Virginia's Vocation

by Zina Abbott

  “If you are looking for Mr. Dickey, Charlie Gray Cloud, he went to town to schedule some people with whom we might speak regarding the situation here on the reservation. I don’t believe he has returned.”

  Charlie found it interesting that she brought up the reason he had been called on to join them and the Indian agent. “Why are you two here? We are not used to whites showing an interest in the Kaw people. They only want to take our land away from us.” Again, it was the woman who responded.

  “Charlie Gray Cloud, we have been sent by a well-read journal to gather information for an article. Through some well-placed sources in government circles the publisher knows, he has come by some information that will affect the Kaw tribe. An official, a Mr. Greenwood from the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in Washington D.C., is being sent out to negotiate a new treaty with the Kaw. They wish to diminish the size of this reservation. They will take part of the existing land away and use it to pay the debts some of your people owe to local merchants. They will assign forty acres to each member of the tribe in the southwest corner of this same reservation with the promise that no white men other than those authorized by the government will be allowed on that land. The land they take away will become government land and will probably eventually be sold to the white squatters.” The woman paused as she stared at him. “Have you heard anything about something like this taking place?”

  Charlie failed to keep the bitterness out of his voice. “The American government does not keep its promises. They say they will leave us with land and let no white man enter. Tell me, why did they not stop white men from moving onto the reservation we have now? Do you know one reason the tribe must buy so much from the white stores? Our women cannot plant their crops in spring. If the whites do not move on the land and steal it while the tribe is away for the summer bison hunt, they allow their cattle to roam over our land and destroy our crops.”

  Virginia considered the information for several seconds before she asked her next question. “Do you know anything about the land they intend to give you?”

  Charlie grimaced. “Yes. It is poor land, not good for crops. It is not well watered and the grass is not good like the kind found on bison grazing land. There is not enough pasture for all our ponies. The best land has already been stolen by the white Americans. It is not only the Cheyenne and the Pawnee who steal our horses; the white men come onto our land and steal them, too. Why does the government not force them to move and leave the better land for the Kansa? The people of Council Grove blame the Kansa for many problems these past years. It is because more whites come to steal our land and our horses there is much trouble.”

  “I do not have the answers. That is why I have come to ask questions. We understand Mr. Greenwell will come in October about the time for your people to receive their annual annuity. We wish to have enough information to publish an article about the true conditions on the reservation. Our publisher wants to raise awareness about the injustices suffered by the Kaw since they have been forced to give up the land along the Kansas River and live in Council Grove.”

  Charlie studied the woman. She spoke like she, not the man who would soon be her husband, was in charge of finding this information for the magazine. “Do you know how to ride a horse astride bareback, Miss Atwell? If so, I will take you to some of our elders I doubt Mr. Dickey wishes to you talk to.”

  “I was raised on a farm in Missouri. Of course, I can ride astride without a saddle.” With a questioning look, she turned to the man beside her. “I’m not sure about Mr. Wilson.”

  Charlie fought back a smirk as he turned his attention to the man. Although Mr. Wilson said nothing, from the expression he wore, Charlie guessed riding a horse bareback did not appeal to him.

  Tomorrow night, I bring horses. I will take you to talk to some of the chiefs and principle men of the tribe. Allegawaho, who will be the next chief after Hard Chief, in whose camp my family lives, will talk to you. He does not favor any treaty that gives the white squatters any of our land. His words will not be what Mr. Dickey or the white settlers of Council Grove wish you to hear.”

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  Chapter 24

  ~o0o~

  Missouri River – late August, 1859

  V irginia stood at the rail of the third deck on the steamboat carrying Avery and her up the Missouri River from Kansas City, where they boarded, to St. Joseph, Missouri. This trip, although short, differed from the one she and Avery took down the Mississippi. That journey on the water had offered her and Avery an opportunity to relax, view the banks of the river—when the expanse of water was not too wide—and to learn more about each other. True, at her insistence, they had studious avoided the topic of the purpose of her journey to St. Louis. Still, she had enjoyed immensely the time the two spent together.

  The steamboat voyage up the Missouri River from St. Louis provided a different atmosphere—not because the countryside that spread away from the river banks differed greatly, but because of the excitement of the assignment. She and Avery had focused their talk on visiting Council Grove and the Kaw Reservation. While on that leg of their trip, they planned for the tents, what food they would need, and the other supplies necessary to allow her to achieve her goal. Fortunately, because Mr. Porter made the assignment, he provided the needed travel funds including money for room, food and other supplies while they visited the reservation.

  A sensation of unreality had swept over Virginia as the boat steamed past first, Columbia, and then, Boonville, knowing her family no longer lived there. She pointed out some details of her childhood hometown to Avery as they passed but knew of no reason to go ashore in either city. They had already decided what they did not purchase in St. Louis to bring with them, they would buy after they left the steamboat in Kansas City and crossed the river to Bonner Springs.

