The Journey of the Shadow Bairns

by Margaret J. Anderson

  Elspeth said nothing. It was almost as if they had got Robbie after all. The Beatties were trying to take him away from her, to make him into their child.

  “It’s good to have him here,” Jim continued in a low voice. “He’s got farming in his blood, that boy. You should see him with the animals. It gives more future to this beginning we’re making. Building a farm out of nothing is a slow business. A man needs someone to come after him. But let’s go up to the house and have breakfast. You’ll be hungry after the long ride.”

  It was strange to see Robbie so much at home with the Beatties. He left his boots by the door and hung his jacket on a low peg without being told. He helped himself to a bowl of porridge from the pot by the fire, and bowed his head when Jim Beattie asked the blessing before they ate.

  After breakfast, Mrs. Beattie said to Elspeth, “If you’ve been up most of the night, you should have some sleep. What about these people you’re staying with now—the Galbraiths? How are they expecting you to get back? It seems funny, them letting you come on your own with Isaac Barr.”

  “They don’t know I’m here,” Elspeth answered. “You see, Mrs. Galbraith took his wife to the town site because she’s having a baby any day, and she wanted to be close to the doctor.”

  “You came without telling anyone?”

  “Matthew—their son—and Rachel and Rebecca know.”

  “They played Shadow Bairns on the boat,” Robbie said. “I want to see them again.”

  “You do take things into your own hands, don’t you?” Mars. Beattie said severely. “It seems you never think before you act.”

  “I couldn’t wait for them to get back!” Elspeth said. “I had to find Robbie to make sure he really was here. It has been awful not knowing where he was.”

  “Aye, that was bad, you not knowing for so long,” Mrs. Beattie said. But there was no hint in her voice of expression that she understood how it had been.

  Lying on the Beatties’ bed, trying to sleep, Elspeth thought about Mrs. Beattie’s words. It was true that she acted first and thought afterward. Papa once said that she bent things to suit herself. This time she’d plan it out carefully. She’d get Robbie away from here because the Beatties were trying to turn him into their own son, and they had no claim on him. If only she still had her money, they could go somewhere. The first thing to do was to find Peg and get the money back. Failing that, she could sell Mama’s brooch and Papa’s watch. Then she would take Rob and they would go—where? Suddenly Isaac Barr’s parting words came back to her. “Do something worthwhile, lass, and I’ll have part of it, too. Make a place for yourself here.” Of course, he was talking about the colony, not the Beatties’ place.

  Later in the day, following Robbie around the homestead, Elspeth made a discovery that surprised and even troubled her a little. Robbie was happy with the Beatties. He loved everything about the farm. The dog, Paddy, belonged to him, and he seemed to belong to the dog. When he and Jim walked down to the barn together, Robbie stretched his short legs to match his stride to Jim’s. He sometimes even forgot and called him Pa, and Mrs. Beattie’s brusqueness didn’t bother him at all. Now that Elspeth was here, his world was complete.

  That evening, at the dinner table, Mr. Beattie said that he planned to ride to the town site the next day because there were a few supplies they needed, and he would see if John Galbraith was still there so he could let him know where Elspeth was. “Even if I don’t see him, I should be able to get a message to his wife. Do you want me to say you’ll be coming back? I expect they’ll be needing you with the new bairn.”

  “I don’t know about going back there,” Elspeth said slowly. “You see, they don’t have room for Robbie,”

  “The lad’s fine here,” Mrs. Beattie said quickly. “He’s made himself right at home, and we like having him.”

  “But we are to stay together,” Elspeth said. “I promised Mama. Maybe you could just keep him till I get in touch with Uncle Donald.”

  “I don’t want to find Uncle Donald,” Robbie said, fighting back tears. “I don’t want to be a Shadow Bairn again. I want to stay here. Why can’t you stay, too, Elspeth?”

  “We’d be glad to have you, lass,” Jim Beattie said quietly.

  “It would be the best answer all round,” Mrs. Beattie added.

  Elspeth looked at the three faces watching her: Robbie’s, tense and flushed; Mr. Beattie’s. kind and understanding; and Mrs. Beattie’s strong and lined. Looking at Mrs. Beattie, Elspeth realized that some of the pain etched in the lines in her face and the sad, faraway look in her eyes had been caused by losing her boy. She could never get him back. She wasn’t trying to fill his place with Robbie. No one could do that. She was just going on with life, reaching out a little—but not too far, in case she got hurt again—just as Elspeth had done at the Galbraiths’.

  “I’d like to stay,” Elspeth said. “But you’re right that I have to go back to the Galbraiths’ for a while. Mrs. Galbraith will need help with the new baby.”

