Chapter 5. News Travels Fast & a Chaperone Found at Last

Abigail did all she could to withstand the whispers, stares and questions as news about Jack and Helen’s elopement spread about Garfield in the coming days. She had felt her cheeks sting as they turned beet red when she entered the general store with Aunt Olivia on the Saturday following. She tried to hold her head high even though everyone wondered why Jack had abandoned her and had returned to his old flame. She felt rather like a scorned woman, as if something had been terribly wrong with her. She was thankful that her joy over Matthew’s visit and plans for her trip to England were two distractions that helped her to keep breathing. She felt courage rising in her heart as she pondered a new life in England where she could start over and begin anew. England was a second chance for her. She’d always felt rather dreamy about England in the first place from all the reading about it in books by Dickens and Austen. Now, it seemed even more like a dream come true that she was going to live there, in the land of Kings and Queens and the like.

The general store had been a bustle of excitement and conversation when they’d first entered. As soon as the bell clanged when the door closed behind them and people saw them walk in, an embarrassing and awkward hush settled on those gathered there.

“Pay them no mind dear,” Aunt Olivia whispered as she linked arms with Abby and marched proudly up to the store clerk for assistance with the items she needed. “Hello Victoria. It’s nice to see you behind the counter helping your mother. You wanted to look over the fabrics for your trip to England, didn’t you Abigail?” Olivia turned back to Victoria and smiled cheerfully. “To think my niece will be setting sail for England on a grand adventure soon! You’ll want several new dresses and hats child!”

Abigail couldn’t help but beam as Aunt Olivia successfully and brilliantly steered the conversation in the direction she wanted it to go.

“England? How very exciting for you Abigail Parker! You’ll be enjoying a visit with your sister Hannah, no doubt.” Victoria Scott’s mother joined her daughter at the counter, beaming from the news Aunt Olivia had just shared. “May I assist you in pointing out the new fabrics and patterns we have in stock?” She gracefully held out her arm and directed Abigail to the sewing area of the store as she stepped through a set of swinging doors from behind the counter.

“Why thank you, Mrs. Scott,” Abigail said politely, leaving Aunt Olivia with a stunned Victoria behind the counter. It was interesting to see the reaction on her face at this piece of news her aunt had dared to divulge.

“I see Victoria is helping you here in the store. How are your boys doing? Are they enjoying the summer break from school?” Abigail stammered but managed to sound nonchalant, as if preparing for a trip to England was not an unusual occurrence in her household. In truth, she was so excited and nervous she could barely converse. She dutifully followed Mrs. Scott to the fabric table and began to survey the bolts of colorful materials from which to choose. She was sure bewilderment in her eyes would give her innermost thoughts away. She was feeling terrible that she could not confide in anyone of the state Jack had left her in. The mix of feelings within left her ready to burst with pandemonium but she managed to gather her composure and turn her attention to Mrs. Scott’s polite reply.

“Oh yes! Well Clarence and Walter are quite busy helping my husband, Mr. Scott, with the store --but our youngest son, Edward, has absolutely no interest in the store yet, of course. All in good time to come, I suppose. He has been enjoying archery, baseball and fishing.”

“I’m certain he has been enjoying some of those very same activities with my brother Jordan Hezekiah! Jordan barely makes it home in time for supper most days, to the great consternation of my parents.” Abigail and Mrs. Scott fell into an easy conversation while Aunt Olivia gave a list of items to Victoria to fill. Several customers gathered around to hear more about her niece’s upcoming Atlantic voyage and Aunt Olivia was in high cotton to share a few details, most of which were sketchy at best at this point in Elizabeth’s planning of the journey for Abigail.

“Now this is a lovely shade of plum, and I can’t help but admire this peach percale. Isn’t it lovely?” Mrs. Scott directed Abigail’s attention to several bolts she had placed before her. “These colors would look lovely with your gold locks Abigail.”

To Abigail’s relief, it seemed Jack and Helen’s debacle completely forgotten. She could just hug Aunt Olivia to pieces for saving the day from disaster!

