Chapter 15 - Family

Caleb and Elizabeth begin their lives together.

Not long after the couple was married they were proud to learn their first child was on the way.  On August 5, 1851, Caleb and Elizabeth’s daughter was born.  They named her Hannah.  She was Caleb and Elizabeth’s pride and joy.  Their world revolved around her.  This was especially true for Caleb who saw everything he loved about Elizabeth in his daughter. 

Caleb continued to work for the railroad and Elizabeth found work in the home of Robert and Fannie Brown.  Mrs. Brown had six children, the youngest of which, Ellie, was only a few months older than Hannah. 

Elizabeth helped Mrs. Brown with the children, as well as keeping house and preparing meals for the family.  Elizabeth was allowed to bring Hannah along with her everyday.  Hannah and Ellie quickly became best friends, and played together as Elizabeth tended her duties. 

Elizabeth was not especially used to this type of work but Mrs. Brown was sympathetic and understanding and with a little help she quickly adjusted.  The women formed a close friendship with one another and they spent their days working side by side, talking and laughing together as if they had known each other forever.

Elizabeth told Caleb one evening, “Fannie is nothing like any privileged women I’ve ever known before.  She is works along side me as if my equal and not my superior.  I always saw felt my mother treated our help with dignity and respect, but she would never have partaken in their duties.  She always said ‘privileged women, as ourselves, do not need to dirty ourselves’.  It is almost as if Fanny were not always a woman of wealth.”

Mrs. Brown, was also a relatively religious woman and insisted that Elizabeth and the children attended church services with her family.  Elizabeth encouraged Caleb to join them as well, however his job often kept him from his family on Sunday mornings.

Life for Caleb and Elizabeth was beginning to look up.  They considered themselves very blessed and Caleb was proud of the accomplishments his tiny family had made in such a short time. 

With so much looking up in their lives it naturally delighted both of them when they discovered their second child was on the way.  Elizabeth’s delivery time quickly approached.  Mrs. Brown lightened her workload and took every measure to insure her comfort, including making allowances for her to leave early to rest.  Mrs. Brown would tell her, “We want a happy, healthy baby.  You need to get your rest.”  She would even watch Hannah some evenings after sending Elizabeth home so she would not have to chase her, now, very active two year old daughter.

Caleb began working later and later into the evening hoping to earn more to help with the extra costs of raising another child.  This often forced Elizabeth to tend the horses by herself.  As a favor, a friend of Caleb, Jack Reynolds, stopped by their home each night and tended to the horses to spare Elizabeth the task.

 

Unfortunately, as it so often seems the case, good things have the habit of fading away and misfortune has a way of finding those who least expect it.

One evening, near Elizabeth’s expected delivery date, Caleb decided to leave for home earlier than usual.  He hoped to surprise Elizabeth with his early arrival.  He rode his horse up the hill and into town.  The streets were clearing as the people of Providence headed home for the night.  The sun was now just a faint red glow sinking below the horizon and the streets and windows of town were now lit by the dim glow of candles and lanterns.  A gentle breeze blew down the street and Caleb paused for a moment.  He took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his brow, then continued on his way home. 

As he rode up to his house, Harriet Jacobson, a nearby neighbor and friend, stepped on the front porch.  “Caleb,” she called, wringing her hands, a look of despair on her face. “Think goodness you’re home.  There’s been an awful accident…Elizabeth’s been calling for you.”

Panic instantly struck Caleb.  He jumped from his horse and ran into the house, hardly touching the ground as he ran.  He quickly made his way down the narrow hallway to their bedroom.  A man in a long black coat stepped out of the room and stopped Caleb at the door.

“What happened?” Caleb asked, distraught.  “Is she alright?  Is the baby alright?  What happened?”  He pushed against the man and looked into the room.  Elizabeth lay in bed with the covers pulled up to her chin and her eyes closed.  Caleb’s heart sank into his stomach.

“I’m Doctor Bartlet,” the man said extending his hand.

Caleb ignored it and asked again, “What happened? Is she alright?”

“She should be fine.  She just needs to rest a bit.”  The doctor answered.

“What happened?” He asked calming slightly.

“There was an accident, and she got a bit beat up.”

“That I understand, but what kind of accident.” He asked becoming more frustrated.

“She was trampled tending the horses.”

“Tending the horses?” Now Caleb was hit with bewilderment followed by anger.  What was she doing tending the horses, he thought.  Why did Jack not stopped in this evening to take care of them?

