Melinda and the Wild West (8 page)

The doctor arrived with Jenny and he checked
Melinda’s heart and the strength of her pulse. Then he mixed some
powder in a glass of water and handed it to her to drink.

After a while, he said, “Melinda, you are
one lucky lady. If Gilbert had not come along when he did… Well, I
just don’t want to think about it. You city folks don’t understand
the dangers out here in the West. But with time, I guess you’ll
learn.”

Melinda winced at the doctor’s words. Then
the doctor spoke softly to Gilbert in the kitchen, handed him a
bottle of powder, and bid everyone farewell. Melinda pushed the
covers off her legs and began to stand up, but her weak knees gave
way and she slumped to the floor.

Immediately, Gilbert was at her side. He
slid his hands around her and lifted her to the sofa. Melinda was
aware of his tender touch as he tried to make her comfortable. When
she looked into his soft dark eyes, she noticed how concerned he
was and it touched her heart.

Then Gilbert said, “You can’t get up quite
yet. The doctor told me that the medicine he gave you was to relax
you and take your anxieties away. He said that you’d get drowsy and
I think he’s right.” He tucked the lightweight blanket around her
shoulders. “You’d better rest for a while longer and then I’ll take
you home on the buckboard.”

As he handed her the powder the doctor had given
him, he said, “Take this in the evening just before bed. It’ll make
you drowsy and help you sleep. You’ve been traumatized and he
thinks you’ll need this at night.”

Melinda nodded as she sank into the couch.
Her head was cradled in the soft pillow and she closed her eyes. It
was not long until she fell into a deep sleep.

While Melinda was sleeping, Gilbert went
about his chores. He and Jenny fixed a meal, swept the floor, and
set the table.

“Jenny, put on a tablecloth this time.” He
smiled cheerfully. “We have a guest. And our best plates, too.”

Jenny smiled back. “I really like my
teacher, Pa. She cares about me. The other teacher never did. She
makes me feel important.”

“I’m glad, Jenny.”

Gilbert watched his daughter as she set the
table. What his daughter said impressed him greatly. Her teacher
cared and she showed it in her actions and words. He walked over to
the chair next to the sofa and sat down, watching Melinda sleep.
What was it about this Eastern lady that fascinated him so? Was it
her grit and determination? Was it her kindness to his daughter,
whom he adored? Was it her caring attitude towards others? He did
have to admit, though, that she was a strikingly beautiful woman
and that certainly added to her charm. He wondered why they argued
each time they met. Then he thought about their differences and he
shook his head in dismay. An Eastern lady and a rancher were not a
good combination, he thought.

Yet he knew that he was attracted to her. It had
been years since he had spent time with a woman, let alone held one
in his arms. And for the first time in eight years he felt the
desire to care for someone other than his daughter. For some reason
he felt a need to protect Melinda and he could not deny it. But
they were too different and the West was too wild for her. She
would probably go back to the East after the school season was
over, especially after the grizzly experience. He would be
surprised if she even renewed her contract at all.

As her eyelashes began to flutter, he
realized she was about to wake up. Gilbert smiled as she opened her
eyes and looked up at him. When their eyes met, he asked softly,
“Hungry?”

Melinda yawned and stretched every muscle
that she had, just to make sure everything was working. Then she
nodded.

“Jenny and I made something for you to eat
before I take you back home.”

Melinda looked over at the table and saw how
neatly it had been set. She was going to ask if he could take her
home instead, but she realized they had gone to a lot of trouble.
And besides, she had never met a man who could cook before. Maybe
it would be worth it just to try his food.

She smiled appreciatively. “Thanks. It
sounds wonderful.”

As they sat at the table and ate, Melinda
noticed what good manners Jenny had. Gilbert had taught her a lot,
and he had not forgotten the importance of manners. Each time Jenny
wanted to talk about the grizzly and what it looked like, Gilbert
would ward off the subject with his eyes and each time Jenny got
the hint and let it lay.

