The Gift of a Child

Preoccupied with the past, he hadn’t noticed his sister ride off toward the spring hidden beneath the limestone ledge at the boundary of their property. By the time he joined her, she had dismounted and was hunkering near the spring studying something on the ground. “Look, Seth. This is strange.”

He hopped off Patches, squatted beside her and immediately saw the source of her curiosity. In the damp ground around the spring pool was a recent set of footprints. Before the rain a few hours ago, the soil had been dry. “Boots. Somebody’s been here.”

“That’s not all. Look here.” Sophie pointed to a couple of prints half obscured by the mud near the flowing water. “They’re tiny.”

Seth squinted. “Sure are.” The thought of a child wandering around the place conjured the unwelcome image of a ravenous coyote.

Sophie looked up. “Who do you suppose?”

“Drifters, maybe. Indians passing through. Hard to tell.” He got a drink, then mounted his horse. “Let’s ride home along the creek to check for campsites.”

The sun beat down as they made their way back to the house, alert for hoofprints or other evidence of unwelcome visitors. Nothing. Seth couldn’t help thinking of Sheriff Jensen’s recent warning concerning unsavory elements in the territory. Even though the footprints suggested a single adult and a child, not a gang, the idea of strangers on their property was unsettling.

* * *

The next day after church services, folks gathered on the banks of the Cottonwood River at the base of the main street where the Library Society had erected tables in preparation for the ice cream social. A warm breeze whispered through the leaves of the trees bordering the water, and lilacs perfumed the air. Families were still arriving, spreading quilts on the ground. Some children scampered across the grass chasing rubber balls, while others rode on the merry-go-round or played on the seesaw.

Smiling with satisfaction, Rose watched her friend Bess Stanton approach. A widow and former Civil War nurse, Bess had recently relocated from Maine to be near her sister and had volunteered to help Rose organize today’s event.

“Looks like a success,” Bess said. “Thank you for asking me to help.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you.” Rose hoped to soon introduce Bess to her father. Their war experiences should give them a great deal in common and she could perhaps be of some use in easing Papa’s case load.

When two o’clock approached, the crowd moved toward the bandstand where the Library Society president would make a short speech. At least Rose hoped it would be short. Too long and they risked melted ice cream.

As Rose and Bess made their way closer to the bandstand, Rose saw Lily and Caleb before she spotted Mattie. Rose held out her arms, but to her surprise the child scampered right on past her. “Unca, Unca!”

Seth stood just behind Rose. He knelt down as Mattie approached, a broad grin on his face. “Come to Uncle Seth, sweetheart,” he called. And that’s exactly what she did—catapulting herself into his arms. The sight of the trusting little girl in the big man’s arms made Rose smile. Seth’s tenderness, which seemed incongruous with his brawny build, was one of the reasons Rose liked him so much.

Lily and Caleb joined Rose in admiring the tableau. “I’ve never seen my brother so besotted,” Caleb said.

Lily laced her arm through her husband’s. “You’re pretty besotted yourself, Captain.”

Just then the mayor called for order. Blessedly, he was brief in his introduction of the Library Society president, Willa Stone, who thanked everyone for coming out to support the efforts to begin a library with their donations. She concluded by saying, “If you ladies serving the ice cream will move to your places, the feasting can begin.”

The applause was robust, and on every side, children broke away from their parents to line up with their spoons and bowls. Rose moved among the servers, helping wherever there was a delay. Her hair had come loose around her face in the effort of scooping. Finally there was a lull, and she wiped her forehead on her sleeve.

“Is there any more?” She looked up to see Seth standing before her, holding out his bowl. “I liked the sample.”

“Second and third helpings are our specialty,” Rose answered, “Provided, of course, that you make it worth the Library Society’s while.”

“I wouldn’t short you ladies for anything.”

Rose dug deep into the freezer can she had brought and piled his bowl with rich chocolate ice cream. “You fancy chocolate?”

“Yes, ma’am, but then I always fancy your cooking.”

