TRAIL OF DREAMS
TRAIL OF DREAMS© Courtnee
Once the decision to move to Oregon was made, the next two months passed by in a blur or preparation. Supplies needed to be bought, plans made, and many other details smoothed out. Rachel borrowed a few books from the school’s library to give them insights and so their strategy was formed.
They purchased three Pioneer Schooners, in which the load would be lighter and the chance of a broken axle or a busted wheel would be considerably reduced. One of the schooners they would use to carry the feed for the horses as they were not used to the prairie grass and could not survive long on it. Another would hold the food supplies, bedrolls, and utensils. The third wagon would contain the few personal items they could not leave behind along with the firewood, as most of the trail was barren. Each of the wagons was fitted with a jockeybox, water barrels, and spare axles. Rachel had Teaspoon fashion a chicken pen on one of the wagons so fresh eggs could be had.
The option of using draft horses, mules, or oxen to pull the wagons was a big event around the station. Kid, having been around horses his entire life had no desire to handle mules or oxen. But Teaspoon was convinced that draft horses couldn’t hold up to the job. Lou tended to agree with Kid, but saw Teaspoons side clearly, and Rachel didn’t concern herself with the matter as she had many other problems to worry about.
One of those arguments found the family one-day in late February. Lou and Rachel sat on the front porch, sipping lemonade and sewing canvas bonnets for the wagons. They had been engrossed in conversation pertaining to Noah’s recently acquired interest in all things, but were interrupted by the two men, arguing very loudly, coming their way.
Rachel rolled her eyes and continued her sewing, while Lou, searching for any reason to pause the hated task, set a side both canvas and needle. “Here we go again.”
“Now, Kid, I’m tellin’ ya that horses aren’t the way to go. Oxen are dependable…”
“Horses are dependable, if’n they have the right trainin’ and they’re faster too.” Kid leaned against the porch railing; his arms crossed and chin jutting forward.
Teaspoon took a seat in Rachel’s rocking chair and propped his booted feet on the rail beside Kid. “Bein’ fast ain’t gonna make a lick of difference if they drop dead in their tracks from exhaustion. But take an ox, he’s gonna last right up till we pull into Oregon City. And he’ll eat anything. No matter if’n it be prairie grass, prickly pairs, or sage. Give ‘em a chance and he’d eat the cover right off the wagons!”
Lou hid a giggle behind her hands and Rachel shook in her seat trying hard, but failing miserably, to hide her amusement. Both men turned their eyes in the women’s direction, with a scowl to show their displeasure at being the center of a joke.
“I’m still stickin’ with horses, Teaspoon.”
Kid could be as stubborn as a mule sometimes, and no amount of pushing or prodding could change his mind. So Lou decided a compromise would be the best course of action. “What about mules?” Instantly she regretted the suggestion as once again, both men turned in her direction. A look of disgust twisted Kid’s features, and Teaspoon shook his head in disappointment. “At least they agree on somethin’,” she muttered under her breath.
“Mules are more trouble’n their worth, Lou. You’d spend half yer time fightin' with em and the other half doctorin’ the injuries you got from not dodgin’ their hooves or teeth quick enough. Nope mules won’t do a’ tall.”
Anger prompted Lou to glare at the two men. Her intent had been to quell the conflict and give them a way to agree on something. She’d had just about enough of fighting and arguing to last her a very long time. “All right now, since you two can’t figure this out on your own, I’m just gonna have to do it myself.” She stood from the swing and waved her finger back and forth between Teaspoon and her husband. “Oxen will do just fine for the teams, Kid. Teaspoons got a point in that respect.”
With a deep sigh, Teaspoon leaned back a satisfied smirk on his lips, and pulled his hat down to shut out the light of day. It was time for a nap.
But Lou would have none of that. She swung around to give Teaspoon her full attention. “You otta be pure ashamed of yourself Teaspoon Hunter, bein’ a grown man and all. Kid has a say in this too, he’s just as much a right to make decisions as you. Ain’t a one of us that knows exactly what its gonna be like out there so we gotta work t’gether.”
Again Lou turned to face Kid, who was now the one wearing the smirk. But with a stern look from his wife, it faded real quickly.
“Kid we’re gonna have our hands full with the horses we’re takin’ to start up the ranch. The cost of feed to carry for em is gonna be high already. With the oxen doin’ all the hauling there gonna be mighty hungry, and they can eat what grows there. Now not another word do I wanna hear about this matter!”
