Chapter 5

“Will they get here soon, Mama?” Laura, who was two months short of her fifth birthday, asked for the one thousandth time. Or so it seemed to her parents. She was a pretty little girl with her daddy’s light brown hair, her mama’s dimpled smile and big hazel eyes. The Gordons had been waiting at theLewistonTrain Station in Norwich, Vermont, which was just across the Connecticut River from Hanover, New Hampshire where they lived, for the past quarter of an hour. The train bringing the Cartwrights, Joneses and Pentreaths was due to arrive in approximately five minutes but to Laura and her older brother Jon, that was an eternity.

“Yes, Sweetie, they’ll be here soon,” Miranda answered patiently. She and William shared a smile and he knew she was actually more impatient than their daughter for her family’s arrival. She and her parents and sisters had corresponded regularly over the past ten years. A.C. was not a very faithful correspondent, but he always enclosed a letter with his birthday and Christmas cards. Since he was now living in the U.S., William wondered if he’d be accompanying the rest of the family.

“Do you think they’ll like our automobile, Daddy?” Jon asked.

“I imagine they will,” William replied. He was very proud of the automobile he’d bought a month earlier: a Cadillac Model G Touring Car that could seat five people. He’d talked it over with Miranda and they both decided that although it was very expensive at $2,000, it was a good investment. Since they had so much snow in the winter, they had decided to order the cape cart top for an additional $120. There were too many visitors to fit into the automobile, so William had arranged for a couple of hackney cabs to transport those who didn’t ride in the automobile over the Ledyard Free Bridge that connected Hanover and Norwich and then to their house on Butternut Lane.

“We sure have a lot of cousins,” Jon said, shaking his head. “I’m glad most of ‘em are boys.”

“Do you think they’ll bring us a kangaroo, Mama?” Laura asked.

“No, Sweetie, Mama has told you they won’t be bringing any kangaroos, koalas, emus or kookaburras.”

“Yeah, but Huw wrote that he might bring a boomerang,” Jon inserted.

“I think I hear the train whistle,” William said.

“Hold me up, Daddy, so I can see the train,” Laura begged, and with a smile, William lifted his little girl and sat her on his shoulder.

“I hear the train whistle,” Jon said excitedly while Laura squealed, “I see it! I see it!”

Laura and Jon stood between their parents and watched as a tall, bald man with a neatly clipped white beard stepped down and offered his arm to a little white-haired woman wearing spectacles. They looked exactly like their photographs so Laura and Jon knew they were Grandpa and Grandma. They were surprised to realize their grandpa was so tall, taller than their daddy.

“Oh Miranda fach,” Bronwen said, holding out her arms, and Miranda ran to hug Bronwen and kiss her cheek.

“It’s so good to see you, Angel,” Adam said, his voice unsteady, and he blinked back his tears as he hugged his second born. Then he looked for his grandchildren and saw them standing with their father. Miranda saw her sisters and a very tall young man descending from the train and hurried over.

“A.C.!” she exclaimed. “Oh, you’re so tall.”

While Miranda was greeting her siblings, nieces and nephews, Adam shook his son-in-law’s hand and then Bronwen asked, “Do I get a hug, William?”

“Of course, Mama,” William said with a warm smile, and he gently hugged his mother-in-law, who looked more delicate than she had ten years earlier. “Here are Jon and Laura,” he said with a beaming smile.

“Hello, Grandma and Grandpa,” Laura said shyly, dropping a curtsey, and Jon said, “Hello, Grandma. Hello, Grandpa.”

“Hello, Jon,” Adam said, holding out his hand to the eight-year-old with Bronwen’s beautiful violet eyes, and the boy shook it solemnly.

“It’s so wonderful to see you both,” Bronwen said, smiling warmly at her grandchildren.

“Laura, can you give your grandma a hug?” William asked gently, but she reached for his hand and clung to it. Bronwen smiled at William to show she wasn’t surprised at Laura’s shyness. Adam put his arm around Bronwen’s shoulders comfortingly. Even though Jon’s formality and Laura’s shyness were to be expected, they still hurt.

By this time the Cartwright siblings had finished hugging and kissing. “It’s wonderful to see you, William,” Beth said with a warm smile as she hugged him and then it was Gwyneth’s turn.

Grinning broadly, A.C. held out his hand to his brother-in-law. “Been a long time, William.”

“Hard to believe the last time I saw you, you weren’t much bigger than Huw,” William said with a smile as he shook A.C.’s hand. “Now, we drove to the station in our automobile, and some of you can ride to our house in it.”

“An automobile,” Adam commented with obvious interest.

“A Cadillac Model G,” William stated proudly.

“May I ride in it, Uncle William?” Dylan asked hopefully.

“May I please, Uncle William?” Jory begged.

“I thought that some of you boys and your uncle and grandpa could ride to our house with me and Jon, and everyone else could ride in hackney cabs,” William replied. Looking at Adam, he added quickly, “Of course, you may prefer to ride in one of the cabs, Dad.”

“Oh no,” Adam replied with a smile. “I’ve read about automobiles and it will be interesting to ride in one. How many people will it hold?”

“Well, it’s really built for five, but since the boys are smaller, I think we could squeeze in six,” William replied. “A.C., do you want to ride in the automobile?”

A.C. saw the longing on his nephews’ faces at the thought of riding in an automobile and said, “I’ll let the boys ride this time.”

“Thanks, Uncle A.C.!” the boys chorused.

“Dad will sit in front with me and Huw, Dylan and Jory can sit in the back with Jon,” William said briskly. He saw the disappointment on Benny’s face and said quickly, “I’m sorry, Benny, but I promise you can ride in the automobile the next time.”

“Right, you and I will both ride the next time,” A.C. said, giving his nephew’s shoulder a squeeze, and Benny managed a wobbly smile.

“I hope I’ll have a chance to go for a ride while we’re visiting,” Elen said. “I’d love to tell my friends that I’ve ridden in an automobile.”

“Too right you’ll have a chance,” Miranda replied with a smile. “Your uncle has taught me to drive, so I’ll take the ladies for a drive whenever they’d like.”

Beth and Gwyneth looked surprised for a moment at the idea of their sister driving an automobile, but Adam and Bronwen merely shared a smile.

“Well, Miranda, you may know how to drive an automobile, but Gwyneth, Mama and I have the right to vote now,” Beth said smugly.

“Oh, let’s not discuss Women’s Suffrage,” William inserted quickly.

“My family knows I belong to The National American Woman Suffrage Association,” Miranda said, a bit testily.

“And you know that I support you, Dearest,” William said, “but we don’t want to discuss it here.” Miranda smiled ruefully as she nodded her agreement. “Let me escort you ladies to your cabs, and then we can all be on our way,” William said then.

“I’ll take care of having our trunk transported to your house and the other two to the Hanover Inn,” Adam said. “Sweetheart, you have the luggage tickets.”

“No, Cariad, you have them,” Bronwen replied.

“No, I’m sure I handed them to you so you could keep them in your handbag,” Adam said, trying to keep the impatience from his voice. “Remember?”

Bronwen began rummaging through her handbag. “I don’t see them- Oh, wait, here they are.” He shook his head slightly at her handbag’s disorder as she handed him the tickets, and then he strode off to the luggage depot.

Miranda turned to her brother, “Oh, A.C., we didn’t reserve a room at the inn for you. You’re welcome to stay with us, but we’ll have to put you in the attic bedroom.”

“She’ll be apples,” A.C. said, adding, “I’ll tell Dad to have my valise sent to your house.” He sprinted off and easily caught up with Adam and then ran back to rejoin the others. William offered his arm to Bronwen and then escorted everyone not riding in the automobile to the waiting cabs. As they walked away, Gwyneth and Beth admonished the boys to wait for Uncle William to return and not wander off.

Jon felt ill at ease, surrounded by cousins who were strangers. Huw seemed to sense his discomfort and after a minute, he smiled at his cousin before saying, “This is very different from Cloncurry where we live.”

“Yes, you’ve got lots more trees,” Dylan said, shoving his spectacles up his nose. “At home, they’re mostly gum and gidgee trees but we have a couple of palm trees in our front yard.” He pointed to the trees lining the nearby street. “What kind of trees are those?”

“Birch,” Jon replied. “We have a big butternut tree in our front yard and an apple and a cherry tree in the back.”

“There’s lots of trees on the Ponderosa, but they’re mostly pine trees,” Jory commented as he looked around.

William returned just in time to overhear Jory’s comment. “We have some pines here,” he said, “although not ponderosa pines. The year you and Jon were born, your Aunt Miranda and I, along with many of the other citizens of Hanover, prevented a company form cutting down the pines that grow along the river and turning them into matches.” He smiled reminiscently as he added, “Your great-grandpa was really proud of us for saving those pines.”

“Look. There’s Grandpa,” Dylan said then, waving to Adam.

“All right then, let’s head to the automobile so we can be on our way,” William said, and they walked off the platform together with Jon sticking close to William.

“What a ripper!” Huw exclaimed as he caught sight of the Cadillac.

“Too right!” Dylan and Jory chorused.

William said proudly, “It has a four-cylinder, twenty horsepower engine.”

“Stone the crows!” Dylan said excitedly.

“Jump in, boys, and we’ll be on our way,” William said, opening the door to the back seat.

The boys scrambled into the Cadillac while Adam got into the passenger seat in the front. As soon as the engine started, Huw once again proclaimed, “What a ripper!”

“I wish we had a car like this,” Jory said, turning around so he could look back and see the wagons and carriages they’d passed. “Look, there’s Mama and Aunt Beth and Aunt Miranda! We passed ‘em!” he said excitedly as he waved his straw sailor hat.

“Le’me see,” Dylan exclaimed, starting to turn around.

“Boys, you need to sit still,” William said firmly, not taking his eyes from the road, but Adam turned around and looked sternly at the boys. They reluctantly faced the front.

“Did you boys enjoy your visit to the Ponderosa?” William asked as they drove along.

“Too right!” Dylan replied. “The Ponderosa is a bonzer station.”

“In Australia, we call ranches stations,” Adam explained to William and Jon.

“We each got our own mustang to ride,” Dylan said then. “Mine was dapple gray. He was a ripper!”

‘I had a chestnut,” Jory said quickly so he could get a word in. “At home, I have to share my pony, Blackie, with Benny, but not at the Ponderosa.”

“I have a pony,” Jon said shyly. “Her name is Cocoa.” He said with a sigh, “Daddy and Mama said when Laura has her birthday in October, I hafta share Cocoa.” William and Adam exchanged smiles at that remark. Then Jon added, “We don’t have a stable at our house so we keep Cocoa and my mama’s mare, Desdemona, at the college stable.”

“You teach at a college, don’t you, Uncle William?” Huw asked.

“That’s right. I’m a professor of Modern History at Dartmouth College,” William replied. Then with a smile he asked, “What did you boys do at the Ponderosa besides ride?”

“We went fishing, except for Dylan and Benny,” Jory replied. “Mama and I caught the biggest fish, didn’t we, Grandpa?”

“You sure did,” Adam agreed with a little grin.

“Daddy and I fish at the river, and he takes us for boat rides,” Jon said.

“I bought a skiff,” William explained to Adam. “So Sunday afternoons in the summer I take Miranda and the children for rides.” He grinned as he added, “It’s good exercise for me.”

“Daddy’s showin’ me how to row,” Jon said proudly. “When I go to Dartmouth, I’m gonna row crew.”

Dylan wasn’t that interested in rowing boats; he had something else on his mind. “We made ice cream at the Ponderosa, and Grandpa said we could go to an ice cream parlor here,” he said eagerly.

“Sure, we can do that,” William said with a grin. “In fact, we could go this afternoon.”

The boys cheered and Adam said to William and Jon, “That was the first time the boys had ice cream.”

“You never had ice cream before?” Jon asked in amazement.

“You see, Jon, it never gets cold enough in Cloncurry for water to freeze into ice. Not even in the winter,” Adam explained.

William added, “Your mama told me that she had never seen snow until she left Cloncurry and came to live in Boston.”

Seeing the skepticism on his cousin’s face, Huw said earnestly, “We’ve seen pictures of snow, but that’s all.”

“Living here in Hanover, we’ve seen plenty of snow, haven’t we, Jon?” William remarked. As Jon nodded, William added with a chuckle, “The winter Jon was Little Adam’s age, we got so much snow it was piled up higher than Jon.”

“Stone the crows!” Dylan exclaimed. “I wish I could’ve seen that.” Then he asked hopefully, “Will it snow while we’re here, Uncle William?”

“I’m afraid not,” William replied gently while Jon laughed and said, “It doesn’t snow in the summer.”

“August is winter,” Dylan said belligerently.

“No, August is summer here. Remember,” Huw said quickly.

“I forgot,” Dylan muttered, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment.

“It’s an easy thing to forget when August is in the winter where you live,” William said kindly. His tone was more severe as he added, “Jon, you owe Dylan an apology.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t’ve laughed. I forgot that it’s winter where you live,” Jon said contritely, and the two boys smiled.

Adam turned around to look at his grandsons. “Today feels about the same as winter in Cloncurry, doesn’t it, boys?”

“Too right!” Jory said and his cousins nodded.

“This is really what winter feels like?” William asked Adam, who nodded. “Poor Miranda! No wonder she’s never gotten used to winter here.”

“Uh, Uncle William, are we still going to a baseball game?” Huw asked then.

“Sure thing,” William replied. “On Saturday, we’re going to see the Boston Red Sox play the Chicago White Sox at the Huntingdon Avenue Grounds.” The boys gave another cheer.

Bronwen and her daughters along with Laura, Morwenna and Gruffydd took one cab while A.C., Elen, Benny, Siân and Little Adam rode in the other.

“I just can’t get over how slender you both are after having all these children,” Miranda said, unable to keep a touch of envy from her voice. She was definitely plumper than she had been at the time of her marriage, but William always assured her that she had grown plumper in just the right places. Now, seeing her svelte sisters, she felt stout.

“We just follow Mama’s advice about going for a walk every day,” Beth said with a little smile.

“And it doesn’t hurt that neither of us is especially fond of sweets,” Gwyneth said. “Although I’m looking forward to visiting some ice cream parlors as much as the children are,” she added with a dimpled grin.

“Are we gonna eat ice cream, Mama?” Laura asked excitedly.

“Yes, I think we are,” Miranda replied with a smile.

“I’d forgotten how green everything is here,” Bronwen commented as she looked out the cab window. “Your grass is so lush and verdant.” She gave a little snort of disgust. “Not like our Mitchell grass.”

“But in Cloncurry everything isn’t covered by several feet of snow every winter and the temperature doesn’t hover between zero to fifteen degrees,” Miranda retorted. “You’d think after ten years I would have grown accustomed, but I haven’t,” she added wryly.

Laura tugged on Miranda’s arm then, saying, “When are we gonna have ice cream, Mama.”

“Not until after lunch, Sweetie,” Miranda said.

“Oh, Miranda, Wednesday is Little Adam’s birthday,” Gwyneth began.

“Yes, I remembered,” Miranda said. “I’ve already placed an order with the bakery and the cake will be delivered that afternoon.” Correctly interpreting her sister’s expression, she explained, “Mrs. Matthews doesn’t like anyone else in her kitchen. She tolerates me making fairy bread for Jon and Laura’s birthdays but I’m always aware of her disapproval. She bakes delicious cherry and apple pies using the fruit we pick from our trees, but she doesn’t really like baking. I buy our bread and rolls from the grocer, and I always order our birthday cakes from the bakery. The baker decorates the birthday cakes beautifully and I know you’ll like it, and so will Little Adam.”

Gwyneth shrugged her acceptance but said firmly, “I am making his fairy bread.”

“I like fairy bread,” Laura said, smiling shyly at her aunt, who smiled back at her. “I like kangaroos, too.”

“Roos!” Morwenna said with a big grin.

“So does Morwenna,” Gwyneth said, adjusting her spectacles.

“Does the baby like kangaroos?” Laura asked Beth.

“Yes, he likes to watch them hop,” Beth replied with a smile. Just then Gruffydd began to fuss. “I think he’s hungry,” Beth said.

“We’re almost home now,” Miranda said.

Beth nodded, but then added, “He’s not very patient when it comes to being fed.”

“I don’t think any baby is,” Bronwen said with a wry grin.

William turned onto a quiet cul-de-sac shaded by large old trees, and then pulled up in front of a two-story brick house with dark green shutters and white trim surrounded by a white picket fence. A medium-sized, long-legged black and tan terrier with a rectangular head ran up to the gate and began barking excitedly.

“Here we are,” William said with a grin, and the boys opened the doors and jumped out of the car.

“This is Prince,” Jon said proudly to his cousins as he leaned over the fence to pet his dog, who was standing up on his hinds legs with his front paws on the fence and grinning a doggy grin.

“Good boy, Prince,” Huw said, holding out his hand for the dog to sniff. One by one, the younger boys did the same.

“Sit, Prince,” William said firmly before opening the gate and quivering with excitement, the terrier obeyed.

“When you sent us the photograph of all of you and Prince, my tada said he looks just like the terrier he had when he was a boy,” Huw commented before petting Prince.

“Prince is a Welsh Terrier so I’m not surprised your dad had one. They’ve only been in this country for about twenty years, but they’re a very old breed,” William replied. Seeing his father-in-law’s raised eyebrow, he said somewhat sheepishly, “I always wanted a dog when I was a boy, but my parents thought they were a nuisance. Prince is my dog as much as he is Jon’s.”

Adam smiled at his son-in-law and then asked, “What about Laura?”

“She hasn’t shown much interest in Prince,” William replied regretfully. “She’ll pet him, but she prefers her dolls and her teddy bear.” He grinned ruefully as he added, “Miranda is the one who trained Prince. She keeps reminding us that we have to be firm with him so he knows who’s the boss.”

While the boys were playing fetch with Prince the two cabs arrived, and everyone could hear Gruffydd, who wanted the entire town of Hanover to know how hungry he was. Miranda hurriedly escorted Beth and Gruffydd up to the master bedroom while the rest of the family met Prince.

Siân petted Prince once but he was bigger than their Colwyn and Madoc and scared her just a little. She looked all around curiously. The grass in this yard looked like a thick green carpet and she’d never seen a tree like the one that shaded the yard. It was much taller than a gidgee but not as tall as a gum. It had more branches and more leaves than a gum though. She suddenly noticed that two lower branches had swings, one higher than the other.

“I wanna swing,” she exclaimed, running over to the big butternut tree that dominated the front yard.

“That’s my swing,” Laura said, running over and snatching it out of Siân’s reach. “You use Jon’s.”

William had been watching Laura and quickly walked over to the two little girls. “Laura, Siân is too little to use Jon’s swing,” he said firmly. “Let her use yours.”

“I don’t wanna,” Laura said, sticking her lip out in a pout and holding tightly to the swing’s rope.

“Laura Elizabeth, Daddy is very disappointed in you. Let your cousin swing in your swing,” William said sternly, and very reluctantly Laura let go of the swing.

Adam had followed William and now said to Siân, “Do you want Pa-pa to push you?” and the little girl nodded.

William took Laura’s hand and walked with her up the path made of paving stones, past the lilac bushes, onto the porch. He sat on the swing and then lifted his little girl onto his lap.

“Laura, I am very disappointed in you for not sharing your swing with your cousin,” he said gently as he turned her face up to his.

“It’s my swing,” Laura said sullenly.

“I know that, but why didn’t you want to share it with Siân?” William asked patiently. Laura only shrugged and looked down at her shoes.

“If we had traveled all the way to Cloncurry and Siân wouldn’t let you swing on her swing, would you like that?” William asked in the same mild tone.

“N-no,” Laura stammered.

“Then don’t you think you should go tell Siân that you’re sorry?” and Laura slowly nodded.

Adam was gently pushing Siân and Little Adam together on the swing as Laura and William approached.

“Laura has something to tell Siân,” William said, so Adam stopped the swing.

“I’m sorry I didn’t want you to swing in my swing,” Laura said and Siân smiled at her.

“Pa-pa, I gotta go,” Little Adam announced loudly and Siân added, “Me, too.”

“I’ll show you where the water closet is,” William said with a smile, and the two children grinned because they remembered the water closets at their hotels in Sydney and San Francisco and how much fun it was too pull the chain and flush the toilet.

Adam correctly interpreted their excited grins and, as they walked up the path to the house, he said, “I think I’d better help Little Adam. Bronwen went with the others to see the backyard and she can help Siân.”

“I don’t need help, Pa-pa,” Siân complained but Adam smiled a little and said, “I think Grandma should help you.”

“Laura, would you please bring your grandma to the water closet?” William asked, and Laura ran for the gate to the back yard.

Laura led Bronwen to the water closet just in time to hear the sound of the toilet flushing and Adam’s voice saying firmly, “No, young man. It only needs to be flushed once.”

They opened the door and Siân, who’d been dancing up and down, hurried inside, followed by Bronwen.

William said with a chuckle, “I guess flushing the toilet is something new for the children.”

“Right,” Adam said with a wink. “And they want to keep on pulling the chain so they can watch it.”

Just then A.C., Elen and Gwyneth, who was holding Morwenna’s hand in one of hers and a small satchel in the other, appeared with Jon, who turned around and hurried back to play with his cousins and Prince.

“Where can I change Morwenna’s nappy?” Gwyneth asked her brother-in-law.

“Our bedroom is at the top of the stairs, facing the front yard,” William replied. “That’s where your sisters are.”

“You should see the backyard, Grandpa. It’s beautiful,” Elen said as she waited for her turn.

“Shall we go see the backyard?” Adam asked his namesake and Little Adam nodded. “Lead the way, William. Miranda writes that you have a green thumb.”

“I am proud of our yard,” William said. “Gardening is something I never had a chance to try until we bought this house, but I really enjoy it.”

Bronwen emerged from the water closet with Siân just in time to hear William’s comment. “You have a right to be proud, William,” she said with a smile. “I wish I could have a garden like yours.” At the quizzical look on her son-in-law’s face, she explained, “Water is a precious commodity in Cloncurry. I have to be practical and grow vegetables.” She smiled at the children and said, “Let’s all go see Uncle William’s flowers.”

“Oh, pretty!” Siân exclaimed, her eyes shining as she beheld the flowerbeds of purple pansies, yellow, red and orange marigolds, purple asters and bronze chrysanthemums, which were just beginning to bloom, bordered by snowball bushes. And she noted with delight the English lavender growing along the path to the apple and cherry trees at the end of the yard.

“Don’t climb too high, boys,” William called, seeing the older ones were climbing the trees while Benny played fetch with Prince. “There aren’t any cherries left and the apples aren’t ripe yet.”

Bronwen remembered the time A.C. had fallen from one of their trees and had a concussion and a broken arm. She called, “Boys, get out of the trees! Now!”

A.C. had just come back outside and called, “Let’s play tag, boys. I’ll be It.” He grinned at his mama before running to join his nephews.

“Wanna swing, Pa-pa,” Little Adam commanded, tugging on his grandpa’s trousers.

“Me, too,” Siân said and Laura chimed in with, “I wanna swing.”

“How about I swing you in Jon’s swing and we’ll let your cousins use yours?” William asked his daughter and Laura smiled and nodded.

For a few minutes, Bronwen and Elen watched A.C. chase the boys while Prince ran around barking excitedly and chasing everyone indiscriminately. Then the other women joined them on the porch, and they talked until it was time for lunch.

Mrs. Matthews wasn’t happy about having nine children eating in her kitchen (only Elen was eating in the dining room), but once she saw Jon and Laura’s cousins were polite and well-behaved even if they did sound very foreign, she began to warm to them. She was especially pleased that when they finished, Huw said, “Thank you for the delicious meal, Mrs. Matthews.”

Immediately the other boys and Siân chorused, “Thank you, Mrs. Matthews,” while Little Adam and Morwenna chimed in with, “T’ank you.”

“You’re very welcome, I’m sure,” Mrs. Matthews replied with a smile.

The children all trouped into the dining room where the adults were just finishing.

“Uncle William, may we go to the ice cream parlor now?” Dylan asked hopefully.

“Are you sure you have room for ice cream?” William teased.

“Too right I do,” Dylan replied emphatically.

“Do you all have room for ice cream?” William asked and they all assured him that they did. “Then we’ll all have some ice cream. My treat.”

“Why don’t we walk?” Miranda suggested. “It’s only about a mile to the ice cream parlor.”

“A walk would be nice,” Bronwen said, “especially after being cooped up on the train for several days.”

“Yes, I’d like a chance to stretch my legs,” Adam agreed.

“We brought Jon and Laura’s old baby carriage down from the storeroom in the attic and put it in the mudroom,” Miranda said to her sisters. “We can put Gruffydd and Morwenna in it. Little Adam, too, when he gets tired of walking.”

“What’s a mudroom, Aunt Miranda?” Dylan asked curiously.

“It’s the room you enter when you come in through the backdoor,” Miranda explained. “When it’s raining or snowing, we take off our rubber boots there so we don’t track mud or snow through the house. And we hang up our mackintoshes and heavy coats there so they don’t drip rainwater or snow in the house.”

“Daddy, can we take Prince with us?” Jon asked then. “Please.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” William replied. “He can’t come in the ice cream parlor.”

“I could tie his leash to the baby carriage while we were inside so he couldn’t get lost,” Jon pleaded, and reluctantly William agreed.

It wasn’t long before the little cavalcade began the walk down tree-shaded Butternut Lane toward the town’s business district. They made quite a procession and several people coming out of shops stopped to gawk. It wasn’t long before Little Adam was tired and wanted to ride in the baby carriage. Then the two little girls got tired so William lifted Laura onto his shoulders and A.C. gave Siân a piggyback ride. Seeing them, naturally Little Adam also wanted a piggyback ride, so Adam picked him up and set him on his shoulders.

When they reached the corner of East Wheelock and North College, William stopped and said proudly, “This is Dartmouth College. Here is The Green and if you look to the north, you can see Dartmouth Row. Those are the oldest buildings on the campus.” The children looked and could see four white clapboard buildings with many windows facing the street. “If you look a little further north, you can see Rollins Chapel and Webster Hall,” William continued. Adam remembered the chapel from his previous visit; he’d thought it was a fine example of neo-Romanesque style.

Beth glanced to the east and said, “Isn’t that the hotel? I remember it overlooked The Green.”

“Yes, that’s it,” Miranda replied. “We’ll walk by it on the way to the ice cream parlor. It’s just around the corner on Lebanon Street. I’ll go with you while you sign the register, and we can join the others when you’ve finished.”

The Jones and Pentreath children had never seen a shop like the ice cream parlor with its little round glass-topped tables and long marble counter. Behind the counter were shiny spigots and there were shelves on the wall with tall fluted glasses and glass bowls that were shaped like tulips. And the shop was brightly lit by electric lights. A boy and girl sat at the counter with one of the tall glasses in front of them, each sipping from a straw stuck in the glass. They looked and then blinked when the Cartwrights, Joneses, Pentreaths and Gordons entered the shop. The teenage boy behind the counter turned toward them when the little bell on the door jingled as they opened it. Jon walked up to the counter with a happy grin and said, “Hello, Charley. This is my grandpa and grandma and cousins from Australia.”

“I’m pleased to meet you,” Charley said with a friendly smile. Then he saw Elen and gawked at her, causing her cheeks to grow pink and she stared down at the black and white linoleum floor.

William said quickly, “I’m treating everyone, Charley.” He turned to his in-laws. “What would you like, Mama and Dad?”

“We have ice cream sundaes, ice cream sodas and ice cream cones,” Charley said helpfully. “And we have Coca Cola.”

“What’s Coca Cola?” Bronwen asked.

“It’s a flavored soda water,” William explained. “Miranda and I both enjoy Coca Cola.”

“I think I would like a glass of Coca Cola and a dish of ice cream,” Bronwen said to Charley as she shifted Gruffydd to one hip.

“Vanilla, chocolate or peach?” Charley asked then.

“Oh, peach ice cream sounds delicious,” said Bronwen, feeling daring. “Could you give me three spoons?

Charley smiled down at Morwenna and Little Adam, who were each holding one of Adam’s hands, and said, “Sure thing, ma’am.” Then Charley turned to Adam.

“What flavor ice cream sodas do you have?” Adam asked.

“Vanilla and chocolate,” Charley replied.

“I believe I’ll try a chocolate soda,” Adam said and then turned to Bronwen. “Why don’t you pick a table, Sweetheart.”

“Oh, I’ll bring your order, sir. You don’t need to wait,” Charley assured Adam, who smiled and followed Bronwen to a table with four chairs. Charley swallowed nervously so his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down before asking Elen, “Wh-what would you like, miss?”

“I would like to try a hot fudge sundae,” Elen said shyly.

“Oh, they’re my favorite,” Charley said, smiling bashfully at her.

“I think Elen has made a conquest,” Bronwen said quietly as Adam helped Little Adam and Morwenna onto their chairs. He turned his head and then shrugged resignedly.

“If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that I can’t stop little girls from becoming young women,” he said with a rueful smile.

Jory was tired of waiting to be asked what he wanted and said loudly, “I want a chocolate soda.”

“Uh, sure,” Charley said, forcing himself to take his eyes off Elen. “What do the rest of you kids want?”

“I’d like a hot fudge sundae,” Huw said and Dylan added, “Me, too.”

“What about you, Benny?” William asked.

“I want an ice cream soda,” Benny answered, remembering his mama said she and Aunt Penny had shared one.

“Chocolate or vanilla?” Charley asked. Benny couldn’t remember if his mama had vanilla or chocolate. Since Grandpa had picked chocolate, that’s what he would get. “Chocolate,” he answered.

“And what about you two ladies?” Charley asked Laura and Siân.

‘I want an ice cream cone,” Laura announced but Siân was overcome with shyness and stared at Charley. William smiled at her and said to Charley, “Get them each a vanilla ice cream cone.”

Jon had waited patiently and now said, “I’d like a vanilla ice cream cone.” A.C. grinned and said, “I’ll have a chocolate one.”

Charley then asked, “What about you, Professor Gordon?”

“I’ll just have a glass of Coca Cola,” William replied. Then he said to the little girls, “Let’s go sit at the table by your grandma and grandpa.”

“Let’s sit here,” Dylan said to the other boys as he started to climb up on one of the stools at the counter.

Charley had been hoping for a chance to talk with Elen if she sat at the counter and quickly said, “The tables are nicer.”

A.C. winked at him conspiratorially and said, “Right, let’s sit at the tables, mates.” Then he gently nudged a blushing Elen toward a stool at the counter.

The four older boys immediately moved to a table, leaving Benny feeling left out. Then Uncle A.C. put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Come sit with me, Benny, so I don’t have to sit by myself.” Benny smiled happily and sat with his uncle.

Charley was busy preparing all the orders, talking to Elen all the while, when Beth, Miranda and Gwyneth entered the shop. Beth’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of her shy daughter talking with a boy, and then she smiled.

“Do you like the sundae?” Charley asked Elen anxiously.

