Frontier General Store

Jax swings off his horse at the familiar campfire that is ringed protectively by stones. It is located by the mining creek but a little closer to town off in the woods. Nobody would find the spot unless they'd been followed or they took days and days in the looking. He ties his horse by the the other that waits there and looks around. "Da? Jerry?"

Jerry comes out of the woods making an adjustment to his heavy denim pants. "Didn't figure you for one that was scared of the dark, Golden Boy."

"Don't be such a pain in my ass. Where is Da?" Jax counters as he pulls his older but shorter brother into quick embrace complete with back pounding. "You got the coffee on?"

"I do." Jerry moves over to the fire and pulls the pot from the edge of the stones and pours Jax a cup. "Da is covering for my absence."

Jax hunkers down by the campfire. "Haven't heard from any miners lately. Figure we're about done for the winter. And why would Da be covering for you? Nobody knows you're out here."

Jerry pours his own cup of the thick brew. "Da has a new project. Need you to file a claim on a homestead."

Jax's brows go up. "A homestead."

"It's a good spot. Across from some folks named Cassadine down in the valley..." Jerry starts to explain.

"I know where it's at." Jax interrupts.

Jerry takes a long pause and just studies his brother. "Oh you do, do you?"

"I talked to the General Store manager. He has a lot to say about the people in the valley. The attitude of those homesteaders is different from those that have gone before... they are clannish and focused on not relying heavily on the resources of Charlestown."

Jerry frowns. "Oh you could say so. Can't say they care much for us. Da and I smudged our slate right proper from the start. But it would be a good place for Lady Jane. There would be no worries with her staying out there if we had her kit'd up right. They're good neighbors if in each other's business." Jerry takes a stick and starts tracing the valley in the dirt between him and his brother. "This is what Da wants you to file on. Since we've already started harvesting timber there, it would be an annoyance if someone got it before we did. This is the Cassadine Place. We've been mostly dealing with them. This is Zander Smith's place. Da and I have been staying in his cabin."

"Definitely neighborly."

"Oh he's staying down with the Hardy women since he busted his leg. So it's just me and Da. Figure he'll be back in his own place when the splints come off and won't be too welcoming of company."

"Tough break."

Jerry grows impatient with the explanation and goes on. "This is the Spencer place. Hostile territory. Then the Taggart's..."

"Is there someone there named Miz Flo in the homesteads?" Jax remembers what the store manager had told him.

"Taggart's I believe, but the Taggart's keep to themselves. Only met the mister of that homestead. Didn't seem to be the type to play or make idle conversation. Aw Hell. That ain't quite right." Jerry takes a minute to compose his thoughts. "Didn't get off on the right foot with those folks. Any information I have about them is from the Cassadines who are the only people who are talking to Da and me out there."

Jax whistles. "You did smudge your slate didn't you?"

"Da and I were checking out the valley to see if there was anything of interest before heading back into town. We stopped at the homestead at the entry to the valley. The Hardy's. Least that's what it said on their gate. Nobody was there so..."

Jax groans. "So you made yourself at home."

"And ended up greeting an armed welcoming party. It was close, brother." Jerry taps on the dirt. "If the Spencer representative had, had her way.... Maybe you and Mum would have been allowed to come put flowers on our final resting place. Also made the mistake of thinking that Cassadine was the one... leading the valley. He's not. He might be the richest and the best spoken but..."

"But..."

"Figure either you or Mum has to get either that Mrs. Hardy or that Taggart fella on your side." Jerry makes a face. "Didn't realize it until it was all settled out but I know now if either of them had said a word... we would have been pushing up daisies. And the other interesting thing. There were Quartermaines there. The granddaughter, the grandson who minds the mine."

Jax's eyes narrow as he takes in that information. That is unusual. He'd been in Charlestown long enough to know the hostility between the soddies and the people that had already paid their dues. "What's the fascination?"

"For the grandson, probably the Spencer girl-- for the granddaughter, I figure one of the Cassadines. Another reason to file early. Come spring there will probably be some pairing off up there and they'll be claiming more of the valley... really taking control of it rather than just the half on this side of the valley. I get the feeling that the younger Cassadine was looking hard at the spot that Da and I are working. If he files before you do then they'd control the top of the valley and our easiest access to the mines without being discovered."

