Posted October 22, 2022
"I'm sure it will be fine." Emeline had loved the first part of their trip, and even with all the amazing places they'd stayed, foods they'd eaten and things they'd experienced, simply being on the trail and camping had been her favorite part. That said, in the weeks that had passed, the pregnancy was becoming a factor in what she could do.
"And I know you'll take care of me. After all, once we get back, I'll cook the best meal those men have ever had, and pies, too, so that they'd never want to leave!" She laughed. "We'll have an unfair advantage!"
Posted October 22, 2022
"I do love the way you think, Em. You know they have a cook as well with them?" He asked, not sure if he had mentioned that fact to her. "Frank Teal, who I hired to bring the herd hires the best for his drives, so this fellow he has cooking for the hands with him, he'd be top drawer."
"Maybe another option for the Lickskillet, if you look at it that way, or just relief between feeding the hands, and care for the kids." He suggested. "Not sayin' you can't do it, not sayin' that at all. Just suggesting what might be possible."
He had the feeling he may have stepped in it, and that was not what he wanted or meant. Maybe he had said too much, or even not enough, so his thought was to shut up. After all, this was her arena, he café, her home kitchen, not his.
Posted October 22, 2022
"Oh, really? A cook?" Well, she supposed someone had to be doing the cooking on the trail, and that he would eventually make it to the ranch, and want to stay with the crew. But really, was she that disappointed?
"Well, he'll just have to sit aside the first night and enjoy a meal he didn't cook!" she declared with a grin. "And I'll challenge him to a pie-baking contest! After all, how much chance does a trail cook have to practice baking on the trail?"
Really, she didn't think she'd have any trouble finding things to do with her time if she didn't have to cook for the hands as well, and it would be nice to have some free time just to read or paint.
"And Mr. Cook can have a night off now and then if he likes, and even though I haven't met him, I bet he'd make a perfect babysitter!"
It was going to all work out, and be just fine, she was certain.
Posted October 23, 2022
Barnabas listened intently to his wife, as she went on about this cook that was coming with the trail herd. Finally when she considered he might be the perfect babysitter he burst out laughing, "Now, now Em, as far as babysitting duties, I wouldn't hang my hat on that idea. He will be of the best trail cooks, to be sure, that would be all I would guarantee. What sort he would be I've no idea. As far as how he would be with children? I couldn't hazard a guess."
Men of the trail may well be rough around the edges, that was true, how they would react to youngsters? That was another question entirely! "All of these things will be worked out in time. What you said about a baking contest, that ought to be one heck of a contest, and you'll have a whole panel of judges. Yep, that'll be a good one."
Posted October 23, 2022
"In all honesty, I'd rather have the children reared, or at least influenced by hard-working ranch hands," Emeline declared, "than some snooty Eastern finishing school!" She was certain that she and Barnabas, along with other citizens in town, would instill proper manners and etiquette in their children, and while she felt that was important, there were other things she felt were important as well.
"They'll need to be tough and independent, even the girls." She looked up at Barnabas, leaning in close to him. ""There's no telling what life will bring them, so they need to be prepared, just in case. I pray God our girls never have to lose a husband, but if they do, they need to be able to carry on."
For Emeline, her upbringing hadn't really prepared her for making it on her own a thousand miles from home, but she had moxie, and determination, but a good dose cowhand wisdom would have done her well!
"I just hope they don't teach the girls to spit, but I suppose it has a place..." She grinned.
Posted October 24, 2022
"Well, if Teal's bringin' the best he could find, they'll men to ride the river with, tough men, but not hard, well, not so's you'd notice anyways."Barnabas responded. "Not like tough men aren't hard to a point. Our kids around such men will learn plenty that ain't in no books. That would be for sure."
"Our girls now, with you as their mother, they'll be tough enough to handle life on life's terms, we'll make sure of that, and, that they are ladies. Times are better than they were, and they'll continue to get better as time passes, so their world may not be like ours has been. But they'll be ready for it." He concluded.
Posted October 26, 2022
"A well-rounded education," Emeline declared, "our children will be able to take on the world! And they'll be happy and strong..."
And alive... She'd be happy for that, and she wasn't going to think negatively, there was nothing to be gained in that, besides worry that would make life miserable. As difficult as it was sometimes, she'd do her best to stay positive, and she knew that Barnabas would help in that.
"This really is a nice town...for not being Kalispell." Emeline smiled, then stifled a yawn. "Will you mind if we cut the walk short?"
Posted October 26, 2022
"It's passable. And no, we can head back. Be good to stretch out, after the train ride, things are bound to get busy by the afternoon tomorrow. And we have a trip to Tahoe Lake that we need to make." He said, reminding her of the trip into the Sierras.
"Education is paramount, I had little as it was, but Ma, she made sure us kids could read and write, so most of my schoolin' was home taught. There was work to be done." He told her as they reversed course along the bank of the Truckee River. "Yes Ma'am, there'll be a lot to do, to see and experience up on the hill. We'll have us a time while we're there, and then my love, we'll ride the rails as far north as they go, and then, on to home."
Posted October 27, 2022
"School will be a bit of a challenge in town, but when they are little, I can teach them basics, reading, math, history and such."
While she hadn't trained as a teacher, Emeline was pretty sure she could handle the early things. "You know," she mused, "if we end up with several children on the property, it might just be best to have our own school there."
She realized how that sounded, then quickly explained, "I mean, some of the hands may have families, and children, you know, who need schooling, too, and it's a long way to town..."
Planning so far ahead! Schooling would be just another one of those things that they'd adjust to when the time came, but it was fun to think about the possibilities.
Posted October 28, 2022
"Education, that's important, more so than when I was a youngster. Oh, Ma saw to it we could read, do our numbers and write. She taught us, an' there was school too, at least I went, and my brothers Silas and Samuel and my sister Maryanne did too, til Pa need the three of us boys to help out around the place. But you're right about the hands, if they have families, or end up with families which is more likely the case." Barnabas explained.
"Gettin' 'em to school on the good days is just loadin' 'em in a wagon and making the trip. Once the snow flies, all bets are off. Be a real chore, only to get there an' there be no school 'cuz nobody could get here, that happened more'n once last winter." He smiled, "But you got a good idea there, havin' school right there. They'll be fortunate, we'll have hands so's the boys won't have to give up schoolin' to work the ranch."