The following morning, the guys returned to the bedroom and began repairing the hardwood floor. The new door stood six inches higher than the floor so they needed to come up with some way to hide it. Bonnie came up with the solution as she stood leaning against the doorframe watching the males try to work out the solution. She simply said, “Is this not a bedroom and should a bedroom not have a bed? Why not make a bed frame on hinges that tips up and out of the way when you want to access the cellar door. No one will realize that the bed is hiding anything.” After she finished her comment, she turned and headed back to her own tasks. The guys all began to laugh and soon had designed the bed frame that Bonnie had suggested.
By the end of the day, you could not tell that anyone had replaced the hardwood floor. It looked exactly like the other rooms in the house, including the hallway. The new wooden bed frame worked out nicely. The girls moved one of the mattresses from the barn into the house and removed the plastic that covered it. Once the mattress was on the bedframe, the girls placed a plastic mattress protector over it and then put on clean sheets. They put a second set of sheets and pillow covers in the bottom drawer of the nightstand. As they worked, the guys installed a deadbolt lock on the door. When the room was complete, Bonnie hung as small white towel on the inside doorknob. When the others saw what she had done, they all began to laugh. Jenna said, “Now this bedroom reminds me of my dorm room in college. The girl I roomed with had a voracious appetite for male human bodies. I often found a white towel hanging over the outside doorknob. I spent many nights sitting on the floor in the hallway doing my homework while I listened to her yelling, “Oh my god, oh my god.” I soon learned to ignore her yelling, but her male partner was very handsome and I often wished I was the one who made his Willy waggle.” The others laughed over Jenna’s comments, but Randy seemed a little offended by her story. She walked up to him, kissed him on the lips and said, “You do realize that I was a virgin when you married me, don’t you?” That brought a smile to Randy’s face. The others all decided it was a good time to vacate the bedroom. Most knew that Jenna was by no means a virgin when she jumped over the broom handle with Randy.
As they returned to the mine and turned in for the night, Jenna hung her hammock and then went over and sat on the edge of her husband’s bed. After a few minutes of discussion, they both slipped out of the mineshaft and quietly vanished. The others soon fell asleep, assuming that the two lovebirds needed some alone time.
When the clan woke and began their morning ritual of sharing the bathrooms and helping with the breakfast, Jenna sat down on the bench at the kitchen table and put her head down on the tabletop. Soon she raised her head and said to Bonnie, “I think it is time I deliver this child. My water broke an hour ago and my labor pains are now two minutes apart.” Bonnie kneeled down beside Jenna and said, “Do you want to have this child in the new bedroom where you will have some privacy and quiet?” Jenna giggled and said, “That room is the reason I am in labor right now. I made love to my husband last night and I think this child in my belly is pissed at whoever was poking at it.” The girls all began to laugh as they helped Jenna up and escorted her to the bedroom in the Mountain House. Randy had already headed out to the barn to care for the animals so Rodney headed out to tell him that Jenna was in need of his assistance.
When Rodney stepped into the barn, he saw Randy sitting on a bale of straw. He was hugging and talking to a baby goat. The baby could have cared less about the loving she was getting from this human, what she wanted was the bottle of milk that Randy had prepared for her. The doe was unwilling to suckle her newborn baby, but she would stand over a pail and allow Randy to milk her. She had done that a hundred times in the past. Rodney stepped up beside Randy and said, “I will tend to the feeding of this baby if you will go inside and deliver your own baby. Jenna is in need of your assistance.” Randy looked up at Rodney and quickly handed him the bottle. Rodney said, “Go easy, my friend. The girls are helping Jenna into bed and they will tend her for a few minutes while you wash up and change into clean clothes.” Rodney patted Randy on the shoulder as he walked past him, hoping to keep Randy’s excitement under control.
Six hours later, Jenna was in agony. The child was pushing against her back and Randy was uncertain if the child had fully turned into the correct position for delivery. Randy finally decided to give Jenna a tiny bit of pain medicine and then push around on her belly to see if he could feel the child’s legs and butt. Once the pain medicine relaxed her a little, Randy soon discovered that the child had turned sideways.