  Virginia told Avery about the outfitter store which was on the way to their destination. He agreed they should stop there for the balance of their supplies. In addition, the owner had proven himself to be a valuable source of information for Virginia in the past. She suspected he might be helpful with this special assignment. If he knew of current issues on the Kaw reservation she should either inquire about or treat with caution, she had wished to learn of them from him ahead of time. They had stopped there on the way going, and on their return from the reservation to board the steamboat for St. Joseph.

  However, this stretch of river travel represented work time rather than leisure time for Virginia. After she and Avery boarded and settled into their rooms, they had found a quiet space on the deck to once again review with each other the information they learned while on the Kaw Reservation and their impressions after talking to the Kansa Indian agent, some of the Council Grove merchants, a white female resident Virginia had managed to get alone long enough to hear her views and, most revealing, the Kaw Indians themselves. Virginia left with the impression she did not know what would happen to the Kaw people when Mr. Greenwood arrived to negotiate the treaty with them, but the members of the tribe faced an uphill battle.

  True to his word, Avery escorted Virginia to her room so she could work on her article. He offered no suggestions on what she should write, or how she should express herself. Instead, he said he would spend a few minutes roaming the decks to see how a Missouri steamboat built for a shallower river with more obstructions than found on the Mississippi River differed from the Mississippi steamboat on which they had traveled down to St. Louis.

  Alone in her cabin, she had taken the time to review her notes and create and outline. However, she knew she would not buckle down to the serious business of writing her article until she arrived back in Oberlin. There, she could closet herself in the comfortable familiarity of her room in Drusilla Chilton’s boardinghouse. After spending less than an hour on that activity, she had once again gone outside.

  Grateful for the brim of her bonnet that helped to cut the glare of light bouncing off the water, Vi
rginia studied the trees and shrubbery clinging to the banks beyond the brown, mud-filled river. With it being the end of the summer, she guessed the water level to be lower than at other times of the year. She hoped they sailed far enough downstream the boat would avoid submerged logs. She leaned slightly forward to look upriver. In places, the sky reflected off the water to paint the surface blue. She closed her eyes and lifted her face to feel the slight breeze that drifted past her. Because of a habit that proved more persistent than she originally expected, her hand reached for the place below her neck, seeking for the feel of her mother’s locket that no longer rested there. Instead, her fingertips skimmed across the raised surface of the lace collar she had attached to the neckline of the white blouse she wore.

  As she had planned from the start of this trip, after they left the steamboat in St. Joseph, she intended to visit once again the Bavarian Jewelry and Watch Repair Shop.

  When she calculated the amount of money she would need for her trip, she had allowed enough to cover what she had received when she sold her mother’s locket, plus twenty-five percent more. She hoped Mr. Mueller, the jeweler, had honored his word given eight months earlier and still held the locket in his shop. In spite of her funds running low, she had not touched that money dedicated to redeeming the one piece of jewelry she missed more than she thought possible at the time she sold it. She hoped he would not charge more than that for her to once again buy the locket. If he did, she did not know what she would do.

  Virginia sensed someone step next to her and rest his forearms on the rail. She did not know if she had learned to recognize his walk, his way of moving, or possibly the scent of him. She only with a certainty Avery now joined her. She turned with a smile and gazed at him. He returned her gaze with a softness in his expression she had increasingly witnessed ever since their journey from Oberlin began almost month before. The stiff formality that had seemed such an integral part of his being had gradually ebbed away to be replaced with a relaxed familiarity she now welcomed.

  Dropping her smile, Virginia turned away. In only a few days, the two of them would return to Oberlin. He would still sit across from her at Mrs. Chilton’s table, but it would not be the same.

  The magic of this trip—not the meeting with Mr. Porter or assignment to the Kaw Reservation, but the time spent in Avery’s company—would end. She could not recall a time in her life when she had enjoyed as much happiness or contentment as she had being by his side these past weeks. At first, he served as a protector of her reputation and procurer of tickets and lodging. Now, she realized how greatly she had valued his perceptions and feedback as they discussed the information they learned in Council Grove. Much of the success of the article she would soon write would be due to his involvement.

  Virginia felt Avery’s breath on the side of her face. She closed her eyes as his words caressed her ears.

  “What is wrong, Virginia? Have I said or done something to upset you?”

  Virginia turned to meet his gaze. She realized doing so had positioned her lips less than three inches from his. She wondered what it would be like if Avery kissed her.

  Kiss me, Avery. Please.

  Virginia smiled and shook her head. “You have done nothing to upset me, Avery. I have been reflecting on how much I have enjoyed this trip—how much I value having spent this time with you on this journey. It has been a journey of discovery for me. As I stood here looking across the water, I realized we will be in St. Joseph tonight. Now that the train finally connects St. Joseph with the rest of the state, we will be able to board in the morning and travel by rail until we reach Ohio. In a few short days, we will return to Oberlin. Our journey together will be at an end.”

  Avery inhaled as he leaned away from her. With a wistful smile on his lips, he turned to gaze across the water to the horizon above the tree line. “I share your same thoughts. I don’t know when I’ve enjoyed myself more. More than once I’ve wished this journey would never end.” He turned his gaze once more to Virginia, as if to drink in the sight of her.

