Chapter 7

Riding back toward the trading post in silence, each to their own thoughts, the father and son rode side by side. Stopping the horses to relieve themselves, Raif glanced over at his young son and saw a man.

‘How can a young child grow so fast into a man?’ he thought.

‘Not only has he grown up, his ‘tool’ has grown into a weapon.’

“Sky, I think this is where you and I need to have a talk about the other responsibilities of becoming a man. You’ve grown up right before my eyes and I’ve always looked at you as my child. Now I look at you and see a man.

“Remember back when we would walk out behind the post and empty our bladders, you would be whipping your ‘tool’ around and spraying pee everywhere?”

“Yes dad, I remember you telling me then that it was not a toy, that it was a man’s tool and that one day you would tell me about the uses of my tool,” Sky said as he smiled.

“Well, the time has come. You have the physical presence of a man and I see that your ‘tool’ has grown into manhood as well.

“I’m sure you’ve experienced many changes and feelings in your body and I apologize for not telling you sooner. There are times when a young man has thoughts and feelings of things other than horses, bows, arrows, and guns. There is nothing wrong with having those feelings. It’s part of nature for the male of the species to feel this way.

“I’m sure you’ve had many mornings that you’ve awakened with your ‘tool’ rigid and swollen, and that too is natural for a young man. I’m sure you’ve started to notice the shapes and sizes of women and girls you meet also. This too is natural and the older you get, the more you will notice and compare.

“I know you’ve seen horses and dogs as well as other animals mate to carry on their species. Well man has the same responsibilities as do all animals.”

“God gave man the same powers as the animals, but he added the power of pleasure as a gift to man. Man not only mates with the woman to procreate, but also for pleasure. This pleasure is very moving and deeply satisfying when done for the pleasure of both the man and the woman.

“Do you understand what I’m trying to explain to you, I am afraid this is hard to explain without being rude and profane about something meant to be beautiful between a man and woman.”

“I think I know dad, I’ve seen the animals mate and knew that man must also do the same. Yes I’ve had thoughts of how it happens and thoughts of wonder and excitement as I see mental pictures of my thoughts.”

“Well Sky, I know one day soon, you’ll experience your first contact with a young woman.

“I want you to remember that you are sharing your body with another human, and they must be willing to share also. Never force nor threaten a woman to share her body with you.”

“We in this so called civilized world of today like to think we ‘make love’ when we mate. When you and a woman come together willingly, think of her pleasure. A woman likes to be wooed and caressed. She has many more pleasure places on her body than you and I. Find them and you’ll find her heart.

“Explore a woman’s body as you would a new territory, take time to look at her, feel her, listen to her. A woman likes to be touched with tenderness, so try as best you can to keep your feelings of urgency at bay, as you touch and discover her secret places of womanhood. She will let you know when she wants more and wants you to enter her body with your ‘tool’. Be gentle with your love making and you will never want for attention among women.

“I know the feelings and emotions of young men, I was young and full of fire once too. I know there will be many times that you’ll want relief even though you have no woman of your own. Just remember that no matter who you’re with, they deserve to have the same pleasures you do. It’s up to you to provide those pleasures to the woman you’re with. She’s not there only as an instrument for your relief.”

“Dad, how will I know when a woman has those feelings for me, and how will I know she’s willing to act on those feelings?”

“Sky that’s not a question I can answer, every woman is different and every woman has different ideas of how she wants to share her body. If I had to tell you one thing, I would tell you to go slow. Sometimes the fastest way to reach the top of a mountain is to climb slow.

“Don’t be afraid to hold hands with a woman you have feeling for, don’t be afraid to tell her how much you like her looks. Don’t be afraid to let her see you looking at her and not just sneaking peeks”.

“Dad you sure know a lot about women don’t you?”

“No Sky, but I know a lot about your mother and she has been the best friend, teacher, wife, mate and lover I could have ever wanted.”

“I can see that when I see the two of you together Dad, and I am proud to be called son by the two of you. Thanks again for this day and for telling me about being a man. I’m excited about my future and about knowing how to not only look at a woman but how to respect her.”

“Sky, you will be a legend among women as well as men, I have no doubt,” Raif and his son both laughed at this.

Raif and Sky returned to the post in mid afternoon to see a trader’s wagon in the yard with the tarps rolled up on the sides. Beth was out inspecting the goods as the two rode up.

“Raif, this man has some really good pots and pans that we are in need of as well as many bolts of material we can cut and sell from the roll.”

Sky was looking through the goods in the wagon and saw many hats of all shapes and sizes.

“Sir did you make these hats?” Sky asked.

“Why yes young man, I did. I was an apprentice hatter in Denver for four years and have made hats for many of the elite in Denver as well as Kansas City.”

“Dad, I would like a hat I think,” Sky said as he looked the hats over with interest.

“Sky, pick out your favorite and we’ll include it in our purchases.”