Jax holds up a hand. "Did you hear that?" There is a silence as both of them look around and strain to hear whatever had drawn Jax's attention.

Jerry finally shakes his head. "Probably the local wildlife. What is Lady Jane up to?"

"Unlikely that we'll find a place to rent in town. She's settled in at the Scott rooming house for the winter. She wants you and Da back in town in time for the American's Thanksgiving day."

"I'll let Da know."

Jason silently swears as he retreats from the shadows around the campfire. He'd almost been discovered by the sharp hearing of the Jacks and an unfortunate step that could be heard over the short distance. There'd been no admissions made that he overheard about the bandits on the mining creek but more likely than not Carly is right and the Jacks had something to do with the troubles. And it looked like the Jacks had long term plans to be a pain in every one's posterior. Figuring he'd gotten as much info as he was going to get... Jason goes back to where he'd left his horse and starts heading back to town using moonlight to light his path.

The next morning up in the valley, all the women rush thru their morning chores. It's time to go visiting; a bit of quilting up at the Spencer's place is the excuse. Thanks to everything that had been foraged there had been plenty of fabric in the Spencer's rag bags for Carly to piece into a quilt top. All the blankets that could be repaired had been and then sent off to the mining camp to be sold after they'd taken what would be of use in the valley.
Quilts that couldn't be used in the valley and couldn't be sold due to their condition had been stripped down to their component parts for just this reason. Maybe next year they'd be able to use the wool off of one of Mrs. Hardy's sheep to make a batting for a quilt but for this project they'd just have to use the batting they'd salvaged off of a quilt that had been abandoned. Bobbie had suggested to Carly that she make a wedding ring quilt for Zander but that stuck in her craw even if she figured the quilt would end up being a wedding present. So she'd let her mother think she was making a wedding ring and instead kept her plan to herself.
The actual quilting of the project isn't her cup of tea. All she's interested in is the top and piecing it together. Let Aunt Laura, Mama and the rest of the valley's women actually quilt it. But in the interest of secrecy, she'd done more than she normally does and basted together the back, filling and top and carefully folded it so that it would only be revealed once everyone arrived. The only person who'd been in on the secret is Lulu since she never gives Carly any rest. Course Lulu'd been sworn to secrecy in a cousin's blood oath-- something even mothers couldn't violate. When a worried Laura had tried to get an inkling of what the quilt topper would be the day before, Lulu had scrunched up her face and pursed her mouth not saying a word but instead insisted that she needed to check on the chickens right then and fled the cabin.

"Are you getting a bad feeling about this?" Laura mutters to Bobbie as she hands her the last of the breakfast dishes to dry and put away.

"Carly wouldn't..." Bobbie sighs. "Okay, Carly would, but I don't think she did. Laura, I think she's got something to prove and she wants to put it in our faces. And did you see how puffed up Lulu is about it. Whatever it is Lulu likes it. We have to trust that."

"She still should have let us see it." Laura takes the washing water out to the front porch and throws it off to the side.

Lucky comes out after her. "You worry too much, Mom."

"Do you know?"

"No clue." Lucky shrugs. "But the frame is set up. Dad and I will get out of your hair."

"Lucky, you don't have to..."

"Oh yeah, we do. Figure go down to the Hardy's and keep Zander company since all the Hardy's will be up here." Lucky looks up the road. "Here they come now. Marcus must have offered to pick them up since he was bring Gia and Miz Flo anyway." Lucky steps off the porch as Marcus pulls up and gives a hand to the women who are climbing from the wagon. Audrey and Flo reach back into the wagon to grab their sewing baskets. The girls reach back in and grab stools they'd brought along cause they'd figured that the Spencer's wouldn't have enough chairs for all of them.

Audrey steps into the Spencer's cabin and frowns at the empty quilting frame. It's a very nice frame but it's empty. Bobbie catches her looking and says wryly. "There will be a grand unveiling as soon as everyone arrives."

