Chapter 9

The horses came slowly into the ranch yard. The kids on the horses were looking around at everything. They were staring at the crew where they were bunched together. I stepped forward. “Teresa will be right out. Get the kids down from the horses. She and my Ma are making flapjacks”

Teresa came hurriedly out of the house. “Oh, I’m so glad you came. I was hoping you would. Breakfast is all ready and Mable is frying the pancakes now.” The kids didn’t wait for help, they just slid down and headed for the porch. “Come Margaret and Minny, Dave will see to the men.”

The three men tied the horses to a hitch rail and turned to me, “Boyd, James, and Peter, these are my hands I use for working cattle. I won’t name them all. Buck Todd is my straw boss. He’s the big man off to the right. These men here are all named Bruce. I suspect they originally came from Scotland and are here by way of Kentucky. I’ve hired them to cut wood for the school.” He let the choppers know, “My men just finished helping the carpenters build it.”

All three men said, “Howdy.”

Buck spoke, “Come on men we have cattle to move. Pleased to meet you fellows, we’ll be seeing some of each other.” I led the way toward the cook shack and they paused to watch the men mount and ride off.

There was a stack of tin plates and tin cups at the end of the table. There was also a tray of table ware if a person didn’t have their own. Knives came out of their sheaths. “Coffee is in that pot on the table. Help yourselves.” There was a platter of steaks and a platter of fried eggs and a plate of corn bread. There was a tub of butter. “We keep a Shorthorn dairy cow so we make our own butter. The kids will have milk to drink, they might like that. I’ve eaten, but I’ll drink another coffee.”

The three men dug in, not speaking because they were too busy. Finally, “Ben’ a long time since I set to a table with that amount of food on it. We’s thank you’s.”

“Okay, I got a patch of woods close by up behind the new school house. Back in from the middle there is an open glade that’s almost flat. It would make a good place to build some homes for you. I don’t want it clear cut. I want to save the trees that will make timber.

“Okay, that’s where and how. Now I need to know what you need for tools. I’ve got some here at the ranch you can use. You said you have axes? That’s good and I’ve got two crosscut saws. There is a half dozen splitting wedges, but only one hammer. We’ll get another one the next time in town. I’ve got one team of draft horses and there is a dump cart that will work for moving wood where you don’t have to travel far. There are a couple heavy wagons we use for hauling supplies from town’

“What’s the name of the town? We’s ain’t been there yet?”

“It’s called Ferris Town. My Pa had it named after him ‘cause he owns the most land and has been here the longest. You’ll find the whole valley doesn’t belong to Pa. The other side of town belongs to a man, name of Randal Palmer. I just got done working for him because Ma wanted me here to run the place when Pa got sick. It’s a good thing I’m here in charge or you wouldn’t be sitting here eating. My old man hates everybody, or did. That’s why I was working for somebody else. We just couldn’t get along.

“What’s happ’n when he gits on hisn feet again?”

“That’s my problem. My Ma sided me and she will again. That’s the way it’s going to be, so trust me. Now, have you got anything to tear apart those shacks up there to build your shelters with?”

“Nope, we’s don’ts even have us’n a nail hammer.”

“Well, I think I scare up a couple of those and a couple wrecking bars. Save the nails into a bucket if they can be reused and maybe one of your women can straighten them. Can you build your own cabins?”

“Yeah. They might notten look like much but they be comfortable. You gotten an adze? I use one on mountain and built homes before.

“I think there is one around here. You’ll have to put a handle in it. There is also a broad axe for dressing timbers too. That has the handle in it.”

“Left or right sided?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea. I’ll hunt it up and you can tell which it is, I can’t.” Boyd nodded.

In the kitchen, the six children were seated around the table. Mable and Teresa were cooking pancakes. Each of the kids had a glass of milk. This was a real luxury. The four girls sipped theirs while the two boys began drinking as fast as they could. Minny was there standing behind them. Her hand came down on their shoulders, she whispered to make it last. Mable was at the stove and Teresa was holding plates for Mable to put one slice of thick bacon and two pancakes on each. She handed them to Minny and loaded two more and handed them to Margaret.

When Reesa had two more filled she went behind the kids and the three women set them on the table in front of the six eager children. There were two pitchers of sorghum and the women put it on the kid’s pancakes. Margaret was watching to see how much Teresa poured and she poured the same amount. This was a delicacy and to be portioned.

