Escape From Gold Mountain

by Zina Abbott

  Hannah Johansson grunted. “Well, if the highest status is that of a wife, I guess that tells me where I stand as a widow.”

  Luke’s eyes lit with laughter as he turned to the older woman. “Among Chinese women, the only status higher than a wife is a woman’s mother-in-law. Joy says it is the daughter-in-law’s duty to care for her mother-in-law and do her bidding. They believe in honoring both parents. You can rest assured among the Chinese, your standing in the family is secure.”

  Hannah smiled with satisfaction. “That certainly raises my estimation of the Chinese.”

  “Oh, Mother, you know we love and esteem you.”

  “I know. I just can’t resist teasing.”

  Luke once again grew serious. “I do want our marriage to be legal and registered at the courthouse. I’m willing to pay you enough for travel and to cover the filing fee. I don’t know what it takes for you to do that, but if it is too much trouble for you, we will wait until we get to my homeland to marry. There is no law against different tribes and races marrying where we are headed. After what she has been through, I will not shame her. We will wait until we marry before….” Luke inhaled deeply, and then slowly released his breath as he grinned at the others at the table. “I would rather not wait to marry, if I don’t have to.”

  Angus Halverson chuckled. “Young man, I can understand why you don’t wish to wait. I think the word you are struggling to find to describe what you feel for Joy is love. I will be happy to see everything is done right and give you a certificate verifying your marriage in case you are questioned about it when you arrive home.”

  Christine stood, her words firm. “You definitely won’t have to wait much longer. I have plenty of water heating on the stove for both of you if you each would like to bathe before my husband performs the ceremony. Now, Joy, you said you have a wedding dress from China? If you would like to get it for me, Mother and I can freshen it up.”

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  Chapter 52

  ~o0o~

  D elighted with the woman’s offer, Loi face brightened with a smile and she nodded. “Yes. It in back of coat. I get.”

  Loi followed Hannah Johansson into what used to be the Halverson’s girls’ bedroom while she listened to Christine direct the men to bring in the laundry tub that doubled at a bathtub. While Hannah poured in hot and cold water until she got the temperature right, Christine found the soap, bath sheets and other items Loi needed.

  “Mother, please get one of Nancy’s old nightgowns from the chest for our guest to wear until we get her wedding dress ready. We’ll, um, also wash her everyday clothes for tomorrow.”

  Loi used a small pair of scissors Christine loaned her to pick out the threads holding the packet containing her wedding outfit to the back of her coat. She pulled out the trousers and smock. Her mouth opened and her face sagged in dismay as she tried to shake the folds loose. The silk garments were pressed into heavy creases. Dust had seeped through the coat and left stains. Loi wrinkled her nose as she held the fabric to her face. “Smell bad, like bear.”

  Hannah picked up the bottoms and held them to the light. “Red trousers? And a red tunic to go over it? I’ve never seen the like.”

  Her eyes reflecting the sadness she felt, Loi looked at the other woman. “Red good color, best color for wedding day. Red mean luck and joy and…and…I not remember other word in English, but like…much money, much good crops, much healthy animals…”

  Christine interrupted. “It sounds like one of our scriptures. ‘If ye keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land.’”

  Excited, Loi turned to the woman. “Hou aa! Yes! Prosperity. Is why Chinese wear red and other happy colors when marry. Bring luck. Joy. Prosperity.”

  Christine smiled indulgently. “And that is why you say Luke is your luck. And your name is Joy. It portends a long and happy marriage.”

  “Yes. I much honored be Luke’s wife.”

  “You must love him very much.”

  Loi grew thoughtful. “Chinese not marry for love. Marry for good of family. Sometimes if man prosperous, he take concubine, she give him more sons. Sometimes concubine is wife of his heart.”

  Christine and Hannah glanced at each other. Christine carefully responded. “Among Christians, it is better if the legal wife is the wife of a man’s heart. Sometimes they don’t know each other well when they first marry, but God wants all husbands and wives to learn to love each other.”

  Loi considered her words. “Husband love wife, wife love husband, is good. Luke already husband of my heart.”

  Hannah smiled, unsure if she dared reach out and hug Loi, or if the young woman would take offense. “Don’t you worry about that young man’s heart, Joy. I’ve lived a day or two, and I can assure you of one thing. Luke loves you.”

  Loi smiled and nodded. “Luke make good choice come here, have Christian marriage.”

  Christine responded with a happy laugh. “I agree. Give me your wedding outfit, Loi. Let me see if I can wash out the dirt stains. I’ll give it a light pressing, too, to rid it of some of the wrinkles.”

  Hannah stepped forward. “My sister and I used to grow silk worms up in Southern Utah, Christine, so I learned a little about silk fabric. You wash the first piece, and while you work on the second, I’ll take the wet one out on the porch to shake it dry. It might be cold outside, but as dry as the air is, it shouldn’t take long to get the moisture out.”

  The two left Loi to her bath while they worked on her wedding outfit. When they returned with the prepared garment, they found Loi sitting before the mirror wearing the nightgown that was a bit short on her, but fit otherwise. Her feet were encased in her silk stockings. With a smile directed at the two women, Loi looked up from working on her freshly-washed hair she fashioned into a chignon.

