******

Descendants’ of early American settlers, Hatti and Chester Denton crossed the Kansas plains and settled in Nebraska.  They were nesters, from Virginia, determined to move west.

In Nebraska, the Denton’s settled on open land, farming and raising two small boys, Bart and Colt. They did not have much; in fact, they had nothing, only their two hands and some crude cutting tools for logging and cutting trees to build a cabin for shelter. In time, the cabin became a house they called home.

The boys worked, alongside their parents, from sun up to darkness having no life of their own. They drank water and bathed occasionally from the stream behind their house. They hunted whatever game, they could find, and grew potatoes.

Their speech was mediocre. Their education had limits with no formal schooling. However, the drive for accomplishments surpassed the hard life they endured. They were taught what they needed to know, at home.

Several miles from the Denton’s four-room house, lived their closest neighbor, Charlie and Ruth Hicken’s. They didn’t socialize with the Hicken’s, except for swapping a chicken or two, for a sack of potatoes.

Ruth and Hatti got off to a bad start when they first met. There was a church fundraising dinner, in Ogallala, Nebraska, that turned into a disagreement between the two women.

Hatti claimed the fried chicken brought by Ruth was undercooked and greasy. Ruth complained that Hatti’s cherry pie was sour and she skimped on sugar because it was expensive. It made for rural theatre and rivalry.

Chester Denton traded farm-grown vegetables and animal furs that he trapped, for chickens, a cow and a horse. Eventually several more horses and cows were added changing drastically their farming capability.

They went by wagon to town occasionally for supplies like flour, dry meal and some flour sacks for making curtains, towels, and shirts for the men. Chester spent his silver dollars at the general store in Ogallala, a small cattle town six miles away. The store was owned by Alvin Foster.

Farming became the twilight zone for Bart and Colt, now, teen-age boys, with solid ready-made bodies bursting with testosterone.

They were seventeen and nineteen respectively and fully aware of a semi hard toy, between their legs. Their mother wanted marriage for them and grandchildren. Chester feared losing his farm helpers. A cruel thing to do, was keeping them away from women, saying, when they were older, that would be time enough.

Consequently, the boys knew only what they witnessed living on the farm. Sexual feelings one can’t keep ignoring. Things were about to change.

******

Ma, where are the boy?” asked Chester.

“Oh stop, you are always checking on them for one thing or another. Now what is it you need them for?” asked Hatti, his wife of nineteen years.

“Look yonder at the opening between the two boulders on the hill. There is a storm of dust and something is coming this way. I don’t like it. Can’t be injuns, they are peaceful. We haven’t had trouble with the Cheyenne since the treaty. Shucks, it’s been years now,” quoted Chester.

“The boys are by the stream fishing. I’m planning on a mess of brook trout for supper tonight. I’ll find them.” She replied.

The four of them stood by the front gate as two men on horseback rode up and stopped in front of them. It was them stirring up the dust.

“Howdy!”

“Howdy, replied Chester.

“Is this your place?” asked the larger of the two men. He was scrubby with worn denim pants and a shirt stained with sweat. His partner wasn’t much better looking. He was younger, with a beard and sweat stains on his hat and around his neck.  There was no mistaking, they were real cowboys and smelled ripe enough to prove they lived everyday on a horse...

“Yup, this is my land,” said Chester, “my wife Hatti and boys, Bart and Colt.”

This is my partner Abe Potter and Jim Paxton here. Folks call me Paxton.

We are scouts for the army, out of Fort Kilmer. There isn’t much of a road up on the flats, but I spotted a wagon trail, so we went the same way, ending up at your place.”

“Where ‘bouts, you men headed,” asked Colt, staring intently at the man named Abe.

He was in need of a bath, but had killer looking dark eyes, not very old, in his twenties, with a crotch looking like a picnic basket.  He sat erect on the saddle with his legs spread. Imagine what a little soap and water would do. Colt could swear he saw something shifting in his pants, but looked away.

We are on our way to buy cattle in Ogallala, for Colonel Summers back at the fort. He has a deal worked out with the Cattlemen’s association. We are the messengers, caring the money for the beef,” admitted Paxton, who was friendly by now. “The reason we stopped, was for some water for the horses.”

“We’re willin to pay for the water,” said Abe.

“You men help yourselves to all the water you want. The horse trough is full, so let them drink until their hearts content. We have a creek behind the house a few hundred yards away,” added Hatti.

“I have warm bread out of the oven, it you men would like some,” she continued. “That is alright, isn’t it Chester? She asked her husband.

“Sure, sure, of course,” he replied. “Get off your horses and rest a spell.”

“Is it okay, if I wash up a bit?” asked Abe. I’m a little worn for wear.”

“Certainly, the creek is a few feet that way, can’t miss it.”

“I am staying with the horses,” said Paxton. We never leave the saddlebags with the money for the livestock, out of our sight.”

“Follow Colt, he will point out the creek,” she told Abe.

Colt led the way to the deeper end of the creek and stopped before reaching the water’s edge. He stood there and simply pointed.

Abe had begun removing clothes as he walked, flinging them over his shoulder. He strutted along like a man on a mission, ignoring Colt.

By the time they reached the water, Abe had only his pants, underwear and boots left to remove.

“Yeow,” said Colt, a bit startled, staring at his naked chest.  “I thought you were going to wash up, not take a bath.”

“I’m fast I’ll jump in and out, in a hurry,” dropping his pants to the ground.

“Okay,” babbled Colt, gaping at Abe filling out the front of his underwear.

“What’s the matter, kid?”

“Nothing.”

“Then beat it, get the blast outta here!”

Colt took a few steps, then stopped and looked back.  It was a fast glance, and Colt gulped seeing his naked body. This is the only time Abe smiled and Colt thought he was laughing at him, so he started to run away.  

“Hey kid, get back here!”  

Colt ignored him, so he yelled again. “Kid, I said to get over here!”

“NO, you’re going to hit me.”

“I’m not hittin anybody – c’mon.”

“Err, I don’t know – honest Injun!” he cried out.

“What’s wrong with you?” Abe replied, stark naked by the water’s edge.

******

To be continued……