took off into the woods and I managed to burn the ass of one of their horses and it pitched the asshole off. I nailed him with the next shot and then mounted up and rode back to the spot. A bullet whined over my head when I dismounted so I hit my belly in the woods and started looking around trying to find the last one. Apparently he though I'd been wounded and fell into the woods. He came slipping up a couple of minutes later and he stuck his head up to look around. I shot him in the ear and from the way blood and brans spattered out I figure the bullet went all the way through. I had the tree pulled off the road by the time the wagons got there and was busily stripping the bodies. As usual we left them naked in the woods for nature's disposal squad and we tied their horses onto our wagon and rode on. About three miles down the road four men came out of the woods and headed towards us. I had both Henry's in the wagon box with me now and as the men came closer I picked one up and stopped the wagon. The men rode upcloser then and I could see one of them pull a rifle out of his saddle scabbard. Hell, I shot his ass and then started on the others. The last one tried to turn and run off, but I got him right in the back and he fell off not a quarter of a mile from where they'd run into trouble. I got down from the wagon and mounted one of the horses I'd taken this morning. I went down and caught up the others and led them back to the wagon and tied them all on. I went back to take care of the bodies then and as I was stripping off all that was worth something I heard a noise out in the woods and walked out to see what it was. I approached carefully and saw a wagon with its team unhitched. Looking closer I saw a woman and three girls sitting around on a deadfall. It only took me a few minutes to see they were tied to it. I was being completely still, or as near as I could. I looked everywhere for someone stalking me and I finally saw a man moving my way, but very carefully. He had a pistol in his hand and so I spoke up. "I don't know what you're doing with those women tied out in the woods, but you'd better drop that pistol if you want to talk about it," I yelled, facing away from the sneak. He didn't do a thing and so I turned and fired at him. I heard him scream and then heard a bullet whine right next to me. I fell over behind some trees and lay still. "Are you hurt Jasper?" a voice off to my right asked. "Hell yes I'm hurt. He got me in the shoulde and I'm bleeding like a stuck hog. Did you get him?" the one I'd shot asked. "Yeh, I got him alright," the one who'd shot at me said. "Well, get your ass over here and bind up my wound. I can't even handle my rifle with my shoulder like this," Jasper said. The bushes moved and a skinny kid came out heading toward the one I'd shot. I pulled one of my pistols and when he got close I let him have it in the gut. He fell with his head exposed and so I shot him again and this wound looked more likely fatal. "I don't guess he got me so well after all, Jasper, but the last one I put in his head and he ain't gonna be comeing over to help you anytime soon," I said, and stood up with a tree between me and Jasper. "Don't worry though. When I get to those women I'll see what you been up to, and if they ain't hurt I'll come back and put you outta your misery quick like," I said. I walked over to Jasper just to make sure he wasn't leaving anytime soon. I even tore off the tail of his shirt and held it to his shoulder wound to stop the bleding. I tied his feet and hands together then and walked over to where the woman and girls were tied to the deadfall and cut them loose. The woman was a beauty. She must have been Scandinavian or something since she was tall, blonde, and blue eyed. It didn't take long to get the story out of them. They had been traveling on the road we'd just come down. Jasper and his friends had played the "log across the road" trick on them. They had tortured and killed her husband and then raped two of her neices. They'd been getting warmed up to rape the youngest this morning when they got the word we were coming and they'd tried to set up an ambush for us. "Well Mam, I think I've taken care of all of them except old Jasper. I've got him tied in the woods and I was just wondering if any of y'all would like to come stretch out his peter while I cut it off him?" I said. They all wanted to help and so we went back to Jasper. "They said you tortured her husband and raped a couple of the little girls, Jasper. Guess that lets you out of a quick death." "What are you gonna do to me?" he asked. "Well, first I'm gonna tie a piggin string around the base of your dick and your ball sack sos you don't bleed to death when I cut 'em off. We'll figure the rest of it out later," I said. Helga, the blonde woman said she'd be proud to help and once I had Jasper's pants off him she took a rawhide string and tied it up tight around the base of his dick and then did the same for his ballsack. I wasn't in a