Chapter 1 - NEW LIFE
Spring opened with delightful weather. I were as busy as a three legged dog. Joey were plantin' his crops and I were too. Alyce Jane weren't feelin' spry, the baby an' all. It got hot early an' I worried 'bout our well, so's I hired us a well driller. He come with a tower rig, pulled by four bullocks. He told us he would pound us a well up to a hundred feet and put down an iron casing. He told me to order a windmill from Uncle Bill and one of them new Fairbanks-Morse plunger pumps. While I were at it, I ordered a water tank and tower for it, so's we can have running water in the kitchen instead of hauling a bucket all the time. The man set up his tower and set a boiler and steam engine on the ground next to it. He run a leather belt from the engine to a wheel on the side of the tower and said he would start "pounding" the next day.
Alyce Jane give me a scare that afternoon, she fell down the stairs. I wanted to call Dr. Boker from Redding Town down, but she wouldn't hear of it. She insisted she were alright.
The next day, the man built a fire under his steam boiler and pretty soon the thing started hissing like a snake! It were just like the steam engine on the thresher, the wheels began to turn and a crank began to make a big timber go up and down. He released a catch and this long pipe began to go up and down, beating a hole in the ground. Every so often he would draw the pipe up and let it lay down on the ground. All the water he poured down the hole and mud from the pounding come rushing out the end. Before long, the pounder pipe went out of sight down the hole, him and his helper pulled the pounder pipe out and laid it on the ground. He then raised a bigger pipe and set it in the hole. He bolted a collar on the pounder pipe, and used it to pound the bigger pipe with a bunch of holes in its side, he called it a casing, into the hole. When he pulled the pounder pipe out, the casing pipe stayed in the hole and he threaded another length, with holes in it on the first casing pipe and pounded that down until it stopped. He then went back to using the pounder pipe to pound the hole deeper. That durned thing pounded until dark, even the horses and bullocks was fussy that night! Finally, after 3 days of pounding, he said the well were down 96 feet and was hitting something hard, like rocks, so's that was all he could go. He used the pounder pipe like a bucket and pulled water up out of the well until it come clear. He said to let it sit for a week, then he would come and set the new pump and erect the windmill and water tank.
Alyce Jane were feelin' poorly that night, so's Janith fixed the supper. That night, Alyce Jane woke up screamin'. That were all I could take, I sent one of the hands, Terry Nials, up to Redding Town to fetch Dr. Boker. He come right down, with Terry hot on his heels. Dr. Boker went straight up to our bedroom and closed the door in my face. I sit me down in the kitchen, worryin' myself silly.
He come down and puts his hand on my shoulder, he said, "Isaac, Alyce Jane is hurt bad, she hurt her female parts when she fell. She must stay in bed if we are going to save her and the baby!"
My world were coming apart, Tim raced across the fields to get Joe, he and Eliza May come running. Joe held me while Dr. Boker took Eliza May upstairs and told her how to care for Alyce Jane. Somebody had sent for Jimmy and Maggie, they come into the kitchen and hugged me, then Maggie went upstairs too. I went out to the porch where it were peaceful. I got down on my knees and prayed God that my Alyce Jane and my baby would be alright. I were cryin' and bubbling like a baby myself, Joe and Tim, Jimmy too, sat beside me, holdin' my hands, they was prayin' with me. My Brothers and Jimmy held me for a long time, not sayin' anything, just letting me know they was there for me and Alyce Jane.
The next few weeks was a blur, the well pounder returned and set the pump and windmill, the hands had already put up the water tank and run an iron pipe to the kitchen sink. Janith were happy to see running water that she didn't have to carry! I sat evenings beside Alyce Jane in her bed, we cried a lot, her and I, we prayed too!
Mr. Shultz were running the farm, his boy, Jimmy were a marvel! He managed the harvest of the winter wheat, in addition to running the mechanic shop. He were also running his machine shop, he had to take on another mechanic as the business were growing! I hardly knew it were going on, Joe took care of selling the wheat and corn, but he held onto half the rice crop, waiting for a better price. In September, the buyer from Anchor Beer came back begging for more rice and Joe sold him all that we had remaining.
