Chapter Ten

The Buttermans’ land on Calder Creek, Iowa Territory, February 9, 1834

It was a cold and snowy winter. The warm weather of late November held until Christmas. Then it snowed and snowed and snowed. Every day was cold and gray. Aunt Sunday stayed inside most days. She said the cold wet made her bones feel old. “It wasn’t like this before we crossed the Mississippi,” she said.

“Oh, Aunt Sunday,” said Mrs. Butterman. “It was, too! Don’t you remember being in Kentucky last year? When we came to get you after Mrs. Morris died?”

“Yes ma’am,” said Aunt Sunday. “It snowed a little. But Iowa feels cold. Just cold.”

Mrs. Butterman said, “Perhaps you need a warmer shawl. I think I brought another one. Let me look.” And she went into the other room of the two-room log cabin they all lived in together. She found the extra shawl. “Penny,” she said.

“Yes, Mrs. Butterman?” said Penny.

“This old shawl came from Mrs. Morris,” said Mrs. Butterman. Penny knew the shawl. She made it for Mrs. Morris the year before she died. It was black and gray and blue, and very large and warm. Mrs. Morris felt the cold so much in the last year of her life. Penny wrapped it around old Mrs. Morris to keep her warm.

“Yes ma’am,” said Penny. “It was hers.”

“Well,” said Ella Butterman, “It’s so large. Could you cut it to be smaller? Perhaps we can get an extra shawl for Aunt Sunday? And Mr. Butterman needs a scarf to put around his neck.”

Penny took the shawl from Mrs. Butterman and looked at it. She said, “I think we could get a second scarf out of it, too. Nate gets pretty cold when he’s out looking for wood.”

Mrs. Butterman agreed. “Yes, you’re right.” And Penny got to work. Soon Aunt Sunday had an extra shawl for her small shoulders. Mr. Butterman and Nate had new neck scarves. For the next few months, they wore them every time they went outside. Aunt Sunday stopped talking about how cold she was. She sat by the stone chimney, where the fire burned. It was warm there.

Mr. Butterman made visits to Mr. Sweeney. He wanted to have a good neighbor in Mr. Sweeney. But Mr. Butterman was also worried about Mr. Sweeney’s hard words to Penny and Nate. He was also curious about Bowe, Tommy, and Alice and her two children. He wondered if Mr. Sweeney owned them. Jonathan Butterman wasn’t sure where owning slaves would go in Iowa Territory. Missouri to the south had slavery, but Illinois to the east had less. Owning slaves was a topic that interested a lot of people in the new Iowa Territory. But it was hard to discuss openly. Some people from Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia, or Maryland felt it was alright to own people with black skin. They needed slaves on their farms. But some other people from Ohio or New York were turning against owning slaves.

Mr. Butterman learned that Mr. Sweeney was from Missouri. And he owned his five “people,” as he called them. Mr. Butterman stopped asking questions about that. He did, however, tell Mr. Sweeney that Nate was good with horses. If he ever had trouble with horses, Nate would help. For money to Nate, of course. Mr. Sweeney seemed surprised. Pay money to a black person? But he was happy to know someone could take care of his horses. He had two.