Chapter 4

"You're the famous Texas Ranger Waite Phillips, aren't you?" I said, in amazement.

I'd studied his photograph that was in the Encyclopedia. I found it during my research and patterned my outfit after his picture. I just knew I was in the presence of greatness. I quickly removed my hat and I held out my hand in a sign of friendship (I hoped).

"Waite, this here fella is claims to be Matt Dillon," Jessie said, with a laugh.

I frowned and as I turned toward him, I queried, "What's so funny?"

The Ranger took over from there.

"Nothing, really. Except when we went through Dodge on our way here some years back, Matt Dillon was a might bit taller and a might bit older. So you see, Son, it really is funny for you to be claiming to be him."

The matter-of-fact way the Ranger made his statement was disarming. I could feel the heat rising up my neck. I could hear the tittering of the women in the room, but at least they had the decency to cover their mouths to hide their actions. I looked around the room and noticed that most of them were participating in the jocularity of the situation. One exception to this was the Ranger. He just stood there, his hand casually resting on the butt of his revolver and a blank expression on his face.

I stammered around it for a bit, and then the truth flowed from me like the Colorado flows through the Grand Canyon. I left out the time travel, and the watch, of course. I admitted to not being from Kansas City, but from Grand Rapids in Michigan. I told them the history of the Furniture City as best I could.

My facts were just a little hazy because I was more interested in Charlene Nobles and Karyn Nielson than Mrs. Stewart. She was my Michigan History teacher and I sat in the third row, between Charlene and Karyn. Both had started to develop early and they cut a very nice figure in their bikinis at the country club pool by eighth grade. I would daydream about their equipment instead of paying attention to Mrs. Stewart.

The only saving grace I had was that Mrs. Stewart always handed out copies of her notes to anyone who wanted them. I always took a copy to study for the tests, which is why I passed.

"So, Eugene, what brings you out this way?" Waite asked (He believed me!).

"I'm just driftin', an seein' the scenery while I'm looking for an outfit to hook up with. I ran into Jesse on the trail and he invited me along."

"Well, that's Jesse for you. He's always pickin' up some stray or another. He's a good boy, but I gotta break him of that. I think he's just compensating for the fact that we picked him up on our way here, and sorta adopted him," the Ranger related to me. "We really took a shining to him, and we've kept him with us ever since."

"We all just love Jesse," the tall buxom blonde added. "I'm Carol Ann Phillips, Mrs. Phillips, by the way."

"Pardon our manners!" a strikingly beautiful redhead interjected. "We should introduce ourselves. I am Peggy Sue Phillips, Ranger Phillips' first wife and queen. My sister wives are Lisa Marie and Annabel Lee on the settee, Patty, Darlene, and Doreen who are seated on the sofa. Elizabeth, we call her Lizzie, or Golden Sparrow sometimes, since she was once captured by Indians, and Joyce are sharing the big arm chair."

I was dumbfounded. I hadn't seen any reference to the Ranger having more than one wife. I couldn't help but notice that each one was different, and furthermore, each one was gorgeous. I hadn't seen such a collection of lovelies anywhere, period! I tried not to stare, but failed. I could feel my discomfort begin to grow. I turned my attention back to the Ranger in hopes that I could control my urges.

"I'm pleased to meet your family, Ranger. I haven't seen a prettier bunch of females, not even at the country cl ... er I mean county fair."

I'd almost spoken out of turn. There were no country clubs in Texas in this time period. I noticed a raised eyebrow from the Ranger, but no one else gave any indication of my misstep. I figured I'd be OK.

A young lady, about my own age came through the doorway just then. She walked up to Jesse and took his arm. She kissed him on the cheek and sweetly smiled at me.

"This here is my number one wife, Betsy. She's my queen," Jesse said.

"Hello, I'm Betsy, like my husband said. I was in the kitchen, but I heard them call you Eugene. I'm pleased to meet you." She then indicated the doorway, saying, "The other women who are cooking, are my sister wives: Karen, June, and Audrey. You'll meet them in a minute. The rest of you, dinner's ready. We're set up on the eating porch tonight. Bob and Jim ought to be here shortly with their wives. There are a lot of us, Eugene, and it'll take a little time for you to get to know everyone. David and his wives will be joining us tomorrow, so you will get to meet them, too."

