Lilly: Bride of Illinois (American Mail-Order Bride 21) (9 page)

Chapter 8

The horses’ breaths clouded the air as the morning dawned very cold and crisp. Seth checked the car to be sure the water troughs were working and the hay boxes were filled in each stall. The horses would be in this car for two days. This livestock train would travel straight through to the Kansas City Stockyards, only stopping for water and coal when the engines needed it.

He’d gotten the first stallion up the ramp into the car and locked securely in his stall without any problems. Lilly handed Seth the second stallion’s halter rope to load him next. She wished it was later in the morning so the horses could see where they were headed instead of walking into a dark car, but they needed to get the horses loaded to be ready when the train pulled out. Yesterday, and again this morning, they’d watched the horses to determine who got along, and who didn’t, so Seth knew which horses to put beside each other in the stalls.

The loud noises of several cars being loaded at once, horses neighing, and people yelling was making one of the stallions still in the pen nervous. Lilly walked over to it, softly singing a Swedish lullaby she used to sing when she worked with the horses at the manor farm. The horse’s ears perked forward listening to Lilly’s soft voice. When he settled down, she rubbed his neck and untied his halter rope which had been tied to the fence.

A few minutes later Seth walked down the ramp. “Okay, I’m ready for the next horse.”

As soon as Seth reached for the rope though, the stallion jerked his head, his ears back, and sounded a warning grunt. Seth tried again, and the horse backed up more, pulling against the rope Lilly was holding firmly in her right hand.

“Seth, let me load him. He’s all right with me.”

“No, Lilly, he’s acting up and could hurt you.”

“He was fine until you tried to take him. Stand back so we can get past you. Get the next one ready to load.” She was serious and hoped Seth would do as she asked, because she knew how to load horses.

Seth reached again and the stallion reared so Lilly had to let go of part of the rope and stand out of the way. Instead of wrapping the rope around her hand she’d been taught to fold the rope accordion style so if necessary, she could let go of most of the rope but still have a hold on the knotted end.

Lilly patiently calmed the horse while folding the rope again, then she turned to Seth. “Move out of our way,
please
.”

He shook his head, but moved far enough away to be out of the animal’s stress zone. Lilly talked Swedish to the horse as she led him out of the pen and quietly up the ramp. She locked the gate before walking back down the ramp.

“Check to see if the stall gate is secure while I bring the next horse up to you.”

She saw Seth blow out a crisp frozen breath, but he nodded indicating he’d do as she asked.

Working in tandem, Lilly brought the horses up the ramp, then Seth locked them in their individual stalls. The four stallions were on one end, the three mares on the other with a spare stall left in the middle. Lilly brought her horse up last so she would be next to the empty stall. They would check on the horses during the train’s stops, so Lilly wanted to talk and pet her mare whenever she got the chance.

Seth made sure the railcar door was secure, then picked up their luggage, two carpet bags in one hand, and the extra in his other hand while Lilly picked up her reticule and hat box.

“Thank you for your help. You know how to handle horses, don’t you?” Seth asked, probably waiting for her to tell him why she was so good with them.

“You’re welcome. Thank you for trusting me with them, too. It means a lot to me.” Lilly smiled up to Seth, but wasn’t going to say anything else at this moment.

Seth nodded at her acceptance of his thanks. “Time to board the passenger car, but it shouldn’t be full since it’s traveling with the livestock train. The passengers will be mostly buyers and livestock handlers. I doubt you’ll have many women to visit with, if any,” Seth told her as they walked side by side.

“What a change! After working in a factory with all women, now I’ve been around mostly men since I arrived in Chicago,” Lilly laughed and shook her head. “And except for you, I haven’t meet any man I liked either.”

***

The passenger car wasn’t a third full, so people had room to spread out. People slept, played cards, or read a book or newspaper. The main conversations between passengers were about the Union Stockyards, the livestock show many attended, or the cattle or horses they bought and were transporting home. Two men asked Seth about his ranch and said they’d like to stop by sometime to see his stock.

There were two older wives with their husbands on this leg to Kansas City, so Lilly had someone else to talk to besides him. Seth enjoyed hearing Lilly’s laughter and occasional giggles when the three put their heads together. She’d easily make friends in Clear Creek—or wherever she ending up living. Although they’d known each other less than a week, he’d started to assume she’d be in his life forever.

Now they sat together watching the scenery roll by as dusk began to take over the sky. They were going through Missouri now, and would be pulling into Kansas City Stockyards tomorrow morning. This would be their second night of sleeping on these bench seats.

When they arrived in Kanas City, Seth hoped to get the horse car switched onto the next train heading to Denver tomorrow. It might be the next day, though, before it could happen.

He wouldn’t be surprised if they had to transfer the horses to another car, but that would be all right because the horses could use the exercise and fresh air. If the horses ended up staying in the car another day, he’d be sure the stalls were cleaned out and fresh straw provided. And if they needed to spend the night, he’d find a hotel nearby for him and Lilly. Seth was ready to get home to his own bed that was for sure.

But then he looked over at Lilly. When did she leave Massachusetts? Seth guessed she missed her bed every night since then, and looking forward to a new permanent place to sleep.

Seth and Lilly talked about a variety of subjects the past two days, but she still hadn’t talked about her life in Sweden. She’d slipped once saying something about being
forced
to come to America, as though she didn’t have a choice?

The woman’s knowledge of horses astounded him. Not only did she know how to handle strong stallions, her choice of words showed she was very familiar with breeding and showing of pedigreed stock. She did more than “chores” at that manor farm. Why didn’t she tell him?