“Yes, it’s delicious,” Elen replied. “It’s the first one I ever had.”

“Don’t they have ice cream sundaes in Australia?” Charley asked.

“Not in Cloncurry where I live. It’s a little town in the Outback. I imagine they have them in a city like Brisbane or Sydney,” Elen answered.

“I like small towns,” Charley said. “I went to Boston once but I like Hanover better.” He paused and then asked tentatively, “Would you like to come with me to the Nickelodeon tomorrow afternoon?”

“I’d love to,” Elen replied, feeling a strange combination of excitement and trepidation, “but I’d have to get my mama’s permission.”

“I’ll ask her,” Charley said. “Uh, is she the tall lady with Mrs. Gordon?”

“No, that’s my aunt,” Elen said, hoping against hope that her mama would agree.

Beth listened to the request and then said gently, “It’s kind of you to ask Elen, but her father and I think she’s too young to be spending time with a young man.”

“I have an idea,” Miranda said quickly. “William and I were going to suggest we all go to the Nickelodeon tomorrow. What if Charley came with us?”

Beth hesitated; she wasn’t sure that Dafydd would approve, but if they were all there, she couldn’t see the harm. “If you would like to join us, Charley, that would be just fine.”

It wasn’t quite what the boy had in mind, but he did want to spend more time with Elen. He smiled and asked Miranda, “What time should l meet you?”

“A little before two,” Miranda said.

Charley nodded and went back behind the counter to talk with Elen.

Beth watched and commented in a bemused tone, “Elen is usually so shy with strangers.”

“From what I’ve seen, Charley is usually tongue-tied around girls,” Miranda said.

“Maybe that’s why they’re comfortable together,” Gwyneth suggested, remembering the first time she had met Mark.

Prince had been sitting outside the store with his leash tied to the baby carriage patiently waiting for his humans to emerge from the ice cream parlor, but now he was bored and began to bark.

“Prince wants some ice cream, too,” Jon said, looking at his half-eaten cone. “He can have the rest of mine.” He jumped up and ran outside. They could all look out the shop’s picture window and see him sit on the sidewalk and hold out the ice cream cone to Prince. The dog’s long pink tongue slurped up the ice cream as the others all watched.

“Look, Uncle A.C.! Prince likes the ice cream!” Benny said.

“Too right he does,” A.C. said with a wide grin. “Look, he’s finished. You’d better work on yours or it’ll melt through the bottom of the cone.”

As soon as Prince finished, he began to lick Jon’s face while he tried to wag his stub of a tail. Since most of the others were still eating their ice cream, William stood up saying, “If you’ll excuse me, I think Jon and I will take Prince to The Green for a run.”

Adam had finished his soda and asked Bronwen, “Do you mind if I desert you for a few minutes? I noticed that we passed the Dartmouth Bookstore, and I’d like to do a little browsing.”

She nodded, adding with a smile, “I might join you when we finish.”

As soon as Adam stood up, Little Adam jumped down from his chair. “I go wiv Pa-pa.”

“No, I think you should stay here,” Bronwen said, but the little boy looked at her with his big hazel eyes and said, “Go wiv Pa-pa, pease.”

“I was planning on browsing the picture books,” Adam said with a wink, and held out his hand to his grandson.

Little Adam quickly chose The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin and sat down on the floor to look at it. While he was absorbed in the book, Adam picked up a copy to be a birthday gift for his grandson. He hurried to the front of the shop before Little Adam saw that he had the book, and in his haste, he bumped into a young man with curly brown hair.

“I’m so sorry,” Adam began and the young man said, “It’s all right.” Then Adam stopped and stared.

“Are you all right, sir,” the young man asked solicitously.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Adam replied. “Please forgive me for staring, but you reminded me of someone.” No wonder Miranda knew the moment she saw this young man that he and I must be related. The likeness is remarkable, Adam thought.

“Of course,” Richard Crowley replied. He smiled genially at the older man and continued on his way toward the door.

Adam watched him go. He knew it would be best if he didn’t mention the chance encounter to anyone but, as luck would have it, Bronwen was entering the shop as Richard was leaving. She stared after the young man, and then saw her husband watching her as the clerk counted his change. She said nothing then, but when they left the Dartmouth Bookstore, Little Adam walking between them, she asked quietly, “That was Richard Crowley?”

Adam nodded. “I’m sure it must be. I bumped into him by accident. I- I hope seeing him hasn’t upset you,” he said, and she heard the uneasiness in his tone.

“No, it hasn’t. I knew we might encounter him,” she said in the same calm tone. She added thoughtfully, “He certainly does resemble you. He’s shorter by a couple of inches and his coloring is fairer, but in every other way, he’s your image.”

“Tell me ‘tory, Ga-ma,” Little Adam commanded then, and they both smiled down at the other grandson who resembled Adam.

“You forgot the magic word, mate,” Adam said, ruffling his namesake’s curls.

“Pease, Ga-ma,” the little boy said, smiling up at his grandma.

“As soon as we get back to your Aunt Miranda and Uncle William’s house, I’ll tell you a story,” she promised. “And maybe Siân and Laura will want to hear it, too.”

Bronwen kept her promise and then she and Little Adam played with Jon’s blocks on the porch, and were joined by Morwenna when she woke up from her nap. (Bronwen also kept an eye on Gruffydd as he crawled around the porch.) The rest of the women and Elen played Simon Says, London Bridge and The Farmer in the Dell with the two little girls while Adam, A.C. and William played Hide and Seek and Kick the Can with the boys in the backyard.

After supper, the families gathered in the drawing room and sang until it was time for the Joneses and Pentreaths to go to the Hanover Inn. William drove Gwyneth’s family first, with Benny proudly sitting in the front seat by his uncle. At Benny’s insistence, A.C. rode with them and held Little Adam on his lap. The Jones boys were eagerly awaiting their next chance to ride in the automobile and Elen was delighted when her uncle invited her to sit in the front seat.

After Laura and Jon were in bed that evening, William excused himself, saying he had work to do in the library.

“William is such a thoughtful man,” Bronwen said, smiling fondly as her son-in-law left the drawing room.

“He is,” Miranda agreed. “And it’s really remarkable considering his mother’s temperament.”

A.C. raised an eyebrow at his sister’s comment while Bronwen frowned at her daughter’s disrespectful remark.

“Now, Angel,” Adam cautioned, although from his brief meeting with William’s parents at the time of Miranda and William’s wedding, he certainly understood her attitude.

“Oh, I know I shouldn’t speak of my mother-in-law that way,” Miranda admitted, “but she is my bête noire.” Then she stopped and smiled at her parents and brother. “I don’t want to waste any of your visit talking about Mrs. Gordon. It’s so wonderful seeing the family all together, except for Dafydd and Mark.” She smiled wistfully as she added silently, and Penny.

“Yes, it is wonderful,” Adam agreed with a warm smile.

Miranda turned to A.C. then. “So you’ve decided to be a veterinarian?”

“That’s right,” A.C. said. “I’ll be attending the State College of Washington in Pullman for four years, and once I’m a licensed veterinarian, I’ll be living at the Ponderosa. I’ll be spending my summer vacations there while I’m in college.”

“And Benj is starting a law practice in Carson City?” Miranda asked.

“Right. He’s rented an office and he’s had a few clients,” A.C. replied. “He’s not interested in being a stockman. Uh, I mean cowboy.”

“What I can’t get over is Uncle Hoss’s child turning up after all these years,” Miranda said. “Is he staying on at the Ponderosa?”

“Yes,” Adam answered before A.C. could open his mouth. “I could tell from the short time we spent together that Josh loves the Ponderosa the same way his father did.”

“I’m glad there will still be Cartwrights living on the Ponderosa,” Miranda said slowly. “It was so sad when it seemed Grandpa’s dream had died with Uncle Joe.” She turned to her brother and smiled affectionately. “If you’re going to spend your summer vacations there, then we’ll plan on spending part of it there as well.”

Bronwen reached for Adam’s hand and he smiled tenderly at her, both pleased that Miranda and A.C., who had been separated during A.C.’s childhood and adolescence, now had an opportunity to spend time together.

The four of them talked until they heard the clock chime that it was nine. Miranda said then, “I know you must be tired after traveling all the way from Carson City so let me show you to your rooms.”

Carrying an oil lamp, Miranda led them upstairs and then opened the door to one of the rooms facing the backyard. The lamplight revealed a large room with four sash windows, two overlooking the backyard, and containing a low post bed and wardrobe. “This is your room, Mama and Daddy,” Miranda said.

“It’s lovely,” Bronwen said, looking around while Adam lit the lamp on one of their bedside tables.

“I’m glad you like it,” Miranda said with a pleased smile. “Breakfast is at seven and I’ll see you then. Goodnight.”

As she closed their door, Adam and Bronwen heard Miranda say to A.C., “I’m afraid your room is smaller. I hope you don’t mind.”

As they began to get ready for bed, Bronwen said with feeling, “After those nights sleeping on the train, sleeping in a real bed will be sheer bliss.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Adam said. Then he smiled as he added, “But seeing all our children and grandchildren together is worth a little discomfort.”

“Too right it is!” Bronwen said, and he loved how her happiness lit up her face.

“Have I told you lately that I adore you?” he asked softly before leaning down and capturing her mouth in a kiss.

Adam was awakened from a sound sleep by a loud clap of thunder and the sound of rain beating against the windows. Bronwen always slept more soundly, so he lay quietly beside her until he finally drifted back to sleep. From long habit, he woke at five o’clock. The rain was no longer lashing against the windowpanes, but when he opened the interior shutters, he could tell it was still raining. While he was putting on his robe before heading to the water closet, Bronwen woke up. He waited until she slipped on her robe and then they headed downstairs together, with Adam holding the lamp, trying to be very quiet so they didn’t wake up sleeping family members. They reckoned without Prince’s superior sense of hearing. He came trotting briskly from Jon’s room and when he saw them, he gave a happy woof.

“Quiet, Prince,” Adam said in a low but firm voice. Prince obeyed, then ran over to Bronwen and stood up and put his front feet on her legs, begging for some attention.

She petted him and then said, “Go back to Jon, Prince,” pointing to Jon’s door. Prince simply cocked his head and looked at her. Clearly he was not interested in returning to the dark bedroom.

“Wonderful,” Adam muttered as they started down the stairs, Prince trotting at Bronwen’s side.

When Adam emerged from the water closet, he found his son fondling Prince’s ears as he wait for his turn.

“I got back in the habit of getting up at dawn,” A.C. drawled with a wink as Bronwen started to go through the doorway.

She hesitated, saying, “I think I’ll take a bath and wash my hair before the others are up.”

“I’ll go put your clean clothes in the bathroom,” Adam offered and she smiled, saying, “Thank you, Cariad.”

As Adam headed up the stairs, Prince headed for the front door with A.C. following to let him out. When A.C. stepped onto the porch, he could see the storm had changed to a steady, gentle rain. Prince did his business quickly and then trotted briskly up to the porch, where he gave himself a good shake. A.C. had hurriedly moved away, and when Prince was done shaking, A.C. petted him to judge how wet he was.

“Sorry, boy, but you’re still too wet to come inside. I’ll be back in a few minutes with a towel,” he said to the dog before quickly darting back inside. Prince began to whine and scratch at the door so Adam went outside to keep him company. When A.C. came out with the towel, Adam held out his hand for it and began rubbing Prince dry.

“It was nice to sleep in a bed again,” A.C. remarked, leaning against the side of the house. “But my room was intended for someone Mama’s size. Since it’s an attic room, it has sloping eaves and at its highest, the ceiling isn’t even seven feet. I know because my head almost touches it.”

Adam chuckled as he said, “Sounds like the loft in our old cabin. Once your Uncle Hoss and I were grown, we couldn’t stand up straight.”

“It’s hard to picture you and Uncle Hoss and Uncle Joe all up there sharing a bed,” A.C. said with a grin.

“It was definitely crowded,” Adam agreed with a wink as he neatly folded the towel he’d been using on Prince, “but that winter I was actually glad to be sharing a bed because the loft was cold.” His tone grew more serious as he added, “I doubt you’ll find it any easier to adjust to winter in Washington or Nevada than your sister has to winter in New England.”

A.C. shrugged and then said, “I hope the rain lets up. It won’t be easy keeping nine billy lids entertained cooped up inside until it’s time to go to the Nickelodeon.”

Adam said, “We’ve got the games we played on the ship and train. She’ll be apples.” Then he smiled and said, “I’m looking forward to the Nickelodeon myself.”

“I went to see some moving pictures in Sydney,” A.C. said. “I saw a couple you’d have enjoyed because they were about Sherlock Holmes.”

“That would be interesting,” Adam agreed. “Miranda wrote us that she and William saw William Gillette as Sherlock Holmes, and they thought his performance was brilliant.” He stood up then saying, “If your mama has finished her bath, I’m going to take one.”

Jon was surprised to wake up and not find Prince sleeping beside him. He ran out in the hall but there was no sign of Prince. He realized that he needed to use the water closet so he hurried down the stairs. The rain had cooled the temperature and he was chilly in his bare feet and cotton pajamas. As soon as he finished, he called, “Prince!” and his dog came running from the library, barking a greeting, followed by his grandparents and uncle.

“Jon, you’re going to catch cold,” his grandma scolded.

“I was just looking for Prince,” Jon said.

“Well, hurry upstairs now and get dressed,” Grandma said with a smile, which he returned before running up the stairs with Prince at his side.

When he got to his door, his mama said, “Oh, you’re already up.” Then she saw he was barefoot and said, “It’s too cold to be going barefoot.”

“That’s what Grandma said; she and Grandpa and Uncle A.C. were in the library with Prince,” Jon said before going in his room to dress.

“I should’ve known they’d already be up,” Miranda said to William. “They’re used to getting up at dawn.” She buttoned her cardigan as she said, “It’s so chilly; I hope Beth and Gwyneth packed sweaters for the children as I suggested. I’m going to telephone the hotel to let them know that you should be there with the car in about an hour and a half.”

The four older boys and Elen were the first to arrive, and they saw the others waiting on the front porch. As they dashed up the walk, Aunt Miranda called, “Go around to the backdoor, children, and leave your mackintoshes in the mudroom.”

As they walked into the mudroom, they noticed there were several hooks along the wall so they hung their dripping raingear there.

“I’m glad we packed our pullovers,” Huw said. “It really does feel like winter today.”

All four boys wore knitted pullovers while Elen wore a cardigan with her skirt and high-necked lacey blouse. Mama hadn’t wanted her to wear the blouse since it was her nicest and reserved for church or other special occasions, but she’d finally persuaded Mama that going to the Nickelodeon with Charley was a special occasion.

Jon and A.C. were waiting in the hallway for them. “G’day, mates,” A.C. said. “C’mon into the library. Your Aunt Miranda is going to teach us a new game called Panjandrum, or you can play Old Maid with Grandma, Grandpa and Laura.”

“Old Maid?” Benny said in a puzzled tone.

“It’s just like Old Bachelor except the card you don’t want to get has an old woman instead of an old man,” A.C. explained.

“That’s what I wanna play,” Benny declared as they walked into the library. He saw his grandparents were sitting on the brown leather Chesterfield, and Grandpa was wearing a pullover like his. There was a long, low table in front of them, and Laura was sitting on the floor on the other side of the table so Benny went over and sat beside her.

Miranda had cleared off the large partner’s desk and was seated behind it, shuffling a deck of cards. “I’m afraid only five people can play Panjandrum so, Jon, I’d like you play Old Maid right now,” Miranda said.

“But I wanna play Panjandrum,” Jon protested.

“You can play the next game,” Miranda said firmly. “Right now, I’m going to show your cousins and uncle how to play. Since they’re all beginners, they can play a game together.”

Huw was watching his aunt shuffle the deck and noticed instead of diamonds, hearts, spades and clubs, the cards had numbers printed on them in red, black, green and yellow.

“What kind of cards are these?” he asked curiously.

“They’re Rook cards,” his aunt answered. “Your uncle and I play Rook with our friends but there are several games children can play with the cards, and Panjandrum is our favorite.”

It was about a half an hour later that William returned with the rest of the family. Beth and Gwyneth smiled as they saw the two groups playing games. Prince jumped up to greet William with a happy woof, but Little Adam shrank back behind Gwyneth and Morwenna started to cry.

“Sit, Prince,” William commanded and the terrier obeyed, but he barked, which made Morwenna cry louder and Gruffydd began to wail.

Miranda hurriedly got the box of Jon’s blocks from one corner of the room and walked over to her sisters. “I brought these for the ankle biters to play with, but I think it would be better if they played in the drawing room,” she suggested, and her sisters quickly agreed.

By lunchtime the rain had stopped, but since it was wet outside the children played indoors until it was time to go to the Nickelodeon. The five youngest were taking their afternoon nap and Nancy, the Gordons’ maid, would be looking after them until their mamas returned. Once the rain stopped, it had grown warmer so the boys removed their pullovers, and the men replaced theirs with blazers.

“Since it’s still so wet out, I’m going to drive the women to the Nickelodeon,” Miranda declared.

Naturally they arrived first and, as Bronwen climbed out of the front seat, she said, “Don’t be insulted, Miranda fach, but I’m going to walk home.”

“I enjoyed the ride, but I still prefer our surrey,” Beth said. “It’s quieter.”

While they waited, Miranda explained that the Nickelodeon had been a vaudeville theater and the owner decided to show moving pictures in the afternoons and have vaudeville shows in the evening. “Now, he shows moving pictures all day long,” she said. “It costs a nickel to see several moving pictures-a drama, a comedy, an adventure, and a documentary-and it takes about an hour to see them all. A pianist plays music to accompany the moving pictures, and while they change the reels, the audience has a sing-along. The Nickelodeon changes the program twice a week, and since Jon and his friend Freddy really enjoy the moving pictures, this summer either Lydia or I have taken them here once a week.”

“Huw and Dylan are very excited to see a moving picture,” Beth said with a fond smile. “That’s all they talked about when we got back to the hotel last night.”

“It was the same with Jory and Benny,” Gwyneth said. With a small sigh, she added, “I know Little Adam doesn’t understand what a moving picture is, but I’m afraid he’ll have a tantrum when he finds out he didn’t get to go with his brothers.”

“Hello!” they heard Charley call as he approached them. He had clearly dressed to impress Elen. He was wearing a navy blazer and a straw boater, and his thick brown hair had been slicked down with brilliantine.

Beth smiled a little when she remembered how long Elen had fussed with her pompadour this morning and insisted on wearing her best blouse. She’s growing up so quickly. In a few years, my baby could have a baby of her own, she thought wistfully.

It wasn’t long before the rest of the family arrived at the Nickelodeon. Charley asked Beth, “May I pay for Elen’s ticket, Mrs. Jones?”

Beth smiled at him and replied, “That would be fine, Charley. Just remember that we’re all sitting together.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Charley said with a huge grin. “We’ll go ahead save you all some good seats,” and he held out his arm to Elen. She blushed just a little as she placed her gloved hand lightly on his arm, and they walked over to the box office.

“I have to keep reminding myself that she’s not quite fourteen,” Miranda said quietly.

Just before they entered the building, Adam took A.C. to one side. “You sit on one side of Elen and Charley,” he instructed, “and I’ll sit on the other.”

“Right,” A.C. said. He didn’t think Charley would try to do more than hold Elen’s hand, but having her uncle and grandfather sitting nearby should discourage him from taking any liberties in the dark.

As Adam escorted Bronwen into the Nickelodeon, they saw it looked like a conventional small theater with several rows of seats facing a stage. The difference was that in front of the curtain someone had hung a large bed sheet. Elen rolled her eyes as her grandparents sat down beside her while Charley’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed convulsively when a smiling A.C. took the seat by him. The five boys moved to the front row, where several other children were sitting. They didn’t have long to wait until the room became dark and black-and-white images appeared on the bed sheet Elen was startled when she felt Charley’s hand reach for hers. His was a little damp and she realized he was nervous, too, so she relaxed.

When the lights came on to signal they had seen their nickel’s worth, Miranda asked her family what they thought of the Nickelodeon.

“It was a ripper!” Dylan exclaimed and the other boys enthusiastically agreed.

Adam smiled at his grandsons’ enthusiasm. “It was interesting,” he stated, “but I would prefer to see a play with the actors performing on the stage.”

“So would I,” Bronwen agreed. “And I prefer a more natural acting style.”

“Yes, but the exaggerated style was very effective in the comedy,” Gwyneth commented and Beth agreed. Gwyneth then added, “I think I enjoyed the sing-along as much as the moving pictures.”

“Me, too, Mama,” Benny said, smiling up at her and she gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze.

“Uh, Mrs. Jones,” Charley said nervously, “would you allow me to treat Elen to a sundae or a soda?” He had let go of Elen’s hand as soon as the lights had come on but from the way her tall uncle grinned at him, Charley suspected that he knew they’d been holding hands.

“I’d like some ice cream,” Huw said then and all the boys agreed.

“I’m afraid Gruffydd may be getting hungry,” Beth said and Gwyneth added, “I imagine Nancy has her hands full so I think I should go back to William and Miranda’s house.”

Seeing all the disappointed faces, A.C. quickly said, “I’d like to try one of those sundaes so I could go with the boys.” He didn’t need to add, “and Elen and Charley.”

“That hot fudge sundae did look delicious,” Bronwen said with a little smile. “Perhaps we could share one, Cariad?”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Adam replied with a wink.

“Why don’t I drive you both home?” Miranda suggested to her sisters. “Then everyone else can go to the ice cream parlor.”

As soon as the three sisters opened the Gordons’ front door, they could hear Gruffydd crying. They hurried upstairs and when they walked in Jon’s room, where they’d put the two boys down for their nap, they found Nancy pacing the room with a screaming Gruffydd while Little Adam and Morwenna played with Jon’s blocks. Beth took Gruffydd from Nancy and headed for the master bedroom where she could nurse him while Miranda went to check on Laura and Siân. Gwyneth picked up Morwenna while her little boy demanded to know where she’d been.

Miranda discovered the two girls were having a tea party for Laura’s doll and teddy bear and hadn’t missed their mamas so she joined Beth. As she watched Beth nurse Gruffydd, she said quietly, “I’d like to have another child, but I just don’t conceive very easily. I know William is disappointed but he says maybe it’s just as well since my doctor says another pregnancy after two cesarean sections is risky.” She looked a little guilty as she said, “Seeing all your children, I can’t help feeling a little envious.”

Beth laughed softly. “And seeing this beautiful house and all its furnishings, I was feeling a little envious of you.” The two sisters smiled. “The truth is that we’re both blessed,” Beth said. “We’re both married to good men who love us.” She grinned impishly as she added, “I do wish the parsonage had a water closet though.”

Adam, Bronwen and William shared a table at the ice cream parlor. When they were ready to leave, Bronwen said to the men, “Why don’t you and the boys go on ahead and I’ll walk home with Elen after she has a chance to say goodbye to Charley.”

William glanced quickly at Elen and Charley, who shared a table in a corner at the rear of the shop, as far as they could get from Elen’s younger brothers and cousins. “I’m glad it will be years before Laura will be interested in boys,” he said honestly.

“Take it from me, those years go by very quickly,” Adam said and his smile was tinged with sadness.

As the men and boys exited the shop, Bronwen walked over to where Elen and Charley were sitting. “I will wait for you outside, Elen,” she said with a smile.

“Could- could I walk Elen to Professor and Mrs. Gordon’s house, Mrs. Cartwright?” Charley asked hopefully.

“I’m afraid not, Charley,” Bronwen said as kindly as she could.

“Please, Grandma,” Elen pleaded, gazing at her grandma with her soft dark eyes.

“Elen fach, you know if your tada were here, he would say no,” Bronwen said, her tone gentle but firm. She repeated, “I’ll wait for you outside.”

As she walked away, Charley asked Elen, “Will you be here in Hanover much longer?”

“No. We’re leaving for Boston Friday afternoon,” she replied regretfully. “And then we’ll be heading back to Cloncurry.”

“I guess this is goodbye,” Charley said sadly, “because I won’t have another day off until Sunday. I- I’m really glad I got to meet you, Elen.”

“I’m glad I met you. Thank you for a wonderful afternoon, Charley,” Elen said shyly. “I- I’d better go now.”

Charley jumped up so he could pull back her chair for her. Then he walked with her to the door and held it open for her.

“Goodbye,” he said, his tone and expression forlorn.

“Goodbye,” Elen said softly before joining her grandmother.

They walked together in silence, Bronwen waiting to see if her shy granddaughter would confide in her. After a few minutes, Elen said softly, “I liked him, Grandma. He was nice.”

“Yes, he seemed to be a very nice boy,” Bronwen agreed.

“He won’t have any more time off, so I won’t see him again, but I’m very glad I had a chance to meet him.” And he said that he was really glad he met me, that he wanted to spend more time with me, Elen thought exultantly. Her joy shone from her eyes and her grandma smiled to see it.

“I’m glad you could spend time with Charley,” Bronwen said, putting an arm around the girl’s shoulders and giving her a quick hug. Grandchildren grow up even faster than children, she thought wistfully.

That evening as Adam and Bronwen were alone in their room and he was brushing her hair, she said, “You’re certainly quiet tonight.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ve just been thinking.” She waited, and he continued to brush her hair with firm, even strokes. After a few minutes, he said, “I’ve been thinking about all the changes that I’ve seen in my life. For example, when I was a boy most farmers harvested their crops by hand using a scythe or cradle. It would take a man a day to cut two acres. Then farmers began to use the reaper Cyrus McCormick invented and it could cut as much grain in a day as four or five men using a cradle or scythe.” He paused in his brushing and she turned to face him.

“I can remember people laughing at the very idea of a horseless carriage, and yet now, they are a reality,” he continued. “Bell’s invention of the telephone means that people no longer need to rely on letters to communicate over distances. Now, they can actually talk to one another.”

“Don’t forget electric lights,” Bronwen added. “Miranda told us on the way to the Nickelodeon that she and William are saving so that they can have electricity installed in this house.” She shook her head in wonder. “Imagine a room this late at night that was lit up as bright as day.”

He winked as he set down the hairbrush and said, “This late at night, I’m asleep so I don’t have any need of Mr. Edison’s incandescent electric lights.”

She giggled a little as she said, “You have a point.” She stood up and they kissed before getting into bed and curling up like two spoons.

The next day was Little Adam’s birthday. William drove to the Hanover Inn early that morning to get Gwyneth and her family. Mrs. Matthews gave Gwyneth a chilly reception in her kitchen, but she had set out the loaf of bread, butter and colored sugar she knew Gwyneth would need from observing Miranda make fairy bread for Jon and Laura over the years. Gwyneth quickly set about slicing the bread and then trimming the crust off. Once that was finished, she spread butter lavishly on each slice before sprinkling the colored sugar liberally so the slice was entirely covered. Finally, she cut each slice of bread into a triangle and heaped them onto a plate.

When Gwyneth carried the plate of colorful fairy bread to the dining room where the Cartwrights, Gordons and Pentreaths all crowded around the table, Adam said, “Look, fairy bread. Now, I wonder whose birthday it is?”

“Hmm, it’s not mine,” William said with a wink.

“It’s not mine either,” A.C. said, grinning.

“It’s Little Adam’s, isn’t it, Mama?” Benny asked excitedly.

“Right,” Gwyneth said with a dimpled smile. “Today Little Adam is three years old.”

“Happy birthday!” Laura said excitedly and Jon, Jory and Benny shouted, “Happy birthday, Little Adam!”

The birthday boy’s grin was enormous as he exclaimed, “My birthday!”

“Are we having a party for Little Adam?” Jon asked. “And a birthday cake?”

“Yes, we are,” Miranda replied. “This afternoon. Right now, I want to have a slice of that delicious fairy bread that Aunt Gwyneth made.”

“This fairy bread is better than yours, Mama,” Jon announced after swallowing his first bite, causing his daddy to choke on his coffee while his grandparents both laughed. The children looked at the adults, mystified by their behavior.

Miranda only smiled as she said, “That’s because Aunt Gwyneth is a better cook than I am. In fact, the reason Mrs. Matthews is our cook is because I am such a bad one.”

“That’s okay, Mama. You’re better at helping me with my ‘rithmetic than Daddy is,” Jon said very seriously, and again the adults puzzled him with their laughter.

The Joneses arrived after breakfast, and all the children were excited about the upcoming party. The men kept the older boys playing games in the backyard, and the women played games with the younger children in the front yard. Except Bronwen. She made Gruffydd some of her teething tea. He had started cutting a new tooth and was fretful.

The cake arrived shortly before lunch and Gwyneth had to admit it was beautifully decorated. She and Miranda had decided to have the party after the children’s nap. The birthday boy, seconded by Laura and Siân, objected loudly, until their mamas told them that if they didn’t take a nap, there would be no party.

Seeing his namesake’s scowl, Adam said, “I’m tired and I’m going to take a nap. Do you want to take a nap with me, Little Adam?”

“Tell me ‘tory?” the three-year-old asked hopefully.

“If you promise to lie down with your eyes closed, then I promise to tell you a story,” Adam agreed. The two Adams headed up the stairs, hand in hand.

Later that afternoon all the family members gathered in the library. The birthday boy was seated in the center of the Chesterfield with his mama and grandma on either side of him while the other adults sat in leather tub chairs or side chairs brought in from the dining room and the children sat on the floor. Little Adam’s gifts were arranged on the coffee table where he could reach them.

“That’s our gift,” Jon announced as Little Adam picked one from the pile. He opened the box and pulled out a lion made of mohair.

“Turn the key and then put the lion on the floor,” William said with a little smile. Bronwen turned the key for the little boy, and then she sat the toy on the floor. Little Adam clapped his hands and shrieked with delight as the toy lion crouched back on his hind legs, moved his head and then leaped forward. He was so thrilled with the lion that he had to be reminded that he had other gifts to open. The next gift contained several pairs of socks, a new straw hat, and a wooden whistle from the Joneses. Gwyneth thanked her sister for the socks and hat while Little Adam began to blow his whistle.

“We’ll save the whistle for you to play with outside,” Gwyneth said, wincing at the shrill sound. “Here, open this gift. It’s from Uncle Rhys and Aunt Matilda,” she said, handing her littlest boy a package that had traveled with them from Cloncurry.

“Look, it’s a train!” Dylan exclaimed as Little Adam removed the wooden toy from the box.

“Uncle Rhys made it himself, didn’t he?” Huw asked his grandparents and they nodded. Rhys had made an engine, a couple of passenger cars and a little caboose and Matilda had painted the train. Huw instructed his little cousin, “Put it on the floor and push it, Little Adam.” Little Adam happily pushed the little train on the library’s highly polished hardwood floor.

“You still have three gifts to open,” Gwyneth said after a few minutes. “Here, this one is from Uncle A.C.”

“It’s a bank,” A.C. explained when the box revealed a brightly painted squirrel holding an acorn and facing a tree trunk. “You put a coin on the acorn, press this button and the squirrel drops the coin in the tree trunk.” He looked a little embarrassed as he added, “I, uh, only have American money.”

