A Dream for Tomorrow (11 page)

All Elizabeth wanted to know was how she was going to get this drunken old woman to settle down enough to stop dancing and go to bed. Thankfully as the song ended, Mrs. Taylor appeared to be running out of steam. And with the help of Will and Hugh and their sons, they all managed to get Mrs. Taylor back to Elizabeth’s wagon. The old woman’s head had barely touched the pillow before she fell deeply to sleep, where to Elizabeth’s dismay she snored loudly for most of the night.

Poor Mrs. Taylor had a bear of a headache in the morning. But Elizabeth showed her little mercy as she reminded her of their expectations for the day. “You must get yourself dressed and outside for a little walk, and then you can have some coffee,” she told her.

They didn’t see Mrs. Taylor until after breakfast was finished, and when Clara offered her some coffee, Mrs. Taylor held up a limp hand and slowly shook her head.

“Here.” Elizabeth handed Mrs. Taylor her washrag. “You can help my mother and Ruth finish up these dishes and pack up the kitchen gear. I have plenty of chores at my own camp to attend to now.” She turned to Ruth. “You stay here and keep helping Grandma. There’s much to do to get ready for the crossing.”

“Maybe Ruth would like to ride with us,” Clara offered.

Elizabeth glanced at Mrs. Taylor. “Unless Mrs. Taylor would care to.”

“I am fine to remain with you, Elizabeth,” Mrs. Taylor muttered as she washed a plate.

“All right then. Ruth, you ride with Grandma and Grandpa.” Elizabeth was relieved that Mrs. Taylor was cooperating with them this morning. She didn’t know how much Mrs. Taylor remembered from the previous night, but Elizabeth felt she should be made aware of her behavior. Perhaps it might even motivate the old woman to set aside her pride and judgment and begin interacting with her fellow travelers.

Elizabeth glanced at her mother. “I’m sure you and Ruth can fill Mrs. Taylor in on the
activities
last night.” She tried not to smirk. “I think she might find it enlightening.”

Ruth giggled and Clara just shook her head.

“Wha—what happened?” Mrs. Taylor asked in a shaky voice.

“Well, it’s bit of a long story,” Clara began.

“A funny story,” Ruth added with a twinkle in her eyes.

Elizabeth couldn’t help but laugh as she walked over to her wagon. The image of Mrs. Taylor dancing in her nightgown would probably provide her with chuckles for years to come. She knew that her mother’s version of Mrs. Taylor’s embarrassing debacle would be told gently. And she could count on Ruth to be polite about it as well.

It was a relief to be able to move about in the back of her wagon without Mrs. Taylor’s imposing presence. She aired the bedding in the sunshine while she tended to organizing and packing and securing—readying her wagon for fording the river. It felt good to know they would be moving again and getting closer to their goal. The break had been somewhat welcome, but she knew that time was critical. They were more than halfway there, but the easy part of the journey was behind them. According to her father, the worst was yet to come.

“Getting ready for today’s crossing?”

She paused from shaking dust out of a blanket and smiled at her brother. “I’m working on it.”

“I just told JT and Brady to start getting your team ready. Eli just stopped by to tell Pa we’ll be the third unit crossing today, and the first unit is already halfway through.”

“So it’s going well?”

“So far. The river is still pretty high, but Eli said that’s in our favor. He said the key is to keep your team moving. Don’t stop, or you risk getting your wagon wheels stuck in the silt.”

She nodded as she folded the blanket. “How is Eli? I don’t think I’ve seen him for more than a week or so.”

Matthew eyed her curiously. “Does that mean you’ve been missing him?” His teasing tone reminded her of their childhood days.

“No.” She reached for another blanket. “I was simply curious.”

“Well, it seems he’s been scouting along the river, trying to find a better place for us to cross in case the rains didn’t let up. He also did some Indian scouting. And some hunting. Gave Ma another good buffalo roast.” He smacked his lips. “Supper will be good tonight.”

She gave the blanket a shake. “That’s nice.”

“Do you want me to tell Eli anything for you?” Again with the mocking tone.

“No thank you, Matthew.” She gave him a stiff smile and he just chuckled.

“Happy crossing, sis.”

“You too, Mattie.” She smirked at him. “Don’t be letting your bride fall out today.”

His grin faded some. “If need be, I’ll tie her into the seat next to me.”

Now Elizabeth laughed. “I have a feeling Jess would have something to say about
that
.” Their sparring was cut short by JT and Brady bringing the team over to hitch, and Elizabeth had to scurry to finish up her chores.

“Grandpa said I can ride Molly and help get the livestock across the river,” JT informed her.

Elizabeth frowned. “He did, did he?”

“Please, Ma. I know I can do it.”

She took in a slow breath. “JT, I’m sure you
can
do it.” She glanced at Brady, who seemed a bit uncertain too. “But I would prefer to have Brady handle the livestock today. He will ride Molly.”

