Florence

by Patricia Pacjac Carroll

  He cocked his head. “Well, all right then. You can show me.”

  Jay was going to have a hard time keeping up with that woman. They reached the house, and he helped her out of the buggy. He looked around for any unwelcome critters and carried the chickens for her.

  After unhitching the horse, he led Big Red to her. “I’ve got to go. Sorry I can’t stay and help you.”

  “I’ll be fine. I’m used to working alone. I will be happy and anxiously awaiting your return.” She kissed his cheek and whirled around with chickens in her arms and walked to the house.

  Jay watched her. She’d changed in the short time that they’d been married. He could see joy and life filling her eyes. He just hoped the hard work didn’t drive her to sadness. He stretched his back and hoped that he could keep up the work. He could only wonder what Curt and Fred had done or not done.

  ***

  Florence set the pups down in the yard. She hoped they wouldn’t follow her into the house, but with no walls, she knew they would. Scout went about his job of looking around. He’d be a good watchdog.

  “As for you two little pups, you need to watch what your big uncle does and learn to behave.” She glanced at Gretchen, munching on the grass in the meadow. She’d have to watch her, or she’d make her way back to the Howard’s farm.

  The chickens were busy clucking and pecking the dirt she’d dug up. She took their box from the buggy and set it near the house. She hoped they were smart chickens, or they’d make easy dinner for the varmints around.

  There was so much to do, she wasn’t sure where to start. Then she looked at the house. Poor thing. With such grand plans, it had been left to the wilds and had not faired very well, and it reeked of animals.

  The cobwebs were long and deep enough to strangle a bat. Florence grabbed the broom and went about beating the webs down and sweeping them up. She didn’t dare venture upstairs. Jay had said he wouldn’t trust the steps because the rain had rotted so much of the wood. It was a good thing he worked at the sawmill. They’d need a forest to repair the house.

  The place had so much potential. Florence saw that in Jay, too. A young man putting away his past and reaching toward a good life. She would do all she could to see that he made it. If only he would use her dowry.

  Still, she admired his pride. She’d keep the money safe, and when the time was right, she’d use it to help him. She put her reticule in the chest of drawers. Some time, she’d need to go to the bank and put her money in their account.

  Scout woofed a warning.

  She looked but didn’t see anything. Then the dog chased a squirrel out of the house.

  “Good boy. You keep the critters out.”

  Florence ate a quick lunch and hoped Jay had something to eat at the mill. Finished eating, she took up her hoe and attacked the garden. She had four rows done when she decided she’d put supper on.

  They didn’t have any meat, and there wasn’t time to hunt, so it would be beans, potatoes, and biscuits again. Thinking of the biscuits, Florence went to find Gretchen and tie her up.

  Once outside, she fell in love with the meadow all over again. Apparently, the cow liked it because she was in the middle of the grass and flowers, lying down and contentedly chewing her cud.

  One thing was sure, they’d need lots of buckets. Jay hadn’t come out here prepared at all. It was a good thing that he’d married a farm girl. She was well-prepared for farm life. It would take a while, and they had a lot to do before winter, but this would be a grand place in a few months.

  Florence had supper going and went out and found Gretchen. The cow had moved up to the house, just like she knew this was her home now. “Good girl.” Grabbing the pitcher she’d used for water, she went to the sweet cow and milked her.

  She talked to the cow. “I’ll have to walk the meadow and make sure it doesn’t have any bitterweed, so your milk is sweet and good. You’re such a good girl.”

  The cow bounced her head up and down.

  Finished milking, she draped a towel over the pitcher and put it above the cabinet in the kitchen. Tonight, Jay would have creamy mashed potatoes and good milk to drink.

  Dinner was about made, so she covered the beans and took them off the fire. The potatoes were done, and the biscuits ready to go in the oven. But so far no, Jay.

  He’d said he might be late, but she could wait.

