Lily Mae backed into the corner of the saloon as the hulking villain lumbered toward her.  “Got you,” he snarled.  “Now hand over that deed to your father’s gold mine.”

            “Not on your life!”  Summoning her courage, she glared up at him.  “I’m going to see you hang for what you did!”

            He laughed, his belly shaking beneath his greasy vest.  “You and what army?   All I see between me and that gold is a purty little gal in a pink satin dress.  And by the time I finish with her she’s not gonna look so purty.  You’ve seen what I can do to a woman.  Now give me that deed, or you’ll be beggin’ me for mercy!”

            “All right.  You win.  I’ve got it right here in my stocking.”  Lily Mae raised her skirt a few inches.  “A gentleman would turn away.”

            “Well, I ain’t no gentleman, honey.  You got till the count of three.  One…two…”

            Lily Mae fumbled beneath her petticoats.  Tucked into her lace garter was a tiny derringer with a barrel no bigger than her thumb.  Drawing and cocking the pistol in one motion, she swung back to face her enemy.

            “Reach for the sky, you mangy varmint,” she snarled, “or I’ll plug you right between the eyes! 

            No, this  isn’t a scene from one of my books, although I did have fun writing it.  I just wanted a dramatic way to introduce one of the most notorious and popular weapons in the history of the west.

 In 1852 an American gunsmith named Henry Deringer invented a pistol so small that it could be easily concealed in a pocket, vest, boot, stocking or bodice.  The original Deringer Pistol was less than six inches long.  It used a cap lock mechanism to fire a single bullet from a barrel bored in calibers from .36 to .45, with .41 being the most common.  Easy to handle and accurate at close range, the tiny gun was an instant success.  Other gun manufacturers were swift to copy and improve on it (these copies were known generically as derringers, with an extra r)  but Deringer’s original design remained popular for decades.

            The gun was a favorite of women, who could hide it in their handbags or their clothes.  Gamblers and card dealers often kept one up their sleeves.  Even well known gunfighters, such as Wild Bill Hickock, used them as backup weapons.  One Arizona lawman was known to have carried upward of a half dozen petite pistols on his person.

            The scaled down size of these guns cost heavily in accuracy and range.  Mark Twain, who carried a pocket model Smith & Wesson .22 on his western travels wrote, “It was grand.  It only had one fault—you couldn’t hit anything with it.”

            Sadly, the little weapon became the preferred choice of hit men, who could hide it while they stole up behind their target.  The most famous hit carried out with a Deringer Pistol was the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth.  Booth shot Lincoln in the back of the head at point blank range while the President was watching a play.  This incident branded the Deringer as a “Hitman Special.”  Sales of the Deringer and its derringer clones went through the roof.  But Henry Deringer was troubled, knowing his weapon had been used to kill an American President.  Shortly afterwards, in 1868, he stopped production of the Deringer Pistol.  Other versions, however, continued to be made and are popular among shooters and gun collectors to this day.

This tough-looking gun moll is me, posing for a friend’s magazine article with an unloaded pistol I have no intention of firing.  Good for a laugh, at least.

            Do you know how to handle a gun?  Would you carry one for protection, or do you want nothing to do with them?  I’m looking forward to some interesting responses.

 Don’t forget to check out COWBOY CHRISTMAS, with stories by Pam Crooks, Carol Finch and myself. 

 And don’t forget to enter our new Christmas contest!

Hello Darlings,

Draw a red circle around Tuesday because that’s when Kate Bridges will spend the day with us. Woo-H00!

The Fillies have sorely missed Kate being in the corral. We’re all very fond of the dear lady.

Miss Kate has a new book out, ALASKAN RENEGADE. Get a gander of that cover! Durn it, my glasses are fogging up. That’s some sexy man. Hold on a second, ah’ve got to get my rope untangled. 

While Miss Kate is here she’ll lead a discussion on what we’d have been if we’d lived in 1850. So mosey on over here and put in your two cents worth. And ah’m sharing a little secret–Miss Kate is giving away an autographed copy of the book.

