The
Story Collection
By
Jerry Wayne Humphrey
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my grandfather William Hamilton Goodwin
Contents
A Snake At Church
The Stinging Snake
The Mules
The Feral Girl
A Man From Nowhere
The Eagle And The Innocent Man
The Ghost In The Road
Cavalry Inspection
The Cavalryman And The Mermaid
Restless Spirit
A Snake At The Mill
The Snake And The Hunter
Breakfast At Aunt Clara’s
Riding A Clydesdale
Pine Tree Rocket
Lost
Tony The Crow
Making Friends
Mysterious Encounter
My Time In The Garden
The Real Deal
The Mystery Woman
The Enemy
The Night Of The Two Moons
My Last Dollar
A Little Miracle
The Soldier And The Dolphin
An Unknown Hero
Starshine The Little Turtle
When I First Saw You
Cacti Airlines
A Little Trip In Time
A Home By The Tracks
The Old Man At The Flea Market
Visions
The Cross On The Highway
The Little Dog That Could
Voices In The Night
The Unseen Valentine
The Last Kiss
Rainy Day Treasures
Growing Old
Good Intentions
The Attack
Senior Games
A Healing Prayer
Remembering
Sneezy The Cat
Fuzzybritches And The Rat
Just A Wino
Chance Meeting
On The Edge
Introduction
This book is a collection of short stories I have written over the years. They were inspired by the stories that my grandfather told me as I was growing up. I wish I could remember all of them they were so entertaining and at the same time had a lesson to learn. Also it gave me a little look into the life of my grandfather and the things he had seen and done.
I started with these stories and then added my own stories from my own experiences. I also wrote some stories that are fiction. I will not say which are fiction but most are true as I remember them. I hope they are interesting and entertaining. Just remember the old saying sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
Jerry Wayne Humphrey
A Snake At Church
It was Sunday and the little country church had gathered for the usual Sunday services. The minister was preaching his sermon as always. With their minister, you never knew how long he might go on with his sermon. It just depended on how he felt that day and how the spirit moved him.
Because of this, some of the young children would sometimes get hungry and become restless nearing the end of the services. The parents usually would bring something for them to nibble on to keep them from becoming too much of a disturbance.
Such was the case this day at the little country church. One mother of a particularly active two-year-old boy had brought along some graham crackers. The mom would give the little boy a graham cracker from time to time and this seemed to keep him occupied during the services.
Nevertheless, the little boy became restless as the minister was ending the days sermon. It was a fine sunny day and the usual custom was as the sermon came to an end the parents would let the children go out of the church before anyone got up. The little boy’s mother gave him the bag of graham crackers she had brought that day and let him go. He promptly grabbed the crackers and made a beeline for the church door.
This was normal and the parents were not worried because they had all taught the children to go outside and play and wait for them to come out of the church. Well the services ended and the minister stood at the door so he could shake hands with the congregation as they left. The couple with the little boy who had already gone out were first at the door, went outside, and began to look for him. As they looked around, they heard him laughing and looked to see him playing happily under a cottonwood tree the front of the churchyard. He had the graham crackers in his hands and appeared to be talking to someone and laughing.
When they saw what he was talking to, they started to scream
and then froze in their tracks. The other people saw their scared faces and stopped to see what was going on. When they saw it, they too froze in place as everyone saw it at the same time.
What the little boy was playing with and appeared to be talking to was a huge mountain rattlesnake. The boy didn’t appear scared or concerned at the snake and although the snake was coiled up and had his head raised to face the little boy he didn’t appear to be disturbed either and wasn’t even issuing his rattle in warning.
Everyone was frozen in fear and panic and at a total loss as to how to proceed. The minister began to pray. As they looked at the boy, he appeared to be offering a bite of his graham cracker to the snake. The snake just looked at the little boy and watched as the boy took a bite of the cracker.
Finally, the boy looked and saw his mom and dad standing there for him. His mother said in a soft sweet voice “Its time to go home son, leave your friend and come along. The little boy promptly smiled and just walked away and into the arms of his parents. Everyone gathered around to see if the little boy was all right. After they had checked him out from stem to stern and were satisfied, he was fine in every respect they all breathed a sigh of relief at the miracle they had just witnessed.
Then they remembered the snake and some men grabbed hoes and sticks and turned to go after the snake. However, the snake was nowhere to be found, he’d simply disappeared. That day every person’s prayer was answered. Still they couldn’t explain the actions of the snake that day, or how the little boy hadn’t been bitten or even scared. Everyone said a special thank you that day and it would be a day that no one would ever forget. I guess it’s true that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
The Stinging Snake
There were always tales of unusual snakes and other animals so when it was told of a stinging snake no one took it too seriously. As the tales of the sighting of this kind of snake grew people began to pay more attention to it. It reported to be about four feet in length and light black in color.
