All Characters In This Story Are 18+ Years Old
*****
Oh my Darling, Oh my Darling,
Oh my Darling Clementine.
You are lost and gone forever,
Dreadful sorry, Clementine.
In a cavern, in a canyon, on a wild river far away, Daphne did for her hard working widowed father, Mitch McFee, and her younger sister, Clementine. She had done so for most of her life. Daphne smiled to herself as she darned one of her dad's socks. "He is such a good man," she thought, "Never complaining, always looking out for us, providing for our needs, working day in and day out..." She put down the sewing basket and rolled her neck, imagining Mitch's strong, stubby fingers working themselves along her shoulder tops. She shivered as small flashes of energy coursed through her body and collided in her groin. Her pussy squeezed itself and she felt her juices begin to ooze. "Oh, Daddy!" She breathed aloud softly, "How you do take care of me!"
Suddenly a high voice cried outside the rough hewn cabin wall separating the huge cave from the white rock beach and the river which ripped, roiling, from the side of the mountain at the boxed end of the canyon. Daphne rose and crossed the worn plank flooring to the great picture window. Mitch had labored long to bring the plate glass safely unscathed upriver and installed it as his gift to her for her 21st birthday. She pulled back the bold peony-patterned chintz curtain at the window edge and peeped out, wondering about the commotion.
A girl, really a young woman, a month past her 18th birthday, ran pell-mell toward the front porch. A flock of assorted ducks and geese half-flew and half-hopped close behind. "Momma! Poppa!" She yelled, excited, yet oddly not in an alarmed manner. "Momma! Poppa! Someone's comin'! A man on a horse... with a MULE!" Breathless, the girl skipped onto the porch as Daphne opened the door.
"Clemmy!" Daphne exclaimed. "My goodness, slow down and catch your breath, child!" She hugged her sister lightly to her and soothingly rubbed her hands over Clementine's back, sliding the homespun dress fabric easily over her daughter's otherwise bare back.
Clementine calmed down yet still panted somewhat. She sucked in a big breath and aspirated, "Where's Poppa? A man... a visitor... is a-comin' up the trail! I seen him on a tall horse, trailin' a pack mule, too, at the river bend yonder!" She looked up questioningly at Daphne. "What do you think it means, Momma?" Her chest heaved less against her mother's bosom and her pulse quieted. She was comforted by Daphne's steady heartbeat and easy caresses.
Daphne released Clementine and ushered her into the safety of the cavern. "I'm sure I can't even guess, honey," she answered quietly with no note of concern. "Why don't you just go to your room and wait for a bit, though. Will you please? There's my girl."
Clementine felt reassured by her mother's smile and hand, now soft upon her cheek. "Yes'm, Momma. I'm goin' right now." She turned and moved with quick determination through the main room and down a passage to her private area. She lit a lantern, bolted her door and sat on the thick mattress on the oak bedframe, pondering the portent of the visitor's arrival.
Meanwhile, Daphne pulled sharply, three times, on a sash cord beside the doorway, signaling Mitch by a system of wires, pulleys and bells, deep within their mine. Reaching above the door she pulled down a rifle from its rack, stepped onto the porch and closed the cabin door behind her. The stranger may present no threat, but that could not be assessed for several more minutes. Daphne sat, centered on the porch swing, against the solid log wall on the opposite side of the door from the big window. She laid the gun across her lap and waited patiently, unafraid, yet cautious. She heard a horse snort before she saw the rider and his pack animal break through the trees at the trailhead. He rode, unhurried, across the clearing straight for the cabin.
About twenty-five yards out, the man reined up his mount. He raised his right arm and tipped his hat back on his head before waving to Daphne. "Hallooo! Missus!" He called, clearly announcing himself.
Daphne squinted and stood, holding the rifle low. It was ready, but still crosswise to her body. She stepped to the porch rail, beside a post supporting the overhang, and answered with a strong voice. "Halloo, yourself! Rest easy right there, Mister, and state your business."