me. Tell her I tried my best. . . .” Then he convulsed once more and lay still. Libby stared in horror. It was the first time she had ever seen a person die. She wrapped her shawl around her shoulders, shivering in the night air, and touched the young doctor lightly on the shoulder.
“Can you come quickly? It’s my little girl,” she said.
A look of concern spread across his boyish face. “Little girl, you say?” He shook his head and followed Libby across the deck. Bliss was lying doubled over, holding her stomach. “It hurts, Mama, make it go away,” she wailed.
The doctor bent down to examine her. “Any vomits? Diarrhea?” he asked. He prodded her stomach.
“Don’t,” Bliss complained.
He straightened up, looked at Libby, and smiled. “Has she eaten anything she is not used to?” he asked.
“A peach, this afternoon,” Libby said.
The smile broadened. “Just a good, old-fashioned case of colic,” he said. “Do you have any peppermint? A couple of drops should be all it takes.”
“Thank God,” Libby said, hugging the child close to her.
CHAPTER 6
W HEN THEY DOCKED at the upper landing near Independence the next morning, the first sight that attracted the attention of the passengers crowded against the rails was not the town they expected to see, but a gentle countryside completely covered with tents. The tent city stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. The smoke of hundreds of campfires hung in the humid air and a steady stream of men passed to and from the river, collecting water.
“Holy cow! Looks just like an army,” a young man beside Libby commented. “Waitin’ ready for battle.”
“What are they all doing there?” Libby asked, still scanning the improbable scene.
“They’re waiting to join companies, ma’am. Waiting for their chance to set off.”
“Is that how this works?” Libby asked, delighted to have found somebody who seemed to know something, “One joins a company?”
“That’s right, ma’am,” the man said. “You signs yourself on with a company that’s already formed, if you don’t have enough men to form one of your own, and that way you gets across safe and sound.”
“Is that what you’re going to do?” she asked.
He grinned, the fresh, hopeful grin of a young man with adventure about to face him. “You bet ya,” he said. “I aim to sign me on with the biggest and best company I can find. That way I’ll eat well and not get myself scalped by Injuns.”
“What does this cost?” Libby asked, thinking of her money, now down to just over two hundred dollars, tucked carefully in a pocket inside her blouse.
“They say the companies usually ask a hundred dollars,” the young man said. “That’s fair enough, I reckon, although it sure seems like a lot of money to a farm boy like me. We could get us a hired hand for a year for less.”
“You’re from a farm?” Libby asked, enjoying watching the excitement on the young, freckled face.
The young man nodded. “South Carolina. Loveliest country on God’s earth,” he said. “I got me a chance to buy the farm next to my pa’s if I can raise the money. I aim to make a fortune quick as possible then go home and marry Bonnie Birdwell.”
“Good luck to you,” Libby said.
“From what I hear, we’ll need it,” the young man said, pushing his hat back on his head as his turn approached to walk down the gangplank. “I already lost my partner to cholera and him the fittest, toughest farmhand you ever did see. One morning he was talking and laughing and playing cards down in the saloon. Next morning we was carrying him ashore to bury him.”
The line of people reached the top of the gangplank. “I’ll be happy to give you a hand with your bags, ma’am,” the young man said to Libby. “Seeing as how you’ve got the two littl’uns.”
“Thank you very much,” Libby said, gratefully handing them to him.
At the bottom of the gangplank the young man tipped his
“Can you come quickly? It’s my little girl,” she said.
A look of concern spread across his boyish face. “Little girl, you say?” He shook his head and followed Libby across the deck. Bliss was lying doubled over, holding her stomach. “It hurts, Mama, make it go away,” she wailed.
The doctor bent down to examine her. “Any vomits? Diarrhea?” he asked. He prodded her stomach.
“Don’t,” Bliss complained.
He straightened up, looked at Libby, and smiled. “Has she eaten anything she is not used to?” he asked.
“A peach, this afternoon,” Libby said.
The smile broadened. “Just a good, old-fashioned case of colic,” he said. “Do you have any peppermint? A couple of drops should be all it takes.”
“Thank God,” Libby said, hugging the child close to her.
CHAPTER 6
W HEN THEY DOCKED at the upper landing near Independence the next morning, the first sight that attracted the attention of the passengers crowded against the rails was not the town they expected to see, but a gentle countryside completely covered with tents. The tent city stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. The smoke of hundreds of campfires hung in the humid air and a steady stream of men passed to and from the river, collecting water.
“Holy cow! Looks just like an army,” a young man beside Libby commented. “Waitin’ ready for battle.”
“What are they all doing there?” Libby asked, still scanning the improbable scene.
“They’re waiting to join companies, ma’am. Waiting for their chance to set off.”
“Is that how this works?” Libby asked, delighted to have found somebody who seemed to know something, “One joins a company?”
“That’s right, ma’am,” the man said. “You signs yourself on with a company that’s already formed, if you don’t have enough men to form one of your own, and that way you gets across safe and sound.”
“Is that what you’re going to do?” she asked.
He grinned, the fresh, hopeful grin of a young man with adventure about to face him. “You bet ya,” he said. “I aim to sign me on with the biggest and best company I can find. That way I’ll eat well and not get myself scalped by Injuns.”
“What does this cost?” Libby asked, thinking of her money, now down to just over two hundred dollars, tucked carefully in a pocket inside her blouse.
“They say the companies usually ask a hundred dollars,” the young man said. “That’s fair enough, I reckon, although it sure seems like a lot of money to a farm boy like me. We could get us a hired hand for a year for less.”
“You’re from a farm?” Libby asked, enjoying watching the excitement on the young, freckled face.
The young man nodded. “South Carolina. Loveliest country on God’s earth,” he said. “I got me a chance to buy the farm next to my pa’s if I can raise the money. I aim to make a fortune quick as possible then go home and marry Bonnie Birdwell.”
“Good luck to you,” Libby said.
“From what I hear, we’ll need it,” the young man said, pushing his hat back on his head as his turn approached to walk down the gangplank. “I already lost my partner to cholera and him the fittest, toughest farmhand you ever did see. One morning he was talking and laughing and playing cards down in the saloon. Next morning we was carrying him ashore to bury him.”
The line of people reached the top of the gangplank. “I’ll be happy to give you a hand with your bags, ma’am,” the young man said to Libby. “Seeing as how you’ve got the two littl’uns.”
“Thank you very much,” Libby said, gratefully handing them to him.
At the bottom of the gangplank the young man tipped his
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