The kids had another round of pancakes. Teresa spoke when they finished, “Children, go out the back door and you can see a building a little way off. That is where you will be going to school. The door isn’t locked. Go look inside. The desk on one end is where I will be sitting. On the left as you go inside there is a little place sectioned off where I bring students who have attained a certain grade. So sometime in the day I will be there with you. While I’m there, the rest of the students will be studying at their desks.

“I’ll feed your Moms and then we will come over so they can see it too.” Teresa told the two women a little bit about how she came to be interested in Dave. “Dave is older than I am. He came to work on the ranch where I grew up with my friend Patty, who wanted me to live with her when her Mom married. Patty’s father had died some time before and this person came into her life after he was injured.

“My family lived in town before that and we weren’t very popular because we were Mexican and poor. I have two brothers and two sisters. You’ll meet my Mom in about another hour because she nurses people and she is helping Mable take care of Dave’s father.”

Minny asked, “How did you meet Dave?”

“My white knight you mean? Oh, I was in the bank after school one day. Four men came in to rob the bank. I was the only customer at the time because the bank was almost ready to close for the day. All of a sudden the door burst open because Dave wanted to cash his paycheck before the bank closed. The robber at the door shot Dave in the leg and he dove behind a counter. The leader grabbed me and held me in front of him to protect himself. Dave shot another robber at the teller’s counter.

“The leader motioned for the other robber to lean over the counter and shoot Dave. Dave could see my face where the leader was behind me for his own protection. I was able to warn Dave by rolling my eyes what was happening. Dave rolled onto his back and when the robber stuck his gun over to shoot, Dave shot his hand off.

“The leader was still holding me and told Dave to come out where he could see him or he would kill me. Then Dave was the one rolling his eyes. He wanted me to pretend to faint. I finally realized that was what he was rolling his eyes for me to do. I suddenly dropped on the flour which exposed the last robber and Dave shot and killed him. I ran to Dave because he had been bleeding all through this and tied up the wound enough to stop the worst of it. That night I gave Dave a ride to the ranch where Dave worked and it just happened to be in the home where I grew up.

“I surely believe we were in love before we got there. I know I was. I worried a little because I was Mexican, but Dave didn’t care. He was at the ranch working and I would see him every time school wasn’t keeping. That was until a few weeks ago when his Pa got sick and Mable asked him to come home and run the ranch here. I think he is doing very well.

“At the Palmer Ranch, Dave was just a puncher, but he learned a lot about different management styles how to run a ranch. Dave manages the ranch a little different than his father did, but he learned all of the basics from his father and both systems put money in the bank. I quit teaching when Dave came back here and we were married a month later. I’ve been helping Mable until school starts.”

Minny asked, “Would you give me some pointers to teach the kids so they can catch up with the other students. Our children just never had a chance to go to school. Margaret might be able to educate herself some too. She feels so inadequate and I only have a little schooling myself. I have concentrated on learning to speak from the listening to people I meet. We both are shamed.”

“Of course I will. You’ll be close and when I’m grading papers, I’ll help.”

Mable said. “Why don’t you two ladies go see to your kids for a few minutes while we tend to my husband? We have to feed him real slow so he won’t choke. Teresa’s mother will be here soon and we give him a bath.”

The two left by the back door. Mable turned to Reesa and hugged her. Teresa was surprised. “What was that for?”

“Teresa, I love you for saying how Dean managed the range and you didn’t say Dave was better at it. I did get awful frustrated the way Dean did things often times, but I have to defend him.”

“I would do the same.”

Mable had been making corn meal gruel and she put it into a bowl. Teresa would help get Dean sitting up and would hold him while Mable spooned food into him. There was one slice of thick bacon left. Reesa thought a minute and then took it over to the counter and pounded it with the potato masher until it was a fatty paste. “I’ll bet Dean can swallow this and he will like the flavor. He must be so sick of gruel. We should try to do this with other foods.”

“You really care don’t you?” Teresa didn’t have to answer because she saw her mother through the window, arriving. She was alone today. Montana must have had something else to do. Mable waved Teresa out to meet her.

Then she proceeded to tell Dean what her daughter-in-law had told the two women about his management who were guest for breakfast. “She didn’t say you were better or worse than Dave, just different. I thought that was sweet of her. And too, I’m going to be feeding you tastier food because she cares.” Dean’s face moved and the right cheek almost made it up into a smile. Dean was getting better.

