The Endless Forest
Page 66
“But I did mean for the boy to grow up healthy. So I sent him away with Lorena to look after him, and every month I sent money. I couldn’t have kept him in any case, because by that time I had regular work singing in the theater. You didn’t know that, did you? I sang every night under the name Monique Moreau. And I’d still be singing but for this cancer in my belly.
“I hate that the cancer has got the best of me. I hate that after all I did to keep my head above water, my own body has betrayed me. They told me a year ago I didn’t have long, but I was determined to see that the boy was took care of. So I spent the last of my money hiring Dan Focht to play my husband, hired the carriage and horses and the extra servants. Dan wanted his boy Harper along and I didn’t object. If I hadn’t been sick maybe I would have realized the boy was quick-fingered and always looking for easy money. He’s dead and no doubt he deserved it, whoever did it. I can’t hold a grudge on his account.
“I went and claimed my son and we lived all together for that short time so I could know him better. And what I found was a child so sweet and good, I could hardly believe he was mine. But he is mine. He’s the only thing I can claim as my own.
“All I wanted was for the boy to have what is rightfully his. Martha has money enough to raise him proper, but I wanted him to have something of his own, something of his father’s. You all thought I wanted the orchard because of that apple, the Bleeding Heart, but the truth is I didn’t know anything about it. I’d swear it on my son’s life. What I did know was that my boy had some property owing him, and I wanted to make sure he got title to it before I died.
“Then Focht wanted more money to keep up the charade and I didn’t have it, so he left and I went too. I had a few ideas, how to raise a little more money, take the boy’s claim to the courts. But time caught up with me and the money ran out, and there I stood, sick unto death with the almshouse staring me in the face.
“I stole a horse and buggy to get here, but I don’t think they’ll track me down in time to hang me. You all may decide to hang me anyway, or maybe Levi will put a bullet in my head to avenge his ma. It would be a blessing, truth to tell. I’m ready to go, now that I know the boy will be looked after. I like to think of him growing up here on the mountain. Not because I’ll die here, but because it’s a good place and Susanna is a good woman for all she married a Mohawk.
“So now you can sort things out among yourselves. I’ll sign anything you care to put in front of me, as long as John Mayfair says I should. Susanna, could you help me? I feel the need to lay my head.”
70
PUBLIC DECLARATION
Following from a hearing held this 6th day of July in the year 1824, I find sufficient evidence to charge Mrs. Jemima Wilde (known also as Jemima Focht, or Jemima Southern, or Jemima Kuick and also as Monique Moreau) with Manslaughter in the death of Mrs. Cookie Fiddler on or about the 18th November 1812. She is charged also with Depraved Indifference in the death of Mrs. Dolly Wilde on or about that same date.
Because the accused has signed a statement confessing to both these crimes, and further because she is close to death, no trial will be ordered. A report will be submitted to the district court in Johnstown.
May God have Mercy on her Soul.
James Bookman
Magistrate
Paradise on the Sacandaga
71
On a bright September morning Curiosity-Bonner-called-Birdie flew down the hill into the village and then straight to the schoolhouse where her brother and sister-in-law were getting ready to start classes for the day.
Then she was too winded to tell them what they needed to know, and so they stood there asking her questions while she heaved breath and her voice came back to her. It came out in a rush.
“Lily’s having her baby and Curiosity says you should come, Martha. Lily wants you there.”
Martha’s eyes went very large and round and she pressed her fingers to her mouth as if she was afraid of what she might say.
“Won’t you come?” Birdie looked between them. “Daniel, won’t she come?”
Martha found her voice. “Of course I’ll come. Daniel can manage without me for the day. Unless you wanted to come too?”
The look on Daniel’s face might have made Birdie laugh out loud if she wasn’t in such a hurry. The idea surprised and even alarmed him, but there was something else there too, some curiosity or simple concern. Lily was his twin, after all.
In the end they left a note on the door saying school was canceled and all three of them walked back up the hill together. Walked fast, with Hopper galloping along behind them. They passed Downhill House, where nobody seemed to be home at all, and then they passed the new clearing where Simon had begun to build a house for Lily, and finally they got to Uphill House where all the men were sitting on the porch as if it were a Sunday and nobody had any work to do. It made Birdie cross, that they should sit there all day at their ease while Lily worked so hard.
“You could go build something,” she said as she passed by, but they were too busy talking to Daniel to take note of what she had to say.
“Never mind,” Martha said. “They’re only men after all.”
She looked as nervous as Birdie felt, and that was a comfort.
It still surprised her to come into the kitchen and see only half the little people. Luke and Jennet had taken theirs home just a few days before, and Birdie was glad to have some peace and quiet back. She could even admit she missed having Jennet and her children in the house now and then, but that was mostly when Ma had a long list of errands and nobody to pin it to but Birdie herself.
There was water warming on the stove and a basket of clean cloths that Martha picked up as they passed, as if she knew what was needed in the birthing room, though she had never attended one. Neither had Birdie, but this time they were allowing her to stay. It was very exciting and it made her stomach hurt too.
