Chapter Twelve: Militia At Jacksboro, Micah and Ramon joined a dozen men gathered in front of the general store. They tied their horses and stood in a queue in front of a table, behind which sat a man with quill and paper. He had the confident, tired look of an experienced Ranger or cavalryman, wearing his brace of pistols high on his waist. His skin was tan and hard, his eyes blue, and his long hair dark with gray streaks. His lips moved as he read the lines he wrote. Behind him, sprawled on the ground were two Tonkawas, dressed in civilian clothes, but wrapped in blankets. When Micah reached the table, the man laid down his quill. He looked first at Micah’s boots, then his eyes took in his clothes, and finally focused on the silver star pinned on the front of Micah’s hat. The Texas accouterment had been fashioned from a silver Mexican coin. “I’m Captain Howard. I’ll be the commander of this unit. Name.” “Micah Evans.” “Do you have your own horse and weapons?” “Yes, sir.” “Both in working order?” “As good as they ever worked.” “You ever fought Indians before?” “Not personally, but my daddy was a Ranger, so I reckon it’s in my blood.” “I reckon that qualifies you. You have boots instead of brogans, and since they are in good shape, you must have been cavalry or mounted infantry.” “I was both at one time or another. Depending on what Taylor and Captain Allison had in mind that particular day.” “I have met General Taylor. cheap albion gold I was with the Texas 22^nd Cavalry. I know your captain too. Captain Allison is a fine leader, even if he does have a fondness for the liquor.” “Yes, sir, he is a good commander. As far as his fondness for liquor, that’s a fact. We shared a drink now and then. Adidas Homme He gave a couple of us furlough so we could check on our families.” “If you’re on furlough, why do you want to join the militia?” “It’s cause of all that money I know Texas is going to pay me for risking my life joining up with this experienced Injun-killing militia. Nike Air Max Thea damskie cheap albion gold I ain’t gonna be paid in Confederate money, am I?” One of the men in the line snickered. Captain Howard covered his grin with his hand. albion silver “No, if it were in Confederate money, I’ve got enough of that worthless paper at home to pay the whole unit myself. buy albion gold No, the great state of Texas says it will pay you men in gold coin upon our return. I trust that will be acceptable.” “Good. Air Huarache Donna

Maybe I can use some of that Texas gold to replace the stock the Comanches stole from my folks’ place.” He held up a sheet of paper and ran a scarred finger down a list of names. Fjällräven Kånken Mini “Evans. Yes, I see the occupants of your father’s home was a victim of the recent depredations. I am truly sorry for your loss. Air Jordan 11 For Kids I didn’t know your father personally, but I have heard of him. He seems to be held in high esteem by the residents here.” “How come you’re just getting around to going after them?” “The war has been difficult, Mr. Evans. buy albion silver We needed the time to equip the unit and find enough able men to have an effective expedition.” Micah hooked a thumb over his shoulder at Ramon. “I see you got these Tonkawas, but Chavez here is the best tracker in the county. Minnesota Timberwolves He’ll lead you right to them. NIKE AIR HUARACHE He was a Ranger too, down in South Texas. He and my father rode together with Juan Seguin.” “Good. We can always use a good tracker. Welcome to the unit, Micah Williams. Mr. Chavez, I’ll take your information next.” After all had mustered, the captain called for them to line up. The fourteen militiamen moved into an uneven line. They carried a wide assortment of long arms—a couple of flintlocks, some shotguns, hunting rifles, and a few Enfields and Springfields. cheap albion silver However, all carried revolvers. Captain Howard studied them a minute and then said, “Some of you are experienced soldiers. Some of you have served in Ranger regiments before, so you know that this work is dangerous, and though I intend on finding these raiders, there is no guarantee that we will do so, but you will all be paid upon our return whether we engage the enemy or not. Our mission is important. This land, our stock, our families do not belong to the Comanches and they must learn this lesson. buy albion gold I intend to give the savages hard instruction. We will leave first thing in the morning. You men raise your right hand for your oath.” All of the Minutemen raised their hands, except for Jacob Matthews. Adidas Zx Flux Homme His empty right shirtsleeve hung limply down his side. New Balance 990 mujer He had lost the arm after a skirmish with the Yankees along the Red River in Louisiana and then was discharged. He bragged that when the cannon shrapnel had taken the arm off cleanly at the shoulder, the men in his unit had seen it sail by and the hand slap their Lieutenant on the face. Canotte New Orleans Pelicans albion gold Jacob shrugged when the Captain looked at him. “I ain’t got a right arm to raise, Captain. It ain’t going to hurt my ability to kill Comanches though. I can shoot my pistol with my left hand better than most men with a right hand.” “I believe you. Have the man next to you raise your sleeve.

After visiting my mother in Kemp, Oklahoma for a few days to help her with chores and doctor visits, I and my guitar set up with the MacDuff Clan at the Tulsa Scotfest Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 17-18. new balance 996 homme cheap albion gold I sold out of my Scottish ABC books and sold most of my Irish ABC book. This was a great festival and we were blessed with good weather. nike air jordan 13 mujer buy albion gold         Saturday night, I visited the Hex House, Tulsa’s most famous haunted attraction. nike air max 90 donna buy albion silver Based on a true, creepy events it was not as good as House of Shock in New Orleans, but it was worth the admission. buy albion gold Like House of Shock, it is not an experience for the timid. On Sunday, I drove from Tulsa to Kansas City MO for presentations at four branches of the Mid-Continent Library System. nike air max I believe they have about thirty branches. NIKE TANJUN

This is the most efficient and best organized library systems I’ve ever been booked for. cheap albion silver Every presentation was packed with folks who signed up to attend a week before the event! Here’s a flier of my schedule. Nike Air Max 2016 Dames wit       On Wednesday, Sept. albion silver 21, I visited the National World War I Museum in Kansas City MO. nike pas cher This was an overwhelming experience. cheap albion gold The ticket is for two days and believe me, it would take two days at least to fully explore it. TUBULAR SHADOW KNIT albion gold Amazingly, what they have on display is only 10% of what the museum owns. nike tn requin pas cher There wasn’t too much emphasis on the Eastern Front, but the relics, documents and uniforms and history presented were extremely interesting.

I had always thought and felt that our nation’s policy on illegal immigration was out of balance, but when I read Ann Coulter’s book, Adios America!: The Left’s Plan to Turn Our Country Into a Third World Hellhole, I was completely convinced of how my suspicions were correct, and I was horrified by how warped our immigration policies were and are. New Balance 574 męskie Don’t get me wrong. New Balance 1600 damskie Matt Holliday Womens Jersey Though I live in North Louisiana, I I work almost every month in the Rio Grande Valley in schools, museums, festivals, and other special events. nike air huarache dames zwart

solde adidas chaussures pas cher I have MANY friends who have immigrated from Mexico legally, and I have known many others who HAD to move their families or businesses across the river for safety’s sake, but these are not the issue of Coulter’s book. billige Nike sko norge The Rio Grande Valley where I work is beautiful, safe, and not overwhelmed like some locations are. air max 2017 grigio uomo

Now, here’s what I learned, believed, observed from Coulter’s book, You will need to read Coulter’s book to see what I affirm here:

1. We do need a moratorium (at least temporary) on all immigration.
2. The mainstream media and our politicians have deliberately withheld information about the harm the hordes of illegal Immigrants do to America.
3. The entire world outside of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Western Europe, etc. Bart Starr Packers Jerseys are in humanitarian crises.
4. Americans do not want America to become Mexico. Nike Sko Norge Nettbutikk If Mexico is so great, why do so many want to leave?
5. Immigrants are costing Americans taxes in birthing babies,welfare, crime, and welfare. We cannot sustain this expense.
6. The media and liberals seek for and attack crimes (mostly imagined) of whites while ignoring the crimes of illegal immigrants. Clemson Tigers Obvious hypocrisy.
7. A wall on the border will work to help stem illegal immigration from Mexico. Examples of walls that have worked: Fences around rich folks homes, the Wall between China and North Korea, between Israel and Palestine, the Great Wall of China, and other borders.
8. Democrats are using the hordes of immigrants and the promised amnesty to recruit Democratic voters. Connor Shaw – South Carolina Gamecocks Nike Air Max 2017 Dames blauw Yet, these immigrants will be a source of terrorists for us.
9. Illegal immigrants are the cause of much crime–rape, theft, and murder. Womens Air Jordan 4 Any immigrant convicted of crime should be deported. Nike Free 5.0 Mujer nike air max 2016 grijs Any illegal immigrant should be sent back and allowed to apply for citizenship by legal means.

