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Their second day outside of Melville, they walked back into town after doing their chores, and Molly went off to sell the hair she had cut from Erin’s head while Erin went down to the stock yards looking for a horse. She found two horses that would fit their needs” one mare and one stallion, who was young and fractious. She really wanted the stallion, but he wasn’t up to riding yet. He was simply too young for any length of riding. Still, the price she paid for the mare was a little higher than she had planned, but when she had started to walk away, she got both for the higher price. The dealer wished to get rid of the young stallion that was riling up his other stock and eating him out of feed. Leading both horses away with ropes around their necks, the stallion trotted so proudly. Erin looked for and found Molly; she was window shopping.
“Why, what have you got there?” she asked, seeing Erin and the horses in the reflection of the window she was looking through and turning around in surprise.
The day was sunny but cold and few people were out. The horses threw up their heads as they snorted mist through their nostrils, scenting the other woman. Erin told her the deal she had gotten, wincing a little at the price.
“I know it’s higher than we wanted to pay, but I think we’ll look for more mares out west, and he’ll pay for himself in the long run if I don’t shoot him first,” Erin justified the price, feeling guilty. She was entrusted with their money and couldn’t spend it on a whim.
“I agree,” Molly said supportively, smiling at Erin and pleased with the deal despite the higher price that had eaten into their savings. “We’re in town and things cost more.” She’d seen that in the prices of items in the windows. She’d thought prices in Stouten were high because of the cost of transportation, as Erin had explained to her long ago, but the prices of some of the things she saw in this bigger town were ridiculous.
“Did you sell the hair?” Erin asked to change the subject, still feeling guilty.
“I did, and I talked him into a whole twenty dollars,” she bragged.
“No!” Erin gasped, appalled at the price.
“Well, he said there was enough hair and it was thick enough that he thought he might get two wigs out of it!”
“Then he should have given you forty dollars,” Erin protested.
“That’s what I said. He didn’t realize he’d told me that there might be two, so we bartered. He only offered me ten, maybe fifteen originally, and I asked for thirty after what he said. We compromised on twenty. I think he’ll still make out when he makes a wig from it all. Your hair was really thick!”
Erin chuckled and protested when Molly tried to give her the money. “You keep that for supplies. I trust you with our money more than I do myself,” she indicated the horses following them, the stallion pulling back and snorting from time to time. He didn’t like the rope around his neck and was making leading him difficult.
“You’re just not used to having all the responsibility on you all the time,” she said quietly, but no one was about to overhear them. “Let’s take these two back to the farm and put them with our other stock. I don’t want to stay there much longer. It feels like we are being watched, and I want to move on.”
Erin knew what Molly meant. They didn’t own the abandoned farm, and she’d looked around a little at the overgrown place. Despite the inclement weather, the farm was workable if the right person came along. She didn’t know why it was abandoned, and it was none of her business, but they were trespassing and should move on.
As they were walking the horses past the orphanage, they heard the children playing outside despite the cold.
“Mr. and Mrs. Herriot?” a voice called from beyond the fence.
Looking about, they recognized Miss Jenkins from the previous day. “Hello. We’ll be returning shortly to look the children over again,” Molly told her.
“I was just wondering if you were interested in the Harris children? The boy and girl you looked at yesterday,” she reminded them, “Tommy and Theresa?”
“Yes, we discussed them and thought we’d talk to Mr. Engle about them today.” Erin nodded as she informed the woman of their decision. They had discussed them and decided that they were a good age for their family.
“They have another brother and sister,” she informed them.
“They do?”
The woman nodded, glancing around, obviously imparting information she shouldn’t. “Yes, the family had five children and four are at the orphanage.”
“Did we meet the other two?” Molly asked, her heart sinking with the knowledge they had almost broken up a family.
“Where is the fifth child?” Erin asked, alarmed at the information. She wondered if Mr. Engle would have given them the full story.
The woman lowered her voice and continued with her story. The children had been left after their parents died of influenza. They’d all been ill, but the children, who were younger and stronger, had survived. Their parents had died, and they had lived in the house for days until the oldest sought help. The parents had been found dead in their beds. The children were aged ten, eight, six, four, and two. The oldest was already in the workhouse, and the youngest hadn’t been seen because they had only glanced in on the toddlers. The remaining child had been too shy to show himself. “I just thought you should know the whole story,” she said, her voice the sound of justified indignation.
“Thank you, Miss Jenkins. We appreciate the information,” Erin said thoughtfully. She wondered why the woman had told them. Was it to prevent the children’s adoption, or was it to make them aware they were about to break up a family?
As they walked away with the horses following, Erin turned to yank, once again, on the rope of the fractious young stallion and bring him along.
“I guess that ends that,” Molly said sadly.
“There are other orphanages. I didn’t see any other children I liked or was interested in here,” Erin added, deep in thought.
“Yes, we can check again...maybe in a bigger city?” She didn’t sound convinced; she sounded defeated.
