The Hickok Farm
Rush, Pennsylvania
Winter’s End, 1863
David threw open the door to the front yard and sniffed the still chilly air. The wagon was piled high with crates and boxes of things his grandmother could not bear to leave behind. Smiling to himself he recalled his arrival home last fall. She’d met him at the door as if he’d never left and once he was seated at the table with dinner in front of him she’d begun explaining her plans to move west. “I’ve decided we should hunt up your father. It’s about time he remembered he has a mother who needs to know what mischief he has managed to get himself into. Some of the others are ready to accompany us and Justus is more than willing to take over the farm here.
“I know, I know,” she’d paused, “you are concerned about Asa and Thomas. Well, I’m not getting any younger and who knows when this awful business about preserving the Union will be over. When they come home they can decide for themselves whether they want to stay on here or follow us west. You know well as I do that both of them will be grown men by then. I think they can make up their minds without our help, don’t you?”
From her familiar determined tone of voice David knew there would be no use arguing. “Whatever you think is best, Granny,” he’d answered resigning himself to help her do whatever she had in mind.
“Of course,” she’d surprised him by adding, “this is not a very good time to set out for anywhere and you do need to recover from your wound and all those terrible experiences. Spring will be soon enough, I should think and we will be able to prepare properly. I’ve had this in mind ever since hearing about that Homestead Act. It’s just perfect for us, you and I, together,” she grinned, her eyes twinkling, “I know we can do it! It will be a grand adventure and I’m delighted that God has spared you to come with me.”
Now the winter had passed peaceably enough and as the first hint of red in the upper branches of the maples appeared she’d announced one morning at breakfast that “the time for leaving has arrived,” He’d come in from the barn and noticed her usual placid demeanor had changed. She seemed edgy and he smiled. The perennial pain in his shoulder seemed sharper that morning, but flexing it while kneading the stiff muscle with his fingers, David tried to dispel the moment of uncertainty. Did his intrepid grandmother really understand the magnitude of their undertaking? Traveling through Pennsylvania’s “Endless Mountains” as folks were beginning to label them would be a difficult journey for young and fit pioneers. Could he, with a bad arm and an elderly woman, truly manage to successfully traverse all those rutted and probably, more often than not, muddy miles?
“Well,” he told himself, “we are not going alone and she is obviously not to be dissuaded so we might just as well climb aboard and get started.”
Over the past few days he’d begun to realize she had been preparing for this day all winter long. All she wished to bring was packed and ready to be loaded and from what he could tell she’d made her peace with leaving this place she’d called home for many years.
The rattle of wagon wheels and clip clop of the horses’ hooves drew his attention. Those of the family who were to accompany them were coming up the road. Quickly taking one last glance around David went to collect Betsey from the parlor who he realized was suddenly looking a little uncertain herself.
“You wanting to change your mind, Granny?” He smiled and pretended not to see the teardrops glistening behind the hankie she was waving in front of her face.
“Of course not!” She firmed her chin and purposely stood with her bonnet in hand. Looking in the hall mirror she donned it carefully, adjusting it just so and tied the ribbons with those dexterous fingers he’d marveled at since he was a boy. How many pie crusts and biscuits had those hands rolled out and all the other things like mending torn britches, and soothing fevered brows…he found himself choking up at the thought of leaving all that was familiar, so very dear to them both. She offered her hand to him and nodded. “Let’s go,” she whispered, “wondrous things await us.”
His uncles, Thaddeus and John, with their wives and families were grouped on the front lawn anxious to be on their way.
`David paused in the doorway suddenly aware of how small the group was to be. He wondered yet again where his brothers Asa and Thomas were this morning and felt a frisson of fear in his stomach as he wondered how they would feel to come home and find them gone.
Granny’s hand was on his arm and he looked down at her to see the determination in her eyes. “All will be well,” she whispered. Let’s do this!”
David inhaled deeply and handed her up into the wagon.
Those not going cheered and waved enthusiastically when the little convoy finally started down the road. From what he could observe it wasn’t just the women who had tears in their eyes. Again he wondered it this wasn’t some sort of huge mistake. He really didn’t know whether he was anxious to meet the father he hardly remembered after all these years, but if Granny had her heart set he would do his best to get her there safely.
To his great surprise, when they reached the main road Granny directed him to head for Wilkes Barre. “Wilkes Barre?” he exclaimed, “that’s a bit out of our way don’t you think?”
“Just do it,” she smiled. “I’ve been thinking it over and decided it made no sense to haul these wagons with all this stuff over six hundred miles or so when we can sit comfortably on the train and load most of this baggage into the freight car that just rides along behind us. It will be much easier and a lot safer. You must agree with that,”
“Well, yes, of course, I agree with that, but can we afford it?”
She smiled again and patted her purse, “you just let me worry about that. Your grandfather did not leave me destitute my boy, and your Uncle Justus was more than willing to pay me a fair price for the farm.” She patted his hand. “You didn’t really think I expected you to drive a team all that long way with your poor arm, now did you?”
David’s eyes glistened dangerously and pulling his handkerchief from his pocket he wiped his face. “You might have told me sooner,” he groused more pleased than he wanted to admit.
Betsey laughed merrily, delighted with herself. “It was a surprise,” she chortled. “Everyone knew but you!”
When their little convoy reached the depot it took some time getting their trunks on board and the wagons and horses loaded but finally the men had it all figured out. The women gratefully settled in their seats with the excited children and the little group was under way at last. David sank into the rough-textured cushions with a long sigh. Granny was happily chattering away with her unmarried daughter, Esther, as the others were arranging themselves for the journey. He eyed them all with tolerant bemusement realizing they had known they would be traveling by train and seemed to be well-prepared. He examined his calloused hands ruefully. If I’d known I wasn’t going to have to drive all that way I might have done a few things differently, but I’m not one to look a gift horse in the face. Loosening his collar and unbuttoning his vest he attempted to make himself more comfortable.
