Chapter 5

Mary Eustis birthed a boy on the fifteenth of February. He was large at 9 pounds, 11 ounces. His hair was black, but not coal black like his mother's. Looking at the baby, you wouldn't put him as either Indian or white. Mary Eustis named the boy Samson Silvercloud Jones Ryeback. A minute alone I had with her, brought forth the reason for his name.

"The boy will someday be head of the Silvercloud clan and do great things for my people. He also will be respected among your people. His name should be Jones, but I owe much to Kenny and as he is my mate, so his name should be of prominence. It doesn't matter, for he may take whichever name he feels most comfortable with as he grows older."

"I am satisfied. He bears the name of my father and that is enough."

"You are a generous man, Sam, and you too will do much for both peoples in the future. Someday this territory will become a state and you will become instrumental in making it happen."

"Come Boy, share a drink with me." Kenny met me when I came out of Mary Eustis' room. "I have a bottle of brandy that might please your pallet a bit more than whisky. We must toast our son. He will always be more Silvercloud than Jones or Ryeback, so it doesn't make a difference between us two. We will bring him up as son of Mary Eustis and both do our best for him." I got drunk that night, much to Jessie's disgust. I had to promise it wouldn't happen again. If Jessie and I had a boy, it might happen again. A man had to celebrate a son somehow. Cross that bridge in the future. I knew from the way I felt in the morning, I might restrict the celebration just a little.

Letters were exchanged often between Miss Sylvia and Jessie. I wasn't party to all they contained, but a good portion. I had to laugh, for John Comstock was being manipulated and he wasn't even aware of it happening. John was going to be a papa, for one thing. Miss Sylvia was hoping she could keep it hidden until the night of the wedding.

Another surprise was that Miss Sylvia asked Jessie to have me cast around for a small ranch in our section. One that wasn't so massive as the one John owned. After marriage, Miss Sylvia didn't want her new husband out on the range for days on end. She wanted him home where she could show him what a nice warm wife she was.

It was a possibility for this to come about. There was an English concern that was interested in large holdings such as John's, and had approached him about selling. The country was opening up with the advent of the trains crossing the country now from coast to coast and investors came pouring in from all over the world. It might take quite some time before we had rail service in this part of the territory, but it was coming.

We needed statehood to give us better representation with the Federal Government. Kenny and I discussed this as the states to the east of us were admitted. Many here in the territories were against statehood, as this brought a whole new level of oversight that was unwanted by some. Kenny harked back to just before he arrived.

"What do you think would have happened to you if it was found out you turned that scumbag rapist over to the squaws and let them torture the man? What would have happened to the sheriff if they found out he shot a man for escaping, when the rapist couldn't even get on his feet or crawl? It was justice, but not condoned by our society anymore. Then again, on the flipside of the coin, if a crook comes in and robs you, there are men more dedicated to bringing the culprits to justice. It should be a balance, but isn't always."

It was nearing the first of April. All of the trails south were open to horse and sled traffic as we hadn't had any late winter snow storms for ten days. We would have more snow and that was a given. I was on Jim and had a pack animal in Button Box picking up supplies for the ranch. In truth I was waiting for the mail that was due in today. Jessie was anxious about when she could travel south for her father and Miss Sylvia's wedding. Mail was of prime importance to Jessie now it seemed.

Sarah Wilcox stepped down from the sled and spotted me waiting for the post driver to take the sacks into the saloon that doubled for a post office. (Many other things as well.) She was on the attack immediately. "You Jones. Tell me where my husband is. Johnny Oats said George came up the trail with the cows."

I had to think fast as I had come to find George a real friend and I didn't want this harridan to upset him. "Mrs. Wilcox, I didn't ever expect to see you. George doesn't either. He told me he was all through with you and hoped never to set eyes on you again. Will you be staying at the Cowman's Rest until both of you decide what to do?"

"I was hoping to see him today. I don't have any money to rent a room." The woman was crumbling right before my eyes.