Read Coulter’s book. negozi new balance milano Nike Free Run Womens Shoes
The numerous documented examples are depressing and overwhelming, but those examples should spur Americans to action on the issue of illegal immigrants.

Chapter Seventeen – Micah Returns Ruthie Ramon led them to the O’Connor farm. Like most farm and ranch houses in Jack Country, there was a fence around the yard made of juniper and bois d’arc posts. The house was still solid with only a few signs of disrepair. As they approached the fence Ramon said, “They’ve done fairly well with the place, considering how many men are gone. buy final fantasy gil Women have had to handle everything—the crops, the livestock, repairs, the children. Let us hope the savages leave them alone.” An old man in a rocking chair sat on the porch. He was smoking a long-stemmed clay pipe. When they stopped their horses in front of him, he said, “Ramon Chavez. I haven’t seen you in a spell. I heard you became a Ranger again and signed up with that same unit Frederick’s brother went out with. He didn’t get himself kilt, did he?” “Yes, it is the same unit. No, Henry is well, but he lost his horse to the Comanches. fjallraven kanken soldes He should return on foot soon.” “Get off your horses and I’ll make you and your secessionist friend there some coffee.” His eyes moved to the girl and his smile vanished. “Lord’s sake! Jenny, you best come out here. Ramon Chavez has found your cousin. Good Lord, we feared she was dead.” “We followed the Kiowas who took her,” Ramon said. Jenny stepped outside and covered her mouth with her hand. “Ruthie! Oh, Jesus! Ruthie!” Ruthie stared blankly at her. Jenny ran to Ramon who lifted Ruthie from his horse and passed her down to her. She smothered the girl in an embrace and kisses. “Ruthie, I was so worried, I thought I’d never seen you again! Thank you, Ramon! Thank you so much! And I thank your friend too.” She looked closer at Micah. “Well, if it’s not Micah Evans. You finally returned to Jack County. I thank you too, sir.” “Micah’s what you always called me before, Jenny. And I never wanted to be a sir, especially with old friends. Vanderbilt Commodores Sounds too much like I am—was an officer.” “Well, seems like a strange notion to worry about.” She clutched Ruthie to herself. “Ruthie, are you well, darlin’?” Ruthie muttered a few incoherent words, and then groaned in anger. She pulled in a deep breath, then spoke the first words Micah had heard her speak. “It has been terrible, Jenny. Mama and Papa are dead! So is little Jimmy. These two men saved me, and they killed the stinking Indians that took me. Jenny, they did horrible things to me. They hurt me. I wanted to die. I prayed that I would die!” She buried her face in her cousin’s shoulder. “Shhhh, Ruthie. Don’t talk about it. It doesn’t matter what happened, as long as you are back.” Jenny was crying now, and she placed her arm around Ruthie and led her toward the house. She turned her head. “You men, give us a few minutes so I can tend to her wounds and put some decent clothes on her, and then I’ll fix us a fine supper.” Her eyes fixed on Micah’s briefly, then she looked down. “It’s the least I can do to thank you. Tie up your horses and talk with Papa Charlie. And Papa Charlie, don’t you don’t cause no trouble.” “War’s over, Jenny. I ain’t gonna mistreat no one who brought home your cousin.” He grinned. “Even if he was a disloyal son of the Union. But I reckon since he is a friend of Chavez, I can put up with him. You are Augdon Evan’s son, ain’t you?” “Yes, sir, I am.” “My goodness. My goodness. You can just call me Papa Charlie. I knew your father. He thought a lot of Sam Houston. How did he feel about you joining up with the Confederacy?” “He didn’t cotton to it much, Papa Charlie. We had some words over it.” “You as good as man as your father was, boy?” “I don’t rightly know, Papa Charlie. I reckon he was a better man than I could ever be.” Papa Charlie looked at Chavez. “What do you think, Chavez?” He pitched Ramon a small sack of tobacco. “Corn husk is inside the pouch if you want to roll yourself a cigarette. I know you don’t cotton to pipes none. It’s good tobacco. chaussure new balance femme 2016 Growed it myself.” Ramon carefully pinched out some tobacco and placed it in the cut square sheet of husk, licked the edge, and then rolled it. Papa Charlie popped a Lucifer match with his finger and held the flame out to him. Ramon lit the cigarette, inhaled deeply, then exhaled. “Thank you, Papa Charlie.” Ramon led his horse to the watering trough and finished his cigarette. “He’s as good a man as Augdon. A natural Comanche killer. He is fearless.” “Sometimes fearless ain’t a good quality for a man to have. Fearless man takes too many chances and he don’t know when to let something go.” Ramon passed Micah the pouch of tobacco. “I need to tend to these horses. The Indian ponies belong to Micah, the other two were stolen from Ruthie’s family. I’ll put them in the corral for now.” Micah remained on the porch and rolled a cigarette for himself. He lit it off Ramon’s cigarette, and while he, Ramon, and Papa Charlie smoked, he could only think of the two bright blue eyes of Erin O’Connor. * * * That night, Micah and Ramon sat at the O’Connor table and shared the supper of cornbread, pinto beans, canned tomatoes, and coffee that Jenny had prepared. “I am sorry we don’t have meat tonight,” Jenny said. “It’s better fare than we’ve been eatin’,” Micah said. “I’m much obliged. I heard you married.” “I did. Did you know my husband, Micah Evans?” “No, ma’am, not well anyway. But I did meet Frederick not long after he moved here. He weren’t too friendly at the time.” “Well, it’s been so long since I heard from him. I fear the worst. La chaussure de running Asics I guess I will be another Texas widow. I didn’t want him to get involved in this ignorant war. The store was doing well. He was never real good at taking care of himself, and I just knew some heathen rebel soldier would shoot him down.” She set down her cup of coffee. “I’m sorry, that sounded harsh. Compra Zapatillas Adidas Baratas Online I don’t want to judge you for fighting with the Confederates. Our men here had to choose, and each had to follow his own conscience. I know the war is near over now, but Jack County lost too many men to it, on both sides, and I don’t know what I should be thinking.” “I can’t rightly remember why I went myself,” Micah said. “Ramon and my father both tried to convince me not to go. They said the county was too divided for any sane man to take a stand. It all seems to have been for nothin’ anyway. I guess standin’ up for an ideal you believe in ain’t enough to win a war, specially when you have men running armies who weren’t cut out for the job. Nike Air Foamposite Womens General Smith was a good enough commander, so was Kirby, but some of the others, seem to have been a bit addled. So I take it you are a Unionist like your husband?” “It’s a touchy issue between my husband and me. My brother moved to New Orleans and joined the 6^th Louisiana. One of Lee’s Tigers. He died at Sharpsburg.” “I’m indeed sorry to hear that.” “Well, I have such a busy day tomorrow.” Jenny stood behind Micah and refilled his coffee cup, and laid a hand on Micah’s shoulder. “I must go to Jacksboro for some more supplies. So now, I am going to wash the dishes, then prepare a bed for you men on the floor.” The touch of her hand was light, but it jolted him. “That’s mighty nice of you Miss Jenny,” Micah said. He saw Ramon shake his head slightly. “Aren’t you the gentleman now, Micah. We grew up together. It sounds strange to hear you address me in such a proper manner.” “Micah and I can sleep outside, Miss O’Connor,” Ramon said. “The weather is mild, and I feel that you need to be alone with Ruthie. It will be no bother for us.” “Well, I will give you some extra blankets so you can sleep in comfort, and prepare you a breakfast tomorrow before you leave.” “We are grateful for your kindness, Miss Jenny,” Ramon said. Micah found he couldn’t think of anything to say at all. Erin had withdrawn her hand from his shoulder, but he could still feel her hand’s warmth, and something like pre-battle jitters in his stomach. That night, after they had spread their blankets on the O’Connor porch, Ramon said, “Micah, I am going to say the same thing I know your father would say to you.” “What’s that, Ramon?” “I know you took a furlough, but you shouldn’t go back. Your family needs you here.” “I don’t intend to go back, Ramon. I do have to check on the captain’s family though. Now, quit jawing and let’s get some sleep. Soon Ramon began to snore. New York Knicks Later, Micah could hear Ruthie whimpering inside. “Damn it, Ramon, how can they sleep with that girl carrying on so?” He didn’t know how to put the thought into words. He had seen hard things in the war, but never something like this. Do you think they . . .” Ramon turned over on his stomach and raised up on his elbows. The waning moon still gave enough illumination to make out the rim of hills to the west and the cottonwood trees along the O’Connor’s creek. He sighed, “Yes, they did. I’ve never known of Comanches or Kiowas not violating a woman they take. The Comanches and Kiowa have a story they tell. A war party of fifty warriors captured a white woman. The one who captured her took a fancy to her and wanted to keep her as his wife. The others came to him and said, ‘You are not a war chief. You must share the woman with us equally before you can claim her as your wife.’ Well, they all raped her, all fifty of them.

