“I suggest you keep a close eye on the Rocking R. I wouldn’t put it past them to show up there. If they do, don’t tell them anything other than it is a matter for the court.”
“You got it,” Rance said. “I’ll put a couple of hands to stay there and to run anyone off.”
“Good idea. They’re staying at the hotel, and I imagine they will probably try to see the judge, since that’s the only way they will get any information.
The following morning…
The two ranch hands Rance had sent to the Rocking R came to the ranch house when they saw the carriage stop outside the Rocking R ranch house. By the time they got there, the people were inside.
They went inside. “Who are you and what are you doing here,” Curly asked.
The man with the slicked back hair, said, “I am Pierpont Walsh, Attorney at Law. This lady is the sister of the deceased Cora Russell. The property belongs to her now.”
Curly turned to the other cowboy, and said, “Billy, go get Mr. Kendall. I think he’s over on the south range. Tell him we have some trespassers at the Rocking R.”
“Now see here, I am an officer of the court and you, sir are the trespasser. I will have to ask you to leave.”
Curly let his hand drop to the butt of his Navy Colt revolver, and said, “Mr. Pierpont Walsh, there are only two lawyers in Cheyenne and you ain’t one of them. Now you have three options. You can either leave, or wait in your buggy, or make your play.” He loosened his revolver in the holster. “It’s your choice.”
“I’ll have the police on you,” Walsh said.
“There ain’t no police out here. The gun is the law. There’s a marshal in Cheyenne, but he doesn’t have any authority out here. Now what’s it going to be?” He moved his feet further, his hand hovering by the holster containing his Navy Colt Revolver.
“Pierpont, we’d better go outside and wait. This man is liable to kill all of us.”
“You almost got that right, except for the lady. I don’t favor shooting a woman,” Curly said.
Ten minutes later, Rance rode up. “What’s going on here, Curly?”
“We found these two in the house, and they claim it’s her’n,” and pointed to the woman. “Old slick here claims he’s an officer of the court, but he ain’t from around here. I told them to get out or make their play. They decided to come out here, till you got here.”
“Mr., I don’t know what you’re trying to pull here, but you’re trespassing. Now leave.” He turned to Curly, and said, “Kindly escort these people off the Rocking R. Don’t let them head toward the Lazy K either. If they try to come back, shoot them. All of them.”
“The woman too?” Curly asked.
“The woman too,” Rance answered. “Billy, follow them. If they try anything, fire a shot and we’ll come help.”
“Yes sir! But I won’t need no help,” Billy said.
“Sir, we’ll see you in court,” Walsh said.
“I’ll look forward to it. Just don’t come back on the Rocking R,” Rance said
They turned the buggy around and hightailed it back toward town.
Curly gave all of the details to Rance, and said “That was fun. You should have seen them. They turned pale as a ghost when I loosened my gun in the holster and stood there like a gunfighter.
“You didn’t pull it, did you?”
“Of course not,” Curly said,
Part 1
Chapter 6
Laramie County Court
Rance, Amanda, and Henry Calhoun took the morning train to Laramie and went to the courthouse. Henry explained to the clerk what was going on, and he informed the judge.
They were sitting in the outer office, when Walsh and his two clients came in. Walsh went to the clerk and explained he was an attorney, and they would like to see the judge.
The clerk went into the judge’s chambers, came back out, and said, “Judge Carlisle will see you in ten minutes. You can wait over there with the Kendall’s.”
“I believe I’ll stand,” Walsh said.
They were ushered into the courtroom. The judge sat on the bench, in his dark robe. “What matter are you bringing before the court today?”
“Your Honor, I’m Pierpont Walsh, Attorney at law, and representing this couple in the matter of claiming her sister’s estate.”
The judge cleared his throat, “Mr. Walsh, are you a duly licensed attorney in the Territory of Wyoming?”
