Chapter Thirteen

Amanda felt fine the next morning and being of a normally sunny disposition, she put all thoughts of the day before out of her mind as they prepared for the party that evening.

“I am planning to make a pie from the berries we gathered yesterday.” Beth told her.  “Why don’t you make some cookies?  Everyone is contributing something.  I am looking forward to meeting more of the people of Seattle.  But I am looking forward to the church service tomorrow even more!”

Amanda’s expression had darkened just a little at the mention of the berries, but she agreed to make the cookies.  Riley had promised to come by for them shortly before seven when the party was to begin.

Later that afternoon, the women bathed and prepared to dress for the party.  Amanda and Beth were both wearing Sunday dresses that they had brought from Ohio.  Sarah refused to wear anything but her normal dress of white blouse and long dark skirt.

“I might be needed, and I don’t want to have on all that fancy stuff.  It gets in my way when I am working!” Sarah told them when they urged her to borrow one of their dresses.

Riley and his friend, Will, came by shortly before seven to walk with the women to the community home where the party would be held.

Beth watched Riley carefully to see if she thought he paid any special attention to Amanda, but other than looking at her as if to determine if there were any lasting effects of her encounter with the Indian the day before, he seemed to divide his attention equally between the others in their group.

It only took a few minutes for them to arrive at the community building.  Even though they were a little early, quite a number of people were already there.  Amanda recognized several people that they had met during the week, but there were many unfamiliar faces.

Built especially to house the prospective brides, the community building was easily the largest building in town.  The major portion of the downstairs was taken up with a large community room.  Behind this was a small kitchen that the women used for the preparation of their meals.  Upstairs was a dormitory style room where the women slept. The women were chaperoned by Mrs. Ethel Miller, a formidable widowed matron in her mid-fifties who slept in a separate bedroom upstairs.

The group was met with cries of greetings from the ones who had already met the new doctor and her two friends.  Almost everyone in attendance knew Will and Riley on sight.  They were happy to see their traveling companions and were soon greeting Mr. and Mrs. Taylor as well as the other women.

Estelle looked fully recovered.  Her figure was disguised in a fully cut dress and her complexion was glowing.  She greeted all three warmly but drew Sarah aside to thank her again for her care during the trip.

The women who were residing in the community home exclaimed over their dresses and hair as they urged them toward the refreshment table.  Amanda and Beth put the food they had brought with the other refreshments even as Jane urged them to have a cup of cider.

Amanda gazed around the room while drinking the cool cider.  There was a large group of men in the room.  They outnumbered the women three to one, and she assumed they were some of the settlers and men from the nearby camps.

Amanda noticed a small group of men at the front of the room.  One had a fiddle, another a banjo, while the third had a guitar.  A fourth man soon joined them holding a harmonica, and she realized that they would provide the music for the evening.  When the band struck up their first tune, the men in the room looked awkwardly at each other as if they did not know what to do, but once the first man moved to claim a partner, the rest eagerly followed.  

“Beth, would you like to dance?”  Taking her arm, Riley led Beth out onto the dance floor.

Soon all of the women were dancing, even Sarah who claimed to have two left feet.  Amanda could see that skill was not important as everyone simply enjoyed the time of fellowship and getting to know each other.  As soon as one song finished, the men claimed another partner.  The band played a set of six songs and stopped for a brief break.  Amanda was glad to have a chance to get another cup of cider.  With so many people in the room, it had grown rather warm.

Several men gathered around Amanda and vied for her attention.  Looking around, she noticed that each of the women had their share of attention.

Riley and Beth joined Amanda near the refreshment table.  Riley began to introduce some of the men to the women.

“This is Mack McDonald,” indicating a tall man in a red flannel shirt and jeans.  “He works at one of the logging camps.  I think you know Ben Johnson, the owner of the general store.  And, Beth, this is Mr. Simpson, who has a farm north of town, near my land.  Remember I told you that you might be able to buy some chickens from him?”

Beth began talking to Mr. Simpson about the possibility of buying several chickens while Amanda tried to engage the other two men in conversation.

“Tell me about the logging camp.  Is it far from here?”

“No, Ma’am.  It’s about three miles from town.  We don’t get to come to town too often.  Our boss, J.T., works us from sun up to sun down and expects a lot out of us for our pay.  It’s good money though.  If I can get one of these pretty girls to marry me, I will probably make me a claim on some land around here.  I guess I could work at the saw mill.  There’s no way I would want to be up at camp with my bride down here in town – and J.T. would never allow a woman in camp!  That’s one thing he is totally against.  Why, even our cook is a man!  That is one of his strictest rules – No Women!”

