by Diane Noble
“You’ve put us all in danger, Graves,” the captain said. Even in the dim light, Ellie could see his jaw working. “I’ve a mind to split up our outfits—you go one direction. We’ll go the other.”
“They wouldn’t believe you didn’t have anything to do with it anyhow, Cap’n. One of us is just like the other to these Mormons. We’re all the enemy—whether we’re from Missouri or Ohio or Arkansas.” He looked hard at Alexander. “My suggestion is that we get out of here before those folks from Cedar get back with that posse.”
Reluctantly, Alexander agreed, though Ellie could clearly see his pained expression. “Wagons, ho!” he shouted, and the command was repeated throughout the camp. Within minutes, the teamsters were hitching wagons, and the point men and flank riders were herding the cattle. Families’ sleepy voices could be heard as they quickly rolled bedding and packed away the dishes and pots from the previous night’s supper.
Ellie woke Meg and Sarah. They dressed quickly, not even complaining about the lack of breakfast, and helped her load the wagon. Alexander had no time to do much more than hitch the team. His attention was taken with getting the company under way before the posse caught up with them.
Finally the signal was given, and Ellie flicked the whip above the team. The beasts stepped forward, straining under the yoke, weak-kneed from their miles of heavy labor. The wagon lurched and groaned as it rolled onto the rutted trail.
They moved through sagebrush and cactus and gold-colored weeds, just now brightening in the morning dawn and catching the glint of the sun’s earliest rays. In time for the nooning, the company would have climbed into the cool mountain air, making their way on a good road through piñon pines and cedars. By the time the sun sank into the western sky, Alexander had told her, they would be in Mountain Meadows.
Strangely, they were not followed.
TWENTY-FIVE
The wagon caravan wound through the long valley leading to Mountain Meadows. The high-arched canvas covers swayed as the wheels hit ruts and bumps and stones along the way. But the cool mountain air seemed straight out of heaven, Ellie thought as they moved along. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of pines and dusty, iron red earth.
They passed ranches along the way, and the people they saw standing in their fields or near the houses didn’t seem as openly hostile to the group. Ellie’s wagon was near the rear of the caravan, a place she normally disliked because of the kicked-up dust from the outfits ahead. But today she was glad, because she’d already decided that if she found a friendly appearing family, she would pull her rig out of the caravan and attempt to buy food for the children.
As the company climbed higher, Ellie worried that even the gentle upward slope would be too much for the oxen. They hobbled along, mostly bones and hide now, and she watched them carefully, aware of the affection she’d developed for the beasts. They’d faithfully carried her family hundreds of miles, and tonight, at least, they would have some reward. The meadow, it was said, was filled to overflowing with good water and tall grasses, even this time of year.
Everyone seemed to be in better spirits, and she smiled, listening to their voices carrying up and down the long line of wagons. Children laughing and singing, the older folks calling out merrily.
Ellie let her gaze travel across the mountains, beyond the thick forests of small pines that flanked the trail. Ranches and log cabins dotted the hillsides, friendly looking with colorful gingham curtains at the windows and children playing in the yards. Each one seemed to be flanked by gardens and apple orchards filled with heavy-laden trees.
They had nearly reached the mountains summit when a sapphire blue pond caught Ellie’s attention. It was so still, so brilliant in the sun, that the trees and willows and cattails that framed it produced images as if in a mirror. A squat red barn was to one side and, just beyond it, the lush grassland of a small corral where several horses stood grazing contentedly.
Ellie was so busy admiring the beauty of the place that she almost missed the small ranch house that stood in a clearing just visible through the pines. She flicked her whip to move the team forward faster, for in her reverie she’d fallen slightly behind the rest of the train.
Then two women stepped onto the porch of the small ranch house, and to Ellie’s amazement, they waved.
She halted the team abruptly and sat as still as could be. No one in the caravan looked back to see that she wasn’t following.
Now the women were walking toward her, almost shyly, Ellie thought. She smiled, though they were still some distance away.
