Lieutenant John Holbrook, Sergeant John Wheeler

by Laszlo Endrody

  Nick was getting better every day, and after five days he was able to come back to work.

  Our two new cows were at the store and we picked them up. The girls milked them and everybody had enough milk. I decided that I was going to keep the three-year-old stud and let him get the mares pregnant when they were in heat. I asked the store owner if he had any more young heavy Amish studs for sale. He told me that he will get me one. We had two to geld as soon as they were old enough so they could make a pair with the two mares. Soon we would have a pair of heavies for all four wagons.

  An Amish fellow came out and wanted to talk to me. He had two sections bordering me on the north side that was covered in brush. He had not farmed it for the four years of war, and it was very hard to clean up the brush. He had 1,280 acres worth. The brush would have to be burned and the ground disced. He told me that he would sell it to me for one dollar per acre, for a total of 1,280 dollars. Betty told me to buy it with her money, so I did and put it in her name. I asked her what she was going to do with it. She told me that it should be fenced and used for grazing only.

  “Everybody’s animals have their own brands so it will be alright,” she assured me. “The young horses will be able to go out there, as well as the dry cows and all of the calves. It will not take too much work other than discing and seeding, along with six miles of fencing. Once it’s finished our son will be able to raise horses and cattle.”

  “What about Miller’s son?” I asked her.

  “He better have a nice daughter, so our son will have a nice girlfriend,” she stated.

  “Well, you go ahead and arrange everything. I am sure it will work out just as you planned,” I agreed.

  We needed a fencing gang and it was going to be expensive. We would have to buy the posts and the wire to fence six miles. The priest had another young Quaker man with sergeant stripes, so he brought him out and I asked him if he knew how to build fences. I told him that my wife had just bought two sections and she wanted it fenced.

  I told him, “We need to first burn the brush and then disc the ground to make it a big pasture. My wife is going to raise horses and cattle, and those are her two sections. She has her own brand.”

  When I saw the young Quaker man again, he had a saddle on one of my wife’s mules and was riding around the new sections looking them over. He said there were four farmers that went in next to their places and put crops in from 40 to 80 acres.

  “Your partner’s dad has 80 acres plowed up for oats next spring,” he told me.

  “Well, that is that much less brush we have to burn then. What we will have to do is let them farm it until we get the whole place fenced and burned off. By them farming some of it, it will mean less burning for us. We can tell them that they have to fence where they are farming and they can farm it, as long as we are all finished turning it in to pasture. It will be three to four years before we are even ready. Discing it all will take a year’s work. We have to drill three wells and get windmills to pump the water for the animals out there too,” I stated.

  The Quaker sergeant was going to talk to all of the men that had plowed up a piece of Betty’s land. He told them that they were welcome to farm the land that they plowed up, but they would have to put up a fence along the fence line. He also told them that they could continue using the land until all of the brush was gone and the fence was completed.

  He also told them, “The owner of this property, Mrs. Wheeler, is planning on discing the ground and plating grass. Once the grass is in, she will then put livestock out there to graze. It will take about four years to accomplish everything, so there is no hurry.”

  I told Quaker sergeant to hire some girls to work with him, some men that could fence, and some men that would be able to cut during the harvesting of the straw. Then the straw will be hauled and dumped on the brush and burned. The sergeant asked for a wagon to use. I told him that he could have our smaller wagon in town.

  I told him, “They can haul straw with the small wagon. Betty has a team and two mules,” I told him. “You will need the small buckboard to haul your tools with the mules. We can take the smaller wagon to haul the straw out of the barn and take it to the brush and burn some of it just to see how it will burn. We will have to be very careful around the neighbors. We don’t want to burn anything of theirs down. After the freeze, you can use some of the boys to help. On good days we can work, but on bad days we stay home. Everybody has to have good shoes and warm clothing. The girls you get to help you will also need good shoes and jeans, warm underwear and warm jackets.”

  The freeze was coming and we were still seeding wheat. When we finally put a stop to plowing, I told the boys that they could go to work with the Quaker sergeant on building the fence. They were all quite happy with that. They could stay and live on the farm and work, eat good food, and make some money.

  The sergeant stripped the wagon of the canvas and barrels. It was now a regular farm wagon. We filled it with straw and hitched up two horses and took it out to the brush and dumped the straw on top of the brush. After we pulled away, he lit the straw and it burned a four-acre piece of brush. I went and bought a nice disc with a seat on it and put it out there so the sergeant could disc once the brush was burned off. Most of that would have to wait until spring though. Plowing would start in the spring, and all heavy horses would be needed to pull the plows.

  The sergeant started with three boys and three girls and went after fence posts. He needed some firewood, as well as cedar posts, so they he took all of his helpers with him to get the wood. They had two saws and some axes and they stayed busy. For five days they went with the wagon and got a bunch of cedar posts.

  We had a surveyor come out to mark the corners of the property line and we put in post and then painted it white so that we could see it. We then lined up the rest of the posts in the distance so that we would have a nice straight fence.

