A Life Worth Living

by Irene Brand

“More than generous! But if you do that this year, you’d be setting a precedent that they’d expect every year. I don’t mean to pry into your affairs, but can you afford to be so generous?”

  “The auditors tell me that we’ve made more profit this year than the mill had cleared the past two years. I think we can afford it. I’m willing to try it, but I won’t if you think it isn’t a good idea.”

  “Are you going to New York for Christmas?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No, but I’ve insisted that Mattie go and spend time with her family. As long as my grandmother lived, I spent Christmas week with her, but now that she’s gone, I’ve usually spent the day at home. Mrs. Vanderbilt has invited me to spend the day with them, but some of their relatives are coming so I told her I had other plans, which means I’ll probably spend the day at home.”

  Although Allen usually spent Christmas Day with his cousins Vance and Evelyn Bolden in Canaan, he had no intention of leaving her alone. He persuaded her to go with him to spend the holiday with the Boldens. He was also worried about leaving the mill. If there was any trouble, he didn’t want Dora to be in Fairfield alone. He hired several reliable men to watch the place, and with Timothy also on guard he didn’t think he had too much to worry about. He would have taken Timothy with them, but he wanted to stay with Kitty and her family. So they set out for Canaan without concern for the property.

  The weather was mild for December, but Allen had put curtains on his buggy to protect Dora from the cold weather. Fortunately the wind was blowing from the south today, and it was cozy in the buggy. Glancing sideways at Dora, Allen smiled, wondering how he was so fortunate to have this woman favor him. She wore a full-length fur coat and a tam and muff to match. The outfit must have cost a fortune, at least more money than he’d make in a year’s time.

  Dora had been looking forward to this trip, and she was obviously enjoying the evergreens that were decorated with tufts of snow that had fallen throughout the night. It was a winter wonderland, and if Allen had needed anything else to put him in the Christmas spirit, Dora sitting beside him, looking as if she’d just stepped out of a New York department store dressed in all her finery, would have done it. Her eyes roved the countryside, obviously enjoying the winter day to its fullest.

  “Now, why are you looking at me like that?” she demanded. Her even teeth flashed in a gentle smile.

  “Oh, I don’t know—maybe wondering why I’m such a lucky guy—to be celebrating Christmas with you. We’ve known each other more than a year now, and you’re so much a part of my life I don’t know what I’ll do when you aren’t around anymore.”

  She lifted her chin in a haughty gesture that reminded him of her father. “What makes you think I’m going anywhere?”

  “It just stands to reason that you won’t be content to spend the rest of your life here. When I compare your lifestyle in New York with Fairfield, I can’t imagine how you could possibly be happy in a rural area like ours.”

  “Well, I’m not going to leave North Carolina this week, so let’s forget that. It was gracious of your relatives to invite me.”

  “I wasn’t about to leave you in Fairfield on Christmas Day, especially when I know that Vance and Evelyn will be happy that you’re with me.”

  “Share something about them so I’ll know what to expect.”

  “Vance Bolden is my cousin, although his father was much more prosperous than mine. His family owned a plantation in South Carolina since the mid-1700s, but my father was a sharecropper in the neighborhood. After the War Between the States, Southerners, especially those who’d fought for the Confederacy, had nothing left. When Union soldiers invaded the South, they destroyed a lot of property to punish Southerners for seceding from the Union. Vance was married before the war, but while he was serving in the Confederacy, his wife and son died.”

  “So Evelyn is a second wife?”

  Nodding his head, he explained, “And in my opinion, a much better wife for Vance than his first one. After the war ended, he tried to rebuild the plantation, but many Yankees moved into the state and bought property the Southerners couldn’t afford to keep. The Boldens had never owned slaves, of course, and they’d been treated more like sharecroppers—receiving a portion of what they raised on their acreage. Vance’s maternal relatives owned property in this area, and his father dreamed of leaving the past behind them and starting anew in a new region. When his father died, Vance sold the property and moved here. Many of his neighbors came, too, and they established the settlement of Canaan several years ago. Most of the immigrants have prospered there, either buying homes in town or settling on farms.”

