The guys watched as Gina looked at the color, sniffed the tiny tumbler and then threw back the shot, a great smile coming on to her face.
"You lying toad Harry West," she said. "There's no 'e' in this whisky. It's Scotch and pure."
"There you go boys, a genuine whisky drinker. Sorry I tried to fool you Gina."
"I bet you are sorry."
Lars said, "Can you tell us where it's from?"
"Yes, without a doubt. I've been there. It is dryish and peaty and strongly smoky with hints of heather honey and sherry. Beautiful. Islay whisky. If it isn't I'll give you twenty bucks each."
Harry smiling proudly unwrapped the bottle to reveal the label of Bowmore 12-year old whisky from the island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.
The guys clapped and Dot West arrived smiling with a huge platter of ham and a mixture of breads, cheeses, tomato and sliced onions.
"I've been listening to you old coots trying to show your male superiority with whisky to this lovely woman," said Dot, patting Gina on both shoulders after handing Harry the platter. "Now as soon as I clear away the table to want you to pull out your files and tell Gina everything she wants to know or get any new information she wants. When buying this ham this morning I rang into Fleur Castle who runs the Blacksmith's Retreat in Oxford Hollow. Gina here owns that property and is the great-great-granddaughter on her mother's side of Silas Youngerman. So you've being asked to deal with no outsider when it comes to Gina."
The 'boys' looked suitably impressed. At the end of the meeting Gina's only two real pieces of new information were next it useless: The exact date of Sergeant Palin's warning dash had apparently never been recorded and there no known record of where retired Sergeant Palin lived out his life in Palin.
Lars said, "I think the problem is Sergeant Palin was ridiculed by his contemporaries and I've read a letter once stating that he permanently injured his hip in his run to warn the camp and was paid off by the army shortly after that and returned to the camp to try to clear his name. But I've not seen anything to state he had evidence that the Indians turned away at the sight of troopers or about him living here but as kids we were taught he lived and died in Palin. Funny that. Perhaps he was so unpopular no one really cared whether he lived or died. It was like that for folk without money in the old days and who were buried in unmarked graves.
Two days later Dot West called Gina, who was reading in the guest's lounge at the retreat and said she was about to leave for a historical meeting and she thought the gathering might interest Gina.
"Historical? Oh all right."
"There will be members interested that you connect back to Silas Youngerman."
"Yes of course, where will I meet you?"
"I am going by cab. Will collect you within ten minutes."
Gina grabbed her book and shouted "Oh crap -- ten minutes. And rush off to the loft, taking two steps at a time to comb her hair and fix her face.
"Ohmigod," Gina said, looking at the former council offices that obviously had been at great expense obviously and now operated as the home of the Palin Founders' Society headquarters.
Dot said almost as an aside, "With marriages between families over the years about three-quarters of the people in this city have a connection to one of the forty founding families who settled in Palin in the decade 1871-1881."
About 150 people, the majority women, were at the meeting and when the president asked where any visitor present. Dot West rose and proudly introduced Gina Lott, maternal great-great-granddaughter of Silas Youngerman who built the main building of the Blacksmith's Retreat in Oxford Hollow, that she now owned and currently was staying there.
That was greeted with warm applause. The president offered a personal welcome and then said, "Excuse us everyone, Doris our family historian has the Youngerman family tree up on her computer. Doris, what can you tell us?"
"Here it is Madam President. Zac Youngerman died two days out from the camp that became Palin in late 1871, drowning when struck by a plunging horse in a team pulling a wagon. His wife Sarah nee Zimmerman gave birth to Silas three months later on the 8th of December 1871 Silas married Helen Smith. They had two children and the eldest Carl married Elsie Owens and they had seven children and the line to Gina continues with Frederick marrying Gina's maternal grandmother Flossie and they had six children, the youngest being Gina's mother Eva. Is our record correct Miss Lott?"
