A Fine Start Read online

  “Are what?” said Pres.

  “Emigrants,” said Father. “People who came from someplace else to live in Kansas. People like us.”

  Mother told us that the Gold Seekers’ Trail goes right through Lawrence. This trail begins in the east and leads all the way west to California.

  Lawrence has grown since the last time I was there. There are fewer tents now. And more log cabins. More brick houses, too. The Free State Hotel is being rebuilt. Uncle Aubert will be so glad when he hears this!

  Father stopped the wagon on Henry Street in front of an empty house three stories tall. Father said it is a “ready-made house.” It was built in Ohio. As soon as it was finished, the house was torn down. It was brought to Kansas in pieces and put up again. There is a little barn out back. Father seems quite taken with this house.

  Next, we drove to the Land Office. On the way, we passed the Unitarian Church. This is where Quincy High School will be! I tried my best to see if any work was going on in the church basement. But I saw no sign of it. Does that mean it is finished? And that school will start soon? I hope so!

  When we reached the Land Office, Father went inside. He said he had to do something about our claim. We waited for him in the wagon. To help pass the time, we played “I Spy.” It kept us from feeling the cold.

  Father came out at last and we headed home. On the way, we stopped at the Vanbeek’s cabin to see baby Stewart.

  Lily held her baby brother to show him to us. He is very red in the face. “I know you did your best, Meg,” she said. “But those boys out-prayed us.”

  I gave Lily the booties I made. Lily unwrapped the bottom of Stewart’s blanket to put them on. Oh, I never knew feet could be so small. The booties I made would fit a baby giant! They are way too big for little Stewart. But Mrs. Vanbeek says if he is like her other boys, he will soon grow into them.

  Mother gave Mrs. Vanbeek a pot of stew to feed her family. Then she held the baby and got all teary. I know she was thinking of the two baby boys she lost to cholera.

  February 23, 1857

  Aunt Margaret looks worn out from her long trips to the Lecompton prison. But Uncle Aubert needs the food, clothes, and blankets she takes to him. George wants to go in her place. But he is our hunter. We need the game he brings us each day.

  February 24, 1857

  Lily rode over and jumped off Honey while the pony was still moving. I feared something awful had happened. But Lily was only in a hurry to tell me the most wonderful news. Theo asked Hannah Peach to marry him. And Hannah said yes! They will be married on April 19.

  Lily said she had to get home to help with the baby. She jumped back on her pony and trotted off. I never did get to ask her about Quincy High School.

  Oh, Hannah Peach, a bride! If only I had a pony, I would ride out to her claim and hug her.

  February 25, 1857

  I am knitting a scarf for Mother. As I knit I worry. Can Quincy High School have started without me?

  February 28, 1857

  This morning I glanced out the window. I saw a boy riding a pony toward our cabin. He looked about George’s age. He was leading another pony behind.

  Mother was fixing dinner. “Go see what he wants, Meg,” she said.

  I put on my coat and mittens. I went outside.

  The boy stopped his pony. I did not know him. But I knew the pony he was leading. It was Sally!

  Sally had been my pony for one day. Uncle Aubert bought her for me from Mrs. Biggs. I tried to ride Sally. But I could not steer her. She always trotted straight back to Mrs. Biggs’s barn. Uncle Aubert had to come and get me. Mrs. Biggs gave him his money back. And that was the end of my pony.

  “I am Adam Cook,” the boy said. “Are you Meg?”

  I said I was.

  “My grandmother is Mrs. Biggs,” said Adam. “She asked me to bring Sally to you.”

  “Oh, dear,” I said. “Has your grandmother gone to her heavenly reward?”

  “No,” said Adam. “But she is going to California.”

  California!

  He said that Mrs. Biggs has had enough of K.T. winters. She has packed up her things. As soon as a suitable wagon train comes through this spring, she will join it, going west.

  I thanked Adam. But I said I could not make Sally turn, so she could not be my pony.