I made a quick decision. First I wanted to warn George that his wife was in town, but I couldn't let her stay on the street. "Mrs. Wilcox, I will rent you a room at the boarding house for a week. I will talk to George to see if he wants to meet with you. Do you have any money at all?"

"I have seven dollars. If I have a place to stay, that will buy my food for the week, I hope. That should give me time enough to either find George or some work to support myself."

"It is that bad for you then?"

Tears were near falling and I didn't want the town to see her crying on the street. "Let's get you the room. We can talk when we get you settled if you want to." I picked up her two suitcases and she picked up a carpet bag, following close on my heels as we went down three doors to the boarding house. I paused before stepping in. "What is your maiden name? I don't want either you or George embarrassed while you are here. It would be best if you used a different name."

Unhappily and reluctantly she said, "It was Seldon. I guess you can use that." I checked her into the only room that was saved for women guests out of the eight rooms the house supported. It held a bureau and the usual washstand and commode. The bed was a double with a feather mattress. One chair graced the corner. I put the cases down and turned to Sarah, who was sitting on the bed.

"Tell me what happened? You had furniture and money when I last saw you."

"Oh, I have had the worst luck. One of the freighters lost the load that had my best things on it while crossing a swollen river. I finally reached my brother's. I hadn't seen him for years and he was nothing like I remembered. His house was a mess, just a shack really. He put the things that I had left in and threw his out. I immediately was expected to become his servant. I refused and moved into the small village he lived near.

"The little house I rented was only two rooms and I was happy there for a month before I was robbed. The robbers didn't get it all and I had enough money to come back and look for George. All I have left is a few clothes that you carried in here."

"Sounds as if you have had it rough. Miz Seldon, do you expect George to take you back? I heard you shouting at him the day you left."

"I know, but he is my husband. He has to stand by me."

"I don't know. He has told me how you treated him. If you did to him what he told me, he might not even speak to you."

"Oh dear, I was so wrong. I thought my people were so much better than his. What am I going to do? I must talk to him. Where is he?"

"I'll tell you where he is, but I don't know as I would go there. He took up with a widow that runs a hog ranch. To be honest he couldn't be happier. He comes out to my ranch to see his granddaughter at least once a week."

"His granddaughter. What do you mean?"

"I married Jessie, your daughter-in-law and Felicity is here with her. That is one of the reasons George came with me so he could know her and watch her grow up. Jessie and I had a very quiet wedding so not many people knew about it. I left town immediately afterward with the cattle. George helped bring her here in the coach that was at your ranch."

Sarah started wailing. "I'm here with no money and no one wants to have anything to do with me. What am I going to do?"

I thought back to earlier in the day. "Can you sling hash? Nothing special, just something to fill people's bellies."

"Of course. I fed up to thirty hands at the ranch every day, unless they were on roundup. I can cook fancy if need be. I just never saw the point. Cowhands don't care what they eat as long as there is beef on the plate."

"You might be surprised. Town folks may not want beef every meal. They want pork and chicken. There is a man who fishes up at Cold Lake who sells everything he can catch here in town. Look, I was over to the diner waiting for the mail. Gimpy Huston was complaining his cook took off on him and he needs someone desperately. I'd say he does and soon if he tries to feed people for long on what he fed me. Otherwise he will be out of business."

"He would hire me, you think?"

"Almost certain, I'd say."

"I guess I'd better go see him. What's he like?"

"He's short, balding, walks with a limp from an accident. Comes from West Texas. He likes people and they like him and runs the diner so he can have people around to talk to. He can't cook either."

"Will you introduce me?"

Sarah looked over Gimpy's menu before asking for the job. She ordered beef stew with biscuits. She tried to eat the biscuit and it was so hard she couldn't even soak it soft in the stew.

Gimpy was looking scared. He didn't have but few women customers and here was a new one who he knew was lost before she took the first bite. She pushed her bowl forward off the counter and let it smash down on the floor next to Gimpy's feet. "Clean that up and wash the floor. I'm going into your galley and make you a biscuit. If you like it, you're going to hire me at a good wage and I'll be your cook."