The Month the Babies Cry, a western series by Rickey Pittman. Chapter Two: Shreveport The next morning, Micah and Elbert saddled their horses and rode to where two Louisiana infantrymen were standing guard at the road with two-dozen Federal prisoners. Micah showed the corporal his orders and the pair moved on. A pile of rolled blankets and tin cups had been dumped on the edge of the road. “They’re a sorry looking lot, ain’t they?” Elbert said. He pointed to one. “What’s your unit?” “The 23^rd Massachusetts Cavalry,” he replied. Micah said, “You boys eaten?” “Just some hardtack we had left in our haversacks,” one replied. “Well, maybe that will do you. Pick up a blanket and cup and let’s get going.” Ezekiel rode up to them, leading their pack mule that carried their food and camp gear. He carried a Springfield across his saddle and two revolvers thrust into his belt. A large Bowie knife protruded from his boot. “I didn’t think they armed their Negroes,” one said. “Is the slave yours?” another asked. “No, he ain’t,” Micah said. “Ezekiel’s going to cook for you boys, so I’d be polite if I were you. albion gold He’s proven himself to be a good Yankee killer when he rode with us, so don’t irritate him neither. He might want to cut your head off with that big Bowie knife of his. We’ll get along fine if you don’t run your mouth, and don’t try to run away from us. When you’re on death’s doorstep, you better watch where you put your feet.” “Are you going to tie us?” a young one asked. New Balance buty dziecięce “Not unless we have to,” Elbert said. “We’ll make better time if you’re free. I know you’re not in a hurry, but we’re anxious to get to Texas.” “Well,” Micah said, “We’ve got some walking to do. I know you were cavalry, and I wish I could put you on horses or in a wagon, but I can’t.” He looked at their feet. “Before we’re done walking, you’ll wish you had brogans instead of those shiny boots. Air Jordan 14 (XIV) Just follow the road yonder. I want a good pace, but I don’t want to walk you to death neither. We’ll stop now and then and let you rest some.” “Where are you taking us?” one Federal asked. “They got a prison camp set up for you boys in Tyler, Texas.” “How far is that?” “About a 150 miles, best I can calculate. Now get those sky-blue pants of yours to moving. If we’re lucky, you’ll catch good weather. nike chaussures pas cher buy albion gold Ain’t nothin’ finer than Texas weather this time of year.” An hour after, it began to rain.

* * *

The Texans and their dozen prisoners marched on. The rain stopped just before dark. They made camp and boiled dry peas with hardtack for supper. After they ate, the exhausted prisoners lay down on the clay ground. Elbert posted himself as guard until midnight, then Micah relieved him until dawn. Ezekiel was given no guard duty. Outside of Shreveport, late on their third day of travel, they were hailed by a vidette. He walked out to the road and met Micah. Micah saw a horse tied to a hickory tree just off the road. The soldier’s two-band Enfield was cradled in his arm. sac à dos kanken fjallraven pas cher “How you boys doing?” the picket asked. “Alright,” Micah said. “And how might you be?” He looked back at the prisoners. NIKE AIR MAX 2017 PAS CHER buy albion gold “You boys can set yourselves down a minute if you want.” The sentry rested his musket butt on the top of his brogan. “Better now that my heart has settled down some. The nerve-racking part of vidette duty is having to decide ever time I see someone if I should hightail it back to the picket post, shoot the ones coming my way, or wait for them on the road and see what their business is.” “Much obliged for not shooting,” Elbert said. “Yes, sir, but since I saw three riders and a bunch of blue men on foot and I figured it was more prisoners.

