Laundry Lady's Love (Ladies of Sanctuary House Book 1)

by Sophie Dawson

  “You didn’t need to get me anything. Now I feel awkward. I didn’t get anything for you.”

  Red could tell the lack of a gift bothered her. He grinned and tapped her on the chin. “You can do my laundry for free this week. That’s a good and practical gift.” His suggestion brought a small smile to her face.

  “All right. I will.” Laura’s focus turned from Red to her gift. She pulled the paper off and chuckled. “I can see why you’d think I might not be welcoming this, but it’s lovely.” She ran her hands over the skeins of yarn. “Oh my, it’s so soft.”

  “I thought the color would look good on you. Mrs. Cutler said there’s enough for a knitted or crocheted shawl. Not too sure what the difference between them is, but I figured you’d know.”

  Laura laughed. “No, I don’t suppose you do.”

  “Children,” Ruth called. “Put your things up. You need to get over to the school to get ready for the Christmas Pageant. We’ll come back here after service so you can play and visit again before everyone goes home.”

  All the school-aged children abandoned their toys to get coats and mittens. The new hats graced all the heads as they burst through the front door yelling Merry Christmas as they went.

  ~~~~~

  Laura excused herself and headed to the kitchen. The dishes needed to be done before they left for church. She found herself with a towel in her hands, drying.

  As she wiped a plate, Laura thought about the gifts Red had given. She still felt badly about not thinking to purchase anything for him, but she truly didn’t have enough money to spend on luxuries. Eddie had needed new pants as he’d suddenly sprouted two inches taller. All the hems had been let down as much as was possible. Mark had fallen and torn the knee out of one of his pairs. That it was a hand-me-down worn by Eddie and several other of the House boys made the loss less important, but she’d had to purchase a pair of trousers anyway.

  Those and gifts for the boys had eaten into her ready cash. Laura hadn’t considered delving into her savings to buy a gift for Red. The thought that he might purchase her something hadn’t crossed her mind. His idea of doing a week’s laundry for free at least gave her a way to honor his gift to her.

  Laura set the dry plate onto the shelf and turned back to receive another one. The kitchen was crowded since everyone wanted the job done quickly. Some of the ladies were beginning preparations for the evening meal. Others were doing clean up from this one.

  “It was sweet of Mr. Dickerson to bring you a gift, wasn’t it?” The questioner was Chloe McIlroy. She was just back from three days in Denver with her new husband. They’d picked out furniture for the apartment they were living in above Cutler’s General Store.

  “Yes, it was.”

  “You don’t seem enthused.”

  Laura chuckled. “Even Red realized the gift might seem more like work after seeing all the hats we made to give the children.”

  “Are you alright? You seem, I don’t know, pensive.”

  “I’m fine. I know I can’t expect Red to be like Alan. I know I need to be grateful he wants to court me and that he gave me a gift for Christmas. It’s just…” Laura paused. “I didn’t really expect to receive anything. Now I feel guilty on two counts. One, I didn’t get him anything. Two, I wish his gift to me had been a bit more, I don’t know, personal.”

  “Are you sure you are making the right decision to be courted by him?”

  Laura placed another plate on the shelf. “He’s a good man. He’s a believer. He’s steady and a hard worker. He brought gifts for my boys.”

  “Those are all good, but they don’t answer my question.” Chloe placed a hand on Laura’s arm keeping her from moving to get another dish.

  Laura looked at Chloe. “He’s the one who asked me. No one else has been interested enough to ask to court me.”

  ~~~~~

  The men of the Stones Creek area were dismayed when they heard a man had been hired as the schoolteacher. Just what we need, they thought, another single man around here. That had changed when Mr. Hiram Bergdorf arrived in early September. He was in his early fifties and a widower.

  Hailing from Chicago, he had a son living in Wyoming and a daughter in Denver. Both were married with families. Mr. Bergdorf didn’t want to impose on either of them, so he took the job in Stones Creek.