Don’t be late, now!

Erica’s winner—-Marial-the Bartered Bride

Darlene’s winner of -Wild West Christmas Charity Lyman

Darlene’s winner of Beacon of Love—Robin L

I’ve got Robin L’s email address. Marial and Charity, email me mary@maryconnealy.com and I’ll get those books coming straight for you.

And thanks everyone who stops by Petticoats & Pistols.

Leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for a book.

Darlene’s giving away two books today. Wild West Christmas and  Beacon of Love. We’ll draw a winner at the end of the day.

The first covered bridge in America was built over the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania in 1805. The idea caught on, and soon covered bridges abounded. The barn-like design appealed to farmers for their familiarity and for the ease they offered horses afraid of rushing water beneath. Their most practical feature, of course, was protecting the wooden trusses from the elements. Diary of an Early American Boy by Eric Sloane (from 1805) provides detailed instruction on how to build a covered bridge for anyone interested. 

The bridges became known as “kissing bridges”—with a long bridge, a slow horse, and a willing girl, suitors could steal two kisses during the crossing. Is it any wonder that I chose a covered bridge to tie together my Vermont historical series for Heartsong Presents?

Covered bridges served as a public billboard and gathering place—not to mention a great place to hide weapons. Militias drilled on bridges; bootleggers hid their whiskey there. Communities gathered for square dances in the shade of a bridge.

The earliest authenticated covered bridge in Vermont dates from 1824. Now Vermont has more of them per square mile still in existence than any other state: 107. Pennsylvania has the most total bridges.

Award-winning author and speaker Darlene Franklin finds much of the inspiration for her stories in her native New England, although she now lives in cowboy country, Oklahoma. The first of her Vermont romances, Prodigal Patriot, will be published next May by the Heartsong Presents bookclub.  Her most recent titles are Lucy Ames, Sharpshooter in A Wild West Christmas and Beacon of Love, a story inspired by the the Point Judith lighthouse in Rhode Island during the great gale of 1816.

http://darlenefranklinwrites.blogspot.com/ 

Well, it’s Friday the thirteenth. I don’t fancy myself a superstitious person (I do not count my quirks and phobias in this statement, which include my terror of down-escalators and cooking with yeast). However, if I see a penny on the ground, I admit to picking it up because all day long I’ll have good luck. I especially like finding a dime because that way I get ten lucks.

So I reckoned there must be some kind of superstitions in the Old West among our cowboy heroes. Somehow. Somewhere. So this is what I found.  

Cowboys seem to have many superstitions about their boots. First off, they believe old boots should be worn on Friday the thirteenth for good luck. So check your cowboy’s feet today. New boots: no-no. 

Tripping over a boot is a bad omen. Furthermore, cowboys consider it bad luck to step into their left boot first. Similarly, a bronco rider always puts the right foot in the stirrup first. For some reason, it’s bad juju to use those boots to kick a paper cup thrown down at a rodeo. 

However, if a cowboy drops an old boot outside the door as he leaves on a trip, he’ll have only good luck during his journey. 

He’ll quarrel with someone soon if he sets his boots on a table. Duh. I’d sure quarrel with anybody who did that in my house. 

If he wears out his boots at the toe, he’ll spend money as he goes.  

A cowboy won’t stow his boots higher than his head at night because if he does, he’ll have a restless night’s sleep. I reckon this is when he’s camping out along the trail. 

If he walks wearing only one boot, he’ll have as many bad days ahead as steps he’s taken. And he sure shouldn’t give boots to a friend. That means the friend will walk away from him. Furthermore, he’ll end up walking in the former owner’s troubles if he takes somebody else’s boots even as a gift.

If his new boots creak as he walks, this means he still owes money on them. And new unworn boots should be put high above the floor for luck. (Unless it’s that table-quarrel thing.) 

