Amanda swept the last bit of dirt from the front door of their new home. Looking out at the town, she saw evidence of new growth everywhere. The sound of hammering filled the air as new buildings went up around town. She could even hear the buzz of the saws from the saw mill located on the coast of the Puget Sound several blocks away. The air was filled with the pleasant scent of evergreen trees and salt water.
Amanda smiled to herself as she turned to survey their new home. Just a simple frame building, Amanda had grown to love it in the week that they had been in Seattle Seattle
Riley’s friend, Will Sloan, was an accomplished carpenter who had built several houses in anticipation of the new families that would be formed of the unions between the women and settlers. Will had made some furniture and built shelves for the medical examination room and the kitchen. Sarah was renting the house for now but had plans to buy it as soon as possible. The house was located about three blocks from the Sound on a half acre lot. There was room in the back for a small garden and a barn - really no more than a shed that Sarah planned to use for a horse as soon as she was able to purchase one.
The house was a square consisting of four rooms. On the left in the front was the sitting room. This would also be used as a waiting room if necessary for Sarah’s patients. It was simply furnished with two rocking chairs and two long benches. There was a small wood stove at the far end of the room.
To the right of this room was the medical examination room. It held a high, narrow table for examining patients and two stools. Medical supplies were stored on shelves beside each window. Under the window was a locked chest where Sarah stored medicine.
The bedroom was behind the examination room. It contained two feather beds. An oval mirror was hung on the wall above the washstand, which held a bowl and pitcher. Will had made pegs for their clothing and there were two trunks along the wall to hold the rest of their clothes and other personal items. Amanda went into the sitting room and continued through the house to the kitchen behind it where Beth was kneading dough for bread. The room was furnished with essentials, including a square table, four chairs, and a counter with shelves under it. The wood stove was on the opposite wall. Amanda was pleased with the homey touches that Beth had added to the room – gingham curtains at the windows and a vase of flowers on the table.
“Everything looks wonderful! I am so glad we are finally in our new home! Isn’t it great?” Amanda exclaimed.
“I think so.” Beth looked around the room, satisfied with all that she could see. There were a few dishes, along with pots and pans as well as supplies and canned goods on the shelves. Beth planned to make matching curtains to cover them as soon as she could.
“I can’t wait until we are able to pick some of our vegetables from our garden! With these long days, Riley says they will grow like we won’t believe! And he is going to talk to Mr. Simpson about getting me some chickens! Won’t it be wonderful to have fresh eggs again?”
Riley and Will had helped them turn the dirt for their small garden in the back. Beth had brought seed from home and had already planted beans, corn, squash, onions and potatoes.
At the back of the kitchen was the door leading to the back yard. Will had built a small lean-to where they stored their wash tub along with the items that they did not have room for inside. In cooler weather, they would be able to store food items there as well as in a small root cellar below the kitchen.
Beth covered the rising dough with a cloth and set it aside. Rinsing and wiping her hands, she asked, “Would you like to walk down to the water? I never tire of seeing its beauty, and we might be able to find some mussels for our supper. Riley said there were berry bushes not too far. I would love to pick some for a pie.”
“That sounds good to me. Let me get the bucket from the shed. You get a basket for the berries. Where’s Sarah?”
“She went with Riley to meet his boss, Mr. Parker. I think she and Riley feel that people will trust her more if they get to know her. You know her only patient so far has been Estelle. I’m sure she will soon have many more as people get used to the idea of a woman doctor.”
The two women strolled down the street. As they passed the general store, Beth craned her neck to catch a glimpse of the sound. As they walked down the hill, the buildings cleared, and they had a full view of the sound.
Beth gasped, “Oh, Mandy, it’s just so beautiful! The sun glistening on the water sparkles like diamonds!”
Amanda agreed that the view was wonderful. Being from Ohio Boston Seattle and the Puget Sound . The water was so blue, and the entire area was filled with towering pines. She could understand why the logging business was so successful here.
After enjoying the view, the two hurried to the shore to gather mussels for their supper. After gathering several dozen, Amanda carefully set the bucket down on a stump while she and Beth began to pick the berries.
“Mmmm, I can already taste this pie. Do we have enough sugar?” asked Amanda.
“Yes, I got some at the store yesterday. And I am looking forward to having something beside fish chowder for supper!” The two women laughed. Fish was the most plentiful meat, so they had fish or chowder just about every day. They depended on the men to hunt and fish for them, and Riley had promised to try to get some other type of meat. During the warm weather, meat spoiled quickly, but usually successful hunters shared with others in the community so there was no waste.
“Riley promised he would go hunting as soon as he could. Venison or even a rabbit would surely taste good.”
“Yes, and as soon as I get some chickens, we will let some of the eggs hatch so we can have chicken every now and then!” Beth exclaimed.