  Mr. Bergdorf was well liked by his students and their parents. When he’d approached Pastor Preston about having the children put on a pageant telling the Christmas story at the worship service on the holiday; Noah had decided it would be a good way for the children to learn about the birth of the Savior. After they ended the play, Pastor Preston would preach about the connection of the birth to the cross. Mr. Bergdorf thought the idea delightful. Noah thought the word unusual for a man to use. But, they parted pleased with the plans.

  The students had been practicing for over a month. All the speaking parts were memorized, and those without parts had been tasked with tending the animals who would be participating in the pageant.

  Costumes were gathered and stored at the church the week before the event. Most were clothing from the children’s parents. The angels wore men’s white dress shirts, their sleeves rolled up. Stiff white paper had been purchased for the children to make wings. Twine looped around the arms of the angels at the shoulders held them in place. Some were a bit lopsided, but the pride of the creators made them beautiful. Mrs. Steele had donated yellow ribbon for halos. She’d even stitched the lengths into circles.

  The shepherds were dressed mostly in brown work shirts. Their headdresses were flour sack towels tied on with twine.

  Mary had on a blue dressing gown. The sleeves were wide and wouldn’t stay rolled. She kept flipping her hands to keep the cuffs out of the way. A navy blue shawl was wrapped around her head, covering her blonde hair. Joseph looked similar to the shepherds, but his shirt was green. He also had a sash torn from an old sheet.

  The three wise men were disgruntled that they had to wear women’s dressing gowns. They were more colorful and looked much richer than any man’s garment. Allowing the boys to make crowns out of the yellow paper and then glue bits of colored papers cut from canned goods labels eased the discomfort somewhat. Each of their gifts was a box or small chest borrowed from their mothers with warnings that it better come back in one piece, or they would find themselves in just as many pieces.

  Rather than risk a live infant, Mr. Bergdorf had borrowed a baby doll to represent the Christ child. It was swaddled in a baby blanket which was tied on with twine so it wouldn’t come unwrapped while the production was going on. A shipping crate filled with straw stood as the manger.

  The included animals were a donkey, a yearling steer, several sheep, and a pony with padding on its back covered with a blanket to represent a camel. Because of the number of children and animals in the production, the pews had been moved back a bit to allow the extra space needed.

  Now, the children were gathered in the school next to the church, in costume and waiting for Mrs. Preston to come to let them know everyone was seated and the first hymn was being sung. Mr. Bergdorf had made sure everyone had used the outhouse before putting on their costumes.

  Mrs. Preston opened the door, and all the chatter that had been filling the room ceased.

  “I think I’m going to be sick,” a young girl’s voice said.

  “Don’t be dumb. You’re just an angel. You only gotta sing. No one’s even gonna to know you’re there.” It was a boy’s voice in response.

  “Quiet now, children.” Mr. Bergdorf clapped his hands. “Let’s go. Stay in your proper line, please. No talking. We’ll do this just as we did in rehearsal.”

  They all tramped outside. The boys in charge of each animal untied the leads from the hitching rail and tugged them to the church. Two boys leading the steer and donkey went up the aisle and tied them to the legs of a chair, then headed down the aisle to the back.

  Mary and Joseph, played by Kathryn Naylor and Duncan Ashburn, went up th
e center aisle. Mary laid the baby in the manger.

  “It is just as the angel said,” Duncan said loudly. “You, Mary, have given birth to a baby boy.”

  “Yes, Joseph.” Kathryn’s words were spoken much more quietly. “We shall call him Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us.”

  “He fulfills the prophecy in Micah.

  ‘But you, O Bethlehem Eph′rathah,

  who are little to be among the clans of Judah,

  from you shall come forth for me

  one who is to be ruler in Israel,

  whose origin is from of old,

  from ancient days.’”

  They sat down beside the shipping crate manger.