Adam grinned at his son as he said, “Bring your bank here, Little Adam, and I’ll give you sixpence you can give the squirrel.” The birthday boy trotted over to his grandpa with his bank while Adam fished around in his pockets until he found a sixpence mixed in with the American coins. Little Adam set the bank down on the floor and placed the coin on the acorn as his uncle had instructed, but nothing happened.

“You have to press the button,” A.C. reminded his nephew, and when Little Adam pushed the button, the squirrel put the sixpence in the tree.

“Again,” Little Adam said eagerly.

“Pa-pa doesn’t have much Australian money either,” Adam said as he hunted through the coins in his pocket. “All right, here’s tuppence, but that’s all I have.”

Little Adam quickly caused the squirrel to deposit the coin and said hopefully, “Again?”

“No more,” Adam said, “but you haven’t opened the present Grandma and I gave you yet.”

“Come open our present,” Bronwen said, holding up the gift.

Little Adam ripped off the wrapping paper and his face lit up when he saw The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin. “A ‘torybook! Read me ‘tory, Ga-ma.”

“I’ll read to you after you open your last present and we have some birthday cake,” she promised him.

“This present is from me and Daddy and your brothers and sister,” Gwyneth said as she handed her little boy his last gift. Little Adam was delighted to discover he had another storybook.

“The Brownies Abroad,” A.C. read when Little Adam held up the book to show his family. “I remember when I was an ankle biter, I had Brownie Nine Pins and Brownie rubber stamps.”

“That’s right, you did,” Gwyneth said. “I wonder what happened to them.”

“I found them up in the attic when I was packing,” Bronwen said. “I left them there because I thought one of your boys might like them, but then I forgot all about them after we moved.”

“Can we eat the birthday cake now?” Dylan asked eagerly.

“Dylan!” Beth scolded and Miranda rang the bell to let Nancy know it was time to bring the cake.

Nancy wheeled in a cart with the cake, plates, forks and napkins, and the children all gathered round.

“What a bonzer cake!” Huw exclaimed. “Look, it has ‘Happy Birthday Little Adam’ written on the top!”

“My name! Wanna see my name!” Little Adam said excitedly.

“Here,” William said, picking the little boy up and then pointing to where the baker had piped on the writing. “That says ‘Happy Birthday Little Adam’.” Then setting his nephew down, he said, “I’ll light your candles so you can blow them out.”

As everyone was finishing their piece of birthday cake, William stood up and said, “I’d like everyone’s attention, please. I have an announcement to make.” Once everyone’s eyes were on him, William smiled and said, “My announcement is that the head of my department is interested in my idea of a comparison of the frontier experience in the United States and Australia. He is giving me a leave of absence so that I can travel to Australia to do research. When all of you sail for home, Miranda, Jon, Laura and I will be sailing with you.”

“That’s wonderful, William!” Adam exclaimed while all the children began talking excitedly.

“It is wonderful, but I can’t believe you kept it a secret from me,” Miranda said.

“It wasn’t easy,” William stated with a chuckle. “Especially since I had to take Mrs. Matthews and Nancy into my confidence. I was worried all the time that Nancy would spill the beans. I told Mrs. Matthews that she could have a paid vacation while we’re gone and I asked Nancy to stay here. I don’t like the idea of the house being vacant for three months. And then there’s Prince. Luckily, Nancy likes Prince so she’s going to feed and walk him. I’ve talked with Rob Tompkins and he’s fine with Freddy coming over to play with Prince so he doesn’t get lonely.”

“I’m glad that’s all taken care of, but I only have tomorrow and Friday morning to get ready,” Miranda said, sounding harried. Happy as she was to have a chance to visit her old home, she did wish William had given her more advance notice. He was the sweetest man, but not the most practical.

“I’ll help,” Bronwen offered, and Miranda accepted her offer with a smile. Then she turned to her husband and said briskly, “While we’re in Boston, William, you need to see if Bloomingdale’s has any flannel lounge suits. You won’t want to wear heavy wool suits in Cloncurry.”

“Too right, mate,” A.C. said with a broad grin.

“Daddy, are we really goin’ to Australia?” Laura asked, tugging on his hand.

“We sure are,” William replied. “We’re going to see the house where your mama grew up.”

“And kangaroos?” Laura asked, her eyes shining.

“That’s right, Sweetie,” Miranda answered. “You’ll see kangaroos and koalas and all sorts of animals and birds that don’t live anywhere but Australia.”

“I bet Prince’ll like chasing kangaroos,” Jon said with a big smile.

“Prince has to stay here, Jon, just as your cousins had to leave their pets back in Cloncurry when they came to visit us,” William said gently.

“But why?” Jon asked.

“For one thing, he’d hate being cooped up on the train and ship,” William said, ruffling his son’s hair. “I know he’ll miss us, but he’ll be happier here in his own yard and his own house. He likes Nancy and she’ll feed him and take him for walks. And Freddy is going to play with him.”

“But what if he forgets me while I’m gone,” Jon said sadly. He wanted to go to Australia, but he hated the idea of being separated from his dog.

“Dogs have good memories, but if you’re worried, give him a pair of your dirty socks. Your scent will be on them and that will help him remember you,” A.C. suggested. “It worked with my dogs, Lady and Duchess, when I traveled to the Ponderosa.”

Little Adam tugged on Bronwen’s hand. “Read me ‘tory, Ga-ma,” he said, reminding her of her promise.

“Right,” she replied with a smile. “Let’s go sit on the porch where it’s quiet,” she suggested, holding out her hand to her grandson.

Siân overheard and said quickly, “I wanna hear the story,” and Laura added, “I wanna hear it, too.”

“Right, we’ll all go sit on the porch,” Bronwen said.

Adam smiled as he watched the little ones go with Bronwen. Rhys and Matilda will be so happy to see Miranda again and meet her family. And it’s nice that my sons-in-law will meet. William’s background is very different from Dafydd’s and Mark’s but, in spite of that, I think they’ll like each other. He shook his head slightly. Of course Mark will probably be prickly at first since he knows William is from a wealthy family, but once he’s spent time with William, his attitude will change.

The next day, to Miranda’s relief, was hot and sunny. While everyone else spent the day at the river fishing, riding in William’s boat or playing on the river bank, Miranda, with the help of Nancy and her mama, washed clothes and hung them to dry in the backyard. While the clothes were drying, she changed from her simple housedress to a linen suit, put on her hat and gloves, and drove the automobile downtown. First, she went to the bank and withdrew a sum of money to give Nancy to use for household expenses during the three months they would be gone. Next, she drove to the coal yards and paid for a three month supply of coal to be delivered to their cellar.

As she walked to the automobile, she thought to herself, I think that takes care of everything. I telephoned the school superintendent and explained about Jon and Laura missing some school because they will be out of the country, and he’s having Jon’s schoolbooks sent here this afternoon. William said he’d already paid Mrs. Matthews and Nancy three months wages. I left a note for the milkman so he’ll only deliver a quart of milk a week; that should be plenty for Nancy. She frowned a little as she thought about Nancy, who was used to being paid every week. Nancy was a hard worker but a little slow and Miranda felt a responsibility for her. When I get home, I need to sit down with Nancy and help her plan a weekly budget so she doesn’t run out of money while we’re gone.

Friday morning the women all took turns ironing the freshly washed clothes and amusing the youngest children while the men played with the boys. Jon spent as much time with Prince as he could. When it was time to leave for Boston, he tried hard not to cry so his cousins would think he was a crybaby, but alone in the cab with his parents and sister, he just couldn’t stop the tears. William put an arm around his son’s shoulders comfortingly. Laura said in a loud whisper, “Jon’s crying,” but Miranda softly hushed her and then distracted her by talking quietly about the animals she’d see in Australia. By the time they’d crossed the Ledyard Free Bridge, Jon was able to stop crying so William handed him his handkerchief. If his cousins noticed his red eyes and nose, they didn’t comment on it, remembering how hard it had been to say goodbye to their pets.

It was late when the cabs carrying the Cartwrights, Joneses, Pentreaths and Gordons arrived at the Parker House hotel. The littlest children had all fallen asleep and had to be carried in while Benny was half asleep and stumbled along holding his grandma’s hand. Since William was holding Laura, Miranda signed the register and after glancing at what she’d written, the desk clerk said, “Oh, Dr. Gordon, we weren’t able to find a suite for your parents on the same floor as yours. We put them on the floor above.”

“My parents?” William repeated.

“Yes. Oh, there they are,” the desk clerk said, gesturing toward the elevator.

Adam saw that Mrs. Gordon had become very stout. She had more frown lines and they were more deeply etched. Her hair was still the same obviously artificial gold. William’s father had changed little over the past decade except that he was a little heavier, his thin hair was more grey than brown, and he wore a pair of spectacles similar to Bronwen’s. Adam was annoyed at the appreciation in Mr. Gordon’s eyes the minute he spied Bronwen.

As soon as Jon saw them, he said politely, “Hello, Grandmother. Hello, Grandfather.”

“Hello, Jonathan,” Mrs. Gordon said, noting with displeasure that her grandson wore his Norfolk jacket unbuttoned and the belt unfastened. She attributed his casual dress to his mother’s insidious influence.

“Hello, Jon,” Mr. Gordon said with a warm smile for his grandson.

“Hello, Mother Gordon. Hello, Father Gordon,” Miranda said coolly.

“Mother, Father. This is a surprise,” William stated, his tone neutral.

“Good because we wanted to surprise all of you. Your mother and I decided that we shouldn’t pass up an opportunity to become better acquainted with our daughter-in-law’s family,” Mr. Gordon said glibly. He held out his hand to Adam, saying, “Good to see you again, Mr. Cartwright.”

“Yes, it’s a pleasure,” Adam said. He shifted Little Adam to his left arm so he could shake Mr. Gordon’s hand, but his tone was lacking in enthusiasm. William’s mother did not offer her hand so he merely nodded as he said, “Mrs. Gordon.”

“Mrs. Cartwright, the years haven’t touched you. You’re lovelier now than you were the last time we met,” Mr. Gordon said as he lifted Bronwen’s proffered hand to his lips. Beth, Gwyneth and A.C. were amused by the portly older gentleman’s flirtatious behavior until they saw their father did not share their amusement. Nor did Mrs. Gordon.

As Bronwen managed to extricate her hand, William said quickly, “Mother and Father, I’m sure you remember Miranda’s sisters, Beth and Gwyneth, and her younger brother, A.C.”

“Delighted to see you all again,” Mr. Gordon said, his tone jovial. His smile widened as his gaze traveled over A.C. “You, young man, have changed dramatically,” he added with a wink. Mrs. Gordon, who looked as if she bitten into a lemon, merely inclined her head.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you both again,” Beth said politely and was seconded by her siblings.

After quickly introducing his nieces and nephews, William said firmly, “I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse us. As you can see, the children need to be in bed.”

“Of course,” his father said, “but we were hoping we could have breakfast together here at the hotel. At eight o’clock?”

“We’d be happy to join you,” Bronwen said, ignoring her husband’s frown since there was really no polite way to refuse.

When Adam and Bronwen were alone in their room getting ready for bed, he growled, “Gordon had better behave himself tomorrow at breakfast.”

“I certainly hope so,” Bronwen agreed, getting into the bed and snuggling close to Adam. “I was embarrassed tonight.”

“He’s right though,” Adam said, taking her in his arms. “You are even lovelier now than you were ten years ago.” She snorted just a little in disbelief so he kissed her and then said softly, “And you are dearer to me with each passing day.”

“I feel the same,” she said, adding quietly, “Seeing William’s parents reminds me how blessed we are.”

He held her close, thinking, Yes, I am blessed. Blessed to have found my true-love and blessed to have the chance to grow old together.

William’s parents were the last to arrive at the restaurant, and Mr. Gordon was disappointed to discover Adam was sitting on Bronwen’s right and A.C. on her left. He realized some faces were missing, but when he commented on Beth and Gwyneth’s absence, Miranda explained they were breakfasting in their rooms with Gruffydd and Morwenna.

“They’re just too young for restaurants,” Miranda added.

Mr. Gordon nodded his understanding but his wife stared pointedly at Little Adam. He was sitting at the table, using the wooden booster chair that had been passed from Jory to Benny to him, with a napkin tied around his neck as a bib. He dimpled at her and announced, “I’m big boy. I’m three.”

“Little Adam just had his birthday,” Jon explained.

“That’s nice,” Mrs. Gordon said perfunctorily. Just then the waiter came to take their order.

After the waiter left, Mr. Gordon asked, “What are your plans for today?”

“This morning I’m taking my mama and sisters and Elen shopping at Bloomingdale’s,” Miranda replied. “Daddy and A.C. are going to take the children sightseeing.”

“I have to do some shopping as well,” William added. “Then we’re meeting here at noon for lunch.”

“I’d like to do some shopping,” Mrs. Gordon announced. Then she turned to her husband and said imperiously, “I’m sure that Mr. Cartwright and,” she frowned a little as she forced herself to use a nickname, “A.C. would appreciate your help minding the children.”

“Too right we would,” A.C. said with an enormous grin. He earned a grateful smile from his parents.

For a moment, Mr. Gordon looked disappointed but then he smiled at the children. He wouldn’t mind spending more time with his grandchildren, and their cousins seemed to be well-mannered. He turned to his son and asked, “Have you made any plans for this afternoon?”

“Yes, most of us are going to watch the Red Sox play the White Sox,” William answered.

“Beth and I are going to take the little ones to the Common and for a ride in the Swan Boats,” Miranda added.

“Can we play in the Frog Pond?” Laura asked her mama.

“Yes, you may,” Miranda replied.

“The Swan Boats and Frog Pond are fun,” Laura told Siân.

“Have you ever seen a baseball game, Mrs. Cartwright?” Mr. Gordon asked then.

“No, but I enjoy watching cricket,” Bronwen replied.

“I’d be very happy to explain the game to you,” Mr. Gordon said eagerly.

“Uncle William and Jon explained the rules to us on the train ride from Boston,” Dylan interjected. “It doesn’t sound much like cricket.” Normally, he would have been scolded, but instead his grandma smiled at him and his grandpa winked.

“So you’re planning on attending the game with us, Father?” William asked then.

“Thought I would,” Mr. Gordon said. “I’m a Red Sox fan.”

I’ll make sure you’re not sitting anywhere near Bronwen, Adam thought, staring challengingly at Mr. Gordon until the other man looked away.

After lunch, everyone who was going to the baseball game gathered in the hotel lobby. Once William had everyone’s attention, he explained, “We’re going to ride the elevated railroad to the ballpark.”

“What’s an elevated railroad, Uncle William?” Huw asked curiously.

“It’s like a regular railroad except it’s powered by electricity and the track is built above street level,” William explained.

William observed that his nephews were as excited to be riding the train as they were to be attending the ballgame. They stared out the windows, watching the traffic on the street beneath them as they passed over. William had gotten them to the ballpark early so they could find better seats, but there was still a long line queued up in front of the entrance. It had a sign that arched overhead proclaiming: Huntingdon Avenue American League Base Ball Grounds.

“Listen, boys,” William said firmly as they joined the queue. “I’m going to give each of you twenty-five cents, and you give it to the man at the turnstile. Then you stand to one side until everyone has paid and we’ll find a place we can all sit in the grandstand. But we all stay together. Understand?’ They nodded and William began passing out the coins.

It seemed to take forever, but finally they reached the turnstile and each boy handed over his twenty-five cents. Benny had held onto to his so tightly that he could hardly get his fist to unclench.

“C’mon, drongo,” Jory complained, earning a sharp reprimand from Bronwen, who’d overheard. “Sorry,” he muttered, his tone patently insincere.

Once everyone had paid, William shepherded his group toward the grandstand by third base. Since they were early, they found seats close to the front row. The boys all sat together and Adam and A.C. made sure they sat on either side of Bronwen.

“I’m glad we aren’t sitting in the sun,” Bronwen said, smoothing her white kid gloves. She was comfortable in her light cotton dress, but what really made the difference was the new corset she’d bought that morning at Bloomingdale’s. It was short and lightly boned. The saleswoman said it was intended to be worn for sport but it was so comfortable that Bronwen intended to use it all the time.

“We must have some Cracker Jack,” Mr. Gordon announced. “My treat,” he said and then gestured to one of the vendors.

As the vendor hurried over, William said quickly, “Two people can share a box,” so Mr. Gordon bought six boxes and quickly passed them out.

“What a ripper!” Dylan declared after eating his first handful of the caramel-coated peanuts and popcorn.

“That means it’s very good,” Bronwen explained to Mr. Gordon.

As they ate their cracker jack and waited for the game to begin, William said, “I was lucky enough to attend the game here four years ago when the Red Sox pitcher, Cy Young, pitched a perfect game against the Philadelphia Athletics.”

“What’s a perfect game, Uncle William?” Elen asked curiously.

“A perfect game is when no player on the opposing team is allowed to reach a base. Only two other major league pitchers pitched a perfect game, and that was back in 1880. A couple of weeks ago, the American League celebrated ‘Cy Young Day’ and Jon and I were here to watch some of the best players from other American League teams play Cy Young and the Red Sox.”

“We’ll get to see Cy Young pitch, won’t we?” Huw asked eagerly.

“You sure will,” William said with a big grin.

About halfway through the ballgame, Adam leaned over and quietly asked, “Are you enjoying the game, Sweetheart?”

“Too right I am,” Bronwen replied. “I hope Beth, Miranda and the little ones are enjoying themselves. And of course, Mrs. Gordon,” she added hurriedly.

“I’m sure Beth, Miranda and the little ones are having a wonderful time,” he replied. “I have difficulty picturing Mrs. Gordon enjoying herself though.”

“Oh Adam, that’s terrible,” Bronwen said, but couldn’t stop giggling.

“It’s too bad the Red Sox lost,” Huw commented as they left the ballpark, “but it was a bonzer game. Thanks for taking us, Uncle William.”

“Huw speaks for all of us, William,” Bronwen said, “and we all want to thank you for such an enjoyable afternoon.”

“I still like cricket better,” Jory announced, causing his mama and grandpa to roll their eyes while his uncles both laughed.

That evening as the families dined at the Parker House restaurant, Mrs. Gordon sat in silent but obvious disapproval as the children were allowed to talk about how they spent their afternoon.

When everyone was finished discussing the ballgame and the Swan Boats and Frog Pond, Mr. Gordon asked, “What are our plans for tomorrow after church?”

“I want to take the children to visit the graves of their great-grandmother Cartwright and their great-great-grandfather and grandmother Stoddard,” Adam said quietly as the waiter began to serve dessert. “Their graves are in the Granary Burying Ground.”

“I didn’t realize you had family here in Boston,” Mrs. Gordon remarked, clearly surprised..

“My mother’s family settled in Boston in the 1630s,” Adam said, his tone just a little smug. “My parents were married in the Park Street Church and I was christened there.”

“Afterward, we’ll take all the children to the Common,” Bronwen inserted. “Starting Monday, they’ll be cooped up on a train for several days, so they need a chance to run and play tomorrow.”

“You’re not leaving so soon, surely,” Mr. Gordon protested.

“As much as we’ve enjoyed our visit, the children miss their fathers and I know Beth and Gwyneth miss their husbands,” Bronwen said with a gentle smile.

“I, uh, have some news to share with you, Mother and Father,” William said then. “The head of the history department has approved my idea to write a comparison of the frontier experience in the United States and Australia, so Miranda and the children and I are traveling to Australia as well. We should be home in early December.”

“You’re not taking my grandchildren out of the country,” Mrs. Gordon declared imperiously.

“Pardon me, Mother, but I am taking my children to visit their mother’s birthplace,” William said, and Miranda was impressed, and a little surprised, by his firm tone. However, the children, who had been quietly eating dessert, all exchanged uneasy glances, upset by the tension among the adults. William added decisively, “Travel broadens the mind so it will be educational for Jon and Laura.”

“Australia would be an interesting place to visit,” Mr. Gordon commented. “I’d like to see a herd of those kangaroos hopping along.”

“A mob,” Bronwen said.

“Beg pardon,” Mr. Gordon said blankly.

“They’re called a mob of kangaroos, not a herd,” Bronwen corrected with a smile. Then she turned to Mrs. Gordon. “It will mean so much to our family and friends in Cloncurry to have a chance to see Miranda again and meet Jon, Laura and William.” Reluctantly, Mrs. Gordon nodded her understanding.

“You have more family in Australia?” Mr. Gordon asked as he looked around the table at the children and thought of Beth and Gwyneth dining in their rooms with the two youngest.

“There are my brothers-in-law, Dafydd and Mark, to start with,” Miranda said.

“And my brother, Rhys, and his wife, Matilda, and their son, Llywelyn,” Bronwen said.

“Llywelyn is married to my best friend, Emma,” Miranda added with a dimpled smile.

“And how many children do they have now?” A.C. asked, grinning broadly at the astonishment on the faces of all three Gordons. “Four isn’t it?”

“Right,” Adam said with a wink. “One boy and three girls.”

“Ifor is the same age as us,” Jory said to Jon as he swallowed the last bite of Boston cream pie. “Me and him have the same birthday.”

“And Ifor’s sister Cathy was born a couple of months after Laura,” Bronwen said.

“Then it’s good they’ll have a chance to meet,” Mr. Gordon said, smiling genially. “I take it you’ll be leaving for San Francisco on Monday.”

“Actually, we’ll be making a brief visit to Pullman, Washington first,” Adam stated.

“Pullman, Washington?” Mr. Gordon repeated, confused.

“A.C. is enrolled at the School of Veterinary Science there,” Bronwen said proudly as she smiled at her boy.

“Ah, so you’re not going into the family business,” Mr. Gordon said, glancing at Adam sympathetically.

“Actually, he is,” Adam said. “Once he has his license, he’s going to practice on the Ponderosa,” and he smiled warmly at A.C. “I guess you could say that I am the son who didn’t go into the family business.” Then he winked at Bronwen as he added, “Of course, if I’d stayed on the Ponderosa, I would never have met Mrs. Cartwright, and that would have been a tragedy.”

“I second those sentiments,” William said, reaching for Miranda’s hand as he gazed fondly at his son and daughter.

“Next stop Pullman,” the conductor said as he walked through the car, which was occupied chiefly by the Cartwrights, Joneses, Pentreaths and Gordons.

Elen was sharing a seat with A.C. and she turned to him. “We’re almost there.”

“Classes start in two days so it’s a good thing,” A.C. replied.

“Are you nervous?” Elen asked. “I would be, living so far from home.”

“Yes, I am,” A.C. admitted. “I was a little nervous when I went to the Technical College but at least I wasn’t going to school in a foreign country. When I was here earlier, I didn’t have a chance to meet any of the other students boarding with Mrs. Duffy.” He managed to smile slightly as he added, “I didn’t know anyone when I first attended the Technical College either. I made new friends there and I will here.”

By the time the train reached Pullman that afternoon, a light rain was falling and the temperature had dropped to about fifty degrees. (“You sure have cold summers in the States, mate,” Huw said to Jon.) The mackintoshes were all packed away in the trunks that had been sent ahead to San Francisco, but Miranda and William had brought their umbrellas and the children’s sweaters were packed in the carpet bags with Morwenna and Gruffydd’s clean nappies and everyone’s clean underwear.

“Miranda, why don’t you loan A.C. your umbrella and he and I will arrange for some cabs to take us to the hotel,” William suggested as the women and children all crowded under the roof of the platform to keep out of the rain.

The two men came back almost immediately and William said, “Apparently there is only one cab so we’ll have to take turns riding to the hotel. I think Beth and Gruffydd and Gwyneth and Morwenna should go first. You can probably squeeze in, Mama,” he added.

“No, I’ll wait,” Bronwen said.

They watched as A.C. held his umbrella over Gwyneth and Morwenna while William did the same for Beth and Gruffydd. A.C.’s wide brimmed Akubra was doing a better job of keeping his head dry than William’s derby was keeping his.

“I wanna go wiv Mama,” Little Adam shouted as he watched his mama disappear from his sight. He started to run after her, but Miranda caught him. “Go wiv Mama!” he hollered and began to cry.

“I’ll take him,” Adam said, gently picking up the screaming child and holding him until he quieted to hiccupping sobs.

“I want my mama,” Siân said, her lower lip jutting out and her chin beginning to quiver.

“Mama just went to the hotel,” Elen said soothingly. “You’ll see her in a little bit.”

“I don’t like it here,” Laura whined.

“I know, Sweetie, but you and Siân can ride to the hotel with Grandma and Grandpa and Little Adam,” Miranda said. She noticed Benny’s woebegone expression and added, “I think there will be room for you, too, Benny.” The six-year-old managed a wobbly smile.

When he saw William and A.C. returning, Adam said to his grandson, “I’m going to give you to Grandma to hold so she can carry you under the umbrella. Okay?”

The three-year-old sniffed and nodded so Adam handed him to Bronwen. Miranda asked William if he could hold his umbrella over the two little girls and Benny.

“I’ll do my best,” William said. “Benny, why don’t you walk in front and you girls walk together behind him. But you have to stay bunched up so you’re all under the umbrella.”

Miranda and the children left behind had to smile at the sight of William, walking bent over, trying to keep the umbrella over all three children.

By the time the last family members reached the hotel, the rain had stopped and the sun began to shine brightly. The hotel wasn’t elegant like the Majestic in San Francisco or the Parker House in Boston, but it was clean. Beth and Gwyneth had put the three youngest children down for a nap, but the others were tired of being confined and wanted to see where their uncle was going to school.

“I need to stop at Mrs. Duffy’s first so she knows that I’m here and drop off my bag. Her house is on Maple and it’s on the way to the college,” A.C. stated.

“Lead the way,” Adam said, offering Bronwen his arm.

“Why don’t you go, Beth,” Gwyneth suggested. “I’ll keep an eye on Gruffydd.”

“If you’re sure you don’t mind,” Beth said, and Gwyneth smiled and said, “She’s apples.”

As they walked toward Maple Street, A.C. pointed and said, “See the red brick clock tower in the distance? That’s one of the college’s oldest buildings.” He sounded almost apologetic as he explained, “There aren’t very many buildings yet, but the college has only been in existence since 1890. I really like the clock tower and the administration building. And I’ll show you where a new veterinary science building is being built.”

“Pullman is an attractive town,” Beth commented as they walked along. “It reminds me a little of Hanover.”

“They are both college towns,” William said, “even if Hanover is much older.”

A.C. halted in front of a large house painted buttercup yellow with dark brown trim. The children all stared at the round tower in the back while Adam immediately identified the style as Queen Anne by its tower, oriel windows, overhanging eaves and large front and second-story porches.

“This is where I’m boarding,” A.C. said. “I’ll just let Mrs. Duffy know I’m here, and then I’ll show you around the college.”

“I’d like to meet Mrs. Duffy,” Bronwen said and Adam added, “So would I.”

“Right,” A.C. said, opening the gate in the picket fence for his parents with a flourish.

“I’d love to see the inside of the house, wouldn’t you?” Miranda asked Beth, who smiled and nodded.

“I’d like to see that tower,” Huw said and the other boys echoed his sentiments.

A.C.’s knock was answered by a pigtailed girl of seven or eight, holding a feather duster, who grinned up at him.

“Howdy, Mr. Cartwright,” she said. “We got your telegram sayin’ that you’d get here today. C’mon in,” she added, holding the door wide open. Then she yelled behind her, “Mama, Mr. Cartwright’s here.”

“Now, Ethel, I told you to call me Adam,” A.C. said. “I’d like for you to meet my mother and father. He’s Mr. Cartwright,” A.C. added with a wink. Just then a plump woman in her forties, wearing a red gingham apron over her dress, walked into the entry with two little boys who looked to be about five following her.

“I’m glad to see you’re here, Mr. Cartwright,” she said, and then stopped when she saw Adam and Bronwen.

“Mama and Dad, I’d like for you to meet Mrs. Duffy and her two youngest, Joey and Rufus,” A.C. said. “Mrs. Duffy, allow me to present my parents.”

“I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright,” Mrs. Duffy said, shaking hands first with Bronwen and then Adam. “Your son mentioned that you were traveling to this country for a visit.”

“We’re sailing back to Australia in a few days, but we wanted to see where A-, uh, Adam was going to school and where he would be living,” Bronwen said, smiling at Mrs. Duffy and then the two little boys.

“I can certainly understand that,” Mrs. Duffy said, returning Bronwen’s smile. “I’m afraid you’ve caught me in the middle of this week’s baking or I’d invite you for a cup of coffee. Or tea.”

“We understand,” Bronwen responded.

“Actually, we’d have to decline your offer because the rest of the family is waiting for us outside,” Adam explained.

‘I just need to drop off my bag,” A.C. said. “Would it be all right if my parents came with me?”

“Certainly,” Mrs. Duffy replied. “Oh, will you be having supper here tonight?”

“No, I’ll be dining with my family tonight, but I’ll be back by eight o’clock,” A.C. told her.

“That’ll be fine,’ she said with a smile. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright. If you’ll excuse me,” and she headed back to the kitchen, trailed by her children.

A.C. led his parents up the stairs at the end of the entry and down a short hall to a comfortable bedroom with a large oriel window overlooking the backyard, where a boy was pushing a lawnmower. The room was painted a pale blue with white trim and crown moldings. There were blue and white chintz curtains at the window and a hooked rug on the wooden floor. The furniture-a bed, washstand, desk and chair-were utilitarian and didn’t fit with the elegant room. Adam suspected that when the house was built, the Duffy family was more prosperous. They probably had a reversal of fortune, which was why Mrs. Duffy now took in boarders and did her own baking.

“It’s a lovely room, A.C.,” Bronwen said as he set his carpet bag on the floor by the bed, “and Mrs. Duffy and her children seem pleasant.”

“Have you met any of the other boarders?” Adam asked as they left the room.

“No,” A.C. replied. “Mrs. Duffy told me when I arranged to board here that she always has four students from the School of Veterinary Science board with her. She said two of her boarders have been with her for three years and the third started boarding with her last year. She assured me that they’ll-what was the expression she used?” He frowned slightly in concentration and then grinned. “Got it. She said they’ll show me the ropes. I think that means they can answer any questions I may have about the college or the School of Veterinary Science.”

“Right,” Adam said with a wink.

A.C. took his family on a tour of the college and the children all admired the four-story red brick administration building with its two mismatched towers.

“The tower with the pointed roof could be the one where the witch imprisoned Rapunzel,” Elen suggested. “I can imagine her at the top, letting down her hair so the prince could climb up and rescue her.”

“Nobody’s hair is that long,” Huw scoffed. The adults all smiled while Elen rolled her eyes.

The entire family ate at a restaurant the hotel desk clerk recommended since the hotel had no room service. The children chattered away about the upcoming voyage and how happy they were to see their daddies, pets and friends. They never noticed how quiet their grandparents, mamas and Uncle A.C. were.

When the family was ready to leave the restaurant, Adam told the others to go ahead to the hotel, that he and Bronwen would be along in a few minutes. Once everyone had gone, Adam turned to A.C.

