Series: Adam InThe Outback (2 of 16)<\/p>\n
Summary: \u00a0Adam and Bronwen adjust to parenthood and life in the outback in the second of my “Adam in the Outback” series.<\/p>\n
Rated T \u00a0WC \u00a030,000<\/p>\n
Adam In The Outback Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n My True Love Hath My Heart – Part 1<\/a> Not part of the Adam in the Outback Series, but set in the same realm:<\/p>\n The Adventure of the Gooseberry Pie Eating Bear<\/a> <\/p>\n First, I want to thank Joan Sattler for reading Part 2 to ensure I don\u2019t have any horrendous blunders in Australian history, geography or slang. \u00a0 I also want to thank her for telling me about damper and suggesting Hoss\u2019s initial reaction to it.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As in Part 1, there are a few Welsh words used in this story. <\/em>Cariad translates as dear or darling. <\/em>Bach and <\/em>fach are endearments. \u00a0 Adding <\/em>bach after a man\u2019s name or <\/em>fach after a woman\u2019s is like adding dear so Adam <\/em>bach is Adam dear. <\/em>Tad is Welsh for father and <\/em>mam is Welsh for mother. <\/em>Tad-cu is grandfather and <\/em>mam-gu is grandmother. \u00a0 <\/em>Merch is daughter, <\/em> wyres is granddaughter, <\/em> brawd is brother and <\/em>chwaer is sister.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n My True-Love Hath My Heart -Part 2<\/strong><\/p>\n February 2003<\/p>\n Adam Cartwright moved groggily from deep slumber to consciousness. \u00a0 It took him a moment to orient himself and become aware of a high-pitched cry coming from the cradle on the other side of the bed. \u00a0 \u201cBronwen,\u201d he said with a yawn shaking her shoulder. \u00a0 \u201cSweetheart, the baby\u2019s crying.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMmm,\u201d she muttered sleepily until she, too, became aware of the persistent crying. \u00a0 She reached over, found her spectacles, and putting them on, she got up and picked up the screaming infant. \u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s all right, precious. Mama is here now,\u201d she said gently as she sat in the rocking chair to nurse her. Beth quieted immediately and began sucking vigorously. \u201c Ow,\u201d Bronwen moaned softly. \u00a0 \u201cBeth, you\u2019re hurting mama,\u201d Adam muttered something incomprehensible before turning over and going back to sleep.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A persistent knocking at the door caused him to sit bolt upright in bed. Bronwen was sleeping so soundly she didn\u2019t even stir. \u00a0 He got out of bed carefully, found his robe and slippers and opened the door. \u201cNell,\u201d he said in surprise.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She took in his bleary eyes, heavy stubble and tousled hair, and had to bite back a smile. \u201cI\u2019m sorry to wake you, sir, but your family is downstairs waiting to have breakfast with you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, that\u2019s right,\u201d he said stifling a yawn. \u00a0 \u201cTell them I\u2019ll be down in a few minutes. Have you offered them coffee?\u201d She nodded so he said, \u201cYou\u2019re a gem, Nell,\u201d and closed the door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He rubbed his face. He knew he ought to shave but it would just have to wait until after breakfast. \u00a0 He dressed quietly in one of his old black shirts and a pair of black pants. Before he left he took a peek at the cradle. He marveled at Beth\u2019s little rosebud mouth and her tiny fingers with their tiny nails. \u00a0 He wanted to touch her flower-petal soft skin, but was afraid he\u2019d awaken her and poor Bronwen needed her sleep.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n His family was waiting in the dining room, drinking coffee in their blue and white Wedgwood china. \u201cGood morning,\u201d he said, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLooks like you didn\u2019t sleep too well,\u201d Joe grinned.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t. Beth was hungry when I got home and she needed to be changed. \u00a0 Then she was hungry again about the time the sun came up. \u00a0 Poor Bronwen is sleeping right now.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI guess that means we can\u2019t see the baby,\u201d Hoss said dejectedly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou can see her once she wakes up,\u201d Adam said with a smile, squeezing his brother\u2019s shoulder. \u201cYou can even hold her.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re calling her Beth?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cElizabeth seems an awfully long name for such a little girl,\u201d Adam said with a smile. \u00a0 \u201cShe looked so sweet asleep. I just can\u2019t get over how tiny she is and how perfect. \u00a0 Those perfect little ears, just like her mother\u2019s, and her little hands with their tiny fingernails.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI felt the same way with each of you,\u201d Ben said warmly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAw, come on, Pa. You aren\u2019t tellin\u2019 us Hoss here was ever as tiny Beth!\u201d Joe interjected with an infectious giggle and Hoss reached over and punched him on the arm, almost causing him to slosh his coffee on the white linen tablecloth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe may not have been as tiny, but he was as perfect,\u201d Ben replied, deciding to ignore the horseplay. \u00a0 He turned to his eldest son and said with a touch of asperity, \u201cAre you planning on growing a beard, son\/\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMaybe,\u201d Adam replied scratching his stubble. \u00a0 \u201cIt would be nice not having to shave twice a day. \u00a0 Thanks for the suggestion, Pa,\u201d he said with a twinkle in his eyes while Ben shook his head.