Novel Description Book 3
English version: Feb 15th, 2025
Book 3 - Heaven and Hell
Published at: Harcourt Brance Jovanovich, 1987, 800 pages, today's ISBN 0-451-20083-7
(Cover 1st U.S. edition, 25th (todays) U.S. edition)
Contents
Book 3 - Heaven and Hell
Prologue: The Great Parade 1865
Book One: In Hopeless Situation (Kap. 1 - 12)
Book Two: A Winter's Result (Kap. 13 - 23)
Book Three: Banditi (Kap. 24 - 38)
Book Four: The Year Of The Grasshopper (Kap. 39 - 47)
Book Five: Washita (Kap. 48 - 55)
Book Six: The Path To Eternal Hunting Grounds (Kap. 56 - 65)
Book Seven: Crossing The Jordan (Kap. 66 - 73)
Epilogue: The Parade Ground 1883
Book 3 - Heaven and Hell
Prologue: The Great Parade 1865
On May 23rd, 1865 George Hazard (41) prepares himself for
the great victory parade. He is in Washington with Constance, William III. (16)
and Patricia (15), using the same hotel suite as Billy and Brett. His sister
Virgilia doesn't count as family anymore despite being in Washington these days
as well. And his elder brother Stanley has made a lot of money by war profits
but increasingly falls victim to alcohol. Billy seeks resignation from the
military to move to California with his pregnant wife Brett and try his luck as
a realestate ingenieur. He also is looking to escape the haunting images of the
battlefields.
From the befriended family Main, George's best friend Orry
was killed and Charles has fled to the West to forget about the war. Ashton
also is somewhere in the West, Cooper has lost his son and leaves it for Orry's
widow Madeline to rebuilt the plantation. George has grantet her a 40,000
Dollar loan that has nearly been exhausted for taxes and interrests and to keep
the treasury agents satisfied, but Madeline hasn't asked for additional money
yet.
At the parade, with Billy taking part near the end, units of
General Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Potomac will be passing the stage with
President Andrew Johnson and Grant, starting with General George Meade, Wesley
Merritt (in for Phil Sheridan who is on his way to the Gulf of Mexico) and
George Armstrong Custer. George visits olderly democratic politician Thaddeus
Stevens but is disappointed on the conversation with Stevens rising radical
demands of revenge against the South.
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Book One: In Hopeless Situation
Chapter 1
Charles Main (29) is
haunted by nightmares and cannot forget on Augusta, while his son Gus is sleeping
in the adjecting room, watched after by Brevet Brigadier Jack Duncan's nammy
Maureen (Duncan was reverted to Captain after the war but may still demand to
be addressed as General). Charles wants to enter the U.S. army in the west
because he fondly remembers his service in Texas. Because many regiments are
being dissolved these times, Duncan advises to sign up as a private to the
cavalry and to hide his real status as a West Point graduate.
Charles uses the Name
Charles May to muster in, is instantly recognized to be a Southerner, but is
accepted nontheless. He parts with Duncan and takes a train to the West.
Madeline starts writing a
journal as a form of conversation with Orry. Her blood heritage has been made
public, but out of respect to Orry people don't speak on it to her. From 70,000
men out of South Carolina, 20,000 didn't return, but 200,000 freed homeless
negros are roaming around. Madeline works together with Andy and Jame, now
married and using "Sherman" as their family name, in small rice patches.
Madeline lives in a wooden house at the river, while Andy and Jane are working
on their own house.
Wade Hampton, still a
former unpardoned general, who has lost a brother, a son, two plantations and
3,000 workers, visits Mont Royal to look after Madeline. She tells him that the
plantation now is Cooper's property, but she may stay and manage it as long as
she provides for the mortgage interrests. Hampton offers shelter on his
burned-down plantation of the situation in South Carolina, expecially concerning
the marauding outlaws, gets untenable.
Chapter 2
Young actress Willa Parker
(19) and activist in several causes is employed at the New York theater of
spirited but often drunk Claudis Wood. After a rehersal, he psysically
harrasses her that she has to stab him into the leg with a prop saber and then
runs out.
Chapter 3
Cooper (45) takes a break
from his work to rebuild the Carolina Shipping Company and visits the lawyer
Trezevant in burned-down Columbia. This man has connections to his collegue Jasper
Dills in Washington, who will present affidavits by former Confederates to the
President for speeding up the issue of pardons. Copper has to pay 250 Dollars
for this.
In riding home, Cooper,
still a Southerner by heart and seeing negroes as second grade humans, has to
fight his anger on the senseless destruction of land and structures by Sherman,
while is is being harrassed by Blacks several times.
Desmond LaMotte,
old-school dancing instructor from Charleston, the sole surviver out of Captain
Ferris Brixham's Palmetto Rifles, has learned on his return that his wife has
died on pneumonia and that the entire LaMotte family has been disgraced by a
neighboring family. Now, he moves around in South Carolina with his old servant
whom he tricked into a life-long servitude, and leeds his hatred on all the
Yankees and on those who caused the shame. When by chance meeting Cooper in the
swamps, he instanly takes a hostile posture to him as member of the Main family
and utters threads against him and Madeline.
Chapter 4
Willa Parkers flees her
boarding room to her associate Edwin "Eddie" Booth, actor and brother
of Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth. Edwin learns that Wood has invoked a
search warrant on Willa, and he helps her to escape to St. Louis to see legendary
actor and theater manager Samuel Horatio Trump. There, Willa notices Trump's
theater being well filled, but that it doesn't make profits due to Trumps
addiction to alcohol. When Trump assigns her to run it, she reduces him on a
"salary".
Madeline writes that
Cooper has warned her on the fanatic Desmond LaMotte. The small store run by
the Gettys brothers doesn't sell anything to her citing her heritage.
Chapter 5
In need of money, Ashton
serves as a whore in the Santa Fe brothel of Rosa Vasquez-Reilly. She uses the
name Senora Brett and doesn't see her als Mrs. Huntoon any longer but as a
Main. She still hopes to recover the gold from the crashed waggons in the
desert on which location only the scout can tell if he were to be still alive.
There, a audacious man
called Banquo Collins is guest of the cantina and offers drinks for all. Ashton
identifies him as the scout of the gold shipment. She takes him to her room and
claims to now be the owner of the Virginia City mine. Before sleeping with her,
Collins agrees to take her there for getting even more from it, but disappears
afterwards.
Madeline sees Leverett
Dawkins in Charleston, who has rised a bank on war profits and is ready to take
over the 600,000 Dollar mortgage on Mont Royal from the Atlanta bank. But he
refuses to invest in a steam sawmill. Then, Madeline looks for a teacher to
work in her school for the Mont Royal negroes and pays a visit to Cooper and
Judith. Cooper visibly detests her plans on the school.
Two weeks later, she
receives the news that the Society On Supporting Freed Negro Slaves will send
school teacher Prudence Chaffee.
Chapter 6
In Jefferson Barracks, MO,
south of St. Louis, Charles serves in training cavalry recruits. He takes great
efforts to hide his West Point education. A new instructor, Corporal Hans
Hazen, increasingly harrasses Charles for being a liar.
Four weeks later, he
instantly is transferred to Fort Leavenworth, KS and on to the 6th U.S. Cavalry
in Northern Texas. Shortly before his departure, Charles is confronted by
Captain Henry Venable, who uncovers him in front of comrades and a civilian as
a West Point graduate and addresses him with his real name, since he is still
angry on Charles who has reported him twice as having been a cadet two years
under him. Venable provokes Charles and starts an unfairly brawl that the
rawhide clad civilian stopps at the last minute. The man, about 50 years of
age, with a seemingly disturbed boy and a big dog, carry Charles out from the
camp.
Madeline writes that they
started working on the sawmill to make some money from the logs available, and
has engaged to more negroes for that. She hands over a plot of land to every
worker for personal use. Meanwhile, fraudsters try to trick good faith Blacks,
but local Whites as well oftenly are stripped of everything over small things
by fraudulent government officials.
Stanley Hazard, sub head
of the Freedmen's Bureau, gets an appointment with the President and presents a
report citing that in South Carolina they are selling painted border poles with
fraudulent promises to negroes. Contrary to Stanley's assertion, President
Johnson blames Stanley's office of having issued the underlying promise on 40
acres of land being distributed from former secessionists.
Stanley increasingly takes
turn to the bottle to ease his desperation. His sons Laban and Levi (18) const
him a lot of money on lawyers, bribed judges, pregnant girls and the admission
to colleges at Yale and Dartmouth. His wife Isabel still is ambitious to the
level of sickness but rapidly looses social standing in Washington. The shoe
factory in Lynn they had made vast profits during the war now is for sale with
Stanley not having any interrest on peacetime businesses. And his affair,
singer Jeannie Canary, has left him - maybe for a more potent lover.
Isabel reads from
Stanley's reports that the President would like to abolish his office, and she
thinks to invest into land in the South as a follow-up to the shoe factory. She
travels to Charleston, is picked up by Philo Trout at the harbor and taken to
an overland trip. But her plan of buying farmland us thwarded by the recent
flood that brought salt water into the fields. Then they find the Gettys
Brothers' closed-up store. Trout can bring her into the scheme to re-open it
and invest in new goods, sell them off on highly inflated prices, and offer
loans on harvest shares as interrests as an alternative. They agree to hire
former store owner Randall Gettys while Isabel as investore will not be
mentioned.
Gettys puts up the
Confederate battle flag in his re-opened store and calles it "The Dixie
Store". Mdaeline is confident that there must be more behind this changes.
Chapter 7
Billy and highly pregnant
Brett have paid a quick visit to Belvedere and depart for their return journey
to California. Constance reminds them that her father is residing in Los
Angeles as a father. On driving the carriage back to Belvedere through town he
own most of the houses, the depot hotel and the majority of the bank, he still
is reminded on the war, this time by maimed veterans hardly being 20 years of
age. As always, George asks them on their condition.
After the war's end,
George has transformed Hazard Iron to wrought iron and rails, considering the
chase for the transcontinental railroad line that had begun. His son William
starts at Yale, Patricia visits college in Bethlehem. But by his war
experiences, George often gets caught in melanchony.
Madeline writes that Miss
Prudence Chaffee (23) has arrived from Ohio. She is well educated despite being
from a farmer's family, but she also stands her ground in difficult situations.
Madeline quickly befriends herself with that pragmatic woman. Miss Chaffee
instantly helps in rising the school house. Madeline notices the ever rising
prices in Gettys' store. When mentioned, Gettys starts argueing against her
school.
Work starts in the newly
erected sawmill. Two strong men have to saw cypress logs by hand because there
is no money for steam power. As suggested by Prudence, Mdaeline goes with her
for service to the episcopal church of the district, but Father Lovewell
rejects her on grounds that colored may not have entry. Madeline keeps her
contenance, lays open her blood heritage to Prudence, and the teacher promises
to stay nonetheless.
Chapter 8
When Charles regains his
concious, he finds himself at the camp fire inside a tipi with the man in the
rawhide coat, the boy and the dog. The man, introducing himself as adolphus O.
Jackson alias "woodfoot", tells Charles that he is now searched as a
deserter. The dog is called Fen, short for Fenimore Cooper. With his nephew
Hershel, he calls "Boy", he runs a trading company, trasing goods for
horses with the Southern Cheyenne. He offers Charles to be part of his
dangerous work in wonderful nature. Charles accepts the offer. When he finds
out that a supposedly untameable horse simply has a festered tooth, he is fully
accepted by Jackson. He can keep the horse and calles it Satan.