“I have something for you, son,” he said, reaching into the pocket of his jacket and extracting a thick envelope. “Benj drew the papers up for me,” he added as he handed the envelope to A.C.

A.C. opened the envelope carefully instead of ripping it open in his usual fashion. He scanned the papers quickly and then looked at Adam, his expression a mixture of emotions.

“I- I don’t know what to say, Dad. ‘Thank you’ just doesn’t seem adequate,” and A.C.’s voice choked.

“I thought about leaving you my share of Cartwright Enterprises in my will, but then I thought since you’ll be twenty-one in a few months, it would be a fitting birthday present.” Adam put an arm around Bronwen’s shoulders as he added, “I discussed it with your mother, and she agreed.” Bronwen smiled up at her boy, noting his solemn expression.

“This means a great deal to me, Dad. I promise that I’ll live up to your trust in me,” A.C. said earnestly.

“I never doubted that,” Adam said, squeezing his son’s shoulder affectionately with his free hand. “You’ve always been a son I could be proud of.”

A.C. didn’t trust himself to speak; he put an arm around his dad’s shoulders and hugged him hard. Then he bent down and kissed his mama’s cheek. Straightening, he said, “I’ve got to go now but I’ll see you at the train station tomorrow morning.”

Adam and Bronwen stood and watched their son as long as they could. Then Adam turned to look at Bronwen, and in the twilight he could see the tears spilling down her cheeks as she cried silently. He took her in his arms and held her comfortingly, feeling his own eyes burn.

After a few minutes, she pulled away and began to fumble in her handbag for a handkerchief. With a crooked little smile, he reached into his pocket and handed her his. She dried her tears and then blew her nose.

“I promised myself that I wouldn’t cry in front of A.C.,” she said, looking up at Adam, “but I knew you’d understand.”

“Of course,” he replied, taking her in his arms again and finding comfort in the familiar feeling of her slender, delicate frame pressed close to his. He leaned over and kissed her tenderly before saying softly, “I’m going to miss him, too.”

The next morning A.C. said goodbye to his nieces and nephews first. They had grown attached to their tall uncle and the older children realized it might be years before they saw him again. The older boys managed to hold back their tears, but Elen and Benny couldn’t help crying a little when they hugged their uncle. After telling A.C. goodbye and promising to stop by Pullman on their return to Hanover, Miranda and William took charge of the children, giving A.C. a chance to say his goodbyes to his sisters and parents.

“God bless you, Little Brother,” Beth said and then hugged him. “I hope you’re happy in your new life.”

“Thanks, Bethy,” he said, kissing her cheek. “I’m going to miss you and your family so much.” Then he turned to Gwyneth. “I’m going to miss you and your family just as much, Sis.” They hugged and she kissed his cheek.

“I know you’ll be a wonderful veterinarian,” she said softly. “And I also hope you’re happy here.” Then she stepped away and Adam took her place. A.C. enveloped him in a bear hug and when they broke apart, Adam looked into his son’s deep brown eyes, so like his grandpa Ben’s, and said quietly, “I love you, son, and I know you’ll be a fine veterinarian and a tremendous asset to the Ponderosa.” He smiled as he added, “My prayer is that you find a woman you can love as much as I love your mama, a woman who will bring you joy all the days of your life together.”

“Thanks, Dad,” A.C. said, hugging his dad one last time. “I love you.” Then Adam gave Bronwen her chance to say goodbye to their son.

A.C. bent over and gently hugged his mama and then kissed her cheek. “I love you, Mama, and I promise I’ll do a better job of writing to you and Dad.”

She smiled as she said, “I’ll hold you to that promise. Your dad and I will always want to be a part of your life just as you will always be a part of ours.” She stood on tiptoe so she could kiss his cheek. “I love you, my son, and I pray God will bless you now and always.”

The train’s whistle could be heard and Laura and Siân began to squeal, “There’s the train!”

A.C. hugged his mama one last time and then waved to his family as they boarded the train.

“We’ll see you in December,” Miranda called and the children called, “Bye, Uncle A.C.!”

He watched until the train was no more than a tiny speck on the horizon, and then he walked to his new home.

Chapter 6

Adam reached back and rubbed his neck, trying to ease the tense muscles. He and Bronwen, along with the Joneses, Pentreaths and Gordons, had been riding the train from Sydney for several days and he was sick of traveling and looking forward to being home in Cloncurry.

“If you could turn so you’re sitting sideways, I’ll rub your shoulders for you,” Bronwen offered.

Adam sighed softly, feeling his muscles relax as Bronwen massaged his neck and shoulders. “I can’t tell you how happy I’ll be tonight when we’ll be sleeping in our own bed,” he commented with a big grin.

“Sleeping accommodations on ships and trains are not very comfortable,” she agreed.

“A good night’s sleep isn’t the only thing I’m looking forward to,” he replied with a wink as he pulled her on his lap and kissed her. They heard Benny’s voice calling, “Grandma! Grandpa!” and reluctantly broke apart. When Benny entered their compartment, Bronwen was sitting demurely beside Adam.

“Will you play Old Bachelor with me? Please?” Benny asked. “The other boys are playing Panjandrum, and they said I’m too little to play,” he added, scowling.

“We’d be happy to play with you,” Bronwen replied, and Adam got the cards from their satchel. He was dealing them when William opened the compartment’s door and stuck his head in.

“Do you mind if I join you?” he asked. “Your daughters want to talk and I’m definitely de trop.”

“I know the feeling,” Adam said with a chuckle. “C’mon in.”

“You wanna play Old Bachelor, Uncle William?” Benny asked as William sat beside him.

“Sure, I’d love to play,” William replied, smiling warmly at his nephew. He noticed his father-in-law was in his shirtsleeves and had loosened his tie. “Mama, you won’t mind if I follow Dad’s example and take off my coat?”

“Of course not,” Bronwen answered with a grin.

“I’m sure glad I took Miranda’s advice and bought a couple of flannel suits,” William remarked as he removed his coat and then loosened his necktie, his face glistening with sweat. “I think I would have died of heat stroke if I were wearing my regular suits,” he added before mopping his face with his handkerchief. Adam and Bronwen both smiled.

“It gets lots hotter than this in the summer, Uncle William,” Benny said earnestly, and both William’s eyebrows arched.

“Yes, the temperature is usually around 100 degrees or more in December and January,” Adam commented with a little grin. He chuckled at the look of horror on his son-in-law’s face.

“Dafydd had a difficult time adjusting to our summers,” Bronwen remarked, “because it doesn’t get that hot in Wales.”

“What about Mark?” William asked. “Cornwall doesn’t get that hot either.”

“Mark was much younger when his family moved to Cloncurry,” she replied. “It’s harder to adjust when you’re an adult. I had a difficult time when we first settled here, but now I’ve lived longer in Cloncurry than Darlinghurst so it seems normal to me.”

“Normal,” Adam added with a wink, “but we still don’t enjoy the heat.”

After they finished one game of Old Bachelor, Elen and the little girls came looking for the cards. Bronwen suggested to Benny that he play with his cousins, and he went with them willingly. William looked out the window at the passing scenery, taking in the scrubby gidgee trees and dry, brown Mitchell grass.

“It looks so different from New England,” he commented “Everything is so parched and withered. Is there a draught?”

“No,” Adam replied. “You see, we don’t really have four seasons. From December through March, we have monsoon rains, and the rest of the year we have a dry season.

“That’s why I don’t have a flower garden,” Bronwen said, adding softly, “but we’ve always managed to find water for Penny’s rosebush.”

“Miranda said Cloncurry was built along the banks of a river,” William commented.

“Yes, but this time of year the river has pretty much dried up,” Adam said. He smiled at his son-in-law. “If you don’t mind, Professor, I’ll give you a very brief history of Cloncurry.”

William nodded and his lips turned up in a little smile as the crinkly lines at the corners of his eyes deepened.

“You may have heard of the Victorian Exploring Expedition,” Adam began.

William shrugged. “The name is familiar, but I’m drawing a blank as to details.”

“The goal of the Victorian Exploring Expedition was to explore the interior of the continent of Australia,” Adam began. “They intended to begin at Melbourne on the south coast and end on the north coast. The leader was Robert O’Hara Burke.”

“Sounds like the Lewis and Clark expedition,” William commented, his interest apparent by the way he was leaning forward with his eyes fixed on his father-in-law.

“That’s a good analogy,” Adam said with a slight smile, but his expression quickly sobered. “Sadly, only three members of the Victorian Exploring Expedition survived the entire journey from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria and back.” Adam gestured out the window saying, “According to the expedition’s records, they were traveling in this area in January of 1861. They came upon a river and Burke named it after his cousin, Lady Elizabeth Cloncurry.”

“1861,” William repeated. “But I think Miranda told me you didn’t move to Cloncurry until after Beth was born and I think that was 1875.”

“That’s correct,” Adam said. “You see, Cloncurry’s history doesn’t really begin until 1867. A man named Ernest Henry was traveling west from his cattle station at Hughenden. He hadn’t been too successful and was looking for a better place to establish a station when he discovered rich deposits of copper ore.”

“And just as Virginia City sprang up after the discovery of the Comstock Lode, Cloncurry came into existence after Henry discovered copper,” William interjected, his eyes alight with interest.

“Precisely,” Adam said, nodding his head for emphasis. “Rhys and I started our copper mine seven years later, but it wasn’t until 1876 that the town was surveyed. It was decided to officially extend the name of the river to the town.”

“An intelligent move since we all called the place Cloncurry,” Bronwen interjected with a little grin. “Now, when we moved here about a year before then, Cloncurry wasn’t a town; it was more a collection of buildings along the river.” Adam nodded his agreement. “But within a decade, we had a combination post office and telegraph office, a hospital, a school, and a newspaper, the Cloncurry Advocate. Work was begun on a Court House, police quarters and gaol.” She stopped then and turned to Adam. “Now, when were they finally completed?”

William watched as his father-in-law frowned in concentration. “1898 or 1899. I know they were complete by 1900,” Adam replied with a shrug. “Anyway, these days Cloncurry’s economy is based on mining and cattle,” he explained, adding with a big dimpled smile, “and that’s the end of your history lesson, Professor.”

“And a good thing,” Bronwen said, looking out the window, “since we’re about to cross the bridge over what’s left of the Cloncurry River.”

“I’d better rejoin Miranda,” William said as he stood up and put on his slightly rumpled coat. “Thanks for the lesson,” he added with a grin.

The scene at Cloncurry’s railroad station was pure delightful chaos as fathers were reunited with their children and husbands with their wives. Adam and Bronwen and the Gordons watched the reunions with smiles. Dafydd was the first to turn from his wife and children to welcome his in-laws. As he started to greet them, his eyes opened wide. “Miranda?” he said wonderingly. Then he took in the frank and intelligent countenance of the man standing next to her. “You must be William,” Dafydd said. Gazing down at the two children, he added, “And this must be Jon and Laura.”

“And you must be Dafydd,” William said, smiling warmly as he held out his hand.

As the two men shook hands, Miranda said, “Jon and Laura, say hello to your Uncle Dafydd.”

“Hello,” the children said shyly. They noted that Uncle Dafydd sounded different from their cousins and aunts, and also different from their grandpa. Jon decided to ask his parents about it later. Back home in Hanover everyone sounded the same, but now he was encountering different accents.

“You must be Mark,” William said with a friendly smile, holding out his hand to the dark-haired, sloe-eyed man standing by Jory. William’s smile grew broader as he observed the close resemblance between father and son.

For a second Mark hesitated, seeing before him a man who’d never had to go to bed hungry or wear clothes and shoes that were too small because there was no money for new. Then Mark glanced at William’s face and saw what Dafydd saw: the honesty and intelligence with no trace of arrogance or condescension. Mark took William’s manicured hand and shook it firmly. “Good to finally meet you, William.”

“Hello, Uncle Mark,” Jon said and his uncle’s somber features brightened with a smile.

“Hello, Jon. Hello, Laura.” Mark turned to Miranda and William and said, “Tom Dawson is going to deliver our trunks to our homes. Where should he take yours?”

“They’ll be staying with us,” Gwyneth answered quietly. “Miranda and William will stay in the guest bedroom-”

“Jon’s gonna stay with me.” Jory interrupted his mama in his excitement but she let it pass without comment, understanding the cause.

“Yes, and we can let Laura sleep in the room that’s going to be Morwenna’s,” Gwyneth said.

Mark and Dafydd exchanged looks. “While you were all gone, Dafydd, Uncle Rhys and I decided it was a good time to put up the new wallpaper you chose for the room, and we gave Llywelyn and Emma the canopy beds and other furniture as we’d promised,” Mark said carefully. Rhys had approached Mark and suggested it would be easier for Gwyneth and her parents if they were absent when the last reminders of the room Gwyneth had shared with Penny were removed. When Dafydd had learned what they were doing, he’d offered to help. “There’s no furniture in the room now since we knew Dad was planning on making Morwenna’s,” Mark added.

Everyone was silent as they took in Mark’s news until Elen spoke up. “I could stay with Grandma and Grandpa, and then Laura could stay with Siân,” she offered.

“Oh, I wanna stay with Siân,” Laura said. The two cousins had become inseparable on the voyage to Australia.

Dafydd had missed his children terribly and wasn’t happy that his first-born wouldn’t be staying with the rest of the family as long as the Gordons were visiting. However, he knew it was the best solution to the dilemma so he offered no objection. Instead he said quietly, “I want you to have high tea at the parsonage, Elen, so the family can all be together then.”

“Right,” she said, smiling at her tada because she had missed him as much as he’d missed her.

“Oh, we need to go to Cloncurry Stores and buy food for high tea,” Beth said then. “I know there isn’t any food at any of our homes since Aunt Matilda has been feeding Dafydd and Mark.”

“I forgot,” Mark said then, snapping his fingers. “Aunt Matilda went shopping at Cloncurry Stores this morning and bought food for all of us. Mama and Dad, she invited the two of you to have high tea with her and Uncle Rhys this evening.”

“Let’s go see your aunt and uncle and tell them there will be four more guest for high tea,” Bronwen said, smiling at the Gordons.

“I, uh, don’t want to make extra work for her,” William began, but Beth interrupted.

“Aunt Matilda loves to cook, William, and she will be delighted to have all of you come to high tea.”

“She’d be hurt if you didn’t come,” Adam added with a wink.

Since the parsonage was much further from the railroad station than the Pentreath and Cartwright houses, Dafydd had driven his surrey to the train station. Before the Joneses left, Dafydd arranged to come get Laura after high tea. Once they’d driven off, the rest of the family started walking home, taking the shortest route, which avoided the business district. Laura was a little sulky at being separated from Siân but Jon walked between Jory and Benny, observing that instead of the lush green lawns he was accustomed to, he saw brown, dry Mitchell grass growing in tussocks. He also saw some palm trees just like the ones he’d seen in Charleston when they’d visited some of his daddy’s friends who lived there. He’d been about the same age as Benny, but he remembered going to the beach and the palm trees that were so different from the trees in Hanover. Then he noticed something that puzzled him, so he turned his head and asked, “Grandpa, why are the buildings on stilts?”

“I was wondering that myself, Dad,” William remarked.

“There’s a good practical reason,” Adam replied with a slight smile. “You see, Jon, we have lots of insects called termites that love to eat wood, which is what most buildings here in Cloncurry are made of. To discourage the termites from eating the buildings, we raise them off the ground on stumps and we cap the stumps with plates.”

“Very practical,” William said with a nod before mopping his face with his handkerchief.

“They’re practical for another reason,” Gwyneth added. “During the rainy season, you can hang the wash to dry under the house.” Jon giggled at the picture of hanging laundry underneath the houses.

“Did you paint the house while we were gone?” Gwyneth asked Mark as they approached the comfortable two-story house with its wraparound veranda downstairs and small veranda upstairs, gleaming white in the bright sunlight.

Mark nodded with a grin. “Dafydd and I did it after we painted the parsonage. Uncle Rhys and Ifor painted the picket fences. Dafydd and I needed to keep busy while our families were gone.” He put an arm around Gwyneth and hugged her, and she smiled at him.

“The house looks just the way I remember it,” Miranda said to her parents with a happy smile. “See, Jon and Laura, that’s the house where I lived when I was a little girl.”

“Oh, I like the little house,” Laura exclaimed, pointing at the bungalow.

“That Ga-ma and Pa-pa’s house,” Little Adam announced from his daddy’s shoulders. Mark had planned on carrying his little girl, but Morwenna was a little shy of her daddy so her grandpa was giving her a piggyback ride instead.

“It’s charming,” Miranda said. “I’m looking forward to a tour.”

Just then, Benny exclaimed excitedly, “Look! There’s Athena and Boots!” He pointed to the two cats sunning themselves on the verandah, one ginger and one black and white, and then ran for the front gate, calling, “Here, Boots! Here kitty!”

“Here kitty!” Little Adam hollered, and Mark sat him down so he could run after Benny.

Laura started to join them but Miranda said, “No, Laura.” Laura ignored her so Miranda ran after her and caught her. “I said no, Laura,” she said firmly, swatting her daughter’s behind once.

“Ow! I wanna see the kitties!” Laura said loudly, trying to wriggle out of her mama’s grasp.

“You can see them later; right now we’re going to see Aunt Matilda and Uncle Rhys,” Miranda replied.

“I’d rather see the kitties,” Laura said mulishly but when her mama said sternly, “Laura Elizabeth Gordon,” she kept quiet.

The Gordons promised they would come over right after high tea so Laura could see Athena and Boots before she left for the parsonage, and then the families separated.

“Let’s surprise your aunt and uncle,” Bronwen suggested. “The four of you stand where no one can see you when they open the door.”

Daisy’s dark face lit up with a smile when she came to answer the knock at the door and saw Adam and Bronwen. “Welcome home, Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright!” she said happily. “Come in.”

Matilda rushed down the hall from the kitchen, hurriedly removing the apron that protected her blue poplin dress with its wide lace collar, as the Cartwrights stepped inside. “Bronwen, Adam! It’s so good to see you,” she exclaimed, her smile as warm as Daisy’s as she hugged first Bronwen and then Adam. “Rhys, they’re here,” she called. Then she turned to Daisy and said, “Please make us some tea. I think it’s warm enough that we’ll be more comfortable on the verandah.”

Daisy nodded and headed for the kitchen.

Rhys appeared in his shirtsleeves without a tie, his casualness a contrast to his wife’s more formal attire.

“It’s wonderful to see you again, little sister,” he said, hugging Bronwen. “And you, too, Adam,” he added with a wide grin as he shook his friend’s hand.

“We brought a surprise,” Bronwen said then, her eyes sparkling. “C’mon in,” she called.

Rhys and Matilda’s expressions changed from puzzlement to joy when they beheld the niece they hadn’t seen in fifteen years.

“Oh Miranda,” Matilda said, her voice catching in a sob and her eyes filling with tears. She hugged her niece tightly as she said, “We never thought we’d see you again.”

Rhys hugged her next and then they both looked at the doorway where William and the children stood.

“Aunt Matilda, Uncle Rhys, I’d like for you to meet my husband, William, and our children, Jon and Laura.”

“I’m very happy to meet you, William,” Rhys said with a friendly smile as he extended his hand. “Never thought I’d have the pleasure.”

“Yes, I’m so pleased to meet you,” Matilda added, “and of course Jon and Laura.” She smiled at the children. ‘Oh my, Jon does have your eyes, Bronwen.”

“My eyes are like Mama’s,” Laura announced and Rhys smiled down at her.

“Too right they are,” he said. Then he called, “Daisy, come see the surprise the Cartwrights brought.”

Daisy came back and her eyes opened very wide and her mouth formed an ‘O’. “Miss Miranda!”

“It’s good to see you, Daisy,” Miranda said with a big dimpled smile. “This is my husband, Dr. Gordon, and my children, Jon and Laura.”

“Why don’t we all sit on the verandah where it’s cooler?” Matilda said. “Daisy will bring us some tea. And milk for the children.”

Once they were all seated on the wicker chairs, Rhys asked, “So, Jon and Laura, what do you think of Australia?”

“I like the kangaroos,” Laura responded enthusiastically.

“Me, too,” Jon said. “Grandpa said in a couple of days, he’ll take me ‘n’ Jory ‘n’ Huw ‘n’ Dylan in the bushes.”

Rhys and Adam smiled and Miranda said gently, “We call it going bush, Jon.”

“Oh, right,” Jon said. “Going bush. Grandpa said we’ll see lots of animals and birds when we go bush.”

“You and Ifor are welcome to join us,” Adam said to Rhys.

“Thanks. If it’s all right with Llywelyn and Emma, I think we will,” Rhys said, smiling broadly.

“How long can you all stay?” Matilda asked.

“About a month,” Miranda answered.

“The college has given me a three to four month leave of absence,” William explained.

“He’s going to write a paper comparing the frontier experience in Australia with the American experience,” Miranda added.

“What an interesting idea,” Rhys said, smiling at William. “Adam and Bronwen loaned me their copy of The Importance of America’s Westward Expansion, and I found your theory very plausible.”

“I thought he should talk with Alexander Kennedy if he and Mrs. Kennedy have returned from Scotland,” Adam said then.

“Yes, they returned about two weeks ago,” Rhys replied. “They bought a house here in town.”

“Now that surprises me,” Adam remarked. “I would have thought Kennedy was as likely to settle here as my pa would have been to settle in Carson or Virginia City.”

“I have my doubts as to how long they’ll stay here,” Rhys said with a wink.

“Mr. Kennedy is getting older,” Bronwen said demurely, but with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Very funny,” Adam said dryly. “Alexander Kennedy is one year my junior,” he explained to William and Miranda. “Three years after we moved here to start our mine, Kennedy and two partners started a cattle station south of Cloncurry.”

“They bought about 300,000 acres,” Rhys added.

“No, I think it was closer to 400,000,” Adam said. “I remember it was about twice the size of our cattle station.”

“After seeing the grass that grows here, I’m surprised anyone can raise cattle,” William commented.

Adam grinned a little and said, “Mitchell grass is hardy and can withstand our long dry season. We’ve imported Brahmans that are better suited to our extreme wet and dry seasons and are crossbreeding them with Shorthorns. Of course, in this environment you need more acres of pasture per steer. In the 1890s, Kennedy and his partner, Sheaffe, worked four cattle stations covering an area of over 1,200 square miles with over 50,000 cattle. Now, the Ponderosa is 1,000 square miles but it can feed more than 50,000 cattle.”

Just then, Daisy came out with Matilda’s china tea service, cups and saucers, and two glasses of milk. After the children took their first sips, Jon made a face and Laura announced loudly, “This tastes funny!”

Miranda’s cheeks burned as she saw the hurt and bewilderment on her aunt’s face. “I’m sorry, Aunt Matilda. You see, we keep our milk from souring by storing it in an ice box. The children have never tasted scalded milk.”

“Oh, I- I never realized,” Matilda stammered, still distressed.

“Of course, you didn’t,” Miranda said quickly.

“It doesn’t excuse Laura and Jon’s rudeness,” William stated, frowning at his children. “You both owe your aunt an apology.” The two children muttered apologies, Jon’s face red from embarrassment. “Now, drink your milk.

“But, Daddy!” Laura whined.

“When I was a little girl, I always drank scalded milk. It doesn’t taste bad; it just tastes different from what you’re used to,” Miranda said, her tone a little sharp.

Both children drank their milk, although Laura was clearly reluctant. After she finished her milk, she was bored by the grownups’ talk. Bronwen saw her squirming in her chair and asked softly, “Would you like to see the house where Grandpa and I live?” Laura nodded and Bronwen said, “Will you excuse Laura and me? I thought she’d like to see our bungalow.”

As soon as they walked inside the bungalow, Laura said, “It’s hot.”

“Yes, I need to open the windows and we’ll leave the door open as well,” Bronwen said.

Laura pulled on Bronwen’s hand. “Let’s go this way,” she said, looking at the door to the library. She looked around the room with its paneled walls and built-in bookshelves as Bronwen opened the windows and the French doors. “You got as many books as we do. Most of ours belong to Daddy and Mama, but some belong to me ‘n’ Jon.” She looked up at Bronwen. “Do you have any books for little girls?”

“A few,” Bronwen replied with a smile. “We have The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, Little Lord Fauntleroy and the books that belonged to your Aunt Penny.”

“Aunt Penny is in Heaven,” Laura said, “with the angels and Jesus.”

“That’s right,” Bronwen said with a wistful little smile.

“Mama showed me pictures of Aunt Penny,” Laura said. The she looked up at her grandma and seeing her pensive expression, Laura asked very seriously, “Do you miss her? Mama said she misses her.”

“Yes, your grandpa and I miss her very much,” Bronwen said quietly. She smiled down at her granddaughter and softly stroked Laura’s silky hair, then asked, “Shall we look at the rest of the house?”

As the Jones family drove to the parsonage, with Beth and Gruffydd sitting in the front seat by Dafydd, the two girls in the surrey’s second seat and the boys in the third, Dafydd turned his head to ask, “So how was your visit to the States?”

“It was a ripper!” Dylan exclaimed.

“Lots of trees, Tada,” Siân said, and Elen added, “The ponderosa pines are so tall they touch the sky.”

“No trees are that tall,” Huw scoffed.

Dafydd and Beth smiled and then Dafydd remarked, “I believe your sister was speaking figuratively, Huw. Now, what did you enjoy about your visit?”

“The baseball game,” Huw said promptly. “Oh, and riding in Uncle William’s automobile.”

“So you got to ride in an automobile,” Dafydd said. “That’s something I would have enjoyed.”

“Mama didn’t care for it,” Beth said with a little giggle.

“Could we get an automobile, Tada?” Dylan asked hopefully.

“No, I’m afraid not,” Dafydd replied. “Even if we could afford one, there’s no place here to buy petrol.”

“What’s petrol?” Dylan asked then.

“It’s what Uncle William puts in the car to make it go,” Huw said, “but he didn’t call it petrol. I think he called it gasoline.”

“That must be the American term,” Dafydd commented.

“They talk different in the States, Tada,” Dylan said then. “They call high tea, supper, and lemon squash, lemonade.”

“Yes, and they call bullocks, steers, and brumbies, mustangs, and tucker, grub,” Huw added. “At least, on the Ponderosa they call tucker, grub. I never heard anyone in Hanover call it that,” he corrected himself.

“Well, boys, it’s a fact that as English-speaking people began to settle in other parts of the world, they began to develop different expressions,” Dafydd explained. “Actually, now that I think of it, the differences began in England. For example, someone from Yorkshire sounds very different from someone who grew up in Somerset.”

“The people we met at the Ponderosa sounded different from the people we met in Hanover,” Huw said. Then he added with a sly grin, “We met a bloke in Hanover who liked Elen.”

“Oh?” Dafydd queried, raising one eyebrow as he glanced at his wife.

“He sat with her at the Nickelodeon and he bought her a soda afterward,” Huw continued.

“Be quiet, Huw!” Elen commanded, turning around to glare at her brother.

“Charley was a very nice young man we met in Hanover,” Beth said quietly, knowing Dafydd would want more details after the children were in bed asleep. “Siân, why don’t you tell Tada how you and Laura and Morwenna and Little Adam rode the Swan Boats.”

“I don’t think Boots remembers me,” Benny said dejectedly when his cat refused to come when he called.

“He’ll remember you. Just give him time,” Gwyneth said consolingly as she held a purring Athena and petted her.

“Boots and Athena missed you,” Mark said, reaching over to tousle Benny’s thick black hair. “Athena didn’t think I was much of a substitute for your mama. In fact, I’m not sure which of us missed her more.” He grinned at his wife before giving her a quick kiss. He tried to pick Morwenna up and kiss her, but she ran behind Gwyneth’s skirt. Mark sighed in frustration.

“You’ll just have to be patient like Benny,” Gwyneth said softly.

“I’m three now, Daddy,” Little Adam announced, tugging on Mark’s hand.

“I’m sorry I missed your party,” Mark said, reaching down to pick up his littlest boy and swing him over his head.

“We had Laura’s birthday party at the hotel in Sydney,” Jory said then. “The hotel made fairy bread, but it wasn’t as good as Mama’s. Before we ate her birthday cake, we went to Bondi Beach and Wonderland City.”

“When we was in Boston, we went to a baseball game, Daddy,” Benny added. “We rode on a train up in the air, and Jon’s other grandpa bought us all Cracker Jack.”

“He was nice but I didn’t like Jon’s other grandma much,” Jory announced.

“Jory!” Gwyneth scolded.

“Well, I don’t think she liked us either. She never even smiled,” Jory retorted.

“That doesn’t matter. It’s still rude for you to speak about her that way,” Gwyneth scolded, even though she actually shared Jory’s opinion. “I need to start preparing high tea so you boys go see Blackie.”

“I wanna see Blackie,” Little Adam said, seeing his big brothers going off without him.

“Do you want to come see Blackie, Morwenna?” Mark asked but the little girl only clung to her mama’s skirts and stared at her daddy with dark eyes just like his own. With a sigh, he put Little Adam on his shoulders and headed for the paddock.

Miranda, William and Jon decided to join Bronwen and Laura when Matilda went inside to finish preparing high tea, giving Adam and Rhys a chance to talk. “What’s new here in Cloncurry?” Adam asked Rhys

“Not a lot,” Rhys replied. “A couple more hotels burned down and arson is suspected. Oh, Sandy Campbell passed away not long after you left. Mrs. Campbell and Douglas sold the newspaper and she went to live with her sister in Charters Towers. I believe Douglas returned to Brisbane. He mentioned that he works as a printer there.”

“I’m sorry for their loss, of course, but I won’t deny I’m relieved to know Douglas is gone,” Adam said slowly.

“Yes, I thought you would be,” Rhys said quietly. “Mark certainly was.” Changing the subject, he asked, “So A.C. decided to settle on the Ponderosa?”

“Yes, eventually,” Adam replied. Seeing his friend’s puzzled expression, he explained proudly, “Right now, he’s studying to be a veterinarian.”

Rhys grinned and clapped his friend’s back. “A veterinarian, eh? I’m not surprised since I remember how much he enjoyed helping MacDonald.”

“I’m glad that he’s found a profession that will give him the same satisfaction that mine gave me,” Adam said earnestly. “He’ll have to work hard, but he’s never been afraid of that, especially doing something he genuinely enjoys.”

“Too right,” Rhys agreed.

“I, uh, had a surprise waiting for me at the Ponderosa,” Adam said carefully. He hesitated and Rhys waited until his friend was ready to continue. “You remember I told you that my pa never stopped hoping to find the woman my brother Hoss was intending to marry when he died.” Rhys nodded slowly, recalling his friend’s pain and grief when he’d received the news of his brother’s death. “Since he knew there was a chance she and Hoss might have had a child, he left a third of Cartwright Enterprise in trust for that child. He or she would have been about a year younger than Gwyneth, and we’d never heard anything in all these years, so I thought there probably was no child.” Adam’s tone was bleak, and Rhys placed a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“When we arrived at San Francisco, there was a letter from A.C. waiting for me.” Adam smiled then. “He wrote that Hoss’s son had turned up at the Ponderosa and his name was Josh Overton. He came thinking Hoss had abandoned his mother, but Bronc and the others explained what had really happened.” Adam stopped for a moment and then said thoughtfully, “He doesn’t resemble Hoss any more than A.C. resembles me, but in the short time I was able to spend with him, I could see my brother in him.”