Old lady Johnson said she saw it in her yard one day and chased it away with a broom. Thinking it was just a plain old blacksnake, but it was light black colored instead of glossy black like usual. She said when she came at it with her broom it raised up and opened its mouth and flicked out a red tongue, then turned around and crawled away.
It wasn’t until later when she heard of the reports of the stinging snake and its description that she realized the one she saw fit the description exactly. Next time she said she would get her shotgun. She had some chickens missing and figured that the snake had gotten to them while they were on their roost at night.
One of the Holmes boys said he saw it chase a rabbit one day and kill it. He said he saw the snake creep up on the unsuspecting rabbit. When the rabbit saw the snake it started to hop away but before it could get going the snake slapped it with its tail and the rabbit jumped up and fell over shaking.
Other reports gave the same story. Instead of biting its prey it would whip its tail around and slap as if trying to sting it. One report said it struck a large dog and the dog almost died. Now a snake is a scary thing anyway but one that would sting you instead of bite you was indeed scary not to mention strange.
Reports continued to come in about it and people began to watch out for it. One old man who lived a good ways in the woods began to actively hunt for it. Well one day he came up to the little general store with a feed sack. He told them he had killed the snake and now you don’t have to worry about it no more.
He dumped out a long light black snake that fit the description of the stinging snake. It had been shot and was indeed dead. Well he left it there and people came to see it and all agreed that it was what they had seen. However no one could find any sign of a stinger on it. My grandfather was looking at it one day and took his walking stick and punched at it several times. When he punched at its tail out came four sharp barbs that looked like stingers. Well that did it and everyone decided it was a stinging snake for real.
Whether or not it really was or not I don’t know but folks were convinced it was and so the story is told of the stinging snake.
You have to admit it made a good story anyway especially for a
young boy.
The Mules
Once a farmer and his son were working an old farm. They were all alone just the two the mother having passed away some years ago. They were talking one day and the conversation centered on their old pair of mules.
The father said you know son these old mules are getting old and with the new crop coming up we could use a new pair. The son agreed and they decided they would take the old pair of mules and sell them in town and later buy a new pair.
When they got there they found a stranger who was buying and selling horses and mules. They took the pair of mules they had and asked what he would pay for them. Well he looked them over made them a price.
It was a pretty good price because the old pair of mules were ragged looking and their hair was matted and getting gray and their hoofs were unshod. They had not expected to get so good a price for them so they took the money and returned home.
A week or so later the farmer and his son again went into town to see about buying a pair of younger mules. They encounter the same stranger they had sold the old mules to. They look over the mules the man has and asked about a pair that looked good. The stranger tells them that the two they are looking at are indeed a nice pair. He told them they are still young yet and strong and well mannered.
They talk of a price and the stranger finally says I tell you what I will let you have a good deal on them and gave them a fair price. The mules were very clean and had freshly cut manes and tails and their coats were black. Their hoofs had been freshly shod and polished. They had even been finely curried and their teeth had been filed.
They bought the pair and took them home. On the way home they are talking about the pair of mules and how nice they looked and the price they had paid for them was only twenty-five dollars more than they had gotten for the old pair they had sold.
The son notices the actions of the mules as they head home and remarks that they act toward each other just like their old pair used to. The smaller female would always let the larger male take the lead.
The father begins to notice it also and when they reach home look at each other and say they couldn’t be the same ones could they. The father says well I know how to tell if they are. The female one when they were turned loose would always race to the barn first but would not go in until the other one had gone in.
They turned them loose and sure enough they acted just the same as the old pair had. They even went into the same stalls as the old ones had. Upon close inspection they found their hair had been dyed. They looked in the ear of the female and found the little mark that she had had since they first got her years ago.
At first they were angry for getting cheated and wanted to take them back. But they realized that if they did the stranger would no doubt be long gone and besides they didn’t want to let everyone know how they had been fooled. The father and son finally just had to laugh at themselves for buying back their own mules.
Well said the father you know it was worth twenty-five dollars just to get them cleaned up and shod and their manes cut and all. They never looked so good said the son and both had a good laugh about it.
The Feral Girl
Not too many years ago people lived more spread out than today and the times were much simpler and less stressful. There were always disasters that would happen from time to time and when that would happen everyone would get together and do what they could to help one another.
Most everyone grew their own food and raised their families being very self-sufficient. Everyone knew from the time they were old enough to walk how to hunt for food and grow fruits and vegetables to eat. There were always wild fruits and berries to pick and eat.
