Melinda and the Wild West

by Linda Weaver Clarke

Looking at the envelope, Gilbert breathed a deep sigh, wondering how Melinda would respond to such an unprofessional poem as his. He wrote her name on the envelope and stuck it in his pocket. Immediately he saddled his horse and rode out to Martha’s home. He hoped to surprise her by leaving the poem where Melinda could find it before she arrived from school. His heart was beating erratically from nervousness as he knocked on the door. When Uncle William answered, Gilbert asked for Martha. For some reason, he felt it would be easier to give the envelope to her.

  As he stood in the living room waiting for Martha, he noticed a large box of chocolate candies on the coffee table with Melinda’s name on it. Gilbert inched his way over to them and peered down at the box, which read, “Happy Valentine’s Day, from Henry.”

  A twinge of jealousy and embarrassment shot through him. Gilbert was giving Melinda a silly poem while Henry had given her a large box of chocolates. She would surely love the candy so much more. Feeling embarrassed, he was about to slip the envelope back into his pocket and leave just as Martha entered the room.

  Before he had time to hide the envelope, Martha spoke. “Is that for Melinda?”

  She pointed to the envelope in his hand and he looked down at it. Melinda’s name was written upon it in plain sight. There was nothing he could do about it now. He nodded and gave it to her reluctantly.

  Feeling embarrassed and awkward, Gilbert didn’t know what to say, so he turned to leave.

  Martha touched his arm and said with kindness, “She really likes you, Gilbert. She likes you a lot.”

  Surprised, he turned around and asked. “Do you really think so?”

  “I know so. It’s in her eyes. Whenever I bring your name up at the table, her eyes will sparkle and she’ll listen tentatively. When I bring up Henry’s name, she doesn’t seem to care. And this week when we saw you riding your horse in town and you waved to us as you passed, I looked into her eyes and they were glowing. Gilbert, she’s in love with you. I can tell.”

  Gilbert gave a broad smile.

  With deep concern, she asked, “What are you waiting for? Are you not sure of your heart?”

  He shook his head and sighed. “Martha, we are so different. That’s what bothers me. She may not be able to handle the West. It’s tough here and she may not be happy after a while. An Eastern lady and a rancher is not a great combination.”

  “Do you love her, Gilbert?”

  He looked into her eyes and saw tenderness and understanding. He hesitated and then answered, “Yes, I do.”

  She smiled. “Did you know I came from the East?”

  “But everyone isn’t like you, Martha. You’re a tough woman and the West didn’t scare you.”

  “Gilbert,” Martha said softly with concern lacing her eyes. “I know that something is bothering you and I don’t know what it is. But I have a feeling that it’s much more than just your differences. What are you afraid of, Gilbert? Why are you worrying so much about Melinda becoming unhappy here in the West or even being tough enough?”

  Without thinking, Gilbert blurted out, “I’m not making the same mistake twice.”

  Then he abruptly turned and walked out the door without further explanation.

  Chapter 21

  THE POEM

  When Melinda arrived home from school, she immediately saw the gifts on the coffee table. She noticed the box of chocolates from Henry and then saw the envelope that read, “To Melinda, from Gilbert.” Her spirits soared and her heart fluttered with joy as she quickly ran upstairs to open her letter.

  After placing her books on a small table in her room, she sat upon her bed, crossed her legs, and opened the envelope with care. Sliding the paper out excitedly, she unfolded it and read:

  When first I came upon you

  Wading in the stream,

  You held your skirts with one hand.

  You were barefoot and free.

  Your cheeks were rosy from the sun,

  An auburn curl upon your cheek,

  Your eyes were green like shamrocks,

  And your laughter delighted me.

  Who is this creature, I asked myself?

  A nymph, a charming lady?

  Who is this beautiful person

  That brings happiness to me?

  Tears of joy filled her eyes as she pressed the poem to her breast. The poem was beautiful and she was impressed that he remembered each little detail about her on that first day they met, just as she remembered him. She remembered his soft, deep voice and the flushed look of embarrassment when he had caught himself staring at her.