  The angels and shepherds, towing their sheep along with them, came up the aisle and to the side of the platform. It took several minutes to get everyone arranged with the youngest, shortest angels and shepherds in the front. Then the tallest angel, Ozzie Basking, stepped forward. The shepherds shrieked in fear causing the sheep to begin bleating.

  “Do not be afraid,” Ozzie hollered. “I bring you good news of great joy that shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

  Then the multitude of angels behind him began singing the familiar words, “Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”

  That everyone sang them at a different speed, which made the words nearly unintelligible, didn’t make any difference to the congregation. The speakers were their children and friend’s children.

  Ozzie led the angels down the aisle to the back of the church.

  “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us,” Eddie said after being poked by another shepherd. The herd of shepherds and sheep moseyed across the stage and gathered behind Mary and Joseph.

  Seth Cutler, Junior Brook, and Will Basking marched up to the stage in their colorful dressing gowns. Junior was in charge of the ‘camel.’ That the animal didn’t want any part of the play was evident in his stiff legged gait and bobbing head. He whinnied and snorted his displeasure. Will’s crown fell off, stopping the procession until he was able to rescue it before it was stomped by a hoof.

  When they arrived on stage, the sheep recommenced bleating because of the commotion of the ‘camel’ trying to find a way out. Finally, Junior pulled the animal as far away from the sheep as he could, turning him, so the pony faced the corner. That seemed to calm the beast.

  “We have come to worship the King of the Jews ‘cause we have seen His star in the East,” Seth said.

  Junior yelled his line from his spot in the corner. “We followed it for many days, for we are wise men from a distant land.”

  “And we brung gifts for the child; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

  Just then Mary jumped up and screamed, “EEWWW.” She snatched the baby doll from the shipping crate and ran up the aisle. “That cow just pooped,” she said as she went.

  The noise of liquid hitting the floor sounded. The other children on the stage began scattering as the stench of manure and urine began filling the church. Mr. Bergdorf and Pastor Preston hurried through the fleeing shepherds, sheep and wise men. The donkey, not enjoying the sudden smells, noise, and movement, began braying and jerking his head. He began stamping his hooves.

  Junior had managed to pull the camel-pony up the side aisle, leaving only the steer, donkey, Mr. Bergdorf, and Pastor Preston at the front of the church. The teacher grabbed the rope tied to the steer and, pulling it free, tugged the beast into motion. He carefully sidestepped the pile and the liquid running across the floor.

  Pastor Preston attempted to calm the donkey but wasn’t having much luck. The animal began kicking and brayed even more loudly. Tied to the chair, it was unable to move very much, but its movements turned it until the hooves came in contact with the shipping crate, breaking it into pieces that went flying toward the first row of pews. The men sitting there jumped, shielding the women and small children.

  Pastor Preston, finally managing to get the rope untied from the chair, stepped in the pile left behind by the steer. Winding the rope around his arm, he tightened it until he’d pulled the donkey’s head down, forcing the animal to stop kicking. He stood there for several minutes to allow the donkey calm down before leading him quietly up the aisle and out the door.