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jus then Nell entered the dining room with a large tray. \u00a0 \u201cScrambled eggs as you requested,\u201d she said to Hoss sitting a serving dish on the table. \u201cFried potatoes the way you like them,\u201d she said to Adam and sat that dish on the table. \u00a0 \u201cI have bacon and I mixed up a batch of cream scones,\u201d she added setting two platters on the table before leaving.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cScones?\u201d Hoss asked and Adam replied, \u201cThey\u2019re like biscuits; you\u2019ll like them.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There wasn\u2019t too much conversation as the men concentrated on eating. When they finished, Hoss asked hopefully, \u201cThink Beth might be awake?\u2019<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam grinned and said, \u201cI\u2019ll go see.\u201d \u00a0 Just then they heard someone knocking on the door and Joe said, \u201cI wonder who that could be this early?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s probably Mam<\/em> ,\u201d Adam said, standing up to go answer the door. \u00a0 \u201cMrs. Davies,\u201d he added seeing the puzzled looks on his family\u2019s faces. \u201cShe\u2019s going to stay with Bronwen during the day to help out for the next couple of weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Just then Nell walked into the dining room carrying a tray with a small teapot made of earthenware and a matching mug, an eggcup, a plate with several slices of buttered toast and a little pot of orange marmalade. \u00a0 \u201cCould you take this up to Mrs. Cartwright, please, and I\u2019ll answer the door,\u201d\u2019 she said to Adam. \u201cDr. Davies said to make sure she ate the egg for breakfast and not just toast.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll make sure she follows orders,\u201d Adam said with a devilish grin, for he was planning to be just as strict as she had been with him when he was recovering from malaria a couple of months earlier. \u00a0 He turned to Hoss as he started to head upstairs. \u00a0 \u201cIf Beth is awake, then I\u2019ll bring her down.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSweetheart,\u201d he said gently, shaking Bronwen\u2019s shoulder. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got your breakfast here.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMorning,\u201d she replied stretching before she reached for her spectacles. \u201cNell knows I only eat tea and toast,\u201d she said as Adam put the tray on her lap.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBut Tad<\/em> has left strict orders that you are to eat an egg with your toast. \u00a0 And you know his orders must be obeyed. \u00a0 At least that\u2019s what a very lovely young woman told me a few months back when I was the patient.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou are really enjoying this, aren\u2019t you,\u201d she replied with a frown as she accepted the tray.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou bet,\u201d he replied with another evil grin. \u00a0 Just then Beth began to cry and he heard Bronwen say, \u201cOn no!\u201d \u00a0 He turned to look back at her and saw two wet patches begin form on her nightgown. He raised his eyebrows and she snapped back, \u201cI\u2019m leaking. Mam<\/em> warned me it could happen. Could you hold her until I eat this egg you insist I must have?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll take care of Beth; you just eat your breakfast,\u201d he replied calmly. He walked over to the crib and carefully lifted the baby. \u00a0 \u201cOh, I don\u2019t think she\u2019s hungry,\u201d he said to Bronwen. \u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s wet.\u201d He laid her back in the cradle to change her and then a worried expression crossed his face. Just then Mrs. Davies came in the room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHere, Adam bach<\/em> , I\u2019ll take care of the baby. You go visit with your family.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll go in a minute,\u201d he said in a neutral tone. \u00a0 \u201cCould I speak with you for a moment, please?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSurely,\u201d Mrs. Davies said walking over to him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIs Beth all right?\u201d he asked in a quiet voice full of anxiety. \u201cLook,\u201d he added pulling back the diaper.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s perfectly normal during a baby\u2019s first day or so,\u201d Mrs. Davies said reassuringly and he didn\u2019t note the twinkle in her eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam gave an enormous sigh of relief. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like to take her downstairs if she\u2019s not really hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s just get her cleaned up and then you can take her.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam, could you get me a fresh nightgown, please? \u00a0 And ask Nell to bring me some water to wash with,\u201d Bronwen requested.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He got a clean nightgown from their chest of drawers and after he laid it on the bed beside Bronwen, he watched Mrs. Davies fasten booties on Beth\u2019s feet and then a little bonnet on her head.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Princess,\u201d he said scooping her up carefully. \u00a0 \u201cYour uncles and your grandpa are eager to see you.