“I guess he has his reasons for that.” Amanda said politely while wondering about this J.T.

“Oh, yes, ma’am.  A woman would just be too distracting for the men.  And logging is dangerous.  All it takes is one moment of not paying attention and you can lose a leg or arm or even be killed.  Take Miss Ethel over there.  Her husband was crushed by a falling tree.”

“Well, I hope none of your men are injured, but if they are, I am sure that Dr. Adams will be only too glad to offer assistance.”

“You mean that purty little lady over there.  I can hardly believe she is a real doctor, but I can tell you, ma’am, that there is no way J.T. will ever let her in his camp!”

Amanda was about to defend her friend when the music began again and Ben asked her to dance.  Amanda murmured a goodbye to Mack as she stepped to the center of the dance floor with Ben.

“Mandy,” Sarah placed her hand on Amanda’s arm and motioned for her to step to the side of the room.

“What is it? Is something wrong?”

“No, but there has been a fight up at the logging camp.  One of the men has been cut badly. I have to go.  Don’t worry.  Mr. Parker is going to take me up.  I’ll be back as soon as I can, but I don’t know when.”

Amanda watched her friend slip quietly from the room. Once again she was reminded of all the qualities that she so greatly admired in Sarah.  Sarah was a strong Christian, and she was determined to follow God’s call to be a doctor.  Amanda had knowledge of all the opposition she had faced while in medical school, but Sarah had persevered in order to reach her goals.  Amanda only hoped that this J.T. would not give Sarah too much trouble.  She knew that Sarah would not back down if there was someone in need of medical care.  Amanda quickly sent up a prayer that God would be with Sarah and protect her and to help her with facing J.T.

Amanda had no shortage of partners as there were many more men than women, and she knew she would never remember all of the names.  She barely had time to speak to Beth or the other women.  She did notice Beth talking to Hannah, Riley, and Ben over by the refreshment table later in the evening.

          The dance was nearly over when Amanda realized that she had danced with many of the men present but not the one man she had hoped would ask her to be his partner.  She tried to hide her disappointment as the last dance was being announced.   She saw a particularly dirty man heading for her, and she hoped that she would not have to dance with him when Riley suddenly appeared at her side.

“May I have this dance, Mandy?” Riley smiled down at her, and she forgot all about the other man until Riley continued softly. 

“That man that was headed toward you is Leon Edwards.  It would be a good idea to avoid him if possible.  He lives out in the mountains with his son.  His wife – or the boy’s mother – died several years ago after a severe beating.  Leon said she fell but no one believed him.  We did not have any real proof that he did it though.  She was an Indian.  He usually stays out of town.  I hope he’s not looking for a wife.  He hardly works, just does a little trapping now and then.  And when he does get some money, he spends it all on liquor. There are rumors that he mistreats the boy too.”  Riley’s jaw tightened at the thought of the man’s cruelty.

Amanda tried not to look at the man even while she felt sorry for his child.  Once again Riley had come to her rescue.  She smiled up at him, thinking how safe and secure she felt in his arms.  Although not the best dancer in the room, he did not step on her toes as many of her partners had. 

At the end of the dance, everyone clapped loudly for the band and Riley leaned closer to whisper, “Don’t forget.  Will and I are walking you home.  Don’t even think about going without us. We have to help clean up before we go.”

Amanda did not normally have a temper, but she was a little angry that Riley would think they would ignore his earlier instructions.  Sighing, she went to help the others clean and prepare the room for the church service on the following morning.  Riley and Will, along with Ben Johnson and a few others, helped move the table, sweep and set up benches. The women washed the few dishes and put them away.

In a short time, the room had been restored to order and the two men came to escort them home.

“Where’s Sarah?” asked Riley.

“She had to go out on a call,” Amanda told him.

“What? Where and who escorted her?  I thought I told her not to go anywhere without an escort!”

“She did have an escort!  Mr. Parker took her.  Riley, Sarah is a wonderful doctor, and that is why she moved here.  She will go on calls.  She cannot do her job if she doesn’t.  I am sure she will be careful.”  Amanda tried to keep her tone even, but she knew that Riley would continue to argue about this, and she knew just as strongly that Sarah would continue to do just what she felt she needed to do.

Riley did not seem too happy about her answers, but he motioned for the others to go toward the door. 

Waving goodbye to the others, the foursome started on the short walk home.  Will and Beth led the way followed by Amanda and Riley.

