When the children were finally settled and sleeping, Annie leaned into Jim. “How hard has your time been here? I feel so guilty. Although I’ve been on my own with the children, I’ve had my mother and brothers and your family, too.”
Jim put his arm around her. “I won’t lie to you, Annie. It has been a long, difficult and lonely time.”
“What was it really like? Your descriptions in your letters were so brief.”
“I stayed in a government barracks at first. It was basic, with a communal kitchen, but I spent little time there. There have been plenty of opportunities for good-paying jobs since my first day in the North, though.” He explained that the government had started a town site at Mile 225 and named it Jackpine Junction, which was where their property was. Soon after arriving, Jim had found steady work with the railway when they extended the track to a gold mine, a few miles west of the new town site.
“What’s our land like?” Annie asked.
“We own acres of trees like spruce, poplar and pine. There are masses of wild raspberry and blueberry bushes and in the summer the woods are filled with wild lilies, irises, orchids and many more flowers that I don’t recognize. I sold some of our timber for a good price. With that money and my wages, I was able to hire carpenters to help me build our house.”
Jim gently kissed Annie’s forehead, then pulled away and looked at her solemnly.
“At first life was so hard, I wondered if I was crazy to have come here. I often felt like giving up.” He took a deep breath. “And I have something to confess to you Annie. I needed to wait to tell you in person.”
Annie’s heart missed a beat and she couldn’t disguise the sudden anxiety she felt. “What is it, Jim?”
“That promise of rich agricultural farmland was a bloody lie,” said Jim. “The land is suitable only for root crops or hay, and the growing season is too short. I was a fool to dream of farming our own land.”
Oh, Lord. “What are we going to do?” She heard her voice waver. The die has been cast. We’re committed to this life now.
He pulled her hands into his and kissed her fingers.
“Dinna fash, love. I’ve cleared enough land for a field of hay and I’ll clear more over the year. Hay is a good crop to sell for horse feed and there are plenty of work horses around. We still have acres of timber that can be sold for cash, and I’ll keep working for the railway to guarantee a steady income. We’ll manage.”
Annie didn’t speak. She was afraid her voice would betray her misgivings. Despite his reassurances, she thought, My God, what have we done?
Chapter Sixteen
After twelve long hours, just as Annie started to wonder if they would ever reach their destination, Jim glanced out the window and said, “We’ll soon be at our stop. I’ve arranged with our neighbour Pierre to meet us with his horse and sleigh.”
The train slowly chugged, and then hissed to a stop. Annie woke the children and gathered all their bags. She hoisted Georgie, still groggy and half-asleep, into her arms and followed Jim, Bobby and Jack down the steps to the platform.
She stopped and gasped when she inhaled the sub-arctic winter air. It was pitch black outside and bone-chillingly cold. Bloody hell! It actually hurts to breathe!
She put Georgie down and adjusted the children’s caps and scarves, while Jim waited near the baggage car for the trunk and supplies. Bobby and Jack squealed with delight at the sight of so much snow and soon were throwing handfuls at each other, until Annie grumpily cautioned them to behave. When Jim returned with the baggage, he led Annie and the children to a tall, bundled-up man, standing in front of an enormous workhorse hitched up to a sleigh. The stranger was holding the collar of a huge black dog.
“Pierre,” said Jim, shaking the man’s hand, “may I introduce my wife, Anna, and children, Robert, John and George. Pierre has the next farm to us, Annie. And this overgrown animal is our dog, Mike.”
Jim gave the dog an affectionate pat on his big black head, and motioned for the boys to do the same. Mike eagerly wagged his long tail and barked a welcome, as Jack and Bobby happily patted him. Annie put out her hand to greet Pierre. He was wearing a thick brown fur coat and a brightly striped knitted hat and long scarf. Annie couldn’t see much of his face, as it was hidden in a huge bushy black beard.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Pierre.”
Pierre took her hand in his own large mitt and bowed gallantly. “My pleasure, madame. Welcome ‘ome.”