Randy asked Britney to attempt to contact the doctor from the clinic who had set Kathy’s arm when she broke it. After a few minutes, Britney stepped into the room and said, “I am going to take the truck out to the main highway and wait for the doctor and his nurse. A police officer is driving them up here, but they do not know where the Mountain House entrance road is located. I will meet them and guide them up here. I spoke to dispatch and they said the officer had already picked up the doctor and they are in route. They should be here in less than thirty minutes. The doctor is prepared to do an emergency cesarean if that turns out to be his only option.”
When the doctor and nurse arrived, they quickly assessed the situation and monitored the baby’s health. The child had not turned completely around but it was not in distress. The doctor spoke to the nurse and they both agreed that the child might turn on its own with a little help. They gave Jenna a tiny bit more pain medicine and then rolled her over on her belly and then onto her hands and knees. With the weight of the child now hanging lower, the nurse managed to turn the child so its head pointed towards Jenna’s vagina and its butt was towards her heart. As she manipulated the child, they soon could see its tiny feet kicking just under Jenna’s diaphragm. The nurse then got Jenna off the bed and put her into a squatting position. Within a couple minutes and a few pushes, the child made its presence into its new world. Randy could not believe how easily the doctor and nurse had worked as a team to deliver Jenna’s child. He had delivered many babies, but he had never seen or heard of turning a child in such a manner, but it certainly worked in this case. Randy had dreaded the thought of Jenna having a major operation outside of the hospital. An emergency caesarian section is life threating even in a hospital setting, let alone having one done in the bedroom of the Mountain House.
Robert had taken Timothy and Donald out to the barn to care for the animals and build another pen while Jenna delivered her child. The boys were young and did not need to hear the sounds of childbirth. When they were older, the clan could explain the process to them so they would not become frightened. As Robert helped Timothy use the hammer to nail the gate cross boards in place, Donald wrestled with the goats. All but the buck would allow Donald to play with them and attempt to ride them. Around lunchtime, Britney went out to the barn with some sandwiches and milk, she sat down with Rodney and the boys and explained to them that Jenna was having her baby and needed quiet for a little while longer. When Timothy asked how the baby would get out of Jenna’s belly, Britney did a remarkable job of explaining a woman’s anatomy to the young boys in terms they could relate too. Her words apparently settled the boys need for information and they soon finished their lunches and returned to working and playing. Rodney stepped up beside Britney and said, “You did a bang up job explaining a very intimate process to the boys. I applaud you.”
As Britney picked up the dishes, Bonnie walked into the barn. She looked at Britney and said, “Thank you for fixing lunch for everyone and feeding the boys. Jenna is now ready to show off her new baby if you are all ready to meet her. Timothy stomped his foot and asked, “Is it a girl?” The way he asked the question made Britney giggle. She said, “I thought you liked us girls. Have we done something to make you mad at us?” Timothy looked at her and said, “I was hoping for a brother.” Britney rubbed his head and said, “Sisters can be nice too. Let’s go meet your baby sister.” Bonnie said, “By the way, her name is Melanie and she is be
autiful.”
Chapter 18 – Over Hill and Over Dale – The Gold is Simply Everywhere
Rodney and Robert finished the work on the new truck. They took the truck into the forest trails at Robert’s farm and tested the four-wheel drive and the winch. They had set up the powerful winch so they could move it from the front of the vehicle to the rear if ever needed. They also tested the V-plow to insure it would work properly when the snows began. Now that they had raised the ground clearance on the truck, they had little difficulty moving around on the forest trails.
