Brides of Ohio

by Jennifer A. Davids

  “Oh, do not be afraid. I will not hurt you.” Adele took another step forward, and the child took another step back. Suddenly Adele remembered how intimidating her tall form must be to such a little thing. She crouched down to her level and smiled. “What is your name?”

  The girl looked at Adele and then the garden, a question in her eyes.

  “I am planting peas,” she said, reaching into her apron pocket. She held out a handful of the small tan seeds. “Do you want to see?”

  Curiosity took over, and the little girl stepped forward to examine them. Adele could not help but notice that she had no shoes and her dress showed a lot of wear. She picked up a seed and plopped it into the furrow.

  Adele smiled. “Yes, that is how to do it.”

  The girl’s eyes danced, and a smile tugged at her mouth.

  “If you tell me your name, perhaps you could help.” But the way the little thing pressed her lips together caused Adele to reconsider. “But if you do not want to that is all right. You may still help.”

  The little girl helped Adele plant the entire morning. Try as she might, she could not get the little thing to utter a word, much less her name. But she was still such a sweet thing that Adele took to calling her Sweet Pea.

  “Well, little Sweet Pea,” she said after an hour or so of work, “I am very thirsty. Would you like a drink?”

  Sweet Pea nodded and smiled, permitting Adele to take her by the hand and lead her to the water pump in the courtyard. After filling two tin cups from the kitchen, Adele watched the little girl drink, wondering where on earth she could have come from. She only looked to be about three years old. Ben Carr was a bachelor, and their other nearest neighbor, Henry Porter, had three strapping sons, all older than Jacob.

  Suddenly Sweet Pea’s eyes widened, and Adele looked to see Jonah come striding around the corner of the house. She turned to reassure the girl, but she was already gone, the tin cup she had been drinking from lying on the ground. They both took off after her. Adele called out to her, but she was surprisingly fast and quickly disappeared.

  Jonah looked at Adele, his angry countenance momentarily replaced by surprise. “Who was that?”

  She quickly explained. “I cannot imagine where she came from. But she had no shoes on, and her dress was very worn.”

  “Could be Southern refugees,” Jonah said slowly.

  “So far north?”

  “It’s possible. Some folk lost everything and have no place else to go.” He looked in the direction Sweet Pea had gone.

  “If she comes back, I’ll feed her,” Adele stated. “Perhaps she will tell me about her family and we can help.”

  Jonah shrugged. “Go ahead. But I wouldn’t be too hopeful. She may not ever come back.”

  By the time Jonah drove into town Saturday, they were still no closer to knowing who the little girl was or to whom she belonged. She had come back the next day and helped Adele with the churning but slipped away when Adele had gone into the house for something. And there had been no sign of her on Friday. Adele was worried and opted to stay home instead of making their weekly trip into town, hoping she would appear.

  Jonah had grudgingly agreed to sell the butter, eggs, and maple sugar at Decker’s Dry Goods. He sighed. Just a woman’s nature to fuss over something small and helpless. But then, it was just one of the things he loved about her. He clenched his teeth and focused on the backs of Belle and Babe as they loped along, trying to push the thought out of his mind. He almost didn’t hear Jacob call out to him.

  “Uncle Jonah?”

  Jonah started and half looked at Jacob between his and Cyrus’s shoulders. The boy was sitting in the wagon bed with Will, along with the things they were selling in town that day. “What is it, Jake?”

  “When we get into town, can I go see Miss Williams?”

  “The schoolteacher? What for?”

  Jacob glanced at Will then back at him. “I need to ask her about a book is all.”

  Jonah frowned. School was out for the season. He wished Adele didn’t take the boy with her to Delaware when she visited his brother. Daniel was becoming a bad influence. Jacob would never be the farmer he claimed he wanted to be if he got to taking on his brother’s ways.

  “Thought you wanted to watch Mr. Morgan bargain with Mr. Decker.”

  “I do! It won’t take long, just a minute. She lives right next to the school, and that’s just across the tracks from the store.”

  Ostrander was a stop on the Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati Railroad. The tracks ran right through the little town of Ostrander in front of the mercantile.

  “You help us unload, then go and come straight back. No dawdling, you hear?”

  “Yes, sir. Thank you!” He sat back down and smiled at Will.

