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   The Man From Eagle Creek
   Chapter Sixteen
   Tom rode back to the crossroads on the south side of town and kept going
east toward the river.  He was close to forty miles from Omaha and he had
about six hours of sunlight left.  Not knowing this part of the country he
felt his best bet would be to travel during daylight and lay low until the
next morning.
   He came to the trail that led south along the Missouri River and headed
away from Newton and the friends he'd made in the short time he was there.
   Sheriff Keyes had told Tom that the further south along the river he
traveled, the more folks he would see.  The towns are bigger and folks will
be more skeptical of being friends with Indians.
   "Tom when you get down around Omaha and St.  Joe, you gonna find another
breed of folks and another way of thinking.  That part of the country is
the way west for a lot of folks.  The railroad runs west out of Omaha and
there's a lot of rough characters waitin' to take advantage of folks
traveling.  When you get on down to St.  Joe you'll meet up with a bunch of
folks headed west to make their fortune, some will be good, some won't."
   "Kansas City is another story all its own.  If I was you Tom, I'd ride
right on through there, get me a good look at it and ride west.  You wanted
to see Dodge and Wichita too, but you gotta remember that you'll be riding
into more bad folks than good over there too.  Just keep your eyes open and
don't get riled up every time some ya-hoo makes a mockin' of you being an
Indian."
   Tom sat a saddle as easy as some folks fit in the seat of a rocking
chair.  The easy long lope of his big horse was soothing and relaxing after
being a lawman for over a week.  Tom just wasn't sure though that he was
cut out to be a long time lawman, but he had learned a lot from Sheriff
Keyes.  The things he learned there would help him later on in his travels.
   He looked over the land as he rode, there was a lot more trees down in
this part of the country, especially near the river.  He saw big open range
land to the west and once in a while he saw where some land was being
farmed.  There seemed to be more cattle down this way too, he wondered if
it was because of the railroads close by or maybe just more folks making a
homestead here.  Tom spent the night in a grove of trees near a creek about
a mile from the river, he just didn't like to be near the main trails at
night.
   Daylight came with cloudy skies and drizzling rain.  As the day wore on
the rain was heavier and the wind was blowing harder.  Tom had a slicker in
his bedroll but after a while, he was wet through and through in spite of
it.  He could hardly see at times, the rain was so hard, but during a break
he saw an old barn.  He circled the barn looking for tracks in the mud. 
Seeing none he slid off his horse and went inside.  The old barn was
leaning, but looked steady enough to stay up for a while longer.
   Tom brought his horse in and took the saddle off, he found some dry hay
from years past and dried his horse as best he could.  He rolled his
bedroll out and got a change of clothes.  Dry clothes was a welcome feeling
to his wet cold body.  The rain kept up the rest of the day and into the
next night, the wind at times seemed sure to level the old barn, but when
morning came on the second day, the sun was bright and the sky to the west
was clear.  Water was standing everywhere and the ruts in the trail were
full.
   Tom saddled up and headed out once again, this time he rode to the side
of the trail to stay out of the water filled ruts.  His horse had better
footing here on the flat solid ground and despite the mud they made good
time.
   He heard the sound at the same time his horse stopped dead in his tracks
and pointed his ears to the front.  There was a long low whine that turned
into a wail like none he had ever heard.  Whatever it was, was getting
closer, the sound was coming clearer now and getting louder.  Tom's horse
was reluctant to go on but he nudged him and they continued south.  Soon he
saw some buildings and a few houses along the trail, then there were more
and more houses.  He heard the awful sound again and his horse's ears were
constantly turning and pointing to pick up the sound.
   He was riding into a town, he could see the stores lining the main
street.  The wagons were mired a foot deep in the mud and water as they
were pulled by teams of horse or mules through the muddy streets.  People
were trying to get from one side of the street to the other and at times
would step off into a deep rut and nearly fall in the muddy muck that was a
street.
   Tom rode slowly through the town looking for some sign that would tell
him where he was.  He thought it was Omaha, but wasn't sure.  There it was,
a sign on a store front that said.  `Tankersly Mercantile and Hardware'. 
Omaha Nebraska was painted under it.  He rode up to the side of the high
boardwalk and stepped off, there were people walking in every direction,
bumping into each other and just walking on as if it never happened.
