The woman of the house appeared at the door, flour dusting her nose, mouse brown hair, and hands. With her, the aroma of fresh bread and pie wafted onto the covered porch to tantalize Bluehawk’s nose and palate. Angus watched with delight as his wife and his best friend embraced. She was taller than her husband by many inches and, though padded nicely, not nearly as heavy.
The next couple of hours were spent pleasantly, both in catching up on personal experiences and in consuming a fresh sour apple pie. Angus was a master in making the fillings, and his wife was a magician in assembling them… and her crust was to die for.
There was business to be done, so with reluctance tempered by the knowledge they would have many pleasant hours in the coming months, Bluehawk gave both of his friends a hug and departed. The next stop would be to the Furriers and Leathermen to acquire cash.
Being fall and not when Furriers normally traded for pelts, Bluehawk was confident he would be welcomed. By summer’s end there was always a shortage of materials to be worked in the shops, and the best shops paid the highest prices for the quality he offered. His sons ran traplines over the winter, and Bluehawk and his wife worked the skins over the summer into a finished product which most trappers did not. The furriers usually bought raw skins and had to work them into leather. After visiting three shops, a substantial, soft leather pouch of local coin made its way into Bluehawk’s saddlebag.
Unburdened, the ponies bucked and cavorted like yearlings on a holiday. Their enthusiasm was contagious, and the stud pranced as he carried his rider. The next stop would be the most difficult for Bluehawk, but it was also home.
The horses were not his. He had an agreement with a horse breeder and picked up green ponies every fall as he turned in the mounts he had trained over the summer. The new horses were his to use until the next fall, to be gentled and trained and turned in on his return. Then the cycle would repeat. The ponies would go to the breeder, even though they had become friends.
In exchange for his valuable work with the horses, Bluehawk received a cabin for the winter, adjacent the breeder’s own home. The arrangement was advantageous for both men.
Approaching with the three animals, Bluehawk noted the paddock next to the barn. He already knew the horse he would be getting as he traded in the sorrel stud. The five year old appaloosa in the paddock would be worked over the winter months so that a saddle and rider would be accepted but not enough to be bulletproof. Bulletproof was what he would be in a year when returned next fall.
The sorrel was a fine animal, as were the two geldings that had carried the packs, but the appy was magnificent. He was the only animal that Bluehawk had ever seen that was marked as he was. A yellow dun color in rich gold, he had streaks of both black and white in his mane and tail and various size spots over his entire body in both black and white. His genetics would find their way into Bluehawk’s tribal herd just as the sorrel’s had. But in the years after, Bluehawk would be hoping for yellow foals with black and white spots.
Bluehawk turned the sorrel and his companions into an adjoining paddock and, without knocking on the rancher’s door, threw his saddle and bags inside his familiar cabin.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in the proximity of the appaloosa. He found a comfortable spot in the small pasture and a workable stick and whittled the rest of the day away. Soon the big animal was investigating Bluehawk with his nose, and as the native changed position casually, the horse followed. The tribesman already knew this animal would be hard to give up.
§
The big bulls munched contentedly on their cuds as they lay in the shade of the trees by the riverbank. They were an attraction to any of the townspeople with knowledge of livestock. Used to freighting goods by wagon, the citizens were familiar with good, heavy oxen reaching a ton. These animals topped the largest of their own beasts, easily by half and more.
“These be of great value to the Company, my ladies,” Till emphasized to Jody and Olivia as they stood among the resting beasts, “and a share will go to you, just as previously intended to your husband, Miss Olivia.”
Till considered the young woman carefully as he spoke.
Both women remained silent. The Wagon Master appreciated the silence as they took the time to consider.
Finally, Olivia spoke, “So, Master Till, you are suggesting that we share this labor… yes?” Till nodded. “And for our effort we will receive that same percentage of my missing man?” Again Till nodded in agreement. “But it will be split between the two of us?”
Till hesitated. The way Olivia said it, the offer seemed less attractive. He made no move to nod and let them think on his offer. He needed them, it was true, but when pinch came to shove, any man could do the job. All he had to do was look at the people lining the fence line to know the animals would be sold for high prices.
“I have a counter offer for you.” It was Jody’s turn to speak, and she used the language common to Reno as she did not know the formal Guild speech. “And that is that you have placed a value on these animals of what you expect to receive. I have confidence that working together, Olivia and I will be able to beat that figure. But you expect us to split the wage a man would receive? I think I can speak for both of us that we would decline that.”
The attractive blonde woman intended as Jody’s partner was silent, but it was apparent by the look on her face that she agreed. Perhaps, thought Till, this was not going to work. He might have to split them up and only make an offer to Jody or to Edge. The present offer was an attempt to include Arc’s widow. She had skills and would find local work to support herself in this thriving community, but Till had been looking for a way to keep her from being kitchen help or providing maid service. Even splitting the percentage would be better than that if they would do it.
