Chapter 24 - Another Tragedy

Elizabeth and Caleb are shocked by the sudden illness of their daughter.

Caleb rode his horse up the bank of the river toward O’Connor’s dock.  The sun had just begun to peek over the horizon, and the white snow shimmered in the faint light.  A chilly wind blew around the river’s bend.  Nearby on the river a horn blew and a long barge slowly came into view, with a number of men scrambling back and forth across its deck. 

A flat bed wagon pulled down the road ahead of Caleb and stopped in front of the warehouse.  Several men began loading crates into its bed. 

Over the last few weeks, Elizabeth’s condition had improved greatly.  She was to remain on bed rest but was given the freedom to move about the house.  The baby, who they had named Mark, grew and the doctor’s prognosis for his future was also very promising.  Upon seeing their conditions improve, Caleb returned to work at the dock.

Caleb rode up slowly.  He tied his horse and climbed the steps onto the front porch of the warehouse.

“Caleb!” Frank emerged from inside the building carrying a wooden crate.  He passed it to one of the men in the wagon and made his way to where Caleb stood.  “Good ta have ya back!  How is Elizabeth comin’ along?”

“She’s movin’ about.  Doc says she should be able ta return ta the cabin in the next week or so,” Caleb told him with a smile.  “Mark is growin’ nice, too.”

“Campbell?”  Mr. O’Connor stepped out of the warehouse, his cane tapping on the wood as he went.  “Ya comin’ back ta work, are ya?  Well, I’m glad ta have ya back.  Go on home ‘arly if ya need.  Yer fam’ly needs ya ‘round times like these.  Ya jus’ head home ‘arly.  Help yer lass get well.”

After O’Connor had returned to the warehouse, Caleb and Frank walked together down the dock where a small ship had just docked. 

“Where’s that ol’ brother of yers?” Caleb asked.

“Went on up the river with a shipment yesterday.  He’ll be back here in a couple o’ days.”  Frank chuckled as if recalling some private joke.  “Had ta get away fer a while.  Jus’ needs a strong drink, a good woman, an’ ta stir up a little trouble.”

“Hello there boys!”  Caleb and Frank turned to see a thin man walk up from behind them.  His blue eyes sparkled deviously.  He had long, dirty blond hair that hung loose against his collar and he was dressed neatly from head to toe. 

“Butler.”  Caleb said angrily, recognizing the man immediately. 

“Why…ain’t ya happy ta see me?”  He asked with a crooked smile.  “My father thought it’d be a good idea ta send me this way.  Ya know, ta watch out after Elizabeth.”  He chuckled.  “Ya don’t mind if I keep an eye on my cousin do ya.  Wouldn’t want ta see somethin’ happen ta her.  ‘Specially after all our family’s been through.”

Caleb stepped up to the man, the brim of his hat almost brushing the man’s forehead.  “Listen,” he told him.  “You just keep away from Elizabeth and my family.  Ya got no business with them.”

The man pulled his gun and stuck the barrel into Caleb’s stomach.  “Ya want ta dance with me boy.  I’ll take ya fer a spin you’ll never forget.”

Frank grabbed the back of Caleb’s shirt and pulled him back.  “We don’t want no trouble here,” he told the man.  “Ya just keep out o’ our way and we’ll keep outta yers.  Come on Caleb, we got work ta do.”

Butler began to laugh as he holstered his gun.  “I’m afraid I can’t do that.  I’m workin’ with you boys now.  That’s right…that ol’ man hired me on.  Yer goin’ ta be seein’ a lot more o’ me.”

 

          “You know that ol’ boy?”  Frank asked on the ride back toward town that evening. 

          “That’s Daniel Butler, Thomas Butler’s youngest.  Well…youngest survivin’ anyway.  He came with his pa and Elizabeth’s brother after the fire.  They came and took her mother back ta Boston.  Made a stop by the Garland’s place ta see Elizabeth.  He’s as hot headed as the rest of ‘em.”

“Well ya just remember O’Connor’s rules ‘bout fightin’.  Ya bound ta have real problems if ya let his haslin’ get ya all riled up.” 

“O’Connor catches him carryin’ a weapon on the dock he’s the one gonna have problems,” Caleb told him with a smile.  “Ya might want ta catch that brother of yers when he comes back and warn him ‘bout Butler.  We may all have problems if he runs into him on the dock without bein’ told first.”

Frank chuckled.  “Jess sees that son-a-b***h out there we’ll be ridin’ on b’fore sunset.  That is if I can talk Jess down b’fore things get hot.  Otherwise our next talk with you might be through iron bars.”  He paused a moment and thought.  “I’ll catch Jess when he comes off the ship.  Take him aside and give him a good talkin’ to.  That Butler ain’t gonna cause no problems fer none of us.  Jus’ don’t get up in his face no more.”

 

Elizabeth’s recovery was quick and soon life returned to normal for the family.  They returned to their cabin and Elizabeth was able to return to her work at the Garland’s. 

Daniel Butler watched Caleb closely.  In turn Caleb, Frank and Jess kept a close eye on him.  He never made any attempt to drop by the Campbell residence, but they all kept on their guard up just in case.

Everything seemed to be going well once again.  Then, just one short month after Elizabeth’s full recovery, the light in their lives faded once again. 

 

Caleb stepped in the front door of the cabin.  Elizabeth stood over the stove, across the room, preparing dinner.  He stepped up behind her, put his arms around her waist,  and kissed her lightly on the neck.

“Caleb,” she said softly, turning around to face him.  Her eyes were filled with worry. 

“What is it?” He asked.  “What’s wrong?”

“Gracie isn’t well.”

Caleb’s heart sank immediately and he was struck with panic over the thought of more tragedy striking his family.

