Ian and Bruce McDuff did not know there were so many people in the world, and wondered why they would all come to their Papa’s and Mum’s funeral. Who were they and how did all these people even find out about it?
The boys had to depend on the advice of the Hatchers and the Forrests. They knew only the McDuff way of life and nothing of how the ‘lower’ people lived. Fergus had used that term to refer to people who did not live in the mountains. It had to do with altitude, not character. So the boys had agreed that their parents be buried the day they were brought down the mountain.
The burial was to be at three in the afternoon. Too many people, including the boys, had been up all night and needed sleep. They ate breakfast, bathed, and then slept from about eight until one-thirty. Bruce had no problem falling asleep. He had commented sleepily on the soft feather bed and then was gone. Ian had some thinking to do before he could fall asleep, but, as he pondered, he realized that his mind was at ease. He grieved, of course, but he had an unexpected calm about the future. Perhaps it was because he had, as his father had taught him, left it in God’s hands, or perhaps it was because he was beginning to feel that these white people were much different than he had thought.
Only the boys, the Forrests, the Hatchers, the Fillions, and the Blooms were at the burial and, of course, the parson, who knew just the right words to say. Ian was glad for the parson. Ian knew some words for a time like this, but they would not have done the justice to his Mum and Papa that the parson’s words did.
The funeral was held in the church the next day and was ‘to honor the memory of Mister and Mrs. Fergus McDuff, and to ask God’s blessing and direction on the lives of their sons, Ian and Bruce.’ That’s what the parson said. He also said that the community of believers had gathered together to give support to these two fine young men who had suffered this tragic loss. Elizabeth explained that the community of believers was who all those people were.
Ian was now definitely convinced that Doc Bloom had been right. All white people were not what he had thought them to be. Miss Elizabeth had gotten the boys store-bought clothes, among them the fancy suits they were wearing. Bruce had no trouble feeling proud, but although Ian felt pride, he was ashamed of it. This was a sad time for him. He should feel grief, not pride, but when he had finished dressing that morning he had studied himself in a mirror. He couldn’t help it. He was proud of how he looked. The boys had to ask for Herbert’s help. Some of the things like suspenders and neckties the boys had no idea how to use. But they looked so fine. Ian wished his Mum and Papa could see them, and then took comfort from the fact that they probably could, and that they were together in heaven.
The boys had been accepted warmly and solicitously by the Forrest boys and the Prater children. The Praters, whom Ian had caused so much worry, were particularly kind. They had known loss, but at least they had still had their mother. Ian and Bruce had no one and the Praters did everything they could to comfort and reassure them.
As the days passed, Ian saw people on the streets who he remembered from his school days. He saw looks of disdain but no one dared say anything unkind. These boys were friends of the Forrests, and almost all the fathers of those who would have harassed them worked at the Forrest mine.
Pick Fillion also made a point of being seen with Ian and Bruce. Pick was now respected for his position and his knowledge, but most of Carson City had not forgotten the old Pick and were sure it still lurked somewhere behind that sophistication.
Ian and Bruce were not harassed in Carson City. They even went to school, and Ian was not bothered by the fact that he was the oldest boy in the school. He now had a chance to learn, and he was going to take full advantage of it.
At first, Sarah Hatcher was not enthusiastic about having the boys in her home, and she felt guilty about that. Herbert had insisted for several years that she hire household help, so it did not mean extra work for her, even though she and Elizabeth were consumed with wedding plans. Josh had granted Elizabeth leave of absence, and the thrill of preparing for the special day was almost as great as that of knowing that Dodd would soon be her husband.
Sarah’s trepidation was not that she didn’t like or feel for the boys. In fact, she was very fond of them. But she thought her mothering responsibilities had long ago been fulfilled and she knew nothing about boys. She was afraid she was too old and that she could not do the right thing for them, particularly now that she was so consumed with the wedding.
