Melinda and the Wild West

by Linda Weaver Clarke

  Aunt Martha gently helped William down on the sofa and then looked at Melinda. “Oh, dear sweet Melinda. This is a blizzard. The children won’t be going to school today. In fact, most people will be staying home if they have any sense at all. But there will be those merchants who feel the need to open their stores, which surprises me because who would want to go out in this weather to buy something?”

  “Aunt Martha, I will hurry as quickly as I can. Don’t worry. The doctor will be here soon.”

  “You’ll have to walk, dear. If you take the carriage, this wind might tip you over and you’ll get hurt. The wind is too powerful for that carriage. It’s too lightweight and in no time the wind will have it toppled on its side.”

  “All right, Aunt Martha. I’ll hurry.”

  Melinda remembered when she was seventeen years of age and the “Great White Hurricane” had paralyzed the East Coast. In 1888, a blizzard hit the coast that was stronger than anyone had expected. Telephone wires snapped, fires broke out, and fire stations were immobilized because of the storm. They estimated around fifty inches of snow fell. Winds blew up to forty-eight miles an hour, creating snowdrifts forty to fifty feet high. Two hundred ships were grounded and at least 100 seamen died. Overall, more than 400 deaths were reported on the East Coast. Because of the transportation crisis, this led to the creation of the New York subway, which was approved in 1894.

  Melinda quickly dressed and headed toward the door. As she tried to open it, the wind fought against her and she tugged and pulled on the door to open it. As she stepped outside, an icy blast of wind greeted her. Melinda pulled her woolen wrap around her head and neck and trudged through the blizzard.

  The road was icy, but she stepped with firmness so her feet would not come out from beneath her. The wind blew so hard that she could barely keep her footing. As she leaned into the wind, she trudged forward, breathing heavily as she fought against it.

  Melinda stopped to get her breath and held onto a tree to rest. She cupped her hands next to her face and her breath formed a small cloud around her mouth and nose as she warmed her face, but as quickly as it formed, it whipped away instantly with the storm.

  Her muscles ached from struggling with the mighty wind and her heart pounded furiously. She looked around, trying to get her bearings, and noticed a fallen tree on the side of the road. The snow was violently whirling around the tree and a snow bank was blocking her path.

  She edged around the snow bank. Her cheeks and nose were stinging from the cold. The biting wind nipped at her nose and she rubbed it with her gloved hand. Pulling her wrap even tighter around her neck, she continued on her way.

  The howling wind pushed against her, struggling to lift her from the ground. She passed three people who were clinging to one another as they headed home. She dodged debris that flew past her, rolling and tumbling down the street. A carriage was lying on its side and the owner was hunched over, fighting against the wind, as he led his horse down the street. A woman, her scarf and heavy coat crusted with snow and ice, struggled in the wind and eventually slipped to the ground, landing on her backside. A man, grasping his hat tightly with one hand and shielding his eyes with the other, saw her fall. He came running to her aid, but as he knelt beside her, his hat flew from his head and rose into the air, twirling and whirling around mounds of snow, and then gradually disappearing with the storm. Melinda noticed that his mustache was crusted with snow.

  A couple of young men passed her on snowshoes and called out to her, “This is no time to be out in this blizzard. Are you crazy, lady? You had better get home.”

  As she plodded forward, Melinda noticed how the mounds against the homes had drifted twenty feet high. She noticed how the ice had created white lace on the windowpanes and for an instant she thought how beautiful it looked. After a while, she stopped beside a tree and held onto the trunk as she took a breath and looked around. She felt lost and confused. Everything was foreign to her. The snow was coming down so hard that she did not recognize where she was.

  The wind howled ferociously and a blast of it struck her in the face. Melinda shivered and hugged herself with her arms to keep warm. The cold was penetrating through her woolen wrap and many petticoats, which were caked with snow and ice. She had hoped that her petticoats would her keep warm, but apparently it wasn’t enough.

  She took another step forward and the snow swallowed her up to her knees. She found it difficult to move her feet, but she persisted and was able to pull herself out of the drifted snow. Her frozen face stung as the wind whipped around her. As she staggered against the wind, she fell into another snowdrift. Melinda had been out in this freezing weather too long and her senses were no longer clear. She could not think or walk normally. What was happening to her? Where were her senses? Why was her mind so foggy?