I’ve been seeing a host of prisoners coming this way. You taking them to Camp Ford?” “I reckon so,” Micah said. “Got papers?” Micah handed him his orders. “How far are we from Shreveport?” The guard handed Micah back his papers. “When you reach the picket post, you’ll be one mile out from Shreveport.” “Is there anywhere I can deposit these prisoners for a while once we get to Shreveport? Elbert and I would like to get a drink.” “I’d take them to the provost marshal. He might relieve you a spell. lunette de soleil ray ban If he can’t, you might go to Army Headquarters. It’s on Commerce Street if they ain’t moved it again. As far as drinkin’—there’s a mess of saloons to choose from. We Louisiana folks are fond of our spirits.” He looked at Ezekiel. “Who is the Negro?” “Ezekiel is Captain Allison’s manservant. He’s riding back to Texas with us.” The sentry nodded. “I’ll let you boys be on your way. Try not to startle the picket. They’ve got a couple of youngsters who are the nervous sort.” A half-hour later, Micah could see the picket’s campfire. He hollered, “Picket! Texas troops with prisoners coming your way!” One of the soldiers met him at the road. He wore a floppy, felt hat that had seen better days, and his Arkansas frock coat was buttoned only at the top button. He slipped on a pair of reading glasses and pondered Micah’s orders. “What is your destination?” he asked. Micah noticed the man held the letter upside down. “Camp Ford at Tyler, Texas.” “What’s your commander’s name? I can’t quite make it out.” “Captain Allison, 23^rd Texas Cavalry.” Three other soldiers lounged about the fire. One called out, “It’d be easier to just shoot them Federals. buy albion silver By the time you walk them to Texas, they’ll wish you had.” “Shut up, Jacob. Wouldn’t be right to shoot them prisoners without cause and you know it. Nike Air Max Goedkoop Every time you drink whiskey you yak like a durn magpie.” “Can you spare a drink?” Elbert asked. “I’ll pay you.” One of the soldiers staggered over to him and held up a gourd jug. “Take a drink, but you can keep your money. You boys watch yourself in town.” Elbert uncorked the gourd and took two swallows. “Much obliged. I’ll not forget the favor. That’s good whiskey,” he said. “Smooth. No bite to it at all.” “My cousins made it. They do know how to make good moonshine in Arkansas.” “I’ve drank mescal and whiskey in Texas that would scald your insides it tasted so bad.” Elbert offered the jug to Micah. Sac À Dos Fjallraven Kanken Micah shook his head. “I’ll drink some later in town.” “I’d like a drink,” one of the Federals said. Canotte Indiana Pacers Maglie Boston Celtics Elbert edged his horse near the man and kicked the man’s shoulder. “You best shut your mouth.” “Any more Federal prisoners coming this way?” the sentry asked. “Not that I can tell,” Micah said. “But hell, we keep chasing them and catching them. Wish they would have all just surrendered at once. Federal prisoners are becoming a damn nuisance. Cleveland Cavaliers We best get on our way. You boys don’t get too drunk out here.” After they passed the picket, Micah said, “Don’t that beat all. Ever one of those men on picket duty was half-drunk. You’d think they and their commanders didn’t know there was a war going on.” “Picket duty is boring work. Ain’t much war going on in these parts since Banks’ army got turned back. Justin Hunter Titans Jerseys Things will tighten up if the Yankees decide to quit running south. cheap albion gold And I hear that Steele’s troops in Arkansas are getting thrashed too. I’m glad they were drinking though,” Elbert said. Nike Pas Cher “That sure was good whiskey.” As they neared Shreveport’s southern line of defense, they used a plank causeway to cross a boggy marsh called Silver Lake. Micah could see batteries spaced along the Red River and on a riverbank hilltop, Fort Turnbull. goedkoop nike air max 2017 The fort bristled with the Quaker guns Micah had heard of—false cannon hewed from fire-blackened tree trunks and mounted on wagon wheels. “Damnation,” one of the prisoners said. Boston Celtics “Porter’s gunboats could never have reached Shreveport anyway. I bet those cannon would have blasted him out of the water before he could make the turn in the bend.” “Banks has probably retreated his way back to New Orleans now. I wonder how this campaign got so disastrous and convoluted,” another Federal soldier said. goedkope nike air max “Cotton,” Micah said. “What?” the soldier asked. “Banks was counting on getting rich by taking Southern cotton. What did you think all those empty wagons you had with you were for?” One of the Federal soldiers sang a little ditty: General Banks wants to be president So says the Boston Gazette, But making blunder after blunder, He’ll lose this war for us yet! “Maybe Lincoln should have picked someone else for this campaign,” said another. “Don’t let it worry you none,” Micah said. “We got our share of commanders like Banks in our own army.” * * * Micah deposited the prisoners at a holding pen used by the provost marshal for Federal prisoners. It was a simple cattle stall, on the edge of a stockyard by the railroad. Micah swung open the board gate. “You boys get inside. This is where you’re sleeping tonight.” “I ain’t never had to sleep in a cattle pen before,” one said. “It’s better than that pigpen of a house you were raised in,” said another. albion silver Two soldiers assigned to guard the Federals joined them, sat down outside the pen and began a game of checkers. While Ezekiel saw to the horses and made camp outside the pen, Micah and Elbert walked into downtown Shreveport. They entered the first saloon they came to. Once inside, Micah and Elbert sat with glasses of watered-down whiskey and a bucket of flat, warm beer that they drank with their own tin cups. One of the saloon girls caught Micah’s eye. She had raven hair and wore a modest blue calico day dress. Three dusty drovers surrounded her. Two were Anglos, and the third a Tejano, and they wore leather chaparreras. Such men were skilled riders and their tanned skins were toughened by sun and wind and work. Micah thought they would have made fine cavalrymen, but tonight they seemed indifferent to the soldiers about them, to the talk of war filling the room, to even the importance of their own work to the cause of the Confederacy. The South was hungrier with every year of the war, and Texas cattle were an important source of food. The girl laughed at something one of the drovers said and tossed her hair. She caught Micah looking her way and smiled bashfully. “Damnation,” Micah said. “She sure is a pretty thing.” “I think she cottons to you, Micah,” Elbert said. “She’s a hussy. She’d cotton to anyone who would pay her.” “You going to pay her?” “Likely not. I’ve got Erin to think about. I swore to her that I’d behave myself around other women.” Elbert drained the glass of whiskey and chased it down with a sip of beer. “I’m married too, but it ain’t going to stop me from going to that whorehouse next door. Doing without a woman makes a man not think right.” One of the soldiers called out for the girl to sing “Lorena.” She was young, and yet when she sang, Micah detected a voice that held years of passion and suffering beyond her age. She got some of the notes wrong, but Micah received some comfort from her voice anyway. Elbert set down his cup of beer and stood up. “Well, I reckon I’ll see you sometime before morning.” He lifted the tin bucket of beer. cheap albion gold “You done with this?” Without waiting for Micah’s reply, he went to the cowhands and set it on their table. “You boys look thirsty. Can’t abide the thought of seeing a fellow Texan thirsty.” “Much obliged,” one of the cowhands said. Elbert motioned the girl over with his hand. “My lonely friend over yonder and I liked your singing. Micah said he would pay you if you’d come over and sit with him a bit. He’s a timid sort or he would have asked you himself. I think he needs some cheering up. Canotta NBA How about some whiskey, boys! Then we’ll go next door to the bawdy house and sample their wares.” “I think we’ll take you up on that. It’s been a long trip. We’re dry,” one of the drovers said. “Days and days of looking at nothing but these ornery cows makes a man thirsty for whiskey and women.” The girl left the cowboys and walked to Micah’s table. They sat together and drank and talked a while then she led him into a back room. After they undressed, he held her tightly to himself, savoring the warmth and softness of the slender body next to him. cheap albion silver Her skin was clean and smelled of rosewater. As he kissed and touched her, his mind moved to the tents of the camp followers that he had occasionally visited during the war, to thoughts of a spring three years ago and a field of bluebonnets and the girl with the bluebonnet eyes. He whispered, “Erin, you are so beautiful . adidas neo 10k męskie . . ” “My name is Mary,” the girl whispered, “but tonight I’ll be anyone you want me to be.” Micah woke from his reverie and pushed the girl away. “I don’t want you to be nobody for me.” He reached for his haversack, dug into it, and pitched her a dollar. “Get dressed and get your skinny ass out of here.” “This is my room,” Mary said.

Chapter Sixteen: Takes White Horses

Takes White Horses, the Kiowa leading the war party, stopped his horse and looked back on their trail, searching for the presence he felt. His eyes followed the trail of their horses’ hoof prints until the sign faded. Nike Air Max 90 Donna Grigie

buy albion gold They had left an obvious trail for the man or men following. In his heart he could hear the hoof-beats of another rider’s horse. Who was this hunter, this hunter of men? Why is he following? Is he alone?

