by C L Lassila
The days passed too quickly as is the case with time when it is limited and spent engaging in enjoyable ventures. Adelaide and Calix had spent five days together during which time they had been inseparable. They both had avoided talking about the future. It was likely that Jonas would be away for at least a couple more weeks. With that assumption in mind, Calix left but planned to return within the week. Both of them wanted more time together.
Chapter 11
His departure this time was easier for her. She knew that he would be returning soon. As she watched him walk off in the direction of town she struggled to control her feelings. The last few days spent with Calix had been some of the happiest in her life. She could not allow herself to want a life with him too much. She did not want to think about the life that she could have with Calix in comparison with the life that she shared with Jonas. Neither of them knew that she was pregnant and she knew that the child’s birth would likely change things drastically.
That afternoon Adelaide walked into town in the hope that there might be some word from Jonas. Mr. Monk, the postman, greeted her warmly. He was a short, round man with rosy cheeks and an equally rosy disposition.
“Mrs. Rose, how good to see you. Your timing is perfect, absolutely perfect. A letter arrived from Mr. Rose yesterday. I was going to run it out to you this evening,” he said.
“Mr. Monk, how are you?” Adelaide replied. “I am glad that I saved you the trip. You can hold the letters until I pick them up. I don’t want you to have to go out of your way.”
“Out of my way, nonsense,” he went on. “Your husband asked that I see to it that you receive any posts that he sends.”
Adelaide realized that Jonas, who had most likely become friends with everyone in town, had conceivably asked them all to look out for her.
“My husband thinks that I am much less capable than I actually am,” Adelaide said, laughing as she accepted the letter from Mr. Monk. “Thank you.”
“Life can be a tough business here,” Mr. Monk continued. “I am sure that he just wants to see that you don’t have any additional hardships due to his absence.”
“You are most probably right,” Adelaide said. “Good day.”
“Good day, Mrs. Rose,” Mr. Monk said. “I hope that Mr. Rose is faring well.”
Adelaide walked home with the letter in her pocket, Darwin at her side. She decided that she would have to attend church on Sunday in order to prevent the entire congregation from coming out to the farm to check on her. If Jonas had asked Mr. Monk to look out for her in all likelihood he had asked others to do the same.
She went around to the back porch and sat down to read the letter. Considering that the letter was from a man who loved to use a lot of words when speaking, there were remarkably few of them written on the piece of paper that she unfolded.
He had arrived safely, his health was good and the venture looked promising was the extent of the information conveyed in Jonas’ short letter. He also added that the location was beautiful, that it was much wilder than Copper Harbor and that Adelaide would love it. There was no information in the letter regarding how much longer he expected to be away, but with the prospect of winter weather moving ever closer she knew that his time out on the island was not indefinite.
As much as Adelaide had loved the time she had spent with Calix over the past few days she was now happy to spend some time without human companionship. She enjoyed periods of solitude. The rest of that day and the next were spent without any human contact.
When Sunday arrived she put on a dress and went to church. It had been her expectation that with Jonas away she would be freed from this obligation, but her fear that members of the congregation would begin checking on her at the farm and possibly discover her relationship with Calix compelled her to endure an hour of Sunday worship. She had no concern about people gossiping about her, but she did not want to have Jonas hurt by her behavior. Yet, even with the knowledge of that possibility existing, she was not willing to give up Calix.
Darwin made the walk into town with her. He would patiently lie at the top of the stairs once Adelaide disappeared behind the church door and wait for her return. Once again the number of people attending the service had grown. Already people were moving into the area in the hope that copper would be found in large quantities and a profitable mining industry established. If the mines proved to be successful the population would no doubt increase dramatically, the idea of which she dreaded. The more people that arrived, the more the surrounding natural environment would be damaged. Nature had no chance in the face of greed.
Mary was again sitting in the front pew beside Mrs. Fay. With Jonas away, Adelaide did not hear any of the town’s gossip. Had Mary begun to speak yet, she wondered?