Chapter 9
Charles and Jackson ride
in to St. Louis to buy supplies and goods, as well as winter clothes and
weapons for Charles. There he sees a building marked "Trump's St. Louis
Theater". A worker in front of that house mistreats his wagon horse so
badly that Charles interferres and battles the man down in a fist fight. Willa
Parker appears and brings him inside to get him washed up, and she introduces
him to Sam Trump. In her outright manner, she invites him for dinner for his
humanly deed.
Chapter 10
In his best clothes to
find for some borrowed Dollars, Charles enters the noble restaurant and is helped
by Willa with the menu. She tells him to be engaged for the Indians and he
tells her about the war, about Mont Royal and his son. On the wark after
dinner, they both promise to meet again in the spring, but he also tells her
that he fears a new engagement.
Madeline writes that
Cooper has received his pardon, but in contrast to Judith and Marie-Louise he
doesn't show up at Mont Royal anymore because of the school. Unknown men (the
negro Juba, instigated by Desmond LaMotte and Randall Gettys) sent Madeline a
picture of an ugly black woman which worker Lincoln identifies as whore and his
former mistress Nell Whitebird, and Madeline sees the warning against her.
Prudence starts to teach
workers Sim and Lydie's sons Pride (12) and Grant (10). The white girl Doris
Otil (15) from poor farmers us added. But the following night, the schoolhouse
is set to the torch by strangers and burns to the ground with Prudence's books.
Madeline shows the picture of the black whore to the her colored folks and
tells them on the reason of this cowardly deed, her blood heritage, but also
expresses her firm will to restart.
Ironically, the state of
South Carolina issues a new law for which only persons with more than
one-eighth of negro blood are considered as Blacks. Madeline is not included,
but that does not silence her enemies.
Chapter 11
In September of 1865,
Charles leaves behind a letter to Jack Duncan telling him the reasons on why he
will be off to the West for 6 months. Then he sets out with the Jackson Trading
Company and 12 packed mules, off into the endless wilderness.
Chapter 12
In Richmond, a former Confederate hospital is used as an assylum for the mentally insane. A patient there suffers from memory gaps. He only knows about his part in a treasonous scheme against Jefferson Davis and a deep fall into the James River. Having suffered bad injuries on head and body, he was able to crawl to the banks. After having survived by small ambushes, he found himself in that assylum. Besides that, he is oblivious to other memories as of places and names - even his own.
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Chapter 13
Charles is riding with Jackson
over open country, meets with friendly Indians, but also sees signs of
expanding civilization in the form of trecks of settlers, stage coaches and
railroad camps, all the while Jackson gives explanations on that. They learn,
that a great peace conference has begun at the Little Arkansas. Charles is
tought by "Woodfoot" Jackson in differend forms of survival that
could be needed with the Indians. He often exhausts himself so much that his
mind increasingly departs from the past.
Chapter 14
When Charles has to step
outside the tipi one morning, he watches a robber threatening Woodfoot and Boy.
He is able to kill that armed deserter, earning Woodfoot's admiration.
Early November, they meet
with some roaming and apparently hostile Arapahoe and nevertheless have a
peaceful conversation. They also talk about Cheyenne peace chief Miketavato
(Black Kettle), whose village Jackson is looking for. Charles constanly learns
and evaluate on the Indian's behavior. Two days later, they were confronted by
hotheaded war chief "Man-ready-for-war" ("Scar") and taken
to Black Kettle's village, who himself did non return from signing the peace
treaty yet.
Every small mishap pushes
Madeline behind in trying to earn some money. This time, a broken wagon axis
prevents delivering cut wood. Desmond LaMotte often appears in Gettys' store,
and two more "Dixie Stores" were opened in the vincinity. Madeline
asks herself, who would finance that.
Simon Cameron, former
Secretary of War and after some scheeming sent out as ambassador to Russia, has
returned in 1863. After failed to get foothold in politics again, he announces
a visit to his former supporter Stanley Hazard. Since Stanley is quite
intoxitated already, Cameron has no problems to receive 20,000 Dollars as a
donation. Stanley talks about his dissatisfaction under General Oliver Howard,
and Cameron offers to work for him again - but this time without Isabel.
Stanley formally declines for the moment, but then devises a plan to get rid of
Isabel and repay her for the disgrace she inflicted on him. He gets in contact
with lawyer Jasper Dills.
Chapter 15
Ashton is still a Santa Fe
whore, but is growing increasingly desperate. Finally, a customer of about 60
years enters and introduces himself as Willard P. Fenway, representative of the
Hochstein Piano company in Chicago. He books her for the entire night, but not
for bed service. Ashton takes him as sympatical and tells him her real name.
She gets him to erect his own business as a piano maker and gives him
instructions for the escape to the Virginia City mine as well, with the gold
therin the new enterprise would be financed.
Fenway gets two horses and
amunition for his old revolver. They sneak away over the back stairs but were
discovered. Having reached their horses already, to Fenway's astonishment,
Ashton shoots the senrora's brother-in-law in cold blood.
During Ashton and Fenway
being on the run, Senora Vasquez-Reilly depics the run-off whore and killer of
her brother-in-law to the territorial deputy marshall and Fort Marcy commandant.
Chapter 16
A new doctor pays
visitation in the Richmond assylum, questions that strange patient and gets
being attacked by that man. He finds to put that patient out to the street and
thus make room for cases of hope. Thereafter, the man strolls through downtown
Richmond, that was burned down during the Confederate retreat on April 3rd,
while slowly recovering his memories. He thinks on Orry Main and George Hazard
who he wants to track down. Before being brought to the assylum, he has learned
that Orry Main was killed in action. But he can expand revenge to his family
members, as to Charles Main whom he knows from Texas.
The the man unerringly
finds the spot where he has burried the oil painting in the dirt, and finally,
other names reappear in his mind, among them his own: Elkanah Bent. Thereafter,
the skinned-down and crippled on one foot Bent sets out again to take revenge
on the Main and Hazard families for the shame they inflicted on him.
Chapter 17
The members of the Jackson
Trading Company are escorted to Black Kettle's village by Scar and his
warriers. Some of their goods get lost on the way. At the village, Scar
announces to take all the goods and kill the Whites. Now, Woodfoot runs off
with Charles and Boy into the medicine man's lodge that even Scar has respect
of. Medicine man Small Bear enters his lodge and welcomes the arrivals
peacefully. He promises to feth their dog and weapons as well.
The next morning, Black
Kettle returns to the village, and Jackson and his people can move freely again.
After some days of stay, they are guests in Black Kettle's lodge. The chief
appoligizes for Scar, whose hatred originates from his mother having been
tortured by Whites. Later they watch as Scar courts on Green Gras (15) in
traditional fashion, but the girl apprarently only has eyes for Charles. Scar
and the chief also see this, and Charles is flatteres.
Eight days later, they
leave the Cheyenne and get on their trail again. Suddenly, Scar confronts them,
seeks a fight and attacks Woodfoot. Charles freezes him with his revolver, and
Woodfoot chases him off without his breechcloth.
Madeline writes in
December of 1865, that a negro from the neighborhood has been shot and that
Colonel Munro came to Mont Royal to investigate the school burning, but without
any results.
At Six Oaks, a traditional
horse race takes place. At the edge of the clearing, corpulent Asia LaMotte, a
nice of Francis and Justin, asks Randall Gettys when he will take action
against Mont Royal after the school burning didn't show the effect desired.
Then, a stranger arrives, instanly shows vile treats to the Blacks present, and
then has a friendly conversation with farmer Edward Woodville. Gettys is
informed that this is Captain Jack Jolly of former General Nathan Bedford
Forrest's cavalry, still with radical sentiments against negroes.
Madeline writes, she
received a telegram by George, that George William, son of Billy and Brett, was
born on San Francisco on December 2nd. Young Otil is not allowed to visit the
school again, but two women and one man now were among Prudence's pupils.
Chapter 18
Lawyer Jasper Dills is
relieved to have lost contact to Bent as long as his physical mother still
believes what he tell her in his peridical reports and keeps sending money. To
satisfy his lust for luxuries, he delivers favors to senators and brokers
pardons for Southeners. By spring, in that regard he stumbled across the name
Cooper Main from South Carolina whom he connects with Bent's intimate enemies.
The other man hated by Bent is known to Dills after he already had done
business with Stanley Hazard. In a noble gentlemen's club, he talks politics
with representatives and thinks on possible scenarios to overturn President
Johnson.
Chapter 19
On January 8th, 1866,
Virgilia (41) listens to her lover Sam Stout speaking in congress, but she
still can't present herself with him to the public. His speech tells of blatant
opposition to the President, disregard of former secessionists, and full
equality of Blacks. The majority in Congress applaudes him for this. Virgilia
meets Thad Stevens, whom she has been acquainted to shortly and whose oppinion
she admires. He is the only person she is open on the affair with Stout and her
marriage to Grady.
In the evening, Stout
secretly visits her as planned in her rented little house, but instead of
making love he tells her to be nominated as a replacement of Senator Ivy, and
so he can't meet with her again but has to show himself in public more often
with his wife. Also he weakly declined his affair with dancer Miss Canary. He
promises Virgilia to pay the rent for the coming 6 months, then leaves.
Madeline writes on
constant unrest in the district, hazardous supply situation for the Blacks, and
parasites like Captain Jolly and his family, living in tents aside Gettys'
store. A lot of Blacks wander around looking for the relatives having been sold
off to somewhere else. This way, a man called Foote appears at Mont Royal, and
it turns out that he is Cassandra's husband. He was sold off in 1858 and
Cassandra then thought she would never see him again. Since Nemo is the father
of Cassandra's son, Foote turns crazy and Nemo leaves the plantation by night.
Captain Jack Jolly has two
brothers (20 and 21), is married to a whore and lives with a women from Bohemia
15 years his age having 3 dirty kids from undisclosed fathers. They steal
themselves some tents and wagons and acquire food under their guns from Gettys'
store. Gettys' reluctantly admits to that, since he and Desmond LaMotte have
already set Jack Jolly on Madeline.
In April of 1866, Congress
rules out the President for the first time who has rejected a civil rights
resolution giving Blacks free access to all courts. In Memphis, three days of
unrest lead to great damages and 40 deaths. In July, 200 deaths are reported in
New Orleans. Johnson finds himself constantly in the defense against the Senat
that wants to condemn the South.
Black Elihu Washburne from
Illinois is questioned by Thad Stevens, Stout and others and tells them on an
unfair contract that would have put his brother Tom into a slavery-alike
position to his employer Woodville. When he didn't sign that contract, as
suggested by South Carolina's occupational governor Orpha Munro, he was ound
dead two days later. Munro, also being in that questioning, confirms
Washburne's testimony. This survay, conducted in front of the press, is part of
the efforts to overturn the President-
Newspapers are reporting
that General Nathan Bedford Forrest has beaten a negro to death with an axe
after that man has attacked him with a knife.
Chapter 20
Woodfoot with his Trading
Company winter camps in a Cheyenne village. In the spring, born Belgian and now
legendary 65 year old Jesuit preacher Ouerre-Jean DeSmet stopps by.He and
Jackson have a lively discussion on Indians issues. Back on the trail, in May
of 1866, the Jackson Company meets Septimus Glyn, who not only has liquor and
weapons in his covered wagon but a young but quite spent Indian girl. Jackson
doesn't spend much time with Glyn.
Jackson and Charles have
sold off all their goods and start returning to the east with 46 ponys. Several
wagon trecks cross their path, and considering the careless behaviour of the
settlers, Jackson and Charles increasingly understand the hostile posture of
the Indians. 30 miles outsode Fort Riley, KS, they meet railroad and telegraph
workplaces. Next, a cavalry troop with an ambulance comes by. A colonel
questions them on the sentiments among the Indians. Charles recognizes William
T. Sherman, addresses him with "General" and has a friendly conversation
with him before parting ways again.
