Crossing the Cherokee Lands Vol. # 3

By Sylvia Corne Mintz

Crossing the Cherokee Lands is the intriguing tale of Gabe
Winters, a wealthy Englishman who decides to give up his
entitled lifestyle in London, to fulfill his burden to aid the
Cherokee Indians and settlers in the Smoky Mountains of the
New World.
Gabe meeting and joining up with Josh and Red Hawk brings
partnership, intrigue and mystery, as well as light hearted
humor and romance. They head south encountering wild
animals, rescue a family in distress, and bring humanitarian
aid to the Cherokees and settlers. Along the way they build a
lifetime of friendships and adventures in the western North
Carolina mountains

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483652641

Sylvia Corne Mintz

A native of Hendersonville, in the Western North Carolina mountains, Sylvia Corne Mintz is a published author having first discovered writing in English class some 60 years ago at Flat Rock High School. She has written volumes of poetry, been featured in Ideals Magazine and received four Golden and three Silver International awards in the field of poetry. She is a playwright, has written children’s books and in 1997 published When the Minister Comes to Dinner, a collection of recipes, poems and short stories from her 50 years as a Pastor’s wife. Crossing the Cherokee Lands is her first novel.

Book preview

Chapter

1

As Papa and Josh walked with Gabe back up to the barn, Gabe told them he wanted to give White Wolf and each of the lake residents a two-acre tract of land for their own, since the government had granted him two thousand more acres free.

I have chosen to apply for three thousand more, even at a price, for our future use. I hope as the years go by, we will be able to find more Indians who are hiding out that we can bring to Winterview, he said.

They were both surprised and pleased at his generosity and willingness to share what God had bestowed upon him.

You are a good man, Gabe, said Papa.

No, Papa, not a good man, but a blessed one much more than I deserve. I can’t out give Him, answered Gabe.

How are the babies today? asked Josh. You seem mighty happy.

I am mighty happy. I didn’t know I could be so happy, said Gabe, Gabby smiled at me this morning, but Suzanne said it was gas on his stomach. I don’t think so though. I think he smiled when I called his name and he heard his Papa’s voice."

Yes, I’m sure you’re right, said Papa.

When they went home for supper, they told Lucenda about the apples that would be coming in a couple of days. She was pleased, but dreaded the job without Suzanne’s help. She was supposed to stay in bed for nine days after the babies were born. Mama knew she could call in all the other ladies to help her though.

Wait a minute, Mama called to Gabe as he was leaving. You need to get us two large barrels to smoke some apples in, and also several dozen glass canning jars with the flat metal jar lids and sealing wax for sealing the jars. I think we have what we need for drying apples.

Ila was sitting with Suzanne that afternoon, and they were talking about smoking apples. Ila smiled and said, When I was a little girl, I remember my mother drying apples in the sun, but I have not ever heard of smoking apples.

How do you smoke them? she asked."

It has been a long time since we had enough apples to smoke some, said Suzanne, but I still know how. We usually just cooked them into apple sauce and put them into glass jars.

"How did you keep them from spoiling? asked Ila.

We sealed the flat tin lids onto the top of the jar with sealing wax made for that purpose. We poured on a good thick coat of wax while it was all still hot," explained Suzanne.

Now, tell me how you actually smoked the apples, said Ila. What do you do with the sulfur and barrels?"

Just then Abby cried out a little and Ila picked her up and laid her in Suzanne’s arms. She was soon back to sleep and Suzanne continued her instructions.

"First, wash and peel the apples and slice them thin. Use your baskets that are made in an open weave pattern and have a curved handle across the top.

Place a clean thick weight cloth in the bottom of the basket. Place the apple slices on the cloth in the basket.

"Second, make a fire in the bottom of a metal barrel. Let it burn until you have a deep bed of red coals. Do not add any more wood until the coals have cooled.

On the first bed of coals, lay an axe head and put about three table-spoonfuls of sulfur on it. Put a stick through the handle of the basket a little longer than the diameter of the barrel top. Let the basket handle down into the top of the barrel. Remove the cloth from the basket top and cover the whole barrel top with a bigger cloth. Check the apples every day to see when they are ready. They should be tender and bleached white or just a tint of yellow depending on what the apple variety is.

Then how do you store them to keep through the winter? inquired Ila.

"Remove them from the basket and put them into churns or crocks.

Place a large flat creek rock that has been boiled to sterilize for thirty minutes or more on the plate to hold it down firmly. To serve them, you may eat them straight from the churn or boil them into apple sauce.

That sounds like a big job, said Ila.

It is, said Suzanne, but sometimes a necessary one. Anyone with asthma or respiratory problems should not inhale sulfur fumes or eat the fruits prepared with it. It will affect their breathing quickly and cause them to wheeze and cough.

"It will take several baskets full to have a churn full for each family.

Drying apples is easier. All you do is slice the apples and place them on a cloth and put them in the sun to dry. Be sure to keep bees and other insects away, so they won’t eat on them.

Take them in the house if it starts to rain and at night. If the rain continues for several days, finish drying them on the hearth by the fire.

When thoroughly dried, put them into a clean cloth sack and hang them in the attic."

Time passed quickly until bedtime. The twins were sleeping well through the night now.

