“Because nothing worthwhile can be obtained without some risk,” Garrison replied.
“What is your idea?” James asked.
“I would like for you to drive some cattle up to Idaho,” Garrison said. “Even though you say this won’t be as big a gold rush as happened in California, there will be a lot of people there. A gold find has a tendency to draw them. And if there are a lot of people, there will be a demand for a lot of food. Those folks are going to have a real hunger for beef, and my bet is, they’ll be willing to pay top dollar for cattle.”
James smiled, and slapped his hand against the top of the table. “Dad, that is a great idea!” he said. “Yes, I’ll do it.”
“Of course, with Billy going, his Uncle Loomis will be wanting to send some of their cattle up as well. And Dusty Ferguson has been running his own cattle in with mine for many years now, so I reckon Bob will be taking some of the Ferguson cows up as well.”
“Garrison, you aren’t expecting four boys to take a herd all the way to Dakota by themselves, are you?” Alice asked.
“Well, to begin with, Alice, they aren’t boys, they are men. But no, I don’t expect them to do it by themselves. I’m sure if they look around, they’ll be able to find some more folks to go with them. Hell, I’m tempted to go with them myself.”
Alice shook her head vigorously. “Garrison Cason, don’t you even think such a thing,” she said.
Garrison laughed. “Well, I’m not going with them, Alice, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to think about it. It’s going to be quite an adventure, and I like adventure as much as the next fella. I would not have come to Texas in the first place, if I didn’t have a taste for adventure.”
“Yes, and look where that taste for adventure almost got you. You were headed for the Alamo, intent on joining up with Travis and the others. If you had gotten there in time, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation now,” Alice said.
“That’s all ancient history,” Garrison said. “All I’m saying is, if I didn’t have a ranch to run, and you to look after, I’d be on this drive with them.”
“You’d be welcome to come along, Dad,” James said.
Garrison laughed. “I’m sure you young people wouldn’t want an old geezer like me. Don’t worry, I’ve no intention of coming.”
“Well, I would hope not,” Alice said, her voice reflecting her relief.
“You want to take a herd of cattle all the way to Dakota?” Duke Faglier asked when James told him what they had planned.
“I’m taking a thousand head,” James said. “Billy is taking a thousand head for his uncle. And Bob is taking five hundred head. What do you say?”
“Well, I don’t know,” Duke hesitated. “Driv ing a herd of cattle up to Dakota seems a mite more involved than just ridin’ up to look for gold.”
James smiled. “I can understand that—if you have no vested interest. But see if this won’t change your opinion of the operation. I’ve talked Pa into givin’ you a hundred head of your own. Mr. Swan said he’d throw in another hundred head, and Bob’s pa is willin’ to give you fifty. That way you’d have your own stake in this drive.”
Duke was surprised by the offer. “You folks would do that?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Well, I don’t know what to say. That’s awful generous of you fellas.”
“Trust me, Duke, you are going to earn it,” Bob replied. “I know you are from Missouri and haven’t really been around cows all that much, but there ain’t nothin’ harder’n makin’ those ornery bastards move when they don’t want to.”
The others laughed at Bob’s description.
“He said that right,” Billy said. “You find a place that’s hotter’n hell in the summer, colder’n the North Pole in the winter, drier than the desert sometimes, and wetter’n the ocean other times and, like as not, there will be some cows there.”
Duke laughed. “Now it sounds like you boys are trying to talk me out of it.”
“Not at all,” James said. “We just want you to know what you’re getting into, that’s all.”
Duke nodded. “Well, if you folks are serious about all this, count me in,” he said. “Well, 250 head, huh? What do you reckon they’ll bring up in Dakota?”
“I’d be willin’ to bet they’ll bring fifty dollars a head,” Billy said.
“Fifty dollars a head? Times two-hundred-fifty? Why, that’s”—he thought for a moment—“that’s twelve thousand, five-hundred dollars! That’s a fortune!”
“My, my, that Missouri boy can do his numbers,” Bob teased, and the others laughed.
“Imagine that,” Duke said, smiling broadly. “Who would’ve ever thought Duke Faglier would be a man of substance?”
“How soon do you reckon we can get started?” Billy asked.
“Well, since Bob’s pa is foreman at Long Shadow, his beeves are already there. And that means that a hundred fifty of Duke’s cows are there as well, so why don’t you bring your herd on over? We’ll get ’em all together before we start the drive.”
“We’ll help you bring ’em over,” Bob offered.
“Yeah, me, too,” Duke said. “I might as well get used to being around those creatures.”
“Ha, what you mean is, you want to make certain you get your one hundred head brought over,” Billy said.
Duke laughed with the others.
The sign outside Bowman’s Mercantile advertised DEALING IN QUALITY GOODS FOR ALL MANKIND, and Ira Bowman made an honest effort to live up to that claim. His sprawling store sold goods that spanned the spectrum from baby beds to caskets. In between were such things as harness and saddles, furniture, and ready-made clothing.
Revelation Scattergood, a young woman of twenty, was looking at a table that was piled high with men’s trousers. She took one of the smaller pairs of pants from the table, then held them against her lithe form to check the fit. Deciding it was a fit, she put the pants with two others she had already laid aside.
The little bell over the door tinkled as Meg Murback and her mother came in. Without so much as a glance toward Revelation, the two women went toward the “ready to wear” dress rack.
“Oh, Mama, look at this one,” Meg said, pulling out a pink dress to show. “Isn’t it pretty?”
“Good afternoon, Miss Murback, Mrs. Murback, I’ll be right with you,” Bowman said from the back of the store.
“Did the new hats come in, Mr. Bowman?” Meg asked.
“They did indeed, direct from New Orleans. I hope you find one you like. What with the war and all, we probably won’t be getting any more for a while,” Bowman said.
Revelation watched as Meg picked one of the hats up and put it on. Meg walked over to the mirror and examined herself. When she saw Revelation’s reflection in the mirror, looking at her, she turned toward Revelation. “And just what are you looking at?” she asked, contemptuously.
Revelation looked away quickly.
“Meg!” Mrs. Murback scolded. “Be quiet.”
Revelation felt a small sense of consolation that Meg’s mother had called her down for such a curt remark. But her satisfaction was short-lived because of what Mrs. Murback said next.
“You know better than to talk to the likes of her. Any woman who would wear men’s trousers is nothing but trash.”
Turning toward Revelation, Meg stuck her tongue out, then hurried away quickly to join her mother, who was examining the latest shipment of ribbons.
With her cheeks flaming in embarrassment and suppressed anger, Revelation held up the three pair of trousers.
“Put these on my bill, will you, Mr. Bowman?”
“Be glad to,” Bowman answered.
Both Murback women were quiet until Revelation left the store, then Mrs. Murback spoke up.