There was some talk about moving the boys to Josh’s home but they had formed a security attachment to Elizabeth. Further, Herbert would not hear of a move for the boys. He had tried his best to make a boy of Elizabeth, but even though she was, as a child, a tomboy, she had also always been a little lady when the situation called for it. She was not a son to her father. She was a daughter whom he dearly loved, but he still regretted not having had a son. Herbert did not know how permanent this situation would be, but while he had his boys he was going to make the most of them.
Actually, it was the wedding plans that aided in the boys’ adjustment. They were excited by Elizabeth’s exuberance and obvious joy. Finding ways to help Elizabeth and Sarah made them feel more part of the family. They were not able to make suggestions but they were able and very willing to help in any way they could.
Living as they had in the mountains, away from other people, there were long hours of empty time to fill. In his youth Fergus had a beautiful hand. As a child he won many calligraphy awards, and, as best he could with his arthritic hands, he passed that skill on to his sons. Fergus could teach them only what he had been taught and what he remembered but the boys demonstrated his talent. They had spent hours practicing and innovating. They could easily duplicate Fergus’s painfully drawn letters and could understand and implement his verbal instructions to make the letters perfect, which his hands would no longer allow him to do. The boys also began to draw other things, things common to their lives. The walls of their cabin had been covered with pictures of birds and animals. Calligraphy, drawing, and exploring the area around their home had been their only recreation.
Both boys were very good, so good that Elizabeth was elated. Printed, embossed invitations were prestigious, but handwritten calligraphy was really impressive. Both Elizabeth and Dodd had seen it frequently in the east but had given no thought to adding the splendor and distinction of handwritten invitations to their wedding. It was extremely expensive, which in itself would not have been a problem for Dodd but it also had an aura of pretension which neither Elizabeth nor Dodd needed. But these boys were as good at it as any Elizabeth or Dodd had ever seen and they so wanted to help. Allowing them to be a part of her happiness was not pretentious, so Elizabeth was thrilled that she would have this added dimension to her big event.
The boys did beautiful work and it was almost impossible to tell which boy had done which invitation. Elizabeth and Dodd were actually almost dumbfounded by the quality of work and were happily pleased. The boys were extremely proud—of their work and the fact that they had contributed, and because they had made Elizabeth and Dodd happy.
Elizabeth discussed all her plans with Dodd but Dodd really wanted this to be her day. He knew that because of who they were, a big wedding was almost a social responsibility but he, like his father, loathed the ostentatious. He trusted Elizabeth to make things beautiful but to allow the event and their love, not conspicuous show, to be the distinguishing characteristic of the day. He really had only one demand: Pete had to be involved in the wedding party.
Pete solved a problem for Dodd. With nine brothers, who does one ask to be his best man? Actually, there was no problem. There could be no best man other than Pete, and for the purpose of signing the legal documents, Pete’s daddy, Jared, was the logical choice. The other brothers would not have taken offense but it did make the choice easier for Dodd. He had only one other man stand up with him, his good friend, Pick Fillion.
While Elizabeth had many friends, her selection of attendants was never in question. Almost from babyhood, Elizabeth, Mary Throgood and Isabel Drummond had been all but inseparable. Neither of her good friends had attended college. Both had married while still in their late teens, and were traditional mothers and housewives. Both maintained their friendship and were loyal during the denigrate-Elizabeth period in Carson City after Elizabeth had begun to practice law. That loyalty had bound them closer to Elizabeth.
Most of the women in Carson City now openly admired Elizabeth. Actually, most had always admired her, but for a brief period of time it was a social necessity to either hide their admiration or pretend that it didn’t exist. It had been a difficult—actually, probably more disgusting than difficult—time for Elizabeth, but Mary and Isabel had stuck by her. They would be her attendants, and to balance the female side with Pete, Elizabeth chose a friend of a different kind, though just as admired and loved. She chose Minnie Fillion as her junior bridesmaid.