Back to St. Louis, they
learn on the reason for that meeting. Sherman is commanding officer of the new
Platte Department, erected to relieve the large Missouri Department. Charles
also hears that Duncan has been transfered to Fort Leavenworth, that is where
they now want to sell their horses.
On June 1st, all horses
are sold off, the money in in the bank, and meeting for the next winter is set
up for September 1st. Jackson is very satisfied on his new partner and wishes
him well. Charles rides over to the Fort and visits Jack Duncan in the officers
quarters. He is amazed to see Gus waking around by now and gets trustful after
just an hour. Duncan is pleased to see joy of life in Charles and encourages
him to go to St. Louis and see Willa.
Bathed and with trimmed beard, after the show Charles heads for the stage exit.
Chapter 21
An Admirer seeks to block
entry for Charles to Willa's back room. It turns out that it is Captain Henry
Venable, but Willa rejects him and asks Charles to come in. They have a warm
welcome and together they walk out. Over dinner, she tells him that the Theater
is established by now and draws profits. They are so much attracted to one
another that they soon come together in her room.
The next day, they have a
picknick at the river. In relaxed mood she tells about Claudis Wood in New
York, and he talks about Augusta. She confesses her love to him and they make
love in the grass. They spent a lot of time together the following days and
draw plans for the future. Finally, Charles has to say good-bye and rides back
to Fort Leavenworth.
Chapter 22
By end uf August, Willa
visits the Duncans at Leavenworth as arranged, fits in effordlessly and is able
to express her opinion on Indians that is in contrast to Jack Duncan's. Duncan
praises Willa in front of Charles, but Charles still refers to her as
"friend". Coming the end of the visit, Charles gets more and more
tempered and expresses the same reservations on a permanent relationship due to
his danger-filled live as he had to Augusta during the war. The good-bye to
Willa is cloudy, only little Gus waves his hand.
Sonn after, Charles has to
return to Jackson, doesn't like to say good-bye to Gus, but also can't wait to
go out to the West again. On stopping in the Salt Creel Valley, he meets a
talkative barkeeper at the hotel bar giving away lots of drinks to the gests
and himself. His name is Will F. Cody.
The Jackson Company is on
the trail again. After a short trip, they run into Scar and eight warriors, and
this time they are not ready for talks.
President Johnson is on a
sympathy tour through the states. He has received stormy welcomes at all stops
until he reaches Cleveland, OH, home of Ben Wade and other radicals. The chief
of Johnson's personal guards, George Armstrong Custer (27) was seeking for
public-related occupations to his career after the war for his re-entry to the
army. When the President wants to address the public from a balcony in
Cleveland, he is constantly unterrupted by hecklers, and he lets himself get
provoked and starts cursing the audience that in turn gets louder and starts to
chant. One of the leaders in the crowd sends a telegraph on the plan's success
to Stanley Hazard.
Madeline writes that the school
has been attacked again by night. Andy intercepted as one lone man wanted to
rip off the shades from the glass-less windows, and chased him off. What
Madeline couldn't know: It was Captain Jolly, drunk by stolen Whiskey, still
not knowing against whom the job at hand is to be directed.
Desmond "Des"
LaMotte is working at the docks of Charleston alongside many black men, but he
despises that work to his bones. One day on his way to work, he was blocked by
a parade of colored firemen and watches one of the negroes having a lovingly
exchange of words with a white girl watching them, he ticks out. Cooper tells
Madeline in a letter that LaMotte was put in prison for that, but that he still
remains dangerous.
Chapter 23
The Cheyenne under Scar
instantly attack Charles and his friends with rifles. In a cruel fight,
Woodfoot Jackson, Boy and the dog Fen are killed as well as some of the
Cheyenne. Charles returns to be the fighting machine from the war and only
receives an arm wound. The Cheyenne brutally mutilate the dead Whites, but
didn't get close enough to Charles, and pull back. Following this fight,
Charles is burning to repay it to them and all other Indians.
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Chapter 24
Charles visits Jack Duncan
and tells him that he wants to re-enter the U.S. amry at any cost to go against
the Indians. Duncan is worried over Charles' revenge feelings, but he arranges
a mental fitless test for Charles under Colonel Benhamin F. Grierson, who is
looking for experienced officers for his new 10th Regiment of black, uneducated
and unexperienced recruits. Duncan and also Grierson instruct Charles, what
informations on himself he should hide to pass the test. They agree on a new
name as Charles August.
Chapter 25
Duncan sends Charles'
letter of pardon to lawyer Dills in Washington and points out Charles'
formidable fitness in a letter to General William T. Sherman. Charles shaves
off his long and bushy beard. His attempts to approach his son don't get so
well this time as months ago.
The special council for
Charles is led by General Winfield Scott Hancock (West Point class of 1844),
who clearly has troubles to keep radical Southern-opposing Captain Waldo Krug
in line for a fair trial. In the end, three of the five officers vote in favor
of Charles, paving his way into the U.S. Army.
Charles meets Willa and
tells her about the end of the Jackson Trading Company and his new hatred on
Indians. She struggles to stay calm for him and hides having signed up to the
Indian Friendship Society. When Charles has left again, Willa finds out that
Sam Trump secretly and against her orders has consumed Whiskey again.
Chapter 26
When Captain Waldo Krug,
who is still called General from war times, issues disproportionate harsh
orders to the black soldiers, Lieutenant Charles August is called up. Charles
is confronted with Captain Waldo's blatant hatred who still calls him a
traitor. And even the colored soldiers proudly decline his help in the
situation at hand pointing out his origins. The race conflicts continue as
charles reports on them but General Hoffmann does not rebuke the order. In
consequence of Krug's overdrawn hard methods, two Blacks were sent to the hospital
with pneumonia, that three Whites quickly leave in turn. Then George Custer
arrives.
When President Johnson was
voted down as the candidate with big margins, Charles starts to integrate
himself into the army life despite occasional harrassements. Charles orders
work duty to a colored recruit for misstreating his horse. A racist comment
enrages Charles so he has to be restrained by force. Then the recruit deserts
and is kicked out of the army.
As enough recruits were
mustered, the Company C is organized under Captain Isaac "Ike"
Barnes, First Lieutenant Floyd Hook and Lieutenant Charles August. Carefully,
Charles takes up the instructions.
Coming Christmas, Charles'
mood gets more relaxed, what showes in his relation to his son as well. On
December 21st, 1866, news arrives that upset Indians near Fort Phil Kearny had
massacred Captain William Fetterman with 80 men. Under the impresson of this
news and fear on retaliatory strikes, Willa tells Charles that she has joined
the Indian Friendship Society.
Chapter 27
Although the negro
soldiers are training relentlessly and also receiving basic schooling, the unit
ls set back by the commanders under General Hoffman. As much as Grierson stands
up for his men, he only receives the worst horses, old weapons and lousy housings.
Slowly, Charles improves his standing inside the unit when bringing back two
ready-for-desertion men without force.
During spare time, Charles
in Leavenworth City meets an elegant gentleman frpm La Salle County, IL, a very
well marksman, who just calls himself "Jim" but is named J. B.
Hickock by others. He and famed Bill Cody are said to be messengers for the
army.
While General Hancock sets
out with parts of the regoment to the Indian Territory on Sherman's order to
enforce the new hard governmental standing to hostile Indians, Charles tells
the former cook Potiphar Williams that he has been promoted to First Sergeant
of Company C. But only after lending him money for spectacles, the black man
hesitantly accepts the nomination and their relationship improves. But Charles
also is disappointed to not take part in Winfield Scott Hancock's move on
grounds that the C Company still has not enough men.
On March 29th, 1867, the
Ku Klux Klan is mentioned in the press for the first time, but the public doesn't
know what to make of it.
Chapter 28
Charles takes notice of
one of the newly arrived men. Wendell Phillips Magee has been a servant in a
Chocago saloon, is partly educated, contagiously in good mood, and presents
some magic tricks. Consequently, he wears the nickname "Magic Magee".
Company C neary has
reached full rank and will set out soon. So Charles once more visits Willa,
loves her passionately and visits a German beergarden with her and other
theater folk. Newspaper arrive tellong that some Indian chiefs didn't follog
Hancock's demand for a pakaver but has left their villages. When Custer found a
burnt-down mail post, Hancock destroyed 250 empty Indian shacks and all
left-over material for that. Willa and Charles get into arguments over that and
part without tenderness.
Company C under Captain
Ike Barnes sets out from Fort Leavenworth. Waldo Krug uses the occasion once
again to show his hatred on Charles and the negroes.
Madeline writes that South
and North Carolina were redesignated as the 2nd Military District because they
don't want to fully submit to the U.S. government. Stanton places military
governers there. The land is plagued by hordes of Yankee speculants. Also,
agents try to persuade former slaves by promises to emigration, and worker
Steven with his wife and three childred goes off to Florida. There is not
enough money to equip the school, the small share of two crops of rice nearly
all goes to the bank. Prudence suggests to ask George for support, but Madeline
defies the idea.
Chapter 30
Virgilia, now a nurse to a
90 year old lady and not happy in that, visits Thad Stevens on his invitation.
Stevens still argues radically for equality of the Blacks and looks for a chance
with other senators to expell President Johnson from his office. Senator Stout
is among these men, but Virgilia doesn't care about it anymore, and Stevens
knows this background.
Stevens takes Virgilia to
an orphanage of Scipio Brown, who is acquainted to Virgilia from Belvedere, and
asks her if she would teach the childred there. After Brown shows up personally
and she finds him attractive, she agreed with passion.
Chapter 31
Ashton (31) has made a
long journey with piano maker Willard Fenway after their escape from Santa Fe.
In San Francisco she seduced a notary to get in possession of a document
proving her marriage with Mr. Lamar Powell. Then she does good on widower Ezra
Leaming, the boss of the mining bureau in Virginia City. She manages him to court
for her, and she even enjoyed the eight month long marriage to him in bed. In
return, he helped her to get possession of her deceased husmand Lamar Powell's
mine. But the mine showed less than hoped, so Ashton fled with Willard Fenway
and 103,000 Dollars to the Northeast.
Now, she is in Chicago,
calls herself Mrs. Fenway although never have been devorced from Ezra Leaming,
and houses in a single room with Will, where he works on construction of
pianos. In his strict manners, Will denies Ashton to show her in public and
spend money that is neede for the piano production. The necessary loans only
were backed by Ashton's body work on an unsympathetic bank director. When
Ashton but buyed an expensive robe, Fenway gets enraged so much that she gives
in.
Will Fenway presents to
Ashton, his four workers and the dealer Norvil Watless the first finished
piano, on which he only did the construction, but all party were bought cheeply
and simpley made looking noble. He hopes to sell those pianos by Watless in
brothels of the cities to serve his loans. After a quick celebration, Will
scolds Ashton for the first time on the cold-blooded murder of the Santa Fe's
brothel senora's brother-on-law, and he tells her, that he will leave her on
the spot if that happens again.
Chapter 32
Charles and his Company C
see smoke and discover a farm with just a farm wagon burning there. But they
find the farmer dead and mamed behind the building. His wife in the house, who
was raped, doesn't realize that Charles' indian scout "Big Arm" is
with the army and shoots him. When she learns on the death of her husband, she
kills herself also.
Hancock's attempt to get
peace by showing strength turns upside down after the senseless destruction of
the village. Bands also ride into Kansas, attack homesteaders, stage posts or
railroad worker camps. There is rising opposition among the people on the
military's proceesings, especially by associations like the Indian Friendship
Society. So, Charles is allowed to stroll around with his troup, but he is
barred from acting first, what makes him unsatisfied. In the meantime, a white
commission shall negotiate a lasting peace with the Indians.
