Chapter 8

Bill and I went to talk to the saddler about making Bill a tabard and helmet. As expected, the saddler said that the tabard would be easy, but the helmet would take some fitting and adjustment to get it to fit right. I told him that if Bill's outfit worked out, we would want fourteen more. He was somewhat concerned about how much work time that would take from his other duties, so Bill suggested that he take on an apprentice to help him and to learn the trade. He could let the apprentice cope with the routine stuff, while he concentrated on the our special requirements. The saddler was agreeable, so Bill promised to find him a helper as soon as possible.

Bill and I then went back in to talk to Sarah about another project I had in mind. I said that it looked to me like we could be in for a major war. Therefore, I thought that the sooner we started preparing, the better off we would be. They both agreed, so I outlined a plan I had for a combination building which could be used as a fort, a school, a church, a hospital, and a meeting house. I asked that we bring Carmelita in to help with logistical decisions, so Bill went to fetch her.

When she arrived, I explained that I wanted a fairly large building; one which would hold the ranch's entire population for meetings and defense. My present idea, taking into consideration building time, personnel, and cost, consisted in having one large main room with three smaller rooms, one to be a kitchen/storeroom, one a bath house, and one a latrine. The walls would have windows which could be covered by heavy wooden shutters and several loopholes for firing. The roof would be flat, with crenellations for marksman. I propose that four dragoons be assigned to the main room and eight to the roof. Other fighters would be assigned as needed. The main room would be a refuge for the nonfighting population, a hospital, and a mess hall. I had not yet fixed on the location for the armory, but thought that a cellar in the fort would be a good place...

"I think that with movable furniture, the building could be put to all these uses. Does anyone see reason why we should not do this? Also, do any of you have any thoughts on problems we will encounter?"

Everyone agreed that it was a good idea, but we would have a myriad of minor problems to solve. Bill said, "Manpower should not be a problem, since most of the heavy work for the season is finished and I will soon have to start looking for busy-work just to keep everyone occupied and happy."

Carmelita contributed, "I see no major problems, but I want to be in on the design of the kitchen and storeroom. "

Sarah said, "The ranch can afford the construction, so go ahead."

"Since we are agreed, Bill, please start immediately on making as many adobe bricks as you can. I'll give you the total number I think we'll need in time for construction to start. Meanwhile, I'll start the preliminary design drawings today. Carmelita, I'll be calling on you very soon for help with the kitchen and storage areas." With that the meeting broke up.

I did not have much research to do before beginning because I had James York's magnificent library to draw on for information on medieval forts and castles for detailed information. My main concern was allotting enough area in the main room for the expected occupants. Once that was settled, the rest would follow. Sarah told me how many people to allow for, so I figured on a building about one hundred feet square. This would not house all the people in comfort, but it would allow adequate space. We would need some support columns, but I wanted to keep their size to a minimum. I thought a twelve-foot-high ceiling would be adequate without causing undue stress on the supports. I planned to use movable wooden partitions as the interior walls; light enough for easy shifting as necessary and appropriate. Two sets of stairs in diagonally opposite corners of the building should provide sufficient access to the roof.

A windmill-driven pump would provide the water necessary for a roof-mounted tank for running water. The location of an adequate well would dictate the actual location of the building, since I must make sure that the source and pump was not accessible to attackers, especially if there should be a siege. Later, we might obtain a larger supply of water by piping it from Lake Sarah.

By dint of hard work and a lot of consultation with Carmelita, Bill, and Sarah, the plans were advanced enough to begin construction on Fort York. We were lucky in finding a location for the fort only one hundred and fifty yards from the main house. I said lucky because I wanted a minimum time for evacuation to the fort, if necessary.

We were able to save a lot of construction time because we were able to utilize an existing well. We had the main structure within six weeks and were ready for the finishing touches. A coat of stucco and whitewash gave the fort a professional look which we were all proud of. We were able to get the windmill and pump from a store in Julesburg, and that saved us some time. We now had ourselves a multi use building which was reasonably fire resistant and capable of protecting our people from all but cannon fire.

Here it was, mid December, and I had been around Sarah for six months. The weather was now cold enough that we were no longer retiring to the veranda after supper, but the others were leaving us alone in the parlor. I had reached the bursting point and I just had to get the matter settled. Therefore, I walked to where she was sitting and dropped to one knee in front of her. I took her hand, gazed soulfully into her eyes, and said, "Sarah, in the nearly six months that I have known you, I have come to love you deeply. I can no longer wait. I must know: Will you marry me?"

Sarah smiled at me and tenderly said, "Of course I'll marry you, Mat. I have had trouble waiting for you to ask."

At this, I reached into my jacket pocket for the ring given to me so long ago by Margaret Tilden. "Sarah, will you accept this ring as token of my pledge to you?"

"Oh, Mat. It's such a beautiful ring. I will treasure it always. Thank you."

With that, we both stood, and I got such a monumentally wonderful kiss that I had to sit down, again. Sarah winked at me and ran off to find Carmelita.

"Carmelita! Carmelita, he did it. Mat asked me to marry him. He gave me this beautiful ring. Look! Look!"

"Oh, Miss Sarah, it's beautiful! I'm so glad he finally asked you. Have you set a date for the wedding?"

"Not yet, but I hope that we can make it soon."

"Well, it is traditional to have weddings in June, but I don't see why you would have to wait that long. Be sure, though, that you fit your plans in with Mr. Mat's. After all, he does need to be there!"

"Oh, Carmelita, you are such a tease!"

"Sarah, I must confess something to you which may make you change your mind about marrying me."

"Mat, nothing could do that! But I will listen to your confession."

"First of all: I was not born with the name of Mat Sullivan. I was baptized Chad Bennett in the Episcopal church in Clio, Alabama.

"In 1892, I accidentally killed Jason Tolliferro following an argument in which he falsely accused me of cheating at poker. The Tolliferros were so politically powerful that I was unable to fight off their vengeful attacks, so I ran to keep them from harming my mother and me.

"After an assassination attempt in Mobile, I changed my name to Mat Sullivan and fled to Texas. After a lot of wandering, I found you.

"Will you still accept me, after all this history and lying to you?"

"Oh, Mat (for you are still Mat to me), I still love you. I don't care what you did before meeting me. You are mine, now, and I will never let you go! We must plan our wedding to take place as soon as possible."

"Oh, Sarah, I do love you, and I am so very, very glad to hear you say that. But I have one favor to ask: may I invite my mother to our wedding. She is the only relative I have left. I know that you will love her and she will love you."

"Yes, Mat, please invite your mother. I can hardly wait to meet her. We will delay the wedding until she arrives."

"I will write to her tonight. I must use the mail, rather than the telegraph, for fear that the Tolliferros will find out and try to interfere. That will delay things a few weeks, but I am afraid it is necessary to protect her from the Tolliferros. Also, I think that I must go get her to protect her. I don't think that she would be safe traveling alone.

"I will be leaving you under the protection of Bill and the York Dragoons. Yes, I know that you can take care of yourself, but there is safety in numbers. I beg you to cooperate with them."