He let go of Elizabeth and rushed to his daughters’ room with   Elizabeth following quickly behind him.

“She isn’t there.”

Caleb spun around.  “What?  Where is she?”

“She’s up at the Garland’s.  I wanted to stay with her but Mrs. Garland insisted I come home and take care of the other children.  She thought it best if I wait for you to come home.”

“What happened?”

“This morning after you left, I went to get her dressed and ready to go with me.  She was burning up.  When I got there, Mrs. Garland sent for the doctor.  He says it is just an illness that children get and will pass shortly.  It may be silly, but I am still worried.”

Caleb put his arms around her and kissed her on the forehead relief coming over him at the doctor’s prognosis.  “If the doctor says she will be fine then I’m sure she will,” he reassured her.

She leaned her head against his chest.  “I pray she will be.”

“She will.  She is in good hands.  Mrs. Garland nursed you back to health after all.”

She forced a smile.  “I suppose so.”

 

         Confident his daughter was being well cared for, Caleb continued to work during the day.  Elizabeth, however, remained greatly worried about their daughter’s health, despite the doctor’s promising diagnosis.  She was convinced that the child’s condition was not improving as it should be and decided to stay at the Garland’s home each night to be near her.  Caleb would stop by the estate each evening after leaving the dock, to visit with his wife and children.  Mrs. Garland would have a meal prepared for him and after he ate he would return to his cabin for the night.       

Caleb had just laid down in bed.  The cabin stood quiet and dark.  The wind whistled softly through the trees and past the corner of the small building soothing him slowly to sleep.

          “Bang, Bang, Bang!” 

          Caleb was jolted awake.

          “Bang, Bang, Bang!”

          A shutter caught by the wind. He thought.

          “Bang, Bang, Bang!”

          He laid in bed a moment, reluctant to go out into the cold and investigate.

          “Bang, Bang, Bang!”

          “Alright…I’m up,” He said sleepily and a bit annoyed.  He climbed out of bed and began to dress, the drowsiness weighing down on his body, made it hard for him to move.

          “Bang, Bang…”

          “Alright!” he shouted, not at all expecting a response of any kind.

          “Caleb?” he heard from the front of the house.  He was startled a moment and stood still wondering to himself if he had really heard his name called.  “Caleb?  Are you here?” asked a man’s voice.

          “Yes!” he shouted back.  “I’m coming!”

          He made his way quickly to the door and when he opened it he found Mr. Garland standing on the front porch.

          “You need to come up to the house right away,” he informed him.

          “Is everything alright?”

          “I’m afraid not.”

          He moved quickly and when he stepped in the front door of the Garland’s home there was a congregation of people standing around the living room.

          “They are upstairs,” Mrs. Garland told him.

          Caleb slowly ascended the stairs.  A lump formed in his throat and he became increasingly light headed.  The doctor met him at the door of the bedroom.  He looked down at the floor.

          “Is she alright?”  Caleb asked, with urgency in his voice.

          “It was worse than it seemed,” the doctor told him regretfully.  “I’m sorry.”

          “Is she alright?”  He asked again, beginning to panic.

          The doctor stepped aside and Caleb entered the bedroom.  Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed.  In the dim candlelight he could see a stream of tears flowing down her cheeks.  She looked up as he came into the room.

          “Only a year,” she sobbed.  “Too young.  Why Caleb?”

          He came to the bedside and looked down at his daughter.  She laid still.  Her tiny round face was white.  In that instant his heart broke in two.  His knees buckled and he fell hard on the floor.

          “No!” he cried.  “NO!”  He laid his head in Elizabeth’s lap. 

 

          The next two days were a blur to Caleb.  All he could remember were the droves of faceless people.  He sat in front of the fire as one person after another came with their condolences.  Most of the people he could not remember having ever met; yet they all seemed to know him. 

          Finally on the third day, he rode in the buggy behind a flat bed wagon.  He could not take his eyes off the small wooden box it carried.  In his arms he held his grieving wife. 

The narrow wagon path seemed to go on for a hundred miles.   They finally stopped at a small cemetery on a hill over looking the city.  Mr. Garland and another man, whom Caleb did not know, gently lifted the casket out of the bed of the wagon and set it on the ground next to a small rectangular hole. 

          Caleb sat in the seat of the buggy unable to move.  The small procession of people who had come for the burial began to gather near the grave.

          “Caleb,” Elizabeth whispered in a weak shaky voice.  “We have to go.  We can’t keep them.”

          He climbed loosely out of the seat and helped his wife down. 

          A minister stepped to the grave.  He looked solemnly down into the bible he held in his hands, and began to read from the scripture.  “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”

          Caleb stared down at the tiny box, not taking his eyes off it the entire service.  After the minister said the final prayer, the casket was lowered slowly into the hole.  A light drizzle began to fall, as the sky too seemed to mourn the loss. 

          As the small pine box began to disappear, Elizabeth stepped to the edge of the hole.

          “No!” she cried.  She dropped to her knees and stretched her arms forward as though trying to grab her daughter.

          All the strength was gone from Caleb and all he could do was stand and watch.

          “NO!” she screamed.  “Please!”  She looked up into the sky, the rain hitting her in the face.  “Please!” she cried.  “Don’t take her from me.  I will do anything.  Don’t take her.”

          Caleb felt warm tears stream down his face as he watched Elizabeth.  He felt completely helpless knowing he could not save his wife from the grief she felt.

          Mrs. Garland knelt at her side and spoke gently into her ear.  She took her by the arm and lifted her off the ground. 

They stayed until the casket was covered and then returned home as the sky grew dark.  Neither Caleb nor Elizabeth spoke a word the rest of the night.