There wasn’t much that created community excitement in an 1869 frontier town. Even the rowdy lawlessness of just a few years earlier was almost completely controlled and when an event did occur, it was looked upon with disdain rather than excitement. But Carson City was in a dither about the upcoming wedding. Elizabeth had been one of the town’s leading citizens since birth, by virtue of her parents’ status. Dodd, at first because of his relationship to Josh, but now because of the respect he had earned, was also a leading citizen. While that status meant little to Dodd and Elizabeth, it meant a great deal to the average person whose life was hard work but otherwise mundane. It was Elizabeth Hatcher and Doddson Forrest who were to be married, but the event really belonged to the whole community. It was an opportunity for exhilaration, ceremony and elegance, rare commodities on the frontier. There was an air of excitement and anticipation, and Elizabeth knew that it would be impossible not to include anyone who wanted to attend.
Elizabeth had some concern that all the public excitement would make a circus of her wedding. She desperately wanted it to reflect the depth and dignity of her love for Dodd. As she thought about it, however, she realized that most of the community excitement had to do with a rare chance to participate in a dignified and elegant event. She was also assured by her mother and Dodd that people would respect the occasion. She relaxed some, but a bride never completely relaxed until the wedding was over and she knew that it had gone perfectly.
No building in town would have held all those who wanted to attend. Mid-October usually brought comfortable, clear weather in Carson City so it was quite safe to plan an outdoor wedding. But, as an added precaution, and to give a churchy tone, a small pavilion designed like the chancel of a church and only large enough to shelter the wedding party was built in what was now known as Fillion Forrest. The park was given that name in honor of Levi Fillion’s courage, and the generosity of the Forrests, who’d had it built. Since Josh had been responsible for the original improvements, the town fathers’ first intent was to call it Forrest Park, but Josh felt that it was really first used as a park to honor Levi so he suggested Fillion Park. The name finally decided upon was a kind of compromise. Although there were very few trees, those responsible for making the final naming decision thought themselves very clever.
Carson City was not the only place bubbling with excitement. Pete could hardly contain himself. He would chatter for hours, usually not saying much, because he was experiencing something again that he could not put into words. He, of course, was excited to see Dodd again but he also knew now the happiness and security of having his own family. If one listened close enough, and Libby did, Pete’s real joy was that Dodd was now going to have his own family. Dodd had been the first ever to make Pete happy, and he had been responsible for Pete’s ultimate happiness—his mama and daddy. In Pete’s mind, if anyone in the world deserved to know the happiness that Pete now knew, it was Dodd. Jared and Libby were amused at their son’s exhilaration. He had always been quick to show joy, but now he was almost beside himself. Dodd had told Jared and Libby about Pete’s excited emotional state at the time he was waiting to meet his new parents, and now they were experiencing first hand the boy’s jubilation. Ervie, however, was not amused. Pete was going to get to be in a wedding. He was not, and he wished Pete would shut up about it.
Pete’s enthusiastic approach to life did not have to do only with special occasions. Everything he did was done with enthusiasm. He was not impulsive or flighty. He had a deep interest in learning and in doing well, so he gave all his attention to whatever he was doing, whether something new his daddy was teaching him or a routine chore. Part of his motivation was to please the parents he loved so dearly, but it was mostly his nature to want to know how to do things and to work at them until he did them very well. He had shown that characteristic when he was with Dodd, but the older he got the more responsible and thorough he became. He was still a boy and he loved to play, so even his play was entered into with determination. Probably because of Pete’s example, Ervin was developing the same qualities, but his personality was much less intense. Pete was not a nervous or anxious child but he was emotional and intense. Ervin was more laid back.
The wedding could not have gone better. The weather was perfect and those who attended were dignified and respectful. The ceremony was beautiful in its simplicity, and, as with the family reunion, joy and love were the prevailing emotions.
Of course, all of the Forrests were there. Herbert and Sarah Hatcher had moved west from Vermont and while their relatives sent congratulations they also sent their regrets that they couldn’t attend. Elizabeth was disappointed, but she had never met any of them until she had gone to Vassar so they were loved but not really a part of her life. Anyway, the Hatchers had almost become a branch of the Forrest family, so Elizabeth felt her family was there.