Maybe he needed to ask her point blank.

“Lilly, we’ll be pulling into Clear Creek the next day or two. People you’ll meet—be it my family, every Swede in town, or the storekeepers—will ask you all kinds of questions. A few will be downright nosy, but the majority will want to welcome you and get to know you better.”

She looked at him, then down at her hands in her lap. She knew what he was asking and it was making her nervous. He could tell because she was rubbing her right thumb and forefinger together. Seth was learning her mannerisms, as she was probably learning his, too.

“Hopefully by now you know I’m trustworthy, and I won’t think badly of you for anything you’ve done in the past. Could you please share with me about your life in Sweden?”

Lilly turned to look out the window, like she didn’t hear his question.

“If there is anything you want to keep private—between us only—I promise I won’t tell another soul unless I need to tell it for your safety.”

She continued to stare at the horizon another long moment, then looked around at the people sitting around the car. Finally she nodded her head and glanced at Seth.

“I realize my life in Sweden might have been typical for the social classes in Sweden. My parents were sharecroppers for a landlord, who…wasn’t always fair in his dealings. Sweden had a bad drought in the late 60s, problems with the church, the government…

“When people heard about the free land in America after the Civil War they left Sweden en mass. Families were in church one Sunday, and the next Sunday they weren’t. The majority leaving were single young people because there were no jobs to be had, or their family farm had been divided so many times it couldn’t support another family.”

Lilly stopped and stared out the window again.
I knew everything she told me, it was common knowledge these reasons she mentioned were why there was a large Swedish population in our area.

“Moder had three children before me, but only one brother survived. After Johan served his time in the military, he took off to the nearest harbor and signed on to work on a ship. I’m not sure if he’s still in contact with my parents.

“After I was born, my moder had my sisters, Stina, Abela, and Nadia. There’s about two years of age between us.

“Fader continued to have problems growing his share of crops to give to the landowner, or to sell to pay taxes, let alone feed his growing family. So, as payment one year, I moved to the manor farm to help with the landowner’s younger children, along with doing chores.”

“You were young to be taking care of younger children.”

“By age ten, a peasant’s daughter can do about anything an adult can do except where strength is needed.”

“Was the farm close enough so you could live at home, or did you move into the manor house?”

“I slept in the barn, Seth. And as you probably guessed, I never had enough to eat.”

Seth moved his arm to wrap it around her shoulders, and gave her a squeeze. “But you have enough food now, and your lovely face is filling out to make you even prettier than you were when I met you. Please continue your story.”

“As the children grew older and didn’t need me as much, I spent more time with the horses. Their breeding stock was exceptional and sold well to other big farms. Local farmers couldn’t afford them.

“I spent a great deal of time with the eldest son, Mans, as he exercised the horses and I took care of their stalls and grooming. We…became close friends.”

“How old were you when you fell in love with him?”

Lilly sharply turned to look at Seth. He’d guessed right.

“Probably when I was fifteen and he was eighteen. But it was five years later before he started paying attention to me. For two years we met daily in the barns, never out in public of course, and planned our future. In another year Mans would receive a large sum of money as part of his inheritance.”

Seth slowly rubbed circles on the top of her shoulder, showing he was there for her, whenever she wanted to finish her story.

“When we announced in church we planned to be married, Mans’ father…he…told me he would give my parents the land they farmed—and forgive all their debts to him—if I’d move to America instead of marrying Mans.”

He knew her decision because she felt she had to protect her family. “Why didn’t Mans stand up to his father?”

“His father said Mans would be disowned, and he’d be as poor as me. So Mans decided I’d go to America so my parents could own their land, and Mans would follow me to America a year later after he got his inheritance.”

“So what happened to Mans since you aren’t with him now?” Seth sadly assumed he had died, either in Sweden or shortly after getting to America.

“After I arrived in Boston, I mailed a letter to my sister to pass on to Mans so he’d know where I was. Mans mailed back to me…um, professing his love, promising he’d follow me to Boston in a year. Rather than travel to Illinois where several of my shipmates were headed for housemaid jobs, I stayed in the area so I could meet his ship.

“Mans wrote two more times, but then nothing else. I wasn’t getting any letters from my family either so I was very worried of what might have happened in our village. Had there been a serious outbreak of a disease, a fire? Why wasn’t I getting any letters from my loved ones?”

Lilly opened her reticule, pulled out her handkerchief and blew her nose in it.

“I wrote to a friend asking what was going on, since I wasn’t hearing from anyone. Six weeks later I heard back from her that Mans had married my sister, Stina.”

Seth was floored.
After all Lilly had done for her family, this happened?
“Are you sure she was telling the truth?”

“About six months ago my sister finally sent me a letter and a studio portrait of her and Mans in their wedding clothes. Before I left for Chicago I got a letter from a friend, saying Stina had a baby boy now.”

“I’m sorry, Lilly.” Seth wanted to gather her in his arms to comfort her, but didn’t know whether she’d be receptive to his sympathy. To be let down by the people you love…Seth couldn’t imagine any of his family doing anything like that to one another.

“I haven’t heard anything from my family since then.”

“Did you write to let them know you were moving to Chicago to marry?”

“Yes, a brag letter saying I was marrying a wealthy business man! And look where I am now!”

Lilly put a hand over her mouth, horrified by her last outburst. “I’m so sorry, Seth, I didn’t mean to put down the fact…”

“I’ll take it as a compliment instead. You’re heading to a new life in Kansas, with your own horse, and a good friend who’s now your husband. That’s
where
you’re at now, and things have improved for you.”