Hannah's Handkerchief

by Zina Abbott

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  Chapter 16

  ~o0o~

  On the Smoky Hill Trail

  November, 1865

  J ake turned to the sergeant overseeing the escort patrol. “I have some business to tend to. Find a wide clearing with access to the river and pull off to rest the stock. When I’m finished, if I don’t see signs that the wagons have passed my position, I’ll ride back to join you. Otherwise, I’ll ride ahead and meet you again somewhere between here and the other side of Salina, where we’ll stop for the night.” He returned the sergeant’s salute of acknowledgement and nudged his mount into a lope as he pulled ahead of the military train.

  He had planned to make this personal side trip ever since, while still at Fort Riley, he discovered the Atwell father and daughter had not come back through that way. Although the possibility remained that they were still visiting the newly-married Jones family and had not yet arrived, he hoped they had crossed the river below Kansas City and traveled the road on the south side of the river.

  Jake tossed the side edges of his cape over each shoulder. With the weather cold, but dry, he did not need the extra warmth, and he preferred to rid himself of the annoyance that came with the flapping of the loose fabric ends. A glance at the pale blue sky, broken up with gray-tinged clouds, prompted a moment of reflection that this trip returning to Fort Ellsworth was under better conditions than the one going to Fort Riley a week earlier. With no rain for several days, once the morning ice melted, the firmness of the damp, but not mushy, road was easier on the wagons and mules.

  Jake knew the major aspect of this trip that put a damper on the men’s outlooks was that they knew they were not hauling buffalo coats back to the fort. Blankets and winter gear were welcome, but particularly for the Fort Ellsworth men who served in the north part of the state, they were no substitute for the surrendered bison hides that were not returned as coats.

  Jake chose not to push the men as hard this trip, which is why they bivouacked the previous night to the west of Abilene. He planned one more night past Salina before arriving at Fort Ellsworth.

  However, in Jake’s mind, the situation at the western forts, and the level of displeasure with which the men might regard him now, was secondary. Since leaving the Bavarian’s jewelry shop with his gift for Hannah, he debated about the locket. He greatly desired to give her the gift as a token of his feelings. As much as she enjoyed wearing pretty things, he guessed she would gladly welcome it. However, an awareness of how inappropriate such a gift was, considering the nature of their relationship, plagued his conscience. A man did not give a single young woman something of that value without an “understanding.”

  If he gave the locket to Hannah, she would need to keep it secret. If she could not wear it openly and enjoy it, that defeated his purpose for choosing the gift. If her parents found out about it, they would insist she return the locket.

  What had the Bavarian said—talk to her father? After he left the shop, it wasn’t the jeweler’s voice he heard, but his own mother’s saying the same—a decent man with good intentions only gives gifts like that to a woman with whom he has an understanding.

  Jake felt confident Hannah knew his intentions were honorable. It was her father he must convince.

  After ruminating on that issue for the better part of the ride back from St. Joseph, Jake began to ask just what relationship did he have with Hannah? What kind of understanding did he want? More to the point, what could he offer?

  While assigned to the western forts which, for the most part, were barely habitable for the men, he could not offer her a proper house. Add to that the isolation and dangers involved. The expectation of moving up in rank or being assigned a more desirable duty station were good, but years into the future. Yet, would it be fair to Hannah, especially at her young age, to bind her to a commitment with no sure prospects for years to come? He could not fault her father if the man tossed him off his land if Jake even hinted at marriage.

  Jake rode to where the trail crossed the rivers to Salina before he doubled-back on the south side. Although he had only been there the one time with Capt. Prescott, he recognized the turn-off to the Atwell farms once he approached it. He turned his mount south. Not wishing to be stopped prior to reaching Hannah’s home, he urged his horse into a gallop. A concern niggled at the back of his mind. If Hannah and her father had not returned yet, he, almost a total stranger, might be the first person to inform Mrs. Jefferson Atwell that her son remained in the hospital and would not be coming home with her husband. She should be the first to hear it, not other family members who lived along the lane.