After the ceremony, there was the mandatory barbecue. Food was plentiful but happiness and good humor were the staple. The Forrest adults did their hugging and playful insulting and the Forrest cousins made one joyous rush for each other but soon all the children were involved in a rowdy romp. Levi Fillion had seen Jamie at his parents’ wedding but he, Noah and Jamie acted as though they had not seen one another in years. Although he was a year older, Ervie found a good friend and favorite cousin in Aaron Forrest. Joshua Forrest had become quite good friends with Bruce McDuff and Pete and Lukie attached themselves to them. But these best friend groupings only lasted a few minutes. Before long all the children, Forrests and guests, were frolicking in one mass of happy childhood.
The joy of family togetherness was not lost on the McDuff boys. They were drawn into the fun and gaiety. They were amazed at all the Forrests who were there. Family for them had consisted of themselves and a mother and father. The idea of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins was new and, particularly to Ian, exciting. He had known that his mother had brothers and sisters but as they grew, the Paiute hostility toward whites also grew so they knew they would never know their mother’s people. Fergus had spoken very little of his brothers and sisters. The memory and the fact that he could not contact them were too painful. He had told the boys where in Scotland he had been born and had told them of his experience in New York.
Elizabeth and Dodd, on the pretext of going to their house to change from the formal dress into something more comfortable for the remaining festivities, left for their honeymoon within an hour of the ceremony. Pete had arrived several days before the wedding so he had gotten to spend time with Dodd then. He was not told that Dodd and Elizabeth were going to sneak away and he was disappointed when he read the letter Dodd left explaining their quick departure. It was just not wise to allow certain people to follow them to their honeymoon destination.
Only Elizabeth’s mother knew they were to spend the week at the McDuff cabin in the mountains. They felt someone should know where they were but Sarah Hatcher was sworn not to let Josh or Herbert know. The idea of a shivaree with normal people would not have been unpleasant, but Josh and Herbert were far from normal. Shivaree was a custom. It could provide a lot of fun for both the newlyweds and those doing the belling, and probably should have been part of the celebration. But because of Josh and Herbert both Dodd and Elizabeth thought it best not to take a chance. Josh and Herbert, and some of Dodd’s other brothers, had big plans and they were mortified at how easily Dodd had outsmarted them. They were not to be denied, however. The first night back from the mountains, no one in the neighborhood of the home of Doctor and Mrs. Doddson Forrest got much sleep.
Dodd found married life to be everything he hoped it would be. Although Elizabeth returned to her job at the mine, it was a comfort to come home to companionship and love after the ambiguities of his work. Dodd was no less troubled with the current limitations of his science, but Elizabeth’s good humor and calming presence made those limitations a much less significant part of Dodd’s life than before his marriage.
Josh had his men investigate the McDuff boys’ silver claim and found that it contained a very large and rich silver deposit. He explained several options to the boys. With Elizabeth’s advice, they took the one which would allow them to retain ownership but allowed the mine to be worked by the Luke Forrest Silver Mining Company. Elizabeth drew up the papers. The agreement allowed Josh to make a good profit and provided the boys a very good income. They did not really understand the concept, but they were wealthy and would be for the rest of their lives.
Josh told the boys that when they were ready, there would also be jobs for them in the management of the mines. Ian understood this to be a generous offer but he made no comment at the time the offer was made. Since the wedding, Ian had watched the dynamics of the Forrest and Bloom families and felt an ache in his heart to know his own family. He would not try to go to the Paiute village but Fergus had talked of his homeland and the village of Portree, his birthplace.
Ian also heard his friends talking of uncles, aunts and grandparents. He felt that he was growing to love the people who were close to him and Herbert had made quite clear that they had a home with the Hatchers as long as they wanted it. The boys had come to take that for granted because of the manner in which they had been accepted and loved. Herbert didn’t really need to say anything; the boys knew by the way they were treated that they had a home.