Charles gets "Grey
Owl" as the new scout, a 40 years old Cheyenne (that is Scar's people),
who has left his band a long time ago. Grey Owl speaks English well, but only
Corporal "Magic" can get him to show some emptions.
Charles sets out with his
men to close up a "whiskey ranch", an illegal store selling guns and
cheap alcohol to Indians. In this, one of the two half-blooded merchants is
wounded by Charles. Both men were taken to Fort Harker for arrest and the
whiskey ranch is torched on Juli 28th (the day of George A. Custer's arrest on
desertion, having visited his wife without permission; he will later be
suspended from services for one year).
Colonel Grierson is
relocated to Fort Riley with his 10th Regiment, and this way they get rid of
bigot General Hoffman. When Charles sets out with his men again, he learns that
in November Sam Trump makes stage with his theater at Fort Harker.
Madeline writes, that the
military governor for South Carolina, General D. Sickles, is unpopular due to
his radical behavior. The Yankee Klawdell tries to built up the Northern
founded petriotic Union Legue movement and looks out for Coloreds for it.
Getty delivers the
enormous profits of the now 43 Dixie stores to a company named "Mercantile
Enterprises" in Washington, D.C., whose bosses he don't know. He only gets
directives by a lawyer Jasper Dills. In a letter, Sitwell Gettys, a Southern
relative true to the South from York County, reports that Whites in Pulaski, TN
dress up in white capes and set out to scare negroes by night. That club calles
himself Ku Klux Klan, apparently from the greek word 'kuklos' for circle.
Madeline visits Judith in
Charleston. Cooper is out on inspection of the Charleston-Savannah Railroad
where he has put in 30,000 Dollars. The line ends after 40 miles at the Ashley
river because the bridge still is not rebuit. The formerly lovely downtown of
Charleston as well still shows windowless buildings, negroes hanging about, and
moralless Whites. Judoth complains on Cooper's rising political stubbornness.
Then they learn that Sickles is to be replaced.
In a run-down railroad car, Cooper watches in disgust as a young gentleman
from
Chapter 33
Generals Hancock and
Sheridan have to swap posts on continueing misconduct. The 65 heads of peace
committee drives around in Indian country for weeks by now looking for a chief
to speak for all Indians, while others engage in murdering and pillaging. 3000
Indians on several tribes are living in 15 miles around the negotiation spot,
only the Cheyenne keep their distance. While peace chiefs like 80 years old
Dreaming Stone and also Black Cattle know that the war against the Whites
cannot be won, also leaders like Man-ready-for-War have many followers.
Finally by Oktober,
Dreaming Stone succeeds, but the warriers of the Dog Soldier community rides
with him also. After long negotionations, they sign the treaty whose wording
they don't know. There, Scar in full war garmets rides in and loudly scolds at
the chiefs present. The press is instructed to keep silence on this incident.
Charles learns that
Trump's theater performance was cancelled on Willa's behalf, because no Blacks
were allowed in attendance. So he has to move to Ellsworth to another show.
Chapter 34
When Trump's theater makes
stage in Fort Leavenworth, Duncan invites Willa to his house to see Gus. Willa
is enthusiastic over the boy (almost 3). They talk about Charles' untameable
character, and Willa tells Duncan that her love for Charles knows no limit, but
rather her patience.
Charles rider over 5 miles
to Wllswirth. There he meets a wagon treck with "Buffalo" Bill Cody
and his helper Dutch Henry Griffenstein, who now do buffalo hunting. Charles is
late for the show and again is instantly carried away by Willa. They go for a
walk and she shows much interrest in what he has done the last time. But when
the conversation turns to Indians, they get into argueing and she walks off.
Even Trump scolds at him when Charles angrily rides off back to Fort Harker and
sees the relationship to Willa as terminated.
Madeline writes that
Gettys still takes 70 percent interrest and crop amounts. General Edward Canby
has taken command of the military district, that calms the citizens somewhat
since he is from Kentucky. A constitutional assembly is in the making, and most
Blacks are sternly pushed to the Republican side by the Union Leage Club
disguising this as political education. Andy visits such a gathering by
curiosity, is appaled by the primitive agitation of Lyman Klawdell, and refuses
to disparage Madeline as his mistress. Klawdell finally succeeds Andy to enter
the voter roll, but not for taking part in the smear campaign.
Gettys watches Andy as he
signs in the voter roll at a small military post at the crossroads near his
store. There, Andy is persuaded to go to Charleston in January as a delegate.
Gettys summons Desmond "Des" LaMotte in a letter und questions in
cousin Sitwell on that secret society in Tennessee.
Madeline still has
financiel troubles, more so by crop failures and the damages steam saw. But she
also still refuses to go to George.
Chapter 35
Charles, Grey Owl and 10
soldiers are out on patrol again. Ne now is very confident with his troop.
Finally, Grey Owl talks a little on his ancestry. He is a half-blood and his family
members are not alive anymore. After having questioned the Great Ghose on his
life's purpose, he haw himself as leader of a great people. But his tribe
gradually distanced themselves from the path he saw fit.
At a forest edge, the
troop finds some killed indians and horses. The men, probably Cheyenne chiefs,
have been laid out there but recently were robbed and maimed, and the horses
were shot in the process. Grey Owl is very upset and Charles laboriously keeps
his silence that his people were not better than this. Then they hear a distant
train whistle and explosions.
Arapahoe Indians attack a
local U.P.E.D. train from both sides. Former Pinkerton man and now railroad
security chief J. O. Hartree prepares with three men in the baggage car on
defending the train. They are well equipped with eight buffalo rifles, as
Charles's troop enters shooting at the Indians. Hartree ignores Charles' order
to seize fire. The trapped Indians fall back and ride off. Hartree and Charles
both are angry for not having gained their respective personal success in this.
Chapter36
Contrary to Charles'
orders, Hartree demands the two wounded Indians as railroad prisoners and wants
to perform an example on one of them that the other one shall tell his people
about. When Charles is threatened by Hardee's shooters, Magee sneaks up a
railroad car. This way, Charles gains command, locks up Hartree and his men
into the baggage car and takes the wounded Indians with him in the breakman's
caboose. He is very proud on his men. His calm handling earns him great praise
by Grey Owl. Hartree later is expelled from Kansas because the military
leadership doesn't tolerate such interferrences.
Charles pulls an arrow
from soldier Toby Washington's leg and nurses the wound. Then he looks after the
wounded man in the train, who happens to be Captain Harry Venable and instantly
puts Charles under arrest.
Chapter 37
End of November, Major
General Philip Henry SHeridan summons Major Grierson to Leavenworth. Dispite
Grierson pointing out Charles' skills and taking part of Charles' lies over
West Point on himself, Sheridan insists to being unable to do something for
Charles after Venable again has unmasked him. As the only commitment, Charles
is simply discharged without honors and not appropriately put to work camp for
three years.
Grierson delivers the news
to Charles, who has expected it and reacts bittered. He is allowed to keep his
horse Satan and his rifle and then days goodbye from his comrades. Grey Owl
again thanks him for his conduct at the train and tells him the rest of his
story. The brother of one of the women who turtured his white wife to death -
Scar - brags on that until today. Sergeant Williams hands him a letter from
Willa, nut Charles throws it into a fire without reading it before he leaves
the post.
Madeline is nearing the
point to admint to her workers that the plantation is gone bankrupt and she has
to give up, when nearby a geological disvocovery is made and Madeline wants to
learn more on it. Andy anticipates the convent in Charleston where he takes
part as a delegate.
Two weeks on Christmas,
Desmond LaMotte, Gettys and Captain Jolly also discuss this upcoming event.
While Desmond, who grew skinny while serving time in prison, still has
reservations against Jolly's plan for a simple murder on Andy, Gettys reports
what he has learned on the Ku Klux Klan. Besides pure scarying, some groups
have developed to defend alleged rights of the Whites. Their prime leader,
called Grand Wizard, is Nathan Bedford Forrest, Jolly's former general. They
agree to call Forrest over.
Chapter 38
George and his lawyer
Jupiter Smith ride home from the new steel center of Pittsburgh in a privat
car. George had the car built because he planned of going there very often, but
this car is equipped a lot simpler than the one Stanley had ordered back then.
In Pittsburgh, he was able to buy the McNeely foundry, whose owner died
recently. At home, business are running good as well. He still mostly does
rails, but also other things like frames for a new piano factory in Chicago.
George longs for Constance and is disappointed that the train is over an hour
late in that thunderstorm night.
The scheming in Washington
- Johnson's clinging to the constitution and the attempts of the radicals to
get him out of office - are still growing. Most citizens - like George - are
sick of that and therefore don't discuss on the Colored's rights anymore.
Stanley's patron Ben Wade now is Senate leader and could become successor if
Johnson is overthrown. Old That Stevens runs up for his second attempt to get
Johnson in front of a court on charges for "montrous usurpation of
power".
When leaving the train,
the coachman tells George, that a man crippled by the war has asked for him,
but no-one knows anything about him.
Constance is home alone,
hears the train whisteling and prepared to welcome George. She misses out that
Bent, who has stayed in Lehigh Station for days now, enters the bedroom over
the roof. He states his name to her while threatening her with a razor blade.
She has to conform on Orry's death, where Madeline and George's brother Billy
are to find, and what she knows about Orry's cousin Charles. The tells him that
Charles probably is with the army in Kansas, near to his son. When she thinks
that Bent will spare her, he cuts her throat in cold blood.
Shortly before George
enters the house, Bent rips Constances pearl earring, writes "BENT"
with blood on the mirror, and disappears out over the roof. This way, George
finds his wife.
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Book Four: The Year Of The Grasshopper
Chapter 39
George is broken
physically and mentally so that Jupiter Smith has to organuze Constance's
funeral ald inform friends and relatives. Anyone who should know about it,
George also sends warning on Bent. Constance is laid to rest on December 29th.
Virgilia attends and expresses real sorrow to George, and even Madeline (42)
travels to Lehigh Station. Stanley - already visibly drunk - and Isabel avoid looking
George into the eyes. William and Patricia on the other side are far more
composed than their father.
George soon retired from
the reception at Belvedre. Madeline emphatizes, and Virgilia talks to him
softly and really philosophically. George informs them that he think on leaving
for Euope.
As the detectives and
sheriffs cannot find Elkanah Bent until January 2nd, 1868, George instructs
Jupiter Smith to sell the railroad car, says goodbye and takes a regular train
to Philadelphia and Washington.
George talks to staff
officer Malcolm, who is under great pressure as all other members of the War
Department after Johnson has dismissed Stanton in August, who wouldn't leave
office even after Grant was appointed as his interim successor. Malcom gets
Elkanah Bent's files for George to forward them to the Pinkerton agency. This
way, George learns on Bent's cowardice at Shiloh und the subsequent transfer to
New Orleans, the incindent at Madame Conti, the desertion prior to trial, and
the assumption that he had worked for Colonel Lafayette Baker. His last trace
is domumentated at Fort Tabacco where he is said to have changed sides to the
enemy.
Virgilia softly bids
farewell with a dinner at Washington. In Southhampton, he boards the
"Grand Turk" to get a realestate dealer he knows to convey him a
house in Lausanne, Switzerland as his personal refuge.
Back at Mont Royal,
Madeline writes on this sad trip, how George has lost all joy of life, but also
what a positive impresson Virgilia has made to her. Even newspapers in
Charleston are writing on Bent's misdeed. Madeline organizes appropriate
clothings for Andy, who will leave for Charleston on the 13th. Prudence has
handed him her commentaries on American laws.
In the days before the convent,
Cooper ever deeper sinks into a fatalistic mood and even cites texts from the
Bible. Judith can only hardly stand it not to tell him her views. Marie-Louise
also is cause for worries since she neglects her studies and only thinks on
young men.
