Part I
September 1866
Chapter I
I can remember
the day as if it had happened only yesterday. But let me go back a
little further before it happened and tell you of my life. I was the
son of a simple farmer living in the upstate of South Carolina. I had
two siblings, a brother and a sister. My mother had died giving
birth to me and my father always seemed to hold resentment towards me
for this. My brother and sister seemed to love me but I always felt
that they to were angry at me. So most of the time I kept to myself
and always tried to do as I was told. In early September I rose from
my bed before the sun was up, which was unusual for me. I almost
always was up right as the sun broke over the horizon, because my
window faced due east. Their was a break in the tree line that caused
the light to hit me directly in the face each and every morning. But
this morning was different I awoke and could hear father in the
kitchen, but I couldn't tell what it was he was doing. I wiped the
sleep from my eyes with my hand and started for the kitchen.
“Good
morning father”, I started to say, “Vincent what have you done
with the long rifle I don't know how many times I have told to to but
things back where you got them from” my father shouted.
“ I have
not touched the rifle since I went hunting with George last week” I
exclaimed.
George was my
one and only friend and sometimes we would go hunting or just use
that as an excused so my father would let me out of chores for that
day.
“ Here
father, I had taken the rifle last night I thought I heard something
out in the cattle field.” I turned to see Joseph standing behind me
with the single shot rifle in his hand.
“ So were
you able to kill the wild dogs?” my father asked with a worried
look on his face.
“No father I
heard the cows running around the field and when out to check on them
but didn't see anything I figured they had just spooked themselves. I
walked the fence line and never heard or saw anything.” Joesph
said.
“Well you
shouldn't have given up so fast because we have a dead cow in the
field that had been taken down by the throat.” yelled father, “Take
Vincent and drag it into the woods we can't have that rotting thing
around the other cows.
“Yes sir”
Joesph sighed.
I went to my
room and put on some leather work pants and a plain white shirt and
headed toward the barn with Joesph. I of course did most of the work
saddling up the horse and finding the strongest rope while Joesph
stood at the door shouting orders. Joseph rode the horse while I
followed far behind with the heavy rope over my shoulder. Once in the
field it was easy to find the 500lb cow laying motionless half way
down a gentle slopping hill. While it was still early in the day and
the sun just over the horizon it had to be 80 degrees already,
“That's just how it is in the south” I could remember my
grandfather saying. Joesph was already at the cow off of the horse
and inspecting the dead cow's wounds.
“I must have
scared the damned thing off last night it hasn't been touched except
for the wound on its neck.” boasted Joesph.
I bent down to
inspect for myself and he was right except for two small holes on
it's neck it looked as healthy as could be. This didn't look like any
dog bite I had every seen but again I am only 17 and haven't lived a
long life. So I kept my thoughts to myself and began to tie the rope
around the neck of the cow, then onto the harness that I had put on
the horse.
“Hurry up I
have places to go today!” Joseph shouted from the horse.
“If you
would get you fat ass down here and help me we would be done by now.”
I sighed under my breath.
“What was
that? You need to speak up boy.” said Joesph.
“Sorry I
said it's tied you can go now” I said.
Joesph kicked
the horse and she started to pull. It was nothing for the horse to
pull the dead cow the 200 yards outside of the fence and into the
woods. When we got back to the barn Joesph jumped off the horse and
walked back up to the house, leaving me to get the hours back into
her stall. I was used to not having any help with my chores or help
with anything really. As long as I can remember I have had to do
everything on my own will little or no help from anyone. My sister
Mary was not as harsh as my brother and father but she usually would
only tend to my wounds or consul me when I was upset. Other than that
she spent most of her time in town with her fiance, going to shows or
other fancy things that I would probably never get to seen in my
life.
I finished
with the horse and felt a slight pain in my stomach and then and
gurgling sound. I realized I had been up for almost 3 hours and not
had a chance to eat anything, so I made my way back up to the house
enjoying the cool breeze. Once I reached the top of the hill I could
smell bacon and instantly quickened my pace. Inside Mary was doing
some dished in the was tub father was reading the news paper where I
could read on the front “Pack of Wild Dogs Terrorize Upstate”.
Joesph was in his room or as least I assumed he was. I looked at the
stove and saw one piece of bacon and a small chunk of ham in a
skillet. I grabbed them up slapped them between 2 pieces of bread and
ate it in record time.
I then went up
to my room because on the paper I had seen the date said it was
Sunday and not even father would make us work on Sunday. Up in my
room I sat on my bed which was straw wrapped in a thin sheet of
cotton it wasn't the softest bed I had sat on but I had gotten used
to it in my 17 years and didn't even notice it anymore really. I bent
over the side of the bed and fumbled around underneath and felt a
small book. I grabbed it and laid back against the wall. This was a
spelling book they gave children when they went to school. Father
hadn't let me go to school because he said my life was on the farm
and nothing they could teach me in school would help me milk or
slaughter cows. But George had been allowed to go until his father, a
shoemaker, had died from an infection. So when he quit I asked if I
could have one of his book and he gladly handed it over. He was
supposed to return the book but he didn't see the harm in giving it
to someone who would actually enjoy it. I read the book sounding out
the letters of the words for about an hour when I looked out my
window and saw Mary and Joesph riding in the carriage on the road
towards town.
My small bacon
and ham sandwich had all but run out so I decided to make my down
from my room up in the attic and to the kitchen for something to eat.
At the bottom of the ladder I could see father sitting in front of
the fire place with a bottle of brown liquid on the small table
beside him. He was sharping his hunting knife that he carried with
him everywhere, he told me a story one time after he had drank almost
a whole bottle he had killed a man with his knife before. I wasn't
sure If I believed him but I never let him know that. Trying to be
quiet I slowly made my way into the kitchen and found a jar of beef
jerky on the table. I opened it up and pulled 3 pieces from it then
made my way back to my room.
“Hey boy”
my father shouted out to me “Joe and Mary will be out all night at
some ball or something I don't remember, but anyway I want you to
watch the cattle tonight we can't afford to lose anymore. The rifle
is by the door don't forget to take ammo.”
“Yes father
I won't” I said.
Since I knew I
would have to be up all night in that stinking field all night I
took me a nap, but only slept a couple of hours. I spent the rest of
the afternoon dozing and reading my book. Right as the sun was
sinking below the horizon I strapped on my boots and headed down the
ladder. Father was snoring loudly in front of the fire with his knife
on the floor and the empty bottle in his hand. I picked up the rifle
and went over to the cabinet were we kept the ammo pouch slung it
over my shoulder and headed for the pasture.
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