"Grand unveiling." Audrey doesn't know quite what to make out of that.

"I have no idea what Caroline has in mind. Lulu is the only one who knows and she ain't telling." Bobbie says quietly and then more loudly calls out. "Caroline! Everyone is here. Lets get this show on the road!"

Carly climbs down from the sleeping loft and reaches up for what Lulu is handing to her folded into quarters. It's an armful. She waits until Lulu climbs down to stand beside her before turning to the women that are on the other side of the cabin. After putting up their coats, hats and scarves, they crowd around the quilting frame. Bobbie goes to the far side of the frame and helps Carly unfold the quilt from quarters to the halved. Still the only thing that can be seen is the back of the quilt. Then each take a corner and walk it down the frame revealing the top. There is a collective gasp from the observers as it is totally revealed.

Lulu stands tall and smug proud of not letting out the secret until now. "It's the valley! See it's got the river, and Mrs. Hardy's sheep, and Mr. Taggart's smokehouse, and Daddy's hunting camp..." Lulu points out the various quilt blocks that are a combination of pieced and appliquéd.

"Caroline!" Bobbie and Laura protest that one immediately.

"...and Mr. Zander's apple trees and then that big bear coming out of Mr. Cassadine's woods. And see here... Carly let me embroider in this block but I had to practice lots so it would be perfect... I made a fish in the river!"

Flo comes around behind Carly and puts a hand on her shoulder. "Child, this is amazing. Just amazing. Be a shame to just put it on a bed." With her other hand she wistfully traces the border surrounding the whole piece. It is the quilt block representation of magnolias... the state flower of Alabama. "Just amazin'. You been hiding your light under a bushel." Then she looks at the others. "Well ladies, I say we finish this off so Caroline can show it off proper."

"Is there room for one more?" A female voice asks overly casual from the door.

"Miz Cassadine?!" Everyone turns around and there is another collective gasp.

"I understand there is to be a... quilting bee; I believe it's called, here today." Natasha strips off her gloves and looking around sees the pegs by the door where coats are hung and stuffing her gloves in her coat pocket hangs her coat with the others. "It's about time you people got around to something I'm actually interested in." Natasha comes over to the quilt. "Why it's quite charming." She examines the project with it's detail. "Excellent work." She murmurs. "Excellent." She looks over at Carly who is standing back from the group. "You made this."

"I did." Carly says flatly.

Down at the Taggart place, Marcus hands his pouch of tobacco to Luke automatically. Luke takes a bit and rolls himself a cigarette handing the pouch back to Marcus. He fires up the cigarette dragging the smoke into his lungs and spitting a bit of the loose tobacco aside before making his comment. "Well the women are gonna be busy all day long. Figure it's a good time to have a bit of a chat about the newcomers."

"I know what Caroline thinks, even what little Miss Lulu thinks on the matter." Marcus counters shaking his head. "And I know you would have handled it differently."

"I wasn't there." Luke says too calmly. "There were a couple of different pieces of that day I wouldn't mind having back." The Jacks and then Jason Morgan showing up too and all the while he and Lucky had been out hunting.

They are leaning up against the corral railing. The horses after being unhitched from the wagon are enjoying the cold but bright day.

"Miz Audrey wouldn't have gone for burying anyone on her place." Lucky adds his two bits. "You know that, Dad. If it had happened on our place it would have been handled and nobody else would have been involved. Too many people know."

Marcus winces. "If anyone ends up buried in the valley I'd just as soon it was from natural causes."

"Nuthin' unnatural about ridding a cabin of vermin." Luke counters. "Don't think Miz Audrey was crying any tears for those mice when she brought home those damn cats."

"You keeping an eye on my place?" Zander asks.

"Oh yeah." Lucky says grimly. He straightens as he sees more company coming up the road to the Taggart's. It is the Cassadine carriage with Stefan and Nikolas. Stefan pulls in by the men and the two Cassadines debark. "And they've been keeping an eye on them as well, I'm betting."

"The Jacks?" Nikolas hears the last comment and nods. "They are harvesting timber on the other side of the river across from our place. Uncle believes they are getting a head start on spring. Only one of them is over there now... the elder. But there was no sign of the son when we went past your place, Zander."