Adam’s mouth twisted into a wry grin as he said, “I wish I could find as much of Joe in Benj, but he is his mother’s son. Sarah is the one who reminds me of Joe.”

Rhys cocked one eyebrow and asked, “So you saw Benj and Sarah? I knew you weren’t sure if you’d see them while you were in Boston for the baseball game.”

“Actually, I saw them at the Ponderosa,” Adam replied. “They’re all living there now and Benj has started a law practice in Carson City.” He paused for a moment before adding, “I’m glad there are still Cartwrights on the Ponderosa, keeping my pa’s dream alive.”

Jon and Laura ran ahead of the adults when they finished the tour of the bungalow. As Bronwen, Miranda and William walked together, he remarked, “Dad is certainly a talented architect.”

“Yes, he is,” Bronwen agreed proudly. “He also designed Rhys and Matilda’s house, and Llywelyn and Emma’s.”

“Uncle Rhys did a wonderful job with the furniture,” William added. “I think I’d like a Morris chair. I really like being able to adjust the back. That’s very ingenious.”

“We could put one in the library,” Miranda commented thoughtfully.

“Sometime while you’re here, you should get your uncle to show you the dollhouse he’s making for his granddaughters,” Bronwen suggested then. “He’s making miniature furniture that is amazing. It’s even more detailed than Penny’s dollhouse.”

“Penny’s dollhouse is at the parsonage, isn’t it?” Miranda asked.

“Yes. First it was Elen’s and now it’s Siân’s,” Bronwen replied. “Eventually, it will come to Morwenna.”

“I’m going to give Laura Penny’s miniature china when she’s older,” Miranda said softly. “I’ve told her and Jon about their Aunt Penny.”

Bronwen smiled and put an arm around her daughter’s shoulders, saying, “Laura told me you’d shown her photographs of Aunt Penny.”

“I- I want to visit Penny’s grave tomorrow,” Miranda said quietly. She turned to William and said, “We’ll go as a family later. This time I want to go by myself.”

“I understand, Dearest,” William said softly, reaching for her hand and entwining their fingers.

Miranda and William went with Jon and Laura to wash their hands before high tea. Miranda told her children, “Now, I expect you both to be polite and eat everything on your plate with no complaints. Some of the food will be different than what we have at home, just like the scalded milk, but if you try it, I think you’ll like it. But even if you don’t, you eat it and thank Aunt Matilda. I don’t want any more rudeness.”

“Okay,” Jon said, but Miranda and William recognized their daughter’s mulish expression.

“Laura, Aunt Matilda and Daisy have worked hard preparing this meal for us and it would be very rude not to eat the food or complain about it. If you do, then I’m going to spank you. Do you understand?” William asked, his expression stern.

“Yes,” Laura said slowly.

“All right then,” William said with a smile, “let’s eat.”

Jon and Laura recognized some of the food on the buffet: the large cottage pie with its mashed potato topping and they’d had scones several times as they’d traveled from Sydney to Cloncurry so they recognized them. They’d never seen toasted bread topped with melted cheese, but it looked good. Then Laura saw the pickled beets and her heart sank. She loathed pickled beets, but if she didn’t eat them, Daddy would spank her. Miranda knew how much her little girl detested beets, so she put a small serving on her plate, wanting to avoid another incident. Luckily, Matilda was talking with Miranda and Bronwen and didn’t see the face Laura made as she swallowed the beets. Adam and Rhys saw and grinned, remembering when their children had been Laura’s age. William started to scold her but instead just rolled his eyes and sighed.

While they were all enjoying Matilda’s bread and butter pudding, someone knocked at the door. After a moment, Llywelyn’s voice could be heard and then he stood in the doorway.

Smiling broadly, he said, “G’day, Aunt Bronwen and Uncle Adam.” Then he saw William and said, “Oh, I didn’t realize you had guests, Mama and Dad.”

“Oh, William isn’t a guest; he’s family,” Rhys said with a wink.

Llywelyn still looked puzzled so Adam said with a grin, “We brought a surprise back, Llywelyn. This is our son-in-law, Dr. William Gordon.”

Llywelyn stepped inside the dining room then and spied his cousin. “Miranda!” he exclaimed joyfully and she jumped up and ran over and hugged him.

“It’s so good to see you,” Miranda said. “Emma’s not with you?”

“She would have been if she’d known you were here,” Llywelyn said, giving his cousin another squeeze. “We finished high tea so I thought I’d come see Aunt Bronwen and Uncle Adam, and Ifor wanted to see Jory.” He held out his hand to William then saying, “Good to meet you, William.”

After being introduced to Jon and Laura, Llywelyn said to Miranda and William, “Why don’t you and the billy lids come home with me? I know how much Emma would enjoy seeing you.”

“I’d love to see Emma and your children,” Miranda said, “but Dafydd will be here soon to take Laura to the parsonage since she’s going to stay with Siân. Oh, I haven’t even packed her bag yet.”

“I’ll take care of that,” Bronwen offered. “We’ll take Laura over to see Athena and Boots and then I’ll pack her bag.”

“Thanks, Mama,” Miranda said because she was eager to see her old friend.

After watching Laura drive off with Dafydd and Siân, Bronwen said to Elen, “Do you mind helping me make up the beds?”

“Of course not, Grandma,” Elen said with a smile.

“While you ladies work, I’ll be a gentleman of leisure read the latest copy of Camera Works that came while we were away,” Adam said with a wink.

As the three of them walked the short distance from the Pentreath house to the bungalow, Adam said to Elen, “I’m proud of you for staying with us so Laura could stay with Siân because I know you’d rather be home.” He put an arm around his oldest grandchild’s shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze.

“Thanks, Grandpa,” she said, smiling up at him.

“I’d really like to surprise Emma,” Llywelyn said to Miranda and William as they walked behind the three boys. “Would you mind waiting on the verandah while I bring her out?”

Miranda and William looked at each other and grinned. “No, we don’t mind,” Miranda said.

As they approached the front yard, a puppy began barking excitedly.

“That’s my dog, Bikkie,” Ifor explained. “I got her while you were gone, Jory. “She’s four months old now.”

“I have a dog, too,” Jon said. “His name is Prince and he’s about a year old.” He added with a big sigh, “I sure miss Prince.”

“Be careful when you open the gate, boys, and don’t let Bikkie out,” Llywelyn called. “Ifor’s cat Ginger died and he took it very hard so we got him a puppy,” he said to Miranda and William. “She’s at that stage when she won’t always come when you call her. Trying to see who’s the boss.”

“I remember that stage well,” William said. “I’d never owned a dog before so it’s a good thing Miranda knew how to train ours.” Miranda smiled at her husband.

Leaving the boys playing with Bikkie, Llywelyn went inside to get Emma. He found her in the girls’ room changing Vicky’s nappy. (He was always glad Uncle Adam had designed such large bedrooms, even so, with the crib and two canopy beds, the room was crowded.)

“Daddy!” Diana squealed, dropping her teddy bear and running toward him as fast as her chubby legs would go. Cathy had been changing her dolly’s nappy but now she ran to Llywelyn, clutching her rag doll in one hand.

Llywelyn lifted first one girl and then the other over his head before kissing their chubby cheeks.

“Kiss Susan, Daddy,” Cathy commanded, holding up her doll, and he pretended to drop a loud smacking kiss on the doll’s cheek.

Emma had finished with Vicky, who was waving and cooing at her daddy, so she handed the baby to him.

“How were Aunt Bronwen and Uncle Adam?” she asked after she and Llywelyn exchanged a quick kiss.

“They’re fine and they brought back a surprise,” Llywelyn replied with a grin. “I brought it with me and it’s on the verandah. Let’s all go see.”

“A surprise!” Cathy and Diana squealed, running ahead of their parents. Diana, at not quite two, couldn’t reach the doorknob to open the front door and not quite five-year-old Cathy had to stand on tiptoe so she was in the process of turning the knob when Emma and Llywelyn caught up with them.

“Let Mama go out first,” Llywelyn said firmly, placing a restraining hand on Cathy’s shoulder. “Wait, Diana,” he commanded, moving quickly to grab his middle girl while holding his youngest in his other arm.

“You’re certainly being mysterious,” Emma remarked, raising one eyebrow before walking onto the verandah. Then she froze. “Oh Miranda!” she exclaimed, running to her friend.

The two women hugged and cried while their husbands smiled and the two little girls looked on with round eyes.

“Like a look at our house, William?” Llywelyn asked with a grin. “I know our wives won’t miss us.”

“Sure,” William replied, smiling broadly. “And I think these pretty young ladies must be your daughters.”

“I’m Cathy. I’m almost five,” Cathy announced. “And this is Susan.”

“Pleased to meet you, Cathy and Susan,” William said with a grin.

“I Diana,” the toddler said then, tugging on his trousers.

“And this is Vicky, our youngest,” Llywelyn said, adding, “Girls, this is your cousin, William. We’re going to take him on a tour of our house.”

As they went inside, Emma pulled her handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her tears away and then blew her nose. “I never thought I’d see you again,” she said to Miranda in a voice that was still a little shaky.

“I know,” Miranda said as she finished wiping her own eyes. “It’s all due to William. He convinced the head of his department to allow him to write a comparison of life in the Outback and the American West, and so here we are.”

Emma looked at the three boys playing with the puppy and asked, “Is that Jon?”

Miranda smiled. “Yes. We met Ifor. He reminds me a lot of Llywelyn at that age. Laura is staying with Siân so we couldn’t bring her with us tonight.” She called, “Jon, come here and meet your Cousin Emma.”

Jon reluctantly left the game of fetch and walked onto the verandah. “Hello, Cousin Emma,” he said politely.

“Hello, Jon. I’m pleased to meet you,” Emma said with a smile.

“You may go back and play now,” Miranda said, and the two women smiled as he ran to rejoin the other boys.

“He certainly has your mother’s eyes,” Emma commented, “but I think he must take more after William.”

“Yes, I think so,” Miranda agreed. “Laura takes more after me but they both have William’s hair.”

“Oh, the men must have gone inside and taken the girls with them,” Emma said then.

“Aunt Matilda must be so pleased to have three granddaughters,” Miranda remarked as they went inside.

‘Too right she is,” Emma said with a grin. “When it was just Cathy, she spoiled her. Now that she has three granddaughters, that’s no longer really a problem.” She grinned more broadly as she added, “I’m glad she enjoys sewing dresses for the girls because you know how much I like to sew.”

“As much as I do,” Miranda said with a laugh.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Miranda said to William, reaching for his hand as they walked to the Pentreath house while Jon and Jory ran ahead.

He smiled and said, “I was just thinking how different our families are. I mean, I’ve known for some time that you and your parents and siblings are much closer than my family, and I could see how close you were to your grandpa and Uncle Joe. Now I see that you and Aunt Matilda, Uncle Rhys and Llywelyn are just as close.” He added slowly, “I never realized what an adjustment you had to make.”

She squeezed his hand and rested her head on his shoulder. “Yes, but our family is close and since we’ll be visiting the Ponderosa every summer, Jon and Laura will get to know A.C. and their Cartwright cousins.” They walked together in silence and then she said softly, “I can’t thank you enough for making it possible for me to visit Cloncurry.”

“My motives weren’t entirely altruistic,” he said with a little grin. “I’d always been curious about your life here. I confess I’m relieved we’re not visiting in your summer.”

“So am I,” she said with a giggle.

Beth was darning Dafydd’s socks in his study when he came from hearing the boys say their prayers and tucking them in.

“I looked in on Siân and Laura and they’re both asleep,” he said as he sat in the armchair beside hers.

“Good,” Beth said, setting down her darning. “Poor Laura! I can’t blame her for not wanting to use the outhouse when she’s accustomed to a water closet.”

“Yes, it is an adjustment, and she is only five,” Dafydd agreed. His expression grew more serious as he said, “Bethan, we need to talk about this young man who bought Elen a soda.”

“I know, but must we talk just now, Cariad?” she asked. She got up and sat on Dafydd’s lap, putting her arms around his neck. “I’ve missed you so much these past months,” she said softly before kissing him. When the kiss ended, she asked, “Couldn’t we talk later?”

For an answer, he kissed her, and then stood up with her in his arms and carried her to their bedroom.

Later, Beth lay with her head pillowed on Dafydd’s broad chest while he gently stroked her long silken hair.

“Now, about the young man,” he said quietly.

“There’s really not much to tell,” Beth said, turning so she could see his face. “Miranda invited Charley to come with us to the Nickelodeon. He did sit by Elen, but Daddy sat by him and A.C. sat beside Elen so they weren’t alone.”

“What about buying her a soda?”

“He asked me if he could and since Mama and Daddy, William, A.C. and the boys were all going to be there with them, it seemed harmless.” She paused and then added, “Charley seemed a sweet boy and Miranda said he’s normally shy around girls, but he and Elen were immediately drawn to each other.”

“Bethan, Elen is just a little girl,” Dafydd said firmly.

“No, Dafydd, she’s not,” Beth replied in a tone that was just as firm. “She’s not a woman yet, I grant you that. But neither is she a little girl.” She caressed his cheek softly as she said, “I remember how hard it was for Daddy as he watched me change from his little girl to a young woman.”

“And now I understand how he felt,” Dafydd said with a sigh. “But he was right not to allow young men to call on you until you were sixteen.”

Beth nodded slowly, for she took her vow to obey seriously. She took Dafydd’s face between her hands and said softly, “Elen is lucky to have you for a father.” Then she kissed him tenderly.

Adam gave a sigh of satisfaction as he felt Bronwen curl up beside him in their bed. “I enjoyed our travels, but it is good to be home,” he said emphatically.

She grinned a little as she sang softly:

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble there ‘s no place like home!
A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there,
Which, seek through the world, is ne’er met with elsewhere.

Adam smiled at her as he harmonized on the chorus:

Home! home! sweet, sweet home!
There’s no place like home!

When they finished, they kissed and Adam said with a wink, “In the morning, we’ll celebrate our return.”

Miranda had always risen early and the next morning she got out of bed without disturbing William, and dressed quietly by the early morning light beginning to fill the room. When she stepped into the hallway, she could hear movement in the kitchen and discovered her sister lighting the kitchen range.

“Good morning,” Miranda said with a smile.

“Good morning. You’re up early,” Gwyneth said, her dimples showing as she smiled.

“I wanted to visit Penny,” Miranda said quietly.

Gwyneth nodded and then looked out the window. “It’s not really light yet. Let me fix you some tea and toast. By that time the sun will be up. Mark and the boys won’t be down until then.” She smiled and said, “Elen keeps her cob here; she won’t mind if you ride Bucephalas.”

Miranda had a good sense of direction and even after fifteen years, she remembered the way to the cemetery. Gwyneth had told her where Penny was buried, and she found the grave easily. There were no blooms on the rosebush, but it was well tended. Miranda looked at the granite marker, growing weathered with the passing years, and read the inscription:

Here sleeps in Jesus all that was mortal of
Penelope Jane Cartwright,
beloved daughter and sister.
She here waits the transporting moment
when the Trump of God
shall call her to Glory, Honor and Immortality.

Oh, Death where is thy sting?
Oh Grave where is thy victory?

Miranda sank to her knees, letting her tears flow unchecked. “Oh, little sister, I miss you. It’s hard for me to believe you’ve been gone for fifteen years. I can still picture you playing Old Bachelor with A.C. and having tea parties with your dolls. I know you’re in a better place, but how I wish Jon and Laura could spend time with you just as they have with Beth and Gwyneth.” She was silent for a moment before adding, “Until Jon was born, I never truly understood Daddy and Mama’s pain when they lost you. But I remember Mama writing that they are both finally able to thank God that they had you for twelve years and not be angry that there weren’t more.”

She stood slowly and then said softly, “Rest in peace, little sister.”

When Miranda got back to the house, she discovered Mary had returned from visiting her family. She was delighted to see Miranda again and meet her husband and children. Once everyone had finished breakfast, Miranda helped Gwyneth do the laundry and keep an eye on Little Adam and Morwenna while Mary ironed clothes the Pentreaths and Gordons could wear to church the next day. Matilda sent Daisy over to help Bronwen and then she watched the little ones for Beth while she and Elen washed and ironed clothes. Adam took William to call on Alexander Kennedy and when Kennedy said he had time to talk with William that morning, Adam decided he would watch Little Adam and Morwenna for Gwyneth. All in all, it was a busy day for everyone but the children.

Huw, Dylan and Ifor all came to the Pentreath house to play. The boys got out the old croquet set and the Battledore and Shuttlecock game. Four could play croquet and the other two played Battledore and Shuttlecock. When they tired of that, they played Hide and Seek and Kick the Can. Emma brought Cathy over to play with her cousins at the parsonage. The three little girls with their long brown hair-Cathy’s dark, Laura’s light and Siân’s in between-played hopscotch, Ring Around the Rosie and jumped rope in the morning.

After lunch, Matilda asked the girls, “Would you like to walk to Cloncurry Stores? I’ll buy you each a lolly.”

“Beauty, Grandma!” Cathy exclaimed while Siân said, “Beauty, Aunt Tilda!”

“What’s a lolly?” Laura asked her cousins as they walked beside Matilda, who was pushing Gruffydd in his baby carriage. Siân and Cathy just looked at her, not understanding how anyone wouldn’t know what a lolly was, so she asked Matilda.

“Oh, I don’t know what lollies are called in the States,” Matilda said. “There are different kinds-Humbugs, Bull’s Eyes, Barley Sugar and Butterscotch.”

Laura had no idea what Humbugs and Bull’s Eyes were and she wasn’t too sure about Barley Sugar, but she’d had butterscotch candy. Sure enough, when they walked inside Cloncurry Stores, she saw glass jars with hard candy. Some were black and white, and Aunt Matilda said those were the Humbugs. The Bull’s Eyes were red and white and Laura thought those were probably peppermint. The Barley Sugar was yellow and Aunt Matilda said they were lemon-flavored.

The three little girls stared at the glass jars, trying to decide what to get. Cathy was the first to make up her mind.

“I wanna a Butterscotch, Grandma. Please,” she added hastily.

“I’d like one of the red and white ones, please,” Laura said and her grandaunt smiled at her.

“Have you decided, Siân?” Matilda asked the youngest girl, but she shook her head. “Well, we need to get lollies for your brothers and cousins. I know Ifor, Jory and Little Adam like Humbugs. Benny and Dylan like Butterscotch and Huw prefers Barley Sugar. What would Jon like, Laura?”

“I think he’d like the red and white,” Laura replied.

“I wanna Bull’s Eye, please, Aunt Tilda,” Siân said then.

The storekeeper put the boys’ lollies in a little paper bag and then gave each girl hers. Matilda said, “Give me a sixpence worth of Barley Sugar in a separate bag, please.” Then she said to Laura, “I remember your mama used to love Barley Sugar.”

When Matilda returned home to prepare high tea, she stopped at the Pentreath house to give the boys their lollies and to give her niece hers.

“Barley Sugar! Oh, thank you, Aunt Matilda!” Miranda exclaimed, hugging her aunt. “They have lemon drops in the States, but they aren’t as good.”

That evening Miranda and William had high tea with Bronwen and Adam at the bungalow. (Jon ate with the Pentreaths and Laura with the Joneses.)

“Your dining room is so intimate. I really like it,” Miranda commented after Adam had blessed the food and they began to eat Bronwen’s poacher’s pie, teisen nionod, and the speckled bread called bara brith that was one of Miranda’s favorites. “I especially like the round table for four.”

“Everything is delicious, Mama,” William said. “I had teisen nionod when I was in Wales, but it wasn’t as good as this,” he added with a smile. Then he said to Adam, “I really want to thank you for introducing me to Alexander Kennedy, Dad. He was as excellent a resource on the early days of Cloncurry as you and Mama were. And many of his experiences mirror what you and your father told me of your early days on the Ponderosa. In the beginning, he and his family lived first in a tent and then a small cabin or hut just as you did. In the same way that the early settlers in Nevada had trouble with the Paiutes, Kennedy told me his first partner was killed by the Kalkadoons.” He stopped, realizing the topic wasn’t suitable for the dinner table. “Sorry,” he said, his fair complexion betraying his embarrassment. “Anyway,” he continued, “our discussion today certainly confirms my hypothesis.”

“I thought that it would. There are some other original settlers still living here,” Adam said, “and I’ll be happy to introduce you. You probably should start with Rhys and Matilda. Dr. Brooke would be another excellent resource.”

“I’ll call on Uncle Rhys and Aunt Matilda tomorrow,” William stated.

The second Saturday of the Gordons’ visit, as Adam, Bronwen and Elen ate breakfast, Adam said to Elen, “I have a favor to ask of you.” Elen nodded and he explained. “You know I promised the boys we would go bush while Jon is here, and I think we’ll leave Monday. I need you to let Huw ride Bucephalas so Jon can ride Buttermilk.”

“May I ride Blackbird?” she asked, referring to A.C.’s spirited black gelding that was nearly sixteen hands.

“No, I’m sorry,” Adam replied. He put up a restraining hand and said, “I know you’re an excellent rider, Elen, but you’re barely five foot two. Blackbird is too much for you to handle.” Seeing her disappointment, he said gently, “I’m sure your Aunt Gwyneth will let you ride Artemis.”

Elen wasn’t mollified by that suggestion since her aunt’s beautiful Waler mare was nearly twenty, but she didn’t want to act like a baby so she managed a little smile. It didn’t fool her grandparents, but they were pleased she made the effort.

William decided to accept Adam’s invitation so there were eight of them going bush. Huw had been going bush with his grandpa for four years and Dylan for three so they were good bushmen. This was only the second time for Jory and Ifor, so Jon felt they were about equal. Benny begged to come even though he knew his brother and cousins had all been eight (or almost eight) the first time they went bush. When he was told he couldn’t go, he sulked and refused to say goodbye when the others left.

The sun was blazing in a brilliant blue sky when the eight of them left Monday morning. Adam had checked the thermometer and it was already 80 degrees. He’d loaned William his gelding, Mercury, so he was riding Blackbird. He’d also loaned William his old black Stetson. (“Afraid your derby won’t offer enough protection from the sun,” he’d told his son-in-law.) Jon opened his eyes wide when he saw his grandpa wore a gunbelt.

Adam noticed Jon’s reaction and explained, “I wear the gun because I might need to shoot snakes. Also, if I shoot a rabbit we can have rabbit stew.” He smiled down at his grandson, who looked up at him and grinned.

Since it was the dry season, even the ponies were able to cross what was left of the river with no difficulty.

“Usually we go bush in the summer and we have to use the bridge ‘cause the river has plenty of water,” Dylan informed his uncle and cousin. “The grass is green then and the wattle trees and bottlebrush have flowers.”

“Oh, what are those birds?” Jon asked excitedly as a flock of small bright green birds flew away as they approached the tall grass that grew along the river bank.

“You call them parakeets,” Adam replied with a smile.

“Parakeets!” Jon repeated in amazement. “Wait’ll I tell Freddy I saw a whole flock of parakeets like Dickie.”

“Jon’s friend Freddy has a pet parakeet,” William explained.

“See those birds that are grey and pink?” Huw asked, pointing. “Those are Galahs.”

Just then a raucous cry was heard and Jory said with a grin, “That’s a Kookaburra.”

After Adam, Rhys and the boys left, Gwyneth said to Bronwen and Miranda, “It’s such a lovely morning. I’ll ask Mary to make us some tea, and we can sit here on the verandah and talk and keep an eye on Little Adam and Morwenna while they play with their blocks and Little Adam’s lion.”

“Beauty,” Bronwen said with a smile for her middle child.

As Gwyneth went inside, Bronwen and Miranda sat in the wicker chairs around the wicker table. Miranda turned to her mother and said with just a touch of concern, “I hope Daddy isn’t trying to do too much, going bush with the boys.”

“No, he loves it,” Bronwen stated firmly. “He told me that it reminds him of how he taught your Uncle Hoss how to fish and trap and hunt back on the Ponderosa when they were boys, and how they both taught your Uncle Joe.”

Gwyneth rejoined them in time to hear Bronwen’s comment and added, “It’s a special time for Daddy and the boys. Sometimes Uncle Rhys, Llywelyn and Ifor go bush with them, but Mark and Dafydd are not bushmen and they don’t really have any interest in going bush.”

“Honestly, I was astonished that William accepted Daddy’s invitation,” Miranda said. “When I mentioned my surprise to him, he said that he thought it would give him a little taste of what the pioneers experienced.”

“The boys love going bush and they love learning about it from their grandpa,” Bronwen said, and Gwyneth nodded.

“I know Jon certainly loved hearing stories about when Grandpa was a cowboy while we were traveling here,” Miranda said with a grin.

“All the boys do,” Bronwen said fondly. Her happy expression dimmed a little and she said, “Poor Benny. He was so disappointed not to go with the older boys.”

“I know, but he’s too little. Mark is going to try and make it up to him this evening,” Gwyneth said. “He’ll play a game with Benny or read to him, whichever he prefers.” She added softly, “I’m glad he’s spending more time with the boys now.”

“William and Jon have always been close,” Miranda said. “He told me that he didn’t want to be a distant figure to Jon, the way his father was to him. He saw the close relationship between Grandpa and Uncle Joe and between Daddy and A.C., and he’s used them as a model. William’s teaching Jon how to play baseball and how to row. He’s the one who reads a bedtime story to Jon and Laura.” She grinned as she added, “William and Jon both like taking Prince for walks and playing fetch with him.”

Just then they saw Beth pushing Gruffydd’s baby carriage with Laura and Siân walking in front and waved to them. The little girls waved back and then they ran ahead.

“G’day, Grandma. G’day, Aunt Gwyneth and Aunt Miranda,” Siân said breathlessly as she ran up the verandah’s steps. She was clutching her doll in one hand.

Laura was right behind her, carrying her teddy bear. “Hello,” she said, smiling at the women.

Just then, Mary came out carrying a tray with Gwyneth’s tea service.

“Oh, I can I have some tea, Mama?” Laura asked.

Miranda and Gwyneth smiled and then Gwyneth said, “Why don’t you girls take Maude and Teddy over to the little table and have your own tea party?” All four Cartwright sisters had used the little wicker table for doll tea parties, Penny the most and Gwyneth the least.

“Beauty, Aunt Gwyneth!” Siân exclaimed and Laura grinned happily.

“Mary, could you bring four more cups and saucers for the girls party?” Gwyneth asked with a wink.

“Too right,” Mary said with a big smile. “And I’ll bring one for Miss Beth.” She returned as Beth walked up the steps with Gruffydd. She’d brought some of Gwyneth’s stoneware for the girls’ tea party and Gwyneth carefully poured about a teaspoon of tea in two of the stoneware cups before filling them with milk. The girls carefully carried their cups to the little table and Mary set the empty cups and saucers in front of Maude and Teddy, who were already sitting in two of the little wicker chairs. Bronwen smiled as she watched the little girls sip their milk, trying to imitate their mamas.

Beth put Gruffydd down so he could crawl over to where his cousins were playing with their blocks. Little Adam would hurry and stack blocks and Morwenna would gleefully knock them down. Gruffydd picked one up and began to chew on it.

“Where’s Elen?” Bronwen asked as Beth sat next to her while Gwyneth poured her sister a cup of tea, then added a little sugar and milk before handing her the cup and saucer.

“She and Kerra and Molly are going to Mrs. Harrington’s dress shop,” Beth replied. “Kerra and Molly want to see if she can order corsets like the ones we bought at Bloomingdale’s.”

“I hope she can,” Bronwen said. “It is the most comfortable corset I’ve ever worn.”

“Too right it is!” Beth agreed.

“Not only are they more comfortable but they’re healthier,” Miranda said. “Women’s clothing is ridiculous. I think Amelia Bloomer and the Rational Dress Society had the right idea when they tried to reform women’s clothing.”

“Thus says our sister the suffragette,” Beth said, shaking her head slightly while Bronwen and Gwyneth smiled.

Just then Gruffydd screamed in outrage. He’d reached for a block Morwenna wanted and she’d slapped him.

“Morwenna hitted Gruffydd,” Little Adam announced.

Beth and Gwyneth both stood up. Beth picked her baby up and kissed his cheek, and then put him down. He immediately began to stack the blocks to make a rather unsteady tower.

“Morwenna, you mustn’t hit other people,” Gwyneth scolded. “Now, let’s let the boys play with the blocks; how would you like to play with the Noah’s Ark or look at one of your picture books?”

“Book,” Morwenna said, smiling up at her mama.

“I wanna a book,” Little Adam said, getting up quickly.

“You and Morwenna may each get a book and bring them out here,” Gwyneth said, and then she said to her mama and sisters, “Please excuse us for a minute.

“Little Adam certainly loves stories, doesn’t he?” Miranda remarked.

“Yes, he reminds me of his mama and you at that age,” Bronwen said with a reminiscent smile.

Changing the subject, Miranda said, “This house is so much the same as when I lived here, and yet so different. I didn’t know Gwyneth and Mark had changed the wallpaper in the drawing room.”

“Our old paper really didn’t go with their sofa and chairs,” Bronwen said mildly.

“I didn’t mean it as a criticism,” Miranda said quickly. “Just an observation.” She smiled wistfully as she said, “Now, I knew our old room was being redecorated since it would be Benny and Little Adam’s, but it was still a shock when I saw it.”

“It’s a shock for me every time I see it,” Beth admitted. “I like it, but it’s just so different from our room.”

“Putting bunk beds in the boys’ room is an interesting idea,” Miranda said as Gwyneth returned with the children, each clutching a book.

“It was Daddy’s idea,” Beth said. “It makes the room less crowded. He suggested it to us first since Huw and Dylan’s room is small. With the bunk beds, there’s room for a desk in the boys’ room. When Gruffydd is older, we’ll have a trundle bed under Dylan’s bunk. By the time he’s outgrown the trundle bed, Huw will be away at college.” She stopped and said a little sadly, “It’s hard for me to believe Huw will be eighteen in just a little over six years.”

Little Adam tugged on Bronwen’s arm. “Read me ‘tory, Ga-ma. Pease.”

She smiled at his upturned face and said, “Let’s go sit on the swing, shall we?”

Beth realized she needed to go home to prepare lunch but when she told the little girls, who’d joined Bronwen and Little Adam on the swing, they whined that they wanted to hear the story.

“I’ll be happy to watch them,” Miranda said quickly.

“And they can have lunch with me,” Bronwen said. “Would you like that?”

“Too right!” Siân said, and Laura echoed, “Too right!” Her mama, grandma and aunt all smiled at that.