In the end, it was partly Matthew and partly Aunt Olivia who loaned Abigail the rest of the funds she needed to commence her journey to England. How she would ever repay her family members for their kindness toward her remained a mystery better left in God’s hands for the moment. They had encountered Elizabeth and Abigail viewing a leaflet about the voyage and joining the sisters on the front porch of the manse, they had gradually discovered the amount still needed to purchase a train ticket and fare for the ship. Both had offered to front the rest of what was needed for Abigail to make the trip to Hannah’s home. How they wanted their Hannah to have some bit of comfort by having family around… and how they wanted to see Abigail’s future secure with happiness and joy. Aunt Olivia personally knew how a broken heart from a love that didn’t abound or a love that was simply lacking all together could knock the wind out of one’s sails. She didn’t want her niece to remain forlorn. Matthew wanted to see his sister enjoy the experience of relocating to broaden her future and find her purpose as he had by moving to Chicago.

Father was concerned at first but gradually came around to accepting the fact that one more of his daughters had grown up right before his very eyes and seemed ready to explore the world. He too had been baffled concerning the disappearance of Jack from Abigail’s life and seemed anxious for his daughter to find joy again. This trip to England seemed to be exactly what she needed and for the first time in weeks, he’d noticed she was smiling and laughing again at the prospect of an exciting journey. The idea of Hannah being able to enjoy a visit from her sister was also more than amenable to his thoughts and concerns. How they all missed Hannah. He was certain Hannah and her husband, Wilson, were both a bit homesick for Kentucky and family as much as they were for them, though their letters always remained cheerful and contained great reports of their successes and varied experiences in spreading the gospel and carving out a new life together in England.

Though he didn’t know it, finding a chaperone remained the only major obstacle to the greater dilemma of getting Abigail out of the country and saving Father from the damaging gossip that would surely ensue if she remained in Kentucky in her delicate condition. Every night before bed, Abigail knelt down and prayed for God to lead her through the mess she was in.

The last few days of Matthew’s visit were upon them and Abigail determined to enjoy them to the fullest. She wasn’t sure when she would return or how long it might be before she saw any of her family members and for now, it was best if she allowed them to consider her itinerary to be of short duration. Besides, Mother had insisted on the purchase of a round trip ticket which would return her daughter safely to America before winter set in too deeply. She would not hear of her Abby crossing the Atlantic during harsh winter conditions.

Noah Wesley Parker, two years older than Abigail, contented himself to learning to farm the land at Brookside Meadow Farm. His aim was to turn a profit in order to purchase a neighboring patch of acreage. He, along with occasional assistance from his younger brother Jordan, tended the livestock and animals of the manse. The animals he cared for were five horses, including Hannah’s Gabriella; three cows for milk, butter and cheese; and a flock of chickens. Each spring for the past two years he had planted two fields of hay, one of wheat and another of corn. He had determined to learn all he could from his brother-in-law, Charles who had a successful farm of his own. He had soon doubled the chickens and increased what had initially been two cows, to three. Besides that, he’d put several hundred dollars in the Bank of Garfield in a savings account and managed to pay off the loan he’d made on a plow. Charles had agreed to help him with harvest so he wouldn’t have to purchase harvesting equipment.

His older brother Peter made a fine teacher and Matthew, a fine Chicago clergyman like Father, the distinguished Calvin Benjamin Parker of Lincoln County; but farming just seemed to be in Noah’s blood. From where or whose side of the family, he wasn’t quite certain as there were farmers on both his maternal and paternal side. He just knew he wanted to raise horses and farm the land. The board members of the church were pleased to see him make good use of the land on which the manse sat and the profits were free and clear-- so long as he tithed on them, Father had said.

He had quickly earned the respect of his family and so it was that he found himself assisting Elizabeth with her kitchen garden in town on the following Monday morning after riding with Father in the buckboard to drop Matthew at the train station. An early morning departure, it had been decided the rest of the family would say their teary good-byes from home. He and Father bade him a quiet but loving farewell on behalf of the family.

“We’ll miss you son,” Father said, putting a comforting large hand on one of Matthew’s broad shoulders.

“I’ll miss you all too,” Matthew said.

“Be sure and write,” Noah offered.

