Read A Dream for Tomorrow Online

Authors: Melody Carlson

A Dream for Tomorrow (10 page)

BOOK: A Dream for Tomorrow
4.58Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

“Thomas Gray,” she supplied.

His brown eyes lit up. “You know that poem?”

“I remember it. It always seemed a sad one to me.”

He nodded. “It seems like a young person’s sort of poem. I had to memorize it as a lad.”

“Do you still know it?”

“Only the last few lines.”

“Say them,” she challenged.

He laughed uncomfortably as he looked up at the sky. “Let me see…” And then in a deep orator’s tone, he began to recite.

To each his sufferings: all are men,

Condemned alike to groan;

The tender for another’s pain,

The unfeeling for his own.

Yet ah! why should they know their fate?

Since sorrow never comes too late,

And happiness too swiftly flies.

Thought would destroy their paradise.

No more; where ignorance is bliss,

’Tis folly to be wise.

Despite the warm sun overhead, she felt gooseflesh on her arms. “I haven’t heard that poem in years…I’m astonished at the meaning of it now.”

“In some ways it seems to typify your life at the moment…don’t you think?”

She simply nodded. “The part about feeling another’s pain…”

“And how sorrow never shows up late…and happiness too swiftly flies.”

“But you don’t agree with Gray, do you?” she asked. “Certainly, you wouldn’t trade wisdom for bliss?”

He rubbed his chin in a thoughtful way. “Sometimes I would.”

She was surprised by this and didn’t try to conceal it.

“But most of the time I wouldn’t,” he assured her. “The truth is I believe that happiness and wisdom can be compatible. At least I hope so.” He removed his hat, running his fingers through his dark wavy hair with a faraway look in his eyes. “That’s why I decided to go west. I hoped I might eventually find happiness…and I hoped to use my wisdom along the way.”

“And so far?”

He looked at her, and his serious expression was absorbed by a smile. “So far…so good.”

Chapter Seven

T
hat same evening, after supper, Will came to Elizabeth’s camp and paid a visit to Mrs. Taylor in the back of Elizabeth’s wagon. He stayed for the best part of an hour. Elizabeth and Ruth were just finishing up the supper dishes when he finally emerged.

“How did that go?” she asked as she set a cast-iron skillet on the fire to dry.

“I’m not sure.” He glanced over his shoulder back toward the wagon. “She is a stubborn woman.”

Elizabeth couldn’t help but chuckle over this. “But sometimes stubbornness is a good quality.”

“Sometimes.” His brow creased as he patted Ruth on the head. But Elizabeth sensed this wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have in the presence of children.

“Thanks for your help,” she told Ruth. “Now you can go over to Uncle Matthew’s wagon and listen to the music if you like.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Will said. “I’ll bet that’s where my children are headed by now. We certainly have some fine musicians in our unit.”

After Ruth left, Will quietly told Elizabeth a bit about the conversation. “She feels like she’s reached the end of her rope,” he explained.

“What?”

“She wants to die.”

“Oh…” Elizabeth wasn’t very surprised.

“I got her to admit that she really has no one to go back to in the East.”

“I was worried that might be her situation.”

“And now she is afraid that she will be a burden to the mission in Fort Walla Walla.”

“I can understand that.” In fact, Elizabeth couldn’t help but think Mrs. Taylor was a burden right now. But she wouldn’t voice this aloud.

“I tried to make it clear to her that she is responsible for herself and her own well-being. And I told her it was impolite for her to continue taking unfair advantage of your hospitality. I told her that you have enough on your hands with your children and this trip without having an invalid to care for as well.”

“You said that?” Elizabeth’s hand flew to her mouth.

“I did.” He smiled. “Perhaps a bit more gently. But I wanted her to grasp the gravity of her actions…or rather, her inactions.”

“You actually called her an invalid?”

“Not in those words. But I told her that she needs to get up tomorrow. She needs to do some walking. She needs to help you and your mother with the chores. I told her that if she doesn’t do these things, she will most assuredly turn into an invalid. And you do not need an invalid on your hands.”

“No.” She grimly shook her head. “Not at all.”

“So it will be up to you, Elizabeth. Tomorrow morning, you must hold her accountable to these things. See that she gets up and gets dressed and gets outside. You will do her no favors by continuing to cater to her this way.”

“You’re right.” She nodded eagerly. “Thank you so much!”

“And I made her tell me her age.”

“Really?”

“I told her it would help me to assist her in the plan for her future.”

“How old is she?” Elizabeth whispered.

He chuckled. “How old do you think she is?”

“I’m not really sure. I’ve assumed she’s about ten years older than my mother. I’d say at least sixty. Maybe even sixty-five.”

He laughed. “She is forty-six.”

Elizabeth blinked. “Are you jesting?”

“Not at all. She told me her date of birth.”

“She’s younger than my mother.” Elizabeth couldn’t help but compare the two women. Her mother was so active and helpful and engaged. So unlike Mrs. Taylor.

“And I hate to admit it, but she’s not that much older than I am. I even pointed that out to her.”

Elizabeth just shook her head. “Well, I never…”

“To my way of thinking, the old girl should still have a lot of life left in her.”