There was one time when disaster struck and many people came down sick and some died from what was just called the fever. Everyone did what they could to help one another through it and finally it passed and things began to get back to normal.
One family had been hit very hard. Both of the parents had died from the fever. The couple had two children a boy and a girl. When the fever hit the boy was away at his grandparents and was spared. It was assumed that the girl has died but no trace of her was found. It was thought that she had died first and the parents had buried her before they themselves had been struck down.
Several had died in this way and were hastily buried and some did not even have a marker to identify the grave. The boys name was Tom and his sister was named Helen. Well tom was just a youngster about fifteen then but insisted on coming home and working the old place. He worked hard and had it looking good in a couple of years.
It was a hard time and he missed his dear parents and especially his little sister Helen. He prayed for them each night before he went to bed. He had decided to take a wife when he reached nineteen and would raise his own family and hopefully have children of his own. He vowed if he was lucky enough to have a daughter he would name her Helen after his dear sister.
Spring came early one year and as usual everyone was out hunting for fresh meat. The game was plentiful and the hunters were deep in the forest hunting when one hunter ran up and said her had spotted something down by the little creek. He said he could not tell what it was but it looked hairy like a bear or something and it was accompanied by a dog.
Everyone thought he was joking and teased him about it being a wild man. Then a day or two later someone else saw it too. People became curious as to what kind of animal was prowling around. The men got together and were determined to track it down. They all agreed to not harm it until they could find out what it was.
They set a trap with a snare and a net and one night they caught it. In the darkness it was hard to make out just what they had caught but it was quite large and smelled rather bad also. The men brought their torches and lanterns and the net was slowly lowered to the ground so they could see what it was.
To everyone’s surprise it was a not an animal at all but a child of about eleven. It was covered in dirt and leaves and its nails were long and it had not clothes on. It was unmistakable; it was a girl for sure. She was wild like an animal and instead of talking it grunted and snarled.
She bit and scratched so they finally had to tie her up to get her back to the house. They got her there just as it was getting daylight. The women all got together and set to cleaning her up and putting clothes on her. The old country doctor checked her out and said she was in pretty good shape considering the circumstances.
He had seen this kind of thing before and it would take a lot of patience and care but he was sure that she could be tamed and brought back to live as a human. He said it appeared she had not been wild all her life but only a few years so her memories of her life before would hopefully return.
In a couple of days she calmed down and began to act more human. The hunters found the dog that had been with her but a wild animal of some kind had killed it. They figured it had either taken up with her or it could have been her dog even.
She had survived in the wilderness for a long time and they wondered who she was and where she had came from. It would be a while before she would remember if she ever did. The doctor and his wife agreed to take her and care for her. They had always wanted a girl and she needed them too now so it was that they took her in.
Tom heard of the wild girl that had been found and set out to the old doctors place to see her for himself. The doctor didn’t want her to become like a sideshow attraction and discouraged people from just gawking at her. Tom persisted and the doctor remembered what he had gone through with the loss of his family and thought it might actually help her to remember.
When Tom first looked at her he thought how much she looked like his little sister. She was about the right age and she had the same color hair. He wondered could it be that he had at last found his little sister. She looked at him too and stared at his face. Then she smiled and tried to speak. The words were hard for her to say but there was no mistaking what she said. She looked at his face and said tom-tom.
That was the nickname she used to call him when she was little. He was overjoyed he had no doubt that this was his sister Helen. Finally he had found her and she was alive. Now he had family, he reached out his arms and she ran to him and they hugged each other tightly.
It took a while but she finally remembered she had gone to the creek for water and had fallen down. When she cane to it was dark and she was alone except for her old dog. She wandered in the woods and was quickly lost. She wandered around with the deadly fever things got foggy after that. She remembered picking berries and making a bed of leaves to sleep on in a thicket. There had been times when she slept in a small cave and the weather was cold out. The dog would go out and catch birds and rabbits and bring them to her and they would share the meal together. Her thoughts became scrambled and she became wild until the night she was trapped by the snare. That was indeed a lucky night for them both.
The Man From Nowhere
The little community had its share of strange happenings. It was a nice sleepy little place and not much happened here. Occasionally they would get a bad thunderstorm or tornado and in winter sometimes a winter snowstorm. A couple of times a huge tornado had come through and it ripped up trees and scattered livestock for miles. On one occasion it came and took away a large chicken house. The whole thing was picked up and it disappeared in the storm. Not even a feather was left behind.
One incident that happened a few months after a huge storm went though is still talked about today. It was the day the man from nowhere appeared. A man staggered out of the forest one day and stopped at a farmhouse to ask for some water.
