Wagons West: A Family's Trek Westward As Experienced By A Sixteen Year Old Boy.

Uncle William took us direct to their house, it were a big place, near as big as the old house back in Virginia! Aunt Emma hurried into the house, calling for someone named Hanna. This big black lady come rushing out of the kitchen and Aunt Emma introduced me to her, sayin' that we was the kinfolk they was waiting for. Maggie turned real shy and Miz Hanna gathered her up, sayin' "My, you are as pretty as a doll, why don' you come help me fix lunch?"

Uncle William asked me if I wanted something to drink and I said, "No whiskey, sir, I done tried that an' it were awful! Just water or some lemonade would be mighty welcome." He laughed and got me some fresh squeezed lemonade. He and I sat on the front porch as he asked me about our trip, Joe were sitting on the steps, ginning like a coon dog at two puppies playing in the yard.

I told Uncle William about Mr. Shultz and his Grandson, Jimmie and he jumped up shouting, "Kelly, come here quick!" A young boy, about Joe's age come running up and Uncle William said, "Kelly, take the wagon into town and go to Mr. Casey's roundup yard and get a Mr. Shultz and his grandson from Mr. Isaac's wagon."

The boy replied, "Yessir!" and he run off to the barn to hook up the wagon.

Uncle William then turned back to me and said, "Isaac, you are the man of your Family now, I want you to call me Bill or maybe Uncle Bill, no more of this Uncle William stuff, ok?"

I grinned and told him I would try to remember that! We talked about what crops growed best here and how many men I were going to need to start cultivation of our 4,000 acres. He also told me I needed to hire some carpenters right away as there were no house there yet. I told him I had $5,000 to work with, cash money. He grinned and told me that should be more than enough! Pretty soon, Miz Hanna was calling us to lunch, she sure done herself out! There were fried chicken, mashed potatoes, beans and tomatoes. I were stuffed and Joe was groaning too! Even little Dink were stuffed! Maggie was pretty quiet, but I suppose she were just sizing up the situation.

After lunch, Joe an' me borrowed horses from Uncle Bill and we rode over to our new place. I had Poppa's map and we rode all around our land. Joe pointed to a low hill and said, "Let's put the house there, we can see all around." I agreed and made a mark on Poppa's map so's I could tell the carpenters where to start. Joe and I went back into town and hooked up our bullocks so we could pull our wagon and horses to Uncle Bill's place. I saw Alyce Jane, so I tipped my hat to her. She grinned and waved, maybe there be some hope yet?

We got back to Uncle Bill's and I felt the need of being alone for a while, so I left Joe to unhook the bullocks and I rode back to our place. It were quiet and peaceful there, I got down on my knees and thanked Our Lord God for our safe arrival. The loss of Momma and Poppa became overwhelming and I leaned over and cried, I just couldn't stop. My whole sides was shaking, I were blubbering like a child and then I felt a hand on my shoulder, hugging me. It were Joe, he said, "Brother, you are not alone, you got me and Maggie and Dink to help you. Let me carry some of your load, Isaac." Dear Joe, how did he know that I needed comfort. I looked around there were Maggie, holding Dink in her arms. Joe held me and said, "Isaac, we are all here to help you pull this load, we ain't gonna let you do it alone." With that, he pulled me to him and hugged me, then he waved Maggie over and all four of us just stood there in a tight hug.

Yes, we ARE a Family!

I hired four carpenters and four helpers to get started on our new house, Uncle Bill helped me draw out what we wanted and the men went straight to work on it. Mr. Shultz unloaded the share and hooked two of the bullocks up to it. He then started turning the virgin soil. I picked me up a handful, it were slightly sandy and full of loam. It smelled good and sweet, like for growin' corn. Uncle Bill told me to turn it over and let it lie fallow all winter, then plant in the spring. I bought some fruit trees from Uncle Bill's store and we set them out behind the house as a kitchen orchard. Joe found some vegetable seeds packed away in the wagon that Momma must have saved, he and I turned the soil for a garden and got it planted.