“Mommy!” Meg yelled from the back of the wagon. “Why’d we stop?
“You can get out for a stretch,” she called back through the opening. “I want to talk to these ladies. See if they’ll sell us some food.”
Both Meg and Sarah climbed quickly down from the rear of the wagon, noisily stretching their legs and arms. “Oooh,” Sarah complained. “Phoebe is so tired!”
By now, the two women were standing near the wagon, and Ellie stood to step down. She swayed a bit and caught herself.
“Here, let me help you,” said the younger of the two as she reached up to support Ellie’s arm.
“Thank you,” Ellie said, nodding to her stomach. “I’m not quite as spry as I was.” Once on the ground, she stuck out her hand. “My name is Ellie Farrington, and these are my daughters, Meg and Sarah.”
The twins skipped over and smiled at the ladies.
“I’m Hannah,” said the young woman. Ellie was struck by her wide, clear eyes, reminding her of the light-reflecting pond she’d noticed earlier. A few light freckles graced her nose. But it was her hair that caught Ellie’s attention—it was pale and curly, almost wild. The young woman had attempted to tie it back, but it sprung out of its ribbons as if defying being bound.
“And I’m Sophronia Shannon,” the older woman said, taking Ellie’s hand. She had the same eyes and wild hair, only her hair was pure white.
“I’m pleased to meet you,” Ellie said pleasantly. “I’m with the Farrington train, just now heading up to Mountain Meadows. We’ll be resting there for a week or so before traveling on to California.”
“There are many who rest their herds and companies there,” said Sophronia Shannon. “Though lately, there’ve been fewer.”
Ellie decided to plunge right into mentioning the needs of the company for food and supplies. These ladies seemed friendly enough to possibly help. “We’ve not been able to buy food since we arrived in Salt Lake City,” she said, carefully watching their expressions.
They looked genuinely sorry. “We have food you can have,” Hannah said quietly. “We were told not to sell to you.” She grinned. “But no one said anything about giving away food and supplies.”
Ellie reached for her hand in her exuberance. “Give us food?” she repeated, unable to believe what she’d heard.
“How much can you carry?” Sophronia asked. “We’ll load your wagon with all the fresh fruits and vegetables we’ve got.”
Ellie threw back her head and laughed with joy. On either side of her, Meg and Sarah clapped their hands. “Are you sure?” she said, tears in her eyes. “You’ve been ordered not to help us—I wouldn’t want either of you to find yourselves short or in trouble because of us.”
Sophronia took Ellie’s hand, and the three women walked toward the little ranch house. They had bushel baskets on the porch as if they’d been waiting for her. There were baskets of peaches, berries, corn, potatoes, and beans.
Ellie’s eyes could scarcely take it in. “Could I … would you mind, that is … if my daughters and I tasted a peach right here?”
Sophronia, laughing merrily, stepped inside the house. Within minutes, she returned with fresh-washed peaches, sliced just right for eating.
Ellie’s fingers trembled as she held a piece out to each of the girls. “We’re so hungry,” she whispered, “all of us.” And she bit into the juicy, yellow-pink fruit.
After they’d loaded the wa
gon with the baskets and bushels, Hannah said, “We have something we’d like to ask you.”
“After this—?” Ellie glanced at the abundance in her wagon. “After this, anything!”
“We want to leave with you,” Hannah said solemnly. “We’ve got to get out of the territory. No one knows we’re planning this, and should they find out, your company could be in grave danger.”
Ellie looked at Hannah suddenly, studying the young woman’s lovely face, then Sophronia, noting her age. Their resemblance. And she remembered hearing of them before, hearing their names before. Of course! Why hadn’t she realized it when she first met them? Her mind had been so transfixed on their friendliness, the prospect of buying food, she hadn’t really paid attention. Hannah and Sophronia, Great-Aunt Sophronia.
“Lucas Knight,” she whispered thoughtfully. “You know Lucas Knight, don’t you?”