“Yes sir.”

“And the baby?”

Doctor Bartlet looked at the floor a moment then looked back at Caleb and answered softly, “I am very sorry.  Your son came early.  I do not expect he will make it through the night.  Babies who come this early rarely survive.”

         Caleb’s eyes filled with tears.  He wiped his face, and tried to push past the doctor again.  The doctor was surprisingly strong and held Caleb back, “She needs to rest.  You can see her when she awakes.”

          “I need to see her now!” he demanded.

          “Caleb?” he heard a weak voice call from within the room.

          Caleb pushed past the doctor and into the room.  He rushed to Elizabeth’s side and sat on the edge of the bed.  In the flickering lamplight he could see the purple around her left eye and the sweat standing on her forehead.  Tears began to stream down her cheeks.  Caleb gently wiped her face with his fingers and leaned in to kissher lightly on the forehead. 

          “Caleb, I’m sorry.” She told him. 

          “No, you did nothing wrong.”  He thought a moment. “Did Jack not come by?”

          She shook her head.  “It was getting late and I had not seen him yet so I decided to go out and take care of the horses before it was dark.  Something spooked them while I was in the stalls.  I do not know what…I did not see.  Nelly reared on me and knocked me to the ground.  She stepped on me a couple of times before I was able to get up and get out.  Harriet saw me crawl out of the barn and sent for the doctor immediately.”

          Caleb heard the front door close and heard low voices coming from the front of the house.  He remained by Elizabeth’s side and held onto her hand, as she drifted off to sleep.  He, then, slowly got up and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

          He walked slowly down the dark hallway and into the sitting room.  Across the room Jack Reynolds rose from a chair and started toward him.  Caleb was suddenly filed with rage and he stomped toward Jack. 

          “This is all your fault!” He yelled angrily. He clinched his fists at his side and before Jack had time to respond he struck him hard on the jaw.

          Jack stumbled back holding his face.  “Caleb, I’m sorry I…”

          “Why weren’t you here to tend the horses?  She would never have been hurt if you had been here when you were supposed to!” 

          “Caleb! I’m sorry…I…”

          “Son-a-b***h!” Caleb punched him in the face again, this time knocking him to the floor.  He stood over him, “You son-a-b***h, I had aught ‘a kill you.”  Caleb spun around and headed back across the room and down the hall.  A minute later he returned with a rifle in hand. 

          Seeing the weapon, Jack sprung to his feet and rushed to the door.  “Caleb…no!  I’m sorry!  I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt!” 

Caleb rose the weapon and aimed. 

“Please don’t shoot!” Jack pled, as he struggled with his shaky hands to turn the doorknob.  “I was on my way!  I was running a bit late.”  He turned the knob and yanked the door open.  Caleb pulled back on the hammer. 

“Business in town ran over a bit is all.  Honest.  I didn’t think she would go out and tend them herself.” 

Caleb pulled the trigger with a shaky hand and the bullet struck the doorframe a couple of inches from Jack’s head.  Jack flew out the door, leapt off the porch and mounted his horse in one swift movement.  Caleb moved quickly to the door and aimed again.

          “Son-a-b***h!” He screamed angrily. “I’ll kill you!”

          “Caleb!” Harriet screamed rushing back across the yard from her house next door.  Her husband came running right behind her.  “Put the gun down!”

          Jack rode off quickly.  Caleb took one last shot and then lowered the gun.  He dropped to his knees on the porch and put the rifle down in front of him.  Mr. Jacobson scooped up the weapon and set it out of reach.  Caleb put his head in his hands and began to sob. 

After a few moments, Harriet helped him up and into the house.  Caleb sat in a chair in the sitting room, where he remained in the low lantern light for the rest of the night.

          “Where is Hannah?” he asked Harriet softly when he was able to get control of himself again. 

          “Fannie Brown is going to watch her tonight.”

          Harriet and Mr. Jacobson took turns sitting with Caleb all night.  In the morning, as the sun began to shine through the sitting room windows Caleb rose slowly from his chair and headed down the hall to the room where Elizabeth slept.  When he opened the door, Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed, holding a tiny bundle, wrapped in a small white blanket.  She looked up, the tears on her cheek glistening in the morning light.  Caleb moved slowly to her side.

          “He’s gone.” She whispered.  “He went in the night.”

          Caleb sat down beside her and looked down at the tiny grey face.  He put his arms around Elizabeth and held her.