As Far As I Can See Page 2
Dr. Baer said, “There is nothing as fine as fresh vegetables.”
Miss Peach said, “Amen to that!”
Dr. Baer said, “And breathing good, clean air.”
Miss Peach said, “Amen to that!”
I said to myself, I will take the smoky, dirty air of St. Louis any day.
And I answered myself, Amen!
May 29, 1856
Dr. Baer and Pres slept in a Gentlemen’s Cabin last night. I slept in a Ladies’ Cabin. That is the rule on The Kansas Hopeful, so I had to let Pres out of my sight. There were ten cots in our Ladies’ Cabin. I chose one next to Hannah Peach.
This morning Hannah and I dressed quickly. We ran out of the stuffy cabin to the deck. Our boat was passing bluffs with apple trees in bloom. I breathed in the scent of blossoms. I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer: Please, Lord, help Mother and Grace get well!
Pres and Dr. Baer found me standing at the rail. When the gong rang, we pushed, shoved, and grabbed our breakfast. How quickly we have learned riverboat manners!
We went out on the deck then. Our ship was starting its turn from the Mississippi west onto the Missouri River. A man next to me at the rail said that this is a tricky river for a steamboat. One minute it is deep, and the next, it’s no more than a ripple over the sand.
The yellow-haired gambler passed by again. He carried his big case. Preston caught my eye. He whispered, “Pistols!”
A group of passengers strolled the deck, singing “Call to Kansas!” When the song ended, they talked of moving to Kansas Territory to make new homes and of voting to make Kansas a state where slavery is not allowed. How good to hear them talk this way! Now the last two lines of their song keep ringing inside my head:
We’ll sing, upon the Kansas plains,
A song of liberty.
Later
Pres loves to watch the boat hands drop a knotted rope into the river. Dr. Baer says they do this to measure how deep the water is. The hands call out the measurement: “Three feet! Three and a half! Four feet! No bottom!”
Later
Our floating palace is tied to trees on the bank for the night. Pres and I are sitting in the saloon in front of the fire. Outside, a storm rages. Thunder roars. Lightning flashes. Rain falls in buckets. I tell Pres not to be afraid. Of course, he is not.
May 30, 1865
This morning our boat struck a sandbar. What a shock to stop so suddenly! The engines groaned, trying to pull us off the sand. It sounded as if they might explode. Then there was a second jolt. We were free of the sandbar! Everyone on The Kansas Hopeful cheered.
Later
This afternoon we stopped in Booneville to pick up passengers. An old woman selling apples came aboard. I bought three of them. The woman’s face was brown and wrinkled. She had no teeth. She said she was Miss Annie Boone, kin to the famous woodsman, Daniel Boone.
Suddenly, the boat began moving again. Miss Boone set up a terrible fuss. She ran to the ship’s clerk and said the warning gong never rang. The clerk said yes, it did. He said Miss Boone’s ears must be full of Missouri River mud. The two went back and forth like this for some time. Pres enjoyed the fight tremendously.
At last the captain steered the boat to shore. A boat hand shoved a plank out onto a bluff.
Just then the yellow-haired gambler walked over to Miss Boone. He offered his arm. He said he would walk her across the plank to the shore.
But Miss Boone shouted at him to go away! She turned and ran over the plank to the bluff.
The yellow-haired gambler stood at the rail, grinning. He waved and called farewell. But Miss Boone only shook her fist at him.
Pres says he would trade his kite to know what the gambler did to make Miss Boone so mad.
June 1, 1856
Dr. Baer, Preston, Miss Peach, Hannah, and I sat down to dinner this noon. I filled my bowl with beef stew. Suddenly everything on the table slid right into our laps! My chair toppled over. I somehow landed on my feet. Everyone was running in all directions. I grabbed Pres’s hand. I could not see Dr. Baer. I had no idea what was happening.
The boat was tilted sideways. The floor was a slippery hill. Pres and I made our way up it to the high side of the boat. A steward called out that we had hit a sandbar. The engine fires were out. And the boiler was filled with sand.
