Ribbons of Steel (7 page)

She held back tears.
No use upsetting the children anymore than they were already.

As one, they entered the station.

“Wait right here, Ma.” Seth pointed to an empty bench in the middle of the room. “I’ll get your ticket.” He waited until she was seated, then turned to Catherine.

“You make sure she’s okay while I stand in line.”

“You don’t have to be so bossy, Seth Carmichael. I know how to take care of people.” Catherine hitched baby Sarah up on her hip.

Emily observed the interaction between her two oldest children. She had raised them to be responsible. Thank God for them, otherwise there was no way on God’s green earth she would ever have consented to leave them behind. Her only saving grace was she’d recuperate faster at Marybelle’s so she could come back home to be with her family.

The station filled with passengers coming and going, but the background chatter and shuffling of feet was just that. Emily only had eyes and ears for her family. She would miss baby Sarah’s first steps, her first words, her baby antics. Her youngest boys were at the age where they almost grew right before her eyes. And Catherine needed to study for her teaching exams.

When would she see them again?

Emily’s eyes misted. She held back the tears threatening to overflow and looked up at her youngest. Catherine cooed to her darling baby, Sarah. She should be the one doing the cooing. She should be the one holding Sarah, cuddling her and loving her. Would Sarah forget she was her mother, not Catherine?

Tears pooled in the corner of her eyes.

The boys sat still beside her, a sure sign they had something on their minds. Although well behaved for the most part, boys their age weren’t known for sitting still and being quiet. She would miss their antics as well. Would they be a big help to Seth? Would they listen well to Catherine? Would they turn out to be outlaws without her steady hand?

Emily rubbed her temples and hung her head. Her shawl slipped, and she wrapped it around her middle, then clasped her hands in the lap of her gray gingham dress. She hoped the children didn’t notice her distress and the tears she had a hard time holding back.

“What did they do to upset Ma?” Seth asked Catherine when he returned with her ticket. “You were supposed to keep an eye on them.”

“Nothing. I swear, Seth, you’re like an old mother hen.”

“Children, please. No one has done anything. We’re all a little tense this morning, is all.” Emily couldn’t help smile at the mother hen reference. “I’m okay. Honest, you don’t have to worry about me. Once I get aboard I’ll be fine. I’ll take the powder Doc Wooster gave me and get some rest.”

As if on cue the conductor bellowed “all aboard” over the clanging of the new cars being coupled together. The engine churned to life as side-car doors were slammed shut and passengers rushed about to say their final goodbyes to loved ones.

Emily gathered her own six children to her side. Timothy, fourteen, hung back, but she stepped around Michael, eight, and led him with shaking hands into the fold. “I will miss you all,” she said, her voice just as shaky as her hands. After only one day of bed rest, she was still weak. She hadn’t counted on saying goodbye to her children being this hard. Thankfully, Seth stood beside her so she could lean on him, otherwise her quivering legs would give out, and she’d fall over. She couldn’t let her children see how frail she was. They didn’t need the worry.

Emily turned to Catherine and baby Sarah. Catherine was a responsible young lady and would do a fine job taking care of everything while she was away—as would Seth. Between the two of them, they had already shouldered the majority of the responsibilities of the family the past few months. Nothing would change. Except she wouldn’t be there to help.

“Take good care of them, Catherine. I want them in fine shape when I return. You’re their momma for now.” Emily turned to the boys, dabbing her eyes with an already soaked hanky. “I’ll see you all in a couple of months. Be good for Seth and Catherine,” she said to Michael and Robert who were now clinging to her in tears, her own tears flowing unchecked.

Reluctant to go, she took Sarah from Catherine and cradled her to her bosom and nuzzled her one last time.

The train whistle shrilled. No time for a second embrace. Catherine took Sarah, and Seth untangled the two boys from her legs, then handed her the small grip she’d borrowed from their nearest neighbor, Lizzy Hayland. She’d packed a change of clothes and sleepwear, plus the necessary toiletries needed during the week-long journey. The rest of her belongings were already aboard in the baggage compartment.

“Take care of everything for me, Seth. I’ll wire you as soon as I arrive at Marybelle’s.”

