LA FAMILLE Chapter 12 GOING HOME

Dressed Like a Gyspy
courtesy free clip art

    

Jean was able to spend a lot of time with his father who was beginning to show his age and had slowed down a lot.

Jean said, “You know you are dressing like a traditional Gypsy man and you might offend them by doing so.”

He answered, “It’s for business.  People often buy from me because they think there is some mystique about the things I sell, and that appeals to them.”

Jean knew better than to argue with his Papa for he was well set in his ways.

There was one other group that came to see Jean and that was some of his old girl friends.  They had been hopeful he would marry one of them and settle down but he had a wander lust that had to be satisfied.  

The girls teased him a lot and asked if he was going to follow his father’s lead and have several mistresses and if so they were ready to volunteer.  

 

While it was all in fun Elise was the only one who wasn’t laughing.  Jean saw she was getting a bit tense and decided he better get her out of there.  

It was time to say goodbye so Jean went down the line and hugged and kissed the near kinfolks.  

They tried to talk him into staying and leaving his post/fort but he said I’m building a city for people up there, and some day it will be a place with many families.

There were a few things he couldn’t get in St. Louis as of yet and he wanted his family to keep a supply of them coming to him via of St. Louis.

It was a busy, stressful, fun, and informative time for Elise but she was glad they were heading home.  They had been going none stop all the while they were there.  

She had seen the most important and entertaining part of New Orleans.  

         
One of the brothers was going as far as St. Louis to help guard all the merchandise Jean was taking from New Orleans.  He tossed a couple of would be thieves overboard. Jean said, “I hope they can swim.”

Old Ferry courtesy photobucket.com

All and all it was a good trip from New Orleans to St. Louis, and watching the ferry bend around the curves in the river was interesting.  Passing slower river boats was like racing with them for they would speed up and try to keep you from making the pass.

The evenings had a little entertainment with a trio of guitar, fiddle, and banjo.  

Between meals and sight seeing Jean and Elise stayed in their cabin most of the time while others either were in the lounge drinking or up on deck telling lies to one another.

Seemed like where ever you were on deck you could hear some illogical story some one was telling.  The crew spent a lot of time bragging about having a wife or girlfriend in both towns.  Chances were they didn’t have one at all - - in either of the places.

One thing that was bothering Jean was that his operation in the north was dependent on goods from his trading post at St. Louis.  The problem was crossing the river from St. Louis.  They had to cross the river by ferry twice each time he had a mule train bringing goods to his northern outpost.

He was considering locating on the St. Louis side of the river which would save a lot of time and labor to get his goods north.

Another thing was the road north was being traveled by people moving north and the roads were passable now for wagons.  These people were trading with Jean’s northern outpost and it was taking thirty mules for each trip.

Five or six wagons could carry more than the thirty mules and with the increasing demand for goods he decided he needed to make some wholesale changes.

But for now he was still on his honeymoon.

To be Continued