Finding Her Way (Wildflowers)

by Leah Banicki

  "Okay." They all spoke at once.

  "My wagon outfit is near the creek today. I had better head back. You children be careful." They all nodded and then spread out looking through the bushes. They were her little treasure hunters. Corinne mounted up, rode back to the creek, and found the wagon with no trouble. Andrew had purchased large wagons and Corinne's was very prominent as it rolled along. Corinne wondered with a smile how long it would be before she had fresh plant samples from her little angels. The miles passed quickly for her as she imagined her young botany crew busily hunting through the green grass as they made their way to the great unknown.

  Corinne could see the wagons are slowing down, ahead, and the long stretch of wagons were pulling in near the creek. Mr. Walters rode by and pointed a few things out to Jimmy and Joe and we slowly moved into a small half circle near the creek. Corinne rode up to Joe when they stopped to take her mount. She would gladly care for Clover herself but she knew it was pointless to try.

  "How far did we go today, Joe?" Corinne wanted to have a pleasant working relationship with the team handlers. Joe reached under the wagon to reset the odometer gearbox that attached to the wheels.

  "We did sixteen miles the first day. I am glad we are stopping though. It will take a few days to get used to the jarring of the wagon. I will make my brother sit up here tomorrow." Joe's laugh was refreshing. He climbed down and Corinne handed over Clover’s reins. Corinne stretched out for a minute and then took in her surroundings. The world around her was industriously working to make camp. Animals were set to pasture under the careful watch of riders. Every man would take their turn to keep the animals safe as they fed off the new spring grass. Women and men prepped fires and the lucky few who had sheet stoves were constantly poking the fires to get them hot and ready for dinner for several hundred people. This was a traveling village. Corinne knew she was the oddity. Fully able but banned from work. What a strange problem she had. She sighed and walked to her wagon to get her journals. She would read while she waited for dinner.

  It was twenty minutes later that a little voice broke through the sounds around her and Corinne saw the girl with braids approaching her. "Hello Plant Lady." The girl had a flour sack thrust forward, her offering for the day.

  "Oh my, were you able to find me some treasures?" Corinne was flattered by the nickname, 'Plant lady'. She looked in the bag and saw mushrooms of different varieties, some edible, several ferns, and a few mysteries. "Amazing, did your friends come too?" She glanced and saw them hiding behind the wagon.

  "We all put them in the bag. We didn't want to crush the mushrooms." The blond girl was the leader of the operation.

  "Well, good thinking." Corinne reached into the wagon and grabbed her small handbag. Each child was lined up and Corinne put a mint in each hand. She watched each of them put the peppermint in their mouths then she dropped a half-cent into each of their warm dirty hands. "Thank you, children. Be sure to tell the other children too." They headed out of the campsite with smiles. Corinne felt useful at last. She carried her wares over to Cookie and won some favor by presenting him with a few morel mushrooms to do with as he wished.

  "Thank you Mrs. Temple. Did those kids pick these?" Cookie actually spoke to her. She nodded and he laughed and shook his head. He washed the mushrooms well and sliced them into the stew he was cooking.

  "It will add some great flavor." Cookie claimed. His approval meant a lot to Corinne.

  Andrew rode up within an hour. He seemed in a good mood while waiting for stew. Tired muscles and the long first day made everyone quiet as they finished up any chores. By seven p.m. Cookie called everyone to get a plate of stew. Andrew commented on the morels and Cookie gave credit to Corinne and her band of herb hunters. Corinne was certain that her friendship with Cookie was growing.

  Dusk came quickly and the temperature dropped. Corinne yawned at the fire until she could not take it anymore. She excused herself and headed into her wagon. She was exhausted. She didn’t lay there long before she fell asleep. Everyone seemed to follow her example and headed to their beds early too.

  Chapter Seven

  April 13 1848

  The morning was cold and Corinne curled under the warm blankets and turned to find the best sleeping spot. The air was crisp and the night was still dark around her. She drifted back into a soft sleep...