Adelaide always felt like a restless child when she was attending church. Bored, her mind wandered. She wanted to be back outside with Darwin. She thought it fascinating that time could pass so slowly when she was engaged in one activity and yet disappear so quickly when she was engaged in a more enjoyable pursuit. Finally the service came to an end. Adelaide exchanged pleasantries with some of the parishioners as she exited the church, all of whom made inquiries about Jonas. She was on her way down the stairs with Darwin back at her side when she heard someone say her name.
“Mrs. Rose. Mrs. Rose,” a voice behind her repeated.
Adelaide paused and turned around to see who was addressing her.
A robust woman in a blue plaid dress hurried down the stairs in her direction. Adelaide recognized her as Lucinda Eads, the wife of a local mine agent. Although she had been introduced to the Eads in the past, both of them were much better acquainted with her sociable husband.
“Mrs. Eads, hello,” Adelaide greeted the woman.
“Please, dear, call me Lucy,” Mrs. Eads said. “My husband and I would very much like it if you would join us for Sunday Dinner.”
“How kind of you to ask,” Adelaide responded. “I have the dog with me.”
“Yes, the dog that Jonas rescued from the accident. He is more than welcome too. If he doesn’t mind waiting while you are in church, he won’t mind waiting while you have a meal. Mr. Eads and I insist.”
Adelaide, knowing that she had no acceptable reason to turn down the invitation, found herself accompanying Lucinda Eads back to their home.
“My husband’s rheumatism is acting up. So he stayed home this morning. I am so happy that I was able to catch you. Jonas was very concerned about leaving you on your own,” Mrs. Eads rambled on. “The Stantons will be joining us as well. I don’t know if you have met them. They arrived here just recently. Mr. Stanton plans on starting a lumber mill. With all of the building going on it seems a good choice. They seem to be a very nice couple. They had a child that died on the voyage here, poor thing.”
The two walked down Main Street with Mrs. Eads rattling on and on. Adelaide noticed a group of Indians walking toward the harbor, their dark braids hanging down to the middle of their backs. She had seen Indians in town from time to time. Jonas had told her that they come into Copper Harbor to trade. Adelaide admired the dignity with which they carried themselves. They seemed to have such pride in who they were.
When they arrived at the Eads home Adelaide asked Darwin to stay outside. He lay down on the front porch, resigned to having to wait for her again.
“Such a good dog,” Mrs. Eads commented. “He does so well with only three legs.”
“He is wonderful company,” Adelaide replied. “He seems to appreciate what we have done for him.”
“What a funny notion,” Mrs. Eads said. “He is a dog, dear.”
Adelaide knew that it would be a long afternoon.
Once inside, introductions were made. The women then went into the kitchen while the men sat and talked. Adelaide, who normally did not like being in the kitchen, was pleased to have something to do. Mrs. Eads was never at a loss for words and could talk on endlessly about nothing of any importance. Adelaide listened as Lucinda Eads f
illed in Emily Stanton on the gossip about all of the townspeople. She then went on and on about the hardships of life there and how the Methodists had to band together to help each other survive what would undoubtedly be a difficult winter. Adelaide interjected a comment occasionally, as did Emily Stanton, but Lucinda dominated the conversation.
At last, lunch was ready. The men sat at the table while the women served them. The women then sat down to eat as well.
They were discussing the number of new residents that had arrived in recent weeks when Mrs. Eads commented, “Did you see all of the savages that were in town this weekend?”
Emily Stanton immediately added, “They look so fierce. Is it safe when they are around?”
Lucinda Eads continued, “I wish that they would just stay where they belong. They make me nervous too.”
Adelaide, unable to bite her tongue, asked, “Where is it that they belong exactly?”
“Out in the woods with the other animals,” Mrs. Eads responded.