  “And you came with them?”

  “Yes, my father was a sharecropper, too—that means he didn’t own any land, but worked for the plantation owners. I was the oldest kid in the family, and I knew there wasn’t any future for me in that area. I wanted to make a new start, and I paid my way westward by helping Vance and Evelyn with their wagons and horses. I lived in Canaan a few years then came to the Asheville area.”

  “You seem to have the wanderlust. Have you considered leaving here?”

  “At first I intended to go west, possibly as far as California to seek my fortune in the gold fields. After I bought the farm and found I could earn a living with my carpentry work, I haven’t thought of leaving. Wanderlust must be a Bolden family characteristic. As you know, Timothy has mentioned that he will probably move westward.”

  “Will you try to stop him?”

  Allen glanced at her in surprise. “Why should I? I’m not his guardian.”

  The miles passed quickly. Sometimes they’d ride a long distance without comment, although Dora had many questions about what kind of trees they saw along the roadside and about the history of the area. They stopped a couple of times to stretch their legs and to view the mountains to the west.

  When they were closer to Canaan, Allen said, “Probably I should tell you about Evelyn, Vance’s wife, too. She has an interesting past. She and her husband worked at a mission in London, and the Lord called them to be missionaries among the Cherokee Indians, whose homeland is in this area. The ship they traveled on wrecked off the South Carolina coast. Vance just happened to be on a nearby island when that happened, and although her husband was drowned, Vance was able to save Evelyn’s life. She was with child, and because of the storm Vance couldn’t go to his plantation for help. With Vance’s assistance she gave birth to twins on the island while the storm raged around them.”

  She nodded. “Goodness. How terrible, but how wonder-ful, too. It seems like a fairy tale.”

  “Well, to make a long story short, Vance and Evelyn married, and they’ve lived ‘happily afterward.’ And I do mean they’re happy. They were meant for each other, but it took a hurricane to bring them together. In addition to the twins, they have a child of their own.”

  “Do you believe that?”

  Allen glanced at her. “Believe what?”

  “That when they’re born certain people are meant for each other?”

  “I’m not sure. In some cases, I do—like Vance and Evelyn. But that’s just my opinion—I don’t have any biblical passage to back up what I believe.”

  “What about us?”

  Laughing, Vance said, “Don’t start that again! We’re friends, but no more than that. We’re too different to ever get along. Sometimes when I see poorly matched husbands and wives who seem to share a good marriage, I believe that God has a sense of humor.” They were heading toward a subject he didn’t want to discuss, so Allen was glad that they arrived in Canaan, which took Dora’s attention for the time being. He suspected, however, that he hadn’t heard the last of the subject. It must be the mystery of the ages—why a woman like her would favor him.

  “What a quaint little town!” Dora said. “And it’s only been here twenty years?”

  He nodded, but devoted all of
his attention to his skittish horses. Several other horses were tied along Main Street, and he had to watch his team closely to prevent a ruckus if any of the other animals as cantankerous. Canaan didn’t cover much territory, so they were soon out of town, and in a short time Allen pointed ahead to a two-story redbrick house.

  “That’s where we’re going.”

  “Why, it’s a mansion!” Dora exclaimed. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a home like that?”

  Recalling the picture he’d seen of the Porter mansion near New York City, he was somewhat surprised that Dora would consider this so noteworthy. Allen didn’t comment, but he was pleased that she liked the area. Hopefully she would also enjoy this Christmas visit with his closest friends.

  “That’s a lovely home,” Dora said, and her eyes were alight with interest.

  “You’re referring to the building, of course, and I agree that it’s quite a mansion. But it’s what goes on inside the house that makes it so special. Evelyn and Vance love one another so much that it’s always a blessing for me to visit them. Since I was separated from my parents after I came north, I’ve been blessed because Evelyn has never failed to include me in their family observances and holidays.”