hurry so I cut old Jasper's dick off in about half inch sections. I took more time with his ball sack and just cut it off around the top and slipped it off so his balls were still hanging but out in the open air now. "You know Jasper, looks like your ball sack will make a good tobacco pouch once I tan it," I said, and he fainted dead away. I fetched my canteen and poured water on his face until he came back. "Helga, did your husband have any tools in the wagon?" I asked, as soon as Jasper could pay attention again. "Yes, he was a farrier, and he had all his tools and even his anvil loaded up." she said. "That sounds good. I'll just go see if I can find them," I said, and left her a good club to bash Jasper with if he moved. It took me half an hour to get back to Jasper with the anvil and a nice two pound hammer. It took a little fooling around with a rope over a branch but soon enough we had Jasper suspended over the anvil where his balls would lay on the thing. I gave both his nuts a good sound lick against the anvil and then we cut him down and removed anything of value from him. I left him tied up and figured the squirrels would have some real nuts tonight, even if they were already cracked. It took us about an hour to get their team hitched back to their wagon and then to get the extra horses tied to the back. I pulled it back onto the road then and we sat around until my wagons came by. We fell in line at the end and followed four more miles until we came to a nice clearing to camp for the night. Helga and her neices were the stars of the show when we had supper and they even helped cook. My mother was excited to see the neices since she'd always wanted a girl, but hadn't been able to get pregnant again after I came along. She even put the girls to bed in her wagon with her and slipped around and told me Helga and I should have a night alone together. "She's lost her man and she needs another one quick. It looks to me like she's planning on taking up with you and it's about time you had a wife anyway. You be kind and gentle with her and you'll have a good one, Mom said, and I planned on doing just what she said. Helga was the prettiest woman I'd ever come into contact with and if she'd have me I was ready. ------- Chapter 3 I was sure Helga knew something was up, but by the time supper was over and things had been put away I wasn't sure she wasn't all for it. She let Mom go ahead and put all the girls into her wagon with her to sleep and Helga made sure to hang around with me until everyone else was mostly in bed too. Then she said for me to come on and help her get the wagon ready for sleeping. Hell, the wagon was more than ready for sleeping and nearly as soon as I was in it with her she started shucking her clothes. She got onto me about getting ready for bed as soon as she had her blouse off and she didn't slack off there. I was starring at her titties nearly spellbound until she slipped her bloomers down off her hips and her blonde bush shone thorugh. "Come on Jake. Get your clothes off and let me see what I've hooked up with. You can see my all now. I hope I'm acceptable to you," she said, and then giggled when she saw the bulge in my jeans. "You're beautiful, Helga. I've never seen a woman as pretty as you," I said. "Well get your clothes off then and you can do more than look," she said, and I began getting naked for real. My dick made it difficult since it was so hard and then Helga made it even harder when she lay back on the makeshift bed and began squirming her hips around. I was quick to notice her nipples were nearly bright pink and her pussy lips matched them exactly. Hell, he nipples were standing at attention now and I could even see a little of her moisture glistening between her lips. When I finally got my pants and drawers off Helga sucked in her breath and commenced bragging on my dick right away. She raised up from her waist, wrapped her arms around me and then fell back pulling me down with her and spreading her thighs to make room between them for me. It was a damned good thing Helga knew what was going on because I only had the most rudimentary idea. At least I knew to kiss her and then trail my lips down to suck on her nipples. Helga took things in hand right away and before I knew what was going on she had her hand on my dick and was slipping the head up and down between her love lips. I finally moved and pressed inward and a whole new world opened up for me. It felt wonderful as her pussy opened up for my dick and I slid my pecker down deep. It was the best feeling in the world, up until now, but as I pumped it up her and pulled it back it got better and better. I wasn't completely clueless and I knew I was supposed to pump it back and forth until something happened. I'd also heard something was supposed to happen for both of us. Sadly, I didn't know exactly how to get it accomplished. It didn't much matter anyway since I already knew I was fast approaching the finish line. Helga didn't upbraid me for