The Journey Home

by K'Anne Meinel

  Cass carried each of the crates one at a time into the barn and left the occupants in their assorted crates inside each run. There would be a pecking order when the new birds were let out but for now they would be thoroughly examined by her current flocks and safe from them in their crates. She had released the puppies and the boys were enjoying chasing after them as they ran smelling smells all over the yard. Tommy was a little more unsteady on his legs as he ran after his brother who kept the puppies going from pillar to post. Shia came wagging towards Cass and then discovered these two new interlopers. Her last litter was over a year ago so she seemed surprised to find two puppies in her yard. She growled slightly at the strangers but Cass silenced her with a few words talking to her instead of commanding her. She thoroughly sniffed these new babies but realizing they were babies seemed to calm her. They both threw themselves on their back for her realizing her superiority and she accepted them on that basis. They tried to follow her which was laughable as Cass watched. Timmy came over and Cass explained that you should never approach a strange dog without letting them smell your hand first to show you were friendly. Tommy listened but came no closer as Shia sniffed Timmy thoroughly and then wagged her tail in friendship. She let him pet her and that was that.

  Cass quickly let the cows into the barn pushing the yearling into another stall so she could quickly milk the cow. She hung the full pail up by the back door before unloading the rest of the wagon by the back door and driving into the garage and unhitching the patiently waiting horses and taking them to the barn. She brushed each of them down, especially where the traces had rubbed along their beautiful bodies. They ate their dinners quietly as she expertly groomed them, removing all traces of sweat and dirt. She opened their doors to the outside so they could come and go at will into their own paddocks before she hurried back to the house to take her supplies inside. She saw that Stephanie had started dinner, its aroma smelling delicious and she quickly put the foodstuffs in the pantry before going outside again and hauling their trunk inside and to the bottom of the stairs where Stephanie had placed the travel bags. She went back outside and locked the puppies up in a stall with food and water. Shia joined them by jumping over the door easily, it was a little high but she used her legs and climbed. There was no chance of the puppies getting out on their own but she settled down with them and they seemed content to accept her as a foster mother. Cass smiled indulgently.

  “You boys hungry?” she asked the two who had followed the puppies faithfully and were peeking through holes between the wood.

  They both nodded and she could see they already needed a wash. She closed up the barn and they headed to the house. She could feel a cold wind starting and she looked west at the accumulating clouds. She hoped it wouldn’t snow anymore but it was only April in Wisconsin so anything was possible. She was just grateful she had gone all the way to Wausau and back with a bright and clear day. The boys copied her scraping their shoes as she did her boots on the lower step to the left of the main steps. She opened the door to the porch, she clumped up the stairs followed by the boys and in they all went to the enclosed back porch. She removed her boots and left them on the porch. The boys copied her and removed their shoes. She took off her outer jacket and hat and hung it on pegs by the door. Timmy handed her his and helped Tommy off with his little coat which she hung on lower pegs she had used herself as a child. She smiled encouragingly to them as she opened the heavy outer door to the house. It smelled heavenly.

  “Come on and I’ll show you boys where to wash up for dinner okay?” Cass asked them as Stephanie smiled seeing the three of them. Cass walked down the hall to the powder room in her stocking feet and showed the awed boys that they had indoor water by just turning a handle on the faucet. She washed her hands and face and used the towel to dry both. She helped Timmy first and then boosted Tommy up to help him as he didn’t quite reach. “We will have to get you a step so you can do this yourself huh?” she asked him. She was sure he had no idea what she was asking as he silently nodded. She quickly checked her hair in the mirror and then took her comb and combed the both the boy’s hair back. Each had fairly straight hair but on Tommy it was much longer, he must not have had his first haircut and it ended in ringlets. It was endearingly cute and Cass enjoyed playing with the curls for a moment on the little toddler. The three of them presented themselves for dinner and Stephanie smiled to see their washed and clean faces, the boys hair parted and neatly combed.

  Cass directed the boys to sit on the side of the table and took a seat herself at the end. Stephanie soon had the fried potatoes and beans on the table and dished up the meat cutting the smaller piece into even smaller pieces for the boys to handle themselves. She sat next to Tommy to help him with his meal. “Shall we pray?” she asked Cass as she waited patiently for her to sit herself.

  They bowed their heads and Cass was pleased to hear the familiar words, “Come Lord Jesus be our guest and with these gifts to us be blessed. Amen.” It had been awhile since a prayer had been spoken aloud in this house.

  Cass dug into her meal. It wasn’t beef as Stephanie had thought but venison. Cal had brought deer several times this winter and they utilized the meat. It was delicious as Cass made sure to leave a few stalks of corn in each field for the deer to eat off of. Sometimes deer were too gamey for her taste and letting them eat some of the corn made the meat taste better. “This is good,” she commented to make conversation with Stephanie.

  “I see you’re well stocked, do you can the vegetables and meat yourself?” Stephanie asked in a soft voice.

  Cass nodded, “It’s getting to be too much though, I just don’t have as much time to do it all. I welcome the help. Do you know how to can?”

