THE IMPERIAL ENGINEER (28 page)

Wood River Times
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~~~

Tony was already upright, pulling on his britches, when thunder woke Lulu.
Before she could sit up, he was into the kitchen. She realized the noise was caused by
someone pounding on the door, not thunder. Shivering in a bitterly cold draft from the
kitchen door, which Tony had left open, she reached for her robe. Tony sounded excited.
Or angry.

She was out of bed and had laid a fresh log on the dying fire by the time he came
back. "I've got to go," he told her as he opened the bedroom door and went in. He emerged,
carrying an armload of clothing. "Damn, it's cold!" Turning his back, he removed his
britches, replacing them with heavy canvas work pants. He pulled a wool shirt over his
Union suit and covered it with a dark sweater.

Lulu couldn't help but watch. His appearance was very different from the
gentleman she'd married, in his well-tailored suit and jaunty derby hat. Somehow he
looked more like the Tony she remembered this way, dressed as a common laborer. Or a
farm hand. "Go where?"

"Somebody vandalized the switchboard. Knocked out the night operator, made a
mess of things. I don't know when I'll be back." He tugged a wool cap over his dark hair,
paused at the door to the kitchen. "As soon as I get time, I'll send someone out with a
buggy for you to use. There's money in the bureau. Get some food, whatever else--"

A yell from outside interrupted him. "Yes, I'm coming," he called back. He looked
at her, frowning. "Look. I'm sorry--"

"Go," she told him. "I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, I know." He hesitated. "I'll see you later."

And he was gone. Before she could follow him to the back door, she heard hoof
beats go past the house, then fade into the distance.

The clock on the sideboard told her it was scarcely six o'clock on a Monday
morning. It wouldn't be light for another couple of hours, at least not light enough to walk
to town, even if she had boots to wear. She didn't intend to sit around and wait for him to
send a buggy, though. If the vandalism was serious, he might not remember until this
afternoon.

One way or another, she was going to town this morning.

* * * *

It was a mess. The vandals had torn all the labels from the switchboard--not too
serious--and had disconnected about half of the wires--serious. Tony groaned. Even with
Jack's help, they'd be all day getting everything straightened out, assuming they could get
started anytime soon. The sheriff's deputy seemed to want to look at every cut wire and
each torn label. Until he finished his investigation, all they could do was stand around.

At last the deputy finished looking around. "I doubt you'll ever figure out who
done this, Mr. Dewitt. There's a little bit of water over by the door, but it could've come
from Jack's shoes when he come in. Too bad Eph didn't see who hit him."

Eph Morton had probably been asleep in his cot beside the switchboard when the
vandals entered and struck him on the head. He was conscious now, but disoriented and
sick. Dr. Lewis had already warned them he might never remember anything.

"Do what you can," Tony told the deputy. He looked around the small room, with
its still-raw wood walls and broken door. They'd added it onto the back of the
Wood
River Times
building just last month, needing space for more switchboard panels, now
that their subscriber list was nearing one hundred. No one was likely to have seen the
intruders, nor heard any noise they might have made.

"Let's get to work," he said, laying aside his coat.

* * * *

Too tired to pay attention to where they were going yesterday, Lulu only had
Tony's word that they were a little more than two miles from town. Once she'd tidied up
the house, she dressed and went outside. It was much warmer this morning, probably
because of the low clouds that had moved in overnight.
Snow before tomorrow
,
she decided, sniffing the air.

Being able to see would certainly help. With snow drifted up to the eaves, all that was
visible of the world around her was a small cleared area in front of the porch and a narrow
passage to the barn. She presumed it led on to the road.
Well, there's no help for it.
Surely I can ride a bicycle as well as he can.

The bicycle was just inside the barn door, propped against the wall. It looked
enormous, yet far too fragile to hold an adult. Fortunately it was one of the new style
machines, with both wheels the same size. The horizontal bar extending between the post
that held the seat and the handlebars looked to be as high as her waist. How on earth was
she to get her leg across it?

Lulu had ridden a bicycle a few times in college. She hadn't liked the sensation of
wobbling down the road, at the mercy of any rock or rut that could catch the front wheel
and toss her to the ground.