   He made his way through the people without getting knocked down and went
through the big front door into the store.  People were everywhere in the
store, some were just standing and talking to others, some were handling
harnesses or looking at plow handles, or carrying shovels to the main
counter.  Tom stood to the side and watched as these people walked right by
each other and never even spoke a word.
   People would walk right by him, bump his arm and growl, "get out outta
the way injun, what the hell you doin' here anyway?" He backed up as far as
he could, to stay out of the way, he'd never seen anyone as busy as these
people were.  It seemed like everyone was in a big hurry to do whatever it
was they were doin'.
   There was a short man standing behind the counter with a long white
apron on that tied around his neck and again around his waist.  Tom waited
and waited, then finally stepped quickly to the counter as the man wasn't
waiting on a customer.
   "Sir I'm looking for horse breeder by the name of Hollister, can you
tell me where I might find him."
   "Ain't seen him today injun, get outta the way I got customers to wait
on."
   Tom looked around and there wasn't anyone near the counter.
   "Where would I find his spread Sir?"
   "Go south of town about a mile and turn west at the big oak tree, then
follow the main road until it cuts back south.  You take the small north
fork about a mile and you'll see his place, now get the hell outta the
way."
   Tom walked back out to the busy boardwalk.  There were some men standing
in front of his horse pointing at him.
   "He must have wandered off from somebody, hell he ain't even got a
bridle on but that sure is a fine saddle."
   "You reckon we ought to put a rope on him and lead him down to the
livery stable?"
   "Hell I ain't gonna be leading no loose horse down this muddy ass street
for no body.  Whoever lost him can find him on his own."
   Tom made his way past the men and clicked his tongue, his horse walked
up to the boardwalk and turned as Tom slid a leg over the saddle and nudged
his knee to turn him south.
   "Sonofabitch, did you see that.  Hell that God Damned horse came right
up here and got that Injun.  Hell man he ain't even wearing a bridle and
there he goes right down the middle of the street just like he knows where
he's a goin'."
   Tom rode through town looking up and down both sides of the street, he
would come to cross streets and look down them both ways.  They looked to
go on forever in both directions.
   He looked ahead and saw where the street had a big rise, there he saw
two iron rails about 4 and 1/2 feet apart.  Tom's horse walked up to the
railroad and looked down at it, other horses and wagons were crossing from
both sides but he wanted to be sure.  Tom nudged him and he walked up on
top of the board crossing between the rails.
   Tom looked both ways, to the east it looked like the rails curved back
north and crossed the river, to the west they like looked they came
together to a point in the distance.
   Tom saw the train sitting on a side track near a red building.  It was
hissing white smoke out the sides and a big black stream of thick heavy
smoke puffed out the chimney pipe.
   People were stepping off some of the covered wagons, and some people
were stepping up on the steps of the other covered wagons that were all
hooked together.
   Tom had read about the trains but had never seen pictures of them.  He
watched as the black smoke really bellowed out the chimney pipe now and the
white smoke came out the side in a loud hiss and covered the whole area in
smoke.  The train was making terrible noises, shaking the air, as its
powerful engine came to life.
   A man picked up the wooden steps and climbed up on the train.
   Standing there with his hand on a handle he yelled what sounded like
`BOARD'.  He waved with one hand while leaning out and holding on with the
other.
   The smoke cleared and the train began to move forward.  Tom almost
jumped off his horse and his horse almost ran away, as the sound they had
heard earlier, screamed louder than anything he had ever heard before in
his life.
   The train began to move slowly, the wheels were rolling along on top of
the rails of iron.  Slowly the train moved away from the buildings and
picked up speed as it headed west.  Tom sat and watched in amazement at
this strange spectacle.  Soon the train was just a small object on the
rails.  The long black rope of smoke trailed behind and looked thick enough
to hold a man up if he walked on top of it.
   Tom rode south, he saw some short muddy roads that looked like they
didn't go past a house or barn, he kept riding and came to a wide
crossroads with a big tree right in the middle, and turned west.  He rode
for close to an hour before he saw where the road made a big sweep back
south.  He turned north on a smaller road and in no time he saw the
overhead entrance to a ranch.