He touched the amulet around his neck and quirted his horse forward. He understood such men. He felt it had to be someone whose destiny was connected to the woman. While the others had already taken her, he could not—could not because she wore the face of death. But whose? Her own? His? The two drunken ones riding with him? All of them?

He knew that the hunter on their trail would wear the ghost face too. He knew instinctively that he would be the kind of man who even in the spirit world remains a hunter and returns to the world when it is dark as a malevolent or vengeful spirit. Such men never rest. Not in this world, nor in the next. He thought about abandoning the two with him and riding west, to leave the woman with the two and leave them all to their fate. He cursed himself for letting them take the bottles of the white man’s fool-water. They had already drunk two jugs, and there was no sign of the empty bottles. Evidently they had cast them aside on their trail, just as certainly their own bodies would be discarded if this hunter finds them. He slowed and watched them as they leered at the girl. Yeezy 350 Boost

They were already talking of stopping and taking her again. They would not understand his insight into the hunter following them. Even as they rode, they tormented and abused the girl, laughing at her cries. Both were too drunk to listen to him. They would not be able to travel the whole night as they should if they wanted to reach the Arbuckles and the safety of the tribe, but if they did not stop soon, the two would be falling off their horses. They would have to stop and he would have to watch as these two warriors spent their strength on the girl and more liquor.

Again frustration ate into him. He had planned to take a long journey to Mexico, to kill, plunder, and return home a rich man, but after the message from the holder of the taime, the warriors he had wanted refused to go with him. The Kiowa priest with the taime had warned him to not come on this trip. He said a ghost-man would search for him. This ghost was not yet in the spirit world, when sinews no longer knit flesh and bones together, but his soul was already in the ghost world. Though Takes Whites’ Horses feared the spirit-man following them, he also hated him for being proof of the taime’s words. Takes Whites Horses had sought guidance by chewing seni, peyote, and danced for six days before leaving, sharing the favors of the women, making a vow to go on a raid. He had cut the flesh on his own breast to demonstrate to the others his courage and toughness. His hand touched the scar the cut had left. nike air max 90 hombre

Looking at the two with him, he regretted allowing his pride get the best of him. Maglia Blake Griffin There would have been no shame in postponing his path of war until a more fortuitous time. These two were willing to go with him under his leadership, but he could plainly see they lacked the judgment and discipline warriors need. Tonight, he had suggested they raid other ranches, but they both wanted to return to the tribe with the girl and the three scalps and two horses and guns they had taken from the one ranch.

The girl wobbled on the horse like she was falling asleep. He struck her bare back with his quirt. He sharply warned her to not fall from her horse.

“Frederick, can we stop?” she said. The girl looked blankly at him.

Takes Horses looked at her. buy albion silver

He lashed her back again and repeated himself in Spanish. adidas alphabounce hombre “No dormir.”

One of the other riders laughed. “The girl is crazy now, Takes Whites Horses.”

“I’m going to tell Erin you hit me again.” She laughed, leaned down and wrapped her arms around the horse’s neck. “Can’t we stop and make a fire? I’m cold.”

Takes Horses realized he had made a mistake in bringing her this far. Her mind had already cracked. Texan women were beautiful, but they were fragile and weak. They lacked the toughness and will of Kiowa women, and even that of the Mexicans. She had not been treated that roughly. Scarpe Air More Uptempo Not in comparison with some. This woman would not even make a fit slave. He thought of dumping her to the ground and letting those following have her. They would likely give up their pursuit. He decided to carry her on and give her to the camp upon his return as a trophy. The Kiowa women could use her as they willed, to revenge themselves upon the whites for the members of the tribe lost to their diseases and guns. The other members of the band had no doubt reached the camp in the Wichita Mountains with the other booty, and the camp would be preparing a celebration for his return.

He guided the war party toward the harder ground. We will see, he thought, if the spirit-man can read small sign. Air Max 2017 Goedkoop He resolved to wait outside the camp tonight for the spirit-man hunting them. In the dark, where spirits meet and fight. NIKE AIR ZOOM STRUCTURE 20

The taime was wrong. Takes White Horses feared no ghost man, and his hate for the white man was greater than his fear that the taime’s words were truth. The war party had scalps, a captive, and two horses laden with goods they had taken from the white family. It had been a good raid. Tonight they would cross the river the white Texans would not cross.

* * *

With his rifle scope, Micah made out the Indians as they crossed the Red River. The naked Garrison girl sat on a horse led by one of the warriors, her hands tied in front of her. Nike Air Max 2016 Dames Zwart “Well, there they are. The girl is naked. Fjallraven Kanken Big UK Looks like she’s had a hard time of it. What do you want to do, Ramon? I can pick off the one in front if you want.” Micah was half-afraid Chavez would tell him to shoot the girl.

“No. They’ll kill the girl if we try to do anything now. Let’s go to the edge of the Red, make sure they see us, and turn around. The moon is full tonight. We’ll circle back and get them later.”

They paused at the edge of the banks of the Red River. When they turned their horses around, the Kiowas began to whoop and taunt them.

“What are they saying, Ramon?”

“I don’t know. I speak Comanche, but not Kiowa. Their tongue is a lot like Apache, but I am certain that they insult us.”

They rode until they were sure they were out of sight, then they circled around and crossed the river downstream from where Ramon thought they would be camped. Micah picketed the horses in a thicket of blackjack oaks, and dumped all the grain they had left on the ground so the horses could forage. They crept slowly along the banks of the river until they were close enough to hear the girl’s cries and the slaps and rutting that occasioned her grief. Another Kiowa was puking from the liquor, and in the moonlight Micah could see him on his hands and knees. Micah started to move forward.

Ramon touched his arm and whispered, “I only hear two, where’s the third one? He could be already passed out, or he could be watching for us. Keep your eyes open and listen.”

They eased closer until they could make out the shadow forms of two of the Kiowas. Micah could see the white skin of the young girl on the ground. Her moans were delirious and incoherent. Micah counted the horses. buy albion gold Five. Three small Indian ponies and two from the Garrison place. That meant the third Indian was still with the group somewhere. It troubled him that he could not detect him. He hoped they would find him drunk asleep on the ground.

Ramon leaned and whispered into his ear, “You stay here. albion gold Watch for the third one.”

Ramon walked into their fireless camp, a revolver in each hand, a Nagas-like demon who had come to claim souls and bathe in bloody moonlight. One Kiowa was still kneeling and retching, the other was on the girl. He shot the puking Kiowa twice in the face, and Micah heard skin and blood splatter the girl and the other Kiowa. The other rose shakily to his feet and stumbled toward his weapons, but Ramon shot him three times in the back before he could reach them. Ramon holstered the empty pistol and swapped his second one to his right hand as he backed into the shadow of a hickory. “Micah, where is the third one?”

A shadow streaked past Micah, striking him on his shoulder with a war club. The shadow whooped and ran on. Micah fell to the ground. He felt the muscles of his arm convulse and tighten. The shadow had reached the horses. With his left hand Micah raised his shotgun and fired each barrel, but he knew as soon as he had fired that he had missed, and the whooping Kiowa mounted a horse and rode off into the darkness.

Ramon knelt over the girl. He raised her and wrapped her in one of the Kiowa’s blankets. New Balance 999 męskie Canotte New Orleans Pelicans cheap albion gold “Come, niña. Air Jordan 11 Donna We must go home. Can you ride?”

The girl didn’t answer, but pointed at one of the dead Kiowas.