  As she struggled to pick herself up, she heard a buckboard pulling up beside her. A deep voice called out to her with concern, “Hey, ma’am. This is no time to be out in this storm. You had better go home. Do you live very far from here?”

  Holding her wrap closely around her face, she shivered and stuttered as she said, “S-sir, I’m headed for the doctor. M-my Uncle William has been hurt badly, but I’ve lost my way. I can’t s-seem to get my bearings with all this s-snow coming down so thick around me.”

  “Melinda, is that you?”

  Quickly, Gilbert hopped down from the buckboard and pulled the wrap away from her face. Her face was bright red and she was shivering uncontrollably. His eyes widened with shock as he saw her condition. “I’m taking my hired hand back home, but I can’t leave you like this. You’ll get hypothermia, if you haven’t got it already.”

  Then he looked at the hired hand and yelled, “Joe, take the rig and tell the doctor to go to William and Martha’s, then take the rig home. I don’t want you out in this storm more than you need to be. My home isn’t far from here. I’ll take Melinda home and get her warm. Make sure Martha knows where she is, all right?”

  Joseph nodded, whipped the reins, and down the road he sped. Gilbert tucked the shawl tightly around Melinda and then wrapped his arm around her, leading her to his house. The howling wind fought them all the way. They leaned into it to keep their balance and soon they reached his home. Tugging at the door, he finally pulled it open and pushed Melinda through as he pulled it shut.

  Melinda stumbled, but Gilbert quickly grabbed hold of her to steady her. She was shivering uncontrollably and when she tried to thank him, she could not speak. The only words that came out were in the form of a stutter. Her mind was in a cloud and she could not think. When Gilbert asked her a question, she did not understand what he said and she felt confused.

  Gilbert had seen hypothermia before and he recognized the signs. He knew that hypothermia was not only caused by freezing temperatures, but also by improper clothing, wetness, and fatigue. Melinda had been struggling with the wind for quite some time, and her body was exhausted. And a thin dress with a couple of petticoats hardly constituted proper clothing for a blizzard.

  Quickly, Gilbert took her to the fireplace, which had a warm and comforting fire blazing within. He pulled the frozen and icy wrap off her shoulders and dropped it to the floor. He noticed her dress was caked with icy snow. He knew that as soon as it melted, she would be soaked to the skin if she weren’t already.

  Jenny walked into the living room and saw Melinda shaking. Gilbert looked at his daughter and said, “Jenny, I need your help. Quickly take Miss Gamble to my room and take off her frozen clothes and put my robe on her. Then bring her back here and we’ll lay her on the sofa near the fire. I’ll get some blankets to wrap around her.”

  Jenny did as she was told while Gilbert got several blankets and a pillow. When Jenny came back with Melinda, she said, “Pa, Miss Gamble isn’t walking too good. I think her legs are frozen.”

  “I wouldn’t doubt it, Jenny.”

  Gilbert helped Melinda onto the sofa, tucked the robe around her freezing legs, and wrapped her in a blanket. He t
ook another blanket and wrapped it around her head and neck. Then he grabbed a pillow and gently placed it under her head.

  After Melinda had settled down comfortably on the sofa, Gilbert went into the kitchen and prepared some beef broth. One of the things he had learned was never to feed a hypothermia victim solid food or alcohol. Many times, people had the mistaken idea that they must feed the patient solid food so he can get his strength back, but that was a big mistake. And the idea that alcohol warms the victim up was the biggest mistake of all. In fact, Gilbert was well aware that alcohol did quite the opposite. Only warm liquids, such as broth, were appropriate.

  Gilbert had learned a lot about hypothermia, simply because he lived in an area where most people needed that knowledge to survive. Survival in the West had a lot to do with the knowledge one gained and Gilbert was very much aware of it.

  As he stood beside the stove making beef broth, he realized how worried he felt. The only other person he had ever worried about was his own daughter. It had seemed as if Jenny were his whole world, but for the first time in eight years, he found that he could open his heart up to another person. He found that he could even worry about someone other than his own daughter. This was a new feeling for him.