“Did you just call this young man Sky? Is this the Sky of legend that was born of the eagles and delivered to earth to a barren woman of the plains? I was in Kansas City when I heard the story. I even bought the book written by Millard Freeman. I closed my shop there, bought this wagon and came here to meet your son. You have no idea of how your story has spread do you?”

“Yes Sir, this is Sky, he has yet to accept his fame and is still unaware of his legendary status. He has never been away from his home place for more than a day and only has contact with the rest of the world as folks like you come here. We know his story has spread, we have had visitors from all over this land and from foreign countries as well, still we try to live a simple life.”

“Please Mr. Raif, let me have the honor of making a hat for your son, I have all my molds and tools in my wagon and I could make one that would be a worthy tribute to such a fine young man as Sky. I have come all this way to meet him in person.”

“What would such a special hat cost for you to build for our son.”

“Sir, I would be honored if you let me construct this hat with my best beaver fur felt and present it as a gift to your son.”

“Then the deal is done Mr., I’m sorry I don’t even know your name.”

“Richards Sir, Matthew Richards, Hatter of Renown, at your service. I thank you for this opportunity and hope you will allow me to put my brand in your sons’ hat. I’m sure that as soon as word gets out that I am his personal hatter, I will have many orders for a hat like the Eagle Boy wears.”

“I will leave the hat making to you, I hope you will have patience, as Sky is very particular in his choices of personal items”

“Whatever he wants I will make for him, no matter the design.”

Matthew Richards began to whistle as he moved his hat making materials and tools to the back of the loaded wagon.

Sky watched from the ground as he stacked different colors of felt and different boxes of molds to the back.

“Sky what would be your color of choice, I have pure bleached white felt which would look good, but take a lot of care to keep it nice and clean. I have some light tan fur that would look good on you with your buckskin breeches and moccasins. I also have some of the finest black beaver fur felt there is to be had in today’s markets.”

“I think I would like a hat made of the black beaver fur, now I would like to see the molds. I am curious as to how a flat piece of felt made from beaver fur can be shaped into a hat.”

“Then come take a closer look at these molds and we’ll try as best we can to make a hat that will be fitting for your image.”

“This mold is one that makes a wide brimmed hat that would be shaped into an army officer’s campaign hat.

“This next one I use for most of the hats in Kansas City and Denver. This one over here is one that I’ve never used, no one wants a hat with a flat crown and it was a waste of my money to purchase it.”

“Wait, I want to see that one, how would I know what a hat made from this mold would look?”

“Here I’ll show you a drawing of the hat,” Mr. Richards said as he opened the wooden box containing the mold and held a small piece of paper with a flat top hat drawn on it.

“I like that one and I’d like it to have a wide brim to shade the sun from my eyes.”

“I think I know what you have in mind Sky, we’ll take this mold and this felt inside, we’ll need some very hot water in my steamer so I can shape the hat while we press it into the mold.”

Sky picked up the box and the wide piece of beaver fur and walked in the post as Mr. Richards grabbed his other tools and followed.

Sky was busy building a fire to heat the water as Mr. Richards was busy readying his steamer and his other tools. He filled the steamer half full of water and placed it on the stove, then he opened a flat wooden box with many shapes and sizes of knives with razor sharp blades.

Mr. Richards lay the large piece of beaver fur on one of the trading tables, then lay out the selections of trimming tools to one side.

As he worked he whistled a little short tune over and over.

The steaming pot was whistling, steam shot forth in a long plume as it was forced out by pressure.

Placing the black beaver fur over the egg shaped ring and aligning it just right, Mr. Richards placed another ring on top of the beaver fur.

Then picking up the steamer he pointed the steam spout close to the beaver felt and pressed down on the upper ring. Soon the steamer was cooling and he set it back to reheat. The fur had begun to show some shape now, and the steam was spewing again from the pot.

Taking the pot once more he waved it back and forth, still pressing the top ring down. In doing so the beaver fur was pressed downwards between the two rings shaping the top of the hat into an egg shaped flat crown.

The steam pot had to be reheated many times, but the black felt grew into a hat. The edges were still to be cut, but the hat was rising out of what had been just a flat piece of felt material.

Mr. Richards took another, smaller egg shaped ring with a rounded beveled edge on one side and placed over the top of the hat, then he steamed again as he pressed once more on this ring. Leaving this ring in place, Mr. Richards prepared to trim the edges of the brim.

The whole time he worked with his hands and his tools to make and shape the hat, he whistled the same tune, over and over.

Mr. Richards took a slender stick with a two inch ell on one end and notches along the length. Placing the ell into the inside of the hat he told Sky to hold the material with the hat crown just off the edge of the table and hold it steady, turning it as he told him. Mr. Richards placed a sharp knife with a hooked beak blade, in one of the notches on the outer edge of the material. Quickly he ran the sharp blade around the perimeter while using the ell end as a guide inside the hat. “turn” he said as he cut another part then, “turn” as he cut the remainder of the circle in a smooth round shape of a brim.

