BIG RED FOUR

 

              LIFE ON THE FARM WAS GOOD BUT RED WAS NOT MAKING MUCH MONEY . SO WHEN  ONE OF THE RELITIVES SAID THAT HE HEARD THEY WERE GOING TO OPEN UP THE MORE OF THE TERRITORY OF OKLAHOMA , IT SET RED TO THINKING . THAT EVENING HE TOLD JENNY ABOUT IT AND SAID I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO OKLAHOMA WHY DON’T WE GO THERE AND SEE WHAT WE CAN FIND . WELL JENNY SAID WE HAVE A COUPLE YOUNG ONES AND MYRTIL THEIR ALL HEALTHY . I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR US TO GO . O.K. SAID RED I’LL TALK TO SOME OF THE OTHER RELITIVES AND SEE HOW  WE CAN DO THIS . RED GOT SEVERAL FAMILIES TO GATHER AND THE WERE ALL EXCITED ABOUT IT . RED SAID NOW WE GOT TO TAKE SOME THING WE CAN SELL THERE FOR MONEY . ONE FAMILY SAID ALL WE GOT IS HAY . THE REST SAID,  ME TO , THEN RED SAID O.K. WE WILL EACH BRING TWO WAGON LOADS OF HAY . ALSO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE GOT GOOD HORSES AND WAGONS . NOW WHEN DO WE LEAVE ?  ONE FAMILY SAID  “ I SAY AS SOON AS WE CAN “.

   O.K. SAID RED LETS PLAN TO LEAVE NEXT WEEK . I THINK THAT SHOULD GIVE EVERYONE TIME TO GET READY . IT WAS AGREED THEN NEXT WEEK ON MONDAY .

THE WAGON TRAIN PULLED OUT EARLY MONDAY MORNING THAT FIRST DAY WAS A ROUGH ONE . IT SEEMED THEY ALL HAD A BREAK DOWN ONE WAY OR AN OTHER BUT BY THE SECONDIT DAY THE WERE GETTING THE HANGE OF IT AND FROM THEN ON THEY MOVED RIGHT ALONG . BY THE FOURTH NIGHT THEY WERE REALLY OUT IN THE PAIRRIE

AND ALL WERE FEELING THE STRAIN OF THE WAGON TRAIN SO THEY STOPED EARLY . THEY SET UP THEIR CURCIAL AND PREPAIRED TO HAVE A PAIRRIE DANCE . THEY HAD THEMSELVES A GOOD TIME TO AND GETTING UP LATE THEY ALL FELT A LOT BETTER

FOR THE STOP AND DANCE . THE DAYS TURNED INTO WEEKS . ONE TIME SOME INDIANS ROAD ALONG SIDE THEM FOR A FEW MILES BUT GAVE THEM NO TROUBLE . A FEW TIMES THEY CAME UPON A TRADEING POST AND GOT SOME SUPPLIES . ONE NIGHT THEY HEARD A RUCKES IN ONE OF THE WAGONS AND FOUND AN INDIAN TRYING TO STEEL SOME FOOD . THE FAMILIES ALL BEENING CHRISTIANS  TRETED HIM WELL AND OFFERED HIM SOME FOOD . THE INDIAN ACCEPTED IT AND ROAD OFF RETURNING THE NEXT NOON WITH A DEER . RED COULD UNDERSTAND HIS LANGUAGE AND WHEN HE ASK IF HE COULD RIDE ALONG WITH THEM ? THEY SAID YES AND THEY WOULD FEED HIM TO .