On Jamuary 14th, the
convent of 76 black and 23 white delegates born in Carolina openes, proudly
among them is Andy. A duration of 60 days is assumed. By night, Andy cleans up
in the Mills House to earn the rent for his room at a black famuly. 10 or 11
Dollars per day he sends home. After days of discussions with other delegates,
he takes up word himself for the first time.
Lawyer Edisto Topper from
Beaufort appears at Mont Royal and openes to Madeline, that the stinking lumps
of dirt found at the plantation are full of phosphorus that can make fertilizer
with great profits. Topper shows her reports and explains how the Beaufort
Phosphate Company he represents would do the collection on their own expenses.
Madeline is flabbergasted, realizes her chance, negotiates higher wages for the
workers and signs the contract. Shortly after, the pardon for the plantation
and all its inhabitants arrives.
Next morning, Cooper
surprisingly arrives at Mont Royal and scolds Madeline on the contract. He said
to have heard that radical Senator Samuel Stout is behind the Beaufort
Phosphate Company. He rejects any hospotality and rides off again angrily.
Up and down the Ashley
District, numerous workings were started and bring new hope in the land. Unused
rice patches of Mont Royal were dried-up
and tracks for carts and wagons were paved. But Madeline finds out that Gettys
is watching her. Her visit to the bank for prematurely satisfying the loan is
to no success since the bank insists in holding the running duration. The
assistant sent by banker Leverett Dawkins refuses to let her see his boss on
grounds of her skin color.
The political scheemings
in Washington continue. Since the Senate for over two months holds back his
approval to dismiss Stanton, General Grant resigns and Stanton returns to the
War Department. Johnson calls for General Lorenzo Thomas to succeed Grant, but
Stanton locks himself up inside the department and obtains an arrest warrant
against Thomas.
Andy is back from the
convent who has postponed itself until the constitution is ratified by
elections in April. Lawyer Topper evades questions on the men behind the
Beaufort Phosphate Company and presents studies to Madeline promising
unbelivable profits. The hectic activities in the district increasingly scare
the Blacks.
At a seclured clearing,
General Nathan Bedford Forrest, called the "Grand Wizzard" gets lit a
ring of torches. The man, impressive in presence and body, hands over a copy of
his constitution called "Regulation" to the men present. Recipients
are Desmond, Gettys, Captain Jolly, Father Lovewell and two local farmers.
Forrest instructs the men, points out the character of the secret society,
hands out red robes and hoods made by money from Gettys' store, and lends them
titles like "Grand Cyclope", "Grand Turk", "Grand
Guard" and such.
Chapter 40
Marie-Louise (15) starts
having erotic dreams of young Yankee soldiers. She envys the girls of her class
who at least claim to have a lover. Also she is uncomfortable with her
constantly grim father. On Mrs. Allwick's academy, dances will be trained with
peculiar Mir. Desmond LaMotte.
When she gets picked up
from school by her father one day and quickly has to wait outside a hotel for
him, she sees the young man again amidts a political demonstration who some
time ago has given up his train seat to a black woman. Then Cooper brings
himself in the political discussions, and as the callings against Cooper are
getting nastier, Marie-Louise automatically takes side with her father. Two
brutal ruffians are prevented by Cooper and the young Yankee to do harm to her.
Cooper and the stranger, Theo German of Chicago, bid their introductions.
Thinking on the train scene, Cooper shows no sympathy to him and barres any
attempt from him to ask for a date with Marie-Louise.
The South Carolina
constitution is accepted with 70,000 to 20,000 votes, and to Cooper's outrage
the Democrats only get 6 of 31 Senators and 14 of 124 Representatives, the
other seats mostly go to colored Republicans.
Secretly, Marie-Louise
invites Theo German to the school's spring break party, and Theo signs his
reply with "Brevet Captain". From the stage, taking part in the dance
performance, she spots him in his blue army uniform. Cooper and Judith, also
among the audience, recognize Desmond LaMotte who himself fires some angry
glimpses at them. Cooper catches his daughter before she can talk to the young
captain and takes her out immediately.
Chapter 41
Jasper Dills (76)
stoically endures a train ride to Cincinnati to comply with a subpoena. In the
house above town looking like a strong castle he faces Miss Todd, Bent's
physical mother and the source of his side profits. She accuses him to have
lied to her on Bent as a wealthy farmer in Texas and presents a newspaper with
an article on Constance's murdering. The senile old woman scares Dills. She
explains that there is a herediatry mental desease in her family. When she got
pregnant from her own jealous father, she convinced Heyward Starkwether, who at
that time has courted on her, to be the father. This truth is too much for
Dills and he leaves the old woman instantly. In a small boarding room, he
slowly realizes the causes for Bent's ill character.
Chapter 42
Scipio Brown and Virgilia
are visiting a weekly market in Washington and talk about the Senate proceesings
against the President, where the eleven charges were to be tabled the day after
tomorrow. When Scipio saves her from some topling boxes, she realizes her
fascinations for the man.
The following day, Thad
Stevens visits the orphanage, but Virgilia is not cought any more by his zeal
to oust Johnson. She now takes joy in seeing Scipio outside happily playing
around with children. Nevertheless, she wants to follow the proceedings in the
audience.
On March 30th, The Supreme
Court chief justice Salmon P. Chase openes the hearing in the fully occupied
house. All of the 45 Senators from the 27 states are present. This way, a
conviction is reached by 36 votes. The seven Senators leading the charge are
seated facing the President's lawyers. The charles were presented until April
9th, such as dismissal of Stanton without consent of the Congress. When
Virgilia cannot be there in person, she reads the newspaper on this.
Once, Virgilia sees
Stanley and Isabel on the other side of the galery, to whom she has lost contact.
At a break time, she meets Stanley on the stairs. He looks depressed and utters
doubts on the righteousness of his money and influence. That is when Isabel
intercepts and pulls him away.
The Senate actions until
May ignite the whole town and are sometimes violently taken to the bars and
saloons. Om May 11th, the court withdraws for consultations. Senator Stevens
tells Virgilia at the orphanage that he literally is haunted by the press. Just
35 votes are secured, Senator Edmond Ross from Kansas only wants to vote on his
conscience.
Virgilia is back in the
Capitol for the verdict, even when Scipio is worried on her safety. Senator
Ross votes the President not guilty in the sense of the charges, thereby
thwarding the attempt of the Senate to gain upper hand on the executive. In the
upcoming turmoil, a drunken man touches Virgilia and is pushed off by suddenly
showing up Scipio. He brings her out to safety, opens her his love, and they go
to her house.
Chapter 43
After the last day of
school, Marie-Louise is surprised by civillian-clothed Theo German to pick her
up and take her for a walk. He says to be 24 years old and to serve in military
governor General Canby's staff. Marie-Louise fully admires him. He skillfully
courts her, telling her that his father is a lutheran pastor, abolitionist and
Republican - everything her father absolutely despises.
Cooper sternly forbids any
further courting on Marie-Louise by this Yankee. Judith is worried, and
Marie-Louise reacty atypically angry. By evening the parents find out that
their daughter silently has left the house.
Later at night,
Marie-Louise appears at Mont Royal and asks for sanctuary. Just the next day,
Cooper comes by and demands to take his daughter home, but Madeline protects
the girl. Cooper warns her on the consequences if his daughter gets harmed by
attacks of the Ku Klux Klan, and expresses his racism against her as plainly as
never before.
After the mine shows first
profits, Madeline hires architect Jacob Lee of Savannah. The man draws first
sketches on the main building on her memories. Marie-Louise helps out at the
school, and Theo German leaves a very good impression on his first visit.
On July 9th, 1868, South
Carolina is re-admitted to the Union after Congress has accepted the state's
constitution. Andy is very proud to have been part in this. General Canby hands
over control to the elected civil offices, and General Scott gets to be
Governor. Cooper meets with Wade Hampton at the gallery of the still to be
finished by already heavily used Columbia state house and complains the general
decline of manners by the negroes. Copper points out to support any changees in
that regard.
Despite Madeline's
warnings, Andy secretly watches a Klan gathering at Gettys' store. The men in
red hoods demand death to Madeline. But as Andy tries to withdraw, he is
discovered but free to run off with just some intimidations.
In Washington, Thadeus
Stevens dies with 76 years of age and is burried in a small nigger cemetery,
with Virgilia also paying her last respects there.
Chapter 44
Charles starts another day
of work as bouncer of the Trooper Nell's, a dance hall with back rooms in
Abilene. George has telegraphed to him via Duncan on Constance's death, but he
doesn't believe that Bent can be of danger to him. His son doesn't want to get
close to him, and Duncan trated him more distant than ever on his last two
visits. Charles drinks heavily and constanly wears a grim face, while waiting
here at the bar and listening to the piano player with his new Fenway piano.A
young blonde cowboy has more than enough, and as Charles steps up, he is
attacked by the cowboy's friend. Someone hands over his rifle and Charles
shoots the man point blank. Therefore, he has to leave the saloon as soon as
his injured leg has healed up. Then, Griffenstein shows up, who also has handed
him the gun, and offers a job hunting Indians for Charles when he will be fit
again.
Chapter 45
Willa is unfocussed and
asks Trump for leave to visit Gus. During her train journey, news arrives on a
special unit that prevailed against a superior force of Cheyenne on a
Republican River island in Colorado. Duncan is absent from Leavenworth, but Gus
ls happy on her visit. Suddenly, Charles appears, obviously drunk, and Gus
greets him mechanically. Willa again tries to open Charles up with her warm
heart, but again this leads to another quarrel and he slaps her in the face,
whereupon she instantly runs away and returns to St. Louis.
Madeline writes that the
Klan's activities have increased significantly by September 1868. Colored
phosphorous workers, married couple Ridley and May, are held up by Klan riders
after darm and shot dead. Jolly and Gettys
reveal themselves during a dispute. At Mont Royal, it gets decided to
organize weapons to built up a defense against the Klan.
Chapter 46
Charles follows dutch
Henry Griffenstein up to Fort Didge to serve as scout under Custer. He
anticipates to finally make a chase on Cheyennes. But he also is worried when
learing that Black Cattle and his people were rejected seeking shelter at the
fort.
The next day, he talks to
Custer and the colonel accepts him as a scout - of course without military
rank. Custer tells him that he is fond of Captain Venable who also serves in
his unit.
Chapter 47
Bent aloas Dayton gets some
pay from a german Farmer named Drossel having worked on his lonesome farm in
Poweshiek County, IA for some time. At dinner, he feigns sympathy for the
childless elder couple. But during the night, he beats them unconciousness,
robbs them and takes care that the house will catch fire when he is gone. In
perverted lust, he watches the cruel scene and plucks Constance's pearl earlobe
into his left ear.
Madeline writes that the
civil officials cannot find the morderer of Ridley and May. Theo brings an old marine
deck bell for alarming. Negroes form a Ashley District militia and set up night
watches for Madeline's house. Upcoming is the election of Grant versus Seymour,
and despite Seymour being unpopular in the South, there are many supporters of
his running mate Blair who has promised the reconstruction of the old Southern
rights. But Grant is elected to be the 18th President, and all Colored at Mont
Royal have cast their ballots. Theo the first time talks about marrying
Marie-Louise, but Madeline respects her being Cooper's dauter, not her's.
During Madeline still
writing to her journal, Klan riders come up to her house. When they start their
martial performance, Madeline recognizes Desmond LaMotte and addresses him
directly. When the riders issue a deadline to leave, old Foote calls up from a
tree with his rifle. Madeline pulls down LaMotte's hood, and during this
turmoil Foote gets shot by a Klan member. Captain Jolly also pulls off his hood
to see better, when Prudence rings the bell. Desmond calls for retreat, but
Jolly wants to shoot Madeline. But another Klan member kicks aside his two
pistols and Madeline regognizes Father Lovewell. During black men approaching
from all sides, a shot drops during a scramble of Father Lovewell and Jolly
that kills Jolly. Desmond rides of in panic and the others follow him out.