  “But you’ll stay here with Robbie for a few days.” Mrs. Beattie said firmly.

  “Can I go with Elspeth and see Rachel and Rebecca?” Robbie asked

  ”You can ride along when I take Elspeth there,” Mr. Beattie promised. If we make an early start, we can visit for a while over lunch, and still get back for the evening chores.”

  Robbie nodded. “We’ll be home in time for the milking.”

  Papa had said these very words long ago when he and Elspeth went out in the boat to check the lobster pots, or up on the moor to cut peat. And he’d still used these words when they lived in Glasgow where there were no more cows to milk. Elspeth smiled at Robbie, though tears weren’t far away. Threads of memory held them together as a family still.

  Chapter 15

  “A picture that is highly rose-colored”

  JUNE, 1904

  “Nothing for you today, Mr. Whitcomb,” the postmistress said. Noticing Arthur’s disappointment, she added, “I expect there’ll be a letter next time you’re in.”

  Arthur shrugged. He walked out of Lloydminster post office and paused for a few minutes on the board sidewalk. Lloydminster was now a thriving community with two cafés, a butcher shop, a blacksmith’s and two general stores. The school was nearly complete and plans were being made to build a church. The town had been named after George Exton Lloyd, who had taken over leadership of the colony. Isaac Moses Barr, whose dream had started it all, was almost forgotten.

  In spite of the feeling of hope and excitement around him, Arthur felt let down. He had been hoping for news from his brother. Geoffrey couldn’t stand the isolation of their cabin out there on the claim and had taken off last winter. Arthur had sometimes thought about giving up too, when the snow had lasted so long, and he saw no one for weeks on end. But he was glad now that he’s stuck it out. All the same, he was in no hurry to head back out over the prairie to his small cabin that June morning.

  Farther along the street, Arthur noticed a new doctor’s surgery. On seeing the name on the sign, he stopped and went inside.

  “Dr. Wallace,” he said, shaking hands with the bearded doctor.

  “It’s Arthur Whitcomb, isn’t it?” Dr. Wallace answered with a smile.

  “That’s right! And I owe you ten dollars. I’m living out on my own claim. It’s good land I’ve got.”

  “That was a gift, not a loan,” Dr. Wallace said gruffly. “I hear your brother took off early in the winter.” The doctor heard most of what went on in the area.

  “It was too quiet for him here,” Arthur said. “He finally won some money at cards and took a train back east.”

  “And you’d have spent the money on a cow!” the doctor said. “You must be lonely here on your own.”

  “I was hoping to hear from him today,” Arthur confessed.

  “It takes time for letters to reach here, lad. You’ll hear from him one of these days.”

  “By the way,” Arthur said. “Do you know what happened to Els
peth and Robbie Macdonald? I went down to Battleford about a year ago, but Elspeth had left the hotel by then. Did she ever find Robbie?”

  “Oh, yes! It was Barr who helped her find him.”

  “Isaac Barr!”

  “Elspeth had moved to the colony with the Galbraiths. While she was there, Barr came through. He told her Robbie was with the Beatties, down by the south boundary.”

  “Would that be Jim Beattie who traveled up from Saskatoon with us?”

  “That’s right! Now both Elspeth and Robbie are living there.”

  “But why did the Beatties take Robbie like that and let Elspeth think he was lost?” Arthur asked.

  “It was more a misunderstanding, really.”

  “You say they’re still living there?”

  “Aye. The Galbraiths would have given Elspeth a home, but they didn’t have much room. They had a new bairn last summer—Johnnie, a fine lad! One of the first to be born here in the colony.”

  “The MacDonald children are all right, are they? I’ve always felt a bit responsible.” Arthur had only indistinct memories of the Beatties, but they seemed an unlikely couple to have given a home to Elspeth and Robbie.

  “Jim Beattie’s a good farmer,” Dr. Wallace said. “They’ll be fine there. How about you?”

  “I’m not plowing many acres,” Arthur admitted. “I need more capital first, so I’m picking up work here and there. Do you think Jim Beattie—?”

  “I said he’s a good farmer. I wouldn’t be surprised but what he’s breaking a lot of new land this year and will want help. You might even like working there,” Dr. Wallace added, his blue eyes twinkling.

  “Have you moved up here permanently?” Arthur asked, changing the subject.

  “Aye, there’s a need for me here.”

  As Arthur was leaving, Dr. Wallace said, “If you do get a job with Jim Beattie, I’ll likely see you. I usually stop in there when I have a call in that area. You can tell Elspeth I’ve written to Megan.”

  “Megan?” Arthur repeated.

  “Elspeth will know.”