I hired an old man and his son to dig us a well, he walked all around the house site with a bent stick in his hand. He finally pointed to a place between the house and the garden and said, "Water is there!" He started digging us a well, he got down about ten feet and water started seeping in the hole. His son kept hauling the water out in a bucket while he dug further, suddenly I heard them both shout and they come up that ladder like they was snake chased! I looked down the hole and water was cascading in and came up near two feet below the ground level. He set about building a stone and mortar wall around the well and said to let the water settle overnight and try drinking it in the morning. We did, it were sweet and clear as any water I had ever drunk. Joe and me tried to lower the water level by hauling buckets and dumping them, but we never could. I aim to buy one of them new Fairbanks-Morse pumps that Uncle Bill carries in his store and hook it to a windmill. He got a tank up high and water runs natural into his kitchen, would sure beat haulin' buckets to wash dishes!

Slowly, the new house began to take shape, it was to have six bedrooms, a sitting room, parlor, formal dining room, kitchen, laundry and something that I had heard about, a room just for bathing! We had the necessary placed as far away from the well as we could get it, I had read me an article in Harper's about sickness might cause by disease bugs from the necessary. By fall, we was completely in our new house and a cottage had been built for Mr. Shultz and his Grandson. Before winter rains closed in, the carpenters finished a bunkhouse for the farm hands that would be hired in the spring.

Me and Uncle Bill pored over seed catalogues and farm digests looking for seeds that would do well in this area. I choose red wheat as our main crop and a new corn variety called yellow hybrid. Joe wanted to try some rice down in the wet areas near the river and he also wanted vegetable seeds for the garden.

Maggie stood by me one evening, I could see she wanted to say something, so I reached out and drew her into a hug, "Maggie, what is it that you want from the seed catalog?"

She looked at me and said, with a few tears in her eyes, "Momma loved roses, could we plant some in her memory here?"

I replied to her, "Of course we can, lets you and me pick them out right now." Several weeks later a huge box was delivered to William Blount General Store and addressed to Mess'r Isaac Blount. Me and Joe had to hook up the bullocks to the wagon to get it home! When we opened the crate, there was six dormant rose bushes, their roots balled in peat and burlap, ready for planting! Maggie were so happy, she sat on the floor and cried, little Dink toddled over to comfort her.

Christmas snuck up on us, I had ordered things for my brothers and sister, but I forgot wrapping paper. Aunt Emma come to my rescue, she had some in stock at the store. Christmas morning, we loaded in the wagon and the bullocks patiently pulled us to town where we could celebrate The Lord's Birthday in church. Afterwards, we was invited to Uncle Bill and Aunt Emma's for Christmas Dinner before returning home.

As soon as we got home, little Dink went running to the pile of presents that had been stacked in the parlor. I handed Joe a present for Dink, it were a bright red riding horse on wheels. The little boy went flying up and down the hall like a racing wagon! For Maggie, I produced a Singer Patented Sewing Machine! Before she had it unwrapped, she had plans on the shirts and dresses she could make! For Joe, I handed him a small wooden box. When Joe opened it, it were a brand new Colt Revolving Pistol and a box of cartridges for it! I were sitting in my chair watching my family enjoy the gifts I had gotten them, when Joe and Maggie came out of the kitchen carrying a small box. They handed it to me and watched as I opened it, inside were a large gold pocket Hamilton watch! It had been Poppa's and I thought it had been lost. Joe and Maggie had retrieved it and sent it to San Francisco to be repaired. I broke down and cried, I hugged my brother and sister as I said, "Of all the things you could have gotten for me, you give me the one thing I will treasure most, thank you both."

We spent New Year with Uncle Bill and Aunt Emma, Uncle Bill had served a nog, both Joe and me didn't feel well the next morning! I decided we was going to have to watch Uncle Bill more closely, I don't like my mouth tasting like a hog pen! We boys decided to make Mr. Shultz the farm foreman and we plan on hiring a bookkeeper when we started hiring workers in the spring. In that, we agreed with Uncle Bill, a bookkeeper was worth his hire.

The weather were beginning to get a little bit better and I and Joe was enjoying a cup of coffee on the front porch when a young man rode up, he looked faintly Indian but he had blond hair. The man knocked on the post and asked to speak to Mr. Blount. I spoke up, "We are both Mr. Blount, but come on up and sit a spell."

The young man came up on the porch and said, "Sirs, I am Jeffery Redfeather and I am looking for work."

I asked, "You are Indian?"

The young man smiled, "Yeah, kind of, my Ma was white and my Pa is Cherokee from back east."

I looked thoughtful and then said, "Your Ma was...?

Jeffery looked a bit sad, "Yeah, she died last winter and I have not seen my Pa in ten years, don't have any idea where he is, don't want to know, neither!"