“I know, niña.

cheap albion silver I know.”

Micah walked over to them. “Sorry, Ramon, I missed him. He clubbed me afore I could see him.”

“Well, two of them are dead anyway. Nike Air Max Thea Heren

Are you alright? Nothing broken?”

“My arm will be stove up a while, but I’m alright. How’s the girl?”

“She will be fine, I think.” Ramon broke open his pistol and loaded another cylinder. “Let’s gather up the horses and girl and get away from here. The Indian horses have halters, and the Garrison horses still have their bridles in their mouths. One of them has a lariat we can use to tie the horses together.”

“What about the other Kiowa?”

“He’s long gone. If he goes back to his camp, he’ll make up some story to explain himself. My guess is that he will try to hook up with another band somewhere, bragging about he made coup on some armed white man in the dark.”

When they reached their own horses, Ramon used their lariats to connect the halters of the captured and recovered horses. “Are we going to take the girl into Jacksboro?”

“No. I think most of her family moved to Forth Worth when the Indian raids started, but she has a cousin who lives along the Trinity, right outside of Jacksboro. She married Frederick O’Connor. Not long after you left, Frederick went up to Kansas and signed on with the Yankee Cavalry where his brother was. He hasn’t returned yet. Maybe you or one of your friends killed him.”

“If he was a Yankee, and I pointed my gun at him, I killed him. But he ain’t dead. Goedkoop Nike Schoenen I saw him in Camp Ford. albion silver He was a prisoner. ”

Ramon pulled a shirt from his saddlebag and pitched it to Micah. NIKE AIR JORDAN 1 RETRO “You better put this on her if she’ll put it on.”

He held the shirt out to Ruthie. “Okay, Ruthie, you want to put this on?”

She shrunk away and tightened up into a ball. “No. No. No.”

“I ain’t gonna hurt you, girl. Put on the damn shirt. She ain’t making no sense, Ramon. She don’t want to put on the shirt, and I don’t feel right sitting looking at her like this.”

“She’s probably lost her mind over what she’s been through. Calm her as you would a horse.”

“I ain’t never been good with horses like you were. Now you hold still, crazy girl.” Micah took one of her arms and inserted it into the sleeve of the shirt. He did the same with the other, then poked her head through the opening. Grasping her by the wrists, he lifted her arms so that Ramon’s huge shirt slipped down her body. The shirt seemed to have a calming influence on her. new balance 1300 acquisto

Micah hoisted her up to Ramon. “She’s too crazy for me to ride with, and I don’t think she can ride on her own. You tote her on your horse till we’re sure she will be all right. I’ll try to herd these no-good Kiowa horses along.”

The sun rose just as they crossed the Red River. Ruthie rode between Chavez and Micah. She stopped her horse. cheap albion gold Micah drew alongside side of her. “What’s wrong, Ruthie?”

“I got blood on my face.” She laughed. “You do too. Injun blood. See?”

Micah looked down into the water at his own bloody reflection.

I subscribe to Texas Music Magazine and on this summer’s CD there was a song I really liked and as I couldn’t find the lyrics posted anywhere on the Web, I decided to share them on my blog. adidas yeezy heren The song is “Hello, Webb County,” by Bo Depeña. nike air max buy albion gold As I work so much in the Rio Grande Valley, from Laredo to Brownsville, and hoping soon to expand to the upper Rio Grande Valley, I love to discover songs about South Texas and the border country. albion gold I hope to add this song to my show, Songs & Stories of the Rio Grande Valley. Adidas schoenen cheap albion silver Bo Depeña’s website is HERE: Here are the lyrics for this great song: “Hello, Webb County” by Bo Depeña V. buy albion gold 1 I was born in San Anton, But I never did pay it no mind. air max 2017 rosa donna

cheap albion gold Cause my parents moved down to a border town, Where they ran into some troubled times, Though I couldn’t call it paradise, It surely was one of a kind, Down in the Valley where the whitetail run On the US Mexico line. CHORUS: Hello, Webb County I’m coming home to you, Though it may be far from heaven, It’s the best that I can do. Air Jordan Retro 4 V. buy albion silver 2 I met me a girl in Austin, And I followed her to New Orleans, I ended up in New York City With nothing but a pair of jeans, Then I made my way to the mountains west, To the Rockies and the evergreens, But I couldn’t shake these homesick blues With the Rio flowing in my veins. UNLV Rebels Jerseys cheap albion gold CHORUS: V. Canotte Selección de USA 3 When the winters get cold and lonely, It takes me to another time. NIKE AIR JORDAN 1 RETRO

Before the bust, before the war, When everyone was getting by, It’ll never quite feel like home again, But I’ll love it till the day I die, When the sun goes down on the border town On the US Mexico line. Nike Air Max 90 Dames grijs

albion silver CHORUS: Click on the image below to see Pittman’s newest book, Rio Grande Valley ABC.

Ann Coulter on the French Revolution I have to confess–my first thoughtful reading touching the French Revolution, the time when I really understood the horror of period in French history, was when I taught my gifted reading students, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. ZOOM ALL OUT

buy wow gold albion gold Like Anne Frank in the 1959 movie script, I thought it the saddest book I’ve ever read. Asics Gel Quantum 360 Donna

Purdue Boilermakers

I’ve never forgotten that first reading and today I still consider it one of Dickens’ best novels. New Balance 1300 hombre nike air max 2016 goedkope Air Max 87 buy albion gold Now, many years later, I came into possession of Ann Coulter’s Demonic: How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America. Nike Store Italia Two chapters in that fine read deal specifically with the French Revolution, and one chapter contrasts our own American Revolution with the French. Los Angeles Lakers Coulter’s two chapters dealing with the French Revolution were so powerful and affected me so deeply that I had to read them twice. Joe Panik Jersey Asics Gel Lyte 3 Donna Rosa

asics gel lyte pas cher cheap albion gold They were disturbing, not only because of the vivid horror of the French Revolution she portrays so well, but also because the comparison to our own country frightened me by showing the abuses I knew could easily occur today. Markus Kuhn Nike Paris albion silver The seed of the mindset that created the French Revolution has been scattered throughout our own society. ROSHE RUN Nike Air zoom Pegasus 31 damskie Here’s a few observations I drew from the chapters:

1. There was no logic to the chronology of the French Revolution. Nike Air Max Baratas Eddie George Titans Jerseys buy albion silver Coulter argues this is because it was a mob event, and mobs do not operate by logic. Fjallraven Kanken Kids Air Max Pas Cher Mobs are irrational.
2. The mobs of the French Revolution were fueled by rumors and gossip.
3. The French Revolution mobs were anti-secular. ADIDAS PURE BOOST

sac a dos fjallraven Canotta Detroit Pistons cheap albion silver Churches and spiritual leaders were attacked. Nike Air Max pas chers cheap albion gold The State became the official religion.

4. Lawful authorities (law enforcement of the French society) were targeted. The mob had no fear of punishment, so the mobs ran wild.
5. Beautiful and priceless monuments, statues, and art were destroyed because they offended those in the mobs.
6. Even the leaders of this revolution were not safe as other leaders and the mobs turned on them. Air Jordan 7 (VII)
7. AIR MAX THEA

buy albion gold Mobs can love someone one minute and hate the person the next.

8. Anyone who questioned the excesses and course of events was deemed unpatriotic and paid the price.
9. The French Revolution was nothing like ours.
   

