Jasper shrugged. “I know, ‘cept I got used to being by myself.”
Beth looked at her husband, and he shrugged. “All right,” she agreed. “However, you will be eating three square meals with us,” she declared firmly.
“Yes, ma’am,” Jasper responded with a grin. He motioned to the concertina. “I’ll put this away until we get home.”
“If he makes that kind of racket in the barn, we’re liable to get sour milk from the cow,” Garret warned.
“Lettie taught me how to make cottage cheese a long time ago,” Beth teased, as her husband frowned at the idea of eating curded milk.
***
Spring swept through the valley and with it came weather unpredictable from day-to-day—some days were hot, others were cold and damp. None of them cared. Spring had arrived, and there was a lot of work to be done.
As soon as the creek was clear of ice, Garret took Beth’s fish wheel down and installed it in the current. Fresh fish was a welcomed change from the elk, rabbit, and game birds they had been eating for months.
The first of the wild spring onions appeared along with winter cress, chickweed, dandelions, and garlic mustard. Anything fresh, green, and edible was welcomed. Next would come pokeweed, wild onion grass, and mushrooms.
The war years were behind them, but Beth’s knowledge of edible plants had been honed during those long years. They would have starved had not Lettie and Jacob’s mother taught them what wild plants were safe to eat and what was poisonous. Also, throughout the previous summer, Marie Chardon had schooled Beth on the plants the Arapahos used for medicines, and what indigenous plants were safe to harvest for their bark, berries, or seed.
Beth thought a lot about the war years since she had reconnected with Lettie. She still worried about her friend. It was so difficult for colored folk, and she could not understand why people went out of their way to be rude and unkind to them. Beth was already looking forward to seeing her friend again, and she also anxiously awaited the return of Marie and her family.
Garret had already warned Beth the Chardon family might not return. The Arapaho tribes had been moved to the new Indian Territory before winter set in. The family who had adopted Marie would have gone with them. The beaver trade was also changing. Beaver felt, highly prized for the last several hundred years, was quickly being replaced by silk.
Beth’s belly began to pooch out a little bit and, as it grew, so did her concern about having a baby in the wilderness with no help. She kept her unease to herself. If she had learned anything at all during the past when her life had taken unexpected twists and turns, it was that life was hard and unpredictable. She had to be resilient enough to accept the changes as they came. She had a good husband who loved her, a decent place to live, and food in her belly. She gave thanks every morning at her breakfast table.
Although Garret and Jasper were constantly busy with the ranch, they found time to help her. Garret plowed her garden plot in furrows and Jasper helped her plant her early seeds. She had been told April through late May was the best planting time, but she worried about a late frost.
They left many of the smaller fish caught in the fish wheel out in the sun for several days before burying them in her garden to enrich the soil. This was Beth’s favorite time of the year, the time of renewal for the earth and the animals. There were babies everywhere. Maybe because she was expecting herself, she was more aware of it this year. She had eight baby chicks in the chicken coop. There were baby birds, fawns, and tiny rabbits.
She still carried a rifle with her, except she had stopped hunting for game. She could not… would not kill an animal if it might be a mother to small ones. Her men thought she was silly, but they smiled and took over the chore of providing fresh meat for the table.
Beth sighed in relief when the mud finally began to dry. There were still rainy days of course, but the ground quickly recovered after a few hours of sunshine.
Their lives settled into the routine they had before being driven inside for winter. Beth’s days revolved around their home, mainly in the kitchen, while Garret and Jasper’s time was spent outdoors caring for the cattle and new calves, and plowing the fields for new crops.
She was content. She liked the word and how it fit her. It was a warm shawl around her shoulders. She and Garret had a good marriage. They resumed their evening walks and the time was as precious to her as the time they spent together at night.
***
“Beth!”
Garret’s shout brought her out of the cabin. He pointed to several horses coming their way.
“It’s Marie and Pierre!”
Pierre lifted Marie down from the saddle carefully as Beth wrapped her arms around her friend in a heartfelt hug.
“I’ve missed you so much! Where are the children?”
“On their way to Upper Fort Garry,” Pierre said. “We are only passing through, but we wanted to see if you survived the winter well.”
Garret and Beth glanced at each other in bewilderment because Marie and Pierre looked entirely different from what they had looked like before. Pierre’s heavy furs and rough clothing of a trapper were gone, replaced with a western-styled suit. Marie’s beautifully beaded Arapaho dress had been replaced with a split-skirt riding outfit.
Recognizing their surprise, Marie said something to Pierre in French, and he laughed heartily.
“Our dear friends,” Marie said taking Beth’s hands. “We are the same people. We traverse so many cultures we are often confused ourselves. Sadly, with my people being relocated, I must give up part of my heritage. My adopted family did not make it to the promised Indian Territory. The conditions of the tribes’ relocation march were terrible, and many died along the way. I believe death was a blessing to my family. For all the promises made, they would not have been happy living on the charity of the government.
“Pierre and I have decided to settle permanently in Manitoba near the Upper Fort Garry settlement. His family has operated the Hudson Trading Company there for generations, and it is time for him to join them. Our children are growing and need the stability of proper schools so they will be able to make their way in this new world.
“I thank you so much for the help you gave us last summer. Your gift of knowledge of reading and writing English will give our children a foundation on which they can build.”
“I’ll miss you,” Beth exclaimed her eyes filling with tears. “I wish you the very best, though. Will you stay for a little while to visit?”
“Only tonight,” Pierre said with a wide smile. “We have a long way to go and many friends along the way. Saying good-bye to all our friends will delay our arrival in Manitoba, which was why we sent our children ahead of us with other friends.”
Beth offered their guests the larger bedroom and remade Jasper’s lean-to bed for her and Garret.
Marie had seen the War Lance above the window still clearly displayed for any and all to see. She was concerned for Black Crow and his warriors. Black Crow was her Arapaho father’s son by his second wife. She knew him and his followers and knew they would never surrender. It was the move of the Arapaho people from their lands which had convinced Pierre it was time for him to take his family to Canada.
They talked late into the night. Garret produced a bottle of whiskey Beth had not known he had hidden away and offered Pierre a drink. Beth made hot coffee and kept an eye on how much liquor the men consumed. When yawns could no longer be suppressed, they decided to call it a night. Their guests could sleep in late the following morning.
“This is cozy,” Garret observed as he and Beth slid into the narrow bed together.
“They left the door open,” Beth whispered.
“In other words, I’m not getting any loving tonight,” he teased.
“Those are exactly the words,” Beth whispered back.
No one slept late the next morning. Pierre was awake at dawn and out long before Garret arose to attend his morning chores. The trapper already had their horses s
addled and repacked. Beth followed Garret from the bed and began to cook breakfast when Marie joined her offering a slab of bacon from their supplies.
“You will need this later,” Beth protested.
“We have a long journey ahead, but we will stop at many settlements,” Marie said in her generous manner.
“I love your riding outfit. It looks comfortable,” Beth commented.
“It is, yet I still prefer my buckskin dress. There are not so many undergarments,” Marie admitted with a sly smile. “In fact, there are none, and it was much cooler. I will get used to dressing this way. It would be too dangerous now for me to wear my Arapaho clothing. Someone would shoot first and apologize for killing me later. I do not want my children raised without a mother. These are bad times for my people so I will adapt to being a white woman again. Pierre has roamed these lands for twenty-five years in peace and has never been afraid. Now, he does not like what is happening here and feels it time for us to move on.”
“I’ll miss you,” Beth began to admit when she heard Garret yelling for her to bring his gun.
The women rushed outside, and Beth handed Garret the rifle. He pointed to a lone figure riding slowly toward them. At first, it appeared to be a horse without a rider, and then they saw someone trying to ride while bent over.
“Oh, my God!” Beth screamed. “I think it’s Lettie!”
Pierre mounted his horse, and Garret mounted Marie’s, and they rode out to meet the horse and rider. The women stood watching as Pierre shifted the smaller woman onto his horse and rode back holding onto her with his arm under her breasts.
Pierre lowered the heavily pregnant Lettie to the ground as she bent over and dropped to her knees.
“Lettie!” Beth screamed.
Lettie was groaning, “I’m sorry, Miss Beth, I didn’t know where else to go.”
“We need to get her inside,” Garret said as he tried to lift Lettie onto her feet, but she was moaning and still bent over.
“Pierre!” Marie snapped. “Take her inside or she will have the baby before you men figure out she is in labor!”
Chapter Twelve
“I’m so sorry,” Lettie continued, crying as Pierre deposited her on Garret and Beth’s bed.
“Lettie, what happened?”
“Oh!” Lettie screamed through gritted teeth and clutched her belly.
“Out you two,” Marie ordered the men. “Garret, fetch old newspapers or burlap sacks and bring them to us. Pierre put a large pot of water on the stove for boiling. You have been through this before. There is not much for men to do, except get out of the way.”
Marie eased Lettie further onto the bed. “Beth, get a spool of twine, thread, scissors, and cloth. Have you helped birth a baby before?”
Beth shook her head and turned pale.
Marie took charge. “Well, pay attention, my friend, because you will need to know. Lettie, I am Marie Chardon. I have had three children and have attended more women in birth than I can count. Is this your first?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lettie cried. “Miss Beth, your husband told me to come if I ever needed help.”
“Of course, Lettie,” Beth exclaimed.
“They killed him, Miss Beth,” Lettie sobbed.
“Who?”
“They killed my Virgil. The Army said those damned Injuns killed him. Shot him dead. What am I gonna do?”
“You’re staying with us,” Beth exclaimed taking her friend's hands. “You will always have me, Lettie, and you have Garret too. We will help you!”
“Oh!” Lettie screamed again.
Marie glanced at the clock on the wall. “We had better get her undressed or the blood will ruin her clothes.”
“Blood?” Beth squeaked.
“Get those newspaper or sacks from Garret,” Marie ordered. “Hurry!”
Beth ran meeting Garret coming in the kitchen door. She took the sacks from him and dashed inside shutting the bedroom door behind her.
Marie gently nudged Lettie from one side of the bed to the other as she stripped the bed and covered the mattress with the burlap sacks. She stuffed the pillows against the headboard and Beth helped her get Lettie into a sitting position. She covered Lettie with a blanket across her middle.
