Mark and I were out in the barn milking the cow.  Nothing any better then fresh milk.  Suddenly Mark drew my attention to a man in our doorway.  "When it comes to fresh milk, I'm quicker than a hound with a bean pot," said the stranger.  We gave him some milk.  He was obliged.  He wanted to earn his milk.  So we left him milk the cow.  We got to jawin' some.  He told us his name was Wood Bartell and he was headed for North Fork.  He was looking for his wife.  He asked us if we knew Leona Bartell.  The name didn't mean anything to me.  He said she wouldn't be usin' his name, she probably would be using the name of Leona Pickford.  That rang a bell, even to Mark.  I had to hush Mark so Bartell wouldn't know that Leona was in North Fork  She was a cousin of mine.  He told us he had been on the trail almost three months following her.  "I keep getting closer.  Sooner or later I'm gonna catch her.  And when I do she'll remember the day."  He thanked us for the milk and went out to his wagon.  I told him it sounded like he didn't loose much, maybe he still cared for her.  "I don't care about her.  I've washed my hands of that jezebel."  He was following her to get back his own.  His daughter. He didn't want her to follow in the steps of her mother.

I thought I better go into town and warn Leona.  I went to the hotel.  Elizabeth, the clerk at the hotel, told me Leona was working at the Last Chance for about a week now.  I headed for the saloon.   I saw Bartell approaching the saloon.  Leona was singing.  Bartell saw her and entered the saloon.  When Leona saw him she stopped singing.  "Thought I'd find you in some sink of iniquity if I looked long enough and strong enough.  Having one station at the abominations of Egypt, you couldn't leave 'em alone could you?"  "I don't know about Egypt Mister, but around here we're short on abominations," said Sweeney.  He told Bartell to leave her alone and to get out.  With that Bartell took the whip off from around his neck.  He snapped the whip at Sweeney and hit him in the arm.  He told the cowboys he wanted no interference when he addressed his wife. He turned and she was gone.  They started to laugh. 

She had gone up to her room to pack.  I went to her room.  She was surprised to see me.  I told her I saw her at the Last Chance.  She knew I had seen what had happened.  I told her I didn't mean to pry, but how did she happen to marry him?  "I was singing in a place down Fort Worth.  Same kind of an act I'm doing here.  He came in kind, big and brawny, but quiet and clean.  Talked real soft to me.  He talked about loneliness, about love, family, work and devotion.  He talked about everything except what was on his mind.  To confer salvation on what he thought was the worst kind of a woman he could dig up.  Then when the baby came, he decided she was the one that needed to be saved.  I decided the only kind of savin' we needed was from him.  So I ran.  I got as far as here and ran out of money.  Now he's come to take my little girl."  She was afraid he would watch her, watch the hotel.  Afraid he'll keep searching until he finds them.  She wanted me to take her baby, just for tonight.  She said she'd tell him she left her with some friends in Texas and maybe he'd get tired of looking.  I wasn't sure about takin' care of a baby.  It's been a long time.  "Please Lucas, just until the San Francisco stage comes."   I couldn't turn her down.  So I took the baby home with me. 

You should have seen the look on Marks face when he saw me with the baby.  He was grinin' from ear to ear.  The baby was crying.  Louder and louder.  I was gonna give her some bacon rinds to chew on, but Mark said he thought she was thirsty.  I carried the baby over and put her into Mark's lap.  He sure had a way with her.  Until it was time to do the three corner britches.  He reminded me he fed her.  "We ought to call her something besides baby," said Mark.  He suggested Fancy.  We thought that suited her just fine.  So Fancy it is.  She was fussin'. I asked Mark if he knew any lullabies for a baby girl.  He sang, "Cowboy Lullaby....."

[You must have a Windows Media player to hear this song]
(*Please note that some of the sound files downloaded may sound "Jerky".  After selecting the sound and allowing it to play through completely, you should then replay the sound again)

Micah stopped by the ranch.  He told me that Bartell wasn't going to give up.  He felt he wanted to hurt Leona more then he wanted the child back.  He told me he thought it best if Leona got on the stage alone.  He said I could be at Granite Creek when the stage came thru.  I thought it to be a good idea.  So I headed into town to tell Leona.  Mark said he could take care of things around here.  "Changing diapers ain't no different then shoein' a horse," said Mark. 

Mark saw Bartell ride up.  He went outside to meet him.  He stayed a little and talked.  Mark told him he had to get back to work.  We we're smokin'.  Suddenly Fancy started to cry.  Bartell heard her.  He wanted Mark to show him the smokehouse.  Mark tried to get him to leave.  Bartell insisted on seeing the smokehouse.  He grabbed a hold of Mark's head and lead him to the smokehouse.  He told him to go lay on the floor.  He told Mark there was air near the floor and while he was there he should say prayers for Marks fun lovin' nature.  He then latched the door and went to the house to get the baby.  He took the baby and left.

I wanted to talk to Bartell but I couldn't find him.  I checked around town.  Nels said that he saw him ride out of town about an hour ago.  I had a feeling he had gone to my place.  On my way back to the ranch I ran into Bartell.  I asked him how he got the baby.  I asked him where Mark was.  He assured me he didn't lay a hand on him.  I was relieved.  I told him the baby belonged with her mother.  He told me to look out after my child and he'd look out after his.  He rode off.

I ran into Mark while was heading into town to tell me about Fancy.  We headed on into town.  Bartell took the baby and went into the saloon.  He told Lorna to remember what she was doing the last time she saw her baby girl.  Micah approached Bartell to talk some sense into him but he wouldn't listen.  I walked in the saloon and told Bartell he wasn't takin' that child by force.  He said no one could stop him.  "That remains to be seen," I said.  I went out after him.  I grabbed him by the arm.  "Your a big man when it comes to pushin' around a woman and a young boy.  How do you stack up against someone your own size?"  I asked him.  He told me to keep my distance or he would give me a large portion of his black snake across my back [meaning his whip].  I told him I was sick of his hypercritical hog wash, that he wasn't fit to look at that baby.   He knocked me to the ground.  He handed the baby to Micah.  He cracked the whip at me taking my rifle along with it.  He then started beating me with his whip.  Again and Again.  Finally I got a chance to grab hold of the whip and pulled it free from his hand.   I then rushed at him.  Knocking him into the window of the saloon.  Then I grabbed him and knocked him to the ground.  "Rath was beaten into me as a child and beatin' out of me as a man," said Bartell.   With that he turned and said, "Take care of yourself Leona."  Then walked away.

Leona and Fancy made the three o'clock stage.  It was hard saying goodbye to Fancy.  "I wish we could have kept her," said Mark.  "Me too."  "Sure was a pretty baby.  Don't think I've ever seen a prettier one," said Mark.  "I did, some years ago back in the Nations.  It was one evening after a hard day rounding up strays.  I rode back to the ranch house and there was this little newborn calf.  Couldn't have been much bigger then that [showing a length with his hands]. Didn't weigh as much as a sack of baked beans.  But there it was squallin' and mooin'.  Sure was cute."  "What ever happened to the calf?"  Asked Mark.  "Couldn't seem to get rid of it.  It kept following me around wherever I went.  Finally I had to put some clothes on it and send it to school."  We both laughed and headed back to the ranch. 

Legacy

Site Map
around the McCain Ranch
updated  7/16/08