Sam also put on his robe and rushed down the stairs ahead of his wife. He opened the door and found Reverend Hedges standing before him with blood splattered on his clothing. He started to pull the minister into the house, but was met with a protest.
“It isn’t me. I’m not hurt,” the minister pointed out to his sleigh where the passenger was slumped down in the back. “I found one of Tom Hall's children on the road when I was coming back to town from …” before he could finish Sara rushed past the two men out to the street. Eric heard the commotion and was running from the stable.
“Oh, my God, oh, my God,” Sara could be heard saying before she arrived at the cutter, “Sam,” she shouted back, “It's Catherine, she's been badly beaten.”
Eric quickly picked up the girl from the seat and with Sara's direction carried her into the house.
By this time, Mary was awake and was quite startled to see what was happening.
“Quickly Mary, go upstairs and strip down the bed in the guest room.” The housekeeper didn't have to be asked twice and quickly went up the stairs.
Carefully Eric carried the girl up the steps, Sara moving ahead of them, Sam and the pastor following behind.
Mary pulled all the bedding off of the mattress onto the floor and Sara quickly covered the bed with a couple of old blankets before Eric set Catherine down on them. Mary let out a loud gasp when she saw the condition of the girl, but Sara kept quite composed, sending the men out of the room. She asked Sam to bring a basin of warm water. Together the women helped Catherine out of her clothing, but Sara knew Mary found the situation difficult and sent her out for towels and wash cloths. She pulled a sheet over the girl to cover her when Sam brought the basin into the room, with a large pitcher of warm water.
He started the fire in the fireplace and without a word placed his hand on Sara's shoulder as she watched the girl. Looking back at him, she silently placed her own hand on his.
Before he left the room, she asked, “Could Eric go to the Hall farm, to make sure Amy and the children are all right?”
“I was thinking the same thing,” he said as he started to pull the door closed and added, “Sara, the baby?”
But her answer was a look of sadness and the shake of her head.
About three-quarters of an hour later Sara went down to the three waiting in the kitchen.
“She is resting quietly,” she said meekly when Sam went to her and held her tightly. Sara turned to the reverend and Mary, “I expect what has happened tonight stays within these walls.” The two nodded back at her. “Catherine told me her father beat her because he found out she was going to have a baby. Sam and I made plans to help her by taking her to Winnipeg and I fully expect she will go to get an education.” Sara helped herself to a cup of tea but instead of sitting down added, “I am going up to check on her then I am going back to bed.” She looked tired, but no emotion showed on her face. Sara took Sam by the hand and with a silent look asked him to go with her.
He glanced back at the others and thanked them for their help before going upstairs.
They both went into the guest room without saying a word. Heaviness hung in the air. Sara sat down on the bed beside Catherine and placed the back of her hand to the girl's cheek. “I gave her a dose of laudanum. She should rest well for a while.” Seeing the girl slept soundly, she added, “I want to show you something, so if charges are brought against her father, you are a witness.” Sara gently, so she would not wake her patient, placed the bed covers just past her waist and pulled the gown up to expose her abdomen. Three black bruises could be seen below her navel. “She has bruises covering her body, but these are the worst and I would say deliberately placed to cause an abortion.” She covered the girl back up to the chin, placed her fingers on Catherine's neck to check her pulse and then stood up to leave the room. “I should have given her what she wanted when she came here. It was my selfishness that caused this.”
Sam quietly closed the door between the rooms, behind them. Sara went to the window and looked out at the moon, which was on its way to becoming full again.
He wrapped his arms around her, but she stood still, not responding to his touch. Sam spoke softly, his mouth next to her ear, “You did what you thought was best … what we thought was best. There was no way of knowing he would find out and do this to her.” He held her tighter, “I love you so much and it hurts to see this happen to you.”
She leaned her face against his and placed her hands over his, “It didn't happen to me.”
“It was going to be our baby, Sara.” He waited a moment than continued, “Don't be so tough, you can't keep this inside.”
She appeared to ignore what he said and how she really felt. “A lot has happened in one change of the moon. Shakespeare wrote, 'the inconstant moon, which changes in its monthly orb'. How much our lives have changed in one moon.”
“Soon it will be new again and we will be on our journey east,” he led her to their bed and pulled back the covers so she would lie beside him. Before she climbed back into the bed, she opened the door between the rooms so she would hear if Catherine needed her.
They couldn’t sleep well and were up early the next morning, along with the rest of the household. Sara checked on Catherine before she went downstairs. Finding the girl slept soundly she decided to have breakfast before tending to her patient.
Mary had the coffee brewing and porridge already on the stove and Eric sat at the kitchen counter holding a blood-marked cloth to his nose.
“Looks like you walked into a door called Tom Hall,” Sam said as he greeted his henchman.
“That's one mean drunk. Got one lucky punch in, but don't worry, he won't be pounding on any innocent children, or his wife for quite some time,” Eric gave a chuckle but stopped suddenly when the motion hurt more than he expected.