“No, Your Honor, but I am…”
“Then you have no standing in this court. Furthermore, you are perpetrating a fraud when you represent yourself as an officer of the court. Since you obviously are in ignorance of the Territorial laws, I’m not going to have you arrested... At this time.
“Now what is this about?”
“This fine woman is the sister of the deceased Cora Beckendorf Russell. We would like to have the property known as the Rocking R ranch transferred to her and the monies held in trust released to her.
“I have the probate file of the late Mr. Russell here, and I have reviewed it. Mr. and Mrs. Russell had two children, one of whom died alongside them. The other, a young daughter also a minor, according to the laws of the Territory, inherited the estate, which is held in trust. I had the privilege of establishing the trust.”
“Your Honor, we would amend our petition to ask that Mrs. Lawrence here, be named guardian of the minor.”
“Don’t interrupt me,” the judge thundered.
“I apologize, Your Honor.”
“You did it again. Clerk, would you ask the sheriff to come in here, please?”
Five minutes later, a man walked in. He had a silver star on his chest, and a revolver on his hip. “You wanted me, Judge?”
“Sheriff, if this man opens his mouth again, he goes in the county jail for thirty days.” Turning to Walsh, he said, “Do you understand?
“Now, as I was saying, I established the trust and appointed Mr. Kendall here as her guardian. When Mr. and Mrs. Kendall were married, they petitioned for adoption. I granted their petition, they are now the legal parents of one Abigail Russell Kendall. Any questions?”
“Your Honor…” Walsh began.
The judge said, “Sheriff take custody of this man and get him out of my courtroom.”
“Yes Your Honor,” the sheriff said. “Come with me, sir,” he said.
“Now, out of courtesy to the dead, I am going to tell you the rest of the story. After your sister, her son and her husband were killed by the Sioux, Mr. Kendall came before me and asked to be appointed Abigail’s guardian. After I was assured a diligent search had been made for relatives, I did so. At his request, the property was placed in a trust for Abigail, a most charming little girl, I might add, Mr. Kendall maintains the ranch and the cattle at his own expense. The herd is maintained separately from his. All proceeds from the sale of cattle are then given to Mr. Calhoun, who deposits them into a trust. Mr. Kendall has no access to these funds. Upon reaching her majority, Abigail will be given control of the trust.
“When Mr. and Mrs. Kendall were married, they petitioned for adoption. I granted their petition. I am going to ask Mr. and Mrs. Kendall if they would be so kind as to answer any questions you might have. They are not compelled to do so. Do you understand all of this?”
“Clerk, ask the sheriff to bring Mr. Walsh back in here, please.”
Walsh returned to the courtroom. “I don’t know what kind of flim flam you were trying to pull here, but we don’t take kindly to your type here. You have twenty four hours to leave the Territory. If you do not do so, you will be brought before me again and be sentenced to the Territorial Prison for contempt of court. Don’t say anything. Nod your head if you understand.”
Walsh nodded his head.
“How is the young lady, by the way?”
“She’s fine, Your Honor. The sight of an Indian still upsets her, but she’s doing well. Amanda is teaching her piano, and she is taking to it.”
“Good. Glad to hear it. M
rs. Lawrence, your niece is a fortunate girl to have someone such as Mr. Kendall as her adoptive parent, looking after her interests and future.”
After the sheriff took Walsh away, Amanda turned to Mrs. Lawrence and said, “We would be happy to talk to you about your sister.
“My husband was the one who found them and buried them. He also found Abby, and took her to his home. If you would like, we will show you where she and her husband are buried.”
Mrs. Lawrence said, I’m sorry to have put you through this. We didn’t know. I hadn’t heard from Cora for a long time, and then the last letters were returned, marked as ‘deceased’. We turned to Mr. Walsh for advice. He wrote the letters to the court and the land office.”
“I have a suggestion,” Rance said. “Come back to Cheyenne with us. You can meet Abby, and I will tell you all about it.”