  After another hour had gone, and the sun along with it, she ate her dinner. She tied up the cow and checked the puppies. They were cuddled together in the house by the bedroom door. “You two are going to give me troubles, aren’t you?” She looked around as darkness took over the house and the land. Then she looked back at the puppies. “Or maybe you’ll give me company.”

  Jay had said he might be late, and that there might be days he had to stay at the mill. This must be one of those days. She tried to chase away doubts and fears and scooped the pups up and went into the bedroom.

  She hadn’t checked to see if they had plenty of oil. With a sinking heart, she saw that the lamp was low on fuel. That would be tomorrow's chore. She lit the fireplace, thankful Jay had added the box, so she didn’t have to go outside.

  Florence was almost in bed when she realized she didn’t have the rifle near her. She took the pups outside one more time and then picked up the gun. Being alone in the big house was a little unnerving.

  Soon Splish and Splash ran up to her, and they went back in the bedroom. The lamp went out, and she didn’t recall another one in the house. She put the rifle by the door, latched the window, and sat by the fireplace, petting the little dogs.

  “Jay will be home soon.”

  Outside she heard Scout walking about. She thought about getting him and bringing him in the house, but he was probably better used outside to protect the yard, Gretchen, and the chickens.

  Florence prayed they’d all be safe. And then prayed that Jay would come home.

  Chapter 10

  Jay eagerly reached the mill and went to the office. His good humor disappeared at sight of Curt and Fred sleeping with a jug between them. Jay slammed the door.

  Curt groaned and stared at him. “Oh, you’re here.”

  “I don’t suppose you did the things I left for you to finish?”

  Fred stumbled to his feet. “We were going to, but we got that jug and—”

  Jay picked up the jug and threw it out the open window. “We have logs coming, and I need those benches built. Then we have the tables to do. Come on.”

  Jay went out of the office and checked the saw. It was in its proper place and secure. All they needed to do was build the running tables up to the saw. The wood was still piled along the side of the building.

  He glared at the two men. “At least help me get these things built.”

  They were unsteady on their feet, but they managed to drag the wood over, and by ten o’clock that night, they had the tables built.

  Jay thanked them. He wanted to rail at them and tell them what fools they were, but then again, in the past, he’d have been alongside them drinking the jug dry. Instead, he gave them some of the mercy that he’d felt. “It’s late. I’m sure my wife has some supper made. It’s only a twenty-minute ride to my house, want to come with me?”

  Curt grinned. “I haven’t had woman-made food probably since I left home.”

  Fred nodded. “You sure she won’t mind? I mean, we look kind of ragged.”

  Jay grinned, surprised at their enthusiasm. “Wait until you meet Florence. She’s a wonderful woman. I don’t think she’ll mind.”

  Curt went and got the mule. “Let’s go. I’m hungry as a bear.”

  Jay looked at them. “You have a gun?”

  Curt nodded. “An old rifle and a shotgun that we hunt with.”

  Jay felt uneasy without a weapon. He hoped it wasn’t another of those premonitions that something was wrong. He’d left his rifle with Florence. Well, that was another thing he needed to add to his list.

  “Get the guns and your t
hings, and we’ll get some supper.”

  Thirty minutes later, they reached his house. Jay slid off Big Red, unsaddled him, and then hobbled the horse.

  Curt did the same with the mule, although they didn’t have a saddle, just an old blanket.

  Scout came barking from the side of the house.

  “Scout, remember me?” Jay held out his hand. The big dog sniffed and then wagged his tail.

  Curt stepped back. “That is some big dog.”

  Jay nodded. “Glad we got him. He’s a good watchdog.” He saw the cow tied by the tree near the house. The chickens were in their box. He patted Scout and climbed up the steps.

  Curt squinted. “Why don’t you have any walls?”

  “That’s on my list of things to do.” Jay opened the door and walked in. “Florence. It’s me, Jay, and I have a couple of friends with me.”

  After a few minutes, the door to the bedroom opened, and Florence came out with her robe on.

  “Jay, I gave up waiting.” She rushed into his arms and then turned, seeing the other men. “Oh, I’m sorry I should have dressed.”

