Part 24 (1/2)

Emma felt a leaping excitement which immediately conflicted with a strong sense of duty. She wanted desperately to go even while she thought of numberless reasons why she should not.

”Go ahead,” Joe laughed. ”It's all planned.”

”Well, if you're certain--”

”I'm certain, and I'll take care of the kids. Now hurry up and get started.”

Emma put her arms around Joe's neck in a quick, tight hug. Barbara, astonished at the unusual show of emotion, giggled, and then followed suit.

Emma and Barbara dressed in the wagon, and for the first time Emma regretted desperately the fact that she had not brought one of her prettier dresses. But she did the best she could, and her heart leaped when Joe looked admiringly at her. Emma glanced at her daughter, radiant in a simple brown dress, and pride swelled within her.

”Have a good time,” Joe called as they departed.

Emma was completely in the grip of excitement. Firmly she clutched her purse, in which five dollars reposed. She would not put it beyond city people to s.n.a.t.c.h a woman's purse if they could. Then she began to worry about her appearance. She felt awkward and out of place, and when a young man stared hard at her she blushed, for she decided that she was betraying her rustic upbringing. Then she knew that the young man was merely exercising the right of all young men when lovely girls are present, and that he was staring at Barbara.

They stopped before a store in whose windows a variety of groceries were arranged, and after a moment they entered. Emma began to feel more at ease. The man who came forward reminded her of Les Tenney.

”Is there something I may do for you?” he asked.

Emma murmured, ”We thought we might just walk about and--and not decide for a while.” She looked him firmly in the eye and he bowed, and moved away. Rea.s.sured by the success of her first encounter, she held her head high.

They pa.s.sed a gla.s.s counter that was divided into compartments, and each compartment was filled to the top with candy. Then they went down the other aisle and out on the street again. Emma gave herself wholly to the spirit of the thing. There were stores in which nothing except drugs were sold, others that dispensed only clothing and shoes. They examined a hardware store and when Emma looked at the gleaming new tools she thought wistfully of Joe, and how he would love them. She envisioned Barbara in a dazzling gown that sold for the staggering price of thirteen dollars. Carefully they examined the latest in kitchen ware and utensils.

Then their day was done. They had spent an afternoon in Paradise and their souls had been lifted. Their eyes had been filled with visions of beautiful, incredible things. They had had a glimpse of another way of life, and it was exciting, but it was not their own. Emma knew that they would have to stock up on provisions before they left Independence. But as they trudged wearily wagonward, they went again into the first store they had entered and Emma made her only purchase of that day.

”Give me,” she said, pointing at a mound of h.o.r.ehound candies, ”five cents' worth of those.”

Finally Joe's work was done. With the six mules in harness and Jake Favors riding beside him, he took a heavy wagon through Independence.

Joe turned the wagon where Jake wanted it turned, halted the mules when that was desired, backed them, made them trot and canter. Back at the corral, without a word of protest, Jake Favors paid him in gold and looked him squarely in the eye.

”Want to stay and work for me?”

”Can't. I have to get to Oregon.”

”It's late in the season, and almost 700 miles to Laramie. You'll have to have smooth going all the way to get there ahead of the fall storms.

If the storms don't get you, the Indians might. There won't be anybody else heading out this late in the year. You're all alone, a lost wagon.”

”We'll get there and we're not lost.”

”I'll make it thirty dollars a mule and promise you work all winter.”

”Have to get to Oregon.”

”You emigrants for Oregon,” lamented Jake Favors, who had grown wealthy selling them horses and mules, ”don't have a lick of common sense among the lot of you!”

The Towers broke up camp, and returned to Jake the boards and chairs they had borrowed. Barbara scoured the camp site for toys and sc.r.a.ps of clothing the young ones might have dropped in the gra.s.s.

Emma stood quietly for a moment looking at the charred stones of the fireplace where she had prepared so many meals in the past three weeks.