“Who was Silence Dogood?”
“A name he made up. In these letters he gave advice and criticized what was going on, like how women were being treated. Then Benjamin would sneak the letters under the print shop door during the night. Everyone liked the letters and wanted to know who Silence Dogood was.”
August’s interest had perked up. “Did he tell them?”
“He finally confessed. Benjamin’s brother James’s friends thought Ben was clever and funny, but his brother was jealous.”
“Then what?”
“Why don’t we read it together, and you can learn all about Benjamin’s interesting life.”
“Yes, let’s read it. Will we finish it tonight?”
Sam chuckled. “It will take a few evenings, but we’ll read it all, I promise.”
August nodded his agreement. “All right.”
“‘Imagining it may be equally agreeable to you to learn the circumstances of my life, many of which you are unacquainted with, and expecting the enjoyment of a few weeks’ uninterrupted leisure, I sit down to write them. Besides, there are some other inducements that excite me to this—’”
“What’s inducements, Papa?”
“Things that spurred him to write.”
“Oh.”
“‘—that excite me to this undertaking. From the poverty and obscurity in which I was born, and in which I passed my earliest years, I have raised myself to a state of affluence and some degree of celebrity in the world.’”
“What is affluence?”
Sam stopped reading and couldn’t help a smile. It might take longer than he thought to read this book.
* * *
It was a sunny day the following week, but cold with a bitter wind when Marlys entered the laundry and stomped snow from her feet on the mat inside the door. She took all her sheets and towels to the laundry behind her own office, but brought her personal items to Mr. Lin’s. She liked the way he rinsed clothing and pressed it so it smelled fresh.
A pretty woman with a green felt hat covering most of her blond hair stood at the counter. She smiled at Marlys. “Are you Dr. Boyd?”
“Yes,” Marlys answered.
“I’m Leah Gardner. I’ve heard so much about you from Pippa, and I’ve been meaning to come introduce myself, but I’ve had a young mother and baby to look after, plus caring for my own newborn...”
“Please, don’t apologize. You must be speaking of the Austrian woman? Aunt Mae mentioned her to me.”
“Yes, that’s her. Do you have a few minutes to get better acquainted right now? Perhaps we could have tea and pie at the bakery?”
Surprised, Marlys thought only a moment. “I do have time.”
“Good.” She turned to Mr. Lin, who had wrapped a bundle and set it on the counter. “Mr. Lin, Dr. Boyd and I will be back for our laundry after we’ve had tea. Thank you.”
Understanding, Mr. Lin bowed. “I have it right here when you come back.”
Marlys spoke to Mr. Lin in his own language, and he smiled and shooed them away.
“You speak Chinese?” Leah asked on the way out the door. “I sure could have used your help when I was first bringing my laundry. Mr. Lin does an excellent job, but I don’t want my kitchen towels starched.”
Marlys laughed.
The bakery was on the next corner to the west, so it took only minutes to arrive and find one of the six small tables that lined the wall. Marlys removed her scarf and hung it on her coat on the back of her chair.
“Your hair is extraordinary,” Leah said on an appreciative breath.
Marlys touched the hair that barely reached her shoulders. Leah had a head of wavy golden curls she had somehow swept into a knot, with feminine wisps that hung against her neck and around her ears. “I haven’t done anything with it.”
“The color is so rich. I’d give anything to not be so pale.”
The young woman was anything but pale. She was exquisitely golden and lovely. “You have a new baby?”
“Yes. She’s at home with Valentine. The woman is a jewel. My husband hired her because I was on bed rest before Evie’s birth. She can cook. She keeps the household running smoothly, and she likes to have Evie for an afternoon every so often, so I have time to run errands and see friends.”
“It sounds like a perfect arrangement.”
“It is. I came to Cowboy Creek as a mail-order bride. I hoped to find work as a midwife and make an adequate match for a husband. I was widowed and pregnant, and who should show up at the station but Daniel Gardner, one of my childhood friends? He proposed to me right off, and after a rocky start we realized we were in love. He’s the kindest, most generous man I’ve ever known.”
Leah fairly glowed when she spoke of her husband.
“That’s quite a story.”
“Good afternoon.” A man in an apron greeted them and set cups and a steaming pot before them. “What kind of pie would you like?”
They ordered, and Leah poured the tea. “Tell me about you.”
“I studied in Philadelphia,” Marlys said. “I wasn’t successful in establishing a practice there, so I came here hoping my methods of healing would be appreciated.”
“Are they?”
“Quite a few people are curious about me, but not many are actually patients so far.”
“I’m sure they’ll warm to you the longer you’re here. Do you have family back in Philadelphia?”
“I have only my father, and we’re...not close,” Marlys finished.
Leah sipped her tea.
“I didn’t conform to his ideals or wishes. I’ve always been interested in many types of studies, including languages. He indulged me for a time, but when I was of an age, he put his foot down and demanded I marry. Against my better judgment I accepted suitors. I even accepted a proposal for a short time.”
Leah’s blue eyes widened. “You were engaged, and you called it off?”
Marlys nodded.