“And we’ll have a nicer lunch than your grandpa and brothers will,” Bronwen added with a grin.

Adam, Rhys, William and the boys stopped at midday to eat and rest their mounts. The gidgee trees didn’t provide much shade from the blazing sun and William was grateful for the Stetson.

“I haven’t seen any water since the river,” he commented to Adam and Rhys.

“In the dry season, the creeks and rivers dry up,” Rhys said.

“Since here in the Outback we can’t move freight by water, you can see why the railroad is so important to us. Before it finally came to Cloncurry, all the mines used camels to transport their ore,” Adam explained.

When they made camp that evening, Adam appointed Huw horsetailer and sent William with the rest of the boys to gather firewood while he and Rhys went to hunt rabbits. They returned empty-handed to find Huw had the horses grazing and he was using a flint and steel to start the fire while the younger boys looked on admiringly.

“I’m afraid it will have to be beans and salt pork tonight, mates,” Adam said. “We couldn’t spot any rabbits.”

“Can I make the damper, Grandpa?” Huw asked eagerly and Adam nodded, proud of his oldest grandson’s skill as a bushman. He explained to William and Jon, “Damper is the bread we make when we go bush.”

Rhys said, “Since Huw has the fire going, I’ll put the billy on.”

Jon and his father watched in amazement when after scooping some tea into the billy and letting it brew, Rhys twirled the billy round and round at arm’s length.

Jon couldn’t contain himself and asked curiously, “What are you doing, Uncle Rhys?”

Rhys grinned at him. “It’s an old bushman’s trick to settle the tea leaves.”

“Oh,” Jon said, still mystified.

They gathered around the campfire as the sun set and the temperature grew more comfortable. Adam served up the pork and beans from the Bedourie oven he’d brought. William and Jon looked horrified when Dylan removed the damper from the ashes, and the others all grinned at them.

“You both remind me of my pa and my brother Hoss the first time I fixed them damper,” Adam said with a wink.

“I know it doesn’t look appetizing now,” Rhys added, “but I promise, it’s delicious.”

“And I have a tin of golden syrup in my tucker bag,” Huw said. “I brought it so we could eat it with the damper.”

“Beauty!” Dylan, Jory and Ifor exclaimed as their faces showed their delight.

“All right, Dad and Uncle Rhys, I trust you. If you say it’s delicious, I believe you,” William said. When he bit into a piece of the hot bread topped with the sweet golden syrup, he swallowed and then said with a smile, “It is delicious!” Then he said encouragingly to his son, “Try it, Jon. You’ll like it.”

As Jon prepared to take his first bite, he scrunched his face up in comical contortions. His expression quickly changed to one of bliss as he chewed the bite. “It is good!” he said wonderingly.

“The billy tea isn’t bad either,” William commented as he sipped his. “I still miss coffee though.”

“It took me years to stop missing coffee,” Adam said. Then he added with a wink, “And I drank plenty of it while I was back in the States.”

After they ate, Adam sang the songs he’d learned on cattle drives and the others joined in when they knew the song. He quit when he could see the three youngest could barely keep their eyes open.

Jon woke from a deep sleep, totally disoriented. Then he heard the yelp that had awakened him, and he sat straight up. “Wh- what’s that?” he asked in a frightened voice.

Adam and Rhys were both light sleepers and Jon’s voice woke them. “Are you all right, Jon?” Adam asked softly, not wanting to wake the others.

“I heard something,” Jon replied, and then he heard the yelp again. “That. What is that?” he asked fearfully.

“That’s just some dingos out hunting,” Adam said calmly.

“They won’t bother us,” Rhys added.

“We’ll be fine. Try and go back to sleep,” Adam said.

The two older men sounded so sure and so calm that Jon soon fell back asleep.

The next morning as Jon watched his granduncle prepare the billy tea, he asked, “Could I have some billy tea, Uncle Rhys? Please.”

Rhys looked at William, who was watching Adam fry dried meat while Huw made the damper.

“Okay, you may try a little billy tea,” William said with a grin.

“Can we have some?” the other boys asked their grandpas.

“Yes, you may,” Adam said and Rhys nodded.

The boys enjoyed the fried meat with their damper, but when they took a sip of the billy tea, they each made a face.

The men chuckled at their grimaces and Rhys said with a grin, “Add some sugar, mates.”

Still chuckling, Adam said, “You all remind me of the first time I ever drank coffee. It was on my first muster, or roundup as we called it. That coffee was so strong and so bitter. I looked over at my friend Ross, and he didn’t like it any better than I did. All the other stockmen, including our fathers, laughed and teased us. After a couple of days, the coffee didn’t taste so bad to us,” he added with a wink.

When the three men and five boys returned that evening, Adam saw Bronwen waiting on the verandah, and waved to her as he and the others headed for the barn to take care of their mounts. As soon as he finished with Blackbird, he hurried to the bungalow. He kissed Bronwen and then she held up an envelope, smiling happily.

“A letter from A.C. came today. I knew you’d be back so I waited,” Bronwen said, her face aglow with happiness.

Adam was pleased A.C. wasn’t forgetting his promise to write more often. He smiled down at Bronwen and said, “Why don’t you read it since I don’t have my reading glasses.”

They sat down on the swing and Bronwen took the letter from the envelope. (She’d already used Adam’s letter opener so as soon as he returned, they could read the letter.)

September 8, 1908

Dear Mama and Dad,

I finished my first week here in Pullman. You were right about having to study hard, Dad, but the classes are interesting. At least most are. The same can be said of my professors. I’m taking classes in physics, biology, chemistry and veterinary anatomy this term.

Let me tell you about the other boarders. Frank Macleod and George Hawkins are both in their final year. George is very serious and spends most of his time studying, but he tells me he loves to play baseball and basketball. When I told him I knew a little about baseball but nothing about basketball, he said he’ll teach me how to play basketball this Saturday morning. Frank has a fiancée so when he isn’t studying, he’s with her. I only see him at breakfast and occasionally supper. See, I’m working on talking like an American.

Henry Barnes is only a year ahead of me. He’s friendly and he’s been very helpful.

They are all from the state of Washington. Frank and Henry grew up on farms in the area around Pullman, and George is from the town of Yakima, which is west of Pullman. They were all surprised that a bloke from Australia would be studying to be a veterinarian here at Pullman so I explained about Dad being from Nevada and that I plan on settling there on the family ranch once I’m a licensed doctor of veterinary medicine.

Mama, I know you’ll be pleased that I’m attending the Methodist church on Maple Street. I can easily walk there from the boarding house. Everyone has been very friendly.

I miss you both very much, and I’m looking forward to a letter from you.

Your loving son,
A.C.

“He sounds happy, don’t you think?” Bronwen asked as she refolded the letter and put it back in the envelope.

“Yes, he does,” Adam replied, hugging her gently. “He has a knack for making friends and he’s enjoying his studies. I’m sure he’ll be happy in the life he’s chosen. Now, I’m starved so when do we eat?”

The next two weeks seemed to fly by and it was time for the Gordons to return home. All the Cartwrights, Joneses and Davies gathered at the Pentreath house for a big picnic. The children played together for the last time and as the twilight darkened, the sisters and cousins said their goodbyes.

The next morning, Adam and Bronwen walked to the railroad station with the Gordons. As the six of them waited on the platform, Laura said solemnly, “I’m gonna miss you, Grandma and Grandpa. Are you gonna come see us again?”

“Oh, I wish we could, Precious,” Bronwen replied, bending down and hugging her granddaughter. Laura threw her arms around her grandma and hugged her tightly.

Adam reached down and picked Laura up and kissed her cheek. “Grandma and I will write to all of you, and when you’re old enough to learn how to write, we’d love to get letters from you.”

Laura nodded as she said, “I will write you lots of letters.” Then she kissed his cheek and he set her down.

“I’m gonna miss you, too,” Jon said. He hesitated and then hugged first Bronwen and then Adam. “I promise I’ll write.”

Adam turned to William then and said intently, “William, we can’t thank you enough for bringing your family to Cloncurry.”

“I’m glad we could come. I always wanted to see where Miranda grew up, and it was good to meet my brothers-in-law, Uncle Rhys, Aunt Matilda, Llywelyn and his family,” William said, smiling warmly. Growing more serious, he added, “Just like Laura and Jon, I’m really going to miss you both.”

“And we’ll miss you, William,” Bronwen said as she hugged him.

The train’s whistle could be heard dimly so Miranda hugged her mama and her daddy and kissed their cheeks. With tears in her eyes, she said, “I’m so glad we could spend so much time together. I love you both and I’m going to miss you so much.”

The train was pulling into the station so Bronwen and Adam quickly hugged their daughter one last time, telling her they loved her.

Adam and Bronwen stood together holding hands as they watched the train disappear from sight. “I’m afraid we’ll never see them again,” she said sadly.

“Never say never, Sweetheart,” he said gently before leaning down and kissing her tenderly.

Epilogue
Sixteen Years Later – April 1924

Adam sat on the verandah, enjoying the cool autumn day. Unusual for a weekday, he was wearing a suit and tie. He smiled and waved as his nephew parked his automobile in front of the bungalow. Three years earlier, Llywelyn and Mark had each purchased a Buick Nineteen Twenty One Open Car-the first automobiles in Cloncurry. Adam enjoyed riding in them but Bronwen didn’t, so he contented himself going for rides with Llywelyn or Mark-even occasionally with his namesake.

As Llywelyn got out of his car, Adam stood up. A little more slowly and carefully than he once did, but he was proud of the fact that at age eighty-seven he didn’t need a cane. He went inside the bungalow and found Bronwen in their bedroom, putting on her hat and gloves. He rolled his eyes as he observed the shapeless beige linen suit she was wearing. She’d finished it the week before, telling him it was very fashionable. In his opinion, women’s fashions had taken a decided turn for the worse after the war. They seemed designed to hide the feminine figure. And bobbing their hair! When Elen and Cathy had bobbed theirs, he’d been appalled.

“It must be so much easier to take care of,” Bronwen had remarked when she’d first seen the young women’s short hair. As she’d observed her husband’s scowl, she’d added with a smile, “Don’t worry, Cariad, it’s a young woman’s hair style.”

Now Adam said to her, “Llywelyn’s here,” and she turned toward him with a smile. Her happy excitement was obvious and it was contagious; he grinned broadly and offered her his arm.

As they walked to the front door she said, “It’s going to be hard waiting for the train from Townsville. Just think, Cariad! In half an hour, we’ll see Miranda and A.C. and all our American grandchildren.” Her joyful expression grew wistful as she added softly, “Except Jon and Laura.”

They both thought sadly of the two grandchildren lost in the influenza pandemic. Then their thoughts turned to their oldest grandson, killed at Gallipoli. Adam took one of Bronwen’s hands and gave it a gentle squeeze. She smiled at him and said, “I know they wouldn’t want us to be sad now.”

“Right,” he said quietly. “And they’ll be here in spirit along with Penny, and all those we’ve loved and lost.”

There had been so many losses over the past decade. In addition to Huw, Elen’s young husband, Alex Blundell, and three of Adam and Bronwen’s grandnephews-grandsons of Bronwen’s older brother, Bryn-had died in the war. Four years earlier, Rhys had suffered a stroke. Afterward, his speech had been slurred and he’d been forced to use a cane. Then two years later, Matilda had died suddenly. Cloncurry’s new doctor had said it was a heart attack. Llywelyn and Emma had Rhys move in with them, but Rhys had only survived Matilda by eight months.

Still, on this sunny autumn morning, both Adam’s and Bronwen’s thoughts turned to the happy events soon to take place. Their fiftieth wedding anniversary was this Friday, and Miranda and A.C., along with their families, were traveling from the States to Cloncurry to celebrate with them.

Llywelyn was waiting on the verandah for his aunt and uncle. At forty-seven, his waist had grown a bit thicker and his black hair was liberally sprinkled with gray, but on the whole he had aged well. “Are you ready, Aunt Bronwen?” he asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be to ride in that contraption,” Bronwen replied, rolling her eyes as she glanced toward the automobile. Then the three of them looked over at the larger house next door and saw Mark and Gwyneth walking toward their Buick, so Adam went over to join them. Bronwen was riding to the train station with Llywelyn and Adam with Mark.

“I wish I could go with you to the station,” Gwyneth said wistfully. She had recently celebrated her forty-sixth birthday but looked a decade younger. As yet there were no strands of gray in her ebony curls, her skin was still smooth and, in spite of giving birth to five children, her figure was still slim, although not as slender as it had been before her marriage. Mark’s waist hadn’t thickened like his friend and partner’s, but his hair was as white as his father-in-law’s and there were deep lines etched in his forehead so that he looked older than Llywelyn.

Now Mark smiled slightly and said to his wife, “We’ll bring everyone back as quickly as we can. Beth should be here soon, and I know she’s just as eager to see the others.”

As if on cue, Marged’s voice called, “G’day!” and they saw the exuberant eleven-year-old running ahead of her parents and older brother. Marged, Beth and Dafydd’s ‘surprise’, was the only Jones child who took after her mother. She had Beth’s raven-black hair and milky white skin, and her face was the same perfect oval. Her large eyes, however, were the same dark brown as Dafydd’s. She’d also inherited Bronwen’s nearsightedness and wore a pair of round, wire-rimmed spectacles like her grandma, her Aunt Gwyneth and her brother, Dylan. This morning she was wearing a new dress of pink calico, new pink knee socks, pink ribbons on her long pigtails, and the black patent leather shoes she wore to church.

Adam and Mark waved to Marged and then got in the automobile and drove after Llywelyn and Bronwen. A few minutes later, Marged opened the gate in the white picket fence and ran up to her aunt.

“Oh, I wanted to ride to the station,” she said, disappointment written all over her face.

“I wished I could have gone with them, too,” Gwyneth said with a slight smile, “but with your aunts and uncles and cousins, there just wasn’t room.” Then she turned to smile at her sixteen-year-old nephew as he came through the gate. “G’day, Gruffydd.”

“G’day, Aunt Gwyneth,” the boy said with a smile. Like his oldest sister, Gruffydd bore a strong resemblance to their father. His voice was just beginning to change and had an embarrassing tendency to slide between tenor and treble. Like his little sister, he was dressed in his Sunday best.

Gwyneth saw her sister and brother-in-law approach and waved a greeting. At forty-nine, Beth was still a beautiful woman, but it was a mature beauty. Grief over the loss of her eldest son had turned her hair prematurely white, and Dafydd, too, was marked by sorrow and looked older than his fifty-seven years.

“Where’s Siân?” Gwyneth asked them.

“Oh, she was still getting dressed,” Dafydd replied.

“She just finished hemming her new dress this morning,” Beth added. “I finished mine last night.”

“It’s lovely,” Gwyneth commented, admiring her sister’s short-sleeved floral-print dress that revealed her slender ankles.

“I like yours,” Beth said, smiling at her sister’s sailor dress of white linen trimmed with navy stripes on the short sleeves and just above the not-quite ankle-length hem.

Morwenna walked onto the verandah then with her younger brother Arthur, each carrying a carpetbag. Morwenna still resembled Bronwen, except she was tall and slender just as her mama had been at age seventeen. Like her mama and aunt, she was wearing a new dress in honor of their company-a simple short-sleeve dress of pale green piqué with a hem that was about two inches shorter than the older women’s. Since her parents refused to allow her to bob her hair, she wore it coiled in a knot at her nape just as the older women wore theirs. All three females wore broad-brimmed picture hats.

Ten-year-old Arthur was a tall, skinny boy with Gwyneth’s curls and Mark’s slanted dark eyes. He was wearing a gray flannel suit with short pants, long black socks and a necktie, which he kept tugging on.

“Don’t tug on your tie, Arthur,” Gwyneth commanded, and he rolled his eyes while Gruffydd winked at him. “Is your room neat and tidy and ready for your cousins?” Gwyneth then asked her youngest. At his nod, she added, “And you’ve packed everything you’ll need while you’re staying with Aunt Beth and Uncle Dafydd? Including your toothbrush?”

“He forgot, but I remembered,” Morwenna said in a superior big sister tone. “If it’s all right, I’ll just take my bag over to Grandma and Grandpa’s now.” (She and Arthur were giving up their rooms to their American cousins. Arthur would be sharing Gruffydd’s room while Morwenna would stay in her grandparents’ spare bedroom.)

As Morwenna walked next door, Marged said forlornly, “I wish Cousin Julie could stay with me.”

“I know you do,” Beth said patiently, “but she needs to stay with her little sister. Lucy is only six and she’ll want to stay with her parents. We just don’t have room at the parsonage for Uncle A.C., Aunt Anna, Julie and Lucy.”

“You’ll be able to spend plenty of time with Julie while she’s here,” Dafydd said, smiling fondly at his youngest.

“Here’s Siân,” Gruffydd said. His older sister was wearing a dress very similar to Morwenna’s except it was pale blue, and its hem was about an inch shorter so it was almost mid-calf. Dafydd frowned, but decided to talk with his daughter later when they were at home. He turned to his sister-in-law.

“Jory and Adam will be here Friday for the celebration?” he asked her.

“Right,” Gwyneth replied. “Jory can stay through Saturday but then has to head back to the station. Adam says he talked with his instructors at the university, and he has permission to spend the week here.”

“I’m so glad everyone will be here Friday for the celebration,” Beth said, sharing a smile with her sister.

Gruffydd looked at the wristwatch his grandparents had given him for his last birthday and announced, “The train should be here in five minutes.”

The automobiles had gotten Adam, Bronwen, Mark and Llywelyn to the train station with time to spare.

“It’ll sure be good to see A.C. and Miranda again,” Llywelyn said with a beaming smile. “And I know you both must be eager to see your grandchildren.”

“Too right we are,” Bronwen said emphatically, and the three men smiled.

“It will be nice seeing William,” Mark said then.

“Yes, and I’m also looking forward to meeting my daughter-in-law,” Adam stated. Just then, they heard the train’s whistle.

As the train approached the station, Bronwen looked up at Adam and smiled radiantly, and he put an arm around her, giving her a quick hug. They saw the Gordons first. Both Miranda and William bore the marks of the pain and anguish they’d endured after losing their two oldest children to the influenza pandemic that had claimed millions of lives. At age fifty-three, William was as bald as his father-in-law and what was left of his hair as well as his beard were now mostly gray. Miranda’s hair was hidden by her cloche hat. What her parents immediately noticed was that she was much thinner than the last time they’d seen her. Bronwen at once thought of how thin Adam had been after Penny’s death. Fifteen-year-old David followed his parents. He strongly resembled William, but he had his mother’s large hazel eyes and his brown hair was thick and curly like hers.

Miranda’s face lit up as soon as she saw her parents, and she hurried over so she could hug them. William and David hung back, while Miranda kissed her parents and clung to them. Adam was the first to turn to William and David with a warm smile.

“Good to see you again, William,” he said, and the two men shook hands.

William put a hand on his son’s shoulder and said proudly, “This is David, Dad.”

“It’s nice to meet you in person, David,” Adam said with a smile, holding out his hand, which the boy shook with a firm grip. Then he turned toward his mother and grandmother.

“David, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you so much,” Bronwen said, her joy reflected in her face. Then she caught sight of her youngest, helping two little girls step off the train. “A.C.!” she called excitedly.

A.C. turned and grinned at his parents. At thirty-six, he was a very handsome man-tall with broad shoulders that tapered to a slim waist. Bronwen thought how much he reminded her of Adam when they’d first met. “G’day, Mama and Dad!” A.C. called before turning to help his wife while his son climbed down on his own. Adam noted with approval that not even his daughter-in-law’s stylish suit could hide her feminine figure. He was not so approving of her bobbed honey-blonde hair. Glancing back at his daughter, he realized that Miranda’s hair was probably bobbed as well.

“Mama and Dad,” A.C. said proudly, “I’d like to present Anna, Julie, Timmy and Lucy.” Ten-year-old Julie and six-year-old Lucy both favored their mother. They had big blue eyes and their golden-brown hair was bobbed. Nine-year-old Timmy was the image of his father, except his hair was golden brown like his sisters and his eyes were the same shade of hazel as his grandfather’s.

“I’ve wanted to meet you for so long,” Anna said, smiling warmly at her in-laws.

“And we’re so happy for the opportunity to meet all of you,” Adam said. He and Bronwen both smiled radiantly at A.C.’s family.

“I hope you had a pleasant voyage,” Bronwen added, and Anna nodded.

“I saw dolphins, Grandpa,” Lucy said, her big blue eyes shining. “We don’t have dolphins on the Ponderosa.”

Her older siblings rolled their eyes at this, but Adam said very seriously, “No, I never saw any dolphins on the Ponderosa when I lived there either.” Then he smiled at her.

“Llywelyn and Mark drove us here in their automobiles,” Bronwen said. Miranda and A.C. both waved at their cousin and brother-in-law, and they all hurried to join them.

After more introductions, they divided into two groups. All the females rode with Llywelyn and all the males with Mark.

“We bought a Ford closed car,” David remarked as they got into the Buick.

“I got it so we wouldn’t freeze every winter,” William explained.

“Or get wet when it rains,” David added.

“Last year I bought a Model T truck,” A.C. said. “There are some places on the ranch that it’s still more practical to reach on horseback though.”

“I wouldn’t mind owning an automobile, but your mama doesn’t trust them,” Adam said, and A.C. smiled slightly at the regret in his dad’s tone. “Of course, Cloncurry is still small enough we can walk most places.”

“I have a mustang pony,” Timmy said proudly, and all the men smiled at him.

“What’s your pony’s name?” Adam asked his youngest grandson.

“Her name is Shadow ’cause she’s gray,” Timmy replied with a big dimpled grin, and Adam thought how very like his father he was. “David has a horse at the Ponderosa,” Timmy continued, smiling at his cousin.

“I have a chestnut quarter horse I ride every summer when we visit the ranch,” David explained. “Mom told me that you had a chestnut gelding when you lived on the Ponderosa, sir,” he added.

“Yes,” Adam replied with his crooked grin. “I’ve always favored chestnuts or blood bays. My favorite mount when I lived on the Ponderosa was a chestnut I named Sport.”

“The town sure has grown,” A.C. commented then as he gazed all around him.

“Too right,” Mark said. “For example, we have the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service, better known as QANTAS. Flew their first passenger, old Alexander Kennedy of Calton Hills and Bushy Park, two years ago.”

“That’s amazing, especially considering how long it took the railroad to reach here,” A.C. said, shaking his head slightly in astonishment.

“I remember Kennedy from my first visit, and I’m not surprised that at his age he’d be interested in airplanes,” William said with a reminiscent grin.

“I wanted to fly, and I reminded your mama that Kennedy is only a year my junior, but she forbad it. She’s a very stubborn woman,” Adam remarked with a wink.

It wasn’t long before they turned the corner onto the street where the Cartwrights and Pentreaths lived.

“Look, boys,” A.C. said. “See the two-story house at the end of the street? That’s the house where I grew up. And your mama, David,” he added.

“There’s lots of people on the porch,” Timmy said.

“Right. Your Aunt Beth and Uncle Dafydd and your Aunt Gwyneth. And several of your cousins,” Adam said with a grin.

Mark parked his car behind Llywelyn’s and as the others got out and hurried to the verandah, he unobtrusively assisted his father-in-law. Everyone else hung back, giving Miranda and A.C. a chance to greet their sisters.

After more introductions, Gwyneth said, “Why don’t we sit down? And the billy lids-uh, I mean children-can play croquet or tennis.”

Adam and Bronwen sat down in middle of the swing. Miranda sat beside Adam and A.C. beside Bronwen. The men loosened their neckties while the boys removed theirs, along with their coats, and draped them over the verandah’s railing. Their fathers smiled and their mothers sighed.

“I just learned how to play tennis; I’m not very good,” David said uncertainly.

“I’m not that good either,” Gruffydd said with a grin. “I like to play though. C’mon. I know where the rackets and balls are,” and the two of them headed inside.

“I like to play croquet,” Timmy said to Arthur, who replied, “Right, I’ll be your partner.”

“Will you be my partner?” Marged asked Julie.

“Sure,” Julie said, and then looked at her little sister.

Morwenna and Siân had been asked to keep an eye on the younger children and Morwenna said brightly, “Do you like to play hopscotch, Lucy? If you do, Siân and I will play with you.”

The six-year-old’s countenance immediately brightened. “Yes, I like to play hopscotch,” she said with a big grin.

“We’ll use the paving stones by the front gate so we won’t be in the way,” Morwenna stated. “I’ll run inside and get a piece of chalk.”

As they watched the younger children playing in the front yard, Anna said to her sisters-in-law, “It’s very sweet of Morwenna and Siân to play with Lucy.”

Both mothers smiled proudly and Beth said, “They like children and babies. They love to play with their nieces.”

“How many great-grandchildren do you have now?” William asked Bronwen and Adam.

“Three. One great-grandson and two great-granddaughters,” Adam replied with a proud smile.

“With Dylan and Jory both getting married this summer, we may have two more great-grandchildren next year,” Bronwen added happily.

“Anna has a hard time believing that she’s a grandaunt,” A.C. said then, winking at his wife. “I told her that’s what happens when you marry a man who was only six years old when he became an uncle,” and everyone smiled.

They chatted for a bit and then William said, “Would you ladies forgive me if I followed the boys’ example and removed my coat?”

“Of course we don’t mind, William,” Bronwen said with a smile. “And I’m sure the other men will be only too happy to follow your example.”

“Too right,” A.C. said with a wide grin as all the men removed their coats. “After sixteen years living in Nevada, I’d forgotten how hot winter in Cloncurry can be.”

“Even after all these years, I still remember the summer of 1889 when it got up to 127 degrees,” Miranda said, and Anna’s eyes opened very wide.

“I’m thankful I didn’t move here until 1891,” Dafydd commented with a chuckle.

“And I’m thankful that I was too young to remember,” A.C. added with a lopsided grin.

“Morwenna and I made a pitcher of lemon squash,” Gwyneth said then, standing. “I’ll bring it out.”

Winking, Adam said to his American son- and daughter-in-law, “Lemon squash is lemonade,” and William and Anna smiled.

“I’ll help you,” Beth said, getting to her feet. “I’m sure the billy lids will want some, but there aren’t enough glasses.”

“Morwenna brought most of ours over this morning,” Bronwen said, “so I think there should be enough.” Then she turned to A.C. and added, “I made some lamingtons this morning and Morwenna brought them over as well.”

“Beauty, Mama!” he exclaimed. Then he said, “Sweetheart, just wait until you taste them.”

As soon as Anna took a bite, she said to Bronwen, “These are delicious. Would you share your recipe?”

“Too right I will,” Bronwen replied, pleased at the request.

While everyone gathered on the verandah, drinking the lemon squash and eating the little squares of cake covered with chocolate icing and coconut, Elen came walking up the street, pushing a baby carriage, with her ten-year-old son Christopher, known as Kit, walking beside her. A.C.’s children looked skeptical when he introduced Elen as their cousin.

“She’s my oldest sister,” Marged explained. Then she added with a giggle, “Kit is my nephew.”

“You’re teasing,” Lucy said, frowning at Marged.

“No, she really is my aunt even though she’s only a year older,” Kit said with a big grin. “I don’t call her Aunt Marged though.”

“He does call me Uncle Gruffydd, except when we’re in school,” Gruffydd said, winking at Kit.

Just then, cooing sounds came from the baby carriage, so Elen reached down and picked up the baby and held her in her arms. “I’d like you all to meet my Virginia,” she said proudly.

“Oh, she’s beautiful,” Miranda and Anna said at the same time, and the baby made more cooing sounds.

“She’s so little. How old is she?” Julie asked.

“One month,” Elen replied, smiling down at her little girl.

“May I hold her?” Miranda asked.

Elen said, “Too right,” and walked over to place the baby in her aunt’s arms.

Miranda smiled when her little grandniece wrapped her tiny fist around her finger. She remembered Laura doing the same thing as a baby, and the memory caused scalding tears to fill her eyes. She had to blink very fast, and then she felt her daddy’s arm around her shoulders, giving her a comforting squeeze. She smiled at him, grateful for his understanding.

“My turn,” A.C. said. As he held the baby, he turned to Beth and said, “I think she looks a little like you.”

“I do, too,” Dafydd said, smiling at his wife. “She definitely has Bethan’s mouth and nose.”

The younger boys soon lost interest in the talk about babies, and since there were no more lamingtons, they wanted to play another game of croquet. David offered to partner Kit while Gruffydd was content to remain with the adults. It wasn’t long before the three younger girls decided to play hopscotch.

While William was holding Virginia, he asked, “When will I meet my other grandniece?”

“Ben is going to bring his family by after high tea,” Gwyneth replied and Beth added, “Dylan and his fiancée, Barbara, will also be stopping by.”

“So will Emma,” Llywelyn inserted. “She’s really looking forward to seeing you,” he said to Miranda. “Diana, Vicky and Paul will probably be by tomorrow along with Ifor, Cathy and their families.” He added with a wink, “We didn’t want to overwhelm Anna and William.”

“Adam did say he came from a very large family. I guess I didn’t realize how large,” Anna commented.

“Oh, I need to go home and prepare our high tea,” Elen said then. “But we can visit more tomorrow.” She turned to her parents and asked, “Could you make sure Kit comes home after the game is finished?” and they nodded. As Elen pushed the baby carriage down the street, Beth explained, “Russell is trying to be a good father to Kit, but he’s a strict disciplinarian, and sometimes it causes friction in the family.”

Adam said quietly, “It can be difficult accepting a stepparent, especially since Kit had Elen’s undivided attention for so many years.”

Miranda patted his hand gently, thinking, That must have been how it was with you and Grandma Marie. Grandpa brought her back from New Orleans, and suddenly, you had to share Grandpa and Uncle Hoss with her.

“This Russell is a widower you wrote,” A.C. commented.

“Right,” Dafydd answered. “He and his first wife were childless for seven years and then they discovered they were going to be parents.” Dafydd added in a bleak tone, “She died in childbirth and the baby girl soon followed her mother.”

“How tragic,” Anna said. “But it’s wonderful that he and Elen have each other and little Virginia now.”

“Yes, and Kit adores his baby sister, which is helping him to accept Russell,” Beth said.

Gwyneth stood then, saying, “You’ll have to excuse Morwenna and me. We need to start preparing high tea.”

“Siân and I will help. That way we’ll be finished sooner,” Beth said. The two mothers and daughters gathered up the glasses and pitcher and went inside.

“Jory and Little Adam are going to be here for the celebration, aren’t they?” A.C. asked Mark then.

“Right,” Mark replied. “They’ll be here on Friday. Adam is taking the train from Brisbane. He’s staying here in Mary’s old room, but Jory is staying at the Post Office Hotel.”

“Let’s see,” William said with a little smile. “If I remember correctly, Jory is running the cattle ranch Dad and Uncle Rhys bought, and Adam is a student at the University of Queensland. Correct?”