While they were out with the new truck, they searched the three farms to see if they could find more tire chains. They hoped to find a few more sets so they would not have to modify the ones they had already built for the other two trucks. Having chains on all of the trucks was essential during the long hard winters. Getting into Hillsburg without chains on the tires was dangerous at best. Trying to climb back up the mountain roads without chains when they were icy was simply stupid. When they visited Jenna’s old tool shed, they found two wooden boxes under an old workbench with heavy-duty tractor tire chains in them. The guys were ecstatic over the find. The heavy-duty chains would be perfect for the new truck. Since Jenna’s father purchased the chains to fit his large tractor tires, the guys were certain there was enough chain to assemble four short chains from the two long ones.
After the guys returned to the Mountain House and parked the truck in the garage for the night, they headed inside for some food. When they stepped into the front door of the living area, they heard the sound of a newborn baby screaming loudly. The guys stepped into the mineshaft and found Jenna sitting up in a rocking chair with Melanie. When Rodney stepped up to Jenna’s chair and spoke to the child, she looked up at him and instantly quit crying. She put her tiny hand in her mouth and simply stared at Rodney. Rodney spoke to Jenna and asked, “Have you fed Melanie already?” Jenna said she had and Rodney said, “I will walk with this child for a few minutes and see if I can settle whatever has upset her.” Jenna said, “Thanks, I think she has an air bubble, but I cannot walk with her to solve the problem. Maybe you can assist her. She seems to like the sound of your male voice.” Rodney took the child and put her on his shoulder. Bonnie slid a towel over his shoulder and said, “If she pukes, you will not like her quite so much.” Rodney slowly began walking with the child, gently patting her on the back as he walked. Melanie soon put her head down on Rodney’s shoulder and fell asleep. After another minute or so, she squirmed around in his arms and pooped. Rodney laughed and giggled at the faces the child made while she did her deed. When he walked past Britney, she said, “Rodney, in case you did not notice, this child smells like a barnyard. I will change her while you fix your plate and eat some supper.”
When Britney put Melanie down on a table in the bathroom and removed her diaper, everyone heard her say, “Child, what have you done in your pants? I may have to burn this diaper in the woodstove to clear the stench.” When she walked back out into the kitchen, she opened the woodstove door and tossed the diaper into the hot fire. When she turned around, she spoke to Rodney and said, “This child will certainly feel better now that her first poop is over. It smelled like she held that poop in for nine months.”
As they talked, Randy walked into the kitchen area and said, “One foul stench floating in this mineshaft. Does someone have a case of food poisoning?” Everyone began to laugh over his comment. Jenna explained that the foul smell came from his daughter and that he was now in charge of diaper changes for the next couple of days.
Jenna was very tired and went to bed before the sun had set. The others sat around the kitchen and discussed the weather forecast for the next week. The weatherman was predicting cold rains and the possibility of snow in the mountains. It was early August and no one expected to hear the word snow this early in the year. Britney retrieved her diary from last year and said, “The snow will be right on schedule compared to last year. The first heavy snow came on August 6 of last year. With that storm, we received sixteen inches of wet heavy snow in twelve hours.”
The guys decided to spend the next two days panning the river for gold. With the weather turning cold, they decided they should make the effort immediately. Randy explained that they could mine for gold even after the first snow, since the mineshaft where he had been successful in the past was located deep within the forest in a cedar grove. He explained that he had sealed off the entrance to prevent bears and other critters from making the mineshaft their home. They would have to use the tractor and backhoe to uncover the entrance.
The following morning, while the girls tended the children and fed the animals in the barn, they guys quickly packed up and headed down to the river to find some gold. Randy used the tractor to lower the dredge down to the river, while the guys guided it and kept it on the main trail. Randy had mounted the dredge on a metal trailer frame with four wheels. It was only thirty inches wide, so the men had little difficulty using the tongue bracket to steer the dredge where they needed as Randy lowered it with two ropes.