The two women were so busy picking berries and talking that they did not notice that they had gone further into the woods and could not see the town any longer. Suddenly, Amanda felt a prickling on the back of her neck. Looking up, she grabbed Beth’s arm and pulled her close to her as both were frightened to see an Indian brave. He was holding their bucket of mussels. Amanda did not know what to do. The brave was between them and town, and she knew they should not venture further into the woods.
“Lord, please help us. Tell us what to do,” she prayed fervently.
The Indian brave came closer and both women were afraid to move. Amanda whispered to Beth, “Be ready to run when I tell you.”
She pushed Beth behind her as the Indian came right up to them. He reached out to touch Amanda’s bright yellow hair. He seemed mesmerized by it.
Giving Beth a push, Amanda whispered, “Go!” but Beth seemed frozen to the spot. Amanda pushed harder and said louder, “GO!”
Beth picked up her skirts and ran as fast as she could toward town. After about ten steps, she realized that Amanda was not following her, and she stopped and looked back only to have Amanda motion desperately for her to go on. Beth began running once again, thinking only of getting help for her friend when she barreled right into Riley.
Barely able to take a breath, she managed to gasp, “Mandy . . . Indian!” and pointed back the way she had come. Riley wasted no time asking questions but took off as quickly as possible toward the bushes where Amanda and the Indian were. Within seconds he saw Amanda, who was as pale as a ghost, and the Indian who by now had a handful of Amanda’s hair and was smelling it.
“Maouk,” Riley was relieved to see that this Indian was one that he knew was friendly. The Indian looked around at Riley’s approach and dropped Amanda’s hair in order to hold his hand up in a sign of welcome. The two men exchanged a few words. Amanda was scarcely aware of anything even as Beth came up to her and guided her toward the town. Riley soon followed with their bucket and basket.
As soon as they were out of the woods, Riley gave Beth the bucket and the basket.
“Are you all right?” He held Amanda by the shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. Amanda was still pale and seemed unable to utter even a few words. Without another word, Riley picked her up in his arms and started up the hill toward their house.
This shocked Amanda into saying, “What are you doing? Put me down. People will see you!” Even this was said in a weak, gasping voice so that Riley paid little heed to her.
“You’ll be fine. Sarah is at your home, and I will feel better when she has had a look at you.”
“Riley, put me down! I’ll be fine! I just had a little fright. It is not necessary for you to carry me all of that way. Put me down. . . Please!” This last was said in a shaky voice that sounded as if it bordered on tears, and like most men, Riley was deathly afraid of tears so he did as she asked.
Once he had put her on her own two feet, Amanda had to stop for a moment to catch her breath. She was very shaken by the ordeal, but she did not wish Riley or Beth to know just how badly, so she tried to pull herself together. She began walking up the hill but did allow Beth to take one arm, and Riley took the other as they led her toward the house.
Sarah took one look at Amanda before running toward the group.
“What’s happened? Mandy, you are as white as a sheet!”
By this time, Amanda was more embarrassed than hurt, so she quickly answered, “Nothing! I’m fine.”
But Riley and Beth were not about to let her get away with that. Riley explained the situation to Sarah who immediately led Amanda to her bed. Riley and Beth remained in the kitchen and Beth began making some strong tea as Sarah had requested.
Riley began pacing as soon as the bedroom door closed until finally Beth said, “Riley, sit down. You are making me even more nervous that I already am!”
“I can’t sit down until I know that she is all right. Don’t you see? This is why I have cautioned all of you not to go anywhere alone. And as if the Indians were not enough to worry about, the men who work in the logging camps and some of the trappers have not seen a woman in months, if not longer. A woman is not safe wandering around up here! You should not go out without an escort! How many times have I already told you? And now I am just walking back to my cabin and this is what I find! What if I had decided to go somewhere else? Where would she be now?”
By this time, Riley was practically yelling. Beth wanted to cry because she too had had a severe shock, but she forced herself to remain calm.
“Riley, calm down! You will upset her even more with all of this yelling! Sit down and have a cup of tea. I am sure that Mandy will be fine. She just had something of a shock. For that matter, so have I. You are right. We should not have gone into the woods without a man along, but we just wanted to pick a few berries, and I guess we did not realize we were out of sight of the town. I am sorry, and we won’t do it again. Let me go and check on Mandy.”
Beth went to the bedroom door and knocked softly. Sarah opened the door and came into the kitchen. She motioned for Beth to join them at the table as she poured herself a cup of the tea. One look at Riley told her that he was still agitated and she had heard most of what he had said about their going out alone, so she addressed her remarks to him.
“Riley, Mandy will be fine. I have given her a light sedative, so she will sleep for a short while. I think Beth and Mandy will heed your warnings more in the future. But you did say that the Indians around here were friendly. And you say that you knew this man?”
“Yes, I know him and he is friendly, but you women just don’t understand how it is for some of these men. They have not seen a woman in so long. And for an Indian to see something like that blonde hair! Well, you just have to be careful!”
“Riley, I really am sorry! I shouldn’t have let her go so far, and I was the one who suggested that we go down there. I would never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to her.”
