"It sounds perfect," Emeline agreed, thanking the waiter that brought their meals. For a moment, she looked over the oysters, then tried one, her nose wrinkling up. They were a bit slimy, and had an earthy taste, but with the spices they'd been cooked in, they made an interesting bite.
"Oh, try some of these!" Looking over at Barnabas, she smiled. "We'll need a good wagon and team, so that's a good idea for the final way home, if we can find quality." It made good sense, and a draft team would be best at pulling a utility wagon. "I can look into getting a buggy back home, I'll certainly have a team to pull it."
'Her' Morgans might need training, and while she had Noel and preferred riding, that would be difficult soon, and especially after she had the baby.
He smiled, "Love, I'll pass. Tried 'em, didn't care for 'em." He said, turning down the oysters. Costly dish, but so were eggs.
"Now, about the wagon, you're right about quality, and yes that is what we would have to have. Glad all of that stuff we bought was shipped on ahead of us. So, with that wagon, we can hope to find draft horses, otherwise, we'll surely need to run a four up, help with speed, provided it's not too rough on the trail. Speaking of which, we'll need to have a couple of spare wheels, as we'll have plenty of miles ahead of us and no need to take any chances."
Between bites he added, how may trunks have you got? I've the one, a box, and two bags." The box was locked and had his guns, the bags, his range clothes. They would go as far as the last stop, disembark, and Barnabas would become Pronto again.
@Bongo
"I've got two trunks and the bag," Emeline answered, then took a bite of her duck a'la orange, rolling her eyes. "Oh, this is heavenly! I'm going to miss eating like this!" It was funny, though, because, at the same time, she would be glad to get back to 'normal', and start setting a routine in their new home.
"You'll need to teach me to drive a four-hitch." Looking across at him, she shrugged. "I've handled two, with a buggy and a wagon, but four..." She wasn't intimidated, but she knew enough to have a healthy respect for four draft horses, and that driving four would be much different than just two. She laughed. "I could ask Addy to teach me when we get home!"
Home was sounding better and better!
"There'll be plenty of time for you to get a handle on a four-up while we drive home." If you can handle two, that's half the battle." He offered. "There's plenty of miles between the end of track, up near Elko, and Kalispell, so that won't be a problem, providing your condition permits it. Not that I know a whole lot about pregnancy and such like."
"We'll need a Studebaker, good solid rig. Drove one when I worked for Waddel and Mitchell Freight lines." He explained, "Of course now, Nevada Central agents can tell us if we can even get a wagon that far north. Might cost a bit, but I believe we can get us a wagon, and likely them horses too right there in Carson City. Then we'll likely have to pay to have 'em hauled north for us, but that might be the answer we're lookin' for."
@Bongo
"There will be plenty of options and plenty of time." Leaning back in her chair, Emeline patted her belly. "I still have some months before my movement will be limited, it will just get harder to bend over and lift things, and I get tired pretty easily."
It was difficult to have so many decisions, yet not really have the opportunity to follow through until they were home, and had a chance to take stock and organize.
"Oh, I went to see Julia today." Best to have that in the open. "I mean, I just needed to..." She shrugged. Hopefully, he wouldn't be angry with her. She didn't bother mentioning Charlie Fa's implications, she couldn't believe that there would be any ill will.
"Julia? Bulette? Oh, Julia Dey, Well both are passed on. Why would you do that?" He asked since she did not even know her. "I mean, I 'spose there's nothing wrong with going to visit her grave, actually, I hadn't planned on it, I probably should. I can't say I didn't think of it, 'cuz I did, just got myself tied up with all these financial matters and, well, just didn't." He was not exactly sure why he had not gone up there, yes, what he said was true, he had been busy with monetary matters, and yes, Julia had crossed his mind more than once, it just did not get done.
"That's a big cemetery, love, a whole lot of walking to locate a single grave site. I'd say you got lucky, or, you were supposed to find it. Maybe I can go up there in the morning once we're ready to leave, probably won't be coming this way again." He had not planned on ever coming back when he left the first time, now he was saying out loud that he would not be back to the Comstock as there would be no need that he foresaw, Cap could and would handle things.
@Bongo
"Yes, Julia Dey." Emeline shrugged, smiling a little. "Just...the way you talked about her, I just wanted to let her know that I'd take good care of you, and to watch for Andrew and the children." She knew that sounded silly, so she explained. "Oh, I know they can't hear us, I don't believe in spirits or ghosts or whatever, but...I don't know, it just made me feel better."
Reaching over, she took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Yes, I think you should go, you might regret it if you don't. And it really isn't so far, when you don't have a little Pronto kicking you in the gut the whole way!" She laughed, then explained, "Just as I was leaving, Charlie showed up, it was a great coincidence, and then he took me to a friend who gave me a treatment..."
No mention of opium den! "Oh, it was nothing, just tiny needles," she pulled up her sleeve to show the barely perceptible pin-pricks. "It actually helped with the nausea and my headache." Pausing, she frowned, then muttered, "How did he know about Chloe?"
"Wait, what? Charlie Fa, here, right, you told me that earlier. Pinpricks? Oh, oh yeah I heard of that. The Chinese say they been doin' it for thousands of years, can't think of the name right off, but yeah, I heard of it, puncture something, they used some skinny needles, right?" He was caught up in what she had experienced, Charlie materializing, and, Julia.
"I 'spose I'll head up early and pay my respects. You're right I might well regret it if I don't. I'm glad, I think, that you thought enough of her memory to trek up there. It's a big place, that Silver Terrace Cemetary. That you even found her marker, I don't know, anyway, it wasn't easy on you I know that. But yeah, I'll go, be good to do it."
"Anything to do with our holdings here, Cap'll take care of it, like he said, I just need to sit back and rake it in while I can. When the time is right, he sells out and I get my share." He smiled. "Welcome to easy street, darlin'!"
Silver Terrace Cemetary
"I can finish up packing in the morning while you take care of what you need to." She smiled sadly, knowing what it was like to leave behind someone you had loved, but also grateful that she'd found someone who completed her and made her so happy she could hardly believe it was really happening. "And Easy Street sounds like a great place to be!"
She was starting to get used to the idea, a little, and being a little more relaxed about it. "We'll make the best of it, and have a good life, and even help others along the way."
With the meal done, she finished her champagne, then sighed with a smile. "This is all so amazing," she murmured, "and to think, you'll never have to wash dishes again." At which point it occurred to her that this wasn't all a new situation to him, so that he didn't need the job washing dishes...
"So, why did you do that? Wash dishes for me, I mean?" She grinned. "Were you making sure I wasn't a harridan?"
"Heh, pretty simple really, I mean how else was I going to get to know you? And, I didn't mind doing it." He responded. "I was caught up by you right off, so, it was simple as that. I got to know you, and you got to know me in a different setting than just us goin' for walks and such like. It put us in a different situation, what with me working for you. And, it worked out, I'd say, wouldn't you? You're about as far from bein' a shrew as you could get, an' I knew that right off."
"Now, you need to understand that yes, there was money coming in from the mine here. Money that sat in the Wells Fargo bank here til I had it transferred, well, I had Cap do it when I knew I was settlin' here. Honestly, since I had no need of it, I paid no mind to what was there or what was coming in. I lived offa wages. Just like I always done." Then he smiled, "You changed all that."
"Not disappointed I hope." He said because she sure didn't look it.
@Bongo