cabin.
De trees vill be shade from the sun. De flat land around de grove
vill make a good place for de orchard. De nearby creek vill furnish
plenty of water all year long until I dig a vell. Vat do you
dink?”
“ I agree.
This is a good place. I can have a vegetable garden near the house
and the water is handy when I need it,” Miranda agreed as she
studied the black hawthorn trees.
She wasn't familiar with them.
Fruit the size of buckshot covered the branches. Miranda reached up
and picked a hand full of sweet black berries. They only had one
seed so they were easy to eat and fairly tasty. She'd figure out
how to make jelly and cobblers with the berries.
Anselm pitched a tent he bought in
Portland close to the wagon for their shelter until they had a
house. Miranda said it would be a time saver to quit taking the
camp apart every morning.
Miranda set her cast iron kettle
and coffee pot on the ground near the fire Anselm built. The fall
night air was cool. The fire felt good. The kettle was still half
full of rabbit track soup left over from lunch. She heated the soup
and pulled it away from the fire.
Anselm cut enough wood poles to
build a make shift corral to hold his cattle and horse. When he was
about ready to stop for the night, Miranda placed the kettle on the
fire to warm.
They forced themselves to eat and
were ready to go to bed right after Miranda cleaned the dishes.
Anselm took the time to whistle the whippoorwill tune to see if he
received an answer. When he did, they were both thrilled. It was
like something familiar from home was with them when they heard the
birds answer.
After they crawled under the
covers, Miranda said, “Anselm, I have something to tell
you.”
Anselm yawned loudly.
“Wat?”
“ We're going to have a
baby,” Miranda said quietly.
“ Dis iss good,” Anselm said,
sluggish with sleep.
“ You don't mind?” Miranda
asked.
Anselm bolted upright. “Vat did you
just say?”
Miranda giggled at how thunder
struck he looked. She repeated slowly, “I am going to have a
baby.”
“ Ven?”
“ Maybe seven or eight weeks
from now,” Miranda said calmly.
“ So soon. Vhy didn't you
tell me dis before now. Ve haf to hurry up and build de house
before de baby comes,” Anselm exploded.
“ Calm down. Everything will
be all right. You said Clarence was going to make sure everyone had
a roof over their heads. It will happen,” Miranda said
calmly.
“ Ja, dat iss right.” Anselm
laid down and closed his eyes. Suddenly, he bolted up again. “I
don't know anyding about birthing. Vat vill ve
do.”
“ That's taken care of
already. Sarie Lee said to get her when the time comes. She will
stay with me until I can manage alone.”
“ Dat iss good.” Anselm
gathered her in his arms and closed his eyes.
Miranda was happy for the first
time in a long time and full of hope for her expanding family. They
had so much to look forward to now. A baby topped the list. Anselm
was full of dreams and eager to begin their new life in Willamette
Valley.
The first night on their new land
didn't start as they would have liked. Anselm was tired when he
stopped for supper. He tied his horse to a low limb on a hawthorn
tree and forgot to put him in the corral with the cattle. Most of
the time that wouldn't have been a problem.
About midnight, a gut wrenching
scream woke them. Anselm bolted up. “Vhat vas dat?”
Before Miranda could answer, the
horse let out a high pitched neigh. “Anselm, something has happened
to the horse.”
Another scream sounded so very
close. Anselm grabbed his rifle. “You stay here.”
After the rifle went off twice,
Anselm came back to the tent. “De horse iss gone.”
They went back to
bed, but Anselm tossed and turned as he waited for daylight. Now
Miranda leaned against the covered wagon and listened to Anselm
whistle Old Dan Tucker as he trotted across the prairie after his runaway
horse.
When her husband disappeared from
sight, she went over in her mind
De trees vill be shade from the sun. De flat land around de grove
vill make a good place for de orchard. De nearby creek vill furnish
plenty of water all year long until I dig a vell. Vat do you
dink?”
“ I agree.
This is a good place. I can have a vegetable garden near the house
and the water is handy when I need it,” Miranda agreed as she
studied the black hawthorn trees.
She wasn't familiar with them.
Fruit the size of buckshot covered the branches. Miranda reached up
and picked a hand full of sweet black berries. They only had one
seed so they were easy to eat and fairly tasty. She'd figure out
how to make jelly and cobblers with the berries.
Anselm pitched a tent he bought in
Portland close to the wagon for their shelter until they had a
house. Miranda said it would be a time saver to quit taking the
camp apart every morning.
Miranda set her cast iron kettle
and coffee pot on the ground near the fire Anselm built. The fall
night air was cool. The fire felt good. The kettle was still half
full of rabbit track soup left over from lunch. She heated the soup
and pulled it away from the fire.
Anselm cut enough wood poles to
build a make shift corral to hold his cattle and horse. When he was
about ready to stop for the night, Miranda placed the kettle on the
fire to warm.
They forced themselves to eat and
were ready to go to bed right after Miranda cleaned the dishes.
Anselm took the time to whistle the whippoorwill tune to see if he
received an answer. When he did, they were both thrilled. It was
like something familiar from home was with them when they heard the
birds answer.
After they crawled under the
covers, Miranda said, “Anselm, I have something to tell
you.”
Anselm yawned loudly.
“Wat?”
“ We're going to have a
baby,” Miranda said quietly.
“ Dis iss good,” Anselm said,
sluggish with sleep.
“ You don't mind?” Miranda
asked.
Anselm bolted upright. “Vat did you
just say?”
Miranda giggled at how thunder
struck he looked. She repeated slowly, “I am going to have a
baby.”
“ Ven?”
“ Maybe seven or eight weeks
from now,” Miranda said calmly.
“ So soon. Vhy didn't you
tell me dis before now. Ve haf to hurry up and build de house
before de baby comes,” Anselm exploded.
“ Calm down. Everything will
be all right. You said Clarence was going to make sure everyone had
a roof over their heads. It will happen,” Miranda said
calmly.
“ Ja, dat iss right.” Anselm
laid down and closed his eyes. Suddenly, he bolted up again. “I
don't know anyding about birthing. Vat vill ve
do.”
“ That's taken care of
already. Sarie Lee said to get her when the time comes. She will
stay with me until I can manage alone.”
“ Dat iss good.” Anselm
gathered her in his arms and closed his eyes.
Miranda was happy for the first
time in a long time and full of hope for her expanding family. They
had so much to look forward to now. A baby topped the list. Anselm
was full of dreams and eager to begin their new life in Willamette
Valley.
The first night on their new land
didn't start as they would have liked. Anselm was tired when he
stopped for supper. He tied his horse to a low limb on a hawthorn
tree and forgot to put him in the corral with the cattle. Most of
the time that wouldn't have been a problem.
About midnight, a gut wrenching
scream woke them. Anselm bolted up. “Vhat vas dat?”
Before Miranda could answer, the
horse let out a high pitched neigh. “Anselm, something has happened
to the horse.”
Another scream sounded so very
close. Anselm grabbed his rifle. “You stay here.”
After the rifle went off twice,
Anselm came back to the tent. “De horse iss gone.”
They went back to
bed, but Anselm tossed and turned as he waited for daylight. Now
Miranda leaned against the covered wagon and listened to Anselm
whistle Old Dan Tucker as he trotted across the prairie after his runaway
horse.
When her husband disappeared from
sight, she went over in her mind
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