River Queen Rose

by Shirley Kennedy

  “I’m worried, but I think the safest place for them is here.”

  “Go see them. I got hold of a dinghy. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but soon as you get back, we’re going to pay a visit to Mason Talbot.”

  * * * *

  Not in Deke’s wildest imagination had he ever pictured Mitch and himself rowing along Front Street, but with the river rising ever higher, their dinghy was the only way to reach the Egyptian Hotel. At least three feet of water surrounded every hotel and saloon they passed. Those establishments housed in tents were already done for, a sorry sight with their collapsed canvas walls lying atop ruined gaming tables. On lower ground than the River Queen, Fanny Wentworth’s Silver Star Hotel had not fared well. As they passed, desperate-looking guests were hanging out the second-story windows. Out front, Fanny herself sat in a rowboat holding a bulging valise on her lap. “Ah, the ice men,” she called. “The cellar’s long gone, boys, and so’s the beer.”

  “That’s the least of our worries,” Deke hollered back.

  “Everything’s gone. All you can do is save yourselves.”

  “Good luck, Fanny.” No time for conversation. Deke pulled harder on his oar.

  They had almost reached the Egyptian Hotel when Mitch asked, “What are you going to do when we get there?”

  Mitch’s question gnawed at his faltering confidence. He must get Rose’s daughter back, but how was he going to do it? A couple of punches in the nose and Mason would talk? Fine, if it worked, but Deke wasn’t sure it would. “I don’t know what I’m going to do yet, Mitch. Just keep rowing.”

  Of all the hotels, the Egyptian sat closest to the river. Even so, Deke had assumed the large, three-story building would survive the flood, but when they drew close, Mitch pointed at the north wall. “See there! It’s sagging.”

  Several feet of swift, churning water surrounded the building, the main flow striking hard against the north wall, which looked as if it might collapse at any moment. The Egyptian appeared big and pretentious, but it was constructed of wood, probably cheap, flimsy wood that couldn’t withstand the powerful force of water. In front of the hotel, a disorderly collection of dinghies and row boats was hauling disheveled-looking guests away. A couple of large, flat-bottomed barges were tethered close to the entrance. Two men waded toward one of them, each clutching a large picture. Deke recognized Rudy Avery, Mason’s employee, who’d been his second at the duel. “Hey, Rudy,” he called. “Isn’t it time to save yourself? Looks like this place will float away any second.”

  Rudy caught sight of Deke and Mitch. “For God’s sake, come help. All Mr. Talbot cares about is his fancy art collection. If I don’t save his priceless paintings, he’ll blame me, not the flood.”

  By God, that’s it!

  Under less dire circumstances, Deke might have given a whoop and thrown his hat in the air. Instead, he turned to Mitch. “Looks like I won’t have to punch Talbot in the nose after all.” Maybe God had a hand in it. Certainly Mitch would think so. All Deke knew was, he had his answer. “Sure, Rudy!” He reached for a rope to tie the dinghy. “Come on, Mitch, let’s lend our friend a hand.”

  * * * *

  Only minutes later, the north wall of the Egyptian had completely collapsed and the west wall was beginning to sag. When Deke waded through the main entrance, he expected to find the place abandoned. Instead, men Deke recognized as Mason’s employees had formed a chain from the restaurant to the entrance and were frantically passing chairs, linen, china, all manner of valuable items from Mason’s beloved Le Chantecler, to be loaded onto the second barge. Mason himself stood halfway up the main staircase, shouting directions, urging his men to move faster.

  Deke reached the bottom of the staircase and peered up at him. “Why haven’t you left? Your whole hotel is about to collapse and you’re standing there?”

  When Talbot looked down and saw Deke, his expression turned ugly. “You think I have time to talk to the likes of you? Can’t you see I’m busy here? Get out of my sight, you ice peddler.”

  Deke sprang up the stairs to where he was standing. “What have you done with Lucy Peterson?”

  Mason gritted his teeth. He looked as if he might explode. “I don’t have time to talk.”

  “Then make the time. If you don’t, you’ll lose all those precious pictures of yours.”