I asked, "What skills have you?

Jeffery smiled, "I read and write and do mathematics. I have had two years of upper school, I can teach and I even know telegraph code that Mr. Morse invented!"

Joe asked, "Can you do accounts and record books?"

The man replied, "Yes, that is what I was doing before I left San Francisco."

I asked, "Why did you leave?"

Jeffery replied, "Mr. Crocker bought out the bank and he had no use for Indians, not even breeds like me."

I asked, "If we hire you, will you be content to live out here on our farm?"

Jeffery thought for a moment, "Quite honestly, I don't know, but I surely was unhappy in the big city."

I thought for a while and then said, "Fine, we will take a chance on you, there is the paymaster's cottage right over there, that's YOU!" It turned out lucky for all of us, Jeffery Redfeather would stay our Paymaster for the rest of his life!

The weather at last turned fine and the ground dried out a bit. We hired six hands and started three teams of bullocks pulling sod busters. There were nearly a thousand acres that could be planted right away, so I sent away for seed corn, red wheat and enough rice to plant a hundred acres for a trial down near the river. We also bought a harrow, two disc plows and a seed drill. The bullocks was too slow so we also bought eight plow broke horses. The virgin soil was incredibly fertile, the seeds germinated and were showing in less than three weeks! When the men finished planting the rice, we had just a little over one thousand acres planted.

The fruit trees that we had set out the previous fall was in full bloom and Maggie had Joe running full tilt planting her a kitchen garden! For being only 13 years old, she run us brothers with an iron skillet! I got my revenge, however, I remembered that Jeffery had said he could teach school, so....... One morning I announced that school classes would begin the next day! I looked directly at Joe and said, "You, too!!" Joe tried every excuse he could think up, but I, his brother, remained unmoved, Joe started school with Maggie and Dink!

A couple of days later, Jeffery took me aside and said, "Mr. Blount, Joe is very smart, there is not much I can teach him."

I smiled, "I know, it's not book learning I want for him, it's smarts he needs!"

Jeffery giggled, "I understand, it will take about a week!"

A week later, a much chastised Joe came to me, "I have learned my lesson Bro, I won't smart mouth no more."

I laughed, "WOW, if all your lessons could be learned so easy!"

Uncle Bill come over one day to talk to Joe and me. He said that the Tate Farm, over by Filmore Creek had been robbed! Joe asked, "What can they rob from a farm?"

I replied, "Our ready cash!" I figured I still had a little over three thousand dollars in gold pieces in Poppa's old steel box hidden away in my closet. I said, "We don't got a bank here."

Uncle Bill laughed, "Banks get robbed too!" Joe and I talked about it and decided what to do. We waited until Saturday when all the hands, except Mr. Shultz and Jeffery, had gone into town for some beers'. Joe and me went out to the barn and dug a deep hole in the floor. We put the strong box down in that hole and covered it over with boards and dirt, then tamped old hay on the top and parked the wagon over it. There weren't no way anyone could tell there were a hole there, it might be a bit inconvenient to get to the money, but it should be safe there. Nobody had never seed the money box, except Joe and me, so nobody even knew we had that much money. We never got robbed, but Joe and me sure worried a lot about it! Jeffery kept the farm operating cash somewhere, he never told us just where, but that never got robbed neither! We later heard that one of the robbers was named Gil, Joe and me always wondered if that were our Uncle Gil, but we never found out one way or the other.

The red wheat came in thick and green, we was gonna have a big crop. Uncle Bill said that a bunch of the farmers was settin' up a Co-op to buy a thresher machine and a patented Harvester Hay Bailer. It sounded good to Joe and me, so's we went to the next meeting in the new town they was calling Marysville. They was starting a Grange also, so's Joe and I joined both. It cost us $200 for our share of the thresher machine and another $50 for the bailer. All the members would have to contribute hands to run the machines but it were cheaper than buying our own!

I bought a newspaper from San Francisco, it were only a week old, there be a terrible war goin' on back east, somethin' about freeing the slaves. We didn't never have any slaves when we lived in Virginia, Poppa didn't believe no man should own another.