  The startling clunk pulled her from her peaceful moment. A second and third clunk and the unmistakable sound of dirt drifting to the ground brought her out of slumber straight into terror. Corinne sat up quickly and looked around. The night was black as pitch. There had to be an animal outside the wagon. Corinne's thoughts usually leaned to the worst possible scenario. Corinne felt her heart jumping in her chest and she held the blanket close to her as she leaned into the darkness to hear if the creature had left. The wagon train was only sixteen miles outside of Independence; Corinne wondered what kind of animal made such a racket?

  The shuffling continued, several footsteps and then pans rattled. Corinne's heart dropped suddenly as the wagon actually moved under her. As Corinne's eye grew accustomed to the darkness she moved slowly, on her knees, toward the front of the wagon bed. Reaching it she felt for the rope that held down the flap. A small bench was conveniently next to the wagon's flap and she sat on it to peek thru the tiny opening she had made. With an exasperated sigh she recognized the situation. Andrew was prepping the fire. Corinne quickly found a lantern and lit it with the nearby matches. She dressed hastily. She had a pendant watch that she was going to pin on her coat; she leaned closer to the lantern and glanced at the time. It was 3:45 a.m.!

  Corinne wanted to scream; wagon train rules were to have fires started at six a.m. and breakfast ready by seven. Why had Andrew risen so early? Did he expect her to make coffee before dawn?

  She climbed out of the wagon. She marched over to her husband. "Do you know the time?” He barely looked at her.

  “You are making a huge racket while everyone is sleeping. It's 3:45 a.m. Mr. Temple." Corinne wondered if he had any common decency. He glanced at her and by lantern light checked his own pocket watch. He grunted and stopped his activity.

  "I suppose you are right. I am an early riser." Andrew admitted. He sat down on a stool. "I think I'll start the fire anyway. I'll wait for the coffee." Andrew grabbed the fire pot from the chuck wagon and started stacking the sticks in the fire pit from last night. Another point to Andrew.

  "I'm going back to bed. Andrew, the people here will not have patience for you banging around this early. Respect is good but sleep is more important. If I were you I'd keep it silent." Corinne marched back to her wagon.

  Corinne heard every movement he made for the next hour. She eventually fell back asleep but woke up at 5:45 when Cookie was puttering around in the chuck wagon. Corinne was in her makeshift bedroom thinking of Angela sharing space with Cookie. She hoped to convince Andrew that sharing the wagon with her would be beneficial, but she had not come up with a good excuse yet.

  Corinne started the morning with a mug of black coffee that Andrew prepared, ate biscuits and fruit jam that Cookie made and gave all her laundry to Angela. Her horse was saddled and prepared by Joe. Corinne got a boost onto her mount by Reggie. She was pretty sure she was the most useless adult on the wagon train.

  The only useful thing she had done before they left was spend some time in her wagon drying out the plants from her treasure hunters the day before. With the cunning use of string and a few knots, she secured her finds upside down to the wagon bow under the bonnet. They would hang there until she was ready to draw them with detail.

  * * * * *

  Corinne rode along with Clover alone today. She attempted to slow down and allow Angela to walk next to her but Andrew was hanging about the wagon outfit and Corinne didn’t want to risk it.

  The morning sun was hiding behind some gray clouds by mid-morning and soon after that, they got their first taste of rain. Corinne used her rubber tarp over her head, she was happy to see Reg
gie stop the last wagon, and made Angela jump in. The rain came down with a wind that was cold. It bit into Corinne's cheeks and took her breath away at certain points. She steered Clover behind the wagon to block some of the wind. They stopped at lunchtime and ate some brown bread and some dehydrated peas that Cookie has soaked overnight. The sheet-iron cook stove was handy for cooking in this kind of weather, as long as the rain wasn’t too heavy.

  The wagon train moved along that afternoon as the rain slowed to a drizzle. By nightfall the rain had cleared and the air was mild. Corinne ate in silence but listened as the sound of other wagon outfits drifted their way. Someone was playing a fiddle, sweet and softly. It reminded Corinne that the world still has sweetness. Angela made eye contact across the fire and Corinne smiled. They enjoyed the music together before they went to their beds.

  Chapter Eight

  April 15 1848

  The sun was fresh in the morning sky, Corinne was up, and tending the fire before she started the breakfast coffee, the one job she was allowed to do. With a long stick in her hand and sitting on a short stool she absently watched the sparks fly out of the fire and float up to the sky. From her side vision she saw three little heads peek around the backside of the wagon. She pretended not to notice them to see what they would do.