Towards the end of September, Alyce Jane began having cramps and hurting bad, so's I sent Terry for Dr. Boker. He come right away and went upstairs with Eliza and Maggie to help him. It seemed like hours, it were the dark of the night and I were sitting on the porch. Joe come over and were sitting with me and Tim were hugging me tight when I heard the most God-Awful scream, it were Alyce Jane's voice! Then we heard the cry of a baby! Oh, I thought it were over and everything was gonna be alright. Maggie come down the stairs carrying a baby, MY SON! Her eyes were full of tears, I knew something were wrong.
I rushed upstairs and tried to go in the bedroom, but Dr. Boker stopped me. He held me by my shoulders and said, "Son, there was nothing we could do, she is gone, Isaac."
I must have collapsed because the next thing I remember were sitting in the parlor and Maggie putting the baby in my arms. I wanted to hate this child, but I just couldn't. He had Alyce Jane's beautiful hair and her little nose! We buried my beloved Alyce Jane near the fruit orchard she so loved. I bought iron railings to put around her grave and visited it every day to tell her how our baby was doing. We named him Steven Isaac Blount. Maggie found me a wet nurse for Steven, Mary Anthony. Mary come to live with us until Steven could be weaned. I offered her a permanent job, but she wanted to live in town, so she would go back to Marysville Town when Steven were weaned.
Joe and Eliza May had their baby, a girl, in December. They named her Alyce May Blount. She were a pretty baby, golden curls and a tiny birthmark on her bottom. Joe were proud as a peacock, he just laughed when I said that Eliza May did all the work!
Things was going pretty good, we was just starting to harvest the winter wheat when Mr. Shultz came running that Maggie was having pains! I sent Terry to fetch Dr. Boker again and I rode "Hell Bent" to bring Jimmy home! Our horses was lathered and breathing hard as we jumped off them. We tossed our reins to one of the hands, Cale Bellows, and we ran into Jimmy and Maggie's house. I stayed downstairs and Jimmy went running up the stairs to their bedroom. Dr. Boker let him see Maggie and then shooed him out. Poor Jimmie were shaking like a leaf.
Joe and Eliza came in the door, Eliza went upstairs to help Dr. Boker and Joe and me tried to calm Jimmy down. We was holding Jimmy when we heard Maggie scream, then a baby cried. Eliza hollered down the stairs, "It's a BOY and Maggie is just fine!"
Jimmy collapsed into our arms, crying and saying, "Thank God, Thank God." Eliza brought the baby down for Jimmy to hold, he looked at the baby and then looked at me. "Isaac, my baby looks like YOU!", he exclaimed!
Joe and I looked at our new nephew and he surely DID look like me! They named their new baby boy, James Isaac Shultz and when all the babies got to yowling, it were enough to scare a catamount!
As a birthing present, I had the hands run an iron water pipe over to Jimmy and Maggie's house. Maggie hugged and kissed me sayin' "Isaac, you surely do know how to spoil your sister!"
I got the well thumper man back and had him thump down a well for Joe and Eliza May. We put in a windmill and pump just like mine and also a water tank. I wanted Mary Anthony to stay and help Janith, but she wanted no part of living on a farm, so's I hired Jeffery Redfeather's cousin, Carly Quickfox. She were but 14 years old, but she kept our house spotless.
It were a good year for the Corporation, Jimmy hired a steam mechanic and a pipe fitter. With all the new steam powered machinery around, he kept both of them busy! Joe and I bought out Thomas Dolan's property next to us, adding another 6,000 acres to our farm. Tom's health were bad and his daughter's husband run off, nobody knows where to, leaving his daughter with a baby girl to raise.
We, Joe and I, are now farming near 20,000 acres and Mr. Shultz said he couldn't foreman that many acres alone. So's I tacked up a notice at Uncle Bill's store about hiring a General Foreman. Nobody came around asking for the job until just before Steven's first birthday. A wagon, pulled by the sorriest horses I ever did see, pulled up to the house. There were two little boys, who looked like twins in the wagon, driven by a young man, who couldn't have been more that 20 years old.