“Michigan,” he muttered. “I’m not even sure I know where or how far Michigan is much less what to expect when we get there. The view through his sooty window did not encourage him. The rocky defile through which the train was traveling seemed impossibly narrow and appeared likely to go on forever. Closing his eyes the weary soldier attempted to block out the excited voices surrounding him. Thank God for Uncle Thaddeus, he thought. I never would have managed all that business with the freight manager getting the horses and wagons loaded not to mention the amount of baggage these women seemed to feel they must bring along. His mind boggled at the number of trunks and dressers they had insisted were absolute necessities.
A long, lonesome-sounding whistle interrupted his thoughts. His stomach clenched as a shiver of anxiety rippled through his body. The shoulder wound throbbed. David felt someone slide into the seat beside him and he flinched. “Here,” the soft voice said, “it’s coffee and it’s hot. It will make you feel better.’ He peered at his hand as the weight of the warm cup roused him for the moment.
Thaddeus’ wife, Sallie, smiled. “It is all a bit overwhelming, isn’t it? I must confess I’m a bit frightened. Things are happening so fast.”
David sipped silently but nodded his head in agreement. “Thanks for the coffee,” he finally managed to say. “It feels sort of like the way it was in the Army, nothing to do but stand by and wait for orders and then have to hurry to keep up when something finally did happen. Try not to worry, Sallie. Whatever is going to happen will happen soon enough, so better rest while you can.”
Somewhere a child squealed. Sallie sighed and rose quickly to attend to it. The whistle shrieked for every path that crossed the track as the train thundered through the fields and woodlands of the countryside. The thick pall of black smoke cloaking the cars sifted into the open windows causing the women to beg the men to close them. David felt himself growing drowsy as his breathing began to match the rhythm of the wheels. The view from the speckled windows seemed never to change as the miles clicked by like an endless stream. The throbbing in his shoulder slowly subsided into a dull ache and David shifted his weight, set the empty coffee cup aside and let the motion soak into his body.
As night fell and the rattle and swaying of the cars lulled most everyone else into a restless slumber, David eased himself from his seat and went looking for a place to stretch his legs and rub his stiffened shoulder. The women had bedded down the smaller children wherever there was space and the older ones, along with the adults, sought out whatever comfort they could find. Food had been distributed through the cars by porters but it was rudimentary at best. “Camping out with our wagons might have been a better idea after all,” the ex-military man muttered to himself while eyeing the array of curled up or sprawling bodies in the dimly flickering light.
Another long, searing cry of the whistle echoed from the surrounding hills. A sudden tug at his heart brought tears to his eyes and he held his breath wondering just where in all that darkness his younger brothers might be. He still flinched at sudden noises and couldn’t help but reach for the weapon he no longer carried when memories of the evil that lurked in shadowy forests and fields surfaced in his tormented brain. The thought of Asa, Thomas and all the others huddled in their meager blankets waiting for what the dawn might bring gnawed at his gut. “Damn,” he whispered, “I need a smoke or maybe a drink, but this is no place for that.”
The train rounded a bend throwing him off balance for a moment. Catching himself he noticed someone was watching him from the passageway between the cars. The bulky figure stepped into the dim light, blocking David’s way back into the car.
“Feelin’ poorly?” a voice rasped.
David grunted a response but was in no mood for small talk. “Just needed a breath of air,” he murmured moving toward the opening.
“You’ll pardon my askin’?” the man said with an unpleasant accusatory tone. “You look to be a healthy sort, of military age I’d say. Seems to me with all this talk of conscription these days a strappin’ young fellow like you should be joinin’ up not headin’ in the opposite direction.”
David stubbed out what was left of his cigarette and squared his shoulders. “Don’t see that’s any of your business one way or the other,” he answered curtly.
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that, sonny. What’s your problem? Skeered?” He chuckled and spread his arms across the entry daring David to push him aside.
Gritting his teeth the ex-cavalry man moved closer to his tormentor determined to ignore the taunts. Without warning the man shoved his fist into David’s shoulder with a snarl. “Coward!” He muttered. “Good men fighting’ and dyin” everyday and here you are all plump and pretty traveling with your passel of fine ladies, children and old men.”
Dizzy from the pain, David lunged forward just as the man moved aside. Stumbling and sure he was about to fall from the swaying platform, he clutched at the older man’s coat and hung on. The two struggled for a long minute until David became aware of his grandmother’s voice berating his assailant.
“Watch your mouth, you son of the devil! That man you’re insulting is a bona fide wounded hero of the battle of Perrysville!” She swung her arm swatting the insolent pest on the head with her heavy purse. The other women were right behind her and with a flurry of skirts and shawls created a fine melee. The conductor was now on the scene and order was restored by the time David’s uncles and cousins arrived.
Betsy, clucking and making noises that, if he didn’t know better, sounded very much like curses, helped him to his seat and produced a flask from somewhere. “Here,” she said, “have a swallow, for medicinal purposes, of course.” She poured a dram and handed him the cup before returning to her seat to smooth down her ruffled feathers.
David watched to see if she had a nip herself but couldn’t tell. He sighed and settled back attempting to ignore the half-hidden grins of the other men in the car. His own lips twitching, he wasn’t all that sure whether he wanted to laugh or cry. Women! God bless ‘em.
Fishing his handkerchief from his back pocket he blew his nose.