A Cry in the Wilderness
Copyright© 2025 by Megumi Kashuahara
Chapter 2
The mood around the breakfast table was subdued with Angus and Will doing most of the talking. When finished, the men headed for the bunkhouse to break the news to their ranch foreman Robert “Slim” Johnson, and ranch hand Samuel “Sam” Lewis. On the way to the bunkhouse, Angus told Tommy, a sixteen-year-old boy who did chores like watering horses, spreading hay and feed, cleaning stalls or whatever odd job needed doing, to go get Billy, another young lad who worked with Jimmy, and both come to the bunkhouse.
When Angus and Will entered the bunkhouse, Slim and Sam were sitting at the table finishing their coffee. They started to rise, but Angus motioned for them to remain seated. Slim greeted the two men, “Mornin’ Boss ... Shortie.”
Both Slim and Sam had worked for Angus for the past ten years. They had watched Will and Tessa grow from young sprouts. Besides, they loved those two kids like they were uncles. Will, being a tad over six foot tall, just snickered, and took it as a term of endearment between men; nothing more.
Angus and Will pulled up chairs and sat. Angus said he had some things to talk about, but they were waiting for Tommy and Billy to come in. They were chatting, making the usual small talk when the two boys showed up.
“Slim, Sam, boys, I got some news that’s probably gonna be as hard to hear as it is for me to say. I’m sure ya’ll know business ain’t doing so well this past year. Because of this and several other things, we have no control over, I’ve decided to sell the ranch and move West. Either to Fort Laramie, or all the way to Oregon. I haven’t decided yet or planned that far ahead. We’re hoping to start over with another horse ranch. I need to have things wrapped up here by February so we can start heading west the first week or so of March or April.
“Tommy, Billy, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid this might put you two boys out of a job. It just depends on if the new owner wants to keep you both on. I’d think he’d want you to stay. I’m pretty sure your folks ain’t gonna be lettin’ you two just pick up and head west with us. Besides, room on the wagons is mighty tight, not to mention the rations. I want to tell you now instead of surprising you in a few months with the news. Go on now and do your chores.”
Both boys were kind of surprised, but simply nodded and said, “Yes Sir,” and left.
Slim raised an eyebrow as he looked at Sam, then Angus, and asked. “Well, Boss, is this gonna be a private party or can we join the dance? I mean, we can wrangle horses out west as well as here. Right Sam?”
“Hell yeah. You know I’m in!”
Angus slapped the table, leaning back in his chair and broke out in a hearty laugh. He looked around the table and quipped, “Damn! You didn’t even give me a chance to ask you two! We’ve become family over the years, and I wouldn’t think of leaving without asking you fellas to go with us.”
Sam put his two cents in, asking. “So, Boss, what’s next? What you want us to do?”
Angus smiled, raised an eyebrow and said, “With you boys coming along, it opens up some possibilities. Let’s kick some ideas around, throw ‘em into a barrel and see what falls out.”
Will chimed in, “It just just hit me, but we could now take three wagons instead of two. We could hitch up four oxen to a wagon. We’d have one wagon pulled by a long-horned milking Red Durham bull and three cows, one wagon with the short-horned milking Devon bull and 3 cows, and the last wagon with 2 cows of each breed. I figure for horses, we’d take the Morgan stud, the Percheron stud and a couple of mares of each breed. How’s that sound?
“Smart choices, Son,” Angus replied as he was writing down the ideas.
Slim followed with, “Me and Sam met this trapper cutting through the north pasture yesterday. We stopped him, trying to figure out what he was up to. The fella said he was a trapper headed back to Pennsylvania with his winter take and he was ridin’ a beauty of a horse that looked like someone had taken some black, brown and white paint and painted him all different colors. He said it was a prairie Mustang. Bought him from a Pawnee Indian. They call that horse a Paint. His ‘zact words were that them Indians were ridin’ some mighty fine horse flesh.”
Sam added, “We were real surprised ‘cause we thought them Indians were an ornery, nasty bunch, but he said they are pretty willing to sell anything – even horses, some broke, some wild. What they like is pot and pans, metal tools like shovels, hoes and picks. Clothes, especially coats and stuff for winter. If that be the case, we wouldn’t need to wrangle a herd of horses, we could buy and breed ‘em. What you think, Boss?”
