Amethyst

by Lauraine Snelling

  We all have been cutting plenty of firewood. We harvested Rand’s fields of oats and wheat. He got a pretty good harvest for a first time like that. Beans says we are going to have another hard winter, the animals all have extra thick coats already. Amazing how God provides for His creatures, isn’t it?

  I am reading Shakespeare’s tragedies right now. I never had much time for reading before, so I am enjoying the evenings, although they would be more enjoyable if I had company here. I do hope you will write back soon and tell me how things are progressing in Chicago.

  Respectfully yours,

  Jeremiah McHenry

  He drew a little picture of a cottontail nibbling grass on the bottom of the letter and took it into town the next day to mail it.

  September 26, 1887

  Dear Mr. McHenry,

  Thank you for coming to visit. I, too, enjoyed the opera. The music helped me imagine what heaven must sound like. I never knew there were so many different kinds of instruments, and when the woman hit her high notes, it sent shivers up my arms. The carriage ride along the lake made me realize how large this lake is. More like a sea, since you can’t see the other side.

  We have made a new fragrance for Christmas with the scent of cinnamon. What do you think?

  Your friend,

  Miss O’Shaunasy

  October 8, 1887

  Dear Miss O’Shaunasy,

  I think cinnamon smells wonderful. When I think of Christmas, I remember the pine tree my father used to bring into the house. We had branches of holly with red berries, if the birds didn’t get them all as soon as they turned color.

  Mr. Chandler is a popular teacher with the children. I’ve not heard of any toads or snakes in his desk drawer. The children delighted in plaguing Mr. Finch. I didn’t blame them a bit. He didn’t fit well here at all.

  Carly said to tell you to come back home again soon. She misses you. So do others, including me.

  We will be building a church here come spring. Mr. Chandler has a benefactor who donated the money. Isn’t it amazing how God accomplishes that which He sets out to do?

  Yours always,

  Jeremiah McHenry

  He drew a flying goose on this one.

  P.S. The waterfowl are flying south. They are so numerous, they darken the sky. What a sight to behold. JM.

  Amethyst reread Jeremiah’s latest letter and smiled at the chipmunk with full cheeks in the lower corner. Who would have thought that Mr. McHenry was a man of so many talents? She’d seen chipmunks just like that in the woodpile at Pearl’s. No matter how hard she worked, she still thought of Medora as home. Taking out pen and paper, she set about answering the letter from Pearl and then the one from McHenry. Just today she’d received another one from Joel.

  October 12, 1887

  Dear Aunt Colleen,

  We have three boxes of new books at school. They arrived today. Pa says I must call him Mr. Chandler at school just like all the others. It seems strange to do that. I was wondering, do you think you could come home for Christmas? I will be Joseph in the Christmas pageant, and I wish you could be here.

  I have a real horse of my own now. Pa bought it for me. His name is Big Red. He has a blaze down his face. I would call him Blaze, but Pa says we don’t want to confuse him, since there’s already a horse named Blaze here. Ada Mae rides with me, and now that Virginia is no longer going to school, Emily has the other horse. Pa takes one and goes earlier than we do. We could take a wagon, but soon the snow will come, and we will turn the wagons into sleighs again.

  Please come home to see us.

  Your friend,

  Joel Chandler

  Amethyst wiped her eyes. Come home to see us. He must have forgotten how long the train ride was. But she could do that. She had more than enough money now to buy a train ticket, and she still had her two gold pieces. She had cashed in the ticket that her father bought. If she stopped to think about it, she was on her way to being wealthy, according to the standards she used to have. If she were to go back to Medora, she would stay at Pearl’s and bring presents for everyone. Should she tell Mr. McHenry that she was thinking of coming?

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Making different lotions wasn’t much different than baking different kinds of cakes.

  The light that poured into her mixing room, as she finally decided to call it—laboratory sounded too formal—made it a joy to work in there. Using rose petals, lavender, bee balm, mint, and other fragrant flowers either singly or together, along with the ingredients in Mrs. Sampson’s receipt and others she read about and had Mrs. Grant order, Amethyst experimented with many combinations. She often forgot meals and needed to be reminded to sleep. With no one demanding anything of her, she played with her bowls and ingredients, added orange or lemon peel and spices such as cinnamon and ginger. Whenever she found something she really liked, she asked the servants to test her lotions to see which they preferred. Some of her creations ended in a jar in the kitchen to be used up so that she didn’t waste anything, and the servants had softer, smoother skin as a result. When she read in an herbal book about the healing properties of a strangelooking plant called aloe vera, she ordered that and squeezed the clear gel contained in the succulent leaves into her potions. When it took away the pain of a burn one cook suffered, she bought more plants and added it to a special lotion with mint and lavender and called it her healing lotion. Witch hazel joined her bottles of ingredients for the same reason.

  Mrs. Grant invited her friends to sample the lotions that she and Amethyst liked best, and soon more and more people were inquiring when and where they could buy some. Amethyst delighted in their enthusiasm.

  One evening, after a pleasant social at which she had explained to a group of businesswomen what she was doing and then had invited everyone to try two fragrances—lavender and bee-balm mint—that she and Mrs. Grant had chosen to produce for their first release, she sat down and answered the letters she’d received from her friends in Medora. The number of those who had written surprised her.

