NORTH OF AUSTIN - CHAPTER TWO



Lilly was a Sweet Country Girl

North of Austin - - Chapter two

To read chapter ONE  - - CLICK HERE

Time seemed to pass slowly when we were young and each of us boys grew and developed at our own pace. Each year Abby and I were growing closer together.

 Our oldest brother, Abner had arrived at eighteen years old and his maturing was crying out for a woman.  He picked out a woman named Lilly.  I wouldn’t have chosen her for she wasn’t very pretty but apparently she attracted Abner.

As far as I could tell the most appealing thing about her was her youth, availability and she was a good cook. As it turned out Lilly was a good match for him and kept everything in order like a farm wife should. As time went by I came to appreciate her and was very fond of her.

We all pitched in and built a house for them near the main dwelling where they still took their meals most of the time.  Upon getting married Pa gave Abner more responsibility and he started drawing wages. The rest of us would hardly ever get any money but Pa always promised us money in the future.

After Abner got married Ben got the itch for female company but Pa told him to cool it for he wasn’t ready for a woman as of yet.

Ben wasn’t so easy to be put off with words and I thought Pa was going to have to put a whip on him to settle him down. Abner finally got him cooled down by telling him about the husband’s duties and the fact he was going to be a father himself soon.

Ben liked the idea of having a wife but being a father didn’t appeal to him at all for he wasn’t ready for that.  Things returned to normal after that.

I didn’t talk about Abby to the brothers any more for they would tease me by saying they were going over to see her and she needed an older man for I was too young for her.

As to age I was almost a year older than her and two years older than her sister June who was also very comely.  On Sunday if all the work was caught up, the as of yet single brothers and I would head off to see those whom we considered our girls.

I would make the hours ride over to Abby’s home to see her but her father would spend most of the time talking to me about the crops and other farm stuff and my time with Abby was limited.  We would usually get to go for a walk but her father would send June alone with us saying she needed the exercise.

My romancing was limited to holding hands with no kissing. At our age we were too young for the parlor and it was off limits for us. That was where most of the serious courting took place and you had to be marrying age also.

Another thing that interfered with my visits was one or two other Romeos would show up and cramp my style by already being there sitting on the porch talking to her Pa.  How can you win a girl’s affection with all these guys hanging around impressing her father?

Abby seem to enjoy all the attention which made me pretty mad. She knew I had claimed her for my present and future sweetheart but she didn’t always act like she accepted it as fact.  Sometimes my Pa would make me take Franklin with me. When that happened I would try to get June to entertain him but it didn’t always work out that way.

The next two years passed without any real problems. Ben was eighteen now and since Abner had married at eighteen he was getting all stirred up and had his eye set on one of the ranchers daughters. I had to admit she wasn’t bad to look at and hoped she could run a house for him if he continued to pursue her.

He came to Pa and told him of his plans if Pa approved. Pa knew he had been sneaking off to town every so often so he agreed it was time for him to find a wife. When he found out who Ben was interested in he had some reservations about her for he was afraid she was more fluff than home maker. Ma felt the same way but figured she could straighten the girl up after they got hitched.

The wedding plans moved right along except for one problem.  The rancher was standing firm on Ben coming to work for him on his ranch while Ben wanted to stay with our family. In the end he gave in and agreed to move to her place and become a full time rancher. He had worked our horses’ part time but now it would a full time job. Pa gave Ben a nice gift of cash. He had earned it while working along with the rest of us.

The wedding was held at the girl’s home so we all packed up and went there getting home late after dark. We are going to miss Ben around here for he had been a fixture for his eighteen years but when its time to move on you have to go.

Ben’s father-in-law didn’t have any boys, only four girls. I suspect he will have four sons- in –laws working for him before it’s over.

TO BE CONTINUED