  By the time Jake dismounted in the yard in front of the house, the oldest son still at home—Carl, if he remembered correctly—had come out on the porch with Mrs. Atwell. Reins in hand, Jake walked over until he stood at the bottom of the stairs. “Mrs. Atwell, I don’t know if you recall our meeting, but I’m Lt. Burdock. Has your husband returned home from Fort Leavenworth?”

  Carlotte shook her head. “No.” She turned to her son. “Carl, tell Henry come for the lieutenant’s horse.” After Carl returned indoors to do her bidding, she resumed facing Jake. “Welcome, Lieutenant.”

  Jake hesitated. “Perhaps this is not a good time, Mrs. Atwell. I had hoped to speak with your husband.”

  “My son, Carl, will be with us. Come inside, please. I have coffee.”

  Henry, followed by his brother, bounded out of the house and did not stop until he stood next to Jake’s mount. He grabbed the reins with one hand as, with his other, he patted the horse’s neck. “He’s a beauty.”

  Tugging his riding gloves off, Jake followed Mrs. Atwell into the house where she took his coat and hat. At her direction, he sat in the wooden armchair set at an angle to the settee. He waited while she shooed her youngest upstairs to her room and brought him a cup of coffee. Jake took one quick sip and wrapped both his hands around the wide crockery cup to enjoy the warmth. He looked up as she and Carl sat on the settee next to him.

  “You know to Fort Leavenworth my husband goes?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Jake explained about Hannah’s letter telling him of their trip to bring her brother home. “I knew I would not find her at Fort Riley, at least while they were on their way to Leavenworth. However, I did hope to catch them before they left after spending several days with your oldest son. I missed them by two days. I saw Pvt. Atwell. He was…”

  An intense expression on her face, Carlotte leaned forward and stretched out her hand toward Jake. “My son. My Otto, you see?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I was unable to speak to him, I’m afraid. They had him dosed up on laudanum, and I decided not to stay…”

  Carlotte sat back, the fingertips of one hand hovering over her bottom lip. “Still in the hospital he is? Not coming home?”

  Jake swallowed and glanced off to the side, a part of him wishing for a means of escape. Catching movement out of the corner of his eye as Carl leaned toward his mother and placed his hand on top of hers, he knew he needed to see this through. He looked at the woman whose face expressed the distress she felt. “Yes, Mrs. Atwell. I’m sorry to be the one to inform you, but your son, Otto, is still in the hospital. The nurse there told me they refused to discharge him. He’s not well enough to leave yet. Because he’s still enlisted, there was nothing your husband could do about it.” He paused, and his next words he spoke more softly. “I’m sorry. I know it’s a disappointment.”

  Carl studied his mother and then focused on Jake. “Is he going to be all right?”

  Jake shook his head. “I don’t know. I got the impression he will recover, but he is going through a difficult time now. Perhaps when your father returns, he can tell you more.”

  Wiping tears from beneath her eyes, Carlotte slowly straightened until she sat upright. “If not about my Otto, why you come, Lieutenant?”

  “I came about Hannah.” Jake’s insides clenched as he watched the woman’s
face before him harden. “As I said before, I hoped to speak to your husband.” Jake watched as the woman’s expression transitioned from that of a mother sorrowing for her injured son to one protective of her daughter. His gut began to tighten into knots of apprehension. This is not going well. “Mrs. Atwell, please allow me to explain what led up to me wishing to speak with your husband. I became very impressed with your daughter, both at the dance at the fort and during our short visit here. We began corresponding…” Jake hesitated as he watched Carlotte’s forehead wrinkle with what struck him as displeasure. “As friends, Mrs. Atwell. Your daughter evidently enjoys learning. What she has shared with me is surprisingly insightful.”

  Jake opened his mouth to tell her about the handkerchief Hannah had given him but immediately decided against it. If Hannah wished her family to know, she would have already told them. If he said something, and they did not know, not only might Hannah’s parents fault her for it, but they might demand he return it. Instead, he told of spending his leave journeying to St. Joseph and of his visit with the Bavarian jeweler.

