The coming of the carrier pigeon
Pearl Harbor Smith, a midwife married to a blacksmith, sat in her old creaky hardwood rocking chair sewing away with her newly spun ball of yarn. She lives in small town in Georgia with her husband.
It was a warm still day, the sun was out and the birds were chirping. The house was quiet except for a one after another creak from the rocking chair. Pearl's head popped up. She looked to her side, towards the window and bang! once again, the window rattled. Pearls eyes looked towards the window and there stood a little pigeon with a note wrapped around its foot. She opened the window and grabbed the note. Watching as the carrier pigeon flew off; she shut the window and looked down at the note.
It was a message from a pregnant woman needs a midwife’s help.
The next day, Pearl made arrangements with William, a humble African American slave, to come and help along the trip. They got some horses and a wagon and embarked on their trip.
Preparing the wagons
Pearl and William rolled up to the store in their new wagon with the horses. Mary Margaret, the merchant, ran out and greeted Pearl. They had grown up together and were the closest of friends. Pearl sat down with Mary Margaret while William gathered the supplies they needed in the store. Pearl explained all about the carrier pigeon and her quest to deliver the quadruplets.
This scared Mary Margaret.
"What if you are attacked by those evil Indians!" she exclaimed. Pearl reassured her, promising that William would take care of her.
William came out with a huge load and tripped on a stair. Supplies flew everywhere and Mary Margaret ran to help him. Picking up the bags of rice and beans, Mary Margaret's hands met with William's.
She looked deep into his eyes, knowing his heart was good. Her heart rate sped up as she read his expression; it was the same as hers. Mary Margaret's hand drew back as she remembered her husband. She took the food she had in her arms and brought them to the wagon.
Pearl had seen it all and she knew that Mary Margaret did not love her husband. It had been an arranged marriage. But Mary Margaret was not unhappy. She loved her baby girl very much, just not as much as her husband. Mary Margaret had felt something when she looked into William's eyes.
Sadly, she and William were not meant to be. Mary Margaret belonged to her husband and would stay loyal to him.
Hugging Pearl and wiping away the tears building up in her eyes, Mary Margaret said her good-byes. She turned and looked once more time at William before going back into the store to her husband and baby.
Pearls and William hopped back into their wagon with all the supplies they needed for the long journey. As they reached the outskirts of town, William glanced over to an old shack.
"Mrs. Smith?" William said, shyly.
"Yes," she replied.
"Can I stop and see my mother one last time. She is sick and I don't know if she will be alive by the time we get back."
There was a long pause and finally Pearl said, "Yes, but make it quick."
William pulled over and ran to the creaky wooden home.
"Mother!" he exclaimed.
"William!" she replied.
"My dear Mother, I have come to say goodbye for a short time. I am traveling to Kansas with my master’s wife so she can deliver a baby. I promise to bring someone to heal you. I promise it will happen, if it's the last thing I do."
William was now holding her hands; he kissed her on the cheek and stood up. When he got to the door, William looked back and went to Pearl.
Soon, they headed on the trail to Kansas.
William's nightmare
They have been traveling down the road for a few days now and they and their horses are in desperate need of some rest. They knew there was a town a few miles ahead but it was getting dark and they wouldn't make it before nightfall. They found a nice open area with lots of grass growing tall and a small water stream nearby. They set up for the night.
They had long fallen asleep when William woke up screaming. He ran and ran and ran. He ran so fast that Pearl had no time to react. William had had a nightmare. His dream was a recurring dream. One he had had every once in awhile but this one was different. It lasted longer than any other and was way more intense than ever. His normal dream was this, he was floating out to sea with no sight of land in any direction and the water was never rough, it was entirely flat, like a solid sheet of glass. It made him feel alone and away from everyone.
But not this one.
This one he could see land and the water was incredibly rough unlike ever before. The water was holding him back, far back from the land that he seeks.
