"Never," Rita hugged her daughter. "It's because of you Joanna, Luke and Samuel that I have decided to leave Boston. This is not a good place for us to live and now that your papa is dead, there is no telling what kind of mischief your older brothers will fall into. We have to leave but this is to be our secret, okay?
"Oh mama," Marie's eyes lit up and she put a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter. "Are we really going away from here?" Rita nodded. "Cora is a good sister, she promised that when she was settled she would send for Joanna and I."
"Yes child, but remember, don't even share the news with Joanna, she is a blabbermouth and I don't want your brothers to know that we are leaving or they may try to stop us. Make sure you keep this secret."
"Yes mama, when are we leaving?"
"The day after tomorrow," Rita said. "I can't go on living in this place. Tomorrow I'll go to the train station and book our tickets, then the next day we'll leave the house as though we are going to the market and when we board the train, that is when we will tell the other children what is going on."
"Yes mama," Marie hugged her mother. "Finally you will be happy again mama."
Rita prayed that nothing would come up to prevent them from setting out on their journey.
On the eve of their departure her three older sons came to the house in the evening, and as usual they were very drunk.
"Where is our supper?" George her twenty year old son asked. "Where is that wench Marie?'
Rita had told her daughter to be obedient up to the last minute so as not to arouse any suspicions. "George, you and your brothers should sit down. We have prepared a good meal for all of us, sit down."
Her sons sprawled on their seats and when Marie and Rita served them with a huge bowl of potatoes and pieces of chicken they devoured the food as though it was their last meal. Not a word of gratitude, nor an offer to help with the next meal came from either of the boys, if anything they grumbled that the portions were too small. Rita held her peace. The younger children had eaten earlier and Rita had sent them to bed. Joanna was in her mother's room where she and Marie had moved into since their father's death, leaving their room for the younger boys.
"Ma, it's time to find a husband for Marie." George said sluggishly. "Now that pa is gone, I am the man of the house and you must all obey my rules."
"Yes son," Rita nodded. "You are weary from work, perhaps when you have rested we will speak about a husband for Marie."
George nodded. "I have just the man," he picked his teeth with a long dirty nail. "Marie will be happy and make a good wife since she knows how to cook and look after a home."
"Yes son," Rita was on her best behavior, praying that the night would end and they could leave. Their train was scheduled for ten o'clock and she was determined that they would be on that train, whatever happened. Nothing was going to stop her from taking her four children out of this dreary life. "Now you and your brothers get some rest, tomorrow we will speak about Marie's future."
~#~#~#~
Chapter Two
"You look sad my love," Jeremy frowned slightly, looking at the woman who held his heart. "What's wrong Cora?"
Cora sighed, turning away from gazing in the distance. "Nothing that time will not cure."
"I am here for you my darling," Jeremy rode up to his new bride. "If anyone saw you looking this unhappy they would think that your husband of a few weeks is not treating you right."
"The house isn't finished yet," Cora said, referring to the cabin that she was building right next door to Richard and Annie West's house. Richard had kept his promise of giving her a small piece of land where she could to build a house for herself, but she decided instead to build a house for her mother.
For a long time now, she had been urging her mother to come to Tipton but Rita always said her husband would not let her come, and she was a staunch Catholic who believed that she had to stay in her marriage, no matter how terrible it was. "The house is not yet finished," Cora repeated. "And my mama is set to arrive any day now."
Jeremy reached out a hand and touched his wife's cheek. "She will probably delay the trip because of taking care of matters after your father's death. Your mother is grieving and perhaps that will delay her journey."
Cora doubted it but did not voice her thoughts. She had never told Jeremy about the rough life that her mother had had to endure for more years than she cared to acknowledge. Now that her father was dead she was sure there was nothing holding her mother back. She wondered if her mother would bring her younger siblings with her. Cora had left home with promises of bringing her sisters out here and she would be glad to see them, though she wondered if George would allow the children to leave.
"I have to make sure everything is ready for when mama arrives. It will be wonderful to have her here and I'm looking forward so much to seeing her. She's had a hard life and perhaps one day I'll be able to tell you about it, but for now I just want her here where I can look after her."
"All will be well," Jeremy sighed. "Richard and I will be going to see Robin later on. Do you want me to get you anything from the mercantile?"
"Is there anything left in that store at all that hasn't already been eaten by rats or covered in dust?" Cora asked. "I'm really worried about Robin. Annie and I were at the store the other day and he did not serve us at all, just looked at us as we purchased whatever we wanted. We placed the money on the counter but he seemed confused and not quite with us."
"That's why Richard and I have taken it upon ourselves to look in on him almost every day. We are afraid that he might harm himself because of his grief."
Robin Watson was at that precise moment, hiding in the back room of his store, weeping brokenly. Everything reminded him of Sarah, the beautiful woman he had loved and married and spent the last eighteen years with.