In every day life, if a cowboy wears his boots while his baby is being born, it’ll be a boy. Seeing a boot set atop a fence post is a sign that someone is at home. And seeing boots hung with the toes pointed toward the wall means their owner is dead.

For maintenance, our cowboy should place red pepper in his boots during winter to keep his feet warm. For a bad fit, he should fill his boots with dry beans or corn, pour in some water, and tie the tops shut. Or…put a zip-lock bag filled with water in the boot, and place the whole she-bang in the freezer.

Well, there’s more cowboy lore regarding rodeo superstitions and hat superstitions and of course, the whole range of Superstition Mountains in Arizona…but I think this will do for now.

Of course, dying with his boots on was the cowboy’s greatest dignity. Who can forget our favorite huckleberry, Val Kilmer’s Doc Holliday on his death bed, peering dolefully at his bare toes and saying, “Now that’s funny?” Sigh.  

How about ya’ll? Any superstitions out there? Anybody wear cowboy boots?

Hello Darlings,

Ah declare! Miss Darlene Franklin has boarded the stage and will arrive Saturday.

The Fillies are delighted and honored to have the dear lady come to visit. We want her to feel right at home so that she’ll want to come back again. But we dearly need your help as we dust off the welcome mat. So shake your bustles and hitch your wagons. Even if you have to take the ankle express get along over here.

Miss Darlene will tell us about covered bridges and some of the uses for them besides  crossing rivers and creeks.

Plus, she has two books to give away. You won’t want to miss that!

Has anyone here been bitten by the acting bug? Maybe you sang in a high school musical or auditioned for a television commercial. Have you sung in a choir? How about Karaoke?  Have you ever taken the microphone?

I’ll confess to one group Karaoke adventure. There were six of us, all women.  We did a truly awful version of  “Lollipop” at a community potluck.  Thankfully this was before YouTube. Other than that one experience I’ve only been on the audience side of the entertainment world, yet somehow I’ve ended up with an actress as the heroine in my current manuscript. She’s given up her career to raise her two younger siblings, but she still has a heart for the stage.

What would her life have been like? 

Interesting, to say the least!  The traveling theater troupes in the Old West offered a variety of acts with a varying degrees of sophistication. Shakespeare recitations were popular, and so were trained monkey acts, jugglers and acrobats. Singers performed everything from Italian opera to popular songs like “Home Sweet Home.”

There was something for everyone in a theater show, and the audiences were diverse. Reserved sections had cushioned chairs and catered to people with money.  The cheap upper balcony seats were available to folks with lesser means. The key here is that theaters brought large numbers of people together for the sake of being entertained.

This was a definite shift in how Americans enjoyed music, songs and storytelling.  Instead of enjoying these pursuits in their homes with family and friends, people became part of a crowd. We’ve all heard it . . . the thunderous applause, the collective gasp at a moment of drama. Going to a theater performance, then or now, is very different from listening to Cousin Lizzie pound out “Beautiful Dreamer” on an out-of-tune piano. Folks would be–and still are–entranced by a certain actor or singer and a star would be born.

Among the most well known actresses in the west was Lotta Crabtree.  Born in New York City in 1847, Lotta traveled west to Grass Valley, California with her parents as a child. She started performing at the age of six and gained the attention of famous actress Lola Montez. Lotta was in the right place at the right time. The California Gold Rush brought countless miners to the gold fields, and they were hungry for entertainment. A singer, dancer and banjo player known for her Irish tunes, she become known as “Miss Lotta, the San Francisco Favorite.”

Just for fun, I want to mix in a little Hollywood. Do you remember Josie Marcus? She wasn’t well known for her stage roles, but she earned fame in Tombstone. She’s the actress who married Wyatt Earp. One of my favorite scenes in the movie Tombstone, (the one with Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp) is when he and Josie go riding. The movie does a nice job of depicting the audiences that took in theater shows as well as the variety of acts that entertained those rowdy crowds.

