Chapter 97

Eli had planned their trip himself and since he wanted them to stay a few days in Boones Crossing without being in a rush, he decided to take his dad’s advice and travel to Kansas City first then come back to Boones Crossing.

Though he and Isaac didn’t wear their guns, they did have their knives on their hips, with their guns packed in their traveling bags. Both were dressed in buckskins and their girls dressed in finery like the other women traveling on the train.

They ate one meal in the diner car, enjoying their time together, laughing and talking, though they still had thoughts of being apart from their brothers and sisters.

By the time they had finished their meal, they were nearing Vinita. They had already planned to get off and use the facilities at the station while the crew refilled the reservoirs on the steam engine.

As the passengers began to board the Pullman, the car was filled with even more travelers for the trip to Parsons, Kansas, and on to Kansas City, Missouri.

No one could help but notice the four very rowdy, very unruly young men toward the front of the passenger car. They were all about the same age and well dressed. Each of them wore a different style hat and their hats seemed to define the person wearing it.

The one who appeared to be the leader and instigator of the four, wore a small black derby with a narrow brim, cocked over to one side. He wore a black bow-tie to match his black hat and suit coat. The youngest wore a herringbone Ivy wool cap like most of the working-class men wear in the bigger cities. He wore no coat, but had red suspenders over his white shirt with a narrow, short red dress tie to match his suspenders. The shorter and stockier of the four, wore a dark grey, pinch-front fedora hat cocked to the side. The fourth young man wore a black, dome-top bowler with it cocked to the side in such a precarious manner, it looked as if it may fall off at any time.

Eli and Isaac exchanged looks, then looked again to see the young men giving the porter a hard time. Eli recognized the black porter; it was Sammy, the man he’d met on his first trip to Boones Crossing.

To Eli, Sammy looked much older, though it had only been four years since he’d seen him. He watched as Sammy made his way toward the back, stopping briefly next to each passenger to speak.

Before Sammy came to Eli, he recognized him. With a big smile on his face, he greeted Eli.

“Lawdy, Lawdy, Little Marshal, y’all are a full grown man now. Y’all goin’ back to Boones Crossing, I reckon?” Sammy greeted Eli as he stood beside his seat.

“Good to see you again, Sammy. Yep, we’re going to Kansas City first though, then on to Boones Crossing after that. How have you been?”

“Been well, Little Marshal, been really well. I reckon this is your brother, and now all y’all done got married already?”

“Yep, this is my brother, Isaac and these are our wives,” Eli told him, glancing over to see Kit smiling.

“Y’all have a good trip then. If you need anything a’tall, just yell out and I’ll be on over here.”

“We will, Sammy.

“We saw the four young men up front giving you a hard time. How far are they traveling?” Eli asked, looking toward the front of the passenger car to see the young men harassing two women passengers.

“They live in Kansas City and they on the way home. Pay no nevermind to them, they ride the train down to Vinita and back to Kansas City every week or so to see their mammies. They daddies all work for the railroad and they just a bit wild ‘cause they can get by with it, I reckon.”

“It sure looks like they’re being rude to those women sitting up there. If the women want to move back here, we can make room for them,” Kit told Sammy as she looked to the front again. One of the young men had taken a hat from one of the women and put it on his head, placing his own hat on her head. He was making his friends laugh at his antics as the woman tried to get her hat back.

“I reckon I better head on up there and put a stop to this already,” Sammy said and turned to go.

“Sammy, there’s going to be trouble with that bunch, you may need to get a conductor to come in and help you,” Eli told him.

“Yas’suh, Little Marshal Eli. I reckon I’d better do that right away too. They getting way too rowdy and out of control today,” Sammy said, then whirled to leave through the rear door.

The door opened behind them almost immediately and Sammy came through following a younger white man dressed in a dark blue conductor’s uniform and hat.

They watched as the conductor talked to the four young men. They couldn’t hear all of what was said, but they watched as the conductor pointed toward the rear of the passenger car, then stood aside as the four of them began to leave their seats.

They were laughing loudly, still making rude remarks about the conductor and the black porter when they came to where Eli, Isaac, Kit and Ruby sat.

“Looks like we got two fuckin’ heathen Injuns and their red-headed whores goin’ up to the big town today,” one of them spoke loudly as he looked directly at Isaac and grinned, elbowing Isaac’s hat off in his lap as he pretended to stumble.

He never saw the looping right fist that crushed his nose and busted his teeth, knocking him to his knees in the aisle between the seats.

As soon as Eli swung his fist, the young man nearest him pulled a knife. Isaac jumped to his feet and grabbed the young man’s arm. He twisted it behind his back, making him drop the knife. Isaac twisted the young man’s arm even more until he heard a bone snap in his elbow.

“You troublemakers leave this Pullman immediately! You’ll be arrested as soon as we arrive in Parsons. We’ve had enough of your bullying, and you’ve taken it too far this time!” The conductor yelled at them.

When the knife hit the floor next to Eli’s feet, he was quick to snatch it up.

“You bastards will pay for this! We were just having fun!” The youngest of the four young men leaned over to shout in Eli’s face.

The stocky built young man was sent to his knees with a left to his jaw by Eli as soon as he called them bastards. That was the end of the ruckus on the train to Kansas City.

When Sammy and the conductor cleared the passenger car of the troublemakers, the other passengers stood and clapped their hands as they looked back at Eli, Kit, Ruby, and Isaac.

“What kind of knife is that, Eli?” Kit asked as she looked at the long, keen blade on the slender knife he held in his hand.

“He had it in his pocket and it opened with a snap when he pulled it out. It looks like it has a button that makes the blade release,” he answered as he pushed the small button to close the blade. He then pressed the button again to make the blade fly open in an instant.