The first planting of the corn were ready to harvest in July, Joe and me had hired us seven farm hands, they was all good men. Joe and me worked right alongside the hands and we harvested 200 acres in three days. We cleared near 35 bushels an acre, we had more corn than we needed for our stock, so's I put up a sign at Uncle Bill's store to sell the corn for a 50¢ a bushel. Folks came to buy faster than we could shuck the ears! A man come by, who said he was from Stockton Town, if we would agree to sell the rest of the acreage of corn to him, he would guarantee us 60¢ a bushel and he would arrange shipping! Joe and me agreed and the man come back in August, just as we was cutting the corn. He bought every last bushel and would have bought our own stores, but we needed to feed our horses and bullocks over the winter.

When it were our turn for the thresher machine, we sent our hands over with the plow horses to pull it to our farm, it took two weeks to thresh 700 acres of wheat. Joe wants me to look into one of those new steam powered threshers, but I am not sure about that. We also threshed the rice, we had some trouble as the ground were pretty soggy and the thresher kept bogging down. We had built a silo for the wheat, but the rice we bagged and stored in the loft of the barn. The Co-op kept three of our hands busy until September, threshing all the members' grain. Just as the fall rains were about to start, I saw an advertisement for winter wheat seed, so's we decided to try 200 acres of that. The drayman who delivered the seed bought all the sacked rice for some brewery in San Francisco called Anchor Beer. I sold it for $1.10 a hundredweight and Jeffery figgered that we should plant more next spring! He finished up the books for the year and told me we had made a profit of $8,000 after he paid all the bills!

Uncle Bill and Aunt Emma came for supper one Sunday afternoon, Maggie had me kill a couple of chickens and she used the apples offin' her new trees to make a couple of pies. She is turning 14 and has become a real fine cook! We was all sitting to supper when Uncle Bill mentioned that Ole Standison was poorly and they were selling their 1,000 acres next to our place. He said they was asking 50 cents an acre for plowed land! Joe and I thought that were a good price, so the next morning he and I rode over to see Ole. He surely did not look good and we agreed to $500 cash money for his land and small house.

I delivered the money the next day and rode into Marysville Town to register the deed. I didn't tell Joe, but I registered it in his name! While I were in town, Mrs. Gillespi saw me and rushed up to talk. I had not seen her since the wagon train had broke up. She said that her sister was looking for work as a housekeeper/cook. When I got home and told Maggie, she said that it would be nice to have another woman in the house, so's the next time I were in town, I went to see the lady, Miss Janith Paine. She agreed to come work for board and $10 a month, so's I hired her. She were to start the next week.

Joe and I rode over to our new property and we decided to plant it all in red wheat. The soil were real fertile and it had a good well at the house. Joe were coming up on 16 and he were gonna want to stretch his wings some, soon.

Christmas was coming up and I were hard pressed for ideas about gifts. I talked with Uncle Bill and Aunt Emma, they thought I should give the deed to Joe for Christmas. Dink would be happy with a small bicycle and Aunt Emma had just the thing for Maggie, a real pretty party dress! She was right, our little sister weren't no child anymore!

While I were in Redding Town, I paid me a call on Alyce Jane Grigsby. Mrs. Grigsby let me in the door as nice as you could please and sat in the living room while Alyce Jane served me tea in the parlor. I knew then that I had to speak to her Daddy right soon! Before I left Redding Town, I went to his office, where he were doing the farm accounts. We spoke pleasantries for a while and then I said, "Sir, might I have permission to court Miss Alyce Jane?"

I were trembling like a leaf and he chuckled, "Well, my boy, I guess I win the bet!"

I looked at him and he replied, "I had bet her Momma that you would ask before Christmas time and she said that it wouldn't happen!" I

 rode on home, I think, I don't remember anything until I was unsaddling my horse! I walked in the house and Maggie and Joe was looking at me funny like. I said, "What?"

Joe replied, "Hey Bro., do you always wear your hat on backwards?" I looked in the parlor mirror and I surely did have my hat on backwards!
Maggie got a knowing look in her face and said, "Miss Alyce Jane?"

I guess my red face answered that question!

Our second Christmas rolled around, we went to Church on that day of The Birth of Our Lord and this time, everyone came to our house for Christmas Supper. Janith had fixed us a fine roast goose supper with a real southern specialty, Pecan Pie! After we had ate, Dink rushed into the parlor to get his Christmas Gift, we had to run to keep him from riding that bicycle down the hallway! Maggie was amazed at her dress, she ran upstairs to put it on. Oh my, she come down those stairs as regal as a queen! Just as beautiful, too. I knew that Jimmy Shultz was coming over later, guess I had best get out Poppa's old shotgun!

