Jed and Elizabeth were somber, and Elizabeth sniffled as they walked up the hill to the lodge. What would they do now? With the plane gone and Pete gone, no one would come to the lodge any time soon. Pete said he would reveal where they were when he got the money, but that was never going to happen now. Pete said he disabled the shortwave radio, but Jed could check. Maybe he could make it work somehow.
Jed pushed the lodge door open and stepped back for Elizabeth to enter. The room was rather chilly, so a fire was the first order of business. It was a standing rule that no one ever left the lodge without a fire laid in the fireplace ready to be lit. One never knew when the next person would arrive, and, in inclement weather, having a fire ready could be the difference between life or death. Jed took the box of matches from the mantel and quickly kindled a fire.
“Take a look around, Lizzie. I’ll go get our gear.”
There was not a lot to see. It was a huge old log cabin, once used for a logging camp, but abandoned when it was determined there was a lot of timber to be accessed much more easily and cheaply. The area was simply not conducive to road-building through marshes and small streams. The Romsons improved the cabin quite a bit, but it was still rustic. From the doorway, Lizzie could see, in the middle of the right wall, a large fireplace built of native stone with a wide, thick, rough-hewn oak mantel. Over the mantel was a stuffed moose head with antlers at least six feet wide. Lizzie hated stuffed animal heads like this. They always seemed to be watching her, creeping her out. A shudder ran through her shoulders.
A fireplace crane on the left side fireplace wall could suspend a pot over the fire, and the andirons were made with a spit for roasting meat. On the other side of the fireplace, a counter with an overhanging top and three rough stools on either side made an ell into the room.
An old porcelain sink with no faucet was on the end wall. In the back corner, just beyond the sink, a large pantry with open shelves had an assortment of bags, boxes, and cans. It looked like they shouldn’t go hungry, for a few days anyway.
On the back wall, next to the pantry, was a huge cast iron wood stove. Lizzie was accustomed to cooking for her dad at home, but that was with a gas range. How on earth could she be expected to make that thing work? A big tear trickled down her face and made a splotch on her shirt when it dripped from her chin. She slumped onto one of the stools and buried her face in her hands on the counter and sobbed.
The eight sets of bunks and a big pot-bellied stove on the other end of the lodge were unnoticed in her grief.
There was nothing fancy about the lodge. It was designed for rough living, without any frills. It was clean and neat, but it was far more spartan than anything she had ever seen, even when “roughing it” in Girl Scouts.
Jed walked into the lodge with a backpack slung over each shoulder, and he dragged their roller cases behind him. “Not bad for a home away from home, huh? It’s nothing fancy, I know, but it will keep the rain off of us until we can get home.”
Lizzie turned to look at him through bleary eyes and, as much as she struggled not to, wailed “Oh, Jed! What are we going to do?”
“Right now, I suggest we call it a night and get some sleep. I know we are both exhausted after the flight—well, both of them. It has been a long, long day. I don’t think we should make any decisions tonight. We will both think much more clearly in the morning. That area over there, with the curtain, is for you. We don’t normally have women come up here, but on occasion Mom or one of the other wives will come along. The little room in the back is actually a bathroom, although it is nothing like you’ve ever seen.” Jed smiled. “Let me show you how it works.”
He led Lizzie to the back of the room and opened the door. “As soon as I go outside and turn it on, there is a stream of water running continuously into the lavatory. It comes from a spring up the hill and flows all the time, both here and in the kitchen sink. In the winter, it has to be turned off if the lodge is not in use. But otherwise, the pipe is buried far enough to keep it flowing, and it flows enough it doesn’t freeze. The toilet has to be filled with a bucket.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me! What did you get me into?” Lizzie stomped her foot in frustration.
“Sorry, but that is the best we could do without power available to us. That little tub is a bathtub. It came out of a mini-camper, and since we don’t have a hot water heater, you don’t take long baths!” He laughed, self-conscious. “We carry hot water back here, and there is a diverter at the sink to run water to the tub. Since it is hard to carry hot water, we don’t use it much. Most of the time, when we are up here, we are hunting, so we don’t care. Not bathing much helps with the scent issue for the game.”
The scowl on Lizzie’s face showed what she thought.
Exasperated, Jed pointed. “You can grab a sleeping bag from the shelf, and there are clean sheets available in the cupboard. You should stay warm enough. If you would be good enough to say something to be sure I’m decent before coming out of your curtain, it would be appreciated. Good night. Call me if you need anything.” Jed tried not to let it show in his voice, but his irritation bled through.
“And what do we do about lights?” The question was bitter.
“Oh, thanks, I forgot. You will find a wind-up flashlight on the shelf right by the bunks. You can use it if you need to get up during the night. We also have Coleman lanterns that we use for light in the lodge. Anything else?”
“I don’t think so. I’m going to bed before anything else happens to me.”
“Call me if you need anything.” Jed shook his head. This was going to be interesting. Not only did he have to babysit a tenderfoot, he had to listen to her, too.
Lizzie didn’t think she would be able to sleep a wink, but when she put her head on the pillow, the next thing she knew sunlight was shining in her eyes, and the smell of coffee was in the air.