Desmond and his men dump
Jolly's dead body into the swamp and think of a fitting story. Father Lovewell
and Gettys have enough, but Desmond ist still full of hate on Madeline and
after some time of waiting wants to try again to kill her over the shame she
has brought on his family.
Foote is buried at Mont
Royal and his wife Cassandra disappeared the same day, after she had lost Nemo
too after Foote's return. Madeline tells Cooper on the incidents, but her
brother-in-law does not share her worries. On his pushing for Marie-Louise, she
stays steadfast and leaves when he resorts to cussing.
At Mont Royal, the guard
efforts continue on Madeline and Jane being clear that the danger is far from
over.
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Chapter 48
It is an open secret that
Custer gets ready for a revenge tour for killing as much Indians as he possibly
can. With the aging general Sully, Custer lays out Sheridan's plan to the
scouts. He points out that the plan only has a chance to success if the black
men of the 10th Regiment that Charles has helped training could be used
effectuveky, Sully and Custer are in competition, also splitting the troops to
two sides.
Start of November, the
scouts are getting ready for the march to Indian Territory, accompanied by 11
Osage trace finders under Long Rope and Little Beaver, both of whom Charles
does not trust. The white scouts are under "California Joe" Milner,
who is mostly drunken but still in Custer's favor. Charles hopes to avoid
confrontations with Captain Venable.
On Novelmer 11th, the
whole unit steps out from Fort Harker. At night camp, Charles stumbles upon
Venable, who threatens revenge again on grounds of John Hunt Morgan having
tortured his mother and sister back then during the Civil War. When reaching
Indian Territory on November 15th, winter sets in. Then, Charles and his
comrades find fresh traces of indian war parties, and Custer immediately wants
to strike, but Sully orders not to.
The next day, the huge
unit sets up a supply camp. During a visit of commanding general Phil Sheridan,
Custer makes a stand against his rival Sully, who then has to return to Fort
Harker. In the night before continueing their march, it starts to snow.
Chapter 49
The march is constantly
getting more difficult due to the snow storm. Custer is furious on the slow
progress. When traces of roaming Indians are reportet, he gets agitated and
orders an immediante night march that develops to one of his notorious force
marches. When finding a village of about 50 lodges, Custer orders the attack at
sunrise, not regarding the tribe living that, that bothers Charles.
Charles refuses to comply
with Custer's orders to kill all the dogs but the general's own two animals to
not get revealed by them. So, also the stray dog gets stabbed that has
accompanied Charles since leaving the barracks.
Short on sun rise, they cross
the Washita and attack the sleeping village. Charles notices the soldiers' lust
to shoot at anything moving, even women, children and dogs. He himself fires
not a single shot but repeatedly turns off in disgust until he has to shoot a
12 year old boy in self-defense. While Custer watches all this from a rise,
Charles sees Black Cattle and his wife try to escape to the river and die there
in a hail of bullets. When Charles rides up to them for a burial, he gets
threatened an gunpoint by Captain Venable until Henry Griffenstein intervenes
and pushes back Venable.
Chapter 50
On their way back to the
main unit, Griffenstein is proud on the successful battle, but Charles calles
it a massacre on the wrong people. Since they cannot gain common ground on that,
Griffenstein calls him insane and departs.
The soldiers loot the
village and take everything that seems useful to them. When Custer learns that
there are more Cheyenne, Arapahoe and Kiowa villages in the vincinity, Indians
appear on the hills surrounding the vilage and the soldiers.
Chapter 51
Small groups of Indians
are attacking the woods one at a time to lure the soldiers out hiding there.
When Custer orders the rest of the lodges to be torched, Charles is feeling
even more disgust on what is happening here. The search party, set out to find
Elliott's unit, returns after some time, with Griffenstein missing.
Custer plans to escape
with a feint coming darkness, after all 800 Indian horses have been killed.
When Charles watches Venable shooting horses point blank, he finally has
enough.
Chapter 52
Charles tries to intercept
the massacre and to stop some soldiers from exetuting it, but Venable beats him
down brutally and nearly would have shot the defenseless man on the ground.
Chapter 53
Charles is brought before
Custer, who defends his proceesings by Sheridan's orders to discipline the
Indians. Charles tells him that he don't want any part in this kind of war and
that Custer better let him go, and Custer reluctantly complies. The general
then has to restrain Venable to shoot Charles in the back.
Unmolested, Charles rides
out from the Indian Territory and realizes that with the army he has lost the
last spot on earth that he feels at home.
Madeline writes that
Custer's campagn against the Indians sparked controversial talks in South
Carolina. Members of the Senate under Senator Stout pay an informal visit to
Mont Royal, inspect the school and the district militia commanded by Andy.
Madeline is not happy on the publicity of this radical politician. Brett writes
a letter from California that she has delivered her daughter Clarissa during
the summer, but Madeline also reads some homesickness in her words. There are
no words from George in Switzerland for months now.
George resides in a
mansion outside of Lausanne, takes care on nothing and only walks to town once
a day to eat in a noble restaurant overlooking the Genfer Lake. His only
connection to home is weeky mail by Jupiter Smith.
While Madeline finalizes
the contract to rebuild the big house with architect Lee, Theo tells her that
he intends to leave the army and wants to take her offer as the manager of the
saw mill and mining works on the plantation. Then, he and Marie-Louise want to
marry quickly - an army chaplan would do this for them although the bride still
is of underage. Madeline reluctantly offers her support, seeing unavoidable
trouble with Cooper. And Cooper reacts accordingly. When he realizes that his
refusal is fruitless, he barrs his house to Marie-Louise.
Chapter 54
Willa is burnt-out and delivers
no good performances on stage. Not only Sam Trump sees that, but also Claudius
Wood, hidden within the audience and now unable to perform himself since the
stabbing the the prop saber has left his leg stiff. After the show, he follows
her and confronts her at her appartment door, wanting to crush her face so that
she also has to quit acting. But inside the room, Charles is waiting for her,
quickly overpowering Wood and gets him arrested.
Charles admits his grave
error on the Indians to Willa and tells her on his experiences. He won't return
to the army, but rather to her and Gus. Willa wants to help him finding a new
place in the world.
Chapter 55
Maureen worries on Gus
since Charles has said to settle down, marry and take Gus in, since she despises
him in his erratic ways. Gus (4) also hasn't developed a good trust in his
father during his recent visits.
When Gus is playing in the
garden, unwatched for the moment, Bent alias Dayton, disguised as a peddler
with a covered wagon, rolls up. Gus notices the earlobe, and is also disturbed
by other things of that fat, stinking man with walking stick and one hanging
shoulder. Bent beats Maureen down with his stick and makes off with the boy
after he has scribbled his name in the damp dust. Gus fights back loudly, so
Bent beats him to unconciousness to get away without notice of the officers
village.
Charles reads in the papers that Chuster's excape from the Washita valley was successfull, but that he has left all the dead behind. But there also are critics charging Custer's conduct publically, including failing to support the wing unit under Major Elliott. Then, Willa busts into the room with news from Duncan that Gus has been kidnapped by Bent.
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Book Six: The Path To Eternal Hunting Grounds
Chapter 56
In the middle of a January
Night, Charles says good-bye to Willa and rides off to Fort Leavenworth. Willa
tries to give him strength, but he tells her to stay out until he finds Gus.
Maureen is bed-ridden near
to a nervous collapse, ans Charles and Duncan discuss the situation. Charles
wants to follow Bent on his own, regardless where he is hiding. A livery stable
owner in Leavenworth confirms the next day, that Bent has trades his covered
wagon and a mule for two military horses. And he had a boy with him.
With a spare horse,
amunition and rations, Charles rides to the West, questions in every settlement
- Secondine, Tiblow, Fall Leaf, Lawrence - an thus can track Bent down. Then he
looses track over Buck Creek, Grantville, Topeka, Silver Lade, St. Mary's,
Wamego, St. George, Manhatten and Junction City. There, he learns that Colonel
Grierson winters in Fort Roley to guard the unfinished rail line to Sheridan.
The work was halted since the Union Pacific has won the race and will soon be
connected with the Central Pacific.
Charles rides on via
Kansas Falls, Chapman Creek, Detroit to Abilene where he re-gains the track.
The owner of the local general store, Deputy Asher, has recognized Bent by the
wanted poster, but he was beaten down by Bent when trying to arrest him. He
didn't see the boy.
Solomon, Donmeyer, Salina,
Bavaria, Brookville, Rockville, Elm Creek - Charles rarely sleeps and swaps his
horses constantly. He gets ill by exchaustion, is haggard and scruffy. Only in
March, he finds Bent's traces again in Ellsworth. He has bunked down there with
Gus in a boarding house and told the people that he intends to enter Indian
Territory. Gus, whom Bent called his nephew, looked sick, and the hostess only
leared the following day that Bent is wanted. Charles thinks that Bent lays out
his track intentionally to keep Charles following him, so he regards Bent's hint
to the Indian Territory as to be realistic.
Charles visits Colonel
Grierson who tells him on the great improvement of the Regiment he built up
with Charles. Grierson offers support for Charles on his search for his son,
even a re-appointment as an officer since President Johnson has pardoned and
and all rebels over Christmas. The colonel also reports that after the Washita
battle, parts of the Indians were convinced to surrender, while other parts are
still bloodthirstingly roaming around.
Charles asks for a two men
company to the South and gets free choice. He decides on Corporal Magee and the
scout Grey Owl. Grierson orders them to him for unlimited time and sends him
over to Fort Hays where the men currently are in camp.
Captain Ike Barnes' troops
currently are wintering in run-down Fort Hays. Charles is warmly greeted, gets
a good night of sleep and a full meal, buys two more spare horses and rations,
and sets out southwards with Magee and Grey Owl, who both agree to go with him
without any reservations.
On March 4th, 1869,
General Ulysses S. Grant (47) is sworn in as the 18th President. Great hopes
are attached to him and his policy, even though he es mostly rejected by white
Southerners due to his military past.
Stanley Hazard again has
to thank the diplomacy of his wife that he is nominated to the organizational
committee to organize the inaugural celebration, but Isabel for herself
despises the new President. Stanley sees himself as very important now, but has
low meanings of the committee's works consisting mostly of endless discussions.
On inauguration day, he and Isabel go to the capitol, tries to talk to the
president or at least to his friend and supporter Ben Wade, but shies away at a
simple rejecten at the door.
After the oath of office,
they occasionally meet re-elected Senator Sam Stout who presents his wife
Jeannie - born Canary. A sharp reply by Stanley enrages Isabel, since Jeannie
has been Stanley's affair during the war until Isabel demanded the end for not
being helpful for his career anymore. When Stanley and Isabel are getting
introduced to the new president, Grand remembers George. Stanley praises
Grant's plans on the economy, what further enrages Isabel, and she demands to
be brought home immediately.
Madeline writes that Theo
doesn't work at Mont Royal anymore but now is foreman for a Yankee who has set
up a road construction company in Charleston by 1865 and is now involved in
rebuilding the city. He and Marie-Louise are married now and are living in a
small house on Sullivan's Island. Cooper still denies them any contact and of
entering his house, and this way Judith has to visit her dauther in secret.
Sin's son Grant is held up
by Klan members at a crossroads and has to endure silly, humiliating rituals.
In contrast to Joseph Steptoe, who has been whipped and left on the ground by
Klan riders before, Grant doesn't get hurt. Joseph, like Grant a member of the
negro militia, then disappeared with his wife.