Amanda looked at Beth and Will laughing and talking, and she could not help but be amazed by the changes in just a few short weeks in her shy friend.  Just months earlier, Beth would scarcely speak to a stranger or even someone she had known for a long time, especially men. Now she seemed to be happy and friendly toward everyone.  Amanda felt the experience of working in the store at home had helped, but she wondered if being out of the overpowering presence of her father had not had more to do with the change.

Amanda wished she could talk to Riley so easily.  He seemed to have little to say to her and, when she asked a question or tried to initiate a conversation, he became stoic and gave one or two word answers.  Amanda wondered why Riley was not walking with Beth and felt that he was disappointed to be walking with her. 

Arriving at the house, Beth said to the men, “I am so excited that we will be having our first church service tomorrow.  Mandy and I were worried that we would not have a church here.  Are you both coming?”

Will spoke up right away to say that he would be present, but Riley remained silent so that Beth asked him again, “What about you, Riley?  Aren’t you coming?”

Amanda held her breath as she waited for Riley’s answer.  She told herself that she simply wanted Riley to have the opportunity to hear the word of God, but she knew that while she did desperately want Riley to hear and believe, she also wanted to see him again.

Finally, Riley answered. “I don’t know.  I had planned to work on my house tomorrow. I don’t get much opportunity to work all day since I work so much at the mill.  I haven’t been to church much, just didn’t see the need, I guess.”

“Oh, Riley, everyone needs church and the Lord.  Please say you’ll come!  Beth said earnestly.  “I promise you won’t regret it.”

“We’ll see,” was his stoic reply.

“And if you do come, please plan on joining us for lunch.  Hannah and Ben will be here and, Will, I hope you will too.  You have both been so kind about bringing us fish and meat from your hunting and fishing that we will be glad to share what we have with you.”

Bidding the men a good night, the two women entered their home.

“Don’t forget to lock the door.” Riley called, and Amanda was sure that he stood outside until he heard them do so.

A short while later, the two women climbed into bed with their Bibles for their devotion.

“Mandy, I wanted to tell you that I plan on asking Ben tomorrow if he needs any help in the store. If Hannah is willing to move in with us, she can help with the chores.  I may also try to do some sewing for some of the women.”

Amanda assured Beth that she would be glad to help her in any way that she could.

“I hope to get a teaching job in the fall.  I will go next week to talk with the town leaders and see if the town is interested in starting a school.  Ben told me that there are at least fifteen children of school age and maybe even more.  If Hannah comes to live here, the four of us should be able to get everything done.”

“I hope Riley comes to church.  He has been a good friend to us and I don’t like to think that he is a non-believer.” Beth said.

Amanda had shared Riley’s comments on the ship with her friends and all three had been praying that Riley would be open to the message of salvation and that they would have a chance to witness to him.

She looked at Beth.  “Beth, do you remember what your mother said about marrying a non-believer?”

Beth said, “Yes, Mandy, but I don’t feel that way about Riley.  He is just a good friend to me.  I care about him but not in the way that I would have to feel about the man that I marry.  And I don’t think he feels that way about me either. If anything, he has feelings for you.  I saw him watching you all night!”

Amanda stared at Beth in amazement. “Why, he barely talks to me, yet he is always talking and laughing with you.”

“Yes, and you are quiet around him when you seem to have no problem talking with anyone else.”

“But that is only because he won’t talk to me. I have tried to be friendly, but he just ignores me.”

Beth laughed quietly and patted Amanda on the arm.

“Well, God will work it out if we give it up to Him.  Now let’s get some rest.  We have to get up early in the morning to get lunch ready and to prepare for church.  Oh, I can’t wait for our first service!”

Blowing out the candle, both women were sound asleep in a few minutes.

Chapter Twelve

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.  For the first two nights after arriving in Seattle, they had stayed in the community home with the other women but, as soon as Riley and some of his friends were able to bring the baggage from the dock, they had moved into the small house.  All of the women had worked hard in order to get the house in order. 

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, Beth had never seen so much water until she reached the West Coast.  Even though Amanda had seen the Atlantic Ocean several times, including when she lived in Boston, she shared Beth’s awe of the beauty of their surroundings.  She would never forget her first glimpse of 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, and I’ve seen him throw good workers out for some small error or even for just having the nerve to argue back with him.   But I’ll have to say, he works harder than anyone and never takes a day off.  Why, I’ve been up here five years, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in town.  If he needs anything, he sends one of the men into town to get it.  But he can get more logs down the mountain in a shorter time than anyone else who has tried, and he doesn’t ask anything of his men that he has not already done.”