Sara went to him immediately, pulling his hand away from his face. It was swollen and starting to bruise. Could I have some ice?” she asked Mary. Gently feeling Eric’s nose she stated, “It is definitely broken. We’ll try to get the swelling down then I’ll put everything back into place. Sam, I think willow bark tea would be good right now.”
“I’ll get it out of your medicine box,” he answered as he went upstairs to retrieve the bottle.
Holding the cloth-wrapped ice, Sara placed her hands on her new patient’s nose.
Eric held another cloth under it to catch the blood. He looked into her eyes as she stood before him, “You are much easier to look at than old Doc Brown.”
She smiled back at him weakly, “I don’t usually condone fighting, but I want to say thank you for going out to the Hall farm and for laying a beating on that man.”
Sam returned with the tea and poured a cup of hot water to put it in.
Sara continued, “I can’t imagine anyone doing what he did to his own child.” Her hands were steady but suddenly started to tremble and her eyes filled with tears.
Eric, realizing something was wrong, raised his voice, “Sam!”
His boss turned quickly from the stove but Eric caught Sara before she collapsed. He picked her up, carried her to the sitting room and placed her on the settee. Mary and Sam quickly followed.
Mary took Eric by the arm, “I’ll see what I can do for your nose before you get blood on the furniture in here,” she said, leading the big man back to the kitchen.
As they left they could hear Sara, crying into Sam’s shoulder as she tried to muffle the sound.
Her husband quietly said to her, “You’ve got to let it out Sara, you’ve got to let all of those years of pain out.”
“What was that all about?” Eric asked Mary as they walked back to the kitchen.
“She said what happened here has to stay here,” Mary started to tell him about what happened and why it affected Mrs. Fielding so powerfully.
Chapter Eighteen
The Fieldings’ journey to the eastern provinces was delayed for a short time until Catherine was feeling well enough to travel. The p
olice were brought in to assess the situation but because it was a domestic issue little could be done. It was not disclosed as to Catherine’s previous condition or the reason for her beating. Everyone who knew the situation thought it would be easier for her.
Sam asked the law if word had been received from the North West Mounted Police about any progress made in finding his attacker from October. So far they found nothing.
Eric’s nose was tended to and started to look much better as the week went by. The swelling and bruising were starting to subside. He took pleasure in scaring the neighbourhood children as the bruise was turning to the greenish hue of healing and gave him a rather grotesque look. Sara scolded him for his actions, but couldn’t help but chuckle at the surprised looks he received.
Eric would be placed in charge of watching the residence and stables when they were away and he took great satisfaction in knowing he was trusted in that way.
On the first day of December, Sam and Sara were scheduled to start their journey to the east. Mary decided not to go to the train station to see them away. Even at home she had a hard time holding back tears as they were departing. Sara already thought of holiday gifts for everyone and asked Mary to make sure the already wrapped parcels were distributed near Christmas Day.
Sam sent a quick letter to the Stones explaining what happened and when they would visit again. Catherine settled well in her new home as the other girls were so anxious for her to join them. Even though some of the bruising was still visible no one commented as to what happened. For now she could try to forget about all the bad things taking place in her life.
There seemed to be extra cheer in the air during this visit as the spirit of Christmas was in the air. Already decorations graced the streets and stores of Winnipeg and brought with them cheerful spirits. The newspapers were starting to announce the arrival of Santa Claus and the need for gifts to exchange.
They all enjoyed a lovely weekend with Cedric and Amelia and celebrated an early Christmas season with their friends. An evergreen tree was found and decorated with many ornaments. The couples exchanged gifts and Sara was delighted to receive a hard-covered journal her new friends hoped she would fill with her many stories and she promised she would.
Leaving the following Monday, they started their travels on the train by going down into the United States. Sara didn’t realize the C.P.R. line wasn’t completed in Ontario as yet. If they were to travel east instead of south most of their journey would be by stagecoach. That would prove to be very rough and this time of year, unpredictable. She preferred Sam’s plan of travelling through the U.S. although she did protest he had booked them first-class accommodations on the train, feeling regular class would be good enough.
Even though William and Sara had arrived in Manitoba by way of the United States, returning left her unsettled. Back in 1875 they had the escort of the North West Mounted Police and she felt very safe, but travelling as a pair concerned her.
Sam noticed his wife was quieter than usual as they crossed the border into the U.S. at St. Vincent, Minnesota. He was certain what her thoughts were about. “We should be in the States for less than three days. We are going just as far as Detroit where we will cross into Ontario. We could stop somewhere for a day or two if you would like.”
Sara turned from the window and gave him a tender smile. She silently thanked him for understanding and not expressing disapproval of her apprehension. She continued watching the land and the people until sunset and found they were no different than those she saw at home. There appeared to be less snow the further south they travelled, but she knew it could be because of the year and not the latitude.
In the seat across the aisle from Sam sat an American gentleman keen to share conversation. He had been in Winnipeg trying to unload some overpriced land he purchased earlier the same year. Although he took a brutal loss, he laughed at his bad luck. He too, was on his way to Minneapolis where he lived. He spoke to Sam about being stranded in the Canadian city for several weeks in the spring, until the river settled back into its banks. He never experienced such a time, nor saw streets turning from hard ground to a sucking quagmire of mud.