Gabe’s anxiety level was calmed down, and he and Suzanne were managing their babies without help. Suzanne is up and around part time now to help Lucenda with the apples.

Gabe sent Papa to the mercantile the next morning for the list of supplies Mama had asked for, in addition to the sugar and sulfur.

While he was there a stranger came in asking the way to Winterview. He introduced himself as Carlos Winston and his wife Gigi from Charleston, S. C. I am the banker Gabe Winters hired to establish and manage a bank in the Winterview Settlement, he said.

Well sir, said Mr. Watley, you are in luck. I’m so happy to see you. I will be using your bank myself. We have needed one in this area for a long time.

Over here is one of Gabe Winters’ men buying supplies," he said, as he pointed to Papa.

"Yes sir, Mr. Winston. You may just follow me home. We weren’t expecting you quite this soon, but I’m sure your house is ready. I looked it over yesterday.

The bank is ready, too. You are going to like the convenience of design in it," said Papa.

"We had a chance to ride along with a wagon train going west, so we joined up. We were a little anxious anyway riding in strange country alone. That’s why we were a little earlier than we had planned. They wanted us to go on west with them, since I’m a Baptist preacher, but I told them I was obligated here. I grew up farming with my dad until I was called to the ministry at age thirty three. I’m forty five now. I was a circuit rider all those years, and between my trips around the country, I worked at the Town Bank of Charleston as one of the administrators.

I’m going to be happy to settle down to one job."

Papa finished getting the list of supplies together for Mama and they headed to Winterview.

The horses and wagons were so noisy it was hard to hear. Gabe and Josh were down near the creek and saw Papa coming with some visitors.

Not knowing who they were, Gabe came on up to the gate to greet them.

They were tired but excited to finally be at Winterview. It had taken them almost three weeks to make the trip from the coast to here.

After meeting Mama and Suzanne and seeing the twins, they were taken on to their cabin.

As Gigi entered the door she exclaimed, Oh, look Carlos, a fire in the fireplace and a bed all our own!

We didn’t know you were coming today, but the workers have just left the building and they had a fire. They have just finished their work here and it is now all yours, said Gabe.

Oh wonderful! We even have our own bed. We’ve heard what a wonderful place Winterview is, and now we can certainly believe it," said Gigi.

We must go now, said Gabe. Come to supper at Papa’s tonight and meet more of the family.

We will be happy to do that, replied Carlos. Thank you very much.

The next day it had warmed up and it was quite pleasant. Several of the ladies were going for a walk around the lake, when they saw a coyote run from the bushes around the edge of the lake out across the pasture land and on to the back side of the lake. That reminded them of the winter hunting trip the men were talking about last week. The time was upon them. It would probably take place soon.

Chapter

2

White Wolf was wondering what business Gabe wanted to talk over with him this morning so he was up at the barn’s office by eight o’clock. Josh and Gabe were already there looking over the plat for the two thousand acres of free land the government had given him.

After greeting each other, Gabe asked White Wolf to have a seat on the bench in front of the table he had made a desk out of. They were all smiling and they could hardly wait for one of them to speak. Finally Gabe said, White Wolf, do you or any of your people who are living around or near the lake have a deed for the land you have been living on all these years?

Poor White Wolf became so frightened, and was so surprised he literally turned almost as white as Gabe. Gabe quickly said, Oh, don’t be afraid. I have good news for you. He could see immediately what White Wolf’s fears were about. White Wolf then asked,

What do you mean, Gabe? Are you going to take our land? We have no place to go. His eyes filled with tears before Gabe could speak. Gabe quickly jumped up and went to him saying, as he put his arms around him, No! No! You are my brother! I only want to give each of you two more acres for your own and make a legal deed for you, so no one can ever take it away from you. You can build you a homestead there.

White Wolf then relaxed and put his arms around Gabe saying, Please forgive me, my brother, I did not understand. My heart was afraid for my people. Now, please explain again to me just what you said; just what are you talking about?

I will start from the beginning and try to tell you everything I know and am planning to do. You may ask questions anytime you do not understand, said Gabe.

"When my group or family tribe of people were looking for a place to settle, we came in view of this beautiful lake. The tepees of your people set up around the lake made a beautiful picture and I saw plenty of land for a settlement. All your people were so kind and friendly, and many of you invited us to settle here permanently. After visiting here for several weeks, we decided this was indeed the place to call home. The land we got then was deeded to others, so we bought the property from them.

Now the government has made several thousand more acres available as free land for the asking.

Mr. Jefferys, the land agent, has notified us that we can claim up to two thousand acres if we want it. I saw how we could use it here, so I have claimed it for us. Do you understand so far, White Wolf?" asked Gabe.

Yes, I do, Mr. Gabe. You are a generous man. I feel very humbled.

What I want to do now is to give each lake family two acres of land to have as their own, in addition to what they now have. That is enough to build a homestead on. All this property including the lake is now mine. I am also going to give each home owner a deed to their property, so no one can ever take it away from them or their descendants. How do you feel about that? asked Josh.

I feel like the Great God Jehovah came down in the midst of us and poured out his blessings, said White Wolf with tears flowing.

Will you explain this to my people for me? They will be so happy!

"Yes, I’ll be glad to do that for you. In fact, I have not told our Winterview folks either. We can have a