“We are all animals, Mrs. Eads,” Adelaide said. “And this land was theirs until we decided that we had a god given right to it.
“We are Christians and they are savages,” Mr. Eads chimed in. “It is divine providence that the land now belongs to the United States. The Indians have hunting and fishing rights, nothing more.”
“Why do you consider them to be savages? Is it just because they are not Christian?” Adelaide inquired.
“Now that the missionaries are here they might be saved,” Emily Stanton interjected.
“They have a belief system of their own,” Adelaide said. “It is extremely arrogant to assume that your beliefs are right and that theirs are wrong. Have you even considered that it could be the other way around? I think that there is a lot that we could learn from the Ojibway.”
“Well,” Mrs. Eads went on. “They are very lucky to have us here. Now they have a chance to become civilized.”
“As far as I know, no one has ever come back from your heaven and reported that there are no Indians there,” Adelaide remarked. “And it is extremely convenient that whenever white settlers go somewhere to take the land and make money off of the natural resources, missionaries are sent first. That way, as we steal from the natives, we can say that they are being saved and civilized.”
Mr. Eads, becoming uncomfortable with the conversation, took it upon himself to change the subject.
“Jeremy,” he addressed Mr. Stanton. “Have you begun to acquire food stocks for the winter?”
The Indians did not come up as a topic of conversation again that afternoon, but for the remainder of the visit there was a noticeable coolness directed toward Adelaide by the other two women. She assumed that the men could not be bothered by the opinion of a woman so they had not been offended by her remarks.
Adelaide, not wanting her opinions to affect their dealings with Jonas, thanked the Eads warmly for their hospitality. Mrs. Eads presented both Adelaide and the Stantons with two pasties wrapped in brown paper. They had been made yesterday and, knowing that she would be having guests, extras were prepared.
When Adelaide exited the house, Darwin was no longer on the front porch.
“Darwin,” she shouted.
She walked around the side of the house calling for him and spotted his wagging tail, the rest of his body hidden behind a shed.
“Darwin, it’s time to go home,” she said as she walked toward the shed.
Just as she reached the small building she saw a girl run off into the trees behind the Eads property. She recognized the dress that the girl was wearing as the same one that Mary was wearing in church.
“Mary,” she called. “It’s all right.”
But the girl did not stop. She disappeared into the trees.
“Did you have a visit with Mary, Dar?” Adelaide said. “It’s time to go home. You get a pasty for supper.”
With the weather growing colder and the days getting shorter, Adelaide knew that the opportunities to go off easily into the woods would diminish in the not too distant future. So when she awoke to a day that was cool with a light overcast she could not resist the desire to spend some time in the woods. The housework could wait. She fed the chickens and crows and left with Darwin. It would be too cold to sit still for very long so she did not bring along her sketchbook.
Adelaide liked being outdoors when just a thin layer of clouds hid the sun. It was then that she could most clearly see the forest. When it was not muddled by harsh sunlight and deep shadows the details of the woods were easier to perceive. The greys and browns, golds, rusts, reds and greens that were now the prevalent colors in the woodlands seemed to come to life on such days, more vivid in hue than on days when the sun was shining brightly. Not heading to any specific place, she walked slowly, taking the time to study the things that caught her eye. She spent some time admiring the pattern of grooves dug into the trunk of a fallen tree by insects, grooves that had been hidden beneath the bark until the bark broke off. Another tree was the support for a large shelf fungus. Adelaide stopped to examine its color and shape, to her remarkable in its beauty. Further on she discovered a tree that bore the claw marks of a bear. Although she had not come upon one in her walks she knew that they were around. Calix had mentioned that this time of year they were eating to put on weight to support them during their winter hibernation. She had learned quite a bit from her time spent with Calix. She could now identify some of the trees and plants, and the sounds of some of the wildlife that she heard. And she could interpret signs that she found on the forest floor that told what animals had been there recently.
