16.

Edie’s mind developed many ideas as to the need and use of the very lavish railroad car. She made several inquiries about renting cars, buying cars or leasing cars. She found cars for sale in Topeka, empty cars at almost every siding across Kansas and men trying to sell you cars they did not own.

With spring she tried the gaming at Sam’s saloon again, but the fun had gone out of the action. The men grew tired of the contest and moved on to, as Gabriel said, “Greener pastures”.

The two colored couples spent the rest of the winter cleaning, refurbishing and stocking the private car.

Gabriel said, “Miss Edie, it is ready to roll when you are ready.”

She moved down the length of the car. In her mind, she inventoried the car, thinking, “It has a private bath, with a coal heater to heat the room and water for bathing. There is a private facility in one corner of the bath. The walls are highly polished wood. The windows are covered with fine lace curtains and pulled down shades. My private bedroom is cut off from the rest of the car by a solid petition. The front end of the car has decorated comfortable couches and chairs with side tables. The entire car is carpeted and well appointed. Lanterns hang from the ceiling to provide light at night.”

Edie stood with her hands on her hips. She felt like a kid at Christmas with a new toy and she certainly was mesmerized.

She muttered, “It is a castle on wheels, my castle.”

To facilitate their travels, Edie leased a Pullman for Gabriel, John and their wives.

“We will have four rooms in the Pullman. You can use a room on each end and the other two can be used for storage, or whatever.”

She hired the livery man to move their trunks and luggage to the railroad. This time he was mute, polite and very efficient. He made no comment about John and Gabriel not helping him move so many trunks and pieces of luggage.

When the task was completed, Edie announced, “I bought passage for these two cars to Abilene, and we are ready to travel.”

On the last night at Sam Sayers’ Saloon, she was not the big winner, but she did win enough to pay for the luxury car.

That last night they did not spend the night in the hotel. They spent the night on the two cars. She felt the train couple onto the cars sometime during the night and heard the couplers clang shut. She smiled at her reflection in the window of her private car when the train pulled out of the station.

During that time, the spring, she received and sent two letters home. Mostly, the letters were about crops, weather, health and children. The biggest piece of news to Edie was Baby Sue having her first child. For some reason Edie was very thrilled. She didn’t know if it was the news of a baby, or reading the letters riding in her own private rail car.