“Mr. Rowland is here to see you,” Theodore said from the open door to his office.
“Send him in.” Luke got to his feet and extended his hand as Archie Rowland entered the room. “Good to see you, Archie. Close the door and have a seat.”
The older man did exactly that.
“What can I do for you?”
Archie frowned. “Well, there are some issues with the route that we need to go over. Problems have developed, and even though we’ve completed work up here for the winter, this must be dealt with before we start up again in the spring.”
Luke nodded. “Sounds serious.”
“It is. It might very well be that someone within our own people means to see us fail.”
Theodore listened at the door, hoping to learn the reason for Archie Rowland’s surprise visit. With the line work closed down for the winter, Rowland was supposed to be in St. Paul, working with the others on the final route to connect the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad to Duluth.
It was difficult to hear what was being said, however. He heard Rowland say something about failure, but the men were speaking in such hushed whispers that it made hearing impossible. Theodore had to find a way into that office.
He took up his box of notepaper and a pencil. Perhaps Luke would want a record of the matter. He knocked lightly and opened the door. Luke glanced his way.
“I thought perhaps you might like me to record the details of the meeting?” He held up the paper.
“That might be for the best,” Luke told Rowland. “If things are as bad as you suggest, we need to make sure we explore every possible angle, and having notes would make that easier.”
Rowland nodded. “I agree.”
Theodore smiled and took a seat on a wooden chair. “Please feel free to continue.” He pulled paper from the box, then closed the lid and wrote the date across the top of the page.
“Well, as I was saying,” Rowland said, “some changes to the route created problems for us. We’re not sure how the numbers were altered or if it was simply oversight on the part of the engineers and builders. We haven’t yet had an opportunity to see the work orders and the final route layout. Once we’re able to get a look at that, we’ll know if it was an accident or deliberate.”
“I suppose we can’t ignore the possibility of it being deliberate,” Luke replied. “Superior, Wisconsin, has made it more than clear that they believe the railroad should belong to them. If they’ve managed to get men hired into positions where changes to the route can be made, then we’re in some real trouble. What with all the problems we already have trying to lay a route that won’t be encumbered by the black muck and quicksand, or swallowed whole by the lakes themselves, this is a grievous situation.”
“If someone is working against us, it’s best to know it right away,” Rowland said. “I’ve seen tampering of this sort before, and it always ends up costing a pretty penny.”
Luke nodded and steepled his fingers as he leaned back in his leather chair. “I’ll give this some thought. Meanwhile, we need to find those work orders and original maps. We’ll compare the numbers and see if anything has been altered. And if they have . . . then we’ll have to figure out who is responsible. Can you leave right away for St. Paul, Archie?”
“I can.”
Theodore tried not to react in any way to what Luke said, but he delighted in the trouble he’d already caused. He would see Carson’s doom if it was the last thing he did.
After his appointment with Archie, Luke met with Roger Munger. The meeting only furthered Luke’s excitement about the town. Munger wanted a canal dug to give ships direct access to the harbors on the Duluth side of the bay. Superior, of course, fought this idea, because keeping the only entry into the bay on their side would guarantee they had the lion’s share of business.
Munger felt confident that the canal could be dug for a minimal cost without damage to the breakwaters. He was convinced there was more than enough shipping for both Duluth and Superior, and with the railroads coming in, Duluth must have this direct approach.
Luke agreed and pledged his intention to invest. He promised also to speak with Jay Cooke on the matter as soon as possible. Munger was pleased and left without any time for socializing. He did, however, invite Luke to come to dinner the following Thursday.
“Be sure to put that on my appointment calendar,” Luke told Theodore as he dressed to go back out into the cold.
“I’ve already taken care of it,” Theodore replied. He got up and helped Luke with his coat and hat. “Will you be returning today?”
“I don’t think so. I have an appointment with Judge Prescott, and then I believe I’ll catch up on correspondence at home.” Luke wrapped the scarf around his neck and pulled on his gloves. “Do what you can to find those original work orders. I know we sent the maps to St. Paul, so I may need to send you down there as well. I don’t want to if it can be avoided, however. Talk to Archie. If he feels he can handle things from that end, you won’t need to go. Otherwise, if he wants your help, then I think we must give it.”
“Very good, sir. I will find an opportunity to speak to him.”
Luke picked up his satchel and made his way outside and down the street to the judge’s office. He had met Judge Prescott at church originally, and while they weren’t yet well acquainted, Luke felt he was just the man to help him with Sally’s adoption.
“Good day.” Luke smiled at the clerk seated in the outer office. “I have an appointment with Judge Prescott. I’m Lucas Carson.”
The clerk nodded. “I’ll let the judge know you’re here. Please have a seat.”
Luke did as the man bid and pulled off his gloves. Archie had been right about his needing better gloves than these. Luke had already ordered some with fur lining. An old man down on Third Street was making several pairs for Luke, in fact. Gloriana had promised him new scarves and perhaps even another sweater. The one she’d given him for Christmas was just as JT had promised—warm enough that when he wore it, he never felt the bite of the wind.