  October 24, 1887

  Dear Joel,

  Thank you for writing to me. I am glad school is going well. I knew Mr. Chandler would be a better teacher than Mr. Finch. It must be a bit difficult when the teacher is your own pa. How good that the school has new books and that you like to read and study. I remember reading to you when you were little. Now you can read to me. Give everyone my best wishes.

  Love,

  Your aunt Colleen

  October 24, 1887

  Dear Pearl,

  Your letters are so dear to me. I miss all of you more than I can say. Since you know what life is like here in Chicago, you understand what a shock it is to me and how I have struggled to fit in. Mrs. Grant is so good to me. We have two stores now that plan to sell our goods. Mrs. Grant says women are going to love our lotions and soaps, and has big plans for our company. She is like a whirlwind that never stops.

  How I would love to show you my mixing room. When you enter, it is like walking into a flower garden filled with the most wonderful fragrances. I am learning to add color with some dyes that don’t have a bad effect on skin. The pink is especially nice, but it is the fragrances that I love the most.

  I never dreamed I would be able to do things like speaking to a group of people or discussing orders and packaging with the buyers from the stores. While Mrs. Grant is in charge of that part of the business, she wants me to understand and take part in all aspects. She has found the most charming bottles for our lotions, and she says it won’t be long before we need help to prepare the lotions and fill the bottles. I will send you some as soon as I can.

  Please tell everyone that I think often of my friends in Medora and I miss you all. I hope Mr. Hegland has found more buyers for his furniture. He should talk again with Mrs. Grant. She would find enough buyers to keep him busy from morning until night. He’d have to hire help. Please write whenever you can; I so enjoy your letters. Give Carly and Joseph hugs and kisses from m
e.

  With a heart full of love,

  Your friend,

  Amethyst

  October 24, 1887

  Dear Mr. McHenry,

  I am sorry it has taken me so long to answer your last letter, but I do appreciate hearing about your ranch and the seasons changing in Medora. There aren’t too many trees to see turning reds and gold here. But out in the backyard the gardener still has roses in bloom, and fall flowers are in their glory.

  Our business is growing. We now have two fragrances of lotion, two of soaps, and our own special wrapping and labels. Mrs. Grant says that I am a natural businesswoman, but sometimes I would like to bake in the kitchen instead.

  Amethyst stared at what she had written. Why was it so much easier to answer other letters than his? Leaning back in her chair, she closed her eyes for a moment and remembered his visit. Such a surprise when the maid informed her she had a gentleman caller waiting in the parlor….

  “What is his name?”

  “I don’t know, Miss O’Shaunasy. He just said he was a friend of yours and wanted to surprise you.”

  Amethyst started to ask her another question but instead stopped briefly in front of the mirror to make sure her hair had stayed where it belonged and no crumbs from breakfast remained on her face. Then she made her way down the stairs to the parlor.

  “Why, Mr. McHenry.”

  “I wanted to surprise you.” The sun glinting through the stained-glass panes of the front windows painted him in a rosy sheen. But his smile held—held what? A hint of insecurity? Surely not Major Jeremiah McHenry, albeit retired.

  “That you accomplished.” She motioned to the sofa. “Please have a seat, and I’ll order coffee.” Realizing the leaping of her heart might show in her eyes, she smiled again and reached to pull the bell rope. When she turned around, he was still standing, holding a package rather stiffly. Oh, of course, he would never sit until she did. The thought that she was no longer the servant twitched the corners of her mouth. She seated herself, grateful she wore a rich green gown with mother-of-pearl buttons down the tucked bodice rather than her working clothes.

  “You look lovely.” He sat on the edge of the chair and handed her the package. “I thought this might remind you of home.”

  As if I need further reminders. Just having him here made her ache to see Pearl and her little ones, Joel, and the others. One thing she was learning was how to keep all her emotions from showing on her face. “Thank you.” She unwrapped the embossed paper carefully to find a suede-bound book inside. When she opened the page, a dried bluebell greeted her.

  “From your place?” She remembered a swath of bluebells on the rise behind his cabin.

  “Yes.”

  “How can I help you, miss?” the maid in her dark dress with white mobcap and apron asked from the doorway.

  “Coffee, please, and a plate of those lemon cookies, thank you.”

  “Right away, miss.” She left without a sound.

  Amethyst glanced up to catch a questioning look that McHenry immediately erased. She rolled her lips slightly to keep from smiling. Today the shoe was on the other foot, and she was enjoying every minute of it. “Tell me. What is the news from Medora?”

  “Jacob Chandler returned from his visit to Pennsylvania to visit a friend who was dying. Mr. Dumfarthing left money in his will to build a church in Medora and to pay Reverend Chandler’s salary.”

  “Really. How remarkable.”

  “Indeed. Caught everyone, including Jacob, by surprise. The meeting to confirm our acceptance, ah, you would have enjoyed it. They’ve chosen a place for the new church at the bottom of the bluffs on the northeast corner of town, just a couple of blocks from the Catholic church. We’re talking of using local rock for the exterior walls. Will make it look like part of the land.”

