Into the Wilderness
Page 88
"Why, yes," Elizabeth said lamely. "Exactly."
"I thought me so." But her sharp look said much more.
Hannah had already started off. Elizabeth called, and the child stopped, looking over her shoulder.
"Thank you," she said, when everything else that went through her head turned out to be insufficient, or too complex to say right there and then. "And tell them at home, too, please. Thank you and—goodbye."
Hannah nodded, and then sped on her way.
"Come on along now," Curiosity said. "Got to get you back home and in dry clothes before you take a chill."
"Curiosity," Elizabeth began, but the older woman stopped and laid one long, cool hand on her forearm.
"No," she said, not unkindly. "I expect it's better if you let me tell the stories for right now. I got one or two might interest you.
Chapter 20
"You know how many babies I delivered in my time?" Curiosity began. To Elizabeth's relief, she answered her own question. "Don't know myself, but I expect it's close to a hundred since I come to Paradise, more than thirty year ago. Ain't been called on too often since the doctor decided he know more about birthin' than I do. He will come an' fetch me, however, when he needs smaller hands. What is so very particular about that, Elizabeth, is that the very first child I put in his mama's arms was Richard Todd his self
"I see I surprise you, but it's true. In '61 that was, the very year your granddaddy Clarke bought me and Leo free and sent us up here to work for your mama. I hadn't started to breed yet, myself, and neither had she, but with Cora's help we managed when the time came."
"There was no doctor in Paradise then?"
Curiosity laughed. "No ma'am. No doctor, no trading post, nothing. In '61 there was only four families up here besides your folks, remember. Hawkeye and Cora had been up on Hidden Wolf for a bit by that time—Nathaniel was two that summer that Richard was born. The others were all Carlisle's tenants, including your daddy, to start with. Has the judge told you about Carlisle? The old Tory who owned all this land until after the war when it was took away from him and sold at auction. Let's see, there was Horst Hauptmann and his first wife, the one that took the yellow fever and run off with it. James and Martha Todd and their oldest boy, Samuel, and the Witherspoons too. No, there was no doctor here then—it was up to us women, always has been and I don't expect that will ever change much. Your mama had a way about her in a birthin' room. I have always been sorry that she left before I could get to know her."
Elizabeth had never spoken to Curiosity about her mother. She knew very little about those few years her mother had spent in Paradise, and the circumstances surrounding her removal to England, except that she had been carrying Elizabeth, and the pregnancy had not been easy. There had always been a slight worry in her that if she asked Curiosity for the stories of her mother, she would hear something she might have to hold against her father.
The older woman had stopped to forage in a pile of moldering oak leaves, her quick fingers uncovering a crowd of peaked mushroom caps tinged scarlet.
"Mind you never et nothing looks like that, now," she said, distracted. Then she brushed her hands on her apron and carried on. Her step was slow and measured, moving along at the same pace as her story.
"Now Mrs. Todd wanted a doctor for her laying—in, being used to things as they was done back then in Boston. She come from a family with money, you see. But her time come upon her unexpected like, and your mama and me was called on to attend, green as we was. It was Martha Todd's good luck that Cora was at hand, too. A levelheaded woman, was Cora. I learned a lot from her. Just a year ago it was that a fever took her and I miss her every day.
"Mistress Todd was a particular woman but she brought that boy into the world without much fuss. And given the size of him, I think to this day she had mis—reckoned her time." Curiosity hiccuped a little laugh. "A big, fat child, with a shock of red hair like a rooster's comb. And lungs. Lordy. So you see, I know Richard as long as anybody here in Paradise."
"I wonder why you're telling me this story," Elizabeth said, slowly.
"Do you?" Curiosity stopped to look at her hard. "Well, now, Elizabeth. I'm telling you what I know about Dr. Richard Todd because I think you're underestimating him. And that's a dangerous thing to be doing."
When it was clear that Elizabeth was not going to enter into a discussion just yet, Curiosity started to talk again.
"It was in '65 that the trouble came, in the fall. Your mama was long gone to England to bring you into the world. Your daddy had just come back his self went over that summer to try and fetch you back, but come home empty—handed. Left your mama with Julian on the way, though, so I guess they got along aright."
Curiosity sent Elizabeth a sideways glance.
"Richard was just three, but a likelier young' un you'll never see. Big for his age, and sassy, and smart. Worshiped his brother, Samuel, followed him everywhere, as little brothers will do. A few more families had settled here by then, the ones that was braver than most. This here a mighty lonely spot, you understand, and the Mohawk hung on for a long time.
"It was a Friday evening. I recall it clearly." Her voice dropped low, and Elizabeth had to strain to hear, although some part of her didn't want to hear this at all.
"The judge and the Reverend Witherspoon had gone into Johnstown to do some trading. I remember Mrs. Todd calling after the judge not to forget to fetch her a cone of sugar. Don't know why, but that stick with me. I had spent the whole day setting soap, and when the men was gone, I went down in the root cellar to sort through some taters. It was cool down there and I was hot, and I fell asleep. This was the old house in the village, you understand. It was a good cellar, though, deep and solid, and I never heard a thing. When I come up in the evening light, the house was gone, the whole village, too. Everything still burning, and everybody—most everybody—dead or gone."
