A Home at Trail's End

by Melody A. Carlson

  “You don’t think anything went wrong with the hunters, do you?” Elizabeth asked Clara as she sat down on the seat next to her.

  “I expect they’ve had good luck and it’s just taking longer.”

  “Or they might have had a breakdown on the wagon.”

  “Your brother took tools. If they break down, he will fix it.”

  “Yes. I’m sure you’re right.” Elizabeth saw Jess waiting for them on the edge of her property. “And I won’t act worried around Jess.”

  Before long, they were standing in the back of the school with the rest of the parents, watching as Mrs. Taylor led the children in a number of lively songs. Some, like JT, had instruments to play, and all in all, it was quite a nice production. But Elizabeth couldn’t have been prouder than when Ruth sang “O Come, All Ye Faithful” accompanied by JT. It was so beautiful that tears filled her eyes. She wished Eli could hear it. Malinda’s girls along with Will’s older daughters sang a lovely rendition of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” and some of the older boys bellowed out “Joy to the World.”

  For the finale, all the children joined in to sing “Deck the Halls,” and then the parents were treated to goodies that were provided by Mrs. Taylor, the Holmeses, and Prescotts’ Mercantile. All in all, it was a very nice program. Considering they were just a little one-room frontier school, Elizabeth was impressed.

  “We are so fortunate to have you,” she told Mrs. Taylor afterward. “If you don’t have plans for Christmas, we would love to have you join us.”

  “Thank you,” Mrs. Taylor smiled happily. “But I promised to spend Christmas at the Levines. Reverend and Mrs. Holmes will be joining us.”

  Elizabeth squeezed her hand. “Merry Christmas!”

  After visiting with the other parents and explaining more times than she cared to about why Eli and the other men were missing, Elizabeth suggested that it was time to go home. “Those clouds look like they could let loose before long,” she told Malinda. “And we’ll have a heavy load of people to get home.”

  The children insisted on singing Christmas songs in the back of the wagon. And for a while their merriment seemed to displace her concerns about the missing hunters.

  “Susannah and Emily want to know if I can stay overnight at their house tonight,” Ruth said when they reached Malinda’s house. “There’s no school in the morning.”

  Elizabeth glanced at Malinda. “Is that all right with you?”

  “Sure. I’ll put her to work helping prepare for tomorrow’s party.”

  “What about JT?” Bart protested. “If Ruth gets to stay, can JT stay too? Please, Ma?”

  “I’m fine with that,” Malinda said as she climbed down.

  “Ma?” JT asked hopefully. “Do you mind?”

  Elizabeth made a tolerant smile. “Not at all. But both of you mind your manners and help Aunt Malinda.”

  They assured her they would, and suddenly it was just her and Clara and Jess. “Do you ladies want to keep singing?” Elizabeth asked tentatively as she drove the team on toward home.

  “Not particularly,” Jess answered solemnly.

  “Yes, I think I’ve had enough music for now,” Clara said. “Although it was a lovely program. And when JT and Ruth sang “O Come, All Ye Faithful”…oh, my. That was so beautiful. JT is such a musician and our dear Ruth has the sweetest voice.”

  “I just wish Eli and Father and Matthew could have heard it.” Elizabeth sighed.

  “Perhaps the children can do it again on Christmas Day,” Clara suggested.

  “Yes.” Elizabeth nodded. “Of course.”

  “Do you think the men are all right?” Jess asked suddenly.

  “Oh, sure,” Clara told her. “I expect they’re home by now. Probably dividing up the meat.”

  They speculated on this for a while, but when they reached Clara’s there was no sign of Asa’s wagon. “I’ll walk from here,” Jess told Elizabeth as she climbed down with Clara. “You better hurry and get that wagon home before the rain comes.”

  “Thanks,” Elizabeth called out. “I don’t want to get stuck in the mud again.” She waved to them, and trying not to feel too dismayed over the missing men, she kept the team moving quickly, getting home just as the sky opened up.

