Tales of Carbons Creek

By Don Hoglund

Tales of Carbons Creek is a collection of short short stories about a small town in the West after the civil War. Some of the characters play the part of narrators and some talk in "illiterate" English.The newspaper plays an important role in Carbons Creek and Sarah, the publisher of the paper, also plays a leading role in town. She is pretty, smart, courageous and occasionally appears scatterbrained. As the readers gets acquainted with Sarah and the other characters who appear in these stories and future stories they start to form the fabric of a community. Hopefully readers will share the humor and charm of the citizens of Carbons Creek.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Don Hoglund
• Release date: Jan 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466160033

Don Hoglund

I am a retired Technical Writer who worked for the Department of the Army. I also had some background in newspaper work and business. My college specialty was American Studies and Graphic Arts.My wife and I moved to Wisconsin from Illinois when I retired.

Book preview

Tales of Carbons Creek

A Dozen Western Short Stories

By Don Hoglund

Copyright 2012 Don Hoglund

Smashwords Edition

Also by Don Hoglund, Published at Smashwords

Guest Ranch

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

These stories are works of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used factiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or publisher. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any liability, loss, and risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this work.

Table of Contents:

Carbons Creek Founder

Uncle Jake and the Wildcat Banks

A New Newspaper Publisher

Boy and his Dog

Sandy Joins The Newspaper

The Storekeeper

Horses On Green Mountain

Medicine Drummer

Medicine Show

Saloon Story

Sabbath Horse Sale

Ed and Doc

Carbons Creek Founder

A pioneer cattleman, name of Mendel Linwood, who came to buy horses and cattle, started our town of Carbon’s Creek. Sarah, the young woman thet puts out our weekly paper, knowed quite a bit ‘bout our town even ‘fore she moved here. That’s cause she’ herited ‘et from her uncle Jake, who was murdered. Anyways she, Sarah that is, wanted ta know ‘bout way back ‘fore the war. That be the Civil War. So’s I tells her ‘bout how Mendel Linwood come here when they wasn’t anything ‘round but a few Indians and some trappers.

He come from the east somewhere and had saved a bit of money. He thought he’d come and buy some horses. He’d also larned ‘bout them longhorn cattle which had got driven up here from Texas to fatten up ‘fore gonin’ on to Chicago town. He did buy a few of both but he decided to stay around, bought him some land and started breedin’ cattle and horses. He hired a few of the Indians that had escaped President Jackson’s removal plan. They turned out to be pretty good cowboys.

‘Wasn’t long ‘fore he got into some other stuff like milling. With flour to sell and trading with both the Indians and the whites he started a tradin’ post. He set it up by the mill, which was on the creek, which he started callin, Carson Creek cause of his admiration for Kit Carson. The U.S Gumment come along an’ made him Postmaster ‘cause he had the tradin’ post. Than he put in to have the town named Carson Creek but the post office assigned the name Carbons Creek. Ain’t thet jus’ like the gumment?

Wahl old Mendel was doin’ pretty good fer his self with the town and mill. His horse herd was doin’ good an’ so was the Longhorns. Sometime along than I drifted into town lookin’ fer work and he hires me as a wrangler.

Maybe things was goin’ too good. I heard rumblin’s in town and elsewhere’s of a powerful lot ‘a jealousy amongst some folks. There’s them aroun’ thet like to see a rich man take a fall. Them’s the kind that won’t stand up for what’s right when the chips is down. There was the other kind too. Them’s the ones that don’t got anythin’ personal against a man but just want to take what he’s got.

Pretty soon cattle and horses went missin’. Me an’ the other hands started ridin’ extra shifts. The thievery was bad enough but then vandalism started in. The barn caught fire. Was it set? Bet odds it was. We saved the horses but it took a week to repair the damage and we was getting’ shorthanded. Lots of cowboys moved on. Didn’ want no part of whatever was buildin’ up’

Next thing happen was a herd run off. Much more an’ the boss man might have trouble holdin’ it together.

I had been gittin’