  “I’m still not sure I should have come,” Dora said, and her forehead wrinkled into a slight frown. “Christmas is family time, so I hope they won’t mind my presence.”

  “They won’t. You have no worries. You met their daughter, Marie, at the Vanderbilt’s open house.”

  “I sort of remember her, but there were so many strangers there, I didn’t get to know anyone very well.” She smiled. “Except you, of course!”

  Favoring her with an oblique glance, he asked, “Are you sorry?”

  With a mysterious smile, she answered, “What do you think?” Then in a more serious tone, Dora added, “No, I’m not sorry. Coming to North Carolina has changed my life. In fact, I don’t feel that I’d ever really ‘lived’ before. I spent years wrapped up in myself, never thinking much about the future or anyone else. You’ve talked to me about having a new birth spiritually, but I also believe that I had a new birth psychologically.”

  When Allen pulled his team to a halt in front of the brick house, a black man came from a nearby house to take charge of the team.

  “Hello, Jasper,” Allen said as he stepped from the buggy. “Do you have time to look after the team?”

  “Yes sir, I sure do.”

  Allen lifted his hand to help Dora step from the buggy. “I brought my friend, Dora Porter, with me. Jasper and his wife, Fannie, have worked for the Boldens most of their lives.”

  Jasper tipped his hat. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” Jasper set out their two suitcases before he climbed into the buggy and headed the team toward the barn, located on a knoll behind the house.

  When Allen opened the gate in the picket fence, the front door opened and a tall, handsome man stepped out. Two women followed him from the house.

  “I see you brought company, Allen,” the man called. “Come in out of the cold, and introduce me to this lovely lady.”

  “This is my friend, Dora Porter. She owns the textile mill in Fairfield.”

  Allen’s heart swelled with pride in Dora while Vance and Evelyn welcomed her so warmly. She didn’t seem ill at ease, nor was she condescending, and goodness knows she had reason to be if she wanted to. This was a spacious and elegant house, but nothing compared to what her father owned.

  Motioning to the woman beside him, Allen said, “This is Marie.”

  Dora greeted Marie, saying that she remembered her. “Allen said you wouldn’t mind if I joined you today,” she said to Evelyn. “I’d have been alone in Fairfield if I hadn’t come here.”

  “You are surely welcome,” Evelyn said. “Allen has written about your work in Fairfield, and it will be good for you to have a few days away from the mill.”

  Allen and Dora were served coffee and pastries im-mediately, and afterward Evelyn asked Marie to prepare an upstairs bedroom for their guest.

  After Marie and Dora went upstairs to the bedroom, Allen addressed Evelyn. “Thank you for allowing Dora to come today.”

  Evelyn smiled. “Should we expect an announcement from the two of you before long?”

  Allen lifted his hand. “Whoa! Don’t get any ideas like that.”

  “Why not?” Evelyn asked. “It’s obvious you love one another.”

  “That’s true, but as far as I’m concerned, it will never go any further than that.” His two friends looked skeptical. “Evelyn’s father is one of the richest men in New York, and although he’s mad at Dora now and has threatened to disinherit her, I doubt he will do it because she’s his only child. Even if he does, Dora’s maternal grandmother left her a fortune, and she used that money to renovate the mill, which is probably worth close to a million dollars. I can’t even guess the extent of her finances, and I don’t want to know. She depends on me to steer her in the right direction in dealing with her employees, and I’m glad to do it, but I’ll never ask her to marry me.”

  When Evelyn started to speak again, Vance shook his head. “I can understand your situation. I’d probably feel the same way if I were in your position.”

  “That isn’t logical,” Evelyn argued. “When you married me, I had no worldly possessions at all, and I had two children, which you took as your own. Why is it any different for a woman to have money and still marry someone who doesn’t have any?”

