Chapter 6

It took another hour to get from the high knoll over to the far side of Fayetteville, but they were at the old trading post at last. Eli helped both women to the ground. They were about frozen from being on the trail most of five days. He tied their horses to the hitching rail and rapped on the solid wood door.

“ELI IS HERE,” he heard a scream and the door swung wide as Tin Yu, Catt and Eva ran out to him, nearly knocking him over backwards as they grabbed him in a hug, jumping up and down.

“Hold up a minute, girls. I have someone I want you to meet.

“Rose, you and Mary come over here,” he said and held out his hand for Mary and pulled his sister Rose close with his other hand.

Catt and Eva stepped back, grinning at the tall Cherokee girl. They both knew she was Eli’s sister, she favored him a lot. They looked at Mary and saw the way she looked at Eli and clung to his arm ... they knew she loved Eli, too.

“Mary, this is Catt, Eva, and Tin Yu. Girls, this is my wife Mary, and my sister Rose Elizabeth. They will be living with us down in Fort Smith. I bought a big boardinghouse down there, big enough for all of us,” Eli said as he looked around at the girls.

“We go live with Eli, and wife and sister?” Tin Yu asked as she ran to Rose and hugged her.

Rose grabbed her and they swung in a circle as they hugged and held each other. Tin Yu leaned back and then kisses Rose on her mouth. Rose kissed her and they hugged tighter. Tin Yu then went to Mary and hugged her.

Catt and Eva grinned at Rose as she smiled, holding her arms out to both of them. The three young Half-Breed Cherokee women hugged and held each other, talking some talk that Eli didn’t even understand.

Eli saw Juni Moon hanging back at the doorway and waved to her. She grinned and ran to him.

“Juni, meet my wife Mary, and my sister Rose. I want you, Catt, Eva, and Tin Yu to be packed by morning. We’re all moving down to Fort Smith. Duncan and I have bought a boardinghouse, and we’re all going to live together, like one big happy family.”

“You mean me and Duncan will live in the same house? And we’ll live with all of you too? We can see each other every day?” Juni was smiling, talking louder as she talked about going with the others and living with Duncan too.

“Juni Moon, I am Rose. I’m Eli’s sister and yes we will all live together and we’ll all cook and clean and we’ll all have a big time in our new home. Can we all go inside now? It’s cold out here.”

“Come with us, Rose, we will warm you and we will all sleep with you and Mary and Eli, like we do,” Catt said as she and Eva pulled her with them.

“Eli, look at Tin Yu. Tin Yu get more big titty now, can love Eli more,” she said as she ran ahead of them into the trading post.

“I see you, Tin Yu. You’ve been eating and growing up to be a big girl.”

“Pull your shirt off, Tin Yu, and show him your tits. Eli, Tin Yu has some fine tits now, just look,” Juni said as Tin Yu stripped naked.

“Tin Yu, I just love you,” Rose smiled as she hugged the tall thin Chinese girl.

“I think Tin Yu has grown big enough to love like a woman, don’t you Eli?” Mary asked as she reached out and held Tin Yu as she giggled and snuggled close to her.

“Eli, I got me some big tits too, see mine?” Juni said as she stripped her shirt off.

“You sure do, Juni. You and Tin Yu must have been eating a lot to grow up big like that,” Eli said as he looked Juni over.

“Little Duck made up some shit that tastes like honey and they put it on us and Little Duck said it was a big titty potion, it works too.”

“I’ll say it does,” Eli said as he looked at Juni and Tin Yu.

They were in Catt’s and Eva’s room. Rose and Mary were finally warm from being on the trail for nearly a week in the cold wind.

Mary went with Catt to the kitchen to prepare something to eat for all of them. Eli sat on the bed with Juni and Tin Yu right beside him, asking Eli all about the big house where they would all live soon.

“Eli, when we get to Fort Smith, Duncan will live there with us too, right?” Juni asked for reassurance of the fact they would all be together.

“Yes, Duncan is part owner of the house and you’ll live there with him. He’s getting it all ready for us now.”

“Then I’m happy.”