He remembered her tinkling laughter that sounded like a gentle brook running over small rocks, her bright blue eyes that sparkled and her smile that seemed to light up every room she entered. Sarah had never said a mean word about anyone and he would often tell her that she had the patience of a saint, to which she would always retort,
"Right straight you are Robin Watson, only a person as patient as a saint could put up with the likes of yourself."
Now she was gone, six months in the grave and he did not know how he was going to cope. He looked around the store, his tear filled eyes taking in the emptiness that echoed around him. He and Sarah were newcomers to Tipton and they had taken over the store from Joseph Lowell, a kindly old man who had decided to sell the store and retire.
The folks in Tipton were a closely knit community and at first they had not easily opened up to the Watsons. It was Sarah's warm smile and willingness to assist anyone in need that had won the day for them, so much so, that soon the mercantile was overflowing with customers who soon became the regulars they had once been for old Jo.
"Sarah, oh Sarah," he moaned, "How can I live without you?"
He could not believe that one day he and Sarah had been laughing in the store and the next day she had complained of heaviness in the chest and breathlessness. She rebuffed his efforts to get the doctor to see her, insisting that she was fine and that it was just a slight cold and nothing to worry about. Robin remembered feeling glad that when he took over the store he'd added a floor above, which effectively provided a three bedroom house for him and Sarah.
Because they were childless they had intended on adopting two orphans to fill the empty rooms, a boy and a girl, something Sarah had been looking forward to with a high degree of excitement. When she fell ill it was easy to monitor her condition because they lived above the shop and when she took a turn for the worse he had called Dr. Reginald Green in.
But two days later Sarah was dead. Robin was alone, without Sarah and the children they had hoped to adopt. Part of him recognized that maybe it was best that they hadn't yet organized the adoptions. How could he have managed to look after two children in his current s
tate?
Someone knocked at the store door and he willed them to go away but the knocking persisted and he knew that whoever it was would not leave unless asked to. He wiped his face and cleared his throat, then shuffled into the store intending to send the unwanted customer away.
Richard and Jeremy were shocked to see the state Robin was in. He was only forty two years old but looked almost one hundred. There were deep groves on his face and his once bright, gray eyes were now dull and listless.
"What do you want?" he asked them gruffly, trying to stop them from coming into the store.
"The missus sent me with some soup and fresh bread for you," Richard held up the bag he was carrying.
"Just put them anywhere," Robin waved a hand at them, wishing they would go away and leave him to nurse his misery.
Richard shook his head. "Mrs. Annie gave me strict instructions that I was to stay with you until you ate it. I am not going home to face an irate woman Robin, so the sooner you eat it, the better it will be for all of us."
Robin gave a fleeting smile which soon faded away and the two men caught a glimpse of the handsome man that lay buried beneath the shroud of misery and grief. "Okay," he murmured, sitting down tiredly as Richard and Jeremy tried to straighten up the shelves, sneezing repeatedly as the dust almost choked them.
Robin found the chicken soup very tasty and it conjured up Sarah's image in his mind. He almost choked on the bread. Everything reminded him of his wife and he remembered that Sarah had given Annie the recipe for her best chicken soup. Sarah's departure from the world was more than he could bear and he thought often of leaving as well, just to be with her again.
"Slowly now," Richard thumped him gently on his back. "There's plenty more where that came from."
When Robin had eaten a substantial amount he pushed the bowl away and wiped his lips. "Best soup I ever tasted," he said softly. "Reminds me of my missus." He cleared his throat. "Tell Mrs. Annie that I'm much obliged to her."
"Think nothing of it," Richard packed the empty dishes, glad to note that the man had eaten a reasonable amount. Annie would be happy.
When Richard and Jeremy stepped out of the store they were accosted by two matronly women and they both hid their groans at the sight of the two robust ladies. Madge and Melody Shepherd were two middle aged spinsters who were Tipton's worst gossips, and covered their nosy behavior under a cloak of piety.
They had never been married, although they came to Tipton as prospective Mail Order Brides. But once they got here and realized they could claim their own one hundred and sixty acres, they refused to accept any suitors.
They were both handsome women, tall and well built, no doubt from the amount of work they put in on their joint farm. They had proven to be very good corn and wheat farmers, much to the surprise of the residents of Tipton.
They also kept a few animals mostly for their own domestic use, and they were actually very good customers of Richard and Cora, purchasing horses from the two and reselling them for profit.
"Richard, how is the young one and Mrs. West?" Madge smiled and her thin lips showed her even large teeth. "It's been a while since I came out to the farm." She patted her bonnet which covered thick dark hair that she liked to make into a thick plait. Her dark eyes stared inquisitively at him.
"They are doing alright Miss Madge," Richard was ever polite. Jeremy never felt the need to be overly polite to those he considered trouble makers and he soon excused himself.
"That young man is becoming a worse snob that his mother," Melody's brown eyes followed Jeremy until he was out of sight. "Some folk think they are too good for others." Like her sister she had thick dark hair but hers was always held in a tight bun at the back of her head.