  “You can turn Sally,” said Adam. “Before you pull on the reins, just say, ‘Sugar!’”

  Adam boosted me up onto Sally’s back. I tried his trick. It worked! Sally turned every time.

  Adam and I took Sally to the barn. I fed her some hay. Good old Sally!

  Mother asked Adam to come inside and warm up. She gave him a cup of coffee with hot milk. I quickly wrote to Mrs. Biggs. I thanked her for the pony. And told her good luck in California!

  March 1, 1857

  March winds are blowing hard.

  I asked Mother if I might ride Sally to visit Lily. She said I may go if the wind lets up.

  Aunt Margaret will not let the wind stop her. She drove to Lecompton again this morning with a food basket for Uncle Aubert.

  Later

  The wind let up enough for me to ride to Lily’s cabin. Sally turned every time I said “Sugar!”

  I found Lily in the barn. She was so surprised to see me! She said her mother needed some peace. That is why she was looking after two of her little brothers in the barn. It was warm there with all of us and the animals.

  Lily says Quincy High School has not started yet. First the weather was too cold for the workers. Then snow melted and flooded the church basement. So the work is not finished. Oh, it is hard to wait!

  Hannah Peach and Miss Peach came to supper at Lily’s cabin last week. Lily loves Hannah. She says maybe she does not have a little sister. But soon she will have a big sister — Hannah Peach.

  Later

  I am sorry that Lily has no little sister. But I am not so happy about her new big sister. I know it is wrong of me to feel this way. But I wish Hannah Peach were going to be my big sister, not Lily’s.

  March 2, 1857

  It is dark out. Aunt Margaret is not back from Lecompton. Mother is uneasy.

  March 3, 1857

  Mother sat mending by the cabin window all morning. She kept a look out for Aunt Margaret. Suddenly she cried, “My heavens!”

  I was knitting and nearly dropped all my stitches. I ran to the window. Bay was pulling the wagon toward the cabin. Aunt Margaret sat in the driver’s seat. But who was that, all bundled up next to her? And then I saw. It was Uncle Aubert!

  We all rushed out to welcome him home. He has been gone eight months. Five of them he spent in prison. Oh, how good to have him with us again! He is very thin. But he is in good spirits. And so happy to be home.

  Later

  After supper, Uncle Aubert asked George to walk with him out to the barn. When they came back, George looked pleased. I think Uncle Aubert must have told him what a fine job he did while he was away.

  March 5, 1857

  It has warmed up! The snow is melting. Now we have mud. Mud, mud, mud. When I went out to the barn, I sank up to my ankles.

  After chores I rode Sally to the Peaches’ claim. The mud was awful. Sally got stuck twice. I had to slide off her back and pull her foot out of the mire. By the time I reached the claim, I was muddy all over.

  But Hannah Peach hugged me as if I did not have a speck of mud on me. How good to see Hannah Peach!

  Hannah had been chopping potatoes. I sat down to help her. As we chopped, I asked how she came to be engaged to Theo. Hannah’s face turned pink. And she told me the most wonderful story.

  Hannah keeps a journal, just as I do. She said she often wrote about Theo Vanbeek. About what a fine man he is. How he cares for his family. How he helps his neighbors. How he came, day after day, to help build the Peaches’ cabin. How she admires him.

  One freezing cold day, Theo came over to help the Peaches with chores. Afterward, Miss Peach invited him to come in and warm himself before he head
ed home. Then she said she must attend to some things in the barn. So Hannah and Theo were left alone. Theo noticed Hannah’s journal on a table near the fire. He said he would rather read that book than anything by Mr. Shakespeare. Hannah’s face grew quite pink as she told me this. She said she did not know what made her so bold, but she picked up her journal, opened it to where she had last written of Theo, and she read the passage out loud. She said when she finished, Theo was smiling. He said her words had warmed him more than any fire could. And he asked her to marry him!

