Gone to Kansas Ch. 01

Basically, my gear consisted of a couple of wool blankets wrapped up in an oil cloth ground tarp to make a bed roll, a rain slicker and my coat. March in Missouri could be unpredictable, you could find yourself freezing in the morning and burning up in the afternoon, it could be raining, sleeting or snowing you just had to be prepared for anything!

I grabbed a couple of boxes of cartridges for my spencer carbine and put an edge on my knife that I always carried on my belt. I went ahead and threw the sharpening stone, comb, a tinder box for building fires and a small mirror in my bag as well. I also brought a change of clothes for when we got to Hermann, I didn't want to be stuck in my filthy trail clothes when we got to town. I didn't need to pack food or cookware in my saddle bags since we were taking the wagon, so I didn't have too much to get ready.

I moved the barrel of flower in for momma and began cutting up the hams. That damn rind was tough as hell to get through on the hams and I was cussing up a blue streak! Cussing was something momma didn't really approve of, but since I'd been working on the tie crew for the last couple of years she tolerated it from me, just a little!

Heidi and Ellie came in and started talking to me while I was working on the hams. Ellie was what we called Elizabeth, unless she was in trouble.

"Zeb, when you get to Hermann would you pick us up some of that French perfume at Kroner's department store," Heidi asked?

"Yeah, and while your there we need a bolt of red and green cloth along with some lace for making dresses," Ellie said. Both of them handed me five dollars for the things they wanted.

"I don't know about all this, what's in it for me?" I asked the girls!

"Well, we could make you your favorite..... peach pie," exclaimed Ellie!

"That doesn't sound like enough for all the trouble I'll have to go through for what you two want, no, I think I'll need more than that. I'll tell you what, you all make me a pie for three weekends in a row and I'll do it," I replied!

"You got yourself a deal," Heidi exclaimed!

"I don't know sis," Ellie said. "He might get fat with all of them pies, then we'd never get him married off and outta our hair!"

Heidi began laughing at Ellie's remark and I swatted them both on the behind and told them they better behave, or I'd have to give them a real spankin! They both ran and cried out to momma "Zeb's being mean to us momma, tell him he better behave!"

"You girls leave Zeb alone; he's trying to get some work done for me and I know how you two like to gang up on him!"

"Oh momma, you always take Zeb's side," replied Ellie! It was true most of the time momma would take my side over the girls. I always suspected I was her favorite in a way, I always thought it was because I reminded her of daddy.

The girls were spittin images of momma, in looks and mannerisms and I think that being so much alike got on momma's nerves just a little. But to be fair I was gone all week except for a day and a half, and the girls worked with momma every day at the store, so they saw a lot of each other, and being the age they were, I think they wore momma out some.

Just as I was finishing up cutting up the ham's momma came in and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I was quite a bit taller than momma and her breasts smashed into my stomach, she felt good to me, and I was beginning to see her as a "woman" not just my mother. I can't say I had sexual feelings towards her, just the appreciation that a man feels when he observes a beautiful well-built woman, and momma was definitely well built!

"Thank you for cutting up those hams and moving that flour barrel in! Momma said while looking me over.

"You're welcome momma, anything for you!"

I love you Zeb, you are growing to be quite a man, and so handsome as well! I want you to be extra careful on your trip. Keep an eye out for trouble and avoid it and watch out for any women trying to snag you up when you get to town!"

"Yes, mother, I will be careful, I always am," I said blushing at her comment. Momma always liked to tease me about "other women" snagging me up or luring me in!

I sat around with my family for about another hour to visit and then turned in for the night. Tomorrow couldn't get there soon enough, as I was excited to be doing something besides swingin an ax!

I woke up the next morning about an hour before light to momma and the girls preparing breakfast and some trail food for us to bring along. I got out of bed and slipped on my clothes, grabbed my rifle and went out for breakfast.

Breakfast was my favorite time of the day for one reason, momma and my sisters would fix it in their night gowns, which did cover everything, going clear down to their knees. What made it so special was the fact the material they were made from was pretty thin and you could occasionally see their breasts moving freely underneath. It wasn't completely see through, but it was very nice! They were loose fitting around the neck as well, so when they bent down you could usually get a peak.

