We Were There at the Oklahoma Land Run
Copyright© 2024 by Jim Kjelgaard
Chapter 11: Alec Comes
In the middle of the following afternoon Alec appeared on a hillock. He was driving Pete’s horses and wagon with two of his father’s mules hitched on behind, and following Sim Macklin, who drove his brother’s wagon.
Without benefit of saddle or bridle, Cindy leaped on Sparkle. Guiding the roan pony with her knees, holding herself on by wrapping one hand in his mane, she raced to meet her brother. She waved to Sim and drew in beside Alec.
“Hi!” she called happily.
“Hi.” Alec grinned.
“Was Mother worried?”
“About you?” Alec sniffed. “Huh! She was hoping you’d stay lost!”
“Alec!” Cindy begged. “Please tell me!”
“Well,” Alec said, “she was a mite worried. But I found out the day you left that you were with Dad. Mother isn’t worried any longer.”
“How is Mindy?” Cindy pursued.
“Ha! You know what that crazy girl did? When you weren’t there to take Mr. Brent’s message, she took it. But she didn’t know Thunder’s an outlaw, so she rode him bareback. Can you imagine that?”
Cindy asked anxiously, “Was she hurt?”
“With Mindy, Thunder’s gentle as a kitten,” Alec assured her. He grinned again. “She wore some of my old jeans and a shirt for the ride, and now she wears them all the time.”
Cindy got to the next important detail. “Did you bring food?” she asked eagerly.
“Yup.”
“What kind?”
“Potatoes,” Alec said.
“Wonderful!”
“Biscuits,” said Alec.
“Gorgeous!” squealed Cindy.
“Beans,” Alec said.
“Marvelous!”
“And bacon,” Alec finished.
“Heavenly!” Cindy smacked her lips.
Alec looked at her sharply. “What’s the matter with you, sis?”
“Matter!” Cindy said indignantly. “Do you know what we’ve been living on? Fish! Any more and I’ll grow fins!”
“I like fish,” Alec said.
“You can have ‘em!” Cindy sighed. “I’ll trade you my share for your portion of potatoes, biscuits, bacon, and beans! Um-m! I can hardly wait to start cooking! Did Mother send any dishes?”
“Think she’d expect us to cook without ‘em?” Alec’s eyes roved around the homestead. “Say! This looks like something!”
“It is something. Dad and I picked it.”
“Huh,” Alec sniffed. “Bet you had a lot to do with it.”
“Nothing could have been done without me,” Cindy said smugly.
“I’ll switch off to Cal’s place,” Sim Macklin broke in, grinning.
“Thank you, Mr. Macklin,” Cindy said. “I’ll steer my brother home, and do come see us.”
“I will,” Sim promised.
He swung his wagon away. Cindy guided Alec in and slid off Sparkle. The roan pony tossed his head, kicked his heels, and went trotting off to join Sunshine and Pete’s other pony. Jed Simpson came to the wagon, and beyond the oak grove Pete had left his work and was coming. Mr. Simpson smiled at his son.
“Hello, Alec!”
“Hi there, Dad!”
“How are your mother and sister?”
“Right as can be,” Alec said. “Gramps and Granny have moved in with them, and Mother hopes you’ll send for her soon.”
“I’ll do it as soon as things are ready,” Mr. Simpson agreed.
“It better not be too long,” Alec said. “Mother says she’s coming anyhow, and Gramps knows the way.”
“Hm-m,” Mr. Simpson stroked his chin. “What did you bring?”
“Your plow, Mr. Brent’s, spades, mattocks, saws, axes, nails.” Alec listed the tools and supplies he had brought, and finished, “and Mother’s dishes and stove along with plenty to eat.”
Cindy said blissfully, “I’ll fix a meal right away!”
“It’s too early for supper,” Alec protested.
“You,” Jed Simpson told his son, “have not been living on unsalted fish for nearly two days. I suppose you brought harnesses for the mules?”
“Oh, sure. I didn’t forget.”
“Then the first thing we must do is plow a couple of furrows clear around this homestead. Afterwards we’ll plant a vegetable garden.”
“I’ll plow the furrows!” Alec said eagerly. “Just show me where you want ‘em!”
While their father showed Alec the corners, Cindy started preparing a meal. She couldn’t fix any beans. They would have taken three hours, which was easily two and a half hours too long, but she bent over the skillet to sniff the aroma of frying bacon and lifted the top from the kettle a dozen times just to watch the potatoes bubbling.
While Mr. Simpson showed Alec the boundaries of their homestead, Pete unloaded both plows, unhitched the horses from the wagon and hitched them to his plow, and started plowing.
“Don’t go too far,” Cindy advised. “Dinner will be ready soon.”
“I’ll be ready too,” Pete promised. “But there’s about a month’s work to be done, and it looks as though we’ll have to do all of it this week.”
Alec and Mr. Simpson came back, hitched the mules, and Alec started plowing furrows. Cindy tried the potatoes with a fork, discovered that they were soft clear through, and drained them. She added another small handful of salt to that which she had put in when the potatoes started cooking. Until she’d had to do without salt, she’d never known how much she could miss it or how important it was. When everything was ready, she called her father and Pete.
When everything was ready, she called her father and Pete
Letting his horses stand, Pete came trotting. Jed left his work on the house and came too. Alec, who hadn’t missed any meals and was far too excited to eat anyhow, continued to plow. Cindy gave the men their portions and took her own. Too anxious to get back to work to have time for talking, the men ate hurriedly and silently. They took smaller second portions and handed their plates back to Cindy.
“Here you are, cook,” Pete grinned.
“Would you like some more?” Cindy asked.
“If I eat any more, I’ll bust.”
“Will you plan supper for after dark?” her father asked. “We shouldn’t waste any daylight. I want your mother and sister out here as soon as possible.”
“And I want my father and mother,” Pete said. “I know they’re anxious to come, too.”
“The important thing,” said Mr. Simpson, “is to get the houses finished and vegetable gardens in. We’ll have all summer to build barns for our stock and plow wheat land.”
“We’ll have to record our claims,” Pete reminded him.
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