The man stepped down and come up to me, "I'm Kevin Greene and I'd like to speak to you about that Foreman job you got posted." He told me he had been born on a farm in Kentucky, but the war ruined his Daddy and he died of a broke heart. I asked him about the two boys and he replied, "They's my boys, I got a girl in trouble when I were 16, she dumped the boys on me and run off." He continued, "I's love those boys, if theys can't stay with me, I will look elsewheres for work." He told me that he had farmed wheat and corn back home, before his Daddy died.
Joe had come up and listened to his discourse. I looked at Joe and he nodded his head, so's I said, "Kevin, we will take a chance on you. You can stay with my son and me until we can build you a cottage."
He grabbed my hand sayin'. "Bless you Mr. Blount, we's near out of money and I was getting' mighty scared for my boys!" We were indeed fortunate to hire Kevin Greene, he were a marvel and worked for us until he had to retire. His boys, too!
Kevin started work the next day, he moved all the machinery into the barns, making sure they was all clean for the winter. He then put the hands to scrubbing all the dirt and rust off the metal parts and had them painted. His boys, who were 3 years old, stayed about the house until we got them a cottage built. They was good boys and never caused a fuss! Eliza May delighted in having two little boys she could spoil.
One day, Janith sent the boys looking for me, she had Eliza hung over the sink sick and loosin' everything she had ever ate. I took one look at her and sent Terry back to Redding Town again for Dr. Boker. I were pretty sure was the problem were, but I wasn't takin' any chances. He come right away and soon was clappin' Joe's back saying, "You Blount Boys are my best customers." Yep, I were right, Eliza May were breeding again!
Chapter 2 - NEW FARM
It were Christmas again, I give all the hands a $100 bonus and both Foremen I give $500. The babies was still too young, but I give each of them $1,000 in trust. Tim were so excited, I thought he would wet his pants at Church! He were up, he were down and then up again! This year were gonna be a great surprise. We got back to the house and Janith told us to wash up, Christmas Eve supper were near ready. We set down to roasted goose, sliced ham and boiled potatoes. For dessert she fixed blackberry preserve pie, we was all near to bust!
I stood and Tim rushed into the parlor. We had set up a pine tree and hung colored balls on it, just like the picture we seed in that new song book at church. It were right pretty! There was packages all covered in pretty paper, I told Tim he could distribute the gifts but first I had to do something. I ran out to the bunkhouse and asked Toby if he would get Tim's present ready, then I rushed back to the Parlor. The babies all got toys and rattles, I got Maggie a dozen balled rose bushes for her garden, she jumped up and near squeezed my supper out of me! Eliza May opened her box and near swooned, it were a new Singer Sewing Machine with a foot treadle! Maggie looked with envy, I decided what to get her for next Christmas! I got Joe and Jimmy both new Remington .30-.30 lever action rifles. Poor Tim were looking all around for his, all the gifts were gone. I whispered in his ear, "Go out to the front porch!"
I'll bet they heard his scream all the way to Redding Town! He run back inside and landed in my lap and looked straight into my eyes, "Love love you, Brother!" He then ran back outside in the dark and jumped on his new horse and didn't come back for a couple of hours!
Joe and I decided to use some of the new land for cattle and dairy. There were no dairy in the area and it looked like a good market plus we now had a herd of youngins' that needed milk! We contracted with some carpenters to put us up a barn and dairy. They promised it would be completed by March, so's we started the hands to fencing a pasture. It were too far to run a water pipe, so's we had the well thumper man back out to put us a well next to the dairy. He hit rocks straight off, so's we had to move to the other side of the barn and try again. That hole went down straight off, with no trouble.
Mr. Shultz asked me one day why we didn't make cheese with some of the milk, all the cows was fresh right then and we were spillin' milk into the creek just to get rid of it. I told him I didn't know nothing about making cheese and he said, "Helena Grossbeck over at Tilling's Creek used to make cheese back home."