Hannah’s wide eyes brightened, almost as if with tears. Then she tilted her head, quizzically watching Ellie. “Yes,” she finally said. “But how did you know?”
“Lucas joined our company for a short while—out of Laramie. Then we met up with him a second time near the Salt Lake Valley.” Again, she reached for Hannah’s hand. “He spoke lovingly of you—of you both,” she said, smiling at the older woman. “He told me what you’ve been through,” she said gently to Hannah, “and that he wanted to get you away from here. He was making plans for getting you out when we met in Laramie.”
Hannah’s face seemed to light up with love. “You said you saw him back at Salt Lake?”
“Yes,” Ellie said. “For just a short time.”
“Tell me,” Hannah said, her voice almost a whisper. “How was he?”
“He was trying his best to help us get through the territory unharmed. I don’t know what he was able to do for us with the Church leaders. He rode into the city to set it up—a meeting with Governor Young, if he could manage it. But he didn’t return to tell of the time and place, and we didn’t see him after that.”
Hannah frowned and exchanged an alarmed glance with her aunt.
“I’m sorry,” Ellie said. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“He’s probably trying to steer clear of danger,” Sophronia said. “For your outfit and for himself. If our Lucas thought he was attracting too much attention, he may not have felt he could return.”
“Alexander—my husband—said that Lucas told him he’d hoped to get permission to escort us through the territory. Then he’d planned to travel with us, and with you, to safety.”
“Maybe he’ll still manage to meet us in the Meadows,” Hannah said, but her voice didn’t sound hopeful.
Ellie glanced up the trail; the rear of the caravan was no longer in sight. “I’d better be going before my husband sends out the cavalry to find me.” She climbed to the wagon seat and called for the girls, who’d gone to look at some ducks by the pond. They skipped toward her, braids flying. “I will talk to Alexander about when the best time would be for you to join us,” she said. “If you don’t have a wagon, you can ride with us. We’d count it a privilege to have you.”
“I’ve been preparing our supplies,” Sophronia said proudly. “I’ve got dried fruit enough for the whole company. And dried venison too.”
“I’ll return tomorrow with Alexander’s direction on how to proceed.”
“Bring another wagon,” said Hannah with a smile. “We’ll fill it with more supplies.”
Ellie started to flick the whip then looked back down at the women. “Are you safe doing this?” She frowned. “I assume your She couldn’t bring herself to say the word “husband” under the circumstances. She started over again. “What I mean is, are you being watched? Are you safe having me return?”
Hannah seemed to understand Ellie’s reluctance, and her own fear showed in her eyes. “He’s away right now, caught up in a council with the Utes or some such thing. He’s not due to ride back to our ranch until the end of the week. Whatever plans we make will have to happen before then.”
“I’ll tell Alexander,” Ellie said, popping the whip over the oxen’s bony backs. Slowly, the team started plodding up the hill. Ellie and the twins waved until they’d rounded the curve and Hannah and Sophronia were no longer in sight.
She drove the team another long and difficult hour before finally reaching the summit. “Girls, come look,” she called to them. They scrambled to the front of the wagon and poked their faces through the opening.
“Look, there! Ahead,” she said again, halting the team. The little girls climbed onto the bench seat, one on either side. She circled them in her arms and hugged them close. “That’s the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen,” she said in awe.
“It’s gorgeous” whispered Sarah reverently, and Ellie smiled at her daughter, wondering where she’d heard the word.
“It makes the flowers look like they’re on fire,” said Meg.
Ellie followed her daughter’s gaze across the meadow. It was covered with a carpet of late-blooming summer wildflowers, mostly goldenrod, or so it appeared from this distance. With the angle of the setting sun, its brilliant, fiery colors, and a slight breeze, Meg was right. The meadow did appear to be in flames, beautiful, shimmering, liquid-gold flames.