"Just so you don't get confused," the redhead put in "We really are just one big happy family. We went through a lot to get here, as did Bob and his group, and David and his. You will hear their stories, as well as ours, during dinner and beyond."

Peggy Sue was just getting started. "I also have some young, unattached ladies that I'd like to introduce you to. So, let's head out to the eating porch and put the feedbag on."

The Ranger put a friendly hand on my shoulder as we made our way out. I peeked in the kitchen as we passed by. Jesse's other wives were just as pretty as a picture as they were working on getting supper ready to serve. We exited the main house to get to the eating porch. It was open and airy. It really was a nice place, sort of like the pavilions found at the state parks at home.

I was given a place of honor with the adults at the main table. I did notice that seating was by groups, with wives serving or eating with their husbands. I was about to start when two lovely young ladies sat down on either side of me.

"Hi," the green-eyed, auburn-haired beauty with braided hair said, "I'm Ginny Kirklin. It's nice to make your acquaintance."

Not to be outdone, the other girl, a blue-eyed blonde interjected, "And I'm Clementine Johannsen Malone. I'm lucky 'cause I was adopted by Momma and Papa when I was eight, and no one wanted me."

Both girls were outrageously flirting with me. It kinda made me glad I took up with Jesse. They were both lookers, and I absently wondered what they would look like in bikinis. Well, what do you expect from a kid with raging hormones, anyway?

The younger children wandered away once dinner was over. I don't know exactly where they went, but they disappeared. Jesse and his wives escorted me around the compound and showed me their home. I got the personal tour. Their home was really nice. The wives stayed there as Jesse led me towards the bunkhouse. He turned to the two accessories on my arms once we got there.

"Okay, Clem, Ginny. Off you go. You should be in the house. You were supposed to help clean up the kitchen, and I would bet Peggy Sue and Dana won't be too pleased about you abandoning your duty. Now say goodnight to the young man and get on your way. Scat!"

There was complaining and moaning about the unfairness of the situation, but Jesse was adamant about it. They finally gave in and each one kissed me on my cheek in turn. Clementine was second, and she also hugged me, mashing her maturing chest into mine. That got my attention and I saluted, so to speak. She ran off giggling. I heard Ginny chide her for her boldness and that only brought on more giggling which faded in the distance.

"This is the guest bunkhouse, just make yourself at home. The outhouse is about twenty yards or so behind it. There's a big water tank on a stand behind the place so you have running water. It may be a bit warm for drinking. There's a well pump over there in the yard. That water will be really cold. If you want, there is an indoor shower in the room to the right in the back. Boss had a tinsmith make the showerhead; said he missed having one. It's a lot easier than hauling water for a bath. Most of the hands shower up after a hard day working, it gets the grit and sweat off. Helps with the smell in the regular bunkhouses, too," Jesse said, grinning as he related this to me.

"Breakfast will be just after sunup. We're doing some branding tomorrow. Half the crew is out on the range watching the part of the herd needing branding. We could always use an extra hand, if you're willing."

"I afraid I wouldn't know what to do. I've never done that before."

Jesse clapped him on the back, "Well, there's no time like the present to learn, then. I'll be by to make sure you experience the thrill."

He turned and headed back to his home. I watched as two of his wives greeted him as he returned. It looked like they were really glad to have him home. He took them inside and I entered the bunkhouse. It was spartan but usable. There were both bunks and singles. Most had tick mattresses, but they were rolled up. One single was made up and I noticed my saddlebags and bedroll beside the small stand. The bed was made up with sheets and a light wool blanket.

I checked the bathroom out, which really was a bath. It had four shower stalls fed by the tank against the outer wall. I could see the pipe leading to the sink against the other wall. There was a small mirror mounted on the wall above the sink. Combs, hairbrushes, and even shaving mugs and straight razors, were on a board ledge. There were two strops affixed to the walls at either end of the sink. Talk about a nice setup. This probably was the Ritz for this time period. I wouldn't need the razor for my peach fuzz, of course, but still it was a nice accessory.