Once the dredge was resting along the riverbank, Robert got the gasoline engine running that powered the suction pump. Once it was running, he screwed on a six-foot section of aluminum pipe to the end of the suction hose so they could stand on the river bank and suck the small gravel and sand from the leeward side of the river rocks. They worked the dredge for over an hour before Randy shut it off and let the water drain from the sluice box. When the water drained off the green mats, they could all see small nuggets of gold. Randy used a stick to show them the finer gold that had sunk down into the mats. Randy gently rolled up the mats and slid them into three five-gallon plastic buckets. The guys then carried the mats up to the barn and washed them out in a large laundry tub that they had partly filled with clean water. When they had thoroughly washed out the mats, Randy dipped his hand down into the sand in the bottom of the tub and showed the guys the results of their work. In the palm of his hand laid hundreds of sand size flakes of gold and five or six larger nuggets. The guys all realized that what was in Randy’s hand was only a sample of what was in the tub. Their excitement grew as they rolled up the mats, placed them back in the buckets and headed back down to the river.
The guys made six trips up to the barn to clean out the mats that day. The weather was supposed to be sunny for another day, so they left the dredge along the riverbank. They had brought down a can of gasoline earlier in the day so they would have enough to run the small engine all day and through the day tomorrow. They planned to work the dredge for the entire day tomorrow and then pull it up to the barn at the end of the day. With the weather about to turn cold, they did not want to chance having the pump freeze and burst. Once the snows came, they planned to work the mine for a couple of weeks. The mine was where Randy had dug out thousands of dollars’ worth of gold a couple of years earlier.
When they walked into the mineshaft, the aroma of roasting meat permeated their noses. Randy’s wife and daughter met him at the door. Jenna was carrying Melanie as she fed her. The tiny child continued with her supper, but stared with wide eyes at the man before her. Jenna said, “Melanie, your daddy is home from work. I hope you are about ready for your playtime. I am certain your daddy will sit down and play a rousing game of monopoly with you after supper. The child stopped sucking and looked into Randy’s eyes. He said, “I will get cleaned up and change and then care for this child. I cannot believe you are up on your feet so soon, Jenna. You look good.”
As the others sat down at the kitchen table, Jenna carried a soft pillow with her to the table and placed it on the bench. Melanie was asleep in her father’s arms. Randy got up from the table, retrieved a blanket from the end of his bed and placed it on the seat of his reclining chair. He placed the child on the blanket so he could see her while he sat at the kitchen table. During the meal, they all talked the same volume as they always did, but Melanie seemed quite comfortable in her reclining chair. Jenna patted the back of Randy’s hand and said, “I
think your daughter has taken over your blanket and chair. We may have to find you a new blanket for your bed and a rocking cradle to sit beside your reclining chair.” Bonnie said, “The rocking cradle part is easy. I have a handmade cradle that my father made for Britney to sleep in. It is sitting in my study down at the farm. We could retrieve it and let Melanie use it until she grows out of it. Father would be quite pleased to share that cradle with this tiny child.” Jenna looked into Bonnie’s eyes and said, “Thank you, Bonnie. I would like to have the cradle here in our home with us. Some of the best furniture in this home is handmade by one of our ancestors, or one of us. The cradle would be a fine addition and Melanie would be quite safe and comfortable while using it. You never know, one of us may have another child that would need the cradle. Besides, the cradle would be safer here at the Mountain House than at your abandoned home where some thief could steal it.”
When the guys began dredging in the river the following morning, they realized that the cold and wet weather was quickly moving over the mountains. They decided to work until noon and then pull the dredge up the riverbank and put it in the barn. They had no desire to work in the cold river when the temperature dropped down to freezing.
When they shut off the dredge at lunchtime, snowflakes were already beginning to fall. The air temperature was also falling and the guys’ wet hands were almost numb from the cold. By the time they had the dredge in the barn and closed the doors, the air temperature was hovering around thirty degrees Fahrenheit, cold enough to freeze and break the pump on the dredge. After they removed the mats and washed them out in the plastic buckets, they took time to remove the suction hoses so they could drain and then filled the pump with antifreeze. As they poured the buckets of black sand into the large tub, they could see small nuggets of gold in the bottom of the pail. They rinsed the buckets with water and then headed up to the house for some food.
Universal Mass Page 19