“So, say you your counter, young maid,” spoke Till. He was willing to listen.
“I believe we are more valuable as a team than as individuals, Master Till. We will do the job better than any man you can hire. But I understand your hesitancy and am willing to prove our ability. If we don’t perform in each transaction as it is made, you may employ someone else, and we will find something else to do. We will take your offer up to the point that we make the figure you have placed. That amount will be paid in the percentage that you have offered. But anything over that amount will be split fifty-fifty. If we exceed your expectations, we will profit from that increased amount. And the bonus for performance that you would normally pay out for success overall will be yours and the Company’s to keep. Our bonus will be based on what we can produce in excess of what you expect.”
Jody folded her arms having said her piece and stood rooted to the ground as though an immovable stone statue. Olivia came to her side and locked eyes with Till just as Jody had. They formed an intimidating obstacle in which Till found it hard to find fault. He considered. The offer was fair in a way. These women would have to do their best, and the result would either feather their pockets or not. And the guarantee of performance was interesting and could not be argued with. Besides that, the bonus would remain with the Company and would line his own pocket on his return as a bonus to him from the Company. If the proposal worked, it would be good for all concerned.
Handshakes, just as any given to a man, cemented the deal. The women would sink or swim by their own effort.
Strangely, the big Wagon Master felt uncomfortable as he met the women’s eyes. He wondered if they had taken advantage of him. He would know soon enough.
Chapter 17
Within the first weeks of fall setting in and night temperatures bringing frost, the members of the trade caravan discovered friends in the community of Boulder. Where some cities made every effort to strip wealth from visitors or new immigrants, others channeled their efforts into accommodating strangers and absorbing newcomers as valued additions. Boulder was one of the latter. The residents had learned the value in generosity and helpfulness, and they reaped the rewards. As a result the residents were fa
r happier than towns employing the art of the con.
Arc’s widow recognized in Jody a mentor. Even though Olivia was older, she understood that Jody was a practiced finagler, used to trade and the art of making the most of a deal.
To Jody’s mind, the whole plan depended on the first sale. They had to find the appropriate person who would not only pay their price but would then show off the acquired animals proudly. Their first customer should be someone respected as savvy, a person prone to making money and not afraid to broadcast pleasure in what they owned. They were looking for free advertising, both of their high value product and the value in their prices.
After a huddle to discuss strategy, Jody was surprised to find Olivia was much quicker at learning than she had expected. The young lady absorbed Jody’s plan and made few suggestions, although her questions were frequent and penetrating. Both women began to walk the business district with a renewed respect in each other as they perused what was available and could be put to their use. They were not in any hurry. In fact Jody had seen the faces of men appraising their animals as they passed through town and expected a delay might whet appetites. The delay might even bring them the best person to do business with.
§
The wide avenues of the open market were brisk with a colorful crowd spending money and bartering goods and services. Chickens, textiles, milled lumber, hand-held electronic devices, and any of several commodities were as much a medium of exchange as the silver that traded hands. Dentists and artists vied with prostitutes and massage parlors for attention and profit. The economy flowed as any healthy economy does with nothing of value staying in any one person’s pocket for long.
Adjacent the market, just as in Reno, there was an open area for the exchange and trade of animals. A line of small enclosures were arranged in a horseshoe configuration with the open end to the south. Within the shoe there were lines strung on sturdy posts from the opening in front to the rear where people could tether their animals for sale. A small fee was levied on animals as they entered, seen as a sales tax before the fact and used to support the accommodations of those trading from far environs. Being nonrefundable, the fee gave sellers an incentive to keep their prices fair.
As Boulder was settled by educated people wishing to preserve and build on the learning of the past, there was a college a short distance away to the southeast of the market. Adjoining the livestock sales area was a forum built on the same idea as the ancient Romans or Greeks might have done. Stone seats in a semi-circle in descending layers crowded a small stage. The venue was empty of any organized activities during the day, but in the evenings one or more professors from the college would take possession of the lower tiers of seats and give free lectures. The lectures would lead to questions which would inevitably lead further to debate. As the venue was close to the market and informal, visitors from far away found it and participated both for learning and for entertainment.
As a professor of history and a student of humanity, Bluehawk attended more frequently than not. The conversation was convivial and stimulating, and he often wandered back to his cabin with female companionship.
Without formal marriage laws in all communities, a trading town allowed flexibility. The tribal customs of northern Wyoming and Montana allowed for open relationships and viewed strict monogamy with some suspicion. Back home, Bluehawk’s wife was well cared for, and the native man felt no guilt over his forays to other pastures.
Cy, Cable, and Edge happened on the forum one evening as they explored. By coincidence Jody and Olivia were passing nearby, and they noticed the three companions as they passed over the hill surrounding the seats and so decided to catch up and find out what the men were doing. The hour was early, and though a crowd was gathering, they did not realize what would be happening. Taking seats at the top of the forum to be out of the way of the growing press, the five young people were soon engrossed in conversation and laughter. When Bluehawk appeared from in back of the stage, walked across to the front and jumped down to be closer to his audience, the crowd silenced, and the five companions were surprised.
