Fiona's Journey

by Agnes Alexander

  “That’s what I told her, but she spit at me and told me I was crazy.” His voice was growing slurred.

  “You’re not crazy, Joey. If you want to be a cowboy, you can be one. I don’t care what Nellie Markin said.” She leaned down and kissed his cheek. “You go to sleep, my love. Everything will be better tomorrow.”

  After Joey drifted off, Fiona slipped out of his room, but she was wide awake. She knew it was time for her to make some decisions. She couldn’t keep sitting here waiting for some miracle to happen. If she didn’t act, and act quickly, the sheriff would come and toss out all the belongings in the house and run her and Joey off. If she sat around and let it happen, Markin might persuade the sheriff to take Joey away from her. She had lost her brother and his wife and she couldn’t stand to lose her nephew, too.

  * * * *

  The next morning Fiona was up before the sun. She made coffee, threw some bacon in the skillet, and put a pan of biscuits in the oven. Joey came ambling into the room as she began to scramble the eggs.

  “Good morning, sleepy head,” she said gaily and poured a glass of milk for him.

  “Morning, Aunt Fiona.”

  She dished up their breakfast and sat down with him. “I have something to talk to you about, Joey.”

  He looked at her. “What?”

  “You know we’re going to have to move.” He nodded and she went on. “I came up with a plan last night and I think we might as well get started. I’m going to hitch up the wagon and we’re going to take everything we think we can get a little money for into town and sell it.”

  He frowned. “Our furniture?”

  “Yes. What we can lift anyway. We’re also going to take some of the food your mother and I preserved last fall. A lot of people in town don’t have a garden and they like home canned vegetables. We need the money, and I think this is our best bet of getting it.”

  “Are we going to go west and be cowboys?”

  “I’m not sure.” She smiled at him. “Maybe it would be better if you didn’t say anything about being a cowboy to anyone in town, Joey.”

  He looked at her with big innocent brown eyes. “Why, Aunt Fiona?”

  “Some people might think it’s a crazy idea for us to try to raise money to leave here and would try to stop us. I think it’s best if we keep our plans to ourselves.”

  He looked serious as he nodded. Fiona had to smother a smile. She reached out and touched his hair.

  “I could sell my bow and arrow. The one Daddy made me for my birthday last year. I also have some toy animals Daddy carved.”

  Still trying to hold back a laugh, Fiona said, “I don’t think you’ll have to sell either of those, honey. You might have to kill a small animal with your bow and arrow for me to cook and I think you should keep the toys because your daddy made them for you.”

  He nodded with a relieved look. “Okay.”

  “Now you finish breakfast and go gather the eggs. We can probably sell them.”

  He ate quickly, then downed his milk. “I’ll gather them fast.”

  “Fine, Joey. If we work together, we’ll have enough money to go away before you know it.”

  “I still want to be a cowboy,” he called as he ran out the back door.

  * * * *

  Two days later, Fiona and Joey were loading the wagon for the last a trip into town. They had all the farm equipment they hadn’t already sold, a coop with ten of their twelve chickens, the eggs they’d gathered, what was left of the canned goods they didn’t need, and the dishes her grandmother had owned.

  “I wish I could get your Mother’s buffet on the wagon, but with the marble top, it’s too heavy for you and me to lift. We’d be able to get a better price if people could look at it.”

  “Are we going to leave it in the house?”

  “Mrs. Hayes said she might buy it if she could see it, but she wouldn’t give me a definite price. I’m going to ask her to send her boys to pick it up and let her give me whatever she wants to.”

  “Mama loved her buffet.”

  “I know she did, Joey. Her grandmother brought it over from France and it was always special to her. I wish we could keep it for you, but there’s no way.”

  “I don’t want it, Aunt Fiona. Daddy always said we ought to sell it, but Mama didn’t want to.”

  “I’m sure your mama wouldn’t mind us selling it now, Joey.” She glanced at him. “Ready to go?”

  As they were pulling out of the yard, a horse was coming up the dusty road.