   `Hollister Stables' the big letters said overhead.  Tom knew he must be
at the right place.  He rode up to the barn and a tall skinny black man
came out to see who it was.
   "I'm here to see Mr.  Hollister, Sir."
   The black man looked up at the tall Indian and stared open mouthed, he
didn't see many men as tall as he was.
   "I only speak English and Sioux, if you speak another tongue, I can't
talk with you," Tom said.
   The black man smiled at Tom, "Bring yo' hoss on in th' barn injun, I'll
git Mr.  Hollister."
   Tom slid off his horse and stood there waiting for the black man to come
back.
   "Tom Cooper, I see you made it.  I'm glad too, we have three mares that
are horsing for some attention," Mr.  Hollister smiled as he came to shake
Tom's hand.
   "Yes Sir, the rain was fierce back on the trail a bit and we found an
old barn to hole up in for a while.  Then came on down this morning.
   "I saw a train back there in town and had to stop to look it over, I've
never seen one before, that is some big piece of machinery."
   "Yes they are Tom, let Bones take your horse and wash him down from the
trail and get him fed.  You come with me to the house and I'll introduce
you to my family."
   "Sir, I don't think my horse will let anyone touch him, he's always been
kinda shy around strangers."
   "Well don't you worry none, Bones has a way with animals, they will get
along just fine."
   Tom walked over to his horse and slipped the saddle off him and Bones
took it from him as Tom slid the Henry out.
   Tom leaned in and whispered to his horse and turned to walk away with
Mr. Hollister.  The big horse looked at the black man then at Tom, then
snorted through his lips and nose.  Tom looked back and waved for him to go
on to the barn and walked toward the house with Mr.  Hollister.  The horse
followed Bones to the barn.  Tom followed Mr.  Hollister into his house and
then into a room that had hundreds and hundreds of books along two walls.
There were rows and rows of books from the floor to the ceiling.
   "You read all those books Mr.  Hollister?"
   "Most of them Tom, a lot of them are for reference and I only read parts
of them.  My dad left me a lot of them and I remember reading them as a
kid. I have a son and a daughter, they love books as well as I do.  Do you
read Tom?"
   "Yes Sir, my mom taught me to read when I was just a little one, I read
every book we had at least three times, and the freight drivers would bring
me newspapers from all over to read."
   "You're a very lucky man Tom, there's a lot of folks in this country
that can't read a word."
   "Yes Sir, I know.  My mom's uncle from South Carolina moved to Dakota to
live and he brought all his books, but he didn't have as many as you do."
   "Sit down in that chair Tom and let's see if we can make some deals on
your stud.  I know you'd never sell him but I'd like my mares to carry his
blood.  A horse with that size and that heart will put our stables at the
top of the market."
   "Well, I'm willing to listen to your offer Sir."
   "Tom as you know I'm friends with many horse breeders in this part of
the country.  I have many friends that would be willing to pay you well for
exclusive rights to your stud.  I've been elected by my friends to offer
you money, horses, land or what ever it would take to get such an agreement
worked out with you."
   "I'm not sure I fully understand what you want and what you're offering
Mr.  Hollister."
   "Tom my friends and I have formed a breeders association and each member
has put up money to insure that we would have exclusive rights to the seed
of your stud."
   "That would take many days to cover the breeding of many mares in this
part of the country, wouldn't it?"
   "Yes, and we're willing to pay you handsomely for your time as well as
the services of your stud."
   "Tell me in days how long this would take."
   "A month at least maybe less."
   "Where would I have to travel to?"
   "Mostly here in Nebraska, Kansas and parts of Missouri."
   "I'll consider your offer Mr.  Hollister."
   "We're prepared to pay you one hundred dollars a week and one hundred
dollars per breeding of our mares."
   "Are these all racing mares that we'll be breeding?"
   "Most are, but there are some in our association that are interested in
pleasure horses with the easy gaits.  We have some breeding stock from the
original American Bred horses, as well as some Tennessee Gaited horses. 
These members have heard of your horse with the big heart and the size to
go with it.  They also want foals with the coloring of your stud in their
bloodlines as well."