Chapter One: A Comanche Moon The 23^rd Texas Cavalry bivouacked along El Camino Real, near the banks of the Red River outside Natchitoches. It was an old road, haunted by the ghosts of French and Spanish soldiers and traders who had long ago trod upon its wagon rutted clay. Many obedient soldiers or greed-driven adventurers had died along that road, from disease or from the arrows of savages. As the curtain of this Louisiana night fell, campfires and candle lanterns flickered, speckling the sloping ground like sad giant fireflies. cheap albion gold Gray plumes of smoke spiraled and swirled into the darkness. Those soldiers without duties were settling in for the night, attending to gear or cooking what food they had. These soldiers had fought every day since the Red River campaign had begun, and all were weary. Some had already collapsed in sleep. Micah and Elbert sat near their own small fire, their eyes fixed on the flames. Shaking himself from his reverie, Micah set a tin coffeepot on the fire, then untied and opened a small sack of coffee taken from the black-tarred haversack of a dead Yankee. With his Bowie knife, he split the end of a stick and slipped it over the lip of a tin plate. He poured the beans into the plate and roasted them, stirring them with a wooden spoon and shaking them back and forth. When the beans began to crackle and reached the dark color he liked, Micah poured the beans back into the sack and pounded them with the Bowie’s pommel. He dumped the grounds into the coffeepot’s boiling water and set it back on the coals. After the coffee boiled again, Micah set it aside to let the grounds settle. A few minutes later, he filled their tin cups, and they slowly and deliberately sipped the brew. After pouring a second cup, Elbert reached for a hunk of salt-cured bacon wrapped in cheesecloth, and they cut and speared hunks with Yankee bayonets and held the meat over the flames. Sergeant Adams, the quartermaster, had issued the Texans a canvas tent, but it lay on the ground where it had been dropped. There would be no rain, so Micah and Elbert would sleep that night as they had when they were Texas Rangers on patrol—their blankets spread on the ground under a naked sky, their heads resting on their saddles. Weapons, tacking and accoutrements of all sorts were stacked and piled about them, recent spoils of war cast aside by the Federal soldiers in another panicked retreat after the company of Texas cavalrymen had broken their battle line at Mansfield. The Federal commanders had clung to the established belief that lines of infantry could repel attacking cavalry.

The Yankee commanders learned they were wrong. One of the many harsh lessons of war tutored to the men on both sides in this campaign. In the most recent battle, after secessionist artillery had softened the Federals, the 23^rd attacked the Yankee flank head-on, but then Comanche style, suddenly wheeled to the side. Some cavalrymen clung to the side of their horse and aimed their firearms over the saddle as they had seen the savages do. The wild riders from Texas emptied their buckshot-laden double-barreled shotguns and the rain of lead tore great holes in the blue formation. Now, only a few feet away from the infantrymen, the riders hung the short empty shotguns on saddle horns and drew revolvers from saddle holsters. Spurring and quirting their mustangs, they whooped and roared like berserk Norsemen as they plunged their horses into the Federals and their pistols spewed death. When the saddle guns were empty, they drew the smaller caliber pistols they wore high on their waist. The Texan’s pistols were a collage of Colts—five-pound Patersons, Walkers, Dragoon and Navy models, pistols that the Rangers or their fathers had used to kill Comanches and Kiowas and Mexican bandits in former years. The Federal men who remained standing suddenly realized their vulnerability. Nike Jordan 11 Future Their line broke and they ran for their lives, sprinting into the woods behind them toward a creek as Rebel horses trod corpse, wounded and fleeing. Many Federals tossed their Springfield muskets into the creek so they could claw their way up the steep bank. Plunging into briar thickets, they cast aside their belts, cartridge boxes and canteens. Scratched and bleeding, the Yankees fled till they could no longer hear the demonic caterwauls of the hellhounds in pursuit. Two Louisiana soldiers herded another group of Yankee prisoners past Micah’s fire. The men in blue, wearied from battle or flight, trudged along slowly with downcast countenance. “Damn,” Elbert said. “We sure captured a passel of prisoners today. Wonder what they’ll do with them all?” “Send them to Camp Ford at Tyler to be with the others, I reckon,” Micah replied. Micah looked up at the full moon. During his three years with the Texas 23^rd he had watched the moon wax and wane, much like the Confederate armies he had fought with. It hung in the sky like a harbinger of death. He had listened to the Louisiana soldiers talk of the moon’s beauty, heard one quote a poem about it, but Micah hated the moon. The full moon was a reminder, a terror. In his mind, he saw his house in Jack County bathed in its blue light, Erin inside sewing or reading or cleaning. He saw his twins, Skye and Benjamin, playing together near the fireplace. Outside, this same Comanche moon would be illuminating the garden, the neglected fields, and the surrounding buttes. He tried not to imagine dark savage eyes in the darkness spying on his family. Micah said, “I know a tracker by the name of Chicolithe. He works at Camp Ford tracking down escaped prisoners. He said he saw a Comanche outside of Tyler once.” “I wondered how long you could go without talking about Comanches or Kiowas,” Elbert said. buy albion gold “You’re eaten up with worry, and you ain’t going to rest until I’m the same way.” He tossed his cup’s coffee grounds into the fire and it made an angry hissing noise. Micah saw Isaac, a cavalryman in the 2^nd Partisan Rangers, walking to them. “Micah, Elbert,” Isaac said. buy albion gold He sat at their fire. Chicago Bulls

“Coffee, Isaac?” Micah asked. “I’ll take a spot. Thank you kindly.” Micah filled his own cup and handed it to him. “I heard they’re thinking of making your unit dismounted cavalry.” “Much obliged for the coffee,” Isaac said. nike tn requin He sat down on a log. “They’s talk of sending our horses home, but that’s all it is so far. Listen. adidas zx 750 donna I brung some news. Comanches and Kiowas have been coming down the corridor something fierce. Burning, raping, stealing children, killing. Jacksboro’s become a ghost town. cheap albion gold None of the ranches can keep cattle. The Indians have been selling them to the Yankees in Indian territory or to the Comancheros.” “Any folks we know hurt?” Elbert asked. “Yep.” “Well, who, dammit!” Micah said. “Well, in Parker County—William Youngblood and John Killen were killed. fjällräven kånken big Hugh Blackwell, well, they kilt him, took his little boy, then took the Sullivan girl. John Reasnor, he’s dead. You know that Mrs. Brown who lived on Grindstone Creek? The Indians killed her, took her twins . . cheap albion silver .” Micah’s stomach rolled when he heard the word twin. “I’d just as soon not hear any more. I reckon we get the idea.” The four sat together, lost in silence, in the swirl of thoughts that chased thoughts, thoughts that churned their insides. Instead of feeling their earlier patriotism for the war, an unspoken but poignant guilt filled them. Elbert lived in Parker County, where nine companies of eighty men each had left with the start of the war. Jack County, Micah’s home, had actually voted against secession, but experienced a similar loss of men and they joined the Confederate Army in droves—though some in Jacksoboro, like Micah’s friend Frederick, had signed on with the Union. As Micah understood the war and its issues, Lincoln and the North resembled England and Longshanks too much to claim his loyalty. Micah picked up the coffeepot and emptied the grounds into the fire. “You don’t bring us the best of news, Isaac.” Micah stuffed the coffeepot into his saddlebag that rested on top of his saddle. “Damn this war,” Elbert said. “Damn this Comanche moon. And damn me for not being in Texas with my family.” Isaac stood up and looked west. “When my enlistment time is up, I’m going home. This here campaign has gone better than most, but I still wonder if Generals Taylor and Smith know what they’re doing. I hear General Taylor is most unhappy with Kirby Smith. albion gold Guess they don’t see things eye to eye. Goodnight to you, Micah, Elbert. I need to find a couple of other boys from our area and let them know what I’ve heard.” “Much obliged for the news, Isaac,” Micah said. Isaac nodded and walked toward the fire of Company F, about fifty yards away. Elbert cut a sliver from a tobacco plug, chewed it, and spat a stream of the brown juice into the fire. “You’re thinking the same thing I’m thinking, ain’t you, Micah.” Micah didn’t answer right away. Isaac’s silhouette was visible in the light of Company F’s fire. He listened to Isaac’s voice relate the same and other stories. He would likely spend much of the night going from fire to fire. He knew Isaac wouldn’t think it right to not tell what he knew. Jordan 4 Sale “You know I am.” “Isaac’s likely to have half of the Twenty-third leaving for Texas if he keeps talking. The Comanche and Kiowa were making things bad even before we left, Micah. It was insane for us to join up and leave our homes undefended.” “We were told they’d be plenty of men to watch the area. Elbert.” “They sure changed their minds on that one. Ain’t no men there hardly.

