Mr. Kenicky glared at Frederick as though he had brought the plagues of Egypt into the camp. Frederick shook his head to clear cobwebs from between his ears. Had he heard the boss correctly?
“Don’t you have anything to say on your own behalf?” The man’s eyes narrowed into two snakelike slits.
Yep. He had heard the man right. He was being accused of carelessness with the equipment—breaking it and not reporting it, so the next man who used it got hurt. The same equipment that had gone haywire and caused Jake’s accident.
A part of him wanted to leap across the desk and shake the man silly, but he knew that wouldn’t do any good. How on earth was he going to defend himself against such wild accusations?
“You wouldn’t believe it anyway, so no, I guess there isn’t anything I can say,” Frederick growled. But there was something he could do. Leave Tumwater for good. Just as soon as the loose ends were tied up regarding his father’s house. Where he’d go remained a mystery, but parts beyond the horizon looked better by the minute.
“That will be all for now, Corrigan. We’ll talk more later.” The boss went back to studying the paperwork before him, and Frederick stormed from the office.
He jumped into Inferno and stoked the stove to overflowing with wood. In only a matter of minutes, the engine burned hot and in even less time, Inferno raced down the tracks. He braced his arms so taut around Widow’s Bend they actually hurt when he rounded the corner.
Frederick rolled into Tumwater with an aching jaw as well, from clenching his teeth so hard. By God’s protective grace he made it without crashing. Instead of moving lumber, E.V. was in his office doing paperwork.
“I’m getting out of Tumwater,” Frederick stated the moment he crossed the threshold. “The first chance I get to talk to the bank and make sure Pa’s house is okay.”
E.V. stared at him and said nothing.
That only made Frederick angrier. “Now that I don’t have to worry about Pa losing the house, you bet I’m going. Just as soon as I can find someplace else to go.”
The expression on E.V.’s face didn’t change, so Frederick continued. “I’m not about to stay in a town where I’ve got accusations hanging over my head like a two-ton anvil ready to drop. You know how folks talk, especially ladies.”
“Whoa, what accusations?” E.V.’s eyebrows rose.
Frederick took a few minutes to explain the situation and then waited not so patiently for E.V. to respond.
“All right.” E.V. finally answered.
That stunned Frederick. “All right?”
“I know you wouldn’t make a major decision like this without praying.” E.V. turned his gaze back to the account book on his desk and resumed writing. “Since you know this is what God wants for you, I won’t try talking you out of it.”
Frederick flinched. He hadn’t prayed, but what was the point?
“I, uh, need to send a telegram to some friends in California about getting a logging job down there.” He backed out of E.V.’s office and left before his friend changed his mind and decided to preach to him about being patient and not making rash decisions.
Frederick strode into the post office and eyed the telegram clerk. “I’d like to send a message to Eureka, California.”
The clerk quickly took down Frederick’s message and agreed to send it that afternoon. Frederick left the office, and when he finished his day’s work, he traipsed home. He slept fitfully that night, wondering what it would be like starting fresh in California.
The next afternoon, Frederick stopped in at the post office to make sure the message had been sent. To his surprise, he found a response already awaiting him. The telegram was an offer to come work in the Redwood Forest. Men like him were needed to help clear the mammoth trees that made most pines in the Pacific Northwest look small.
Realizing the opportunity available was not just for him, Frederick flew out of the post office and made a beeline to the construction site where Willum was rebuilding a cracked roof.
“I hear you’re leaving us,” Will said as he sawed a board down to size.
“E.V. tell you?”
“This morning when I picked up my lumber.” Will paused with the handsaw for a moment and studied Frederick. “You don’t have to leave Tumwater for work. I’ll hire you.”
“I’m not a carpenter like you.”
Willum stared at him with that same disappointed look that E.V. had yesterday. “Since I know this is what God wants for you, I won’t try talking you out of it.”
Frederick snapped. “Did E.V. tell you to say that?”
“No.” Willum frowned. “You did pray, didn’t you?”
“After I take Emma Pearson to the party at the Schmitt mansion,” Frederick said to change the subject, “I’m leaving.”
With a nod of acceptance, Will returned to sawing, and Frederick walked away. With his stomach rumbling for food, he headed to the tracks and boarded Inferno for the short trip back to the logging camp. As he thought of Emma, dread grew in his heart at how and when he’d tell her he was leaving.
It was the end of November and a chill set in on the afternoon of the party. Emma sat in the parlor of the Wilkins’ house and sewed with frantic speed on the dress she hoped to wear that evening. To her delight, the lace Frederick gave her had been long enough to encircle the collar and both sleeves, if barely. Frederick had said he would arrive at five sharp. Emma heard Abigail had been invited and was in no mood to deal with her troublemaking.
Looking forward to one last evening with Frederick, she couldn’t bring herself to cancel. She thought she owed it to him to make some beautiful memories on their last night together. The last thing she wanted to do was cause him extra pain, and backing out of the party would surely do that. Why ruin the night for him by skipping the festivities?