  “Oh, heavens, it’s Luther Markin.” She looked at Joey. “I don’t want him to know we’re getting ready to leave town. I’ll probably have to tell him a lie.”

  “What lie, Aunt Fiona?”

  “I may have to let him think I’ll consider letting you go live with him.” She reached over and took his hand. “It’ll be a lie and I want you to know that. Please don’t give me away.”

  “I won’t say nothing.” He looked a little scared and she squeezed his hand.

  Markin pulled his horse up beside the buckboard and glared at her. “Good morning, Fiona.”

  “Mr. Markin.” She nodded to him and tried not to let him see she didn’t want him here.

  “I heard you were peddling things in town and I came to see if there was any way I could help you.”

  She didn’t want or need any help from Luther Markin, but she knew she had to try not to let her feelings show. “We’ve sold most of our things. One more trip tomorrow will finish up most everything I can lift into the wagon.”

  “Maybe I could help you with the heavy furniture.”

  “There’s not much left worth hauling to town. The only good piece is a buffet Marian inherited from her grandmother.” An idea hit her and she added, “Mrs. Hayes, at the general store, told me yesterday she’d come out in a day or two with her sons to look at it.” Fiona knew she wasn’t telling the entire truth. She also knew if Luther thought somebody was getting something for less money than it was worth, he wanted to be in on the deal.

  “Has she paid you?”

  “Not yet. I didn’t want the money until she got the furniture.”

  “How much was she going to give you for it?”

  “I asked for fifty dollars, but she said she could only give me thirty-five. It’s worth more than a hundred and fifty, but since I can’t lift it, I guess I’ll have to take whatever she offers. I know if she could see it, she would give me more.”

  “I know the piece. It’s worth more than thirty-five and I think it’d look nice in my house. Make it more presentable.” He chuckled and spat tobacco to the ground. “I’ll give you the forty-five for it.”

  ”Really?” Fiona tried to look surprised. She knew he was thinking about reselling the buffet, probably to Mrs. Hayes or one of the more prosperous farmers in the area, not putting it in his house.

  “Yeah. I’ll bring one of my neighbors over and pick it up later today. Will you be back from town?”

  “I don’t know, but I trust you, Mr. Markin. It’s in the parlor. Feel free to come get it before it gets dark.”

  He grinned. “Since you trust me to come in your house, I’m going to pay you right now because I trust you, too.” He gave her a wicked smile and counted out the money.

  “Thank you.” She took it, put it in her pocket and smiled at him. She hoped he wouldn’t recognize it as a false smile.

  He must not have because he grinned back. She couldn’t help noticing his yellowed teeth and figured it was all the tobacco he chewed.

  “Now, Fiona, have you decided what you’re going to do when you leave here?”

  “Not really. I’m still thinking on it. I guess I’ll have to stay in town and try to find a job.”

  “It’s going to be hard on you to work and look after a boy. Don’t you think he’d be better off on a farm? After all, it’s the only kind of life he’s ever known.”

  “I’ve been thinking about it. As you know, I’ve never been a mother, but I do hate to think of h
im cooped up in town. Don’t seem right somehow.” She looked at Joey. “I’d miss him a lot, but a farm is a better place for a boy, I’m sure.”

  “You could visit him at the farm a couple of times a year. As I told you, the Misses and I will treat him good and he’ll have my three girls to play with when he gets his chores done.”

  Fiona sighed. “I’m going to be here another week and I need Joey to help me until I leave. Let me think on it a little more, Mr. Markin. Why don’t you and your wife bring the girls and come for supper on Saturday. We can settle things then.”

  “Why thank you, Fiona. I think you’ve made a good decision.” He puffed out his chest and pulled his horse’s head around. “I’ll come get the buffet this afternoon and the Misses and I will see you on Saturday.”

  “I kept a couple of chickens so Joey and I’d have something to eat. I’ll make dumplings for Saturday night.”

  “I sure love dumplings and I bet a pretty young woman like yourself can make good ones.” He leered at her.

