Chapter 1 - INCORPORATION
We got the corn and wheat planted just before the summer rains come, we kinda had to get out of the way, the corn were growing so fast! It seemed strange not to have Mr. Shultz around to advise us, but Robert Bagwell proved to be a mighty fine farmer!
Uncle Bill and Aunt Emma come for a visit, Uncle Bill didn't look none too good and he done lost a lot of weight. After supper he come to me saying, "Isaac, we need to talk." We went out to the porch and set down on the glider to talk. He said, "Isaac, I got something inside me that ain't right, Dr. Boker wants me to slow down and take things easy. Would you buy the store from me?"
I sat there flummoxed, Uncle Bill and my Poppa were brothers! It weren't easy, seein' him sit there so bad lookin'. I told him that we would buy the store, but it would stay being the same name as always. He looked sad and said to me, "Issac if anything happens to me, promise me you will look out for Emma and my ward, Kelly!"
Uncle Bill were scarin' me so's I told him they was family and would always have a place in my house. They spent several days with us, I noted that Uncle Bill spent most of the time sittin' on the porch.
Aunt Emma looked worried, so's I took her aside to talk, she broke down crying, "He got the cancer, Isaac. Dr. Boker says there is nothing he can do for him."
I hugged her and told her that we would look out for them, they was Family! I were sad to see them go back to Redding Town and made myself a promise to visit them often.
Joe and I went to Redding Town to order seed for the winter wheat and stopped to visit Uncle Bill and Aunt Emma. Kelly met us at the door, tears in his eyes. He said, "Mr. Bill is doin' poorly, I's scared."
I hugged the boy and told him, "Kelly, whatever happens, you will always have a home with us. You and Aunt Emma are family!"
He cried and hugged Joe and me. He looked up at me and said, "Can I call you Uncle Isaac?" I grinned and told him he could.
We walked in, Uncle Bill were sitting in a chair, wrapped in a blanket. His face were drawn and he looked to be in pain. His hands were shakin' something fierce as he pointed to a pile of papers in the table. He had us read them, they was property transfer documents. I started to protest and he told me, "Isaac, I ain't got much longer, I wants this settled before I die." When he said that, both me and Joe sat and cried.
I hugged Uncle Bill and said, "Is there someplace you can go that they can help you?"
Uncle Bill said, "No, Isaac, it's the cancer what got me, I wants you to get all this business taken care of before I go!"
Joe and I decided to stay overnight and see Mr. Meecham, the lawyer man what helped us set up the farm corporation, the next day. We set up a whole new company. Blount Brothers and Shultz, Incorporated. We transferred all the assets of Blount Farms and Shultz Machine Shop to the new corporation. I sent Kelly to get Jimmie, so's he could sign the agreement. When Jimmie saw Uncle Bill, he near fainted!
I became the President, Jimmy, the Vice President and Joe was named General Manager. Maggie, Eliza May and Tim was named as members of the Board of Directors. The first action took was to build a new Machine Shop and sales office, Jimmy had took a contract to sell Stevens Steam Tractors and McCormick Reapers. He were negotiating with a company called International Harvester to sell their hay bailers and farm machinery.
Construction were began immediately on the new buildings for Jimmy, there was two tractors and some other machinery, all in crates and he had no place to assemble them nor show them to customers.
We bought out Toby Gil's place over at Tilling's Creek. He farmed 10,000 acres and were found dead one day out in his fields. His wife wanted nothing more to do with the farm, she were going to take her children and go back to Indiana, were they was from. She were willing to sell us all the land for a dollar an acre. That were a tad high, but it were prime land and had a running creek.
We hired another foreman, Jason Forbes and made Robert Bagwell the overall General Foreman. Kevin Greene were to foreman the dairy, Joe's place and mine. Jason Forbes would foreman the two new farms, both over at Tilling's Creek.
Jimmy hired three more mechanics and a salesman who would travel to the farms, demonstrating the new machinery. We also hired a senior mechanic to be in charge of the maintenance shop at the farm.
I gave Robert Bagwell permission to hire six more hands to help Jason Forbes run the two new farms. Jeffery Redfeather set us up a payroll system so's all the hands would be paid fair. Joe reminded me about the gold coins of Pappa's that we done buried under the barn. We had never used them and now there were a bank in Marysville Town, so's Joe and I took that old strong box into town and deposited it in the new bank. Jeffery advised us to buy stock in the new bank, so's we did that, also. He said something about putting our money to work.