IF HE HELPED PROTECT THEM . THE INDIAN WAS PLEASED WITH THIS ARANGMENT AND SAID HIS NAME WAS  “ FIGHTING BEAR “ AND SHOWED THEM SCARES ON HIS CHEST . THE DAYS ROLLED ON AND WHEN THEY GOT CLOSE TO OKLAHOMA  FIGHTING BEAR ANOUNCED HE WOULD BE LEAVEING THEM , TO MANY WHITE MAN UP A HEAD  . THEY GAVE HIM SOME FOOD AND BID HIM GOODBY . WHEN FIGHTING BEAR WAS GONE ABOUT AN HOUR HE CAME RIDEING BACK AT A FULL GALLOP YELLING TO THEM TO FORM A CIRCLE SOME BAD INDIANS WERE RIGHT BEHIND HIM . THEY QUICKLY FORMED A CIRCLE AND AS THEY GOT IT ALMOST DONE THEY COULD SEE THE DUST AND THEN THE RIDERS COMEING . FIGHTING BEAR TOLD RED TO LET HIM TALK TO THEN FIRST AND THEN WALKED OUT IN FRONT OF THE WAGONS WHEN THE INDIANS SAW AND INDIAN STANDING IN FRONT THEY PULL UP TO A QUICK STOP . AFTER MILLING AROUND AND TALKING AMOUNG THEMSELVES  ONE CAME FORWARD AND TALKED TO FIGHTING BEAR . AFTER THIS FIGHTING BEAR CAME TO RED AND SAID  “ THEY WANT FOOD “ ? . RED TOLD HIM THAT THEY WERE LOW ON FOOD BUT THEY COULD GIVE THEM SOME MEAT . FIGHTING BEAR SAID THAT WOULD BE FINE AND HE TOOK IT OUT TO THEM . GETTING THE MEAT THE INDIANS RODE OFF . FIGHTING BEAR SAID “ YOU GET MOVEING FAST AS YOU CAN AND RODE ALONG WITH THEM . LATER IN THE DAY WHEN RED THOUGHT THEY HAD LOST THE INDIANS HE NOTICED FIGHTING BEAR WAS GONE TO . SO ON THEY WENT TO THE TENT CITY WHERE THEY WERE TOLD THE LAND RUSH WOULD START . PULLING INTO THE TOWN THEY WERE MET BY A BUNCH OF PEOPLE ALL WANTING TO KNOW WHERE THEY WERE FROM . THEY WERE LOOKING FOR RELITIVES  AND FRIENDS  . FINALLY RED SAID WE COME FOR THE LAND RUSH . AT THIS THE PEOPLE BECAME QUIET , FINALLY ONE SAYING THE OPENING WAS TWO WEEKS AGO . THERES SOME LEFT BUT NO GOOD LAND . THERE ARE SOME WHO STAKED LAND  THAT ARE WILLING TO SELL IT . AT LEARNING THIS THERE WAS A BIG LET DOWN IN THE WHOLE WAGON TRAIN  , ALL THIS TRAVEL AND HARDSHIP FOR NOTHING .  RED FOUND HE COULD STAKE A LOT IN THE TENT CITY SO HE DID AND THE WHOLE TRAIN CAMPED THERE AND STACKED THEIR HAY ON IT . THEY FOUND THERE WAS A MARKET FOR THEIR HAY AND STARTED SELLING IT RIGHT AWAY ..  AS IN ANY TENT CITY IN THE WILD WEST THE BIGEST TENT WAS GAMBLERS  AND THE WAGON TRAIN WAS WORNED NOT TO GAMBLE WITH THEN AS THEY WERE CROOKED AS THEY COME AND THEY HAD A BUNCH OF GUN MAN TO BACK THEM UP . AFTER GETTING SETTLED SOME FROM THE WAGON TRAIN WENT OUT TO LOOK AT THE LAND LEFT . FINDING NOTHING WORTH  STAKING FINALLY ONE BOUGHT A CLAM