Madeline again visits the
bank to cut the loan running time and avoid unnecessary interrests. But again,
Leverett Dawkins insists in alledged principals as long as Madeline doesn't
close up her school. He argues it with senseless education efforts on Blacks,
who he regards to be no human beings, insted of Whites who deserved that. Madeline's
counter arguments are ignored, saying that he has coordinated his standing with
Cooper in that.
Chapter 57
Bent keeps moving around
in the Wichita Mountains with Gus, always careful to hide from the troops of
soldiers in the area. After having laid out some traces in Kansas, and after
the overnight stay in Ellsworth, he started to wash out his traces and turns
South to hide there for some time. To keep Gus quiet, he constantly scares him,
boeats him, cuts him with a razor blade and keeps him hungry. He hadn't a bath
since 11 days, and his horse is done as well.
At the Vermillion Creek
mouth in the Elm Fork they stumble on Septymus Glyn's house, illegally living
there in Indian Territory and still trading goods with the Indians. Two Caddoe
Indians are in the house drinking, and Glyn presents young indian woman Green
Grass as his wife that he also sells to men.
When the old drunk Indians
had rode off, Bent puts Gus into the covered wagon where Glyn allows them to
bed down. Then he return to the house, shoots Glyn who is in the process of
using Green Grass, and takes his place with the scared indian girl.
Bent concludes to stay
here over the summer. He furnishes himself comfortably, hands out Glyn's
whiskey to Indians and to Green Grass, and frequently beds down with her. He
doesn't care that Gus sometimes watches this. He doesn't care much about Gus at
all, while the only occupation for the boy - a tame racoon - slowly gives him
back some joy. But Bent plans to kill Gus also and then convey that to Charles
in case he doesn't show up in person.
Chapter 58
After two and a half week
of searching, Charles, Magic Magee and Grey Owl find shelter in a house that
appearently was abandoned by renegate healers shortly before. Two horses run
off in the nightly storm.
After the storm, they move
on, but Magee increasingly looses courage and is homesick to his wife, a
Delaware Indian. They haven't found traces for a long time. Even Charles comes
to mind that the Indian Territory is too big for an explicit tracking. But he
tries to not loose faith.
One day, the find traces
of Indians who have left their village driven by hunger and moves westwards and
later eastwards, and they start to follow them. The next day they meet a very
ond Indian having been left behind awaiting his death. Strong Bird tells them
that sone hundred Cheyenne are moving to the soldiers in Camp Wichita to the
East. Charles and his comrades erect the burial platform the the old man and
then move on.
Shortly thereafter, the
find the village where ragged Indians are moving around without cover. The fact
that there are no dogs in the village shows them that the Indians are hungering
already. But Chief Red Bear recognizes Grey Owl, calls him a traitor and
refuses to leave the village. Then, notorious preacher Whistling Snake appears.
Madeline buys school
desks, maps and a globe for the school and has ordered window glass. Prudence
still involves herself with all of these efforts.
On a small negro cemetery
near Charleston, Desmond LaMotte visits the grage of Juba, his old servant whom
he has nursed to the day of his death. He thinks over all the things that once
meant the world to him and now have died one by one, starting with his wife
Sallie Sue and his commander Ferris Brixham, to Asia LaMotte having died a year
ago on cancer. He also transforms his burning hatred to economical worries on
how to support his livelihood, since he developed athritis and had to give up
dancing.
Then, a white rider
appears at the cemetery, young, but terrifying. He introduces himself as
Benjamin Rynan Tillman of York County and accuses Desmond of having not
followed the Grand Dragon's order to punish Madeline. In case Madeline lives
after 30 days to come, the K.K.K. will kill him for that. After Tillman rides
off again, Desmond gets on his way to Gettys and orders him to bring
explosives.
Chapter 59
Whistling Snake has a very
strong aura for his age of at least 70 years. He also orders the visitors to be
killed until Magee openes a competition with him on who is the best magician,
so Charles' party is allowed to stay until this duel.
In the evenling, Whistling
Snake performes some magic actions that seem to impress the Cheyennes but that
Charles and Magee mostly recognize als tricks. Magee tries to compete with his
pocket tricks. But only a alledged shooting with an old percussion revolver and
a prepared bullet convinces the Indians that the Whites even have power over
death.
Chief Red Bear tells them
thereafter that Cheyennes have seen Bent and Gus on Glyn's Whiskey Ranch. The
chief tells them the path to Vermillion Creek, and Charles and his friends
instantly ride off.
Chapter 60
When Andy wants to pick up
Janes from the school house, riders come up late at night from the river road
to be faster than the local militia. Madeline, Prudence and 11 years old Esau
are in the building as well. A shot crashes a window, and when Andy hears the
word "dynamite", he takes the initiative. The women escape through a
back window. Andy runds out into the darkness to alarm the militia and gets
shot dead.
The women rarely were able
to escape to the narrow path through the swamps when the school house explodes.
Desmond has to convince Gettys by forse to let him track down Madeline alone.
He catches up with them, shoots Prudence and then is caught by an aligator and
eaten up. Gettys abandones Desmond and orders retreat. There, the militia
arrives and shoots Gettys into his shoulder while others ride off.
Chapter 61
Charles orders his
followers to wait in the woods and walks over to the cabin where Grey Owl has
seen Gus and the indian woman before. Carefully, he tries to lure over Gus
playing with his racoon but is not really successful in that. When Bent steps
out of the house, Charles gets him under his control and forces him back into
the house. There, Bent pulls up Gus, so Charles has to surrender and gets tied
up. He recognizes the Indian woman as the girl Green Grass that tried to get
his attention years ago with Jackson and the Cheyennes. Now she seems to be
worn down and prone to alcohol. Bent beats her as Charles tries to help her,
and he also cuts Gus with a razor blade.
In the meantime, Magee and
Grey Owl approach - just in time to stopp Bent by shooting in his leg, but when
falling, Bent still badly hurts Green Grass with the blade. While Grey Owl
nurses the wounds of Gus and Green Grass, Charles and Magee take Bent outside.
When Charles sees the learlobe glistening in the sun, he simply rips it out
from Bent's ear.
Madeline writes that they
have burried Prudence Chaffee and Andy Sherman at Mont Royal. Father Lovewell
has left the district, Gettys is in the hospital, und nothing was ever found of
Desmond LaMotte.
Madeline goes to Columbia and visits Wade Hampton in the small building that is left over from the burnt-down Millwood and Sand Hill plantations. Hampton tells her about his new occupation as delegate of the demicratic national convention. Madeline calls on him in that role and asks him to do something against General Forrest since the officials are too slow.
When Randall Gettys gets
better, he is visited by Colonel Orpha C. Munro speaking for the President, who
tells him that the printing press for his hate paper is confiscated. When Munro
also predicts his deportation to a notorious prison island on being a menber of
that murderous band, Gettys whines and tells all member names of the band and
also the people behind his Dixie stores.
Chapter 63
Bent is sitting on a mule
and gets a rope laid around his neck hanging over a strong tree limb. He whines
on wasting his once-in-a-lifetime genius and repeats constantly to be the new
Bonaparte and to kill him would be a crime to the history of the nation. So,
Charles slape the mule and Bent finally dies swinging.
Back at the cabin, Charles
talks to Green Grass who reports to him that she had followd Glyn's promises
(Charles remembers having met him briefly), but he has made her addicted to
alcohol and abused her until Bent killed him. Charles decides to bring him to
Cheyenne chief Red Bear, and even Grey Owl approves. Magee is to bring Gus to
Fort Leavenworth safely and to telegraph their success to Lehigh Station
quickly.
In Red Bear's village they
hand over Green Grass to the chief's woman and ride on the same night. But not
far from the village they were confronted by Scar and four more dog soldiers.
Scar forces Charles to a duel, still being revengeful on his humiliation by
Jackson.
Chapter 64
Scar and Charles face each
other just with a hatchet and Bowie knife respectively, and Charles finally is
able to wound the Indian badly. But Scar grabs Charles' revolver to shoot him.
Grey Owl, just a spectator as long as the fight was fair, throws himself in
between, and thus the two Indians shoot each other. Red Bear and some of his
men show up, alarmed by the shooting, and Charles askes him to help building a
burial platform for Grey Owl. In a last effort, mortally wounded Scar is able
to shoot Charles in his back.
The Dixie stores scandal
and the men behind them, as published by the press, is talk of the land. Lawyer
Jasper Dills quickly turned and presented all the names. Center of attention is
Stanley Hazard who is told by Cameron, having returned to the Senate in 1867,
that the new sympathy for the "poor" Southerners and against Stanley
would be very unfortunate for him. But Stanley insists that he has nothing to
do with these Dixie stores, and tells Cameron confidentally that it is Isabel
who is behind this all. Stanley shows unusual selfconfidence, so Cameron
believes him.
Stanley talks with his son
Laban (23), who still has a lack of manners but now serves as a Washington
lawyer, while his twin brother Levy keeps to be the bad spot of the family.
Laban is ready to represent his father in restoring his reputation.
Isabel outragedly demands
Stanley's explanation on why he has transferred all Mercantile Enterprises
shares to her name some days ago and is now blaming her for scamming of the
Southerners. Stanley declares that he is not ready to get his reputation tuined
with such schemes, since Ben Wade already has paved his way as an advisor to
the White House. Besides, this is a prefect reason to file for divorce,
supported by their own son Laban. And then finally, the moment is here for
Stanley to tell her to her face what has bottled up inside him for years, and
he orders her out of his house instantly.
Chapter 65
The Fenway manucaftory
shows unbelievable profits, expands numerous times and has agens all over the
world. Now, Will Fenway gets laid out a lavish Chicago estate and they call it
"Chateau Villard". Furthermore, he buys a sommer house in Long Beach,
NJ and a motor yacht. They generally spend money left and right with full
hands.
Being fully supplied
financially, Ashton resumes her revenge on her family and wants to go to South
Carolina to investigate the situation there. One more night with exeptionally
potent company sales agent LeGrand Villers on their yacht, she says good-bye to
Will, who still has her in his hand by a mysterious might, and departs.
In Charleston, Ashton
attracts attention by her bearings and the expensive wardrobe with face veil,
when she hangs on to memories at the harbor and tries to build up new hatred
for her intended plan. Sie sees banker Leverett Dawkins, claims to want to
settle down here, and plays clueless in asking about the ownership of Mont
Royal. When she hears that Madeline is the manager and Cooper the owner, she
asks Dawkins to make a sale offer to her brother.
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Book Seven: Crossing The Jordan
Chapter 66
Charles had good luck.
Scar's bullet wasn't deadly, and Red Bear carries him with his men to a army
depot as fast as possible to be carried on to Leavenworth. Willa is ready to go
with him to Mont Royal for recovering.
Gus, having returned to
Leavenworth with Magee safely, now is enthusiastic playing on the plantation
but still does not show child-like joy. Willa reports to be glad that Sam has
made great impresson as "Othello" on his New York tour in Claudius
Wood's theater, so that Wood has taken him in for a permanent engagement.
Asking him for a place for their own future, Charles thinks on Texas, and she
promises to also go there with him.
In an expensie rental
carriage, Ashton appears at Mont Royal and is amazed on the size of the new
building. She is accompanied by lawyer Favor Herrington, who hands over to Madeline
a sales document and an eviction notice stating a 7 days deadline. Ashton shows
very uppish behaviour to all others, and she drops of any appeasement attemt,
even when calling on the social obligation to the workers. Madeline is
shattered. Only now, Charles can bring her to send a telegraph to George.
