“Are you kidding? Another chance to kiss you goodbye? Why would I mind?”
Red swung Mary around and grinned like a schoolboy. “It’s not our only surprise either.”
Mary giggled. “You’re getting on the train with us? Because that would be over the moon.”
Nate squeezed Elsie’s waist. “Not quite. But Lieutenant Stone received word on where we’d be sent for our next six-month hitch.”
Elsie stared up at Nate’s eyes, wishing she could memorize the exact shade. She was going to miss him so much. “So where are you headed? Nevada? Texas?”
A grin spread across his face. “Guess again, college girl.”
Mary squeezed Red’s hands. “Oh, it’s California, isn’t it? Or Oregon?”
He tipped his head toward Nate. “I think we’d better out and tell them. Otherwise they’ll miss their train trying to guess it.”
The train whistle sounded.
Elsie looked up at Nate, hating the idea that they would be forced apart. Again.
He grinned and leaned in close, lowering his voice so only she and Mary could hear. “We’re going to Fort Missoula.”
“What?” Mary screeched, bouncing on her toes. “Missoula? That’s only about five miles from campus.”
All the breath left Elsie’s lungs for a moment. “For the whole winter?”
Nate grinned, then leaned in and kissed her, lingering, with total disregard for anyone who might be watching. He released her and looked into her eyes. “You said God had a plan in mind for us.”
Warmth flooded through her. “I never realized how perfect it would be.”
“They’ve got a sign shop and a machine shop—even some electronics classes. Red might learn to build radios after all. We’ll be producing signs for parks and recreation sites. So I hope you don’t mind continuing our lessons for a few more months. If I misspell some of those words, there’s going to be a high price to pay.”
She locked her hands around the back of his neck and kissed him again. “There’s your answer.”
“Don’t miss your train, college girl. I’ll be seeing you in a few weeks after we get Canyon Camp buttoned up for winter.”
Mary was clinging to Red with happy tears streaming down her cheeks. “I can’t believe it.”
He laughed. “Yeah, well, I’ll miss that lovely California sunshine, but I wouldn’t trade this for the world.”
Elsie grabbed Mary’s hand and they ran for the train, climbing aboard just before it started easing out of the station. Waving to the two men, they slipped down the aisle to some open seats.
Nate and Red waved from the platform, the sight sending a surge of joy through Elsie. Missoula. She waved back, blowing a kiss.
As Mary had said, a kiss goodbye was just one step away from a kiss hello.
June 1, 1937
“There they are.” Nate leaned forward, his pulse speeding up. Even though it was June, tiny flakes of snow drifted through the afternoon air, and the wind remained unseasonably cold. The parking area near Artist Point was mostly empty, only a few brave souls venturing down to look at Lower Yellowstone Falls as the clouds spit moisture at them. In contrast, a large group of young men plodded up the trail toward them, heading for two large trucks.
Elsie squeezed next to him for warmth. “They look so young.”
“They are young.”
The line of men in dirt-stained dungarees and shirts hiked slowly, shovels and picks in their hands. Floppy hats covered their heads, but most had slung their coats over a shoulder as they walked—evidence of a hard afternoon’s work.
Nate shook his head. “I was never that young.”
“You were the old man of the group, remember?” She shivered with the memory and the cold. “That day you arrived at the Gardiner station four years ago, I remember thinking you all looked half-starved and homesick.”
“We were.” Nate chuckled. “I put on twenty pounds in the first two months.” He scanned the line, studying each face as they passed.
“Twenty pounds of muscle.” She squeezed his arm. “Why do you think all us pillow punchers were suddenly chasing after you boys?”
He couldn’t resist the smile, leaning down to press a kiss to his wife’s forehead. “I was doing all the chasing, or have you forgotten that, college girl?”
“You’re going to have to stop calling me that, you know. You’re the college student now.”
“I’m not sure taking two forestry classes a year qualifies. It’ll take me a long time to catch up to you. Maybe when I’m about eighty?”
“Those classes will help you this summer when you’re supervising the crews. The park service is thrilled to have you. They don’t have nearly enough experienced men to guide these city boys.”
“I think it stretches the boundaries of the LEM program to hire me.”
“Local experienced men—who could be more qualified than you?”
Nate shook his head. “As soon as they hear my Brooklyn accent, they’re going to know I’m not Wyoming born and bred.”
Elsie settled a hand on his shoulder, the simple gold band on her finger reflecting a glint of sunlight. “It’s funny; I don’t even notice it anymore.”
He couldn’t resist claiming that hand and placing a kiss on top of her knuckles. His mother had been saving his grandmother’s ring for Sherm but was delighted to pass it along to Nate when the time came. He squeezed Elsie’s fingers, never feeling more whole than when he had her hand in his.
“I’m glad Red and Mary are coming out for a few weeks. I’m sure the boys will prefer his electronics classes to my boring old arithmetic and history.”
“It was generous of him to volunteer. I never thought he’d actually build those radios like he wanted.”
