The Montana Doctor's Bride (New Brides of Montana)

by Susan Leigh Carlton

  “The bullet missed the heart by inches, and didn’t hit any major blood vessels. I believe he will survive. He is a lucky man.” The miner slept on; unaware of how close he had been to death. On hearing the news, a cheer arose from the watching crowd.

  “You appear to have had a lot of experience, Doctor,” Harry Simpson said. “Were you in the Confederate Army?”

  “No, I was in the Union Army,” Carter said.

  “That was a Johnny Reb you just saved,” Simpson said.

  “It was an injured man, Harry. The war is over, thank God.”

  Harry Simpson shook Carter’s hand. “Drinks are on the house,” he called out. To Carter, he said, “I’m glad you’re here. You will be needed. When word gets out, and I will put it out, you’ll get plenty of work.”

  “Thank you,” Carter said. “Now I need to get cleaned up.”

  He washed the blood from his hands, and returned to the hotel. The letter was on the table by the bed. He decided to add to it.

  “It was as I feared. There was some sort of confrontation at the saloon and a miner was shot. He was lucky, since the bullet missed everything vital. After putting him under using ether, I managed to extract the bullet. How I wished you had been there to help. I pressed one of the fancy girls from the saloon into service. She did admirably well, given the circumstances. The miner will live and all is quiet at present.

  Carter

  Chapter 9: A Letter From Elizabeth

  Carter checked his mail daily at the general store. He was pleased to find a letter from Elizabeth waiting for him. He had not been at all sure she would answer.

  Dear Carter,

  I am in receipt of your letter describing your trip. It sounds fascinating, traveling across that much of our country. I am envious of your adventure.

  I am happy you arrived safely and found comfortable accommodations. We see many returning soldiers here also and probably much the same as those you encounter.

  There is no need to thank me for assisting you in your practice. I enjoyed it and it felt good being able to help those in pain and need. I still cannot get the poor woman that passed away, out of my mind. Just the day before, she was alive and expecting her child and then… nothing. I think of her often, and of the family she left behind.

  Please continue to write. I miss having you around and I miss the experiences you provided. It is lonely now that you’re gone.

  I remain,

  Your obedient servant,

  Elizabeth

  “She put a lot of emotion into this,” he thought. “It must have been difficult to write. I know I must have hurt her.” He put the letter into the drawer of the desk he had purchased for his office.

  True to his word, Harry Simpson had spread the word about having an experienced doctor in Helena. Others in the saloon the night of the shooting must have done the same; he began to see patients as soon as he moved into his new home and office.

  He laid in a supply of wood, in order to have ready access to hot water when needed. He had also acquired a tub in order to bathe regularly. His cooking skills did not approach the quality of his skills as a surgeon, so he took many of his meals in the café at the hotel. He had become good friends with Silas Farmer and Harry Simpson. He maintained an arms distance with the banker, Cal Hawkins.

  The steady trickle of patients was predominantly male, and in truth, he had not seen many females since his arrival. The wife of the preacher at the local Christian Church was about the only one he had met other than Charlotte, who had helped with the treatment of the wounded miner.. Many of the miners lived in tents or huts, hastily built and none of them had wives.

  The miner who had been shot paid him in gold dust, a new experience for him. Since many of the patients were miners hurt in accidents, many of his fees were in the form of dust, so it became necessary for him to visit the assayer to learn about this medium of exchange.

  The ranchers he treated raised all they needed, including vegetables and had no need of money, so they paid him in goods, some of which he was able to trade with Silas Farmer for things he needed. His only cash outlay was for the medical supplies he ordered from Kansas City.

  In his third month, he decided to purchase the building he was occupying and talked with Harry Simpson about the terms. Harry was so anxious for him to be permanently settled, he offered an irresistible deal. He would deed the building over to him in exchange for him providing medical treatment as needed for the fancy girls working for him. “Harry, I can’t do that. It’s taking advantage of you. I’m happy to treat the girls, but you would basically be giving me the building and I won’t accept your charity.”

  “Nonsense. The health of the girls is essential to my business, and is worth a lot. Besides, I have a selfish motive. Having you happy and willing to stay here is attracting more people to Helena, and that is good for my saloon business, as well as my other irons.”

  In the end, they agreed on $300 with his prepaid rent being included in the price for the building and medical care for the girls. Carter was now the owner of his home, and office, His house back in Rockville was rented to a young couple and the bank account back there grew. With his practice growing, it was rare for him to need to transfer funds to his Helena account.

  In spite of his growing number of patients, and his two new friends, Carter was a lonely man and began attending the Christian Church on Sundays. The preacher, Jackson Owens and his wife, Letty were about the same age as Carter, welcomed him as part of their constantly changing congregation. Miners came and went, as their dreams of riches faded, and were replaced by new men with the same dreams.

