Читать книгу Wagon Train Cinderella - Shirley Kennedy - Страница 9

Pa was gone for a long time. When he returned, he gathered his family and hired hands together. “I’ve been meeting with Colonel Ferguson and his captains.” He paused, appearing reluctant to continue. When he did, he seemed to be forcing each word from his mouth. “I have decided we will not make the journey alone. We will join the Ferguson wagon train.”

Both Lydia and Nellie squealed with delight, prompting Pa to scowl. “No more outbursts. There’s nothing to be pleased about. I made my decision with grave misgivings.”

Ma looked genuinely puzzled. “Why did you change your mind, Caleb? You were so sure you wanted to travel alone.”

“It’s with good reason I didn’t want to join. Before they set out, those wagon trains draw up constitutions. They elect officers. They’ve got all kinds of rules and regulations you’ve got to obey.”

“You never were much on obeying the rules.”

“Dang right I’m not. I don’t care to answer to any man, but we’ll join up with Ferguson because there’s safety in numbers.” He addressed his daughters. “You will avoid contact with the lowlifes in that train as much as possible. Do you understand?”

Ma looked doubtful. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

“It’s done. We won’t discuss it.”

Judging from the firm clamp of her stepfather’s jaw, Callie knew the conversation was over. No one dared say another word. Pa’s way was the right way. When defied, his anger could be very ugly indeed.

In a somber mood, they traveled back down the riverbank and camped alongside the Ferguson wagon train. That night there was no community campfire, no merry fiddle and lively dancing. Everyone was exhausted from the demands of the difficult river crossing. Only when Callie crawled into the tent and heard her stepsisters’ ecstatic chatter did she realize how happy they were they wouldn’t be traveling alone.

Even Nellie, ordinarily so unexpressive, could hardly contain her excitement. “Just think, I shall be traveling all the way to California with that good-looking Coy Barnett. That’s weeks and weeks! By the time we get there, he’ll be madly in love with me.”

“Don’t be so sure, sister dear. Every girl in the company must be after him, the ones who aren’t after Magnus Ferguson. He’s a great catch. A widower, you know, and rich besides.”

“Do you like him?”

Lydia’s voice brightened. “Of course, I like him. He’ll be eating out of my hand by the time we get there.”

“What do you think of Luke McGraw?”

“He’s rude and unfriendly. I don’t like him.”

“Ha! That’s because he didn’t dance with you.”

Usually Callie wanted to close her ears to her stepsisters’ silly conversation. Not tonight, though. She, too, thought of the long weeks ahead when she’d see Luke McGraw every day. But why Luke? Lydia said he was rude and unfriendly, and she was right. But I’m not like Lydia. I don’t dislike him. She might even get to know him better. They’d talk. He’d treat her like an equal person, not like a servant, maybe even regard her with those dark, observant eyes as if he thought she was pretty, like he did today. But what was she thinking? If she was going to dream about a man, it ought to be Magnus Ferguson, not someone as remote and withdrawn as Luke. Did she honestly believe she’d have even the faintest chance to attract a man like Magnus? No, she wouldn’t, not with beautiful Lydia casting her cornflower blue eyes in his direction.

I’ll put it out of my mind. Callie snuggled into her blankets, dead tired from the grueling day. What a lovely day it had been, despite everything. Maybe she was an outsider who could never compete with her stepsisters, but her spirits soared. No more life of isolation. For the first time ever, she’d be with other people, not just her family, at least until they reached California, and who knew what would happen then? Back in Tennessee, when she’d first heard they were heading west, she had been overcome with dread, didn’t want to go. How her thinking had changed! Who knew what the future held? Maybe she even had a future. What a wonderful thought. And yet…would there be any difference? When they reached California, Pa would buy another farm, so there she’d be, the same old drudge she’d been in Tennessee, only… No! Don’t underestimate yourself, Luke had said, and he was right. From now on, she definitely would not underestimate herself. From now on, she wasn’t sure how, but things would be different.

She fell asleep with a spark of hope glimmering deep in a corner of her mind.

In the morning, they became the forty-first and forty-second wagons in the Ferguson wagon train. Pa grumbled when they were assigned a place at the end of the line, the worst possible position. When the trail was dry, stirred-up dust choked the last wagons. When the trail was wet, the ruts in the road were deepest for those unfortunate enough to bring up the rear.

Callie hardly noticed, having discovered the best way to meet her new neighbors was to ride Duke alongside the train as it rolled along at its snail’s pace, a good two miles an hour at best. She discovered what fun it was to go up and down the line of wagons, visiting families along the way. Why had they made such a drastic change in their lives, pulling up stakes and heading west? Each had a fascinating story to tell. Doc Wilson, the only doctor with the train, was from Virginia, traveling solo. The kindly Reverend Wilkins, his wife and son, Colton, were from Massachusetts, eager to start a new life in a new land. Jack and Gert Gowdy and their five children planned to farm in California. Jack was a burly, feisty man. His wife, Gert, claimed she was a medicine woman with a vast knowledge of herbs. She had a slovenly look about her, making Callie doubt she’d ever ask for the woman’s advice.