  I thought about Hannah and Theo as I rode home. I was so deep in happy thoughts that I forgot to say “Sugar.” By the time I collected myself, Sally and I were halfway to Mrs. Biggs’s barn!

  March 6, 1857

  Mother and Father drove to Lawrence today. When they came back, I asked what they did in town. Mother only smiled. What can they be up to?

  March 9, 1857

  Mother and Father got ready to drive to Lawrence again. Mother said when they came back, they would have news.

  I sat by the window, knitting, the whole time they were gone. Pres hovered near me. Grace kept saying, “Are they back yet? Are they back yet?”

  At last we caught sight of them. All three of us ran to meet them. Mother stopped Bay and we jumped into the wagon.

  “Tell them, Duncan,” Mother said to Father.

  Father smiled. “Over dinner,” he said.

  Pres and Grace raced into the cabin. They set the table. Pres dished out the meal. Grace carried plates to our places. Aunt Margaret said she never knew they could be such good help.

  At last we sat down. Uncle Aubert said grace.

  We looked at Father.

  “Well?” said Pres.

  “A one-armed man cannot farm,” said Father.

  I gave a little cry. “You have two arms!” I said.

  Father shook his head. “We must face the truth, Meg,” he said. “I cannot lift my left arm. I went to see Dr. Baer. My arm is as mended as it is going to get.”

  I frowned. I did not like thinking of Father as a one-armed man.

  “That is the bad news,” Father went on. “But I have good news, too.”

  “What? What? What?” we all cried.

  Father smiled. He told us that when he went to the Land Office, he signed his claim over to the claim jumper. Then he asked around about the ready-made house. He found out that it belonged to a Mr. Stuben from Ohio. Mr. Stuben brought his family to K.T. during the war, just when the Border Ruffians tried to attack Lawrence. Mr. Stuben said he did not want to live in such a dangerous place. So his family packed up and went back to Ohio. That is why the house is empty.

  “A one-armed man can run a business,” said Father. “So your mother and I have bought the ready-made house. I will open a store on the ground floor. I will sell supplies to emigrants in K.T. And to folks headed west. We will live over the store in the ready-made house.”

  I gave a whoop of joy. We will live in town. And close to school! It will be almost like living in St. Louis.

  But Grace did not whoop. She said she did not want to leave her cousins. Or Mouser. Pres did not whoop, either. He said soon Jake would wake up. He felt sure that his snake would not want to live in town.

  Mother said, “Jake will like the barn out back.”

  Pres darted me a look. He could not believe it. Mother was so happy she was not thinking clearly. She was going to let him take the snake!

  Father said when the weather warms, we will pick up our furniture from the storehouse in Leavenworth. And we will take it to the ready-made house.

  Uncle Aubert said he is happy we will have our own home. And happy that we will be so near. Cheery Aunt Margaret surprised me by saying that she feels sad. Sad that this time of being together is coming to an end. I feel sad about that, too.

  March 20, 1857

  A windy morning. After chores, I rode Sally to the Peaches’ claim. I had to tell Hannah our news.

  When I got there, the Peaches were eating dinner. Dr. Baer was there. So was Theo Vanbeek! The men had come to plow the Peaches’ fields. Hannah was very pink and happy.

  Hannah gave me a plate of baked squash and apples. I said it was very good. Theo said he thought so, too. For a vegetarian dish. He gave me a wink. Hannah said one day Theo will make a fine vegetarian.

  Then I told our news about the ready-made house. Everyone was so happy for us. Theo is a fine carpenter. He says that house is very well built.

  After dinner, Hannah walked me out to the barn to get Sally. She talked about the wedding. It will be at their claim. Reverend Still from the Blue Mound Sabbath School will perform the ceremony. Dr. Baer and Miss Peach will do most of the cooking. Hannah says the redbud should be out by April 19. She will carry redbud as her bouquet.

