by Kara Summers
“I’m sorry Louise, I tried to get to you but I was too late. Forgive me Louise.”
Silla looked down at him as tears filled her eyes.
“I forgive you, Timothy I always will forgive you,” Silla told him, knowing that this was what he needed to hear to finally be at peace.
He smiled at her and closed his eyes. Timothy Montgomery had gone to join his Louise, leaving Silla left to face what was to come. Three dark days followed as Silla had to care for her thirteen year brother and face the fact that she had no prospects for employment. Neighbors came to offer sympathy after the funeral and when they stopped, Silla found that they were truly alone.
Silla was not prepared for the reading of her father’s will. It was early afternoon and she sat in Calvin Lockwood’s office as he began to read the document. Silla listened in stunned silence as Calvin read her father’s last will. With both parents gone, she was now the legal guardian of her younger brother and tasked with the responsibility of providing for him. As Calvin read on, Silla’s ability to provide for Jake dwindled. Her father had accumulated many debts and in order to pay them off, their home and possessions would be auctioned off. Silla was left with Jake and not much else. Her grief soon turned to panic.
“I’m sorry Silla,” Calvin said sincerely. “I wish I could have saved the house for you and Jake but the collectors were insistent on getting their money.”
“Mr. Lockwood, how long do we have before we have to leave the house?” Silla asked.
“They are allowing you ninety days before they take over. If there is anything I can do, don’t hesitate to call on me or my wife. Your father and mother were dear friends and we will do all we can to help you.”
“Thank you Mr. Lockwood,” Silla said numbly.
She stood up and headed out of the office, slowly making her way back home. Not home for much longer, she thought as she stared at the structure before her. She had to find a place for her and Jake, and a means of employment to support them. With her father, gone so were his patients and she could not very well go to work as a doctor without formal education. She suddenly remembered there was a safe in the study. Her father always kept some money in there for emergencies and she prayed that he hadn’t gambled that away too. They needed something to live on until she could figure out her next move. She had ninety days. She stepped onto the porch and noticed the local paper at the foot of the door; she picked it up and continued into the house.
“Ellie, I’m home,” she called to her faithful housekeeper as she made a beeline for the study.
“Everything go well Miss Silla?” Ellie said as she appeared in the doorway.
“No, everything did not go well Ellie. We have ninety days to find a new place to live. This is not our home anymore,” Silla said, the words tasting bitter on her tongue.
“Miss Silla, what are you going to do? Why you and Master Jake will be -” she trailed off.
Silla looked at Ellie. “Let’s not worry about that yet Ellie and don’t say a word to Jake either.”
Yes, ma’am. I’ll get you some tea,” the housekeeper said, not knowing what else to do.
As Ellie left the room, Silla tried to hold back the tears. She got up and turned to the back wall where the oil painting of Mama hung. Behind it was the wall safe. Slowly Silla worked the tumblers and pulled he handle to open the safe. There stacked next to her mother’s jewels was the money. Slowly she took the stacks of money and placed them on the desk. She then took out her mother’s jewels; the thought of selling them would break her heart. She sat and counted the money and to her surprise, found five hundred dollars. That would be more than enough to find a place to live and hold them over until she could find a job. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Ellie ushered Calvin Lockwood into the study.
“Mr. Lockwood, is there something else?” she asked hesitantly. She couldn’t take much more bad news today.
He looked at the jewelry and the money on the desk.
“I’m sorry. I had forgotten to mention that your mother’s jewels also must go.
But I’m not heartless, I’ll leave you two hundred dollars.”
“All of my mother’s jewels?” Silla said, feeling the color drain from her face.
“I’ll let you chose two pieces Silla, one for you and one for Jake. It’s the best I can do,” he said with genuine remorse. Silla looked at him, and then took her mother’s wedding band for herself and one of her favorite broches for Jake to have. She looked at the emerald necklace that was her mother’s favorite, and gently placed it in Calvin’s hands.
“She always loved this this necklace. It was a birthday gift from papa.”
She rose from the desk and left Calvin alone in the study. She needed time to herself to think, and she retreated upstairs to her bedroom sanctuary. Ninety days is all she had for a miracle to happen for her.
Later that afternoon when Silla came down for supper, Jake was already eating. He looked up at her as she entered the dining room.
“Mr. Lockwood told me we to move out Silla, why?” he asked.
“Well Jake, papa had owed a lot of money to people and they had to be paid, and all we had was the house to pay papa’s debts.”
“So where are we to live Silla?”
“I’m working on that Jake, don’t you worry,’’ she tried to assure him.
Silla dropped into the chair across from her bother and picked up the newspaper in hopes of locating a job. Instead, an advertisement in the classified section caught her eye.
Wanted: A wife to work beside me on my ranch located in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Reply to Boardman, Broken Spur Ranch Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Silla read the ad over and over again, turning the possibilities around in her mind. Her first thought was Wyoming was far enough away that no one would know of her family’s shame. She noted again that this Boardman wanted someone to help with the ranch. Maybe he would settle for two people to work on the ranch instead of just a wife. The more she thought about it the more ridiculous it sounded. Neither Jake nor she knew anything about ranching. And what about housework? She could watch Ellie for a few days and could pick it up before they had to leave. But then what would happen to Ellie? She couldn’t very well leave her unemployed as well. She looked at her brother.