  Stephanie nodded, “I know how to make sweet smelling soap too, are the ashes in the fireplace or heater all wood?”

  “Not the fireplace ones but the heater in the living room and the one downstairs are all wood ash, mostly hardwoods...those are best for making soap.”

  Stephanie nodded, “Good, I’ll start saving the fat from our meals.”

  Cass was pleased; Stephanie was making plans for the future. She must like it here. “My mother was able to make scented soaps, they never stung,” she commented. “Maybe I could find her recipes.”

  Stephanie smiled, “I’d like that, I have a couple I might be able to remember but scents are so important. I see you have a churn, do you make butter?” she indicated the churn standing in a corner.

  Cass looked at it in surprise. It had stood there so long she had forgotten its existence. It must have been her grandmother’s. “Actually, when I make butter I use a rocker,” she answered.

  “A rocker?” the blonde asked confused.

  “It’s a barrel on its side on rockers so you can sit as you churn and do something else. It’s pretty handy and works very well,” Cass smiled. “I think I have it in a shed. It’s been awhile since I made butter, there’s just too much to do.”

  “Well, I’d be happy to make it if you want?” Stephanie asked hesitantly not sure really where she should begin.

  “I’d like that. Bossy is still fresh, and she’s due to calf any day so her milk production won’t let up, in fact it will only increase. I feed most of it to the chickens.”

  “To the chickens!” Stephanie exclaimed before she could help herself. She was just aghast at the waste!

  “And the dog,” Cass added grinning. “There really is too much for just one person but I’m sure we will find a use for it now,” she glanced at the two boys her eyes twinkling.

  Stephanie was pleased at how Cass had reacted to the boys. Both of the boys were tired despite their naps on the way up here to the farm. They ate with healthy appetites and Stephanie realized the sandwiches she had been able to buy at train stops hadn’t really been enough for these two growing boys. She also realized a weight of strain had been taken off her shoulders by Cass’s offer to let them stay. They finished up their dinner and Cass helped her with the dishes des
pite her saying she could do it alone. Cass showed the boys around the downstairs as Stephanie finished drying the dishes and wiping up after their meal and her preparations, leaving the kitchen in a cleaner state than when she had started. It all needed a good cleaning and she would see it got one in the coming days.

  Cass picked up Stephanie’s trunk proving once again she hadn’t needed help at the depot. Stephanie could see she had broad, well developed shoulders, a necessity with farm life, tremendous strength a result. She effortlessly carried it up the steep steps of the farm house to the second floor. The boys crawled up the stairs they were so steep and Stephanie followed anxiously right behind them worried that one of them would fall as she carried the bags. Cass carried it up the stairs and along a long hallway lining the stairs past a large bathroom to another hallway. She set it down there while she waited for her guests to join her.

  “That’s the room that my parents designated the ‘girls room’ and there is the ‘boys room’ but it has a lot of stuff stored in it. I think there is a crib in there that we can find and clean-up for this little guy,” she put her hand on Tommy’s curls and smiled affectionately. “At least until that one,” she glanced at Stephanie’s stomach meaningfully, “Makes an appearance. Down here is the master room, you can sleep there and I’ll sleep down in the den.”

  “Nonsense, I’m not going to put you out of your own bedroom. We can share a bed if you don’t mind,” Stephanie said.

  Cass looked at her in momentary surprise. Then she shrugged and picked up the trunk once more to carry it down the long hallway to the bedroom. She set it down and turned to turn on the electric light enveloping the room in its brightness from a central bulb over their heads. A bedroom set was visible with matching dressers and a large queen sized bed. End tables were on each side of the bed. Cass moved the trunk to the end of the bed and indicated one of the dressers a long low one she said, “That one’s empty, feel free to use it or hang what you have in the closet,” she indicated a door on the wall to their right on the other side of the other dresser.

  “Let’s put the boys in the ‘girls’ room tonight,” Stephanie said as they both peeped around her legs into the big bedroom staring up at the central electric light in awe.

  Cass indicated Stephanie should walk before her as they returned down the narrow hall and went into the bedroom. It had pink wallpaper and a twin bed. It had been Cass’s bedroom for her entire life until her parents passed away and she began to sleep in their room for the extra space. “You said you had a crib?” Stephanie asked as she looked around the feminine room thinking it would make a wonderful nursery and she hoped this time she would have a girl.

  “Yes, I’ll look in the other room tomorrow. For tonight can he sleep in a drawer or with his brother?” she asked.

  “A drawer?” Stephanie asked alarmed.

  Cass laughed at the mental image her guest might have been getting. “We can pull one of the empties out of the dresser and put it on the floor with a pillow and blankets so he doesn’t roll out.”

  Stephanie joined in the laughter and realized what a good idea it was.

  “Why don’t you wash the boys in the bathtub and get them ready for bed while I lock up the barn and then the house. There should be plenty of hot water for you to take a warm bath too if you want,” Cass told her. She knew Stephanie had to be exhausted from the trip and stress of today.