Sara sat quietly listening to the interesting tales the men were telling and thought to write down a few of the accounts in her new journal. True, they may not be her own stories, but she thought how interesting this land made the lives of so many. It was devastating at times and jubilant at others.
As she sat thinking what to write as an introduction to her book she absently watched out the window. The trees along the tracks seemed to rush past. Suddenly she realized what she was seeing and how different it was to the land in Manitoba. She looked at her husband, who for the moment was taking the opportunity to read the Winnipeg Free Press he purchased before leaving the station.
“Look, Sam, look at all the trees. It’s nothing at all like it is at home where it’s often bare for miles. Look, the trees seem to be in planted rows, straight along the tracks.” Sam leaned toward the window and watched with her as she continued, “Will and I moved to the Brandon Hills because it seemed to be the only place for endless miles where there were trees for shelter and building materials. How can it suddenly be so different? Have there been no prairie fires here to set back their growth?”
Hearing the question, Sam’s new acquaintance spoke up, “Hope you don’t mind. I can probably answer your question about the trees. My name is Harold Waterton,” he said, extending his hand to Sam, which the latter took firmly and greeted the gentleman.
“Sam Fielding … and my wife, Mrs. Fielding.”
“Sara,” she said, smiling at their new acquaintance.
“Nice to meet you,” he returned the sentiment. “I work for the state of Minnesota in lands development, which includes lumber management. Lumber is one of the State’s chief industries. A lot of it travels north for construction in the new towns and cities in Manitoba. The government has promoted the replanting of trees. They give a quarter section of land in the prairie regions to anyone who will plant and care for forty acres of timber for eight years. In ’80 alone over twenty-five thousand acres were planted. Most of the trees you see along the railway are for the purpose of windbreaks and also follow the major roadways. Lumber is a big business, but an expendable resource, which we must replenish if we wish to continue our rate of production.”
The gentleman continued telling of the interesting facts he thought they might find to be out of the ordinary. He invited Sara to write it down in what appeared to be her journal resting on her lap, if she so desired.
She wrote down the interesting items he told them, like how Minnesota means “sky-tinted water.” He told them in 1862 the state suffered greatly. Many of the men joined the regiments for the Civil War and then a Sioux massacre took place. Seven hundred people were murdered and two hundred others, mainly women, were taken captive. Some three thousand were left homeless and the attack lasted until the Military was brought in. This was the last outbreak of this kind in the state. “Thank God,” he concluded.
Mr. Waterton in turn asked about the Fieldings and as usual Sara left Sam to tell his stories. The visiting seemed to make the day go by rather quickly and as the sun was starting to set the train arrived into Minneapolis.
They stepped down from the car onto the platform. Sam started to ask Sara if they should stop overnight in a hotel, when he saw a troubled look in her eyes. He turned to see a regiment of what must have been sixty men dressed in army garb, which was still similar to the Blue Coat uniform of the Union soldiers. They were milling around another platform, apparently waiting to board their train.
Sam quickly took her arm and with his other hand carried their hand luggage. He took Sara inside the station and went straight to the ticket counter. He purchased two first-class seats to Chicago leaving at ten that night, in about three hours. That would give them time to eat before picking up their baggage, to be transferred to the next train.
The station contained a lovely res
taurant and they both enjoyed a light supper together, also enjoying a glass of champagne. Not far from them, two young soldiers dined with two ladies. Sara’s look softened as she let herself relax and realize these were just men who were visiting with their female friends while on leave or departing for their assignment. These were all people who possibly were not born when she was in the U.S. during the war.
After supper was finished they had an hour before they could board the train. Sam hired a horse-drawn cab and told the driver to show them the sights before they returned to the station. They toured along the famous Mississippi River, although Sara remarked at it as not being quite as grand as she’d heard. Sam gave a slight laugh when he answered, “This is only the beginning of it, love.”
The driver stopped the team at the St. Anthony Falls for a few minutes before returning to the station.
They retrieved their luggage in the claim area and took it to the baggage car, which would be emptied in Chicago.
When they boarded the passenger car Sam realized he made a mistake and purchased tickets for the first-class seats and not the overnight accommodations. Sara insisted it would be fine and she would sleep well with her head resting on his shoulder.
When Sara woke the next morning the sun shone brightly into the car and she could see the train travelled south along a large body of water. For a moment she forgot where she was and wondered if it was the Bay of Fundy she was looking out on.
When he realized she was awake, Sam spoke, bringing her back from her youth, “We aren’t too far from Chicago. This is Lake Michigan.”
She greeted him to the new day with a soft good-morning kiss. He put his arm around her and they looked silently at the lake that seemed to go on forever. The air was fresh and much different from the coal smoke they would often smell wafting over the train as it travelled. The sun sparkled on the water like many diamonds thrown to the wind, to land where they may.
New Beginnings (New Beginnings Series) Page 18