Life with an acting troupe didn’t include caviar and fancy dressing rooms.  Expenses had to be covered by ticket sales, which could vary drastically.  If sales were low, the owner of the show (often the lead actor) might cancel the show and move the troupe on. For a popular show, extra performances would be added.  An opera company (“opera” here means light opera performed in English) would travel with a small orchestra and add local talent where it was available. There was no time for rehearsals, so that first show could be interesting for the audience and the musicians.

What about you?  Have you had an interesting experience on a stage?  Have you sung karaoke-style or been on television?  Maybe you play a musical instrument. I’m in awe of musical and acting talent and would love to hear about your experiences.

Thank you, Mary, and the P&P team, for having me here today. It surely is my pleasure. 

If I could travel back in time, would I?

You bet! I’d make a terrible pioneer, I know, since my idea of roughing it is to play all day at the lake, then head to the Holiday Inn for the night. I barely cook with the convenience of a microwave. I know buffalo chips and an open flame would be a disaster.

And yet, part of me longs to travel back in time to get a feel for what pioneers felt, see what they saw, wear the clothes of the time and really immerse myself in the time period, so I can accurately portray those times in my novels. All while being back at the Holiday Inn by supper time, of course!

Since I can’t go back in time for real, I do the next best thing. Museums!

In September, I began the research for a new historical series set at a US Cavalry Fort. I had the germ of an idea, loved the setting, and was eager to see what I could find by way of information.

Over a two week span while on family vacation, we visited the following forts:

Ft. Riley, Kansas (home of the US Cavalry Museum.) A house once thought to be General Custer’s has been preserved and is open for viewing, though they’ve later discovered that he actually lived up the street a bit on Officer’s Row.

Fort Harker in Kanopolis, Kansas. Only a few buildings survive, but the tour guide made our stop worth while. I love the copper-colored sandstone buildings and the amazing green lichen that grows on it.

Fort Larned, near Larned, Kansas. Oh, my, what a treat. The picture above is of two of the barracks at Ft. Larned, which is a National Historic Site and beautifully preserved and run. The buildings are in excellent shape, and the Santa Fe Trail runs only about thirty yards behind the commissary building. Also, as a bonus, just up the road from the Fort is the Santa Fe Trail Museum and Library where we also stopped. I got to go inside a real soddy. Ugh. I am so not pioneer material.

Fort Hays, Kansas. Not many of the buildings survive, but the blockhouse is unusual, and the place has a lively history.

Fort Laramie, Wyoming. A terrific tour with enthusiastic tour-guides. One of the great frontier forts with a rich history and interesting inhabitants.

My second favorite way of researching is reading books. While on this “Fort Loop” vacation, (No, not fruit loop!) I bought lots of books about the US Cavalry and each fort’s history. By the time I got home, I had twenty-one different books about forts and fort life in my possession. Of course, one of the books I was looking for eluded me on the trip, so I had to go on eBay when I got home and bid on a copy. J

 As you can see, I have an amazing and generous husband who pretty much lets me get what I think I need to do research (and a lot of just what I flat out want) and I kept my receipts so I could hand them over to my accountant at the end of the year.

I also got the name and address of the Fort Historian at Fort Laramie, and was encouraged to call any time with questions that cropped up during the writing. Very excited about this prospect. I love talking American West history with someone as passionate about it as I am.

Another way I researched—and  I do realize I should take this one with a big, old bucket of salt—is  I watched John Wayne in his Cavalry pictures, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Rio Grande, The Horse Soldiers, and Fort Apache. I realize the US Cavalry story is ‘Hollywood-ed Up’ for the big screen, but I love the movies, and they are inspirational. Since my Cavalry novels deal with honor, duty, and sacrifice, (and love J) I thought it fitting to revisit The Duke in all his blue and gold glory.

Of course, US Forts weren’t the only research topic on my agenda. I also visited a Colorado Gold Mine, a Pioneer History Museum, the Wyoming State Historical Society, and 1880’s Town of Murdo, SD. And I bought lots of books from those places, too.

