Archive for the ‘She Writes’ Category
Working Title – The Silver Queen – Chapter 8 Draft
Written by Rocky Mountain Woman on December 26, 2011 – 9:07 am -
Thank goodness she left when she did because a few days later she went into labor. Her labor this time was short and John, Jr. made his appearance without much bother, yelling for something to eat. A boy! John would be thrilled.
“I can’t tell you how much your help means,” Celeste said to Lucinda after she had rested a few days.
“You can’t leave yet! I haven’t had enough time to hold this little one and we still have some visiting to do.”
Celeste agreed to stay the rest of the week, but found herself missing the girls and anxious for John to see his new son. Early on Sunday morning, she hitched the team to the wagon and made a spot next to her on the seat for John, Jr. As she clucked to the team to get them moving toward home, a sense of unease came over her. She knew that for some reason she needed to get home quickly. She flicked her whip at the surprised horses who quickened their pace
John met her at the door.
“Josephine is sick. Matthew went to Salt Lake to get the camp doctor. It’s bad, honey.”
Celeste handed her son to his father and ran up to their rooms. Josephine was in her crib breathing shallowly. When she picked her up, she couldn’t believe the heat coming from Josephine’s little body. She called downstairs and told John to fill a tub with cold water.
All night she stayed awake holding her little girl, every hour or so she would put Josephine in the cold water to try and bring down her fever. Late the next day, Matthew returned with the camp doctor. He took the baby from Celeste and examined her for quite some time.
“I don’t know what’s wrong, but she seems to have some sort of infection. I’ve got some medicine I can give her, but all we can really do is try and keep her fever down.”
Josephine started coughing the next night. By dawn, she was coughing up blood and by that evening, she was gone. John held Celeste in his arms and they both cried through the night, Celeste cradling their little girl on her lap.
The next morning Matthew appeared with a shovel and quietly started to dig a hole behind the café. Celeste couldn’t find the strength to leave her bed. She didn’t have enough milk for the baby and he cried continuously.
John walked around in a daze. He never spoke and he rarely ate or slept. The café stayed closed. Matthew cared for Amelie, making sure she had something to eat and playing with her while her parents grieved.
Celeste didn’t get out of her bed for weeks. Matthew brought her porridge and practically forced her to drink some water every few hours. Eventually, her milk came back and she could feed little John.
At some point the fog in her brain lifted enough that she remembered she had a newborn to care for and she got herself dressed and cleaned up a bit.
John kissed her early the next morning and said “I need to go back to work.”
She nodded and within an hour he had left for the mine. Matthew left a few days later after he was sure Celeste was eating and able to care for Amelie and Little John.
The days went by so slowly. Grief’s stupor made her clumsy and forgetful. Every morning when the sun came up, Celeste forced her leaden body from her sleepless bed and nursed John, Jr. Then she woke Amelie and fed her, but ate little or nothing herself. The cafe was closed indefinitely.
Lucinda showed up a few days after Matthew left. “I heard the news honey and I came to see what I could do to help.”
Celeste collapsed in her friend’s arms in tears.
“That’s good, just cry it out, it’s all you can do now.”
“I have to stop sometime. I don’t know how to do this, Lucinda. The children need me, but I can’t seem to do anything but cry.”
“Give yourself time. Each week it will get a little easier. I lost my first baby a few months after he was born. It took a year before I could even say his name. Let’s start by getting some food in you, you are skin and bones. Go and draw yourself a tub of warm water and soak while I take care of the children and make some food.”
Lucinda stayed as long as she could, cooking for them, holding Celeste while she cried and drinking wine late into the night with her when she couldn’t sleep.
When she had her wagon packed and was ready to leave she hugged Celeste. “You’ll be fine honey, just take it a day at a time. Try to remember to eat so you have milk for the baby. You are a strong woman, Celeste, you can do this.”
Celeste took Lucinda’s kind words to heart and made an effort to begin living her life again. She opened the cafe for the few men who weren’t up in the mountains. The days became a blur of pain and work. Life goes on even when your heart is broken.
To be continued….
For the beginning of this story, click on the “She Writes” tab on the right…
Posted in She Writes | 5 Comments »Working Title – The Silver Queen – Chapter 7 Draft
Written by Rocky Mountain Woman on November 18, 2011 – 7:15 am -
It was late fall before John and the crew returned.
The Captain arrived a few days after the men with the news that the samples had yielded 96 ounces of silver. He had several cases of wine shipped in from California to celebrate their good fortune and they were sitting in the back of his wagon, wrapped in blankets to keep them from jostling too much.
“I’ll cook a special dinner to celebrate the strike and the wine”, Celeste said. She worked all afternoon making John’s favorite dishes, as well as Matthew’s and the Captain’s.
