Avery trekked through the woods, her backpack laden with gear, to the White pine she hoped was a roosting site of the saw-whet owl. If she was right, perhaps a pair were mating in the vicinity of this tree. The small gray, fur-covered pellets she had dissected last evening by the lantern light had the remnants of mice bones. Avery observed the telltale signs that they were saw-whet pellets and not another raptor. There was the presence of only the skull in some pellets, and the bottom half of the body in others. Saw-whets tend to eat the head of their prey first and leave the rest for another meal. And there were also remnants of junco and chickadees, the small birds of prey the saw-whet favored.
At the site, she took out the mist net and bungee cord she needed to set up to capture the little owl. She scanned the forest, trying to identify the best location. Unfortunately, the poles had not been packed along with the rest of her supplies, and to set up the nets she would need to use the low hanging branches of some trees she could throw a rope up into and tie the net on. Ahead of her two pines stood ten meters apart between which she could drape the net. Avery decided it was a good spot. She planned to use an audio lure to bring the owl — or owls — in. If they were nesting, the males would be defending their territory.
When she reached the trees she saw that none had low-hanging branches she could throw a rope up to, and they were not great climbing trees either. Her only option was to shinny up them, something she was not looking forward to. What she needed was a ladder.
“Might as well get started,” she said out loud.
Working the net and cord over her neck she gripped the tree with her arms extended. She planted her feet on the tree forming a V with her body.
“Here goes nothing.”
Inching her feet upward, her hands followed suit.
She smiled. This might work after all.
She did it again, gaining another foot up the tree trunk. After three more shinnies, she lost her footing and fell off the tree, landing hard on her butt. The jolt from the fall rattled up her spine to her brain.
“Damn it!” she shouted, rubbing where it hurt.
“Need a hand?” It was Jake, standing off in the distance.
At first Avery was startled. Then she was angry. “What the hell are you doing sneaking up on me like that? And how long have you been there?” She stood up and swatted the duff off her bottom.
Jake stood there looking guilty. “What are you doing?”
“I just lost my balance and fell,” she said, annoyed she had to explain anything to him.
“Yeah, I can see that. Would it help if you had a ladder?” Jake asked.
Avery looked around for Frank.
“What brings you here?” Avery asked.
“Tom asked me to tell you to stop by his office later. He has some news about saw-whet sightings.”
Avery’s heart skipped a beat with excitement. But she didn’t want to let Jake off that easy. “Well, I’d appreciate it if you’d just leave me to my work – alone.” Avery was apprehensive about his real motive, as well as angry at his intrusion. This guy had some nerve.
He shrugged. “Suit yourself then. I was going to offer to bring you a ladder, but if you don’t want my help, I’ll leave you to it.” He walked away.
Avery‘s annoyance was tinged with regret — she could use that ladder.
Not one to give up, her next attempt included using her thighs as well as feet to counteract her arms. She bent her knees and laced her legs one at a time around the trunk of the tree, then grabbed hold and started to shinny up again. This time she had more luck with it. Her thighs were pure muscle from all the fieldwork and compensated for her lack of upper-body strength. When she reached the height she wanted, she wrapped the bungee cord around the tree and hooked both ends into the net’s grommet.
“There!” she shouted at the tree.
Now she had to work her way slowly down the trunk to the forest floor. It was going smoothly until after about a third of the way down something caught her eye – a bird flitting by – and she started to slide. Her hands raked against the rough bark as she descended. She tried to slow the fall by gripping the trunk with her thighs. This caused intense pain as the friction made itself felt through the denim of her jeans. She finally hit the ground. “That’s it. I’m not climbing up there again.”
Back at Camp Kirby, Avery discovered a ladder leaning up against the side of the cabin — waiting to be used, but neither Frank or Jake were around to ask if she could borrow it. She glanced at her watch. It was lunchtime, they had probably taken off for Camp Huntington to eat. She thought of looking for the two men but her hands and legs were throbbing and she needed to attend to them first.
She rinsed her hands at the kitchen sink, gently trying to remove the sticky tree sap. It was painful. Her hands were red and raw, with slivers of wood embedded in her palms. She took a break from the cleansing, grabbed a yogurt from the refrigerator and went out on the porch to collect her thoughts.
I need to go to the nurse’s station.
It was still lunch hour. She would wait until one and then hike the mile trail along the shoreline to the campus facility. In the meantime, to quiet her mind, she went inside to fetch Minnie’s diary from under her bed.