Suddenly the boat rocked wildly. We were thrown to the floor. But now the floor was level again. We were free of the sandbar. I waited for the cheering. But no one cheered. Then I saw why. We were adrift! The current was swift. We were moving down the river very fast.
A steward shouted to us to get to the bow.
“If the boat smashes up,” he called, “that’s the best place for jumping off!”
I clutched Preston’s hand and we ran. Everyone was running for the front of the boat. I worried that so many people might make the boat tip over on its nose. We reached the bow and hung onto the rail. We watched the boat hands ready the anchor.
The yellow-haired gambler stood beside us. He said if the anchor caught the shore and held, all would be well. But if it did not, the boat might spin out of control and smash into an underwater tree.
I held my breath.
The boat hands threw out the anchor. It missed the shore. It sank in the swirling water.
Quickly, the hands pulled the anchor in. They threw it out again. It sank once more.
I felt the boat turning sideways in the current.
The captain barked out commands.
My heart raced as the boat hands gathered in the rope. They threw the anchor out again. This time it caught. The boat jerked to a stop. Pres and I threw our arms around the yellow-haired gambler and cheered. Then I remembered who he was and quickly pulled Pres away.
The hands pulled on the anchor rope and brought the boat to shore. All passengers had to get off while the hands shoveled sand out of the boiler. It was odd to walk upon dry land after so many days swaying on the river.
Pres ran over and got into the footraces that some young men had organized. Hannah and I went down to the river. We splashed water on our skirts to wash out the beef stew. I fear my lilac silk will never be the same.
We strolled on the bluff then. Dr. Baer walked beside Miss Peach. He hummed “Call to Kansas!” as he walked. I have become fond of Dr. Baer.
The yellow-haired gambler stood on the shore beside his many heavy cases. I heard Dr. Baer saying something about “smuggling rifles” and “Border Ruffians.” Oh, to think that Pres and I threw our arms around a rifle smuggler!
Soon the boat hands called, “All aboard!” We walked up the plank and continued on our way.
June 2, 1856
I can see Kansas City in the distance!
Pres and I have our cases packed. Dr. Baer said when the boat docks, he will hurry off to buy supplies, as he has heard that they sell out fast. Pres and I are to stay on board until the pushing and shoving are over. Then we are to walk down the plank and wait for Dr. Baer beside the boat.
Dr. Baer says we will stay in a hotel tonight. After six days on The Kansas Hopeful, I am ready for a bath! I long for fresh towels. And clean sheets.
Later
Pres and I are sitting on our trunks on the dock. Beside me is the tub with the baby apple trees. They are a bit wilted from being below.
Kansas City looks nothing like a city. The street is hardly more than a dirt path! It is lined with overloaded wagons heading west, out of town. Pres counted eighteen mules pulling one wagon.
A herd of cattle just thundered by! I must go grab onto Preston so he won’t dash off and be trampled by a cow.
Later
The yellow-haired gambler loaded his wagon with all sorts of cases. Pres says the big cases must hold rifles. And the small ones, pistols. Then his mule team pulled his wagon away.
Miss Peach and Hannah hugged us good-bye. They have hired a Mexican driver to take them to Neosho. Hannah asked us to come visit them. Miss Peach said, “Amen to that!” Then they drove off.
<
br /> Everyone has gone now — everyone but Pres and me. We are still sitting on our trunks.
Evening
Dr. Baer came at last. He said it was not easy to buy supplies in a frontier town.
We began looking for a hotel. But they all had signs that said: no vacancy. Finally we found a place at Grigg’s Hotel. It was shabby and very crowded. But Dr. Baer said it was the best we could do. We sat down to a supper of boiled cabbage. It smelled awful. But there was nothing else, so we ate it. Dr. Baer said, “Hunger is the best sauce.”
Night
We do not even have a room in this awful hotel. Only three cots in the hallway. As we came upstairs, a woman shouted, “Don’t put your shoes and stockings on the floor, or the rats will carry them off!”