  As she prepared for the dance that evening, she wondered if Gilbert would be at the dance so she could thank him for the poem. Henry had asked her if he could escort her to the dance and she had accepted. Anxious to get ready, she hurried downstairs to get something to eat.

  When she entered the kitchen, Aunt Martha looked at her and asked nonchalantly. “Did you see the gifts on the coffee table?”

  “Yes, I did,” she said in a coy manner.

  “Wasn’t that sweet of Henry?”

  “It certainly was.”

  “I noticed that Gilbert dropped something by, also.”

  When she saw Martha searching her eyes curiously, Melinda nodded with a smile. The happiness she felt was indescribable and she could not put it into words.

  As she helped her aunt fix the meal, Martha looked at her and said, “I finished your dress today. It’s going to look lovely on you, Melinda.”

  “Do you think so?”

  “I know so. I hung it up in your wardrobe. After we eat, go try it on.”

  Melinda immediately wrapped her arms around her aunt and gave her a lingering hug. “Thank you, Aunt Martha. I truly appreciate it.”

  When Henry picked Melinda up for the dance, she was not quite ready. He waited impatiently and paced the living room floor. It took Melinda a little longer than usual to get ready and they were about half an hour late to the dance. As they entered the Social Hall, the music was already playing. Henry took her coat and left the room to hang it up while she stood alone at the entrance.

  Melinda looked like a valentine, dressed in a red silk gown that gathered at the waist and hung gracefully around her hips, skimming the tops of her shoes. The bodice of the dress was snugly fitted, which emphasized her slim waist and the gentle curves of her body. The sleeves were gathered at the shoulder and hung freely to her elbows. There was nothing elaborate about the dress, but it did look elegant and the color seemed to compliment her creamy complexion. Her rich auburn hair was in a loose bun with a few ringlets hanging along her neckline.

  When Gilbert saw this vision of loveliness standing at the door, his mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. Her beauty had taken his breath away and he could not take his eyes off her. She looked absolutely radiant in red and her dress was very flattering to her figure. His eyes swept over her, taking in her beauty. Gilbert was speechless. When their eyes met, she smiled and his spirits rose and a warm glow filled his soul.

  “How can I possibly talk to her when she looks like this?” he thought to himself. “She’s so…so…” He couldn’t seem to find adequate words to express how he felt.

  He watched Henry walk up to her, slide his hand around her waist, and lead her to the dance floor. Gilbert’s eyes followed her and he noticed how gracefully she moved across the floor. She had such poise. She seemed as if she were as light as a feather with every movement she made. Her charm and gracefulness gave her a sort of ethereal beauty. It was a delight to watch someone with such ease in every step.

  Gilbert’s pleasant thoughts were suddenly interrupted. One of his friends walked up to him, pounded him on the back, and asked, “Gilbert, what are you doing here? I’ve never seen you at a dance function all the years I’ve known you.”

  “Just decided to try coming once. But this may be the first and last time you ever see me at one of these. I’m not a dancer.”

  “So, did you come for the food and to socialize?”
>
  Gilbert grinned inside. He knew what he had come for but he was not about to tell them.

  “Yup.”

  That was all he said. Soon the conversation went to farming, cattle, fencing, and all the rest of the gossip around town.

  “Gilbert, I heard that new schoolteacher is dating Henry. They’ve been dating for some time now. I overheard Henry saying that he was going to ask her to marry him sometime soon. But I don’t know when.”

  This was not what Gilbert wanted to hear. After noticing that Henry had danced with Melinda for six dances in a row, he wondered if Henry was going to monopolize her the whole evening. All he had to do was wait for the proper moment so he could get her alone.

  When he saw Henry take her to the snack table to get a drink, Gilbert became quite annoyed with him. Frustrated, he wondered if he would ever get a chance to talk with her alone that evening. He needed to say what was on his mind before he got cold feet.