  By the time she’d unhitched and tended to the team, checked on the rest of the livestock, and gotten the hens safely into the henhouse, she was soaked to the skin. At least she had a safe and dry house to go to, albeit a house with no children and no Eli. But she did have a dog. “Hurry up,” she told Flax as they were going inside. “Let’s get ourselves dry.”

  She tried not to worry about the hunters as she busied herself making a fire in the cookstove and quickly changing out of her wet clothes. Since she was home alone, she simply put on her nightie and a shawl. But she missed having her moccasins. She brewed a pot of tea and then made herself some porridge. Then, to help take the chill off her and the house and to help her wet clothes to dry, she made a fire in the fireplace.

  She tried to stay busy, but her eyes kept wandering to the window. But the darkness came quickly, and it wasn’t long until all she could see outside was inky blackness. And now her imagination started to run away with her. As she pulled the curtains closed and returned to her chair by the fireside, she was gripped with an oppressive sense of fear. She tried to focus on the baby blanket she was knitting for Matthew and Jess’ baby, but she kept dropping stitches and finally set it aside.

  Something was wrong. She knew it. The men would not purposely stay away this long. Not unless something was wrong. She had already considered the various possible reasons that the men were late coming home. She wasn’t all that concerned about wild animals. She knew that Eli was savvy about hunting in the wilderness and that he was a good shot. A wagon breakdown could explain a delay. And Eli had told her that because of the terrain, they could only take the wagon partway to the area he planned to hunt. But most breakdowns were repairable within hours, so that would only slow them by a day at most.

  The next explanation that came to her was sickness. She knew this was only because of what her family had suffered from cholera back in 1853. She had not heard of any cholera outbreaks in this part of the country, but she knew that could change in a moment—and that cholera could come on quickly and without warning. But finally she had to assure herself that her family was unlikely to be ravaged by cholera again. Wasn’t that a bit like lightning striking twice?

  And so the peril that concerned her more than anything else seemed to be Indians. Fueled by Martha Levine’s bloody tale about the Indian attacks on the Rogue and at Battle Rock, it was easy to imagine a band of displaced warriors hiding out from the army. And how outraged might they be, knowing their women and children had been forced off their land by the invasive white men? In all fairness, it would be a righteous anger too. But what would be the dire consequences if these incensed warriors encountered five white hunters invading their territory and killing their game? She couldn’t bear to imagine. All she could do was pray.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Elizabeth was still praying by the fireside when she heard the clunk of the door’s latch. Jumping up and just inches from grabbing the old shotgun hanging above the fireplace, she watched as the door swung open—and Eli walked in.

  “Eli!” she cried out, running to him. “You’re safe!”

  “Shhh,” he hushed her as he held her in his arms. “The children.”

  “The children are at Malinda’s,” she said, choking back sobs of relief. “I was so worried.”

  “I’m sorry.” He smoothed her hair. “Oh, Elizabeth, it’s so good to be home.”

  “Welcome!” Regaining composure, she stepped back and looked at his face. He had the beginning of a beard and a happy grin. “Are you hungry?”

  He nodded, unlacing his soggy buckskin shirt. “And wet. And cold.”

  She hurried over to the fire, tossing a couple more logs on. “Get undressed here by the fire, and I’ll bring you so
mething dry to put on.”

  She bustled about, happy to be tending to her husband, happy to have him home. Before long he was in dry clothes and sitting by the fire with two fat slices of bread and butter and jelly and a cup of coffee. “Your eggs are almost ready,” she called out.

  “Eggs?” He sounded disappointed.

  “You don’t want eggs?”

  “What about the chicks?”

  She laughed as she spooned the scrambled eggs onto a plate. “We already saved the fertile eggs—nineteen altogether. The hens are sitting on them. We won’t get any more fertile eggs until we have our own rooster.” She handed him his plate. “Now I want to hear the whole story, from beginning to end, and try not to leave anything out.”

  Between hungry bites, Eli explained why their hunting party was late. “It started out to be an uneventful expedition. We got the wagon up to the campsite just like I planned, and the weather was with us. On the first day your father shot a bull elk.” He took a sip of coffee. “We ate like kings that night. The next day we were hunting for a cow because the roasts are so good, but no luck. So on the third day we split up. Brady seemed worn out, so Asa suggested he stay at camp and be our cook. Your pa went with me, and Matthew and Will set out together. I got a real nice cow early in the day, but it took Asa and me until midday to pack it back to camp. I left Asa and Brady to tend to the meat, and I went back to where I’d seen sign of turkeys. By the time I got back it was close to dark, but I got three turkeys.” He paused to eat his last bite of eggs and then looked at her.

  “Still hungry?” she asked.

  “We haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

  “You keep telling me your story and I’ll make you some more eggs.”

  “So night came on, and it was just Asa and Brady and me at camp. None of us had seen hide nor hair of Matthew and Will. And we didn’t let on, but I know we were all feeling a mite concerned.”

  “Oh, my.” She cracked an egg. “Were they all right?”

  “You said to tell the story from beginning to end,” he reminded her. “So it was dark and late, but I decided to set out with a lantern to look for them. I knew which direction they’d taken, but I finally realized it was useless and returned to camp.” He paused to refill his coffee cup.

  “Oh, dear.” She handed him another piece of bread with butter and jam.

  “The next morning, the day we’d meant to go home, Will and Matthew weren’t back. So Asa and I set out on horses to look for them at daybreak.” He shook his head as he chewed. “We all knew that Will was the least experienced outdoorsman, and I couldn’t help but think maybe he’d gotten lost or hurt or something.”

  “Yes.” She nodded as she put the second portion of eggs on his plate. “I was just thinking that too.”

  “Your pa and I were calling and whistling, and I’m sure we were both praying, but it wasn’t until midday that we found them.”

  “Oh, good.” She sat down in the chair across from him.

  “Your brother had fallen down a small ravine and broken his leg. Will was carrying him out.”

  “Oh, dear!” Her hand flew to her mouth. “Poor Matthew. Is he all right?”

  “He’s fine. Well, excepting for that broken leg. But thanks to Will, it looks like he will heal up just fine.”

  “Thanks to Will?”

  “Turns out that Will knows a little about doctoring.” Eli grinned. “Now, bear in mind that Will made us swear to secrecy, but I think I can trust you with this.”

  “Of course.” She leaned forward with interest.

  “Seems that Will started out to be a doctor. But when he was studying medicine, he discovered that he didn’t have the stomach for working on cadavers.”

  She grimaced. “Can’t fault him for that.”

  “So he switched from medicine to law. But apparently he had enough medical training to know how to set a bone and make a splint. Not only that, but Will shot a couple of rabbits to roast for their supper the previous night—otherwise they’d have gone hungry. Matthew swears that Will saved his life.”

  “Thank goodness for Will.”

  “So we loaded Matthew on a horse, but because he was in pain, it was slow going. By the time we reached camp it was too late in the day to head out. So this morning, we ate a hasty breakfast and broke camp first thing. I could tell the weather was about to turn, and I wanted to get back before it let loose. We were making good progress. But then just as we were crossing a creek, the axle broke.”

  “Oh, dear.”

  “Unfortunately our best mechanic was indisposed. So with Matthew’s guidance I was doing my best to repair it, but I have to say that Will stepped right up, and if it hadn’t been for his help, we’d probably still be out there.”

  “Did you tell Will that?” she asked eagerly.

  “Sure did. We all did. In fact, by the time we made it back to Asa’s, we all decided to adopt Will into the family.” He gave her a sleepy smile. “You all right with that?”

  She laughed. “That’s fine with me. I just hope that it makes him want to marry Malinda now.”

  Eli let out a yawn, and she took him by the hand. “If there’s any more story to tell, it will have to wait until morning,” she said firmly. “It is time for bed, my dear.”

  “You won’t get any argument from me.”