"I was not aware of Mac and Sarah. That is profoundly interesting to me. I believe our family knowledge was lacking because great-great-grandfather Silas was kicked in the head by a horse when he was about twenty, he thought, and lost a good part of his early memory as a result. It was so tragic -- my grandfather told me his father was such a kind man with a wonderful way with horses."
"Well Miss Lott," said the president Mrs Zoë Ross. "It is a great honor to have you here because you are one of only five people in our entire city linking back to the very first recorded arrivals. None go farther back than September 1871. With Silas being born in December his mother must have arrived sometime in September 1871."
"This is amazing," Gina said. "I am so happy to learn of this."
"Madam president, this disclosure has come as an unexpected bonus for Gina I am sure but I brought her here today for a different thought it seems rather related matter. May Gina inform you and the meeting of her quest madam?"
"Certainly Dot. Gina, please come and take the rostrum. We shall be delighted to hear from you."
Gina began by saying no publicity was being sought for the venture just now, so she would appreciate what she was about to say would remain confidential "within this room."
"I am committing to leading a campaign, if I can gather people to support me, to have this city publicly and prominently acknowledge the only person credited with the founding of this city, the man whom the city is named after, Sergeant Palin. It is an injustice, in my view, that Sergeant Palin has been placed in oblivion like this instead of being remembered and honored. It does not matter to me that he rode to the camp of pioneers to warn them that the Indians were coming but the warning was regarded as a hoax when the Indians failed to show up and attack, thank goodness. Why would a man ride his horse to death and then pound three miles after apparently injuring his hip when his horse fell fatally to deliver a hoax message? It just doesn't add up. It is understood he later returned to try to clear his name and stayed on and for some reason those transient pioneers who stayed here with him decided to name their tiny town Palin's Folly, a name later shortened.
"I have made a startling discovery about a forgotten memorial attempt of considerable significance and Dot's husband Harry West remembers the proposal being discussed when he was a young man. That's all I wish to say at this moment because wheels are in motion. Details will be released when we are well prepared. You people are here today because you associate with the history of this city. I say it doesn't matter whether or not Palin's folly was true or not. An Indian raiding party could have diverted after seeing troop movements and there were plenty of them when this county was a frontier. What matters is a Sergeant Palin existed and our city is named after him. Every city and town I know anything about honors its founder in perpetuity. I have made it my task to convince the people or Palin to honor the man whose name was taken for this city. Thank you."
As Gina returned to her seat the president stood and led a standing ovation and pledged the support of the Palin Founders' Society to ensure the city once again renewed the debate one the controversial issue of honoring the founder of Palin.
Gina hugged Dot and thanked her for giving her the opportunity to associate and to speak.
* * *
Fleur had to go to the cabin she and Adam owned at a lake, half a day's drive away, to close it up for the winter. She invited Gina to go with her and stay over the night. Adam urged them to stay another night and have some fun and they decided to do that and they set off like two teenagers in Fleur's small but peppy SUV. They stopped only for take-outs so arrived just after 11:00 and after unloading provisions set off on a hike on walking tracks festooned the lake area.
There were only six cabins on their side of the lake, spaced roughly 20 yards apart and only one other appeared occupied. People called Murchison from the state capital owned it and often rented it out. As Fleur and Gina neared the end of their walk their saw two heavily dressed guys hauling up a boat at the Murchison's cabin.
"You guys look frozen."
"Yeah," said one of them. They looked about forty. "But we got a small haul of fish. Like a couple?"
Fleur smiled warmly, "Oooh, yes please."
"You're a flirt," said the guy and Fleur said, "And you're cheeky. Why don't you clean them for us and bring them over and stay for a drink. I have brandy; it's a good warmer."
"Any chance of a beer?" said the taller guy glancing at Gina and Fleur said yes. If they wanted to chill their insides that was their look out."
"Light a fire to warm us," said the cheeky one. "Why don't we bring over a proper feed of fish and we'll cook them with fries while you ladies put your feet up. We're out of bread."
"We have some and I can do deserts for four."
"Good on you green eyes. What's your name?"
"Fleur and this is Gina."
