Chapter 1

From Montgomery Alabama to near the Florida State Line there is about half of the state of Alabama.

The area is mostly timber and pulp wood country but there are a lot of large cattle ranches. Many consist of thousands of acres of range land. Alabama is one of the larger cattle producing states.

In 1910 Captain Robert Davis had bought twenty four thousand acres of low flat land near Jackson Alabama for ten cents an acre. Over half of the land was swamp. The year he purchased the land he began at the edge of the river draining his property.

Captain Andrew Davis had fought in the Spanish American War in Cuba. He was born and raised in Mobile Alabama. After he returned home from the war he wanted nothing more than a tranquil life in the country. Captain Davis did not want to build a lot of fences to hold cattle. That was costly and then had to be maintained. He had observed that cattle liked to immerse most of their bodies in water during the hot part of the day but did not like to swim. He decided to run a canal around the perimeter of his land to drain it.

He was paying the cost of the two dredges by the sale of the Cypress timber that could be cut and floated out by way of the canals.

By the beginning of World War One nearly all of the land was dry enough to grow grass.

About 1912 Captain Davis began buying cattle, he wanted big cows, most of what went through the sale barns were small. The average weight of most full grown cows was around 650 pounds in those days. Davis wanted his cattle to weigh close to 1000 pounds. Cattle were mostly dairy breeds, small frame Jerseys and Gurnseys.

In 1920 Captain Davis went to Nashville to an all breed bull sale. The cattle markets were depressed, He bought a dozen bulls for thirty dollars or less each. His best way to get them to his ranch was by rail. When he talked to the freight agent he was going to have to pay for a locomotive for a special trip or take the chance that his cattle would be three or four possibly up to ten days in a box car. The agent said that the price would be the same if there were eight cars instead of one. Captain Davis had the stock yard hold his bulls for two more weeks until he had bought nearly two hundred big cows.

Davis Cattle Company was developing a larger herd each year. Only the best prospects of the heifers were kept. The ranch was large enough to pasture between four and five thousand head of cattle.

In 1927 Captain Davis died, he had four thousand head of cattle on the ranch. All were large and heavy breeds. A cow that missed having a calf each year was not kept. Captain Davis left the ranch to his son.

Paul Davis kept improving the business. He made it survive the depression of 1929.

World War 11 ended and an era of prosperity dawned. Paul Davis lived to see a good market for Davis Cattle Company. Feed lots out west were bidding for the high quality steers and heifers. Before Paul Davis passed away he was taking fixed price contracts a year in advance.

Payton Davis took over the management of Davis Cattle Company in 1952. He served as manager until 1973 when health reasons forced his retirement.

In 1973 Robert Davis sold his Automobile Dealership in Mobile and became Ranch Manager. His father helped him a lot for the three years before he died.

Robert had heard of the Charolais breed of cattle being imported from France. He bought ten bulls, put their calves in a test lot after birth, kept daily records until time to sell. They out performed any calves in the herd.

For the next twenty seven years the herd was gradually replaced by pure bred registered Charolais cattle.

Robert passed away in his sleep of a massive cerebral hemorrhage in January of 2000.

Each Owner had made large improvements to the ranch, in the year 2000 it was the most efficient cattle production unit in the world.

When Robert Evan Davis passed away his son Dr. Robert Davis Jr. resigned his position as a professor at Auburn University and took over as manager. He was twenty six years old. Dr. Davis was head of the A.I. lab and had written several papers on artificial insemination.

Dr. Bob as he was called made a few changes. He had a more modern building built than he had used at Auburn for the collecting of semen and storage. It was set up as housing for fine bulls and had a complete lab. Bob planned to buy the finest bulls in the country. He was going to use semen from them to artificially inseminate the whole four thousand head on the ranch.

Dr. Robert Davis was nearly seven feet tall and had an athletic body, he was considered handsome by the ladies. He was single and still looking for the perfect woman to wed.

Robert flew out to Kansas City to a large Charolais bull sale in April 2001. He intended to buy two of the top rated bulls in the sale. Phill Burgin one of the head foremen on the ranch left driving a diesel four door one ton truck with a small cattle trailer behind. Robert was going early to inspect the cattle. He would be riding back with Phill helping to drive.

