Chapter 9
It had taken four days, but they had returned with the stagecoach, all their trunks, and the remains of the bodies of the salesman, the guard, and the driver.
The undertaker took the bodies immediately for burial.
The stagecoach was taken for repairs and was made ready for its regular route with another guard and driver in a few days.
They were already days behind on their schedule.
All the trunks were delivered to Angie and to Lydia, and even Travis had a small satchel that held the remainder of his clothes and belongings.
Angie was thrilled to get her trunks. They had just finished her little home, and she was ready to go shopping for food, winter clothing for Will, Bobby, and herself, and a few other things she wanted at the resale shop for the house to set herself up.
She was already keeping the books for Henry, the bank, the blacksmith, and Mavis from the resale shop also asked her to take over the care of her books.
She had more work than she could handle to get all their accounts up to date.
She was spending long hours getting all their books up to where they could see at a glance how much they had in each of their accounts at the bank.
First thing she did was empty her trunks and put it all on the shelves or hanging on the walls of the little house.
She then took out sheets and sewed up mattresses for the beds for herself, Will, and Bobby.
They took them behind Henry’s livery and filled them so full they could hardly carry them.
She sewed them up in the field so they wouldn’t lose any stuffing.
Henry came to help them carry them to their new home.
He also got one of his wagons to go shopping at the mercantile and resale store for his sister.
Angie met Sam and Tate Buchanan for the first time and all five of their children. She and Sam became friends instantly. Will and Bobby were invited to go and play with her children in their play yard, and they jumped at the chance to play with other children.
“Thank you so much. The boys have been so good traveling here from St. Louis. Even when the stagecoach broke down and they had to travel on horses, they never complained. I think they thought Travis was their hero always knowing what to do and how to get us to town safely. You should have seen their faces when he spanked Lydia Hatcher when she kept talking back to him and not doing as he told her to do. They sure didn’t cross any lines after that!
” Angie told her and Sam started laughing with her.
It’s also when Travis came out. He was drawn by the laughter.
“I thought I recognized the voices I heard a familiar voice out here. Angie, how are you doing since you returned to civilization?” Travis asked her and sat on the porch to talk to her for a while.
“We’re doing very well, thank you. Henry had them modernizing and remodeling a small house for us before we arrived.
It was just finished…we even have a pump!
I love the house already. We just made our mattresses, we’re getting supplies so I can start cooking our meals there, and I want to go to the resale store and buy some heavy winter clothes for all of us, and some more blankets so that we stay warm all winter long.
I also want to do some Christmas shopping.
I hear that once it starts snowing, I won’t be going out to do any more shopping, and it would break my heart not to have any presents for the boys on Christmas morning.
” Angie told him and remembered all over again how handsome he was.
“I’ve become the accountant for the livery, blacksmith, bank, and the resale shop, so I’ve kept very busy getting all their books in order.
Cal had his men make us a play yard very similar to this in our yard that the boys can play in while I work.
While the weather is so nice, you’ll have to let your older kids come and play with mine, Sam.
My boys would love it.” Angie told her getting up to get the supplies she needed inside the store.
“It was nice seeing you again Travis. I think your leg is getting better, I don’t notice any limp at all. ”
“Yeah, well, Sam makes me walk several miles a day all over town to get the muscles built back up in it. I might walk over to see your new house and visit you, now that you’re in your house again.
Would that be all right?” He asked her with a twinkle in his eyes.
He really liked the little widow who never let things get her down.
“I’d like that, you never know, I might even have a piece of pie or cobbler waiting for you when you arrive.” Angie told him and laughed when he did at her answer. She went in; she had a long list to buy at the mercantile. Her shelves and cellar were empty.
She gave Tate her list of the regular list of hundred-pound bags of flour, sugar, rice, beans, corn flour, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, and carrots.
Plus, she needed cases of corn, green beans, beets, sauerkraut, cherries, applesauce, and peaches.
She also ordered a bushel basket of apples, two pumpkins, and the regular boxes of yeast, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, bleach, vinegar, salt, pepper, some seasonings, a whole box of lye soap, kerosene, candles, matches, clothes pins, a side of beef, an entire hog, two dozen chickens, and five turkeys all cut up and ready to put in the smoke house.
Plus, she needed two hams and side of bacon today, the meat could be delivered later today or even tomorrow.
She also picked up an oilcloth for the kitchen table, a sewing basket, needles, thread, scissors, and some suckers for her boys as a treat for when they finished shopping.
She had Tate add up her bill and then paid for it.
It came to quite a sum when he was finished.
Henry helped Mike and Tate load it all into the wagon.
He also arranged for several loads of cord wood to be delivered to Angie’s house in the next day or so.
He told her the meat would be delivered later today.
“Thank you. Will, Bobby, it’s time to leave.
Invite Chris and Cam over to our house to play in a few days…
as soon as we put everything away that we’re buying today.
We’d love to have them play in our yard.
Sam and the other children are welcome to come and visit us, too.
” Angie told them and they left to unload and then go to the resale store.
Cal showed up to help unload the wagon at Angie’s home.