The meeting of Josh, the plantation owner and the discovery of gold
Josh Smith was the owner of a huge plantation. He woke up every day and had the same routine. One sunny blue-bird day, Josh woke up and saw a couple at his front door. He hurried down and opened the door.
"Why, hello there," said Josh.
"We come from Georgia trying to get to Arkansas and have no place to sleep. We've been on horses for over 6 hours," said the female in the couple.
Josh replied with an excited, "of course! There's a guest house a hundred yards North, right there," pointing his finger.
The couple said thank-you.
Josh said, "If you want any dinner meet back here at 5."
Josh went back to his routine, working on the farm all day long.
William and Pearl were in their room unpacking and getting ready for dinner. They saw Josh working in the fields. Pearl went into the bedroom and saw a piece of paper poking out a dresser. She went up to it and opened the drawer. The drawer flew out and hit the floor. The drawer had put a huge gash in the floor.
"William," yelled Pearl.
William rushed over and when he got in the room she had a wowing look on his face.
"Gold."
William and Pearl found gold. They ripped out more of floor and got as much as they could and packed it up. They argued how to steal the gold.
Nearing 5:00, the food was almost ready. A nice home cooked meal for the family and their guest. The guests were acting odd that night. They said they couldn't stay the night in their home. The Smith family couldn't understand what was wrong.
After dinner, the guests said thank-you and hurried to leave. As soon as they got out of the door they ran to their horses and left. Josh ran outside and knew exactly what happened.
"The gold," said Josh. The guests had stolen the gold from the land.
Meeting the Musician
There was a farmer named Mitch Miller. He was a very wealthy man. As Mitch Miller was sitting on his porch playing his banjo watching his farm for animals trying to eat his crops, a carriage came by and needed some food for their trip. All they had was gold which was the only way of getting his crops. He was an African American man who stopped by for the trip from Georgia to Kansas.
"A lady is giving birth," the man said.
"Well, I could spare a few crops," said Mitch.
"Thank you."
"Where in Georgia did you find gold?" said Mitch.
"I found it in the woods."
"Fine, I'll believe you. And also, what time are you leaving?" said Mitch.
"Tomorrow, at dawn."
"Can I get your name?"
"William."
He was off.
As the day went by the plantation owner came by and asked if he saw any people come by.
"Yes, there was a man named William who needed food for his trip," said Mitch.
"Well, if you see them again, come get me," said Josh Lee.
Meeting Jena May and taking the train
Jena May is sitting on the old willow stump by the stream as she sits and waits for her train to Tennessee to visit her ill grandmother. As she is waiting, she spots a cloud of dust in the distance. As it comes closer she stands up to examine what it is. When the two figures come closer, she sees that it is a young lady with curly hair and a buff man riding beside her. By the look of the man’s worn hands she expects he is a slave.
"Hello," Jena says as they stop in front of her.
The young lady jumps off her horse and begins to ask what time the next train to Arkansas comes.
Jena says that it comes in ten minutes.
"Then we are just in time," the lady says.
"May I ask where it is you're headed to?" Jena says with a friendly look on her face.
"My name is Pearl and this is my escort William. We are going to help a lady deliver quadruplets, because I am a midwife," exclaimed Pearl.
"Well, I would love to help you catch your train then," said Jena.
"The next train comes anytime now, so let's get ready.”
When Pearl reaches into her pocket she feels nothing but the soft cloth of her velvet dress rubbing against her fingertips.
"The tickets, where are the tickets?" asks Pearl.
When William looks up he sees the horses munching on something. When he looks closer he sees part of the chewed up ticket lying under the ground under the horse. Before any of them make a reaction they hear a loud train whistle blow and they see the large engine stop beside them.
Then they hear the engineer shout, "All aboard!"
"Follow me," shouts William, they all jog to the end of the train. They hear the engines loud roar. William jumps in one of the cargo cars and escorts the two ladies and the two horses. When they feel the train move they all know they are in for an adventure.