Kelly come hell bent one afternoon that we should come quick, Uncle Bill were dying. Joe, Tim and me jumped on our horses and rushed to Redding Town, but we was too late. Uncle Bill were gone by the time we could get there. Maggie and Eliza May come in the buggy and they took Aunt Emma back home with them. She and Kelly come to be part of my household, they was Family!
We hired two new clerks and a young man, Carter Evans to run the store. Carter had lost an arm as a soldier in the war, but he were good to run the store. Jeffery Redfeather was keeping the store's accounts already, so's no change need doing. Carter made a few changes and asked if he could invest in a ice making machine. We gave him permission and he ordered it from San Francisco. It were a weird looking contraption and smelled something abominable of ammonia! But the ice were real popular and we could store fresh meat longer. His next request was for an ice cream maker. Joe and I went to Redding Town the day that thing were started up. There was children sixty deep waiting for ice cream! It were paid for in two days!
That fall, after all the bills was paid, the new corporation showed a profit of $65,000. We decided to give all the hands and employees $200 as a bonus. We give the foremen and senior mechanic $500 each and the general foreman $700. Jeffery Redfeather also got $700. We give Janith and Carley Quickfox $250 each. They was all happy, but some of the hands went and got drunk in Marysville Town, Joe and me had to go bail them out of the jail. I weren't too happy with that, but theys was good hands, so's Joe and me didn't say nothing. The next morning, they's hangovers did all the scolding needed!
Kelly, Uncle Bill's ward, turned 15 and asked me for a job. I told him he were Family, but he insisted he would earn his keep, so's Joe and I made him foreman over the dairy. It were a good choice, milk and cheese production went up and he started selling cream and bottled milk at the store. He were a smart boy and we never regretted making him Dairy Foreman!
We give Kevin Greene to be foreman over the new orchard instead of the dairy. That, too, were a good choice, he planted peach trees and imported some olive trees from Greece! In less than five years, we was buying more acres to plant more of both!
I were sittin' on the porch after church on Sunday when Kelly come up to me. He were nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, he said, "errr, ah Uncle Isaac, sir, can I be made a Blount, sir?" I hugged him and told him he were already Family and he told me, "But, ahhh, Uncle Isaac, Daddy Bill were gonna adopt me, but he never got to it."
I thought, "Oh my, that poor boy is hurtin'." I asked Aunt Emma about that and she told me that Uncle Bill had promised Kelly that he would make him a Blount so's I told him that him, me and Joe would go see Mr. Meecham the very next day! When I told Joe and Maggie about it, they was all set to march to Redding Town right then. Tim were happy to be getting' another brother. It were an easy job, Mr. Meecham wrote up the papers and took them to the judge while we was waitin'. Kelly came home happy as Kelly William Blount!
A couple of days later, Jeff Redfeather came to see me with a great smile on his face.
Chapter 2 - MORE BLOUNT BABIES
Jeff were chuckling as he mounted the steps, he could hardly speak, "Kelly came to see me this morning!"
I raised my eyebrows and said, "About....?"
Jeff replied, "He asked me if he could pay court to Carley!"
I said, "Well, he IS 15, what does Carley think about it?"
Jeff laughed, "She is as giddy a cat in cream!" We both agreed to watch the situation and see what would happen.
Eliza May started having pains, so's Joe sent one of the hands for Dr. Boker. Maggie took Eliza upstairs in her and Jimmy's house, and put her to bed to wait for the doctor. He had hardly got here when we heard her scream. Joey were fit to be tied, I had to hold him to keep him from running up the stairs. The next voice we heard was Maggie screaming, "TWO?" Poor Joe, he were trembling and shakin' when Maggie hollered down, "Joe, you best come up here right now."
Joe were scared he were loosing his Eliza May, he scatted up the stairs at a dead run. I heard him scream, "Oh, God!"
That were all I could handle, my brother needed me, so's I followed him up the stairs. When I got there, Maggie were holding two little baby boys, TWINS! Joe were kneeling beside the bed, hugging Eliza. Maggie told me Eliza were just fine, but surely needed the rest. She handed me one baby and she carried the other as we went down the stairs to show our nephews off! They named the boys, William Joseph and Edward Isaac. They was lusty boys, and their lungs was powerful! Hungry, too! I told Jimmy that I hoped this baby stuff weren't catchin', he smiled and shook his head.
My own baby boy, Steven Isaac, were just to the toddling stage and into everything. Carley Quickfox had her hands full watchin' Steven and Jimmy's little boy, James Isaac. The two boys were pals, what one couldn't mischief, the other could!
I were standing there, watching the two boys, Carley said, "Mr. Blount, you don't mind me and Kelly getting' together?"