He was wearing an old worn pair of overalls and a plaid shirt that was torn in several places. He had long hair and a beard and ragged fingernails. He had a scar on his head that looked like an old injury.
The old man and woman at the farmhouse gave him some water and asked him if he was all right. He just stood there looking at them and when they asked him his name he just stammered out I don’t know I can't remember.
The old woman quickly took charge and told him to come inside and have something to eat. He ate heartily and it was obvious that he had not eaten in a while. After he had eaten she insisted on him staying the night. He agreed and thanked her for her hospitality.
She gave him some clean clothes and showed him where he could clean up. The old man even gave him a razor so he could shave. After he had cleaned up and shaved they could see he was a man in his late twenties or early thirties and he was well mannered and polite.
They convinced him to stay with them until he could decide what to do. He thanked them and insisted on helping work the farm. They were delighted to have him and had always wanted a son. He had to have a name so they looked through the old family bible and he recognized a passage from the book of John and so he was named John. The name fit him and he began to feel at home here and like he belonged here. The old man and woman gave him their last name and he was made their son. They even wrote his name in the family bible.
Each Sunday the old couple would go to the little country church and John went along with them. The congregation accepted him just as the old couple had and made him feel welcome. He was happy here and praised the lord for leading him here to this place.
He became very interested in the church and studied the bible daily. He became active in the church and even sang in the choir. One Sunday he walked down the aisle and gave his life to the lord. The next Sunday he was baptized. He was truly born again in more ways than one.
He worked hard at the farm and it became a very nice place. He raised good crops and the cattle and horses increased in numbers. He studied his bible and any other book he could get his hands on and found he had a talent for math and other subjects too.
The minister took him in as a student and helped him learn. The thing he wanted to do most was what the minister did. He wanted to become a minister and worked his way up until he became a minister himself. And he was a good minister so when the regular minister could no longer do his duties he took over the little church.
He took good care of the old couple that had taken him in and always referred to them as his mom and pop. They were a happy family and lived a long life. When they passed on he buried them in the little church graveyard and took over the old farm.
He fell in love with a woman from the neighboring community and they were married and had a family. All the names and dates were dutifully recorded in the old family bible just as his name had been added when he first came there.
He never was able to remember his past or his real name or where he had came from. After a time it became less important and he realized that it only mattered where you were now and who you were inside that counted, after all God knew. He sometimes in his sermons would refer to himself as the man from nowhere
The Eagle And The Innocent Man
This story takes place in the early times when the country was still getting settled. Little settlements sprung up here and there and people came from many places to settle and start a new life. This was the way it was with the little town of Hickory Forks. It was a young little town next to a fork in the river.
There were immigrants here from many places overseas like Germany, Scotland, Ireland and Sweden. One of these settlers was a man from Sweden named Olaf Swensen. Most people just called him Ollie. He had a family waiting for him to send for them and he was working hard to make a place for them.
He was homesteading two forty-acre tracts. He was building a farm, clearing land to grow crops and building a house. He had even put up a nice barn for the livestock. Soon it would be ready and his dear wife and daughter would arrive and his family would be complete again.
Ollie was a good man and honest to a fault. He had a special way with animals. It was said that he could talk to them. Even the wild animals responded to him. He looked after them and took good care of them and they kept an eye on him as well. He only hunted when he had to and did not allow anyone to hunt on his land for sport.
His neighbor Alvin Jacobson and his son Tom were just the opposite. They would get drunk and steal from others when they could. They continually snuck onto his land and shot game just for sport. Ollie had warned them several times about it but could not catch them in the act.
Ollie was a talented carver and carved lovely designs in wood. He even had carved some beautiful carvings in a new axe handle he was preparing for his new axe. One day when he was gone Tom came over and stole it. Toms father Alvin was off on another drunk and was in a bad mood when he finally came home that day. He had a bad habit of taking out his anger on Tom and today he was especially mad.
When he couldn’t find his jug of liquor he took it out on Tom. He began to beat up on Tom but this time Tom could take it no longer and he fought back, grabbing the axe handle he had stolen and hitting his father in the head with it. He hit him a hard blow and his father fell dead.
He realized he was in trouble because no one would believe it was an accident and he would be blamed for sure. Then looking at the axe handle he got an idea. He would blame it on Ollie. It was Ollie’s axe handle and if he told them he had seen him strike the fatal blow he would be in the clear. This way he would get rid of both of them and have it all to himself.
He ran into town and told them his story about what had happened. They came and found his father dead just like he had said with Ollie’s axe handle lying beside the body. Then they went to Ollie’s farm and found him working in the barn. He denied killing Alvin saying he had been away and had just returned home when they confronted him.