“Here Sky, try it on,” Mr. Richards said with a smile.

Sky picked the big hat up and slid it over his head. It fell to his ears.

“I think it may be just a bit large Sir,” Sky said with a smile.

“Not to worry young man, we’ll take care of that in short order.”

Pulling a roll of thin smooth, tanned leather as wide as a belt from his tool container, Mr. Richards placed the end inside the hat and held it as he smoothed the leather around to meet the other end. Holding his finger as a mark, he pulled the roll out and sliced the strip off cleanly.

He then opened a wooden box with small metal stems, all lined up inside in double rows. Sky looked to see the numbers from one to ten and the complete alphabet under the many small tool stems. The tools had capital and small letters as well.

Mr. Richards picked one up and showed it to him, there was a capital letter ‘S’ raised on the end. Mr. Richards took a small scrap of leather and laid it on the table then held the tool with the letter against it, then he tapped the top with a small wooden mallet.

When he lifted the tool there was a ‘S’ stamped into the leather.

Sky watched as Mr. Richards took random tools out and lay in order on the table. He took the smooth leather inner band and laid it out straight. He proceeded to pick up the small tools one by one and tap them into the leather.

When he finished, he held it up for Sky to read:

Sky, Eagle Boy of the Dakotas.

He took a needle and heavy thread and sewed the leather into the felt hat just at the crease where the brim flattened from the crown.

Once he had the leather strip sewn in place he rolled the strip up into the hat, making a smooth inner band, covering his stitches, with the stamped brand showing when he looked inside the hat.

“Now Sky, we’ll need to come up with an idea for an outer hat band that will be special to you.”

Sky took a piece of black belt leather about an inch wide and held it up to Mr. Richards.

“Yes this will do but I think we will need something extra to make it even more identifying to you.”

Looking around the room of the post Mr. Richards spotted a black belt with small silver conchos spaced around it.

“There it is,” he said loudly as he pointed at the belt.

Sky handed him the belt and watched as he had the conchos off and fastened to the leather hat band. Fastening the ends of the new hatband with some heavy stitches from the inside the hat, he took a small braided leather strap and ran it through the holes he had punched on either side of the hat.

“Now Sky, allow me to fit your hat on your head, then you look in the glass on the wall.”

Mr. Richards placed the hat on his head, then pulled the braided strap down tight and tied the ends below his chin. He cut off the excess so the strap would lay against his neck with the hat on.

Mr. Richards placed the black hat low on Sky’s brow and leveled the hat on his head.

“Take a look at the new Sky.”

Sky walked to the square mirror glass on the wall, stepping back as he looked at the image in front of him.

“Mom dad, would you come and see my new hat Mr. Richards just made.”

Raif and Beth walked in the store room from the back and both stood wide eyed and wide mouthed as they stared at their son.

He stood with his long black hair spread across his shoulders and down his back. His wide brimmed, flat crown black hat with silver conchos, pulled low on his brow.

They both just stood and stared. Then they looked at each other and back at Sky.

“Sky I think you have the exact hat you need to present your image to the world,” Beth told him, and Raif nodded his agreement as he continued to stare at his tall son in a different way. His son was a man.

“Mr. Richards, you’ve done an excellent job as a hatter, and we wish to pay you for such a fine job as this,” Raif said.

“No Sir Mr. Crenshaw, we had an agreement, and I want to make another hat, identical this one to keep stored for later.”

Sky shook Mr. Richards hand and thanked him, then went out to tend his horses as his dad and the peddler/hatter made their deal for the goods they’d bought for the post. He could hear Mr. Richards as he whistled his short tune over and over.

Sky walked up to his horses as they raised their heads with their ears perked up straight, stepping back a step before they smelled their master.

Sky was up and gone at daybreak, riding south on the trail that led to the home of the General.

As he rode into the yard he saw the General sitting on a small wooden keg near the door of the barn, smoking his pipe in the morning sun.

“Good morning Sir.”

“Good morning to you Sky, what brings you out so early today?”

“Just wanted to see you Sir and sit with you a spell if you have no objection.”

“No Sky, I enjoy your company and your conversations. Did you and your dad have a good day yesterday?”

“Yes Sir, I learned a lot in one day about being a man and the responsibilities required to be a man of honor.”

“Your dad is a special person, my niece is very fortunate to have met him all those years ago.”

“Sir, dad was telling me that one of your men was an expert in self defense.”

“Why yes Sky, are you in some kind of trouble that you need to fight someone?”

“No Sir I know of no one that I would need to fight, but dad told me that fighting was a way of life for some men and for others it was a way to survive. I want to know of these skills before that day comes for me.”

“I see Sky. I’ll ask Cap if he’ll teach you how to defend yourself, but I would hope that you’ll never use the skills he teaches you to do harm to another man in anger.”