Chapter 4

As we rode out Grandpa said "I thought you were going to change out of those funny clothes?"

"I was, but since we need to go to my Power Wagon anyway for the medical kit, I thought I would change there and grab some of my things. I've got clothes there that will look right. Also I have a pair of these Army Remingtons that were converted to take a cartridge. Hell, they might be these same pistols. Dad gave them to me when I was fourteen when I thought I wanted to be a marshal like you. I also have my reloading stuff so I can convert them to smokeless powder so I can still see what I'm shooting at after the first few shots."

"Sounds like a lot of things to carry. We only brought one pack horse."

"We'll just get what we need for now and get the rest later." "I spoke about you being a lawman; why'd you quit?"

"Just got tired of it I guess — the long days on the trail, the loneliness and the constant danger. You never knew from one day to another where ya'd be or if ya'd still be alive. Wasn't any way to live and sure weren't no way to start a family. So I just quit, came here, found this place and settled down ta raise kids 'n' steers."

"Talking about family — who's Dove?"

Looking at me funny, Grandpa said, "Morning Dove is your great grandma but she looks a lot younger'n me. Why, she don't look a whole lot older then you do — maybe 5 or 6 years."

"I feel stupid, but I don't remember ever hearing her name — she was always Grandma or 'your great grandma'. How'd you two meet?"

He grinned. "Hell, I bought her! Traded two horses, three knives, a old musket and 2 blankets for her ... and that was a bargain! You never meet a finer woman. Besides being a good wife and mother, she's a great cook and house keeper. She runs the place with a iron hand — you don't want to make her mad she has a temper worse than a bear with a bad tooth."

"Sounds like quite a woman." I could plainly see the love in his eyes.

"Oh she is. She definitely is."

"Tell me about where we are going."

"Well as you know, the Sioux are nomads following where the hunting is, but we shouldn't have any trouble finding them as they came an' got Dove just yesterday. They are proud and with all the trouble going on and what you say about Custer, I'm not real sure about our welcome, but if Red Cloud is there we should be safe. You — I mean Clay — was with them a lot when he was younger, so I better warn ya that Running Deer and Little Doe, her sister, have been chasing after Clay since they were all just young pups."

We came to the top of the hill and I pointed down the gorge to my truck. "There it is."

"What kind of wagon is that? Where's the horse go?"

"It don't need horses. It goes by itself."

"Things are sure strange were you come from."