Most families were large, their children scrambling about the wagons, poking their heads out or running freely alongside. Not everyone was headed to California. Some planned to split off at Fort Hall and head northwest on the Oregon Trail. All had cut their ties with home. Callie marveled at how brave the women were, leaving behind family, friends, and the only home they had ever known to traipse off into the wilderness and begin a new life.

Occasionally, she spotted Luke riding Rascal, his sorrel gelding. She wished he’d stop and talk, but he was always busy, and she never got a chance to speak to him. At mid-morning, the train stopped by a stream to rest both humans and animals. Callie was riding beside the Sawyer’s wagon when Florida spotted her and called, “Come have a cup of coffee.”

“Thanks, but I can’t.” Callie turned her horse around. Ma would need her. She’d better get back.

“Your stepmother can do without you for a few minutes. If she needs something done, she’s got two healthy, strapping daughters to do it.”

Florida’s answer caught her by surprise. Lydia and Nellie weren’t healthy and strapping. They were delicate and high-strung. Ma said so many a time. But were they really? Could Ma be exaggerating? They looked healthy enough in Florida’s eyes.

Callie slipped from her horse. “I do believe I’ll have that cup of coffee, Mrs. Sawyer.”

“Call me Florida.”

Soon, Callie was sitting comfortably with Florida beside the wagon, engaged in what amounted to a most ordinary conversation. They talked of the weather and if it might rain, how to bake a pie in the middle of nowhere, and the best way to wash clothes while standing knee-deep in a fast-running river. Yet despite their commonplace words, Callie couldn’t remember when she’d enjoyed herself more. Here she was, having a conversation, not as servant to mistress, but woman to woman. A heady feeling indeed. Something she’d never experienced. Just as Florida was describing her recipe for johnnycakes, Luke rode up and joined them.

He scanned her critically. “I see you’ve recovered from yesterday.”

She gave him a rueful smile. “I don’t look like a drowned rat today, if that’s what you mean.”

“You certainly don’t,” Luke replied amidst their laughter.

A warm glow grew within her. She was so glad to be here, actually exchanging pleasantries with this puzzling man.

Florida continued with her johnnycake recipe. “You take one egg, half a cup of water, three-eighths of a cup of flour…oh dear, you’ll never remember.” She went to the wagon and returned with a notebook and pencil, which she offered to her guest. “Here, I’ll recite the recipe and you can write it down.”

In a twinkling, Callie’s beautiful world fell apart. Her good feeling disappeared into overwhelming humiliation, and her face heated with embarrassment. She wished she could be anywhere, anywhere but here. Throwing up a hand, she waved off the pencil and notebook. “I cannot… You see, I… I…”

“You can’t read or write,” said Luke swiftly in the most matter-of-fact way imaginable. “Don’t worry about it. Neither can a lot of people.”

Florida caught her mistake at once. “Shame on me. I never thought… But, of course, Luke’s right. There are lots of people in the world who cannot read or write and it doesn’t…it doesn’t mean a thing!”

If anything, Luke and Florida’s efforts to smooth Callie’s embarrassment made it even worse. She wanted to crawl in a hole and hide her face forever. She tried to find an answer but couldn’t speak.

“You never went to school?” Florida’s eyes brimmed with gentle sympathy.

Callie gulped over the lump that had formed in her throat. She must hold herself together, not let them see her burning shame. “Ma always needed help, what with the babies coming along and all.”

“What about the other children? Did they go to school?” Florida’s voice held an edge.

“Yes. They all went to school except me. I’m only a stepchild.” She could stand no more. She had to get away or she’d burst out crying in front of everyone. She arose with haste and grabbed Duke’s reins. “I’d best be going now.” Without waiting for an answer, she swung to the saddle and headed back to her wagon, intent upon leaving the scene of her complete disgrace behind.

* * * *

As Callie rode away, Luke and his sister watched after her. “Oh, dear, I feel terrible,” Florida remarked. “I humiliated the poor girl. It wasn’t my intention. I had no idea she couldn’t read or write.”

Luke’s gut wrenched. He’d learned to control his anger long ago, yet an overwhelming urge to confront the Whitakers took hold of him. He wanted to tell them Callie didn’t deserve such treatment, not only this business about school, but it was plain to see they considered her a servant, not much better than a slave. Florida had called Callie “poor girl.” Yes, she was all of that, yet there was something about her that stirred a puzzling emotion in his innards. It wasn’t sympathy. Exactly what it was, he wasn’t sure, except he’d been thinking about her a lot today, remembering how she looked wrapped in the blanket, naked underneath. He’d said she looked like a drowned rat. What he had failed to mention was she had looked like a very fetching drowned rat.