"I thought me so." But her sharp look said much more.
Hannah had already started off. Elizabeth called, and the child stopped, looking over her shoulder.
"Thank you," she said, when everything else that went through her head turned out to be insufficient, or too complex to say right there and then. "And tell them at home, too, please. Thank you and—goodbye."
Hannah nodded, and then sped on her way.
"Come on along now," Curiosity said. "Got to get you back home and in dry clothes before you take a chill."
"Curiosity," Elizabeth began, but the older woman stopped and laid one long, cool hand on her forearm.
"No," she said, not unkindly. "I expect it's better if you let me tell the stories for right now. I got one or two might interest you.
Chapter 20
"You know how many babies I delivered in my time?" Curiosity began. To Elizabeth's relief, she answered her own question. "Don't know myself, but I expect it's close to a hundred since I come to Paradise, more than thirty year ago. Ain't been called on too often since the doctor decided he know more about birthin' than I do. He will come an' fetch me, however, when he needs smaller hands. What is so very particular about that, Elizabeth, is that the very first child I put in his mama's arms was Richard Todd his self
"I see I surprise you, but it's true. In '61 that was, the very year your granddaddy Clarke bought me and Leo free and sent us up here to work for your mama. I hadn't started to breed yet, myself, and neither had she, but with Cora's help we managed when the time came."
"There was no doctor in Paradise then?"
Curiosity laughed. "No ma'am. No doctor, no trading post, nothing. In '61 there was only four families up here besides your folks, remember. Hawkeye and Cora had been up on Hidden Wolf for a bit by that time—Nathaniel was two that summer that Richard was born. The others were all Carlisle's tenants, including your daddy, to start with. Has the judge told you about Carlisle? The old Tory who owned all this land until after the war when it was took away from him and sold at auction. Let's see, there was Horst Hauptmann and his first wife, the one that took the yellow fever and run off with it. James and Martha Todd and their oldest boy, Samuel, and the Witherspoons too. No, there was no doctor here then—it was up to us women, always has been and I don't expect that will ever change much. Your mama had a way about her in a birthin' room. I have always been sorry that she left before I could get to know her."
Elizabeth had never spoken to Curiosity about her mother. She knew very little about those few years her mother had spent in Paradise, and the circumstances surrounding her removal to England, except that she had been carrying Elizabeth, and the pregnancy had not been easy. There had always been a slight worry in her that if she asked Curiosity for the stories of her mother, she would hear something she might have to hold against her father.
The older woman had stopped to forage in a pile of moldering oak leaves, her quick fingers uncovering a crowd of peaked mushroom caps tinged scarlet.
"Mind you never et nothing looks like that, now," she said, distracted. Then she brushed her hands on her apron and carried on. Her step was slow and measured, moving along at the same pace as her story.
"Now Mrs. Todd wanted a doctor for her laying—in, being used to things as they was done back then in Boston. She come from a family with money, you see. But her time come upon her unexpected like, and your mama and me was called on to attend, green as we was. It was Martha Todd's good luck that Cora was at hand, too. A levelheaded woman, was Cora. I learned a lot from her. Just a year ago it was that a fever took her and I miss her every day.
"Mistress Todd was a particular woman but she brought that boy into the world without much fuss. And given the size of him, I think to this day she had mis—reckoned her time." Curiosity hiccuped a little laugh. "A big, fat child, with a shock of red hair like a rooster's comb. And lungs. Lordy. So you see, I know Richard as long as anybody here in Paradise."
"I wonder why you're telling me this story," Elizabeth said, slowly.
"Do you?" Curiosity stopped to look at her hard. "Well, now, Elizabeth. I'm telling you what I know about Dr. Richard Todd because I think you're underestimating him. And that's a dangerous thing to be doing."
When it was clear that Elizabeth was not going to enter into a discussion just yet, Curiosity started to talk again.
"It was in '65 that the trouble came, in the fall. Your mama was long gone to England to bring you into the world. Your daddy had just come back his self went over that summer to try and fetch you back, but come home empty—handed. Left your mama with Julian on the way, though, so I guess they got along aright."
Curiosity sent Elizabeth a sideways glance.
"Richard was just three, but a likelier young' un you'll never see. Big for his age, and sassy, and smart. Worshiped his brother, Samuel, followed him everywhere, as little brothers will do. A few more families had settled here by then, the ones that was braver than most. This here a mighty lonely spot, you understand, and the Mohawk hung on for a long time.
"It was a Friday evening. I recall it clearly." Her voice dropped low, and Elizabeth had to strain to hear, although some part of her didn't want to hear this at all.
"The judge and the Reverend Witherspoon had gone into Johnstown to do some trading. I remember Mrs. Todd calling after the judge not to forget to fetch her a cone of sugar. Don't know why, but that stick with me. I had spent the whole day setting soap, and when the men was gone, I went down in the root cellar to sort through some taters. It was cool down there and I was hot, and I fell asleep. This was the old house in the village, you understand. It was a good cellar, though, deep and solid, and I never heard a thing. When I come up in the evening light, the house was gone, the whole village, too. Everything still burning, and everybody—most everybody—dead or gone."