"Might have gone hunting." Zander suggests. Rather than using up all my supplies.

"Might have." Marcus agrees. "It's a good day for it."

"They're bluffing." Luke proclaims taking the last drag on his cigarette and crushing the butt beneath his boot. "Betting like they got a certain hand. And that's just fine. I'll be staying in the game until I see their hole card."

Stefan takes a second to mentally translate that into English. If he is correct then Spencer believes that the Jacks are hiding something significant. "Nikolas and I have made an effort to be... accommodating. We will attempt to ascertain their motive."

Luke takes a second to mentally translate that into English. If he has the truth of it then the Cassadine is planning on finding out the hole card. "You do that." He straightens. "No offense but what the hell the two of you doing here? You drop Mrs. Lansbury off at my place to keep company with the women?" Luke goes to the most logical explanation.

"My Aunt." Nikolas corrects quietly. Nobody knows quite what to say to that one.

"Oh to be a fly on the wall for that one." Zander finally mutters with a grin and shaking his head. Nikolas grins as well.

Marcus decides to keep the peace and change the subject. "Y'all want to see what Gia's got in store for me come spring? Figure you might as well check it out cause I'm sure she's gonna rope you into it too." Marcus leads them off to the shed where Gia's drawing is still hanging on the back wall.

Luke takes a deep breath as he enters. He doesn't even need to light up to get a tobacco buzz from the Taggart's shed. "When is that gonna be ready?" He indicates with a thumb to the rafters.

"Few more months." Marcus keeps walking until he gets to the drawing. "What y'all think? Gia wants to double the amount of tobacco put in next year. We're gonna need a bigger barn with a lot of rafter if that is gonna happen."

"I'm all for that." Luke agrees happily. He leans in and squints at the drawing then whistles.

Stefan pulls out his half glasses that he uses for reading and other detail work and leans in as well. Then he steps back and takes off his glasses cleaning them with a linen handkerchief from his pocket. He turns to Marcus. "Your sister, Mr. Taggart, has never lacked ambition."

"No sir, she surely hasn't."

"August and September pretty well filled already saw that this year as well as April and May." Lucky muses. "Gonna take awhile even if you get all the prep work done. Need long days for it. June?" He looks at the others. "To get the shell work done, that'll give you the rafters to put the crops up. Then do the finish work as you can?"

"That's what I figured." Marcus agrees.

Lucky looks at Luke. Luke nods. "Count us in." The Cassadines and Zander chorus their agreement.

Carly pauses to turn the page. While everyone else, or nearly everyone else, is busy quilting their portion of the quilt she reads aloud from a collection of short stories entertaining the quilters.
Elizabeth who'd come along to be sociable doesn't bother with the sewing, knowing that whatever she did would probably end up being pulled out anyway, works on knitting a pair of wool socks. Even everything she knitted she planned with the purpose of never having to sew a seam to it. If it couldn't be done on four needles or two then it just didn't get done.
Lulu concentrates on making sure that there are plenty of needles ready in the pin cushion, each of them stranded with about 18 inches of thread doubled and overhand knotted. Long enough to work with but not so long as to get in a tangle.
The quilt is now rolled on to two poles so that only the center third portion shows held firm by the cross bars. The women work from the center toward themselves. Along the wood covered earth bench that makes up the back of the Spencer cabin dining area Laura, Natasha, and Audrey work. On the other side of the frame Sarah, Flo and Gia work.
Bobbie fills in whenever anyone needs a break to stretch and walk around. With six people working actively on the quilt and not having to worry about threading their own needles the work goes quickly; they'd be able to finish the quilt today.
Mostly it is a flurry of right hands in a rocking motion piercing the fabrics in clean, even small stitches pausing only when pulling the thread thru and going on to the next running set of stitches. It's a matter of personal preference... some have thimbles on their index finger, some middle, some ring... using the thimble covered finger to guide and push the needle.