Abruptly she turned on her heel, and upon collecting Noah, stiffly entered the house.
As winter faded and spring touched the land, filling the air with the sweet fragrance of wild flowers and honeysuckle, the express family anxiously awaited their day of departure. It was mid-March, and yet still they had many preparations left to complete before the impending adventure. They had decided that the best time to join the wagon trains would be in late April. The grass along the trail was a treasured commodity among the emigrants but was scarce to find the closer summer came, as overgrazing was imminent with the thousands of oxen, cattle, mules, and horses that crossed the land each season.
One evening in March, Rachel sat at the kitchen table; several sheets of paper were spread out in front of her. She had written down a list of the food supplies they’d need, but had revised it so many times she couldn’t even read it anymore. Lou, Kid, and Teaspoon were do back, any day now, from their trip to St. Joseph. Noah had remained at the station with Rachel. Not only had they to pick up Theresa and Jeremiah but also they had to purchase fourteen oxen and ten horses. Each Wagon would have a team of four oxen so that the loads would not take so much out of each. Two extra were obtained as a precaution incase an unforeseen disaster should befall any of the twelve. The price of oxen as well as horses had risen significantly since the start of the war, prompting Teaspoon to turn to a friend who had a horse ranch near St. Joseph.
Even though spring had a definite claim to the land, the nights were still winter cold. As Rachel refilled her coffee mug, she thought she heard something. She didn’t know exactly what it was she heard or where it came from, so she placed the cup on the table and proceeded up the flight of stairs to check on Noah. He’d been asleep only for an hour, two at the most, and shouldn’t be awake yet. Quietly she crept into the room, but one glance into the crib showed a sleeping babe.
A frown creased her face, and worry knitted her brow. It could have been the wind, maybe. Heading back down to the first floor, she grabbed the shotgun leaning against the wall. Teaspoon made her promise to keep it ready incase any trouble found her while they were gone.
‘What was that?’
Again she heard
something. ‘Was it the sound of a
boot clippin’ the porch? Surely it isn’t
Teaspoon and the others. I’d have heard
that loud and clear with all the animals they’d be bringin’ in. So then, who’s out there?’
She moved to the window, telling her self to look out side, but fear gripped her body, rendering her motionless. She couldn’t shake the thought that some terrible person would be looking back through the window. Her heart pounded in her chest, blood roared in her ears. But somewhere among the chaos of her mind, a soothing calmness began to flow through her body in the form of advice she’d once received.
‘Don’t let the panic get a hold
of ya, Honey. There’s a strength inside
of every person ya just gotta know how to find it. Now, a lotta people think a woman ain’t got any gumption, but I’ll
let you in on a little secret. Women
got more strength then two men put t’gether. And I’ll even wager you got more than a lotta
women.’ The words of her mom floated threw her thoughts,‘Now, Honey, when
I tell ya to I want you to close your eyes and think real heard about everything
you hold close. Let that give you the
will power you need. Kay honey? Oh,
and always remember to breathe.’
Closing her eyes, Rachel took long deep breaths and focused on her family. Noah was asleep, depending on her to keep him safe. Lou, they were the best of friends, closer than that, they were family. Kid, well he was like a son, one of the best men she’d ever come across. And Teaspoon. He was the man she planned on staying with forever. She loved them all, and they needed her, loved her too. She felt the fog of panic evaporate as the warmth of family gave her the strength she needed.
Willing her self to reach out a hand and move the curtain out of the way, she opened her eyes peered out into the dark night. She scanned the yard, upon finding nothing out of the ordinary there, she moved to the window on the other wall. It faced the barn and corrals. That was when she noticed the barn door open and flapping in the wind. Relief flooded through her senses, weakening her body.
She went to set the shotgun aside, but thought better of it. She’d keep it close at hand for the rest of the night; it never hurt a soul to be a little bit more careful. Rachel flung a shawl across her shoulders before heading out to the barn. The silvery light of the moon bathed the station, allowing her eyes take in everything around her with out a problem.
As she reached the door, she heard
the soft neigh of a horse. ‘Might
as well check on Katy while I’m here,’ she decided.’
But before her eyes could adjust to the
dark room, as there was no window to let in the moonlight and she hadn’t brought
a lantern with her, she was overwhelmed with the notion that someone was watching
her every move.