I would pull up a seat at the table and just watch them do their thing, walking barefoot around the kitchen, preparing food! I'd sip my morning coffee enjoying the view of three beautiful girls. I always believed that it was important to appreciate the beauty of God's greatest creation for man, a fine-lookin well-built woman! I was of the belief that you didn't have sexual relations with your immediate family, but it didn't mean you couldn't enjoy the view!

Breakfast ended and I got hugs and goodbyes from momma and my sisters, then went out with Mr. Danny to get the horses hooked to the wagon and load up our gear. After that I saddled up Buddy, I put on my saddle bag, bedroll and rifle scabbard, then slipped that Spencer in the scabbard after I double checked I had one in the chamber.

Mr. Danny grabbed his Henry rifle and jumped up on the buckboard and took up the leads. "Are ya ready Zeb?"

"Yes sir, ready as I'll ever be." Mr. Danny started moving out and I followed alongside him when space allowed so's we could talk.

"Zeb, once we get on down the road a bit, I want you to ride on ahead of me for a mile or so just to scout around, just so we don't come upon no trouble unexpected. If you come across anything not right, or you just get a bad feelin about somethin, you get back here and let me know, don't try to handle it on your own if you have a choice."

"Yes sir Mr. Danny, I'll keep a look out for trouble."

It was only seven years after the civil war had ended and there were still some bushwhackers operating in Missouri and our border states. Bushwhackers were more like outlaw guerilla fighters. They never really fought for one side or the other, they just used the war as an excuse to steal from folks and they didn't want to give up stealing just because the war was over. They would steal from people sympathetic to the north or the south, whoever made an easy target they would take advantage of. In our area there wasn't much law to take care of them, so a person had to protect themselves.

My Spencer rifle was a seven shot repeater and Mr. Danny had a Henry rifle that held fourteen cartridges, along with a couple of belt guns. We could lay down some fire if the need arose, hopefully it wouldn't!

We made about 12 miles that first day, which wasn't too bad. We found a spot to stay the night and built a fire to warm up some stew that momma had made extra of. The weather was still pretty cold so it would keep a couple days or so. We put the stew on to cook and sat around waiting for it to get warm.

Mr. Danny told me he had something he had been meaning to give me but hadn't gotten around to it yet. He got up and went over to the wagon to retrieve whatever it was he was talking about. It was dark so I couldn't see what it was until he got close. I could see it was a gun belt with a holster, pistol, powder flask and a bullet and cap pouch.

Mr. Danny sat across the fire from me. He seemed to be in some thought, for he didn't speak right away. "Zeb, I want you to know that I'm proud of the man you've become. You are a hard worker and trustworthy. I've been around a lot of men in my time and I'm a pretty good judge of character. You're strong, handsome and smart, and you can do anything you put your mind to, so don't sell yourself short in this life!"

I began to speak, but Mr. Danny held up his hand, so I paused. "Hang on just a minute, I'm not done yet! Your mother and I want you to have something....... something that's rightfully yours, something that used to belong to your father. We both think you're more than ready to have it."

Mr. Danny handed me the gun and all its accoutrements. I slipped the leather loop off of the hammer and drew out the pistol. I recognized it immediately! It was a Colt Navy model of 1851 in .36 caliber. It was well worn but mechanically perfect, it was the pistol my father carried during the war between the states. He had brought it back with him along with the Spencer carbine I was currently using.

The old Colt was a percussion pistol, meaning it used a percussion cap that ignited the powder charge in the cylinder. The cylinder held six shots and when you were done shooting you had to load the individual components consisting of powder and ball into each hole in the cylinder, then place new percussion caps on the nipples. It was much slower than the new cartridge handguns that were quickly taking over due to the speed of a reload and convenience of carrying a pre-loaded self-contained cartridge. However, it was still a formidable self-defense weapon, and its accuracy was just as good as the new cartridge guns.

I just sat there admiring the pistol, I hadn't seen it since daddy had passed. I remember daddy letting me shoot it on occasion, about the time I turned twelve. Those were some good memories for me. Of course, that wasn't the only exposure I had to pistols. Mr. Danny began showing me the ways of a handgun before he and momma had even married, so I was a fair hand with one.