With his axe handle at the scene and everyone knew of the troubles between them he was the logical suspect. Since he could not provide any proof of where he had been at the time he was charged with the murder.
No one wanted to believe that he had did it but he was the logical suspect. There was a short trial and he was found guilty and sentenced to hang the next day at noon. He swore he was innocent but it was no use he would hang for it just the same.
The next day everyone gathered to see the hanging. People came from all around to see it. When asked if he had any last words he again professed his innocence and pleaded with the guilty one to come forth and confess before it was too late. When no one spoke up he told them there would be a sign in the sky that day to show he was innocent. He added that if he were hanged for this crime then in three days the guilty party would die.
When the noose was placed around his neck he looked up at the sky and called out. At once a shadow came over the crowd blocking out the sun. When people looked up they saw a bird bigger than anyone had ever seen or even heard of. It looked like an eagle and its wings were huge.
It soared overhead and looking down at them and screeched loud and angrily. It was as if it was trying to tell them something. It was a fearful looking sight.
The people became frightened and started to scatter. Some screamed in fear. The huge bird paid no attention and slowly lit on the courthouse roof and spread its huge wings and looked angrily down at them below.
Some men took their guns and started to shoot at it but it paid no attention and continued to hold it’s place and screeched angrily at them again. When they continued to shoot at it Ollie once again called out and it rose up and flew away and was gone.
Even after this frightening spectacle they still hanged Ollie. It was a solemn event and everyone went home. Three days later Tom was out plowing and having a hard time of it. He began to yell and scream at the horse and picked up a rock and threw at it. Suddenly the Eagle appeared overhead and looked down and screeched angrily at him. The horse became frightened and went wild. Tom was trampled by it as it struggled to get away. He lay bleeding and dying at the very spot where he had murdered his father.
When they found him he was still alive but fading fast. Before he died he told them what really happened the day his father was killed. He told them how it was he that had committed the murder and not Ollie. Then he died, but at least he had finally told the truth before he passed on.
News quickly spread of what had happened and how the community had hanged an innocent man. A few weeks later Ollie’s wife and daughter arrived and they had the task of informing her of what had happened. They asked her for her forgiveness and vowed that as long as they lived they would be taken care of and would never want for anything. A plaque was placed on Ollie’s grave saying here lays an innocent man. They even named the town after him and it remains to this day.
The Ghost In The Road
Even when William Goodfellow was a just a kid everyone called him Hamp. The nickname stuck and he was always known by it. One night Hamp and his brother were at church and as usual they sat in the back so they could be the first ones out when church was over. As they waited for the minister to finish they decided to have some fun on the way home. They knew it was already dark out and that their sisters were scared of ghosts and such. So they decided that when church was over they would hurry out of church and run ahead of them to the crossroads that lead to their home. Once there ahead of the girls they would hide in the bushes beside the road and jump out at the girls like ghosts and scare them.
Hamp thought this was great fun scaring them and so did his brother. The girls would get so scared they might even wet their pants. Well finally the minister finished and when the doors opened they ran out lickety split. Just as they had planned they got to the crossroads long ahead of the girls and hid in the bushes on each side of the road. To further scare the girls they took off their shirts so only their white undershirts would show when they scared them.
Sure enough along came the girls skipping and talking. Just when the girls had gotten past where Hamp and his brother were hid the boys jumped out and groaned loudly. Sure enough the girls jumped up and screamed and ran as fast as their legs could carry them till they were soon out of sight. Hamp and his brother put their shirts back on and quickly went home so as not to get caught.
On the way home when they had gotten to a real dark spot in the road they suddenly saw a white figure rise up in the road before them. It happened so suddenly they were caught by total surprise and almost wet their own pants. Well they left the road and ran through the woods as hard as they could. Finally they reached home. They were shook up to say the least and had no explanation for what it could have been. They felt bad now for having scared the girls earlier and thought this might have been some sort of punishment dealt them for their actions. They decided they would not say anything to anyone about the incident. They also decided that they would not scare anyone again either, having now been on the other end of being scared. They realized it was not funny and was cruel.
That night was quiet and finally they went to sleep. Early next morning before anyone else got up they just had to go to the spot where they had seen the apparition to see if there was any sign of anything there.
When they arrived at the location they stopped and looked at the middle of the road and stared down at the spot. There was the ghost in the middle of the road just where they had seen it the night before. It seems that the road was wet from a little rain and there was some mud there. There were wagon tracks going down the road and the wheels had made some muddy ruts in the road.
Well a large piece of white wrapping paper had apparently fallen out and one of the wagon wheels ran over one end. The paper lay in the road and when the wind came up as they had came down the road it blew the paper up and with the moon reflecting off the paper and the paper held fast by the mud it had made the ghost appear. They just looked at each other and thought how scared they had been; they were so embarrassed at themselves.
