Jedadiah's Mail Order Bride (7 page)

"Jedadiah, Clara thinks I'm going to have a baby."

"Are you sure?" he asked Clara.

"I'm not sure, but all of the signs point in that direction.  The sickness in the morning, and so on.  You should have her checked over by the doctor, but yes, I think you're going to be a father."

Jed had trouble restraining himself.  He rushed from the room and grabbed Luke.  "Sarah's pregnant.  Clara thinks Sarah's pregnant."

Luke grinned, and reached out and pumped Jed's hand.  "Congratulations, Jed.  You're going to make a fine papa."

Three days later, the doctor in Laramie confirmed the news.  Leaving the doctor's office, they stopped by the post office and general store to check their mail and get a few supplies.  Sarah had a letter from her mother and one from Martha.  Dreading what her mother might have to say, she read Martha's letter first.  It was cheerful and expressed her pleasure in the news of the wedding, along with her best wishes for happiness.

Opening the letter from her mother, expecting all sorts of recriminations, she found a letter of love and hope for Sarah's future.  She regretted not having the opportunity to say goodbye.  Her father sent along his congratulations on the wedding and his hopes of a bright future for her.  Sarah was thankful for the nice letter and a bit ashamed of herself for not trusting her mother more.  Still, she felt she had done the right thing.  She knew she had.  She was going to be a mother!

Their final stop before heading home was at the church.  As expected, they found John and Grace inside cleaning.  Grace was beside herself with joy.  She was delighted at the news.  "I just knew you would make a good match.  You're both loving and caring people.  Your baby will be blessed to have such parents as Jed and you."

John congratulated them and asked they say a prayer for their baby's well being.

They didn't ride home.  They floated on a cloud of happiness.  They talked about preferences.  Jed said, "I'd like to have a son.  He could be partners with me on the ranch.  A boy would be nice.  A girl would be okay too.  Another Sarah Grace around the house would suit me just fine."

"I'd like to have a little girl,” Sarah said.  “I think it would be fun teaching her how to do things, making dresses for her.  Of course, I'd love a boy just as much."

In the end, they decided it didn't matter as long as the baby and the mother were both healthy.

“Sarah! What in the world are you doing?” Jed cried out.

“I’m weeding the garden,” she said.

“You shouldn’t be doing that should you? Aren’t you afraid you’ll hurt yourself?”

“Jedadiah, women have been having babies since the Garden Of Eden. I’m as healthy as a horse. I’ll be all right,” she said.

“All the same, it worries me. You’re the only wife I have and this is my only baby. I’m just trying to protect you,” he said.

“I know what you’re trying to do and I love you for it. I can do anything I’ve always done, I just can’t over do things. You notice I don’t do this in the afternoon, only in the morning when it is cool.”

Jed had been working long hours to add another room to the house. This room would be entirely wood. He had it all weathered in, with the assistance of Luke. It was attached in the back and when he cut the doorway, would be accessible from the bedroom. In addition to adding the room, he was tending the livestock and doing most of the gardening. His small herd had increased to over 300 and he would be moving 50 head of cattle in with Luke’s herd after the fall roundup. Next year, he expected the herd to be over 500 if things continued the way they were going.

The garden had done spectacularly well. There was a big demand for his vegetables and the return allowed him to increase his cash reserve. He and Sarah had talked about hiring someone to help. As it was, he felt he was relying too much on Luke’s assistance. A cowboy earned about $25 per month and found. (Room and board.) Jed decided they could afford it and would ask Luke how he should go about hiring someone.

Sarah was in the sixth month of her pregnancy and the doctor had just pronounced her to be in excellent health. She had mailed her family the news that she was expecting. When they checked the post office, Asa Thompson, postmaster and storekeeper had given her letters from each of her sisters and her mother. All were excited at the prospect of another family member. Her mother had spoken of wanting to be there for the birth, but the trip would be very hard for her.

Just the other day, Sarah had said she looked like a cow, big and fat. Jed said, “You’re not fat, you’re the most beautiful woman in all of Wyoming and probably the world.”

