Golden Spike by Robert Lee Murphy

Author:Robert Lee Murphy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gale, Cengage Learning
Published: 2017-10-19T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 31

Jenny and Will stood on the boardwalk in front of the Wells Fargo station. She clung to Will’s arm as they observed her father giving final instructions to Franz Iversen, the station’s stockman.

Franz looked down at his boss from his horse. He held lead ropes to a string of five other horses that trailed behind him down the street in front of the station. Duncan, Jenny’s younger brother, sat mounted on a horse behind Franz’s string, leading five other horses. Jenny’s father had received orders to send the two six-horse teams to Salt Lake City and close the Echo City station.

“Franz,” Jenny’s father said, “after you turn these horses over to the stationmaster in Salt Lake City, you and Duncan catch a ride on the coach to Ogden. It might be tomorrow before you can hitch a ride, so use the money I gave you to find yourselves a hotel room for the night. We’ll expect to see you in Ogden no later than tomorrow evening.”

“Sure thing, Mr. McNabb,” Franz said.

“Duncan,” Jenny’s father said, “you listen to Franz. You haven’t been over the Wasatch Range yet. It’ll be a long, hard ride, but I have confidence you can do it.”

“Yes, Pa.”

“All right, Franz, on your way.”

“Giddup,” Franz flicked the reins of his horse and headed north down the main street toward Weber where they would turn west to cross the mountains into the Mormon’s capital city.

“Good luck, Duncan.” Jenny grinned up at her ten-year-old brother as he rode past her. “Don’t fall off.”

Duncan shook his head, but grinned. “I’m not going to fall off.” He kicked his heels into his horse’s flanks and led his string down the road behind Franz.

Jenny, Will, and her father watched until the horses passed beyond the end of Echo City.

“Papa,” Jenny said. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to go over to Abrams General Store to see if he has a dress and a bonnet. I washed and patched this dress, but I’d like to have something nicer to wear for the festivities in Ogden. Will says he’ll walk over with me.”

“Go right ahead. I’ll finish packing up the office records. Everything else is already over at the depot for loading on the train. Meet me there in an hour.”

“Yes, Papa.”

“You’re going to Ogden too, Will?” Jenny’s father asked.

“Yes, sir. My uncle, Homer, and I are headed there to help Mr. Reed with the construction of the new yards.”

“That was quite some gesture on the part of Brigham Young to donate all that bottom land to the railroad for the yards. I expect some of those farmers weren’t too happy about being forced to sell their parcels though.”

“Uncle Sean says Mr. Young wanted to control the situation and not let the land speculators, like Mortimer Kavanagh, mess things up.”

“That makes sense.”

“Come on, Will.” Jenny shifted her reticule to her right hand, linked her left with Will’s right arm, and the two of them stepped off the boardwalk into the dirt road.

“Those moccasins feel better than regular shoes?” Will asked.

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