Mark nodded, saying proudly, “Ben graduated with a degree in engineering and works for our mining company.” He added with a touch of displeasure, “Adam hasn’t decided yet how he intends to earn his living.”

“He’s only eighteen, isn’t he?” Miranda asked. “Plenty of time to make up his mind.”

“He wrote us that he was interested in being a photojournalist,” Bronwen said quietly, and Mark frowned a little.

“I’m doing my best to quash that idea. He needs a respectable profession with a steady income,” Mark said curtly.

William was reminded of his father’s reaction when he announced he intended to become an historian rather than an attorney. He felt a surge of empathy for his young nephew. But you are here to celebrate Mama and Dad’s anniversary, he reminded himself. And it’s not your place to interfere. Besides, William thought with a secret smile, if Adam is anything like Miranda or Dad, he’s going to follow his own path regardless of his father’s opinion.

“Dylan works at the Advocate, doesn’t he?” A.C. asked then.

“Right,” Dafydd replied. “He’s the printer. He trained under Harry Black, but Harry’s retired now.”

A.C. turned to Gruffydd, asking, “What about you, mate? Have you decided what you’re going to do after you graduate?”

“I want to be a doctor,” Gruffydd replied, his expression serious. “I plan on attending the University of Queensland, and then I’m considering a medical school in the States.”

“Dartmouth has an excellent medical school,” William said then.

“It’s one of the schools I’m considering,” Gruffydd stated with a crooked grin just like his grandpa’s.

“We’d be happy to have you stay with us if you attend Dartmouth,” Miranda said, smiling at her nephew. “That would save you the cost of room and board.”

“Beauty,” Gruffydd exclaimed. “Of course, I still have to graduate from school here and earn my bachelor’s degree first.”

“Gruffydd is at the top of his class,” Dafydd said proudly.

“What about David?” Adam asked Miranda and William. “Is he talking about what he wants to do after he graduates?”

“Oh yes, he says he plans on attending Dartmouth and then Harvard Law School,” Miranda replied.

“My father would have been delighted,” William commented quietly. I wish you had lived long enough to know your grandson wants to become an attorney, Father. I’m glad that you and I reconciled even if we were never truly close, William thought.

“Yes, your father would be pleased,” Adam agreed.

“And I guess you’re happy that Ben is an engineer working for Cartwright, Davies & Pentreath, right, Dad?” A.C. said.

“Yes, I admit that I am,” Adam replied slowly, “but I’m just as pleased at Jory’s and Dylan’s success in their vocations.” He paused and then added quietly, “If I’m still here when Gruffydd and David begin to practice medicine and the law, I’ll be equally proud of them.”

“Dad!” A.C. protested, but Adam only raised one eyebrow.

“I’m being realistic, son,” he said gently. “The odds are against me.” Everyone but Bronwen looked uncomfortable at his words. She gave his hand a squeeze, and they shared a smile.

“Morwenna is talking about attending The Women’s College at the University of Queensland,” Bronwen said quickly to change the subject.

“I doubt she’s serious,” Mark said dismissively. “Certainly Sam Johnson and Fred Crowe are doing their best to make her forget about it.”

Adam felt Miranda bristle and said quickly, “But if she still wants to go when she graduates, Mark and Gwyneth won’t stand in her way.”

“Of course not,” Mark said with a hint of reluctance. “But I’m sure that by the time she graduates, she’ll be more interested in being a wife and mother.”

The three girls came running up to the verandah then, and Anna asked if they were finished playing hopscotch.

“Yes,” Julie replied. “Marged says she’ll teach us to play a game called Pan- pan-”

“Panjandrum,” Marged said. “You have some Rook cards, don’t you, Uncle Mark?”

“I think Panjandrum might be a little hard for Lucy,” Bronwen said. “Why don’t you play Old Maid instead?”

“Not Old Bachelor?” A.C. asked with a chuckle.

“Those cards finally wore out and all we could find were Old Maid,” Adam said with a wink. “Unless your grandma has moved them, you’ll find them in the top drawer of my desk. On the right side.”

“No, they’re on the left side on the bottom,” Bronwen instructed. “I didn’t move them; you forgot,” she said to Adam, who mouthed, “She moved them,” over his wife’s head.

“Can I come, too?” Lucy asked, turning her big blue eyes on her daddy.

“And me?” Julie echoed.

“Why don’t I come with you, girls?” Dafydd suggested. “I’m sure between the four of us we can find the cards.”

“This little house is where Grandma and Grandpa live?” Lucy asked her uncle as they walked the short distance to the bungalow.

“Yes,” Dafydd replied. “When your daddy was grownup enough to go away to college, your grandma and grandpa were lonesome in the big house, so your Grandpa designed this little house for them.”

“Look! There’s a cat!” Julie said with a smile of delight, pointing at the ginger cat sunning herself on the verandah.

“That’s Thomasina,” Marged said. “She’s Grandma’s cat.”

“We have lots of cats that live in our barn,” Julie said. “They eat the mice.”

As they approached the bungalow, Thomasina jumped off the verandah and ran to the backyard where she could climb up the lemon or orange tree.

“Oh, I wanted to pet her,” Lucy said. “Here, kitty.”

“It won’t do any good,” Marged said. “Thomasina only likes Grandma. She doesn’t even let Grandpa pet her. Maybe tomorrow you can come to our house and see our dog, Princess.”

“We have a dog, a collie,” Julie said. “Her name is Bonnie.”

“Who’s taking care of her now?” Marged asked curiously.

“Our American cousins,” Julie replied. “Cousin Josh and his family live in the big house that Great-grandpa Cartwright and Uncle Hoss and Uncle Joe lived in. We live in a house by Lake Tahoe.”

“I remember that your grandpa designed your house as a wedding gift for your father and mother,” Dafydd said to Julie and Lucy as they walked up the steps to the verandah.

“He did?” Julie said, sounding surprised, and Dafydd nodded.

On the verandah of the big house, Bronwen said to A.C. and Anna, “Marged has been looking forward to playing with Julie and Lucy for weeks.”

“She doesn’t think it’s fair all the cousins her age are boys,” Adam added, and they all smiled.

Dafydd led the children into the library, where they found the Old Maid cards exactly where Bronwen had said they were.

“Who’s that little girl?” Lucy asked, pointing to a large photograph in a silver frame sitting on the desk.

“That’s your Aunt Penny,” Dafydd said, smiling sadly as he gazed at the photograph.

“She’s in heaven, isn’t she?” Julie said.

“That’s right,” Dafydd replied. “She was a year older than Marged when she went to heaven.”

“Grandpa planted a rose bush on her grave and it has beautiful red roses,” Marged said. “I asked Grandpa once if he missed Aunt Penny, and he said yes, he did. Very much.”

“Mothers and fathers never stop missing their children when they die,” Dafydd said quietly. He picked up another photograph. “This is Marged’s oldest brother, Huw.” Then he gestured toward two photographs in a joint frame. “This is Jon and this is Laura. They’re David’s older brother and sister. They are all in heaven now.”

“I can remember Jon and Laura just a little,” Julie said and Marged said forlornly, “I wish I could remember Huw.”

“You weren’t much more than a baby when he died,” Dafydd said gently, as he gave her a quick hug. He managed a smile and said, “Well, we have the cards so we’d better go.” Then he added quietly, “Let’s not talk about the photographs. It might make your Aunt Miranda and Uncle William sad.”

“We won’t,” the three girls promised very seriously.

When they walked onto the verandah with the cards, Adam asked, “May Grandma and I play?”

“Too right!” Marged said enthusiastically while her cousins nodded shyly.

“I’ll help Lucy since she hasn’t played very often,” A.C. said. “Here, Lucy, you can sit on Daddy’s lap.”

As they played, Adam asked, “Julie and Lucy, has your daddy ever told you that when he was about Lucy’s age, he always wanted to get the Old Maid card? Except it was an Old Bachelor in our game.”

“Did you really, Daddy?” Julie asked.

“I don’t know why, but I did,” A.C. replied with a grin. “Your grandpa and grandma, Aunt Beth and Aunt Gwyneth all explained that I should try not to get the Old Bachelor, but I didn’t care. I wanted him.”

“Penny was no help,” Adam said, and he and Bronwen and A.C. shared a fond smile. Lucy started to mention the photograph of Aunt Penny, but she felt Julie kick her shin under the table and Marged put her finger to her lips. Lucy’s mouth made an ‘O’ as she remembered what they’d promised Uncle Dafydd. Fortunately, her daddy and her grandparents were talking about Daddy when he was a little boy and didn’t notice.

“It was always so funny to watch Penny arrange the Old Bachelor card in her hand so you wouldn’t miss it,” Adam continued with a chuckle.

“Yes, and you always had such a happy grin when you’d take the card and realize it was the Old Bachelor,” Bronwen said to A.C., and the three of them smiled at the happy memory.

When the boys finished their game, they trooped onto the verandah.

“I’m starving,” Arthur announced. “Are we gonna eat soon?” he asked his dad.

Mark checked his watch and replied, “It’s about five so it shouldn’t be much longer.”

“I didn’t realize it was so late,” Llywelyn said. “I’ve got to go.” He smiled at Kit and said, “Would you like to ride with me?”

“Too right I would! Thanks,” Kit replied because he was fascinated by automobiles, and Dafydd smiled his thanks to Llywelyn for averting any arguments about going home for high tea.

“Why don’t you boys go wash your hands,” Mark suggested.

Beth walked onto the verandah a couple of minutes later to let everyone know the food was ready.

“Lucy has the most pairs right now so she wins,” Adam said and Bronwen added, “I have the Old Maid so I lose.” She pretended to look sad, which made Lucy giggle.

The dining room would seat twelve so all the adults, including Siân and Morwenna, ate there while the children ate in the kitchen. After Adam blessed the food and the children headed for the kitchen, Anna took her three aside to speak with them.

“Now, remember. Your aunts worked hard making supper and so I expect you to eat everything on your plate even if it’s something new to you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mommy,” Julie and Timmy promised.

Anna turned to her youngest then and said firmly, “I want you to promise too, Lucy. You’re a big girl now, and big girls eat without whining or making a fuss.”

“I promise, Mommy,” Lucy said, clearly reluctant.

They found their cousins already seated around the table, which was covered with platters and bowls of food they’d never seen before. They quickly sat down and Lucy pointed to one of the bowls. “What’s that?’ she asked suspiciously.

“It’s Teisen Nionod. My mama made it especially for your dad because it’s his favorite,” Gruffydd replied.

“Do you eat dessert first here?” Timmy asked, pointing at the platter of pastries.

“Those are meat pies,” Gruffydd explained. “They’re called Cornish pasties and they’re delicious.” The three Cartwrights still looked a little apprehensive but they remembered what they’d promised their mother and didn’t complain as the food was passed around.

“I know that it’s winter here,” David commented as he put a spoonful of Teisen Nionod on Lucy’s plate for her, “but it sure feels like our summer.”

“Yeah, it sure does,” Timmy echoed before biting into a crumpet.

“I can’t really imagine the cold weather you have in the winter,” Gruffydd said. “Grandpa has told us stories about winter on the Ponderosa, but it never gets that cold here.”

“If it’s winter, how come you don’t go to school?” Julie asked, after swallowing a mouthful of Cornish pasty.

“We do,” Arthur said. “They let us miss today ’cause you were coming, but we have to go tomorrow.”

“We can play after school,” Marged added.

“What will we do while you’re in school?” Timmy wondered.

“You can play croquet with Grandma and Grandpa,” Arthur said. “Grandpa is good.”

“He’s awful old. Lots older than Grandpa Richards,” Timmy commented.

“Well, Grandpa was around your dad’s age when he met Grandma and they got married,” Gruffydd explained. “And your dad is much younger than his sisters. He’s closer in age to my sister Elen than he is to his own sisters. So naturally Grandpa is older than your mother’s parents.”

In the dining room, William said, “Ladies, this food is delicious.”

“Thank you, William,” Beth and Gwyneth said, smiling at their brother-in-law.

“Yes, thank you, Uncle William,” Siân and Morwenna added.

“Beth and Gwyneth are good cooks just like their mama, and they passed their talent on to their girls,” Adam said with a proud smile.

“While I was banned from the kitchen,” Miranda commented with a grin.

Siân and Morwenna looked astonished but Beth said with a laugh, “And no wonder! Remember those awful scones?”

Giggling, Bronwen managed to get out, “You left out the baking powder and put in a half a tablespoon of salt instead of a half a teaspoon. The scones were so bad even Lady wouldn’t eat them.”

Adam, Beth and Gwyneth were all laughing aloud at the memory. William was chuckling as he said, “Once when our cook was under the weather and the children were begging for hot cocoa, Miranda decided she could make some. She added at least twice as much sugar as she needed.” He began laughing as he remembered the look on his wife’s face when she beheld her concoction.

“Maybe I can’t cook, but you can’t complain about the way I keep the household accounts,” Miranda said smugly.

“No, I certainly can’t,” William agreed with a hint of a smile.

“Beth and Gwyneth inherited my cooking skills, but Miranda inherited her daddy’s talent with numbers,” Bronwen said proudly.

“I’ve never understood how anyone could enjoy equations and theorems,” Gwyneth said with a shudder, and Miranda grinned.

“I know you went to college, Aunt Miranda, and I want to attend the Women’s College at the University of Queensland,” Morwenna said shyly. “I’m interested in archeology.”

“Fascinating field,” William said. “I would’ve liked to have been there when Howard Carter unsealed the door that led to Tutankhamun’s burial chamber.”

“So would I,” Adam said. “How amazing to see all those artifacts from thousands of years in the past.”

“I remember that I was fascinated reading about Arthur Evans’s discovery of the ruins at Knossos in Crete,” Bronwen stated.

“Yes and there’s Machu Picchu in Peru and the Mayan ruins in Central America,” Morwenna said, her enthusiasm overcoming her diffidence. Then she saw her father’s frown and said quietly, “I know archeology isn’t glamorous. Excavating a site is slow, painstaking work. But I would like to study it.”

Gwyneth said, “And your father and I have agreed that if you still want to study archeology at the university when you graduate this December, you have our permission.” She glanced at her husband thinking, I know you don’t really approve, but it is my trust fund. If Morwenna wants to study archeology, then she will have the opportunity.

Wanting to lighten the mood, Bronwen asked A.C., “How are Benj and Sarah and Josh?”

“They’re fine,” A.C. replied. “Just before we sailed, Josh told us that Mildred is expecting. A surprise, just like I was,” he added with a wink. His dad chuckled and his mama grinned.

Anna said quietly, “Josh is the most devoted family man I know. Present company excepted of course,” she added quickly. “I know A.C. has a wonderful example in you, Dad, but that’s what makes Josh all the more remarkable.”

“He has a lot of his father in him,” Adam said softly.

“Sarah and Victor are also doing well,” Anna said. “Victor was asked to consider running for Congress, but decided he could do more if he stayed in the state legislature. Sarah told me she was relieved because she’d rather raise their children in Carson City than Washington.”

“We all spend Thanksgiving with Josh and Mildred, and Christmas at our house. Weather permitting,” A.C. stated with a wink. “Then on the Fourth of July, we all gather at Sarah and Victor’s house in Carson City.”

“And that all includes us,” Miranda added, smiling at A.C. and Anna.

“It’s wonderful that the entire family gets together for a holiday,” Bronwen said with an enormous smile.

“Yes, I know Grandpa would be pleased to see all his American descendants gathered together,” Miranda agreed, smiling at her daddy.

“Indeed he would,” Adam said, thinking, I am so glad there are still Cartwrights on the Ponderosa keeping your dream alive, Pa.

“Oh, but what about Benj?” Bronwen asked then.

“He spends Thanksgiving and Christmas with Sarah and Victor,” A.C. stated.

“He’s been seeing a widow in Carson City,” Anna added.

“I wonder if he’s finally going to get married,” Beth speculated. “He’s about the same age as you when you married Mama,” she said to her daddy with a teasing smile.

“I doubt Benj will ever marry,” Miranda said quietly.

“I have to agree with Miranda,” Anna said. “Benj seems perfectly content with his life, and he’s a solitary person by nature.”

“From what I’ve observed of him over the years, I have to agree,” William added.

“I’ve never seen anything of Uncle Joe in Benj,” Miranda said. “No, it’s Sarah who reminds me so much of him.” Then she directed a dimpled smile toward her parents. “I’m really looking forward to the celebration the day after tomorrow. You wrote that you’re having an open house here?”

“Right,” Gwyneth replied. “We’ll be serving cucumber and bread and butter sandwiches.”

“I can make bread and butter sandwiches,” Miranda said.

“We know,” Beth said with a grin, “so you and Marged and Julie will be in charge of the bread and butter.”

“What can I do to help?” Anna asked.

“We were hoping that you could help Gwyneth with the cucumber sandwiches,” Beth replied. “Siân and Morwenna are going to be making the lemon squash and the tea. I’ll be icing the cake. Mama and Daddy don’t remember much about what theirs looked like, but I’m trying my best to recreate it.”

“Sorry, Princess, but the cake was the last thing on my mind that day,” Adam said with a wink.

“What’s my job to be?” A.C. asked.

“You’re to make sure Lucy and Timmy stay neat and clean,” Gwyneth answered with a crooked grin. “The open house is from one until five. Siân and Morwenna will make sure there are plenty of sandwiches on the buffet and keep Mama supplied with tea since she’ll be pouring. Beth and I are going to take turns serving the cake.”

“Everyone will want to see you and Miranda and your families so we don’t want you to worry about helping then,” Beth added.

“Friday will be a very busy day,” Dafydd said, smiling at his father- and mother-in-law.

Miranda and Anna volunteered to help clean up, but Gwyneth declined their offer with a smile. “There’s more family coming to see you, and the four of us will be finished soon.”

Lucy asked to play Old Maid again and Timmy and Arthur decided to play as well. They were in the middle of the game when Ben and his family arrived.

A.C. and Miranda saw a young man of medium height with dark hair and piercing dark eyes that reminded them both of their grandpa’s. They knew Ben had married his childhood sweetheart as soon as he’d gotten his engineering degree, and he proudly showed off his six-week-old daughter, Edna.

Not long after Ben’s arrival, A.C. spotted a short, bespectacled young man walking arm in arm with a young woman.

“I bet that’s Dylan,” he said to his parents. “I see he still takes after you, Mama.”

As A.C. shook his nephew’s hand, he discovered Dylan’s slight build was deceptive. He had a wiry strength that surprised his uncle.

Dylan was soon followed by Emma. Like her husband, her waist was thicker now and there were a few grey hairs mixed in with the brown. Miranda’s face lit up when she saw her, and after Emma greeted everyone and was introduced to Anna and the children, the two old friends moved slightly apart from the others so they could talk. William smiled at the picture of the two middle-aged women talking together just as they must have done when they were schoolgirls.

The women finished in the kitchen and joined the rest of the family on the verandah. Adam and Bronwen played Old Maid with their youngest grandchildren while the others talked until it was the children’s bedtime.

“I’ll show you which rooms are yours,” Gwyneth said after everyone had departed.

Anna said to her children, “We haven’t unpacked so I’ll help you all find your pajamas and nightgowns.”

“Are you gonna read to us?” Lucy asked her daddy.

“Sure. As soon as you’re all ready for bed, I’ll come up,” A.C. replied. Then he said to his parents, “We’re reading The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew.”

“Oh, Grandpa and I love that story. May we come listen, too?” Bronwen asked.

“Sure!” Lucy said with a big grin.

“I’m tired so I’ll go to bed now,” David told his parents. “Goodnight everyone.”

“Goodnight,” the younger children echoed.

Once the others went upstairs, the conversation turned to the attempted overthrow of the German government by Adolph Hitler and his National Socialist party a few months earlier. Bronwen said nothing but listening to the others left her feeling depressed. So many lives had been lost in the last war, which was to have been the war to end all wars, and yet William was saying that the peace forced on Germany might very well lead to another war in Europe. She was relieved when Gwyneth and Anna returned and it was time for the children’s bedtime story.

They gathered in Morwenna’s room where the little girls would be staying. Gwyneth and Mark had repapered the room with a design of honeysuckle on a pale green background and Adam had made his granddaughter a bed in the Arts and Craft style, but to Adam and Bronwen, it would always be Penny and Gwyneth’s room.

“You take the rocking chair, Mama,” A.C. said as Julie and Lucy got into the bed.

Bronwen smiled at her boy and then said, “Timmy, would you please get one of the chairs from your room for Grandpa?” She knew that Adam’s back had been bothering him lately and it needed the support that a chair would provide.

“Sure,” Timmy said, running to the room he and David were sharing, which had once been Beth and Miranda’s room.

“I could sit on the bed by Julie,” Adam said with a little frown, but Bronwen just shook her head slightly and rolled her eyes at her husband’s refusal to admit a weakness. A.C. had to hide his grin behind his hand.

Timmy returned with a Windsor armchair and set it by the rocking chair. “Here you are, Grandpa,” he said with a shy smile.

“Thank you, Timmy,” Adam said and as Adam sat down, Bronwen added, “Yes, thank you, Timmy,” and smiled at him.

Timmy sat at the foot of the bed. A.C. sat by Lucy and began to read. Adam and Bronwen enjoyed watching their boy with his children. As they listened to him read with animation, Adam reached for Bronwen’s hand and enfolded it within his. She turned and gazed up at him lovingly before returning her attention to A.C. and the children.

“What do you think of your grandchildren?” A.C. asked his parents as they walked down the stairs together after telling the children goodnight.

“I think they are wonderful,” Bronwen replied with a warm smile for her son.

“I see a lot of you in Timmy,” Adam added with his familiar crooked grin.

A.C. hesitated for a moment and then said quietly, “Miranda says that Lucy reminds her a little of Penny.”

He saw his parents shared a sweet, wistful smile before his dad said, “Yes, Lucy is very animated just the way Penny was.”

When the Joneses and Arthur reached the parsonage, Dafydd told Siân he wanted to speak with her in his study. Beth looked anxiously at her husband and her daughter. She had noted Dafydd’s reaction to their daughter’s dress and knew what he wanted to discuss. She told Marged and Arthur to get ready for bed; Gruffydd, wanting to finish his schoolwork, followed Arthur. Beth decided to sit in the parlor and finish the dress she was making for the open house. From that room she could see when Siân left the study.

Siân also knew what her tada wanted to speak with her about. She followed him into his study, a room filled with books and dominated by the roll-top desk. Dafydd sat behind the desk, but when he indicated his daughter should sit in one of the Windsor side chairs, she shook her head and remained standing.

“Siân, I am disappointed in you,” he said quietly. “You knew your mama and I would not approve of that dress so you conveniently were not finished with the hem when we left this morning.” His daughter looked at him defiantly and he said sternly, “You will have to lower the hem before you may wear it again. And your mother will make certain the hem of the dress you are wearing to the celebration of your grandparents’ anniversary is of a proper length.”

“I can’t wear fashionable clothes, I can’t bob my hair and I can’t wear lipstick or rouge. You are such a wowser, Tada!”

“If insisting my daughter dress modestly makes me a wowser, then, yes, I am,” Dafydd replied, keeping a firm grip on his temper.

“Aunt Miranda and Aunt Anna both have bobbed hair and Aunt Miranda wears lipstick,” Siân retorted. “Elen and Cathy bobbed their hair.”

“That is irrelevant, Siân, and you know it,” Dafydd said, sounding calmer than he felt. “They are all married women so how they dress is their husbands’ concern. Now, I don’t want to discuss the matter further. Tomorrow you will lower your hem to a modest length. An inch shorter than your mother’s,” he added as a concession.

Siân turned on her heel and as she left the room, she slammed the door as loudly as she could, and then was angry with herself for behaving childishly. She had to get away from the parsonage so she ran out the front door and down the path to the gate. She heard her mama’s voice calling her name and reluctantly halted.

“Why does Tada have to be such a wowser?” she demanded of her mama before Beth could say a word. “I know he’s a minister, but still!”

Her mama smiled slightly. “I don’t think your tada‘s vocation has much to do with his attitude. Grandpa isn’t a minister, but he was even stricter with me and your aunts.”

Siân couldn’t stop her lips from turning up in a little grin. “Grandpa is awfully old-fashioned.”

“Well, he grew up in another era,” Beth said, putting an arm about her daughter’s shoulders. “So did your tada, and so did I. Things have changed so much since the war. It’s hard for us oldies to get used to women smoking cigarettes, bobbing their hair, and wearing lipstick and rouge. Even more shocking to us is the sight of women wearing skirts that expose their ankles.”

“Well, at least you and Tada don’t have to worry about me smoking,” Siân said with a wink. “I think that’s a filthy habit.” Then she added with a sigh, “Tada says I have to lower the hem on this dress until it’s only an inch shorter than yours.”

“Which will still be daring for Cloncurry,” Beth said with a smile, and after a moment, Siân shrugged her shoulders in agreement and they walked back to the house together.

Adam and Bronwen said their goodnights not long after they came downstairs, and Morwenna walked to the bungalow with them.

“It was nice meeting Aunt Miranda and Uncle William, Uncle A.C. and Aunt Anna, and the billy lids,” Morwenna commented as they walked together. “Oh, I shouldn’t call David a billy lid since he’s only a couple of years younger than I am,” she added with a grin.

“It was wonderful seeing them all,” Bronwen agreed. “I miss your aunt and uncle. Letters just aren’t the same as seeing them every day the way we do your mama and Aunt Beth. And I can’t help being sad that we’ll never know David, Timmy, Julie and Lucy the way we know you and your brothers and cousins,” she added pensively. Adam reached for her hand and entwined their fingers.

“I wonder if all the women in the States bob their hair?” Morwenna said then, her tone speculative.

“Surely they haven’t all taken leave of their senses,” Adam said with a snort.

“Grandpa, you’re funny,” Morwenna giggled.

“I’ve tried to explain that bobbed hair would be much easier to take care of, but he’s stubborn,” Bronwen said with a mischievous grin.

They were approaching the steps to the verandah, and Adam asked Morwenna if she had any schoolwork to do.

“I need to read over an essay before I turn it in,” she replied. “I’m so tired that I’m going to get up extra early tomorrow and do it before I take care of Zeus,” she added, referring to her black gelding. “I can fix my own breakfast, Grandma, so you don’t need to get up early,” she said.

“Morwenna fach, I’ve been getting up at dawn to fix your grandpa’s breakfast for fifty years as of this Friday,” Bronwen said with a wink, “so don’t you worry about that.” Morwenna and Adam chuckled.

Miranda, Gwyneth, and A.C. remained on the verandah after their spouses excused themselves, knowing the siblings wanted a chance to talk.

“It’s strange,” Miranda commented. “I know Mama is seventy-eight and Daddy will turn eighty-eight in November, but I was still shocked when I saw them. I think a part of me expected them to look as they did the last time we were together sixteen years ago.”

“Mama looks so frail,” A.C. mused.

“Ah, but Mama’s always looked more delicate, more fragile than she actually is,” Gwyneth responded quietly. “They’ve aged gradually, and so Beth and I don’t notice it so much.” She smiled at her siblings. “They’re both in good health. They go for a walk every morning and Daddy often takes his pocket Kodak camera with him. He really enjoys photography.” She added slowly, “They do miss Uncle Rhys and Aunt Matilda very much, but they keep busy. Mama gives free voice lessons to anyone who’s interested and she has several students, including Morwenna and Gruffydd. Daddy is teaching Arthur, Kit and Paul-that’s Llywelyn and Emma’s youngest-basic carpentry and woodworking. Each of their fathers got a new blacking box for Christmas this year, and I got a new towel rack for my birthday.”

A.C. smiled, remembering when he and his dad had made his mama a new stool she could stand on to reach the top shelves in the pantry. But his expression changed to a frown as he said, “Dad moves more slowly now and he’s so thin.”

“He is eighty-seven, A.C.,” Gwyneth said softly.

“He reminds me of Grandpa when William and I would visit him,” Miranda said slowly. Then she smiled ruefully as she added, “I’m not as young as I once was either and I’m really tired. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to find William and go to bed.”

“I confess I’m pretty tired myself and I know Anna is, so I hope you’ll excuse us, Sis,” A.C. added.

“She’s apples,” Gwyneth replied. Then she said to Miranda, “I put you and William in the guest room-what used to be Nell’s room.” She turned to her brother and said with a smile, “You and Anna have your old room. It’s been passed from Jory to Ben to Adam, but it hasn’t changed that much.” As they all stood up, she added, “We eat breakfast at seven. Of course, you may want to sleep in and fix your own breakfast later.”

“Seven is fine,” Miranda said. “My internal clock is confused by all the traveling I’ve been doing, so would you mind knocking on our door when you come down to start breakfast?”

“Not at all,” Gwyneth said.

“I’ll be up at seven but I think Anna and the billy lids may sleep longer,” A.C. stated.

As Adam and Bronwen got ready for bed, he asked quietly, “What did you think of Anna?”

“She’s very lovely.” Bronwen paused and Adam waited. “She seems rather reserved,” Bronwen continued, speaking carefully, “but part of that may be due to being in a foreign country and meeting her husband’s family.”

“His large, extended family,” Adam added with a wink as they both got into bed.

“I know I was nervous the first time I met Pa and Hoss and Joe,” Bronwen said as she snuggled next to him. “And there were only three of them.” She smiled at the memory.

“It took William a while to get used to the combined Cartwright and Davies clans the first time he was here,” Adam commented, his lips turning up slightly in a little grin. Then in a non sequitur, he added, “I wish Anna didn’t bob her hair and the girls’.”

“Oh Adam!” Bronwen giggled and he said, “Well, I just don’t like bobbed hair,” before they kissed goodnight.

When Lucy woke up the next morning, she was disoriented at first. Then she remembered she was at the house where her daddy lived when he was a little boy. Sunlight was streaming in the windows and her tummy felt very empty. She saw that her mommy had laid out one of her play dresses and her clean underclothes, so she put them on. She couldn’t fasten the dress so she sat down on the floor to put on her shoes and socks. Once her shoes were buckled, she went to find her mommy.

When she walked into the hall, she saw lots of doors and she didn’t know which one was the door to her mommy and daddy’s room. She knew Timmy and David were in the room across the hall so she ran to the room at the end of the hall and flung open the door. It was a big room but there was no one there so she ran down the hall, yelling, “Mommy!”

Timmy and Julie stuck their heads into the hall, looking half asleep.

“What’s wrong?” Julie asked, yawning and then shivering because it was a little chilly.

“I need Mommy,” Lucy said, “and I can’t find her.” She yelled as loudly as she could, “Mommy!” and her siblings put their hands over their ears. Her mommy came running up the stairs by the big bedroom then.

“Lucille Amy Cartwright! Stop yelling this instant,” Anna scolded.

“I couldn’t find you, Mommy,” Lucy said, thinking that explained why she was yelling.

“That does not excuse your yelling,” Anna stated firmly. “I’m here now so let me button your dress, and then we’ll brush your hair.” She said to Julie and Timmy, “Everyone else is finishing breakfast, so hurry up and get dressed and make your beds, and I’ll fix you something to eat.”