Figuring that everyone is about ready for a break, Bobbie has prepared a snack and pours boiling water over tea leaves, then sets aside the pot letting it steep. "Tea in about ten minutes." She tells the others. Everyone finishes up the thread they are working on and then rises from the bench as they finish to stretch and take a walk outside as needed.

Carly finishes up the last page of the story she is on and sets the book aside. Natasha goes over to her. "This is not the first quilt you've done."

"No. It's the first one I've pieced out here. Up until now I've been working on repairs to other quilts we've... found."

"But you have other samples of your work."

Carly nods. "What we brought out from New York."

"I would see them... please." Natasha adds the last after a brief hesitation.

Carly raises a brow and then shrugs. "Sure why not." She starts climbing up the ladder to the loft portion of the cabin. "You coming? I'm not bringing them down."

Natasha carefully follows Carly up the ladder. All the beds up in the loft are covered with quilts that Carly pieced the tops on. And in Lulu's alcove, the baby blanket she'd had as an infant is now hanging on the wall behind her bed and a bigger quilt is actually on the bed, the one that had been pieced from Lulu's outgrown baby clothes. After she sees the Star of Bethlehem quilt on Luke and Laura's bed and examines it carefully, Natasha looks at Carly. "I would like to hire you."

"Hire me?! I don't think so." Carly crosses her hands over her chest defiantly.

"Perhaps hire is the wrong word. Commission then. You have an eye for fabric, for color... better than mine." Natasha admits reluctantly. A thought occurs to her and her eyes light... she knew how she'd get this girl's cooperation. She'd already said it... color, fabric. "Perhaps we could make an exchange."

"Lady, I don't see that you have anything I want."

"You've perhaps noticed that my brother has had regular shipments from Charlestown, shipments from back east?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Shipments that include packages from my dressmaker back in New York City. Materials that will never be part of the inventory of the local mercantile." Natasha sneers at that one. She'd been in the General Store in Charlestown just once and once was enough. Then she continues. "Silks, velvet and the like."

"Let me guess... all in black." Carly is tempted to bite, more than tempted, but has to put up a good front.

Natasha hides a small smile. She had her now. "No. A little of everything. I get a little of everything the manufacturers are coming up with from back east and also from Europe. My dressmaker sends me samples and then I decide what I like and order more. I have more than a chest full of just samples. Useless in themselves but..." Natasha shrugs.

"You're an evil woman you know that don't you?" Carly folds. Curiosity had gotten the better of her.

"I get what I want. It is a family trait. And I want a quilt for Nikolas for Christmas."

"There is no way." Carly protests. "Christmas is about a month and a half away!"

"You'll come to my house and see the samples and then you'll find a way. Because in exchange for enough fabric to make a dozen quilt tops you will make me one."

"I'm not agreeing to anything. Not until I see the samples."

"Caroline! Miss Cassadine? Are you going to have some tea?" Laura calls out from below.

"Come to my house tomorrow." Natasha orders. "You will see." Then she turns away to climb back down to the living area of the cabin.

"I'm not promising anything." Carly declares having to have the last word.

Natasha just smiles. Let the little girl have the last word. She would get what she wanted or her name isn't Natasha Alexis Davidovich Cassadine.

Gia's drawings had opened up the conversation with the men in the valley and they have moved on from the Taggart's prospective barn to the other improvements that are needed in the valley to make a going proposition of the homesteads.

"Thanks to the present that y'all gave me for my birthday; it got me thinking." Zander says slowly. He'd found a good place to lean to take the pressure off his splinted leg. "I want an orchard. And if I recall rightly if I do go trees then I can file for an additional 160 acres."

Nik's brows go up at that one. "You are boxed. Quartermaines behind you and Spencer and I on either side. Where are you planning on expanding?"

"The other side of the river I figure. If we got the Jacks on the other side they are going to have to put in some kind of bridge somewhere. Figure up by your place." Zander tells Nik. "That's the narrowest part."

Nik slowly nods beginning to visualize it. "Yes. And then probably sheep to keep the grass down around the trees?" That and because that was what the Hardy's seem to be specializing in.

