When Mira returned to the passenger car the children were asleep. Sitting in the darkened car she considered her next move. For now, she had the law on her side, but had little faith in the Pinkerton men. They had stepped outside the law by killing the barbarian. No one could prove it. Shiver would do what she wanted for the right amount of money. Now Mira Bonner must begin to regain the confidence of the children. Certainly, she could easily sway their young hearts over time with the things she could afford to buy them.
C20 A Determined People
Deep in the wilderness, Elam led the way through a mountain pass. Above them a full moon lit the sky providing light for their early morning travel. “Well, I always wondered whar the words ‘Honeymoon’ came from and now I know. That are one big moon up thar!” he said. Getting no response, he lapsed back into silence. For a long time they rode both tired and in need of rest.
Tillie groaned from the anticipation of miles and miles of riding before they would intercept the train. “You sure are willing to go through a lot just to learn to read,” she joked.
Elam smiled. “Now that’s better. I’m a-figurin’ I come out real good besides learnin’ to read and write, I’m a-gittin’ them two fine kids for my own,” he said.
“Is that all?” she asked, drilling a hole in his heart with her blue eyes.
Elam turned and looked at Tillie and said with a smile, “No, ma’am! I git to rescue the pretty girl from the wild Injuns, marry her, and now we are a-ridin’ off into the wilderness to live happy ever after.” Suddenly tears began to flow and she sighed deeply. Elam pulled his horse to a stop and reached out to touch her arm.
“I’m okay. I’m just tired of this and want it to end. I want my children,” Tillie said.
Elam responded gently, “I can understand that. This shore has been a tryin’ time for the both of us. But so far we have come back pretty strong seein’ what we’ve been through. Now that stream over thar is mighty pretty. Why don’t we make an early camp and rest up a bit? We shorely got a good start this mornin’.” They both set out to get their camp set up. Elam set up a windbreak of pine branches and saw to the stock while Tillie gathered broken and dead branches for the campfire. After hobbling the horses, he walked down to the stream where a waterfall provided a small place to bathe. The water was beginning to take on the winter cold and a bath was an effort. Just as his razor took the last of the stubble from his chin, he noticed in the mirror Tillie’s face behind him.
Tillie ran her hand across the jagged scar on his back and shook her head. “I hope we never have to go through anything like that again,” she said. Turning, he was breathless as she stood before him. Letting the blanket slide away from her, she stepped down into the cold water.
“Life will always be full of hardships, but moments like this make it all worthwhile,” Elam said. That night the winds began to build as darkness fell. Again, old man winter sent his frosty fingers to speak of his impending arrival. Under the windbreak Elam pulled her close to him, their faces illuminated by the campfire. Never had he loved anyone so deeply. He held her close to him and the silence was intoxicating.
First light found the two rested and reluctant to get out of the warm bedroll as neither wanted the night to end. “It’s been a wonderful Honeymoon, Elam. Let’s make it a God-honoring marriage. The best it can possibly be,” she said.
“I’m a blessed man, Tillie. I am a-willin’ to do whatever it takes to make this marriage God-honorin’. I will ask God for the wisdom to be all He can make me to be for you. Now one of us has to roll out from under these here warm covers and put the coffee pot next to the coals,” Elam said.
“I know who that will be. I’m not about to move until I have some coffee and am fully dressed!” Tillie said with a smile.
“Looks like I’m the one!” Elam said, throwing the covers back and standing as she shuddered and fought to regain the covers. In the predawn campfire light, he watched her face glow and knew his life was now complete. A few minutes later, he returned to the bedroll carrying a cup of steaming coffee. “Now, all we need to make our marriage perfect is a couple of kids that are ahead somewhar. Git up, Mrs. Franklin! It’s time we go about a-gatherin’ them up!” Elam exclaimed.
For days they rode the wild country making early camp and eagerly learning each other. A week later, they crossed a mountain ridge and Elam pulled up and sat watching the valley below. Tillie sat looking in the same direction, wanting to know what held his attention. Below them and far away, a shiny ribbon of steel wove its way across the valley floor and disappeared around a mountainside.