  There was a scuffle and the hushed tone of children being what they believed was quiet.

  Corinne could not resist and finally turned to peek at them and could see three very dusty children clasping various types of plant life in their little arms.

  "Jessie told us to...to bring you plants and…and you would give sweets and money." The boldest one said. He was a disheveled eight-year-old lad with a mop of brown hair and smiling eyes. The other two children were younger and stayed close to his back and shuffled near him. With a quick gesture from Corinne they all came forward with huge grinning faces.

  Corinne “oooed” and “aaahed” at their offerings and gave them each a peppermint candy and split the proceeds equally between all of them for their donations to her plant collection. She gave them an age appropriate plant lesson on what kind of plants she wanted most and how to pick them. Their little nodding heads, as they watched her, was nearly enough to melt her heart completely and she could not resist patting their little shoulders in a near hug-like fashion. She sent them home to their wagons with coins in their pockets but she felt the most blessed. Her job as 'plant lady' was truly inspirational today. She knew the money would help the families and it kept her stocks of plant life full as she sorted through them each evening before she slept.

  Andrew strolled into camp a few minutes later to see her bundle the plants to put in her wagon while shaking his head. "I can't believe you pay the children to pick plants for you. You will probably end up with more junk than you can ever use." He laughed, Corinne was certain he enjoyed hearing himself speak. She got him a mug and poured the coffee for him as he plopped down on the stool. "Knowing you, your wagon will be half full of scrub bushes before the month is out. What does that heal, plant lady?" Corinne was well rehearsed at not responding with anything but a smile and nod when appropriate.

  "What are your plans for today? Riding with the wagons or something else?" Corinne hoped for 'something else' but tried desperately to hide her own wish. It was rude to ask him to stay away from his own wagon outfit all day but she really liked it better when she didn’t have him underfoot and his mouth nearby.

  "I think I'll ride along with the horse wranglers today and see what the scouts are doing later. I do enjoy seeing the lay of the land away from all the wagon traffic." Andrew sipped his coffee and headed over to Cookie's tent for a plate of vittles and some male company. Corinne followed him silently, got a plate, and headed back to her own little fire and stool. She was glad for Andrew's absence but was lonely for her friend Angela. This trip so far had not started the way she had hoped. She worked through her breakfast plate and returned it to a grumpy Cookie who snatched the plate without a word. Unless, of course, the grunt he uttered was a language she didn’t understand. She wandered around her campsite looking for something to do while she waited until it was time for the wagons to start rolling. Her heart was aching for a friend or companion, something to fill the lonely hours. She got an idea and climbed into her wagon, within fifteen minutes had a charcoal pencil and sketchpad. She enjoyed drawing plant life and decided to document her journey with some drawings. This would be a great way to pass the time since she wasn’t allowed to do any chores.

  Corinne thought of herself as a decent drawing student as long as she was looking at her subject. She knew some people could invent a picture and draw it from their memory but Corinne was limited to what she could see here and now. She grabbed a small hanging plant from the wagon and proceeded to start drawing. "It's not fine art but it will have to do." She said to herself.

  After busying herself for nearly an hour the small fire died down and the sky was bright with sunlight. Corinne looked up when the sound of horse hoofs pounding near her wagon startled her from her page.

  "Are you Mrs. Temple?" A tall man on an enormous horse hovered over her. Corinne's neck could nearly break from the angle she had to look at him.

  "Um..yes. How can I help you?" He nearly scared the breakfast coffee out of her when he jumped off and motioned her to get on his horse. She had no thoughts in her head before he explains. "A small boy was burned just a few hours ago, and we heard that you make plant medicines and ointments. Can you help?" He watched her face carefully. She nodded quickly and saw his instant relief.

  "He is in terrible pain and cries out from it most unspeakably. He is only two years of age and..." Corinne hushed him.

  "Silence, I know what to do. Give me one moment." Corinne's heart was pounding in her chest with a strange sadness and excitement. The terrible ache of knowing a child was in pain and the thrill of knowing how to help, truly a mysterious emotion. Corinne was in and out of her wagon with a small bag in mere moments. The tall man helped her mount onto the dark horse.