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 was even named after Chief Seattle.  I don’t think the man would have hurt Mandy, although I admit there was a chance that he could have taken her.  We should all be more careful, but Riley is not going to tell me that I can’t ever go on calls if I am needed.’

“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.

Chapter Eleven

Amanda and Beth stood looking out of the window of their hotel in San Francisco.  They were staying on the third floor and were able to see some of the scenery of the city.

“Can you believe how beautiful it is here?” asked Beth.  “And I still can’t believe all of that water!  The hills are so steep that I feel sorry for the poor horses that pull the wagons up the hills – and going down them seems even more dangerous.”

Amanda agreed. “It was certainly a clever idea of that Mr. Hallidie who thought of the cable cars.  The cables are underground and are moving all the time.  Then the cars are hooked to them to pull them up and down the hills.  Riley said he would take us for a ride on one after he and Sarah get finished with their business.  I can’t wait, can you?”

Amanda had been surprised at the comfort of their hotel, which was modest but still had four floors and an elegant dining room downstairs.  The stores were full of all sorts of wonderful items that were not available even in St. Louis.  The women were eager to see more of the city, but Riley had made them promise not to go out of their hotel without a male escort.

The two were startled by a knock on the door of their room.

“Who is it?” Amanda asked, going to the door but not opening it.

“It’s Rebecca.”

Amanda opened the door and Rebecca hurried into the room and she seemed to be upset.

“What’s wrong?” Amanda asked

“It’s Emily.  She’s left the hotel.”
“What? But Riley said. . .”

“I know, but she said she refused to sit here for one more minute with nothing to do while he ran around with that doctor girl.  Those are her words, not mine!”  She exclaimed when she saw the look on Amanda’s face.

“I hope nothing has happened to her,” she continued.  “I know that she isn’t very nice sometimes; but I have known her for my whole life, and her parents will be so upset if. . .

Amanda looked at Beth.  “I don’t know what to do.  We can’t go out to look for her and yet, if we don’t, who knows what might happen.”

“Mandy, don’t you dare go after her.  Sarah and Riley will be back soon, and I am sure he will know what to do.” Beth said.

The three women decided to go downstairs to the lobby to see if there was any sign of Emily.  Beth and Rebecca sat on one of the couches while Amanda paced back and forth, going to the door every few minutes to look out.  It was on one of those trips to the door that she headed out the door and ran smack into Riley.  She was as surprised as he and would have fallen if he had not caught her by the arms.  Looking up into his eyes, she thought how relieved she was that he and Sarah were finally back.  She knew without a doubt that Riley would know exactly what they should do.

Riley simply looked down into Amanda’s eyes for a second, then she was surprised to see his face redden, and he thrust her away from him as if he could not stand to touch her.  She could tell by one look at his tightened jaw that he was angry.  In truth, he was furious.

“Just where do you think you are going!”  He blasted out at her.  “Didn’t I tell you that you were NOT to leave this hotel without either me or Mr. Taylor?”

“But. . .” Amanda was speechless and tears filled her eyes.

Luckily, Sarah knew her friend better than Riley did, and she gently pulled Amanda inside.  Before she could ask Amanda what was wrong, the other two women rushed up asking. “Did you tell them?  Oh, Riley, what are we going to do?”

Riley looked at them in confusion. 

“What are you talking about?”

Rebecca looked at Amanda as if she had done something wrong.

“Didn’t you tell them?”  Turning to Riley, she continued.  “Emily went out by herself about an hour ago.  I tried to get her to wait for you to return, but she wouldn’t listen and I am so worried.  What should we do?”

Immediately, Riley was all business.

“Sarah, take the others back to their rooms, and I will go out and find her.  Don’t worry, I won’t come back until I do.”

With those words, he hurried out the door. 

Amanda was still upset, but she allowed Sarah and Beth to take her upstairs to the room that they were sharing.  Once there, she dissolved into tears.

“Oh, Sarah and Beth, what ever have I done to make that man hate me so?”

Beth gently pushed Amanda’s hair back from her face and patted her shoulder.

“Nonsense!  Riley doesn’t hate you.  Why would you say such a thing?”

“You didn’t hear the way he talked to me!  He thought I was going to leave the hotel!  And he shook me and then he acted like he would rather die than touch me!” Amanda sobbed.

Sarah sat beside her friend on the bed and took her in her arms and let her cry, all while talking gently to her.