After they ate, Gilbert took Melinda home in his
buckboard. As they rode in silence, he was conscious of her sitting
beside him and he had a feeling of great peace. Once at her house,
he reined in the horse and stepped down from the buckboard. He
looked up at Melinda and held his hand out toward her. Taking her
hand in his, he felt the softness of it and he smiled at her, as a
warm feeling seemed to engulf him. This woman, of all the women in
the world, was managing to have an effect on him. But he and
Melinda were just too different and he was certain it would not
work out. Why did he have to be so attracted to her?

Melinda stepped down from the buckboard and
thanked him for the fine supper. “You’re the first man I’ve ever
met who knows how to cook. And thank you for saving my life like a
knight in shining armor.”

This made him laugh jovially. His laugh was
deep and warm and it made Melinda smile. When she noticed Gilbert
gazing into her eyes, she felt a warmth creep into her cheeks. What
was he thinking?

He took her by the arm and led her to the
front door, tipped his hat with his fingers and said, “Miss Gamble,
I hope you have a good evening.”

As she watched him walk toward the
buckboard, she wondered about Gilbert. He was so rugged on the
outside, yet he was gentle and caring on the inside. Besides that,
this tough man could cook. And he was good at it, too. He was such
a contradiction.

Melinda quietly closed the door, intrigued by
this mysterious rancher.

Uncle William sat in a chair in the living
room, comfortably reading the newspaper, while Melinda was upstairs
in her bedroom getting ready for the dance. She could hear her aunt
and uncle speaking downstairs.

“Martha, listen to this,” said William, and began to
read aloud from the paper. “Susan B. Anthony has really been
working hard for women’s rights. A resolution was passed in Idaho.
It says, ‘Believing in equal rights for all and special privileges
to none, we favor the adoption of the pending women’s suffrage
amendment to the Constitution.’ Idaho is now considering giving
women the right to vote. Well, I’d say it’s about time, don’t you
think? Why, it was in January of this year that Utah entered the
Union as a state, and they introduced women’s suffrage immediately.
Right now women have full suffrage in only three states and all of
them are in the West: Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. I don’t know if
it’ll go through in time for the November election, though, since
it’s already October.”

Martha stood in the doorway of the kitchen,
listening. “William, who do you think will win the election this
year?”

“Our nation is in such turmoil, Martha,” he
said, ruffling the pages of the newspaper. “Mills and factories
have shut down, merchants are bankrupt, and millions are out of
work and have no means of livelihood. Poverty seems to dominate
this country. Due to the severe depression we’ve had, which started
during the Democratic administration, I believe that the
Republicans will win by a long shot.”

Martha looked over at William and said with
a longing in her voice, “I can’t wait for Idaho to pass its
amendment, William.” Then she walked to the stairs and called to
Melinda, “Are you ready, dear? The town social starts in fifteen
minutes. Let’s not be too late.”

Melinda knew that her Aunt Martha felt it
was time to introduce her to the residents of Paris at the town
social that night. Melinda was excited about meeting the
towns-folk. She had met a few of the parents of her students during
the past two months, and she felt this would be a great opportunity
to meet the rest of the people.

As they entered the room, the music and
dancing had already begun. Aunt Martha introduced Melinda to each
person she came across. After a while, Martha spied Henry, a
handsome young bachelor. “Henry, come here. I’d like to introduce
you to my niece.”

Henry was a thin and tall young man, about
twenty-six years of age, with blond hair and blue eyes. He walked
toward Martha and Melinda with a broad smile on his face.

“Yes, Martha?”

“This is my niece and the new schoolteacher
in town. Melinda, this is Henry. He’s the superintendent of
schools. Henry examines prospective teachers’ credentials and hires
them for the district, in addition to being the janitor and ‘fix-it
man.’ In other words, he was the one who accepted you to fill this
position. If you need anything at all, you can just ask Henry and
he’ll get it for you or fix it.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Henry,” Melinda
said. “I’m sure I’ll be obliged to use your services every now and
then.”