She was surprised and glad to see him. The two men carried in the heavy bags to the cellar and also the cases of vegetables and put them on the shelves.
Angie and the boys were busy putting the tablecloth on the kitchen table, the sewing basket where it belonged with all her sewing utensils, and then Angie started putting all the other cooking things away on her shelves.
Henry had brought over some milk and eggs when he arrived this morning.
While the men were carrying all the heavy bags down into the cellar, Angie took the opportunity to start up a batch of bread.
They’d need it to eat later today. She hung one of the hams from her pantry shelf to cut off some slices for ham sandwiches when they returned from the store.
She set the bread pans with the dough on the stove to rise.
“Cal, I really appreciate you coming to Henry and our rescue to carry all those bags and boxes down into the cellar today. After loading the wagon, I didn’t want him to have to unload the wagon, too.
It won’t be so bad at the resale store…at least I hope it won’t.
I think I owe you a home-cooked meal for all your help. ” Angie told him as he made to leave.
“I will never pass up a home-cooked meal. We bachelors have to grab every meal made by a pretty single woman in town. You tell me when and I’ll be here.
I appreciate the invite.” Cal told her and left to go back to work.
He liked the invitation it would give him an opportunity to see the nice widow some more.
The trip to the resale store was an eye opener.
Everything was so much cheaper than she ever thought it would be.
She was able to find much warmer clothes for the boys and for her pennies on the dollar.
She was thrilled after spending so much at the mercantile to be able to save a lot here.
They all got heavy winter coats, hats, scarves, gloves, and boots.
Angie picked out some toys for the boys to play with now that they were thrilled with.
Curtains for the windows, extra blankets for the beds, and quilts, too, and extra towels.
Then had them entertained while she picked out some soldiers, a barn with whittled animals, two sleds, and a checkers set.
Mavis helped her smuggle it into the wagon and cover it up with a canvas for Christmas.
She also found a shawl for Lynn, a heavy wool shirt for Henry, and some rattles for baby Hank for Christmas.
She was just getting ready to settle up when she saw a vase that was so pretty that she put that on the counter, too.
“You know that Lydia painted that vase. She’s a very gifted painter and is in the back room painting even now.
She’s painting all my pottery and some wooden items, too.
I had her scrubbing floors, washing her own clothes, and teaching her how to cook.
It was an eye opener for her. We even cut off some of her hair to get all the tangles out.
She was pretty discouraged, and then I asked her to try and paint some pottery for me.
I was as amazed at the outcome as she was.
She said she painted some at home just as a hobby…
I’m thinking about setting her up in her own store.
I can’t keep what she paints on the shelves.
” Mavis told her as she added up her purchases.
“I’m glad that she found something that she’s so good at.
Tell her that I said hello and that I love the vase that she painted.
I plan on putting it in the center of my kitchen table and filling it with flowers or cedar or pine twigs.
It’ll make my whole house smell good. I love your store, Mavis, and almost have all your books up to date.
Give me two more days and they should be done.
It’ll be much easier to keep them that way.
I don’t see how you did as much as you did working all day in the store, taking care of your girls at night…
when did you sleep?” Angie asked her. And they both laughed.
“It does keep me busy. I’m glad to pass it off to you.
Book work was one thing I wasn’t too fond of.
I did it, but I sure didn’t like it. You have some nice boys, Angie.
I’m glad you came to Angel Falls. I’m also glad you didn’t wait any longer to get all the supplies you needed for winter.
That sky looks like it could dump a ton of snow on us at any time.
You have a good winter and let us know if we can help you in any way!
” Mavis told her and waved them on their way.
The boys didn’t mind helping her carry in all their purchases from the resale store.
She had them hanging up their new clothes while she carried in their Christmas presents and hid them in her bedroom and covered them with the same canvas Mavis had lent her.
When the wagon was emptied, she and the boys took it back to Henry’s livery.
That’s when he gave them each a kitten to take care of.
They loved it. Angie didn’t mind either.
They would make sure she didn’t get any mice in her house.
She hugged Henry and they left for home.
She had bread to finish and books to work on while the boys played. She was already thinking about what to fix for dinner that night. They made a bed for the kittens behind the stove in a box with a towel for them to make it nice and warm. They snuggled down and went right to sleep.
The boys went to play in their sand box, swing, and tree house. Angie gave them some funnels, tin cups and even a plate or two she had found in the resale store. They could leave them outside and it wouldn’t hurt them at all.
At noon, when the bread was finished, she made them sandwiches and they ate on the porch for the first time. They could feel a cold wind blowing in from the mountains, and Angie made the boys put a warmer coat on before they went back to playing in the yard.
She gave the kittens some milk to drink, and she went back to work on the books she was given.
She was almost caught up with all four of the accounts.
The banks was the most critical. It was also the most complicated.
There were so many different people with accounts in the bank.
Each account had to be figured and then they all had to be figured and hoped that they all came up with the correct amount.
Thankfully, it came out to the correct amount to the penny.
Angie smiled. All her figuring had been worthwhile.