“There you are, Dad!” Belinda came dancing into their campground. “We need more dancers for a reel.” Now she grabbed Elizabeth’s hand as well. “Come on, you two, this is our last night on this side of the river. We need to celebrate.”

And celebrate they did. Late into the night. Most of the people from their unit had gathered to enjoy the warm summer evening. Out of respect for Mrs. Taylor’s bereavement, they had relocated their evening sing-alongs from Asa’s camp to Matthew’s several days ago. And the past few nights they had tried to keep the noise level down. But Elizabeth felt certain Mrs. Taylor could hear their music and laughter tonight. And perhaps that was a good thing. Even if the sound of merrymaking enraged the pious old woman, who wasn’t that old, it might also help to shake her out of her mire of gloom and despair.

Elizabeth danced with her father and Will and young Jeremiah and several others. But the whole while, she found herself glancing over her shoulder, searching along the sidelines, hoping to spy a man in fringed buckskins. Often Eli had been lured to their campsite by the music. But he was nowhere to be seen tonight. Even so, Elizabeth was enjoying herself, and each time her thoughts strayed to Eli, she reprimanded herself.

“May I have your attention, folks,” Asa waved his hands, quieting the musicians. “As enjoyable as this is, I must insist this is the last dance. We all have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, and it’s getting late. We all need a good night’s rest.”

Although the young people complained, Elizabeth knew they would comply, and for the last dance, the musicians played another reel. She wasn’t too surprised when Will asked her to dance. Still grateful for his help with Mrs. Taylor, and realizing how much she valued his friendship, she gladly agreed. They had just begun to dance when she noticed some of the young people pointing in their direction and laughing.

Elizabeth looked uneasily at Will, wondering why they had suddenly become such a spectacle. But then she realized that Will was staring over her shoulder with a shocked expression. She stopped dancing and turned in time to see a woman in a rumpled white nightgown with long gray hair flying behind her dancing wildly toward them with a crazed look in her eyes.


What on earth
!” Elizabeth gasped, unable to believe her eyes. “
Mrs. Taylor?

“It most certainly is.” Will looked on with amusement.

The musicians, oblivious to this new development, continued to play, and Mrs. Taylor continued to dance in a clumsy, uncontrolled sort of way.

“What do you think is in that bottle?” Will asked her.

Elizabeth’s hand flew to her mouth when she spied the amber bottle in Mrs. Taylor’s hand. Ruby’s whiskey! Was it possible Mrs. Taylor had drunk all of it? Letting go of Will’s hand, she rushed over to Mrs. Taylor, trying to put an arm around her, hoping to lead her back to the wagon.

“Lemme go,” Mrs. Taylor yelled at her as she pulled away. “I wanna dance with the rest of the heathens!”

“Let her dance!” one of the youths called.

“Yes, let her dance!” yelled another.

Elizabeth looked over at Will, hoping for help.

“Come on, Mrs. Taylor,” he began. “Let’s get you back to—”

“Dance with me!” she yelled. Then she tipped the bottle to her lips and, seeing that it was empty, gave it a toss that narrowly missed Asa’s head. By now the music had stopped, and everyone was staring at Mrs. Taylor as she held onto Will’s hand, demanding to dance with him.

“Strike up the band,” he called out. “Mrs. Taylor wants to dance.”

Matthew and the others couldn’t help laughing but once again began to play.

“What has gotten into her?” Asa asked as he and Clara came over to join Elizabeth.

“Ruby’s whiskey,” she quietly confessed.


What?
” Asa looked truly shocked.

“The doctor recommended it as medicine on the day Mr. Taylor died. But she hated the taste of it so much, I couldn’t get her to take it again. She must have found the bottle tonight.”

“Goodness! Was the bottle full?” Clara asked with concern.

Elizabeth just nodded. “Do you think it will hurt her?”

“Well, it doesn’t look like she’s hurting right now,” Asa chuckled.

“But if she drank all of it, Father, could it hurt her?”

He glanced over at the discarded bottle. “I don’t think so. However I suspect she will be feeling the effects in the morning.”

Elizabeth watched in disbelief and horror as Mrs. Taylor continued to dance all over the place, dragging poor Will along with her. The young people continued trying to do the reel but eventually gave up and simply watched, giggling among themselves.

“Mercy me!” Clara put a hand on her cheek. “I never would have believed this if I hadn’t seen it for myself. Mrs. Taylor…drunk as a skunk.”

“Since the old girl has a taste for moonshine, maybe we can convince her to travel with Ruby and Doris after all.” Asa winked at Elizabeth.

“Oh, Asa!” Clara just shook her head.

“I’m only jesting.” His eyes searched the crowd of onlookers. “I wonder what became of Ruby and Doris.”

“I believe they turned in,” Clara told him. “Which is what we should all be doing.”

“What I want to know is how much more of that moonshine Ruby is carrying.” He frowned. “I’ll talk to her in the morning.”

BOOK: A Dream for Tomorrow
4.58Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Get Me Out of Here by Rachel Reiland
Watery Graves by Kelli Bradicich
Black Sun Reich by Trey Garrison
Famous by Simone Bryant
Ice Burns by Charity Ayres
Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey