Coffee and grub

[Tensleep]

Sleep, I'm mostly retired.  Only take up things that interest me.  Arcey isn't going to be sneak up and back shoot me is he?

Annie I'll have a couple of them cackle berries.  Go easy on the taters...got to watch them things.


Will Ketchum

Naw Will........ Arcey ain't in that game. He mostly is helpin' me an' Cajun Saddle Tramp build churchs an' schools for widder wimmen an' orphans.
Onlyest time we fights now is when thet no good imitation lawdawg Cajun Sheriff steals from tha widders or trys to corrupt tha orphan gals.
 

You know me an' Arcey, we is peaceable, honest ol' punchers.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Afternoon! Yep, it's all my fault. I kept Del up really late. Do like a good detective story though, and my family histery is gonna be a good'un. Not much in records left so we gots to do a lotta scratchin'. Believe Del's right, we did find the mising town of Watson, Nebrassky. Nothin' left but some colored squares an' rectangles and maybe a farm house er twa. The town of Niobrara also picked up and moved as well. Might be getting in to a RR bond scam as well! Might have to keep the smokewagons loaded and handy! While Del was burnin' the oil lookin' at maps , I was visiting Fremont, Mich.. Talked to one of the locals, nice lady by the name of Sandy, she went through some records fer me and may have found my GGF's  restin' place. Year an' initials match, but there weren't a month day listed. so's I gotta telegraph the City Hall Monday an' see if'n they's got some more info fer the cemetary that they's responsible fer. So, there's two states down and about three more involved yet. Next on the list is the Old Dominion. I've dragged Miz Annie inta this and 'Sleep if'n you've got any input, I'd 'preciate it. Lookin' for any evidence of a town called Caroline in the Lancaster Co. area. Already know about Carioline Co. there, but have to pursue this some before I give'r up. Lookin' at the CW era here, family was in that county, we believe. May still have some distant relations there as a matter of fact. The three Bros. that I have distinct knowledge of started there. There were more brothers and a couple sisters also. Probably a farm family. The three went west and by 1876-89 were in Mich., Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota . One, my GGF, was dead by 1884. Sad tale, we believe the demon rum got him. Spent a lot of time away from GGM, and left a seven yr. old son fer his widder to raise on her own. Eventually the widder made her way back to Nebrasky to the family farm. I have copies of two old letters from the two remaining brothers to her dated 1884 and 1889. The earlier one is from Fremont, Mich., written about two months after GGF passed, and the latter is from St. Paul, Minn. One from each brother and the '89 letter says that both of them are staying together, both are married. Makes mention of items that their parents have for her. gettin' long here, I'll quit.............Buck

[Forty Rod]

Sorry I'm late...been tradin' down the trail a piece.

Got spuds, onions, eggs,gravy dust (what you citified folks call flour), black peppers, green peppers, red peppers, holly penyos, some tomaters, fresh honey, and some new bacon.

Tradin' was good.  Can we use this yet today, or do you wanna save somethin' for tomorrow?

Whew!  I'm glad somebody else but me is cookin'.  Mine ain't fit for rats or 'possums.

Anybody got anything ot trade?  I got yard goods, needles, pins, yarn, knives, medicines, mirrors, an' a bicycle.  Have furs, hides, rawhide, tacks, buckles, beads, and all manner of fooferaw.  Rivets, some powerful home brewed apple squeezin's, parched corn, books, tobacco, and writin' paper.  Got one ax left and four shovels, a hoe orr two, whetstones, files in many sizes, women's shoes, antlers, horns, and a harmonica.
 

[Advertising]

[Tensleep]

Forty, let's us fix some taters an' onions to go with that bacon side meat an' aigs....

I got coffee boilin' an' we kin make gravy for what punchers wants it to go on tha biscuits.

Figger tradin' will start after grub..........

What'cha ya want for tha harmonica?

I got spur leathers an' some Virginny 'shine fer trade.

[Forty Rod]

I got six fresh hen's eggs in that mouth organ.