Henry held his hand out for a handshake and
smiled charmingly. “Melinda, I’m glad to meet you at last. I’ve
heard so much good said about you. I’m sorry that I haven’t taken
the time to come over to the school. I tend to spend an awful lot
of time over in Montpelier, helping the teachers with a few
problems there.”

The three of them were interrupted by the
sound of loud and excited voices. They turned and saw a huddle of
men surrounding Uncle William, who was showing them a picture of a
quadricycle from a magazine. Melinda and Henry moved toward them to
see the picture.

William exclaimed with excitement, “The
article under this picture says: ‘On June 4, 1896, Henry Ford put
the finishing touches on his magnificent creation. It is
gasoline-powered and Ford calls it the Quadricycle since it runs on
four bicycle tires.’” William looked up at the men and smiled. “The
Quadricycle is built on a steel frame with a seat and metal arms on
each side of the seat. There is an electric bell in front of the
dash and it has a bicycle lamp for driving at night. So, you see,
boys, this is going to take the place of horses.”

“Not a chance.” One of the men said,
emphasizing his disapproval. “I wouldn’t ride in one of those
contraptions if someone paid me.”

“You’ll see. This Henry Ford is serious
about making more of these quadricycles. And when he starts selling
them, I’m going to be the first to buy one.”

William smiled as the men guffawed at his
silly notion, slapping him on the back with amusement.

Melinda was beginning to think the town social was a
wonderful place to meet people. Henry took Melinda in his arms,
glided her around the room, and danced several dances with her. He
was a good dancer and a very good conversationalist. He seemed to
be genuinely interested in her and asked several questions about
her and her background. She noticed they had quite a few things in
common, too. She surmised that he would make a wonderful
friend.

As Melinda socialized, she scanned the room for
Gilbert, but he was nowhere in sight. After she thought about it,
however, she guessed it was for the best that he was not there. It
was simply unwise to get involved with a student’s parent
anyway.

October gave way to the crisp chill of
November, and Melinda was excited to spend Thanksgiving Day with
her aunt and uncle. A fire was made in the fireplace. As it
crackled and popped, Melinda thought what a pleasant sound it made.
It was sort of a homey sound and she liked it. As they busily
prepared the turkey, cranberries, and potatoes, Melinda and Martha
listened to the soothing voice of Uncle William.

Uncle William was sitting
comfortably in a kitchen chair reading to Martha and Melinda from
the
Woman’s Journal
, a newspaper about women’s suffrage published out of Boston,
which Melinda had received from her parents that week. Her parents
wanted her to keep up with what was happening in the
world.

Uncle William seemed to enjoy reading about the
events around the world. “Melinda, listen to this,” he said with
enthusiasm. “Your Boston newspaper has something about Idaho.
Listen: ‘Welcome, Idaho! State number four has wheeled into line!
An unexampled victory for woman suffrage has been achieved in the
State of Idaho.’ Martha, that means that you can vote next year;
and you, too, Melinda, if you renew your teaching contract. You’ll
be an Idaho State citizen.”

Melinda smiled. “Sounds good to me.” She
turned and looked thoughtful with her hand on her hip. “Uncle
William, you were right about a Republican becoming the next
president. How did you know?”

“Well, it only made sense to me after the
mess that the Democrats got us into.”

“I bet the Democrats don’t see it that way,
though. You’d probably have quite an argument.” Melinda laughed.
“When will McKinley be inaugurated?”

“March fourth. He’ll be our twenty-fifth
president.”

Melinda set the table with a lacy tablecloth
and as she got the plates out of the cupboard, Aunt Martha said,
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Put on two extra plates today. We’re
having company over.”

Melinda smiled. Her aunt and uncle always
seemed to find someone to invite over and they enjoyed sharing
their food and charity with others.

“We’ve invited that nice young man and his
daughter, Gilbert and Jenny.”

Melinda froze. Her heart beat rapidly. She
looked over at her aunt with widened eyes and asked, “Mr. Roberts
and Jenny?”

Aunt Martha nodded. “I know they don’t have
kin close around here and I always like to invite them over
whenever we have a special celebration.”