FROM A GUY WILLING TO SELL HIS . THE OTHERS KEPT LOOKING . ONE EVENING AS RED AND JENNY AND THE FAMILY WERE GRTTING READY TO HAVE THE EVENING MEAL TWO RIDERS RODE UP . THEY WERE ALL DRESSED IN BLACK AND WORE TWO GUNS ON EACH HIP AND WERE RIDEING BLACK HORSES . DAR HAD NEVER SEEN RIDERS LIKE THIS THEY WERE BOTH TALL MEN . WHEN THEY STOPED THEY ASK IF THEY COULD HAVE A HOME COOKED MEAL ? JENNY YES BUT RENOVE YOUR GUNS . ONE MAN O.K. WE WILL IF WE CAN HAVE THE CHAIRS FACEING THE DOOR ? JENNY SAID FINE AND THEY SAT DOWN AND HAD THEIR MEAL SAYING VERY LITTLE . RED ASKED WHERE THEY WERE FROM BUT THEY JUST LOOKED AT HIM SAYING NOTHING . WHEN THEY FINISHED THEIR MEAL THEY GOT UP AND THANKED JENNY AND RED , GOT ON THEIR HORSES AND RODE AWAY . WHEN JENNY PICKED UP THEIR PLATES THERE WAS A TWENTY DOLLER  GOLD PIECE UNDER EACH ONE .  WHEN THEY HAD GONE DAR ASK RED WHO WERE THOSE GUYS . RED THOUGHT A WHILE AND SAID MEN LIKE THAT YOU DON’T ASK . THAT’S THE WAY IT WAS IN THE OLD WEST . THE MAN IN THE WAGON TRAIN WHO HAD BOUGHT  THE CLAIM SLIPED IN TO THE GAMBLERS TENT AND THOUGHT HE WOULD TRY SOME GAMBLIN . WHEN HE LOST WHAT MONEY HE HAD THE GAMBLER SAID YOU GOT A CLAM BET THAT ? AFTER MULING IT OVER HE LADE THE CLAIM ON THE TABLE . ONE BET AND IT WAS GONE.  THE MAN PROTESTED THAT CLAM WAS WORTH MORE THAN THAT BUT THE GAMBLER HAD ONE OF HIS BOUNCERS THROW HIM OUT . BACK AT THE WAGONS HE HAD TO CONFESS WHAT HE HAD DONE TO HIS WIFE . HIS WIFE GOT ALL THE MEN TOGATHER AND SAID SOME THING HAS GOT TO BE DONE . RED STOOD THERE LISSIONING TO THIS FINALLY SAYING , COME ON I’LL GET IT BACK AN GRABED HIS SHOT GUN . RED TOLD THE KID’S  TO STAY IN THE TENT AND HE AND THE MEN WENT OVER TO THE BAMBLERS TENT . WELL DAR COULD NOT STAND IT HE HAD TO SEE  WHAT WAS GOING ON . SO HE RAN OVER AN CRALED UNDER THE SIDE OF THE GAAMBLERS TENT JUST IN TIME TO SEE RED PUT THAT SHOTGUN RIGHT INTO THAT BIG FAT GAMBLERS STOMICK.. WITH OUT A WORD SPOKEN THE GAMBLER GAVE THE CLAIM BACK . AND THE MEN RETURNED TO RED’S TENT TO FIGURE THEIR NEXT MOVE . THEY KNEW  THE GAMBLERS WOULD COME AFTER THEM SO WHAT TO DO . RED WAS SAYING  , ALL OF YOU BETTER GET YOUR GUNS AND WE WILL MEET THEM OUT IN THE STREET , WE GOT TO PUT A STOP TO THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL . NEATHER RED NOR THE OTHER MEN HAD NOTICED THAT THERE WERE NO WEMAN AROUND BUT AS THEY TALKED THEY COULD HEAR A NOISE GETTING LOUDER AND LOUDER . FINALLY THEY LOOKED OUT SIDE TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON ? IT WAS THEN THEY SAW THE WEMAN COMEING DOWN THE STREET . THEY WERE CARRYING TAR AND FEATHERS AND AS THEY GOT TO A GAMBLERS TENT THEY TOUR IT DOWN AND AS THE GAMBLERS CAME OUT THEY GRABED THEM AND TARED AND FEATHERED THEY , PUT THEM ON A HORSE AND RAN THEM OUT OF TOWN .  THE BIG FAT GAMBLER THAT RED HAD GOTTEN THE CLAIM BACK FROM HEARD THE COMOTION AND LOOKED OUT TO SEE THE WOMAN COMEING SO HE SNEAKED OUT THE BACK OF HIS TENT AND RUNNING OVER TO A RAVIEN  AND HID THERE . AS THE WOMAN TOUR DOWN HIS TENT DAR TOLD

THEM HE ‘S IN THE RAVIEN . HE’S IN THE RAVIEN . THE WOMEN THEN GOT HIM AND GAVE HIM THE SAME TREATMENT  AND OUT OF TOWN HE WENT . WELL THE GAMBLERS NEVER CAME BACK SO RED’S PARTY HAD NOTHING MORE TO WORRY ABOUT THERE .

     FALL WAS COMEING ON AND THOSE WITH OUT LAND DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO MAKE UP THEIR MINDS ON WHAT TO DO . RED SAID I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE REST OF YOU BUT I STILL HAVE A FARM BACK IN IOWA AND I THINK I’LL HEAD BACK BEFORE WINTER . TWO OF THE FAMILIES SAID THEY HEARD THERE WAS STILL SOME LAND IN EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND THEY WERE GOING OVER THERE TO SEE . THAT LEFT RED AND THREE OTHER  FAMILIES TO HEAD BACK TO IOWA . RED SUGGESTED THEY TAKE A DIFFERENT ROUTE BACK AND SEE OTHER COUNTRY .  OFF THEY WENT IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION .

      THE GOING BACK WAS NOT SO MUCH FUN AS THE COMEING AND AT FIRST THEY WONDERED IF MAYBE THEY SHOULD HAVE STAYED OR GONE WITH THE OTHERS TO EASTERN OKLAHOMA . ?  THIS TRAIL THEY MET MORE PEOPLE AND SETTLEMENTS SO THAT MADE IT BETTER . ONE MORNING WHEN THEY WERE LEAVEING OKLAHOMA THERE IN THE ROAD AND BLOCKING IT WAS A BUNCH OF TOUGH’S . THEY ALL HAD GUNS ON . WHEN RED FIRST SAW THEM HE SLIPED INTO THE BACK OF HIS WAGON AND PUT ON HIS GUNS . WITH JENNY AT THE RAINS WHEN SHE GOT TO THE TOUGH’S THEY WOULD NOT LET HER OR ANY ONE PASS . WHEN JENNY SAID LET ME THROU THEY LAUGHED AND SAID HOW MUCH MONEY YOU GOT ?  AT THIS RED WALKED OUT FROM BEHIND THE WAGON , WALKING UP IN FRONT OF THE WAGON HE FACED THE GANG . AS RED DID THIS THE GANG‘S HORSES KIND OF MOVED ABOUT AND THEY SEEMED UNSETTLED . RED STANDING THERE , HIS HANDS ON HIS HIPS , SAID WE WOULD LIKE TO GET THROU HERE WITH AS LITTLE PROBLIM AS POSSIBLE BUT THAT IS UP TO YOU FELLAS . FINALLY ONE SHOWING A LITTLE BRAVADO SAID WE WANT YOUR MONEY . RED LOOKED HIM IN THE EYES AND SAID  , WELL YOUR NOT GOING TO GET IT SO YOU BETTER MOVE ON . THE MAN ANSWERED HOW THE HELL YOU GOING TO STOP US AND REACHED FOR HIS GUN . THE GUN HAD NOT CLEARED HIS HOLSTER WHEN RED DREW AND FIRED THE GUN IN THE MANS HAND WENT FLYING AWAY. AT THIS THE REST TURNED AN FLED  FOLLOWED BY THE MAN WITHOUT HIS GUN .  RED KIND OF LAUGHED AT THIS AND TURNING TO JENNY HE SAID THEY WERE ALL A BUNCH OF COWEREDS , NOT THAT I WANT TO SHOT ANY MORE BUT I HAVEN’T HAD A DRAWDOWN IN A LONG TIME . THE FAMILIES GOT TO GATHER AND DECIDE TO MOVE ON AS FAST AS THEY COULD . THE LAND THEY TRAVELED THROU DID NOT LOOK ANY BETTER THAN IOWA SO ON THEY WENT .

WHEN THEY GOT ALMOST THROU MISSOURI ONE OF THE FAMILIES DECIDED TO TURN WEST AND TRY FOR THE ORIGON COUNTRY . WATCHING THEN GO OUT OF SIGHT RED SAID I HOPE THEY MAKE IT ORIGAN IS A LONG WAY  BUT OF ALL THE PEOPLE I KNOW THAY HAVE THE GRIT TO MAKE IT .  THE HORSES WERE GETTING TIRED AN SO WERE THE PEOPLE THERE FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS . EVEN THE WAGONS WERE BREAKING DOWN MORE OFTEN . RED REMARKED “ I’LL BE GLAD TO SEE OUR HOME AGAIN , DID YOU NOTICE HOW THE WEATHER IS GETTING COLDER ? WE WILL JUST MAKE IT , I HOPE .

ONE EVENING WHEN THEY STOPED AND SETUP FOR THE EVENING MEAL . ALL THE FAMILIES EAT TOGATHER WHEN RED SAID I FIGURE WE’LL BE AT JEFFERSON BY NOON TOMORROW TO WHICH ALL AGREED HE WAS RIGHT. RED WENT ON SAYING THIS HAS BEEN QUITE AN ADVENTURE . I’M DISAPOINTED WE DID NOT FIND GOOD LAND BUT I FOR ONE FEEL IT WAS WORTH IT , WE DID SEE A LOT OF COUNTRY AND NOBODY GOT HURT . I DO SUPPOSE THIS IS GOING TO BE A HARD WINTER FOR US BUT IT ANYONE NEEDS HELP DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK .RED WENT ON , I’M GOING TO STOP IN TOWN AND GET SOME SUPPLIES AND I THINK JENNY NEEDS A NEW DRESS . THEY ALL WENT ON TO TALK ABOUT GETTING HOME  AND WHAT THEY WILL DO . THE NEXT DAY WHEN THEY GOT TO TOWN RED STOPED IN TOWN FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS . TELLING FRIENDS ABOUT THEIR ADVENTURE AND TRUBLES AND THAT THERE WAS NO PLACE LIKE HOME AND THIS WAS HOME . .

    JENNY AND RED SETTLED BACK INTO FARMING AS DAR AND THE TWINS GROW . MYRTIL HAD MET A NICE YOUNG MAN IN OKLAHOMA AND WHEN LATER HE CAME UP TO IOWA AND ASK MYRTEL TO MARRY HIM SHE AGREED . SO OFF THEY WENT TO CALFORMIA WHERE HE GOT A GOOD JOB AND THEY SETTLED IN TO A NICE HOUSE AND LIVED WHAT YOU MIGHT CALL THE GOOD LIFE BUT NO CHILDREN WERE TO BLESS THE UNION . AN SO THE WORLD AND LIVING WENT ON FOR BIG RED AND JENNY AND THEY TOO WERE ABLE TO FIND SOME OF THAT GOOD LIFE TO.