Catt came back and called all of them to come eat. They went into the small kitchen and sat at a wooden table, eating big bowls of stew they had warmed, drinking hot coffee. Mary sat on one side of Eli and Tin Yu on the other. Rose sat across from him with Catt and Eva on either side of her. Juni sat beside Mary as they all talked at once about living together and being happy.

“Where is Little Duck?” Eli asked, missing her now that all had settled down.

“She is with her man, Middleton. He is sick and Little Duck says he will die soon,” Catt told him.

“What will she do when her man is gone?” Rose asked Catt.

“She will stay and make buckskins to sell,” Eva said.

“Then we will come get her. She can make buckskins in Fort Smith and be with us. We are a big family now and we will all be together,” Rose said, looking across the table at Eli. They smiled as Catt and Eva grabbed her, hugging her from both sides.

Eli went out to care for the horses, making sure they were fed and stabled for the night. The air was colder and there was more snow flying.

They talked and laughed and planned until far into the night, then lay in bed and talked more, as they huddled close in the warm bed.

They were tired and sleepy and all slept soundly until Eli arose at dawn. All his women were out of bed when he dressed and stepped out to look once more at the cold wintry morning.

While they packed, dressed, and cooked breakfast and food for their trip south to Fort Smith, Eli rode to the stable to buy a covered wagon and a team of horses to load all the belongings of the six women onto. He took the packhorse and made a trade with the livery man for a team and a two seat wagon that was large enough to haul the womenfolk and all their goods to their new home. They ate before loading the wagon, leaving before noon.

Eli knew they’d be on the trail most of three days, traveling the 50 miles through the rough terrain. The trails were rugged, going up, down, and around the Boston Mountains along the western border of Arkansas.

They made camp that first night against the bluffs that blocked the cold north wind and built a big fire. The women again warmed the cooked food and they all ate their fill, before going to bed in the bedrolls that were laid out near the fire.

Eli slept next to Mary, on the side near the bluff. He wanted to be able to get up in a hurry if need be. He slept in his buckskins, his rifle and pistol at his head.

He was up before dawn, stoking the fire and boiling coffee to warm their bellies, as the others awoke and dressed. He had the team hitched and the horses saddled by the time they were all up and packed once more. They would be in Fort Smith before nightfall on the third day. The winter air was even more cold and threatening than the day before.

The clouds were low and there was a drizzle of freezing rain mixed with sleet as they pulled into Fort Smith late on the third day. This brought the women out from under the heavy blankets and tarpaulin, where they had huddled together in the wagon bed to try and keep warm and dry.

Fort Smith, Arkansas December 10, 1874

Eli turned his wagon up the hill and onto the frozen mud street where their house sat. He pointed to the lone, two story boardinghouse and told them they were home at last.

The dirt street was frozen and there were ice filled ruts nearly half a wheel deep as the horses plodded along. Eli was trying to get close to the house so they could unload next to the porch. He was within ten feet and knew this was as close as they could get.

Duncan walked out when he heard the racket of the wagon and horses in the frozen yard.

“DUNCAN,” Juni Moon screamed and jumped to the frozen yard, slipping and sliding on the icy ground as she made her way to the porch. She and Duncan hugged and she was crying.

Duncan took the boards up he had laid out for a walk, placing them in the frozen mud from the porch to the wagon.

“Duncan, I want you to meet my wife Mary and my sister Rose Elizabeth,” Eli said as he and Duncan stood on the porch together for the first time in nearly three weeks, and shook hands.

They began to unload their goods and belongings piling them on the porch for the women to carry into the house.

After the wagon was unloaded and the women were inside the house, Eli and Duncan took the horses out to the barn. When they had them fed and watered, they took a minute to talk.

“How have you been, Duncan?”

“It’s been sorta slow, Eli. Everyone’s waiting for the new judge and I’ve been waiting for you to bring the girls back. I never knew you were about to marry, but I’m glad you brought all your folks here to live.”

“I met the new judge in Kansas City. He’s going to make me and you full U.S. Marshals. He said he was sending a letter to Jefferson Whitehead to get that done soon.”

“Eli, you mean we’ll both be full U.S. Marshals and not deputies?”

“Yes, Judge Isaac Parker told me that while looking me directly in the eye. I have a favorable feeling about the man. He would not lie,” Eli said.