  Then Hannah told me something so sad. She said that five years ago, her mother, father, and two sisters died in a terrible fire. She was visiting her aunt, Miss Peach, at the time. That is why she was not killed with them. She said now, as she plans her wedding, she misses her family more than ever. Tears came to her eyes as she spoke. I reached out and hugged her. Poor Hannah Peach! Then in a shaky voice Hannah said that I am the closest she has to a sister out here in K.T. She asked if I would wear a sprig of redbud at the wedding to show I am her almost sister. Tears sprang to my eyes. Happy, sad tears.

  “Of course I will be your sister for the wedding, Hannah,” I told her. “I will be your sister always. So will Grace. So will Lily. Now you have three Kansas sisters.”

  Hannah smiled through her tears.

  I feel bad that I did not want Hannah to be Lily’s big sister. Now I hope they will be true sisters forever.

  I cried all the way home.

  March 23, 1857

  At last! School is about to begin! Will Vanbeek rode by our cabin today to give Uncle Aubert some seeds. He says he and his crew have finished putting up the blackboards. He says the teacher has arrived. She is boarding with a family in Lawrence. Her name is Miss Lucy Wilder. I wonder what she is like.

  School! I have not seen India or Louisa since we all hid from the Border Ruffians on Blue Mound. But I will see them soon at school!

  March 25, 1857

  The weather has warmed. Father is going to Leavenworth tomorrow to pick up our furniture. There is a whole house full of it. So he has hired two teams and two large wagons. Now that Uncle Aubert is back, George can be spared to drive the second wagon.

  Later

  Father asked me to go to Leavenworth with him and George. He says he has one good arm. And he needs me to take the place of the other. I am glad to help him. I only hope Quincy High School will not begin while we are gone.

  March 26, 1857

  Father woke me before dawn. Brrr! It felt like winter again. Mother packed us a hamper. Father, George, and I had just started off when one of our wagon wheels broke. It was nearly noon by the time Uncle Aubert fixed it. At last we set off. George drove one wagon. I sat on the seat beside Father and drove the other.

  Now we have stopped to eat our dinner. I believe Father thought warm weather was here to stay. But it is cold. Too cold to write another word.

  Later

  Here we are at the Fish Hotel. It is owned by a Shawnee named Pascal Fish. It is packed with families on their way to Lawrence.

  We arrived after dark. My arms ached from holding the reins. I have never been so hungry. We went straight to the dining room. I am writing as we wait for a table. I hope we get one soon!

  March 27, 1857

  We finally got our turn to be fed last night. Afterward, we got our bedding from the wagon. Pascal Fish’s little daughter, Eudora, showed us to our room. We were surprised to find that it was also the room of some two dozen others! There was one bed and five chairs. But they were taken. Everyone else had spread their bedding on the floor. There was hardly any space left. Father and George found empty spots on the men’s side of the room. I stepped over many sleepers on my way to the ladies’ side. At last I found
a small empty place not too far from the fire. I was so tired, I fell right to sleep. When I awoke this morning, I found my head resting on another young lady’s feet! She laughed and said she hoped they made me a fine pillow.

  No more now. We are setting off again.

  Leavenworth

  Father and George have gone to see about our things. I am staying with the wagons. I do not like the look of the sky.

  Later

  A snowstorm blew in!

  Father, George, and some hired men loaded our furniture onto the wagons. They covered it with tarpaulins. They wrapped ropes around the load and tied them tight. We had just set off for home when a howling storm hit. The spring snow caught everyone by surprise. Every traveler on the road began looking for shelter. We turned back to Leavenworth. The snow fell so thick we could hardly see. It took us some time to find a hotel. But at last the tiny Riverside Hotel took us in.

  All five guest rooms in the hotel were filled. So we are camped in the lobby with many others. We are wet and cold. But Father says we must be thankful we did not perish in the storm.

  Our horses are out back in the barn. The wagons with our furniture are crowded in there, too. We are safe. That is all that matters. I must stop thinking about Quincy High School. And whether I am missing it.