  As Virginia stared at Avery’s eyes, captured by his gaze locked on hers, once again her thoughts strayed to the cobra that mesmerized its prey, rendering it paralyzed, unable to move. Only she did not desire to move from Avery’s side. She would be content to be by his side, mesmerized by him, the rest of her life.

  Virginia struggled to find her voice. “Yet, we know this journey will end, Avery. You must get back and prepare for your new students. I must settle in and write my article.”

  Avery smiled at her. “You also must return to classes, Virginia.”

  “Yes. I would be wise to start attending the first day. I know I have at least one instructor who will not accept late work.”

  Avery turned away with a relaxed laugh. “Yes. I suppose I ought to reconsider that policy.”

  “I do plan to being attending lectures the first day this time, Avery. The time we have spent together this past month will end. We must move forward. We will return to the boardinghouse and the college.” Virginia lifted her left hand and splayed her fingers. She studied her ring finger adorned with the aquamarine flanked by tiny diamonds that now sparkled with refracted sunlight. “I will return Mrs. Chilton’s ring and end this charade of us posing as an engage couple. We will resume addressing each other and Mr. Wilson and Miss Avery.” She turned to study the face of the man who stood next to her. She knew one thing she had gained this past month that would never end—her feelings for this man next to her. She could never return to not loving Avery Wilson.

  Avery’s gaze turned to the ring on Virginia’s finger. “Virginia, I know we have been posing as an engaged couple, but I would like that to not end.”

  Her eyes questioning him, Virginia studied his face. “What are you saying, Avery?”

  Avery sucked in a deep breath. “I do not want our engagement to end. I wish it to become an engagement in truth. Virginia, I love you. I have felt drawn to you almost from the start.”

  “Of our trip?”

  “No. Ever since you arrived at the boardinghouse.”

  Confused, Virginia shook her head. “But, Avery, in spite of your perfect manners, you almost always acted as though you disapproved of me. For months, your behavior convinced me you did not like me.”

  Avery closed his eyes and shook his head. “I will admit, I held preconceived notions regarding you—not you personally as much as what, in my mind, you represented. Women. I knew no reason a woman needed a higher education, especially if her primary intent was to seek a husband and set up her household. Why waste time educating students who do not take their studies seriously? I soon realized you do take your education seriously. You excelled at completing your assignments.”

  That puzzles me, Avery. I never discussed this with you, but you often marked me down for grammatical and punctuation errors. When I wrote my next report, I checked carefully to make sure I did not repeat those mistakes. Yet, you marked me in error again, instructing me to make corrections to match the very errors I diligently attempted to avoid repeating.”

  Avery wrinkled his forehead in confusion. “I did?” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I could not think clearly where you were concerned, Virginia. I’d see your name—something would bring you to my mind—and my thinking became muddled. I apologize. If I do it again, please point it out to me.”

  “I will, Avery. I don’t wish to fault you, for you are a very precise instructor, attentive to detail. You have always acted respectfully.”

  “Respectfully.” Avery spoke the word with the hint of disdain. “I had it beat into me to pay attention to detail and behave respectably. I know I will be a difficult person to live with, Virginia. I fell in love with you shortly after you arrived. At first I didn’t recognize it for what it was. Then, when I did, I had no idea how to deal with it. With me being an instructor and you a student, I felt it inappropriate to allow you to know of my feelings for you, and yet, they consumed me. You see—my mother died before I was old
enough to remember her. I was raised as a single child by a strict disciplinarian of a father. As much as I hated him for the way he often treated me, I’m afraid much of what I experienced at his hands has rubbed off on me. I don’t know much about love.” His eyes pleading, his gaze once again sought, Virginia’s. “I was never taught how to show what I think and feel. I often feel tied in knots inside, but have no idea how to untangle myself. I don’t know how to show my love for you.”

  Virginia stepped closer to Avery. Without realizing, she pressed the length of her body against him as she grasped his bicep. “Avery, you do know how to show love. I have felt your caring and regard for me this entire trip. You can express your feelings—reveal your passions that Mr. Porter referred to. You shared them when you spoke your honest opinion about one of my one articles at the supper table. You revealed your regard for me when you came to my defense with Mr. Porter. The more time you spend around people you love and, who love you, the easier sharing your true thoughts and feelings will become.”

  “Then I must spend all my time around you, Virginia. It is you I love. My greatest hope is for you return my regard that I have for you.”

  “Oh, Avery.” Virginia pressed her forehead against his shoulder for a second before she raised her face, a smile on her lips. “I also love you. I will not be drawn into to a contest to determine which of us began to love the other first, but I do assure you this. After spending time on this trip to St. Louis and visiting the Kaw reservation with you, it had been a journey of discovery in more ways than one. I have come to understand the strength of my feelings for you.”

  “So, are we engaged, Virginia? I meant what I said—that is one part of our time together this past month I do not want to end.”