I handed an envelope to Joe and when he opened it, his sat on the floor and cried. He said, "How did you know?..... How did you know that I wanted that piece of land so bad?" He continued, "I wanted to pay court to Eliza May Courtney, but I knew her Daddy would reject me 'cause I got no land." He hugged me and whispered in my ear, "Maybe we can make it a double wedding?" He then grinned and rushed out to the barn to saddle his horse. I don't know when he came back home, but he were sitting in the dining room the next morning with a cup of coffee in his hand and a silly grin on his face!

Right after the New Year, I turned 21 years of age. Mr. Shultz came to me to talk about farm matters and what we wanted to plant come spring. He then said, "Mr. Isaac, have you ever thought of incorporating the farm? There be tax advantages to doing that."

I replied, "No, I never thought of that, work it out and let's see what we should do."

He then stuttered a bit and said, "Ssssssir, Jimmy has a pretty large inheritance from his Grandmother, you know."

I thought, "Oh, I KNOW where this is going!" so I said, "That's nice."

Mr. Shultz said, "Would you be angry if Jimmy came and asked to pay court to your sister, Maggie?"

I chuckled, "Is there something in the water around here?"

He looked puzzled, so I explained, "I recently asked that question to Mr. Grigsby and Joe is sparking Eliza May Courtney! Do I need to lock Dink up in a closet?"

Mr. Shultz grinned, "Maybe so, Maybe so!"

Two days later, a cleaned, scrubbed and slicked down Jimmy Shultz come to see Joe and me. He were shaking like a leaf and stuttering so bad, I had to stop him and tell him to start over. He finally got out, "Mr. Blount, sssssiiiir, may I have the honor to court Miss Maggie, siiiir. PLEASE?"

I couldn't tease him any further, so I said, very seriously, "Jimmy Shultz, you may court our sister, Maggie, but, I warn you sir, she swings a mean frying pan!"

Jimmy jumped up, "Oh, thank you, Mr. Isaac!" and he ran off, looking for Maggie, who was behind the kitchen door listening to every word! Yep, must be something in the water!

Joe and I sat down to determine what we was going to plant next year. We decided to plant his whole 1,000 acres in red wheat, a 2,000 acre block on my farm also in red wheat, 1,000 acres in corn and 500 acres in rice. That would leave 500 acres fallow. The Co-op decided to purchase a second threshing machine, so we pledged $300 towards that purchase.

Joe was in Redding Town picking up some seed we had ordered when he noticed a sign offering a team of four Percherons for sale for $400. Joe went right over to Masterson's Livery and bought them. When he got home, he were as nervous as a broody hen, "Bro, I made a purchase today, uuuh, kinda big."

I replied, "Joe, we are partners in this business, about the only thing you could buy that would make me unhappy is slaves! And those are outlawed!"

He said, "I bought a team of four Percherons."

I yelled, "WHERE, do they have any more?" Percherons are huge animals and can outwork, out pull ordinary horses twice their number! He told me that he bought all they had. Lordy, with Percherons, we can out produce any farm in the area! I hugged him and told him he were a smart trader! We called over the Co-op threshing machine and hooked it up to two of the Percherons to harvest the winter wheat on both farms, those horses went through that wheat like fire in a hay rick, we was done in half the time we had expected. As we were harvesting, the buyer from last year bought all the wheat at 55¢ a bushel! As soon as we harvested, we started plowing, it looked like we was going to have an early summer, so we need to plant as soon as possible.

Summer started early, but I don't think it would hurt the crops, we had plenty of spring rains and everything was coming up green. Maggie and Janith had a couple of the hands out spading up the kitchen garden. I had heard that Janith were sweet on one of the hands, Billy Wright. He were a likely lad, 17 years old and strong as a bull. His Daddy had lost their farm and he took to drink, Billy were supporting himself and his Momma. Billy were a bit nervous when he come to call on Janith the first time, but I just smiled and shook his hand, wishing him good luck.

My own suit with Alyce Jane were going good, I figger, if the corn crop is good, I'm gonna ask her to marry me! Joe were going out every Sunday with Eliza May and it seemed like Jimmy were in our kitchen every weekend! The day finally came when our hands hit the corn field, it became apparent that we had a bumper crop on our hands, the first half showed 40 bushels to the acre! The number held and the same broker as was here last year offered us 75¢ a bushel! He said the Midwest had a drought and corn were scarce! We sold it to him and he had it shipped out the next week. We was about to start harvesting the rice and a man came direct from Anchor Brewery in San Francisco and offered us $1.40 a hundred weight! I didn't have any trouble selling to him direct and he had freight wagons ready to haul it off, we didn't have to store it none.