My feet are drawn up on my cot. Downstairs, fiddlers are playing. People are stomping and dancing and shouting, “Yahoo!”
I said to Pres, “I cannot wait to leave this hotel.”
Pres said, “Amen to that!”
June 3, 1856
I did not sleep a wink. I heard little claws scratching all night long. But we waited until sunup to leave, for we did not want to step on a rat in the dark. Good riddance to Grigg’s Hotel!
Morning
I am sitting in a small space in the back of an open wagon, writing as we go. Preston is sitting next to Dr. Baer on the driver’s seat. The wagon is a big wooden box on wheels. It is packed with supplies and furniture that Dr. Baer had sent ahead. Our trunks are squeezed in, too. And so is the tub with Mother’s baby apple trees.
Dr. Baer bought us hats to keep off the sun. Pres’s hat is a small man’s hat. He loves it. Mine is a sunbonnet. The brim is nearly as long as my arm! What if someone should see me in such an unfashionable bonnet? I shall never wear it.
Our wagon is pulled by two oxen, also known as Ruby and Blanco. Ruby is red. Blanco is nearly white. They sway as they walk. So does my writing.
It is forty miles to Aunt Margaret’s house. Dr. Baer says he hopes to make the trip in four days.
Later
Tall prairie grass grows as far as I can see. I feel as if we are traveling over a beautiful green tablecloth. The wind blows through the grass with a lonesome whistling sound. I never knew the sky could be so big!
Later
I never knew the sun could be so hot.
Afternoon
I have put on the bonnet. The shade feels heavenly. And no one will see me in it anyway. So far we have passed only one dead, swollen cow by the side of the trail. Poor creature!
Later
Dr. Baer says we are traveling through Delaware Indian territory. Pres is keen to see a Delaware. But Dr. Baer says they are probably hunting farther west this time of year.
Later
We have stopped by a stream in the shade of some oaks. Dr. Baer tied ropes to Ruby and Blanco. The other end of each rope is attached to a spike called a picket. Dr. Baer hammered the pickets into the ground. Now Ruby and Blanco can nibble grass in a wide circle.
Dr. Baer spread a cloth on the grass. He set out jam and biscuits. I picked a bunch of blue flowers. Dr. Baer put them in water in his tin cup and set the cup on our cloth. This is what he calls a pic-nic.
Pres is chasing little jumping bugs. Dr. Baer says they are “grasshoppers.”
I still love smoky St. Louis. But, my, this air smells sweet.
Bedtime
We found out something about Dr. Baer tonight. Something so sad!
We were sitting around the campfire. Preston suddenly bounced into Dr. Baer’s lap. He hugged him. Then he asked why he had no children.
I started to scold Pres. But Dr. Baer said he did not mind answering. He told us that he once had a wife and three daughters. They all died in the same cholera epidemic that killed Lee and Larry. Tears came into his eyes as he spoke.
Tears came into my eyes, too. I felt bad for Dr. Baer. And worried for Mother and Grace.
Dr. Baer said his house was once full of girls and laughter — and the rustle of petticoats. Now the house is still. Dr. Baer said he is moving to Kansas because he no longer wants to wake up in an empty house.
Pres hugged Dr. Baer again. I went over and hugged him, too. We thanked “our Bear” for watching over us on our journey.
Wolves are howling now. Dr. Baer says they are far away. I will try to believe him.
June 4, 1856
Pres and I helped Dr. Baer unload the wagon last night. We covered the supplies with an oilskin cloth. Then we climbed into the wagon box. We rolled up in Indian blankets and fell asleep under the stars.
Sometime in the night it started to rain. I scooted down in my blanket like a turtle in its shell. This morning I discovered that Pres had crawled under the wagon to stay dry. When he crawled out this morning, he was covered with mud. He said he liked mud. It was all I could do to get him to change into a clean shirt and trousers.
