Hannah's Dream (22 page)

Louise glanced at Hannah and smiled as she noted the roses in Hannah's pale cheeks.

Chapter 37

It was late summer on the mountain and the mornings were cool.  James readied the carriage so he could take the ladies to the train station.  Marian had decided to go with Louise to Denver so she could run some errands, then Hannah and Becky wanted to go, too.  James was going with them as he felt the women shouldn't go to Denver alone.  Tom had already taken Louise's trunks to the station on the wagon.  James was standing outside Marian's house when the women came outside and climbed into the carriage.

The train to Denver was set to leave at six a.m.  Jenny had arrived and was waiting for them at the small hotel in Denver she had stayed in for two days.  Once they got to Denver and put Louise on the train, they would run their errands and have a late lunch at the Oxford Hotel on 17th Street before heading home.  Hannah's emotions were at odds.  She hated seeing Louise go, but she was excited to be going to Denver to shop.

They arrived in Denver at seven-thirty.  Jenny was waiting at the train station.  She had one small bag, which she held in her hand.  James made arrangements for Louise's trunks.  Louise's return ticket was also for a private car.  As she and Jenny boarded the train, Hannah went with them to bid her friend farewell.  The women cried as they held each other.

"I can't bear seeing you go," Hannah moaned.

"Me, too," Louise said.

When they parted, they looked at each other and cried again.

The porter came to the room to tell Hannah it was time to leave and she embraced Louise again before going.  Louise followed her and waved to her as the train pulled away.  Marian, James, and Becky waved, too.

When the train was out of sight, they took a hansom cab to 16th Avenue.  Denver was still recovering from the terrible flood the year before, but the shops were open.  Marian wanted to go off by herself, but Hannah asked if she could go with her, while James and Becky headed for the dry goods store.

Marian was searching for a ladies shop.  They walked down 16th Avenue and came upon a small store called Yvette's.  The window display featured a mannequin in a lovely white gown suitable for a wedding dress.  Marian and Hannah stared at it and sighed.

They must have lingerie here
, Marian thought.

"Let's go inside," she said, and Hannah eagerly followed her.

The mannequins inside were dressed in formal dresses.  One display case was filled with intimate garments.  Beaded handbags, gloves, and fans filled another.  Hannah and Marian went from one to the other, pointing at each item with delight.

"Oh, Mama, look at that handbag," Hannah said.

"It's lovely," Marian replied.  She wished she could afford such things for Hannah.

"May I help you?"

A tall, blond-haired woman stood behind the counter.  She was dressed in a lovely blouse and skirt, and she had a thick French accent.

"Yes, you can," Marian said.  "I'm looking for something, but I don't see it here."

"Well, if you tell me what it is, I may have it in the back."

"It's..." Marian hesitated.  She had lost weight and her corset had grown uncomfortable.  She didn't want to alarm Hannah, who might think her mother was ill.  The truth was that Marian had been helping Becky with the household chores when Hannah was out painting.  The extra movement had caused her to lose a few pounds, and the corset was rubbing her the wrong way, so to speak.

"I need..."

Hannah was watching her mother.  She noticed Marian's hesitation and wondered why she was so reluctant to tell Yvette what she wanted.  Hannah decided to go to the other side of the shop and look at a lavender dress.

"I want to look at that dress," she said and left Marian alone with Yvette.

Marian waited a minute before speaking.

"I seem to have lost some weight and my corset is too big."

Yvette nodded her head.

"I can make you a new one.  I will need your measurements.  Do you live in Denver?"

"No, but we will be staying here in a hotel overnight."

"Then I will come to your room when I close the shop and take your measurements."

"We're staying at the Oxford Hotel."

"I know it well," Yvette said.  "I close at five.  I will come there directly."

Marian told Yvette her name and thanked her before walked over to Hannah.  She was standing in front of a mannequin wearing a tea dress.

"Isn't it lovely, Mama?" she said.

Marian felt an ache in her heart.  If things had been different, she could buy Hannah the lovely dress.  As she always did when confronted by their situation, she silently cursed her dead husband and Mr. Ross.

"We have to meet Uncle James and Becky," Marian said.

Hannah followed Marian out the door and they headed to the dry goods a block away.  They were walking arm and arm and Hannah thought of Dr. Wallace.

"That new doctor is very kind," she said.

"He seemed nice that day we saw him putting up the sign."

"He was more attractive up close, and he was very attentive to Louise.  He has blue eyes."

Marian knew her daughter well.  If Hannah remembered the doctor had blue eyes, she must have been paying close attention to him.  Marian was aware that Adam was fond of Hannah and thought Hannah liked him, too.  She was concerned, however, that Adam, the solid, steady ranch hand, wouldn't be interesting enough for her imaginative daughter.  Marian had felt the same way about John Liberty, though at the time, she'd kept her feelings to herself.  Secretly, she was glad when John eloped with the volunteer.

"So, you think he's attractive?" Marian asked.

Hannah thought about the doctor's face.  "Yes," she said and blushed.

Marian turned toward Hannah and saw her reddened cheeks.
 Poor Adam,
she thought.  The doctor was an educated man and attractive to boot.  Perhaps he was well read and would stimulate Hannah's mind, or share her love of art.  It might be a good match for Hannah.

At the dry goods store, Becky and James had separated.  Becky had placed a box of rubber rings for the mason jars in her basket and James was at a display case looking at pipes.  He was thinking of switching from cigars to pipes and the clerk had taken three from the case and had placed them on the counter.  James liked the molded stoneware pipe from England with the glazed finish.  He liked the way it felt in his hand.

"I'll take it and three pouches of tobacco," he said.  "Cherry."