  With all the animals tied outside, Mr. Bergdorf came over to Pastor Preston. He cleared his throat and said, “Well, that certainly was not delightful after all.”

  ~~~~~

  The occupants of the House had just finished breakfast when the back door opened, and then slammed shut. Everyone looked at the door to the kitchen. Myra Riverby flew into the room.

  “I just had to come and tell you. Leah Steele’s done give birth to a healthy baby boy. They named him Steven after her pa. She had it last night ‘bout one-thirty. Doc Eli come an’ asked me to open the dress shop today.” Myra’s eyes danced with excitement.

  Chatter about the blessed event filled the room. The boys were less enamored than the ladies and girls. Discussion centered on when to visit and deliver the various gifts the ladies had made.

  Laura stood, picking up her plate and flatware. “I need to get to work. I’ve got a lot of laundry to be doing.” It was true, but not the reason she wanted to get across the alley and into the barber-bathhouse building. “You boys obey Ruth today.” She ruffled Mark’s hair and rubbed Eddie’s back just a moment before she went into the kitchen and set her dishes on the counter.

  She entered the back door to Hank’s shop and carried the bucket of water she’d pumped into the kettle on the stove. There was already a fire going so Hank must have been down earlier.

  Laura had had to move the straw they insulated the pump with to keep it from freezing. Once she had hauled all the water she needed and had containers for, she would put the straw back and wrap the blanket around the stack, securing it with a rope. Laura wished the pump was in the building, but it serviced every business and apartment in that building, as well as the House.

  The room was simple with only the stove, a low table for the wash tubs, an ironing board, one straight chair, and the strings of clothesline suspended from the ceiling. Hank had supplied the line and hooks, as well as hung them. He’d also installed three shelves next to the stove. On them, she kept her irons, bars of soap, starch, and whatever else she needed or brought with her.

  It was Monday, so she had several bags of laundry cowboys had brought on Saturday. Cowboys tended to come on Saturday since they got paid on Friday. Some came Friday, but usually after she was finished for the day. Then, they went to the saloon.

  If they were still in town Saturday morning, they’d drop it off then. Some just left their bags in the alley near the door. They would come the following week to pick it up and pay her. No one got their laundry back until the money was in her hand. She’d learned that the hard way.

  Hank wasn’t around, so he must have started her fire then gone back upstairs to his apartment. Monday wasn’t a busy day for him. She couldn’t wait to tell him about Leah’s baby.

  That thought stopped her in her tracks. Shouldn’t she be wanting to share the news with Red? Well, she did, but Hank was in town, and Red wasn’t. Yes that was it. She wanted to tell Hank simply because she couldn’t tell Red.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The New Year arrived, along with a telegram brought to Sanctuary House by Ira Bragg the stationmaster/telegrapher. He was smiling as he handed the yellow paper to Blanche, striking a pose meant to show off his physique. She pressed her lips together hoping it looked like a smile. The young man was conceited, thinking he was much more attractive than he truly was. He also couldn’t figure out why none of the young ladies living in the House wanted to chat with him very much.

  Since she didn’t have any coins, she offered a few cookies,
instead, as a tip for the delivery. He stepped further into the foyer as if he wanted to enter the dining room. Blanche called for Nancy to bring the cookies, and, when she did, gave them to him, ushering him back out the front door. She didn’t like the way the telegraph operator/station master looked at her daughter.

  Going into the parlor where Ruth and Laura were busy wiping down the walls, Blanche opened the folded paper. “Hum, seems as though we will be getting some new residents.”

  The others stopped working and looked at her as she read the telegram out loud.

  “Greetings stop

  “Glad to hear of marriages stop

  “Sending Gema Volkovichna and Libby Trembly stop

  “Arriving fifth stop

  “No children stop

  “Betty Sanctuary Place”

  “Who’s Libby Trembly?” Laura asked.

  “I don’t know. She wasn’t there when we were. I’m surprised Betty is sending her out here when she can’t have been at the Place very long.” Ruth went back to wiping down the walls.

  Blanche folded the note and tucked it into her apron pocket. She would pass the news on to the other women who were already married when she saw them next. They would all want to be there to meet the train when Gema and Libby arrived.

  ~~~~~

  On Thursday, the westbound train was late arriving. It was late afternoon, and a cold wind was blowing so the ladies huddled next to the station trying to stay warm. Each one understood the insecurity of arriving in a new town not knowing anyone, so they wanted to meet the train.

  Gema Volkovichna, they all knew. She was an orphan who had come to Sanctuary Place when her parents and siblings had died of influenza as they migrated across the country after immigrating from Russia. She hadn’t known any English at the time and still struggled with the language. Sometimes she still mixed up or left out words, leading to confusion or laughter. She had turned twenty just before the original Sanctuary House ladies left Iowa.

  Libby Trembly was an unknown, but they were going to welcome her with open arms. Each lady at the House had experienced rejection and condemnation and wouldn’t inflict that upon anyone.