Lily was in Ma’s chamber, the biggest one in the house but it seemed to be filled up anyway. She had argued with Hannah until she got her way: Lily would bring this child into the world under her parents’ roof.
There was the bed with Lily in it, Lily with her belly like a ripe melon that rippled when the pains came, like a bald man wrinkling his forehead.
They gave Martha the job of getting the cot and the swaddling clothes ready, and she seemed relieved. Birdie was relieved too. Martha might be squeamish about such things, but Birdie wanted to see it all and she didn’t want to have to worry about Martha.
Ma was saying, “Lily, you’re very close now.”
“Not close enough,” Lily said through clenched teeth.
“You can’t breathe with your jaw all clamped shut like that,” Curiosity said. “What did I tell you about breathing? Birdie, come over here and sit by your sister’s head and remind her about her breathing.”
But Hannah winked at her, as if to say This is all good, there is nothing to worry about.
“Can I push now?” Lily said, her voice cracking. “I feel like I have to push.”
“Not yet,” Hannah said. “But almost.”
“Ma,” Lily said, “How did you do this so many—”
And then the pain took her away. Birdie leaned over and whispered in her ear about breathing and after a while it seemed to her that maybe Lily was hearing her and maybe that was helping. Her hair and face and the sheets were soaked with sweat and little red veins had come out on her cheeks, but she was breathing the way Curiosity had showed her.
“All right,” Hannah said with some satisfaction. “Now you can push.”
“Steady,” said Ma. “Steady. Your baby is almost here, Lily. She’s almost here.”
“It might be a boy,” Martha said. She had left the folded swaddling cloths to come stand with them around Lily. They made a circle with Lily at the center, like a flower.
“Oh, no,” said Lily. “I promised Ma a girl.”
“Don’t be silly,” said Ma. “You did no such thing.”
&
nbsp; “Of course I did,” Lily said, panting now as she wrapped her hands around the pull rope. “Wait and see.”
When the clock in the hall struck ten, Lily pushed one last time and gave birth to a daughter. Small but perfectly formed, with a head of dark curls, all rounded elbows and knees and belly and open mouth. Her eyes were open too.
“Oh, look,” Lily said, when Hannah put the baby in her arms. “Look, Ma, she’s smiling at us. Maddie, say hello to your grandma.”
“Now look at that,” Curiosity said. “Look at that beautiful child. Lily Bonner Ballentyne, look what you made.”
For once Birdie had been completely forgotten, and she found she didn’t mind at all.
EPILOGUE
PARADISE SUN
Light for All
The Week of Monday, March 3, 1828
ADVERTISEMENTS
Friend John Mayfair has opened a law office in the new building next to the schoolhouse. Please stop by to consult with him any weekday morning between eight and twelve of the clock.
Curiosity Freeman would like all to know that she has chicks ready for sale. Potential buyers should remember that these are the descendents of Chicken Number Three, who was an excellent layer and of an unflappable temperament.
Daniel Bonner invites all schoolchildren and their families to stop by the schoolhouse to meet Mr. Lawrence March, who will be taking over the junior classroom now that Martha has withdrawn from teaching to care for her sons.
NOTICE
As you may be aware, the printing press that made publication of the Paradise Sun possible arrived in Paradise six months ago. In recognition of that fact, the editor invites suggestions from any interested party on how the newspaper might better serve the needs of its ever-increasing readership. This includes anyone who would like to offer an editorial on matters of public interest, with no restrictions as to political affiliations or world views. Please stop by the newspaper office on the town square to share your thoughts.
Elizabeth Middleton Bonner, Editor
PARADISE SUN
Light for All
The Week of Monday, June 8, 1829
ABOUT TOWN
Ethan Middleton would like it known that he has taken on Nicholas Wilde of Lake in the Clouds as an apprentice builder. Given the rapid expansion of the town, Ethan is likely to be hiring again within the month. Those interested should inquire at Ivy House.
Levi Fiddler tells us that this past winter’s success of the Bleeding Heart cider has enabled him to add another two acres of trees to the orchard.
Mr. Bookman has announced his intention to petition the county for funds to cobble the main road into the village. Friend John Mayfair will assist him with this task.
PARADISE SUN
Light for All
Special Edition
Monday, July 19, 1830
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
OF GREAT IMPORT
Doctor Hannah Savard reminds the residents of Paradise that all drinking water and water used in preparing food must be boiled. Further, it is of crucial importance that the new guidelines on the digging of privies be observed. These measures are our best hope to bring the quickest possible end to the typhoid epidemic that has struck at the very heart of our families.
In the past week three children and five adults are dead of typhoid or complications of typhoid. They are
Mrs. Lorena Fiddler and her daughter Margaret, age four
Mr. Baldwin O’Brien
Friend Margery Blackstone
Friend Magnus Allen
Mrs. Jennet Scott Bonner and a stillborn daughter, in childbed
Friend Alois Farmer
Mairead Ballentyne, age three
PARADISE SUN
Light for All
The Week of Monday, November 7, 1831
OBITUARY
On last Wednesday, November 2, Runs-from-Bears of Lake in the Clouds was struck down by a sudden apoplexy and died within the hour. He was seventy-three years old.