  The wagon maker had our first wagon done, so Miller and I went to pick it up. We tied up a big team with a harness to the back of the buckboard, and then went to the wagon shop and picked up the wagon. It cost us 130 dollars, but it was worth it. The next one would be done in another three weeks. They were built out of white oak.

  Chapter Four

  I told Miller that we could go out with the new wagon and get some fence posts and firewood for the winter. I told him to get a crew and we head out early the next morning.

  The Quaker sergeant went out for some more wood. I went by the house in town and asked for three or four helpers and then we went out. We stopped by the baker’s and got a sack of buns; they were still warm. Then we went by the farm and picked up four boys, along with my Spencer and Henry. If we ran into a bear out in the forest the Henry alone would not be enough, so we brought the Spencer as reinforcement. The sergeant told us that there were wolves out there too, so I told one of the boys to be the gunman and stop any wolf coming towards us.

  We started working on some cedars and got some good posts. We cut up some of the biggest branches for firewood. We had been out there for three hours when we saw four wolves heading toward some of the girls who were getting firewood. A young boy shot three times but never got one. Then one of the girls, Maggy, said, “Give me that rifle.” She lifted up the rifle, shot four times fast, and all four wolves were down. Miller went over to Maggy and told her that she was the new gunman and to not let any wolves get near.

  “Do you know how to use a Spencer?” he asked her.

  “Yes, I do. I have shot one before,” she replied.

  “If a bear attacks us, you have to use this Spencer. But don’t shoot the bear unless he attacks. They don’t always attack, sometimes they just want to see what’s going on,” Miller told her.

  “Can I sit on the wagon?” she asked. “My shoes are falling apart.”

  Miller helped her on the wagon and then handed her a cup of coffee. He also gave her 20 dollars gold and told her to get some jeans, some long johns, a warm shirt, a j
acket, and some winter shoes.

  “I will pay you back,” Maggy assured him. “What do I call you, sir?”

  “You can call me John.”

  “Can you get me another cup of coffee, John?”

  He refilled her cup and she thanked him. Later on, Miller asked me if we could put Maggy on as permanent help. I told him that would be a good idea. He then told Maggy that she could be permanent help if she wanted to work. Maggy told John that she would love to be working every day.

  “Who taught you how to shoot like you did?” Miller asked Maggy.

  “My husband,” she stated. “He was a very good shot. He was a sergeant in the army. Too bad he is gone, a lot the bravest men were lost. Were you a soldier, John?”

  “Yes. Due to my injuries from the war, I now have a club foot to walk on, but luckily I still have my knee.”

  “Did you buy that big farm?” Maggy asked.

  “I am full partners with my sergeant friend. He lost his arm and I lost my leg, so together we make a complete team. We got out of the hospital at the same time and became friends. We bought the farm together at the tax sale. It previously belonged to a confederate colonel, but he died in the war and his family couldn’t keep up on the taxes, so we bought it. His family ended up going to Pittsburg. We out-bid the Amish bishops and the bank. We have been working away on the place and it will be a really nice farm before too long. The two sections of brush belong to Mrs. Wheeler. She bought it with her own money. We plan on making that section into a big pasture for cows and horses, but it’s going to take some time,” Miller told her.

  “It is so nice talking to a young man,” Maggy stated.

  “It is nice talking to you too. Are you going to try and get married again?” Miller asked.

  “I would definitely like to, but I don’t know if it will ever happen. There are so many unmarried girls that have been waiting for soldiers to come home, and most soldiers would rather marry a girl who hasn’t been married before,” she stated.

  “I think I’d rather have an experienced wife. I saw too many of their husbands lying on a battlefield, and I would rather help them. Would you be interested in a man with a club foot?”

  “It would make no difference to me.”

  “Let’s have dinner at the big house, and after dinner we’ll go to my room and talk,” he stated.

  “You don’t want me. I have a daughter at the priest’s orphanage that’s five years old.”

  “That doesn’t matter to me,” he assured her. “Let’s go talk.”

  Miller drove the wagon home and Maggy sat up front with him. She thought that he was very nice. She shot a deer on the way back and he cleaned it out and put it on top of the wood. One of the boys told Miller that he could skin it. When they got to the town house, he skinned it. Miller cut off one of the legs and gave it to the girls to make a big stew. They were happy to get the meat. Miller brought the rest of the deer home with us.

  When they arrived at the house, dinner was ready. They went in and sat down where there were two seats next to each other. We had rice, meat and gravy. It was very good. Both Miller and Maggy had a large portion. They were both famished after hauling wood all day. After they finished their dinner, they each had a large slice of cake too.

  After they finished their cake, Maggy and Miller went upstairs. Maggy looked in his room and liked everything. He brought some coffee up with him and they each had a cup of coffee. Miller told her that he liked her very much, and that really wanted to be married. Again he asked her if she was sure she wanted to be a wife again. She told him that if he wanted her for a wife, she would be happy to marry him. He told her that he would talk to Father Murphey so that they could get married the next Sunday.

  He also told her, “Then we can bring your little girl out here and she can have her own room over there.” He took Maggy to look at the room that would be her little girl’s. It already had a nice bed, a table and chairs, and some curtains on the windows. Maggy told Miller that her daughter would be thrilled to have that be her room. Maggy loved the thought of having her daughter with her again.

