The Americans
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Before Johnny could answer the insults Gilcreas
moved closer and smacked him with his right hand.
Gilcreas had timed his forward movement and swing
for maximum effect.
Knocked back a step, Johnny ignored the pain and
focused on Gilcreas.
The sting of the blow had not hurt as much as the
shock of being struck. "Do that
again and I'll kill you," Johnny warned Gilcreas.
Gilcreas thought Johnny's words were a statement of
weakness or cowardice. Smugly Paddy
held his right hand still and repositioned his feet. His right foot was ahead
of his left. No man had yet recognized
the threat of the furtive left hand while they focused on Paddy's huge,
outstretched and motionless right hand.
His plan had worked time and again in the dives and alleys of New York
City before the war. He had relieved
many an unsuspecting drinker of their silver and gold in the dark streets by
attacking with the left hand. He had
even killed two men on orders. He never
got his chance.
Johnny was young, quick, and sober.
Johnny reached inside the open bag, grabbed Ranse's
repaired revolver, tilted it, and shot through the bag. Two shots sounded.
Too late Paddy realized his error. His forward motion was checked and reversed
by the slam of two .44 slugs in the middle of his chest. At close range Gilcreas was felled like a
cut tree. His body rolled off a bundle
of untanned buffalo hides and landed face up on the freshly swept floor. His left arm was twisted under his corpse.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
"The Americans" contains 13 short stories
about the adventures and personal struggles of Americans involved in the
founding and building of their great nation.
The tales describe the personal achievements of men
and women who left their known worlds to travel to America to contribute their
skills, sweat, blood, and, sometimes, their lives to create productive lives
for themselves and their families.
The McKinneys emigrated from Scotland to Ireland and
then to the Colonies and westward through the Allegheny Mountains where some
stopped and put down roots. Others in the prolific clans moved into Indiana,
Missouri, and Texas and beyond.
They were joined in their adventures by neighbors
from the eastern mountains as they fought against foreign powers, hostile Indians,
and lawbreakers.
The lives of Youngers, Creagers, Lomaxes, and others
combined their personal stories to create a collection of personal struggles,
triumphs, and failures that drove and led America into growth and world
leadership of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The great events recorded in American history were
not abstract historical happenings but part of the daily lives of our ancestors
featured in "The Americans."
About the Author
At a young age my parents introduced me to the
historical places near our home in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, and helped
develop a sense of appreciation for historical events.
We visited the Battle of Tippecanoe battleground,
the site of Fort Ouitanon, Fort Michilimackinac and other historic sites where
I began learning about the people involved in historical events and places.
My grandmothers also encouraged my research efforts.
We spent days touring the old family home sites, visiting cemeteries where
family members are buried, and relating family history.
Later, my college education and my respect for my
ancestors’ efforts enabled me to research and write about their experiences.
I have visited other battle sites of the
Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and the Civil War in Vincennes, Gettysburg,
Franklin and Chattanooga, Tennesee, and King’s Mountain, South Carolina.
I also have visited Greeneville, Tennessee, capitol
of Franklin; Davy Crockett’s cabin; McKinney and Pineville, Kentucky; the
Cumberland Gap; several presidents’ homes; Meramec Cavern; Washington, D.C.,
and Spruce Pine, North Carolina.
I have walked where American heroes lived, fought,
and died. I have read their letters and
diaries. I have visited mines and swung
a sledge in Spruce Pine, N.C., where my distant relatives worked and I have
visited their gravesites, I have visited portions of the Erie Canal and have
researched about the laborers who built it.
I have ridden on a train, a river boat, and canoed extensively in all
seasons. And, I have visited numerous
libraries to gather information for my stories.
All this research was done for the sake of
authenticity in my writing and to honor our ancestors.