Afterward, she and Jake were leaving for Chicago. She didn’t want to think about Frederick’s reaction. She kept repeating in her head that he was better off without her. Not only was she poor, with no family and no status, but she was broken inside from such a traumatic childhood. He’d probably regret it if they married. Or were these just excuses she used because she was afraid of letting him get too close?
“Oh, this cheap thread!” Emma growled as she snipped the broken ends and rethreaded her needle. How would she ever get the lace sewn when the thread kept breaking?
“Ouch!” she yelped as the needle bit into her fingertip. She stuck the sore finger into her mouth.
“Everything will be fine after tonight.” Getting back to her sewing, Emma began singing “Amazing Grace,” hoping to sooth her fretful mood.
An hour later, she snipped the ends of the thread and the beautiful garment was complete. Evergreen in color, it matched the name of the new state. And she would celebrate by spending the evening with the local politicians and Mr. Frederick Corrigan.
A stab of pain shot through her heart with as little mercy as was shown to her fingertip only an hour earlier. Just where the feeling had originated she didn’t know, but it did nothing to change her plan.
A deafening racket of cheers arose from the street as dozens of loggers celebrated. How grateful she was that Jake had made a full recovery. She was also glad he didn’t drink hard alcohol. He would join his friends at the saloon but would return home that evening as sober as a preacher on Sunday morning.
“Emma.” Her brother’s voice carried into the room.
She rose to greet him. “Yes, Jake?” She hoped he heard her above the whoops and hollers.
“Emma, I’m heading downtown with the men. Fred will be along shortly. You sure about things?” She could hear the concern woven into his tone. He leaned against the door jamb and studied her with seriousness written in his features.
“I’m certain, Jake. Thank you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to dress before Frederick gets here.”
“All right, but be careful now, you hear?”
Jake shook his finger at Emma and made her feel like a child. Well,
she wasn’t a child any longer. She huffed. Hopefully, once they arrived in Chicago, Jake would be too preoccupied with Uncle Irving to bother with her business.
With a small degree of difficulty she and Mrs. Wilkin managed to get the dress on over her head and keep it from brushing the floor and getting dirty before she ever left the house. Her friend did up the plethora of buttons that lined the back.
“Thank you so much.” Emma smiled and then took the time to admire herself in the small mirror. The green yards of flowing material were beautiful. She bit back tears as she thought of the many times her mother had worn the same dress. She hoped that at least Frederick would like it. If only she had the money to get a portrait taken. Something in her heart said it would be a night she would always remember.
Frederick stood before the mirror and tied his necktie for the fourth time. After taking the time to iron it, he was worried it would get wrinkled. With a twist and a turn he managed the small feat.
Now to finish combing his hair, although sometimes he wondered why he bothered. The seemingly endless rain, from mist to downpour, ruffled his locks at every turn.
“Thanks, Willum, for letting me get ready at your place,” Frederick declared when he finally finished with his tie. How he hoped Emma wouldn’t get upset with him when he told her he was leaving. He said a quick prayer that she would take the news well. He didn’t want to break her heart, but he couldn’t bear to take her away from the only family she had left either.
Once he had readied himself to satisfaction, he strolled out the door. Sweat beaded on his forehead even though it was cold outside. His nerve endings tingled when he thought about where and when he was going to tell Emma of his departure.
With his friends in Eureka expecting him in three days, and the arrangements already made, what choice did he have but to leave?
Frederick curtailed his thoughts when he knocked on the door. When Emma pulled the door open and stood on the threshold, his heart threatened to stop beating. His breath halted in his throat. Emma stood in a green gown, hair upswept in a neatly coifed bun, her eyes blazing with passion. Frederick wondered if he’d be able to tell her he was leaving, let alone actually follow through with his objective.
“Hello, Frederick. It’s wonderful to see you.” Emma batted her black eyelashes and aimed a radiant smile at him that endangered his carefully laid plans.
Emma smiled at Frederick and hoped it masked her sudden desire to throw herself into his arms.
“Good evening, Emma.” Frederick grasped her gloved hand as she held it out to him, and he lifted it to his lips and laid a tender kiss there. How Emma wanted him to lay another kiss upon her lips, but proper ladies didn’t say such things. Good heavens, how was she ever going to make it to Chicago with images of this handsome man tailing her every step of the journey?
“Are you all right?” Frederick looked at her with concern in his eyes.
“Yes, could you help me with my shawl, please?” Emma turned, allowing him to wrap the garment around her shoulders.
“Shall we?” Frederick offered his arm and motioned toward the covered buggy he had borrowed from friends. Even though it wasn’t Frederick’s, Emma stared at it and felt like a princess in a fairy tale being whisked away to the grand ball. The event was by invitation only, and it was by a stroke of luck that Frederick had obtained tickets from his father. All the more reason for Emma to feel like Cinderella.
Dinner was a delicious combination of roast goose and smoked salmon, along with baby red potatoes, and carrots glazed in sauce. Servants milled about, meeting the guests’ every need, including Emma’s. Frederick sat to her right, and every so often she noticed him staring at her with a strange expression on his face. Oh dear. She hoped he wouldn’t confess to loving her.