   Tom thought for a minute and felt he needed time to make the right
decision.  He had wanted to make the journey from Kansas over to Indian
Territory then up into Colorado and Wyoming before late fall.  He would
have to think about this.
   "Mr.  Hollister it'll take many days to travel the places you've
mentioned, and many days to breed the mares.  I'm just not sure I'd have
the time to finish my travels this summer and be back in the Dakotas before
the snow flies."
   "Tom, one of the major investors in this project is Mr.  Cyrus Holliday
in Topeka, Kansas.  He owns the majority in the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa
Fe Railroad.  He will provide rail transportation for you and your horse to
the nearest rail head of your next stop."
   "This railroad is the one I saw in Omaha today?"
   "No, that is the Union Pacific, but it connects with the ATSF.  The ATSF
goes all the way to Santa Fe, New Mexico through Kansas, The Indian
Territory, the panhandle of Texas and into New Mexico."
   "So I could ride with my horse in a train wagon and go across Kansas and
Indian Territory?"
   "I'm sure that could be arranged, and any where else you wished to
travel.  You could then ride your horse in any direction from the
railroad."
   "This would take days off my travel time and I'd still get to see the
open range as I traveled.  I'll accept your offer."
   Mr.  Hollister jumped from his chair and grabbed Tom's hand and shook
it.
   "Tom I'll personally look after your interests and see that the
agreement is met as we've discussed."
   "I trust you as a friend of Mr.  Dale Canady and as a friend of mine Mr.
Hollister.  I'm ready to begin my service to you and your association."
   "We need to get you settled in your room, you will stay with me in the
house while you're here, and I'll arrange for you to have a letter of
credit at any bank in the towns you travel to.  We'll have the best
accommodations for you and your horse."
   "I'd rather stay with my horse Mr.  Hollister, we're never apart for
more than a few minutes."
   "I understand Tom, we'll make arrangements then for you to stay in the
wranglers quarters if that's satisfactory to you."
   "If this is near my horse, then yes."
   Tom and Mr.  Hollister shook hands again and Tom went out to check on
his horse.  Bones and the big horse were getting along fine, Bones was ever
mindful of his hind legs and the big stud knew where Bones was all the
time. Bones had him washed and wiped down so slick he shined in the sun
light.
   "Mr.  Bones where can I put my saddle and bedroll to be near my horse?"
   "Call me Bones Injun, and ah'll call y'all Injun Tom."
   "Y'all can put yo thangs over dere in de small bunkhouse I spose.  Den
y'all will be close to y'alls hoss heah."
   He looked at Bones and nodded his head, then took his Henry out and
slung the saddle over his shoulder.  He dropped the saddle over a rail on
the porch, took his rifle and saddle bags and went inside.  There were two
small bunks and a small table and two chairs.  Tom put his saddlebags near
one of the bunks and the Henry against the wall near the bunk.
   He walked out and around the barn to look the place over.  There were
many buildings with stalls opening off each side and small corrals
partitioned off to each stall.  There was a huge hay barn close by and a
feed storage building close by it.
   Tom was walking all the way around the horse stables and came to the
back yard of Mr.  Hollister's house.  He saw the clothes hung out to dry on
clothes lines.  Sheets and shirts whipping in the breeze.  Mens breeches
and women's dresses of all sizes hung out to dry.  He came out between two
buildings and was back in front of the barn again.  Tom walked through the
barn once more and back to the bunkhouse.  He went in and got his Henry
rifle and walked back to sit on the porch.  Tom took his Colt out and
emptied the cartridges then cleaned it good with a rag he found in the
bunkhouse.
   Tom cleaned the rifle as best he could without a cleaning rod and patch
cloths.  He loaded both guns, placed the Henry against the wall and looked
back to the barn.  He was bored, he wanted to be riding or looking and
learning.
   He was sitting on the floor of the porch, leaned back with his feet
propped up when he saw a young girl come across the barnyard carrying a
pail of feed toward the barn.  She looked right at Tom and smiled, but
never spoke.  The girl looked young in the face and had long coal black
hair.  Her skin wasn't white or black.  She was dressed in a plain dress
that was worn thin, buttoned up the front and fit her tight.
   "Hello I'm Tom Cooper," he spoke to her.
   "So you are the one that owns the big horse I'm carrying the feed for?"