  Curt took his hat off. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Jay said it’d be all right.”

  Jay hugged her. “I promised them a meal. If you don’t mind?” Even in the dark, he could see her smile.

  “That will be fine. Jay, will you start the oven and the fireplace so we can see. We’ll need to get more lamps and oil. The one in the bedroom went out.”

  The two puppies ran out in the room and welcomed the men with barks and licks.

  Soon, Florence had biscuits and beans and potatoes ready. She portioned out the food on three plates and handed it to the men. “I hope you like it.”

  Fred nodded. “Thank you kindly, ma’am.”

  “You can call me Florence.”

  Fred smiled at her, his eyes gleaming in the firelight. “All right, Florence. It’s delicious. Best food I’ve had in longer than I can remember.”

  Jay sat against the wall and watched the two men. What would it take to get them back on track to living and not existing? He pointed his fork at them. “If you men are good hunters, we could use a deer.”

  Fred grinned. “I can hunt. I’ll get you one tomorrow.”

  Florence took the empty plates. “If you find a sweet lady moose, let her go. She was here for breakfast this morning.”

  Fred laughed. “I’ll only hunt deer.”

  Curt was holding Splish. “Wish I had a pup. They give a man something to hold onto.”

  Jay nodded. “You’re welcome to sleep out here by the fire, but on one condition, and that’s that we get up and off to work right after breakfast.”

  “Breakfast.” Fred looked at him. “We’ll be good workers from now on. Guess we were hungry.”

  Jay chuckled. They were hungry all right, but maybe it was for human kindness more than anything. He took Florence by the arm and walked her to the bedroom. He turned. “See you men in the morning.”

  They were inside the bedroom, and Florence turned to the door. “My puppies.”

  Those men need the pups more than you. Jay grinned. “You have me.”

  ***

  Florence awoke and was alarmed to see that Jay wasn’t next to her. She’d meant to get up before the men and have a big breakfast ready. Instead, the sun was up, and she smelled bacon. After dressing, she left the bedroom and walked into the kitchen.

  Jay was cooking bacon. Curt was buttering the bread she’d made yesterday. And Fred was just coming in with the puppies.

  “They are good little pups. Not one accident. And they kept me and Curt warm.”

  She saw Scout running around outside, and then she heard Gretchen moo. “I’ve got to go milk her. Oh, I am so out of practice.”

  Curt shook his head. “Already milked her.”

  Jay pulled down the plates. “Don’t worry, I went and washed them earlier. Bacon and eggs are done.”

  Together they sat on the floor and ate their breakfast.

  Florence smiled. “I think this is one of the best meals I’ve had.”

  Jay hugged her. “It is good, isn’t it?”

  Curt and Fred finished. “We’re taking our mule and getting an early start. We’ll meet you at the mill.”

  Jay waved them on. “I’ll be there before noon.”

  The two men laughed and got on their mule and headed toward the mill.

  Once they were gone, Jay grabbed her and twirled her around the room. “Thanks for being so understanding. They needed a break. I think you might have given that to them.”

  “They seemed kind of down. Life can be so hard.”

  Jay nodded. “I’m just glad you didn’t mind.”

  “If you want them to come home with you every night for a while, I’d be okay with that. Someday, we’ll probably have to build a bunkhouse.”

  He laughed and took out his pad and made a note. “I’ll be busy until I’m a hundred.”

  “Speaking of that list, we need more lamps and oil.”

  “Yes, we do. I’ll ride into town and pick some up.”

  She shook her head. “Better write a wagon on that list, too. Are you sure you don’t want to use my dowry?”

  “No. It’s important to me to make it on my own.”

  She kissed his cheek. “No one makes it on their own. We all need help. But if that’s the way you feel, I’ll go along. I’d like to go into town with you today. I need to put my money in the bank. Or you could do that for me.”

  “If I buy a lamp or two and have to carry the jug of oil, it will be hard to get all of that and you on the horse. Besides, I need to take the buggy back to the livery.” Jay looked worried.

