A week after the hail storm, I found myself home in Indiana recuperating from multiple wounds, lacerations, and a cracked femur in my right leg after thugs from the circus pounded me and redlighted me in the middle of the night.
It was a Wednesday and I was alone. Father went to pick up Mother at church and Thad was visiting Laureen. I felt able to get up and go down the stairs of our house without help. I inched toward the top of the stairs. The wood was warm and forgiving as my bare feet shuffled across. The air in my room was humid and sticky for late summer day. I stepped off the landing onto the first riser, and it squeaked. The stairs always did that, but the squeak was particularly loud. Holding the banister, I dropped my left foot and then right one from step to step. The pain in my right leg was palpable but not unbearable.
The tick-tock of the grandfather clock made the only sound in the house. Every tick sliced the silence. As I stepped off the last riser, I heard the buzz of a horse fly near the screen door. I ambled across the kitchen floor and slowly pushed the screen door open. The air was warm and dry, and the noontime glare caused me to squint. After I used the outhouse, I plopped myself on the porch floor, which was chair-height. I quietly watched the cattle grazing in a pasture not more than twenty yards away.
My mind was retracing the events of the last couple of weeks when the Morrison kid, Will, rode his scraggy mare into the yard. Before he saw me he called toward the house, “Anybody home?” I remained silent not sure I wanted to talk to him. He dropped off his horse and headed my direction.
“Yeah, Seth, how,ya, doing? Heard you got hurt on the circus.”
“Not exactly what happened. But I am getting better. What are you doing?”
“Just stopped over to see if your dad needs some more help. I been helping him since you been gone. I try but he never seems to be happy with my help.”
“Thanks for helping him. He is probably upset that I am not here to help him and Thad. Don’t worry about it. Anyway he isn’t home he’ll be back later. You look like you have put on some weight.”
“No, just some muscle from working. He dropped his overall straps and stripped off his limp checked shot sleeve shirt to show me his well defined upper body. “I am getting to look pretty good, don’t you think.” I agree he had filled out this sixteen year old frame. He still sported an Amish bowl haircut but his deep brown eyes reminded me of one our out favorite cows.
I must have been looking too intently because Will said, “What you looking at. You like my body?” Startled, I realized my stiff dick had escaped my underpants.
“Sorry, my dick, sometimes surprises me. But you are a handsome guy and getting better looking all the time. Girls are going to be all over you real soon.”
“Not interested,” he snarled. “Don’t excite me in the least. I have decided I am going to be a bachelor.”
Naively, but interested, I inquired, “How do you know so young that is what you want?
“Just like you when I see a cute guy I get hard, like now.” He adjusted his dick in his overalls that were noticeably pushed outward.
I was concerned the direction that the conversation was going so I slowly pushed my butt up and began to go in the house. Will said, “Let me help you.”
“I’m fine, see you.” He followed me into the kitchen as if he didn’t hear me. I plopped myself on one of the white kitchen chairs and adjusted myself. “Will, could you get me some ice water?” He went over to the icebox and took a small block over to the dry sink and chipped off a chunk.
As he pushed the pump handle he said, “Ice is almost gone. Your dad or Thad needs to bring some up from the well house.” He turned placing filled glass in front on me. He turned one of the other chairs around and swung his leg over the seat. As he did I noticed the buttons on the side of his overalls were open revealing white skin all the way down.
“Don’t you believe in underwear?” He blushed slightly.
“Didn’t have any clean and my lazy mother wouldn’t wash any. I don’t care. I go this way most of the time anyway.” He paused. “You want to ride with me to the creek for a swim?”
“I don’t think I can get on a horse yet?
“I can help you.” Pausing he went on, “I won’t let you hurt yourself.”
“OK, lets go upstairs and get my clothes.” I pushed myself up and started toward the stairs.
“What was it like being in the circus? I bet it was hard work, and you got to see many neat places.”
“I’m still in the circus,” I explained, “and the reason I’m going back to it when my leg heals is the adventure. It is never dull like around here. The money is good, too.”
“Thad said that you probably weren’t going back.”
“He’s wrong.”
Will hesitated and returned to the sink get a glass of water for himself. He slowly pumped the handle until a clear stream poured into a glass. I turned at the sound and he smiled shyly as he walked toward me. “Get going upstairs. You said you wanted to get your clothes.”