“I will, Ma, just don’t you worry. We’ll be fine. You take care of yourself.”

“I’ll still worry, son.”

The rest of her words were drowned out as the whistle sounded two long blasts, and steam from the engine covered the entire area, competing with the heavy fog rising over the mountainside. Emily lifted her long skirt and stepped up onto the cold metal stairs with the help of the conductor and entered the coach filled with an assortment of passengers. She made her way along the rose-patterned aisle runner toward her seat. Overhead, the lamps suspended from the center of the ceiling following the length of the car emitted a faint scent of kerosene. The narrow cushioned seats, although straight back, were colorful and inviting.

Emily found her place next to the window, and with a sigh of relief from the exhaustion of saying goodbye, she settled in her seat for the short trip to Owego. She leaned closer to the window and looked out in search of her children. She spotted them and waved, then placed her hand against the glass and let tears stream down her face. She blew them a kiss as they stood in a tight row on the wooden platform watching the train as it chugged down the tracks. When she could see them no longer, she turned, found a dry hanky in her bag, and dabbed her eyes dry.

Would she ever see her children again?

If she were as sick as Doctor Wooster said, there didn’t seem to be much hope; consumption was not to be taken lightly. The image of those who had suffered from the disease had her close to breaking down in front of her brave family. She could only pray they had made the right decision by sending her out to her cousin Marybelle’s to recuperate.

Doctor Wooster had insisted a warmer, dryer climate with fresh air and ample bed rest to regain her health was just the ticket. He’d told her to drink fresh cream with a spoonful of brandy. She hoped Marybelle had a cow or two. For the fever, he’d recommended Sassafras tea, which her cousin said she always kept on hand.

“You need some time to mend, my dear,” he’d said. “You need rest. Nothing more strenuous than a nice afternoon walk. And absolutely no work.”

Marybelle would make sure she followed doctor’s instructions. That was Marybelle. One of the kindest women she’d ever met.

The doctor had insisted she carry the packet of opium as a sedative should she need a pain reliever on the train ride. As much as she was tempted to succumb to taking a small dram now, this part of the trip was a short one. She needed to keep her wits about her when she transferred to the various connections. She had two more train transfers before she arrived at her final destination. Perhaps if she sat quietly and relaxed, her headache would go away. She patted the packets of medicine in her dress pocket. They were there if need be.

Emily settled back and closed her eyes. When she opened them, the train was pulling into the Catatonk station. The stop lasted half an hour; long enough to switch cars and pick up a few more passengers.

Transferring in Owego happened without a hitch, and Emily enjoyed the familiar sights of the homes along the great Susquehanna River as the locomotive passed over the curved bridge. Farmers were tilling their fields, and boats were carrying lumber down river. A late spring with the ice not melting until early May and relentless rains until mid-June made the river deep enough for lumber barges and ferries to sail the wide waterway.

The ride to Philadelphia to pick up the train west was uneventful. When they arrived at Union Station, the undercurrents of the pending strike were heavy.

Emily stepped down from the train. Courtesy was not much in evidence, and a sense of haste prevailed as people jostled each other to make their connections or meet loved ones. Relieved when she spotted Charles waving his hand high in the air, Emily sighed. Within seconds she was in his arms, her small grip dropped to the wooden platform, forgotten.

“God, Em, it’s good to see you. I’ve been so worried. You look ready to fall over. Did you take any of the medicine the old reprobate prescribed?”

“Not yet. I didn’t want to fall asleep and miss my connections.”

“If only you didn’t have to leave. I hate having to send you so far away from the children.”

“At least I’ll be with family. Cousin Marybelle will take good care of me. I will worry about the children though. It was so hard leaving them behind. Please try to go home once in a while to look in on things.”

“Seamus’ wife, Maggie, and her daughter, Madeline, are going to stay at the farm. Catherine will have plenty of help.” He let her lean into him, then picked up her grip, and together they walked along the platform.

“Oh, Charles, that’s wonderful. But I’ll still worry some. And I’ll miss them all. Especially my baby, Sarah.”