As they went back home they finally couldn’t help but have a good laugh at themselves. They had certainly learned their lesson on this one. Laughing at someone else s expense they realized was not funny after all and this lesson they would never forget.
Cavalry Inspection
Hamp was a young cavalry soldier. His full name was William Hampton Goodfellow but since he was a young kid everyone always called him Hamp. He grew up a country boy in the mountains and was a hard worker but he wanted to see the world and learn more. Also he wanted to save some money to someday get a place of his own.
He had a girl back home and if he could save enough money he could go back home and marry her and start his own family. The money he saved would buy a piece of land and help him get started. So it was that he joined the army and volunteered for the cavalry.
Hamp was just a country boy but he could fire a rifle well and he was good with horses. He loved to ride and did so every chance he got. He was right at home here in the cavalry. He was also seeing part of the country that he had only heard of before. He was out west in the desert area in a remote fort.
He practiced his drills and worked hard to do well on any inspection that might come up. He polished his boots and kept his clothes clean and sharp looking. His inspections were always a big thing and those who got a perfect score got extra credits.
Being in the cavalry meant not only did he have to keep his things ready and sharp but his horse and saddle and bedroll and all the other things that go with it. The mounted cavalry would get up early and have all their gear and weapons and such ready and ride out. They would ride for several hours and then would stop and have inspection.
Everything had to be laid out just right and be as clean and neat as possible. He had no problem with this as he worked hard to do well on these inspections. But no matter how hard he tried he was always just short of a perfect score. The one thing he would get tripped up on was his bedroll. He was not the only one that had a problem with that, everyone else did as well.
After riding for several hours the bedroll would get flat on the ends and it was impossible to get it to stay perfectly round. He tried all sorts of things but nothing worked. Then one day he was at the blacksmith shop getting his mount shod and noticed that the blacksmith had some stovepipes lying around. The blacksmith had to measure and cut them to fit. He noticed they were about the same size as his bedroll. This gave him an idea, he picked up a couple of pieces that had been trimmed off and took them to his bedroll.
He unrolled his bedroll and placed the round bands he had gotten from the stovepipes and used them on the ends of the bedroll. With the bedroll rolled up and covering them they were hidden from view. The next time they rode out and had inspection he was the only one with a bedroll that had a perfectly round shape on the ends.
He got extra credits and from then on was always the top scorer on the inspection. He didn’t tell anyone how he had done it for a long time. In fact it was just before he left that he told the secret to his friend Thomas.
The Cavalryman And The Mermaid
Young William Hampton Goodfellow was a cavalryman in one of the Army’s Cavalry units somewhere west of the Mississippi River. It was the early part of the nineteenth century and the army was still using the Horse Cavalry. William was proud to be in the cavalry. He was a poor boy from the south but he knew horses well and enjoyed being outside on horseback.
He had joined the Cavalry for two reasons, first because of the adventure and second to save up some money. You see he had a girl back home and when his tour was up, he wanted to go home and ask her to marry him.
However, she was the daughter of a prominent Doctor and he was just the son of a poor dirt farmer with nothing to offer her. But he loved young Tillie Schultz very much and was determined to marry her. In the army, he would travel and could learn much, and he would save every penny he could get his hands on. And when his tour was up he would have enough to pay for a ring and a piece of land of his own for them.
It would give them a good start in their life, and a long and happy one he hoped. It was what he wanted in life more than anything else. But until then he would work hard, learn as much as he could, and save every cent for that day.
It was approaching the weekend and most of the soldiers at the post were looking forward to taking a weekend pass and going into town. Most would drink as much as possible, chase women, or gamble and generally blow off steam. William saw this as a chance to earn some extra money, by taking the duties of those who had weekend duty. He could earn a good bit this way and sometimes the duty wasn’t all that bad.
This weekend the Commander wanted six soldiers for a security detail away from the post. It would be to provide security to another group of soldiers on a special assignment. They were transporting a special shipment to the east coast, all the way to the capital itself, Washington D.C. They would escort them to
the river where they would cross and then the group would meet up with another detachment of soldiers on the other side.
They would then return to the post and their duty would be done. After reporting, they would be given time to care for their mounts and equipment and even given a day off to rest before returning to duty.
They were told little about what was being shipped, just to report to the officer in charge and follow his orders. They rode out proudly and in no time found the ones, they were to meet up with.
They reported to the officer in charge and were given their assignments. They rode all day and made camp not far from the river. Naturally, they all were curious as to what was so important as to warrant this kind of treatment. It must be something special for there was even a doctor and medical staff traveling with them and they kept going in and out of the area where the shipment was and checking on whatever it was.