\u201d \u00a0 He gently stroked the soft skin on her hands and felt blissfully happy when Beth\u2019s little fingers closed around his forefinger. \u00a0 \u201cHere she is,\u201d he announced walking into the dining room where the others were lingering over another cup of coffee.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s jest so sweet,\u201d Hoss said looking at the tiny face. \u00a0 \u201cCan I hold her now?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think Pa should be the first to hold her,\u201d Adam said quietly and Hoss nodded with a smile. They both turned toward Ben, who held out his arms with tears in his eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It had been such a long time since he\u2019d held a baby in his arms and he\u2019d begun to wonder if he would ever hold a child of Adam\u2019s. \u00a0 Oh Liz<\/em>, he thought, you\u2019d be so proud of your beautiful namesake<\/em>. \u00a0 \u201cAren\u2019t you a beautiful little girl,\u201d he cooed to the infant. \u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re the first baby girl in our family, precious.\u201d \u00a0 He rubbed his finger lightly against her cheek, seeing if she would turn her mouth toward it. \u201cYou\u2019re a lucky man, son,\u201d he said softly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Adam replied quietly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe looks prettier today,\u201d Joe observed. \u00a0 \u201cHer skin\u2019s not so mottled.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoseph!\u201d Ben barked and Beth whimpered at the louder voice and abashed Ben soothed her with a rocking motion.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s right, Pa,\u201d Adam said with a smile. \u00a0 \u201cI remember Hoss and Joe didn\u2019t look their best right after they were born either, and I suspect it was the same with me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCan I hold her now?\u201d Hoss asked eagerly and reluctantly Ben handed her over. \u201cHey, Sweet Pea,\u201d Hoss crooned. \u201cI\u2019m your Uncle Hoss. \u00a0 I\u2019ve come all the way across the ocean jest to see you. \u00a0 And I think you\u2019re the prettiest little thing. \u00a0 You just pay no mind to Uncle Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t say she wasn\u2019t pretty yesterday,\u201d Joe complained. \u00a0 \u201cOnly that she\u2019s prettier today.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd you\u2019re gonna get prettier every day, ain\u2019t ya, Sweet Pea?\u201d Hoss said to her and he, too, had to touch her delicate soft skin while Adam stood by with an enormous grin on his face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After a few minutes Joe announced, \u201cNow it\u2019s my turn.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPut your hand under her head to support it,\u201d Adam instructed him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam, I have held a baby before,\u201d Joe said with a scowl to which Adam replied, \u201cBut not my<\/em> baby!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe is awful tiny,\u201d Joe said softly as he gazed down at his niece and gently stroked her cheek. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve never felt skin so soft.\u201d Just then Beth began to screw up her face and flap her arms before giving a loud wail. \u201cSure got a set of lungs on her though,\u201d he said with a pained expression, offering her to her father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI imagine she\u2019s hungry,\u201d Ben suggested.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBut she just ate a few hours ago,\u201d Adam protested.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSon, take it from someone who\u2019s raised three babies, she\u2019s hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s not wet, so I guess you\u2019re right,\u201d Adam replied skeptically. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll take her up to Bronwen.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou and Bronwen and Beth need more time together so your brothers and I will do some sightseeing on our own today.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMaybe we\u2019ll visit that beach you wrote about,\u201d Joe added with a grin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful day for it. \u00a0 I think Nell would make you a picnic lunch to take and Mam<\/em> could tell you how to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThen that\u2019s what we\u2019ll do,\u201d Ben said with a smile \u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll go back to the hotel for our bathing costumes and then come by here for directions and lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam found Bronwen dressed in the clean gown and her negligee brushing her long black hair. Unfortunately, the sound of Beth\u2019s crying caused the same reaction as before.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s hungry,\u201d Adam said handing her the baby and trying not to notice the damp spots on her negligee. \u00a0 \u201cMay I watch you feed her?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIf you like,\u201d Bronwen replied with a smile, going to sit in the rocker. Adam noticed she grimaced a few times and asked if Beth was hurting her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cA little. Mam<\/em> says in a day or two my breasts will be used to it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhere is Mam<\/em> ?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s talking with Nell about what I should have for dinner. \u00a0 Apparently I have to eat like a horse to produce milk for Beth. \u00a0 And I wanted to start getting my figure back,\u201d she lamented. \u00a0 Adam wanted the same thing but wasn\u2019t sure what to say, so wisely kept his mouth shut. Mrs. Davies had returned in time to hear Bronwen\u2019s last remark.