being quick on the trigger, she just asked me if it was my first time and when I admitted it she said she'd help me do better next time. Glory be, next time was approaching fast. My dick barely deflated at all and with only a little sucking and nipping at her nipples it started climbing again. This time it seemed I wasn't so rushed and almost before I knew it I was pounding it to Helga and she was giving it right back to me in kind. Her legs came up and wrapped around my waist and then we were fucking for real. Helga shifted her hips a little and then she was panting and moaning about me doing it just right now and damned if she didn't go off ahead of me this time. Her body seemed to freeze and then she began moaning real loud until she arched her neck back and just screamed. Soon enough she was kissing around all over my face and neck and telling me it had been wonderful that time. I think my head and my chest both swelled up and in just a few minutes I'm sure my dick did. She rolled me to my back then and started fucking down at me. I liked this a lot since it left her titties wiggling nearly right in my face and I did my best to kiss and lick her nipples until we both went off at nearly the same time. I wasn't trying to catch up on all the fucking I'd missed out on during my firsst sixteen years, but I'll swear Helga was intent on making up for all the time her husband had been dead. We did it twice more before sunrise and let me tell you I'd had a workout. Helga had as much of one as I did, but she was still up and dressed before me the next morning. Our wagon had been parked near Mom's and she hit the ground smiling the next morning. "I could tell you and Helga got along famosly last night and I'll bet most of the camp knows it too. Don't let it get your goat. The women all know you're something special now and the men will catch on soon enough." she said, and I guessed Helga did get a little loud a time or two. There was a little confusion this morning and it was caused by one of the older boys with one of the other wagons. He came up to our fire and started trying to flirt with Helga. She ignored him for a little longer than I could, but she finally told him she had to get breakfast ready for her man. He acted indignant and began telling her he was going to be her man. I let the talking go on until he grabbed her by the arm. I walked over and gave him a good shot to the kidney from behind. He turned around thinking he was ready to fight, but a straight right hand to his nose and a couple of solid licks to his wind convinced him he wasn't up to it. To top it all off his father came around with a pistol in his hand to see what the excitement was about. Helga told him in no uncertain terms and the both of them got a little huffy about it until Mom put in her two cents worth. The father was already waving his pistol around when Mom let him have it in the ass with one of her pepperboxes. It would have gone ok then except the son tried to rush Mom with a handy singletree. I shot his ass dead when he raised it and then I put the smoke hole into his father's gut. "You want to die here too?" I asked him. "Not here, but I'll get you later," he said, and so I shot him too. "You'd better get busy then. I hear you'll only last a couple of days after being gut shot like you are," I said. Damned if he didn't try to line his pistol up on me then and so I shot him in the adams apple and he lost interest. His wife came up in a minute and I was ready for the waterworks to get started, but I was surprised... She came over and thanked me for killing her husband and didn't even mention the son. I found out later the son was his from his first wife and she'd never got along with him anyway. She didn't hesitate to show several of us the bruises her husband had left on her hide either. "He always had to have things his way and he beat me often to make sure everything suited him. You don't know what a favor you've done me by killing him. I know it will be a struggle for me to get along without him, but I'll make it somehow, and I'll be better off because of it," she said. I promised her I'd help her out as much as I could and after breakfast I hitched her wagon and had her pull in line between our main wagon and our freight wagon, right behind Helga's wagon. After breakfast we headed out again. I figured we were about halfway across Tennessee and nearly halfway to our destination. We weren't in any real rush but we tried to make twenty miles a day. It wasn't so hard since this part of the country was pretty much settled. We did fine to Memphis and managed to get across the river on a ferry boat. We headed out across Arkansas and made decent time, but there always seemed to be assholes to cause us trouble every day or so. One of our biggest headaches was when we got into the edge of a moonshiner's war. It seemed two corn whiskey makers were in a fight and it was just our luck to get in the middle of it. Our wagon was in the lead again and six hicks came