“I’ll take you to one of the better hotels,” Harriet answered. “When do you leave St. Louis?”
Addy followed her sister to the fancy open carriage, which was pulled by a fine black horse. The driver followed them with Addy’s luggage, and two baggage men from the steamboat carried a small trunk she had also brought along. They loaded everything onto a baggage rack at the back of the carriage, and the driver climbed into his seat.
“Tomorrow,” Addy answered her sister. She climbed into the carriage and waited for Harriet to softly scold her daughters and pull them apart. She plopped one in a seat beside Addy, telling her to say hello to “Aunt Addy”. The child just stared ahead, lips pressed together in anger over her fight with her sister.
Harriet took the opposite seat, facing Addy, and keeping the other child beside her. “Will I ever see you again, Addy?”
Addy wondered if it truly mattered to her. How different Harriet was from the little girl she used to play with when they were all a happy family back in Unionville. How could people’s lives change so drastically? Look what the war had done to Nick, once a family man, now— She sighed deeply, again chastising herself for allowing her thoughts to constantly turn to a desperado she would never see again.
“Probably not,” she answered. “There is nothing left here for me to come back to, Harriet. Your husband wants nothing to do with me, which means he prefers you have nothing to do with me. It’s all still a sorry mess, and I hope to make life easier for you by leaving. I just thought the Christian thing to do was to come and see my sister before I go. Perhaps you can take supper with me tonight at the hotel.”
Harriet nodded. “Yes. I’m sorry, Addy, but I have to abide by my husband. I do have a wonderful life here, you know. Gary and his father own many businesses here in St. Louis. We have a beautiful home, almost a mansion. He won’t mind if we go there first so you can see it. He’s not home today anyway. We’ll take tea there. Then my driver can take you to a hotel and I’ll come later for supper.”
You’ve changed so much, Addy thought. She didn’t know this sister of hers anymore. All the time she and their mother struggled in Unionville, all the time their mother was dying, there was no word from Harriet. She had only come for their mother’s funeral, and she had not brought the children. Their mother had seen her granddaughters only when they were babies. “That will be fine,” she answered.
“You’re late,” Harriet told her. “You were supposed to come a week ago.”
“I got held up—literally,” Addy answered. “There was a bank robbery. They took me as a hostage.”
“What!”
Now Addy had the full attention of not only her sister but also the two girls, who gawked at her in near awe. “I’ll tell you all about it when we get to the house. I have some extra newspaper articles about it. I’ll give you one to keep.”
Harriet looked her over. “Are you all right? Did they—”
“I’m fine. They didn’t do me any real harm.”
“That looks like a faint bruise on your face, and the way your hat ribbon is tied—” She looked closer. “There are scratches on your other cheek!”
“I’ll explain. I really am fine, Harriet. Actually it’s been close to two weeks since the day of the robbery. I was returned five days later and I had to rest the next four or five days before getting on the River Queen to come here.” She wondered what Harriet would think if she told her she had grown rather close to one of the outlaws, and had saved his life.
“That’s amazing! You’re such a strong woman, Addy. I could never have survived what you have these last few years, let alone being taken off by outlaws! You must tell us all about it.”
Addy studied her sister’s chubby face, thinking how, in spite of the woman’s wealth, she must surely be bored to death. Addy was certain to experience something different and exciting in the next few weeks—traveling alone to a wild mining town.
From then on she answered endless questions, explaining her entire adventure. She put up with a tour of the “mansion,” listened to her sister chatter about her wealth, found a hotel room, listened to the night sounds of St. Louis, wondering if she would ever see such a civilized place again. In the morning Harriet’s driver brought the family carriage to pick her up and take her back to the docks to board the Missouri Lady, which would take her across Missouri to Independence. This time only Harriet came, and when the driver took Addy’s luggage on board the riverboat, Addy turned to Harriet, both of them realizing they would not likely see each other again.
“Life is strange, Harriet,” Addy said. “We were so happy once.”
Harriet nodded. “I have to abide by my husband,” she repeated, “and I truly am happy, Addy. I always wanted to be a rich lady.”
Addy felt a lump in her throat. “I remember. Father was once moderately wealthy, you know.”
Harriet stiffened. “He threw it all away when he joined the Confederacy and he destroyed his family. And you had to go and marry a southern man on top of it!”
Addy felt a stabbing pain at remembering how it felt to learn Tom was dead. She had never even known where he was buried. Such a short marriage it had been. It all seemed almost unreal now. “I don’t want to talk about the war, Harriet. The war is over, and now you can relax in your own life. I’m going to Colorado and you don’t have to worry about any of it now. You’ve chosen the life you want, and I have chosen mine.”
Harriet blinked back tears. “You should marry again, Addy.”
A gust of wind blew a piece of Addy’s auburn hair across her lips. She grabbed her wide-brimmed hat and re-tied the loosening band that was secured under her chin. “Marriage is the last thing on my mind right now. I’ll be teaching—something I love—the reason I went all the way to Michigan to school. That’s all I care about right now.”
Harriet folded her arms, the feathers in her fancy yellow hat rippling in the breeze. “You always were the independent one. I prefer to let a man take care of me.”