I looked at the girl and said, "Whatever for would I mind?"
She looked down at her feet and said, "I am an Indian and all......."
I faced her and said, "Carley, you are a beautiful young woman! The ONLY thing I feel is envy for Kelly! Don't you EVER consider yourself less than anyone else!" I stomped out of the room and saw Kelly in the yard, I gave him a $10 gold piece and said, "Kelly, you take Carley to Mrs. Graham's supper diner and you two have the best meal in the house!"
As I walked off, Kelly's eyes were swimming for focus! I went to see Jeff, he told me that Carley had been crying all night long. When I told him what I had done, he said, "Bless you, Isaac Blount. God made only a few like you!"
It weren't but a few weeks when Kelly came to me. He said, "Isaac, I wanna marry Carley Quickfox!" I smiled and asked him if he had asked Jeff. He replied, "Yes sir, and he gave me permission."
I then asked him, "OK, when?"
He looked at me like I were some kind of snake, "Eeerr aahh just like that?"
I laughed, "Kelly, if you are man enough to ask Carley to marry you, ask Jeff for his permission, you surely are man enough to say, I DO!" He hugged me and asked if I would be Best Man.
The wedding were a grand affair, it were held outside, under the fruit trees. I were Best Man and Maggie were Matron of Honor. Steven did honors as Ring Bearer and all the hands was there to wish the new couple a happy life. Aunt Emma were "Mother of the Bride" and Jeff escorted a beautiful Carley to be married to Kelly William Blount! I gave the new couple $200 to have a Honeymoon in Sacramento Town, the hands give them a huge send off as they drove the buggy to Redding Town to catch the packet boat to Sacramento Town. I wondered how soon I were going to call for Dr. Boker to come back? They would live with Jeff until their own cottage could be completed.
While they was away, we decided to expand the dairy and cheese factory. Now that we had an ice making machine at Blount Store in Redding Town, we could ship milk and cheese on the new packet boat that called once a week to Redding Town Landing. Joe started the carpenters working on both a cottage for Kelly and Carley and also a larger cheese house and dairy barn. Before it were all over, we ordered another ice making machine for the dairy. We was milking sixty cows and we bought another sixty. Kelly were goin' to be a busy man when he got back from his honeymoon!
The new ice making machine were another steam operated contraption, so's we put up a notice at the store for a steam mechanic. He would take care of the tractors, threshing machine and the ice makers, both in the dairy and at the store. Kelly and Carley came home, all flushed and shy. Jeff later told me that they was still skittish about him knowin' they was sleepin' both together in the same bed! We had a big laugh about that, poor Kelly did take some jokes for a spell!
Janith got some ice from the dairy and mixed something up she called sherbert. It were full of peach pulp and sugar, there weren't none left after the meal!
With the greater supply of milk, cheese production rose to about 275 pounds a week! We was shipping 150 every week to Sacramento and we just now got an order from San Francisco! Joe, Tim and me went up to Redding Town to interview some steam mechanics and look the store building over for any needed repairs before winter.
We was just coming down from the roof and Tim called to us, "Joe, Isaac come here but be real quiet!" We followed him out through the stock door and around back. There was four boys standing there, dirty and one had no shoes. They was all crying, Joe and I dropped to our knees and looked the boys in their faces.
I said, "Boys, are ya' lost or something?"
The oldest boy wiped his eyes and said, "No, sir, we's been left here."
Joe screeched, "LEFT HERE?"
The boy cringed, "Don't hit me sir, please I hurt already!"
I reached for the boy, he cringed away from me, but I grabbed him anyways, "We won't hurt you, Joe were just surprised is all. Tell me what is going on."
The boy said, "Our Momma died two weeks ago and our Daddy just got on the packet boat and said he weren't coming back!"
Joe reached for the boy again, "Son, I didn't mean to scare you, but you boys need some help, are ya' hungry?" All four boys began to cry and told us they hadn't ate since yesterday!
I gave Tim a Gold Eagle and told him to go to Carter Evans, in the store, and buy food for these boys. Carter came out with Tim, loaded with quick foods to feed the boys. I looked at Joe, "We can't just leave these boys here."
Joe agreed, "Isaac, we gotta get them home, I will go over to Jimmy's shop and borrow their wagon. Joe brought Jimmie's shop wagon and Jimmie. We loaded up the boys, by that time I had found out they was, Eldon, Jonathon, Nathan and Michael Greer, 13, 10, 8 and 6 years old!