  Elspeth was sitting at the kitchen table with a history book and an atlas open in front of her. School had closed for the summer, but Elspeth still studied whenever she had the chance. It was all part of her plan. She was learning all that she could because some day she was going to be a teacher. There was a real need for teachers in the colony. Elspeth hadn’t told anyone about her plan yet, but she liked to think about it. She didn’t rush into things headlong now. She finally knew where she was going and was content to wait for it to happen.

  “How often do I need to tell you to clear away those books so I can set the table?” Mrs. Beattie asked.

  Elspeth jumped guiltily. She didn’t mean to annoy Mrs. Beattie, but they did get on one another’s nerves sometimes. When she was a teacher, she would live in the schoolhouse with Robbie. Of course, it would be hard to get Robbie away from the farm. He was happy here with the Beatties.

  “Don’t stand there daydreaming, Elspeth! There’s the pitcher and mugs to go on the table.”

  During supper there was a knock at the door. Elspeth glanced at Robbie and was glad to see that he didn’t shrink away from the table the way he used to when someone came unexpectedly. He didn’t worry about them any more.

  “See who it is, lass,” Mrs. Beattie said briskly.

  Elspeth opened the door and was completely taken aback to find Arthur Whitcomb standing there. The last time she had seen him was in the hallway in the hotel in Battleford when her head had been swimming and her cheeks burning with fever. She felt her face grow warm now as Arthur just stood there, staring at her.

  Arthur was wondering if this really could be Elspeth MacDonald. Could she have changed so much in just one year? He had been expecting to see a thin-faced child in a ragged brown dress, with a little brother close beside her like a shadow. Instead, he found himself looking at a girl with shining hair and a red wool dress that showed off her slender figure. Her eyes were the same—wide gray eyes with long, dark lashes.

  “You’re one of the Whitcomb lads,” Mr. Beattie said, getting up from the table and shaking Arthur warmly by the hand. “How are you and your brother getting along?”

  “Geoffrey left last winter. “I’ve got a claim east of here, but I’m not doing much with it yet. I’m looking for work.”

  “I could use some help—from now through haying.”

  “Sit down and have supper with us,” Mrs. Beattie said. “I’ll set an extra place.”

  Arthur thanked Mrs. Beattie. He hardly recognized her as the same woman who had stared into the wind on the trail up from Saskatoon. She had lost that unseeing look.

  Arthur sat down opposite Elspeth. Dr. Wallace was right! He was going to like working here. Elspeth stared down at her plate. Conversation became slow and stilted, but then Arthur caught sight of Pig-Bear propped up on a shelf.

  “That was my toy when I was little,” Robbie explained seriously, and they all laughed.

  “Do you remember the day Pig-Bear went swimming in Eagle Creek?” Arthur asked.

  “And Elspeth!” Mrs. Beattie added, rather to Elspeth’s annoyance.

  Soon they were all sharing memories of the journey from Saskatoon to Battleford.

  “And we thought that when we reached the colony, that would be the end of our troubles,” Arthur said. “For most of us they were only just beginning.”

  “Aye,” said Mrs. Beattie. “But some of us got more than what we expected when we read Isaac Barr’s high-flown words!”

  “I do not desire to present a picture that is highly rose-colored . . . .” Elspeth recited, and then her eyes met Arthur’s across the table. Suddenly there weren’t enough words in all Barr’s pamphlets to describe how wonderful the future was going to be.

  About the Author

  Margaret Anderson was born and educated in Scotland. She has a B.Sc. in genetics from Edinburgh University. After working as a statistician and biologist in England, Canada, and the United States, she took up writing science and nature articles for children’s magazines. This led to her first book, Exploring the Insect World. Then she turned to writing historical and time-slip fiction. The fiction titles, published by Knopf, include To Nowhere and Back, In the Keep of Time, In the Circle of Time and Searching for Shona, all available as e-books. The nonfiction books include biographies of Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton (Enslow, 1994 and 1996), Chaco Canyon (Oxford, 2002) and Bugged-Out Insects (Enslow, 2011). They have also been re-issued as e-books.

  The Journey of the Shadow Bairns (Knopf, 1980) was inspired by a letter written by Arthur Black, who emigrated to Canada with the Barr Colonists. Black is Anderson’s husband’s grandfather. The letter conveyed both the hardships and the opportunities of those early days in Saskatchewan. Elspeth and Robbie, the orphaned Shadow Bairns, are the author’s own invention. However, Elspeth’s optimism and determination are characteristic of the Barr colonists who sailed on the Lake Manitoba and settled the Saskatchewan Territory in 1903.

  Visit Margaret J. Anderson’s web page at http://members.peak.org/~mja/.

  Credits

  Cover design by Jena Rose Anderson, 2014