  On a given Sunday, there were never more than two or three women in the church, and they were usually from one of the ranches past the edges of town.

  The first Sunday he attended church, Carter was anonymous. He was stunned, when on the second Sunday the preacher said, “Helena is blessed, God has sent us a talented surgeon named Doctor Carter Palmer. We are pleased to have him with us today. Doctor Palmer, would you please stand so these good people can see you and get to know you?” His face flushed with embarrassment, Carter stood.

  After the services, several members of the congregation welcomed him personally, asked where his office was, and two even asked him to look at the injuries they had. He made his way to the entrance where Preacher Owens and Letty, were bidding the last of their congregants goodbye.

  “You surprised me, Preacher. It’s only my second visit and I wasn’t aware you knew me,” he said.

  “We heard about the shooting in the saloon, a terrible thing it was, too. We also heard you had saved the man’s life. Before you got here, he would have died. We believe God showed you the way to Helena and wanted our folks to get to know you, so they can benefit from your God given skills. I hope I didn’t embarrass you.”

  “No, I wasn’t embarrassed, only surprised.”

  “Doctor Palmer, we want you to feel at home in Helena. Would you join us for dinner?” Letty Owens asked. “We would like to know you better.”

  “How kind of you. I would be delighted to join you, and please, call me Carter.”

  “I’m Letty and my husband is Jackson or Jack. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” she said.

  The public recognition made even more people aware of him and increased his patient count; it did not assuage the loneliness in his personal life.

  * * *

  “Elizabeth, you’re with child,” Doctor Gilbride said. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “There’s nothing to talk about. I made a mistake and now I’m going to have a baby,” she said.

  “Are you going to tell the father?” he asked.

  “No, he doesn’t live here anymore. I think it best he not know about it.”

  “I’ve known you for a long time. You shouldn’t have to go through this alone. Would you like for me to write him and tell him?”

  “No. Please don’t do that.” I don’t want to trouble him. I’ll b
e all right,” she said.

  “He would want to know, Elizabeth,” the doctor said.

  “No!” she said emphatically. “Let it go, Doctor.”

  Seven months later, Elizabeth delivered a healthy eight pound 7 ounce boy. She named him Carter Patrick Cartwright. She did not mention it in any of her letters. She ignored the looks she received from her friends and neighbors. Her baby was none of their business and she intended to keep it that way.

  Chapter 10: Dinner At The Preacher’s House

  The following Tuesday...

  “Wonderful meal, Letty, thank you. I haven’t had anything approaching this good since I left Rockville,” Carter said.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Letty said.

  “Where are you from?” Carter asked Jack Owens.

  “We were both born in Illinois,” Jack answered. “We felt a calling to come serve. We’ve been here two years now. What about you?”

  “I was born in Maryland, and made my home in Rockville, Maryland after medical school.. I was in the Army of the Potomac during the war. I came home to find my wife had died more than a year earlier. However, the army had listed me as killed in action and I didn’t find out about Lucy until I returned home. I came west to escape from my memories, Carter said.

  Letty said, “The Lord works in mysterious ways. This is where he needed for you to be.”

  “I just wish he hadn’t taken Lucy. The idea of coming home to her kept me going. Now, I’m alone,” Carter said.

  “You’re not alone, Carter, you have us,” the preacher said.

  The Army…

  When Carter opened his office door, there were two men in uniform waiting to see him, a captain and a sergeant. “The Colonel sends his compliments, Doctor. He has asked me to inform you, we will be starting a campaign against Red Cloud and the Sioux Nation. The Army would like to contract for your services during this action.”

  “And where would this service be, Captain?” Carter asked.

  “Fort Smith on the Powder River, sir. It is expected to begin in August. Our mission is to protect the Bozeman Trail. Red Cloud has been active in the area recently.”

  Very well, Captain. I will consider it. My decision will be based on the needs of my patients at the time.”

  “Yessir, I will inform the Colonel. Sir, the Colonel directed me to inform you, he has the authority for conscription.”

  “Captain, both the Colonel and I know, there is currently no law of conscription. However, as a doctor, I will make my services available, based on the needs of my patients at the time.”

  “I shall so inform him, sir. By your leave, sir?” the captain said, requesting permission to leave,

  “Thank you Captain. Just give me one week’s notice,”

  Powder River, Wyoming…

  Red Cloud, Chief of the Oglala Sioux, and his braves were competing with the emigrants for the diminishing resources near the Bozeman Trail. After numerous Indian raids against the miners and travelers on the trail, the Army came in to protect the emigrants from the Indians.

  When Red Cloud discovered the presence of the army, he began lightning quick raids against the three army forts along the Powder River and the soldiers and civilians at the three forts in the Powder River area, wearing down those garrisons. The largest action of the war, the Fetterman Fight (with 81 men killed on the U.S. side), was the worst military defeat suffered by the U.S. on the Great Plains until the Battle of the Little Bighorn ten years later. It was here the army needed and wanted the doctor.