  “I hope you and your family will like them.” She emphasized family because she didn’t want him to get the idea she’d entertain him alone.

  “We’ll be here, Fiona.” He winked at her, tipped his hat, and rode away.

  She knew he was happy about the arrangement and wouldn’t question her about it again. “I guess we pulled it off, Joey.”

  “What did we pull off?” He looked worried.

  “He thinks he’ll come here Saturday, fill his gut with chicken dumplings and then I’ll let you go home with him.”

  “Are you going to make me go?”

  “Of course not, sweetheart.” She put her arm around his shoulder. “This is Wednesday; we’re going to make our run to town today and then we’re going to come back and pack up to leave. We’ll be long gone before Saturday.”

  He looked up at her. “When are we leaving?”

  “Very soon, but you can’t tell anyone.”

  “So long as I won’t have to go to his farm and be around old Nellie, I won’t tell anybody anything.”

  “Good. After he gets the buffet today, you’ll never have to see old Luther Markin again.” She patted his shoulder. “Now let’s get into town and sell what we can. We’ll then pick up a few supplies and make our plans to leave this place for good.”

  * * * *

  At dawn the next morning Fiona and Joey put their supplies and their belongings in the wagon along with the two chickens in a crate. They tied the cow to the back of the buckboard, hitched up the horses, and took a last look at the cabin. Both of them had tears in their eyes.

  To hide her sorrow, Fiona jammed on the floppy straw hat her brother often teased her about wearing. The daisies on the crown wiggled as she tied the green worn ribbon under her chin. “Well, Joey, this is it.”

  Joey looked puzzled. “What’s it? The hat daddy always said was ugly?”

  Fiona had to laugh. “No, honey. What I mean is we’re on our way to a new place and a new life.”

  “Oh.” He grinned at her. “Where’re we going, Aunt Fiona?”

  “I’m not exactly sure, Joey, but we’re going to follow this road in the opposite direction of town. I don’t want anyone to know we’re gone. When the Markins come over on Saturday and we’re not here, they’ll start asking questions. Since I told everybody in town yesterday that we were going to leave in a week, nobody will have any idea of when we left or which direction we took.”

  He grinned. “Are we going to go out West?”

  “Well, since town is east of the farm, I guess you could say we’re heading west. I’m not sure how far out west we’ll go, but we’ll take it one day at a time.”

  “So I might end up being a cowboy after all.” His eyes cleared of all tears and he couldn’t keep the excitement out of his voice.

  Fiona chuckled. “You might, Joey. Now put this quilt across our legs. It’s cold today and it can still snow in March here in the mountains.”

  Chapter 2

  Independence Missouri - April, 1855

  Clint Larson came into the hotel room and smiled at his wife, Rose, who he believed was in her fourth month of pregnancy. He walked over to her and pulled up the one chair beside the bed where she had been resting. She returned his smile and sat up.

  “Did you have a nice nap?”

  “I did. I feel much better.” Taking his hand, she let him help her to sit on the side of the bed.

  Clint knew if they were able to get everything together this trip was going to be hard on her. He started again to offer to wait until after the baby came to make the journey, but he knew Rose wouldn’t hear of it. She’d only say that if they didn’t go this time, they’d never be able to get away. Deep down, Clint knew she was right. Wade Fillmore would never accept the fact his baby girl had run away from home and married the man Baltimore society considered a rogue. If he found them, her father would try to force his favorite daughter to go back to Baltimore.

  They both knew she could never live there again. She’d never be able to face Leo Carver. Not after what he’d done to her. Her father didn’t know the whole story, and if Rose had her way, he never would. She’d said more than once she preferred her family always think she ran off with her distant cousin, Clint, because they were madly in love.

  After the quick marriage, Clint wanted to take Rose back to Texas where he’d lived for the last six years, but Missouri was where they’d landed. Out of money, he’d found work on a ranch and they hoped to stay here until the baby came. But Wade Fillmore wouldn’t leave them alone. After Rose let him know they were in Missouri, he kept writing letters telling them he was coming to get Rose because he knew she’d married Clint against her will.