  Stephanie looked at her gratefully. “I can’t thank you enough for your generosity,” she said quietly and earnestly.

  Cass grinned a sideways grin and said, “You’ll earn it.” She turned and headed for the stairs.

  Stephanie took out the boys nightclothes and placed the bag near the bed. This room too had a dresser; it was the perfect height to change a baby she thought as she looked delightedly about the room. The pink though made the room decidedly feminine and she was glad the boys were too young to realize it was a ‘girls’ room. They followed her and stared in awe as she turned the faucets adjusting the heat of the water. No more pumping water and then heating equal amounts on a stove hoping for a warm bath. Hot water magically came out of the faucets. She had them both use the toilet thanking God that Tommy was potty trained early, they liked the novelty of using a toilet indoors and not an outhouse or a bucket and flushing was fun to watch. She soon had both boys stripped and plutching in the water, she admonished them not to splash too much as she didn’t want the water all over the floor. She left Timmy in the tub while she used a fluffy white towel to dry Tommy who didn’t want to get out of the tub and squawked accordingly. She shushed the tired toddler and carried him to the bedroom and tucked him in the bed. “I’ll tell you a story when I bring Timmy in here,” she told him knowing he would stay there for about ten minutes if she was lucky. She got Timmy quickly out of the tub, equally reluctant to leave the warm water and the novelty of the bathtub. The amount of dust and grime they had accumulated on the trip amazed her as she watched the water drain from the tub. She dried Timmy leaving a healthy pink glow to his skin before whisking him to the bedroom to change into his nightclothes. She settled him in bed next to his little brother pushing the bed next to the wall so Tommy couldn’t roll out without rolling over his brother and fetched a book for them from her trunk. She was amazed how easily Cass had moved it; she had to have a man from next door fetch it to her waiting taxi when she left home. She read to the boys and in no time at all they were both asleep, the excitement of the day, the long trip, and good hot food had all conspired to exhaust them. The warm bath had relaxed them enough that they were both asleep quickly. She left their door ajar as she turned out the light. She went to the master bedroom and looked around again pleased with the matched set of furniture, it was a pleasant room and she was pleased that Cass would share it with her. It was almost like having a sister again. It had been years since she shared a bed with anyone other than her husband but growing up her sister and she had shared their bed until her sister died at the age of thirteen of polio. She missed her still. Sighing at the sad thought she picked up her own nightclothes from her bag and grabbing a robe she headed to the bathroom for her own anticipated bath.

  Cass locked up the barn such as she could. The horses usually were allowed to come and go into the barn but she sensed a storm coming up and knowing spring storms in Wisconsin could be quite heavy she whistled them back in and closed the connecting doors to the paddock. The deep hay in their box stalls would keep them happy until morning. She made sure all of them had water and checked on the cow and the yearling. They had finished their dinners as well and she made sure they were well watered. She checked that the small doors leading to the chicken, duck, and geese runs were closed enticing the birds inside with their nightly feed. She wedged the doors shut to prevent anything that could get through her fences from getting in the barn. She had doubled the fences after the last wholesale slaughter of her chickens by a fox that had dug under her last set. Now the fences went down three feet and were doubled with a small and narrow walkway around the entire runs and another fence three feet down and six feet up and over the top. It was a well maintained fence too; she wasn’t raising these poultry to feed foxes, coyotes, or wolves, and especially not hawks, owls, or falcons or a host of other varmints such as raccoons, mink, or anything else. It wasn’t fool proof but it did allow her some semblance of comfort after losing her flock a couple of times over the years.

  She checked on the dogs and found Shia curled up with the two pups laying against her tightly for warmth. Shia looked up to see if Cass wanted anything and then wagging her tail politely curled back around the pups to sleep. Cass knew if anything came around the barn that Shia would climb up to the hay chute and be out of the barn in a flash after whatever threatened ‘her’ stock. She took her duties seriously especially since the death of her mate. She would teach these pups well Cass hoped. She had to think of names for the new puppies. Maybe she would let Timmy or Stephanie help her. Locking the barn behind her she headed over to the well house w
ith a lantern to check on it. She didn’t come in here often but she knew Cal had been around and the well house would be where he had been. She found signs of his presence in the shape of skins he left for her to take to town next time she was there. She left the money for the skins she had traded that day in a coffee can that was hidden under a loose board in the corner for him to take when he needed. He didn’t often go to town and almost never to Merrill. It had been years that people had seen him around. He was that elusive. Cass herself barely saw him but a few times a year. He spent most of his time roaming the deep woods of Wisconsin or into Upper Michigan, Minnesota or even into Canada, trapping and hunting in season. He didn’t like people and they didn’t particularly like him either. It was system that worked out well for everyone. Cal knew that Cass wouldn’t cheat him and once had even let her use a share of his stashed money to buy new stock after the varmints had wiped her out. As she put his money in the can she realized he had quite a lot saved in this can and she carefully put it back in its hideaway hoping no one else ever found it.