“Ah, Em. This is so unfair. If not for this strike I’d take you there myself. If I’d been home with you more and taken care of you, this would never have happened.”

“It’s not your fault I’m ill, Charles. Don’t keep blaming yourself. Besides, right now your place is here with the railroad.”

“
No.
You and the children need me now.”

“I’ll be fine, Charles. You’ll see.”

“Come with me, Em. You need to sit down ’til this place clears a bit. I want to introduce you to Mrs. Aderley. She’ll be traveling with you. She and her boys are headed to San Francisco to spend the summer with her sister.”

“How wonderful for them,” Emily said. If only
her
children could have accompanied her, the journey would be ideal. “Mrs. Aderley must be thrilled to have her children with her.”

“Don’t do this to yourself, Em. I know you’ll be missing the children, but Seth and Catherine will take good care of them. Don’t you worry yourself none. I mean it, Em. You have to think of yourself and get better. Now sit here while I find Mason and his family. I’ll be right back.”

Emily wished she could spend more time with Charles before she had to board the train again. As he disappeared from sight, she glanced around. Union Station was huge compared to the tiny depot in Candor. Well-dressed people in fine, ruffled day dresses milled about. They made her homespun traveling dress appear shabby. Why, the selection of colors alone flitting about the cavernous room would put a rainbow to shame. But in her present state, she closed her eyes to dispel the colorful chaos. When she opened them again, Charles was standing in front of her.

“I’m sorry, dear. I couldn’t locate them. Mason assured me you would be sitting with his wife on the train. I’m afraid you’ll have to introduce yourself when you board.”

“Not to worry, Charles. I’ll manage. Come. Sit beside me.” She patted the empty spot next to her. As soon as Charles sat, she snuggled closer, laying her head in the crook of his shoulder. With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes.

“I will miss you, Charles. I will miss the children.”

“I know, Em.” He patted her back and slid his hand down her arm. “It’s a damn shame you have to go so far away from them. And me.”

“Watch your language, Charles. There are too many people around. I don’t want them to think badly of you.”

“I don’t care what they think, Em.”

Emily smiled and forgave him his transgression. After all, she didn’t want to waste time arguing over a cuss word.

“I’ll write as soon as I arrive at Marybelle’s. I promise.”

“I’ll be waiting for your letter. With any luck, the strike will be put down right fast, and I’ll be able to get away and come get you.”

The shrill whistle sounded, startling both of them, cutting their goodbye short. They clung together for a brief but heart-wrenching embrace before Charles helped her to the waiting train where he bypassed the conductor and lifted her off her feet and up into the coach. He placed her grip in her hands and kissed her soundly in front of everyone. Emily didn’t mind in the least. She would miss his kisses.

“I’d hoped we would have had more time together, Em. Mason Aderley’s wife is a fine woman. She’ll look out for you. I love you, Em.”

“I love you too, Charles. You be careful as well. I’ll see you soon.” Tears ran down her hot cheeks. She retrieved her already tear-stained white hanky from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes. She should have packed a dozen, instead of just the two.

“Send a telegram as soon as you get there, Em. I don’t want to wait for a letter. I’ll worry the whole time until I hear from you. Promise?”

“I promise.”

Emily stepped into the car. She turned to wave to Charles, but he was lost in the sea of waving hands through her watery eyes. With a soft sob, she turned back around and looked for her assigned seat. As she did, the train lunged forward, the jerking motion tossing her sideways into the shoulder of a burly man dressed all in black.

“I’m so sorry.” Emily stepped back as best she could. The man tipped his hat and let her pass.

The lanterns bobbed back and forth overhead, and the sharp, grinding sound of the train rolling out of the station filled the car. Emily’s head pounded, her eyes blurred from the tears still streaming down her face, and her legs threatened to give out. She made her way down the aisle in search of her seat.

“My dear, let me help you.” A tall, thin lady stood to assist her; her flowered bonnet slightly askew. “I’m Mrs. Aderley. Marian Aderley, and these are my two sons, Jason and Jonathan. I’ve saved you the seat next to the window.”

“Ma’am,” Emily sighed, thankful, and fell into the cushioned seat just as her legs gave out. “I’m pleased to meet you.”