I have found there’s nothing like actually seeing and experiencing the places you want to write about. Especially since the Holiday Inn isn’t too far away. J

Thank you, Mary, for inviting me to visit Petticoats & Pistols.

Erica’s debut novel, The Bartered Bride, is now available. Leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for a free copy.

You can order a copy by clicking HERE. Or by phoning (740) 922-7280.

 Jonathan Kennebrae is furious when his grandfather informs him that his future has been decided. He will marry Melissa Brooke or be disinherited. Jonathan has invested years of his life in Kennabrae Shipping, but heaven help him if Grandfather decides to take it all away for this.

Melissa, too, is devastated when her parents make their announcement. As little more than a bargaining chip in her father’s business maneuvers, she feels her secure world slipping away. Engaged to marry a man she has never met—someone “considerably older” than herself? What have her parents done?

Can Jonathan and Melissa find a way out of this loveless marriage, or must they find a way forward together?

ERICA VETSCH is married to Peter and keeps the company books for the family lumber business. A home-school mom to Heather and James, Erica loves history, romance, and storytelling. Her ideal vacation is taking her family to out-of-the-way history museums and chatting to curators about local history. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Calvary Bible College in Secondary Education: Social Studies. You can find her on the web at www.onthewritepath.blogspot.com  

To the left a picture of officer’s and enlisted barracks at Fort Larned, Kansas.

Often my blogs are centered on the past as I try to bring to life the American Indian from the past.  Hoping to not make the American Indian of the pst seem like some ulta-human being, I yet strive to show his strengths, and usually center in upon  many of the things that have its roots in Native American, things that we perhaps take for granted.  For instance, we’ve discussed in the past how two men, the real Hiawatha and the Peacemaker brought to Turtle Island (what we know of as America) their hope that this land would be free forever — it was their intention that this land be free from grief, free from war and free for individuals in it to live their own lives according to their own decisions of what they choose for their own lives.  That wish (postulate if you will) – set into motion by Hiawatha and the Peacemaker – was here and was widespread when the Europeans (who were escaping oppression on a far off shore) landed  here in America.  These Europeans, who had no real tradition of freedom, were met by an entirely free people.  True, there was the Magna Carta, which freed many, many people.  But it was written in part for the Nobility who were in protest against an unjust King.

All right, so we’ve discussed other topics in the past, like the names of our towns and rivers and mountains, we’ve included some of our own American celebrations (including but not limited to Thanksgiving); we’ve mentioned and discussed foods that the first Americans gave us, we’ve also talked about the respect the American Indian showed for the land upon which we all walk.  But for today, I thought we might have a look at some of our more contemporary, modern day Indians.  Before I go too much further, let me say that most Indians that I know consider it a compliment to be called Indian —  they themselves say they are Indian and are proud of it.  The politically “correct” label of Native American sits well for some, but not for all, so if I offend, that is not my intention. 

As probably many of you are aware, this is Adam Beach, whom I think is probably one of the most handsome men alive.  And I am particularly fond of this photograph of him.  Does anyone remember him in Squanto, the Disney movie?  It was the first time I saw him on the screen and I thought then, as I still do today, that he is again one of the most handsome men alive.

But the other day I was watching an older movie (1981 movie) of  The Lone Ranger and I was struck by what a handsome man Michael Horse is.  Off to my left is Michael Horse as a young man and off to the right is Michael more recently.  He is still a handsome, handsome man.

This particular movie was the 1981 version of the famous The Lone Ranger so if you’ve never seen it, and you have an opportunity to look at it, I would recommend it, if only from the standpoint of seeing a young and very handsome Michael Horse.

Then today I was watching country videos and I saw a video of Michelle Branch, which had a Native American theme and made her look very Native American.  Upon reading  her biography on Wikipedia, I realize now that she isn’t American Indian, but I’m including her picture here simply because in this video she did look very Native American.