  Quickly he came up with an idea. He whispered to his friends that he needed to talk to his daughter’s teacher about something very serious that had to do with Jenny and how he needed to talk to her alone. His friend smiled and said, “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it. We’ll keep him busy while you take her aside.”

  Gilbert grinned. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

  When he noticed his friends talking to Henry and how they had turned him away from Melinda, he knew this would be his only chance. He quickly strode across the Social Hall and grabbed Melinda’s hand, pulling her toward the entrance. Once outside, he shut the door behind them.

  “Melinda, if I have to kidnap you from Henry, then that’s what I’ll have to do.”

  Melinda laughed. “I’m glad because I’ve been wanting to talk to you, too. I wanted to thank you for that lovely poem.” She hesitated for a moment, looking down at her shoes, and then continued in a softer tone, “It really touched my heart. No one’s ever written a poem for me before. The thought that you actually wrote a poem just for me…oh, Gilbert…” The words would not come and emotion constricted her speech. She didn’t know how to express enough gratitude.

  When Melinda looked up into Gilbert’s eyes, he was touched. He could see how she felt as she spoke and he was pleased. “Melinda, let’s take a walk. If you get cold, we’ll come back.”

  Gilbert took his coat off and wrapped it around her shoulders, then took her warm hand in his as they walked slowly in the snow. The touch of her hand was thrilling as they walked side by side. Gilbert wanted to talk, but the words would not come. He knew he needed to tell her of his concerns and see how she would react to them. But more than anything, he just wanted to be near Melinda and feel her sweet spirit.

  The snow crunched beneath their feet with each step they took. The air was cool, but not crisp enough to freeze their ears and noses. Gilbert looked over at Melinda and gently squeezed her hand to let her know that he was glad to be with her.

  When he squeezed her hand, Melinda’s heart skipped a beat and she took a deep breath as she smiled back at him. She noticed that he looked quite handsome as they walked hand in hand. She had never seen him dressed like this before, in his black woolen vest and black bolo tie over a long-sleeved white shirt.

  “Gilbert, how did you remember so much about me on that first day we met? You have such a good memory.”

  “Oh, my mind is like a steel trap…old and rusty.”

  Melinda laughed and Gilbert joined her.

  With curiosity, she asked, “Gilbert, where are you originally from?”

  “A days journey south of here.”

  “Is that where you met your wife?”

  Melinda had broken the barrier between them without even knowing it. This was exactly what he needed to talk about and he needed to see her reaction. Now he could express his concerns.

  “Yes. She and her parents had just arrived from the East. They had been here for six months when they decided they didn’t like it in the West. They missed the East and all its social life. I had only known Molly for two months and I fell for her. We didn’t know one another very well, but I didn’t want her to leave, so I asked her to marry me. She accepted and we got married and moved here the day after we were married. Molly and I were very different and our goals were different, but I thought that our differences would mesh together into one and soon we would have very few differences. But it didn’t work out that way and she was very unhappy.”

  “How were you different?”

  Gilbert kicked a chunk of snow out of the way and looked at Melinda. “She was a city girl from the East. She loved parties and dances and the social life. I didn’t. I was a farm boy and I wanted to have a ranch of my own. I loved her a lot, Melinda. I would have done anything for her.”

  He sighed. “Everyone thought we had an ideal marriage because we never argued. She always wanted to please me, but that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to know her opinions, her likes, and her dislikes. If we could only have had a few disagreements so I could’ve just known where I stood in our marriage, I would have liked it. I wanted to know her feelings inside but she kept them from me. I suspected she was unhappy and missed the East and all its finery. One day I found a letter she wrote to her parents that was lying on the table. She had expressed her unhappiness to them and her longing to return home for a visit. My heart wrenched when I read those words. Why hadn’t she expressed them to me? Why couldn’t we talk?”

