Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Angel in Disguise
Angel in Disguise
Angel in Disguise
Ebook264 pages4 hours

Angel in Disguise

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

()

Read preview

About this ebook

This is a story of reality, a western tale of real life.

The characters live a realistic life.

This story could be true as far as what happens, but it is a fiction western.

This is a story that many who read it, would love to have lived it.

A simple but true to life story about people who live the good life, in a good town.

There is pain and heartache, with some disappointment, but also many good times and good things for them to be thankful for.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherAuthorHouse
Release dateNov 8, 2013
ISBN9781491832295
Angel in Disguise
Author

George Winters

I was born to Richard C. and Helen E. Winters in the year 1944. I grew up on the farm and moved from place to place. We were poor, poor enough that I can distinctly remember eating cornbread and water. I am not complaining. I look back on my childhood with very happy memories. My mother was a hardworking and loving mom and wife to my father. My father was just an old hillbilly from the hills of Missouri. Our life was fun as children, playing ball and rolling old car tires for our cars as we ran and romped all over the farm. I loved the old TV shows like Rawhide and Wagon Train. One of my favorite actors is Clint Eastwood. The Old West was what I loved as a kid. My children laugh as I tell them how I walked to school in the snow and walked home at noon for that cornbread and water. We lived around the area of central Missouri as I was growing up. I remember being a hunter as a young boy—we hunted to eat, not for sport. I left school after the eighth grade and started working. My first job was unloading trucks of grain at an old feed mill in the little town of Olean, Missouri. Then I graduated to a family who let me live with them and work for a small amount each week. The Shaw family is the people who gave me my first real job. I want to especially remember Linda Shaw; she was like a sister to me, and happily, I must say, after some fifty-five years, we have found each other again. I went from there to being a hot tar roofer, working for Bunch Roofing in Eldon, Missouri. My two brothers and myself worked together to help our parents out. We made some $120 per week—that was all three of our wages together. I was a wild kid at eighteen, drinking a lot, but always working. I never got into any trouble with the law my entire life. I married my first wife at nineteen; I was married for three years and then divorced. I went into the army at twenty-two during the Vietnam War. I did basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. I was sent to Fort Ord, California, for AIT and spent the rest of my time in California. Met my wife in Seaside, California, and was married in Carson City, Nevada. We have four children, David, Ronald, Elizabeth, and Jason, and also ten grandchildren, whom we adore. We have had a wonderful and blessed life, good health, and close family. I have out six other books. I enjoy writing and hope my writing is enjoyed by all who read it. Thanks to everyone who reads and buys this book. May God bless you always. I have gone through prostate cancer and am a survivor. I am now enjoying with my grandchildren and children as I start to cut back some and make writing my employer of choice.

Read more from George Winters

Related to Angel in Disguise

Related ebooks

Western Fiction For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Angel in Disguise

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings

0 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    Angel in Disguise - George Winters

    Chapter One

    Bear Attack

    My name is Cheyenne Cody Jones, a fur trapper, X stagecoach driver and Sheriff for a short time in the little town of Jasper Creek, Wyoming. Born in 1844 in Laramie, Wyoming."

    My life was almost gone but given back to me by someone very special.

    "I, awake, to the sound of raindrops falling lazily on the leaves.

    Starting to stretch I feel an agonizing pain in my stomach and all of a sudden realize that what I thought was a bad dream is real and very true. Fully awake now and realizing that I have been attacked, my vision is blurry as I strive to open my eyes, and look around. Thinking it is just because, I’m not awake yet but as I wipe my eyes, I see blood on my hands and realize that my blurred vision is due to blood all over me.

    Struggling to sit up, it all comes back in my memory. Riding briskly along headed to check my traps, suddenly a grizzly sprang from the bushes and as my horse spooked, off I came.

    Hitting the ground with a thud, the bear on top of me instantly. Feeling his sharp teeth tear into my body with enormous pain no doubt screams of fright coming from my mangled body. The will to survive extends beyond all pain and suffering.

    Close to passing out, struggling to get to my hunting knife. Feeling my flesh being torn away, one bite at a time. I must have passed out and the bear thinking I was dead, stopped the attack and left me there.

    Looking, down the ravine and seeing the mangled body of my horse, and realizing that the grizzly has killed and eaten a portion of the carcass. The Bear has gone but he may return soon. Possibly to eat more on the dead horse, and attack again if he sees I am not dead. Realizing my body is mangled and my clothes torn and soaked with blood, I strive to get to my feet. I must make an attempt to get to my horse. I need my Winchester in case he returns or I will have no chance at all.

