Read Online Time of Fog and Fire: A Molly Murphy Mystery (Molly Murphy Mysteries) by Rhys Bowen - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rhys Bowen
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books they have?”
She managed a brave little smile then and I realized that it was being separated from me that worried her. She’d had enough upheavals in her young life. She’d been taken from Ireland as a small child. She’d lost a mother, then a father. No wonder she didn’t want to let go of me.
“I’ll write to you every day. I’ll send you picture postcards of the places I visit and I’ll be back before you know it,” I said, sounding a lot more cheerful than I felt.
Then I walked her across the street to my neighbors. They greeted her warmly. Gus took her up to show her the room they had prepared for her. She had even chosen a few books she thought Bridie would like and put them on the bedside table.
“And while you’re with us we’ll teach you to cook all kinds of interesting food, so that you can cook for Molly and Captain Sullivan when they come home,” she added.
We went down to the front parlor to say good-bye to Sid. She made a big fuss of Liam and then hugged me. Since Sid wasn’t normally the effusive one this made me all the more uneasy, realizing that she believed I was going into unknown perils.
“Take care of yourself, please,” she said, holding both my hands and looking up at me. “Don’t do anything too risky. Send us a telegram if you need to. Tell us to get in touch with Mr. Wilkie and we’ll have help sent to you in a jiffy.”
“Hardly a jiffy,” I said. “It takes at least four days to cross the country.”
“The government does have troops stationed out West, you know. I’m sure they could be mobilized into action on your behalf if necessary.”
I had to laugh at the thought of the army rushing to save me. I held on to her hands tightly. “Let’s hope it won’t come to that. But please do say some prayers for me. I’m not quite sure who you both pray to, but I’m sure any prayers will get to the right place.”
Gus walked with me to the front door.
“Godspeed, Molly. Come back to us safe and sound.” Then she handed me an envelope. “Just a little something to make you think of us,” she said.
It was their emotional farewell, more than anything, that made me realize how far away I was going. Bridie was wiping away tears, and Liam, sensing the heightened emotion, burst into tears himself, holding out his arms to go to Bridie, as the front door closed between us.
With such drama I set off for Grand Central Terminal. At the booking office I found that travel across the country was not as simple as buying a ticket. There were too many choices. Did I want to travel on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad to Denver, then westward on the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad to Salt Lake City and the final stretch on the Western Pacific? Or maybe I’d want to take the Chicago and Northwestern to Omaha and then the Southern Pacific via Ogden, Utah? And did I want a first-class Pullman? A second-class Pullman? A tourist ticket? A regular ticket?
When I said the quickest and cheapest way possible the clerk shook his head. “If you don’t mind my saying so, ma’am, you don’t want the cheapest way if you can afford better. If I sell you a third-class ticket you’ll be sitting on a wooden bench. Awful hard and nowhere for the child to sleep. And your car could be attached to a freight train, shunted off into sidings. It could take you up to ten days.”
“Ten days!” I exclaimed. “So what do you recommend?”
“I’d take the Overland Limited, ” he said. “Pay for a second-class Pullman out of Chicago but it will get you there in just four days. And you’ll just change the once in Chicago. If you want to save some money buy your food at stations and skip the dining car.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll have to do it.”
“So when do you want to travel, ma’am?” he asked. When I said today’s train he burst out laughing. “Sorry, but the Overland Limited is booked up for weeks in advance. Everyone wants to go by the fastest
She managed a brave little smile then and I realized that it was being separated from me that worried her. She’d had enough upheavals in her young life. She’d been taken from Ireland as a small child. She’d lost a mother, then a father. No wonder she didn’t want to let go of me.
“I’ll write to you every day. I’ll send you picture postcards of the places I visit and I’ll be back before you know it,” I said, sounding a lot more cheerful than I felt.
Then I walked her across the street to my neighbors. They greeted her warmly. Gus took her up to show her the room they had prepared for her. She had even chosen a few books she thought Bridie would like and put them on the bedside table.
“And while you’re with us we’ll teach you to cook all kinds of interesting food, so that you can cook for Molly and Captain Sullivan when they come home,” she added.
We went down to the front parlor to say good-bye to Sid. She made a big fuss of Liam and then hugged me. Since Sid wasn’t normally the effusive one this made me all the more uneasy, realizing that she believed I was going into unknown perils.
“Take care of yourself, please,” she said, holding both my hands and looking up at me. “Don’t do anything too risky. Send us a telegram if you need to. Tell us to get in touch with Mr. Wilkie and we’ll have help sent to you in a jiffy.”
“Hardly a jiffy,” I said. “It takes at least four days to cross the country.”
“The government does have troops stationed out West, you know. I’m sure they could be mobilized into action on your behalf if necessary.”
I had to laugh at the thought of the army rushing to save me. I held on to her hands tightly. “Let’s hope it won’t come to that. But please do say some prayers for me. I’m not quite sure who you both pray to, but I’m sure any prayers will get to the right place.”
Gus walked with me to the front door.
“Godspeed, Molly. Come back to us safe and sound.” Then she handed me an envelope. “Just a little something to make you think of us,” she said.
It was their emotional farewell, more than anything, that made me realize how far away I was going. Bridie was wiping away tears, and Liam, sensing the heightened emotion, burst into tears himself, holding out his arms to go to Bridie, as the front door closed between us.
With such drama I set off for Grand Central Terminal. At the booking office I found that travel across the country was not as simple as buying a ticket. There were too many choices. Did I want to travel on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad to Denver, then westward on the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad to Salt Lake City and the final stretch on the Western Pacific? Or maybe I’d want to take the Chicago and Northwestern to Omaha and then the Southern Pacific via Ogden, Utah? And did I want a first-class Pullman? A second-class Pullman? A tourist ticket? A regular ticket?
When I said the quickest and cheapest way possible the clerk shook his head. “If you don’t mind my saying so, ma’am, you don’t want the cheapest way if you can afford better. If I sell you a third-class ticket you’ll be sitting on a wooden bench. Awful hard and nowhere for the child to sleep. And your car could be attached to a freight train, shunted off into sidings. It could take you up to ten days.”
“Ten days!” I exclaimed. “So what do you recommend?”
“I’d take the Overland Limited, ” he said. “Pay for a second-class Pullman out of Chicago but it will get you there in just four days. And you’ll just change the once in Chicago. If you want to save some money buy your food at stations and skip the dining car.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll have to do it.”
“So when do you want to travel, ma’am?” he asked. When I said today’s train he burst out laughing. “Sorry, but the Overland Limited is booked up for weeks in advance. Everyone wants to go by the fastest
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