riding out to try stopping us. By now the others had learned to creep up slowly when we got stopped. One of the hicks noticed this and pulled his pistol to take a shot. As usual I was riding with mine in my lap and so I drilled him in the breastbone and some of the others took offense. Luckily I had some backup by this time and the rifles behind me started clearing saddles. They got all but two of them and those two turned to run off. I hit the ground with my pistols in their holsters and a Henry in hand. I grabbed up the reins of one of the men who'd been shot but hadn't fallend off his horse yet. A quick yank took care of that detail and soon I was mounted and giving chase. I shot the one on the slowest horse in the back and he fell off right away, but the other one kept going and cut into the woods. He was headed toward his still and I chased him nearly to it before I shot him too. No one seemed to be near the still and so I rode to it and found a fortune in whiskey. There were several barrels loaded into a wagon and the team was already hitched up. I tied my horse to the back of the wagon, climbed into the seat and gave the mules a little dose of the reins across their asses and took off. I finally found the road and luckily our wagons were coming along so I drove the whiskey wagon into line and acted like I belonged there. We found a clearing to make camp about sunset and I tried to think of what to do with the whiskey. Finally I told everyone else they could have a barrel if they wanted one. It took three hourse to get them moved into the other wagons, but I figured it was worth it. I'll be damned if it wasn't. The next day we went through a small town and the Jones' stopped at a small saloon and sold their barrell for a hundred and twenty five dollars in gold. The bartender said it was the best whiskey they'd had in a while and seemed happy enough to get it. Four days later we made it to Texarkana and three of the other families sold their whiskey for about the same price. We didn't really need the money so we held on to our two. At Texarkana we headed south. We had to find a fetty across the Sulphur River but we did and soon we were headed southwest. Four weeks later and with more than a little wandering around we made it to Lancaster Texas. It was the place Tom had planned on us ending up and damned if we didn't make it. Mom had found some paperwork among Dad's stuff and there was a deed to a place in lancaster. We stopped in lancaster and loaded up with food, supplies, and ammunition and asked at the general store for directions to the old Thompson place. We got them right away but the storekeeper asked why we wanted to go to the Thompson place. Mom told him we'd bought it and come all the way from back east to move here. He gave us the news that a rough bunch had come into town and run the Thompsons off their place about a month ago. We decided to see if there was a lawyer in town before we headed out there. ------- Chapter 4 We found a lawyer and went to see him. He told us our paperwork was legal since he'd made it up himself. He knew the land had been paid for and the deed had been recorded. He told us the county sheriff woldn't be much help in getting hold of the place, but that he would probably at least go and give it a try. Next stop was the sheriff and we got about the same word from him. He agreed to ride out to the place with us but told us he wasn't going to be involved in any shooting to throw the others off the place. We planned on going the next morning. It was almost a wasted ride since the present occupants declined to leave. We turned around and headed back to town and as we neared it the sheriff told us he was sorry but there was nothing he could do. "There is plenty I can do sheriff. They killed the man my father bought the place from and they have basically stolen it. It is my property and I'm going to have it. If you can't help that's fine, just don't interferee," I said. "You can't just come in here and shoot up the place?" he said. "I can and I will. In case you don't remember the south lost the war. It make take a while to get the regulatorw down here, but when they hear about this they'll come, believe me. You just better make up your mind what you're going to tell a troup of soldiers when they come marching in," I said. "I wish you wouldn't do that," the sheriff said. "I wish my father hadn't bought the place in the first place. If they want to keep it they can just give the money back and we'll leave," I said. "I can't make them do that," he said. "Did you notice the papers were already recorded with the county?" I asked. "Yes, I did." he said. Then you've got to ask yourself. Are you going to uphold the law or are you going to allow people to just come in, kill the lawful owners, and take over a place?" I asked. "I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to retire is what I'm going to do, and I wish you luck," he said, and rode off. We went directly back to the lawyer's office when we