“That’s OK, but I don’t think I want to go to the creek.” More boldly than I intended I said, “Will you find me barely dressed. You’re an attractive young guy, and I must admit I have a lot of pressure built up. Maybe you should go.” Although I said the words, I really didn’t want him to go. “I’ll tell Father you came by. He’ll be back tonight.”
He grabbed my butt and pushed me upward. “I told you I can help relieve the pressure.”
“Let’s go upstairs,” I said finally.
He followed me, gently patting my butt a few times. Once in the bedroom, he pulled my underpants down and took my dick in his right hand. He held my hand as I dropped onto the bed. He placed a pillow under and on either side of my cracked leg. He unbuttoned his overall strap and they dropped to the floor revealing more than a boy size dick. He turned his butt toward me as he reached down to unlace his boots. He leaned over the bed still standing and took my dick in his mouth. I drew in a deep breath. He continued to slide up and down and I thought that was going to be it. I could feel my insides beginning to expand. He stopped and smiling looked into my eyes, “You like it?” Moving my head up and down he continued, “Can I ride you?
I didn’t know exactly was he meant, “How do you do that? What about my leg?
“I’ll be careful.” He climbed onto the bed and stood with his hands pushing up on the ceiling. He drew his right hand to his face and spit into his hand. With his butt hanging over my face he rubbed his asshole. He slowly descended until he was impaled on my super hard manhood. I had never felt anything like it as he slid up and down. I felt the same feeling again and said, “Will I am going to shoot inside you if you don’t stop.” He just smiled and kept going. Moments later I gasped and shot into his butt. He kept going and I about lost my mind at the sensitivity I felt afterward. He took himself off of me and rubbed himself to satisfaction. I watched in amazement realizing I had had real sex with a man.
“You like that?” He said smiling.
“I have to ask, how did you know I might let you do that to me.”
“I didn’t know. I really came over to see your father. I don’t know I just saw you and got horny. You are very handsome. I thought you liked me and if you would let me help you, well I’d do it.
“Maybe you should get dressed because they should be home soon. Also do me a favor go down to the sink and get a wet rag so I can clean up. I’m not going downstairs.”
He streaked down the stairs naked and returned with a wet dish towel. We both wiped and I asked him to return it to the wash tub on the back porch. He smiled, “Seth, maybe next time you get back we can meet at the creek.”
“Will, I don’t know when that will be. But what we did is our secret, right”
“Right, but anytime you need to relieve pressure, I’ll be happy to help you.” He dresses and looked back one last time at my naked body.
I lay quietly thinking about how nice it was to have sex with a man. There was no drama like with women. I fell asleep. Thad came home about seven that night, out of control with joy. Laureen had accepted his proposal of marriage. Mother and Father were pleased but would have preferred Molly. With her, they could be certain that Thad would stay on the farm. Now they would never know for sure.
After we went upstairs, Thad finally got around to asking me what I had done all day. He had been helping me so much recently that he automatically started to unbutton my shirt. He told me to sit down, which I dutifully did. Then he loosened the laces on my right shoe and gently pulled it and the sock off. Next, the left shoe and sock. He pulled my pants off evenly and slowly. I finished unbuttoning my shirt and laid it and my undershirt on the chair. I stripped off my underpants. He did the same.
Instinctively, I was ready for the underpants but stopped with my fingers already inside the waist band.
“Seen any action yet?” Thad asked.
I slapped his gut and said, “Yes, it was great!”
He slapped me back. “I want to hear about her.”
“Which time?”
“The first.”
I recounted for him my wonderful lovemaking with Raina but left out the part about Rudi and he didn’t ask.. “That’s why I have to go back.”
“Goddamnit, they almost killed you,” Thad snarled, “and you’re going back for some German circus performer.”
I bristled, “She’s not just a circus performer.”
“Are you sure you’re not still in danger when you go back?”
“No, but I can’t let that bastard Ralph run me off.”
“Can you tell me what really happened? I’ve heard the polite parts you cleaned up for Mother and Father’s benefit.”
“You have heard most of what I remember. What you haven’t heard is what led up to the actual event. I need a pillow under my leg so I can stop thinking about the pain.”
Thad got several pillows for my leg and our heads. The light from outside had faded from the warm orange of evening to the cool blue-black of the night. An early fall breeze caused the curtains to move like mature grain before the scythe lays it down. A candle on the bed table flickered and sent an orange glow dancing across Thad’s face.