  Vance smiled sheepishly. “I don’t know, but that’s the way it is.”

  “Because it makes men feel inferior,” Evelyn retorted, and her dark eyes flashed angrily. “Allen, you might not bring a million dollars into the marriage, but you own property and you have an occupation that keeps you busy. You don’t have to use her money, but I beg you, Allen, don’t let selfish pride ruin both of your lives.”

  Considering it time to change the subject, Allen said, “You’ve heard that my brother Timothy has come to live with me.”

  “Yes, I saw the boy when he was working for our neighbor,” Vance said. “I gathered he intended on heading to California.”

  Smiling, Allen responded, “That was the original idea. Be he met a girl in Fairfield who may have changed his mind.”

  ❧

  Allen had attended several Christmas celebrations in Canaan, and tonight was extra-special because he would have the opportunity to share the season with Dora. Since she’d so recently turned her heart and life over to the Lord, this would be her first Christmas to actually appreciate the true meaning of the season. They drove into Canaan in his buggy for the Christmas church service, and she moved close to him.

  “Are you cold?” he asked, wondering how she could possibly be cold in the floor-length, elegant fur coat she wore.

  “Not really,” she said teasingly, “but I thought this would be a good time to snuggle close to you. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity.”

  Although Allen liked having her so close, he didn’t say so. Instead he asked, “Do you like my friends?”

  She nodded her head against his shoulder. “Very much. I especially like them because they’ve been so kind to you.”

  “I didn’t have much kindness when I was growing up. When my parents produced a new baby about every year and I was the oldest of the brood, my mother understandingly couldn’t spend much time with me.”

  “Did you resent that?”

  “At the time, yes I did. I’ve gotten over it.”

  They had seen the town’s evergreen decorations when they’d entered Canaan in the afternoon, but now with candles burning in every window and in sheltered nooks along the streets, the area looked like a fairyland. The fact that a lazy snowfall was drifting slowly toward the earth added to the magic of the evening.

  A few blocks from the center of town, Allen guided his team into a wide area where a log church nestled in
a grove of towering evergreen trees. He tied the horses to one of the trees and came to lift Evelyn down from the buggy. The door to the church was open, and several people were converging on the building. Many of them were former acquaintances of Allen’s, and he heartily returned their “Merry Christmas” greetings.

  ❧

  A woman sat at an organ playing music that was unfamiliar to Dora. Allen hummed the tune and sang a few lines as they moved inside the building and found room for them to sit on a pew halfway up the aisle. As they’d entered the candlelit sanctuary, Dora sensed a peace in her heart and mind she’d never experienced before. Why hadn’t somebody told her before about the meaning of Christmas? Why had her father ignored the Christian faith all his life? She knew that he and her mother had been married in a church, so what had caused him to forsake the faith? Dora was still so new to the gift of prayer she’d received a few weeks earlier that she hardly knew how to pray. Did she have to bow her head to pray like several of the others in the building were doing? She reached over and touched Allen’s hand, and he wrapped his warm fingers around hers. When he bowed his head, so did she.

  She’d heard Allen pray several times and, the few times she’d gone to church, she’d listened intently to the preacher’s words. “God, I want to do and say the right thing,” she prayed, “partly because I know it’s what I should do, but also because Allen so desperately wants me to grow spiritually. Will it take a lifetime?”

  Although she spoke so quietly that he couldn’t have heard what she was saying, Allen lifted her hand and kissed it. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they could serve the Lord as man and wife? He obviously loved her, so it was only his pride about her wealth that kept them apart. She was half-tempted to notify her father that she was renouncing ownership of the textile mill and returning it to him. That way she would be penniless. Allen could sell his farm for enough money to finance a trip to California, where they could live on the money he had. Now that she owned the textile mill, she wondered if she’d ever travel to faraway places again. Having seen all of Europe that she wanted to see, Dora had planned that her next big trip would be California.