“Mandy, I am sure Riley does not hate you.  He is much too fine a man to hate you for no reason.  And he couldn’t have a reason.  I think he is just under a great deal of pressure because of being in charge of the group and worrying that something will go wrong.  He doesn’t need the added aggravation of Emily pulling a stunt like this!  I am sure that he will realize that he accused you wrongly when he has time to think about it.  He just had to go find Emily before she gets herself into trouble.”

Beth wet a cloth and wiped Amanda’s face.

“You try to rest, and I am sure that Riley will be back before supper.  I am looking forward to eating in that fancy restaurant downstairs, aren’t you?”

Amanda did try to rest, and within the hour, Riley knocked on the door to tell them he had found Emily shopping in a nearby store.  Sarah could tell that he was still angry, so she didn’t say anything to him about Amanda’s hurt feelings, but she resolved to speak to him at the first opportunity.  Riley told Sarah that they would meet downstairs in one hour for supper.

A short while later, the group met downstairs.  Mrs. Taylor had not felt like coming down and a much-subdued Amanda had stayed with her.  Sarah promised them both that she would have a tray sent up for them.

When Sarah and Beth returned to the room late that evening, Amanda had already retired for the night.

The next morning, Amanda awakened early and sat in a chair reading her Bible until the other two women awoke.  Amanda had not had much sleep.  No matter how she went over it, she just couldn’t understand why Riley had taken such a dislike to her.  She could think of nothing she had done.  The other two women awakened shortly and put on their dressing gowns and joined Amanda.

Sarah and Beth sat on the couch opposite Amanda.

“Mandy, I talked with Riley last night,” Sarah began.

“Oh, why did you do that?  Now he will just have another reason to dislike me!”

Sarah looked at her friend for a few minutes, saying nothing.

“Oh, I am sorry, Sarah.  I know it is not your fault.  And maybe I am overreacting, but he is always ignoring me and now this!”

Sarah looked at Beth and then turned to Amanda. 

“Mandy, this does not seem like the girl I have known for so long.  You are always the first one to give someone the benefit of doubt.  Remember how Stewart Hill was so mean to me and tormented me when I first went to school in Boston.  You were the one who told me to give him another chance.  And then you talked with him and found out that it wasn’t me he had a problem with but that his father was pressuring him to go into medicine when he had no desire to be a doctor.  Later, he became one of our good friends.  I don’t know why Riley upsets you so much.  I do know that Riley is under a great deal of pressure.  He feels responsible for all of us, and he would not take it lightly if something happened to any one in the group.  Emily has been a thorn in everyone’s side since St. Louis, and this last escapade had not helped.’

“Riley was surprised that you were so upset.  I think he was just worried about Emily being out and didn’t really think about how what he said would seem to you.  I think he will apologize later; in fact, he asked me to tell you that he was sorry if he hurt your feelings.  I told him that the words would mean a lot more if they came from him.’

“I’m not sure, but I think Riley may have been hurt in the past. I haven’t noticed any restraint with either of us, but he does seem to be cautious of anything he says around you.   I am sure it all will work out when we get to Seattle.  If you don’t like him, you shouldn’t have to see him that often.  Although he works in town, he has a claim outside of town and plans to move out there and farm as soon as his house is built.”

Amanda thought that not seeing him would be even worse than seeing him and being ignored, but she did not say that out loud.  Her thoughts were all mixed up when it came to Riley.

For the next four days, the group shopped and went sightseeing as much as they could.  All of the women were impressed by the beautiful bay and the Pacific Ocean.  Riley told them that he thought Seattle was even more beautiful than San Francisco, but no one could believe this was really true.

Amanda stood on the deck of The Pacific Queen.  This was their second day on board and all of the other women and Mr. Taylor had been dreadfully ill.  Amanda had spent most of her time going between the two cabins the women shared, trying to help in anyway she could.  Riley and Mr. Taylor shared the other cabin, and he too had had a share in nursing Mr. Taylor and helping Amanda empty the endless buckets and mopping up the constant spills.  Sarah had advised Amanda of medicine she could give to those who were affected, and it gave some relief.  For once, all of the patients were sleeping, and Riley had offered to accompany Amanda up on deck.

This was her first chance to get any fresh air, and Amanda simply stood at the railing and let the fresh breeze blow away all the stale air and the smell of sickness.  Closing her eyes, she took deep breaths, never realizing that Riley watched her every move.  He had been standing several feet behind and to one side of her, but now he moved beside her at the rail.  Startled, Amanda turned wide blue eyes on him. 

Seeing who it was, she relaxed and took another deep breath.