I told him to talk to her about it, maybe she would make cheese for us under contract? I didn't think no more about it until Mr. Shultz handed me a cloth bag, saying, "Here, try this." I opened the bag and it were a yellow-white hunk of cheese. It tasted nutty and good! I asked him where he got it, he said, "It's your cheese, Helena Grossbeck made it up for you as a sample!"
"We need to see Uncle Bill about this, he might can sell it in the store!"
Mr. Shultz grinned and replied, "He already gave us an order for 100 pounds!" He motioned me to follow him, we went around the back of the milking barn to a shed I never saw before. Inside were a woman, kneading stuff that looked like wet bread dough. He introduced me to Mrs. Grossbeck, a widow lady who knew how to make cheese! Before I knowed it, we was delivering a 100 pounds of cheese every week to Uncle Bill's store!
That winter I finally broke down to Joey and Jimmy's arguments and agreed to purchase a new Steven's Brothers Steam Tractor. It were gonna burn something called "coal oil". I insisted on that. I didn't want no fires set by burning wood or straw! The tractor arrived in crates in early February and Jimmy set right to assembling it.
I were washing up for lunch one day when the most God-Awful clanging and noise come from the yard. Here come this huge machine, blowing steam and smoke everywheres. The yard chickens was cackling and running every which direction and the dog were hiding under the porch! Jimmy were sitting high on the seat, with a grin on his face as he pulled a whistle chain and made the durned thing howl like a dozen devils! He stopped it in the yard and a thing he called the safety valve blew steam like to take the very roof off the house! I weren't so sure the durned thing were safe to be around! He backed it up to the equipment shed and hooked the disc-plow on the back and then took off for the west field. He plowed near four times as much as my Percherons could in less than 3 hours! I guess that be progress, but I bet the thing won't eat sugar cubes outta my hand like the Percherons! Cale asked if he could drive the beast, Jimmie showed him how to work the controls and before dark, he had good part of the west field plowed! I hafta admit, it do work hard!
With the added 6,000 acres, we was seriously in need of more hands, I posted a notice up at Uncle Bill's store but I didn't much like any of the men who came to apply. I were sittin' on the porch with Joe, talking about goin' down to Sacramento Town and lookin' for hands when Jimmie started hollerin'. Joe and me went running to his place. Maggie were crying her heart out and Jimmie were collapsed on the sofa. Jimmie cried, "He's gone, He's gone, Isaac." Mr. Shultz lay on his bed, he had died in his sleep!
Poor Jimmie were beside himself in grief, Joe ran and got Eliza May to help with Maggie. Joe and I took Jimmie and the baby to my house and made them lie down on the bed. Tim rode into Marysville Town and got the new preacher, Mr. Hagger, to come comfort folks. Kevin Greene rounded up all the hands to come pay their respects and help in any way theys can. We held the funeral they next day, Jimmie were in a daze, I knowed what he were going through, and helped him all I could.
It took both Jimmie and Maggie a week or so to get their balance back. Mr. Shultz were all the Family Jimmie had left, besides Maggie and little James Isaac. I figgered I best stick around, so's Joe went down to Sacramento Town lookin' for hands and now, another foreman. The place were too big for just Kevin Greene to run by himself.
Joe come back with 4 new hands and a young man who looked like a soldier. Joe introduced him as Robert Bagwell. He had been a Captain in the Army during the recent war and were looking for work. He told me he had been raised on a farm in Ohio, but his two older brothers had the farm now and there were no place for him. He said, "I got me a boy, he is 8 years old, his momma run off while I were fighting in the war, so's it be just him and me."
Joe liked the man and I thought he would do for a foreman, so's we hired him and promised him a cottage to live in. It were a good choice and later, his boy, Jesse, also worked for us. Robert went back to Sacramento Town and got his boy, him and Tim became great friends. The two foremen dived into planting, it were time to get the red wheat and corn seed into the ground!
THIS IS THE END OF BOOK 3. LOOK FOR THE NEXT BOOK THAT TELLS HOW THE FARMS AND BUSINESS CONTINUE TO PROSPER. THE BLOUNT FAMILIES EXPAND AND HAVE MORE ADVENTURES.