Gimpy was shocked and looked at me and I shrugged. I figured the mail would be sorted and I would pick up what belonged to the ranch before Sarah took the biscuits out of the oven. I got back just in time to see Sarah place a half dozen warm biscuits before the man she was hoping would hire her. She had found wild honey and a jar of blackberry jam. There was a little tub of butter on the counter already.

Before he devoured the second biscuit he was telling Sarah to name her own wage. I snagged the last one and it was heavenly. Somehow I was going to make Jessie learn to make biscuits as good as these were. Returning to the boardinghouse with her, I had one last word with Sarah before I left for the ranch. "I guess you can support yourself. I'll tell George you are in town so it won't be a surprise if he runs into you. Maybe you can get together and work something out. Sarah, you are welcome to visit Felicity, that is if you would like to."

"Does she favor Bradley?"

"George thinks she does a mite, but he says she favors you to some extent. I warn you though, you will not have a hand in the raising of her at all. I want to make that clear."

"Your name is Sam, isn't it? I always think of you as Jones. You know you have been awful nice to me. What would have happened today if I didn't see you when I got down from the post sled? You say George has taken up with another woman? Well, I guess I can't blame him too much. I don't know why I was thinking he would take me back after the way I left him.

"I was sick over the loss of Bradley. I've had months to think about what went wrong. George kept telling me, but I wouldn't listen." Sarah changed the subject. "You know that Mr. Huston keeps his place clean. I think I'm going to like working for him. I'm from the same general area as he is, so we know some of the same people. I have you to thank for introducing me and I do thank you with all of my heart. Go along now. Kiss my granddaughter for me." There was some moisture in her eyes as I closed the door.

I went back to the ranch. Gramp and Jessie were most interested, both wondering how George would take it having his wife living in the same town. I planned to travel to the hog ranch the next morning to give him a heads up. Jessie was some put out about Sarah showing up, herself. The two women had never got along and when I said Sarah could come visit Felicity she hit the roof.

"Jessie, do you want her living here at the ranch? I don't, so I put myself out just a little, so she won't ask us to take her in. She is Felicity's grandmother and even if we don't like her, she has some rights and I couldn't turn her away if she landed on our doorstep."

"I suppose, but she is a hateful old witch."

"I've already warned her she is to have no say in Felicity's life. If she comes and is civil and shows some love for the child, I will not separate them fully." Jessie said no more, but she wasn't happy with the situation.

I met George on the trail coming to the ranch as I was heading for the hog ranch. "Sam, my wife is in town working at the diner. I delivered some bacon and walked right in on her in Gimpy's kitchen. She told me you got her a place to stay and the job at the diner. Why didn't you tell her she wasn't wanted around here?"

"George, cool down. Sarah's penniless and homeless. She was going to find out where you lived by asking around. She could have come out to the hog ranch. Did you want that?"

"No. It would upset Bertha. I tell you Sam, I love Bertha and I'm not giving her up."

"So what did Sarah say to you?"

"It done surprised me to see her. She held out her hand, and told me Gimpy had said I was coming in with a delivery. She told me to address her as Miz Seldon. That is her maiden name. She whispered she understood I was living at a hog ranch and enjoyed myself there. What did you tell her?"

"I explained about you and Bertha and indicated I would be unhappy if she caused trouble. She wants to see Felicity, so I do have some say in how she treats you."

"God man, I could kiss you. I expect I will have to talk to her sometime. Could you make it happen here at the ranch?"

"I can do that. Come for dinner on Sunday. I'll get her here so you can talk. Bring Bertha so we can get it all settled. Sarah might even move on if she can make enough money for such a move."

"You think so? I sure as hell wish she would. Maybe I will have a life after all."

I was in town later in the week and naturally went over to Gimpy's Diner to see Sarah. No, she wouldn't come on Sunday, but could on Monday. Word had spread about Gimpy's new cook and how the food had improved. She whispered that she had paid her rent for the next week and someday soon she would pay me back. She asked after Felicity, saying she was anxious to see her. Also she said Gimpy would drive her out to the ranch in either a buckboard or the sled if it stormed again.