“Mmmm, this is heaven, isn’t it?”

When she looked up at Riley again, she sobered at his serious expression.

“Oh, no, what have I done now?” she thought.

Riley looked into her eyes for another moment, then taking a deep breath of the fresh air himself, he turned and looked out across the water.

“Mandy, I owe you an apology.  Sarah told me I hurt your feelings in San Francisco.  I was . . . well, I guess I jumped to conclusions when I saw you coming out of the door of the hotel.  And I was so afraid something would happen to one of the group.  You know, I never wanted to be in charge of this at all.  When I came east with Asa, it was to visit my brother in St. Louis.  Then Asa got his big idea for me stay there and bring out a group while he continued east.  Stuff like that doesn’t bother him at all, but it was a big step for me to be responsible for all of you. And Emily proves that something can go wrong.”

“But, Riley, you can’t blame yourself for Emily.  Goodness knows, you did all you could, and we all talked with her.  I wonder why she thought she would ever be happy in Seattle anyway.  I can’t imagine her roughing it anywhere.  It is probably better that she stayed in San Francisco.  I just hope that she will be happy with that Mr. Burton.”

Without thinking, Amanda had placed her hand on Riley’s arm and now he stared down at it so that her face reddened, and she snatched it away as if burned.  In fact, her face was burning and her hand felt hot too.

Then Riley did something he had never done before.  He smiled down at Amanda, and suddenly Amanda could think of nothing to say.  She just stood looking up at his beautiful brown eyes.  She could not help thinking to herself that he was so handsome.  She wasn’t sure how long they stood there before Riley finally looked away.  She forced herself to look back at the water, but she wasn’t aware of seeing anything.

Riley cleared his throat, as if what he wanted to say was hard for him.

“Mandy, I think I have misjudged you.  I thought you were like Emily, just a beautiful girl concerned only with herself, intent on catching the best husband you could.’

Amanda could only stare in astonishment.  What had she ever done to give him the idea that she was that type of person?

“I know, you did not deserve that sort of snap judgement.  I guess the past has affected my judgement.  You see, in the first group of women that Asa brought out to Seattle, there was this beautiful blonde with blue eyes.  I thought she was interested in me, but it turned out, she had several men interested in her, and she married the richest one she could find.  They ended up moving down to the Willamette Valley, but I vowed I would never be fooled by a pair of big, innocent blue eyes again.  But the past two days have shown me that you are nothing like that woman.  You have worked hard and did not seem to care how you looked or if you got dirty.  You just wanted to help the others.  Emily or the other woman would never have done that.”

Amanda really didn’t know what to say about that.  Wouldn’t anyone else have done as much?  Although she had to admit that she couldn’t see Emily emptying buckets or mopping spills.  Maybe this explained why Riley had ignored her in the past.

She smiled up at Riley. “Well, I can’t imagine anyone doing any differently than I did.  After all, those are my friends.  And it says in the Bible that ’if ye do this, unto the least of these’. . “

Riley looked at her as if he didn’t know what she was talking about.

“Do you know those verses, Riley?”

Continuing, when he shook his head, she quoted:

For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in;

Naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 

Then shall the righteous answer Him saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in?  Or naked, and clothed thee?

Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and come unto thee?

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily, I say unto you, ‘Inasmuch as he have done to the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ (Matthew 25:35 – 40 KJV)

Riley listened with narrowed eyes as if he were thinking about the words as she said them. 

Looking away once again, he said, “Is that from the Bible?”

“Yes, it is.  It is one of my favorite passages.”

“Well, I don’t know much about the Bible.  None of my family has ever gone to church much.  And we haven’t even had a church in Seattle.  I guess I’ve gotten along without all that religion so far just fine.  I don’t steal or hurt anyone.  I think I’m a pretty decent sort without all of that do-gooder stuff.  Besides, I don’t think I could ever be good enough for that crowd.”

Amanda could not keep the tears from her eyes when she answered, “Oh, Riley, it’s not about being good.  If it was, no one could ever be good enough to earn their way into heaven.  It’s about accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior and letting Him guide your life.  Please won’t you come to church with us in Seattle?”

Riley’s face seemed closed as he answered shortly. “We’ll see.  Now I think we had better get below and check on our patients.  If that medicine is working, they might be able to keep a little broth down.”

Amanda sighed as they went below.  She knew that she would be earnestly praying that Riley would come to know the Lord, and she planned to ask Beth and Sarah to pray as well. Without asking herself why, her heart was heavy at the thought that Riley was a non-believer.