He propped his head on his hand. “Get started before I fall asleep.”
“The story will take a while. Want to wait ’til tomorrow?”
“No, I want to hear it now, if you want to tell me.”
“I’ll start with the night of the storm. A hail storm nailed us the afternoon we played Fargo. That was the same day I had been with Raina and her friend Rudi for our picnic. The storm hit near the end of the afternoon matinee. Several tents were blown down. The big tent had some holes, but no one was hurt. The bosses decided we would do the night show. After the performance, we packed as quickly as we could. The ground was soft, and the rain continued to fall. I had been to the train yard three times before the night show was underway. There must have been twenty teams poised ready for the men to strike the menagerie and sideshow as soon as the first note of the grand entry march sounded.
“Those of us who had grown up on farms suspected more rain. I shivered and was damp from the rain and hail three hours before. I had my rain gear handy. The minute the first notes of the music sounded the rain intensified. It fell in buckets. I had worked in the rain before but nothing like that rain. It was worse than the night we were in Ft. Wayne. Two and three teams pulled to get animal cages onto the road, which was only slightly more firm than the grounds. Loading the first cut went fairly smoothly because the ground was relatively firm.
“For your benefit,” I said sarcastically to Thad, “the first cut means the first train.”
“I know cut, turkey. Keep going.” He let loose a long, low fart. “My contribution.”
“We got every wagon we could off the lot before the performance was over. Mr. Williams had told the teamsters to gang up on every wagon. I decided to follow Topeka around.”
“Who’s Topeka?”
“He’s one of our best teamsters and actually warned me about Ralph. He’s a good guy. Did I tell you my assistant driver had been stabbed the night before and had died?”
I looked at Thad, waiting for his reaction.
“No, goddamnit, you left out that minor detail. You are not going back there. You’ll be the next one found dead. They don’t want you!”
I waited until Thad calmed down before telling him about Haskins. “He was beaten up and stabbed the night before in Lincoln,” I explained.
Thad went nuts again. “Why are you going back, are you crazy? You’re a dead man.”
He called me a string of expletives, but I ignored the insults. He occasionally stroked his ball sack as the story continued.
“You want to hear this story or not?”
He placed an elbow on the pillow and dropped a cheek to the palm of his right hand.
“We did everything to keep the heavy wagons on dry ground as long as possible. The men loaded the seat wagons inside the tent. We took the teams inside which caused the superstitious guys plenty of grumbling, and Topeka hitched his team to 88, one of the heavy stringer wagons filled with seating planks. He drove his team halfway out of the tent then yelled at me and one other four-up driver to hook to the rings on the front corners of the wagon. We did and were ready for his command to go. An elephant with a big circular donut on her head pushed the backside of the wagon. I yelled for Travis and Mavis to step out and three teams went straight out of the tent toward the road. We never hesitated. I never looked at the wagon but knew by the strain on the lines that its wheels were mired in mud up to the hubs. We had sixteen horses and an elephant and it was all we could do to get that wagon one hundred yards. Avery and I unhooked our team, turned them around, and watched the big tent sink to the ground. I heard that it took twenty-four horses to get the last canvas wagon off of the lot. The third cut finished loading at three in the morning.
“This was on my team’s first day. I don’t remember anything after I hit my bunk on the train. I gave the porter all my wet clothes, as did everyone else. I didn’t care if I saw those clothes again. It was bright daylight when I felt the train lurch to a stop. I lifted the shade to see a swollen river on the right side of the train and then heard the unload command.”
I waited for Thad to make some smart remark, but he didn’t make a sound.
“Would you get me a glass of water?” I asked.
He hopped out of bed and disappeared downstairs. I heard the squeaking handle pump water and Thad’s footsteps on the stairs. He handed me the water.
“Go on,” he said as he climbed over me dragging his limp dick over my knee. My dick slivered. I took a deep breath and with my free hand pushed hair out of my eyes. “We had water for the next three days. Creeks and rivers overflowed. Lots were wet in Brandon, Regina, and Saskatoon. Everyone was exhausted, and tempers were short. You tried to stay out of people’s way. I thought about Haskins. I felt I should have known about Haskins’ problems with Ralph and blamed myself for not intervening. I spoke to Mr. Williams only once about Haskins’ death. I ask him if the police had heard anything. He made a flip remark, ‘Once we’re out of town the case is closed as far as the police are concerned. They don’t care about us.' I just couldn’t let Haskins go that easily. I blamed myself, at least partially, for his death because I offered him the job as my assistant.”