The oddest character yet, Bobby-John Travis the barber.
Pearl and William have just left the train and decide to stop into town to have a nice haircut. They walk into town and decide to stop at Bobby-John Travis' barber shop to meet the oddest character yet.
"Pearl, please don't make me get one of them haircuts! Please!"
"No, William, you got to get a haircut, whether you like it or not."
"Fine..."
As they walk in, Pearl trips and knocks over William.
The barber, Bobby-John Travis, sees and starts laughing hysterically.
He laughs so hard he gets a heart-attack because of his diabetes.
Then, Bobby-John heals in a time of 15 minutes and says he will give them a haircut.
Pearl gets a mullet and William is shaved bald.
While they are getting their cuts, Bobby-John starts to talk about his life.
When he was about 15 his parents died and he was forced to take up his dad's business. Then, when he was 20 he was diagnosed with diabetes. Then, he met a lonely wife who divorced him after five years because every time she would fall he would laugh.
So now, he is alone, probably forever, but he still dreams of being a cowboy.
Staying with the Butcher
They came to butchers shop hungry and tired. They were both about to faint when Ruby Mac, the butcher, quickly escorted them to one of her spare back rooms. After an hour or so William came out and asked Ruby if he could go take a bath. Ruby automatically pointed to the washroom and then the pot of boiling water she was going to use for beef stew. Ruby quickly looked away after.
Ruby quickly ran for her cabinet and grabbed fresh clothes and soap (that she made). Later, Pearl got up to the smell of steak, potatoes and some hot tea that was whistling at the top of its lungs. Pearl saw William and Ruby already eating and she noticed William had changed into new clothes and shaved. When Pearl came out of the room, everything was silent. William and Ruby stopped and looked at Pearl (it was quiet for about five minutes).
Then Ruby told her that there was hot water in the pot.
The next morning, Ruby gave William and Pearl a big ten pound bag of beef jerky. When they were pulling out on their horses and all of a sudden Ruby ran out and gave William a big kiss on the mouth!
Ruby blushed so hard and said her last goodbyes and ran inside, to wait for her love William to come back for her.
Skull Head Mountains
After leaving the baker, Pearl and William return to the road. But neither Pearl nor William noticed that the weather is getting worse and the road is climbing into the deep dark Skull Head Mountains.
These were dangerous and extreme mountains.
Usually only mountain men lived in these mountains. The two travelers were talking too much and did not know that there was a storm coming. As the big red sun sunk behind the Skull Head Mountains it became bitterly cold. William and Pearl decided to stop riding for the night which was a bad idea. They stopped quickly and built a little shelter. This is where they would spend the night. It was a cold and long night.
The next morning William woke up to the sound of a growling bear. They both let out a scream.
At the same time, a man wearing a buffalo robe came on his horse and jumped off and shot the bear.
"This is a good bear," the man said. He wore a buffalo robe and leather leggings. As he walked back to his horse to grab his bowie knife, William asked who this strange man was.
"The name is Black, Forester Black."
The man had a deep voice and talked very slowly. The man was tall and ripped.
"Do you live up here?" asked William.
The man nodded his head. He was too busy skinning the bear to speak. The two travelers started packing up. The man was done skinning the bear.
As he walked back to this horse, which was a very tall mustang, he saddled, turned and said, "Go home," almost as if he were angry at them.
"NO," replied William.
The man turned the horse around so fast William could not speak.
"I said go home."
"Why?" replied William.
The man just started laughing, "I have seen your type pilgrim, you don't belong in these mountains.
Go home!" said the mountain man one last time.
"Well, we are not!"Said William.
Forester Black leaned off his horse and got real close to William and said in a whisper, "I see you got a lady here with you."
"Yes," replied William.
"Well, I don't want to see you two die up in these here mountains. One, because I don't want any lives lost and two, I don't want to dig graves in this hard ground."
The mountain man turned his horse around and started walking off.