Rose hoped he thought her blush resulted from the heat. “Thank you.” He seemed reluctant to leave, but neither managed to find the words to prolong the conversation, so when the pastor’s boy arrived for seconds, Seth turned away, and for some reason, Rose felt disappointed.

After the ice cream and cookies had been served, the men and boys decided on a baseball game while the women gathered to visit. When Willa Stone approached and asked Rose to accompany her to the church to help count the donated monies, Rose was thankful for the reprieve. Listening to the chatter of her friends concerning pregnancies, teething and patterns for children’s clothing had left her feeling awkward. Where did a childless spinster fit into such conversations?

When she and Willa returned with the news of an astonishing total of $31.80 in contributions, those within earshot applauded even as others gathered their belongings, exchanged farewells and made their way toward their homes. Lily sought out Rose to give her a hug. “Everybody is talking about what a success this was. You deserve much of the credit.”

Rose took a moment to bask in the compliment before shrugging. “I only did what anyone would’ve done.” She watched her sister join Caleb and Mattie in their buggy. When they rode off, Rose wrapped her arms around herself, swallowing the lump in her throat. The bustle was over.

Some of the men were dismantling the tables while a few of the townswomen folded tablecloths and disposed of trash. Rose willed herself not to feel a letdown. She had anticipated this occasion with delight, but now that it was over, she would go home to an empty house.

At noon, her father, the town doctor, had received an urgent summons from a man whose wife was experiencing a difficult labor, so he had been forced to miss the social and had not yet returned.

Rose moved among the stragglers, thanking them for their efforts. At last, she reluctantly made her way home, where only Ulysses, her large gray tomcat, would offer companionship. Reaching the house, she glanced at the sun, an hour or two short of setting, and decided to fix a glass of lemonade and rest a while on the front porch.

She settled herself in the wicker rocker and sipped her lemonade. Rose reflected that after years of looking out on a dusty cavalry post, it was pleasant to live on a tree-lined street where she could study the neighbors’ houses and watch the passing pedestrian and horse traffic. Off in the distance rose the clock tower of the nearly completed county courthouse, modeled on the French Renaissance style. Three stories high, it was built of native limestone blocks quarried nearby, hand-cut and then transported by wagon to the site. Rose was still awed by such architectural grandeur here on the prairie.

Ulysses lazed on the floor beside her. She had found him cowering under the back stoop the day they moved into the house, his gray fur tangled and one ear missing a small chunk. At the fort, they had never had a pet, so she had enjoyed fattening up Ulysses.

“Afternoon, Miss Rose.” At the sound of the male voice, the cat skittered off into the yard.

Lost in her thoughts, Rose had not noticed Seth Montgomery coming up the walk.

He stood awkwardly, one foot on the first porch step. “You mind if I sit a spell?”

“Please.” Rose gestured to a straight-backed wooden rocker. “You’re always welcome.” Seth removed his hat, and the two sat wordlessly until Rose asked, “What occasions your stay in town after the ice cream social?”

“No occasion, really. Pa rode on home, but I’m waiting with the buggy for Sophie.”

Rose was never one to pry, but something in Seth’s tone impelled her to inquire. “What delays your sister?”

Seth shuffled in his chair, then stretched out his feet. “I may as well say it.” The man could never be considered garrulous, and he was clearly uncomfortable. Rose waited. Finally he blurted, “Charlie Devane.”

Rose stifled a chuckle. “And the two of them—?”

“On a buggy ride. Together.” His face clouded over. “I reckon maybe he’s courting her.”

“Your sister is quite attractive. Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later.”

“Later.”

Rose couldn’t help herself. She laughed out loud. “Dear me,” she sputtered when her breath returned, “you are one protective brother.” Then, in that same instant, she sobered, remembering her own older brother, killed at the Battle of Lookout Mountain.

Seth grinned sheepishly and hung his head. “It’s stupid of me, but I’m hard put to picture our home without Sophie.”

“Change is difficult.”

The creaking of the rockers on the wooden floor filled the silence.

He looked up. “Maybe like it was for you when Lily spent those months in St. Louis with your aunt.”

“Exactly. I didn’t know how I would manage without her. We’d never been apart.”