The bed was not the usual rope bed. There were wooden boards under the mattress, so the characteristic sag in the mattress wasn't present. That was a nice touch. It would be more comfortable than the usual rope sling. I put the lantern Jesse had handed me on the stand beside the bed, and shucked my boots off. There was a little sand in the boots. I slid them over to the side. I slipped my jeans and shirt off and laid them across the chair beside the bed. I was delighted to find a feather pillow for me to use. I must have been more tired than I thought. I was out like the light once I extinguished the lantern and my head hit the pillow.

I was naturally waking up when I heard boots on the porch outside. The door swung open displaying a red-streaked sky. A figure crossed over the threshold and walked up to the bed. My feet were slapped a couple of times. "All right, Lazy, up and at it. Breakfast in five minutes; get there in six minutes, and you might not eat 'till noon."

Jesse had given me the luxury of sleeping in. Well, I don't call the crack of dawn sleeping in, but I wasn't going to complain. Here was my chance to experience an honest to goodness roundup and branding. It's something not seen too often any more, or at least not in my time. I managed to get dressed and out of the bunkhouse in three minutes. I saw where the rest of the ranch hands were headed and I joined the line. The cook was dishing out beans, eggs, bacon, and biscuits with gravy ... lots of gravy. I got a plate and a cup and followed a couple of cowboys over to a table. They introduced themselves as Frank and Joe Hardy. They were brothers out of LaGrange, Texas. They came here because they heard that the man who ran this spread was fair and generous with his hands. They landed on the ranch three years ago and had no plans on leaving.

The breakfast was filling and Frank suggested I saddle up. He told me to come back to find him when I was ready and he'd take me out. I didn't know it, but Jesse had arranged for this assistance. I made my way over to the barn where I'd left my horse yesterday. Someone had used the currycomb on him and his coat shone. I quickly threw his tack on and mounted up. I rode him out to meet up with Frank and Joe. Frank led us out once there.

Frank and Joe were talking most of the time, telling me about the ranch and this and that. It made the trip seem shorter than it was. It still was a little over two hours later when we rode up to the cowboys that had sat with the cows all night. There were three stations for branding. They had built squeeze chutes and temporary corrals to contain the animals. The work began once the whole crew was there. Several of the men had been feeding the three fire rings for several hours and there were plenty of bright red coals. The branding irons were heating in those fires. They turned red with the heat. The crew boss signaled ready and the riders were soon cutting the calves out of the herd.

One of the riders dropped a lasso over their head and convinced them to follow the horse as soon as they were cut out. The calf was hogtied and the rope removed as soon as he got it near the branding arena, so the man could go get the next calf. The two-man crew using the iron stepped up and one man held the calf down while the other put the iron on the calf's hide. The ground man pulled the tie loose and the calf was set free. He got up and ran back to the herd, looking for his mother. The then cycle repeated.

I knew I wouldn't be of any help there, but I could tend the fires. That's what I did. I saw Frank as he roped another calf. He was darn good. He was smoothly working with Joe who was hogtying the calves. They worked smoothly. They didn't have any time to talk as they kept at their task. I too was busy keeping the fire hot. They had a lot of wood for the fire, but it needed to be chopped into small pieces. My arm got tired from chopping the wood down to size with the hand axe.

It seemed like we'd done a couple of hundred calves by the time Cookie called lunch. He had arrived in his chuck wagon about an hour ago. Murphy had built him a cook fire. A loose cow stampeded through the area and destroyed most of the setup just as Cookie was ready to start cooking. The cook fire was scattered and the kettles were strewn all over. It took him a good fifteen minutes to reset. I had fortunately been stoking an extra fire and I grabbed a shovel and started moving the coals to the cooking area.

"Smart thinkin', Sonny," the old man said, "Ain't seen you afore; you new?"

"Yes Sir. I stumbled across Mr. Jackson, and he invited me along on this little shindig."