Becky walked the aisles and suddenly found herself in front of a display of bright red shawls. On the back of each shawl was an embroidered Chinese dragon.  The dragon looked beautiful and fierce.  It was stitched in purple, red, turquoise, and gold silk thread.  Becky couldn't resist touching one and let the silk fabric run over her hand.  She had never seen anything so beautiful in her life.  It was long with a foot-long fringe that would touch the ground if worn by a tall woman.

"Got them from a Chinaman."  Becky turned and saw a stout man standing behind her.  "I usually don't carry such things, but they was real reasonable.  Why, that would look right pretty on you."

"I've no use for such luxuries," Becky said and walked away.

She kept walking down the aisle, but as she turned to go to the spice display, she glanced in the direction of the shawls.

James was still with the man and his pipes when she was done, so she paid for her items and went outside.  She saw Hannah and Marian coming toward her and waved.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked Marian.

"Yes, I did.  Where's James?"

"He's still in there," Becky said, nodding toward the dry goods store.

"I hope he doesn't take long.  I'm famished."

"Me, too," Hannah said.

"Are we eating at the hotel?" Becky asked.

"I thought we'd find a nice café.  We'll be having dinner at the hotel."

Hannah peeked inside the store window and saw James paying for his items at the cash register.

"He's almost done," she said.

James came out of the store, saw them waiting and smiled.

"Ready to eat?" he said, and they all said, "Yes!"

Chapter 38

Cherry Hill, New Jersey

"I can't believe they sent one man to catch him," Evan Morgan said.  He was sitting behind his desk at the sheriff's station when a call from Sheriff Aumack came in.

"Doesn't make sense if you ask me," Coleman Taylor said.  Coleman was Evan's deputy and had been listening to Evan's conversation with Sheriff Aumack of Monmouth County.  "And they ain't found the man they sent?"

"No.  He's missing.  They sent out two more lawmen to find him but they came back empty-handed."

Evan had a tight feeling in his gut.  A man just didn't go missing, not the son of a mayor anyway.  He had a good job and a secure future. 

According to Sheriff Aumack, Orin Smith had gone to New Beach alone.  When he didn't return, Aumack sent a detective and an officer to look for him.  Smith had stopped at the house of a woman named Margaret Mason.  When the two arrived looking for Smith, she said Smith had been there that morning but didn't stay long.  She said Rousseau had been home, but when the two men went to his room, he was gone.  They wanted to get home by midnight so they told Margaret to have the Frenchman call them.  Margaret Mason was the last person to see Orin Smith.  Evan knew what Jean-Pierre Renault was capable of.  He wanted to know what happened to Orin Smith.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Coleman asked.

Evan didn't know.  If he left his post to go to Monmouth County, the mayor would give him hell and most likely fire him.  Evan had a military pension of $8.00 per month to compensate for the wound he received during his service fighting Indians.  He also had a small inheritance from his father that was sitting in a bank in Philadelphia collecting interest.  Between the interest and the pension, Evan could survive without the job, but he wouldn't have the right to shoot Renault if he tried to flee, nor would he be able to arrest him.

Evan stood and grabbed his hat.  "I'm going to see the mayor," he said. 

Jeremiah Bean looked at Evan and sighed.

"You're just bound and determined to ruin your life, aren't you?" he said.

"I can't sit here knowing he's there and that he may have assaulted or killed that man."

"Evan, I warned you once before, I can't guarantee your job."

Evan's hands were clasped in his lap.  His hat sat on the chair next to him.  He'd explained the situation to Jeremiah over and over, but the man just kept reminding him he would lose his job.

Well, he thought, hang the job.

"I resign," he said.  He stood and grabbed his hat.

"Evan, be reasonable.  How will you live?"

"I got a pension and some money saved.  I'll be fine."

"I hate to see you go, but you're hell bent on finding this man and so be it.  I accept your resignation with regret."

Evan left his badge on Jeremiah's desk.  Jeremiah walked him to the door.  He put out his hand and Evan shook it.

"Do me one favor," Evan said.  "Tell Coleman to make a wanted poster.  Send it out from here to California."

"Who's putting up the reward?"

Evan pursed his lips.  He didn't have the money for a reward.

"If you can find someone willing to put up a reward, I'll ask Coleman to issue the poster," Jeremiah said. 

Evan nodded and then he rode home.  He would pack a small bag, leave Chester with his brother, and go to Monmouth County.

Chester was waiting when he got home.  The setter whimpered and Evan let him outside.  He would miss the dog.  He had grown fond of him.

It isn't forever,
he thought.

He went to his bedroom and filled a small satchel with extra clothes and bullets.  He felt his pocket for the pocketknife he kept there and felt its outline.  He heard Chester whining to get in and carried the satchel to the kitchen.

"Come on, boy.  Let's go see Moss."

The dog ran around in circles barking.  He jumped on Evan.  He opened the door and the dog ran out.  Evan took one last look around the house, making sure everything was locked, and then he left the house, locking the door behind him.

Chester ran alongside Evan's horse, Old Mike, to his brother's farm.  His nieces and nephews had grown, but some still lived at home.  They loved the dog and Evan knew they'd spoil him rotten while he was away.  Moss was sitting on the porch enjoying a sit- down with his wife, Jeanne.

"How long you gonna be gone?" Moss asked.

"I'm going to Monmouth County.  Shouldn't be away more than a week."  Morgan pulled a dollar from his pocket and handed it to Moss.  "This is for his feed."

Moss took the money and handed it to Jeanne.

"We'll take good care of him, don't you worry, Evan," Jeanne said.

"You chasing that Frenchman again?" Moss asked.

"I am.  I think he's up there and I'm gonna find him."

"You take care.  You know what happened the last time you chased him."

Evan remembered the pain in the back of his head.  "Yeah, I remember."

"Knocked you out cold is what he did.  Left you for dead."