Jake Cliburne's Justice

Jake Cliburne’s Justice

by Dan Clyburn

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 9/1/2012 by Dan Clyburn

All right reserved

Fiction

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1774 A time of trouble, mixed feelings about the upcoming fight for freedom. Set at a time when empires could be carved from the wilderness. Greed and power ruled some people, powerful men could rule if they could take the land from the people. A young man’s family was destroyed by such a man. A man who already had all the wealth any man needs, but greed and the lust for power, would cause him to cross the line and destroy a man’s family.

This Young Man knew but one way of dealing with such a man, so this is his story.

Table of Contents

Charter One----The killing of my family

Chapter Two---The Rangers Way

Chapter Three--Preparing for battle

Chapter Four---Rescuing Tall Man

Chapter Five---The attack

Chapter Six-----Going after Gilbert Patterson

End

Chapter One----The killing of my family

A large deer track was on the trail, and I moved as quietly as possible so as not to jump him from his bed or his feeding too soon. My rifle primed and ready, watching ahead as well as watching the trail. An open field ahead, as I peered through the last bit of brush a squirrel chattered at me. I saw the deer look my way, before bounding away. Raising my rifle as I set the trigger, and cocking the hammer, I took careful aim at the now trotting deer. Then touching the trigger, at the sound of my rifle the buck went down. After field dressing the deer, I went for my fathers horse I had left a half mile back. Fresh meat on the table and my mother cooked the heart and liver for supper.

Today had been a good day, Father had returned home last night with a wagonload of goods for all of us, and this morning he had given us all presents. Mine was a fine long rifle in .45 caliber and I had spent the day shooting it. Both with the round ball and bullet the mold produced, the round ball didn’t have the range the bullet did but it was quicker to reload and used less lead. My father had taught me to shoot his rifle when I was eight years old and I was a good shot and did most of the hunting.

Father had set us all down and told us he had sold the crops, and the distilled spirits at a good profit. He showed us the paper where he had paid Mr. Gilbert Patterson all that was owed on our land and come next Tuesday, he would go to the recorders office forty miles away and record the receipt. This, he put in the small chest that he kept other papers and coin of copper, silver and gold in and went back outside in the dark with it.

My two younger sisters, Clara, who was fourteen and nearly grown, Elisabeth nearly twelve, both had got a fine golden cross and a pretty pair of shoes for going to church on Sunday. Showing the cross as if it was the best thing that they ever saw, a cross with a solid round circle in the middle, with their initials on the back of it. Mother was delighted that father had brought home some fine furniture, for the new house he was planning to build this coming year, the furniture we stored in the barn. Our cabin was not nearly big enough, with only three rooms, a large room that served as the kitchen, dinning, and living room. My folks had their bedroom and my sisters had more of a lean-to on the back of the cabin, me, I had a room in the loft of the barn, a fine barn, built away from the cabin.

Father had said that when we began to prosper and the land showed a profit, he would build a large house. He had come from the old country skilled as a rock mason, and was delighted to find sandstone not to far away. He had the foundation and the floor and walls of sandstone already built, the walls rising six feet off the ground and wide steps going up to where the front door would be. A timber frame building would go up two stories, making half the wall of sandstone on the lower floor. A fireplace, with a wide hearth, and a chimney finished well above the wall. Shakes were stacked and ready to be put on the roof; only the timber to go on up for the house walls would need to be brought in.

Me now, I would be twenty years old next month on December 20th, and would ask Adilene to marry me. When I was married, my father said he would give me a hundred acres on the west side of our farm, where there was an old cabin. I would have to build a larger house on it and we could farm all the land together. Tomorrow was Sunday and I would see Adilene at church, and ride home with her family and maybe ask her then. Adilene was a year older than me but that didn’t make any difference to me, she had a lot of curves she liked to show, and I was completely in love with her. Their farm being only six miles away, and her father didn’t mind me going over and staying well into the night. So long as I helped do his chores in the afternoons, and there was some chores I know he saved for Sundays, when I would be available to do them.

We went early to church, and I was at Adilene’s place in the early afternoon, we spent the whole afternoon butchering hogs until almost dark. Then we had pork liver and potatoes for supper, before I went out to their barn and fed the team for Mr. Lighten. Sometimes I would stay there in the barn all night, and had a bed all made up in the loft. Adilene soon joined me and we were quickly in my bed in the hay. We lay in the loft after we were through making love; Abilene was as usual, wild in her lovemaking. When we were though and lay there, that’s when she said before I could ask her to marry me.

Jake, we can’t do this anymore for awhile, Mr. Patterson asked my father for my hand, and father said he could marry me. Next Sunday we will be married, father said it would be a good choice for me if I did that.

But I, I, I stuttered, I was going to ask you to marry me.

Father said you were too poor, your father only bought seven hundred acres from Mr. Patterson, and he still owes him. I’ve been asked before, but they were all too poor for me to marry. When I marry Mr. Patterson my fathers land will be paid off, he is very rich and I know he will buy me things and make me happy, She said smiling as she rolled her naked body over on top of me.

We paid Mr. Patterson off for the land, and father will record it come Tuesday. Mr. Patterson is close to fifty years old, more than twice your age, his son Michel is older than you, I said as I rolled her off of me and began to dress.

Don’t get mad, after the first few days, I’m sure there will be time for us to make love. We can set up a place to meet, Mr. Patterson goes on long trips, and is not home most of the time. It should be easy for us to be together, Adilene said, covering herself with my blanket.

That’s not what I wanted, I said, grabbing the blanket and going down the ladder and out of the barn. It was moonlight, and the walk home didn’t