“I want one of those to carry in my handbag!” Kit said as she leaned over to look closer.

“Me too. We need to get all of us girls a knife like that to keep with us,” Ruby said as she leaned across from her seat to have a look.

Los Hotel de Cuervo-Wyandotte
Kansas City, Missouri
July 20, 1889

As soon as Eli and Isaac stepped off the train in Kansas City with their girls on their arms, they were met by two young men wearing uniforms with Los Hotel de Cuervo–Wyandotte, embroidered in gold thread on their jackets.

“Mr. Crow, we were sent here to meet you and your party. We’re proud to welcome you on your first visit here since the Crow family purchased The Wyandotte,” the man said as he and his assistant reached for their luggage bags.

“Thank you, Sir. We never expected such a welcome,” Eli responded, glancing at Kit when she and Ruby gasped at what was happening.

“If you’ll follow us, we have the hotel surrey waiting to carry you to your hotel. We hope you’ll enjoy your stay with us and if there’s anything at all we can do for you while you’re here, please let us know.”

“Can you believe they sent the hotel buggy to the train station to get us? How did they even know we were coming?” Kit whispered as she sat beside Eli in the buggy seat, facing Isaac and Ruby. Kit was clasping Eli’s hand tightly in hers as she looked at him, smiling.

“I sent them a telegraph message that we’d be here and to reserve us a big double room with two beds so we could stay together,” he told her and watched her smile even more.

“They knew who you were though,” Ruby said.

“They must have remembered how we were all dressed back when we stayed here a few years ago.”

“Eli, you look so much like your dad, that anyone would mistake you for him at first glance,” Isaac told him.

“He’s right, Eli. When you sent the telegraph message with Eli Crow on it, they must have thought it was Dad who sent it and that he was the one coming here,” Kit told him.

When they arrived at the hotel, the driver of the surrey rang his bell and two bellboys ran out to grab their bags.

Eli looked up to see the hotel manager walking toward him with his hand out. He was smiling and Eli knew then, they really did think he was Marshal Eli Crow.

“Marshal Crow, it sure is good to have you come stay with us again. This must be your brother, and your wives? Please let me escort you to your rooms. We have the Presidential Suite prepared for your visit,” the man said before Eli could tell him different.

“Thank you, Sir. But I have to tell you, I’m Eli Crow, Jr.”

“Good Lord in Heaven! You look just like your father! I would have never known the difference had you not told me. I just assumed by the telegraph message, that it would be Marshal Crow, the owner of the hotel...

“Makes no difference to us here at The Wyandotte, Mr. Crow. Father or son, we’re proud to have you here and we want to make your stay a memorable one.”

They followed the manager to the elevator as the bellboys took their bags up the service elevator. At the top floor, they stepped off the elevator to see their bags already in their suite when the manager opened the door.

“Mr. Crow, please let us know if you need any of our services. Would you like me to make dinner reservations for your party later?”

“Yes, please do, but give us about an hour to unpack and rest a bit,” Eli told him.

“My sister and I would like a hot iron sent up so we can press our dresses before we hang them. Could you do that for us?” Kit asked.

“Please, Ma’am, let me send a maid up to take your dresses and have them pressed. We have an excellent valet service and they will be at your disposal at any time, day or night.”

“Wow, thank you, Sir,” Kit said as she looked at Ruby and grinned.

Eli offered the manager a tip, but he refused.

“If you wish to tip our employees, please do so at your discretion. I assure you that your father and Jon David compensate me well.”

“Thank you again, Sir. We’re not used to traveling alone, and I’ve seen my dad tip before. He always told me to tip anyone who works in a public place and goes out of their way to help me,” Eli told him.

“Your father is an exceptional man, Mr. Crow. I can tell that he has taught you about public manners and courtesy to others. I still cannot get over how much you resemble him. I remember you and your brothers and sisters from your first visit. You surely can’t be over fifteen, can you?”

“No Sir. I’ll be fourteen in September. My brother Isaac and I have the same birthday.”

“I see, but you’re not twins, are you?”

“No,” Eli answered. The man left with a puzzled look as he stepped out and closed the door.

“I never knew places like this existed. Would you just look out that window at the big city below?” Ruby said as she and Kit stood looking through the glass.

“Step out here on the balcony, you’ll have a better view,” Eli told her and opened the door.

“I know what Sissy was talking about now, don’t you Kit?” Ruby said as they looked to see the two benches against the wall.

“I sure do and I knew as soon as she told us about her and Joe, that Eli and I would be out here at least one night while we’re here!”

“What did Sissy tell you?” Isaac asked. He already knew it had to be something wild and crazy that she’d told them, the way the two sisters were laughing.

“She told us that she and Joe did it out here on the balcony one night with the lights of the city shining on them,” Ruby told them.

“Uh, you mean right here?” Isaac asked, looking toward Eli to see him smiling.

“Yep. Naked too,” Ruby answered.

“Damn! What do you think about that, Eli?” Isaac asked as they grinned at each other.

“I wish it was dark already,” he answered and the four of them laughed.

“Eli Crow, I love you so much. I feel like a princess in the storybooks we learned to read from when we first came to Crow Ridge years ago,” Kit said as she hugged Eli, looking up at him.

Right there on the balcony, with her sister and Isaac standing close by, she kissed him as he held her tight. They kissed until they knew they needed to stop or go inside.

“Don’t ever change, Kit. I love my wild young red headed vixen and we have our whole lives ahead of us.”

“I love my wild red head too, Ruby. If you ever want me to get naked with you, just ask,” Isaac told her and Ruby nearly took him down as she kissed him and hugged him.

“Before we start getting naked out here, let’s go get something to eat. I’m getting hungry,” Eli told them.

“Me too. I want one of those big Kansas City steaks Dad keeps talking about,” Kit told him.