    Trying to get to my feet, the pain is more than I can bear. Laying back down on the ground, thinking I will rest for a bit and give it another shot shortly. Basically falling back to the ground, I let out a shriek as the pain of torn flesh and blood pulls from my clothes as I hit the ground.

    Laying my head back and closing my eyes to try and gather my thoughts. I feel I’m going to pass out and sure enough I do suddenly.

    The next thing I remember is hearing the footsteps of someone coming toward me, the crackling of the twigs as the footsteps get closer. I open my eyes, but am too weak to raise my hand.

    Saying a prayer that it isn’t the Crow Indians because they are on the warpath. Suddenly I feel a hand brush across my face. I slowly opened my eyes to the most beautiful Indian woman I have ever seen.

    Hoping and praying that she is alone and has compassion and will help me. Realizing being a white man and her an Indian squaw, it puts her in a precarious situation.

    Saying a prayer and hoping that she will help me, and instantly I know my prayer has been answered. She raises my head and gently gives me a drink of water from the canteen she is carrying.

    She tears a piece from my already torn shirt, wets it with some water from her canteen and starts to wipe some of the blood away. She is as gentle as can be, but I still moan in pain from the torn flesh and the dried blood.

    Smiling to show her I appreciate what she is doing for me, but it is truly hard to smile when in this much pain. She looks down at me with a smile that is very evident she is a kind and caring person. Her dark eyes sparkle with beauty and caring.

    I am truly overjoyed that I have been found and am being helped by this Indian woman.

    Closing my eyes and gritting my teeth and saying a prayer as she continues to gently wipe the blood from my mangled body.

    Love can hurt but love can also heal." The grizzly had cubs and I got too close to them and that is why she attacked me and yet the love for mankind from this caring Indian maiden will be the love that helps me to heal.

    The sun is starting to set now and she begins to gather limbs to start a fire. She suddenly heads down the ravine toward my dead horse. I pray she can get to him, get my Winchester and saddlebags before the bear comes back. I watch her as she moves quickly down the ravine. She is to the horse in a matter of minutes and soon has the Winchester and saddlebags and is back at my side. She also brought my bed roll which is good.

    She puts the bedroll under my head, I’m still hurting terribly but I have a bottle of whiskey in my saddlebags which she finds, brings over and starts to give me some.

    As a fur trapper for many years and dealing with the Indian some, I have learned some of their sign language. I asked her where she is from and how she found me. Seeing that I speak and understand some sign language she starts to talk to me.

    She tells me she was driven away from her tribe because she was captured by a white man. She escaped and went back to her people but had been violated by this man and was considered unclean.

    She draws pictures in the dust with a stick, telling me she has lived in a cave for many moons, living on fish from the lake running through the ravine. How uncommon is this I asked myself and then thank God that it all came about.

    I truly believe she is a blessing sent from God and just maybe I was a blessing to her also. After several days of eating small amounts of the rations I had in my saddlebags and her catching fish from the lake that ran through the ravine, we start to become closer as we are together more.

    We are sleeping out in the open at night on a blanket together under the stars and the clear moonlight. It’s mid-June, a warm time in Wyoming. She has patched up my wounds well.

    Mud packs made from mud she got from the lake that runs through the ravine. She also gets alder bark and heats it in water in a pan I had in my saddlebags. She washes my wounds with the alder bark water.

    After several days the wounds are healing very well, I’m starting to get strength back and feel alive again. I again thank God for this Indian maiden whom I believe was sent to me by the Almighty Spirit.

    The sun is starting to set in the West, some three weeks or more after she found me. During the time we have been together I have taught her how to use my Winchester. She has managed to shoot a rabbit and other small game for food during our time together.

    By now the moon is starting to come up, she has a fire going and has water heating in the pan and has also found sassafras roots to make tea. I am able now to move around without too much pain, she has done wonders with my wounds and I am forever thankful. I motioned for her to come and sit with me, as we sit together by the fire with a full moon giving its night glow that lights up the hills almost like the sun during the day.

    My bedroll around us, the night air is cool. With a piece of wood for a pillow and my bedroll around us, we lie down together alongside the fire. I feel her warm body touching me and cannot help but become excited. My arms around her I pull her close and we snuggle up together. After some time, we do make love.

    Now I’m starting to feel a special feeling for this Indian woman, who has shown me true love and caring ever since she found me. If I can convey to her that I love her and want her to come be with me and she understands, I will take her to live with me at my cabin some five miles from here.

    Chapter Two

    A Painful Trip

    Feeling I was able to travel, I wanted to head back for the cabin.

    From the hand signals and the talking we have done over time, I have figured out that the name of the Indian woman is ‘Walking Fawn’.