I hate like the devil being away from my family. Makes me want to quit soldiering and go home.” Elbert spat again into the fire. “I been dreaming crazy, Micah, and worrying so that I can’t sleep.” “Well, hell, let’s go home. Air Jordan 12 Retro Other rangers have been drifting away. We might as well go too. I’d rather risk hanging for deserting than to put my wife and little ones into the hands of the Comanches.” Micah spread out his bedding and stretched out on the ground. He rested his head on his hands behind his head. “Better get some sleep, Elbert. We’ll talk about what we’re going to do tomorrow. I’m supposed to see the captain first thing in the morning.” “Why?” “I don’t know. Goedkoop Nike Air Max 2016 I do know that every time an officer wants to see you it’s generally because you did something he’s unhappy with or he’s got something he wants you to do.” Micah closed his eyes and listened to the snores and coughs of men, and looked up at the Comanche moon until he slipped into sleep. He rose at first light and found the captain sitting outside his tent on a canvass stool, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He was reading a book. “Where’s Elbert?” the captain asked. “Still asleep.” “Did Isaac come by your camp last night?” “Yes, sir.” The captain turned a page in his book, never lifting his eyes from the page. “Are you a reading man, Micah?” “Not much. My wife reads a good bit.” He held up the book. “Macaria. A wonderful piece of literature. Notice the pages. I do believe the leaves are made of wallpaper.” “Sometimes we have to make do with what we got,” Micah said. “Yes, a good book. ray ban femme pas cher Pure propaganda though. Chris Snee Nike Air Max 2016 Italia Every idea the South has espoused to justify this conflict, every rumor that has been spread or whispered about us in the north is addressed in its pages. Yes, it’s propaganda, but effective propaganda. So effective that the Yankees have banned the book. Like our black servants, this book is now what they classify as contraband. They’ve ordered it to be burned whenever it’s captured.” “Yankees seem to be fond of burning things.” “It’s a savage man who doesn’t respect a book,” the captain said. “My father told me of a shield he took off a dead Comanche. He said it had been stuffed with the pages of some book called Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire.” “Interesting choice the warrior made. Kanken Big Baratas A barbarian trying to protect himself with the words of civilized people. Back to the Yankees. Would you destroy a book, Micah, just because you disagree with what it says?” “I never thought much about books. Never had any of my own, and I’ve only seen a few.” “I’ve always been fond of Ms. Nike Air Presto albion silver Evans’ writing. Ever since I discovered Inez: A Tale of the Alamo. In Macaria, Miss Augusta Jane Evans argues that women should be more independent and serve the war effort just like the men do.” “Makes sense,” Micah said. “It does if you’re talking about spoiled, pampered, soft plantation belles. I don’t think she knows many frontier women. She sure doesn’t know how hard life already is for them. I never realized how tough our Texan women were until I came here. And I also didn’t realize until recently how wrong it was for us to leave them. We should have known that the savages would take advantage of our absence.” Micah squatted down and stabbed the ground with his Bowie knife. “What’s on your mind, Captain?” “I was ordered to choose some men to escort some newly captured Federal soldiers to Camp Ford at Tyler. I chose you and Elbert. After you deposit the prisoners, I’m giving you a furlough.” “Sir?” “I want you to go back to Jack County and check on our families. With any luck, the war will be over before you have to return to duty. I hear it’s not going well at all in the East.” “How long is the furlough?” “Usual furlough is thirty days, but since each of you recruited someone, I can extend it to forty days.” “What if I don’t come back in time?” “I’ll report you as captured.” “I’m much obliged, Captain,” Micah said. adidas messi astro “I’ll stay if you want me to.” “No, I don’t want you to stay. My motives aren’t entirely pure. Los Angeles Lakers

I want you to check on my family now and then and help them any way you can. I’m also going to send my servant, Ezekiel, with you. He can cook for you on the way. You’ll have twenty or more prisoners, so you’ll have your hands full with guard duty. Ezekiel’s a crack shot and a good hunter. buy albion silver He’ll keep you supplied with fresh meat. Go to the quartermaster and tell him to find Ezekiel a captured rifle and a brace of pistols.” “Yes, sir. Why did you choose us?” “After what Isaac told us, I was half afraid you would desert and go back anyway.” “You were right about that.” Captain Allison handed Micah a slip of paper. “Here are your orders and notice of furlough. Try not to lose your orders or your prisoners.” He stood and held out his hand. “I’d let all the men go if I could, would go myself, but a captain can’t hardly leave his unit, can he? Wouldn’t be proper. So, I’m counting on you, Micah. God bless.” Micah stood, saluted him, then shook the captain’s hand, and walked back to his camp. Elbert was still asleep. adidas yeezy boost 550 męskie Micah kicked the mound of blankets covering him. “Get up, Elbert. Gather your gear. We’ve been given orders.” “Where are we going?” “Texas.

I am proud to announce the release of my newest original single, “Pablo Sanchez.” The song was engineered by Red Lion Technologies in Monroe, Louisiana. Nike Air Force 1 Low Femme

adidas superstar uomo saldi albion gold The song is a ballad, a corrido, telling the true story of a fourteen-year-old boy who fought in Pancho Villa’s Army. Air Max 2017 Donna

buy albion gold He was captured and sentenced to be hanged, but a soldier in the enemy army knew him and his family and helped Pablo escape. Pablo and his family later moved to McAllen Texas. Goedkope Nike Air Max 2017 Dame Detroit Pistons He was known to have a good work ethic and to be one didn’t believe in handouts. Femmes Air Jordan 4

nike air max pas cher He was a good father and friend. Calvin Ridley Jersey He would take his shirt off his back if it would help someone. free rn flyknit donna Air Jordan 13 Uomo buy albion silver He was close to his mother and his brothers. Los Angeles Lakers cheap albion silver His children adored him. His descendants operate Maria’s Restaurant in McAllen, Texas. adidas neo donna

cheap albion gold The album cover is a photo of Pablo provided to me by Pablo’s descendants. chaussures de foot umbro Fjallraven Kanken Kids cheap albion gold It’s available on CD Baby now and will soon be on iTunes, Amazon, etc., very soon. Amari Cooper Alabama Football Jerseys

buy albion gold Click on the photo to go to the page where you can download the CD. adidas y3 damskie nike tn pas cher albion silver Also, check out Rio Grande ABC by Rickey Pittman, Bard of the South.