His sister kept shaking her head. “I feel so bad… Poor little thing. Do you remember the story of Cinderella? The mean stepmother, the two ugly stepsisters, the poor, mistreated stepdaughter who’s forced to work from dawn to dusk. That’s who Callie reminds me of.”

“You’re right. They’ve beat it into her head she’s worthless.” Luke frowned in thought. “Before this journey is over, she may surprise us.”

“Everyone should know how to read and write.” Florida’s face lit. “I have an idea.”

* * * *

As far back as she could remember, Callie had felt a deep shame she could neither read, write, nor had schooling of any kind. At one time or another, all the Whitaker children except her had attended the one-room schoolhouse three miles from the farm, a fact that made her shame even worse. The two older boys went clear through school. Even Lydia and Nellie had some education. Her flighty stepsisters were indifferent students at best, but at least they could read, write, and recite the multiplication tables. From an early age, Callie hid her deep envy of the stepbrothers and sisters who left each morning for that mystical place called school. She begged to go, but what with meals to cook, cows to milk, and babies to care for, she could never be spared for the luxury of acquiring an education.

“You don’t need school,” Ma had always said.

After a time, Callie had realized her stepmother would never change her mind. She stopped begging to go but never got over the embarrassment of being totally illiterate. Over the years, she had managed to hide her ignorance, but now, as she returned from her visit with Florida, her cheeks still burned from shame. It was bad enough Florida knew her secret, but far worse that Luke McGraw witnessed the disgraceful spectacle she’d made of herself.

That night, Callie cooked supper and did her chores in silence.

Later, when she joined her stepsisters in the tent, Nellie remarked to Lydia, “Here comes the little mouse. Did you notice how quiet she was tonight?”

“Callie, is something wrong?” Lydia asked.

“Just tired.” Callie crawled into her blankets and turned her back. After a day like today, she had no desire to talk and hoped her gossipy stepsisters would soon go to asleep.

No such luck. Soon Nellie’s excited chatter filled the darkness. “Oh, Lydia, he talked to me today. I knew he would!”

“Who do you mean?”

“You know who I mean. Coy Barnett, of course. You should have seen the way he looked at me. He likes me special. I know he does.”

“You’d better watch out. They say he’s a sly one.”

“Don’t be silly. I can take care of myself.”

“Oh really? If he asks you to go for a walk in the woods, you’d better not go.”

“If he asks me to go for a walk, I most certainly will go.”

“Sister!” Lydia sounded truly shocked. “You wouldn’t.”

“I would.”

“Then don’t say I never warned you.”

A long silence. Good. Callie hoped they were through chattering for the night. She was almost asleep when a soft whisper from Lydia broke the silence. “Nellie, are you still awake?”

“Yes.”

“Magnus Ferguson likes me especially. I can tell because he’s got that look in his eye, and he goes out of his way to talk to me.”

“I thought you liked Luke McGraw.”

“I do, but he pays no attention to me.”

Nellie snickered. “You’re not the only one. All the girls try to flirt with him, but he’s not interested.”

“I still think he likes me, but for some reason, doesn’t care to show it. Why should I care? If I can’t have Luke, I’ll fall in love with Magnus.”

“That’s wonderful.” Nellie’s voice brimmed with elation. “I’m so glad we came on this journey. Pa can’t keep us away from the boys anymore, much as he’d like to. I’ll marry Coy, you marry Magnus, or maybe Luke, and Pa can’t stop us.”

Callie listened in silence. It would be nice if Nellie’s little dream came true, but she doubted it. From what she’d heard, Coy Barnett was not to be trusted, no matter what Nellie thought. As for Magnus, she doubted a man so intelligent could have any real interest in empty-headed Lydia, no matter how pretty she was.

Soon the conversation drifted and finally stopped as both sisters fell asleep. Callie remained wide awake, even though she had to rise before daybreak. Far into the night, she lay staring into the darkness, her churning thoughts preventing her from slipping into blessed slumber. It had been a horrible day, made worse when Lydia’s last words dragged her down to a new level of misery. I still think he likes me but for some reason doesn’t care to show it. Maybe her beautiful sister was right, but it was more likely that her imagination affected her thinking. Lydia was so vain she figured every man in the company was after her.

But why should I care? I don’t like him either. Like Lydia says, he’s too blunt and unfriendly. As she tossed and turned, she resolved to save herself from future pain and embarrassment by eliminating Luke from her thoughts and speaking to him as little as possible.