    She is a lovely woman and seems to no doubt have a heart of gold. I tell her in sign language, that I am headed back for the cabin and I hope she will come with me.

    She smiles a beautiful smile and nods her head that she will go. I take the lead and head down the ravine toward the river. Each step is painful, as I still have an open wound from where the bear tore a piece from my leg.

    I start down the ravine carefully with Walking Fawn close behind me. She sees the pain in my face as I grimace with each step. I stop for a moment and from behind she puts her arms around my neck and kisses me softly on the cheek.

    I know that it hurts for her to see me in pain. The pain is excruciating and I start to wonder if maybe we should wait a few more days before making the trip to the cabin.

    I need to get back to the cabin for several reasons.

    I have left a good amount of hides back at the cabin and being gone for some three weeks or more now, someone might come by and steal them.

    Starting again to move slowly down the ravine with Walking Fawn still close behind me, I move slowly, trying not to slip, but my boot slips off the edge of a rock.

    I manage to catch myself but the pain is terrible from the wound in my leg. Again I stop and sit down for a few minutes.

    Walking Fawn, consoles me and offered me a drink from the canteen she is carrying. I take it from her and take a drink, my mouth is dry and it feels great to have water.

    I hand the canteen back to her, kiss her hand and smile as she takes it from me.

    Suddenly I hear the sound of horses coming in the distance. I make a motion to Walking Fawn to be quiet.

    There are some trees close by at the top of the ravine, we need to get to those trees so that no one can see us.

    Walking Fawn helps me as much she can, we struggle with all our strength to hide quickly.

    We manage to make it to the trees and lie down flat on the ground,

    Indians are coming into sight, and it is six Crow Indians on pinto ponies.

    As they get closer, I can see the leader is chief Red Bear. They pass slowly, looking at the ground as if they are tracking someone.

    I’m afraid to even breathe in fear of what might happen if they catch the Indian woman and myself together.

    Soon they have passed, and yet we continue to lay on the ground very still until they are far away. After some fifteen minutes or so I stand up slowly and look in the direction they went.

    Walking Fawn right beside me, holding my hand and staying very close. I motion for her to come with me and I once again start down the ravine.

    Still seeing my horse at the bottom of the ravine with vultures eating away, I get a nose full as we are now downwind from the carcass.

    We need to go this way as it will be the shortest distance to the cabin.

    Sure happy those Crow Indians didn’t get close enough to the ravine to see my horse, I tell myself.

    With a big oak tree close by, I grab a limb and break off a piece and put it in my mouth to bite on, will help me endure the pain without screaming are making noise.

    Don’t want to make any extra noise, with that war party close by. Walking Fawn is staying close and I’m very happy about that.

    She is a woman of not only beauty but of strength and endurance, she has brought me through a terrible thing back to health again.

    I bite on the piece of oak branch, as I start down the ravine.

    This is going to be a very painful trip but it has to be done. We need to get back to the cabin and check things out.

    I move slowly so that I won’t hopefully slip again and fall or cry out in pain. I move slowly and plant my feet firmly as we continue down the ravine.

    The smell of my dead horse permeates the air, I sure hope that war party doesn’t get a whiff and come back to see what it is.

    About halfway down the ravine now with Walking Fawn close behind me, we continue to move slowly. We are getting close to the river that runs through the ravine and suddenly I hear a bloodcurdling sound.

    Oh my God, the grizzly has returned. I look straight ahead, coming down the other side of the ravine toward us. It is the grizzly, headed straight for us.

    Walking Fawn is caring my rifle and I turn and motioned for her to give it to me quickly.

    I do not want to shoot because I am afraid that war party will hear us.

    There is nothing else I can do, the grizzly will no doubt kill us if I do not shoot him.

    I have no recourse, so I wait for him to get a little closer. Then I take aim and slowly squeeze the trigger, the sound of a shot echoes through the ravine as the bear hits the ground.

    We continue down the ravine toward a small circle of young sycamore trees.

    We will stop there and wait for some time, to make sure the war party doesn’t come back, in case they heard the rifle shot.

    The sycamore trees are very close together and are a good place to hide without being seen. Its late afternoon now and about the first of July.

    Sycamore trees give good shade from the sun as Walking Fawn and myself sit down to rest and wait to see if the war party returns.

    I need to go skin out that bear, need his hide and carcass for food. I have Walking Fawn wait for me. I head for the bear as fast as my riddled body can move.

    Soon I am there, I start at the rear of the bear and slice up his belly toward the head. Then the legs and I start to pull the hide from the body. Slowly and surely I pull the skin from the legs.