"I figure we're putting too many eggs in one basket." Luke stands outside the barn where he can have a smoke. "Did alright this year, or we'll see if we did alright come spring with just hay and corn. But figure need a little variety incase something doesn't come thru: wheat, barley, rye. And we need to figure how to put a grab on those homesteads across from us. I'd about be willing to encourage Caroline to file on the other side of the river just to get hold of that flatland."

"You're talking a significant outlay." Marcus counters. "Not saying I don't agree. Been at this long enough to know that sometimes crops just don't come up. Or some critter takes more than it's fair share. And don't think I don't know that you're thinking of what you could be making at that hunting camp of yours."

Luke reaches into his coat automatically. "You ready to sample the latest?"

"I'll pass." Stefan says wryly. "I don't believe my internal organs have recovered from the last sampling of your liquor."

"Mrs. Hardy says it's great for medicinal purposes."

"Sure put you out like a light when she was splinting your leg." Nik agrees.

"Don't see how we can be putting the grab on the properties across the river when we're not using what we got all the way." Marcus finally says. "Not that it wouldn't be nice to handpick our neighbors but we didn't exactly pick each other and we've figured it out after some doing. It's tempting. Lord, it's tempting, but I'm not gonna lose everything cause I got greedy now. Suggest it to my mother and she'd be pointing toward the north forty and asking what I'm doing with what I got. I'll do what I can afford and that's it."

"The people who have been here the longest believe that 160 acres is not enough to provide for a family and earn a living." Nikolas interjects, remembering what Miss Emmie had told him. "It is the reason they believe we are crazy."

"They're ranching." Luke counters. "Steers do take up a lot of room. And when you got steers you got horses. Another big belly to fill. Now I did my share of chasing steers down in Texas but it's that all eggs in one basket thing again. One rough winter and half your herd is gone. You got to have a lot of land and a lot of head to make sure that when half die off you can still live on what's left. Then there is relying on the price of beef. That varies from year to year. But a steer will eat no matter how much you can fetch per pound."

"Mom and Aunt Bobbie would both be against going into the cattle business." Lucky muses. "For all the reasons that Dad just said... now if you suggested the dairy business that would be a different thing. Cheese is something that can be transported to town and depending on the time of year maybe even to the next biggest city. Figure we could run twice, three times as many Holsteins as what we've got now. Dairy is different from ranching. You still have beef from steers but you also have milk, cheese, whey to feed Mr. Taggart's hogs or the chickens, compost to feed the gardens, skins to sell too."

"I think Mrs. Hardy would agree with that one." Zander nods. "I figure the reason she went with the goat in addition to the Jersey is just cause of the amount of feed involved. If that wasn't a concern... I'm sure she'd have a couple more jerseys herself."

Nik looks around at the men gathered. "I suspect that the other half of the valley that is up the road is already planning on doubling the amount of land they put into the household gardens." He waits until he gets the rueful nods of agreement all around. Grabbing a stick he traces the rectangle of land that is the combination of all their properties. He then draws a sliver along the front of the properties that front the river. "This is what we're using now." He doubles it and draws another line. "This is what the ladies are going to want for their gardens... minimum. There is a certain amount of acreage that is needed for the various livestock and Zander's orchard idea. An orchard would be a handy wind block in the winter." Nik draws another line. "So the way I see it..." Nikolas draws a line along the back quarter of the rectangle, the north forty as Marcus had put it. "... There are 200 acres here we need to figure out how to utilize to it's full potential before planning further expansion." Nikolas makes the assumption that they'd be doing it as a community since that is the way that they'd done the fence.

"Irrigation." Zander muses. "It's too far from the river."

"Rotation." Marcus shakes his head. "That's a hell of a lot of seed specially if you're splitting it up between rye, wheat and barley."

"Mechanical planting and harvesting." Luke shakes his head too. He and Lucky had been thinking on that one since they'd been harvesting corn. "Only so many hours of daylight."

"Storage and eventual disposal of the harvest." Stefan adds with a frown.

"Gentlemen, I'd say we have our project for the winter." Nik nods. It is starting to get dark. He winces. "We should probably be heading back over to the Spencer's to find out if Aunt Natasha is still there or made her own way home hours ago."

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