“I’m going to Saint Elena to see my brother and sister. I’ve not seen them in two years.”
Katherine turned briefly and said, “How nice for you.” The woman’s odor was sickening.
“My brother’s been sick,” the woman continued, “and my sister lost her husband not long ago, no great loss as far as I can see. He wasn’t worth diddly squat! Too lazy to come in out of the rain, you know?”
“Too bad.”
The train lurched, and then rode smoothly down the track. The smelly woman kept talking, not seeming to care that her audience wasn’t listening.
Katherine leaned her head against the window, her thoughts wandering.
A year ago, she had received her nursing degree, fulfilling a life-long dream. After working in a clinic in New York City, her uncle had made an offer that she couldn’t refuse. He was a doctor in a large hospital in San Francisco and wanted for her to assist him. Practically jumping at the chance, Katherine had packed up her belongings and headed west. She was looking forward to seeing new things and meeting new people.
The leave-taking from her father had been painful. They had always been close and he had supported his daughter’s dreams. She was sure there had been tears in his eyes when he told her good-bye on the platform.
In contrast, her stepmother, who had married her father when Katherine was very young, had merely waved good-bye and said that she wouldn’t be surprised to see Katherine back at home within a matter of weeks.
Susie, her half-sister, had thought Katherine had lost her mind to even want to go out to an uncivilized place like California when there was so much to do right there in New York City. All that was out there were filthy miners and bawdy houses. Kate knew that Susie was glad to get her out of the way so she would have a better chance with Edwin, the handsome nephew of her father’s partner, William Jacobs. Susie needn’t have worried; while Edwin was a handsome man, Kate had never had any interest in him as a beau.
The woman’s voice broke into her thoughts. “My nephew done fell down a well and drowned. Wasn’t too bright, that boy.”
Katherine’s thoughts traveled back over the past year. Her stepmother, Lila, had become more distant from the family. She was so involved in all her social activities that she was seldom at home. And when she was, she harassed Katherine for her devotion to nursing and her lack of interest in finding a suitable husband: a man who could support her in style.
Susie was like her mother. She loved the social life. The only things that seemed to matter to her were the latest fashions, dinner parties, and who was seeing whom. Katherine was her father’s daughter. Both of them enjoyed reading, talking business, and playing an occasional game of bridge. Since she had been a small child, they had been devoted to each other. While he also cared deeply for Susie, Katherine knew that she was his favorite.
She looked out into the lightening morning. The sun had begun to poke up over the hilltops. Telegraph poles whizzed by and occasionally the train passed a cluster of houses.
Katherine had hoped that the woman would take the hint, but she kept right on talking. She talked about her dog, her assorted aches and pains, and her lazy husband, who was mad that she was making the trip. Katherine wanted to jump up and move, but there was no place to move to. To top it all off, someone behind her had lit a cheap cigar, filling the cramped car with smoke. At least it helped mask the stink of the woman!
The conductor came through. “We will be stopping in a few minutes to take on water. Everyone, please stay on the train.”
Katherine thought about how wonderful it would be to get a few breaths of fresh air. She hated the cramped feeling of the railway cars. When the train finally came to a stop, she excused herself and managed to squeeze out in front of the fat lady and into the aisle.
As she moved toward the front of the car, Katherine noticed that the button salesman had slouched down in his seat, his derby hat pulled down over his face. Light snores came from his open mouth. Katherine moved on past him. I hope he sleeps all the way to San Francisco.
The conductor had opened the door and was standing out on the platform. After checking the watch that hung from a chain on his vest, he moved into the next car. As soon as he walked away, Katherine quickly stepped down and moved to the side of the steps, out of the light that came from the car. Crushed rock sounded beneath her feet.
Oh, it was great to breathe the fresh air.
She looked out into the darkness and saw the long trough swing down from the water tank. Then came the rush of water pouring into the engine’s tank.
Suddenly, something hard was jammed into her back and a hand grabbed hold of her shoulder. The sound of a revolver cocking startled her.
“Hello, Kate.”
Dreamkeepers Page 34