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIn a couple of weeks you\u2019ll be fit to take the baby on walks. The more you walk, the quicker you\u2019ll get your figure back. And no one is asking you to overeat; that would be bad for the baby and you. \u00a0 No, you just need to eat plenty of vegetables, fruit, soup, rice and bread. You also need to drink plenty of milk. I\u2019ve told Nell you may have tea at breakfast but milk at every other meal. \u00a0 You shouldn\u2019t eat meat more than once a day, and you mustn\u2019t eat any highly seasoned foods. Oh, you also need to drink plenty of water.\u201d She turned to Adam then. \u201cActually, it wouldn\u2019t hurt you to follow that diet either, and it would make things easier for Nell and me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam had a hard time imagining eating meat only once a day, but said quietly, \u201cIf you think it best, Mam<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThen that\u2019s settled. Well, I\u2019m going to do some laundry. Babies dirty a lot of diapers and apparently you\u2019re going to be going through a lot of nightgowns so we don\u2019t want to get behind.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam watched Bronwen nurse Beth until he felt someone shake his shoulder. \u201cYou fell asleep, cariad<\/em>,\u201d Bronwen said with a smile. \u201cI think you\u2019re as tired as I am so why don\u2019t we both take a nap.\u2019<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI should write to Rhys,\u201d he began but she put her fingers over his mouth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAfter we take a nap. Besides, I sleep better when I\u2019m curled up next to you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n That afternoon he sat at his desk and began to write Rhys.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n January 13, 1875<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dear Rhys,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Your niece, Elizabeth Sian, arrived around six p.m. on January 12. She and Bronwen are both well. Naturally we are all besotted with Beth, for that is what we\u2019ve decided to call her. \u00a0 My youngest brother, Joe, was quite surprised that she was bald; apparently he thought girl babies came with hair. \u00a0 She doesn\u2019t seem to favor either Bronwen or me particularly. \u00a0 Her eyes are the same shape as Bronwen\u2019s are and she seems to have inherited my chin. Oh, and she definitely has her mother\u2019s ears.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My father and my brother, Hoss, are going to remain in Australia long enough to visit Cloncurry. \u00a0 When they return home, they are going to invest some of Cartwright Enterprises\u2019 money into Cartwright & Davies, Inc. \u00a0 It should help us buy some of the more modern equipment we\u2019ve discussed without needing to ask the bank for an additional loan.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We should be arriving about a week after you receive this letter. It will be summer when my family and I arrive so I\u2019ll get to experience firsthand just how hot it can be there.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I hope you and Matilda are both doing well, and I\u2019ll look forward to seeing you both.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Affectionately yours, <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the afternoon mail arrived, it contained a letter to Bronwen from Matilda. He took it up to their room where he found Bronwen sitting in one of the window seats holding Beth while tears streamed down her face. \u00a0 He covered the distance in a few long strides and dropped to his knees beside his wife and daughter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSweetheart, what\u2019s wrong. \u00a0 Tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Bronwen sobbed. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m happy Beth is born, but I just feel so empty now and so sad.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam sat beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders comfortingly, resting his chin on her head as she turned and cried on his broad chest. When she finally stopped, he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and turned her face up to his. \u201cAre you all right now?\u201d has asked as he handed her his handkerchief.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She blew her nose before answering in an unsteady voice. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m fine. I don\u2019t know what came over me. At least Beth slept through it all. I wouldn\u2019t want her to see her mama this way.\u201d As if responding to her name, Beth yawned and then opened her eyes and fastened them on her parents\u2019 faces, causing them to smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHello, Princess,\u201d Adam said quietly, offering her his finger, which she immediately grasped.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bronwen looked at him and smiled, but then the smile changed to a little frown. \u201cAdam, you haven\u2019t shaved.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 She ran her fingertips along the stubble on his cheeks and chin unsure how she felt about its texture.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve decided to grow a beard,\u201d he replied with a smile. \u00a0 \u201cPa suggested it.\u201d He saw both her eyebrows shoot up at that and added with a grin, \u201cWell, he unintentionally put the idea in my head. If I don\u2019t like it, I can always shave it off.