“Jedadiah, you’re looking at me through the eyes of love. It affects your vision.”

As usual, they stopped by the church while in town. Grace remarked about how well Sarah was looking. “Being pregnant certainly agrees with you,” she said.

“Isn’t she just the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen,” Jed asked Grace.

“She is beautiful,” Grace said.

“Helloooo, I’m right here and you are embarrassing me,” Sarah said. They ignored her.

* * *

Luke and Clara were having dinner with Jed and Sarah. “Sarah, what did you do with these potatoes? They are delicious,” Clara asked.

Sarah said, “I just added some herbs to them, a little garlic and rosemary.”

“I’ve never heard of that. Would you show me? I only use salt and pepper.”

“I would be glad to. I’m growing my own herbs now. Mother sent me some seeds and I have a spot in the garden. This winter, I’ll move some of them into the house in a window box.”

“Luke, Sarah and I have talked about hiring some help. The herd and the garden are getting too much for me. Do you have any suggestions?”

“Let me think about it. Did you ask John if he knew of anyone?”

“I didn’t even think of it. I’ll do that next time we go into town. I’d like to have two young fellows. I don’t know if I could keep them over the winter though.”

“You need to be able to do that. They need something to keep them going. If you can find some low on experience, you can probably get them for $20 and found. Anyone with experience is going to be $30. If you had help, you’d be able to expand faster and they would pay for themselves soon enough. You could make some changes in the barn to bunk them.”

“I appreciate the ideas, Luke. I’m going to need to do something or quit growing. Now that I’m married, we can add more land with Sarah’s homestead rights. We could wind up around 1500 acres. That would let us move a herd around and not worry about over grazing.”

“You’re beginning to sound like a rancher now..

* * *

Late one afternoon, Sarah quietly said, “Jedadiah, would you go get Clara and tell her I think it’s time.”

Continuing to work on the saddle he had brought in, he said, “Time for what?”

“My water just broke. I think the baby is coming.”

He jumped up, “Oh that time. It’s that time. Omigod… Omigod. It’s time.”

“Jedadiah, go get Clara please. He ran out of the house toward the barn.

Two minutes later, he came back. “I need my saddle,” he said. He grabbed the saddle and went out the door again. She heard him galloping out of the yard and toward the Hastings ranch. She smiled to herself. He was so excited, he could hardly stand it.

Forty minutes later, she heard the galloping of the horse and the creaking of a wagon. Clara burst into the house. “How far apart are the pains?” she asked.

Sarah said, “About 10 minutes.”

Clara said, “Jed, put some water on the stove.” To Sarah she said, “That should keep him busy for a while.” Seeing Sarah grimace, she asked, “Another one?”

Sarah nodded, Clara looked at the clock and when the next one came, she said, “They’re seven minutes apart.”

Two hours later, Clara opened the door to the kitchen where Jed and her husband sat, each with a steaming cup of coffee in hand. “You have a son,” Jed.

He jumped up, “Is Sarah okay?”

“She’s very tired but she’s fine. Your son is perfect, ten fingers and ten toes. Sarah did well, as she does everything,” Clara added.

“Can I go in?”

“Go, go.” She walked over to her husband and kissed him full on the lips.  “Makes me want another, big guy.”

“I’m trying.”

“I’ll stay here the rest of the night and you can come get me tomorrow morning,” she said.

“I’ll be fine,” he said and picked up the saddle Jed had been working with and put it on the floor.

She walked to the bedroom and opened the door a crack and peeked in. What she saw made her want to cry. Instead, she went back to the kitchen and motioned for Luke to join her. They peeked in the door and saw Jed standing there, holding his son, tears cascading down his face. His lovely, tired wife was smiling, tears pouring from her eyes also. Luke and Clara pulled back from the door, letting the Barnettes have their privacy. “Wasn’t that just the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?” she asked her husband. He just nodded, put his arm around her shoulder and led her back to the kitchen.