  As soon as Jake assured her the man remembered Otto and the locket her son purchased, the concern and hint of hostility appeared to drain out of Carlotte. “My Otto, he remembers?”

  “He did. In one of her letters, your daughter told me about the locket, and her belief that her words were misunderstood.”

  Carl flung his body against the settee back and folded his arms. “Oh, there was no misunderstanding. She wants Otto’s locket so she can wear it.”

  Jake cleared his throat. “Yes, she told me that is what the family believes. From what she wrote, I gathered she is more concerned the locket be worn and enjoyed by someone rather than hidden away. Knowing this, I told the jeweler I sought an appropriate gift to show my appreciation to Hannah for her letters. Also, I wished it to serve as a token of my regard for Hannah. He helped me picked something out for her.”

  A look of disbelief on his face, Carl leaned forward. “You bought jewelry for my sister?”

  Once again, the discomfort of indecision threatened to seize Jake. He could feel his face heat. “Let’s just say, I bought a gift. In my mind, it is appropriate. However, I realize not everyone would look at it the same way.” Jake turned his gaze to Carlotte to direct his words to her. “The more I thought about the matter, I became convinced I need to speak with your husband and get his permission first.”

  Gripping one hand in her lap with the other, Carlotte leaned back and shook her head. “My Hannah, too young for this she is. Not yet eighteen.”

  Jake dipped his head. “I’m aware of her youth. She is a lovely young lady who will attract the attention of many young men, if such has not already happened. It is not my intent to rush Hannah into making decisions regarding her future. In the meantime, as much as I desire to give her this gift, I do not wish it to be under circumstances where she feels she must hide it from others. I want her free to wear it, if she chooses, around family and friends without being subjected to reproach. I want yours and your husband’s agreement.”

  Jake waited as Carlotte studied him while she considered the matter. In his peripheral vision, he noted that Carl, wearing an expression of uncertainty, shifted his gaze back and forth between him and his mother.

  “With my husband, you must first speak.” She rose, signaling the end of the visit.

  Jake tipped the last swallow of coffee into his mouth and also stood up. He placed his cup into Carlotte’s outstretched hand. “Thank you for visiting with me today, Mrs. Atwell. I wish I could stay to see if your husband returns later in the day. However, I’m traveling with a military train taking supplies to Fort Ellsworth. I need to rejoin my men. I have supplies for four forts out west.” He looked to the side and mumbled to himself. “And now they’ve garrisoned Ft. Fletcher, I have that and Fort Wallace to check on.” Shaking his head with frustration over the new responsibilities Capt. Prescott gave him just as he prepared to leave Fort Riley the day before, Jake turned his head and forced his attention back on his hostess.

  Carlotte nodded. “For Thanksgiving, you join us. You stay with Palmers.” She nodded and fluttered her fingers in front of her. “That way, everything proper. With my husband, you talk then.”

  Caught off-guard at the sudden invitation, Jake glanced aside as he considered. Thanksgiving Day fell on December seventh that year. If he was still at Fort Ellsworth then, and the weather held, coming to their house that day was a possibility. “Thank you, Mrs. Atwell. If I’m able to arrange it, I will be here.”

  She shrugged. “If not, for Christmas you come, ja?”

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  Chapter 17

  ~o0o~

  D ropping her fork, Hannah placed her hands on either side of her plate and pushed herself off the bench. Ignoring her mother’s frown, she leaned toward her. “He was here? You mean, we missed him by less than two days?”

  She and her father had arrived after dark just as the rest of the family finished their supper. After the two of them greeted the family and assured them all was well, her mother sent Henry and Carl out to unload the wagon and put it and the animals away for the night. She dished up what was left of the soup and cut thick slices of bread while they shared news of what had taken place while they were separated.