Elsie tightened the belt on her coat. “I think it was Mary who volunteered him. She liked the idea of coming back to Yellowstone and not having to make anyone’s bed but her own.” The flakes of snow were falling faster now, gathering on the edges of Elsie’s hat. “And I can’t wait to meet their little boys.”
It wasn’t until the last few men emerged from the trailhead that he spotted the familiar features.
He’d only seen his little brother twice since leaving Brooklyn, and the last time had been two years ago. Charlie must know that Nate had pulled strings to get him stationed here. Hopefully that hadn’t angered the boy. Nate just couldn’t resist the opportunity to have him close.
Elsie sighed. “He looks like Val. All knees and elbows.”
Charlie had grown several more inches in the past two years, now towering over the rest of his crew, his angular features even more pronounced than they had been as a child.
“He looks like Sherm.” Nate stepped forward, leaving Elsie by the car. “Charlie.”
His brother glanced up, a moment passing before recognition spread across his face. “Nate?” He dropped the shovel to the dirt and jogged over, throwing his arms around his older brother. “Am I glad to see you.”
“You are a sight.” He hugged Charlie hard, smacking his shoulders before releasing him and stepping back to look him over again. “I can’t believe you’re taller than me.”
Charlie straightened to his full height. “Six foot two, according to the doctor at Camp Dix.”
Nate couldn’t resist giving him a gentle punch in the stomach. “And what—about 130 at the most?” He’d sent money home every chance he got, but his mother said feeding growing boys was like bailing a leaky boat. You couldn’t keep up.
“Not for long. Every time we turn around, they’re putting more food in front of us. If I’d known you ate this well, I’d have run away and joined you years ago.” He glanced around. “Did you bring Elsie?”
Nate turned and waved her closer. She stepped away from their Buick and hurried over to join them. “Charlie, I’m so hap
py to see you again.”
“Hey, sis.” Charlie bent down to give her a peck on the cheek. “Keeping this guy in line?”
“I try.” She glanced between the two brothers. “I can’t get over the resemblance between you two. How are Eva and Lucy?”
Charlie rolled his eyes. “Boy crazy.”
“What?” Nate gasped. “Since when?”
Elsie laughed, looping her hand under his arm. “A brother’s work is never done. Or so I hear. Maybe we’ll have to lure them out to Yellowstone next. Do you think they’d rather wash dishes or plump pillows?”
“Maybe we should keep them far away from this place. Remember that romantic Yellowstone moon?”
The other men had piled into the waiting trucks, and several of them shouted to Charlie.
He waved, then turned back to Nate and Elsie. “I’ve got to go.”
“That’s all right.” Nate blinked several times, surprised to feel the emotion surge through him. “You’ll actually be seeing me this summer. I’m going to be supervising some of the crews.” He cleared his throat. “Yours, if you’ll have me. Or if that’s too much big brother for you, I’ll trade for one of the other camps. I’m just glad to know you’ll be nearby.”
A grin spread across Charlie’s face. “You’re pulling my leg. How did you manage that?”
Elsie laughed. “My father made a few telephone calls. It didn’t take much convincing. Your brother is quite in demand out here.”
“Someone’s got to show you kids the difference between a whitebark pine and a lodgepole pine.” Nate tipped his head toward Elsie. “And Mrs. Webber here will be schooling you on the three Rs.”
“With a good amount of geology thrown in.” She smiled. “As a bonus.”
The men hollered again from the truck. Charlie grimaced and gave them each a bear hug. “I guess I’ll see you soon, then. This is going to be the best summer ever.” He jogged over to his crew, and one of the other boys reached out a hand to haul him into the truck bed.
“ ‘Best summer ever.’ Did you hear that?” Nate waved. “He may change his tune when he figures out exactly how hard we’re going to work him. He may decide he doesn’t like having his older brother for a boss.”
She reached up and cupped a hand under Nate’s chin. “A little hard work never hurt anybody. Look what it did for you.”
He pulled Elsie into his arms, lifting her toes off the ground in his enthusiasm. “It got me the love of my life.”
“And this summer we’re going to work on the next chapter, right?”
He lowered her back onto her feet and kissed her lips. Tiny flakes of snow were clinging to the knitted red cap covering her hair. “Tell me you’re not talking about a geology book.”
She smiled, turning her face in toward his palm. “I was thinking more about our family’s next chapter.”
He circled his arm behind her back, using his free hand to brush a stray snowflake from her nose. “I can’t wait.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed this 1930s tour through Yellowstone National Park. With a landscape that is overflowing with remarkable geothermal features, wildlife, history, and people, it was a challenge to pick and choose what aspects of the park to feature in Ever Faithful. I feel like I barely scratched the surface of all Yellowstone has to offer. Is it any surprise that early visitors nicknamed it Wonderland?
For the sake of story flow, I did stretch the summer season by a few weeks. I hope you’ll forgive me for that. I’m sure the characters appreciated having a little more time to enjoy this incredible place—and each other.
For those of you who enjoy learning a little more about the history that goes into a novel, here is a little background to some of the history featured in the story.