“If you write back,” Matthew chuckled, slugging his brother on the arm.

Noah laughed and smiled as he took a slight step back from the slug. “I’ll try, but I’m a terrible letter writer,” he said and opened his arms, stepping forward to give Matt a brotherly embrace.

“I know. My sisters and Mother make up for what you lack in that regard. Try and drop me a line now and then.”

“Will do,” Noah said, tipping his hat in agreement.

“Thank you for helping Abigail with the fare for her passage,” Father added, shaking his head. “She’s been so down since that boy.”

“The voyage will do her a world of good, but Mother will miss her with the twins away at finishing school.” Matthew’s nature was ever thinking of others. It’s part of what made him a great pastor. Turning to Noah he said, “It’ll be up to you and Jordan to fill some of the void the rest of us cannot.”

“Don’t you boys worry too much about your mother. We have the grandchildren here and Peter, Elizabeth and Rose Marie bring them over often, as you saw while you were home with us. She is looking forward to having less responsibility for a change of pace. When you get our age you look forward to your children being able to stand on their own two feet,” Father said comfortingly. “She stays pretty busy keeping up with all the sewing for the family and her work with fundraising for missions. I sometimes think she singlehandedly feeds and clothes the poor of our community. You have no need to fear. Your mother has a busy and rewarding life. We love you son. ” The boys nodded, comforted by his words which made it a might easier on both of them to be the men they needed to be.

All the sounds of the busy train and people darting here and there brought the nearness of his leaving back to their attention. Steam was pouring out into the air and a shrill whistle disturbed the morning, giving out a last wail to alert passengers of a soon departure.

“I’d best be getting on board,” Matt said with a huge grin. Leaving home was hard but if he didn’t show them he had a joy in his heart for what he was doing for the Lord and the people of Chicago, he might not be able to walk away. He didn’t want them to remember him with any sadness of parting. It was hard enough to leave with his family tugging on his heart strings. He gave them a long embrace and picked up his satchel and quickly climbed into the train. He found his seat quickly and when he was settled he lowered the window and waved to his brother and Father as the train began to pull away.

When the train finished pulling out of the depot, they stood there for a long while watching it diminish into the distance. Finally, wordlessly, they walked over to the buckboard and climbed in. Why did good-byes have to be so difficult Noah wondered?

Noah promised to be prompt later in the day to pick Father up and dropped Father at the church to tend to some work. He waited until Father had climbed the steps to the doors and unlocked them before he snapped the reins gently on the team and turned in the direction of Elizabeth’s house on the edge of town.

He worked steadily all morning at removing weeds and clumps of unruly soil and rocks from Elizabeth’s garden, applying all of his farming and gardening knowledge to his older sister’s rather neglected vegetables. He reminded himself that she had five children to feed and cared for several boarders, relying greatly on the produce from her garden to aid in her endeavors as Mother and proprietress. This was a task she often fell behind in managing with all of her many and varied duties so he told himself as he labored that he didn’t mind pitching in to help her out.

As the sun grew hotter and he broke a sweat, he wiped a tired brow and finally allowed himself a well-earned break for rest at the appearance of Mrs. Pickering with a refreshing glass of lemonade. He joined her on the covered back porch, thankful to retreat from the unkind rays of relentless and intense sunshine. He seated himself on a bench not far from the elderly but steady boarder of his sister’s home.

Mrs. Pickering was a pleasant woman, widowed and elderly, but sharp as a whistle where wit and charm were concerned. She had silvery white hair and light bluish-gray, warm, intelligent, friendly eyes. Believing that a daily constitutional was a secret to vibrant health, she often took a brisk walk about town and was well liked by all in Garfield. Preferring to live on her own, she had chosen to return to the town she’d grown up in as a child after the death of her husband. She had remained a dear and long standing friend of Widow Barton as they’d attended school together as young girls in Lincoln County.