got back into town. I asked him what my next legal move should be. "Your paperwork is all in line. If the Sheriff won't help you all you can do is file a claim with the court. They won't give a damn about that, but it will lay the groundwork you'll have to have to get hold of your property. I should be able to get an order for them to vacate by tomorrow since the court is in session. After that it will be the sheriff's job to get them gone or you can take it on yourself. They have quite a few men out there though." he said. "The south had quite a few men during the war and you see where it got 'em. These won't be the first good old boys I've had to deal with," I said. "You did see where there were fourteen hundred cattle sold in the deal don't you?" "Yes, I told you I wrote it all up," he said. "Do you think they've been selling my cattle while I was on the way down here?" "I know they have," he said. "Doesn't that come under the heading or rustling cattle?" I asked. "Close enough not to matter," he said. "Maybe I can get some help out of the Rangers," I said. "Don't waste your time. They're hiding from the regulators about now," he said. "Will it hurt anything if I send a telegram ans ask?" "It won't hurt a thing I can see, but it just won't do any good," he said. We weren't rich by any means, but we did have some money with us. I explained things to mother and had her get a few rooms in a hotel. I also went to do a little shopping of my own. I'd seen a couple of sharp's rifles for sale in one of the stores where we'd bought supplies. It was a 45-70 and they had plenty of ammunition for it. I bought it and two thousand rounds. The next day mother and I went to the courthouse while the lawyer did his thing. The judge put the case off for a week so the squatters would have time to hire an attorney and show up in court. It didn't make a shit really, except a sheriff's deputy had been run off the place trying to serve the papers. He hadn't been shot, but the word got out in town anyway and I noticed there was a lot of grumbling in the saloon I visited that night. I even heard about one half drunk who got on the sheriff's case about it in front of God and everybody in a different saloon. The next day I made my way to the general store and stocked up on supplies for staying out. I bought a tent, a frying pan, and plenty of saltd meat and bacon. I went to the livery wehre our stock was put up and bought a packsaddle. The next day I put the packsaddle on one of our horses and saddled up the one I was going to ride and then headed out of town with both Henry's and the 45-70 sharps. I had all my ammuntiion packed too and I rode out of town in a direcction away from our commandered place. Five miles down the road I took to the woods, such as they were, and circled around until I found a creek I felt sure passed thourh our place. I put the horses into it and upstream I went. I rode around and picked out several hidey holes with good access to the cattle and then I went back to town. I got back just in time. Two assholes were at the hotel desk asking about the rooms my family were in. I went on up, ran mother and Helga out of the living room and back into the bedrooms, pulled out my pistols and waited. Soon enough there was a loud banging on the door and a voice. "Come on our of there you yankee swindlers that are trying to steal our land. I commenced firing through the door and after the screaming died down I opened the door and looked out. I was just in time to meet the town marshal as he came runnng up hte stairs. I guess things would have looked a little better if the two had ever gotten off a shot, but they never. They did have their guns in their hands though and the marshal asked me what had happened. "Those two came up banging on the door scaring the hell out of my mother and my wife. I opened it with my gun in my hand and as you can plainly see they had theirs out too. Hell, I shot 'em, what was I supposed to do? Let them rape my mother and my wife and wait for you to come make 'em quit?" I asked. I could tell things didn't sit well with him, but there was really nothing he could do and he knew it. After all, I was the only witness. He huffed and puffed for about then minutes and then left. I went down to the desk with my pistol still in my hand and braced the clerk. "If you tell one more person which rooms we're in I'm going to come down here and kill you deader than the two turds you just told. Do you understand me?" "But how was I to know what they were up to?" "If we wanted someone to know which rooms we were in we'd tell them you stuid jackass. Remember, one more time and you're a deadman. Now, send someone up to get those bodies off the floor. Maybe you should come and do it yourself so's you'll know what you're going to look like if you do it again," I said. I guess he didn't want to argue since I was standing there with my gun in my hand. He called another guy and they went up to take care of things. All was well that ended