Pierre’s hulking workhorse stomped its massive hooves and snorted a cloud of condensation around its head. Giving the Clydesdale a wide berth, Annie and the children climbed up onto the sleigh and settled themselves on hay bales.
Georgie whispered in Annie’s ear, “Mummy, I’m freezing!”
“I know poppet. Shush.” Annie shivered as she pulled Georgie onto her lap. Bobby and Jack snuggled close to her. She reached down and lifted a heavy brown rug made from some kind of animal hide. It was lined on the underside with a red plaid wool blanket. As she tucked it around herself and the children, she discovered that Pierre had thoughtfully placed heated rocks on the floor of the sleigh. Jim and Pierre loaded her heavy trunk, the new chairs and their other supplies onto the sleigh. The two men and the dog climbed up front.
Pierre clicked a signal to his horse and the powerful animal pulled the sleigh with a jerk and then slowly plodded through the hard-packed snow.
Jim turned around and reassured Annie. “We don’t have far to go, just a ten minute ride. That rug should keep you all warm. It’s a buffalo hide from out west. Pierre won it in a card game. Lord knows how it ended up here.”
It was a pitch-dark, starless night. The sleigh’s lanterns dimly illuminated mountains of snow framing each side of the narrow lane, and the forest of evergreen trees hugging the road. Huge snowflakes began to fall from the sky, covering them in a soft white blanket. The only sounds were the sleigh’s blades cutting through the snow and the horse’s laboured breathing. Annie felt ice crystals form around her nose and mouth. She had pulled off her earrings minutes into the sleigh ride; they’d been freezing her ear lobes. At long last, the horse stopped near a small log cabin.
Annie could barely make out a narrow footpath leading to the cottage. Colossal mounds of snow confined the tapered walkway. A faint glimmer of light struggled to flicker in a tiny frosted window at the end of the path. The boys, forgetting their discomfort, climbed boisterously over the baggage and off the sleigh and climbed a snow bank. Jack and Georgie laughed as Bobby sank up to his waist and struggled to free himself.
Pierre had a fire going in their stove to warm the cabin and his wife had sent over a pot of stew for their dinner. Annie and Jim thanked him profusely for his generosity and invited him inside but he declined. He said that he had to get home, but Annie suspected he was purposely giving them some privacy as a family. He patted his horse, climbed back up on his sleigh and waved goodbye as he drove off to his own farm.
Jim lit an oil lantern and hooked it on the ceiling. The light gave the room a warm orange glow. Annie surveyed her new home as Jim gathered all the coats, caps and scarves and hung them up on wall hooks by the doorway. The humble cabin was divided into two rooms. The front room had an iron cook stove, and some cupboards and shelving. A pine dining table with a long bench rested against a wall. In the back, there was a smaller wood heater sandwiched between two wide beds.
Annie fought tears of disappointment. She was cold, hungry and disillusioned with this bare accommodation and freezing weather. She felt instantly contrite, knowing how difficult it had been for Jim. And she did have to admit to herself that the cabin was comfortably warm. A mouth-watering aroma reached her. Annie lifted the lid of a large cast-iron pot on the stove and was amazed at what she saw bubbling away.
“How could a neighbour ever afford to welcome us with a beef stew?”
Jim grinned and replied, “Well, it’s not really beef stew. It’s moose.”
Annie raised her eyebrows, but her empty
stomach rumbled. Jim chuckled as he placed the two new chairs at the table. Annie rummaged through her trunk to find five bowls and spoons and the children scrambled to sit on the long bench.
Annie filled the bowls with generous portions and carried the steaming dishes to the table. She found a tin plate of warm bannock on the back of the stove and she carried that over too, and then she sat down to tentatively taste her own dinner. The meat wasn’t as gamey as she had imagined and the savoury dish had generous portions of moose meat, with potatoes, carrots and turnip floating in a thick flavourful sauce. She sighed contentedly. The hot meal was filling and it warmed her chilled body.