“Don’t worry Jake I’ll find us a place,” she promised.
That evening when Jake had gone off to bed Silla went into her father’s study. It was here she took pen in hand and began to compose a letter to Mr. Boardman.
Dear Mr. Boardman,
I am answering your advertisement in our local paper for a wife. I do hope the position is not taken as of yet. Permit me to introduce myself; I am Drusilla Montgomery, the daughter of Dr. Timothy Montgomery of Atlanta, Georgia. My father was killed only a few weeks ago in a carriage accident leaving, me and my thirteen year old brother Jacob alone in this world. Our inheritance was taken by our father’s creditors leaving us with just the clothes on our backs. I would like to apply for the position and ask that I may bring my brother and housekeeper with me on this trip. We are very hard workers and are not afraid to do what is asked of us. I was taught the ways of medicine by my father and have assisted my father many times in his office.
Ellie has been with my family for years and an excellent housekeeper.
I am twenty-seven years old, never married, and very interested in your proposal. I have to leave our home in ninety days so I do hope you can reply with an answer before then. Enclosed is photograph of me taken last year. I hope you find it to your liking.
Sincerely, Drusilla Montgomery.
The following morning Silla entered the kitchen as Ellie was making cookies.
“Is there something I can do for you Miss Silla?” Ellie asked.
“I was wondering could you teach me how to bake Ellie?”
Ellie looked at Silla curiously. In all the years she’s been with the family she’s never known Silla to be interested in baking.
“If you’d like
to I can teach you some basic cookie recipes Miss Silla. Just what is going on in the little mind of yours?”
“Well Ellie there is this position that calls for a housekeeper and-”
“Miss Silla you can’t learn housekeeping and cooking in a few days,” Ellie told her. “It takes a lot of know-how to run a household.”
Silla looked at the girl and her hopes began to fade. Who was she kidding? She couldn’t do anything that the job called for. Ellie looked at her with pity.
“But I suppose we could start somewhere. I’ll get you an apron and we’ll get started,” she offered.
The afternoon went by with a few batches of burned cookies and the promise that she would not back down.
Chapter Two
The Broken Spur was one of the finest and biggest cattle ranches in Cheyenne. It had been owned and operated by the Boardman family for four generations. James Boardman came to Wyoming with a dream to start a cattle ranch, but little money to make it happen. At the same time, another man named Eli Keesler had the same dream and the funds needed to see it through. All he needed now was a son to carry on the legacy after he was gone. The two men met in the general store one day and history was written. Eli had two daughters and James was without a wife, so Eli decided to make him an offer. A marriage was arranged between his eldest daughter Nancy and James. As a wedding gift, the young couple was given two hundred acres of land to start James’ dream. Old Eli also put a clause in the deed that there would always be a Boardman on the land, a direct decedent from James. James was happy to comply with that clause and with Nancy, he had three sons. Their oldest son Travis inherited the ranch and he passed it down to his son Travis Jr. Travis Jr. had a boy, Lance, who one day would inherit the Broken Spur.
Travis Jr. had been patiently waiting for his son to take the reins now that he could no longer do it himself. Lance, on the other hand, had other ideas and marriage was not one of them. But his father knew that the only way Lance would get the ranch is if he was married.
It was the letter that came from Georgia that afternoon that brought a smile to Travis Jr.’s face. A young woman seemed to be interested in his advertisement; of course she was the only one who answered so far. This young woman’s letter was a plea for help. As he was reading Silla’s response, his foreman Ben Jones had come into the study. Ben and Travis had been friends since childhood and when Travis inherited the ranch he could think of no one better than Ben to be his foreman; he trusted no one on this earth more than Ben.
“You sent for me boss?”
“Yes. Ben I’d like you to go into town and send a wire to the Pinkerton Agency closet to Georgia and have them to check on a Miss Drusilla Montgomery. She’s interested in applying for the job as Lance’s wife and I’d like to check on her story.”
“Travis what makes you think that Lance would be interested in this young lady?”
“Well when I find out about her I’ll see if she’s worth the trouble,” Travis stated.
“Alright Travis, but I hope you know what you’re doing.”
It was branding time and Lance was out on the range busy getting the calves ready.. He sat in the saddle of his chestnut stallion, his tall frame and broad shoulders making quite the regal silhouette against the blue sky. With dark hair that fell just across his steel gray eyes, he was a fine looking man who did not show all thirty-three years of his age. He knew that to inherit that ranch he had to abide by the clause in the deed, but he was not ready to settle down, no matter how often his father reminded him that he should. He was still trying to work out a way around that particular glitch, but so far, no loophole had presented itself.
Each day Silla waited for a letter from Wyoming. She was eager to find a way to build a better life for her and Jake and her prospects here in Atlanta were nil. Each day’s cooking lesson was getting better; at least Jake was agreeing to eat the food now. She knew she had to think of her brother and what was best for both of them as well as Ellie. Silla would look at the advertisement each night before going to sleep and pray that the next day would bring the answer she needed. But as the ninety day deadline moved closer, Silla began to worry.