  Gilbert’s voice became constricted with emotion and he quickly cleared his throat and continued. “When she was with child, her health went downhill because of the morning sickness. She couldn’t keep anything down. When I saw how unhappy she was, that was when I realized that the West was too tough for her. And when Jenny was born, she died. I blamed myself for her death because I felt I should have been more in tune to her feelings and I wasn’t. If I had only known how unhappy she was, then I would have tried harder to make her life easier. We had only been married for nine months and then she was gone.”

  Melinda’s heart went out to Gilbert. She squeezed his hand and said, “But you can’t blame yourself. Complications happen in pregnancy even in the city. And you say that because of your differences she was unhappy. That may not have been the reason. She had morning sickness and was miserable for several months. When one is miserable, that’s when we long for home. Her longing to be with her parents is only natural. You have assumed that it was your differences, but you may have been wrong.”

  Gilbert shook his head. “But…”

  “Hey,” interrupted Melinda. “Sometimes differences are good and we can help one another grow. My parents were as different as night and day. My father was a city lawyer. My mother was a country girl. She was a spiritual woman and my father knew nothing of spiritual things. But because of his love for her, he tried hard by reading the scriptures and going to church with her. Their differences gradually decreased with time. But there were two differences that never changed—their personalities and temperaments.”

  “Temperaments?”

  “Yes. My father is a calm and even-tempered man and my mother is vivacious and has the Irish temper…” she hesitated and quickly put her hand to her mouth as she looked up at Gilbert.

  He grinned from ear to ear. Melinda knew he had remembered their discussion about her “Irish temper.”

  She flushed a rosy color and then continued her thoughts. “What I mean is that she has a mind of her own. She is a strong-headed woman, but my father loves her the way she is. So, you see, differences aren’t always bad. They can complement a marriage. Besides, she knew you wanted to be a rancher so she didn’t complain. She wanted you to be happy. In other words, she must have had a great deal of love for you, and I can see why. You’re a very gentle and loving man. You care for others, including those who work for you.”

  Out of the door came Henry, yelling at the top of his voice, “Melinda. Hey, Melinda. Come on in. Let’s dance.” He sounded a little irritable and impatient.

  “I’ll be right
there, Henry.” She turned to Gilbert and gave a dry smile. “He brought me here. I must go, Gilbert.”

  He squeezed her hand gently to thank her for the words that she had said, but did not say a thing. He felt speechless after everything she had just told him.

  Melinda felt the warmth of Gilbert’s hand around hers as he squeezed it and then she reluctantly slid her hand from his. She slipped off his coat and handed it to him and then walked toward Henry. After a few steps, she stopped and turned around. Her love for this man was evident as she gave him one last glance. When their eyes met, she smiled lovingly and her eyes sparkled as she softly gazed into the depths of his dark eyes. Then she quickly turned and continued on her way.

  As Gilbert watched her, he thought about what she had said to him. She had said that some differences could be valuable and help people grow while other differences diminish with time. As he thought about it, his wife’s goals would become his goals and his goals would become hers. Gilbert liked that idea. Then he thought about the last thing she had said just before she left: “She must have had a great deal of love for you, and I can see why.” He smiled. Melinda knew just how to uplift him and make him feel good about himself.

  As he watched the woman he dearly loved walk toward the Social Hall, he saw her look up at Henry. They were discussing something and Henry was not happy at all. Melinda shook her head at him and then she put her hands on her hips in a stubborn and indignant stance.

  Gilbert chuckled. He had seen that stance before and he knew that she was not happy. Then Henry tried to make up to her and put his arm around her shoulder, but Melinda pushed him away and stomped up the steps.

  Gilbert chuckled again as he gazed after her. “What a spunky woman!”

  Chapter 22

  SKUNK OIL

  It was now March. The weather had warmed up but the snow was still in the tops of the mountains and was melting in the valley of Paris. The warmth created restlessness among the students and Melinda noticed that it was harder for them to concentrate on their studies.