The Civilian Conservation Corps. As described in Ever Faithful, the CCC was one of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s most successful New Deal programs. From 1933 until 1942, the CCC employed more than 2.5 million men, mostly between the ages of eighteen to twenty-five, to work various conservation projects on public lands. Not only did these men do backbreaking work, they also learned. It’s said that as many as forty thousand illiterate men may have learned to read during their time in the camps. Others finished high school or took trade classes—and a few even earned college scholarships (I’d like to think Val Kaminski was one of these).
Some of the enrollees had experienced little outside their own urban neighborhoods, but through participation in the CCC, they were given the opportunity not only to see the country, but to mix with men from a wide variety of backgrounds. By the time America went to war, a generation of men had already experienced camp life and were ready for the next chapter in their lives.
The Yellowstone “savages.” Starting in the late 1800s and lasting into the present day, the seasonal staff who work for the concessionaires at Yellowstone National Park have been referred to as savages. No one is entirely sure how the nickname originated, but generations of summer staff remember the term with fondness. I know the word can be a sensitive one to certain audiences, and I truly hope it didn’t offend. The other lingo—pillow punchers, gear jammers, pack rats, and the rest—also comes from park history.
The Yellow Buses. Don’t you just love the vintage yellow bus on the front cover? Did you know you can still tour the park in one? The vintage buses began making a comeback in 2009, when Yellowstone’s concessionaire purchased eight of the vehicles from Skagway Streetcar Co. They spent $1.9 million refurbishing these buses to bring them up to today’s safety standards and put them back on the road. So now, like the “dudes” of Graham’s era, you can have a Yellowstone gear jammer show you the sights of the park. The legend of “a girl at every stop” came straight from a camp songbook published in the 1920s, but the tourney was my own addition. From the tone of some of the lyrics, I don’t think it was much of a stretch.
The Park Hotels. It’s true that many of the park’s hotels did not open for the 1933 season. Affected by the Great Depression, tourists were choosing less expensive accommodations like housekeeping cabins and tents or simply staying home. The Mammoth and Canyon Hotels have both been replaced by newer structures, but the Lake Hotel (1891) and the Old Faithful Inn (1904) still look much as they did in Elsie’s era.
Yellowstone’s Wildlife. In the 1930s, bison were still recovering from near extinction. By 1902, there were only around two dozen wild bison in the park. The government brought twenty-one more from private herds and managed them as a captive herd. As their numbers increased, they began releasing animals to mix with the remains of the wild herd, and the bison you see in Yellowstone today (now numbering between two and five thousand) are their descendants. The bison are only one of the park’s conservation success stories. Wolves are not mentioned in Ever Faithful because they were extinct in the park at the time. It’s only in the past few decades that this incredible predator has been reintroduced. Both of these species are important pieces of Yellowstone history.
Bears, on the other hand, were much easier to see in Nate and Elsie’s era. Official feeding stations, as described in Ever Faithful, existed for visitor entertainment until World War II. In 1970, the park banned visitors from feeding the bears and began installing bear-proof garbage cans. Much has changed!
There’s so much more I’d like to add, such as the changing wildfire policies in our national parks, mountain pine beetle ecology, mental health in the 1930s, learning disabilities and illiteracy, and great things to see in Yellowstone. You can learn more about Ever Faithful and Yellowstone at www.KarenBarnettBooks.com. Sign up for my newsletter while you’re there, and you’ll receive updates on future books and more behind-the-scenes information.
I hope that Ever Faithful and the other titles in the Vintage National Parks collection have inspired you to get out and enjoy these n
ational treasures for yourself. I believe God delights in His intricate and ever-changing creation…and that includes you!
Blessings!
Karen Barnett
READERS GUIDE
1. Have you had the joy of visiting Yellowstone National Park? What were some of your favorite “wonders” you saw while there? If you haven’t visited yet, what would you most like to see?
2. Elsie has dreamed of being a teacher since she was little—a desire she feels God planted in her heart. Is there a dream you’ve held close for many years?
3. Even though Nate is grown, he still hears his father’s harsh words telling him that he’s dumb and a failure. In the story, what helps him move past them? Are there hurtful words from your past that you’ve internalized? What are some ways you can put these voices to rest?
4. Early in the story Mary says to Elsie, “I’m never serene. I’m bubbly and feisty like your beloved geysers.” If you were to describe yourself in Yellowstone terms, which would you choose?
Bubbly and feisty like a geyser
Calm and serene like Yellowstone Lake on a sunny day
Strong and stubborn like a bison
Playful and mischievous like a raccoon kit
Temperamental and explosive like a mud pot
Loving and fiercely protective like a mama grizzly
______ and _______ like a ____________ (fill in your own).
5. Elsie’s parents believe that the key to love and happiness is found in Matthew 7:12 which says, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets (NKJV).” Do you believe this command can be applied to marriage? What does that look like?
6. Early on, Mary and Rose seemed to think that Teddy was Elsie’s perfect match. Why didn’t things work out between them? Do you think her parents’ teaching played into her decision? What was it about Nate that Elsie preferred?
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