  “Joy, I think you are going to be pleased with what we were able to do with your wedding dress. It probably isn’t as nice as when your mother first gave it to you, but it smells like lilac soap instead of bear. I even repaired the one button that was loose.”

  With happiness shining in her face upon seeing her refurbished red wedding outfit with its yellow and apple green embroidery, Loi reverently took the garment pieces and laid them on the bed. The two women turned their backs to give Loi privacy while she changed out of the nightgown into her bright red wedding outfit.

  “You look now. See me ready for wedding.”

  Both women turned and stared, stunned into silence. Finally, Christine spoke for them both. “Joy, I never would have imagined someone wearing red to marry. On you, it looks perfect. You are beautiful.”

  “I’ll be right back.” Hannah rushed out of the room and soon returned. In her hand, she cradled two ebony combs with mother of pearl inlay. “Christine, these will be yours someday, but do you mind if I loan them to Joy to wear for her wedding?”

  “Not at all.” Christine took the combs from her mother and positioned them on either side of Loi’s head. Both women stood back and viewed the result.

  Loi looked in the mirror and slowly turned her head side to side while she studied the combs on either side of her chignon. She did not have a gold wedding headdress like most Chinese brides coveted, but the combs added a special touch to her hair. Her voice held a tinge of awe. “Very pretty. I much honored to wear.”

  “You are a beautiful bride, Joy. Now, let’s go see if your future husband is ready.”

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  Chapter 53

  ~o0o~

  A fter helping take care of the women’s needs, Luke accepted the pitcher of hot water for shaving from Angus who assured him he had put more water on the stove for Luke’s bath. Luke followed his host to the bedroom that stood vacant while the Halverson son proselyted in Alabama. Finding a shaving kit under the mirror over the dressing table, Luke lathered his chin. Angus dug through the chest of drawers and pulled out a clean union suit, dark slack
s, and a white shirt which he placed on the bed. “You may wear these if you don’t have clean clothes of your own. They’re yours to keep, if you wish. Lars says he’s grown since he left and had to rely on a church member to get him a new set of clothes.”

  The bishop next brought in the laundry tub which he had emptied after his wife and mother-in-law lugged it out of the room used by Joy. He hauled in enough water for Luke’s bath. Luke laughed at the man’s words.

  “These things are so tight to try and sit in, it almost doesn’t seem worth it to take a bath. But, I enjoy getting clean, and they are better than nothing. I look forward to the day I can put a bathing room in the house.”

  Clean-shaven, Luke smiled his thanks before the man turned and left the room.

  When Luke next joined Angus, his damp, long hair, combed smooth, draped across his back and shoulders. He wore the white shirt and dark pants provided by his host. He wore his moccasins instead of his boots. However, he could tell the adornment encircling his neck immediately drew Angus’s gaze.

  “That’s quite a necklace you have there. Are those bear claws?”

  “Yes. They came from the same bear that provided us the meat we’ve been eating.”

  Angus nodded in appreciation. “Those are some long claws, longer than any I’ve ever seen. They come from a grizzly?”

  Unable to hide the pride in his eyes, Luke smiled with satisfaction. “Yes. Not many grizzlies are left where we came from. Joy has her wedding clothes that are important for her culture. This speaks for itself in mine.”

  “Even I can understand that, Mr. McDaniels. Let’s go to the parlor to see if your bride is ready.”

  Luke almost forgot to breathe when he first caught sight of Loi in her red wedding outfit. He would have happily married her while she wore her fur traveling clothes smudged with dirt and ash from their many campfires. However, there was no need. He could not believe how beautiful she looked with her shining black hair exquisitely groomed while wearing her flowing red trousers and loose, long shapeless smock that fell in folds from her shoulders. The sight of Loi, beautifully dressed in the wedding clothes she had treasured and protected all the years since she left Canton, would forever be burned in his memory.

  At Angus’s urging, Luke took his place next to Loi. Their host assumed his role as a bishop and stood before them. The two women stood to the side to serve as witnesses.

  Soon the ceremony ended. As the bishop urged him to kiss his bride, conscious of the eyes upon them, Luke offered what even he recognized to be a rather chaste kiss on her lips. He was not even sure if the Chinese kissed as part of their culture. Of the many things he had talked about with Loi, that topic had not come up. Knowing how intensely he felt drawn to her, before they married, he had kept his distance as much as possible and refused to allow his thoughts to go anywhere that direction.

  Although he did not kiss her passionately to conclude their wedding ceremony, Luke looked forward to his wedding night with his new wife. He felt overwhelmed at his good fortune. He had made several bad mistakes in his life, even broken the law while in eastern California. Assuming the Jesus everyone else in the room were convinced really did exist—and Luke believed He probably did—he reasoned he might have much to answer for on Judgment Day unless he could make things right with God first. However, he refused to regret the circumstances that led him to Loi. She was now his wife. A misfit couple in both of their cultures though they might be, they would build their family together. Along with all the love he could give her, he would see to it she enjoyed the fate she had desired since before she left China.