If it hadn't been for our Percherons, we wouldn't had been able to get all the red wheat harvested, we put all four Percherons on the thresher machine and they went at a fast walk through the wheat and got in just before the rains hit. Other farms got hit by the rain and lost a fair amount of crop. After we held back enough for our animal needs, my farm cleared $13,000 and Joe's cleared $3,400.

The next week, I headed for Redding Town and Mr. Grigsby's office. I knocked on his door and he opened it with a huge smile on his face. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Yes?"

I thought, "Oh Lord, be with me now." I said, "Sir, I would like to marry your daughter Alyce Jane!" Phew, I got it out with stumbling!

He laughed and said, "By golly, young man, you just made me another $10!"

I hid my face, "You didn't, Sir!" He laughed, "Yup, her Momma done owe me another $10. I said before Christmas and she said next spring!" He continued, "You go and ask her, you wanna bet what her answer will be?"

I replied, "No sir, I already KNOW what her answer will be!" He looked a little shell-shocked as I ran to my horse to go ask Alyce Jane to be my wife!

I got home that night, Joe was sitting in the living room, sprawled out over a chair with a huge grin on his face! I looked at him and he shouted, "SHE SAID YES!"

I grinned and replied, "ME TOO!" He jumped up and grabbed my arms, we swung each other around, laughing and shrieking like little girls.

Maggie walked in and said, "Oh, for goodness sakes, how many dresses do I have to make?" We grabbed Maggie and we all danced around the room like wild children, we was so happy!

We decided we wanted a double wedding and Joe and I went into Marysville Town the next day to talk to the Preacher at the Methodist Meeting House. We was shell shocked, Alyce Jane and Eliza May were BOTH sitting in his parlor! Alyce Jane said, "Boys, you are slow, we have been waiting here for 20 minutes already!" It must be something in the water! We all settled on an October 5th date for our wedding, Mr. Trask, the Methodist Preacher and his wife would do the double ceremonies, She would play the pump organ and we would provide the attendants. Maggie would be the Maid of Honor for both, Dink was to be ring bearer for both of us. Uncle Bill would be my Best Man. Jimmy would be Joe's Best Man.

Maggie started sewing feverish to make two wedding gowns. Us guys weren't allowed to see them, in fact we was banned from the upstairs parlor! Joe an' me went to Uncle Bills Store and pored over the catalogue book until we found the suits we liked. He ordered them from San Francisco rush and he promised they would be here in time. They were! The day got closer and closer, Joe were skittish as a young colt, I weren't any better.

The morning of the wedding, Joe and me headed to Marysville Town, I had rented a surrey and four, for the both of us couples. We was to drop Joe and Eliza May off at their house and Alyce Jane and me would take the surrey to our house. The little shay was parked at Joe's house, so they could get around. I were thinking I might just buy the surrey. We arrived at the Meeting House, there were already all sorts of conveyances parked and a whole row of horses! Joe and I walked in, all our hands was there, as was Mr. Shultz and Jeffery. Many of the folks we come from Virginia with were there and so were Janith and her whole family with Billy Wright at her side, smiling like an old cat! I guess he were seein' what he were getting into! Talk about some of those easy ladies bein' nervous in church, Joe n' me were shaking with nerves as we stood there waiting.

Suddenly, Miz Trask started pumping on that old organ and some kind of music came out, I looked up and there were our two girls being walked down the aisle by their Daddies. Oh, their gowns shone so white, Uncle Bill were standing next to me and Jimmy had his hand on Joe, maybe to keep him from running! Maggie walked between Alyce Jane and Eliza May, I could see her taking it all in, she were next! Me and Alyce Jane went first, when it came time for me to say, "I DO," my throat were so dry I could hardly squawk it out! Poor Joe sounded more like a mouse squeak! Almost before it started, it seemed it were over and I were a married man! I wondered if some of that rice that got tossed at us was our own? I drove home in a daze, I am pretty sure we dropped Joe and Eliza off at their house, but I surely don't remember it! That first night were an amazed thing and I weren't movin' too spritely the next morning! I were starin' stupidly at my cup of coffee when Jimmy popped in, all smiles, "My turn next!" Alyce came down and her n' Maggie were chattering away in the kitchen. Maggie screamed, "HE DID!" and looked out at me. I suddenly had this urgent business out in the barn! I could hear their laughter as I ran! All in all, though, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Blount sure did have a fine sound to it!