The trail was so muddy from the rain that our wagon wheels got stuck. Ruby and Blanco could not pull us out. So Pres and I got behind the wagon. We pushed with all our might. Dr. Baer pulled from the front with the oxen. At last the wheels began to turn. They splattered us with mud. But we cheered anyway, just as when The Kansas Hopeful came off the sandbar.
Preston’s clean, dry clothes are now wet and muddy. My blue linen dress is mud-brown. But we shall stay dressed as we are, for we will only get muddier this day.
Mother would say we are all a disgrace.
Later
Two men on horseback came up behind us on the trail. They had rifles slung over their saddles. They stopped to talk with us. They said they were from Georgia. They asked where we came from. Dr. Baer was not at all friendly. He said only that we were from Missouri. This answer seemed to satisfy them. They went their way.
When they were gone, Dr. Baer frowned. He said the men were Border Ruffians. They and others like them are coming to Kansas to vote. They will vote for Kansas to become a state that allows slavery. Then they will go home again.
I asked why men from Georgia cared so much about Kansas. Dr. Baer said they do not care about Kansas. But they care about slavery. They want as many states as possible to allow slavery. That way they think the United States will never pass laws against it.
I think Border Ruffians are what Dr. Baer meant when he said Kansas could be dangerous.
Later
It was too windy to start a fire tonight. So we had soda biscuits for supper. They were as hard as rocks.
June 5, 1856
The mosquitoes are fierce. Pres and I are covered with bites.
We passed a pair of covered wagons on the side of the trail today. A man said they were stopping just long enough for a baby to be born!
This evening Pres and I gathered dried prairie grass. Dr. Baer used it to start a campfire. He fed it with wood he gathered when we had our pic-nic under the oaks. He set up two forked sticks on either side of the fire. He ran a long branch through the handle of an iron kettle. Then he laid the branch on the forks of the sticks. In this way he hung the kettle over the fire.
Dr. Baer poured water into the kettle. I helped him cut up carrots and potatoes. Pres plopped them into the water. Then Dr. Baer added dried herbs: parsley, thyme, and rosemary. He says that herbs are the secret to vegetarian cooking. Before long, a wonderful smell rose from the kettle. But when it was time to serve the soup, I came too close to the fire. The wind blew ash onto the hem of my rose-colored silk. It is burned with many tiny holes. In spite of this, the dinner was delicious.
My lilac silk dress is stained with soup. My blue linen is covered in mud. Now my rose-colored silk is burnt. Soon I shall have nothing to wear!
June 6, 1856
We reached the Kaw River this morning. Dr. Baer drove the wagon onto a ferry boat and it carried us across the river. We saw buildings in the distance. The ferry driver said that this is Lawrence. He said there had been fighting in the town, and the Border Ruffians burned down the hotel!
Later
Dr. Baer
says we are almost there. I am all nerves now. I have on my cream silk. My last clean dress! I have brushed my hair and braided it. I want to look my best when I see Aunt Margaret.
Bedtime
We are in Aunt Margaret and Uncle Aubert’s cabin. Too tired to write more.
June 7, 1856
Father’s letter never arrived!
We drove up to a log cabin yesterday at sunset. Aunt Margaret and Uncle Aubert came out to see who their visitors were. They had no idea we were coming! Tears sprang to Aunt Margaret’s eyes when she saw Pres and me. She and Uncle Aubert were sad to learn the reason for our coming. But they are glad to have us. Aunt Margaret says she is happy to have another female with her, way out here on the prairie.
Aunt Margaret looks like Mother. But her hands! They are as red and chapped as Nellie’s.
Dr. Baer put Ruby and Blanco on picket ropes to feed. He and Uncle Aubert unloaded our things from the wagon.
We went into the log cabin. The walls are covered with newspapers! Cousin George, who is twelve, says this keeps out the dust. The cabin is small — no bigger than our carriage house back home. George seems proud that it has a “real door” and two glass windows, and that part of the floor is covered with a rug of braided rags.