Beth sounded as if she might burst into tears at any second. Sarah could see that the best thing to do was to change the subject.
“We will talk more about it later, but I am sure that these two will promise that they won’t go out alone and will stay out of the woods from now on.”
“And you. . . Sarah? Will you promise that too?”
Sarah shook her head and said in a firm voice, “Riley, I am a doctor. As a doctor, I will go wherever I am needed. And if that means I have to go out by myself, then that is what I will have to do!”
Sarah could tell that Riley was all set for an argument, but she held up her hand. “No arguments! I do what I have to do. That’s my job! But I will promise to be careful and to go with someone if at all possible.”
“Promise me you will stay out of the logging camps. They are just too dangerous for any woman!”
Sarah just looked at Riley, and he knew she would never promise not to go.
“Well, I don’t have to worry too much because old J. T. will never allow you in the camps he runs. He has a firm rule about no women, and no one wants to cross him. He is meaner than a rattlesnake!”
“Who is this J.T.? And why would he think he could tell me what to do? I answer to no man!” Sarah said hotly.
“He’s the boss of several of the logging camps around here. He is a good boss for all that he is a demanding man. No one – and I mean no one – ever crosses him and gets away with it. If you want to work for him, it has to be by his rules. A logging camp is a dangerous place, and he insists on everyone following safety rules. You break one of his rules, and you are out of a job. I worked for him for about six months when I first came up here from Oklahoma
Sarah thought to herself, “Well, I don’t care what this J.T. says. If I need to go to the camp in order to save someone’s life, I am going and he won’t stop me!”
Changing the subject, Beth asked Riley, “Are you going to the party tomorrow night?”
The town planned to have a party every Saturday night in order to introduce the new women settlers to the men of the community. This would be the first one but they would continue through the summer. Mr. Mercer was due to arrive within the next week with the remainder of the women. Riley had said that Mr. Mercer was bringing fifty more women with him! The parties would be held in the community home and several forms of entertainment were being planned. Mr. Taylor hoped to have a church service every Sunday morning beginning this Sunday. These would be held in the community building as well. The women had been looking forward to meeting more of their neighbors.
“I plan to attend, and I would be honored if you three would allow me to accompany you. I don’t want you walking by yourself, especially after dark. Ordinarily, you should be safe enough in town in the daytime, but there will be extra men coming in from the camps and surrounding farms. Do you think Mandy will be able to go?”
This last was directed to Sarah who was able to reassure Riley that she fully expected Amanda to be her normal self after a few hours of rest.
After Riley left, Beth and Sarah prepared their evening meal. Beth built the fire up in the wood stove and put the bread in to bake. Sarah brought water in to wash the mussels and put them in a pot on top of the stove to steam. When opened, they would be used to make chowder.
“Sarah, do you really think Mandy will be all right?” Beth had a serious look on her face. Until she had run away, she had always done whatever her father had asked of her, and now she still wanted to do the right thing.
Sarah took one look at her and knew that Beth was blaming herself for what had happened in the woods. Taking her hands, she led the younger woman to the table and they sat down.
“Beth, you mustn’t blame yourself. You and Mandy shouldn’t have wandered away from the edge of town, but everyone knows the Indians are friendly. The town of Seattle
“I think he overreacted just a little. I think he cares more for Mandy than he lets on, and when he saw Maouk with his hands on Mandy’s hair, it frightened him so that he came down harder on us than he might have normally done. Also he still feels responsible for us since he was in charge on the trip out here. And now he says we must have a man with us every time we go out, but he cannot take us because he has to work! And we don’t know any of the other men here – not really – so how do we know any of them are safe? I think we just have to put it in God’s hands. Don’t take foolish chances but trust that the Lord will take care of us. He has so far, and I know that He will continue to do so.”
Beth had to agree with all that Sarah had said.
“Well, I still feel bad because it was my idea to go down there and to pick the berries, but I will be more cautious in the future.”
“There was something else I wanted to ask you. You know that Mr. Mercer is due to arrive with the rest of the women next week.”
Beth nodded.
“Riley says that he is supposed to have fifty women with him. As many as possible will stay in the home but it will be pretty crowded so some of the married couples and families are taking in some of the women. I thought we might have one stay with us. We do have two beds, and I could share mine with someone. Or we could ask one of the women already here to stay with us since we already know them. What do you think of that idea?”
“Oh, I think that would be fine. I’d like to ask Hannah, if that’s all right with you and Mandy. I talked with her yesterday, and she is so homesick. I think it might help her if she were a part of our family here.”
“I think that is a wonderful idea. I thought about her too, and I am sure that Mandy will agree.”
“Are you going to be able to go to the party tomorrow night?” Beth then asked Sarah.
“If nothing happens, I plan to go. The more people I meet, the more likely they are to call on me if I am needed.”
The two women continued talking about the party as they finished preparing their meal.
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