Robert bought the two top rated bulls in the sale. They loaded them early the next morning and started back to the ranch.

Bob was driving when they got to Grove Hill just north and fifteen miles away from Jackson Alabama. Bob said "I am going to pull off at the beer joint up ahead, we could use a beer and a bite to eat, I just want to hit the sack when we get home." Phill Burgin said "Sounds good to me." It was near ten thirty and the place was busy.

Bob and Phill entered and saw that the place was crowded. It was a Saturday night. There were several empty stools at the bar so Bob headed through the crowded tables toward it. Phill spoke to someone he knew and was a good distance behind Bob. There was a real beauty waiting a table, Bob was past her when a drunk reached across the narrow aisle and pinched her on her ass. She yelped and slammed the beer in her hand down on the table. She whirled and seeing Bob heading for the bar she shouted "You bastard that hurt." Bob turned just in time to duck under a slap. She missed him but sent his two hundred dollar Stetson flying to the floor. The girl tried again, Bob's hand moved like a blur and caught her wrist. Phill was there by then and said "Miss he ain't the one that pinched you." The girl asked "He's not?" Phill said "No he is not, it was the guy sitting here" and pointed at the drunk at the table.

The girl said "I guess it doesn't really matter any way, this is my first and last night at this joint." Bob let her go and picked up his hat. Phill and Bob found stools at the bar.

They were sipping their beers and had ordered cheese burgers when the girl mounted a stool beside Bob. She said "Cow boys huh?" Bob said "I guess you might say that mam."

The girl looked at Bob and saw a pair of shined black boots, a flair bottomed pair of western trousers and a western cut coat in a discrete buff tan color. He was wearing a silk western shirt in darker brown with a string tie in black. As tall as he was she realized it was probably a tailor made suit. The other guy was wearing a western suit as well. The girl asked where they were from. Bob said "About twenty miles from here mam." The girl said she was from Mobile and her car had given out a mile back toward Mobile. She said "I was heading toward Montgomery in hopes of finding a job in computers." She said she had graduated from The University Of South Alabama in that.

The girl was dressed in white shorts and a white blouse. She was wearing white sox and Nikes.

Bob asked what she was doing in a joint like this then. The girl said she was flat broke and when her car engine had thrown a rod she had walked to this place and seen a 'Help wanted' sign. She said she had applied for a job as a waitress. She said she had just quit.

Phill asked what she was going to do now.

The girl said "I don't know, I guess sleep in my car and figure what to do tomorrow."

Bob asked if she was hungry. The girl said she had not eaten since breakfast. Bob ordered her a cheese burger and a beer.

Phill introduced him self and Dr. Robert Davis. The girl said "I am Cameroon McDaniel, Cammy for short." Bob said "I hate to see a pretty little lady like you in trouble." The girl stood up, grinned, and said "I am six feet one inch tall, how big do the women grow where you are from mister?" Bob smiled and said "Not that tall mostly mam." Their sandwiches were served and gobbled down. Bob paid the bill and swallowed the last of his beer.

As he got up he offered to drop Cammy off at her car. Cammy thanked him and said it would be nice to get out of the noise of this place. In the parking lot they headed toward a white four door diesel truck with a matching livestock trailer. As they got near a crashing noise was heard. Cammy asked what was in the trailer. Phill said "Two bulls that are tired of riding and want out, they have been in that thing for sixteen hours."

Less than a mile away the girl said "That's my car just ahead on the left, I thank you for the lift." The car was a fifteen year old wreck.

Bob said "I hate to leave you alone out here, I can offer you a 'bunk' at the ranch for the night if you like. You can have privacy and a locked door to your bed room and bath." The girl took him up immediately.

At her car she asked if the five cardboard boxes of her things could go with her. She said that she did not have much but every thing she owned was in them. When the boxes were in the back seat Bob drove off.