June 2, 1893
Today my charge arrived in a wooden canoe, paddling it to shore and pulling it up along the bank. He walked up to the cabin with his small case and took off his ragged cap to introduce himself. His name is Nate. He is eleven years of age. It is hard to believe I am just six years his senior! William specifically requested that I tutor him this summer. Last year, I worked with all of the Durant children, but given the circumstances of my blossoming relationship with William, this would not be wise.
Nate is a very dark, serious boy. He is an orphan being brought up by his uncle on Raquette Lake somewhere.
“How’d you do ma’am,” he said, “My name is Nate and Mr. Doo‘rant asks me to help ya out here in the woods.”
“Why good day to you Nate,” I replied with a smile. “Yes, I could use some help. I am not much of a pioneer and there are a lot of chores to keep up with around here. I will appreciate your assistance. Let me show you where you will be staying.”
And I showed him to the loft and his bedroom. He unpacked the few things he had brought with him, including his rifle, which he set on the front porch. He then proceeded to gather wood from the forest and chop it by the fire pit at the water’s edge. I sat on the porch and watched with amazement at how quickly he worked without interruption. Not once did he stop to ask for a glass of water or inquire about anything. When he finished with that project he went to work in the cabin, restocking the wood for the stove, and the wood rack by the hearth, taking account of the supplies, and even putting away my morning dishes.
“Ma’am I plan to head back to the Raquette Lake store to gather more supplies. Would you like me to bring you anything in particular?”
“Did you bring any books with you Nate?”
“Books? No ma’am. But I got a book that I try to read that Mr. Doo’rant gave me once.”
“Lovely! Then why don’t you bring that book with you on your way back from the store Nate? You do know that Mr. Durant asked me to tutor you this summer?”
“Yea, ma’am, but I wasn’t planning on it myself. I’ve gone to school some and learned to read n’ write.”
“Well, we will start today, after we have something to eat, so bring the book with you,” I told him.
I am especially glad to have someone here at night. There are bears in the woods and I can hear them shuffling around the cabin area, searching for food scraps. William has left strict instructions with me never to leave any food scraps out and around the cabin. When he came to see me last night we burned all our scraps in the open fire. We store all the food in a bear box with a padlock. Now that Nate is here he can take care of these small inconveniences.
It will also be good to have a companion. While I waited for William last evening I sat on the front porch. The insects were ruthless, but I needed to do something with myself besides sit inside waiting anxiously for William to show up. I thought I could hear the laughter coming from one of the hotels in the distance and echoing off the lake. I am afraid of becoming too lonely at this cabin away from everything. I suppose it will be alright. William and I can see each other secretly this way without Janet knowing about our affair.
Minnie
Avery put Minnie’s diary back in its hiding place and hiked the mile through the woods to Camp Huntington.
“So you’re the lucky one hanging out at Camp Kirby all summer are ya?” The nurse attending to Avery was named Sally. She was a pretty, white haired, elderly woman.
“Yes, I’m conducting research on owl nesting habits and Kirby is a secluded spot to do my work,” Avery answered.
“Secluded, I’d say. Make sure you check in with us once in a while so we know you’re still alive ok? Now let me see.”
Avery winced as Sally took off the bandages she had so sloppily put on.
“My goodness, what were you doing to cause this?” Sally asked, cleaning the wounds and using a tweezer to extract the small slivers of pine bark from her palm.
“I was trying to stay put in a tree,” Avery said.
“Doesn’t look like you had much luck.” Sally smiled at her. “You know the story behind Camp Kirby don’t you?”
Avery averted her eyes, not wanting to reveal how much she really did know by now. “I think I’ve heard it, yes.”
“Well, it’s true,” Sally locked eyes with her. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I know for a fact it’s true.”
“You do?” said Avery, curious now. “And how’s that?”
“Because Minnie Everette Kirby was my great-grandfather’s tutor,” Sally said with seriousness. Then she lightened up as she gingerly wrapped clean white gauze around her palms, and firmly, but gently fastened them.
Avery held back the barrage of questions she wanted to ask, mostly because Sally kept on talking without offering a break in the conversation.
“Minnie was the family’s governess at one time and then Durant hired her to tutor my great grandfather – Mr. Durant was always looking out for his help. Minnie wasn’t his mistress though, contrary to what they think around here. I’ve heard the stories from my own grandmother. They spent the summer there together, Minnie and my great-grandfather Nate. William would check on them periodically. My great-grandfather was an orphan, he lived with his uncle’s family but there were many mouths to feed. At times there was little food. Mr. Durant took care of my family.”
