The Fated Winchester

By J.B. Patel

The Fated Winchester is about a boy who runs away after killing his father while trying to save his mother. He seeks to hide by getting on the orphan train and being indentured at a cattle ranch. Instead he ends up with a drunken Wyoming sheep owner at a time when big cattle ranches ruled the range.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Apr 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781483567907

Book preview

ISBN: 978-1-4835679-0-7

Contents

Introduction.

The Fated Winchester

Introduction.

The Fated Winchester follows the life of a thirteen year old boy who runs away after killing his father during a futile attempt to save his mother. He fears going to jail and following in his father’s footsteps. To escape and hide he gets himself placed on the orphan train with the promise of an indenture at a cattle ranch. Instead he ends up with a drunken Wyoming sheep owner at a time when big cattlemen ruled the range and the life of a shepherd was cheap. The story chronicles the times a gold plated Winchester saves his life. Meanwhile during his struggle to grow and make a life of his own he is tied to man that spent his time and his fortune drinking and gambling. Like most of those orphaned, the real importance in life lies in whom they place their trust and a little luck. Luck happens by way of Basque sheep-men and during the worse Wyoming winter on record when he has to share his meager Shepard’s home with stranded pilgrims.

The Fated Winchester

It was August of 1924, eighteen year old Katherine looked up at the heavily gold plated and inlaid Winchester in a glass display above the spacious fireplace. To the right of the fireplace was a gun case with a half dozen Winchesters, cleaned and ready for use. Katherine asked, Mom. You said some day you’d tell me about that gun, I’d like to take it out of the case and shoot it.

Katherine’s mom, Gloria smiled, If your grandpa Andrew was here he’d tell you all about that gun. I’ll get Grandpa and Grandma’s diary. You can’t shoot the gun. The gun is plugged, so it can’t fire anymore.

It is a beautiful gun. Why is it plugged?

Your Grandpa said its shooting days are over.

Gloria got out the diary and sat down, Do you want the entire story or just the story about the Winchester?

What is the entire story about?

It is the story of your grandpa, how your grandpa met your grandma and how the Green River Ranch was established.

Must be pretty boring story if it’s about your dad. Grandpa, he’s the nicest, most soft-spoken man in the world. I can’t imagine there will be too much excitement in that diary. Right now for fun he and Grandma are camping in a sheep wagon up by a mountain stream. Talk about exciting.

Gloria laughed, Yes. Mighty tight quarters in that sheep wagon. They are camping right beside a stream where they want to be buried.

Katherine was again surprised, Buried? Way up on that ridge? Why in the world did they choose there?

Gloria patted her daughter on the knee, "Be patient, you’ll soon see. Your Grandpa is a hopeless romantic.

"Katherine. You think Grandpa led a boring life, right from the start of Grandpa’s diary I think you will be shocked.

This story starts at his old home in Wisconsin, when your Grandpa was thirteen years old. It was about June of 1880. If you have any questions, just stop me, I’ll see if I can answer. The first part was written by your grandpa. He started writing the diary a year after he came to Wyoming. He did his writing in the back of that sheep wagon they are camping in. He started his diary explaining why he left his home in Wisconsin.

Gloria began reading.

The diary of Andrew St. James, began during the winter of 1881-82

My name is Andrew St. James. I tried to start writing a diary a couple of times, but I couldn’t get going. I decided to start with what got me here. I figure if I tell it quick and get it behind me; maybe that will get me started.

I’m sorry, but I had to kill my father. That part of the story I’m not going to dwell on because it is still difficult for me to deal with. I’m going to explain it the best way I can and go on; so, here goes.

It was three in the morning when screaming woke me up. I ran down the stairs in my nightgown, the screaming suddenly stopped. I looked around the corner and I saw my father bent over my mother, she was bathed in blood. My father continued to beat her. I picked up a heavy poker from the fireplace and hit him as hard as I could. He fell on top of Mom. I pulled him off. Mom was gone. I ran upstairs and dressed then ran out the door.

My father was just released from jail, they put him in a couple times for beating up Mom. They let him out of jail and told him to get out of town; instead he waited for dark, came home in the night and killed Mom. Ever since father injured his head at work a couple of years earlier he changed into a different person.

I ran to aunt Cecilia’s house and beat on the door, she wasn’t home. Aunt Cec was probably away with someone that was having a baby. Aunt Cec was away a lot as a mid-wife.

I left Aunt Cec a note, I told her I killed dad after he killed Mom. I told her I was running away; I didn’t want to spend my life all alone in jail like dad. I told her I was sorry, then away I ran.

I ran to town about three miles from home; at the railroad tracks I jumped on the first train toward Milwaukee. I figured I could get lost in the streets of the big city.

I had nothing with me. I didn’t even bring any money and I knew where Mom hid it. The first person I met in an alley was hiding behind a big box eating an apple. With a mouth full he motioned me to sit down. He said, I stole a sack of apples, do you want one?

I was hungry, the apples were nearly rotten, it didn’t matter I was so hungry. For some time we chewed on those rotten apples. After a bit the kid said, Saw you get off the train. What are you going to do now?

I didn’t want to tell him much, if I told him I wanted to get lost in the streets he’d want to know what I was running from. So, I told him the truth, Don’t know.

He introduced himself as James Will and said he was thinking of turning himself in and seeing if he could be indentured. He explained he’d like to be indentured out west, the idea sounded good to me. James explained as an indenture, they would have to teach us a skill, they would have to feed and clothe us; to me it sounded like a good way to get away so I wouldn’t get caught. All I’d have to do was change my name.

James Will said he did have someone to go to, an uncle outside the city, close to Sheboygan. James figured he would give his uncle a try before he turned himself in as an orphan. James explained all about life on the streets, I decided being indentured sounded a whole lot better than stealing and hiding. James told me all I would have to do is turn myself over to a policeman; they would take over from there.

I turned myself in, the first thing they asked was my name. I told them I was James Will, my parents were dead and all I had was an uncle someplace that didn’t want anything to do with me. I told him I’d like to indenture to a ranch out west. After the police dropped me off and explained about the indenture he went his way. I could hear the two men laughing in the next room, but soon a guy came out and explained that the next day I would be on the train to Wyoming as an indenture on a ranch out west.

On the orphan train I sat next to a boy from New