“Did you learn something about the man that displeased you?”
She shook her head. “No. Not at all. He’s smart, educated, interesting.”
Leah prompted her to elaborate. “Kind?”
“Yes.”
“Handsome?”
Her cheeks warmed. “Very.”
Leah splayed her hand flat on the table. “But...?”
“But I simply didn’t want a husband or children. I wanted to go to university.”
“So, you were true to yourself. There’s nothing shameful about that.”
“My father disagreed.”
“So you studied and became a doctor. That’s an accomplishment to be proud of.”
Marlys gave her a weak smile and picked up her cup. “Yes, I thought so.”
The aromatic tea was strong and hot.
Leah tilted her head. “Do you have any regrets?”
The thought-provoking question made Marlys uncomfortable. “I regret entering into the engagement in the first place.” She considered for a moment and then admitted. “Telling the man I made a mistake was difficult.”
“I’m sure it was.” Leah made a sympathetic face with her pretty lips drawn down at the corners. “What else could you have done?”
“I had two choices. Marry him and feel that I’d missed out on the rest of my life—or tell the truth.” Her father had accused her of being spoiled and selfish. He’d said unkind things.
Sam, however, hadn’t made one accusatory remark. “Sam told me he didn’t hold my decision against me,” she revealed softly. “He said if I wasn’t one hundred percent sure I wanted to be his wife, it was better he learned it right then and not later.”
“Of course.” Leah nodded. “He wanted someone completely sure about marrying him.”
“I told you he was a nice man.”
“Do you know if he found someone?”
“He married.”
“Do you know his wife?”
“We never met. She died in childbirth, so he’s a widower.”
“Oh, my. The poor fellow. And the baby?”
“He’s eight already.”
Leah touched the pot, testing the temperature, and poured them each another cup. “You certainly know a lot about the man. Have you kept in touch?”
Was this what making friends was like? Marlys stared at her cup and measured how she was feeling about telling Leah about Sam. Truthfully, she wasn’t uncomfortable. The other woman was clearly concerned for her and interested in her story. Her stomach dipped in a peculiar fashion as she formed her next words. “We didn’t keep in touch at all.” She lifted her gaze. “I hadn’t seen him in all those years until a few weeks ago.”
“Until before you left Philadelphia?”
“No.” She shook her head. “After I arrived here.”
The pretty blonde sat up straight. “He’s here? In Cowboy Creek? The kind, handsome, interesting man? Do I know him?”
“I don’t know. Have you met the new newspaper owner?”
Leah blinked. “Samuel Woods Mason, the author? He was your fiancé?”
“That’s the one.”
“I’ve read his book. I told you I spent a lot of time resting before the baby came. You’ve read it, of course.”
“I have,” she admitted, feeling lighter somehow, as though she’d just had a weight lifted from her shoulders. Leah didn’t seem to think Marlys had been selfish or spoiled. “It seems, Leah, that you truly understand. How can that be when our lives are so different?”
“Perhaps not as different as you think.”
“What do you mean?”
“I didn’t mention I’d broken off an engagement, too. For an entirely different reason, though it turned out to be the right choice. I was once engaged to Will Canfield.”
Marlys had heard all about the three men who had founded this town. Leah’s husband, Daniel Gardner, was one of them, and Will Canfield another.
“We were all childhood friends—Daniel, Will and I—and when we grew old enough for romance, Will and I fell in together. It was puppy love, but it felt real enough for us to get engaged. Then the war came, and Will went off to fight. I believed I would have more security if I married an Army officer rather than Will. It didn’t turn out well. I lost several babies, and my husband died before I discovered I was carrying Evie. Now Daniel has accepted her as his own child, and I’m thankful every day that the Lord led me here. But you see, I understand the paths we take aren’t always straight and flat. There are plenty of curves and valleys while getting to where we’re supposed to be.”
Leah had asked Marlys if she had any regrets. Sometimes, lately, when she spent her evenings alone, she wondered if she’d made the right choice. She’d always been so confident, so sure she was fulfilling her one true destiny. These unfamiliar new doubts were insidious, hovering barely outside her consciousness, waiting for an opportunity to inject themselves and become real.
She couldn’t acknowledge them, or she might have to admit to cracks in the armor around her confidence. But she would not lose hope.
“How can I pray for you?” Leah’s voice was tender with genuine concern.
No one had ever asked that before. She thought a minute. “Things might change if people could give me a chance and trust me.”
“I can ask and believe God for that change,” Leah said with a smile.
“Thank you for this. The talk, I mean. I appreciate that you took time from your day for us to get to know each other. I’ve never been very good at making friends.”
“Why don’t you join us for dinner after church on Sunday? I’d love for you to meet Daniel.”
Her new friend’s generous invitation took her by surprise. “Well. Yes. Yes, of course. I’d love to.”
“We’re east of here on Lincoln Boulevard. You can’t miss it. My husband built an enormous house, and it sits at an angle on the corner of Third Street. In fact, why don’t you just ride home from church with us?”
Marlys hadn’t been to church yet, but it was high time she got out and met more people. “It would be my pleasure.”