  Gilbert looked at Jenny and gave her a loving smile. He loved her dearly and she knew it. When they rode side by side on their horses, she was his companion. But now, he wondered if he could have another companion as well. Jenny loved Melinda and she had hinted at the fact that she wanted her in the family. So, if he made the choice to marry her, Jenny would be happy, too. And that was very important to him. Jenny had to approve or he could not do it.

  “Pa, shall I rub her arms and legs to warm them up?”

  Gilbert shook his head. “No, dear. That would be the worst thing you can do. When someone has hypothermia, the first part that needs to get warm is the body. You could do her harm if you did that.”

  “All right, Pa. What should I do?”

  “How about if you give her this broth that I made. It will warm up her insides.”

  Gilbert scooped the broth into a small bowl and then handed the bowl and spoon to Jenny. Gently, he pulled the covers away from Melinda’s face so Jenny could feed her. Her face was still bright red and Gilbert moaned silently, feeling so worried. As he watched Melinda, she shivered uncontrollably and his heart went out to her.

  Jenny began to spoon-feed her as she talked to Melinda, but she did not respond. Jenny looked up at her father. “Pa, she’s not listening. Is she all right?”

  “Yes, she’ll be all right. One of the signs of hypothermia is not being able to speak and comprehend what is going on. A person may be able to walk with hypothermia, yet not have their senses clear. But after she swallows enough broth, then she’ll begin to warm up and her mind will become clear again. Just give her time.”

  After Jenny fed her, Melinda slipped into a deep sleep. Her body was exhausted from fighting with the wind and from struggling to get warm. Gilbert went out to check on the animals and make sure the barn door was still shut. With a wind this powerful, the door could be blown open and even fly off its hinges. The last time they had a wind like this, it had taken someone’s roof right off the barn.

  Jenny stayed with Melinda and silently read a book. Every now and then, she would look up and check to see if Melinda was all right. When Melinda awoke and found herself with Jenny, she did not even remember how she had gotten there.

  Jenny quickly put Melinda’s mind at ease. “Oh, don’t worry, Miss Gamble. My pa told me that when one gets hypothermia, your brain can’t think and you don’t know what’s happening. That’s why you didn’t know how you got here. You have hypothermia. I was really worried about you. You kept shivering and wouldn’t stop.”

  Melinda smiled at the maturity of Jenny’s voice. “You certainly know a lot about hypothermia.”

  “Pa taught me. He knows everything.”

  Melinda smiled again. “I’m sure he does. But how about the doctor? Did he get to Uncle William on time?”

  Gilbert had just opened the door as she spoke and he answered her question. “Yes. I sent Joe on ahead to get him.”

  “Joe? Who’s he?”

  “My hired hand. When I noticed that you were shivering and stuttering, I got real worried and brought you here immediately. I’m sure the doctor has taken care of William by now.”

  Melinda watched Gilbert as he took off his boots and placed them next to the door. Then he unbuttoned his coat and hung it on a hook. He turned and smiled at her. Gilbert’s smile set her mind at ease and she knew that there was nothing to worry about.

  Chapter 18

  HYPOTHERMIA

  Melinda fell into a deep sleep once again. Hypothermia had completely worn out her body and she needed all the rest she could get. Gilbert had learned that some of the symptoms to watch for in mild hypothermia were the stumbles, mumbles, fumbles, and grumbles, along with uncontrollable shivering. So when he noticed these symptoms in Melinda, he knew exactly what to do.

  As she slept, the blizzard continued its fierce howling. The snowflakes whirled to the earth, some of them as large as a quarter. The snowdrifts mounted in size and grew taller against every home and barn in the valley. Gilbert cleaned the kitchen while Jenny cleaned the living room. He had put a roast beef in the oven and the aroma filled the room.

  “Pa, how long do you think the blizzard will last?”

  “Don’t know, darlin’. It’s coming down pretty hard. It’ll last all night, I’m sure. Sometimes blizzards will last a couple days.”

  “How about Miss Gamble, Pa?”