  “Will there be a steeple and bell?”

  “Of course. And Jacob suggested the altar window be stained glass in memory of Evan Dumfarthing. Carl Hegland will make the altar, and he plans to carve the front doors.”

  “It will be beautiful. What a change from using the schoolhouse.”

  “Mr. Dumfarthing donated money for books and supplies for the school too. And money for expenses if any of the area children choose to go on to school.”

  “Bless that man.” She smiled up at the maid who returned with a silver tray. “Thank you, Susan. Would you please invite Mrs. Grant to join us for coffee?”

  “Of course. I’ll bring another cup.”

  “Do you still drink it black, or would you care for cream or sugar?”

  “Black, thank you.”

  “How is Joel?” She lifted the ornate silver coffeepot, filled his cup, and passed it to him.

  “He’s another beneficiary of Mr. Dumfarthing’s generosity. Thank you.” He took the cup and saucer, just touching her fingers as he did so.

  She kept the jolt from showing on her face—or hands that wanted to shake. “Really?”

  “Reverend Chandler is to purchase a ranch to live on so that Joel can still enjoy the life he loves.” He leaned forward slightly. “From what I’ve observed, I think the ranch is for Opal too.”

  Amethyst smiled. “Love is blossoming?” Please, Lord, let Opal be happy again. “And how is Opal faring?”

  “She is pretty much back to her old self. I think having Sprout to baby helped. You should see him. He follows her around like a dog, and last time I was there, Rand had fashioned a harness for him, and he was pulling a little wagon with Per riding it. Opal had a halter on the calf. That was a sight to see.”

  Amethyst was still chuckling when Mrs. Grant crossed the room, hand outstretched to greet the visitor. “Mr. McHenry, what a treat to see you again. You have no idea how many people I have regaled about my adventure in the badlands.”

  He stood to greet her and sat again after she sat and waved him to his chair. “Thank you, dear, for inviting me. I was up to my elbows in more samples of glassware for our lotions.” She sat and accepted the coffee Amethyst prepared and handed to her. “Oh, good, there were still lemon cookies.” She passed the plate to McHenry. “Have another. Has Amethyst told you about our business?”

  “No. I’m afraid I’ve been catching her up on the news from home.”

  Home, no, not anymore. This is my home now. While she’d told herself this many times, saying it still caused her heart to catch.

  They visited for some time until McHenry announced, “I need to be going. I have an appointment this afternoon.”

  “Surely you can stay for dinner?” Mrs. Grant said.

  “No, I’m afraid not, but I would be honored if I could escort you both to the opera tomorrow night. I already purchased the tickets, since they were in danger of being all gone.”

  “Why, that would be lovely.” Mrs. Grant turned to Amethyst. “That will give you a chance to show off your new gown, and we don’t have anything planned.”

  “Yes.” She nodded to McHenry. “Thank you for the invitation.”

  “We could have supper here first. I’ll ask Cook to make something special. And the evening after that we are having a group here for supper and entertainment. I do hope you’ll be able to join us.” She paused. “How long will you be in Chicago?”

  Amethyst felt his gaze on her. She looked up and caught his smile. He looks like the Grant whirlwind just caught him up too.

  “I planned on leaving for home again in a week or so. I want to visit some farm machinery stores and a horse-breeding farm. Too many of the local horses perished in the blizzard, and I’m thinking of buying a Morgan stallion.”

  “So you plan to raise horses?”

  “I seem to be leaning that way.”

  “My son has the family farm south of Chicago. He might know of some good stock for you to look at. If you’d like, I’ll send a message out to him.”

  “That would be most helpful.” He stood and nodded to both of the women. “Thank you for the coffee and cookies and your hospitality upon my abrupt appearance on
your doorstep.”

  “You see him to the door, dear,” Mrs. Grant said. She smiled up at McHenry. “I should have some information for you by tomorrow night. We’ll see you at six, then?”

  Amethyst rose and escorted Jeremiah to the door. “Thank you for coming.”

  “I’m hoping we can go for a drive along the lake while I am here.”

  “We’ll see what the weather is like.” She handed him his hat. “And how busy you are. Knowing Mrs. Grant, I believe she’ll find plenty of people for you to meet with.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow night, then.” He sketched a bow, and she closed the door behind him. Here she’d thought her new life was gaining some order, and now this.

  Amethyst caught herself and returned to finishing the letter.

  I thank you again for the journal you brought me and the kid gloves. I wear them often, as the weather has turned colder and we’ve had frosty nights. The wind blows off the lake, and while nothing compared to the blizzard of last winter, it still eats into one’s bones.

  Sincerely,

  Amethyst Colleen O’Shaunasy

  They did have a marvelous time up until he asked if she would be willing to return to Medora in the hopes she would consider allowing him to court her.

  Go back to working for Pearl? Having nothing of her own? But she did miss seeing the children, receiving their love and giving hers in return. Would he be different? Would he no longer take her and what she did for granted? “My life is here now, and I owe Mrs. Grant a debt beyond payment,” she finally answered. “Besides, we are too busy for me to consider being gone for even a few days right now.”