Read Online Too Long a Stranger (Women of the West) by Janette Oke - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Janette Oke
Tags: Fiction, General, Historical, Historical - General, Western, Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), Religious - General, Christian fiction, Religious, Christian, Christianity, General & Literary Fiction, American Historical Fiction, Mothers and daughters, Fiction - Religious, Frontier and Pioneer Life, Religious & spiritual fiction, Christian - Western
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painful days, Sarah seemed to have fared quite well.
"I'll never know how you ever made it through," said the kind neighbor woman. "I prayed all day."
"I guess that's how I made it," replied Sarah. "I was doing a good deal of praying myself."
Sarah had almost forgotten about the threatening man who had appeared as though out of the storm. Now and then his words came back to haunt her. She still puzzled over their meaning. But with Boyd driving the wagon until she was again able to resume the run, Sarah pushed the matter from her mind.
The next week the weather had settled down to being just cold and bleak, and Sarah picked up the reins again to take back the freight route. But by then she was willing to lay aside her pride. She rummaged through the drawer still filled with Michael's clothes and came up with heavy woollen trousers. She pulled the sturdy pair of pants over her woollen stockings and refused to look at herself in the hall mirror. She did not wish to see the unsightly, unladylike figure she had become. Instead, she turned her back on her own reflection, pulled one of Michael's bulky sweaters over her own, and looked down at her heavily stockinged feet.
"It will only be until the weather turns warm again," she promised herself. "Then I can go back to being a lady."
She stepped into the small nursery room and pressed a kiss on Rebecca's soft head. She was glad the child was still sleeping. Surely she would have found it difficult to recognize her own mother in such a getup.
***
"Have you heard the news?" Mrs. Galvan asked when Sarah went to reclaim Rebecca at the end of an early spring day.
Sarah lifted her eyes to the older woman's face to judge if the news forthcoming would be good or bad.
"What news?" she asked, though from the look on the woman's face she knew it was not to be good news.
"You're to have some competition."
"Competition?"
The woman nodded her head. Sarah could hear the irritation in Mrs. Galvan's voice when she spoke.
"Some fella is runnin' around town tryin' to git folks to hire him to haul their freight."
Sarah could not believe her ears.
"Stopped by the store. Guess Boyd let 'im know where he stood on the matter."
"But—who—?" began Sarah.
"Some fella by the name of Williams or Wilson or somethin'. He's fairly new in town—though Boyd says he's seen him hangin' around some."
Sarah's mind flew back to the stranger who had presented himself in the storm. Over the months that had followed she had had only fleeting thoughts about his challenge.
"Been makin' all sorts of wild promises. Promises earlier delivery—lower rates—free unloadin'."
"Folks don't pay for the unloading now," cut in Sarah.
"No—but most of them do their own," rejoined Mrs. Galvan.
Sarah had to admit it was true. When Michael had done the hauling, he had also done the unloading. Since Sarah had taken over the route, folks had just started out giving her a hand. Now she thought nothing of it as they unloaded their own freight.
"I should be doing the unloading myself," she murmured quietly.
"Nonsense," said Mrs. Galvan. "No one in this here town minds lendin' a hand."
Sarah felt her shoulders slump. She had made it through her first winter. She had never missed a payment at the bank. She had thought they were over the worst hurdle. Even though she was always exhausted when she arrived home at the end of a long day, yet she was gradually getting used to the wearisome grind.
And Rebecca seemed to be doing fine. She babbled and chatted and showed her mother all the new tricks she learned at the Galvan household. Rebecca did not seem to be suffering at all in spite of her disjointed home life. For that, Sarah was the most thankful.
"Do you think—? Do you think it is a real— threat?" Sarah managed to ask, her voice a bit husky. She didn't know what she would do if she lost her customers.
"Boyd—Boyd thinks it's a matter for concern," Mrs. Galvan said honestly.
Sarah allowed herself the support
"I'll never know how you ever made it through," said the kind neighbor woman. "I prayed all day."
"I guess that's how I made it," replied Sarah. "I was doing a good deal of praying myself."
Sarah had almost forgotten about the threatening man who had appeared as though out of the storm. Now and then his words came back to haunt her. She still puzzled over their meaning. But with Boyd driving the wagon until she was again able to resume the run, Sarah pushed the matter from her mind.
The next week the weather had settled down to being just cold and bleak, and Sarah picked up the reins again to take back the freight route. But by then she was willing to lay aside her pride. She rummaged through the drawer still filled with Michael's clothes and came up with heavy woollen trousers. She pulled the sturdy pair of pants over her woollen stockings and refused to look at herself in the hall mirror. She did not wish to see the unsightly, unladylike figure she had become. Instead, she turned her back on her own reflection, pulled one of Michael's bulky sweaters over her own, and looked down at her heavily stockinged feet.
"It will only be until the weather turns warm again," she promised herself. "Then I can go back to being a lady."
She stepped into the small nursery room and pressed a kiss on Rebecca's soft head. She was glad the child was still sleeping. Surely she would have found it difficult to recognize her own mother in such a getup.
***
"Have you heard the news?" Mrs. Galvan asked when Sarah went to reclaim Rebecca at the end of an early spring day.
Sarah lifted her eyes to the older woman's face to judge if the news forthcoming would be good or bad.
"What news?" she asked, though from the look on the woman's face she knew it was not to be good news.
"You're to have some competition."
"Competition?"
The woman nodded her head. Sarah could hear the irritation in Mrs. Galvan's voice when she spoke.
"Some fella is runnin' around town tryin' to git folks to hire him to haul their freight."
Sarah could not believe her ears.
"Stopped by the store. Guess Boyd let 'im know where he stood on the matter."
"But—who—?" began Sarah.
"Some fella by the name of Williams or Wilson or somethin'. He's fairly new in town—though Boyd says he's seen him hangin' around some."
Sarah's mind flew back to the stranger who had presented himself in the storm. Over the months that had followed she had had only fleeting thoughts about his challenge.
"Been makin' all sorts of wild promises. Promises earlier delivery—lower rates—free unloadin'."
"Folks don't pay for the unloading now," cut in Sarah.
"No—but most of them do their own," rejoined Mrs. Galvan.
Sarah had to admit it was true. When Michael had done the hauling, he had also done the unloading. Since Sarah had taken over the route, folks had just started out giving her a hand. Now she thought nothing of it as they unloaded their own freight.
"I should be doing the unloading myself," she murmured quietly.
"Nonsense," said Mrs. Galvan. "No one in this here town minds lendin' a hand."
Sarah felt her shoulders slump. She had made it through her first winter. She had never missed a payment at the bank. She had thought they were over the worst hurdle. Even though she was always exhausted when she arrived home at the end of a long day, yet she was gradually getting used to the wearisome grind.
And Rebecca seemed to be doing fine. She babbled and chatted and showed her mother all the new tricks she learned at the Galvan household. Rebecca did not seem to be suffering at all in spite of her disjointed home life. For that, Sarah was the most thankful.
"Do you think—? Do you think it is a real— threat?" Sarah managed to ask, her voice a bit husky. She didn't know what she would do if she lost her customers.
"Boyd—Boyd thinks it's a matter for concern," Mrs. Galvan said honestly.
Sarah allowed herself the support
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