There was much discussion regarding Mr. Elisha P. Ferry being sworn in as the new and first governor of Washington State. The orchestra played a collection of hymns, one of which was Emma’s favorite. She hummed along with the comforting tune. It was also her mother’s favorite. The melody caused memories of her mother to dance in her mind.
The tall woman had been the very picture of elegance, grace, and devotion to the Lord. Someone Emma had admired. Then came the day her father had died and Mama had clung to God with fiercer determination. Emma, who was angry at God for taking her father, didn’t understand her mother’s commitment to her faith. Things went from bad to worse when her mother hastily married someone she had courted only a short while.
Emma shook the frightening memories from her thoughts. If only she could shake them from her history as easily. Her breath came in gasps, and she couldn’t draw enough air into her lungs. The tightly laced corset didn’t help matters. This was her body’s reaction every time she dared to entertain memories of her mother’s final days. Well, she wasn’t making the same mistakes, of that she was certain.
The orchestra finished the song. Emma drew courage and sat straighter in her chair as she spoke. “Frederick, I’d like to speak with you in private if I may.”
The features on his face flickered with emotion before he replied. “Yes, there’s something I need to discuss with you. Allow me.”
Frederick rose and once again offered his arm. They strolled along the grounds of the rolling estate and discussed the stars in the heavens. Frederick pointed out the Big Dipper, holding her hand so she wouldn’t fall along the path. In the cold night air, his touch lent comfort to the ache in her heart. The moon cast a glow about them.
Emma mustered courage to tell him of her plans to leave Tumwater, but he sat her down on a nearby bench before she had the chance. He sat down beside her with his hands clasped in his lap. For a brief moment she thought he might kiss her, but he acted too strangely for that.
Frederick hesitated for what seemed like an eternity. “I need to tell you something.” This time an uncomfortable feeling rolled in Emma’s middle. Something about his tone and tense body wasn’t right.
Oh dear, please don’t say “I love you”!
“Emma,” he began, “I can’t remain in Washington any longer. I am leaving for California day after next. Please don’t be angry.”
Emma’s breath escaped her in one quick whoosh, and for a moment, she was unable to draw another. Frederick was leaving Washington? She had heard rumors of unrest murmured around camp, and of course, he would take them personally. She wanted to be angry with him, but couldn’t, not when she was planning on leaving also.
“So you’re not angry?” Frederick raised his eyebrows as if to question.
“No, I’m not angry. Perhaps disappointed.” Emma blurted the statement without giving much thought as to what she was saying.
“Disappointed?” Frederick leaned back and aimed a puzzled look at her.
“I never would have expected a man of your caliber to run away from the face of difficulty.” Emma bit her lip at the cruelty of her words. The blaze in his eyes told her she had hurt him and she was immediately sorry. Her soul ached with the sting of her actions. This was her last night with dear Frederick. She never expected her own heart to hurt so much.
“I don’t run from anything. But I don’t stand around and let folks get away with calling me a liar either. It’s a matter of pride.”
“Then I guess this is good-bye. I was going to tell you tonight. I’m going to Chicago with Jake.” Emma lifted her chin and gave her words a minute to register.
“So you’re leaving, too. Just when were you planning on sharing this news with me?” He stood, with his hands on his hips.
“I can’t stand living with the camp’s drudgeries another day, Frederick. It’s so rough and dirty, and besides, I need to stick close to my brother. He’s watched out for me for so long, I need to be there for him in return. I owe that to him.” Emma paused. “I need him.” All this was true, but she didn’t have the heart to tell Frederick she was afraid of a man getting too close to her heart.
“Then I guess you’re right, this is good-bye.” Frederick stood
in stony silence, and the words sank to the depths of Emma’s heart like a heavy boat anchor.
Without another word, he offered his arm and escorted her back to the carriage. The entire ride back home was made without a word. Like a perfect gentleman, he helped her alight from the carriage and escorted her to her door. He then lifted her hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her gloved hand. She had barely enough time to get inside the door and shut it quietly behind her before the painful sobs tore loose from her heart. Outside, she heard his footsteps echo in the night as he walked away … forever.
Two days later, Frederick boarded a train heading south to California. It had been hard saying good-bye to his best friends. Willum had taken the news with understanding, but E.V. had hardly said a word to him since he made the announcement.
Prayer and time with the Lord seemed as dry as a day-old biscuit. Much like it had before he left. This made him question whether or not he was doing the right thing. While studying his devotions at yet another stop along the way, a scripture spearheaded its way into his heart.
“Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. ”
Frederick slammed his Bible shut. The last thing he needed was to second-guess his well-intentioned plans. The next time they stopped he would send a telegram to his three friends in Tumwater to see how they were doing. He missed them already.
The next afternoon, Frederick arrived at his friend’s house. A telegram was waiting. Frederick noted the return address—the logging camp. He tore open the message.
Mr. Wilkin said another accident had happened, and it couldn’t be blamed on Jake or Frederick this time. Mr. Kenicky and his company were conducting an investigation and getting to the bottom of things. They begged him to come back and testify at the inquiry.
Frederick marched straight to the telegraph office and sent a message that he would be on the next train back to Tumwater.
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