  “You two are welcome to use my son’s room for the night.” Christine’s words brought Luke back to a consciousness of his surroundings. “I will be happy to fix you a nice breakfast before you two continue your journey.”

  Luke turned to the woman and smiled his thanks. “For the sake of my wife, I will happily accept the use of the bedroom for the night. However, the breakfast will not be necessary. As much as we have enjoyed your hospitality, we need to leave before most of your neighbors see us and wonder what two Indians are doing wandering around.” Luke turned to the bishop. “Is there something we need to sign?”

  “I will leave bread, butter, and hard-boiled eggs on the table for you, then.”

  Angus Halverson pulled out his marriage journal, and with Luke dictating, wrote down the pertinent information. “From Minnesota, are you? I have family up in Wisconsin.”

  “Yes, but like I said, the fewer people who know about us, the better.”

  When it came to Loi’s name, she told him Ling Joy, as she and Luke had talked about before they approached the bishop’s house. Luke knew Loi intended to sign her true name in Chinese characters. After she finished, she wrote “Ling Joy” in child-like printing.

  Angus looked at what she wrote. “Your first name is Ling?”

  “No. Family most important. Family name come first. My name now McDaniels Joy.”

  Luke smiled at her before he bent and signed his name. When he finished, he moved the pen to Loi’s name and changed the “Ling” to “Lang.”

  Angus looked at the completed entry in the journal and jerked his head to face Luke. “You sure that is how you want her name spelled?”

  “Yes. It is safer for her that way. We hope no one finds out we were ever here. However, if the Chinese or any white lawyers they have in their pockets do come looking for her, it is better if the records show a name they do not recognize. Hopefully, they will not see your journal where she wrote out her true name in Chinese.”

  The two men dickered over how much Luke would pay for the marriage.

  The bishop shook his head. “In our faith, we don’t accept money for performing the Lord’s work.”

  Luke argued back. “It will cost something to file the marriage record with the county clerk, plus the cost of caring for your horse to take you there.” They finally agreed on a fee that Luke felt was too low and Angus Halverson felt was too high.

  “Anything else we can get either of you before we leave you to enjoy your evening together?”

  Luke and Loi turned to face Hannah and Christine who stared at them expectantly. It was Loi who answered. “Tea, please. Need red string, tie two cups together.” At their puzzled look, she explained. “It Chinese marriage way.”

  The Mormon bishop’s family did not have tea. Luke brought in some from their packs while Christine heated more water and found some bright red thread she used for embroidering. Hannah brought out a teapot and two cups and saucers that had been her mother’s and had traveled west with her. Soon, the newly-married couple retired behind closed doors to enjoy their tea and their wedding night.

  ~o0o~

  The next morning, the Halverson family arose just as the sun started to peek over the horizon. Christine found the washed teapot and cups in the center of her dining table next to the butter dish. The bread and boiled eggs were gone, and only the empty plate on which Christine had placed them remained. She found the bed the McDaniels’ had slept in made and the nightgown Loi borrowed draped across the foot of the bed. The mother of pearl on ebony combs rested next to each other on top of the chest of drawers.

  The bishop gathered his wife and her mother together for a family prayer. They prayed for their children and grandchildren, especially for their daughter in Saint George with her aunt and for their son serving the Lord in a state where the people were not always tolerant of or kind to Mormon missionaries.

  Then, Angus prayed for the young couple he had married the night before, and who were just beginning their lives together. He asked God to protect them from the forces that would seek their destruction. He prayed for their Heavenly Father to bless them with a strong, loving, and happy family in spite of the discrimination and difficulties they would face.

  After he concluded, the three rose to their feet.

  Christine, her eyes crinkled with contemplation, turned to her husband. “Angus, you know—I recall reading in t
he newspaper about a Chinese woman who was taken off of a stagecoach traveling from one of those little mining towns in California. She was headed for Chinatown in San Francisco. She was gone for over a week, and then she returned. Several weeks later, the same woman went missing again. There was some speculation over how she left. The last word I recall reading was, they decided someone from Chinatown came and got her. But, after last night, I wonder. You don’t suppose…”

  Angus cut his wife’s words short. He stared intently at both her and his mother-in-law. “This young couple has graced our lives for less than a day. We have joined them together as a family and prayed for them. I know we all wish them a happy life together in spite of the challenges they will face. We will not add to those challenges. Now, except for me seeing that their marriage is properly recorded the next time we are in town, for their sakes, we will never speak of them again.”

  ~o0o0o~

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  Author Notes

  ~o0o~

  A s in my other novels set in nineteenth century Mono County, many of the characters in Escape from Gold Mountain are fictional characters embedded in actual historical events. Others are characters that have the names and occupations of real people who lived in Mono County in 1884, and they are presented fictionally. The physical descriptions and portrayals of their personalities of said persons are my own creations and are not based on fact. For the purposes of my story, I often used the historical events in which they were involved as my inspiration for developing their personalities, and their physical descriptions where no photographs are available. My apologies in advance to any descendants of any of these historical figures who do not believe I portrayed their ancestors accurately.