Bruce just assumed that he would do the remainder of his growing up in the Hatcher home. To a degree, so did Ian. Since the wedding, however, Ian had an increasing longing to know his family. With Elizabeth’s help, he wrote a letter to ‘Any McDuff in Portree, Scotland’. He wrote:
My name is Ian McDuff. I am seventeen years old. My father came to America from Portree in 1811. His name was Fergus McDuff. Because he was accused of a crime which he did not commit, he was forced to live most of his life in the mountains in the western part of America. He could not write home and he fretted a great deal about that.
My father died two years ago. My mother, who was a Paiute Indian, died two months ago. I lived in the mountains until after she died. I did not know there was any other part to a family except my papa, my mum and my brother Bruce who is thirteen. Now I find there are things like uncles, aunts and cousins.
If you know of a Fergus McDuff who left Scotland in 1811 please see if Bruce and I have any relatives still living in Portree. If you don’t know, would you please ask any other McDuffs you might know?
Please write to me at: Ian McDuff, c/o Herbert Hatcher,
Carson City, Nevada, America.
Elizabeth explained that it might take as long as a year for their letter to get to Scotland and to get an answer back. She thought it might be sooner but the letter had to go to New York and then by boat, probably to London, and who knew how long it would take to get a letter from London to Portree? The return letter would have to follow the same route. Elizabeth knew it would take at least six months before the boys heard anything but she had known of situations in which a letter to Europe took a year or longer to receive a response. Ian was excited about the idea of having family and she didn’t want him disappointed. His world had been very small and she wanted him to understand how big the real one really was.
Both boys were excited about all there was to know. Their father had told them that it had taken him more than six weeks on the boat to come to America so they had some theoretical knowledge of the vastness of the sea but to know that there were all of those other countries beside Scotland, England, and America, the only ones their father had mentioned, excited them and motivated them to read voraciously. Within two months, Elizabeth and Sarah had exhausted their libraries, those of the Forrests and Blooms, and those of all the people they knew who had books on world geography.
Really, the boys were interested in reading anything. All they previously had was the Bible, much of which they could quote from memory. Their broadened reading made them no less religious. Since the Bible was their only textbook and their father was a very religious man, religion had dominated their lives. They enjoyed very much learning to be ‘lower’ boys, but they remained much more pious than most young people their age.
When Ian realized that it was a Methodist church they were attending, he was, at first, alarmed. Although his father had never told him that, Ian had come to believe that his father’s church, the Presbyterian, was the only church of true religion. He accepted the parson’s and Herb’s explanation of the various denominations, that they were all Christian and that the mark of a Christian was a belief in and a love for God, but he did so with reservations. Ian always had the feeling that he would really be pleasing God when he could get to a Presbyterian church.
Bruce was no less intelligent but his nature was much less serious than Ian’s. In spite of his mixed heritage, he soon had several good friends and took so much joy from playing with them that he would have neglected his reading and other studies. Sarah had come to relish her motherly responsibilities, particularly now that Elizabeth had a home of her own. As a young woman Elizabeth had really needed no mothering, but having her live in her home gave Sarah a sense of family completeness. Until Elizabeth was gone again, Sarah had forgotten how lonely those four college years had been. It was the boys who made Elizabeth’s leaving less difficult. As much as she loved the boys, Sarah frequently found it necessary to gently but forcefully insist that Bruce pay attention to his studies. Bruce accepted that correction gracefully, but with an unexpressed mild resentment. He would occasionally go to Herb for some sympathy. Herb would have spoiled the boys rotten had Sarah allowed it.