Avery kept quiet. She felt guilty for not sharing Minnie’s diary with Sally, but she didn’t know where to begin. How does one explain something that should have been made known the minute she found it? What could she say now that Sally had told her all of this: “Oh yes, I think I’ve heard of Minnie. You’re wrong though; William kept her at the cabin. How do I know this? Well actually, I found her diary in the hole of a tree.”
Then again, why did she feel so protective of Minnie anyway?
It could wait. No one needs to know yet that I have proof that Minnie really was William West Durant’s mistress.
“Now, that should do it.” Sally finished her handiwork and put the tweezers back in the tray where they came from. “By the way, have you met my son yet?”
“Not sure, I haven’t met many people around here,” Avery said.
“Well, he does odd jobs for the College but mostly he helps run the family store in town, name’s Jake. You’ll probably run into him, he’s going to be doing some repairs to the loft at Camp Kirby this summer with my brother Frank.”
“Thank you Sally, it was nice to meet you,” Avery said. “I’d love to hear more about your great-grandfather and Minnie some day, but I better get back to Camp Kirby.”
“Oh, dear, I’m full of stories, just stop by anytime, I can fill you in,” Sally laughed. “Good-bye now. And good luck finding those owls of yours.”
Avery went looking for Tom and found him walking back to his office.
“Hey, Avery.” He looked down at her hands.
“What happened to you?”
“Oh, it’s nothing, just scraped them climbing a tree.”
“Really, Avery, don’t be doing stupid things out there at Kirby. You know if you need help or equipment or whatever, you can tell me. We’re here to help. And I think you should try to check in more often, eat lunch or dinner with us once a day so we know you’re ok.”
“Well, now that Jake is following my every move out there you don’t have to worry,” Avery shot back.
Tom’s brows flicked up in surprise. “What exactly do you mean by that?”
She immediately regretted the remark, aware of how Tom might interpret it and she didn’t want to get Jake in trouble.
“Nothing. Nothing, Tom, forget it, I’m not sure why I said that. Anyway, yes please, I could use a ladder, until my poles for the mist nets arrive. What was it you wanted to tell me?”
Tom seemed relieved to talk about something else. “Well, Kim Baker, you remember meeting her? She is the mycologist teaching a course here this summer. She saw that flyer you passed around about saw-whet sightings and says she knows where there might be a nest. Says she and her students found some pellets the other day while hunting for mushrooms.”
“Great! Do you have the pellets somewhere?”
He smiled “Follow me.”
They walked to his office, following the winding, well-laid out paths. At least ten units were still standing from the Durant time period. They passed the Durant Cottage – the main cabin for William and his wife when it was called Pine Knot. Each building was connected to the other by these pathways, a design to encourage people to leave their rooms in order to socialize as well as engage with the outdoors. If you were a guest at Pine Knot, you never dined in your cabin. The cabins were only for sleeping. If you wanted to eat, you had to leave your sleeping cabin to go to the Dining Hall. And if you wanted to play cards, you went to the Swiss chalet, a housing complex for the Durant guests.
Tom opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out a baggie containing the pellets. Avery held the bag up to the light. The pellets were just the right size for a saw-whet.
“Where did Kim find these?” she asked Tom.
“By the Barque of the Pine,” he said.
The Barque of the Pine was the Durant houseboat. It rested on land now, about a quarter mile from the main buildings of Huntington.
“I’ll talk to Kim when I get the chance and check out the site as soon as possible. Do you know where she is now?” Avery asked.
“She was down at the lakefront about ten minutes ago, her class is heading out in canoes to South Bay.”
“I’ll stop by tonight for dinner then. Thanks Tom,” Avery said and took the bag of pellets with her to head back to Kirby and finish off what she’d started that morning with the mist net.
Frank and Jake weren’t at the camp, and the ladder was missing. Instead of waiting for them, she decided to scout out new locations for the presence of saw-whet activity, figuring she could get to the mist net again tomorrow. It was getting warm, she took off her sweatshirt and sprayed Deet all over her exposed arms to deter the black flies, and hiked into the woods. Within minutes she came upon Frank and Jake. Before she could get out a greeting Frank spoke.
“Left the ladder for you, Avery. Jake said you might need it.” Frank lifted his cap as he passed her on the path. Jake didn’t say a word, just smiled.
She turned around to face them. “Thanks!” she called out. Frank gave her a backhand wave as they walked away.