Make an offer.  I got no use fot the 'mountain mule', but them leahters and some boot to make up the difference...?

I figure an egg is worth about a buck right now, 'specially around the mines.

[Tensleep]

I kin give ya two pair o' leathers an' ah poke o' Arbuckles awready ground up....

[Forty Rod]

Done.

Now, about them other thangs I got. 

I picked up some right fair spur straps, too.

Make me an offer.

[Joyce (AnnieLee)]

I've an interest in the honey, books if they are recent, and the writing paper. I've got some canned jam and chicken soup for trade, how much do you want? And is there any chance you have some ink or nibs in there?

AnnieLee

[Delmonico]

Nibs? I ain't had any "Licorice Nibs" in years, why do you want "Licorice Nibs" you don't like licorice!

Used ta have a store hear in Lincoln that had Licorce Babies in bulk.  They closed 'bout 4 years ago though, can't get no Licorice Babies no more, I think they ain't PC.   I did get me a case of Beeman Gum, gonna get another case soon.  Yes a real case of display packs, not a display pack.   The oldest gum still bein' made, dates back to the late 19th century.   

Is that one a dem new-fangled bicycles with both wheels the same size.  Me and gopher Grease skeered a couple that had them new-fangled things a couple a years ago at Rock Creek Station.  We didn't mean to scare them we just had niver seen such a thing before.

[Joyce (AnnieLee)]

<Turns around to see Delmonico running off at the mouth and hits him with her hat>

Writing nibs. Criminy. The things you put on the end of a pen. But you are right about the Beeman gum, it was the first flavored gum commercially available.

AnnieLee

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Caligraphy, Annie? .....................Buck

[Delmonico]

But licorice nips taste better and how comes ya never whack Buck?

[Joyce (AnnieLee)]

Caligraphy, Annie? .....................Buck

<Thwacks him with her hat just to keep poor, sick Del happy, then whispers>

It's pretend, Buck, and back then, nibs were used for writing. They didn't have ball point pens.

AnnieLee

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Oh, great! I get to be Del's whipping boy/scapegoat annie, My ex was in Comm. Art in school and that's the type of pens they used. If he doesn't have any nibs, you can always sharpen some large type feathers( quills) and use those in a pinch...............Buck

[Forty Rod]

Two bottles of black ink left, one of red.  Six brass nibs, two steel, and one silver.  Four or five hardwood pens without nibs.  I have one very pretty pen made out of ivory, all carved and delicate.  How much paper do you want?  Comes twenty five sheets to the envelope, 6" x 7 1/2" size.  Figure what you need and make your offer.


No licorice Nibs, but I've got a bit over a pound of licorice in 6" sticks.  Also have two pounds of penny candy in peppermint, less than a pound in lemon.

Anybody got bread-and-butter pickles? 

I have a woman in Saint George looking for a quilt.  She's offering a riding suit for a lady in light green, sized for a slender woman about 5'3" tall...everything but shoes. 

I could use two dozen tin cones for a Shoshone girl's wedding dress...need those in about a week if I'm to get them to her on time.  She gave me a pair of very nice red fox pelts for them.

[Delmonico]

Don't need no fox pelts, if'n I did I'd set some traps, there's fox all over this dern town, see em out drivin' at night.

<Whisper on: Trade Annie out a that dern fryin' pan afore she kills on a us with it.  She's been good to me and just uses her hat since she found out how bad I did hurt my self, but she'll be back to that dern fryin' pan soon.  And I'll be out a codine by then.>

[Tensleep]

As the trading goes on Tensleep builds up the fire and makes two new pots of coffee.

What'll it be for breakfast folks?

[Joyce (AnnieLee)]

Morning, 'Sleep, thanks for the coffee.

<She takes a cup and paces, considering her offer>

May I have a look at the ivory pen, please?

[Four-Eyed Buck]

any pancakes this mornin', Sleep? coffee's good, thanks............Buck

[Delmonico]

Just coffee please.  Forty Rod, don't sell or trade that pen to her, I'm skeeered to think what she might do with it.