Angus was nodding his head with a smile as he took notes, liking what he was hearing. He set his pencil down, sat back and said, “All of this sounds good. But we have to find a way to see if this fella was telling the truth or spinning tales. Slim, tomorrow you two hold down the fort. Me and Will are gonna ride to Mansfield and talk to the smithy there. I heard he and a carpenter fella build those wagons called a Prairie Schooner. We’ll also sniff around about those Mustangs and Paints.
“If possible, I’m gonna buy a couple more Spencer rifles, maybe a pistol or two and ammo.”
Slim gave a firm nod in agreement. “Great idea, Boss.”
All heads nodded, and Angus added, “Will, you take a ride into town and find out if your girlfriend’s pa has any mail for me. I’m expecting a letter from those land brokers any day.”
“Yes Pa, will do.”
While the men were talking things over, Sarah and Tess cleaned up after breakfast, washed and dried the dishes, then sat down with pencil and paper. Sarah started the planning by saying, “Sweetie, we need to make a list of what we’re gonna need, what we’re gonna pack, and what we’re gonna give away or try and sell. Us women need to be the smart ones ‘cause the men folk only worry about the livestock and wagons. They don’t think about such things as a fork and plate to eat off of, or a blanket to sleep on. They worry about the things that will bring us an income to rebuild again and provide for us. We gotta think about how to care for the men folk we love. I’ve schooled you on what God says a real woman and wife is: we are nurturers and care givers.”
“Yes Ma, it just that this is all of a sudden, and it’s as if my life is tumbling down before it begins...”
“Look Child, you gotta start looking past your nose. When the Lord closes a door, He opens a window. When you start thinking about others, you’ll be surprised how much good comes back at you.”
“I hope you’re right, Ma...”
“Now, let’s start with the kitchen. I’d say we’re gonna need two Dutch ovens with handles. The cast iron fry pan and the spider [a cast iron fry pan with legs]. Remember we’ll be cooking over an open fire. A spit bar and legs, and a tripod and chain with a couple “S” hooks. A couple of pots with covers and the coffee pot. Some eating utensils, cooking spoons and spatulas ... What else?”
“Ma. We need plates, bowls and cups. Don’t you think they ought to be trail gear? You know, metal not like the China stuff so they don’t break.”
“Good girl, put down six of each.”
“Why?”
“I betcha Slim and Sam will be coming with us.”
“Uh ... right. Should have figured that.”
Susan sighed, put her pencil down and said, “That’s about it for the fixin’ and eating stuff. The last two weeks we’re here we’ll make up a couple of bags of hardtack and johnnycakes. By then we’ll know how much flour and staples we’ll need.”
The two women stood. Susan wiping her hands on her apron, turned and said, “Come on, Sweetie, let’s go start on the dry goods.”
They both headed for the stairs.
With Will on his way to town, and his two ranch hands saddling up to make the rounds, Angus made his way to the house. He could hear the women upstairs talking intermingled with a giggle.
Sarah heard the screen door slam and she yelled down the stairs, “Is that you, Angus?”
“Yeah, Sweetie, don’t mind me, I’m gonna check on a few things in storage.”
No answer.
Sarah knew exactly what he meant. “Storage” was a small secret room dug into one side of the root cellar with a removable panel in the wood supporting wall. He pulled the panel aside and lit the kerosene lantern for light.
The small four foot by seven foot room had two stacked crates he used for a table and two five-hundred-pound safes. These two safes contained the McLaughlin life savings amounting to a true fortune.
Opening the safes, inside each were stacked bags of gold and silver coins. Paper money issued by different scattered banks was considered worthless for normal “hard cash” transactions.
The one safe had their life savings to date of $96,000. Each double eagle $20 gold coin weighed 1 ounce. Each bag held $10,000 or 500 coins weighing a hair over thirty-one pounds.
The other safe held approximately $5,000. There was an opened bag of $20 gold double eagles, and bags of smaller denominations of silver coins used for personal and ranch expenses.
He wanted to buy in Mansfield, eighteen miles northwest, what was not available in Butler, hoping to avoid long delivery times on any orders.
After counting the bags and denominations in each safe, Angus checked his book ledgers to verify the count. He was glad they were now taking three wagons. He planned on buying another safe and distributing the safe weights equally between the wagons.