well, but this wasn't the end yet. I was up and out before false dawn the next morning and I headed right back to the places I'd picked out. I was forted up among some rocks just as the sun came up and later, when six men rode out to look at the cattle I started shooting. Maybe they weren't responsible for my troubles, but they were damned sure about to herd my cattle. I knocked them all off their horses nearly right away and then I settled in to make sure they were dead with a second shot each. When I was done I mounted my horse, took the reins of the other one and headed back to town. I was already in the saloon watching the marshal's office when three of the men off our place came in to ask for help. The marshal must have told them to see the sheriff about out of town things and they headed there next. I heard the sheriff told them to get out of his office and not come back until they'd moved off my place like the judge told them too. I was out in the street waiting for them to come out of the sheriff's office. All three of them nearly did a double take when they saw me and they went for their guns at once. I got two before any of them got a shot off and I nailed the other one while he was trying to draw. He did get a shot off, into the dirt as he slumped down dead. The Marshal came out to see what was going on just as I was holstering my pistol after reloading it. "What was that all about?" he asked me. "Damned if I know. I was walking over the the sheriff's office and they came out, saw me, aned reached for their guns." "We don't allow stuff like that to go on in town," he said. "No you don't. You just sit on your ass in your office and let scum like that kill a ranch owner and steal his place and the cattle he'd already sold me." If you want to quiten your town down why don't you go out and arrest his murdering ass?" I asked him. He just dropped his head, turned around, and walked off. I didn't though. I went to fetch my horses, put the packsaddle on one and my riding saddle on the other and rode out of town. I was up in place when thirteen men came riding out to round up cattle. I didn't wait for them to get started. I cut down on them as soon as the came into range and I got ten of them almost as quickly as I could reload and fire. By this time three of them were bent down over their horses and racing my way. No matter, I switched to shooting at the horses and spilled their asses pronto. I made sure to put one in each of the three who had falled off dead or dying mounts, just in case. I put my sharps away, mounted up, and took off. ------- Chapter 5 I made it to town and was sitting in a cafe eating a late lunch when three men I recognized off my place rode into town and tied their horses at the hitching rack in front of the Sheriff's office. They got down and went inside but only one came out a few minutes later. I was on the boardwalk outside when he did. I smiled my widest at him as he walked out. He went for is gun and I beat him to it and shot him down like the dog he was. I was standing there looking at him when the other two walked out. They were amazed and went right back into the sheriff's office. Soon, a young man in a clerk getup raced out of the door and went running to the marshal's office. The marshal came back with him in a minute and looked at the dead one, but went inside the Sheriff's office. I couldn't stand it and so I quick stepped across the street and slipped up outside the sheriff's window. "What in the hell do you expect me to do about it?" I heard the marshal ask. "You can arrest him, that's what," a man whose voice I didn't recognize said. "Arrest him for what. I had my eye on him the whole time. His last trick kept me interested. Your man saw him, nearly shit himself, and then went for his gun. He never had a chance. That boy is fast and deadly accurate to boot. I wish the two of you would go for your guns when you go outside. Then this shit would be over. It turns my stomach to have to let you go, and I'm sure the sheriff feels the same way. I'll be glad when he kills all of you. You're sorry as hell to pull this kind of shit anyway. I'm just sitting here licking my chops waiting for a judge to tell me to come out and tell me it's OK to run your nasty asses off. You needn't come to town again to complain about the way he treats you because I just don't give a shit what he does to you. How about you sheriff?" the marshal asked. "I'm the same way. I wouldn't arrest him if he burned you out and you could prove it. You stole that place and cattle he paid for. I can't get the judge to tell me yay or nay on the cattle rustling he's talking about, but I know good and well you're guilty. I don't give a shit if he hangs you all just outside of town and that goes for every sorry hand you got hired too. You might as well tell them all they ain't welcome in town. If he don't shoot 'em I probably will. I know you've got that judge in your pocket, but you damned sure ain't got me or the marshal in there with him. Now