Thad said gently, “Remember, Seth, he didn’t have to take it. Don’t be too hard on yourself. What happened next?”
“Well, I did the wrong thing and went to this fellow named Guy LaPorte, who had acted strangely when the police questioned us in the cookhouse. He claimed that he didn’t know anything about the stabbing. Then he said something that frightened me. He said, ‘Kid, keep your nose out of this! You’re marked.' I asked, 'Marked for what?' He just walked away. I asked a couple of other people about Haskins, but no one saw anything or wasn’t willing to say if they had. Also there was an incident involving the von Leuvenfeld’s. Rudi dismounted at the act’s conclusion. A rope holding the left end of the safety net gave way. He hit the edge of the net and fell to the ground. Luckily, he only strained a wrist. The same night someone poured animal blood on the von Leuvenfeld wardrobe trunks. Someone saw Ralph near the wardrobe tent during the performance. No one could figure out why. What I couldn’t figure out is why Mr. Williams didn’t fire the guy. Everyone seemed on edge. People openly talked about their suspicions, but no one did anything.
“The night of the attack Avery and I had pulled one of the last generators off the lot to the train. I had the lines walking and Avery ran ahead to the stock car to put grain in the feed buckets. Someone hit me from behind with a club or a bat, and I went down. Avery told me later that the horses kept walking as if I was on the lines. Someone caught the leads and found Avery. He attended to the horses and then looked for me. By then my attackers had dragged me away and beat the shit out of me. They really hurt me.”
Thad said, “Did they break you leg?”
“No, that happened later. Avery told me that I staggered up to the train as it was pulling out. Someone saw me and pulled the emergency brakes. I was loaded onto the train and put in my bunk. Avery told me the porter let him stay with me, but he finally decided he had to get some sleep and left. Sometime later, the goons came back, gagged me, pulled me to the door, and threw me off the train. That’s when I cracked my leg.”
Thad’s gaped at me in disbelief. “And you’re going back. You are stupid, really stupid. I can’t listen anymore. Stop talking. I’m furious. You’re going to make something right if you go back? Anyway, didn’t they pay to send you home? That suggests to me that they want you gone. Don’t you get it?”
“It didn’t happen quite that way,” I said “What I think happened is Mr. Williams, for reasons I can’t figure out, was frightened and probably paid for the trip himself. I had told him I could recuperate on the train. Avery said he could do my job and his. But Mr. Williams flatly refused and said I needed to go home to be nursed. Wasn’t he the person who called and asked if someone could meet my train in Chicago?”
Thad acknowledged that he spoke to Williams. “He told me that someone from Rawlings would ride with you to Fargo because you had to change trains. I asked him specifics about your arrival in Chicago, and he knew those facts plus other details, making me think he had made the arrangements himself. I wondered why he called and not the doctor or a nurse.”
“That’s interesting because we do have a medical department,” I said, “and I was seen by our doctor. He gave me pills to take on the train for the pain, which was significant. But other than that, the trip to Chicago went okay. You met me and drove me home.”
Thad’s tone got intense one more time. “More to the point, why are you going back? They will not be finished with you until your dead.”
I pulled my left arm out from under the patchwork quilt that my grandmother had given to Thad and I at Christmas years ago. I snuffed out the candle with my thumb and right index finger and slowly rolled over on my back, making sure that my leg was securely propped up. Thad’s breathing told me he was asleep. Putting my head back on the pillow, I saw a perfect triangle on the ceiling painted by moon light. The black and the white shape was cold and sharp. I decided at that moment I would return to the circus as soon as possible.
Morning came with the gentle clinking and clanking of pots and dishes in the kitchen gently creeping into my subconscious. I opened my eyes to find Thad stroking his dick. He said, “Man, I just have to. I want Laureen so much and she tells me wait.”
“I’ll help,” admiring his sturdy dick.
“You ever give a blow job?”
“No,” I said lying, “but I can guess.”
He moved so I didn’t have to move and I took his manhood in my mouth. I didn’t suck more than a minute and he shot a load into my throat. He held his hand over his mouth to avoid screaming and I kept going. He was squirming. He tried to push my head away and I held on. At the end he said, “Little brother, I really appreciate your assistance.” I wanted him to support my decision. At the breakfast table, I told Mother and Father that I was leaving for California on Saturday. Mother and Thad gave me every imaginable reason why I shouldn’t go. Mother suggested I return next year, since little more than two months was left of this season.