"Thank you, Mr. Danny, I don't know what to say!"

"Your mother felt it was high time you got your father's pistol; she figured you were ready! I'd told her you were ready a couple of years ago, but she has a hard time seeing you as a man Zeb. She still thinks of you as her little boy."

After another hour or so of talking around the campfire, we went to our bedrolls in the back of the mostly empty wagon and called it a night. The next morning, we got up a little before first light, I strapped on daddy's pistol for the first time, it sure had a good feel to it. We got the fire going again and put a pot of coffee on and ate some cold biscuits and blackberry preserves for our breakfast.

We broke camp and hooked up the team, I saddled up Buddy and we hit the trail. The next couple of days went by without event and we made camp the evening of the third night probably only four miles out of Hermann. Mr. Danny figured we'd roll into town a little before noon on the fourth day of travel, which was a Thursday.

That night Mr. Danny and I did some more talking around the fire after supper was over. Mr. Danny was telling me some of his experiences being a St. Louis police officer. He referred to it as being a "copper."

"Zeb, when you shoot someone with a pistol it's not the same as with a rifle or a shotgun. A pistol doesn't have much power behind it so when you shoot a man with it don't expect him to just give up the ghost then and there. No sir, it might take several shots to take the fight outta him!

Another thing to keep in mind is this, don't get concerned about going so fast that it causes you to miss. As you shoot at different distances keep in mind the further away your target is the more time you need to aim! So, a shot at three paces you can just yank and shoot that smoke wagon as quick as you please, but when you start getting out to say...... ten paces or more, you better start applying some sights! When you get to the twenty-five or so paces and beyond range, you can do it, and be good at it with lots of practice, but you're best served with using both hands to steady your aim."

Mr. Danny talked into the evening about some of his shooting situations and I learned a lot from his stories. At the end of the night before we turned in, Mr. Danny gave me this advice. "Zeb, when you pull that pistol to defend yourself or anyone else, you pull it to kill a man, you don't ever shoot to wound someone. A wounded man might heal up and hunt your ass down when you least suspect it. Always shoot to kill, you understand that son?"

"Yes sir Mr. Danny, I do!" I took Mr. Danny's words to heart; he had a lot of experience, and I knew he had my best interest in mind.

That night I lay in my bedroll, unable to sleep, due to the excitement of our pending arrival to Hermann tomorrow. Hermann was the biggest city I'd ever been to. It had a lot going on with being a railroad and river town, I hadn't been there but three times in my life, so it was a big deal to me at the time.

As I lay there in my bedroll, I thought of what me might see in town, I was looking forward to seeing some beautiful women and checking out all the stores. The excitement of getting to Hermann kept me wide awake well into the night, sleep came slowly.

When it was time to get up the next morning, I woke up quickly, feeling the excitement from my anticipation of getting to town.

We rode into town around lunch time on Thursday, it was a warmer than usual day with the sun nice and bright out. There were quite a few people out and about doing their business and it was fun for me to people watch.

While riding into town, I noticed this woman in a pale-yellow dress walking down the side of the street. She had beautiful blonde hair, and her dress was hugging her form nicely. I could feel my britches getting tight around my pecker.

"Zeb, were going to turn down this next street to the left!" Hollered Mr. Danny, jolting me back to my senses! "Yes sir!" I replied, not taking my eyes off of the beautiful lady.

"Street is called Gutenberg Street, it's where we're going to load up our goods. The place is a big brick building, we'll pull up there and leave the wagon so they can load us up. We'll look around a bit and get something to eat, and then do whatever shopping we need to do. How's that sound to you Zeb?"

"Sounds great to me Mr. Danny!" The woman I was checking out had gone into a department store, I figured it was probably the one the girls wanted me to get their cloth from. I'd need to go there at some point today, I didn't want to disappoint my little sisters, and I was hoping to see more of the woman in the yellow dress.

We pulled around back of the bulk goods store where we were going to get our supplies. It was called Schiller's Dry goods and Supply. There were about four large wagons in the back, one of which was being loaded. "Well Zeb, looks like we're going to have some time to kill before they get to us," replied Mr. Danny.

