New Beginnings (New Beginnings Series) (22 page)

Rosser continued to tell of how he joined with the Northern Pacific Railroad in the United States, starting as a labourer but working his way to chief engineer. Eventually he found himself in Canada working for the Canadian Pacific Railroad and today was sitting with someone he hoped he would meet again. When he was finished with talk of himself, he asked Sara what happened in her life.

She answered him briefly, explaining she married in New Brunswick and they moved west to farm in the new land. She only said her husband died, offering no further explanation.

It was near midnight when the general excused himself. He needed to rise early the next morning to carry on with his journey south. He also told everyone he thought it was time to stop land speculation, as at this point they were all quite wealthy and it was time to take fewer gambles and settle down. As they parted company he shook Sam’s hand and once again offered his congratulations, saying he knew Sara would be well cared for. He turned to Cedric, exchanged handshakes again and thanked him for the most interesting evening. He kissed Amelia’s hand and turned to Sara. He gently touched his lips to her hand, saying how glad he was to see her again and return the letter, then left without a further word.

As the door closed the room was silent until Amelia stood, offering to show the Fieldings their room for the night. She suggested to Sara in the morning they should go to the new J. Robinson’s and the Hudson’s Bay Department stores, which were said to supply your every need. Both couples gave their goodnight wishes and went into their own rooms, closing the doors behind them.

Sara sat on the edge of the soft bed, looking at the worn letter. From across the room, Sam saw a tear fall onto the paper and as she wiped it away the ink smudged a little. He sat down beside her and held her close, being silent for the moment.

Finally she spoke, “Things like this seem to make that war turn from a bad dream into reality. Few good things happened in those two years. This letter and the kindness of General Grant being one and the Captain seeing I arrived safely in Washington, another.”

“It was fortunate you met him in Virginia. He must be very special to you.”

“Only as a man making sure a child is returned safely home.”

“You were no child.”

“I was a child, much too young to consider doing such a thing. My father opposed my decision, but I was stubborn enough and I thought mature enough to go. It wasn’t until I arrived back home in New Brunswick I realized how dangerous it was. I could have died at almost any moment.” She stood and placed the folded letter down into the bottom of their hand luggage and removed her long nightgown from the case.

They lay in the bed, holding each other in silence, as today, more than enough was remembered and said.

The four sat at the dining room table the next morning, enjoying their breakfast of crusty buns with cheese and jam and coffee. The Fieldings packed their overnight luggage as they were scheduled to leave in the afternoon to return to Brandon.

“Do you keep a journal, Sara?” Cedric asked, “You seem to have such exciting tales to tell.”

“No, I’ve never really thought too much about it.”

“It can be good therapy too, to write down bad memories,” Amelia added. “And your experience in the war must be full of bad recollections.”

Sara nodded her answer and they all realized how true Amelia’s last statement was.

Cedric spoke up, trying to lighten the mood, “Sam said you lived in the Brandon Hills for many years. Have you ever met the hermit?”

“The hermit?” Sara responded. “Never heard of a hermit living in the hills.”

“There is quite a story about how the Brandon Hills were named,” Amelia said, quite excited at the opportunity to also tell a story. “It all began when a young nobleman was forced to move to Canada after a run-in with the law in Scotland. It seems he went to work for the Hudson’s Bay Company and was stationed at Portage La Prairie. An officer, also posted there, discovered his wife and the Scot having an affair and the man was forced to run away and hide in the Brandon Hills. He supposedly named them after the hills in Scotland. Do you think there is any truth to it?” Amelia asked.

Sam took the opportunity to tell what he knew. “Sounds rather interesting, but from what I heard the hills were named after Brandon House, which was located seventeen miles southwest of the new city. The fort was named after the Scottish location.”

Amelia appeared disappointed. “I like my story better.”

“I do too,” Sara said and they shared smiles with each other.

The women decided to take the horse-drawn trolley to the shopping area of the city. Both Cedric and Sam protested slightly but Amelia insisted maybe their new friend would enjoy a ride in the car running on a set of tracks, as it was also a new addition to the city this year. Sara agreed and the men gave in and said they would meet the women at the restaurant in the Robinson building at noon. Sam tried to give his wife some money and would not listen to any of her protesting. He looked at Amelia saying, “See she buys herself some new clothing,” and handed her the money.

Sara shook her head and as they went to leave Sam looked at her sternly and said, “Spend at least some of it,” to which she gave a slight smile.

They walked two blocks before they came to the street where the trolley ran. It travelled slowly, but they had to step up on it as it was on the go. This was unusual for Sara, but easier than she thought it might be.

It took about fifteen minutes to arrive at the downtown area where the team was brought to a halt. All who wanted could get off before others climbed on board. They stepped up onto one of the boardwalks and surveyed the streets, as it was hard to decide which one of the many shops they should go into first.

Amelia suggested they go into the large Robinson Building, as just looking at all the items would take at least until noon. Then they could go for lunch and afterwards to the Hudson’s Bay Department Store and continue shopping. Sara agreed, although she really didn’t feel the need to do much more than browse through the different selections in the stores.

As they stepped inside the double doors and Sara looked at the large room in amazement, she was quite certain it must be true the three-storey building could supply every need. Their first stop was in the women’s clothing department and as Amelia selected dresses her new friend might like, a look of delight suddenly crossed Sara’s face when she found some skirts with adjustable waistbands, suitable for expectant mothers. Amelia’s look was one of bewilderment for a moment when she realized Sara was selecting new clothing for Catherine to bring to Winnipeg with her. She selected two skirts and blouses and went to pay for them with the money Sam sent. Her next step was to the jewellery section where she selected a pretty comb for decoration in the hair. Amelia mentioned it really was not the right colour for her friend’s hair, but she was answered with, “But it would look lovely in grey hair, don’t you think?” Amelia nodded and knew Sara was shopping not for herself, but for gifts for her friends.