“You’re crazy,” Thad muttered, “you’re really crazy to go back there.”
Father remained quiet, which was his way. I had made up my mind and had four days to improve my walking. Uncle Harry examined me Wednesday morning. He frowned when I told him I was leaving, but he didn’t try to talk me out of my decision.
Everyday, I walked to the fields to watch Father and Thad harvest corn. The sweet smell of the late summer triggered strong memories of growing up on the farm. But I didn’t want to be a farmer. Each time Thad drove the wagon by me, I climbed up without too much trouble or pain.. We lumbered along, and he held the reins firmly in his strong, brown hands. The wagon swayed as the horses moved load after load.
“They threw you off the train,” Thad said after one trip, “and you only broke your leg. You’re one lucky guy.”
“Yep,” I said flatly, hoping to avoid another confrontation.
The wagon bumped and swayed as we made our way out of the field, across the road, and into the barnyard. I watched the great haunches of Beth and Star as they strained slightly on the harness, white foam bunched around the top of the britchen. The horses were hot. Watching their quiet energy made my stomach tense. When I had the lines in my hands I had control over these giants. It would take a military company of forty men to do what these gentle animals could do. They did not complain if you treated them with respect.
As we pulled up in front of the barn, Thad said, “Brother, you want to go for a swim for old times sake?”
I didn’t like the way he said it. It sounded like he meant this would be our last swim together.
“Sure, when?” I quickly replied.
“Now. No, let’s wait until after lunch. I’m hungry.”
After lunch and a couple more loads, Thad came up to the house all dirty and hot. I saddled two horses and mounted to make sure I could make it up top.
“Hope there’s water in the creek,” Thad deadpanned.
We rode along the ridge overlooking the creek and saw an occasional trickle winking in the sun. The yellowing leaves on the sycamores shimmered with the hot breath of late summer. We gently reined our horses to a stop at the spot where I had first spotted the von Leuvenfelds. Thad dismounted, tied his horse, and returned to hold mine since I had to get off slowly. We looked at the water for a long time without speaking. After we undressed Thad broke the silence.
“There’s enough water. Think you can make it down there?”
“I think so.”
I inched down the bank. The steps cut into the hillside were dry and easy to maneuver. Thad was an arm’s length in front, encouraging me to steady myself on his shoulder. The pain in my leg was noticeable. I took each step slowly and firmly since I had removed the splint. Thad waded into the shallow water, which had more algae than usual around the edges. I sat down and slid into the chest-deep water.
Thad fell back into the water with a big splash. He came up rubbing his hands across his face and stuck his face in the water again.
“Well, little brother, tell me about the first time!”
“I told you about Raina. It was in a place like this near Fargo.”
I loved telling the story because I could relive the special experience. I loved to remember the way she touched me. Her skin was soft like the fur of a baby rabbit. Her smell was sweet and so different. She was totally uninhibited and free about her body, so different that the girls who lived in Flat Iron Creek. But like before I left out the part about Rudi and his role. I thought about Rudi and his athletic body and penetrating eyes.
“So she’s why you’re going back.”
“It may seem that way, but really that’s not the reason. Its the excitement, its the variation that I’m going back for. If I get a glance from Raina once a week, I’m lucky. Teamsters don’t mix with performers or bosses. The workers are very much apart from them.
“But they tried to kill you,” he said, revealing his frustration with my logic.
“I know, and I’m going back to find out who killed Haskins and who tried to kill me. It’s that simple. I can’t walk away from circus without knowing what happened.”
I pushed myself further into the water and changed the subject.
“Have you done it with Laureen?”
“No. She wants to wait until we’re married. But she doesn’t want to get married for another year, after she finishes university. I go around with a permanent hard-on, like now and like the other morning. I really appreciate your help.”
“I didn’t mind it was kinda fun, but you were fast,” I said laughing.
Thad continued seriously, “I hope I’m doing the right thing. Molly wants me so badly, and Laureen seems hardly to care. I don’t know, maybe I’m the crazy one.” I pointed to his stiff situation.
“Keep going,” he said, unperturbed by my gesture. Just then, my eye caught a slight movement in the bushes up on the ridge.
“Someone’s up there,” Thad said.