  Before long, Ostrander came into view, and Jacob practically fell over himself helping to unload the wagon. As Jonah watched him jump the railroad tracks and knock on the teacher’s door, he wondered if he should go easier on the boy. Will told him he was a great help and was coming along well. But at his age, even Daniel knew more than the boy does now. If Nate hadn’t died … Jonah scowled. Just one more way God had failed Adele and her son. He snaked his arm under the wagon seat and pulled out his gun.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Kirby.”

  Jonah looked to see Will standing there, a hesitant look on his face. He rested the butt of his gun on the ground. “Yes, Will?”

  “I was wonderin’ if you would mind me getting some plate glass. Mr. Carr is allowing me to rent that land Mrs. Kirby spoke of. The house is still good and strong, but the windows are broken. I don’t want any more rain to be getting on those fine wood floors.”

  Jonah clenched his jaw. With all the fuss over Sweet Pea, he’d almost forgotten what Adele had done the other day. He squeezed the gun barrel, wanting to say no. … “Fine,” he muttered.

  Will thanked him and strode over to the furniture goods store across the street.

  Jonah stood and fumed. He knew there wasn’t any real reason to be angry. What good did it do for the house to stand empty and unused and the land to grow wild? But he couldn’t help it. When he thought of how Nate had saved and scraped in order to afford to give Adele a frame house with wood floors instead of a log cabin … He stepped up onto the boardwalk and opened the door of the mercantile just as Ben Carr was on his way out.

  “Mr. Kirby, good morning.” The young man offered his hand eagerly. “I’m glad we finally ran into each other.”

  Jonah frowned. He had managed to avoid the young man since he arrived several months ago. He didn’t take his hand, and Ben quickly lowered his and cleared his throat.

  “I have something I need to discuss with you if you have the time,” he said.

  “I don’t,” Jonah replied. Something to discuss … he’s after the farm just like his uncle. He started to move past Ben Carr. “Excuse me.”

  “Well, if you can’t now, when?” he asked. “It’s very important to me.”

  “It’s planting time, in case you haven’t noticed. I’ll let you know.” Just as soon as my hogs sprout wings and fly, he thought as he made his way into the mercantile. Glancing back, he saw the young man walk off toward the furniture goods store and was glad that he hadn’t followed him to press for a more definite time.

  Two long counters lined either side of the mercantile. Cyrus was already haggling with Fred Decker at one for the price of the furs he’d brought. Fred’s young clerk, Dean Perry, was helping Fanny Williams, the schoolteacher’s mother, at the other.

  He walked over to Mr. Decker’s counter where his own items were laid out. He leaned himself and his rifle against it and closed his eyes. He’d been out walking again that morning and guessed it must have been close to three thirty in the morning when he woke up. But just as he began to doze, the bell on the mercantile door jingled, and he opened his eyes.

  “I’m telling you there’s a bobcat loose.” Henry Porter was walking in with Earl Henderson, a dealer in purebred she
ep. “You need to be keeping an eye on those sheep of yours.”

  “How can you be sure?” Earl asked. “There hasn’t been a bobcat seen around here in ages.”

  “What’s this about a bobcat?” Jonah asked.

  “Jonah Kirby, just the man I need to see,” Henry said, stepping over to him. “You seen anything strange walking around your property lately?”

  Jonah started inwardly. It almost sounded like Henry knew about his early morning walks. But that couldn’t be. Neither his aunt Mary nor Adele would have said anything about them, and Daniel was in Delaware. No one seemed to bother him about having his rifle with him when he came to town, but he knew folk would think it strange if they found out about those walks of his. “No tracks, if that’s what you mean,” he replied.

  “I wish that’s what I meant,” Henry said. Glancing over at Mrs. Williams, he lowered his voice. “Me and Jim, my oldest boy, were down by Mill Creek near your church there hunting deer, and we came across an awful sight. A ten-point buck ripped clean open and gutted to the bone. Blood and … everything else was just everywhere. It was a shame to see good buckskin going to rot. It’s got to be a bobcat, and a sick one, too.”

  “Sure sounds like a rabid animal of some sort. Wouldn’t have to be a bobcat,” Jonah replied.

  “Didn’t think about that,” Henry said. “It could be a black bear.”

