Chapter 4

The second week of August, Jesse rode out of Milledgeville on a sad excuse for a horse, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Mr. Hudgens had a small stash of Federal money from before the war that he'd kept hidden away. He gave a little of that to Jesse, just enough to purchase the broken down nag Jesse now rode. Only Jesse now rode back southeast toward Savannah. He didn't think he was up to the long cross country trip through Alabama that would be needed to get to Mobile.

Instead, he thought the much shorter backtrack to Savannah and then a ship passage to Mobile would work better. But, the trip was still nearly the death of him. The availability of food and supplies was, if anything, even worse than on his trip home. Few crops had been planted, little or no livestock was in evidence anywhere, and little of the other destruction had yet been repaired.

Even with the horse, who turned out to be made of better stuff than he looked, the trip was arduous and slow. Although the trip was shorter than the first time, Jesse was still more dead than alive when he finally got back to Savannah as October was giving way to November.

Just barely better rations in Savannah and help from friends he had made while serving there in defense of the city were all that kept Jesse alive through the winter. The sad little horse had quickly become the main attraction in the stew pot of the family with which he stayed. At that, Jesse was often bedridden with fevers or down with other general illnesses brought on by malnutrition. By spring, Jesse was barely well enough to do menial, light, odd jobs around the docks for a shipping company that promised he would eventually work up enough credit for passage to Mobile.
September, 1866 had already appeared before Jesse finally got word that he would sail as a passenger on the side wheel steamer Mary Sue which was to sail on the evening tide the next night. Jesse boarded ship at four that afternoon and met his three fellow passengers on what was otherwise a cargo ship, the tramp passenger steamer of it's day.

A husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Sam (Ellen) Stoneberger and Mrs. Stoneberger's eighteen year old sister, Betty Trotter, introduced themselves to Jesse as they walked to the small main deck salon cabin for the evening meal, The captain, John Millhouse, had wanted everyone on board well before the ten p.m. sailing time. The ship put out of the harbor and headed for the open sea exactly on time.

The young girl, Betty, took a liking to Jesse from the start. After the supper meal, Jesse excused himself and went out on deck for a smoke. Not long afterward, Betty joined him at the rail.

She said, "I asked Ellen if I could come out to talk with you and she said I could but I had to stay here in front of the cabin ports so they could keep an eye on me. Savannah society may be shattered for now, but young ladies still can't escape a chaperone! Did you serve in the late 'unpleasantness'?"

"Yes," replied Jesse, "that's how I lost part of my le ... uh, limb."

"My, my, Mr. Owens, as long as we are out of hearing of my watchdogs, you can call a spade a spade or as it would seem here, call a leg, a leg."

As she said this, Betty moved her left hand around in front of Jesse and moved it back into his crotch. An almost instant bulge grew into her hand and she sighed with delight. Jesse stood frozen in place, a shocked look on his face.

"Oh come now, Jesse, uh, you don't mind if I call you that when my sister or her husband aren't around, do you?"

"N n no," stammered Jesse. "It, uh, it would be all right."

"Good! Now, Jesse, don't be so surprised. My, you are quite endowed aren't you? You know some of us girls think about boys and their equipment much more often that you might realize. What do you think we talk about in our little girl parties and groups at dances?"

"I wouldn't know," replied Jesse.

"Well, now you do," said Betty, "and I for one, believe in doing more than just talking when the opportunity presents itself!'

"Yes, you do that indeed, Miss Ellen."

"Betty, please!"

"Yes, Betty."

Somewhat recovered, but still embarrassed to a degree,

Jesse asked, "Are you from Savannah? What did you do during the late war?"

Betty replied, "Yes, I was born and raised in Savannah. I never got to have my coming out party, the damn Yankees saw to that! There were rare, smaller parties early in the war and then, later, bandages to wrap, sick and wounded to visit and write letters for, food to scrounge, all sorts of things. But what about you? Tell me about the war. It all sounded so glorious, so brave before it all started."

"Well," Jesse said, "I'd imagine that by now, you've discovered the falsity of those notions!"

"Oh indeed I have, Jesse," she answered.

Jesse continued, "War most decidedly is hell, as the folks in Sherman's path have also no doubt discovered by now. I fought a lot of places with Joe Johnston's Army, but the last was right here in the defense of Savannah. It's where I lost my leg and nearly died."

"Oh, you poor, poor boy, you," whispered Betty.

"Be that as it may," said Jesse, "I managed to survive and recover well enough to finally get back to my home in Milledgeville--only to discover that my family was dead and my home and pa's businesses destroyed or confiscated. The last I knew, my younger brother was with the Army of Northern Virginia and I hope he survived, but I've not seen him since the war ended, so I don't know for sure."

Betty, hearing a slight noise at the deck door of the salon, quickly withdrew her her hand from the front of Jesse's pants.

At that moment, Betty's sister and her husband emerged on deck and sister Ellen said, "Come along, Betty, it's time we go below to our cabin for the night. It's a long voyage and you will have more opportunities to talk."

Betty, with a wink and a wicked smile that only he could see, said, "Good night, Mr. Owens, maybe we can talk again tomorrow!"

Jesse replied, " Yes, that would be great. Good night, Miss Trotter, sleep well."

Although expensive, Betty had insisted that her sister book her a separate cabin from that of hers and Sam's. Betty thought, One never knows when an opportunity might occur, like it certainly did today, and I want to be prepared. I'll just have a nice little surprise for Mr. Jesse Owens tonight. I can hardly wait!

A short time after midnight, Bettie opened her cabin door and carefully looked around. The cabin passageway was empty and quiet. She'd already discovered that Jesse's cabin was directly across the passage from hers. Betty quickly shed her night dress and wrapped herself loosely in a blanket. She padded barefoot across the passage and tried the door.

"Damn It, it's locked," she muttered under her breath.

She rattled the knob as loudly as she dared and then quietly knocked on the door. She stood waiting, and thought, Don't take too long, Jesse, I can't stand out here for long without someone seeing me.

Just then the door cracked open and a sleepy-eyed and yawning Jesse said, "Whaaat?"

"Let me in, please!"

"What! Why? I'm not dressed"

"You ass, let me in, quickly before somebody sees me!"

Jesse stepped back and opened the door wide enough to allow Betty in. He may of been awakened from sleep, but Betty saw the Colt's hammer eased forward again and lowered. That wasn't the only thing Betty noticed. Standing there in confusion was a very naked Jesse Owens.

Jesse made no effort to cover himself. He just said, "I sleep naked."

"So do I," lied Betty as she dropped the blanket draped around her.

Jesse wasn't so sleepy any more as he look Betty over from head to toe. As he was doing so, he noticed she was doing the same to him. By the light of the lit candlestick he was holding, Jesse saw a head of flaming red hair, framing a beautiful face with green eyes and a perky nose. The face contained a somewhat narrow mouth with full, sensual lips and shinning white teeth.

The twin mounds on her chest were another sight to behold and Jesse sure beheld them! Round, ripe melons as big as a large muskmelon were tipped by aureola as large as two silver dollars with erect nipples extending out a good half inch or more. Flaring hips with tapering thighs cradled in the middle, a bush as flaming red as the hair above. Shapely calves ended in long, slender feet with perfect shaped toes. Toes that looked like they were just begging to be sucked!