get your asses back to the ranch you stole. You'd better be damned careful of your hands when you walk outside cause he'll shoot you down like the dogs your are if you even come close to reaching for a gun." "And I'll go pat him on the back and buy him a drink for it," the marshal said. Now things were making more sense to me. The damned judge was the hold up, but I knew I couldn't scare his ass. Judges think their shit don't stink. I could find out where he lived though and maybe the next judge would be better. I was back across the street when the two men came out and I was smiling my widest when they saw me. They stiffened up, but I could see they weren't about to draw. It seemed a little funny to me but they walked directly to the telegraph office and sent a telegram. I walked into the general store and looked around for a greener, a shotgun. The lady showed me the latest model they'd just got in. It was a ten gauge and she even had the new cartridges it used. I bought it and all the shells except for the bird-shot she had. I went upstairs in the hotel to tell Ma and Helga I'd be gone tonight and then rode out to watch over the part of our land where I'd been doing the job on the cattle thieving. I went to bed early and was up and waiting for the riders who came out today. I slipped up behind the six of them as they rode by and then got their attention. "How many of you are going to keep coming out to try gathering these cattle. Ain't I killed enough of you already?" I asked, loudly. "What do you mean?" one of them asked and then turned around to see the smoke holes in the greener. "Hell, I've been killing everyone who came out to rustle my cattle and I ain't about to stop now," I said. "What do you mean you're cattle?" the same one asked. "Hell, they was here when I bought the ranch before your bosses came in, killed the last owner, and stole the place and the cattle. You expect me to just let you keep on stealing my cows. "But the boss sent us out here to round 'em up," the main talker said. "He sent you out here hoping you'd kill me and get rid of his trouble, but it ain't gonna happen. If I was you I'd turn right back around and then go hunt a better jog. One where you ain't so likely to get kilt. Hell, you've been invited to a range war and nobody even told you before hand. Think about what they're paying you." "I ride for the brand Mister?" the main talker said. "Well how about that. Ain't you noticed you've been changing the brand on the cattle. If you ride for the brand then which brand are you riding for?" That stumped him and the others too. They turned around and headed back to the ranch house. Hell, I rode back to town and took up a seat in a saloon. Four hours later the six men I'd talked to earlier came in and they had about eight more with them. I invited them over and bought them all a round. They told me they'd all quit and were heading out looking for other work. "Hell, I'm gonna need hands as soon as the judge gets off his ass and gives me my place back. I can take you all on now and pay on the barrel. What you been making?" "Thirty a month and found," the main talker from this morning said. "Well, since they're still out there I can't feed you now. How about forty a month and you buy your own meals. You won't have to do a thing until I get the place back, but at least you'll have a little jingle and something to buy food with." "You mean you don't want us to help you run them off?" "Nope. It ain't your fight, it's mine. Let me go up to my mother's room and get your pay for this month," I said, and it's just what I did. Mother kept the money and it was the way I wanted it. She nearly peed her panties when I told her what I'd done and she could barley count the money out fast enough to suit herself. It was a good thing she gave me an extra hundred when she counted it out because there were two more men with them wanting a job by the time I got back down. "Where we gonna start in the morning?" one of the newest arrivals asked after I 'd paid them all. "Just lay around in bed or do whatever you want to. Just because the pay started don't mean the work has. When I get control of the ranch then you'll start." I said. "But how can you keep on paying us if you don't get the ranch back?" another of the newbies asked. "Way I've got it figured, I can't. If we don't get the ranch back in the next ten years I'll end up having to let you all go," I said. It was well received even if it was bullshit. I could pay them for a year, tops, but I'd have to do something sooner than that. I had just the idea in mind to get started too. I went on up to bed and turned in, but I was up before false dawn the next morning and I took off walking with my sharps rifle. I'd found out where the judge lived and it was only about two miles out of town. One thing you always had to look out for when you were a crook. You had to look out for the men you had wronged. About an hour after sunrise the judge came out of his house and got in the back of