By early evening, the smell coming from the kitchen drew the men into the cafe. For a full ten minutes after they sat down, the only sounds coming from the table were the sounds of eating.
“We’ll have a load ready to freight out in early summer,” John said as he helped himself to another serving of cassoulet.
“I’ll make arrangements to have teams here in June to freight it over to the rail head at Echo. I’ve already lined up a buyer. Gentlemen and Lady, by this time next year we’ll all be wealthy,” the Captain said raising his wine glass to Celeste in a toast.
Later that evening, John asked Celeste what she wanted to buy with their share.
“I guess we should buy some land and build a real house. Rich people like us shouldn’t be living in a shack. I would love to buy a few nice mares to breed to Charger. We can always use some good horses and any we don’t want, we can sell.”
“I’ll work on getting the silver out honey, and you work on ways to spend the money,” John said as he nodded off to sleep.
Celeste laid next to her snoring husband and thought about the possibility that they might actually become wealthy. They had all of the necessities here in their little shack, but the idea of a few luxuries now and again was a pleasant one. She fell asleep feeling more content than she had in a long while.
After resting a few days, John, the Captain and Matthew went to Salt Lake City for supplies. Celeste was busy with the cafe and also a little uncomfortable because of her pregnancy so decided not to go with them. She asked John to leave word with Lucinda that she thought she had about a month or so before the baby was due and to expect a visit from her around that time.
By the time they returned, Celeste had decided this baby was going to come a lot sooner than she had anticipated. She didn’t want to wait until the last minute and have no help, so a week after John returned, she left him with the girls and took the wagon and team to Lucinda’s.
For the rest of this story, click the “She Writes” category on the right…
Posted in She Writes | 3 Comments »Working Title – The Silver Queen – Chapter 6 Draft
Written by Rocky Mountain Woman on April 8, 2011 – 6:13 am -
Celeste’s garden exploded with beautiful vegetables in the early summer.
One evening, as she prepared a classic French vegetable dish for the few customers who were still in town, Matthew walked in.
Her heart beat just a little faster, “What are you doing down here? Shouldn’t you be up in the mountains looking for your fortune?”
“I’ve struck out, can’t find anything. I decided to take a break and get supplies and some home cooking for a few days. A conversation with a pretty woman wouldn’t hurt me either, join me for dinner?”
“Of course, as soon as I finish up here. I’m sorry you haven’t had a strike, but I am grateful for the conversation. It’s been terribly quiet here.”
They shared a bottle of wine and talked until all of the customers had left.
“Well, I guess I’d better get back to my room, I’ve kept you up too late.”
Celeste sighed and smiled. “Yes, I do have to get up early to take care of the horses and the girls. I missed your company, Matthew.”
After Celeste checked on the girls, she made herself a cup of tea and sat quietly for a long time watching the horses as they snoozed in their stalls. She couldn’t decide if she wanted Matthew to stay for a while or just get back up in the mountains where he belonged, and where he wouldn’t be invading her mind in the wee hours of the morning.
The decision was made in the next few days when John showed up one evening, exhausted from the long ride in. He had borrowed a horse to come into camp to check on Celeste and tell her some big news.
“I’ve made a strike, sweetheart. A big one. I’ve brought in a sample to get it assessed. We’re going to be rich, Celeste.”
“Good, we’ll need money to raise and educate three children.”
John smiled and put his arms around her, “Three? When will number three make his or her appearance?”
“I’m not sure, probably sometime in the late winter. I wasn’t paying attention so I don’t know how far along I am.”
When Matthew showed up at the café for dinner that evening, John told him about the strike.
“Why aren’t you out looking, Matthew? There’s silver in those mountains.”
“I guess I just don’t have enough experience. I’ve never been a miner, I’m just a city boy trying to strike it rich.”
“Why don’t you put in with me? I could use another strong man. I’ve given each man who is working with me a 5% interest in the mine, I would be willing to do the same for you if you’re interested.”
Matthew thought for a minute and then extended his hand, “It’s a deal.”
The next morning Celeste, John and the girls started for Salt Lake City. Celeste to get more supplies for the café and John to drop the samples at the assay office, and tell the Captain what was going on. He also wanted to see if he could raise a more money for equipment.
They stayed in the city for two days. Captain Johnson introduced John to a man who had some money to lend, and even though it made Celeste uneasy, John borrowed $5,000.00 from him and ordered more equipment.
Matthew and John left for the mine the same day they got back to Park Camp. Celeste went on working in her little garden, cooking for the few men still in camp, and waiting for her baby to come.
For the beginning of this story, see the “She Writes” category…
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