I don't have to like it. Just to ride it.

She pulled the hem of her skirt from back to front and tucked it into her waistband.
The long tail of her coat was a nuisance, so she caught the front corners and tied them in a
great, ungainly knot just below her waist.
I must look ridiculous
, she thought,
but who is there to see?

She laid the bicycle half over and stepped across the horizontal bar, then pulled it
upright, standing on tiptoe so she could keep both feet on the ground. With one hand she
grabbed the edge of the barn door and held herself upright while she got both feet on the
pedals. After a couple of false starts and a near-disaster, she got moving. Although she
careened along the narrow passage between snowdrifts to the road, by the time she got
there, she was feeling smugly confident.
This isn't nearly as difficult as I
remember.

She made the turn onto the road with care, aware that one icy patch could be her
downfall. The road was rutted and slick in the center, but along one side she could see the
tracks Tony must have made last night when he rode home. She steered over there and
discovered it to be much easier riding.

By the time she was in sight of town, Lulu was almost enjoying herself. If she
hadn't been so cold, she would find this experience exhilarating.
Perhaps I should get
myself one of these. We could ride together.

In the next instant she heard a sharp report, like a shot. Before she could react, she was
thrown to the side and sprawled in a snowbank. Her legs were tangled in the bicycle, her
arms buried to the elbows in the snow. She lay very still.
Oh, my God! The
baby.

Cautiously she moved. One leg, then the other, which only moved a few inches,
then stopped. She pushed herself carefully upright.

Her foot was trapped, held securely against the frame by the front wheel which
was wedged against a signpost. Scooting backwards, she managed to free herself.

Using her other foot, she pushed the bicycle to one side. Without moving again,
she took a mental inventory of herself. One ankle felt as it she had twisted it, probably
when it got tangled with the bicycle. Her right wrist ached. It must have taken her weight
when she fell.

She pressed both hands to her belly.
Are you all right in there? I didn't fall too
hard, did I?

Nothing. Of course, the baby rarely moved when she was active, but Lulu would
have been reassured by a small twinge.

She looked all around, trying to find the source of the shot she'd heard. It hadn't
been all that loud, so the shooter must be some distance away.
I must have been so
startled I jerked the handlebars .There's no one in sight, so it should be safe to stand
up..

Scooting off the snowdrift, she untied her coattails and shook it out, then
untucked her skirt. With a quick brush and a couple of twitches of her skirt, she decided
she looked as well as could be expected.

The bicycle appeared undamaged. She picked it up, set it on its wheels. That was
when she saw that one of the pneumatic tires was flat.
Oh, great. I guess I walk the rest
of the way.

Fortunately, she was less than half a mile from her apartment. Wheeling the
bicycle proved to be much more work than riding it, but she hadn't much choice. When she
finally got to the apartment, she knocked first on Mrs. Graham's door.

"Land sakes, Miss King," the elderly woman said when she opened the door.
"What have you been doing? You're all covered with snow."

"I fell," she said, "but I'm fine. I just wanted to let you know I'm moving out."

"Moving out? Oh, dear, that's too bad. You've been such a nice neighbor. Are you
going back East-- Oh, dear, you're probably half frozen and here I am rattling on...come
in. Never mind the snow. It won't hurt anything. Just come in and get yourself warm."

She all but pulled Lulu inside and helped her out of her coat. "Now, you just sit
down there and take off those wet shoes. Land sakes, child, haven't you any better sense
than to wear such impractical things out in this kind of weather?"

In a matter of a few minutes, she had Lulu seated next to the stove with her shoes
sitting on the oven door in the kitchen. When she brought in a fresh pot of tea, Lulu had to
smile. "You remind me of my mamma. She thinks tea is the answer to every problem
too."

Once the tea was poured, Mrs. Graham leaned forward eagerly. "Now, tell me all
about your new job? Is it in Washington? Will you be working with the suffrage
group?"

"I'm afraid I don't have a new job, Mrs. Graham. I'll be staying in Hailey, for now,
at least. You see, I..." She swallowed. "I got married."