“Have you seen a birthing, Lettie?” Marie asked.
“Yes, I helped my momma. She was a midwife, and I helped her a lot.”
“It is different when it is happening to your body,” Marie warned. “Keep your head and do not fight it. It will make the birth easier.”
“Bend your knees and let them fall open,” Marie ordered Lettie. “Beth, get behind her shoulders. Talk to her and hold her hand.”
“Oh!” Lettie screamed through gritted teeth.
***
Garret and Pierre sat at the kitchen table. Pierre fetched the bottle of liquor from where his friend had stored it the night before and poured them several fingers worth in a glass.
“This is women’s work,” Pierre said tapping his glass to Garret’s. “Is the colored woman yours?”
“No!” Garret denied. “Beth is my only wife.”
Pierre shrugged. “I know many trappers, most have a white wife and a squaw. The white wife is to have children, and they send their money home to them. The squaw is to keep them warm at night.” He laughed heartily. “My Marie is both. She told me when I married her that if I took another woman, she would stab me in the heart and take my scalp. I believed her then, and I still believe she would do it. She has been a good wife, and I have three healthy sons.”
Garret winced as he heard another scream. “Will you find it difficult to return to civilization?”
Pierre shrugged. “It is what it is. I am French-Canadian and have lived in both worlds. So has my Marie. We have a fine house in Fort Garry but choose not to live there. I have been trapping for many years. Now, it is time for someone else in the family to take over that part of the business. The trading is good there, and we will run the post. It will be a good life for Marie and our sons.”
Pierre raised his glass again as they heard the first cries of a squalling baby. “Here is to a healthy son!”
Lettie’s baby was a boy. A fat little baby, which Marie wrapped in a piece of cloth and handed to the mother as soon as she cut the cord.
Beth was white-faced and terrified by the whole messy affair of giving birth. Marie, in her steadfast manner, laughed and told Beth it would be different when the baby was hers. She took care of the afterbirth issues, folded the remains in a burlap sack, and told Beth to bury it in her garden.
Beth took all the dirtied burlap sacks and disposed of them in the privy. She gulped in several deep breaths of cool, clean air as she prepared herself to return to the cabin to help in whatever way was needed. She told herself she was a pioneer woman and had to be tougher. It had no effect whatsoever. She went around the side of the building to vomit.
Refortified with determination, if not her breakfast, she returned inside.
Lettie was asleep with the baby cradled in her arms. She barely stirred when Marie took the baby to bath and rewrap him. She had lined a dresser drawer with the rest of the burlap sacks and settled the baby in it covering the sleeping child with a soft blanket.
“Well,” Marie sighed as they reentered the kitchen. She washed her hands and pulled on her jacket. “I have done my good deed for the day. Have Lettie attach the baby to her breast as soon as possible. We must be going.”
“Going?” Beth squeaked.
“You will be fine,” Marie assured her. “You did not faint.”
The Chardons said their goodbyes and Beth cried as they disappeared in the distance. She knew in her heart, she would never see her friends again.
Lettie slept for hours and then she cried for hours. Beth and Garret got the story from her in between bouts of hysterical sobbing.
Private Virgil Stokeman had been killed during a skirmish with a renegade band of Indians. Two Buffalo soldiers had been killed in the fight. Lettie and her u
nborn child had been left with no support. The Army had refused the two colored widows the death pensions on their husbands. The major in charge had told them there were no regulations on the books for the colored troops.
Several days after her husband had been killed, men on horseback wearing white sheets and hoods terrorized the colored encampment burning their belongings and scattering and destroying everything in their path. The men had called them names and told them to get out of the Denver settlement because they were not wanted there.
The Army disavowed any responsibility for what happened and claimed an inquiry would be filed. In the meantime, the Army decided the encampment of colored women and children would be escorted to Fort Laramie supposedly for their protection. It had been the same for the Indians who had refused to leave and had been rounded up, constrained, and forced to march to the Indian Territory.
Lettie had heard of what happened on those forced marches and she had slipped away. She had taken Virgil’s horse and come searching for Beth.
“It’s a miracle she found us,” Garret said as he wrapped his arms around his wife and rubbed her small belly. “She rode for two days straight, day and night. It’s a miracle she and the baby survived.”
“Will you let her stay with us?” Beth whispered.
“I wouldn’t send her away,” Garret said. “She’s been through enough. I imagine you could use help with the gardens and whatever else needs doing. It will be a good thing for you to have a woman around when it’s your time.”
“I was scared. She was in an awful lot of pain.”
“I’ve heard women are,” Garret agreed. “I’ve also heard women forget about the pain as soon as the baby is placed in their arms.”
“I was there,” Beth warned her husband. “I’m not going to forget!”
***
“What am I gonna do, Miss Beth?” Lettie lamented.
Beth finished changing the diaper and handed the baby to her friend. “You are staying here with us. It’s been awful lonesome for me living out here without a woman friend.”
“I heard you talking,” Lettie said. “You had the Indian woman and the wife of the man who worked here,” Lettie said.
A Path Worth Taking Page 18