  The gray dawn light was already coming in the bedroom window by the time Elizabeth awoke, but Eli was already up. She dressed quickly, hurrying out to get a fire going and the breakfast started, but when she got out there she discovered the cookstove was hot and a pot of coffee was sitting on the soapstone. She set out some breakfast things, and then, remembering that Ruth was not home, she went out to tend to the chickens. It was still too early for eggs to hatch, but it wouldn’t be long. According to her calculations, a few days after Christmas the first chicks could begin to hatch.

  As she returned to the house, she spotted Eli and Flax coming toward the house. Eli was carrying something big and bulky. She paused to see better and realized it was an evergreen tree.

  “Merry Christmas,” he called out as he got closer.

  “A Christmas tree!” she exclaimed as she went out to meet him.

  “I thought we could surprise the children.”

  “Perfect.” She peered at the tree. “And that is a beauty.”

  He leaned over to kiss her, and she stroked his smooth cheek. “You appear to have found your razor.”

  He chuckled. “Well, after all, it’s Christmas Eve.”

  “Speaking of that…” As they walked to the house, she told him about Malinda’s Christmas Eve party. “She was hoping you would bring your guitar tonight.”

  “I’m happy to.”

  “I expect poor Matthew won’t be able to play fiddle now.”

  “It’s his leg that’s broken, Elizabeth, not his arm.”

  While Eli made a stand for the tree, Elizabeth fixed breakfast. Then, just as he carried the tree into the house, she set a stack of pancakes on the table. “I thought you could put the tree right here,” she pointed to the center of the room. “That way we can admire it from every direction.”

  After breakfast and chores, Eli drove their wagon over to her parents’ to help Asa with the meat as well as to bring some home. Most of it would be smoked, but some would be shared with friends in the community, and the best section of roast as well as a turkey would be used for their Christmas dinner tomorrow. While Eli was gone, Elizabeth looked at the Christmas tree. As pretty as it was, it seemed to be in need of some decorations, but all of hers had been left behind in Kentucky. She went to her trunk and her sewing basket, and before long she had crafted a few things. And she left some materials out for when Ruth got home because she knew she would want to help. She also took time to wrap the presents she’d recently finished, placing them under the tree.

  JT and Ruth got home in time for dinner and, as expected, they were both delighted to see the Christmas tree. However, they were even happier to see Eli. Afte
r they all ate tender elk steaks and fried potatoes together, JT went out to help Eli with chores, and using fabric, paper, ribbon, sticks, and string, Ruth and Elizabeth proceeded to decorate the tree.

  When it was time to get ready for the Christmas Eve party, Elizabeth decided she and Ruth would wear their wedding dresses. And why not—this was a time to celebrate. The men had made it safely home, and this was their first Christmas in Oregon. Why shouldn’t they all kick up their heels tonight? She was only slightly disappointed when she realized that because of the slate-colored afternoon skies, they would not be taking the wagon and team to Malinda’s. In all likelihood they would be walking in the rain.

  “Perhaps we should wear our old dresses to walk in,” Elizabeth said to Ruth as she watched the rain pelting against the big window. “Maybe we could change at Malinda’s.”

  Just then Eli came into the house. “I forgot to tell you that your pa left the cover on their wagon, and he’s double teaming just like we did on our hunting trip. He wants us to all ride together over to Malinda’s.”

  Ruth clapped her hands. “And we will sing all the way!”

  Within the hour, she and the children were all bundled into the back of Asa’s wagon. Jess and Clara had brought blankets and quilts to keep everyone comfortable. And Matthew, with his leg wrapped in wooden splints and resting on a pillow, seemed in fairly good spirits. “Pa and Brady made me a set of crutches,” he told them.

  Up front, Eli was sitting with Asa, and Brady, bless his heart, had insisted on helping as well. The plan was to deliver the family members to the barn, and then Brady would park the wagon around back. After that Brady planned to tend to the teams and stay with the wagon.

  “But you could play music with us,” JT told him when it was time to unload.