Chapter 8 - Falling

Caleb's feelings for Elizabeth grow stronger.

Caleb sat on the porch into the middle of the afternoon looking down the road, waiting for Mr. Meyers to return. 

As he prepared himself for the worst, he noticed someone coming up the road.  He stood and watched and soon saw it was Mr. Meyers, but he had someone with him.  As he pulled closer to the house, Caleb saw it was a young man of about eighteen years.  The boy was thin with fiery red hair and pale skin.  He was dressed in dirty, tattered overalls, and a faded green shirt.  Mr. Meyers jumped off the wagon and he and Caleb unloaded its cargo.  The boy remained quietly seated on the wagon. 

Mrs. Meyers met them at the door and seeing the boy on the wagon asked curiously, “Who is that?”

Mr. Meyers glanced back as though he was unaware of whom she meant.  “While I was in town I ran into that boy begging on the street.  I thought I could bring him home and give him a job and a place to stay.  Let him earn an honest living.”  He continued into the house.  “Couldn’t hurt to have more help around here.  Especially with fall and winter coming.”  He and Caleb took the boxes to the back of house where Mrs. Meyers could unpack them and then proceeded back to the wagon to collect the remainder.  “He’ll stay in the barn loft, like Caleb did when he first started working for us,” Mr. Meyers continued as he stepped back onto the porch and through the door.

After everything had been unloaded from the wagon, Mr. Meyers and Caleb went back out into the yard toward the wagon.  As they came closer Caleb looked up at the boy.  There was something about him that caught his attention but he could not pinpoint exactly what it was.  Something in the boy’s eyes was oddly familiar to Caleb.  He examined the boy closely, but still could not determine what it was.

“Kit, you can come down now,” Mr. Meyers called.  The boy stood and jumped down from the wagon.  “This here is Caleb, he’s going to show you around and get you familiar with your duties here.  You can start by putting the wagon in the barn.”  He turned to Caleb, “Show him where he’ll be staying.”

Kit helped unhitch the wagon without instruction, all the time watching Caleb carefully.  His eyes were filled with hatred as though he too had found some familiarity in his companion and his discovery was not pleasing.

          After the wagon and horses were taken care of, Caleb led Kit to his room in the loft.  “This is where you’ll be staying.  I suppose you’ll be given your dinner in the kitchen.  That’s where I was given my dinner when I first came to work for Mr. Meyers.” 

Kit looked at Caleb with the same hatred only now there was a hint of jealousy in his eyes that Caleb could not miss. 

“It gets better working for Mr. Meyers.  You just have to earn it,” he reassured him. 

Caleb turned and stepped out the door of the tiny room sensing he was no longer welcome, then turned back and told Kit, “Dinner will be ready soon.  The kitchen is at the back of the house.  Mary and the ladies will have everything ready for you.”  He left Kit in the barn and returned to the house.

 

          Another two weeks passed, but Caleb finally found his opportunity to sneak away and make a trip to town for Elizabeth’s licorice.  While Mr. Meyers was at work in his study, Caleb took a horse from the stable and rode into town.  With a nickle of his own money, he stepped into the General Mercantile and bought another brown paper bag of licorice.  “Boy, you sure do like this stuff don’t you?”  Mr. Johnston asked teasingly with a chuckle.  “Is that all you needed?”

          “Yes Sir.”

          Caleb stepped to the door and carefully searched the streets for Butler or one of his men before stepping out.  He had to avoid a run in this time.  Mr. Meyers did not know he had left the property and he knew he would not be very understanding if he found out. 

As he mounted his horse he noticed a group of men, lead by Mr. Butler, headed down the street in his direction.  He was sure they had not seen him yet, so he rode quickly down the street and back toward the Meyers property.

When he got back to the house he found Mr. Meyers had never left his study and he had avoided all trouble.

 He found Elizabeth reading in the sitting room.  As he entered the room she glanced up from her book.  She saw the brown paper bag in his hand and sprung up from her seat. 

Caleb held it out to her smiling and when she took it from his hand and looked inside her eyes lit up.  She stood on her toes and lightly kissed Caleb on the cheek.  “Thank you,” she whispered excitedly and then ran out of the room and up the stairs. 

 

          From that day forward Caleb knew, without a doubt, he loved Elizabeth.  He may have only been fourteen years old, but something deep within him made him sure of his feelings for her.  She was only ten, however, and he knew she was much too young so he decided to himself to keep his feelings toward her to himself.  She was still just a child and he was not much farther from one himself.