“Oh, yes, I know. But I prefer to know how to take care of myself if the need arises, and that is certainly my situation now. Oh, I don’t mind the thought of falling in love again, but I’m not ready for that right now.” Why did the comment make her think of Nick Coleman? “I’d better get on board, Harriet.” I’ve done my duty coming to see you before I go, for what it was worth. She felt suddenly and terribly alone. She wanted to grab her sister and cry, but she could see the feelings were not mutual. “Good-bye, Harriet.”
“Bye, Addy. Good luck. Write me.”
Addy nodded. “I will.”
A steam whistle blew loud and long twice, signalling passengers to quickly board. The carriage driver and another man came and got Addy’s trunk, and the two sisters just stared at each other a moment longer before Addy turned and walked to the boat. The driver disembarked, tipping his hat to her, and Addy walked the broad plank onto the boat, feeling an overwhelming urge to go to her knees and weep. How many drastic changes in her life could one woman endure without breaking down? The strangest part about this sudden depression was not just her estrangement from her sister, all she’d been through the last few years in Unionville, losing her parents, her husband, all her money … it was the finality of it all.
She really was going to do this. She really was going to Colorado and a new life, with no one left who cared about Addy Kane. And for some reason, it still hurt to imagine Nick Coleman also out there alone, trying to bring some kind of order to his life. So many people left alone by the war, trying to start over.
She turned to wave to Harriet, but she was already gone.
Six
Addy studied the information that had been sent to her by the citizens of Central who had hired her. They had sent her a copy of their newspaper, the Register. She read about the doings of the more prominent citizens, such as Grant Breckenridge, a metallurgist and manager for Chadwick Mines, based in Chicago. A widower of several years, with a son at
tending law school, Mr. Breckenridge was also apparently the biggest shareholder in one of the mines at Central. From various articles she read, it was apparently Breckenridge’s money that backed many of the efforts at “civilizing” the city of Central such as plans for a Methodist church and a new school. Addy did not doubt that it was Breckenridge’s money that was paying her fare.
She smiled at the realization that the Register was not just a newspaper but a good place to read the latest gossip. She was becoming anxious to see what Central really was like. She imagined it was quite wild, and worried she was getting herself into something she might regret. As she sat on a bench on the deck of the Missouri Lady, she carefully scanned each newspaper, alarmed to read that in 1859 there were still only six women in Central! Apparently, as it became more evident just how rich the gold finds were, the population had boomed, for now there were approximately fifteen thousand permanent residents, still mostly men, but enough women and children to warrant a school.
Still, things continued to be quite untamed. Some of the newspaper articles were complaints from citizens asking that “bawdy houses” be closed, specifically naming a place called the “Hurdy Gurdy,” which was located across the street from the newspaper office on Eureka Street. It was called a “dance house,” and was declared by the paper to be a public nuisance. Another house of “ill fame,” the Hard Luck saloon, was also mentioned. Addy shivered at the thought of any woman selling her body.
There were other articles about gunfights, fist fights, the need for more law and order. Two men had recently been shot during a drunken brawl at a tavern. The same problems apparently presented themselves to Black Hawk, a mining town situated just two miles from Central. Addy found the newspapers so interesting that she read them for a third time, wanting to familiarize herself as thoroughly as possible with life in the strange new land where she was headed. According to one article, the area where the cities of Central and Black Hawk were situated was called “The Richest Square Mile on Earth.” Perhaps it was. It certainly had attracted a wild assortment of people, and now with the war over, more would surely go there.
She folded the last newspaper and shoved it into a canvas bag, then rose and walked to the rear of the steamboat, watching the paddle wheel turn lazily, the water splashing rhythmically, almost musically. So far from home. The Missouri Lady would reach Independence soon. After a night’s stay there she would board a train, the Kansas Pacific, which would take her to a town called Abilene, where, according to the letter from the Education Committee of Central, she must be wary of “cow punchers” who sometimes arrived there in great numbers and usually drank heavily. From Abilene she would ride a stagecoach to Denver and into the mountains through a canyon called Clear Creek Canyon. The letter from the Education Committee had warned her not to be alarmed by the sometimes “harrowing” journey. She was assured that the stage drivers were experienced and reliable. “We hope to some day build a better road and perhaps even a railroad from Denver to our town,” the letter had read.
Addy took a deep breath. What was she getting herself into, going to a lawless town where “soiled doves” abounded, as well as gunfights, a place so remotely high in the mountains that it was still difficult to get there by any way but pack mules? She would know no one when she arrived, but there would probably be plenty of women anxious to make friends, since decent women were few in number.
She retrieved her canvas bag and walked up some steps to her cabin, glad that at least those who had sent for her had provided her with very nice accommodations. Even so, traveling alone was not easy. People stared at her often, both men and women. It was unusual to see a woman traveling alone, and she knew she had to be careful. She was an easy target, although after what she had been through in the bank robbery, she supposed nothing much more exciting or fearful could happen to her. Still, she’d had Nick come to her rescue. Where was he now? What path in life would he choose … and why did she find it so difficult to stop thinking about him? Their parting had left an ache in her heart, which was made worse by the way she had left her sister, the way Harriet had just pulled away without even a last wave.