Outside Teresa was telling Nina about the woodchoppers, their wives and the six kids she was going to teach. “I’ll have to go into town and clear it with the commission. Dean charged them four cords of wood for payment so the kids could come to school.”

“And I’ll bet Dave is paying them something to do it too, isn’t he?” Teresa, nodded. “Dave learned that from Randy Palmer. Christ, think what Randy has done for the town and the valley over the years.”

“Mom, I’m so proud.”

“You should be, girl. Well my patient is waiting. Where is Dave?”

“He is up in the woods with the men who are going to chop wood. The rest of the family are out in the new schoolhouse. I’m going out there now.”

“This family, what are they like?”

“They are dirt poor and totally uneducated. It is going to be a struggle teaching them anything. No, I shouldn’t say that. The two mothers want their children to advance and know they can’t without knowledge.”

“You’ll come through. Look where we were when Sheila and Randy were both injured and I was hired to nurse them. Now we have another person who thinks along the same lines in Dave, your husband.”

Teresa could hear children reciting the alphabet when she got near the school house. She opened the door and looked in. Minny had written the alphabet on the small blackboard that was in the alcove. There was a big blackboard for the whole class on the other end of the room. Teresa had left a small piece of chalk that she had used to see if the board was dark enough. Minny’s face got red when Teresa stepped in and almost dropped the chalk. “I was pretend to be school teacher so my kids know how to act.”

“That’s fine. That will help a lot on the first day. I have no idea what the other students are like. Okay, I have a few minutes and I’ll be your teacher today just like I will be in a few weeks. First you must remember to address me as ‘Mrs. Ferris’ while in school. Minny, you demonstrate.”

“Okay. Mrs. Ferris, what is the lesson for today. Mrs. Ferris, I have to go to the bathroom. Mrs. Ferris, Jimmy is picking on me.” Minny laughed. “Kids, you should always speak to your teacher with respect.”

“That’s good, Minny, and when I speak to you children, I’ll always use your name so you know I’m speaking directly to you. I may be asking a question and I want only you to answer it. This is the way it should be while in and around the school. If you are down at the ranch house or I’m at your house, I give you permission to call me Reesa because I’m your friend. Lizzy, can you remember that?”

“Yes, Mrs. Ferris.”

“Okay, Children, I have time, let’s walk up into the woods where your parents are going to be building you a home. It’s hot and there is cold spring where we can get a drink of cold water. Children, class dismissed.”

Margaret said, “The kids is going to love you’s and they be love going tuh school. This be importan’ to us’ns.”

Reesa explained, “I always wanted to be a teacher and with the help of some people they made it possible even though I’m Mexican. I can see why you want an education for your children and someday one of them may be a teacher like me.”

The group walked up and into the woods. About three hundred yards they came to an opening where the saddled horses were hitched. Beyond that they came to a spring. It gurgled and bubbled over some stones for about fifty feet before disappearing into the ground. Everyone got down to drink from the tiny stream.

Minny said. “We didn’t have water close by where we lived near the top of a mountain. We had to lug water for everything. Our washing was done right at the brook. Summertime we spread our clothes out on the rocks. Washing in the winter was a real chore. That’s the way our folks did it and we did the same. Thinking back, we should have done different, but I really don’t know how.”

Teresa asked, “Why didn’t you move your house to it?”

“Couldn’t. Steep slope and big boulders. Our only land for garden goods was down on the other side. Will we be able to have enough land to grow garden goods?”

“I’m sure Dave will make sure you do. How else will you will be able to feed yourselves. Food here is pretty inexpensive because the other end of this big valley is mostly farm land. My mother has a farm, and so don’t one of my brothers. I have one brother who works for Randy Palmer and a sister who is married to one of his hands. I’m sure growing your own food of what you like is better.”

Just then the Bruce men and I came walking out of the woods. “Hi Teresa, I’m letting these people build their house here. There is everything they need. There is even a garden spot through the trees a little way. The soil is rich and dark and should grow great crops. There is a swamp over on the eastern edge of the woods. There are a lot of reeds in it. They tell me that Margaret weaves baskets with that type of reed. I’m sure she can sell whatever she makes to give them a little more income.”