When they had finished their dinner and cleared the table, Jim announced, “Boys, I have gifts for you and your mother!”
He leaned over and picked up a cotton flour sack, and tipped it onto the table. Out tumbled four pairs of mukluks and four pairs of moose-hide mittens. The boys squealed with delight and promptly sat on the floor to try them on. “Thank you, Da,” all three boys called out together.
Jack added, “Now we’ll have warm feet like you, Da! I can hardly wait to try them in the snow!”
The boys stomped around the cabin and clapped their mittened hands, asking their father endless questions, until Annie announced that it was time for bed. She indulged them and let them go to sleep in their shared bed wearing their gifts, then she unwrapped two of their newly purchased wool blankets and covered them. The exhausted children quickly fell asleep.
Jim grinned at Annie and said, “I hope that you don’t plan to wear your mukluks and mittens to bed too!”
Annie laughed and she gave Jim a tight hug. “I certainly would have, if Pierre hadn’t warmed the cabin for us.” Then she turned serious. “It’s wonderful to have the family together again! I missed you so.”
He replied soberly, “Aye, not as much as I missed you and the boys, Annie. Every long night that I was here alone, I worried that you might just give up on me and not come.”
“Oh Jim, of course I would come. Home is where you are.”
Jim pulled Annie close to him and softly sang his own words to an old Geordie folk tune she recognized.
Aa’ve land in the New North
Will but both hose an shone
Aa’ve land in the New North
Wi’ hosen in tha toun
Why should ah not love my love
Why should not my love love me?
Why should ah love not my love?
Because my love loves me.
Chapter Seventeen
Annie woke up to the sound of Jim adding wood to the fire in the kitchen. She quietly got out of bed and took a quick peek at her sleeping children. She tiptoed to the kitchen and whispered, “You’re up early!”
He turned and said, “I’ve to go to work today.”
“But Jim, I thought we’d spend the day together. We haven’t seen each other for so long. Can’t you spare me a day?”
“Aw, Annie, I’ve missed three days already and this job at the junction is a good one. I’m hoping to get a full-time position at the station.”
She swallowed her disappointment and went over to the stove to make a pot of tea and the breakfast porridge. Jim came up behind her, and hugged her and kissed her neck.
“I’d rather stay here with you and the boys but I need to work to keep this job. I’ll be home by six.” Annie sat at the table and sipped her tea while Jim ate his breakfast. She was grateful that they had some quiet time together at least before he had to leave.
“I suppose I’d better take the dog with me,” he said. “Mike isn’t used to the boys yet.” Annie was relieved - she wasn’t used to that huge malodorous animal just yet. She was glad that the beast had his own shed to sleep in.
She watched Jim dress in several layers of clothing and lace his thick knee-high boots. Then he kissed her goodbye and headed outside; a blast of frigid air rushed into the cabin before he quickly closed the door behind him. Annie heard him talking to the dog and went to the window to look out, but was surprised to find the window completely frosted over - she couldn’t see a thing.
Annie poured herself another cup of tea and sat down again at the table. The house was quiet while the children were sleeping and she thought she would enjoy a few minutes of peace. She surveyed the cabin with a critical eye. The walls and floors were constructed from rough timber. The windows and doors, however, were factory made, so Jim had to have ordered them. The two wood stoves would have been purchased as well. Jim or one of the carpenters must have built the serviceable table, the bench and the shelving.
What a fool I was to think that I could use a lace tablecloth here! she chided herself. Maybe she could cut it up and make curtains for the windows.
She walked over to the cupboards, curious about what kind of storage space they had. She opened the first door and a small mouse darted out, over her shoe and ran towards the bedroom. Annie squealed and jumped up onto a chair, wrapping her skirt tightly around her legs. Her three boys popped up in unison and scampered out of their bed. Trying to appear calm, Annie pointed at the rodent diving under the stove. The children sprang into action, chasing the mouse all over the cabin until they finally cornered it by the door. Jack grabbed his cap and placed it over the mouse, closing his hand around the brim so it could not escape. He opened the door to toss it out. When the door shut after it, they all cheered, but Jack did not smile. He looked down at his cap and cried out in disgust.