"Wait!" screamed William.
The man turned and just stared.
"Will you guide us through these mountains?" asked William.
"At a price," said the Black.
"How about two Colt revolvers?" asked William.
Forester Black's eyes lit up.
"We might just have a trade there, pilgrim."
As the group moved on, the Skull Head Mountains got scarier and harder. The trail was thin and hard to go over.
As they were walking the wind started blowing. The snow came.
“We better hurry," said the Mountain Man. They went and built a small shelter. Luckily they made it through the night. The storm blew over. They made it ok.
Finally, they made it out of the mountains.
"Too many people and not enough quietness."
As they watched the man go over the horizon, they realized he was right. They would have not made it without him.
Meeting Rosaleen
Rosaleen looked down the cold snowy path. In the distance she saw some figures. The figures were walking closer. The figures finally got close enough that Rosaleen could tell it was people on horseback. Rosaleen and the strangers were face to face. The strangers introduced themselves as Pearl and William. Pearl and William's faces were bright red. They were freezing. They had just come from Skull Head Mountains. They have just been in a huge snow storm. They explained why they were on the trail. Pearl didn't look very well. Rosaleen quickly took them up to her cabin. When they opened the door a little girl ran over and jumped into Rosaleen's hands. She was about the age of five.
"This is my daughter," said Rosaleen.
"My husband probably just went to bed," she added.
Rosaleen put her daughter to bed and came back into the living room.
"Sit down," she said.
Pearl and William were very quiet. Rosaleen made some food and hot tea for Pearl and William. When she handed them the food she noticed that Pearl had a little sketch pad.
"What's that?" Rosaleen asked.
She picked up the sketch pad. They were amazing drawings!
"Did you draw these?" she asked.
Pearl nodded her head saying, "yes."
As the night went on, William and Pearl got more friendly and talkative.
They asked what Rosaleen was doing outside in the cold.
"I'm a logger. I was cutting down wood for my fire," she explained.
They then sat and watched the fire crackle.
Rosaleen made two beds for them to sleep. By now they were looking very much better. Soon the house rose with darkness. You could only hear the fire crackling. Pearl watched the fire for awhile and soon dozed off.
Rosaleen woke up bright and early. The smell of pancakes and syrup filled the air. The sun crept through the windows and filled the house with light. William woke up, ready to help. Rosaleen set up breakfast. She soon walked outside and started to cut fire wood. William was pleased to help. They loaded it up into their carriage. They went back inside and now Rosaleen's husband was at work and her daughter was at school. Pearl awoke to the sounds of William and Rosaleen laughing. They all sat at the table and enjoyed their breakfast.
After breakfast, Pearl took a walk around the area. She found a gorgeous flower and drew it. It was the only flower around. She walked back inside and thanked Rosaleen for the wood. They need to be heading off soon.
Rosaleen gave them food and water for their trip. She wished them good look on their journey.
Pearl and William went off to their next adventure.
Gun Fight
Knock, knock, knock as someone beats on the door the sheriff, Billy-Bob gets out of his chair and starts walking to the door. It was his good buddy Josh Smith, the plantation owner.
"Josh, what are you doing?"
'Billy, there has been a terrible thing that happened on the plantation."
Billy could tell by the scared look on his face it wasn't good.
"What is it, Josh?"
"I was looking around the plantation and all..all..all the gold, it was gone. I saw these people run run right into the forest heading into town."
"And wait, Josh, what did they look like?"
"Well... well, they be wearin'.. well the girl was wearing a beautiful dress, musta been very expensive and that man musta been her slave or somethin'. He was black. Hey wait, I just seen..."
Meeting the baker
Mary-Ann sat on the dusty steps of her bakery. A warm gust of wind swept through the town, whistling in her ears and hair while the creaky boards moved underneath her reminding her of the terrible state her bakery was in. She sighed, rebraided her long straight black hair, wiped the dust from her tanned skin and started up the steps to bake more pastries and attempt to sell day-old pies. Mary always kept the inside of her bakery very clean, she never had too many people in her bakery; the occasional tourist or wandering local.