  Miller and Maggy talked for about an hour and then he asked her if she wanted to go home or stay with him. She decided to stay. He had a big enough bed for two. He told her that they would go shopping for clothes and shoes.

  He told her, “I will get you everything you need at the store tomorrow. We can go and pick up your daughter and buy her some nice clothes too. She’s going to need a nice dress so she can be our flower girl.”

  “Are you Catholic?” Maggy asked.

  “No. I was an Amish man, but I joined the army and they disowned me. I am now shunned from the Amish community. My own family won’t even talk to me anymore. What religion are you, dear?”

  “I was raised Protestant, but in my time of need the Catholics helped me and the Protestants didn’t. I think I would rather get married in the Catholic church, to be honest,” she stated.

  “We will take the buckboard in to town tomorrow morning. We will pick up your daughter and you girls can go shopping. What is your daughter’s name?”

  “She is little Maggy.”

  When they went to bed, Miller just held her close. He was happy that Maggy agreed to marry him. He thought because of his club foot he would never find a wife. He was very happy and he wanted to do right by Maggy and her daughter. He was ready for this chapter of his life to begin.

  That next morning, they washed up and went down for breakfast. It was still early, but the working girls were already up getting things ready for the day. They had already milked the cow, so Maggy could have some milk in her coffee. One girl fixed toast at the fire and buttered it; then she fixed three eggs and bacon for the boss, and two eggs and bacon for Maggy. They all knew Maggy and were nice to her. Maggy had one more cup of coffee with a bit of milk and sugar. While she was finishing her coffee, Miller went out and harnessed up a couple of his horses and hitched up to the buckboard. Maggy came out and then they left for town.

  The first thing they did when they got to town was pick up little Maggy at the orphanage. While they were there, Miller talked to the priest about the priest marrying him and Maggy that Sunday. Little Maggy had her glass of milk and was ready. Father Martin told them that he would be very happy to marry them on Sunday after the services. “Be sure to bring the witnesses,” he told them.

  They went on from there to the store. Miller asked the grocer if there was someone who could help Maggy get some clothes. The grocer called his wife and the ladies went to the other room; she was told to get three warm dresses and six pairs of underwear, two pairs of jeans, and some long johns (should she go help on a wagon). Little Maggy got four dresses and some underwear. Then they got two sacks of new potatoes to take to father Martin at the orphanage, as well as four slabs of bacon; they had some hams hanging and they got two of those too.

  When they left, they went to the restaurant to get some coffee and a slice of pie. Little Maggy had a glass of milk and some pie. After that, they went back to the orphanage. They unloaded all of the food items at the orphanage. Father Martin was very happy that the kids would have food. He told all of the girls that Maggy was getting married on Sunday and they should all be in church to see her get married.

  When they got back to the farm, Miller told me that he was getting married in the Catholic Church on Sunday, and needed witnesses. I promised him I’d be there. I wanted to go to church anyway. Father Martin helped us so much that we needed to support him and his church. I told all of the kids that we were going to church that Sunday and they would be going with us. We would take the wagon and take anyone who wanted to go. Both of our Quakers wanted to go. They had eaten at the church a few times and they thought a lot about Father Martin. He helped all that needed help.

  When Miller got home, it was lunch time. He went and announced to everyone that he and Maggy were getting married Sunday at the Catholic Church and they were all welcome to come and
then go to dinner with them afterwards.

  Linda, the kitchen boss, said that they needed meat.

  Maggy told her, “I will change into my jeans and shoot a deer for you. We will take the buckboard and get some meat.” Miller got both rifles and they went down to a corner of their property where there was a nice creek, and Maggy shot two bucks. Miller cleaned them out and put them on the buckboard. They took the meat in but told the girls that they needed a good skinner. No one knew how to skin, so a couple of the girls ran to the house in town and brought two girls back out with them. The girls didn’t waste any time skinning the deer.

  After the first one was ready, Maggy cut up the meat the best she could and the girls carried it in. They took the other buck back to the farm on a northbound road that they traveled on.

  As they were traveling, three men came in to view. Miller asked Maggy if she had a short gun; she said no, but she would use the rifle if needed. Miller told her that if the men split, she would shoot the one on the right and he would take care of the two on the left. As soon as the men got close to the buckboard, they split. Maggy wasted no time and shot the man on her right. The two on the left pulled guns and Miller shot both of them. Miller told Maggy to get the horses and tie them up. As it turned out, one of the men on Miller’s side was riding a U.S. horse with an army saddle. Miller took the saddle off and put it over to the side of the road. He then took the saddlebag off and put it on the wagon. The other horse on his side had no brand, and neither did the horse on the right side. The packhorse had a brand, so Miller took the pack off it and put it on the wagon. He and Maggy then went through all three bandits’ pockets. They ended up getting three money belts and quite a bit of cash of the trio. Miller just left the U.S. horse and the branded filly graze and tied up the rest. He and Maggy then dragged the dead men off the road and left them to the birds.