“Lucas Carson. It’s good to see you again,” the judge declared from the open doorway to his office. “Please come in.”
“Judge Prescott. Thank you for making time to see me.” Luke followed him into the office, closing the door behind him.
“I hope you’re doing well. Duluth can be daunting in the winter.”
“So everyone says, and I’m starting to learn for myself.” Luke glanced around the room and thoroughly approved of the book-lined shelves.
“I see you’ve spied my library. I have more books than Solomon had wives.” The judge laughed and sat down at his desk. “Please have a seat and tell me how it goes with the railroad.”
Luke did as he asked, but he wasn’t ready yet to speak about the problems Archie had uncovered. “Overall, we’re on schedule, no thanks to the difficult landscape. We aren’t contending with mountainous terrain or deserts, but what we have is difficult and requires specialized care.”
“I can well imagine. There’s a lot of water to be mastered.”
“Exactly.”
“But the railroad didn’t bring you here today. Tell me what has.”
Luke began his story. “My brother was a crew member on the Ana Eileen. He was killed with the others when she went down last September.”
“My condolences. We lost a great many good men that day.”
“Yes.” Luke paused a moment in reverence. “My sister-in-law was expecting their first child. She had no family save my brother and this unborn child. The night I arrived in town, she was giving birth. Weakness and a broken heart caused her to give up the will to live. On her deathbed, with the midwife as a witness, she asked me and Gloriana Womack to raise her child. Being the baby’s uncle, I realized there would be no conflict in this, save the possibility of my father’s interference.”
“Your father? Tell me about him.”
“He’s a banker and financier in Philadelphia. He was a harsh taskmaster to
my brother and me. When my brother decided to marry, our father did not approve and irrevocably cut him off from the family fortune.”
“Rather severe,” the judge commented.
“Yes. Very. He ordered Scott and his wife to leave the family house and never be in his presence again. When he learned of the baby, our father showed some interest. He called my brother back with promises of accepting him into the fold should he divorce his wife after the child’s birth and take the child from her.”
“Cruel, indeed.”
“My brother was livid. There was much arguing and many hateful things said, and my brother took his wife and came here to Duluth, where he took a job as a fisherman. This happened last spring. He kept in touch with me, and I even helped financially until they were able to get on their feet again.”
“And now?”
“Now I fear my father will have his regrets and desire to take the baby to raise as his own. I would like to prevent that from happening, not only for my sake and that of the child, but for Gloriana Womack, who has become a mother to the baby. I would like to adopt my niece so that I might offer her stability and love. It is even my hope to marry Gloriana so that we might become a regular family.”
The judge smiled. “I know that young woman well. She has always impressed me with her demeanor and loyalty. When her mother died, she pledged herself to care for her father and brother without even a hint of regret or disdain. Mrs. Sedgwick told me she has always been a generous soul.”
“I can believe that. Her first priority since losing her father has been to her brother. And let me tell you . . . he’s a handful.” Luke grinned. “But I want him too. I want us to be a family. Right now isn’t the proper time to propose that to Gloriana. She’s in deep mourning for her father, and I wouldn’t dream of trying to interfere with that process. However, I fear I don’t have time to delay where the baby is concerned. My father knows about her, and his intentions, unless I’m mistaken, will be to come here and take her.”
“Then we will push through this adoption and get matters settled. I don’t want to see Gloriana hurt any more than she has already been. Give my man the information about the midwife in attendance at the birth. We’ll take her statement and use that as a foundation for the adoption. I believe we can have all of this resolved very shortly.”
Luke got to his feet and extended his hand. “Thank you, Judge Prescott. I appreciate your compassion. Baby Sally will appreciate it too, as well as Gloriana and JT.”
“We definitely want to do what is best for all.”
Luke bid the judge good day and made his way outside. The wind was making the air feel even colder than it had before. Pulling the scarf tighter around his face and neck, Luke pushed on toward the post office. He would see if anything had come for him, despite the winter service being more sporadic, and then head home. The thought of ending his day with Gloriana and JT and the baby was more than enough to quicken his steps.
He thought of Gloriana and her frustration with God. Would he be any different if he’d suffered so much loss? Of course, he had lost his mother and stepmother and now his brother. They had quite a bit in common, if one looked at it that way. However, where Gloriana had adored her father, Luke felt as if he barely knew his. Martin Carson was all about business and making money. The time he had spent with his sons had also been about business and finance. Luke couldn’t remember a time when he and his father had just talked about life, about their desires or ambitions, unless it related back to work.
That was a void Luke had struggled to fill by inviting the friendship of other older men and advisors. He always gravitated toward mentoring relationships. His brother was the only person who was different. Luke was Scott’s mentor, and now Scott was gone, and Luke felt that void as well.