Today a very odd couple came into her bakery.
A very beautiful young woman with long curly sand-brown hair stumbled in with a shy looking man who looked to be her husband.
They seemed in urgent need of whatever they were looking for, so Mary-Ann scurried back grabbed some mugs, a pot of coffee and a few random day old pasties and breads.
She rushed around the kitchen scrounging for food for the strange couple and heard the low murmur of their voices, deep in conversation by the sound of it. Thinking better of just barging in, Mary stood behind the door listening carefully with hot coffee and crunchy pastries. These people were a lot different than the usual customers. They quietly finished their meal, tipped heavily and walked out whispering. Something strange was going on.
One of Mary's usuals came in, Sheriff Billy-Bob. Mary-Ann was a bit surprised to see him this late in the day. He usually came in the morning for a hot cup of black coffee, fresh bear-claws or doughnuts. He sat down, not saying a single word and just stared at the swinging doors stirring in the breeze. Mary-Ann thought about bringing him his usual, but he didn't seem in the mood. It looked as if he was meeting someone, Mary-Ann thought, "something is different about him today.
After ten minutes or so she could tell he was getting a little hungry so she set his cup of the table and pushed half his bear claw towards him. He was silent for a long time.
Coming into Town whereupon greater anxiety is falling upon them and they seek to avoid trouble with the law.
The Saloon
William and Pearl walked into the saloon. They walked up to the saloon owner, Jonny Smith. They asked him if he knew any one that was going West, the kind of person who would go without anyone knowing. They didn't want the sheriff to find them. Jonny said he knew of someone who smuggles people around. He showed William to the guy's table.
They told the man their problem and he agreed to take them one hundred miles for a small fee. They took a small slice of gold off of what they had. He agreed happily. William thanked Jonny for his help, loaded up his wagon and set off.
As the sheriff and the plantation owner walked into the saloon it gets quiet. They slowly walk up to the bar with all eyes on them. They ask the saloon owner, Jonny Smith, if he has seen William.
Jonny said that he caught them doing some illegal things with this man. Jonny showed them the picture and offered to help. The man they were looking for had a scraggily gray beard, raggedy clothes and an old wrinkly face. First Jonny looked throughout the saloon but had no luck.
No one has seen him or heard where he has been.
They went in the town and questioned a couple of people, but still nothing.
Then, this sketchy character walked up to them and said he might know something but it would cost something. Jonny stepped up and said he would let him have free drinks for one night and a date with a lovely lady.
The man willingly agreed.
He told the, that there is an underground gambling bunker to the left of the movie house and that they would find him there.
They went to the bunker and went into it. There were about five men and one of them was the man they were looking for. One of the five men saw the sheriff and fired. He missed. Jonny pulled out and killed two of the men. The plantation owner killed two more while the sheriff was capturing the man. They asked the man but he wouldn't talk. So the plantation owner started taking one dollar at a time and burned it with a match. That man loves his money. It only took ten burnt bills to get him to talk. He told them that he took them a hundred miles West to a town called Motor. The sheriff took some money and left. They thanked Jonny for his help, went to their houses and left.
Intermediate chapter
The sheriff and Jonny spotted William and Pearl in the street as they left the bunker with the confiscated money. The pair was hastily packing their horses.
“There they are, sheriff!” Jonny hissed.
The sheriff placed his hand near his Remington, titled his hat back and shouted, “not so fast!”
Pearl and William spun around and saw Jonny and Sheriff Billy-Bob. In a flash they were in their saddles, kicking them into a fervor.
“They’re getting away!” Jonny hollered, lifting his rifle to his shoulder.
Billy-Bob shot first as William and Pearl retreated. Jonny let off a few and heard a sharp cry as a cloud of dust buried the retreat.