  "We must tell someone where I am going, sir." She shouted as he tried to gallop away from the area.

  He did a quick turn and signaled the first person he saw. Our driver, Joe was walking by and the tall man shouts, "Mrs. Temple will be with the Grant outfit. There has been an injury. We will return her shortly. Can you tell her husband?" The tall man didn’t even wait for a response before they were flying across the ground moments later.

  Corinne only knew a few children and women since their trip started and wondered how her reputation had spread to strangers so far from her wagon. It was a large wagon train and she was not allowed to venture out to visit people due to Andrew's strict propriety 'rules'.

  It was only minutes later that the horse slowed and the tall man was down and gently helping her from the animal. The cries of a child nearby were loud and pierced her heart with distress.

  "I am so sorry Mrs. Temple, I am Lucas Grant. My nephew is this way." He led her through several wagons until the crying was very close. A wagon flap opened and what Corinne could see was a mother lost and grief stricken from the pain of a child.

  "I know what to do. I will ease his pain." Corinne climbed into the wagon in a second. "What's his name?"

  "Brody" The mother spoke softly while fresh tears of unexplainable relief washed over her. She had hope for her son.

  Corinne crawled through the small space to the boy who was thrashing nearby. The space was dark, understandably out of the warm sunlight with a burn wound. "Hello, Brody." Her voice was sweet but with a little bit of no-nonsense about it. She needed him to listen. She saw his arm had a two-inch circle burned into it, the color a fiery red that Corinne knew would hurt so terribly she nearly choked out a sob herself out of sympathy. She stopped her own emotions and proceeded to do her job.

  "I have something to put on your sore arm Brody. It got burned. Is that true?" Corinne hovered over him and watched his face while she rifled through her bags for the needed supplies.

>   Brody opened his crying eyes and slowed his thrashing at the sound of a new voice. He looked scared and his cries continued. He snatched his arm away from the strange woman and cried even louder.

  "Brody, I know it hurts, little man. Can I put some medicine on it? It will make it feel lots better." Corinne smiled a little and showed him the little bottle of lavender oil. She opened it, put one drop on her finger, its sweet floral scent wafted quickly through the wagon's enclosure, and its calming effect worked on Corinne's beating heart. She hoped it would also calm his fears. She took the drop of lavender, touched it to her cheek, and rubbed it in a little. "It doesn't hurt at all see Brody." Corinne bravely touched the finger to his cheek and his eyes went wide but his cry was softer now with curiosity. He relaxed his body and slowly laid his arm back down. Corinne with gentle hands, held his arm while drop-by-drop, poured the healing lavender oil over the entire surface of the red and blistered skin.

  "My name is Corinne. Some of the kids call me the Plant Lady. You and me are gonna be such close friends, I think you should call me Corinne. What do you think Brody?" His eyes held tears but he wasn’t crying now. He nodded in response to her question.

  "Doesn't that feel a little better?" Corinne watched him nod again. "I'm almost done Brody. Let me put some more of this medicine on it then you can go to your Ma." Corinne liberally applied another layer of oil and watched it soak into the skin. The scent in the air was thick and its effect on the young boy would do wonders in allowing him to sleep.

  "You are such a good boy Brody." Corinne helped him sit up and then handed him over to his mother finally realizing she had a large audience staring into the wagon. She felt herself blushing and could not stop the heat rising through her face.

  "Mrs. Grant is it?" Corinne met the woman's eye and saw the gratitude there. Mrs. Grant nods. "You will need to pour the oil on again later but do not cover the wound until after the wound has dried up into a crusty layer. The lavender oil helps it heal fast and takes away a large amount of the pain. No bandage is needed, but keep him in long sleeves after today, whenever he is in the sun. The heat will make the pain return." She handed the small bottle to the mother and smiled at the young golden haired child who looked like he was recovering from his morning ordeal. "The lavender will help him sleep too, and the aroma will help others, nearby. It is such a great healing oil, any oil you have left can be used on any wounds or scratches on adults and children. It fights away infection." Corinne realized she was rambling and proceeded to shut her mouth and leave the wagon.