“Yep, lets show them.” Thad laughed and stood up displaying his situation.
“I do have one other thing to tell you but you have to promise never to let Will know I told you.”
“You mean the Morrison kid.”
“Yep.”
“Well the day you got engaged to Laureen. He came over when everyone was gone looking for father. He said he wanted to get some work. He found me sitting on the back porch barely dressed. And, well, one thing led to another and he gave me a blow job. So if you are ever needing another one when I am gone I am sure he would be happy to oblige. He’s good.”
“He’s just a kid.”
“You haven’t seen what lives in his overalls.”
“How perverted, but good to know,” he said laughing. Thad and I started walking toward a deeper hole sporting rock hard dicks. Anyone looking could tell we were brothers.
Whoever was watching us was still there. We could see bits and pieces of color through the canopy of bushes. We floated around for a while and then climbed up the stairs naked and wet, hoping to startle those watching us. Thad walked away from the horses toward a grove of low bushes. I heard voices.
Thad said angrily, “Get your asses over here, now!”
The bushes rustled and three boys came out. I knew all of them.
“Will, get your butt out here. Richard, we’re tired of you spying on us. Are you boys who like boys?”
They all looked shyly at the ground as they walked toward Thad.
“Are you going swimming or not?”
“Yeah,” one kid said.
“You’re not going in the water in your clothes,” Thad snapped.
“We’ll just stand here and watch you undress. Maybe you’re different from Seth and me. I just want to see for myself.”
I tried to keep a stern face but was about to explode with laughter at Thad’s gruff manner. “Get started,” he ordered. I noticed he took particular interest in Will based on my earlier story.
They squirmed as they sat down to take off their clothes.
“All the way,” Thad said.
“Why should we?” Richard, the skinny kid said.
“Cause you can’t swim in underwear on a hot day like this.” They did as they were told.
“Well,” Thad said, “hit the water.”
They were gone.
“You can be a jerk sometimes,” I laughed.
Will came up the stairs. He stepped inches in front of Thad whose hard on had not lessened.
“Aren’t you going to swim with us?”
“Why?” Thad responded.
”'Cuz we thought it’d be fun.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Why not for a few minutes.”
Once again, I slowly eased my way into the water. Will stayed close to me as we watched. His hand brushed my dick several times innocently but not accidently. The younger boys splashed and wrestled with Thad, who kept throwing them off. He was good with kids. I thought about him being a father and bringing his own kids to this creek one day. The sun sank lower and soon the swimming hole was completely shaded. We all dressed together, and the boys headed across the field toward Richard’s house. We mounted the horses and headed home for supper. As we stepped out I said, “See what I mean about Will.”
“Yeah, I saw. I will remember.”
I love my mother’s gentleness, but the more she tried to entice me to stay the more I wanted to get on the Pittsburgh and Ft. Wayne Railroad and head for the circus in California. Daily, she asked me to stay home “just one more week.” She bribed me with my favorite foods and tried to make me feel guilty for missing my cousin Sarah’s wedding, September 7th, a week after my departure.
By Saturday, I was ready to get on a train. The excitement I felt about the California trip masked the pain I felt when I turned my leg the wrong way. Mother and Father stayed behind, sitting in their favorite rocking chairs on the front porch, and Thad drove me to the station in Ft. Wayne.
The trip to Chicago lasted four hours. After a two-hour wait in cavernous Union Station, I boarded a Burlington, Quincy & Rock Island train for the trip west. It was much newer than the circus train, but I didn’t have enough money for a sleeper. So I sat in the coach section.
As the miles of Iowa and Nebraska rolled by I was hypnotized by the sameness of the landscape. I thought of the great canvas tents and the noisy, flapping flags. I couldn’t wait to hear the bands and listen to the elephants trumpeting. For the people who lived on the great plains the circus was an exclamation point in a long, hot summer. I realized the joy and excitement that the circus brought to the towns. I didn’t have time to think about such things when I was working. The train ride was slow but constant as one mile melted into the next. I dozed quite often but mostly just watched the expanse of the west pass my window.
The days were hot but the evening brought a comfortable cooling. The first night’s velvet curtain descended as the train chugged across central Nebraska. I slept on the horsehair coach seat that I had all to myself and woke only briefly when the train lurched from some station or other. When I awoke the sun was streaming in my window. I could see the approaching Rocky Mountains. Two more days passed with ever changing scenery passing my window.