There was no question that the Hatcher house was their home, but after the wedding the boys began to spend some of their time at Dodd and Elizabeth’s. Their first attachment after their mother’s death was with Elizabeth and that attachment remained strong, but both boys also became quite fond of Dodd. Ian was interested in Dodd’s work and in his college experience. Because Dodd had read widely, he could speak to matters that interested and concerned Ian. He tried to help the boy not take life so seriously, but he was only partially successful. Ian did eventually realize that just because he did not know or understand all the complexities of life, he would not inadvertently commit some heinous sin, but his nature never did allow him to become a carefree adolescent.
Bruce, on the other hand, much to Dodd’s delight, developed a personality much like Pete’s. He loved to tease and be teased, and Dodd delighted in the boy’s company. Dodd was satisfied now that Pete was well adjusted and happy and did not feel the abandonment Dodd had feared when the boy was first left with Jared and Libby. He could enjoy not only Bruce, but also his nephews and Levi Fillion, who might just as well have been a nephew. He and Noah were inseparable. Reva and the Fillion girls were frequent visitors. It was a rare evening when a portion of it was not occupied with child guests at the home of Doctor and Mrs. Dodd Forrest. Dodd and Elizabeth didn’t mind, but they did have to place some restrictions as to when the children could visit. They both loved children but they also loved each other and wanted time alone. The children understood, and unless asked, made their visits short and, as time passed, less frequent. They loved Dodd and Elizabeth no less, but they were children and as time passed the novelty of the marriage and the Forrests’ house wore off and the children moved on to new adventures.
Being around all those children, however, increased Dodd’s desire to parent and he began to drop veiled hints that he would like to have a child of his own soon. Elizabeth was not opposed to family but she still loved her work and wasn’t sure she was ready for children yet. Knowledge as to how to avoid pregnancy was limited so she knew that it was just a matter of time. Dodd would have his child.
Ian was not nearly as gregarious as Bruce who now had many friends his age. Ian spent most of his time with Herbert and Dodd but he did develop one good friend among his peers. Strangely enough, it was one of the boys who had been the most cruel when they were nine. Ian had learned as much as the public school could teach him. There was no secondary school in Carson City, so he and David Jantz did as Elizabeth and other adolescents who wanted more education had done. They were taught by the parson in Latin, literature, history, science and mathematics, along with theology and some philosophy. At the present time David and Ian were the parson’s only students. David became impressed by Ian’s quick mind, and found, despite his parents’ prejudices, that there was nothing of the savage in Ian. Indeed, David thought him to have the soul of a poet.
Because those who had seen it had spoken so enthusiastically of the beauty and solitude of their mountain home, the McDuff boys quickly offered the use of their mountain cabin to the Forrests (both Josh and Dodd), the Blooms, the Hatchers, and their friends. Josh’s family and the Blooms loved spending time there and while Sarah didn’t go often, Herbert, who loved to fly-fish, seemed to be at the cabin as much as he was home. Elizabeth went often, but Dodd’s visits were limited because of the demands of the practice. Harvey went more frequently than Dodd because Dodd insisted that he spend recreational time with his children.
The cabin, situated on a kind of a high plateau about four thousand feet in altitude, surrounded by jack and white pines, was within walking distance of several rippling mountain streams. It was beautiful, and the fishing was great. All the men of the Forrest, Bloom and Hatcher families loved the place and the children never tired of the adventure in the woods and on the rocks. The women worried about wild animals, but generally enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the breathtaking beauty.
For several months, Ian and Bruce would not go with them. They were adjusting to their loss and their new life, and did not want to disturb the feelings they knew lay buried deep within them. They could not have their childhood or the physical being and love of their parents back, and they wanted not to have to remember that. It was Herb’s promise to teach them to fly-fish for the large trout in those mountain streams that caused the boys to finally agree to go back. They felt some painful pangs, but they also were able to thank God for the life of love they had lived there… and for that which they now experienced with their new family.
After that first trip the boys went regularly. The Forrest boys and the Prater children loved having Bruce along. He knew all the fun places to play. He knew caves and waterfalls and trees blown into odd and unusual shapes by the strong winds of spring. Bruce would occasionally shed a quiet tear when a spot brought a memory of being there with his papa or his mum, but he was a boy, a generally very happy boy, and sadness could not dominate him for extended periods of time.
