Archive for the ‘She Writes’ Category
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…
Posted in She Writes | 8 Comments »Working Title – The Silver Queen – Chapter 5 Draft
Written by Rocky Mountain Woman on November 27, 2010 – 10:30 am -
When Matthew got back with her supplies and seeds, it helped distract Celeste from watching John prepare to leave. He had loaded the wagon with supplies and planned on taking Babe and Homer this time. Although Celeste worried about John leaving before the spring storms had finished dumping snow, she understood he had to go work the claim. John and the men working with him were experienced miners. They would wrestle a fortune from the mountain.
On a crisp morning in late April, when the sun had barely started to rise, John and his little wagon train set out. He left Charger for Celeste so she would have transportation and because she had lined up a few mares to breed him to.
The days passed in caring for the girls and the mares. One morning late in May she decided to build a fence to keep the deer from the area that she planned on planting her garden in when the weather finally settled down. Between the rabbits and the deer, it would be all but impossible to harvest anything, but Celeste was so hungry for fresh vegetables, she wanted to try. She spent the next few weeks building a fence from boards left over from building the café. It wasn’t an especially beautiful fence, but it looked as though it would keep out the deer.
In June she planted corn, beans, spinach and several kinds of lettuce. If she could harvest one or two salads from it, the work would be justified.
One afternoon while the girls napped, Celeste went out to work in her little garden. It seemed as though as soon as she pulled a weed, three more came up in its place. A rabbit invaded her fence and startled her. She stood up abruptly and got so dizzy that she had to sit back down. She sat for a few minutes shocked by the realization she had almost lost consciousness, afraid to stand up.
Finally, she walked slowly back into the café and up the steps to her room. She lay down on the bed and tried to figure why it had happened. It wasn’t hot outside and she hadn’t been working too hard when she got dizzy. A flash of understanding brought her upright in bed and she said out loud, “I’m pregnant!”
She had been so busy, she had missed the early signs and now her body was telling her to slow down a little for the baby’s sake. Celeste smiled to herself, maybe John would finally get the son he so desperately wanted. The girls had been such a joy and really no trouble at all. Three would probably make life a little harder, but she loved being a mother.
Celeste slowed down her pace somewhat. She had more time since only a few customers still came in to eat. Most were up in the mountains looking for silver.
Posted in She Writes | 5 Comments »Working Title – The Silver Queen – Chapter 4 Draft
Written by Rocky Mountain Woman on November 22, 2010 – 7:22 am -
As promised, the winter was hard and long, but eventually the snow melted and there were a few days in a row where the sun shone and Celeste had hope that spring would come soon.
On one such morning, she got up early so she could spend some time enjoying the new day. She walked down the steps from her room to the kitchen and stoked up the fire so she could make coffee and start breakfast. When the coffee was ready, she sat at the table in the kitchen, lost in thought, trying to come up with a plan to convince John to go into Salt Lake to get her some seeds for a kitchen garden before he went back into the mountains.
She looked up to see Matthew coming toward the café. Matthew was one of her regular customers, he spent most of his evenings sitting in front of her fire, eating her food. He smiled as he came into the kitchen, stooping down so his head didn’t bump the door jam.
“Good morning, Celeste,”
“Matthew, what are you doing here so early? I’ve not even started breakfast yet.”
“I am going to try and make it down to Salt Lake for some supplies, I’m getting itchy to get back to my stake. I wondered if I could get you some coffee or something. I noticed we are starting to drink more chicory than coffee lately.”
Celeste laughed, “If I make you a list and give you some money will you get me some supplies?”
“Sure, I’m planning on being down there for a few days, so I’ll have time.”
“Thank you Matthew, I’m starting to run low and I’d like to try and get some garden seeds so I can put in a small kitchen garden.”
“It’s the least I can do after you’ve fed me so well all winter. My mother was French and eating your cassolet is the closest thing to home I’ve found here in the mountains. The only thing that kept me sane this winter was being able to come here and have a little civilized conversation and home cooking every night.”
Celeste ran upstairs to get the money cache she had put aside for John to buy supplies and some paper and a pencil. She quickly made a list and ran back down to give it to Matthew.
He smiled and gave her a quick hug, “I’ll see you in a week or so if this weather holds.”
Celeste watched him walk away. Matthew obviously had a crush on her. In a way, she was flattered. He was several years younger than her and quite good looking with his long dark hair. He was always polite and careful, but his eyes sent a message that had nothing to do with their conversations about French literature and culture. He spoke French fluently and she so enjoyed speaking to someone in her mother tongue, she had probably spent too much time talking to him. If the truth were to be known, Celeste was a little bit of a flirt. She was trying to change her behavior, but with Matthew, it was hard not to smile at him and make him feel welcome. Thank goodness he would be going up into the mountains in the spring and the whole thing would end.
It made her sad to think John and the men would also be leaving soon. They were anxious to go, but had to wait for the weather to settle down a bit and also for some equipment they had ordered from California with Celeste’s café money. She knew it was important to their future for John to go, but it would certainly be lonely without him.
Posted in She Writes | 4 Comments »