Back in Cheyenne, two Pinkerton men arrived at the train station and asked at the livery for directions to the Broken Spur Ranch. It was Ben who met them at the front door as they drove up. Ben knew immediately who they were as no one around here wore suits like they were dressed in.
“Can I help you gents?” Ben asked.
“We’re here to speak with Mr. Travis Boardman, are you Mr. Boardman?” one of the men asked.
“No, but I can lead you to him. I’m Ben Jones, his foreman. Follow me.”
The men exited the carriage and followed Ben into the house and toward the back where Travis was in his study. He walked into the room followed by the two men.
“Boss, these gentlemen are here to see you.”
The taller one stepped up to the desk. “Mr. Boardman, I’m Nathan Michaels and this is my associate Duncan Ross. We have the information you requested.”
Travis nodded and offered them a seat.
“Please gentlemen sit down. Can I offer you some refreshments, a cigar?”
“No thank you Mr. Boardman. Here is the file you requested.”
Michaels handed a large envelope to Travis and he began to look through it. Everything the young girl had said appeared to be true. The photograph they have is a different one, but still the same woman. She had worked with her father in his private office assisting him in his medical practice. She was twenty-seven, unmarried, and her brother Jacobs’s guardian. Her father’s gambling put the family into debt and upon his passing, all of their assets were claimed by his creditors.
“Pretty young lady,” Travis commented.
He looked up at the gentlemen and smiled.
“Gentlemen you have done a fine job. I am adding a bonus for your excellent work. Have you made accommodations? You are more than welcomed to stay here at the ranch and start for home tomorrow afternoon.”
“We don’t want to impose on you Mr. Boardman,” Nathan said.
“No imposition, Ben get the gentlemens’ bags and take them to the two rooms to the left.”
He smiled again at the men.
“Supper is at seven sharp gentlemen, I’ll see you then. Should you need anything, Ben will see to your needs.”
As they left the study Travis called out to Ben. “Ben I’ll need you back here when you’re done.”
Ben nodded and led the investigators to their rooms. Travis took another look at the photograph in the file and smiled.
“Miss Montgomery, you’ll do just fine for my Lance.”
A week later Silla, was making arrangements for the trip to Wyoming. Travis had sent word that she could bring Jake, and included the funds to help them get there. He had made no mention of Ellie but Silla was determined not to leave her behind. She would just have to find a way to make it work..
“Miss Silla, you can’t take me to Wyoming with you. You know married folks like privacy and with Jake with you already-”
Before she could finish Silla jumped in,
“That’s why I need you; to take care of Jake while I’m with my husband, learning how to be a rancher’s wife.”
“But Miss Silla-” Ellie protested.
“Not another word Ellie, I will not leave you behind,” Silla said firmly
Ellie knew it was no use talking to Silla once she’d made up her mind. By that afternoon, plans were all set. The train tickets were purchased, they started packing their bags, and in one weeks’ time, they would board the train to Wyoming. Calvin Lockwood was at the train station to see them off
“I wish you would reconsider Miss Silla. If you had just waited a bit longer I’m sure something would have come up,” he said.
“Mr. Lockwood we both know I’ve looked everywhere, there is just no other way. Besides Wyoming may be a good place for Jake to grow up.”
With the sound of the train whistle not too
far off. Silla smiled at the lawyer.
“Don’t worry Mr. Lockwood we’ll be fine.”
He gave her a faint smile. He had wished there was a way to keep her and Jake in Georgia. For the first time, Calvin Lockwood felt he had let down his friend.
“If you need anything once you’re there be sure to wire me, promise?”
Silla smiled at him, “I promise Mr. Lockwood, and thank you for everything.”
He helped her board the train then helped Ellie and Jake. Jake turned and smiled
“Bye Uncle Cal.”
“You take care of your sister and Miss Ellie. You’re the man of the family you know.”
“I will Uncle Cal, I promise.”
With that the train started to move and Silla quickly found three seats for the journey. Her emotions were conflicted as she left the only home she’d ever known. She closed her eyes and tried to conjure up an image of Wyoming in her mind; maybe this would be her greatest adventure.
Lance Boardman sat at the breakfast table as his father told him of the plan he had.
“Now pa, I thought we had this all settled,” he said angrily. “I told you I would get serious about settling down in a few years.”
“Lance, you are not getting any younger and I cannot run this ranch effectually in my condition,” Travis told him.
“That’s what you have me and Ben for! Sometimes pa I think you’ve gotten a bit soft over the past few years. Please just wire this woman in Atlanta and tell her you’ve changed your mind,” he practically begs as he digs his fork into his dinner.
“I’ll do no such thing. Miss Montgomery will be here in five days and you will show her respect and kindness like you were taught by your mother.”
“But pa-”
“No ‘but pa’s’ Lance. This is my final say on the situation,” Travis said firmly.
He picked up his fork and continued eating as Lance stormed out of the room.