He had made inquiries and learned that each wagon was going to cost about $900 to $1,500. He was hoping to haggle a discount for buying three on a rushed schedule. He figured on giving the smithy half down and half on delivery. But just in case he demanded full payment, he counted out 200 double eagles into a bag. In a second bag, he counted out another 100 to buy or put a deposit on the delivery of 4 Spencer rifles, two Colt pocket revolvers for the ladies. All five men had Remington .44 caliber cap and ball pistols. He’d need to buy enough ammo for the trip and all the weapons.
Angus was definitely going to upgrade all the men’s rifles from the Springfield flintlock to the just introduced .50 caliber Spencer carbines. All four men had Remington 1851.44 cal. Percussion cap and ball pistols. He was hoping there would be a new cartridge pistol he could get all the men for faster reloading in times of a fire fight
After throwing in another $140 for whatever Sarah’s needs were, he hoped to get as much as possible to avoid the fewest number of eighteen-mile treks to Mansfield.
He closed up the bags and books. Put the spending money in a locked box, then locked the safes and put the panel back in place and closed the root cellar.
When he went back into the house, the women were fixing dinner. Angus sat at the table where Sarah was rolling dough for biscuits. She saw him looking at her list and said, “Notice there that I need three steamer-sized trunks for bedding, clothes and some valuables.”
He nodded and gave a “Hmm” as he perused the list she and Tess had started, gave it the once over and said a little surprised, “You put down six plates and cups! How’d you know Slim and Sam were coming?”
Shaking her head as she tsked, “You silly man! I’ve been cooking and nursing you four men for over ten years. Wherever you are, them two are like your shadow.”
Everyone was up at the crack of dawn. Slim hitched up the wagon for the trip to Mansfield. Miss Sarah would feed the crew after they had left.
Being the last couple of days of October, there was a little bite of cold in the early morning. Both Angus and Will donned the money belts full of gold coins. They strapped their sidearms on with their dusters on over top. Angus had Slim load a nondescript wooden lidded crate under the wagon seat. Once loaded up, they headed out going northwest to Mansfield, eighteen miles away.
Angus and Will talked of the move. Will said that he’d seen the drop in business as early as last year. He asked, “Why wait so long to decide? Why lose so much money, Pa?”
“Son, your ma and me started the Lazy Susan with a set of Percherons and twenty acres. We lived in a tent for two years and bought land and a couple more mares. That ranch is the sum total of our lives. Those first eight years were brutal. Then the Lord opened up the storeroom of Heaven and blessed us beyond measure.
“Hell, Son, I’d have never thought about being a rich man. All I ever wanted was to raise a family and not be wantin’ or beholdin’ to anyone. Do you think it was easy for your ma and me to choose to leave this haven of security?”
Nodding, Will replied, “I get it now, Pa. Even though I think I got some smarts, I still haven’t weathered enough life to be as wise as you. I have to admit I feel kinda guilty for taken our blessings for granted.”
Angus chuckled, “So have I, Son. So have I.”
They traveled in silence for a while, then Angus asked, “Are you thinking about asking Ezra Robbins for Mary Ellen’s hand?”
“Thinking real hard. I was gonna ask you and Ma if you’s approve and if so, when should I go see Mister and Misses Robbins to ask for Mary Ellen’s hand.”
“Well, I can speak for your Ma, Son. She thinks the world of her and has said more than once that she’d make a lovely daughter-in-law. Now I don’t wantcha ta think I’m overlooking the obvious, but are you two in love?”
“I think so...”
Angus thought he’d shut up and let the boy chew awhile on that.
They talked about buying the guns, and Will was really looking forward to getting his hands on one of the Spencer carbines. They arrived in Mansfield about 8:30 that night and checked into the hotel, where they each snuck a bag of coins into the room.
Angus and Will rose about seven a.m. and went downstairs to the dining room where they each ate eggs, fried potatoes and grits with coffee. From there, they checked out of the hotel, hitched the wagon at the livery and located the smithy.
Jedidiah Boone was a burly man with a close cropped beard streaked with grey. He was as amiable as he was big. After the pleasantries were addressed, Angus asked him. “Me and my son own the Lazy Susan ranch in Butler. I heard tell that you build those prairie schooner wagons, do you?”
“Yes Sir, me and my brother, Henry, who is a carpenter, we got a schooner business. You interested?”
“Sure am, Jeb! What’s it cost for one?”
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