“If I be a-understandin’ what the old mountain man told me a-fore we left Nichols, thar be a place called Mountain Junction on the other side of that mountain. That be whar we wait for the train,” Elam said.
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Nolan made his way through each train car. His scratched face and head along with a torn and mangled coat drew stares from passengers along the way. His heart jumped with joy when he reached the car and saw Nora’s pillowed head leaning against the window sound asleep. Easing in beside her, Nolan sat watching her breathe for a long time before he took her small hand in his. The contact brought her eyes open and for a moment she focused at him in unbelief. A cry of joy and a look of astonishment was all she could offer.
“Don’t be so surprised, Nora. It is a real thing you are a-seein’. The wicked grandmother had me thrown off the train and I had to wait fer the next train to come along. I may look the worst for wear and full of holes, but you should see the fellers what chunked me off the train!” Nolan said with a grin.
“Nolan Tolivar, just look at you! I guess I should be grateful you are here and in one piece. It doesn’t look like that badge brought you much respect from the Pinkerton men,” Nora said.
“No, but they are in for a good dose of law when I catch up with them,” Nolan chuckled.
A conductor came through the car and announced that the train would be pulling into the Bald Ridge station in a few minutes. Before he could ask, Nolan pulled out a limp and tattered but otherwise whole ticket and gave it to the conductor.
Looking at the ticket the conductor said, “This is for the train which came through here four days ago, mister!”
“That be a true statement,” Nolan said. “But you see, my ticket wuz never punched because I wuz thrown from the train by some villains what did not like me bein’ a Peace Officer.” Pulling back his ragged coat to show his badge he said, “I’m a-just gittin’ my money’s worth.”
Punching his ticket and eyeing his torn and ragged clothing the conductor said, “Well, I guess that is okay.”
“Nora, I will be leavin’ the train at Bald Ridge,” Nolan said. “Now a-fore you go gittin’ all riled up, you need to know that Elam and Tillie is headed that way and Elam will have to face the Pinkerton thugs and the wicked grandmother all alone if I don’t cross the mountains and be thar when the other train gits to Mountain Junction.”
Nora pulled her shawl up tight around her shoulders and sighed, “You need to be there then. But I’m telling you Nolan Tolivar when I get to the end of the line you better not be in any worse shape than you are now.”
The train began to slow and Nolan took her hand in his and said, “Woman, I had rather take a beatin’ than leave you again--but the children--”
Nora put a finger over his mouth and said, “I know how you feel and I feel the same way. You must do what you can to help Tillie and the children. The train will be stopping here for a few hours, but remember, I will be following behind. We will take up our life when I get there.” Nolan kissed her and they left the train and walked along the platform arm and arm.
Standing next to the station, Bull and Jericho waited with the packs. Bull was an engaging man and spoke to almost anyone who passed by. “Bull, you plannin’ on crossin’ that thar mountain with us?” Nolan asked.
“Unless you say otherwise, I would like to ride along with you. My gear is ready and just as so
on as my horse is offloaded, I will be ready to go. I was talking to the yardman and he said he unloaded three horses for Pinkerton men here a few days back,” Bull said.
“That will put them in Mountain Junction today late,” Jericho said.
“Jericho, go find us some mounts and a pack mule while I buy me a shirt and coat,” Nolan said.
“Pastor Curry, you take care of my man and I will be along in a few days,” Nora said.
“With the Lord's help, that is what I plan to do, Miss Nora,” Bull said. Within an hour, the three were ready to travel and Nora watched them leave town from the station platform.
C21 A Long Way to Travel
Two days out of Mountain Junction the train stopped at Yellow Rock Station. They were unloading cattle where stock pens lined the side of the tracks. A small town had sprung up to accommodate the railroad. It was more of a tent city, along with a dance hall and trading post. This was the last chance Danny would have before the end of the line. The Pinkerton men were gone and that made it easier to escape. Mira Bonner had stayed close to Mary. She had bought Mary a new colorful blanket from a peddler on the train and Mary had softened toward her a little. Everything was ready and all he had to do was get Mary off the train and they would be gone. Making sure that he had everything he would need to live in the wilderness, he returned to the car and settled back by his sister, waiting for a chance.