Then there’s Michael Grayeyes.  I saw him in the made for TV movie, Stolen Women/Captured Hearts.  I remember thinking at the time that he was also one of the most handsome men of our times.  He is Cree Indian and is a dancer by trade, as well as an actor.  To our right is Michael dressed to pow-wow.  It looks to me as if he is dressed (in the picture to the right) to grass dance, which is one of the most beautiful of the pow-wow dances I think — at least for the men.  It is quite an atheletic dancel, but I think it also takes quite a bit of agility to perform.

The picture to the right and a little below the others is another picture of Michael.  Handsome…handsome.

Michael also played the lead role in another made for TV movie called Crazy Horse.

This is another wonderful movie to rent or to see if you have the chance.  I believe it is a more accurate accounting of Crazy Horse’s life than some of the earlier movies done on the same subject.  That’s simply my opinion, of course, but from what I’ve read, I think the facts are better detailed in this made for TV movie than others that I have seen on the life of this very brave man.

Do you remember one of those young boys from Dances With Wolves?  His name was/is Michael Spears.  Well, he’s grown up and is as handsome as ever.  This is Michael Spears with bow in hand off to the left.  His brother, Eddie, is also an actor and they are both Lakota.  Here’s another picture of Michael.  Another handsome young actor.  His brother, Eddie, is also an actor.  Eddie’s picture is the black and white next to his brother, Michael.  Interestingly once when I was at a pow-wow, there were Native actors there signing their pictures on a calendar — I bought the calendar and had several sign their pictures and among those were both Eddie and Michael Spears.  They were very young at the time (both of them), but already very handsome.

Okay, and now here’s another one of my favorite Native American actors — and for any of you who have seen the movie, Cheyenne Warrior,  you will immediately recognize Pato Hoffman.

I think I fell in love with that movie Cheyenne Warrior.  Made in the late 90′s I believe, it remains one of my favorite movies to date.  It also stars a very young and beautiful blond bombshell, Kelly Preston, who is none other than John Travolta’s wife.  In this movie, Pato plays Soars-like-a-hawk, or simply, Hawk, who is a kinda smart-talking Cheyenne warrior, who is nursed back to health by Kelly, who husband has died (not at the hands of Indians, but rather at the hands of a dishonest buffalo hunter).  It is not only an action movie, but a romance, although not a strict romance, as it doesn’t end as I would have liked it to end.  You can still order this movie from Amazon, I believe, so if you haven’t seen it, I would het ahold of it and watch this wonderful movie.

Nowbefore I end this blog, I think it wouldn’t be complete without taking a look at a friend of mine, Steve Reevis.  Steve is Blackfeet and has helped me considerably in the past when I and a few others were setting up a literacy project on the Blackfeet reservation.  He donated his time and energy and will always be remembered by me with great fondness.  In the picture below, Steve is dressed to dance the grass dance and he is sixth from the right — I’m standing on the end on the right.  Steve’s wife, Macile stands to his right.

Okay, I left out one very wonderful man.  So here is a picture of the very incredible man in my life.  Yes, this was taken several years ago when my husband and I were first married.  But it remains one of my favorite photos of him — taken of course by me.  Off to the right are Paul and I in Montana, on the Blackfeet reservation, with Chief Mountain in the background. 

So, my question is, what are your thoughts on this?  Have you seen these men on the screen, and if so, do you have a favorite?  For me, it would be hard to pick just one of them.  They are all of them outstanding.  But come on in and let’s talk.  Let me know what you think of these very handsome American Indian boys.

Hello you little darlings,

Miss Erica Vetsch is hightailing it to the Junction on Wednesday.

The dear talented lady will talk about some the Army forts she’s visited and share with us the particulars. She’ll also give us a peek inside her book, THE BARTERED BRIDE. I’ve got a hankering to know what the story’s about. Bet we won’t have to twist her arm to get her to spill the beans. Hee-hee!

Ah know you won’t want to miss out. No sirree.

So draw a circle around November 11th then head over to the Junction and see what all the fuss is about!