Perhaps that was what kept him wanting to be there for JT. The boy reminded him of Scott in many ways. Scott had always been more physical—more interested in things that went on outdoors rather than inside. College had bored Scott nearly to walking away. He’d been too young for the war but hung on Luke’s every word about battles and strategies. Their father had been appalled. His boys had been raised to follow in his footsteps, and nothing else would suffice. Scott had always felt he could never measure up to his father’s desires.
Luke thought again of Gloriana and her anger at God. God hadn’t lived up to her expectations. It seemed there were disappointments enough to go around. Luke only wanted to help her find her way back. Only that close bond with God would see her through this depth of pain.
“Father,” Luke whispered, lifting his gaze heavenward, “help her. I care for her so. I don’t want bitterness and anger to harden her heart. Help her to see You for the loving Father You are. Amen.”
He felt a calm come over him. No matter what, he knew that seeking God first was how peace would be found, and for now, he could rest in that.
Chapter 17
Luke’s peace was short-lived. A letter was waiting for him at the post office from his father. Father had paid a high price to see it delivered, and the postmaster spoke of how a man had been hired in St. Paul to see it through personally.
Several days had passed, but the words of the letter still bothered Luke a great deal. His father wanted Luke to bring Sally to Philadelphia, just as Luke had feared. Father had declared himself the logical choice to raise his son’s child and demanded that upon the first possible chance to bring her out of that “godforsaken frozen wilderness,” Luke would comply.
Now he would have to write to his father and break the news that, thanks to the judge’s fast work, he had already adopted Sally and that she would remain in Duluth with him and with Gloriana. His father would be livid—possibly to the point of fighting Luke for possession of the child.
He glanced over to see the baby asleep in Gloriana’s arms as Pastor Sedgwick spoke of Moses leading the Hebrew children through the desert. JT squirmed uncomfortably in one of the outfits Luke had bought him for Christmas. The boy hated dressing up, and Luke couldn’t say he blamed him.
They were, for all intents and purposes, a family. Luke had fallen into the role of protector-provider without even needing to be asked. Gloriana was a natural nurturer and mother figure. They suited each other, worked well together, and respected each other. Why shouldn’t it follow that they remain a family? Luke had given that strong thought—especially with his father’s threat to Sally. It wasn’t that his father was evil or would necessarily do the child harm, but Luke knew Father wouldn’t raise Sally in a way that pleased Scott, and so it brought out the fight in him to keep the child away from such influences.
Scott would never want his daughter judging people by their appearance and social standing. Scott would never want Sally to decide on a husband or friends based on what they could do for the family, but Father would. Luke knew from the pressures Father had put on him to marry women who could advance the family fortunes or had social connections. Love played no role in marriage as far as Father was concerned. That would follow, and if it didn’t, then at least there would be enough money to keep everyone happy with something else.
“In conclusion,” Pastor Sedgwick said, “we often cannot see the place where God is taking us, but obedience on the journey will save us much sorrow. Trusting God for the outcome—for His faithfulness—is not easy, by any means. Especially when you are stuck in the middle of the desert and nothing seems possible.”
He stepped away from the pulpit with the Bible in his hand. “But with God, all things are possible, and we must remember that. Deserts and death are but a momentary obstacle to us, and certainly no obstacle to God. We may wander for a time in the desert, but God will never leave nor forsake us there. He asks us to trust Him, even when He seems aloof, distant, or unreachable. The Hebrew children had to learn this, and we must learn it as well. Let us pray.”
Luke bowed his head, wondering if Gloriana had found any comfort at all in the words. She hadn’t wanted to come to church, pointing out that th
e bitter cold was hard on the baby, but Luke reminded her that the carriage would be warm and protect them all. He had arranged extra blankets and even some warmers with hot coals to keep their feet toasty. It was hard to argue against such things.
When the service concluded, Luke talked to several of the men and finally to the pastor. He thanked Sedgwick for the thoughtful and well-delivered sermon, then once again made his way to Gloriana.
“I’ll bring the carriage around,” he said.
“Can I help?” JT asked. He was fascinated by the team and wanted to learn to handle the carriage. Such things were oddities to fishermen’s sons.
“Of course. If it’s all right with Gloriana.”
She nodded as she wrapped the sleeping baby for the journey home. “Just be sure to do everything Luke tells you to. Horses are dangerous beasts.”
Luke smiled and ruffled JT’s hair. “So are little boys, if they aren’t properly handled.”
JT grinned and looped his arm through Luke’s. “I’m not dangerous, just busy. That’s what Papa used to say. He told me that he’d never known anyone who was busier than me, but Papa never met Jack.”
Gloriana laughed, and Luke thought it was the nicest sound he could hear. “He’s right. Papa did say that.”
“Then come along, you busy bee. Let me show you the right way to bring the carriage around.”
Gloriana watched Luke and JT disappear through the congregation and out the door. She didn’t relish being left alone to deal with the women of the church, but she squared her shoulders and continued her preparations for going outside.
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