“I saw Mr. Whitehead yesterday when I rode over to the courthouse. He asked when you were coming back.”

“We’ll go see him tomorrow. I want him to live here in our boardinghouse. Judge Parker will be here in May, that’s still five months away.”

When they returned to the boardinghouse, Eli was proud of his sister Rose. She had taken charge of the place already, assigning rooms and sleeping arrangements to all of them. She had looked over all the rooms upstairs above the kitchen, and decided that Duncan and Juni Moon would sleep in one room. The other rooms were huge and already had two big beds.

The biggest room would be Eli and Mary’s room. Rose, Tin Yu, Eva and Catt would share the other bed in the same room.

They all were excited by the sleeping arrangements and began putting their meager belongings in their rooms.

Rose made house rules they would all follow, saying she herself would enforce the rules if necessary.

“There will be no bickering, no selfishness, no shirking of responsibilities, and each one will do the chores assigned them,” Rose told them.

Eli gave Rose and Mary two bags of the money from his saddlebags, so they could buy cloth to sew curtains and make new clothes for all of them.

Mary and Rose had long sleeping gowns of flannel. They wanted to sew flannel gowns for all the women in the household.

“Eli, Christmas is coming in a few weeks. In the church where I was schooled and lived with the pastor and his family, we erected a cedar tree and decorated it with ornaments and a star on top. We need to start a tradition of Christmas for our own family as we start a new life together. Will you and Duncan take Juni and me to the timber woods so we may select a tree?” Rose asked her brother.

“What size tree are you talking about and where would we erect such a tree in the house, Rose?”

“We want a tree as tall as you. We will erect the Christmas tree near the fireplace in the big room downstairs, so all our boarders may also see the tree and join in our celebration if they choose.”

“Then we’ll go tomorrow and find that tree. I want our family to be close in the same manner our ma and pa taught us. I am proud that you’ve taken charge of the household, Rose. You and Mary make a good team.”

“We’ll all make you a good father of our children, Eli. Tomorrow in the timber woods, you and I will walk away from Duncan and Juni Moon.”

Early the next morning Rose had shown Tin Yu, Catt, and Eva how to make bows and decorations with colored yarn before Duncan and Eli came to the front porch with the wagon. They helped the two women to the wagon seat, and with a wave to all the others, they headed west to find a tree for Christmas.

Juni Moon had told Rose what she intended to do with Duncan in the timber woods as soon as they were out of sight. Rose smiled and nodded, but never admitted she had the same intentions with her brother.

She walked upon a rise in the hillside, with a large rock on a bluff. Rose ran to the rock playfully, as if they were still youngsters back home in Missouri. Rose and Eli held each other out of the cold wind. With her skirts over her back and Eli behind her, they became warm again. She turned to hug her brother and thank him for fulfilling Little Deer’s wish for them.

Later they walked hand and hand to the wagon and took the handsaw back to the large cedar tree she had chosen. It was over nine foot tall and shaped nearly perfectly.

Duncan and Juni Moon came back to the wagon as Rose was helping Eli load the tree. Juni was brushing her skirts and he was lacing his buckskin breeches ... Both were smiling.

Back in Fort Smith, Eli made a turn on a muddy street and went into the center of town. He stopped the horses in front of the courthouse and went inside. He came back out shortly with Jefferson Whitehead in tow.

“Eli, I can’t just leave my position like this. I have a duty to perform,” he was protesting as they neared the wagon.

“Jefferson, I want you to meet my sister, Rose. I have told her a lot about you and she is eager to make your acquaintance.”

Jefferson Whitehead looked up to the wagon seat at the tall, beautiful young Cherokee woman and smiled.

Rose leaned over to extend a hand to pull him up the muddy spokes of the wagon wheel. Jefferson Whitehead was immediately smitten, as he looked into the deep valley of her huge, golden brown bosom.

“Jefferson, Eli told me you were very educated and had even studied law. I look forward to spending a lot of time with you, learning of your travels, your family and your plans for the future,” Rose said as she put her hands on top of his, as he rested them on his knees.