Ian, now that they did not need the fish to stay alive, had mixed feelings about taking them. He was proud of his quickly developing fly-fishing skill, and he had formed a strong bond with Herb and enjoyed doing things with him, but the fish were so beautiful. They were part of the beauty of this place, an important part of the whole, and taking them seemed to Ian to leave an ugly hole in this otherwise perfect place. But Herb took so much pleasure from the catch, and Ian had to admit they were very good eating. His old world had been so simple. One took what he needed from nature, surrounded himself with love, and just allowed the sun to rise and set. This new world of his was so full of contradictions, so full of things to be learned.
At first, Ian thought that as he learned more the contradictions would be clarified, but the reverse was true. The more he learned, the more questions flooded his mind. He took some comfort from his study of philosophy and his conversations with the parson, but there were so many questions, and what had been so easy on the mountain, the ability to tell what was right and what was wrong, now demanded constant thought. That demand both troubled and exhilarated Ian.
Ian discussed his concerns with the parson, with Herbert, and with Dodd. After a few months, it occurred to him that he was not really that concerned about these seeming incongruities. He simply enjoyed the mental exercise of the discussion. The boy was extremely intelligent and Dodd checked periodically with the parson as to his readiness for college. Dodd wanted to send the boy to Harvard. There was considerable question regarding Ian’s admission because of his ethnic heritage but Dodd was determined to try. Just as Dodd felt strongly about the wasted and deprived lives of many children, he felt strongly about the possibility of wasting Ian’s intelligence.
The stable at Dodd and Elizabeth’s home was now full. Dodd found that he was able to exercise his bay gelding several times a week now. Whenever he was not on evening call, Elizabeth and he would ride. The rides were slow and relaxed. They were together and doing what both had enjoyed since they were old enough to sit a horse. There was so much beauty so close to Carson City, and sharing that beauty while participating in an activity they enjoyed—and with a person they loved—was a perfect way to wash from their souls the pressure or frustration of the day.
The rides always ended with a brisk gallop to give the horses a good workout. Ian, with David Jantz, always met them at the barn to lead the horses in a cool off walk, to curry and rub them down. Bruce now shared the stable-cleaning chores with Joshua, and the boys had grown to the point that six horses were not too much for them. Dodd had purchased a beautiful pair of matched blacks to pull the surrey he and Elizabeth had decided upon. A surrey was not at all fancy but it was practical. If it was just the two of them they usually used the buggy Dodd used for his practice, but the surrey provided more room if they needed to carry other people. It had canvas curtains that could be rolled down in the event of bad weather. The curtains had isinglass windows in the front and sides so one could see where he was going and prevent colliding with someone coming from either side.
There were, of course, fancier carriages to be had, but this one suited the character and tastes of Elizabeth and Dodd, and it was all they needed for now. They could bundle up in cold weather, and if it proved too cold when they had children, they’d get something else.
Dodd and Elizabeth fell into the routine of married life so easily. They were deeply in love and their longed-for domesticity proved what they knew it would be, the tranquility which balanced their harried professional lives. As the months passed, however, Elizabeth began to feel some yearnings she had not expected so soon. It was not only from Dodd’s teasing pressure that they have a child but also from watching the joy her close friends took from their children. Shortly after their wedding, Isabel had a new baby. Elizabeth had known the joy that Josh and Lillian took from their boys, but those children were not babies. It wasn’t until she held Isabel’s tiny son that she knew that she, herself, must soon be a mother.
Elizabeth had begun tutoring Pick in the law but now she pressured him to prepare himself more quickly. He would remain Josh’s assistant but would also assume the legal work. The new sheriff was provided funds to add a deputy to his staff whose sole responsibility was to see to the welfare of let-out children, so Pick was relieved of that duty. He now gave his full time to the mine and his legal studies.