She picked up her laundry and walked home feeling different somehow, as though by sharing her story she’d found a way to feel not quite so alone. She’d never minded being alone, but since she’d been here, the isolation was more pronounced. Not for long, she reminded herself. She was making friends.
* * *
Marlys woke early as usual and made herself breakfast. She’d officially moved out of the boardinghouse, and had taken plenty of time to arrange her small but adequate living area and unpack. She’d ordered a plain pine wardrobe from Mr. Irving, the furniture maker, and he’d finished the wood with a golden stain and varnished it to a sheen. Her garments barely used a third of the space. None of her dresses or skirts were as pretty or as feminine as those Leah and Pippa wore. She’d before never given her attire much thought, purchasing clothing for practicality and function. What would the other women at church think of her?
She paused in front of the mirror, experiencing a moment of rare uncertainty. Did she look like someone people would want to get to know? She recalled Aunt Mae’s advice about people being more likely to trust her with their medical concerns if she made their acquaintance. Being part of the community would be helpful. It had been easy to talk with Leah; in fact she’d shared more things with her than she had with anyone ever.
People could like her or not. That had always been her philosophy, and she hadn’t lost any sleep over being unpopular. But now it mattered that people liked her. It mattered that they trusted her. She put on her new boots and her coat and headed west, toward the church. Others were walking the same direction, and a carriage passed.
The church, a white frame building with a steeple, was on Second Street. She stepped in line behind a family and climbed the wooden stairs. The interior smelled of new wood and plaster. Stained-glass windows lined the east and west walls, and the morning sun streamed through those windows and reflected colorful rainbows on the polished wood pews and floor.
“Dr. Boyd!” The first person to greet her was a smiling Pippa, dressed in a bright jade dress with gold ruffles over her shoulders and layers of matching ruffles cascading down the skirt. Her bright ginger-gold hair was elaborately curled and fashioned, and jade earbobs dangled from her ears. “I’m so delighted you’ve joined us this morning! I’ve told my husband all about you, and I couldn’t wait for you to meet him. Dr. Boyd, this is my husband, Gideon Kendricks. Gideon, this is Dr. Boyd.”
Gideon was tall, with a shortly cropped beard and his hair combed back away from his forehead. He smiled and accepted the hand she offered.
“You’ll sit with us, of course,” Pippa said. She glanced over Marlys’s shoulder. “Mr. Mason. It’s a pleasure to see you this morning.”
Marlys turned to discover Sam and August standing just behind her left shoulder.
Chapter Seven
“Dr. Boyd,” Sam said.
She nodded. “Mr. Mason.”
He held August’s hand, and the boy gave Marlys a bashful grin.
“Hello, August.”
Melodious notes filled the air as the organist played “O Worship the King.”
“Greetings, brothers and sisters,” Reverend Taggart called, and people took their seats. Marlys followed Gideon and Pippa. Sam ushered August ahead of him into the same row, so August was seated between the two of them. The boy glanced bashfully up at her and then looked away.
“O worship the King, all glorious above, o gratefully sing His power and His love; our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days, pavilion
ed in splendor and girded with praise.”
Her discomfort inched up a notch, feeling as though the eyes of the townspeople were on her. Voices lifted in song around her, Pippa’s stunning soprano, and Sam’s mellow baritone, and gradually her self-consciousness dropped away. The music and the lyrics spoke to her, and she enjoyed adding her voice to the others.
“O tell of His might, o sing of His grace, whose robe is the light, whose canopy space. His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form, and dark is His path on the wings of the storm.”
The congregation took their seats, skirts rustling, children whispering, and Marlys was taken back to her childhood. She’d spent many Sunday mornings beside her father in church. He’d been a respected leader in the community; she’d been his awkward, studious daughter.
Reverend Taggart read a Psalm and then taught from the book of Matthew. He was a personable speaker, sharing his own experiences, occasionally using humor. He had a huge mustache and smiled often. By the time the service ended, she felt as though she’d known him for a long time. He greeted her as the congregation filed out the door. “It was a pleasure to have you worship with us this morning. I assume you’re the lady doctor I’ve heard about.”
“Yes, I’m Marlys Boyd. I enjoyed the service, Reverend Taggart.”
“I hope you’ll get involved by volunteering. That’s how you get to know people.”
She thanked him and joined Leah and her husband, who held a blanket-wrapped bundle. “I’ve got a carriage for the ride home,” Daniel said after introducing himself.
“Marlys, this is Evie,” Leah told her with a beaming smile.
The infant had fair golden hair and full rosy cheeks. She was wide awake and looking up at Daniel with bright blue eyes. “She’s beautiful,” Marlys told her honestly.
“I tell both of my girls that every day,” Daniel said with a grin.
Leah cast an adoring look at him, and Marlys almost felt as though she was witnessing something private.
He helped the ladies into the conveyance and handed up the baby. Leah settled onto the seat and cuddled Evie. “I hope you won’t be bothered I’ve invited a few others for dinner as well.”
Cowboy Creek Christmas Page 7
