by Linda Ellen
Endeavoring to suppress the alarm she felt at such a declaration, she said carefully, “You did? Oh my, I think I would be afraid…is it a very tall one?”
Emboldened, he hopped up from the chair. “Oh yes! Why, its big wheel is this tall,” he held a hand up over his head. “But Mr. Charlie—he’s my friend—he helped me. He brought it over next to some crates. I climbed up on it and he held on to it as I started riding. He let go, though, and I rode it all around the depot that day, round and round, and round and round, until Mr. Charlie finally made me stop, ‘cause he said he had to deliver it to the mercantile with the rest of their shipment. Oh, but it was such fun. I’ve been saving up money to try and buy it from Mr. Hodge.”
Suddenly, his eyes grew round as saucers, and he looked around quickly, relaxing when he saw that none of his older siblings were within earshot. Then, he turned back and said, in a serious tone, “Oh, but ma’am…my Ma don’t know. She’d be afraid and tell me not to ever do that again if she knew. Only me and Sherry Ann…and Mr. Charlie…and now you, know. You won’t tell her…will you?”
Big hazel eyes blinked at her and Pauline couldn’t resist reaching out to run her fingers through his unruly brown curls. With a smile, she leaned close and whispered, “I won’t tell her. I promise.”
He relaxed immediately, and suddenly the back door opened and Tobias came in with an armload of chopped firewood, followed close behind by their mother, Nettie, with an armload of her own.
Tad looked back at Pauline and put a quick finger up to his lips, before allowing his face to be overtaken by a huge grin—and then a wink! Then, he hopped up once again and went skipping off through the house.
Pauline shook her head and turned back to Sherry Ann as the young girl, wise and more mature than her years, rolled her eyes and huffed out an exaggerated sigh.
“That’s my brother—the irrepressible Tad Shoup. You just never know what he’s going to come up with next!”
Chapter 10
M onday afternoon found Pauline making the short trip across the street to visit the poor, unfortunate stabbing victim. Armed with contributions she thought the girl might need—both from her own surplus as well as further donations which had been dropped off during the day by female members of the church—she paused at the door to the girl’s room, put her head near the wood to listen, and then gently knocked.
From inside, a small voice bid, “Come in.”
Pauline opened the door and moved inside, maneuvering with her rather large armful, only to hesitate when she saw the frown on the young woman’s face.
Quickly taking in the girl’s, appearance, she noticed her long, dark hair had been freshly washed and brushed, and that she was propped up in bed against the pillows with the covers pulled up to her neck. Pauline couldn’t see much of what the girl was wearing, but thought it was perhaps a night dress of some sort. The girl’s sapphire blue eyes were regarding her suspiciously.
“Hello…” Pauline began, waiting a few beats to see if her greeting would be returned, but it wasn’t. “I’m…my name is Pauline Chr—Keller,” she hurriedly amended, feeling her face blush crimson. Dang it, I’ve got to get used to my new name! Clearing her throat, she moved inside the room a few steps and began again. “My husband is Deputy Keller—the man who picked you up from the street the night you were hurt, and the man who hunted down and brought back your attacker…”
At that bit of information, the girl’s countenance eased a bit and she even offered a tiny smile. “Oh…hey,” she murmured.
When Pauline didn’t continue, but only stood still, unconsciously waiting to be welcomed, the girl added, “Well, c’mon in. Have a seat,” she added, indicating a chair next to the bed. Pauline stepped closer and glanced around, wondering where to put the load of donations when the girl asked, “Those for me?”
Relieved, Pauline smiled and answered with a nod. “Indeed, they are. Several ladies from the church brought over a few more necessities to the boarding house for you today…and I added some of my extra supplies that I thought you might be able to use.”
Nearing the end of the bed, she hovered close, studying the outline of the girl’s limbs under the covers. “I, I don’t want to hurt your injury…” she hinted, prompting the girl to carefully move her legs over.
“It’s all right. Doc was just in ta’ check my stitches. He gave me somethin’ for pain, so…it’s not hurtin’ much right now.”