  “Black bears are gone, too,” Earl pointed out.

  “Not all of them,” Jonah replied. “I heard of folk still seeing them south of Columbus. And I saw a bobcat down near the creek just before the war.” Cyrus and Fred had stopped their haggling for the moment and were listening. “Have you noticed anything strange in your traps lately, Cy?”

  “Nope.”

  “Be extra careful when you’re out. Pa said a rabid animal is an animal with no fear of anything,” Jonah said.

  As Cyrus and Mr. Decker returned to business, Jonah looked out the window to see Jacob talking with a finely dressed man next to the wagon.

  “Who’s that?” Henry asked.

  “The new doctor,” Fanny Williams replied. Done with her shopping, she walked over to the men.

  They nodded to her.

  “Dr. Noah Kelly. He took over when Doc Sullivan retired.” She looked at Jonah. “It looks like Jacob already knows him.”

  Jonah frowned inwardly. So this was Dr. Kelly. “Adele and Jake go into Delaware to visit Daniel and Katherine,” he said. “He’s good friends with my brother.”

  “I’ve heard he’s a bachelor,” Mrs. Williams said. “I hope he comes to church next Sunday. I’m sure Clara would like to meet him.”

  Jonah only half listened. He frowned as he watched the doctor hand Jacob a book and pat him on the shoulder. He started for the door. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he said to Earl and Henry. “You two go ahead of me.”

  Jacob and the doctor turned toward him as he stepped outside.

  “I’m back, Uncle Jonah, just as quick as you asked,” Jacob said, holding up the book. “I was just saying hello to Dr. Kelly. He’s friends with Uncle Daniel.”

  Jonah quickly looked the doctor up and down. He wore a black frock coat with a paisley vest and a tall beaver hat. From beneath its brim, blue eyes looked at Jonah, and a friendly smile stretched out his dark Vandyke beard.

  He made careful use of a wooden cane as he made his way over to where Jonah stood on the boardwalk. A black leather satchel was in the doctor’s other hand, and he nodded at Jonah.

  “It’s good to meet you, Mr. Kirby.” Dr. Kelly hesitated as he looked at Jonah’s rifle. “Forgive me if I don’t offer my hand.”

  “Dr. Kelly was a surgeon in the war,” Jacob said. “A stray bullet got him in the leg. But he kept on operating and saved Uncle Daniel’s captain’s life.”

  Jonah took another look at the doctor. So he’d been an officer, like his brother.

  The doctor looked down in embarrassment. “Yes, that’s how we met, sir.”

  “He’s from Pennsylvania, and he went to school in Philadelphia …,” Jacob began.

  “Go on inside, Jake,” Jonah said. “If you want to learn anything about haggling, you’d better hurry it up. Mr. Morgan is almost done.”

  “Can I watch you haggle with Mr. Decker?”

  “No.”

  Disappointment darkened the boy’s eyes. “Yes, sir.”

  Dr. Kelly watched the boy go in and then returned his attention to Jonah. “He’s a good boy.” When Jonah didn’t answer, the doctor cleared his throat. “I’m glad we’ve finally met. How have you been? Have you been sleeping well?”

  Jonah stiffened, instantly on his guard. His brother told him about his walks? Of course he had. “I’m not sure that’s any of your business.”

  The man pursed his lips in amusement. “Well, I am the town doctor.”

  “You’re not my doctor.”

  “Oh? Who is your doctor?”

  “I don’t need one.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. If you aren’t sleeping well …”

  “I never said I wasn’t sleeping well. Whether I am or not, it’s still none of your business.” He looked hard at the doctor, who stared back.

  “Jacob says Adele didn’t come with you today,” he said eventually. “Is she all right?”

  Jonah stiffened at the sound of his wife’s Christian name, and he didn’t care for the look he thought he saw in the man’s eyes. “Mrs. Kirby decided to stay at home this morning.”

  Dr. Kelly caught the emphasis, and his eyes darted elsewhere.

  “She’s concerned about a neighbor.” Jonah saw no reason to tell him about Sweet Pea.

  “Well, if there’s anything I can do …”

  “It’s a private matter. Nothing that would concern a doctor.”