While she had not set out to go anyplace specific, Adelaide ended up at the pond, making her way to a familiar place by following an unfamiliar path. Even the places that she knew were different each time that she visited them. And of course, there were always different animals about. Plants would grow and change, trees would fall, branches would break, birds would migrate. She was getting her first real glimpse of the cycle of the seasons and the cycle of life.
Even though it was quite cool out she decided to sit for a while. She and Darwin took a seat on the ground in one of her usual spots, one that provided a good view of the pond and the surrounding forest. Adelaide noticed a rather large form in the tall tree across the pond favored by many birds as a roost site. Knowing that it must be a large bird of some sort, she watched it as it preened its feathers, trying to figure out what kind of bird it was. The bird worked its feathers with its beak for several minutes and then sat motionless. Finally it occurred to Adelaide that it was a large owl. She had heard the calls of owls many times and Calix had shown her a number of owl pellets, from which she was able to extract the small bones of the creatures that they had eaten, but this was the first time that she had a good view of one during the day.
Darwin, who had been lying beside her, stood up and began walking around with his nose to the ground.
“Do you smell something interesting, Dar?” Adelaide asked.
The dog wandered over to a nearby tree. He walked around the tree, sniffing the ground at its base. After circling the tree a number of times, he stopped and concentrated his attention on one spot. Adelaide watched as he scratched at the dirt with one paw and then began to dig furiously, wanting to unearth something. She had never seen Darwin do this before.
“Leave it alone, Darwin,” she said, thinking that he was disturbing an animal’s burrow.
When Darwin did not stop his digging, Adelaide, curious about what he had discovered and concerned that he might hurt an animal, stood up and move closer so as to get a better look. Suddenly the owl, which had appeared to be sleeping in the tree, took flight. It let out a cry as it unfurled its large wings and took to the sky. She watched until the impressive bird disappeared from view and then turned her attention back to Darwin.
“What did you find, Dar?” she said, walking closer.
The dog kept digging. Adelaide saw something shiny lying in the dirt. She knelt down next to D
arwin letting her hand rest on his side. With her other hand she reached down to retrieve the object from the disturbed soil and leaf litter. She picked up a small silver cross attached to a silver chain. It was a necklace.
Darwin continued digging. Something else was buried there. Adelaide saw something with a smooth surface appear beneath the dog’s paw.
“Stop now, Dar,” she said, using her hand to move aside the dirt that was still covering the second object.
Adelaide used her fingers to push the soil off of the smooth black surface. This action revealed the hint of something gold in color. As she continued, the words ‘Holy Bible’ emerged from under the dirt. She pushed her fingers into the earth and removed the book from its burial place. After removing the bible from the ground she shook it and blew on it in an attempt to clean it off. She then sat down and opened it with Darwin sniffing at the object in her hands.
“How odd, Dar,” she said as she opened the cover.
Inscribed on the front page, the ink slightly smeared, were the words ‘Presented to our daughter, Mary Magdelena Fay, on the day of her christening, September 21, 184-’. Adelaide could only guess at the date. That part of the script had run considerably and was extremely difficult to read. Reverend and Mrs. Fay had no children, so at first the inscription was puzzling. Then it came to her that the date, if she was reading it correctly, was shortly after the day of Mary’s rape. The Fays, after no one claimed Mary, must have taken her in as their daughter.
Adelaide thought back to the day that she and Calix had caught a glimpse of Mary while out in the woods. Was that what had brought her there? Had she been in the woods to bury the bible and the cross?
“She put these things her for a reason, Dar,” Adelaide said. “It is not our place to remove them.”
Adelaide dug the hole a bit deeper, and placed the bible and the necklace with the cross charm back where they had been before Darwin had uncovered them. She then pushed the dirt back over them, burying them once again. After concealing the items beneath the soil, she covered the disturbed earth with pine needles and dry leaves, the way that she had seen ground squirrels cover a cache, once again hiding the spot that Darwin had dug up.