  Florence went to the room and took out her reticule. She pulled out the money. Thinking about being safe, she put half of it back and brought the rest to Jay. “Here’s my money. If you would put it in the bank. You can put it under your name.”

  He looked at it. “A hundred dollars?”

  She nodded. “And if you want to spend some of it, go ahead.”

  “I said no.” His words were the same, but the determination in them had lessened.

  She grinned. Jay had apparently thought she might have ten dollars and didn’t want to spend it all. She closed his hand around the money. “It’s ours.”

  “I better go.”

  “Yes, you better. I’ll be fine. Scout’s a good dog, and together, we’ll all be fine.”

  He nodded. “I guess so.” Jay looked at her. “I think I need about four of me to get everything done.”

  “Well, I only married one of you. Go.” She watched him hitch up the buggy and drive to town. She prayed he’d use the money but doubted that he would.

  Scout came up to her for a pat. She petted him and then went to wash the dishes. Having Curt and Fred eating dinner with them was going to make their food run out. Maybe today, she’d hunt for a deer.

  She turned out Gretchen, let the chickens out, and then took up her hoeing. If she worked hard today, she could start planting some of her seeds. Once they got some extra money, she’d ask Jay to buy a couple of pigs.

  With three hungry men to feed, she’d need to get a good supply of meat that would be easy to renew. She didn’t like keeping pigs, but she loved bacon. Hams were easy to cook and could be salted and cured to last a long time. Yet that all required pens, fencing, a smokehouse, and money.

  Florence grabbed the hoe and started on another row. She’d been working for several hours, and the sun was hot. She’d forgotten her hat and had just started back to the house when she heard shouts.

  A mob was coming up the road from the mines and going toward town. The men looked angry and carried picks and axes.

  She went to the steps and picked up her rifle. As long as they didn’t bother her, she’d let them be. Most didn’t act like they even saw her since the house was down from the road.

  Then one man looked at her.

  She didn’t like the grin on his face.

  He started towa
rd her, but the man next to him grabbed him and shoved him along. None of the others seemed to care about her. She would have been more scared, but Scout was standing right beside her.

  The dog hadn’t made a sound, but he was so big, the men must have thought it was a wolf. “Good boy, Scout.”

  After retrieving her hat, she started hoeing again. Things looked hard for the town and surrounding areas. Trouble like that tended to spill over into everyone’s lives. Stopping for a break, she went to the creek and cooled herself off. Then drank to quench her thirst.

  Florence thought someone had mentioned cholera in the mining camp. She understood that to come from fouled water. She gazed at the creek and thought it came from the mountain. It certainly was cold enough.

  She went back to the garden when she thought she saw someone in her house. She whistled for Scout, picked up the rifle, and opened the door. A crash in the kitchen had her whirl with her gun raised only to see a boy of maybe ten on the floor, and the milk dumped over him.

  She put her rifle down and went to him. He was out cold. She checked his arms and legs, but nothing looked broken. The boy had a goose-egg sized lump on the back of his head. Florence took a rag, wetted it, and then put it on his forehead.

  He had no fever. So that was a good sign, but where would he have come from? She figured from the mines. Had he been tagging along with the mob and gotten lost? All she could do was sit and wait.

  Splash came to her and sat beside the boy. She patted the pup and hoped if the boy woke up, the dog would stay and keep the boy entertained.

  Finally, the boy stirred and opened his eyes. Upon seeing her, he struggled to sit up. But she put her hand on his shoulder and pushed him down. “Take it easy. You had a bad fall. How are you feeling?”

  “My head hurts.”

  “I bet so.” She took a glass of water and helped him sit. “Drink up.”

  He drank it down. “I have to go.”

  “Whoa, you need to rest. Where are you from?”

  He shook his head. “Please, I need to go.”

  “No. I don’t think you do. I need to make sure you’re all right. With that bump on your head, that tells me you need to take it easy.”