The day was ending. Fall came early in the North woods and didn’t last long. Amongst the brooding Black spruce, the larch trees lit up the landscape like rays of sunshine, their yellow needles, waiting to drop. Red and orange maple leaves that had been whisked off the trees by the stiff afternoon breeze dappled the still lake waters in the eerie glow of the setting sun as if painted on a canvas.
William thought back on the first fall he had stayed in the Adirondacks with Louise by his side and was convinced that autumn was the most beautiful time of the year.
William was working side by side on the roof with Alvah and two other workmen in a location he had known would be perfect. He had scouted it out long before, in the days when he used to bring Louise and Ike back to see their family. And even better than the location, William had checked — the land was owned by the Adirondack Railroad Co. so if there were ever an issue with it, William could protect Alvah from getting chased out of his home again.
So far Alvah wasn’t showing much in the way of gratitude but at one point while they were pounding nails, William saw him sitting on his haunches, looking around and smiling. Probably because he finally realized he was alone on a peninsula on Eighth Lake.
William also reveled in the quiet contemplation this time afforded him as he knew within the month it would all be over. Soon he would have to go back to New York City, where he, along with all of the other harried men trying to climb their way or keep their place in the upper echelons of society, would be yearning for a respite such as these woods afforded.
William had other plans as well. Ever since the camping trip they had gone on with Ella and Poultney three years earlier, he had decided the small lake tucked away in the mountainsides would make a great site for a cabin. He envisioned building one there eventually for Louise and himself, as this banishment to the Lawrence household was, in his mind, only temporary.
Within days Alvah’s cabin was complete and William turned his attention to Louise. He and his workmen left Alvah and pulled up to the longhouse in the woods. It seemed like eons ago when he had last visited the Lawrence household, now brimming with family. The longhouse had long since been upgraded to a post and beam building sided with wooden planks. There were windows with glass, and they had partitioned the interior with rooms.
When they arrived grandmother Lawrence was harvesting corn and the last of the tomatoes with Sarah, who had a babe strapped to her back in a papoose.
William found the contraption an ingenious piece of apparel. It had a long wooden board, handsomely decorated with red paint, and attached to a sling made of deerskin, with holes for the babe’s legs to fit through. The board kept the child upright on Sarah’s back while she walked around and tended to the garden, or cooked over the fire. The babe seemed completely content to spend his time there, strapped to his mother’s back and taking in his surroundings. The whole time he was there, William never heard him cry unless he was hungry.
The rest of the family came out of the house en masse to welcome Louise, Ike and William.
Sarah had married a man named Jeff who worked with her brother Jake at a lumber camp. Although usually away working at the camp —a roving village of men that cut down trees in the wilderness and dragged them to the Raquette River for transport to the nearest mill — Sarah’s husband Jeff and brother Jake came home for a short stay to help build the new cabin.
Jeff was glad to do it. The Lawrence house didn’t leave much room for his growing family with Sarah.
Sarah and her children would use the cabin. And since Jeff’s work with the lumber company kept him away most of the time, it would be good for her to have Louise as company.
Louise on the other hand didn’t understand why this was not just a visit. She should be going back to Pine Knot with William, who had a hard time convincing her that staying in the new cabin he was building for her and her sister’s family was for the best.
“I’ll see you as much as possible,” he said.
Louise was confused. “Will we live as a family here?” she asked.
William shook his head sadly. “No, Louise. I can’t live with you here. I will visit. I have to live in New York City. You know I do not live all year at Pine Knot either. I conduct my work in the cities and then when I can, I’ll stay with you. Here.”
“But why can’t I stay at Pine Knot and wait for you there?”
“Louise, it’s like this. Your sister stays here while Jeff works at the lumber camp right? Likewise I will be away at work. You’re better off with your family while I’m away. Do you understand that now?”
“Yes,” Louise said reluctantly.
The new cabin was finished in days. There was no reason for William to linger any longer. It was time to say good-bye.
Isaac shook his hands. “Be well,” he said.
Louise’s grandmother, Mémé gave William a small leather pouch filled with cornbread and venison. She didn’t say anything, she didn’t have to; her deep, dark eyes spoke volumes as William locked in on them. He returned a look of guilt and remorse. He took the food from her and said, “Thank you.” She nodded and walked away.
William held Louise as he said good-bye. She cried as he murmured his promises to return. It started to rain as he mounted his horse for the ride back to Pine Knot. When he turned she was still standing in place, getting soaked by the rain. Sarah took her by the shoulders and gently guided her into their cabin. William pulled his collar up to protect his neck from the raw air, more determined than ever to build his own private compound in the woods.