We got down and went on into the store to see about our stuff. There were all kinds of things in Schillers. It was a warehouse of every conceivable dry good and household item you could think of, there were also lots of tools and all assortments of farm supplies.

We went up to the counter and a small man with spectacles was behind it ciphering some figures on a piece of paper. Mr. Danny didn't interrupt him and stood quietly waiting for the man to give his attention.

Shortly, the man looked up and said, "Yes sir, what can I do for you two today?"

"My name is Danny McGregor and I'm here to pick up an order I'm supposed to have waiting for me. This is my list of supplies I ordered, and we have our wagon parked around the back, it's the one with the two bay Belgians," replied Mr. Danny.

The little man took the paper from Mr. Danny. "Well sir, it looks like it might be a bit before we get to you, there are four wagons ahead of you to load up. I'm going to say it'll probably be around four this afternoon before we can get to you."

I could tell that wasn't what Mr. Danny wanted to hear, and he looked to be in thought for a moment before he spoke. "Are you Mr. Schiller?" Mr. Danny asked.

"No, I'm his son in law, the names Donahue."

"Well Mr. Donahue, we live a fer piece from here and I don't aim to start my journey back right at nightfall. Is there any way we could leave our wagon here and have you load it first thing tomorrow mornin?" Asked Mr. Danny.

"I think we could manage that for you Mr. McGregor. There's a livery stable just down the street and they'll put you up in the loft if you don't want to pay for a room at the hotel."

"Very well Mr. Donahue, I think that's what we'll do. I'll unhook our wagon so your men can get us loaded first thing tomorrow mornin and we'll take the livestock to the livery for the night. We'll see you bright and early tomorrow mornin," exclaimed Mr. Danny!

An hour later we were walking away from the livery stable, having just dropped off the horses. The hostler was an older man, went by the name Henry. He was decent enough to let us bunk in a room where he kept grain and gave us a lock for the door, so we left our long guns and other valuables in the room so we could go out on the town.

Mr. Danny and I changed out of our trail clothes and washed up the best we could with a pale of water and bar of soap the hostler let us use. We both cleaned up pretty good and I felt a whole lot better since it'd been about four days since I'd washed.

By now it was about three in the afternoon, so we only had a few hours of daylight left. I told Mr. Danny about the items the girls were wanting so he agreed we should get that out of the way first. We strapped on our pistols and headed out.

Kroner's Department store was close by and was indeed the place I saw the lady in the yellow dress walk into. Mr. Danny and I walked in the door, I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of stuff they had, I had no doubt I would find everything the girls were wanting.

Kroners pretty much had everything a woman could want; I wished my sisters and mother were here to enjoy it. I began looking through the bolts of colored cloth they had on display and about that time, I heard a woman's voice ask if she could help me. I looked up, right into the blue eyes of the beautiful woman in the yellow dress I'd seen on the street earlier.

Not only was she more beautiful up close, but she smelled as good as she looked. Her dress had a square neckline that went fairly low, it displayed some of the finest mounds of flesh I'd ever laid my eyes on! She looked to be around 35 years of age and had fair skin; I could make out the blueish veins on what I could see of the upper swell of her breasts!

I guess my delayed response and blatant staring made her think I might be "touched" as she looked from me to Mr. Danny and said, "does he speak?" I snapped back to reality, feeling embarrassed and turning red from being caught staring at the lady. "Sorry ma'am, I was thinking which of these colors I wanted," was my lame reply! I could see Mr. Danny snickering, he was getting a kick out of the uncomfortable situation I'd gotten myself into.

"Well, I guess I can see how it could be a might confusing for you! I'm Mrs. Kroner and you just let me know if you need any help, I'm always happy to help a handsome young man like yourself, I realize coming into a department store with mostly lady's items can be a bit distressing for a man! What may I call you?"

"Zeb.... ma'am, well actually it's Zebulon but usually only my momma calls me that!"

"Zebulon, such a strong sounding name, it matches your strong build! I'd say your mother named you appropriately! Such a handsome young man as well!" She said as she eyed me up and down.