The young people had been informed by the native man that he was a teacher at the college, but they had not really understood what that meant. Bluehawk had vanished with his ponies once they were in town, and no one had seen him since. Apparently the man was an orator. They quieted to listen and were soon caught up in the lecture. The lesson was of the past, of a history that had disappeared from the earth two hundred years ago.
Deciding to stay after the short presentation, the five moved down to fill seats closer to the discussion that followed. They remained silent as they took in the ideas expressed and the strange claims of how the world worked at one time.
As the crowd dissipated, Bluehawk approached the five. He was accompanied by a short, rotund man of great presence, and Bluehawk made introductions all around. The young people immediately came to like Bluehawk’s companion professor, Angus, and the professors invited them to come back and join in as often as they wished. Jody, in particular, seemed interested.
Walking back to camp in the cool night air, the five discussed what they had learned. Some of the claims were viewed with skepticism, as they seemed wildly improbable, while others seemed part of human nature and easy to understand.
The lecture had been about how money influenced the economy and politics of a once great nation. They were standing on the soil of that long gone nation, and they had now been told that the entire country they had passed through was once part of it. In fact the country described had not only touched the ocean to the west of the Sullivan Territories but had extended to the rumored eastern ocean and down to a southern ocean as well. The size of the defunct country almost distracted them from the rest of the conversation, but Jody kept coming back to the lecture’s intent.
The power structure of the enormous country had been controlled by money. Wealth owned the politicians who made the rules. The five had learned of a two party system, a strange concept to them that purported to offer two points of view yet was controlled by the same power structure, so keeping both parties under the same thumb. No matter who was elected, the same people were in power.
Some of the discussion after the lesson led to points made about what the wealthy owned. They were so rich they did not own businesses so much as they owned commodities. They did not own lumber companies, they owned the lumber market and could create surpluses and shortages as they desired. The wealthy did not own manufacturing companies, they owned shares that gave them a say in what those companies did. They did not have employees, per se, but controlled labor unions and trade organizations. They knew where the money would be before it got where it was going because they controlled the gates that the money flowed through. They controlled food, water, public organizations and a standing army.
The five young adults were savvy in the ways of their own world, but the concepts they had been introduced to were foreign, mainly because of the scale of what was discussed. They understood barter, the sale of animals, and the inventory of a Blacksmith shop, but the idea that power in the hands of a small number of people could control the ebb and flow of an entire economy involving vast numbers of citizens was difficult to conceptualize. Edge came closest to understanding, as he compared it to Roseburg, but Cable had no clue and cared not at all.
One of the things apparent to Jody was that power like that could be abused. She had read an interesting quote in her search for learning back in the old Carson City library and now remembered it. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” When she mentioned it to the others, they understood and voiced their agreement.
The walk home was too short for all the thoughts that were floating in the air. But days were busy with necessity, so when they got back to camp they reluctantly split up and went to their beds.
Olivia wondered if Jody would ever calm down and go to sleep. She tried to hint broadly that they needed their rest, but her friend was wound tig
ht and continued talking quietly and insistently for some time into the wee hours. Finally she went silent when Olivia started to snore lightly. Still, Jody lay awake thinking until she drifted off just before dawn.
§
As the season advanced, harvest time came to an end. Vegetables to be used in winter storage made their way in great wagon loads to the market - squash, dried corn still in the shuck, roots of various kinds and sold in loosely woven bags or tied in bundles. The fruits of the fields that could not be stored in root cellars or cool rooms were prepared and dried or bottled after being cooked at high temperatures. Those who could afford the newly reawakened freezer technology filled the units with experiments in what could be preserved in a frozen state.
College courses waited during the summer and early fall. Each year students were released to do the labor necessary to provide survival during the winter months. Once they were able, they trailed back to learn. Students came from far and wide, many educations paid through communal efforts with a long term look toward improving their circumstances. The trend was growing as more students made their way back to their communities with ideas.
§
The small creek’s high dirt banks posed no problem to the men coming from the east. They rode huge horses compared to most riders, but even so the horses were not noticeably large in comparison to the men. The two men were enormous. The old city on the great river once known as the Mississippi was now known for producing massive people.
A big man, the product of Scandinavian ancestry and with only a smattering of English language skills, had survived to meet two large women. The good friends he found were sisters to people who participated as linebackers in a sport that had died and not been practiced for two centuries. A sport which required players to be overly large. Between the genetics of the group and the problems with language, the riders now approaching Boulder as third year students were dark in complexion, both over three hundred pounds, and their native tongue could be best described as Viking Creole.
Hell Follows After (Monster of the Apocalypse Saga) Page 16