    Cutting to remove the hide from his back, I pull and cut. This is hard for one person, especially someone at half strength or less. After an hour or so I finally have him skinned.

    Throwing the hide over my shoulder I start for the thicket where Walking Fawn is waiting. Will dry the hide by putting it on the wall of the cabin when we get back home.

    Soon I am back with Walking Fawn and she greets me with a kiss and a drink from the canteen.

    Using my saddle bags as a pillow, we lay down together in the shade. Hidden well amongst the trees. Walking Fawn cuddles close to me I hold her tight.

    After sometime we both fall asleep and when we awake it’s almost sunset. I do not want to start a campfire because of that war party.

    We will simply huddle close together and spend the night here. We will head for the cabin in the morning after daylight.

    We find some wild strawberries and some snake berries, we pick some to eat and there is still one piece of hardtack in my saddle bag.

    Walking Fawn picks some of the berries and bring them back to me. She sits down with me and we share the berries and she also gets the piece of hardtack. A full moon is coming up over the western horizon and daylight is fleeing fast.

    After the berries and hardtack, and a drink from the canteen, we lay back to relax, staying close together. Keeping my Winchester and my Colt 45 loaded and close by in case they are needed. The wind has shifted now and the smell of my dead horse isn’t so bad.

    Next thing I remember is waking to the sound of birds singing in the trees nearby. It’s day light now and the cool damp night air has dulled the bad smell of my horse.

    I wake Walking Fawn and motioned for her to get up, so we can head for the cabin. After doing our normal morning thing, we head out quickly for the cabin. Not only because I want to get there but because we need to get away from this rotten horse carcass.

    I’m not moving very fast and still have a lot of pain. After about four hours or so, suddenly the old cabin comes into sight.

    The skins I had hanging on the walls of the cabin are still there. I feel happy and relieved because this is how I will get money from the trading post to buy some needed things.

    About one hundred yards or so and we will be there. Walking Fawn looks at me and smiles and nods her head yes, she is happy we are finally there.

    We finally are at the door and I manage to stumble in. Sitting down on an old stool that I carved from a tree stump, I sit and take a good long look at the old cabin.

    We have managed to make this painful trip and even though I am having a lot of pain, it’s so very good to be back to the old cabin again.

    Chapter Three

    The Trading Post

    As I look around the old cabin, I see it needs some fixing up and Walking Fawn is already thinking the same thing. She goes out and gets a limb from a tree nearby and comes back and starts taking down cobwebs scattered here and there in the cabin.

    Walking Fawn needs some winter clothes before the cold north wind starts to blow and the snow covers the ground. I need shells for the Winchester and the old Colt 45 as well. We need sugar and coffee and a couple pans for cooking.

    There is a coffee cup here but we need one more I tell myself, as I try to remember what all we need to stock up on. Then it hits me, my horse is gone, how will we get the hides to the trading post to trade for supplies? I will just have to carry them on my back, it must be done.

    Walking Fawn can carry a couple maybe but I will not subject her to a heavy burden all the way to the trading post. Jack Sampson’s trading post is about ten miles as the crow flies.

    We will rest a couple days before heading there, so my wounds can heal more.

    All the hard tack and berries are gone so we need some food. I motion in sign language to Walking Fawn that I will go sit outside the cabin and try to shoot a squirrel to eat.

    She smiles and comes close and her lips meet mine. I hold her near me for a moment and then go outside. There are many big black oak and sycamore trees all around the cabin. A playground for squirrels and chipmunks alike.

    Rabbits scamper around some also, so we have plenty of food out there. Sitting for some time I feel the soreness and pain from the bear attack. Walking Fawn comes to sit beside me.

    Suddenly a jack rabbit comes slowly hopping through the trees some three hundred feet away. I touch Walking Fawn and point at the rabbit.

    We are hungry as we have had nothing to eat since last night at the rising of the moon.

    I wait for it to get a little closer and then I take aim with the old Winchester and pull off a round. The rabbit suddenly hits the ground with a short squeal and we know we will eat tonight.

    I stand up and go to get the rabbit, I will go some distance away from the cabin to clean it. Do not want the smell of blood to close to the cabin to draw wolves, bears and other predators.

    I have hesitated to build a fire because of those Crow Indians that were in the area yesterday. I will dig a pit and cook the rabbit there so very little smoke rises. I do have some coffee hidden in the cabin so we can have a cup with the rabbit.

    We will go berry picking before we head to the trading post and also look for dandelions, walnuts, and hickory nuts.

    While the rabbit cooks, we go looking for berries and whatever we can get to eat for our travel to the trading post.

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1