She had one son she visited often who lived in Ohio, but she seemed to enjoy her independence, and yet being a part of Elizabeth’s busy and growing family. She made frequent trips to the library and sometimes liked to bake the family a cake, a batch of cookies or a fruit pie. She liked to embroider and also enjoyed reading voraciously. She regularly made good use of Elizabeth’s personal library. Staying up late to read was one of her favorite things to do now that she had no one to look after. She was free to sleep in every morning if so desired. She had grown quite fond of the Parkers and the Calhoun’s since coming to Garfield and quite nearly thought of Elizabeth and Joseph’s children as though they were her own grandchildren. They often included her in their trips to visit the manse as if she were one of the family.

“Thank you Mrs. Pickering! This is just what I needed!” He smiled after drinking the entire glass and she refilled it for him without having to be asked and returned the pitcher to the table beside her cushioned rocker. He had soon discovered from Mrs. Pickering’s chatter that Elizabeth was out and about running errands with the children. Joseph was at the lumber mill, as usual. He was glad for the company of Mrs. Pickering.

“I thought it might be,” she replied. “‘Tis surely a hot day and it’s just getting started.”

“‘Yer’ right about that!” He wiped his brow with his rolled up light blue cotton shirt sleeve and gulped down another half glass.

“Elizabeth… I mean, Mrs. Calhoun, will be proud of all you’ve accomplished in her garden,” Mrs. Pickering commented approvingly.

“I hope so. I’m not able to get out here very often. The manse keeps me busy.”

“I can only imagine! How is the rest of the family? I hear your sister Abigail is getting ready for quite a journey.”

“Well, that is, if and when she can find a chaperone. Mother won’t hear of her making the voyage alone.”

“Oh. I thought Mrs. Parker would be accompanying her.”

“No, not this time, though she wants to. …Something about the Missions Banquet coming up and not being able to leave Jordan for that long… oh and the twins coming home to visit from school later this summer. Or was it that they were going to visit the twins?”

“Oh, I see. That does sound like a lot on her plate; just enough to prevent a most lovely journey to a fine country. I certainly can understand her not wanting to abandon her other children and the banquet is an enormous task.” Mrs. Pickering leaned back in her rocking chair thoughtfully.

“Yes indeed. …Never a dull moment!”

“What part of England is Abigail traveling to? Perhaps where her sister lives? I’ve always wanted to see London. I’ve read all about it many times over.”

“Halifax, ma’am,” Noah replied, placing his glass on the small table beside the pitcher.

“If I’m not mistaken, that’s north of London.”

“I believe so,” Noah said, holding his hat in his hands respectfully.

“Noah, do you think Abigail would mind terribly if I were to accompany her to England? I’m quite well travelled as you know—my husband was in the shipping industry and I’ve been all over Europe and even parts of Africa and the Middle East, but one place I have never been is England. I have always wanted to go there.”

For a moment Noah tried to imagine Mrs. Pickering traipsing through Africa on a safari but he shook himself out of his thoughts when he thought of the joy his sister would have to find a chaperone and replied: “I could ask her for you, but I personally think she’d be in high cotton if you would make the journey with her! All she does is talk of England with Elizabeth, Aunt Olivia, Callie and Mother… and for days on end now!” Noah’s laugh rang out. “England, England, England! Frankly ma’am, if we don’t put her on that steamship soon, Father and I won’t have a moment’s peace.”

Mrs. Pickering chuckled, “Have no fear young man! I shall be most delighted to journey with your sister! That is, if your mother is also agreeable to my being Abigail’s chaperone.” She leaned forward in her rocker.

“Oh I’m sure she will be. In fact, she would find a good deal of comfort knowing a trusted friend of the family was going to be with our Abby.”

“Well then, let’s not waste another moment. When I make up my mind to do something, I like to get on with it. Please bring me news as to the particulars young man,” Mrs. Pickering said, leaning back in the rocker. “…If it’s not too much trouble, that is, for you to ride back into town later on today or tomorrow after your parents have discussed my proposition. I can pay my own way, of course, but I will need to pack my trunk, buy a new hat, make a withdrawal at the bank, oh and… of course, pay Elizabeth in advance to hold my room here so nobody else rents it out… and therefore, I need a departure date and all pertinent details speedily. I wonder if she’ll be traveling on an American line or perhaps a British line of steamships? ”

Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.

Psalm 71:21, KJV