Placing the offerings on the bed, Pauline let her gaze roam over the girl’s face. She was pleasant looking, she decided, with fair, even features, and when she had spoken, Pauline could see that her teeth appeared to be clean and cared for. Again, Pauline wondered what the girl’s story was…and if she would be open to friendship.
“What happened was just awful,” she offered sympathetically. “Did Dr. Reeves have to put in many stitches?”
The girl moved her head in a nod as she smoothed the bedspread. “Ten.” At Pauline’s soft gasp, she continued, “He said he put in small stitches so’s it wouldn’t leave as bad a scar. He don’t want me to put weight on it for a few more days…so’s I don’t tear his mendin’ job, he said,” she added with just a hint of a mischievous grin.
“Oh,” Pauline relaxed a bit, glad that the girl was feeling well enough to joke about it. “I’ve never had an injury like that, but my older brother, DJ, once fell and cut his arm quite badly. The doctor back home put in several stitches.” Looking to the side with a fond smile at the memory, she added, “I’m afraid my brother isn’t a very good patient. He was cross as a bear until those things were taken out!”
Mary seemed to relax further at that and a polite empathy showed on her face. “I can sure understand that.”
Getting back to the task at hand, Pauline set about showing Mary the items she had brought—namely, another dress, a pretty moss green gingham that one of the ladies from church had donated. Having seen the girl, Pauline was sure it would complement her eye color very nicely. It was a bit faded, but still had plenty of wear left. Some hair ribbons in various colors, a pair of bloomers, and some stockings were included, and a pair of low-heeled shoes were also in the bunch. Among these were things of a more hygienic nature, including some scented soap and a bottle of lilac toilette water. Mary reached for that and took off the top, taking a sniff. “Oh my, this is nice. I ain’t ever had my own bottle of this stuff before…”
Pauline caught a look in the girl’s eyes and saw her pale cheeks pinken a bit. Not wishing to ply her with questions and pry into her life unbidden, Pauline smiled gently and filled the awkward silence with, “I love lilac, it’s one of my favorite scents,” and set about finding places to put the procured articles away. When finished, she crossed the room and sat down in the chair by the bed.
“Thank you…for bringin’ all this,” Mary said in a hush.
“You’re welcome.”
“S…so, you said somethin’ about your brother back home…you ain’t from here?”
“No, I’m from Louisville, Kentucky…and actually, I only arrived a week ago. There was, well…some trouble back home, and…” she paused, gathering her thoughts. “It was decided that the best way to handle it would be for me to marry Deputy Keller and travel here to…”
“Wait…” the girl leaned forward with wide eyes. “You got in trouble and they arranged a marriage for you?”
Pauline laughed and gave a small shrug. “Well, not exactly. You see…back home, there was a man who had indicated interest in courting me, but he turned out to be a charlatan. A con man. One evening, I overheard him speaking with another man about… a certain matter, and he saw me and knew I had heard. It’s a long story, but…have you ever heard of a proxy marriage?”
The girl shook her head. “No, what’s that?”
After giving the particulars, the girl’s eyes grew even more rounded. “Well, fried biscuits! Don’t that beat all! And this Deputy Keller—”
“His name is Tobias,” Pauline provided.
“This Tobias, he just up and offered to be your proxy husband—and you’d never laid eyes on him?”
“That’s right—”
“For pity’s sake! He coulda been a man given to drink, or have a foul temper, or liked to run with a bad lot…”
Pauline rushed to clarify, “Well, my mother’s employer is from here and she’s known Tobias from the day he was born, so she vouched for him. Besides, we knew that he would at least be a law-abiding citizen, since he is, after all, a deputy.”
That seemed to temper the rawness of the situation for the girl and she settled back again against the pillows. “So—what kind a’ man is Dep—Tobias?”
At that question, Pauline’s mind’s eye suddenly filled with images of her new husband, and her eyes must have reflected her pleasure, prompting the girl in the bed to chuckle. “Ahh, I see. Yeah, he’s a looker, too. I noticed that right off—what with them blue, blue eyes under that black, black hat, and that beard. So, he’s nice to boot?”