As the three watched the sun melt into the western horizon, a rider rounded the corner, galloping full-speed toward them. Ellie smiled. It was Alexander. As he reined the Appaloosa to a halt, she could see his strained expression.
“I’m sorry I worried you,” she said. “I’ll explain, but first, look at the sunset with us.”
Alexander dismounted, and Ellie and the girls stepped from the wagon. The four stood together in the quiet of the evening. The sky was now crimson above the dark, silhouetted mountains on the far side of the meadow. The goldenrod had faded from gold to dark orange and, as they watched, seemed to take on the color of embers and ashes. The breeze picked up and sang across the valley.
“Its peaceful here,” Ellie said, looking up at her husband. “In a way, I feel I’ve come home. It’s the first time I’ve felt that way since we left.”
Alexander pulled her closer. “Maybe here, we’ll finally be safe,” he said, but the worry lines still etched his face. Beside them, Meg and Sarah, who had tired of looking at the sunset, played hopscotch. Sarah held Phoebe with both hands, making the doll jump into the squares the little girls had drawn with a stick in the red soil of the trail.
Alexander helped Ellie step back up to the driver’s seat then tethered the Appaloosa to the rear of the wagon. The little girls played in back as the family headed up the trail toward camp, and Ellie told her husband about the wonder of finding Hannah and Sophronia.
That night the wagons were haphazardly circled. Everyone seemed to feel the dangers they’d faced during the previous weeks were now behind them. The herd grazed peacefully at the south end of the meadow in the tall, golden grasses.
Lying on her side, her back to Alexander, Ellie snuggled close to her husband, sighing contentedly as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. The baby turned over, and she laughed, drawing her husband’s hand to the place on her stomach.
Alexander chuckled. “You’re still convinced it’s a boy?” he asked sleepily.
She looked up at the star-spangled sky, and thought of God’s tender mercies. “I want to name this child Faith,” she said softly.
“Then we’d better hope this baby’s a girl,” he said, still chuckling to himself.
“That’s what Liza said.” She snuggled closer, feeling the beat of his heart.
“My beloved Ellie …” Alexander murmured. He raised up slightly and kissed her ear. She could feel him gazing at her in the starlight.
She turned slightly and smiled into his eyes then reached up to touch his jaw, tracing her fingers along it. “Alexander,” she whispered. “I love you. How I love you!”
A short distance away from the night circle, sounds from the creek carried toward them, bubbling, rushing water and the sweet racke
t of frogs. Crickets sawed their legs in the willows, and a soft moaning wind blew down from the mountains.
The next morning dawned sunny and warm. The twins skipped off to play with the O’Donnell children, and Alexander prepared the wagon for Ellie’s return to Hannah’s and Sophronia’s ranch. He’d distributed yesterday’s bounty, and now there were more empty barrels and baskets in the rear of the wagon. Folks gathered round to send words of gratitude back to the ranch. The word had also spread that the two Mormon women would be joining the company for the trek to California. So, many words of welcome were sent along as well.
“Tell them it will be safer to wait until the end of the week to join us,” Alexander said as he hitched the team. “We’ll plan to rest here five days. We can’t wait any longer.”
“I’ll tell them,” Ellie said as Liza rounded the corner of the wagon to join her. Her friend grinned and gave Ellie a hug.
“I’m going to get that peach cobbler made yet,” she said. Then, looking up at Alexander, she winked. “That’s why I’ll have your wife back here by midday—no matter how much she wants to stay and visit. I’ve got work to do to get my cobbler put together and baked by suppertime.”
“As long as you save some for me,” Alexander laughed. Then he gave Ellie a quick kiss and helped her onto the wagon bench. Liza stepped up beside her.
“Keep Meg and Sarah from eating too many peaches while I’m gone,” she said. “After all these weeks without fresh fruit, they will be very sorry.”
“I’ll take good care of them,” he promised. She followed his glance to the creek bed where the girls had gone to catch frogs with the O’Donnells. The sounds of the little girls squealing and splashing in the shallow water carried on the breeze.