“Yes’m.” Brady nodded with a relieved expression.

“But, Ma—”

“I need you to help me drive the wagon, JT. Uncle Matthew said it has to be done just right. I need a good driver at my side.”

JT brightened.

“I best go see to the animals,” Brady said. “Your Pa wants them to get across ahead of the wagons.”

“Yes.” She smiled at him. “Thank you.”

Elizabeth did a quick check of her team and then asked JT to go and fetch Mrs. Taylor. “We need to load up and be ready to go.”

“Does she still have to ride with us?” he complained.

“
JT
.” She gave him a warning look.

“I know, I know. She’s a poor widow and we should be kind to her…” He wrinkled his nose. “But she smells funny.”

Elizabeth pulled off his felt hat and ruffled his hair. “JT! Even if that’s true, I don’t want to hear you saying anything disrespectful like that about your elders.”

“Sorry, Ma.” He looked down at his feet.

“And I don’t want you to say anything unkind about her…uh, her little escapade last night.”

“Escapade?” His brow creased.

“It means adventure…a jaunt…an exciting incident.”

He grinned. “
Mrs. Taylor’s escapade
. I might write about that in my journal tonight.”

She winked at him. “You won’t be the only one.”

Soon they were loaded and moving toward the river. To Elizabeth’s relief, Mrs. Taylor chose to ride in the back of the wagon. Elizabeth suspected she wanted to lie down, probably still recovering from last night’s antics. Because Father had rearranged the lineup, Elizabeth’s wagon was now following the Flanders’. Theirs was the lead wagon for their unit. She tried not to feel worried for their welfare, but it concerned her that with Bert and Flo and their five children, the wagon was heavy. And despite Bert’s attempts to strengthen the wagon, it wasn’t the same caliber as the wagons Elizabeth’s family had brought from Kentucky. She said a silent prayer for their safe crossing.

The river looked just as muddy as it had all week. However, it didn’t seem to be moving as rapidly today, and it had definitely receded some. The wagon crossing right now, the last one in unit four, didn’t seem to be having any trouble. But then it was a big sturdy-looking wagon with a strong team of oxen pulling. Even so, it was hard to watch. She knew that in the blink of an eye, something could go wrong.

Elizabeth tugged her driving gloves on tighter, redirecting her attention to a group of women and children, members of their wagon train who were drawing water from the river. She grimaced to see one of the mothers dipping a drinking cup into her bucket and allowing her little ones to drink that dirty water. Hopefully Elizabeth’s mother had been wrong about the rumors of cholera on this river. Just in case, she said a silent prayer for those children and the other families, praying that God would keep them healthy.

Now it was time for the Flanders to cross. “Let’s pray for them,” she said to JT. And together they said a quick prayer for the Flanders’ safety. Fortunately, Bert must have heard Eli’s advice and taken it seriously because he drove his team fast and hard, and they made it through without incident.

“Time for us to go.” JT pointed to Captain Brownlee, who was waving his hat at them—the sign to go.

She released the brake and snapped the reins. “Gid-up!” she shouted, snapping the reins again. “Let’s go!
Gid-up!
”

“Gid-up!” JT yelled, slapping his thigh. “Go!”

The team moved with speed and dependability just as she expected them to. Even so, both she and JT continued to shout encouragement—as if the sounds of their voices alone were getting this wagon across the muddy waters. She glanced at JT. “I’m glad you’re paying attention. Next time you might be driving.”

“Gid-up!” he yelled loudly, nodding.

After what seemed like an hour but was probably mere minutes, their wagon began to emerge from the river, water pouring from the team and the sides of the wagon. “Good job!” Elizabeth called to her animals. “Well done!” Now she handed the reins to JT. “You can drive from here.”

Proud to be in charge of the wagon, JT drove as if he’d been doing this for years, catching up to the Flanders and following them down a trail made muddy by the dripping wagons and teams ahead of them. “We’re on our way,” Elizabeth declared happily.

Chapter Eight

A
fter several uneventful but grueling days of travel, the travelers camped at Horse Creek. “This little old creek might not look like much,” Asa told his unit that evening, “but compared to where we’ll be traveling for the next three days, you will recall this place as heavenly.”

“Some people call this stretch of the trail Devil’s Backbone,” Matthew added.

Asa nodded grimly. “Thirty miles of alkaline desert. No grazing grass for your livestock. No drinkable water. Nothing but long, hot, dry days.”

“It sounds humanly impossible,” Lavinia Prescott exclaimed. “How can we survive such a horrible ordeal?”

“Preparation,” Asa told her. He’d just returned from a councilmen’s meeting with Captain Brownlee. He held up his hand with four fingers splayed. “There are four things ya’ll need to do in order to be prepared.