“Get the horses!” Billy-Bob ordered, holstering his gun.
In moments they were off, following the trail of dust.
Getting away
As they ran, the huge sheriff was right on their heels. They ran to the bushes and hid. They were trying to help their wounds when a Native American came and asked if they needed help. The Native American was a small skinny man. The Native was very dark colored and spoke very little English so it was difficult to speak to him. He put medicine on their wounds and wrapped them up. The sheriff was really slow so they were out of sight within minutes. Then they headed to the Mississippi river.
The delivery of the babies along the Mississippi
Pearl finally reached the river and couldn't decide on how she wanted to get across. She went on for about ten minutes until she found a decent boat to climb into. She was about on the river when she heard a voice calling from behind.
"PEARL!" the young woman's voice screamed, "WAIT!"
Pearl stopped and looked back to see a young woman - about 18 - running towards her with a red wagon and a woman in it. Pearl slowly unpacked her stuff and patiently waited for the woman and the wagon to get to her.
"Wow, I'm so glad you're here," the 18-year-old said, panting.
"Hi! I'm Rose and this is my boss and I believe you were going to deliver her quadruplets?"
"Nice to meet you Rose! I'm Pearl and I need you to get this pregnant woman out of the wagon," Pearl said.
Rose helped Pearl and then said, "Um, so do you need any more help?"
"Are you kidding me?!" Pearl yelled, "I've been doing this for seven years. I helped my mom when I was little and you think I need help delivering kids?! You're crazy!"
"Good, 'cause I hate blood," Rose said and ran away screaming.
By the time Rose was back, two cute little baby boys and two cute little baby girls lay asleep in the dirt, both dressed in the most adorable clothes that Pearl had bought at the merchant's before she left town. They swarm and they squall but no one comes to their comfort until Rose starts to load them up in the little wagon.
'What, are you crazy? You can't just leave little helpless babies in the dirt! They could get a parasite or something worse! Obviously you don't know a thing about child care!" Rose proclaimed angrily.
"Well, at least I dressed them and dirt is healthy. Calm -," Pearl said.
"Calm down?! I am like the mother of these children. That lazy person lying on the ground there puts me in charge of her seven kids for three dollars an hour and I just try so hard..." Rose said bursting out in tears.
"Well, you know, at least they didn't bite the dust," Pearl said cracking up and Rose just gave her a glare.
"OK, sorry, not funny."
"No, it wasn't," Rose said and pulled the wagon with the four babies and the woman back up the hill.
"Gees, tough crowd," Pearl mumbled to herself as she pack up and left.
Heading back home & meeting the doctor
As you know, William's mother is ill and dying.
Dr. Annalynn Hill met up with William one day in a market to discuss her state. As soon as Dr. Hill heard how bad she was, she rushed to their home to try and treat her. William's mother, Angela, was sitting in her bed with a wet cloth on her head. Dr. Hill ran over and quickly checked her temperature. It was 108°F. Angela was very sick with influenza. Dr. Hill had dealt with this illness many times before, good thing too, because many doctors can't treat it. But Dr. Hill got out her medicine and a glass of water and helped Angela take her pills. After two hours Angela was already feeling better but to get her back to her original state she had to take these pills every day. And these pills were spendy.
Good thing William stole that gold from that plantation.
Once William went to pay Annalynn Hill saw the gold in the cupboard and put it all together.
"You thief!" she yelled.
William didn't know what to say.
He was shocked she even knew about the stolen gold.
"That's Josh's gold," the doctor said.
"What? How do you know about that?" asked William.
"Josh is my brother and we have been searching for that gold for weeks!" answered the doctor.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I only took it because I need money to pay for a cure for my dear mother!" apologized William.
"Wait, what? You stole it and were going to pay me with my family's gold?!" yelled Annalynn Hill.
"Yes, I'm sorry; I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry!"
"Okay, I'll make you a deal! If you return the gold, you're off the hook."
To be continued…
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