Pick would have liked to have gone to a law school somewhere, but with a family to support, that was not possible. It was common practice for persons to attach themselves to a practicing lawyer and train themselves in that way. In Pick’s case, law school would not have been that much of an advantage. In Elizabeth and Dodd he had two of the best legal minds in Nevada at his disposal. Lester Markley was glad to help out, and Josh sent Pick to spend a month with Henry Glenn. Josh knew that it was important to get Pick trained. He knew that if he needed Elizabeth’s advice he could always get it, and if Pick were away and Elizabeth indisposed, there was always Dodd. It was now obvious that home and children were fast becoming Elizabeth’s vocation of choice.
Pick was an eager and voracious student. Since his metamorphosis, he had thrown himself completely into his intellectual interest of the moment. He had his history period, his philosophy period, his biography period and his classical novel period. Now he was in his legal period. He made time for his family, but it was a rare late evening that did not find Pick absorbed in some book. He had free access to Dodd’s and Elizabeth’s, Lester Markley’s, and the growing state law libraries.
Pick began to write briefs which he would have checked by Elizabeth or Dodd. The man had an amazing capacity for rapid learning. Just as Pete or Levi, once they had love craved more—and took all they could get—Pick craved learning. Blessed with high intelligence and a very quick mind, he took all he could get at amazing speed, so when Elizabeth discovered that she was pregnant, Pick was able to assume most of her work. Since he was still a ‘student’ he always checked his work with Dodd or Elizabeth, but he was fast gaining confidence.
Actually, Pick probably learned faster and retained more of what he learned because he was researching real, rather than hypothetical, cases. He was actually practicing law rather than just reading about it, and he had prompt feedback from Elizabeth and Dodd as well as the California lawyers. He was learning from doing, and errors were corrected before they were made. He already had a good grasp of Nevada and California mining law, and because of his highly qualified ‘teachers’, was well-versed in the rules of evidence and court room procedure. Long before he was actually a lawyer, Pick Fillion was a much better one than Luther Morrison had ever been.
When all of his lawyer mentors felt Pick was ready, Josh sent him to San Francisco for a month. The San Francisco staff was impressed both by what Pick already knew and how quickly he absorbed new information. That staff agreed that Pick was ready, and none too soon. By her fifth month, Elizabeth was becoming uncomfortable. She was either carrying a very large baby or, as Harvey believed, more than one. Harvey advised her to stop working and stay in bed as much as possible. She followed Harvey’s advice at Dodd’s insistence, but even then she received daily visits from Josh regarding business until Pick returned.
When Levi learned that his father was going to San Francisco, it soon became obvious that, school or no school, Levi would have to go along. His mother prepared lessons for him so he could keep up while he was gone, but that turned out to be unnecessary. Levi not only enjoyed his time with Jamie, he was even allowed to go to school with him.
Evenings began as they had when Levi had lived with James’s family. He would get in line as soon as he heard James’s carriage enter the drive. There was the hugging and the frolicking, but most of Levi’s evenings were spent with his daddy on several pilgrimages he had to make. He visited Paulo’s grave. He visited the Mannings and the Russos. He showed his daddy the thicket that had been his home and, for a reason that he could not explain, he was driven to visit Thorn’s grave.
They could not be sure which grave was Thorn’s because he had been buried in a potter’s field and all the graves were unmarked. The man who dug the graves had no idea which was which. As cruel and evil as Thorn had been, Levi felt sad that anyone should have lived and died and nobody cared enough to remember where he was buried.
Pick was probably more moved by the experience of visiting Thorn’s grave than Levi was. Pick knew the evil in the man but he also knew what he himself had been. Levi had told him of Thorn’s last few weeks and Pick knew that but for Dodd’s friendship and the Grace of God, his fate could have been the same. Looking at those unmarked graves gave Pick an even stronger appreciation of life and a stronger desire to make the most of his.
Copyright © 2003 Gordon L. Klopfenstein