Richard was silent, wishing he could take his leave and as he opened his mouth to do so, Madge pointed at the store. "Is that old coot still alive?" She spoke in a loud whisper and a few people turned to look at her. "It's a pity how he's let everything go now that his poor wife is dead. The woman is probably turning in her grave when she sees how he's let the store go to wrack and ruin and all her hard work ending up with the place looking like a dump."
"The man is in mourning," Richard defended his friend. "Besides, Robin isn't old, he's not even fifty yet."
Melody snorted. "From the way he shuffles around anyone would think he had one leg in the grave. Maybe he needs to marry another woman."
"What woman in her right mind wants to live in the shadow of a dead person?" Madge scorned. "And I understand that his house is the same way Sarah left it six months ago when she died," she shivered dramatically. "It'd be like living with a ghost."
Richard shook his head, "Misses Shepherd, I need to be making for home now. My wife will be wondering what has happened to me."
"Well, this is a great inconvenience," Melody said. "Used to be that a person could get anything they wanted from this store. Joseph Lowell should never have sold this store to a lazy person like Robin Watson. Everything is going downhill faster than a runaway train," she wagged her right index finger. "Mark my words, in a few days time this store will shut down and the man will leave Tipton. Of that I am dead sure."
Richard finally made his escape but not before Madge made a nasty parting shot. "See to it that you don't spend too much time with the likes of Robin Watson, or else you'll end up back where you were a few months ago, dirt poor."
~#~#~#~
Chapter Three
Rita's heart was pounding as the train ate away at the miles. In a few hours time she would see her daughter after almost a year apart and she wondered if Cora would welcome them or find the children to be an inconvenience. After all she was married, and maybe her husband would not welcome a large family.
She was prepared for any eventuality though and had long decided that even if Cora did not welcome her and the other children, she would ask for a place to lodge for a few days as she looked for work on one of the many farms that were in Tipton. Extra hands were always welcome on farms and as the train had chugged across the prairie lands she had glimpsed vast corn and wheat farms and many workers going about their work.
All her four young children were hard workers and she knew that someone would make room for them, even if Cora was not able to. With this resolve firmly stored in the back of mind she turned to look at her children. Marie was watching her with what could only be described as concern. The young girl had taken on the responsibility of looking after her mother when Cora left and she was attuned to her mother's feelings, spoken or unspoken.
"Mama, is everything alright?"
"Yes my dear," Rita smiled and Marie was glad because her mother was still a very becoming woman, who had been aged by the hardships she had faced over the years. "I still cannot believe that we are here, away from Boston and headed for a new life. It will only be real when we step off the train."
Joanna, Samuel and Luke were playing a game of spotting something new and the compartment was filled with much joy and laughter. This was the first train ride any of them had been on, including their mother and it was quite the adventure for all of them.
Cora had told her mother to get a sleeper cabin so she could sleep comfortably as she travelled and Rita was glad she had heeded her daughter's advice. It was obvious from Cora's letter though, that she did not expect the children to accompany their mother.
"Mama, will Cora be happy to see all of us?" Marie asked her mother, a troubled look on her face. "Will her husband allow us to live in their home?"
"Yes," Rita said, though she was anxious and had been asking herself the same question more often than she cared to admit. She hoped that the bonds of being a family stretched enough to include all of five of them. "I am sure Cora has made provision for all of us. Remember she said she had built a house for me. We will be alright and make a new life out here. It's such a huge place and I'm sure there's room for us."
"I wonder what George, Andrew and Philip are doing now that they know we hav
e left."
"Your brothers are old enough to take care of themselves. We left everything for them and it is time for them to learn how to be responsible and take care of themselves. I'm just sorry they take after your father and his wicked ways and Lord forgive me for speaking ill of the dead."
"Will they ever stop drinking ma? Even Philip drinks too much. He's only seventeen but drinks worse than pa used to."
"It's the influence of your older brothers, but I will never stop praying that God will help them find their way and hopefully they'll turn out to be industrious young men."
~#~#~#~
Cora had almost chewed her fingernails off one hand by the time the train pulled into Tipton Railway Station. She could not wait to catch a glimpse of her mother's face and she was wondering where her mother had left the younger children as she traveled. Maybe she'd left them with Mrs. Marigold Lipton, her mother's close friend perhaps?
Then she saw Marie and her eyes widened in surprise. They were in the second coach. As she was still staring in astonishment Joanna's face appeared in the window next to Marie and then Samuel and Luke and she gave a cry of joy, running alongside the train as it pulled up to the end of the platform. Her siblings were waving excitedly and making a racket, much to the amusement of passersby.
Cora did not care that she was making a spectacle of herself. Her family was here, her siblings were here. Her brow knitted anxiously, she could not see her mother. Or had her mother sent the children and decided to stay behind? Before her heart could sink in despair she saw the woman who had given her life and she waved both arms vigorously.
"Mama, mama," she screamed, waiting impatiently as the door opened and a few people began alighting. She was unable to stand still and when her siblings finally appeared at the door she hastened them down. "The train is set to leave in a few minutes time. Hurry and come down. I need to hold you all in my arms for a minute to make sure you are really here."
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