“Miss Rose, you are such a beautiful woman. I am in awe of your pure beauty and your mastery and perfect elocution of the English language,” he said as the two looked into the other’s eyes and smiled.

“Jefferson, I am smitten. I hope you will move into our boardinghouse so we may spend our evenings together. Are you married?” she asked and he was appalled at her boldness. Yet he was thrilled at her suggestion that they spend evenings together.

“No ... I’m not married. Are you, Miss Rose?”

“No ... Jefferson. Perhaps you will consider courting me, since we will be living under the same roof,” she stated plainly as she grinned at her brother.

“Eli, I may have spoken out of turn. Would you be offended if I were to court your beautiful sister, Rose?” he turned to ask Eli as they pulled away from the courthouse.

“Jefferson, you have been handpicked by me to court my sister. I must warn you, she is educated, headstrong, hot-blooded, and very adventurous. I hope you can use your charm on her so that she will be more of a lady in public,” Eli spoke and Jefferson smiled at him and Rose.

“Eli, does that mean I don’t have to be a lady when Jefferson and I are alone?” Rose asked, her dark eyes flashing, showing her mischief.

“When the two of you are alone, I trust you and Jefferson will each cast off the robes of a lady and gentleman and enjoy your time together,” Eli said, all but giving his blessings for them to do whatever they pleased.

“Jefferson, at which hotel are you staying?” Rose asked boldly.

“There, across the street. My dear Rose, are you suggesting I actually move to the boardinghouse this very day?”

“I am insisting we move you this very instant, Jefferson. Eli, pull the wagon up to the front door of the hotel. You and Duncan please help Jefferson bring his belongings down to this wagon. It’s cold, it’s snowing, and we need to be home shortly so we can erect our tree and start celebrating Christmas,” Rose told them.

Eli had never seen his sister this way. He had been afraid she would never accept this little man into her life as her friend. Not to mention as a possible suitor that may lead to companionship and marriage.

Rose had no idea what to expect when Eli had told her of Jefferson Whitehead.

When she saw him and saw his open, willing smile and the way he looked at her with lust and admiration, she wanted him. Rose was shaking, she was so excited. Eli had picked the perfect man for her. One she would always feel comfortable with, one she could love and not fear. When she looked at him, she didn’t see his stature, she saw the man in him.

When they had unloaded the tree and Jefferson’s belongings, Eli and Duncan took the wagon and team to the barn once more.

“Eli, this will be the best we could have planned. We’ll all be together and we’ll have plenty of rooms for boarders and for our family to grow,” Duncan said, as they both smiled.

Jefferson had seen Christmas trees before and he knew how to build a base to make the tree stand upright. He was busy with the tools on the back porch when Duncan and Eli walked in from the barn.

Eli smiled at his sister as she looked up from where she squatted, holding the boards as Jefferson sawed them.

She had once again loosened her bodice and the deep brown valley of her bosom was exposed.

She wore a big, happy smile as she bent forward, helping Jefferson build the base for the tree. She saw his eyes as he looked into her bosom and she smiled when he looked up. Seeing her smile, he smiled too and they worked faster together, getting the base built so they could go inside and warm once more.

The snow was blanketing the ground, coming down so heavy they could stand in the front room and not see the river bank across the Arkansas River that ran in front of the house.

They had a fire roaring in the huge fireplace and the big room was warm as they stood the tall tree in a corner near the front window. Catt, Eva, Mary and Rose, the tallest of the women, stood on the floor and tied decorations to the many limbs and branches. Tin Yu and Juni Moon stood in chairs as Eli and Duncan held them, to tie the decorations in the higher limbs and on the upper branches.

Rose and Jefferson were never more than an arm’s reach apart. There was a mutual attraction between the two that even Eli had not expected. When she turned to pick up more decorations, he was there to hand them to her, smiling as she smiled at him.

When she stepped back to admire the way the tree was being decorated, he stepped back also and commented on the decorations.

“Rose, back east where I grew up and went to school, we popped corn and strung it on long strands of sewing thread and draped it around the tree for decorations,” he told her and she grinned at him even more.

“I saw popping corn in the kitchen. Would you care to help me pop some?” she asked, taking his hand and pulling him with her to the kitchen without waiting for an answer.