  Dr. Kelly looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes. “Even so, I like to help out even when it’s not medically necessary.”

  So I noticed. “We’re fine.” Jonah turned and started back toward the mercantile, when the sharp sound of a train whistle sliced through the air. He whirled around, heart pounding, eyes wide and darting. He heard the faint chug of the locomotive as it approached Ostrander and started to relax, when Dr. Kelly cleared his throat.

  The doctor looked at him with raised eyebrows, touched the brim of his hat, and turned away.

  Chapter 4

  Adele looked down at Jonah from where she sat in the buggy seat. “We will be fine, Jonah. I do not need Nathaniel’s old rifle.”

  “I told you what Henry said …,” Jonah began.

  “But we are just going to church,” she replied and nodded toward Will who sat in the driver’s seat. “Will is with us.”

  “But he doesn’t have his gun with him, and I don’t want you going anywhere without protection,” Jonah replied, scowling.

  Adele bit her lip. The words, “Then come with us,” hung there, waiting to be said. But she knew better. He needed to return to church willingly, not out of obligation.

  “I’ll take the rifle,” Jacob said.

  “No,” Adele said, quickly taking it from Jonah. She held it awkwardly, not wanting it across her lap.

  “I cleaned and loaded it last night.” Jonah gave her a funny look. “I thought Erich taught you how to handle a rifle. You used to shoot as good as Nate.”

  She looked away. “We will be back later.”

  Once they were clear of the house, Adele turned to Will. “Take this,” she said, handing the rifle to him. “I will drive.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied.

  Adele grasped the reins as she felt her cheeks grow pink. Before the war, she would have taken the gun without a second thought. But since then, she had a hard time even looking at one without feeling anger. How can I not when I know it was a weapon like this that killed Nathaniel?

  “Why couldn’t I take Pa’s rifle, Ma?” Jacob asked. She looked at him, hating that her son was in such close contact with a gun every day. When would Jonah let go of it? She especially disliked the thou
ght that Jacob would one day learn to use one.

  “How did things go in town yesterday?” she asked.

  He looked at her for a moment. “I saw Dr. Kelly.”

  “He was in town?”

  “He sure was. Uncle Jonah got to meet him.”

  Adele bit her lip. She hadn’t realized Dr. Kelly would be coming to Ostrander so soon. She thought he still had another week or two of lecturing at Ohio Wesleyan. Her heart sank as she realized she had not been there to introduce Jonah to the doctor herself. “Did they seem to like one another?”

  Jacob shrugged. “I don’t know. Uncle Jonah told me to go inside and watch Mr. Morgan.”

  Adele only half listened as her son went on about how Cyrus had gotten a good price for his furs from Mr. Decker. No wonder Jonah had seemed more out of sorts than usual yesterday evening. She had put it down to being concerned about the rabid animal on the loose. What had Dr. Kelly said to him?

  Fred Decker was tying up his horse when they arrived at church. “Hello.” He waved as they walked up. “Jonah forgot to take these while he was in town yesterday.” He handed Adele several letters.

  “Thank you, Mr. Decker,” she said as she looked through them. She frowned. “I cannot imagine who this is from.” It was simply addressed to the Kirby Farm.

  Jacob strained to see it as she showed it to Mr. Decker. “Yes,” the shopkeeper said, “I wondered about that myself.”

  “Well, I will open it when I get home. Perhaps it was misdirected.” She put it and the others in her reticule.

  “If it is, just bring it into town, and I’ll take care of it,” he said as he opened the church doors for her.

  When they stepped inside the sanctuary, Adele saw Dr. Kelly sitting with the Williamses near the front. He half stood and smiled broadly at her, and she responded with a small smile and a nod.

  “Can we sit with him, Ma?” Jacob asked.

  “Let us just sit here, mein Liebe,” she said, indicating the third pew from the back. “Reverend Warren is ready to start.”

  The lesson that morning was very good, although Adele did notice Will looking at Clara Williams, the schoolteacher, several times. She was strategically seated next to Dr. Kelly, no doubt at the insistence of her mother, who sat right behind them. Adele couldn’t help but give a small smile. If the right number of people sat in that particular pew, two people would have to share a hymnal. She and Nathaniel had often sat there, and Jonah had always been willing to sit with them so they could share one.