Later Bob stopped at ornate gates and spoke to the armed guard as he opened them. Bob watched the girls eyes as she read Davis Cattle Company on them. The guard asked "Have a good trip boss?" Bob replied "A very good one Larry, we now own the national grand champion Charolaise bull and the second runner up." Bob asked Larry to call Perry and Jess and ask them if they could give a hand unloading at the lab. Bob drove through the gates and backed up to a large building. After Phill activated a overhead door Bob backed to the dock. Perry and Jess were there. Bob said "Watch them, they want off that trailer bad." Jess said "They going to be alright once they get something solid under their feet Mr. Davis."

Bob said "Get them in a stall with water and feed, Jess, take good care of these babies I paid nearly a quarter of a million for them." Jess and Perry unlatched the rear gates to the trailer and got behind them. Two huge bulls jumped out like rabbits and sniffed around. Jess told Bob he was going to put the new babies to bed. Bob said "Good idea for all of us Jess."

Phill told Bob and Cammy good night and walked away toward some houses. Bob drove the truck and trailer to a long one story building, a sign in front read Ranch Office. He drove around to the side and said "We are where you can get a night's sleep mam, we will unload your things from the truck to your room." Bob took her inside and down a short hall, unlocked a door and into a plush bed room. He told her the bath was through a door. Bob told Cammy that his rooms were across the hall if she needed anything.

After bringing in Cammy's boxes and Bob's suit case Bob said "Good night mam." Cammy took a shower and fell into bed.

At six am Cammy was wakened by knocks on her door. Cammy put on her robe and found a tiny lady in the hall. The lady said "Mr. Davis asked me to invite you to have breakfast with him mam." Cammy said "I just woke up and I will need a few minutes to get dressed, could you tell me where I should go then. The lady said "Across the hall you will be in Mr. Davis's apartment, turn to the right then follow the hallway to the kitchen."

Cammy was dressed in jeans and a western shirt with her hair fixed in five minutes. She opened the door to Bob's apartment and gazed around. A big room was dominated by a dark red brick fire place. Glancing around she got the feeling that everything fit, it was a comfortable place to be. As she passed down the hall she could look inside a large bedroom and see a larger than king size bed and a sitting area. Cammy wondered what was behind the other closed doors in the hall. In the kitchen dining room Bob lowered the news paper and said "Good morning Miss McDaniel I hope you slept well." Cammy said "I did, and I thank you for taking me in last night." A girl just barely taller than Bob when sitting down poured him some more coffee. She asked "What can I serve you mam, we have several different kind of juices and of course coffee."

Cammy chose coffee.

Bob asked if she was hungry.

Cammy admitted that she was.

Bob said "I usually have my eggs over light and bacon, grits and toast but Daybreak can fix anything you like." Cammy asked if Daybreak was her name. Bob said "Sure is, she is a full bloodied Choctaw Indian from the branch of the nation located around here."

Cammy asked for a breakfast like Bob's.

Daybreak had it before them in minutes.

Cammy said "I did not know I was ordering three eggs and ten pieces of bacon and this much grits. I may not eat it all." Bob said "No problem, Hunting Buddy over there in the corner will clean our plates." Cammy noticed a beautiful Brittany Spaniel where Bob pointed. Hunting Buddy wagged his tail when she looked at him. After breakfast and while Hunting Buddy was licking the plates clean they had more coffee and talked.

Bob said "Miss McDaniel you are kind of in a bind and I will help if I can, you said you were on your way to Montgomery to seek a job." Bob said "I could probably get you a job there using my influence at the State Capitol, I am willing to have one of our men take you there this afternoon." Bob asked if Cammy had any plans as to a place to stay in Montgomery.

Cammy said "I was just trying to get away from Mobile, yesterday, when I left I had sixty five dollars, I spent nearly that paying for a used tire and road service at Pritchard. I got seventeen dollars in tips last night and had ten when my car broke down."

Bob said "So if you got to Montgomery and I got you a job you could not get a room or feed your self until your first paycheck."

Cammy said "I would make it somehow."

Bob asked "Just how good are you with computers mam?"

Cammy said "Very good, I can seek a job at any level with my knowledge."

Bob asked if she would like to try out for a job with Davis Cattle Company, he said there was an opening for an advanced computer person here. Bob explained that Mrs. Perkins was killed in a auto-truck accident while he was gone. She had been in charge of the computers in the office.