Chapter 67
One day, George realizes
that he doesn't need his self-made exile in Lausanne anymore, taking hilself to
be cured. He already experiences homesickness and decides to return home. He
receives the visit of french reporter Monsieur Marces Levie, who asks him as an
American for a contribution to a extraordinary present to the United States for
their upcoming 100 year anniversary in 1876 to be erected under oversight of
professor Edouard-René Lefébrede Laboulaye. George telegraphs to Jupiter Smith
and boards in at Liverpool for his transatlantic journey on the new and fast
steamship "Persia".
Chapter 68
Jupiter Smith receives
Madeline's message and answers that George is on his way hime and cannot be
concated at the moment. But following an inspiration, he also sends a telegram
to Virgilia.
Sam Stout is dissatisfied
with his political and private situation. After his divorce from Emily, he had
married Jeannie under the condition to not have children with her, but now she
is pregnant. In his eyes, the new president appears to be popular but quite
naive. He thinks on strong-minded Virgilia and turns to write to her.
On Jupiter Smith's
message, Virgilia instantly gets ready for the trip. She reads Sam's letter
without emotions, seals it up again, writes a short notice of rejection on it
and sends it back.
Two days to the deadline,
Madeline finally beginns packing up, when Theo and Marie-Louise roll in. They
have a warm-hearted farewell to Marie-Louise, being pregnant for 3 months, and
tell her that Cooper recently got notice on who is the buyer of the plantation,
what doesn't bother him nonetheless. Judith holds it that he only sold off
because he has no use for the plantation anymore now that his own business has
improved.
The same evening, Virgilia
drives up to Mont Royal in a carriage. Charles also remembers her, but his
memories don't match the woman standing before him. Virgilia instantly offers
her help to reverse Ashton's actions. After a conversation under four ears,
Charles in convinced of her seriousness, and they draw up secret plans.
Chapter 69
Ashton drives up to Mont
Royal with her old-southernly lawyer Favor Herrington and a court bailiff and
gets all inhabitants be told that the land assigned to them is obsolete as long
as they can't provide an appropriate contract and read it out aloud. Anyone who
stays, has to pay rent or sign a prepared labor contract.
As Ashton sees Madeline,
she is unexpectedly confronted also by Willa and Virgilia. Lured into the house
by Virgilia and Charles under pretext, by holding an opened pharmacy bottle of
sulphuric acid oder her nose, she is brought to sign an transfer paper worth
one Dollar. When she then lears that it was only water from the well in that bottle,
she leaves the house in a hurry. Only then, Virgilia and Charles are able to
tell the others what has happened.
Time leap
1869: The Union Pacific and the Central Pacific Eisenbahn are connected in Utah, the "Black Friday" is sparked by gold market manipulations.
1870: John D. Rockefeller establishes Standard Oil of Ohio; Congress passes civil rights guarantees for Blacks and ends negro terror in the South.
1871: Baseball players form the National League; 17,000 buildings and 300 lifes were lost to a great fire in Chicago.
1872: Renegade Republicans nominate journalist Horace Greeley; the Freedman's Bureau has to close after budget cuts.
1873: Rumors on corruption in the Grant administration are ongoing; the collapse of the Cooke bank leads to a years long depression.
1874: The Ead's Bridge over the Mississippi at St. Louis is opened as the longest bridge in the world; General Custer confirms gold findings in the Dakota Territory.
1875: Grant's secretary is called out for tax fraud; gold searches illegaly drive into Sioux country in the Black Hills.
Chapter 70
At the Fairmount Park of
Philadelphia of 1876, the 100 year anniversary celebration on the founding of
the United States of America is taking place. All nations and a lot of
companies and factories put their best efforts on display, and everyone tries
to show modernity and productiveness by superlatives to their own citizens, but
also to the interlational audience. Over the last years, George has worked as
one of the vice presidents of the organizational committee for this event. This
way, he watches for years the erection of that special present by the French
that was announced to him back in Switzerland: the Statue of Liberty in New
York harbor. On the Centennial Exposition, a small replique is on display.
George also organizes a
great family reunion of the Hazard's and the Main's and invites members of both
families, that seem suitable to him.
ˇ George's son William (27) arrives from Xenia, OH, where he resides for three years now as a methodist pastor. He came to his believes by his wife Polly Wharton, her father having been a bishop. They have no children as of now.
ˇ George's daughter Patricia on the other hand gave birth to three lively children: Constance Anne, Fremont Junior and George Hazard Nevin, all under the age of 6. She lives with her husband Fremont Nevin, editor of the local newspaper, in the oil town of Titusville.
ˇ Even William's and Patricia's grandfather and George's father-in-law Patrick Flynn is invited, but will not risk the long journey from Los Angeles and sends a greeting message instead.
ˇ George's older brother Stanley, divorced from Isabel for years now, is still active in politics. This fall, he runs for re-election as Lehigh Station's representative in Congress. He has laid on even more weight, but also his influence has grown, and he is accompanied by his son Laban, who still lacks manners. George passes over Isabel and Laban's twin brother Levi.
ˇ George's younger brother Billy (41), Brett and their six children arrive by the new railroad connection from Los Angeles, where after some struggeling years he takes great profits from the enormously expanding city as a building contractor. Brett brought him four sons and three daughters.
ˇ George's sister Virgilia shows up with her husband Ehemann Scipio Brown, and after was treated unfairly by his skin color, they find shelter in the black community of Philadelphia.
ˇ Charles Main has married Willa Parker soon after his bullet wound has healed up and has moved with her and Gus to Texas. Now, he owns a huge ranch "Main Chance" west of Fort Worth and supplies meat to Kansas. Even his faithful horse Satan stays there on his old days. Fron his profits, he bought realestates in Fort Worth and got an opera house erected for Willa. By his neighbors he is respectfully called "Colonel". Now, he sets out with his wife and Gus (11) for the long journey to Philadelphia. Gus develops himself well, but stays relatively quite and seriously. Willa loves him like a child of her own, may be also because she deliver them by herself.
ˇ Madeline Main, as a widow in accompaniment of similar widow Jane, again experiences the recently rising reservations on Coloreds when Janes is expected to be her maid and is offered a mattrace in the front room of Madeline's hotel suite. Jane is tired to constantly defend herself.
ˇ George didn't invite Cooper Main after long considerations, even if he would like to welcome his wife Judith. But lately Cooper told on hilself to just have the name in common with the family.
ˇ Cooper's daughter Marie-Louise is unable to attend because she expects her second Child from Theo this August and has to waive the trip.
ˇ And Ashton also will not bere here because George couldn't get informations on her whereabouts.
What George doesn't know:
ˇ Alongside the Savannah River, a new method of radical Democrats is developed to put on red shirts and ride around in the country by groups, getting citizens to vote for their party under the threat of guns. They show their faces openly, but this so-called Hampton Clubs even intimitate Blacks to either elect Democrats and Hampton in the process or to not vote at all. Cooper has joined them also, and he doesn't care at all that Judith despises this by all means. Their marriage is on paper only. Riding with Cooper also is Favor Herrington, this shady lawyer helping Ashton in her takeover attempt on Mont Royal.
ˇ Ashton, calling herself Mrs. Brett, owns and runs the biggest and most luxurous brothel of Chicago, after Will found out what she really did in South Carolina and with his money and has thrown her out on quick notice. Ashton normally didn't serve customers in person anymore, as she slowly grows some fat despite all efforts. Just Fenway's chief sales agent, LeGrand Villers, strolling in by chance, is convincing her to be of service to him.
Billy and Charles, calling
each other with their West Point nicknames "Bison" and
"Bunk", happily meet in Philadelphia and have long conversations, but
some form of shyness between them cannot be denied since their pathes after the
war were all but similar.
Willa uses time to visit
her old theater manager Sam Trump (75), living in a shabby boarding home in New
York. But she is disappointed, because Sam got vorgetful and negligent at age
and mostly glorifies his own past. She leaves him some money and returnes to
Charles.
The next day, all are
visiting the exhibition. By night, they part into groups. That way, Charles and
Willa invite Virgilia and Scipio for dinner in repay of her help at Mont Royal,
but again have to accept reservations on Scipio's skin color. Madeline watches
the fireworks with Jane when she notices George's glance and is wondering how
it arrouses her.
Two days later, 27 people
of both families gather in a great dining room. Madeline reports on the
reconstruction of Mont Royal and invites them all to visitations as far as they
can and want to. Then, George delivers a short speach, making remarks on the
beginning of the family friendship been made 34 years ago in 1842. Even if the
land and all people in it have changed a lot, but this bond shall prevail. And
finally, amidst all his guests, he takes memory of his best friend - Orry Main.
When Charles and Willa
leave the dinner relatively early, they learn from a hotel clerk that General
Custer with all of his 300 men were killed on July 6th, 1876 at Little Big
Horn. He has a long conversation with Willa on this and comes to the conclusion
that Custer was in search of success too much, maybe in the hope of paving his
way - just as Grant - to high political office.
Virgilia and Scipio meet
with Jane for a last breakfast and agree that 11 years after war Blacks are
nearly treated the same as before. After a warmly embrace, they part. At the
depot, Madeline has to help George over his embarrassment to invite her to
Lehigh Station, and she gladly accepts.
Chapter 71
Madeline visits George in Lehigh Station this fall Herbst and is glad to talk with him. Carfully, George asks her to be allowed courting. She accepts, as long as the past has no role in it.
Madeline writes, that the election has left South Carolina in chaos. She is repelled at most by Cooper, who publically brags on his membership in one of the Hampton Clubs and thus helping that no Negro will have a part in politics anymore.
In several letters, George
counrts for Madeline, and she finally agrees to marry him, not based on love
and passion but on sympathy and admiration of one lonely person to another,.
George visits Mont Royal
and is enthusiastic on the beauty of the new house. He says to not be able to
live here since it in fact is Orry's house. Madeline plans to transfer it to
Theo and Marie-Louise when Theo has enough income to keep it in the family
(there would be only Brett or Charles in question, but they have settled down
far away). For George and herself, she already has bought a town house in
Charleston.
Chapter 72
On January 1st, 1877,
after 12 years, Madeline closes up her journal, since beginnen a new part of
her life with George. She puts the booklet with the other 11 ones she has
written into an old suitcase in the farest corner of the attic, closes and
locks up the box.
Chapter 73
The Governor of South
Carolina, Republican Daniel Henry Chamberlain, is confronted by the actions of
the Hampton Clubs awaiting election. There even were executions of Blacks.
Charles' former commanding officer, Calbraith Butler busts into an election
rally ub Edgefield, but Blacks of both parties are attacking one another as
well. The U.S. government sents troops, and when Grant orders the dismanteling
of the Hampton Clubs on October 17th, they simply change names.
On election day in South
Carolina of 1876, Blacks in part are blocked from casting their vote.
Meanwhile, border crossings lead to several illegal ballots in the state. In
Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina, vote countings have to be repeated. By
having the vote counting committees mostly in Republican hands now, the
election results reverse, and Chamberlain is conformed in office. With this
result, the upcoming presidential election is open again.
One week after the start
of Chamberlain's new term, Democrats call Wade Hampton to be Gouvernor as well.
Neither party accepts the other side. Only after a special commission of five
senators, representatives and judges oversee another vote counting, Hayes is
confirmed in all three of those states as the new U.S. President. Consultations
of the President with Chamberlain and Hampton lead to Chamberlain's withdrawal.
Thereafter, the U.S. troops retreat from the state again, and thus on April
10th 1877, as the last of the former rebellious states, South Carolina was
released from military occupation by the North.
Epilogue: The Parade Ground 1883
Near the barracks of West
Point, Gus Main, TX and George William Hazard, CA meet to begin the known best
education of the nation. Their fathers Charles Main, rancher on the 150,000
acres Main Chance ranch, and Billy Hazard, president of the Sundown Sea Realty
Company and the Diamond Acres Estade, are sitting by and talking on old times.
Last words
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