  Mason’s eyes went wide with alarm. “What do you mean?”

  “I have your art collection. All of it.”

  The color started draining from his face. “You have my Rafael?”

  “Yep.”

  “My Donatello?”

  “Whatever it’s called, I’ve got it. Every painting in that fancy collection of yours is sitting on a boat you’ll never find. You want it back? Then give me answers. If you lie, the fish on the bottom of Suisun Bay will soon be nibbling at your Rafael, your Donatello, and all those other fancy pictures of yours.”

  “So what do you want?”

  Deke told him exactly what he wanted. “And one more thing. Rudy got tricked. It wasn’t his fault, and I don’t want you blaming him.”

  “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

  From below, a voice called, “Mr. Talbot?” Rudy Avery stood in three feet of water, hat in hand.

  Mason peered down at him. “What’s going on, Rudy?”

  “They stole the boat right out from under me. Took your whole collection.”

  Mason gasped, grabbed the railing, and turned to Deke. “So it’s true?”

  “Yep.”

  “Why, you…you…!” For once, glib-tongued Mason Talbot found himself at a loss for words.

  Deke looked upward. “For God’s sake, give me an answer before the roof caves in.”

  Mason’s mouth worked. His eyes kept shifting as if he was desperately searching for a way out of his dilemma. Finally his shoulders sagged in defeat. “I’ll tell you everything,” he said in a sick whisper. “Here’s where you’ll find Lucy…”

  After Deke got all the information he needed, he peered down at the remains of the first floor. The fast-rising, muddy, debris-filled water had ruined everything, and that included Mason’s priceless mahogany bar, his fancy gaming tables, and his beloved French restaurant. An odd cracking sound came from the back wall, as if giving a warning it, too, was about to go. The men in the chain started scattering, suddenly beyond caring what the boss would say.

  Deke started down the stairs. He turned in time to see the owner of the Egyptian climbing the staircase. “What are you doing?”

  Mason stopped and turned. “Get out of my hotel.” His eyes seemed remote, as if he wasn’t really there.

  “Time to get out, Talbot. Your hotel’s about to fall around your ears.”

  Mason continued up the staircase. The back wall groaned again.

  Deke got out of there fast.

  * * * *

  Where was Deke? Had he found Lucy? In an agony of suspense, Rose fought to keep her fragile control as she worked with the others to save what they could. So far the sandbags had held, but for how much longer? The water continued to flow through the street. When she found a moment to look outside, she could hardly believe some of the items that were beginning to float past: large logs, furniture, what looked like a chicken coop. A kind of controlled panic prevailed inside the hotel. Tim, Jake, Cecil, Gus, Gaston, Drucilla, the third-floor girls—everyone pitched in to help. Nothing could be done about the heavy wood gambling tables, but lighter items were removed to the second floor. Along with Gaston and Gus, Rose worked nonstop in the restaurant, piling chairs and tables high as they could. “There’s not much we can do about your beautiful carpet,” she lamented to Gaston. “What a shame if we lose it.”

  “Don’t give it a thought, madame. Lives come first. Anything else can be replaced.”

  Gaston’s reply surprised her, but as the day went by, she’
d found him to be a tower of strength. She had supposed her temperamental chef would fall apart at the thought his beautiful new restaurant was about to be inundated and ruined. Instead, in a calm, capable manner he’d led them in their efforts to rescue what they could. Eventually Drucilla joined Rose, helping to clear the kitchen cabinets of pots and pans. “Do you think they’ll be all right?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure.” Aside from Rose’s concern over Lucy, let alone the River Queen, she worried over the fate of her in-laws. Coralee was capable of taking care of herself, but she wasn’t sure about Ben anymore. Since Emmet died, he’d aged a lot and didn’t have the strength he used to have. And Raymond was Raymond. Anything could happen. “They’re so close to the river. I can only hope they haven’t been flooded out.”

  Gaston overheard. “I’ll take care of it.”

  He meant what he said. As soon as they’d done all they could do in the dining room, he found a small boat and recruited Gus to help him row. Out front, from behind the sandbags, Rose and Drucilla saw them off.