Erin’s heart went out to Molly, knowing how much she had counted on the fact that they might be able to adopt. They had thoroughly discussed it, and they’d decided they could probably afford to raise two children, and a boy and a girl would be just right. However, they couldn’t break up a family. Still, the odds of five children being adopted together were slim. No one could afford a family that size when they were starting out.
As Erin secured the young horse, not trusting that she could catch him again, she went searching among their things for an appropriate bridle for him and another for the mare she planned to ride. Thinking things over, she glanced to where Molly had started a fire and was making them something hot to eat. She looked dejected, her shoulders slumped. Erin knew she wanted a family, maybe a bigger family than she could provide.
“What’s for dinner?” she asked once she had a bridle on both horses. The older, more mature farm horses were already establishing a pecking order with the new horses, sniffing them thoroughly and brushing aside the youngster and his hijinks. Erin knew if that youngster didn’t learn his place, they would kick him, and because of their bulk, they could really hurt him. She hoped he learned respect and fast.
As they ate the hastily concocted stew left over from their last meal at the farm, Erin noticed how quiet Molly was.
“I have a present for you,” she told her bride.
Molly looked up, barely managing to look pleased with the news.
Erin took a small book from her pocket and handed it to her.
“What is it?” she asked before she turned it over and saw the words ‘Journal’ on the front in what looked like gold letters. “A journal!” she said excitedly.
“I thought you’d like to write about our journey,” Erin said, pleased to see a smile on her face and glad she had bought the small book. “I have four more of them. I wasn’t sure how much you would write,” she admitted.
“Oh, this is wonderful. Thank you,” she answered sincerely, then leaned over to give her wife a kiss of gratitude. Molly’s good mood lasted a while, but Erin knew the thought of those children had returned when she lost the look of joy on her face.
She quietly broached the subject she knew was on both their minds. “Do you think we could afford to feed them all?”
Molly looked up so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash. “I’ve been wondering that myself. They’re growing children and...and...” she didn’t know what to add to that.
“Well, they need proper food and education, and if you paid attention in those classes, they ain’t getting it,” she pointed out, trying to give them both a reason to go for this insane idea. Taking on one child was enough of a responsibility. They had been prepared to go up to two, but five was way outside the realm of possibility.
“Aren’t,” Molly corrected almost automatically.
Erin grinned, waiting for Molly to look at her, and when she did, the twinkle returned to her eye. They shared a moment. “I don’t know why God put these children in our path, but it sure would save time not to have to look elsewhere.”
Molly’s smile turned into a grin. “I know I’ll work my hardest to provide for them, as much as you. Do you think we can do it?”
“We been doing fine on our own so far. This spring, when people realize that we are gone, there is going to be a lot of gossip. You think it will make it down this far?”
“You mean now that the Finns own the farm?” she frowned, wondering what point Erin was trying to make.
Erin nodded. “I don’t think they could take the children away once we head out. We’ve made it clear we’re taking up a farm out west.”
“You think they’d send the law out after us?”
Erin thought about the question a while. She’d wondered if anyone would go that far. They hadn’t done anything but sell the farm. Yes, there would be disappointed suitors...for Molly. Her own one-time suitor had only wanted the farm, not her fine self, and she’d understood that. It was to her favor anyway. She got the girl she wanted. Heck, she got the girl many had wanted. “I see no reason for them going that far, and no one realizes we plan on adopting children.”
Molly nodded, worrying despite herself. “We did get married,” she pointed out, knowing if anyone realized they were both women it would cause an uproar.
“We were legally married by a preacher, and we have the certificate to prove it,” she answered a little defensively. “He never asked us if we were man and woman, although I like that you promised to obey,” she teased.
“Not against my better judgement, I wouldn’t,” she argued in return.
Erin chuckled. “Already you are going against your vows. You know, I’m legally allowed to beat you now.”
“You never would!” she gasped.
Erin shook her head. “Nope, I never would. But I would take my belt to yer backside if y’all got uppity,” she teased.
“I hear some people like that.”
Erin lost her humor. “Now, where in the world did you hear something like that?”
Molly shrugged. She was in a much better mood than when their meal had started. “Women talk.”
“But about such things?!” Erin was genuinely shocked and wondered about what kind of woman, or man for that matter, would enjoy being spanked with a belt on the backside. She’d been talking about disciplining the children and teasing her wife. Her wife. She looked at Molly with a glint in her eye, pleased that she could now say that truthfully.
They talked some more about the children, their ages, and what they could afford. They knew they would have to tighten their belts, and the extra they had planned for was no longer going to be extra. Finishing their meal, they fed the dogs from their plates, and Molly washed the dishes while Erin checked their stock. They were doing fine despite the cold weather. She would be glad to move on.
“Ready?” she asked Molly when she had made a circuit around the animals and their wagon.
“Ready!” she answered excitedly and took Erin’s outstretched hand.
“Stay. Guard,” Erin said to the dogs, who had looked hopefully at them as they began to walk away, but both dogs’ ears fell slightly at the commands. Their eager and intelligent eyes took on a look. They would do their duty, guarding the wagon and stock of their people.