“It messed in my cap!”
Ignoring her other sons’ laughter, Annie took the offending cap and stepped outside, shaking the mouse pellets onto the snow. She declared it “good as new,” but as she placed it back on a hook she realized that it was Jim’s cap, not Jack’s.
“Oh, Jack, it’s not even your cap. It’s your Da’s. Don’t be upset.” The boys laughed even harder but agreed not to tell their father.
After breakfast, the boys bundled up to play outside. She heard them laugh with delight at the sight of so much snow. They piled up a huge mound and took turns climbing it and jumping off.
Annie tidied up the cabin and started a bread batter with the flour and yeast Jim had bought in Toronto. She realized she needed to return Pierre’s stew pot. There would be enough of his stew left over for dinner if she added the carrots and potatoes she had found in the vegetable bin, so she poured the remainder of the stew into one of her own pots.
She knew she should register the children in school soon. Jim would know where the school was. She also thought she’d like to meet Pierre’s wife and perhaps bring a pie to thank her for last night’s meal. If Pierre’s farm was on the next property, maybe it wouldn’t be too far to walk, she reasoned.
Jim came home that evening as she was taking her bread from the oven, bringing a solid wall of cold air in with him. The boys greeted their father excitedly. Georgie interrupted his brothers to tell Jim about their day.
“We had so much fun playing outside! We made a snow hill to jump off of, and Bobby fell right on his face!”
Jim smiled as he removed his coat and boots. He looked at Annie. “Did you play in the snow, too?”
Annie rolled her eyes at him. “No, but I’m happy that the boys enjoyed their first day here. I think I’ll go tomorrow and register them for school, and I’d like to meet Pierre’s wife. I’ll need you to give me some directions.”
“You have ambitious plans for tomorrow,” said Jim, sitting down at the table. “Both are easy to find. The school is about a mile away, just past the railway station. Follow the same route we took last night. But Pierre’s house is a good two miles the other direction.” Then he smacked his hand on the table, remembering.
“I got some good news today! My name is at the top of the list for full-time work at the railway junction. I think when management heard that my family had arrived, they knew that we’d be staying. Most men come for a short time to make some money, then leave.”
“That’s wonderful news. I’ll be happy to have you working n
earby instead of off in the woods, miles away.”
After dinner, Jim put his warm things back on, to get more wood for the fire and feed the dog. Just as he placed his cap on his head, all three boys exploded with laughter. He looked at his children in bewilderment.
Georgie shouted, “Daddy, a mouse messed in your cap!”
“Well how did a moose get into the house?” Jim teased his youngest.
“No, Daddy,” Georgie giggled. “A mouse, not a moose!”
“Oh, thank goodness! A few little mouse pellets should make my hair grow.” Jim winked at the children and went out the door.
Annie shook her head as she cleared the table. She knew she was in for some teasing when the story came out about her waking the children with a scream over a little field mouse. She knew that she wasn’t doing much of a job of being brave. She felt a lump in her throat and her eyes moistened. She was glad to finally be with Jim but she missed her family back home. Until now, she had always been surrounded by people. She wasn’t afraid of hard work, but still she wondered how she’d manage in this new life.
Chapter Eighteen
I’ll never get used to this cold! Annie thought. The walk to the school had taken longer than she had expected. It was difficult trudging through the ankle-high snow on the road, so she and the children had walked single file along the sleigh tracks. She was relieved that her boys had new coats, boots and mittens for protection against such brutal elements. She felt well-dressed in the woollen coat Alfie had bought for her. On impulse, she added her Sunday hat and her good leather gloves to her outfit, but she now regretted her vanity. Her ears burned and her fingers tingled. She pulled up the fur collar of her coat and tucked her hands in her pockets. She almost hadn’t worn her own pair of mukluks, but she had changed her mind and pulled them on just before they left the house. Thank goodness.
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