  “The snow’s coming down too thick for anyone to go out in. I had to push my way to the barn to milk and feed the cows this morning. There’s no way I’m going out in this storm again until we absolutely have to. The wind near blew me over, Jen.”

  “Could the wind pick up a person, Pa?”

  “Don’t know. All I know is that it can certainly make a person struggle as you walk in it.”

  After Jenny swept the floor and dusted the living room, she put a tablecloth on the table. Gilbert pulled the roast out of the oven and breathed in the delicious aroma.

  Melinda began to stir and opened her eyes as the smell of the roast beef wafted towards her. As she stretched, she said, “O-o-oh, that smells good.”

  Gilbert smiled. “It sure does. Jenny, only set the table with two plates and one bowl. Melinda here can only have beef broth.”

  “What?” Melinda said in a disappointed tone. “But that’s not fair.”

  Gilbert became serious as he explained. “You don’t seem to understand how lucky you were today, Melinda. If I hadn’t come upon you, I hate to think what would have happened. Only beef broth for you, dear lady.” Then he thought for a moment and he smiled in a teasing manner. “And maybe a few little pieces of roast beef.”

  “Only a few pieces?” Melinda laughed. “Hey, I’d better get dressed. I’ve got to head home.”

  Gilbert slowly shook his head. “Not in this weather, you don’t.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Melinda, look out that window. You’ll have to sleep in our guest room tonight.”

  Melinda brushed a lose curl from her eyes, stood, and then wrapped herself in her blanket as she slowly waddled over to the window. She did not quite have the strength to walk yet, but she needed to have a look at the weather. “Oh my! It’s really coming down, isn’t it?”

  As she watched the snow with amazement, it seemed like a winter wonderland outside. She looked over at Gilbert and asked, “Did you say guest room?”

  “Yup, sure did. About six years ago I built this place for Jenny and me. We have folks who live a distance away, so I made an extra room for visitors. While you were asleep, I made up the bed. If the storm subsides tomorrow, I’ll take you home.”

  Gilbert noticed Melinda fumbling to keep the blanket around her shoulders and he smiled in amusement. “The guest room is over there.” He waved a hand in the
direction of the room. “You can go check it out if you like.”

  Melinda felt unsteady on her feet, but she wanted to see the room. When she entered, she noticed the bed had a pretty blue patchwork quilt on it and there was a washstand beside the bed with a white china bowl and matching pitcher upon it. She found her dress hanging in the wardrobe. She touched it to see if it was dry, but it was slightly damp. Her petticoats were hanging next to them, still damp, also. She had never had to worry about such freezing weather in Boston except for the 1888 blizzard that had shocked everyone. There was so much to learn out here in the West. She pulled the blanket up around her neck. Then she walked over to the window and pulled the blue-flowered drapes aside. As she stood there watching the snowflakes, she thought it was almost mesmerizing. How could something so beautiful be so dangerous?

  There was a knock at the open door of the bedroom and Melinda turned and saw Jenny. “Hi, Jenny. Come on in.”

  Jenny walked in. “Supper’s ready, Miss Gamble.” She touched the wet dress that was hanging in the wardrobe. “It’s still wet. Boy, did I struggle to get this thing off you. There were so many buttons and ties and everything else. And because it was wet, I couldn’t pull it off very easy. It was covered with ice and snow. Well, at least I didn’t have to hang up that heavy dress and them petticoats. Pa did it for me.”

  Melinda felt uneasy that Gilbert had hung up her clothes, yet she knew there had been no other alternative.

  Jenny slowly shook her head. “That’s sure a lot of petticoats and underwear, Miss Gamble. Is that what women have to wear all the time?”

  “I’m afraid so, sweetie.”

  “Well, when I grow up I’m not going to wear all that stuff.”

  Melinda smiled at Jenny’s frankness and led her toward the dinner table.

  “When I grow up, I want to wear pants just like Pa. None of them petticoats and stuff.”

  Gilbert had been listening to the small talk coming from the bedroom and he grinned. With a deep chuckle, he said, “Oh, is that so, young lady? Well, we’ll see how you feel about it after you grow up a bit.”