Chapter 8

 

 

A s soon as the sun hovered in the western sky and the temperature began to drop, Eli and his companions walked the boardwalk that fronted the buildings across from the railroad tracks. None said anything for several minutes. Only the sound of their footsteps reverberating off the wooden planks filled the air.

“Nothing like Iowa, is it?” Rand finally broke the silence. “I never realized before how much I appreciate the green grass and shrubbery that surrounds the campus.”

“It certainly is different.” Jason turned his gaze in the direction of the railroad tracks and scanned the scene beyond. “I was told that is Sugar Creek, the town’s main source of water other than what the locals collect as runoff.” He pointed toward a ribbon of green on the other side of the tracks. “I understand it is spring fed.”

“I also heard the region is cluttered with springs, if you know where to look for them.” Rand waved his arm in the general direction of the sage and scrub brush wilderness beyond the town. “What I’m mostly interested in seeing is the Ceratops beds near Black Buttes.”

“You and your dinosaurs.” Jason shook his head. “That’s a little too far west of here, even for where we will be exploring. You might have to save that for a future trip.”

“Well, what about the mammoth beds south of here? We’re going that direction. They were discovered by crews building the Union Pacific tracks, so they can’t be that far.” He turned to Jason. “And don’t say dinosaurs again. They aren’t. They aren’t even from the same geological era.”

“I know that.” Jason smirked and glanced at Rand out the sides of slanted eyes. “We might be able to manage that, but you’ll still need to return to Wyoming Territory if you want to do any extensive exploring into the past. My intention was to scout out the best places to hunt game and find some good fishing spots.”

“What say you, Eli? I know it isn’t one of your physical sciences, but are you game for checking out the mammoth bone pit?”

“Hmmm?” Eli raised his eyebrows as he turned to Rand, who asked the question. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“His mind is still on the pretty maid we dropped off at the hotel.” Jason Sewell laughed softly as he shook his head. He leaned across Rand and gave Eli a knowing look. “You told us yourself she came with the intention of marrying a soldier at that fort we passed while on the train. You need to forget her.”

Eli dared not admit that Jason guessed correctly. Instead, he stopped walking and turned to stare at his friend. “I know that. I was merely taking in the town.”

“She’s a mail-order bride, for goodness sakes.” Folding his arms, Jason snorted and looked to the west as he shook his head. “What would your mother say about that?”

“She’s not in a position to say anything about it.” Eli shrugged in an attempt to respond to his friend’s comment in good humor. However, he felt his back teeth clench and his jaw tighten. People could think what they wanted about his mother, but no one but him or his siblings were entitled to say anything insulting about her. “Before I left, she handed me two letters from potential brides. She made me promise to read them and write responses to them before I return from this trip.”

“Are you telling a Banbury Tale?” Rand nearly choked on his words as he stared wide-eyed at Eli. “Your mother wants you to write to women who have applied to be mail-order brides?”

“Not exactly.” Eli scratched the back his neck. “As you know, our family is from Albany. Ma is convinced my best bet is to marry a well-educated woman from there or some other Eastern city. You need to understand that, to her, well-educated means finishing school educated. One is a schoolteacher at a girls’ academy in Albany. The other…” He sighed and shook his head. “I don’t recall. I have the letters with the return directions on them, but I haven’t read them, yet.”

“You have letters from two women, and you haven’t even read them?” Rand’s voice held a note of incredulity. “I would have read them, for the amusement factor alone.”

Eli shook his head. “I’ve been too busy preparing for this trip. However…” He sighed as he rubbed his face. Doing so dislodged his derby, and he had to grab for it to keep it from falling on the boardwalk. He resettled it on his head and ignored the probability that his hair now stuck out at funny angles. “I did promise her, so I will have to take care of that before I return to Iowa City.”

“You must be joking.” Jason rolled his eyes. “My dear mother is gone, but I’m beginning to see that, in some respects, that might not be all bad. She knew my late wife, of course. However, I cannot imagine her meddling regarding whether or not I choose to marry again.”

“I wish I was.” Eli sighed. “I tried to explain to her my focus was on this trip, and this summer, I had no interest in considering possible candidates for the position of my wife.” He shook his head. “I’m the youngest, you see. She still thinks she must look out for me.”

“Enough about your marital pursuits or lack thereof, Eli.” Annoyance laced Rand’s voice. “You didn’t answer my question. Are you interested in looking at the mammoth bone pit while we’re here?”

“If we can do so on our way to or from that Muddy Creek area where we plan to do our hunting and fishing, why not?” Eli shrugged. “For now, I prefer to stay focused on preparing for the eclipse. It will be a long while until we’ll have another opportunity like this.”

“Try New Year’s Day, 1889. There will be another total solar eclipse visible between California and the Dakotas. Considering the time of year, I opt for California.” Jason turned to Eli and smirked. “You might not be able to go, Eli. By then, your mama will see to it you are married to one of the lovelies she has picked out for you, and you will feel the need to stay home with your house full of children.”

“Maybe he’ll opt for our pretty auburn-haired traveling companion Eli took such a shine to.” Rand laughed. “Although, considering she’s a maid, I can almost imagine what his mother will have to say about that.”

“My mother won’t be there when I arrive home. She’s at my sister’s house, no doubt trying to run her household. With a little bit of luck, she’ll stay until after fall colors before she returns.” Eli turned to the other two men. “As for Mrs. Greenly, when she was younger, she received a good education. The big fire they had in Chicago turned her life upside-down. I suspect she has dealt with enough misfortune that she would appreciate you not making sport of her situation.”

“I meant nothing disrespectful, Eli.” Rand cleared his throat and turned his gaze forward. “I thought her a lovely lady in more ways than one.”

“And we will still be able to see her since she’ll be working at the hotel for a while. I understand they are starting to serve a breakfast and supper menu beginning tomorrow. She’s engaged to that soldier, though, so who knows how long she’ll be there.”

“It will be more convenient than taking all our meals at the restaurant.” Not understanding the nervous upset he felt at the thought of Blythe soon marrying another, Eli dared say no more about her. He squinted as he gazed at the sun. Next, he checked his pocket watch. “Speaking of the restaurant, if we want supper tonight, we probably better go there now.”