  The Sioux had joined with the Arapahoe in the fight against the settlers. The Sioux in particular, were vicious fighters, showing no quarter to their opponents. The Indians outnumbered the soldiers in most fights, but had significantly fewer guns and little ammunition for the guns. They avoided skirmishes against an entrenched army unit, preferring hit and run attacks where their bows and arrows were effective.

  In his role as doctor for the Cavalry, Carter saw wounds vastly different from those he saw in the war. Instead of Minie ball wounds, he saw wounds caused by arrows. Brought in to treat the wounded after a skirmish, he found few survivors, the Indians had slain most of their opponents. Anyone off their horse was easy prey, and the Indians were skilled in setting traps for the soldiers. Once again, he had to confront the horrors of war. So ineffective were the tactics of the soldiers, there was little choice except to sue for peace. In 1868, a treaty was signed, Red Cloud’s War was over. He had won.

  Following the treaty, Carter returned to Helena, vowing he would never again go to war. Before he left, he had arranged with Jack and Letty Owens to look after his home and office. He returned to find it in excellent condition.

  While he was away, he had little opportunity to write Elizabeth, managing a letter only on occasion. When he did write, he explained the reasons for his lack of communications, and was surprised to find a small stack of uncollected letters at the post office. He arranged them in chronological order before beginning to read.

  Dear Carter,

  Knowing how you hated war, I was distraught to learn you were once again involved in conflict. It is my hope you survive to write again. I worry about your old friend, Doctor Gilbride. He has no help, and turns no one down. I fear it is affecting his health. I saw him on the street recently and he appears to have aged beyond his years.

  The couple that rent your home is delightful and are good neighbors. The house is kept in good repair. They are blessed with a young son, and he brightens my day when I have the chance to see him. How I wish I was so blessed.

  Please write when the opportunity presents itself. I do enjoy your letters.

  Your obedient servant,

  Elizabeth

  The guilt of having left his friend and mentor to care for so many weighed heavily on him. He rekindled his friendship with Silas Farmer and Harry Simpson. His relationship with the Jack and Letty Owens grew, until he regarded them as dear friends and he became a regular attendee of church.

  In the next letter from Elizabeth, he was saddened when she said, in part…

  Dear Carter,

  I fear my concern for Doctor Gilbride is valid. I had occasion to see him professionally and was dismayed at his appearance. He had a tremor in his hands, and pallor of his face. Having long been his patient, I suggested he see the doctor in Gaithersburg; a suggestion he dismissed immediately. He said, “I have no time for such indulgence.” I fear he is not a well man.

  I hope this finds you well, since I have had nothing to tell me otherwise. Please write. I long for your letter.

  Your Obedient Servant,

  Elizabeth

  The third letter from Elizabeth read:

  Dear Carter,

  It is with heavy heart I write this letter. I have only just returned from the funeral of Doctor Gilbride. He passed to his reward Saturday last.

  One of his patients found his body on Monday. He was in bed, apparently having passed in his sleep. I will miss him; he was a good man who had never stopped giving to his friends and neighbors.

  This sad occasion has caused me renewed concern for your welfare. I do wish I could receive an affirmation of your safety.

  As for me, I struggle with, but I have regained my appetite, and I feel better than in the recent past. Carter, please communicate. I need to hear from you and to know you’re well.

  Your Obedient Servant,

  Elizabeth

  Putting the letters aside, he walked over to Bridge Street and the Western Union Office. He composed a short message… Returned safe and well to Helena. Letter follows. He gave the message to the telegrapher and paid the fee, then went home to compose the promised letter.

  It began…

  Chapter 11: At Home, Safe and Well

  Dear Elizabeth,

  I hope this finds you well. I too am well, but I am heartsick with the news of Jim Gilbride. His death came as a shock. He was my mentor and more than that, he was my friend, as well as my doctor, and I let him down by leaving him
with all of the workload. His concern as always was for his patients, first and foremost, and as my doctor, he knew there was no way I could survive if I stayed in Rockville, and as my friend he understood.

  I arrived back in Helena this morning and picked up my mail shortly thereafter. I was pleased to find several letters from you. I apologize for not keeping you posted, but there was no way. I was in the field with an army unit. In the end, the Bozeman Trail was deemed more trouble than it was worth and closed. All three forts have now been closed. An investigative commission found the Indians had been provoked by the miners and the Army. The treaty returned their lands to them.

  It was nice to rejoin my friends and patients with ordinary problems instead of wounds from gunshots and arrows. My chosen profession has kept me on a collision course with the horrors of war. I have vowed I will not go to war again.