That’s putting it mildly, she mused, but smiled and answered, “Very.”
They lapsed into silence for a few moments, each with her own ponderings, and then the girl asked, “So…how old are you, anyway?”
“I’m twenty. You’re eighteen, right? And you’re from Lincoln?”
“Yeah. I, um…” she paused, searching Pauline’s expression.
“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to…”
The girl drew in a shaky breath. “Oh Pauline…I’m just so scared and confused…and I don’t know who to trust, or where to turn or what to do…but, somehow…” she paused, her teeth worrying her lip as she searched Pauline’s open gaze. Finally, she seemed to take the plunge and admit, “I keep gettin’ this feelin’… like maybe I can trust you…”
Pauline leaned forward and offered a hand, which the other girl grasped as if latching onto a lifeline in deep water. “I’m a good listener if it would make you feel better.”
A tear came to one eye and Mary swiped at it with her other hand. “I’d like to tell somebody. The…the other ladies that came to see me, even though they was bringin’ things for me…they stared at me and asked all kinda questions, and they all seemed to be judgin’ me and findin’ me wantin’, if you know what I mean.”
Pauline gave an understanding nod as she carefully chose an explanation for the girl’s observance. “What happened…well, it seems to have taken everyone by surprise. People aren’t sure what to think…”
“It took me by surprise too, I can tell you that for dang sure.”
“I’m sure you were frightened half out of your wits,” Pauline sympathized. “I know I would have been.”
“I sure was. But, well…I guess I oughtta start at the beginning,” Mary wavered, glancing at the door to the room to make sure it was closed. “See…my ma died havin’ me, so my brother and me were raised by our pa. He worked as a fireman—you know…a man who tends the fire for the runnin’ of the boiler,” she clarified, and Pauline nodded, “—on packet boats all around the south, lately on the ferry, City of Lincoln. We…we done alright all these years. Until my brother got accused of stealin’—somethin’ he didn’t steal—and he ran away…and then my pa, well, he got in a fight with somebody who was bad-mouthin’ Hank…that’s my brother…and the man…they wrestled and…my pa rolled too close to the firebox in the Lincoln’s boiler room…it was just awful,” she finished in a whisper, by then her eyes were swimming with tears.
Pauline’s were moist as well. How horrible… She let go of the girl’s hand and reached for the fresh hanky that she always kept tucked inside one of her sleeves, offering it to Mary. The girl took it gratefully.
Sniffling and wiping her eyes, Mary added, “They came and told me…the ferry company’s man, Clive Tobin, and some man I didn’t know…that my pa was dead and I had to get out. I told him I didn’t have no place to go, but he just laughed and said it wasn’t his worry. He said he needed our shack for the new fireman he’d have to hire to replace my pa. Then he…he said I could always rely on womankind’s oldest profession. That I was a pretty girl and I wouldn’t go hungry…” she repeated the man’s words in a mocking tone and shook her head. “Oh, how I hated him. He’d always been rude to me, every time I’d go down to the docks to take Pa his dinner.”
Pauline, her heart aching for what this girl had gone through, asked gingerly, “When did your father die, Mary?”
Mary dabbed at her eyes again and let out a tired huff. “A month ago, yesterday.”
Her eyes rounded with concern, Pauline prompted, “What did you do?”
Mary gave a shrug. “What could I do? I started to grab some stuff—I didn’t have much, only two extra dresses, and one was all wore out and too small—but that old wretch, Tobin, was watchin’ my every move so’s I wouldn’t take nothin’ that belonged to the company,” she practically spit the last word. “He made me so dang nervous I couldn’t think straight…plus, I was cryin’ about Pa and worried about Hank. I tried to take some food outta one of the cupboards, but Tobin hurried me up, said he had things to do. So, I left with just a small bag of odds and ends. At the last second, I snatched up some of my brother’s clothes that I’d washed and were still hangin’ over the line by the fireplace. Those are the clothes I was wearin’ that night.” With a pained expression, she shook her head woefully and whispered, “I didn’t even get to give my pa a wake or a decent burial…”
“Oh Mary…” Pauline whispered. Sympathy for this unfortunate girl weighing heavy on her heart and thinking about the loss of her own father and how much it still hurt, Pauline sat quietly, allowing Mary to gather her thoughts. Finally, the girl continued, “I been around packet boats all my life. I know every nook and cranny. So…I snuck on board the first one I saw, hid out where nobody could find me, and just rode the river ‘til I could make some kinda plan.”