It were near dark before we got home. I called for Janith as I parked the wagon at the back door. She screamed when she saw the poor little boys, Maggie and Eliza May come running. Quick as a snap, the women had bathtub water heating in three houses! Eldon wouldn't undress in front of the women, so's I went upstairs to help him. I weren't happy when I saw whip marks on his back.
I asked him who did this and he started to cry, "My Daddy whupped us a lot! He said we was bad boys."
I thought to myself, "Ain't no boy that bad!"
We found enough clean clothes to get the boys to the supper table, they near ate the glaze off the plates! Tim finally got the whole story from the boys, Joe and me were so angry, we was sputterin'! The next day, I sent Terry up to Redding Town to ask Dr. Boker to come look at the boys and to ask Mr. Meecham, the lawyer, to come and get us papers to keep these boys legal like.
After we put the little boys down for bed, Kelly came over, tears was pouring out of his eyes. He sat besides me and said, "Isaac, that is how I come to live with Mr. Bill!" He continued, "Mr. Bill and Miz Emma took me in after my Pa tossed me away and they was going to adopt me." He looked at me hard, "Isaac, if you don't want those little boys, Carley and I will take them in and make them ours!"
I sat there for a while and then said to him, "Kelly, I ain't gonna have no more children, if you all will help me, I will be Poppa to those boys!" I looked up and there were Tim and all four Greer Boys standing in the doorway. The four boys leaped into my lap, it were a wonderful feeling. Now Steven would have brothers!
When Dr. Boker saw what had been done to those boys, he near blew his gasket! He applied medicines to their hurts and told Janith how to care for them. He said to me, "Isaac, I want those boys to eat good. Lots of meat and vegetables, two and three helping if ya' can get them to eat all that! Ya' gotta build them up, they have been so deprived, they're nothin' but skin and bones!"
Mr. Meecham showed up that afternoon, he had already gotten an earful from Carter Evans at the store. He asked me if I wanted to adopt, I looked at the boys, their faces were pleading me, so's I said, "Yes!" I turned to my Family and I said, "You ALL are Godparents, ya' hear!"
Just before the New Year, Dr. Boker sent his assistant to us, telling us we needed to come immediate! Grampa had taken a turn and it didn't look good. I bundled the family up in the wagon, he never got to see the new boys. Joe sat besides me as we raced to Redding Town, the poor horses was all lathered up and panting when we pulled into Grampa's yard. Dr. Boker were standing on the porch, waitin' for us. He hustled us in and I got the boys alls standing besides Grampa's bed. I told him theys was all his Great Grandsons now. He smiled at them and held out his arms, they alls hugged him. Dr. Boker told us to go back downstairs, it were tiring Grampa.
A few minutes later, he come down and hugged me. He whispered that Grampa were gone.
Chapter 3 - END OF YEAR REPORT
We had a record crop this year, we had to store corn in the equipment shed and order an emergency supply of rice sacks from Stockton Town on the packet boat. The new steam machinery, despite my doubts, performed well. We got all the grain in and the fields plowed before the rains hit. The winter wheat were already sprouting and the price for the red wheat was higher than we ever saw before! Rice were down a bit, but we always hold out part of the crop anyways. Like last year, the buyer from Anchor Brewery in San Francisco come back around in November and bought all we had at a higher price. I noticed that the wheat were cleaner with the new thresher machine, so's we got a better price for that.
Jeff told us that, after all the bills was paid, the Corporation cleared $103,000! But that were with the store and the new dairy. The bonus' this year were makin' smiles on all the help! When I handed the bonus' to the hands what got drunk last year, I looked hard at them and they said they was stayin' home this year!
We went to church Christmas Eve, we was surprised at Eldon and Nathan, their voices sang out in church so sweet, everyone turned and looked at them. We was a bit crowded around the table with everybody eating at my house, but Janith made sure nobody got up from the table hungry!
I thought to myself, "It's gonna be an interesting Christmas!" The gifts this year were splendid, my new sons had never gotten gifts at Christmas before, they was pure flummoxed! Eldon sat on the floor with a Remington .30-.30 on his lap and cried! The three older boys got horses and little Michael was screaming, "PONY," when he saw his little paint pony, that Jeff had found for him, tied up to the front porch! Steven had a little American Flyer Wagon that he raced around the house until we had to stop him in fear of his life! We had the boys for such a short time, but I couldn't imagine not having them already! They are as much a part of me as is Steven!
THIS IS THE END OF BOOK 4. LOOK FOR THE NEXT BOOK THAT TELLS HOW THE FARMS AND BUSINESS CONTINUE TO PROSPER. THE BLOUNT FAMILIES EXPAND AND HAVE MORE ADVENTURES.