“David didn’t make his bed,” Timmy complained, but Anna only shook her head.

“That’s because he didn’t want to wake you. He’ll be up to make the top bunk as soon as he’s finished eating breakfast.” Then she said, “I want you all to wear your sweaters this morning. You can take them off if it gets warmer.”

Timmy finished first so he went running down the backstairs. He remembered where the kitchen was and heard voices coming from that direction. He discovered his daddy, Aunt Miranda, Uncle William, Aunt Gwyneth and David all sitting around the big kitchen table.

“Good morning,” Gwyneth said. “Would you like some bacon and eggs?”

“Yes, thank you,” Timmy replied, sitting in the empty chair by David.

“Anna will fix his breakfast, Sis. You don’t need to bother,” A.C. said, but Gwyneth smiled and said, “She’s apples,” which made no sense to Timmy.

David swallowed a last bite of toast and said, “May I be excused? Now that Timmy is awake, I need to make my bed.” Miranda nodded and he headed upstairs.

“I wish he was as eager to make his bed at home,’ she said, and the other adults all chuckled.

When Anna and the two girls entered the kitchen, she saw Timmy eating bacon and a fried egg.

“How do you like your eggs?” Gwyneth asked her nieces, but Anna said quietly, “You’ve done enough, Gwyneth. I’ll fix the girls’ breakfast.”

“She’s apples,” Gwyneth replied with a grin. “Help me with the dishes and we’re even.”

“All right,” Anna replied, smiling a little. “We all eat our eggs over easy. Uh, with the yolk cooked.”

Gwyneth was just serving up the girls’ breakfast when they heard a knock at the door, and Bronwen’s voice calling a greeting.

“We’re in the kitchen, Mama,” Gwyneth called, and soon Adam and Bronwen joined them.

“Would you like a cup of tea?” Gwyneth asked. “It’s chilly this morning,” and she noted both her parents were wearing cardigans.

“A cup of tea would be lovely,” Bronwen replied, and Adam nodded as he held out a chair for her.

“Good morning for a walk,” Adam commented as he added a lump of sugar to his cup of tea. “Nice and brisk.”

“William, David and I are going to explore the town. See how it’s changed since we were last here,” Miranda remarked.

“Arthur said you’d play croquet with us, Grandpa,” Timmy said, sounding doubtful.

“Right,” Adam replied. Then he turned to his son. “How about you?”

“Count me in,” A.C. answered, “but we need another player.” He looked at Julie.

“I’d rather play jacks,” Julie said and Lucy added, “Me, too. Will you play with us, Mommy?”

“Sure, after the dishes are all washed and dried, I’ll play,” Anna replied. “Maybe Aunt Gwyneth would like to play?”

“Right,” Gwyneth said. Adam and Bronwen shared a smile, remembering how Gwyneth had disdained jacks as a little girl.

“I’ll be the fourth croquet player,” Bronwen stated. “Let’s play doubles.”

“Will you be my partner, Daddy?” Timmy asked and A.C. ruffled his son’s hair as he said, “Right.” Adam smiled at Bronwen and said, “Looks like we’re partners, Sweetheart.”

“I wanna play the blue ball,” Timmy said then.

“That’s fine because I know your grandma likes to play the yellow ball,” Adam said with a wink. “And I’ve always liked the red.”

“Daddy and Timmy will win,” Julie announced confidently as the four croquet players headed for the front yard to set up the hoops and pegs.

“Oh, I think my daddy and mama will win,” Gwyneth said with a wink as she and Anna began to gather up the dishes.

“Who’s her daddy and mommy?” Lucy whispered to her sister.

“She means Grandpa and Grandma,” Julie replied. “I’m gonna go watch them until Mama and Aunt Gwyneth are ready to play.”

When Gwyneth and Anna walked out on the porch, they found Julie and Lucy sitting on the swing, watching the others play.

“Grandma and Grandpa are winning,” Julie said, her voice and her expression showing her disbelief.

“They’re bonzer players, especially your grandpa,” Gwyneth replied with a dimpled smile. “Your Aunt Miranda is the only one of us who could ever beat him.”

“Really?” Julie said and Gwyneth replied, “Too right!”

“I wanna play jacks,” Lucy said, bored with watching the others.

“If you want us to play, then you must ask politely,” Anna said.

Lucy scowled but then reluctantly said, “Can we play jacks now, please?”

When the croquet game ended, Timmy immediately wanted to play again. “Will you be my partner, Grandpa?” The three adults all smiled and Adam replied, “I’d be happy to be your partner, Timmy, if it’s all right with your father and your grandma.”

“I have a feeling that we’re going to be trounced, but I’m game if you are, Mama,” A.C. said with a big grin.

“I’ll give it a burl,” Bronwen replied, smiling up at her boy.

Miranda, William and David returned from their walk as the second game ended with Adam and Timmy victorious. Lucy was tired of playing jacks and wanted to play Old Maid. Adam, Bronwen, Gwyneth and A.C. played with her on the verandah while the others decided play Panjandrum on the dining room table. They hadn’t played very long when Llywelyn’s oldest daughter, Cathy, appeared at the gate pushing a baby carriage.

“G’day, Cathy!” Gwyneth called while A.C. asked his parents, “Llywelyn’s Cathy?”

“Right,” Bronwen said, “and she has little Leonard with her. They named him Leonard Rhys.”

“I’m afraid Daddy can’t play right now,” A.C. said to Lucy and he handed Adam his cards to shuffle into the pile.

“I need to tell Miranda that Cathy is here,” Gwyneth said. As she stood up, she noticed her little niece’s pout and said, “I’ll be right back, Lucy.”

There were a few more interruptions as Mrs. Naylor and Mrs. Newkirk, who’d lived across the street from the Cartwrights since Beth, Miranda and Gwyneth were little girls, dropped by to say hello. Then a little before lunch, Beth, Dafydd and Siân stopped by. As the three Cartwright sisters, Bronwen and Anna talked in the kitchen while they prepared lunch, the men played Old Maid with the children. Siân offered to play tennis with David.

“Unless you’d rather play Old Maid,” she said, arching one eyebrow in the familiar gesture.

“No,” he said quickly. “I’d rather play tennis.”

“Maybe when Morwenna and Gruffydd are out of school this afternoon, we can play doubles,” she suggested as they went to get the rackets and a ball. “None of us are very good. Morwenna’s brother Adam is the best player.” Watching the younger boy’s expression as he tried to match the name with a face, she smiled and said, “There are a lot of us to remember.”

“There sure are! And then there’s Cousin Josh and his family and Cousin Sarah and hers. I have lots more relatives on my mom’s side than my dad’s,” David commented.

“And we have more cousins that live around Broken Hill in New South Wales,” Siân added. “They’re the children and grandchildren of Grandma’s oldest brother, Granduncle Bryn,” she explained while David shook his head at the thought of all his relatives in Australia.

“Are any of them coming to the celebration?” he asked.

“I don’t think so,” Siân replied. “We’ve never met them. They mostly own sheep stations and it’s hard for them to be away for long.”

As the men and children were playing on the verandah, William noticed a man walking by.

“Looks like you have company, Dad,” he commented, and Adam saw the man walking up the path to the bungalow’s front door.

“I don’t recognize him,” Adam said.

“I’ll tell him that you and Mam are here,” Dafydd said, adding, “He’s a stranger to me as well.”

In a few minutes, Dafydd returned with the man. He looked to be around fifty. His skin had the dark leathery tan of one who spent most of his time outdoors, and his dark hair was sprinkled with gray. There was something familiar about him, but it eluded Adam.

“You’re Mr. Adam Cartwright?” the man asked Adam. At Adam’s nod, he said, “I’m your nephew, Michael Davies,” and he held out his hand

“Bryn’s youngest son,” Adam said with a smile as he shook Michael’s hand. “It’s wonderful to see you.” He realized that Michael reminded him a little of Rhys.

“I’ll get Mam,” Dafydd said then.

“My sons are capable of managing the station so I decided I’d make the trip from Broken Hill to represent our branch of the family at the celebration of your golden anniversary,” Michael stated.

Adam was in the midst of his introductions when Dafydd returned with Bronwen, followed by the other women.

“Oh, you remind me of your father,” Bronwen said, dabbing at her eyes. “I’m so glad you could come. I always wished I could meet you and your brothers.”

“We always wished we could meet you and Uncle Adam and our pretty cousins,” Michael said, grinning at Beth, Miranda and Gwyneth. “And our little cousin, who’s not little any more,” he added, glancing up at A.C., who had risen when the women walked onto the verandah.

“Your wife’s not with you?’ Bronwen asked.

“Grace was planning on coming with me but a day or two before I left, she got a bad sore throat and she was running a little fever so she had to stay home,” Michael replied. “I’m bringing congratulations and best wishes to you and Uncle Adam from the entire Davies clan in Broken Hill.”

“We’re having lunch in a few minutes, and you must join us,” Gwyneth said, and Michael readily accepted her invitation.

All the children came to the big house for lunch so once again the adults ate in the dining room while the children ate in the kitchen. Afterward, the children went back to school and Anna, Dafydd and William played a game called I Doubt It with Julie, Timmy and Lucy while Siân and David went back to playing tennis. The others gathered in the library and talked.

The afternoon passed quickly. When the children were home from school, including Kit and Llywelyn’s youngest, Paul, they divided into three groups. The four oldest played tennis in the backyard; Timmy, Arthur, Kit and Paul played croquet; Julie, Lucy and Marged played hopscotch and jacks. Bronwen and Adam walked with Michael to Llywelyn and Emma’s house while A.C., William and Dafydd watched the boys play croquet. The women were all busy preparing high tea. Miranda was allowed to make a tossed salad.

After high tea, Michael returned with Llywelyn and Emma and their younger daughters, Diana and Vicky. The four older girls played Old Maid with Lucy while the rest of the children played Panjandrum and the adults sat on the verandah and talked. Ifor and his wife came to visit with their daughter, Lois, who was now walking and talking, and Elen stopped by with her family. When it grew dark, Mark offered to drive Michael back to the hotel and the other family members headed for their homes.

As Adam and Bronwen lay side by side in their bed that night, Bronwen said joyfully, “I am so happy that Michael was able to be here for our anniversary.”

Adam reached for the hand beside his and enfolded it in his much larger one saying, “I’ve always regretted never meeting Bryn and any of his family. I knew them through his letters, but it’s not the same thing.”

She said softly, “I just wish Rhys could have been here,” and Adam squeezed her hand comfortingly.

“At least Llywelyn and his family were here to meet Michael,” he stated quietly.

She turned toward him and said enthusiastically, “It’s too bad Benj, Sarah, Josh and their families couldn’t be here. What a reunion that would have been!”

He smiled warmly and they fell asleep holding hands.

Morwenna had been given permission to miss school Friday so she could help with the open house. She and Bronwen hurried over to the big house once they’d finished the breakfast dishes. Bronwen returned a few minutes later looking bemused.

“I was told to go home and enjoy my special day,” she said in answer to Adam’s unspoken query, and he grinned.

“In that case, let’s go for our walk,” he said, holding out his hand.

As they walked on the verandah, he said quietly, “I wanted to visit Penny.” She smiled up at him, saying, “I was just thinking the same thing.”

A.C., William and the children were sitting on the verandah playing Old Maid while David had his nose stuck in a copy of Roughing It. They were keeping out of the way while the women cleaned the house.

“Look, Daddy! Somebody’s riding up on a horse,” Timmy exclaimed.

“I think that may be your cousin Jory,” A.C. said, noting the man’s swag and tucker bag and the scruffy old Akubra he was wearing. As the rider approached the house, A.C. waved and called, “G’day, mate!”

“G’day!” Jory called back. He dismounted at the front gate and then hurried up the path to the verandah.

“Good to see you, Jory,” A.C. said, holding out his hand. He noted Jory still bore a strong resemblance to Mark, but he’d inherited Gwyneth’s long legs and was a couple of inches taller than his dad.

“Good to see you, too, Uncle A.C. and Uncle William,” Jory said with a broad smile.

After A.C. introduced the children, Timmy said to Jory, “You look like a cowboy.”

“I am,” Jory replied with a grin, “except we say stockman. I’m the headstockman at our cattle station. I started out as a jackeroo the summer I was sixteen, and I knew then I wanted to be a stockman and not an engineer like my dad.” He said to A.C., “I’ve got to take care of my horse and then get over to the hotel and get cleaned up for the celebration, but we can talk more then.”

It wasn’t long after Jory left when Mark returned from the train station with his third born. As A.C shook his nephew’s hand, he could see Little Adam’s eyes were dark brown like Mark’s, but in every other way he was the image of his grandpa. ‘Little’ Adam was a misnomer now since his nephew was over six feet tall.

“You sure have grown since the last time I saw you, Adam,” A.C. said. He added with a wry grin, “This going to get confusing since my wife calls me Adam.”

His nephew smiled, showing his deep dimples. “She’s apples. When Grandma says Adam, she means Grandpa; she calls me Young Adam. If Aunt Anna says Adam, she’ll mean you. But everyone else means me.”

“I just can’t get over how much you look like the daguerreotype we have of your grandpa when he was at Harvard,” William said. His thoughts briefly turned to that other grandson who also bore a strong resemblance to Adam Cartwright, and how that resemblance led to revelations that had tested the strength of the family’s close ties of love and mutual respect. Ultimately, the family had come through that crucible stronger than ever. Richard Crowley was now a professor of Modern History at Trinity College, just recently renamed Duke University, and William saw him occasionally at symposiums. His son’s words brought William back to the present.

“It’s almost like seeing the picture come to life,” David was saying as he scrutinized his cousin.

“And I know what I’ll look like when I’m 87,” Young Adam said, winking. “Except I hope I’ll keep my hair,” he added with an infectious chuckle as he ran his fingers through his thick curls.

As it drew close to one o’clock, Bronwen changed into the dress Beth had made her especially for this occasion. It was made of pale green silk decorated by a floral print of violets. There was a sash of deep violet silk that was worn around the hips and bands of deep violet decorated the neck and the cuffs.

“Beth did a wonderful job with the dress,” Adam said as Bronwen pirouetted for him. “You look as lovely as the day I married you, Sweetheart.” He bent down and kissed her.

“You look as handsome and debonair as you did on our wedding day,” she said, looking admiringly at his double-breasted suit with its wide lapels that emphasized his broad shoulders. They kissed again and then he offered her his arm.

A.C., William and Young Adam were sitting on the swing of the verandah with the children. They were all dressed up for the open house and to keep the younger children neat and clean, they were playing Taboo. Lucy was the first to spot Adam and Bronwen. She immediately jumped up and ran to meet them.

“See my new dress!” she called to them. “Isn’t it pretty?” She was wearing a short ruffled dress of pink taffeta with little puff sleeves.

“Indeed it is,” Adam said, smiling down at her.

“Oh, your dress is pretty, too, Grandma,” Lucy exclaimed.

“Thank you,” Bronwen said with a tiny grin. “Your Aunt Beth made it for me.”

“Everybody’s getting ready for your party,” Lucy said, taking their hands and walking between them to the verandah. They exchanged a smile over her head, for she reminded them very much of their precious Penny.

“Mama, you look much too young and pretty to be celebrating your fiftieth wedding anniversary,” A.C. said with a big dimpled smile before bending down to kiss his mama’s cheek.

“You do look lovely, Mama,” William said before he followed A.C.’s example and kissed her cheek gently.

“You look nice, too, Grandpa,” Julie said, not wanting him to feel left out, and he smiled at her.

“Thank you, Julie,” he said.

“You sure don’t look eighty-seven,” Young Adam remarked with a wink.

“Well, your grandma keeps me young,” Adam said, putting an arm around Bronwen and giving her an affectionate squeeze.

Just then, Beth, Miranda and Gwyneth appeared in the doorway.

“Mama, you look beautiful,” Gwyneth said, and Beth added, “And you look so handsome, Daddy. I really like that new suit.”

“And you did a beautiful job with your mama’s dress, Princess,” Adam said, walking over to give each of his daughters a quick kiss. Then he said with a big smile, “I must be the luckiest man alive to have a beautiful wife and such beautiful daughters and granddaughters.”

“And don’t forget our handsome son and grandsons,” Bronwen said.

“And handsome sons-in-law,” Miranda added, directing a smile at William.

“Yes, of course,” Bronwen said, “for they are a great blessing.” She walked over to William and kissed his cheek. “Just like our daughter-in-law.” She looked around for Anna.

“Anna said she had something she wanted to give you and Daddy,” Gwyneth said.

“And here it is,” Anna said breathlessly as she hurried over to join the others. “Miranda and Sarah both remembered seeing this on their grandfather’s desk so Mildred and I hunted until we finally found it.” She handed a framed photograph to her mother-in-law.

“Cariad, look! It’s the photograph we had taken on our wedding day and sent to Pa,” Bronwen exclaimed, her face alight with joy.

“You were so lovely, Sweetheart,” Adam said tenderly as he gazed at the photograph.

“You’re both so young,” Gwyneth exclaimed as she looked over her mama’s shoulder.

“But we weren’t really,” Bronwen said. “I was twenty-eight.”

“And I was thirty-seven,” Adam stated. “I’d thought I was a confirmed bachelor.”

“I’d decided I was never going to meet my true-love and so I would just live at home with my parents,” Bronwen commented with a little grin. “But then one day this tall handsome stranger walked right into me, and my life was changed forever.” She smiled sweetly up at Adam then, adding, “They’ve been fifty wonderful years, but I’ve decided that Mr. Browning was right. The last of life is the best.” Adam leaned down and kissed her then while the others smiled.

“I wanna see the picture,” Lucy demanded loudly.

“Not unless you ask nicely,” A.C. said sternly.

“I wanna see the picture!” Lucy shouted, jumping up to try and grab it out of Bronwen’s hands.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse us,” A.C. said. “Lucy and I need to have a necessary talk.” He picked up his little girl, who was shrieking, “No!” and headed for the library. Anna was obviously mortified so William asked quietly, “May I see the photograph,” and Bronwen handed it to him with a little smile.

William gazed at the image of his in-laws, attired in their old-fashioned finery, and then said to Julie and Marged, “Would you girls like to see the photograph?

“Yes, thank you, Uncle William,” they said eagerly.

“Oh, Grandma, you were so beautiful,” Marged breathed.

Adam smiled at his granddaughter before saying with a tender smile, “And she still is.”

While the photograph was passed around, A.C. and Lucy returned. Lucy’s eyes and nose were red and swollen and she said to her grandma in a quavering voice, “I’m sorry I shouted and tried to grab the photograph.”

“Apology accepted,” Bronwen replied, bending down and kissing her little granddaughter’s tearstained cheek. “Now, if you ask Morwenna, she’ll let you see the photograph.” The little girl’s face lit up with a happy smile and she ran over to her cousin.

Alice Green was the first guest to arrive. She leaned heavily on her cane and A.C. helped her to the armchair closest to Bronwen.

“What a fine son you raised,” Alice commented. “And handsome. You have remarkably attractive children.”

“Thank you, Alice. Now, if I remember, you take milk and one sugar,” Bronwen said with a smile for the compliment, and the older woman nodded. Just then Beth walked over and asked Alice if she’d like a slice of cake and a bread and butter or cucumber sandwich.

“A cucumber sandwich, thank you, dear,” Alice replied. As Beth went to get the food, Alice said to Bronwen and Adam as she accepted the cup of tea, “I remember when you first moved here and Beth was just a baby. Now, here she is married with six children of her own. And grandchildren!”

“It’s hard for me to believe sometimes,” Adam said with a wink.

“I know when we married, I never realized how our family would grow,” Bronwen said, reaching for Adam’s hand. “We’ve been so blessed.”

While friends and neighbors were talking with Adam and Bronwen and offering their congratulations, A.C. looked for an opportunity to talk with Jory.

“Looks like life as a stockman agrees with you,” he said to the younger man.

“Too right!” Jory replied with a grin. His expression grew pensive as he added, “Huw and I both loved our summers as jackeroos and we were both going to live at the station. He was going to be headstockman and I would be a ringer.”

“I got the feeling that your dad was disappointed you didn’t want to be an engineer,” A.C. commented casually.

“Yeah, he didn’t take it very well,” Jory replied, “but Mama was supportive and so was Grandpa.”

“Really?” A.C. commented, arching an eyebrow. Then he said slowly, “Yeah, I guess he would be. He was disappointed at my decision to turn my back on engineering, but he accepted it and he paid for my tuition when I studied to be a veterinarian.”

“Well, Grandpa grew up on a cattle station, started out as a jackeroo and became a stockman before he was ever an engineer,” Jory said. “Dad knows nothing about cattle and doesn’t want to know.” He shrugged, adding, “Mining is in his blood so I can understand that. But the truth is that for the last three or four years the mine’s profits have been getting smaller and smaller while the cattle station’s have been growing. Even though Dad was against it, Grandpa and Cousin Llywelyn agreed to expand the station by buying more land and more cattle. We now own one of the largest stations in Cloncurry Shire.” He paused and then added, “Ben, Ifor and I have talked, and if the market for copper continues to decline, then they’ll move their families to the station and work there. It would be nice for Alice to have other women living close by. She’s a little worried about the isolation of life on a cattle station.”

A.C. nodded as he said, “Yeah, that was hard on Anna. It’s a good thing Josh and Mildred were already living on the Ponderosa. Even so, Anna takes the billy lids to Pullman in Washington to visit her family and friends for a month every year.” He grinned as he added, “I don’t like being on my own so I spend the month with Josh and Mildred and their family.”

“I thought I’d like being on my own,” Jory said. “At first I did, but after a while, I realized I missed my brothers and Morwenna. Alice and I are getting married next month and I’m really looking forward to it.” He glanced over at Adam and Bronwen, who were talking with Robbie Naylor’s parents, and said, “I want us to have a marriage like Grandma and Grandpa’s.”

A.C. smiled fondly as he gazed at his parents. “They made it look so easy but I’m finding a good marriage takes work, but it’s worth it.” He put his hand on his nephew’s shoulder as he added, “Believe me, mate, it is definitely worth it.”

When the last guest left, all the women quickly gathered up the dirty cups, saucers and plates to be washed. As they headed to the kitchen, Adam said, “You can wash up later because Llywelyn is going to take a photograph of the entire family. Then everyone is invited to dine with us at the Post Office Hotel.”

Ever since his uncle had asked him to take a photograph to commemorate the golden anniversary, Llywelyn had been thinking about how to pose everyone. Once the women had made sure they were neat and tidy, Llywelyn asked A.C. and Mark to each carry a chair to the front yard while he set up his camera and tripod and everyone else gathered on the verandah.

“Put the chairs further apart because people will be standing between them,” Llywelyn directed, and then he turned to his aunt and uncle. “I want each of you to sit in a chair. Aunt Bronwen, I want you to hold Virginia, and, Uncle Adam, you’ll hold Edna.” After they were seated and holding their great-granddaughters, Llywelyn said, “Elen, you’ll stand by Aunt Bronwen and Russell will stand by you, Kit will sit on the grass in front of Aunt Bronwen and Marged will sit by Kit. Dylan will stand by Russell, and Siân by Dylan with Gruffydd on the end. Beth and Dafydd, try and center yourselves behind your children. That takes care of the Joneses.”

Next, Llywelyn turned to the Gordons. “Miranda and William, you stand behind Aunt Bronwen. David, you’ll be in the center between the chairs, but I’m not ready for you yet. Lucy and Julie, you’ll stand between the chairs with Lucy in front and David will be behind Julie.”

“What about me?” Timmy asked.

“You sit on the grass in front of Uncle Adam. Your grandpa,” Llywelyn replied before turning to A.C. and Anna. “The two of you will stand behind Uncle Adam.”

Once they were all in position (and luckily the babies didn’t need to be fed or changed), Llywelyn tackled the Pentreaths. “Arthur, you sit by Timmy. Ben and Frances, you stand by Uncle Adam. Morwenna will stand by Ben, then Jory and Adam on the end. Finally, Gwyneth and Mark will center themselves behind their children.” Once everyone was in place, Llywelyn said, “Everyone look at the camera and don’t move.”

Llywelyn took several shots but the children were complaining and first Virginia and then Edna began to wail so he shrugged and said he was finished.

“I’m afraid we won’t be able to dine with you,” Ben said to his grandparents while Elen and Frances took their babies inside to nurse, and Russell said, “Afraid we won’t be able to either, but Kit can go if he’d like.”

“Too right I would!” Kit said. “Thanks, Dad.”

“We understand,” Bronwen said with a smile. “We’re just happy you could attend the open house and be here for the family portrait.”

Since there were too many people to ride in the automobiles, all twenty-one family members walked to the corner of Sheaffe and Sean where the hotel was located, waving to neighbors and friends along the way.

The hotel was expecting them, and at Adam’s request had prepared a standing rib roast with several side dishes. As everyone was finishing, A.C. rose to his feet.

“If I could have everyone’s attention,” he said. He waited until all the conversations ceased before continuing. “I’d like to propose a toast in honor of this special occasion. Mama and Dad, when I was a boy growing up here in Cloncurry, I never appreciated how blest I was in my parents. As I grew older, I realized that not all my mates’ parents loved each other the way my parents did. You didn’t have big blues and, Dad, I knew you would never hurt Mama. No, it was always clear that you loved each other very much even if you didn’t agree about everything.”

“Then I left home and began to see more of the world. The more I saw, the clearer it was to me what remarkable people the two of you are. Dad, you decided to follow your own dream here in a foreign land at an age when most men are settled comfortably in a profession. You’d been a pioneer once back in the States, and once would be enough for most men, but not you. You set out again with your wife and baby daughter to settle in a new frontier-the Outback. And, Mama, although you’d lived your entire life in the comfort of Darlinghurst, you were brave enough to follow Dad to Cloncurry where you had to deal with venomous snakes, draughts and monsoons and few of the comforts you’d known growing up. Together, you created a loving home for your children and provided a wonderful example of what Shakespeare described as ‘the marriage of true minds’.” A.C. smiled lovingly at his parents before raising his glass. “Please join me in a toast to Mr. and Mrs. Adam Cartwright. May the love they share continue to grow as the years pass.”

Lucy, Julie, Marged, Timmy, Arthur and Kit raised their glasses of water while the others raised their wine glasses. Bronwen and Adam both felt their eyes fill with tears as they gazed at their children, grandchildren and great-grandson.

Adam slowly rose to his feet and the others fell silent. “Fifty years ago as I was walking along the streets of Sydney, I clumsily walked right into a young woman carrying an armful of books. As I helped her gather them up, I had no idea she would change my life forever.” He smiled tenderly at Bronwen. “She is my true-love and she does indeed hold my heart in her keeping. It brings us both joy to look out at all of you and see how our family has grown over the past fifty years. You are a great blessing to us. I would like to propose a toast to our family.”

“To our family!” they all chorused as they raised their glasses.

“That’s a very happy smile,” Adam said to Bronwen that night as he performed the familiar ritual of brushing her long, snowy-white hair.

“I was just thinking how blessed we’ve been these past fifty years.” He nodded as he smiled at her reflection in the vanity’s mirror. She returned his smile and then added with a wry grin, “Of course, we’ve had our disagreements.”

“Which was to be expected with two people as stubborn as a pair of mules,” he interjected with a wink.

“Not our finest moments,” she agreed with the merest hint of a smile. “At least we almost always kept our promise never to go to bed angry with each other.” They both recalled with a sense of shame the time Rhys, Matilda and Dafydd had been compelled to intervene and make them see how they were hurting everyone who loved them by their obstinate refusal to see the other’s point of view.

“We’ve had our sorrows as well as our joys,” Adam said softly, and Bronwen nodded. So many losses over fifty years, and the hardest to bear were the losses of their daughter and grandchildren.

Turning to face him, she said, “For me, the joys have far outweighed the sorrows.”

As she spoke those words, his mind was flooded with memories: standing on the Davies verandah in the moonlight and removing Bronwen’s spectacles before taking her in his arms for their first kiss, holding her small delicate hand in his and gazing into her beautiful eyes as he slipped the narrow gold band on her finger, watching her tender expression as she held Beth in her arms and nursed her for the first time, walking down the aisle first with Beth, then Miranda and finally Gwyneth, giving his precious daughters to the men who’d won their hearts. The memories continued and he felt again the exultation he’d experienced when he’d delivered his son, the terrible anguish when his Kitten had turned to him with pain-filled eyes and asked him if she was dying, and the wonder and awe of seeing his first-born holding her own first-born in her arms.

He gazed down at Bronwen’s dear face and smiled. “Yes, the joys have outweighed the sorrows for me as well,” he said, and bent down to kiss her gently.

In Closing

From the Cloncurry Advocate, December 15, 1925:

Adam Stoddard Cartwright, Sr., one of Cloncurry’s earliest settlers and one of the founders of Cartwright, Davies & Pentreath Mining Company, died at his home. He was 89.

Mr. Cartwright was born in Boston, Mass. in the United States, and as a child traveled west with his father. The Cartwright family established their cattle station, the Ponderosa, along the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe in what would become the state of Nevada in the 1840s.

Mr. Cartwright earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College in 1858, graduating summa cum laude.

After graduation, Mr. Cartwright returned to work on the family cattle station for the next 13 years. He designed the family home, considered a showpiece. He served on the Virginia City town council for six years and on the school board for seven.

Mr. Cartwright left Nevada to travel, visiting Europe, Egypt and the Holy Land before sailing to Australia. In 1874, he married the love of his life, Bronwen Marged Davies of Darlinghurst, New South Wales. In 1875, he and his wife and infant daughter settled in Cloncurry, where he and his brother-in-law, Rhys Davies, founded Cartwright & Davies Mining Co. In 1892, he and Mr. Davies established the Cartwright & Davies scholarship, which has enabled many young men from Cloncurry to attend college. In 1905, Mr. Cartwright retired.

Mr. Cartwright was an accomplished guitarist and singer. “My family is very musical and I have many happy memories of us singing while my daddy and my sister Gwyneth accompanied us on their guitars,” said daughter Elizabeth Jones. Mr. Cartwright was also an amateur photographer and exhibited some of his photographs in Brisbane. He had a lifelong passion for the written word and owned over 1,000 books. “My father and mother both loved books and I can remember so many evenings with all of us gathered in the library while Daddy would read aloud,” remembered Gwyneth Pentreath, another daughter.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Cartwright is survived by three daughters: Elizabeth Jones and Gwyneth Pentreath, both of Cloncurry, and Miranda Gordon of Hanover, New Hampshire, United States; one son, Adam Cartwright, Jr. of the Ponderosa Ranch, Nevada, United States; 14 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his daughter, Penelope, and his grandsons, Pvt. Huw Jones, 9th Australian Light Horse, Seaman Jonathan Gordon, United States Navy, and his granddaughter, Laura Gordon. Mr. Cartwright will always be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, who deserves to rest now from all his labors, reunited with his parents, brothers, youngest daughter and grandchildren.

The funeral will be held at 10 a.m. at Chapel Bethel.