Pages 160-162

Pages 160-162

                We mounted our horses and rode on northeast over the rest of our land to look over a valley of rich ground with little sage on it but some cedar trees here and there.  As we sat thus viewing this valley before us, a warm-like breeze came up laden with the most fragrant perfume.  We rode in the direction from which it seemed to come.  The farther we rode the more fragrant the air.  Finally Jim said, “I know what it is now.  Come on.”  Galloping a bit faster we soon came to the far corner of our place and there surrounded by three cedar trees was a patch of snow white wild sand lilies.  The most beautiful I had seen and certainly the most fragrant.

                Jim dismounted and picked me a lovely bouquet of these gorgeous flowers.  Looking about, we could see the dusk of evening was fast approaching .  So we turned our horses and took off on a fast gallop for home.  When we crossed Shirley Creek on our place, the frogs and Katy-dids” were putting on their evening serenade.

                Darkness was now settling in the canyon and up a ways we could see a form sneaking stealthily up the hill.  Some moments later when we rode up the lane and on the road to home, pausing for Jim to close the gate to our place.  From the bench came that weird cry of the coyote.  He’d probably been in the canyon hunting squirrels and rabbits but he was welcome for there were plenty there.  I did hate though having a creature like that devour little animals like the cottontails.

                Once out on the road we made short work of getting home.  The horses were a bit winded and a little sweaty under the saddle blanket.  Jim lead them to water, then fed them for the night.  My father said he wondered if the horses got lost.  We told him no that was the reason we were here and laughed.  And told them of our trip.  Mother got a vase to put the sand lilies in and said they were really fragrant and beautiful.  They were just getting ready to have supper.  On Sunday nights mother always warmed up what was left from dinner.  It did taste good for I don’t think I was ever so hungry.

                The next morning was much the same except a bit cloudy and a mist hung over the mountain peaks.  The turtle doves that had cooed for us all summer had somewhat of a somber note in their cooing.  September days were numbered with a hint of fall in the air with October coming up.  Jim left early to borrow the water tank from a neighbor to fill the cistern.

                In the afternoon Sister and I hitched Beauty to the buggy and went to Sublett for the mail.  A pleasant drive with a cool breeze on our faces.  Beauty seemed to feel good as usual and trotted right along.  We passed some of our neighbors coming back.  One was walking.  We were going and they coming so we could not take them home.  The walk was not too bad for Wilhelmina and I had walked it several times just for the fun of it.  Just a two mile or more walk one way.

                I went in to get the mail, a young man stopped to talk with Wilhelmina.  I came out loaded down for we hadn’t gotten the mail for several days.  There were letters and papers for my brother and wife, and papers and letters for us.  I had gotten a large package of things I had sent for from a mail order catalog.  I was tickled it had come.

                On the way back we talked with some of our neighbors then drove down where Jim was.  He had just started to unload his fourth tank of water.  The water was syphoned with a hose by putting the hose in the spring of water then sucked on the opposite end.  When the water came in your mouth you put the hose in the tank and when you got the water to the cistern, you just reversed the process to empty the tank.

                Sister hadn’t ever been in our home since it was finished and had the furniture.  Jim had built a fire and made himself some coffee to go with the lunch.  She thought everything looked extra nice as we went from room to room and then upstairs.  It was much like our parent’s home.  Jim came in while the tank was unloading and walked around with us.  He said it wouldn’t be long now until we’d be living there.  Sister said, “You need a piano right here.”  “Yes, I said, that would be nice but I am afraid the piano will have to wait for a while until we can afford one.  We sat down in some of the chairs just to see how comfortable they were.  One of the rockers seemed extra comfortable.   I said, “this one will be mine.”  “That’s fine,” Jim said, “because I have picked this one over here.”  Jim could hear the hose drawing the last of the water from the tank.  So went out when it was finished.

                He drove away and we behind him up the hill.  He turned in one direction and we toward home.  Beauty took off on a trot as though she was in a hurry.  Wilhelmina and I always had such nice times together on these trips.  Mother was glad to see us and get the letters.  There was one from my sister and husband.  The grandchildren came down to get their mail.  Mother put it in a sack so they wouldn’t lose it.

                My father and brother were most always busy and were trying to complete their job before bad weather set in; a ranch home for a cattle man close to Malta.  They would not have to go to Portland this winter as they had the winter before.  When once your trade is known and you do for the other fellow like you were fixing for yourself, you never lack for something to do and that was the seal of approval they had attained.

                It was somewhat late that night before any of the men folks arrived home.  Mother had waited supper on them until she began to say, “Annie , it won’t taste like anything.”  My sister=in=law came down to get a bucket of water and said to mother, “I wonder why they haven’t come.”   Most generally they took a bedroll and stayed for several nights when far away.

                While they were talking all of them came driving up.  My brother’s first comment was.  “We had forgotten we planned to come home so worked late.”  Jim said as he unhitched his team, “I wanted to finish up the job before taking the tank home and it took longer than I figured.”  “Well, “ mother said, “my one and only excuse is a supper not fit to eat.”  They said they were so hungry they knew it would taste good.  My brother took the bucket of water and started up to their place with their children running on ahead.

                After supper father was glad as usual to get the papers.  So settled himself for the evening.  He read aloud once in a while, things he thought mother would be interested in for she was always busy with something.  Right now she was preparing to write a letter.  And there was always her sewing basket with something to be mended.

                In the morning there would be a bed roll to be fixed for father.  They’d stay for several days this time.  She got things together the night before and father rolled it up, tied it, and put in in the wagon while mother fixed breakfast.  And the job of fixing the chuck box.  It’s a large strong like box with all the food, dishes, and cooking utensils used on a camping trip.

                My brother came down the hill from his home with his box in a small wagon.  His wife had evidently fixed him up well too for the box was heaped up.  She came down later with more things. Soon the team was hitched and they were off.  Jim was hitching his team also for he had bought hay at Sublett and planned to haul a least two loads that day.  He had built a barbwire enclosure to stack it in. With his lunch he was off with the horses on the trot. 

                Mother took her turkeys up the canyon for an hour or so and then brought them back to the house.  Then left Toby on guard with them by the Cherry grove.  I was all excited about the things I had gotten from the mail order for they were part of my wedding things.  I called to mother to come see.  She had left Toby on guard at other times and thought it would be O.K. this time.  She hadn’t more than gotten in the house when we could hear Toby whine and growl. But thought little of it until he continued to keep it up.  We didn’t more than step out of the door when two balls of fur met in the middle of the turkeys.   We had turkeys flying , gobbling everywhere.  Then they made a straight line to their pen.  We ran down to where they were fighting and rolling in the dust, clapping our hands and shouting at them.   We could see Toby was getting the worst of it.  Mother threw a large stick hitting both of them.  This scared the coyote and he took off up the canyon disappearing among the brush with Toby going just as fast after him.  The coyote was too smart.  He eluded him.  We could see Toby coming back limping with his mouth and ear bleeding and the white tip of his tail at half mast.

 Mother got some hot water with liniment.  She tied Toby up securely and took a swab on a stick to wash his mouth and ears good, then doctored and bandaged his leg the coyote had bitten through.  After turning him loose he proceeded to take care of it in his way by tearing the bandage off.  Then lay licking it for some time.   Mother went to take a look at her turkeys.  She found them all intact except one had lost his tail feathers. 

                Later in the day a neighbor came by and said our dog should be tied up for awhile to see if he developed rabies from his fight with the coyote.  Since the heat of summer was over and fall almost here, it wasn’t likely he would get it.  We kept him tied up anyway all to Toby’s dislike for the geese mock and torment him with their hissing.