Curiosity got the better of them and William was picked to sneak in and try to find out what it was. He was very good at this, and was said to be able to be near invisible as anyone could be when called on to do so.
When all was quiet that night and most were asleep, except his men who were on guard, he made his move. He crept inside of the area, under the tent, and into the special wagon. Not even his own men had seen him. As he approached the large tank in the wagon, he saw a glow inside. Looking inside he saw something his eyes could not believe. On one end of the tank of water was the smooth skin and flipper of an animal like a dolphin. But on the other end was the unmistakable form of a young woman. She had long black hair that flowed down and covered her naked breasts in front.
She was a mermaid; he thought like everyone else that there
were no such thing as a mermaid, but there he was looking at one in the flesh. Cautiously he approached closer and she smiled at him, and then held her finger to her lips to signal him to be silent. She understood who he was, she was intelligent, and not just an animal that looked like a person.
She pointed to him and then to herself and spoke to him softly. He heard the words clearly but her mouth made no sound. She told him to not be afraid, she could speak to him with her mind and listen to his reply, all he had to do was think clearly of the words and she would hear him. She asked him to help her. She had wandered off from her people and gotten tangled in a net and captured before her folks could free her. Since then she had been so afraid of what they would do to her. The Doctors wanted to study her and maybe even dissect her for science. She had heard their thoughts and knew not to try to talk to them. They would be terrified and would probably kill her.
She told him she had read his thoughts and knew she could trust him. She told him if he could help her get to the river, she could escape and make her way home from there. She told him she knew it was a lot to ask of him and how dangerous it was, but if he would help her, she and her people would be forever grateful. Something more she told him, her people also believed in the creator, God, the same one he did.
This was crazy, although he knew it was the right thing to do but it was all so unbelievable. He knew he was committed to freeing her if he could. So carefully, he wrapped her in a blanket, picked her up, and carried her away to the river. It was rough going to make his way without being seen but finally he made it to the riverbank.
Unwrapping her from the blanket, he placed her in the water. She went under quickly but reappeared and motioned to him to approach her. Out of under her long black hair she took a small shiny object and held it out to him. As she placed it into his hands, she again spoke to him. She told him her name and
thanked him for his bravery in helping free her. She told him to keep the object with him always. If he was ever in serious trouble, he was to take the object to the sea if possible or if not to a river, throw it in, and call her name. Someone would come and help him anyway they could. She told him that she owed him this for his help and her people would always remember him.
She told him to never tell anyone of this or let the object be given away. He was to pass it down to his first male grandchild and tell only him of what it was and what it meant. It would be passed down from generation to generation in this manner and only the one chosen would ever be told the true meaning of it.
After telling him this, she disappeared under the water and was gone. He placed the object in his pocket and crept back to his place in the camp. Next day he told his fellow soldiers nothing. Saying he had fell asleep and did not have a chance to find out anything.
There was much activity that morning and although the Officer in charge questioned everyone, and searched the entire area for the better part of the day nothing was found. Of course, no one but the officer himself and the Doctor knew what it was that had been lost. It seems that its very existence was shrouded in such mystery that it was hard to believe it had ever existed at all.
William smiled to himself as he rode back to the post that day and felt inside himself that he had done a good thing. It was a shame he couldn’t tell anyone but then who would believe him anyway. Well there would one day be the chosen one to pass it down to, and then he would know too.
It’s hard to believe; I can only say that I feel that it’s true. You see my grandfather before he died passed it to me and now I am passing it to my grandchild. Now you know the story also.
Restless Spirit
The young cavalryman William Hampton Goodfellow, known to everyone as Hamp, was on his way home. He had finished his tour of duty with the Army’s Cavalry unit. He had learned as much as he could and saved every dime he could of his pay and now he was going home to ask his girl to marry him. His girl was a couple of years older than he was and the daughter of a local Doctor. Her father didn’t want his daughter to marry the son of a farmer. He was determined to marry her though because she was the only girl for him.
He now had experience as an army cavalryman and had saved enough to buy a ring and maybe a little piece of land that they could live on. Not what she was used to but it would be theirs and together they could have a good life.
Hamp had decided to save the fare home and make his own way there. He had started out hiking, had gotten lucky, and was able to get a ride on a freight wagon in return for helping the driver load and deliver his goods. Then he rode a ways with a minister and his family who were settling in the river delta. When he reached the river there was a riverboat taking supplies up and down the river to the settlements there. It would go up river for a few days on one side of the river and then come back down the river on the other side.
He was able to get on the ship by helping them load and unload the supplies. He rode up the river and then down the other side this way he got to cross the river free and even got some food and supplies to carry with him when he left the ship.