“Mr. Kendall, I appreciate it. Cora was my only sister, and we were close growing up,” Mrs. Lawrence said.
“Henry, once again, thanks for your help,” Rance said to his attorney.
“I didn’t have to say a word today. I told you there was no cause for worry.
“I have some other matters to look into while I’m here. I’ll see you the next time you’re in town,” the attorney said.
Chapter 7
Abby’s Aunt Susan
The Lazy K…
“Mr. Lawrence, could I have a word with you?’ Rance asked.
“Yes of course, and please call me Ken.”
“I’m Rance. Your sister-in-law and her family were scalped by the Sioux. It was pretty gruesome. It was before Amanda and I were married, and I’ve never told her the details. I’ll leave it up to you how much to tell your wife.”
“She certainly doesn’t need to hear that. I appreciate your sensitivity.” They went inside to join the women.
Abby was sitting at the piano doing fingering exercises. “Good job, Abby. You’re getting pretty good.
“Come over here for a minute, please.” Abby came and hopped into Amanda’s lap.
“You know what a sister is, don’t you?”
“Laurie,” Abby said.
“That’s right. Laurie is your sister. Mrs. Lawrence is your mama’s sister.”
“Your sister?” Abby asked.
“No, your first mama’s sister,” Amanda answered. “That means she is your Aunt Sally. Remember when you and Papa came to New York to ask me to marry you?”
Abby nodded.
“Your Aunt Sally lives almost that far, and she came to see you. Will you tell her hello?”
“Hello,” she replied dutifully.
“Hello darling. You are a precious little girl. You look just like your mother did when she was a little girl like you.”
Abby tugged at her mother’s sleeve. Amanda leaned over and Abby whispered in her ear.
“Yes, you may go back to the piano.” Amanda said to Sally Lawrence, “She’s always been quiet since I’ve known her, nearly two years.”
“Mrs. Lawrence, let me tell you about that day and if you have any questions, I’ll try to answer them,” Rance said.
Sally Lawrence nodded.
“My foreman and I had been off rounding up strays, and were driving the herd to a winter pasture, when we saw smoke and went to see if Jim needed help. Out here, smoke is never a good sign. When we got there, we found Jim and Carl in front of the barn. Cora was by the steps to the kitchen steps. After we determined there was nothing we could do, I went looking for Abby. I found her under the bed. She wouldn’t come out, so I sent for Consuela. She’s our housekeeper, and she was able to get her out the front door, so she couldn’t see what had happened. We buried Jim, Cora, and Carl on the hill back there. I read words over the graves from the Bible I had found in the house.
“I went through the drawers, and found the papers for the homestead but nothing else. I got Abby’s clothes and brought them here.
“Two days later, I went to Laramie, saw the judge. They would have put her in an orphanage, and I didn’t want that to happen, so Henry filed a petition to have me appointed as a guardian. The judge did that. Henry and I also went to the Clerk of Court, and set up the trust and had the property put in the name of the trust, which bears her name. We keep separate records on the herd that belong to the Rocking R, and drive them to market with our herd. I sell them in separate transactions, and as the judge said, give the draft to Henry and he puts it into the trust. I have no idea how much it is. It’s hers and will be given to her when she reaches her majority.
“After Amanda and I were married, we went over and went through everything top to bottom, looking for anything with an address. We gave the clothes to the church for distribution to those who might need them. Everything else is still there. We have the Bible here, and are holding it for Abby.”
“Did I leave anything out, honey?” he asked Amanda.
She said, “I found two envelopes in the Bible. They were badly faded, and I couldn’t make out the address or the name. The letters inside were in German. I took them to the Lutheran priest in Cheyenne. He was able to make out some of the words, enough to determine it was from a mother to her daughter. Would you like to see them?”
When Mrs. Lawrence nodded, Amanda got them from Abby’s bedroom. “I’m saving the Bible and letters for Abby until she’s old enough to understand what they are, but you’re welcome to look at them.” She handed the Bible and the letters to her.