Margaret immediately wanted go look at them. Teresa wanted to see her mother so she headed back to the ranch house on foot. Dave said he was going to search out tools and load the buckboard with them. The kids could ride in that and not have to walk up into the hills. They would be tired. It had been a busy day for them.

Teresa put meat, potatoes, flour, and a hank of bacon into the wagon. All would be working at salvaging the camps and would make a load for a bigger wagon as soon as they finished the salvage. They hitched two of the Bruce’ saddle horses to the buckboard. They would use a heavier team and wagon of Dave’s to bring the salvaged lumber down from the logging camp.

“Dave, what do you think of the men, now that you have been with them for awhile?”

“I think they are intelligent enough, just uneducated. What about women?”

“The same. They’re going to be right with the kids teaching them what I lay out. I suspect they will be the smartest kids in the school by the time the season ends. I think the mothers will retain much of it too.”

“How is Pa this morning?”

“Better, I think. I think we will carry his bed out to the porch this afternoon. He should enjoy that.”

“Okay. I’m going into town this afternoon and pick up some tools for the Bruce brothers for when they start cutting wood. I’m hoping I can catch Randy in town because I need to ask him something.”

“What?”

“It’s about the last cost increase to ship the cattle by rail.”

“The shippers are passing the cost onto us who raise the animals.”

“The farmers are in the same pickle. Maybe Randy can come up with something.”

“I’m sure Randy will find out if this is local or country wide. Hey, I think I’ll ride in with you. I’ll get the new children listed for the new school year with the school commission.”

“Good idea, I’ll enjoy the company. Let’s get Pa out onto the porch. I’ll round up the hand that is supposed to help me. If Ma wants him back inside before we return he and the cookie can do it.”

This was done and a half hour later we were riding for town. The buck board wasn’t available, so I took a pack horse with us. Dean was sitting in an overstuffed chair on the porch. Mable was sitting right by him singing a song.

Randy was just going across the street to the bank when he saw Teresa and Dave come down the street. They swung their animals in beside him. Randy noticed they had a pack animal with them. “Hi Dave and Teresa, How’s married life?”

I answered, “It’s the best, Randy. I came in to see if you were in town. I wanted to ask you about the latest raise on shipping cattle. It leaves no profit to ship cattle with the railroad any longer.”

“Hey, that’s a coincidence. I’m going in and talk to the bank about that. Simpson holds the paper on Stark who owns the railroad. You can come in with me. How is Dean?”

Teresa answered, “A little better. He calls me Reesa and everyone on the ranch is calling me that. Calling me Reesa was a first word we could recognize of him speaking, so we could understand him. His right side is getting so he can move his hand and arm and he can almost smile.”

“What do you mean, Dean never smiles?”

“He does if Reesa is with him. I’m almost jealous. She’s has him wrapped around her little finger. She’s a wonder, not just to me, but to everyone.”

“You two are a perfect couple.”

Reesa said to Dave, “I’m going to go hunt up the school commission about the six new students. I’ll be over to the diner getting some lunch.”

“I’ll see you there, Sweetheart.” Reesa turned and went across the street. Randy questioned Dave about where the new students were coming from. Randy was on the school board.

I explained to him that I had found a bunch of squatters on the ranch, holing up in the logging camp. There were eleven in all and six were school age. “Reesa needs wood to heat the school house this winter, so I took it on myself to charge them to cut four cord of wood in payment for the kids going to school. I’m giving the county the wood. Also my crew helped put up the schoolhouse. Will you back me on this, Randy?”

“Sure, sounds like a deal for the county. Teresa may make a little more by having more students, so you’ll get some back that way. That’ll be a long way for these kids to come from the logging camp to the ranch If they stayed up there in winter time.”

“Randy, they won’t be living there. I’m letting them have the forty acres to live on where they are right back of the new school. There’s wood there to cut. They’re hard up. Long term, I think I’ll come out ahead on this.”

“It sounds like something I would do. What are they going to do after they get the school wood cut?”

“They’re cutting my wood for the ranch when they finish with the other. After that I’m letting them cut and sell wood here in town. If you know of anyone that needs wood cut, and have woods, they could move onto the lot and cut it. That would save them from cutting wood and then looking to find a buyer.”

“Dave, I’ll ask around. Not many people like to cut wood. It is a lot of work. I remember that’s what Teresa’s family did to earn money.”