Runs-from-Bears was a member of the Turtle clan of the Kahnyen’kehàka at Good Pasture. He came to Paradise in 1792 when he was joined in marriage with Many-Doves of the Wolf clan, also originally of Good Pasture.
Runs-from-Bears fought in the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War and was renowned for his bravery and daring. The trip he made to New Orleans during the War of 1812 together with his lifelong friend Nathaniel Bonner is still spoken of both in that city and here. In peacetime he was considered the best tracker in a hundred miles or more, and his furs were sought after for their quality.
Runs-from-Bears is survived by his son Blue-Jay and good-daughter Susanna, their children Callum, Grace, and Sarah; by his daughter Annie and her husband Gabriel Bonner and their children Tobias, Jay, and Liza; and by many dear friends. He is preceeded in death by his wife Many-Doves, and by his adult children Kateri and Sawatis. On a personal note, this loss is an especially painful one for the editor and her family. Runs-from-Bears was the best of men, and we mourn his passing.
Elizabeth Middleton Bonner, Editor
PARADISE SUN
Light for All
June 6, 1832
ABOUT TOWN
Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner would like their friends and neighbors to know that they are in receipt of a letter from their daughter Birdie, who has arrived safely in New Orleans to take up the study of medicine with Dr. Paul de Guise Savard and Dr. Phillipe Savard at that city’s Free Clinic. The doctors Savard are the brothers of Ben Savard of Downhill House.
Further good news from the Bonner clan: This past week Lily Ballentyne née Bonner was delivered safely of a healthy girl, her fourth daughter. On the same day Martha Bonner née Kirby added twin boys to her brood for a total of five sons. It seems that age and wisdom have not tempered the spirit of friendly competition between the original Bonner twins, Lily and Daniel, and their respective spouses.
Ethan Middleton has announced plans for yet another addition to the schoolhouse.
PARADISE SUN
Light for All
Tuesday, September 17, 1833
ABOUT TOWN
Yesterday three of our young men departed Paradise for Manhattan, where they will take up studies at Columbia College. They are Henry Savard of Downhill House, and Nathan and Adam Scott-Bonner of Ivy House. All three will take up residence with Nathan and Adam’s father Luke, a face well known to us here in Paradise.
We wish them great success.
With this issue of the Paradise Sun, the editorship is passed on to Mr. Lawrence March, one of our teachers. Mr. March would like to thank Mrs. Bonner for her hard work in establishing the newspaper, and hopes she will continue to contribute editorials on the topics of the day.
Lawrence J. March, Editor
PARADISE SUN
Light for All
Friday, January 3, 1834
OBITUARY
With great sadness we report that Mrs. Curiosity Freeman, the oldest surviving citizen of the original settlers of Paradise, died quietly in the first hours of this new year, 1834. Her daughter, Mrs. Daisy Hench, and her dear friends Mrs. Elizabeth Bonner and Mrs. Hannah Savard were by her side. She was 99 years old.
Mrs. Freeman was born into slavery on a farm in Pennsylvania in the spring of the year 1734. In 1762, when a Quaker Abolition Society purchased manumission papers for herself and her husband Galileo, the young couple came to Paradise to take up employment with Judge Alfred Middleton and family. After Judge Middleton’s passing, she kept house for Dr. Richard Todd for many years.
Burial services were conducted on Thursday, January 2, in the course of an unusually mild and pleasant winter afternoon. There were more than two hundred people in attendance on very short notice. Many of those who attended had been helped into the world by Mrs. Freeman, who was an exceptional midwife.
The wisest and most generous of souls, Mrs. Freeman was a loving mother, the most caring of friends, a gifted healer, and a constant source of stories. War, disaster,
illness, in all of life’s challenges she remained the steadiest of lights. It is not too much to say that Mrs. Freeman was the rock on which Paradise was built. She will be sorely missed.
She is survived by her daughter Daisy Hench and her son Almanzo Freeman, as well as six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Her beloved husband Galileo preceeded her in death by more than thirty years.
The Savard, Bonner, and Ballentyne families, with whom she was especially close, and who considered her one of their own, are also in mourning.
PARADISE SUN
Light for All
Monday, April 11, 1836
ADVERTISEMENTS
Gabriel Bonner of Lake in the Clouds has a large number of especially fine marten and beaver pelts taken this winter. Before he arranges to have them taken to market in Manhattan, he would like to offer them for sale to any resident who might be interested.
This past Saturday Mrs. Daisy Hench, a widow since her husband Joshua passed on five years ago, married Levi Fiddler, a six-year widower. A small party was held at Orchard House. We wish the couple every happiness.
Mr. Daniel Bonner and his wife Martha announce the birth of their sixth child, a daughter to be called Jennet. We wish this newest Bonner good humor and fortitude growing up with the five Bonner boys, well known in Paradise for their abundant energy and inventive natures.
PARADISE SUN
Light for All