After she looked at the letters, she said, her eyes filled with tears, “They are pretty faded, but I can tell it’s Mama’s handwriting.”
“Would you like to visit the graves?” Rance asked.
“Yes, I really would,” Mrs. Lawrence said.
Amanda told Consuela where they were going, and asked her to look after the girls.
At the gravesite, Mrs. Lawrence saw three neatly trimmed graves with a wooden cross on each, with the name of the occupant. “Who does this? she asked.
“My husband and the ranch hands,” Amanda said.
“It is so clean.”
“I think they clean it up about once a month,” Amanda said.
“He is a good man, your husband,”
“Yes, he is,” Amanda said. “A good father too. I’ll give you a few minutes with your sister.”
Later…
“How much does Abigail know of this?” Mrs. Lawrence asked.
“We don’t know. When Rance found her, she was under the bed, and wouldn’t come out. Consuela was able to get her to come out. This was before we married, so I’m telling you what he and Consuela have told me. He said he asked her if her mother told her not to talk, and she nodded.
“He also told me she wasn’t really talking until they came to New York. Do you know about mail order brides?”
“A little,” Mrs. Lawrence said.
“I am one. I was showing them around Elmira, and asked if there were any questions. Abby had one. “Will you marry us? I think that was the most romantic thing I ever heard.”
“It is. She’s a lucky girl and you’re a most fortunate woman,” Mrs. Lawrence said.
“I am,” Amanda said.
They went back to the Lazy K. Ken Lawrence shook Rance’s hand. “I want to thank for you for the way you handled this intrusion in your life. I am truly grateful, and I’m sure Sally is also. I don’t know that I could have handled it as well.”
“I simply did what was right,” Rance said.
“I do have a question, Lawrence said. “Would that man, Curly have shot us?”
“I don’t think so. If Walsh had tried to come back on the ranch after I told him not to, he would have certainly stopped him, however necessary. The ranch hands have a great deal of loyalty and are very protective. The people out here are different. We are a united group against the weather and the common enemy, the Sioux. Neighbors help neighbors. That’s the end of my sermon.
“You folks have a nice trip back to civilization,” Rance said. They shook hands, and the couple went back to Chey
enne.
Chapter 8
Life Goes On
“I’m glad that’s over,” Rance said.
“Yes, they seemed like nice people after they got rid of that lawyer. What did you call him?”
“Slick,”
Rance told her about the initial encounter Curly had with them. Amanda laughed until she had tears in her eyes.
“When Billy came to get me, I told them to get off the Rocking R, and told Billy to follow them and if they tried to come back to shoot them.”
“Billy asked ‘The woman too?’ I told him “the woman too,” Rance said.
“You’re terrible,” Amanda said, then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “But I love you anyway.”
“It was fun. Curly told me he did his gunfighter imitation, and they almost ran out of the house.
“Now, how about a little afternoon delight?”
She shook her head, kissed him and took his hand, and said, “You’re on.” And led him down the hall.
“That’s my plan,” he said.
“Ohhhh, listen to you,” she said.
He closed the door behind him when they went into the bedroom.
* * *
“Honey, I have an idea,” Amanda said to Rance, one morning while they were eating breakfast.
“Tell me about it,” he said.
“You know I love to teach, and I told you I would like to stay with it,” she said.
“I remember, but what about the long ride into Cheyenne every day. It would be impossible during the winter,” he said.
“I agree, and my idea is the answer to it. The other ranches have the same problem, so most of the kids just aren’t going to school, and that is a shame. The Rocking R house is sitting there unused. Why can’t we start a school there, and our neighbors could send their kids there. Abby will be ready for school this fall. It would be the ideal answer. What do you think?”
“You may have something. Why don’t we have a meeting with the neighbors and get their feelings about it?”
Mama Was A Mail Order Bride (Mail Order Bride Series Book 14) Page 3