They both carried several paper-covered boxes tied with string, when they went to the store’s restaurant a few minutes before noon. As expected they found the men were waiting, along with a chair full of similarly wrapped parcels. Both gentlemen stood when the women arrived, pulled their chairs out for them and everyone sat down. Their luncheon of quail on toast and light champagne was already ordered and arrived shortly.

“So you managed to find things you like?” Sam asked Sara.

“There are so many lovely and unusual items here and I had such a good time shopping with Amelia,” she answered, her eyes sparkling.

“I thought maybe you might not spend anything on yourself, so I thought I would find a few things for you,” Sam said, directing her view to the parcels placed on the chair.

Before he could say anymore, Amelia spoke. “You know your wife very well.” She directed her momentary look to Sara, trying to get her to admit to her excursion.

Sara hesitated then admitted, “I bought a few gifts.”

Sam sat back in his chair, shaking his head slightly, but smiled, “I knew it.” Turning to the Stones he added, “I have the hardest time to get her to do something special for herself … always thinking of other people. Oh well, I think I took care of it for you,” he said to his wife and added, “I want you to try on something in the Hudson’s Bay Store after lunch.” Sam looked down at his meal and Sara knew there would be no further discussion on the subject.

They enjoyed a lovely luncheon then left to go to the second large department store in the city. Cedric took the parcels to the carriage and said he would wait for them. Sam led the women directly to the section where the fur garments were sold. As he expected, Sara started to protest, but he quickly told her one was already paid for. She might as well give in to the fact she would be taking one home with her. After she tried on several and Amelia gave her opinion of each, Sara chose one. Sam suggested to the clerk to wrap the cloth coat he bought in Brandon for his wife and she should wear the new, warmer one. Sara had never owned such an impressive article of clothing before and Sam could see how distinctive it made her feel. It seemed to make her stand a bit taller. Sam took the receipt for the coat and left for a few minutes when he went to the office in the store. He had some shares in the company and sold several of them today, receiving what appeared to be a large amount of cash, along with the purchase.

The three walked down the boardwalk to the carriage where Cedric waited. Sam walked in the middle with a woman on each arm and they were greeted by many smiles from the passers-by. The sun was bright today and Mr. Stone selected his open carriage with the double seats which faced each other, the driver sitting on a high seat in front. The man was asked to give them a tour of the city so Sara may see the changes made during the last seven years.

As they crossed the Broadway Bridge, Cedric told them, “The crest of the flood hit here on April 19
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with the water rising quickly all through the night. An ice jam let go and a rush of another three feet of water came down the Red River. There was no way this bridge was going to endure the power of the water and after it swayed back and forth it finally let go and fell. What a disaster the city saw after that flood, as Winnipeg came to a standstill. No supplies were coming in of course, so prices quickly inflated and bread went up to fifty cents a loaf and beef to fifty cents a pound. Everything seemed to come to a stop, including the boom, and that hit the city hard.”

“Brandon saw something similar,” Sam said. “The amount of snow through the winter and the quick thaw with the sudden warmth in April brought about severe flooding along the Assiniboine. There was fear the C.P.R. Bridge would also collapse, so flat cars weighted down with steel rails were left on it and it worked, the bridge held strong. But the blizzard that hit in late May brought more insult to injury. Many people were still living in tents which were destroyed and they endured unimaginable circumstances. Some folks had to resort to stealing pieces of lumber to keep warm. When the trains ran again the first to leave Brandon pulled three coaches, filled to capacity with those who gave up their venture of settling the west.”

“And I missed all of it,” Sara said, surprised at what she was learning. “I can hardly remember the winter being very much different than any other and I went into hiding in the house if a storm hit.”

Amelia was flabbergasted. “You lived out in the wilderness all by yourself? How could you manage alone?”

Sara, for the moment, was perplexed as to how she should answer, as she had to avoid telling her secrets. Sam responded for her, “Sara lost her husband in April, about the time it was starting to thaw. She was in mourning when all this was going on and I imagine hardly noticed what the weather was at the time.” They both held solemn expressions, her arm tucked in under his and their host and hostess knew it was time to stay quiet about the matter.

They continued to tour, driving past the colleges, as there were several in the new city. Ladies College in Saint Boniface was a place where Catherine could possibly further her education, Sara thought to herself.

Sam brought their overnight luggage with him, as their train would be leaving the city at four in the afternoon. With the excursion they would probably not be returning to the Stone residence. As they were nearing the station Sara reached for the parcels and retrieved a small box among the many and handed it to Amelia, thanking them for the wonderful visit they had this weekend. Excitedly the package was opened and they found inside a small crystal dish Sara said would look lovely with spring crocuses in it.

“Thank you so much,” Amelia responded, adding, “I was with you all the time we were shopping, how did you sneak this past me?”

But Sara smiled and playfully shrugged her shoulders, to which Sam added, “Always full of surprises!”

It was about fifteen minutes until they were scheduled to depart. Sam went to the counter and purchased tickets. They walked to the waiting train, as the conductor demanded, “All aboard!” and said their goodbyes. They hugged each other tightly, much like the people had in Brandon when they left the day before.

The Fieldings stood on the deck into the car and waved as the train slowly made its way from the station. Heaviness hung in the air, as they had enjoyed each other’s company, but the mood lightened when Cedric shouted to them, “Don’t forget to stay several days when you bring Catherine to live with us.”