We had a real wet winter so's our spring planting were delayed. It was near mid May before we could get the winter wheat cut and the red wheat planted. The soil were real sticky and made bad clods in the rice fields, but we finally got it planted. Before we knew it, the corn were knee high. Joe seed a picture in one of Uncle Bill's catalogue books about a new fangled corn harvester. It were only $600, so's we ordered one. When it come, it were all in wood boxes, it took two trips with the wagon to haul it all home and two weeks to put it all together. Jimmy turned out to be a fine mechanic and we suggested he go into that business. I allowed him to set up shop here on the farm in exchange for working on our machines. He done ready agreed and soon had to hire a helper!

That new corn harvester were some machine, it took all four Percherons but it went through that corn like wildfire. I leased it out for 50 cents an acre or 75 cents with the Percherons. It were kept busy all summer! The corn produced a bumper crop again, near 40 bushels per acre. The price were down though, we only got $55¢ a bushel this year. The rice crop come in heavy and the price were premium, $1.60 a hundred weight! Again, Anchor Beer in San Francisco bought our whole crop! I had four brokers wanting to buy the red wheat, but I sold it to the fellow who had bought it last year. He offered a little less but he were a good customer.

All in all, we cleared $15,000 after Jeffery paid all the bills! Joe cleared a bit more than $5,000 and he were happy. He made an offer on Gus Jenkin's property next to his. Gus had lost his wife to the grip last winter and he wanted to go back to Virginia. I gave Joe $2,500 as his share of the profits towards the purchase. That will make his farm 4,000 acres. It will be better that way, he cain't be working his farm and also mine, but will always get part of my profits as he be still part owner! We can share the machinery and horses and help each other.

I had the hands hook up the Percherons and plow my farm and Joe's, to be ready to plant winter wheat. A big new flour mill were just built down in Stockton Town and their buyer wanted a solid contract for all the winter wheat we could grow. It sounded good to Joe and me so's we both signed up to sell to them.

I were working over some new catalogue books that Uncle Bill left, me and Joe was droolin' over a new International Harvester. It were run by a steam engine instead of depending on the horses for power. The horses still had to pull it, but the steam engine drove the cutter bars and thresher. Joe were all excited about it so' I agreed and we ordered it.

As I were getting me another cup of coffee, Alyce Jane were sitting in the kitchen crying. I rushed to her and held her tight, askin' what were wrong. She looked at me through her tears and said, "We gonna have a baby!"

I screamed, "A BABY?" Oh my, I danced all around the room with her. She were afraid I would be angry, no way! Oh, a baby, my baby! I looked at Joe, "You ready to be an Uncle?"

He grinned and replied, "YUP!" I don't remember much more about that day, except I raced up to Redding Town to order a crib and baby stuff from Aunt Emma. She were as excited as me and promised to come down the very next day! Oh, we planned, Alyce Jane and me, one of the bedrooms to become a baby room. I'm hopin' for a boy, but a little girl would be nice too! Maggie sat, watchin' the two of us, with a great big grin on her face. I said to her, "When is Jimmy gonna get his courage?"

She laughed and said, "Soon!"

She musta worked on Jimmy because the very next day, he come to me all shakey and scared, "Mr. Isaac sir, uuhh uhm, Sir."

I stopped him, "Jimmy, slow down and start over."

He began again, "MrIsaacsirmayImarryyoursisterMaggie!"

Wow, he got it our all in one breath! I laughed and told him all he had to do is go ask her! He run off, towards the kitchen and then I heard the back door screen bang shut. I looked out at the yard swing out under the cottonwood tree and saw him on his knees with Maggie sittin' in the swing! Joe were sitting to the table still lookin at steam threshers. I called him over to the window and we both had us a good laugh!

They come back into the house all flushed and breathless, Maggie beaming as she asked, "Isaac, will you give me away?"

I hugged her and replied, "I dare anybody else to even try!" They wanted a Christmas wedding so's I told them to go see Mr. Trask right away. They took the surrey and headed into Marysville Town. I walked over to talk with Mr. Shultz, he had a giant smile on his face.