He had hiked for many miles now and there were no wagons or traffic in sight. He had not seen a sole since yesterday. He could tell that he was getting close to home because he could see the hills and mountains and they made him feel more at home.
He decided that he would leave the road and cut across the mountain and thought the hills. This way he could cut the time in half and make better time. Besides that, he was comfortable
in the hills having been raised on a mountain himself.
He had hiked deep into the mountains and it was getting nightfall so he was looking for place to camp for the night. He came over a rise and when he came out of the thick wooded area, he saw what looked like a farm. He hurried to get there before dark hoping to get a place to sleep and maybe some home cooking. As he got closer, he began to notice that the farm looked deserted. He didn’t see any stock not even a chicken in sight. The barn was falling down and the fence was in bad shape. It was completely empty; no one had lived here for a long time. It was situated in a little place nestled between two large hills. Had he not been cutting through the mountainous terrain no one would have known that it was even there.
He first went to the well and after repairing the rope let the bucket down and drew up a bucket of cool water. It tasted so sweet and cool and after he rested for a minute, he went to the old house to see what shape it was in. It had been built simply but well and was still standing, not even a window was broken. He half expected to find someone living there but quickly saw that it was overgrown and neglected. Carefully he went up the steps and across the porch to the door. It was closed but not locked but he knocked anyway. Since no one answered, he opened the door and carefully went inside.
It was really strange, cobwebs were everywhere but it still was just as if whoever had lived here had just walked out land left everything behind. There was a big fireplace in the living room with two large rocking chairs near it. Above the mantle there were pictures, he dusted one off and it was the picture of a lovely young woman. It reminded him of his girl at home, Tillie Shults. The other walls had pictures and such also. In the other room was the kitchen complete with pots and pans on the wall and even a little hutch with the dishes setting there and eating utensils in a drawer. On through the house he went and found two bedrooms complete with beds that still had the covers on them as if they were waiting for company. The master bedroom
had a large iron bedstead and he thought of dusting it off and sleeping there but decided against it.
It was just too weird and spooky. He wasn’t afraid of spirits or anything like that he had been taught as a child about such things and had no fear of them. Still he just did not feel comfortable with the thought of sleeping in the bedroom and decided to just roll out his bedroom next to the fireplace that night.
Well it would be dark soon and the weather looked like a rainstorm was coming so he hurried to get settled in. He brought in the bucket or water from the well and set in the kitchen. Out back, he found a woodpile with plenty of wood for a fire. He checked out the chimney and made sure it was clear, laid a fire in it, and soon had it going. He went into the kitchen, cleaned off the table and a chair to sit in, and washed up a place and a couple of pots to cook in.
He took food from his pack and cooked it over the fire in the fireplace. He even found a jar of peaches in the old fruit shelf there to have for desert. He remembered to say a prayer before he ate that night and asked the creator to keep him safe.
He sat by the fire for a while and smoked his pipe. He had had a long day and was very tired so he spread out his bedroll in front of the fireplace and turned in early to get some rest
He quickly went to sleep but in the night, the rainstorm came and he woke up in the night to the thunder and lightning. He lit a candle and set it on a small table. As he listened to the storm, he had the strangest feeling that he wasn’t alone there. Ridiculous he thought he was alone and there was no sign that anyone had even been here. As he looked out the window at the lightning, he saw something move outside. He got up and looked out the window into the darkness. It was covered with dirt and cobwebs and he took his hand and wiped a spot to see it anyone was out there. He thought he could see someone in the darkness but couldn’t make it out clearly, so he decided to open the window to get a clear look.
After he opened the window, he peered out and sure enough, he could just make out the face of a man in the darkness. He went closer to the window to get a better view and could see the mans face clearly. Then he froze in his tracks at the window, for as he looked at the man he noticed that there was no body. Only the mans head was visible.
He was really spooked now, but remembered what he had always been taught. He had been taught that spirits were real but could not hurt you just scare you into hurting yourself if you didn’t know about such things. As he looked at the face there in the darkness, he finally found his voice and spoke to the face in the darkness. He said the words he had been taught to say, “in the name of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who are you and what do you want here.”
The man spoke to him and said, “I sense you are good man and ask that you please help me.” What can I do to help you he asked of the man? Again, the man spoke and said to him; many years ago, my wife and I settled here and built this farm. We were happy here until one day when some bad men came and killed my wife and myself and left our bodies in a ditch in the back of the house.” I fought the men but they run me through with a long knife and cut my head off. My wife and my bones lie outside by the tree; if you would please just give us a proper burial up on the hill then my spirit will be able to rest finally.