“I’m glad somebody does,” Lilac muttered into her chest.
Lark patted her younger sister’s knee. “It’s going to be hard, but it’ll come out good. You’ll see. Think of this as an adventure. You know, you could write lots of stories from this trip.”
“I thought of that. Did I tell you I brought Pa’s last two journals along?”
Lark rolled her lips together to keep from laughing. Leave it to Lilac. “Good for you. Found a hiding place for them, did you?”
“In the trunk with all our clothes and some of the bedding. I brought two of Ma’s paintings too.”
“And paints and brushes? Canvases?”
“They don’t take up much room. Not like the piano.” Lilac patted the mare’s neck. “I know how heartbroken Forsythia was to leave the piano, and I cried right along with her.”
“But Del has the guitar?”
“She hung it in a sling from the roof hoops. Anders helped her, muttering all the time. And we have the fiddle.”
Lark thought of the harmonica she kept in her satchel. Pa had taught her and Del, while Mrs. Saunders had been Forsythia’s piano teacher for years. They’d been born into their love of music and art of all kinds. And their mother’s garden was known even beyond their town as a place of peace and beauty.
“And we’re leaving it all behind.” As usual, Lilac seemed able to read Lark’s mind.
“Not all of it. We have seeds, the rosebush starts, and diagrams of the garden. Sythia told me about Del’s idea—when we find our new home, we’ll name it Leah’s Garden, in honor of her. Someday when the railroad comes near to wherever we are, we’ll have Anders and Jonah send us more starts and bulbs, irises and lilies.”
“More fruit trees too.”
“And nuts.”
“What are you two talking about up there?” Forsythia called from the wagon seat. “Does someone else want to ride up here and keep watch? I’ll walk and guide the oxen for a while.”
“I will,” Del answered.
When the wagon stopped, Forsythia clambered down. “Can we get a drink?” She stretched, bending over to pull some tension from her back. “I hope we can stop by a creek or river or something tonight.”
“The water keg is full.” Lark headed for the barrel strapped to the side of the wagon and dipped into it so they all could drink.
“Anders mapped out towns and such for us,” Forsythia said. “We might be able to purchase some fresh fruits and vegetables that way.”
Lark hung the water dipper back on the hook by the barrel. She then showed Forsythia the basics of guiding the oxen with a few simple commands of the whip. It was amazing how different driving oxen was from driving horses.
When they stopped for dinner, Del handed around ham sandwiches and cookies they had packed from home. Though the bread was nearly as dry as crackers, they ate it anyway, knowing these were probably their last sandwiches for months.
When they started off again, Lilac mounted Starbright, Del took over driving, and Lark and Forsythia walked beside the oxen. They drove through one small town, with people waving at them and two young boys walking with them for a time.
“How far you going?” asked one.
“California,” Lark answered, just in case that gambler lived up to his threats to come find her to get his money back. In all the throes of getting going, she’d nearly forgotten why they left.
“Pa says that’s a long, long way away.”
“Yep.”
“On the other side of the world,” added the other one.
“’Bout so.”
“Good luck, mister.” The two waved and dropped back.
Lilac rode up beside Lark. “Did you change your mind? I thought we were going to Independence, Missouri, then on to Nebraska.”
“That we are, but if someone tries to find us, I don’t want to leave a trail.”
“Oh, like the gambler.”
“We don’t know if that man will live up to his threats, but we aren’t taking chances. I want to get far away from Linksburg as quickly as possible.”
Late in the afternoon, Lark rode ahead and found a creek for them to camp by, riding off the road a short way to find a good camping place shielded from view.
“There’s a perfect place others have used,” she told her sisters. “It even has a fire ring.”
“Good thing.” Forsythia pushed her sunbonnet back off her head to feel the breeze now that the sun was going down. “I’m beat.”
And to think this was only day one. Lark studied her sisters. We’ll take some hardening up, that’s for sure.
6
What a lovely spot.
Lark and Del unhitched the oxen and, after lowering the wagon tongue to the ground, led them forward to lift the yokes from their necks. The animals shook their heads and then their whole bodies.
“Can we wade in that creek?” Lilac closed her eyes and spun in a circle. “After watering the animals, of course.”
“You all go ahead. I’ll water and hobble the animals.” Lark waved them off. “Just don’t take long. We need to find wood.” Just for tonight, she told herself. This life is new to all of them. She’d had the search for Anders to help prepare her for this. “Come on, Sadie, let’s get a drink.”
Sadie, Sam . . . they needed to think of names for the other two oxen. Soda and Sarge? Lark chuckled. She led the animals to the creek and let them drink their fill. When they raised their heads, water dripping from their jaws, she herded them back up by the wagon and set about hobbling them, then did the same for Starbright. Something about the peace of the falling dusk and the song of the creek made her pause and draw in a deep breath. Inhaling the animal smells along with that of the trees and grass, she tucked the sights and smells away in her heart.
She started a fire with flint and stone from the tin and some dried leaves and kindling