* * * *

Tony and Jack were still hard at work when he heard Lulu call, "May I come
in?"

He peered around the switchboard bank and saw her silhouetted in the doorway.
"How'd you get to town?"

"I rode your bicycle. Are you two hungry?" She came in and closed the door
behind her. Once the door was closed, he could see she carried a large basket in one hand
and a bailed tin can in the other. "I stopped at your office and Mr. Eagleton told me where
you were. He was going to bring your dinner over, so I told him I'd save him the trip."
Setting the basket on an upturned crate, she lifted the napkin covering it. "Fried chicken,
corn bread, string beans with bacon, and dried apple pie. The coffee's probably cold, but
the rest should be still warm."

Before he could react, the aroma of the chicken and cornbread hit his nose.
Eagleton had brought them coffee and doughnuts earlier, but for the past hour Tony had
been aware of a growling belly. "What time is it?"

"After one. I would have been here sooner, but the café was busy. Where
are your cups?"

"Here's mine, ma'am," Jack said, thrusting an enamel cup toward her. "Gosh, this
is great! I was nigh starvin'."

Tony laid his pliers aside and went after his cup, still half full of cold coffee from
earlier. "You've been to your place," he said, noticing for the first time that she was dressed
in garments he'd never seen. Her knee-length, hooded coat was of fur--bear, he'd bet--her
dark wool skirt ended just above the tops of sturdy laced boots, and the pink, orange and
green knit scarf wrapped over her head and around her neck was one he remembered from
a Christmas long ago. A light dusting of snow sat on her shoulders.

"Of course. You didn't expect me to traipse around town dressed in city clothes,
did you?" She finished unpacking the basket and picked it up. "I'll be back after I've rented
a buggy. Do you mind if I take it for a week? I'll need it to move my things." Her manner
was brisk, her tone matter-of-fact. She didn't look him in the eyes once.

Because he hadn't time or energy to worry about what was wrong with their
marriage right then, he followed her lead. "Of course not. Do you need money?"

"I have what was in your dresser. It should be enough."

Just then Tony noticed Jack staring from one of them to the other, his mouth
hanging open.
Well, hell!
"Lulu, I'd like to introduce you to Jack Denman, our
daytime switchboard operator and my right hand man. Jack, my wife, Mrs. Dewitt."

Holding out her hand, Lulu said, "How do you do, Mr. Denman. I'm very happy to
meet you. My husband has spoken highly of you."

After a moment's hesitation, Jack took her hand. It was obvious to Tony he'd never
met a woman who shook hands like a man before.

"How d'ye do, ma'am. I'm happy to meet you too," Jack said, his face bright red.
The look he shot at Tony spoke his surprise plainly.

"Now, I must be off. Will you dine at home?"

His mouth full, Tony shook his head. When he'd swallowed, he said, "I doubt it.
We're not even half done reconnecting these wires. It may take us all night."

"Well, then, take this key to my apartment. Your bicycle has a damaged tire, and
you'll not want to hire another buggy if it's late. Sleep there, if you get a chance." Handing
him the key, she turned and was off. Tony stared after her, astonished at the change in her
since yesterday.

What had happened to the tired, withdrawn woman he'd traveled from Boise with?
He shook his head. Time enough to figure that out when he got people's telephones back in
working order. "You about done?" he asked Jack.

The young man shoveled a last bite of the apple pie into his mouth and
nodded.

"Let's get back to work." Tony knew he shouldn't be so short with Jack, who was
doing his best. The trouble was, the lad had no mechanical ability and little understanding
of how the switchboard worked. After he'd messed up a couple of connections, Tony had
relegated him to handing tools. On the other hand, he did an excellent job as switchboard
operator, something Tony found stultifying.

"Who d'you suppose done this, Mr. Dewitt?" Jack said, a little later. "I thought
everybody liked the idea of telephones."

"That's what's got me stumped," Tony admitted. "There hasn't been any talk
against them, and as far as I know, no other company has any interest in moving in here. If
this were a big city, I'd think it was somebody wanting the business, but not here.
Eagleton'll never get rich off the telephone company."