  Jake was standing nearby. “Better get upstairs,” he said. “Looks like we’re losing the battle.”

  Despite frantic efforts, a steady stream of water began to seep through the sandbags. With a heavy heart, Rose joined the others headed for the second floor. Where was Deke? These past hours, she’d done all she could to save the River Queen, but not for a moment had she forgotten Lucy. Her hotel might be flooding, and everything ruined, but all she really cared about was finding her little girl.

  Deke arrived just as the water had begun to flow freely through the double doors and spread throughout the main saloon. Rose had been sitting at the top of the staircase helplessly watching. “Deke!” she called when she saw him.

  She held her breath as he came up the stairs and sank down beside her. “I know where Lucy is. Mason said she’s all right and I believe him. We’ve got a problem, though.”

  Chapter 21

  Deke didn’t bother to tell Rose how he got Mason to talk. She wouldn’t be interested and would only want to know if her daughter was all right and where to find her. “If Mason told the truth, he had Lucy taken to his gold mine, the Majestic. It’s above Hangtown. The family that lives there is taking care of her.”

  Rose slammed her hand to her heart. “She’s in the mountains?”

  “Yes, but that’s the problem. It’s stopped raining around Sacramento, but higher up they’re saying it’s been raining steadily. It fell eighty hours straight at Hangtown. Around Downieville, the north fork of the Yuba River has carried away most of the bridges.”

  “But we can get up there, can’t we?”

  He could hardly look into her pleading eyes. Hated to say what he had to say. “The trails are impassable. Nobody can get up there right now.”

  “But soon?” she asked in an agonized whisper.

  “The minute I can.” He wasn’t telling her all of it. Far from it. He hadn’t told her what he’d heard about the calamitous storms that had struck the entire mountain area. Many homes had been destroyed, bridges gone, roads washed away. No supplies had gotten through for days, and people were starving. He wouldn’t tell Rose that, although she’d probably find out soon enough. “They’re getting together a rescue party that’ll leave as soon as it can. I’ll be part of it.”

  “So will I.”

  “You? I know how worried you are about Lucy, but it’s not a good idea. Judging from what they tell me, it’ll be tough getting up there. I hate to say it, you being such an independent woman, but there are some things a man can do that a woman can’t.”

  “This woman can.”

  “Stubborn, aren’t you?”

  “I want my daughter back.” She cut him a sharp look that dared him to argue.

  If he didn’t take her, he wouldn’t be surprised if she tried to get up there by herself. “I’ll see what I can do.” Something else weighed on his mind. “That’s not all you should know.”

  She managed a wry smile. “More bad news? Haven’t I had enough for one day?”

  “The Egyptian Hotel is gone. Collapsed and carried away by the flood.”

  “That beautiful hotel? What a shame.”

  “That’s not the half of it. Looks like Mason Talbot’s gone, too.” He described the last time he’d seen Mason, heading up the stairway to the second floor, not seeming to care his hotel was about to collapse on his head. Only a minute after Deke had made his way outside, the walls of the Egyptian had caved in. The building had broken apart and portions of it swept downstream. “I didn’t see Mason Talbot get out, and I don’t think he did.”

  Her reaction was what he expected. Not wasting time on false sentiments of regret, she whispered, “Oh, my God,” and stared at him in alarm. “How will we know where Lucy is if he was lying?”

  He couldn’t find a good answer. “I don’t know, Rose. There must be others who know where she is. We’d have to find them.”

  He thought she might start to cry, but she didn’t. With a deep, shuddering breath she declared, “I can only pray the rain stops soon. Oh, Deke, what if we never find her?”

  * * * *

  When Gaston and Gus rowed back to the River Queen, they weren’t alone. Ben, Coralee, and Raymond huddled wet, cold, and miserable in the back of the boat. After an ecstatic greeting from Rose and Drucilla, the three refugees were made comfortable on the second floor. Coralee explained what happened. “Landsakes, we could all have drowned! The water came up so fast we had to run to the second floor. For two days we were trapped up there, cold and nothing to eat. If it wasn’t for Mr. Bernier, we would be there still.” She cast a meaningful glance at her daughter. “He’s a fine man, Drucilla.”

  “Yes he is, Ma,” she said quietly. “He’s not as tall as I am, but I’m finding there’s more than one way to look up to a man.”

  Coralee described how Gaston had insisted they check the family next door and found Tom Murphy and his mother had also been trapped on the second floor. “That Dulcee! Everyone tried to get her to leave but she refused to budge. That was her home, and she saw no reason to leave even though the water was creeping up the stairs to the second floor. Mr. Bernier made sure Dulcee and Tom had plenty of food, so they should be all right.”

  Rose laughed to herself when she pictured that stubborn old lady refusing to go. She hoped she could be that independent when she reached Dulcee’s age. Relieved though she was that her in-laws had survived, as each hour passed, her anxiety grew. Nothing mattered more than getting to Hangtown to rescue her little girl.

  * * * *

  By the end of the second day, the water began to recede. “We’ll be forming the rescue train,” Deke said. “Are you sure you want to go, Rose?”

  “You can’t stop me.”

  “It’ll be cold up there. Better wear your warmest clothes.”

  She found one of the old wool dresses she’d worn on the wagon train along with gloves, boots, and a heavy wool scarf to cover her head. She’d ignored the newest of fashions, but when Tillie offered to loan her a pair of white flannel bloomers, she gave it some thought. “But, Tillie, wouldn’t I look ridiculous?”

  “Yes, you would, but if you want to keep your you-know-what warm, you’ll wear them.”

  Rose took the bloomers.

  Deke and a big Swede named Axel Johansson had joined together to form the pack train. Axel lived in Hangtown with his wife and children but had been trapped in Sacramento when the flood came. He was as anxious to get up there as Rose was. He’d been a reluctant guest at the River Queen where he spent his days loudly railing at God, Mother Nature, and whoever else he could think of who was keeping him from getting home. He and Deke easily recruited three more men who also lived high in the mountains and were anxious to get back to their families.

  Most of the livestock had been moved to higher ground, but Deke managed to find fifteen mules t
o form the train. Not only did local stores volunteer food and supplies, as word of the devastating flood spread, donations were arriving from as far as San Francisco and all over the state.

  At dawn, the day after the water receded, Rose left Sacramento with the pack train. At first, all the men except Deke regarded her with barely contained amusement. Who was this woman wearing those strange-looking bloomers under her dress? She’d never survive such a hard journey and would soon turn back. She was so set on getting to Hangtown, so relieved to be doing something other than sitting around imagining the worst, she didn’t care what they thought. Riding Star, she kept close to Deke, who maintained a steady pace on Sidney. Since the rain had melted all the snow on the lower slopes, the first day’s journey was easy. On the first night, everyone wrapped themselves in blankets and slept around the campfire. Rose had assumed she’d sleep alone, for propriety’s sake, if nothing else, but she got so cold she couldn’t sleep. Shivering, she slipped under Deke’s covers. Without saying a word, he arranged the blankets over them both and pulled her tight against him. Sinking into the warmth and security of his arms, she fell asleep in no time and hadn’t a care what the others might think. They had never discussed that terrible scene when he found her in the arms of Mason Talbot. What with everything else, they had yet to find the time. Sooner or later they would, though. Deke wasn’t much on talking about himself and his feelings, but she would insist.

  The trip took four days. Easy at first, the higher they climbed into the soaked and muddy Sierra Nevada Mountains, the more obstacles they encountered. Roads washed out. Bridges gone. Two of the men wanted to turn back, but Deke and Axel persisted, and on the fourth day the train entered the storm-devastated town of Hangtown. The starving citizens gave them an ecstatic reception. Rose would have enjoyed the outpouring of praise and gratitude, but only two questions occupied her mind: where was the Majestic Mine and how could they get there?

  While Deke helped unload the mules, Rose paid a visit to the general store, where she found an elderly male clerk eager to talk. Who hadn’t heard of the Majestic, one of the biggest, most profitable mines around Hangtown? It was owned by a man named Talbot who’d made his fortune off the Majestic. He gave Rose directions. “You can safely go up there during the day, but better not go at night.”