  Even when she wrote telling him she and Clint were happy, he wouldn’t listen. Then she told her father she was pregnant and hoped he’d be glad she was making him a grandfather, but he wrote back the most scorching letter of all.

  He said Clint, who had left Baltimore six years earlier because of a scandal, would never amount to anything and had no right to be a father. Especially not a father of a child of his beloved Rose. He demanded Rose divorce Clint and come home. He promised he’d find her a husband who would be fitting to a lady of her stature and one who would be a good father to her child. He even told her his partner, Leo Carver, missed Rose as if she was his own daughter.

  After this letter, Rose begged Clint to leave Missouri before her father came for her. She said she knew in her heart he’d make her go back, even if he had to kill Clint to do it. As they were preparing to head for Texas, she read about the wagon trains leaving Independence to go to Oregon and California. She felt if they could get on a train, it would be the answer for them. Wade would never go across country. Not even to retrieve his daughter.

  “Did you get us signed up for the wagon train?” Rose smoothed her blue flowered day gown and smiled at Clint.

  “I talked with, Zeke Marshall, the wagon master, and asked if we could sign up to go,” Clint said, still looking at her. “We have a week to get everything ready. Here’s the list of what we’ll need.” He handed her a paper.

  “Oh, my. This is a lot of stuff.” Rose looked it over. “It says for each adult we need at least, one hundred fifty pounds of flour, one hundred fifty pounds of bacon, fifteen pounds of coffee, twenty pounds of sugar, ten pounds of salt and the list goes on...” She paused. “It looks like an awful lot to me.”

  “It does seem to be a lot.”

  “Why in the world would we need this much?”

  “I don’t know, Rose. I guess they know what they’re doing. They’ve made this trip before. I talked to those friends we made when we went out to talk with the people already signed up for the trip. They said Zeke told them that sometimes the supplies still run low and the places they can be replaced cost three or four times as much as here.”

  “Are you talking about Rufus and Mattie Watson?”

  “Yes. I talked with Mattie and her daughters and they said the list w
as correct. They’ve been getting their supplies together.”

  “I trust Mattie Watson, Clint. She and her family have sure been nice to us since we got to Independence.” She shrugged and handed the list back to him.

  “I trust her, too.”

  “Then maybe we’d better start getting our supplies together.”

  “There’s no need until I secure a wagon for us. That’s going to be the hard part.”

  “Do we have enough money to buy a wagon?”

  “Maybe. Rufus said it’s as good to convert a farm wagon for the trip as to purchase a special built one. A lot of people do this.”

  “Do you think you can buy one of those farm wagons?”

  “I’m not sure, but I hope to.”

  She sighed. “I guess there’s no hope of us joining along with another family?”

  “I don’t think so. I checked with everyone at the campsite, but they have bought their supplies for their own wagons and aren’t interested in adding two extra people.”

  “Do you think the two of us can handle it, Clint?”

  He reached out and took her hand. “We’ll handle it, Rose. Of course, there’s the possibility we can find someone who wants to go to Oregon and will sign on and help us.”

  She smiled at him. “I know you’ll be able to make things right.”

  “I’ll try.” He nodded. “We’ll tackle one problem at a time. I’ll see if I can find a buyer for our buggy first. I’m sure we’ll get a good price for it. Maybe even enough to buy and convert the wagon. The man at the livery stable said there was a demand for buggies. Tomorrow, if you’re up to it, we’ll go to the general store and start buying the supplies.”

  “I’m sure I’ll be fine, Clint.”

  He hesitated then said, “I hope we’re doing the right thing, Rose.”

  She smiled. “Don’t worry, Clint. We are.”

  * * * *

  Fiona and Joey were pulling into Independence when they saw a group of wagons and what looked like dozens of tents gathered in a field.

  “Wonder what that is?” Joey ask.

  “I’m not sure, but I bet it’s one of those wagon trains going to California or Oregon. I’ve heard talk of them.”