“Do you want to go to the dining car, children? We can have an early morning lunch or late breakfast whichever you prefer,” Mira said.
“No, Grandmother. We are fine. I got Mary a sandwich when I returned from feeding Red and Nolan’s horses,” Danny answered.
“That is fine. I will bring you each a piece of pie,” Mira said as she left for the dining car. Mira had noticed a softening in Danny’s voice and felt that finally, he was coming around. She smiled to herself as she made her way along the cars headed for the dining car.
“Mary, this is our chance,” Danny said. “We can be back in Miss Nora’s house in a few days! Let’s go!” That was all the encouragement Mary needed and the two ran down the rail cars heading for the stock cars where Red stood waiting. Danny led the big red horse down the gangplank, followed by Nolan’s horses, where a group of cowboys had just finished unloading the last cattle car into the stock pens.
“Boy, that is a mighty fine horse you have there. I don’t think I have ever seen one any nicer. What’s a kid like you doin’ with such a nice horse anyway?” a puncher asked. The cowboys all stood admiring the stallion as he pranced about at the end of his lead rope happy to be free of the confining stock car. Danny tightened the cinch on Nolan’s horse and checked the pack while trying to answer the questions from the curious cowboys.
“He’s the finest horse in the world and he is mine,” Danny said with a sense of love and admiration for the big horse.
A white-haired man, his face wrinkled from years of cattle drives and working in the great outdoors said, “Son, anyone who has ever forked a hoss knows that is a quality mount. Does he have a bloodline?”
“Red is from Colonel Fredrick’s bloodline. He is the best of them all. Mr. Fredrick said he was a king among horses,” Danny said with pride.
The old man pulled the pipe from his mouth and stepped over to Red and ran his hand along his thick neck. “Son, if you are tellin’ the truth, this big red hoss will have a small “JF” tattoo inside his left ear.” A surprised look came over his face as he turned back to Danny. “He surely is the king of hosses for he has the mark of a master hoss breeder and a friend of mine, Colonel John Frederick,” he said.
The old man lit his pipe again and his mind seemed far away as he talked gently to the great horse before him. Turning to Danny he said, “Son, I knew Colonel Fredrick for many a year and a finer man God hasn’t made than him. You must be a mighty fine boy to have John’s life work given you. I hope you take care of this fine animal and use him as John would want you to.”
“Yes sir, I plan on starting a horse ranch with Red,” Danny said.
“How is my old friend John?” the old trail boss asked.
Danny relayed the story of how he and Mary had escaped as Mr. Fredrick fought off the Indians. For a long time the old cowboy stood puffing on his pipe. Finally, he shook Danny’s hand and said, “Thanks for tellin’ me that story, son. I guess that wuz a-fittin’ end for an old warrior like John. Now you make shore his memory lives on through this fine stud. Okay boys, let’s git these cows on out to the ranch before supper time!” he said.
Behind the crowd admiring Red, the train moved slowly away from the loading pens and disappeared down the tracks. This had not gone unnoticed by Danny, who stood stroking the neck of the great horse. Mary sat waiting on Nolan’s horse, Banner, as Danny tightened the cinch on Red.
The old cowboy left with his punchers as he pushed the herd away from the town, leaving Danny and Mary alone. Checking the packhorse once again, Danny led the horses away from the station. He let them drink at a watering trough behind the station while he studied their surroundings. The train was nowhere in sight now, and Grandmother’s trips to the dining car had usually been long. He hoped she would do the same today.