Jed stayed in the bedroom the rest of the night, holding Sarah’s hand while she slept, their son in the cradle Jed had so lovingly built.

He went into the kitchen and found his best friend asleep on the floor, his head resting on the saddle. Clara was asleep in a chair, her head resting on the kitchen table. She stirred when Jed came into the room and asked, “Is Sarah asleep?”

Jed nodded. “I’m going out to see to the stock and get some wood for the fireplace. Clara, I can’t find words to tell you how much I appreciate your being here. It means a lot to me, and I know having you here was a great comfort for Sarah.”

“That’s what friends are for, Jed. They take care of one another. She would do the same for me and will, if I’m very lucky.”

“Who’s looking after your boys? Hetty?”

Clara nodded. Hetty was the cook and housekeeper for the Hastings and had been with them since they were married. “I’m going to have to get Sarah some help.”

Clara put her hand atop his. “Maybe for the next time. The first one is the one you really enjoy. Just the two of you. Watch him grow, teach him to be the way you are. You need the help on the ranch, Jed. It’s getting too big for one man to handle. Get some help and give yourself more time with Sarah and your baby.”

Luke had roused himself and said, “Listen to the woman, Jed. She’s right. You need the help and Sarah needs you. You go back with her. I’ll see to the stock, and the wood.”

“What did I ever do to deserve such friends?” he asked.

“To get a friend, be a friend,” Luke said.

Sarah stayed in bed the next day, using a bed pan to relieve herself, and propping herself up with a pillow to eat the meals fixed by Clara. Luke went back home to take care of his ranch. Clara stayed for three more nights, sleeping, at Jed’s insistence, in the bed with Sarah. On the third day, Sarah stood,holding onto Jed’s arm, gingerly walked into the kitchen.

After Clara went home, Jed was overly careful. He steadfastly refused to let her do anything. He insisted on doing the cooking, the laundry and cleaning.

He had found help for the ranch chores. He had found two young men that needed the work. They were relatively inexperienced but made up for it by working hard. It was a boon for Jed because it freed him of the many small things that had to be done, giving him more quality time with Sarah and John Lucas, their new son. By the end of the first month things had returned to near normal. The doctor in Laramie had examined Sarah and Elias and pronounced them both healthy.

* * *

1883…

Jed and Sarah had added to their land holdings and they now exceeded 2,000 acres. Their herd had been increased to 700. The two young men Jed had hired turned out to be hard workers. After the last crops of the season were in, Jed and the men built another cabin to be used as a bunk house.

“Sarah, this house is just not big enough for us anymore. I think we should build another one, a good bit larger. Let’s go into Laramie and talk to some of the people that know about these things.”

“We are probably going to need more space. I’m late and you know what that means.”

“It means, you’re going to get your little girl, finally.”

Jed told Sarah, “Next year, we’re increasing out farming area. We’re making as much off the vegetables as we are the cattle. It’s going to pay for our new house.”

They rode into Laramie to get Sarah checked out by the doctor. While there, Jed arranged with the sawmill owner for the purchase of the lumber to build their new house. He talked with the man who had supervised the building of the Hastings house and made arrangements for building a new ranch house in the spring.

“Jed, come over here. I want to show you something I think you should add in your new house.” He pulled a catalog off a shelf and showed Jed a picture of a kitchen. It contained the usual countertops, but it contained a basin and a pump! Indoor water. Just think what that would mean to your wife.”

“Plan on it. Make a place for it, but don’t tell Sarah. I want it to be a surprise.”

Jed also stopped off in the land office. He was looking at the topographical map for more land. The agent pointed out two parcels he could add to his homestead. “By the way,” the agent asked, “did you know they’ve discovered copper and silver around here?”

“I’ve tried my hand at mining,” Jed said. “It was hard work for not much payback.”

“No, you don’t understand,” the agent said. “You don’t mine it. Halliday Consolidated Gold and Copper is buying up rights and they do the mining. They lease the land from you and they do the mining. They’ve made offers all over. You should talk to them.”

“I’ll think about it”