   "I didn't know you were feeding my horse, what feed do you have there?"
   "This is the same food that the purebreds eat, Mr.  Hollister told my
papa to feed him this."
   "Who is your papa."
   "Bones"
   "You're not his color.  Are you part Indian too?"
   "No, I am part white and part black, are you part black?"
   "No, I am part Sioux and part white."
   "You are very well spoken in the white man's word," The girl said
   "You are also, do you read a lot of books?" Tom asked.
   "Yes I do and I've been taught to write also by Mr.  Hollister's house
maid."
   "I was taught to read by my mom in Dakota Territory."
   "Is your mom Indian?"
   "No she's white, she is not my birth mom."
   "You sound like me, Bones is my papa, but he ain't my daddy"
   "I see," Tom said.
   "How old are you girl?"
   "I am fifteen, how old are you Injun?"
   "I'm twenty," Tom said as he thought, `she's just a little younger than
me.'
   "You're grownup looking for a fifteen year old girl."
   "You mean my body looks like I'm a woman, I know all the men folk look
at me all the time like they want to lay me down."
   "I'm sure they do," said Tom with a smile.
   "You're as tall as my papa, not many men are as tall as he is."
   "I saw him, he is a tall one."
   "You gonna be here a while Injun, I like talking to you."
   "Yes, I've just agreed to let my stud breed Mr.  Hollister's as well as
all his friends' mares in this part of the country.
   "Then I'll see you a lot, I'm the one that prepares the mares and looks
the stud over before they mate to make sure they are clean."
   "That's a good job, I'm sure you do it well."
   "I am proud that I have never had a problem with the breeding of the
mares while I've been doing my job."
   "Then I'll tell my horse to be gentle with you around."
   "You can't talk to your horse."
   "You will see."
   "I will believe it when I see it injun."
   "I'll show you now," Tom got up and walked into the barn.
   He saw his big horse standing next to Bones, eating hay.  Tom clicked
his tongue and the horse walked over to him and stood with his nose at
Tom's chest.
   "That is not talking to him, tell him to do something, then tell me what
you told him.  I want to see what he does."
   "Tom leaned over and whispered to his horse, leaned back to look at the
girl, then leaned back to say more.
   "You walk over to the door," Tom told her.
   The girl walked over to the door of the barn and stood with the pail of
feed.  She was standing there, holding the pail at arms length with both
hands down in front of her, the pail resting against her upper legs.
   "He's gonna walk over to you and look in the pail then he's gonna kiss
you."
   "He ain't gonna do none of that Injun, you just funnin'."
   "Then he's gonna walk around behind you and check out your backside."
   Tom's horse walked to her, smelled the feed in the pail, then raised his
head and put his mouth against her face and licked her.  The girl squealed
and Bones laughed aloud with a booming laugh.  The horse went around the
girl lowered his head and looked at her butt, raised his head and looked at
Tom and nodded his head up and down.
   Bones laughed again, this time louder and longer.
   The girl looked at Tom and then at the horse, "Come over here big hoss,
I think you and the injun are funnin' me."
   She put her hand out under the horses bottom lip and tickled him then
walked over to spread the feed in the feed trough.  Tom's horse followed
her to the trough and nudged her as she spread the feed then he started
eating from the trough.
   "Injun Tom I want to see more of this thing you do with the horse."
   "Mr.  Tom, I ain't never seed any thin' like dat in all my life," Bones
said.
   "He and I are friends, I don't own him, he don't own me.  He watches out
for me, I watch out for him," Tom said.
   "Papa, do you believe this injun can talk to his horse like that?"
   "You saw what I saw girl."
   "What is your name, I know you have a name besides girl?" Tom said.
   "I am called Sally Mae."
   "Nice to meet you Sally Mae," Tom stuck out his hand and shook with her.
   "Nice to meet you too Injun Tom," Sally Mae smiled and walked out of the
barn swishing her backside as she went.
   "Injun Tom, you better watch dat gal of mine, she may be hossin' after
you," Bones said and laughed again with that booming laugh.
   "Bones, you're a good man with horses, and your daughter is as good as
you are.  I've never seen that horse take up with anyone like that."
   
  
The Man From Eagle Creek - Chapter - 16