Life was so empty, but maybe it wouldn’t be that way once she reached Central. She closed her cabin door and locked it, hoping that the Education Committee of Central would be pleased with her once they met her. She would be their first female teacher, something people in many areas still did not accept. If they did not want her to teach after all, she was not sure what she would do, where she would go.
“The seat is wiped off, Ma’am.” A Negro train conductor nodded to Addy as she climbed into a passenger car of the Kansas Pacific train that would carry her half way across Kansas. She looked around the car, noticing that nearly everywhere things were stained dark from soot.
“Thank you,” she told the conductor, making her way to the other end of the train. Her baggage had already been loaded, and she was growing weary of travel, yet there was so much ahead of her. The farther she traveled from home, in spite of the bad memories there, the more doubtful she became that she was doing the right thing, although her dream had always been to teach. It was just that her destination was so remote … and she was so alone.
Now she realized how foolish she had been to wear yellow today. It was going to be hot, so she had picked her coolest dress, a light weight cotton with short sleeves and a skirt that was only slightly full. It needed only one slip instead of several, and the scoop neckline was cooler than a high collar. She wore a matching yellow bonnet with a wide front brim that kept the sun off her face, as she had been warned by those who had written her that the farther west she went, the more precautions she must take against the sun. The problem was the train was filthy. The windows were open because of the heat, but that only let in more soot from the engine’s smokestack.
She sat down carefully on a seat the conductor had promised was clean, deciding to sit against the front wall of the coach with a view of the rest of the train car. She hoped that would help protect her from wind and soot, which were both bound to blow in through the window once they got moving.
The train whistle blew three short toots, and her heart tightened when the conductor shouted “All aboard!” Another step in her journey. The trip by steamboat was over, and it had been lonely, as she had kept to her cabin most of the time because she was traveling by herself. Now there was no place to hide. A few passengers were already seated, and more climbed on. Two men who were apparently traveling together spotted her, and they both grinned, one of them pointing at her.
Addy’s heart fell when they approached, obviously deciding to plop down next to her. They both needed a shave and, she suspected, a bath, yet they wore suits, and on one of them, a short, chubby young man, the suit was far too tight. The other man was older, tall and lanky, and his suit was too big in the shoulders, the pants too short. Both apparently felt their clothes made them look respectable and maybe even handsome, and Addy would have laughed if not for the fact that they came to sit beside her, one right next to her, the other in the seat facing her. He was the fat one. “Howdy, ma’am. You travelin’ alone?”
Addy felt sick to her stomach. This would be a long train ride. Would these two stick by her side the entire way? They reeked of perspiration, the strong kind that comes from bodies never washed, even before the heat. “I believe that is my business,” she answered. “I would like you to choose another seat, please. I do not wish to sit with strangers.”
The skinny one beside her nudged her arm. “Well, now, we don’t have to be strangers, if that’s your problem. Where are you headed? We’ll jes’ kind of watch over you, if you like.” His eyes dropped to her chest, and Addy suspected they thought she might be one of those dance hall girls she’d read about, headed west to get rich off men.
“I don’t like.” Addy faced the skinny one, growing angry. “Please sit someplace else. There are several other seats left elsewhere.”
The man grinned, showing two teeth
missing in front. “We’re goin’ to Denver, maybe find us some jobs there … maybe go on up into one of them gold towns and get rich. You like rich men, do you? Maybe you’re one of them war widows who’s lonely and goin’ off to start a new life.”
Addy wanted to cry. This trip was strenuous enough, and she didn’t need to put up with this. She started to speak up when the words caught in her throat at the sight of a tall, broad-shouldered man who entered the car at the last minute. Addy just stared, unable to believe her eyes. Nick!
He walked the length of the car, looking for an empty seat. The search led him to her end of the car, and it was only then that he noticed her. Their gaze held for several seconds, both of them feeling a rush of excitement, astonishment, pleasure. “Addy!” he exclaimed.
Addy swallowed, surprised at how her heart rushed at the sight of him. “Nick, I …” She took advantage of the situation. “These men are upsetting me. I prefer that they sit somewhere else, but they insist on sitting here.”
Nick quickly caught the hint in her eyes. He glanced at the men, both of whom had lost their smiles at the sight of the big man standing there with a gun on his hip. “I suggest you move,” Nick told them. “This woman is a good friend of mine, and I don’t like it when someone upsets her.”
The two men looked at each other, then the skinny one stood up. “Sure, Mister.” He glanced down at Nick’s gun. “Ain’t there a law against carryin’ weapons in Kansas?”
“Not in Abilene, and that’s where I’m headed. In the meantime, mind your own business.”
Addy smiled inwardly at the sureness of Nick’s composure and the sudden nervousness of the two men. She could not help noticing how wonderful Nick looked, wearing clean denim pants that fit his hips fetchingly, a clean red checkered shirt. His hair had been nicely cut, and his handsome face was clean-shaven. She moved her eyes then to the two men Nick was ordering to leave, and she felt guilty for this feeling of joy at seeing Nick Coleman on the same train she was taking.
Until Tomorrow Page 8