Glancing over at Pauline, her eyes took on a bit of a sparkle. “I got pretty good at scroungin’ for leftovers from the crew’s kitchen. Most of the time, I was wearin’ Hank’s clothes, so I sorta blended in. I switched boats when I thought I might be discovered—like one time I was almost caught and had to leave my bag behind and sneak off. On one of the gamblin’ boats, I even found a gentleman’s fancy wallet, packed full ‘a greenbacks! I only took a couple ‘a sawbucks, and put it back where I found it—figured he wouldn’t miss ‘em,” she added sheepishly. “Then, a week ago, I slipped aboard the J. Houston, and was doin’ pretty good, when I snuck outta my hidin’ place one night to scrounge for food and ran smack into…him,” she visibly shuddered.
“The man who stabbed you?” Pauline prompted in a hushed tone as if he might hear her.
“Yeah. I was scared to death he’d turn me over to the captain, but he seemed to think it was funny or cute or somethin’, a girl stowaway. He’d gotten on at Platte City, he’d said.”
“And then…then…” Suddenly, the girl covered her face with her hands, her voice a squeak. “Oh Pauline, I’m so ashamed! I let him talk me into…into…” she let out a shuddered breath and moved several fingers, as if hesitant to look Pauline in the eyes. Pauline held her breath, her arms wrapped around her middle, and tried to keep her expression neutral, unsure, but dreading what the girl would say next. The girl went on as if the words were being ripped from her soul. “He…he told me I could make lots and lots of money…bein’ nice to men. I sorta knew what he meant, but…Pauline, as God is my witness, I ain’t never let a man touch me before.” She lowered her hands, moved a shoulder in a tiny shrug, and sniffled, “Hank always watched out for me…and Pa, he woulda never let a man like that even come near…”
She swallowed hard and briefly glanced up into Pauline’s steady stare before averting her eyes. “But John…” she paused and closed her eyes again. “He seemed so nice at first, and…he sweet-talked me. He said…he said I’d need…experience,” she whispered.
Pauline could see the retelling was taking a huge toll on the girl, and her hea
rt squeezed as she watched two tear drops escape Mary’s closed lashes to roll free down her pale cheeks. “He took me to his cabin, and…” she shook her head and swiped at her eyes with the heels of her hands. “When it was over, he gave me a ten-dollar bill and said, there, now you’re a workin’ girl.”
At that, the girl opened those swimming, cobalt eyes and looked full on into Pauline’s concerned expression. “Pauline, I never felt so dirty in all my life. So…used. See…for some reason—I don’t even know why now—I’d thought maybe he cared for me, at least a little. It was all lies, and I believed him like a stupid fool! When the Houston docked here at Brownville, he said he’d take me inta’ town and buy me some pretty clothes to wear. Said he’d back me and get me started in the business. We were walkin’ up the hill when I told him where I kept my money stash. Seems that’s what he’d been waitin’ for, cause the next thing I knew, he drew that knife, knocked me down, stole my cash—and cut me! Well,” she let out an exhausted sigh and collapsed back onto the pillows. “You know the rest.”
“Oh, honey,” Pauline murmured, her own heart grieving over what this girl had gone through. “I’m so sorry. That man is awful. Tobias told me some about him. He and the sheriff think he’s a wanted man with a bounty on his head. You said he told you he got on at Platte City? Well, Sheriff Dave has wired the constable in Platte City and he’s on his way now to see if it’s the same man listed on a wanted poster who is part of a gang that tried to kidnap the constable’s son. If he is, then he’ll get what’s coming to him, that’s for sure.”
“Good. I wanna watch as they drag him away in chains,” Mary grumbled as she blew and wiped her nose.