No doubt when she found their seats empty, she would surely start a search of the train. It was time to head back down the track and get distance from this town. No one seemed to notice as Danny walked Red away from town and made his way back to the railroad tracks below the cattle pens. Mounting Red, Danny let the big horse pick his gate. Both horses had a smooth gait and were anxious to be on the trail again. For the next few hours they made good time following the rails as they wound through the mountains until Mary began to complain.
Danny gently said, “Just sit tight for a few more minutes, Mary. I spotted a good place from the train to camp just ahead and we are almost there.”
The spot where they camped was in a meadow a hundred yards below the track where the horses would have good grazing for the night. A sizeable overhanging rock formation was big enough for them and their horses to make a good dry shelter against the brisk wind.
Danny had become wilderness smart and could spot a good campsite as well as any man. He quickly made camp and Mary helped gather sticks for a campfire. Going through the pack, Danny pulled his pistols and rifle out checking the action and load. He did not realize how much he had learned from his trek across the mountains with his mother. Now it was beginning to pay off. He was back in an element where he felt at home.
The camp was well chosen and he built a fire against a boulder that radiated warmth. Danny made a straw and pine-needle bed for them and spread the bedroll atop the soft pile. Mary was fast asleep in no time and Danny lay under the covers staring out at the starlit night. Mary had been quiet all day and Danny knew she was leery of being back in the wilderness. Her lapse into quietness had allowed him to keep his mind on their surroundings. He needed to develop the wilderness intuition he had seen in Nolan and Elam.
Dropping small branches into the fire, he thought of his life in the past year and contemplated their future. He loved the wide-open spaces and knew if he were back in Hunter, life would not be as challenging living with his grandmother. She would provide a soft life that would never interest him again. He developed a love for freedom and a deep and abiding admiration for the character he saw in his mother and those who had helped them along the trail. Nolan, Elam, Nora, and Bull were his kind of people.
First on his list was to determine once and for all what had happened to his mother. If Elam had not been successful, then he would go after her himself. Living and not knowing what had been her fate, would haunt him for the rest of his life. He knew he had been growing strong and would be able to do as much as any man in a short time.
He planned to leave Mary with Miss Nora and find his mother. One thing he knew for sure, he had done the right thing taking Mary from his grandmother. His mother would never want Mary raised by a person void of character and conscience. Danny would raise her as his mot
her would want and Miss Nora was as close to his mother as he knew.
Night fell and the wind whispered through the pines of a colder time to come. Mary lay fast asleep, snuggled close to her brother as Danny fed the small campfire with sticks. The mournful call of distant wolves across a vast wilderness punctuated the darkness. Danny hoped that somewhere out there his mother and Elam were looking into the same heavens and praying for their safety.
Danny sighed heavily and even though they were deep in a vast wilderness, he was not afraid. Above them, the God of all creation watched over him and his little sister. Just as his mother had shown him in the Bible, he knew that they were not alone.
C22 A Wild Country
High above the mountain peaks, the twinkling of millions of stars declared the handywork of God as Elam fed the campfire with sticks. “Tillie, when we find the children, we’ll have a lifetime of stories a-tellin them by the fireplace. Tomorrow, we will be at the rails end and I will have you finally reunited with your children,” he said. Only visible from the heavens, two campfires twinkled in the night on different sides of a snow-capped mountain.
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Danny set up and listened to the wind. They had been in the wilderness for three days and the unusual rocky terrain had kept their forward movement slow. Small bridges had been a problem as they had to detour for long distances to get from one side to the other. He had not known that horses could not cross trestles. Now he realized he could not make Nichols as quickly as he had thought and the food for them and the horses would run out in a couple of days.
What should he do? For Mary’s sake, he had to find shelter and prepare for the coming snowstorms. Danny had seen many winter storms and was wise enough to fear them. The weather gave all the indications a storm was coming. Sighing deeply, he threw a stick on the fire. Tomorrow he would return to the town where they had left the train. He could make it back in two days. There was a storm coming. If the blizzard caught them out in the open, they might not make it at all. He could feed Mary and himself on rabbits and small game, but the horses would not make it without food enough to make the long-frozen winter.
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