He said, "Jimmy has an inheritance of $5,000."

I replied, "I will give them a house here as a wedding present, maybe he should use some of that money to enlarge his business."

Mr. Shultz hugged me and said, "Mr. Isaac, the best thing I ever done was become part of Blount Farm!"

In the days after, Jimmy went to Redding Town and purchased a lot next to Uncle Bill's Store and had a machine shop built on it. Before they was married, he had to hire three more employees. Every farmer needed mechanical work on their machinery. By the next spring, he had to enlarge his building and hire two more mechanics! Shultz Machinery Repair were going to be a major business!

The wedding was a grand affair, I could sit back and enjoy this one. I pulled on my own wedding suit and led my precious sister down the aisle as Mrs. Trask pumped out music on that old organ. Alyce Jane was Matron of Honor, she was beginning to bulge a little bit, but Maggie told her, "So What!" Dink, who was now demanding to be called Tim, again served as ring bearer. I invited everyone out to Blount Farm for refreshments, Janith had been cooking for three days! Their new house wasn't quite ready, so they spent their first night as Mr. and Mrs. Shultz in the guest bedroom.

The next morning they both came down for breakfast and I looked up, saying, "HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM." Their faces went scarlet and Jimmy started to stammer, I held up my hand and laughing, "No explanations are needed!" Maggie hid her face and ran out to the kitchen with Janith. Alyce Jane were kicking my ankle and scolding me!

As soon as the house was completed, we helped Jimmy and Maggie move, she had definite idea where things were to go, Joe and me was exhausted by the time we finished! We went back to my house and was having a cup of coffee when I heard Alyce Jane scream. Thinking something wrong, I rushed into the kitchen to find her and Eliza May hugging each other and laughing. I looked at Joe and his face went bright scarlet.

I said, "Hmm, must be something in the water!" Joe started to cough and stammer, I just hugged him and said, "Congratulations, Daddy!" Looks like there are gonna be TWO Blount babies soon!

I went with Joe when he went to Redding Town to buy baby things. Aunt Emma was delighted and soon had Joe outfitted with everything he were gonna need! We found that Janith's younger sister was looking for work, so Joe hired her to help Eliza May at their house. Now all we had to do is wait for Ma Nature to do her magic on Maggie and Jimmy!

Both our farms was doing well and Jimmy's business were off to a bang. I kept looking at Di... eerr Tim and see hints of the man the boy would become. He already were near as big as Jimmy and he weren't but 9 year old! He had a real mind in him, too. Jeffery said he reads and writes like somebody older than him and he can do numbers most as well as Jeffery himself! He looked at Joe's catalogue book and could explain how that new steam thresher worked better than me or Joe ever could! Joe and me was talking about planting rice for Anchor Beer come spring and Tim said to us, "Plant twice as much as you did last year, but only offer the same amount for sale. Then when he bids the price and it be more, sell all of it. If he don't, then sell the excess to some other broker."

It sounded kinda sneaky to me, but Joe and I agreed to try it. He were right, we sold that rice for $1.80 a hundred weight! The winter wheat yield were down a bit, but the price were a bit more, so we come out even. The price of corn were way down, so Tim advised us to just hold on and store it in the new silo. We had to quick build another silo because the red wheat went crazy and we was afraid we might loose some of it before another silo could be built! Come December, farmers were begging us to sell them some corn for their stock, we sold every bushel and at a good price, too! We ended that year with a profit of $20,000 for my farm and Joe cleared $11,000! Things was looking up for us Blount Brothers!

Joe and me had decided to follow Mr. Shultz's suggestion and incorporate it. We merged the two farms and named it Blount Brothers Farms, Incorporated. Right after Christmas, Jimmy asked to buy into the corporation and add his machine repair company to it, soon the name was Blount Brothers and Shultz, Incorporated!

Right after New Years, Maggie turned up sick each morning, Jimmy were worried, so's I asked Alyce Jane if maybe she should take Maggie to the doctor. Alyce laughed, "You worry too much, it will be ok in 9 months!" All of a sudden, it hit me - 9 MONTHS! Oh, Lordy, it must be something in the water!

THIS IS THE END OF BOOK 2. LOOK FOR THE NEXT BOOK THAT TELLS HOW THE FARMS AND BUSINESS CONTINUE TO PROSPER AND THE BLOUNT FAMILIES EXPAND AND HOW THEY OVERCOME GREAT TRAGEDY.