a buggy an old darky was driving. He was dead a minute later with his head splattered out behind the buggy. I picked up my sharps and walked back to town and into the cafe they had there for some breakfast. About ten I'd just finished my second breakfast when the sheriff walked in. I waved to him and invited him to join me. He gave me the sad news about the judge and I told him I was sure sorry it happened. "I'll have to say I was just a little suspicious of you at first, but I've already checked at the livery and they said you hadn't bothered your horse since you put it away yesterday," he said. "Hell, I didn't need him dead. Didn't you hear what happened yesterday?" I hired fourteen men off my own place to go back to work on it after I get it back," I said. "How'd you do that?" he asked. "Well, I went out to greet them when they were riding to fool with my cattle. They told me they rode for the brand and I pointed out to them they were changing the brands everyday with running irons. It made them reconsider their positions. The sheriff had a cup of coffee with me and then took off. I saw one of my new hires coming down from upstairs and called him over to me. I had him saddle two horses, ride one and lead the other out of town about half a mile. I went up to get my sharps rifle and then went down again and out the back door. I found him waiting outside town where I'd told him to meet me and then we rode out to check on the men working my cattle. There were only about six men today and one of them was obviously the big boss. I sent my new hand back to town with both horses and settled down into a good firing position and waited for the man to come into range. I popped him a good one when he happened to get closer and then burned a few horses asses to get the men stirred up. I was up and gone in minutes and made my way back to town staying mostly in the woods. I was sitting in the cafe again when the boss man's oldest son came in with blood in his eye. He called me out, but I didn't even get up. He bluffed and blustered and finally got so mad because I wouldn't gt up that he reached for his pistol to shoot me where I sat. I'd long ago slipped my left hand gun out of its holster and I nailed him in the chest, through the table top, before he had much more than cleared leather. The marshal came over to check things out, but there were plenty of witnesses and he didn't even take me to jail. I went up to my room later and spent a little time between Helga's legs. When she asked me how much longer this was going to take I told her it'd probably be over tomorrow. "You think he'll give up after you shot his son?" she asked. "I shot the daddy first, the word just hadn't made it to town yet." I told her and she was so happy we had to go another round. I was down in the cafe again when the sheriff came by. He told me the happy news I already knew and said he was headed out to the see the widow and asked me if I'd like to come along. I declined, saying it would seem too much like I was pouring salt in the wound. He took off without me but was back within two hours and told me the widow wanted to see me. He and the marshal both escorted me out there. She was beautiful and I noticed her eyes weren't red like she'd been crying. The first thing she wanted to know was how long she had for her and her daughters to get out. "You don't have to leave unless you want to," I said. "What? I don't understand," she said. "I've already told all the hands to leave. I knew all along the place belonged to you, but I couldn't talk Delbert into giving it up. Now you're saying I don't have to leave," she said. We might be a little crowded for a while, but if we can't get by I'll have more rooms built on. It is a big house though and maybe we can all fit. If you don't like living with us at all I'll have another home built for you right next to this one." "But why would you do that for me?" she asked. "Can't you guess? You're a beautiful woman and I don't want to put you out of your home. Your children are accustomed to it by now and I'm sure they'd rather stay," I said. "I'm sure they would. Come to think of it I would too, but what was the fighting about?" she asked. "It was about my home being stolen from me. I don't consider you the one who stole it, and besides. My mother would love to have more children here. She already loves Helga's children and I'm sure she'll love yours just as well," I said. "But isn't Helga your wife?" she asked. "Mostly, but you'd be just as much my wife if you were to stay. I can promise you and Helga will get along famously," I said. "Are you a Mormon?" she asked, looking at me just a little funny. "No, I'm just a man who loves beautiful women, and their children," I said. "I believe I will stay then. How quickly will Helga be out here?" she asked. "They'll be here before dark. I left them in the hotel, packing. ------- The End ------- Posted: 2010-04-27 Last Modified: 2010-04-28 / 01:26:39 am ------- http://storiesonline.net/ -------