  Hannah recognized that with Magpie clinging to her father and Henry interrupting with his incessant questions, each parent held back from going into detail about the weightier matters they needed to discuss. What her father shared about Otto, Hannah knew to be far more positive than the full details she suspected he would discuss with her mother later. They also talked at length about the stopover to see Kizzie and her new husband. Although they remained at the table, they reached a point when her mother told the two younger siblings it was time for them to go upstairs to bed.

  Hannah suspected Carl hoped to avoid being banished upstairs also. He rose from his seat and moved to a chair by the fireplace where he picked up a dime novel.

  Carlotte motioned with her hand for Hannah to resume sitting. “Ja. About Otto still in the hospital, he tells me.”

  Jefferson sat back in his chair at the end of the table and folded his arms. “I wondered why you weren’t surprised we didn’t bring him home. Why was Lt. Burdock here?”

  “About our Hannah, he wish to speak with you.”

  The excitement that surged through Hannah at her mother’s words withered into concern as she faced her father. She watched the puzzled expression on his face deepen into a frown.

  “What does he want to talk to me about, did he say? If it’s about marriage, Hannah’s too young, especially if she’s considering marrying a military officer. That’s a whole different world than the life she’s been raised for.”

  “No, I’m not, Papa. Many women my age marry.” Hannah held her head up and turned her gaze from her father to her mother. Both wore disapproving expressions on their faces. In response to the annoyance she felt, her breaths grew deeper and more pronounced. She swallowed in an effort to keep her voice calm. “It’s true. Sarah and Isaac were married a month ago, and she’s two months younger than I am.”

  “Just because Sarah married does not mean you should marry.” In spite of his quiet response, Jefferson’s attitude remained the same.

  Hannah huffed out a breath. “I know that, Papa. I’m just pointing out…”

  “Nein, Hannah. To your Papa, you do not talk disrespectful. Where is my obedient daughter?”

  Hannah sucked in a breath and squeezed her eyes shut. Next, she slowly exhaled and focused her gaze on her mother. “Mama, because I always tried to do what I was told, you and Papa now think I don’t have a mind of my own. However, I’ve figured out I can make decisions by myself.”

  “Decisions, maybe, not always good ones. To your papa, you listen.”

  Hannah ducked her head and swallowed at her mother’s sharp retort. “I’ll listen to Papa. It’s just, I think it’s only righ
t that Papa should be willing to listen to Lt. Burdock without deciding beforehand he won’t agree to whatever he has to say.” Hannah gestured toward her father. “Look at him, Mama. As soon as you said Lt. Burdock wants to talk to him, he began scowling. If he frowns any harder, his face will to break.”

  Jefferson immediately stopped frowning, but Hannah could tell her father remained far from happy. “My face is not going to break. I still think you are too young to marry, Hannah, especially to a soldier who will drag you out west to one of the forts in the middle of the Indian uprisings.”

  “What if he was a farmer and wanted to homestead land out there? Would that be acceptable to you? Would you agree to it then?”

  Jefferson shook his head. “No. It’s still too unsettled out there.”

  Hannah felt somewhat mollified at her father’s response.

  “I hate to steal your hope, Hannah, but I don’t think Lt. Burdock intends to offer for you.”

  Stiffening her spine, Hannah turned to Carl, who had left his spot by the fireplace and now stood behind the bench across the table. “Why do you say that?”

  “He said he wants to give you a gift, something about a token of his regard. He wants to make sure it’s all right with Papa first.”

  A token of his regard? The beginnings of a smile twitched at the corners of Hannah’s mouth. She recognized that phrase as one she used to explain to Jake why she gave him her handkerchief.

  “He also said there are two new forts he has to check on. He’s probably too busy to get married anytime soon.” Carl looked first at this father and then at his mother. When neither spoke, he walked away.

  Hannah’s gaze followed her brother as he reclaimed his chair and picked up his book. She suspected he listened to the conversation at the table more than he read, but at least he spoke to clarify what Jake said when he talked to her mother. Recalling Jake’s words from the most recent letter she received about the men living in earthen caves, she guessed her brother was correct.