Stumpy, the cook cackled, "Hee, hee, it's just like that scamp to pull a fast one on ye. Don't usually take newcomers out on a branding. He musta like you."

Stumpy turned back to his work, cackling and shaking his head. He soon had the big kettle merrily bubbling and the mouth-watering smell permeated the air. I could tell the men were hungry because they were doing more than me, and I was famished. The chief called a halt to the work and the last of the calves were branded and released. I had Stumpy fix two plates and I took them over to Frank and Joe. Two other cowboys joined them while I was getting my food. I returned and was introduced to Dude and Colorado, the two cowpokes who worked together at one of the other stations.

We amiably chatted as we ate the most excellent stew. It was very filling and it didn't take long for me to feel full. We continued our talk while resting through the heat of the day. The boss man came round and talked for awhile. I found out his name was John Chance, but the men just called him John T. He was a tall man with a look that said he broaches no backtalk, no second chances. I liked him, as well as the others. I enjoyed the day despite the hard work. I even was allowed to try my hand at branding. I got into the swing and worked along with Colorado and Dude. Their brander got careless and took a nasty burn. Stumpy took him, bandaged him up, and got him drunk so the pain would be bearable.

I got good enough that we were working just as fast as Frank's and Joe's group. It turned into a competition and even old Stumpy got into it by keeping count. He let his cackle out every time. Our job was soon done. Stumpy headed out. I helped extinguish the fires (we didn't need any prairie fires here) and gathered the tools up. The corrals were taken down and the wood loaded back up on the large farm wagons used for that purpose. John T. called us in once we had everything in order. He told everyone he was well pleased with the work today and that there would be a five-dollar bonus in each man's pay. We'd done three days work in one day. There was a rousing whoop from the men. I joined in the celebration even though I wouldn't be on the receiving end.

Those of us on the ground mounted up. Dude and Colorado rode along with Frank, Joe, and me. They were swapping stories and tall tales as we rode. The boss pulled up just then.

"Well, young fella, what do you think about today?" John T. asked.

"It was great. The work was hard, but I enjoyed it," I candidly replied.

"I'm glad to hear that. I will put in a good word for you with the boss if you decide to sign on with us. I can always use a fast learner and one who's willing to work. This is for you, by the way."

He handed me a coin. I found it was a five dollar gold coin when I looked at it. It was almost brand new. I slipped the coin into my pants. I'd made sure there was a coin pocket like the ones found in modern blue jeans, so the coin went there. It would be safe and not get lost. I thanked him as he turned his horse away and rode in a different direction. Frank slapped me on the back and congratulated me for impressing his boss. I was told that John T. doesn't usually pay compliments like that.

The sun was slowly sinking into the sunset when we arrived back at the ranch. I was met by four of the loveliest, ah, four of the prettiest, ah, eyes, that I couldn't take my own eyes off of. Yeah, I know, lousy English; but you catch my drift ... I'm sixteen remember? What do you expect me to do, join a monastery? I don't think so. I don't lean that way. No, I was pleased as punch to have those two escort me back to the guest bunkhouse.

"You have time to wash up before dinner. I've arranged for us to eat together again," Clementine boldly proclaimed.

"You get to sit beside me tonight. I'm looking forward to it, too. Everyone will be there. David and his family from next door will be there, as well as the Malones from across the road. It should be a real big shindig. The brisket has been cooking since just after y'all left for the roundup. We have a cooking pit on the other side of the kitchen we use for that. I'm sure you'll like it," Ginny was bubbling over with excitement.

"Maybe they'll get the musical instruments out and have some dancing after dinner," Clem interrupted. "You will dance with me, won't you?" Clem was batting her eyes at me.

"Of course, I will. It will be my pleasure to dance with you. I can't wait," I professed.

In reality, I didn't know how to dance very well. I could catch on if they went slow enough. I just hoped I wouldn't make a fool of myself in front of my hosts and these two lovely ladies. I asked to be excused so I could go take a quick shower so I'd be clean for dinner and the dance. That immensely impressed both ladies, of course, they let me go.