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPlease don\u2019t grown a big bushy one. \u00a0 I\u2019d feel like I was kissing a mouthful of hair,\u201d and she wrinkled up her nose in distaste.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNeatly trimmed, I promise,\u201d he chuckled before capturing her mouth for a long, intimate kiss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYour face is certainly scratchy right now,\u201d she said tartly when they broke apart. \u201cI hope the beard grows in soon.\u201d Beth made a cooing sound that seemed to indicate her agreement, which made both of her parents laugh.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI almost forgot. You got a letter from Matilda. Let me hold Beth while you read it.\u201d He took the baby and went to sit in the rocking chair while Bronwen tore open the letter. Before she could begin reading Adam said, \u201cLook at this. She\u2019s trying to nurse!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She smiled saying, \u201cDon\u2019t hold her in the same way I do when I nurse her. Try laying her on your lap; that way she can see your face.\u201d \u00a0 With a smile she turned to her letter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n December\u2014 1874<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dear Bronwen,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By the time you receive this letter, Rhys and I should have a new niece or nephew. We are both looking forward to seeing him or her very much. \u00a0 And I am looking forward to the day you and Adam and the baby become our neighbors. I try not to let Rhys see, but I am so lonely here, Bronwen. There aren\u2019t that many other women in town and most are older women with children. \u00a0 If it weren\u2019t for Pip, I\u2019d die of loneliness during the day when Rhys is at the mine. Pip is the little terrier puppy Rhys got. He is just adorable. He\u2019s a little thing, but so energetic. He is blue and tan with the sweetest little topknot and a ruff around his neck. \u00a0 Rhys says the ruff will help protect him from snakes. \u00a0 I know one of the reasons Rhys got Pip was to kill snakes and other vermin, but I can\u2019t bear the thought of my little darling tangling with a snake and being poisoned.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I feel I must prepare you for the fact that the heat here can be quite excessive. Sally, the girl we hired to come in three days a week, and I try to do the housework in the morning when it\u2019s still cool. The hotter it gets, the more time we spend on the verandah. We\u2019re getting some wicker furniture so we can dine there. \u00a0 I recommend that you speak with Adam about doing the same. \u00a0 You may tell him that I love the house he designed for us.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Please write and let me know all about the baby.\u00a0\u00a0 I am waiting impatiently for your arrival here in Cloncurry.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With love,<\/p>\n Matilda<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMatilda says to tell you that she loves their house. \u00a0 She also loves their little puppy. \u00a0 You know, Adam, I was thinking that we shouldn\u2019t get a little puppy. \u00a0 I\u2019m afraid it would be too much work to take care of and train.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhen I see Mr. Greene, I\u2019ll tell him we\u2019d like an older puppy that\u2019s been housebroken.\u201d He paused for a minute gazing at Beth before adding, \u201cYou know Pa and Hoss would like to see Cloncurry and I need to meet with Rhys so we\u2019ll be leaving next week. Joe will be here for another week and I\u2019d like to ask him to stay here with you while I\u2019m gone. \u00a0 I know your mother will also be here, but I\u2019d just feel better if Joe were here as well.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIs he going to be looking after me, or do you really want me to keep him out of mischief?\u201d she asked with a saucy grin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cA bit of both. Besides it will give you a chance to get to know each other better.\u201d \u00a0 He added in a more serious tone, \u201cPa and Hoss both told me that Joe had a bit of a problem with my decision to settle here. \u00a0 I think if he gets to know you better, he\u2019ll understand why I made the decision.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She nodded her agreement and then asked curiously, \u201cWhere is your family?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThey went to Bondi Beach,\u201d he replied with a grin. \u201cI had written them about how beautiful it is and so they packed their bathing costumes.\u201d \u00a0 He grinned more broadly as he said, \u201cI\u2019m having difficulty imaging Hoss in a bathing costume.\u201d She saw his face screw up then and he said, \u201cUh-oh. \u00a0 I\u2019m afraid Beth needs to be changed, and now I need a change of trousers.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bronwen giggled and got up saying, \u201cHere, I\u2019ll change her.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam shook his head saying, \u201cI never realized that we would be changing our clothes as often as Beth\u2019s diapers.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He was just buttoning his clean trousers when Mrs. Davies stuck her head in the room. \u201cDr. Browne is here to see Bronwen and Beth.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSend him up please,\u201d Bronwen said. \u00a0 \u201cCould you stay, cariad<\/em> ?\u201d and Adam replied, \u201cYes, I\u2019d like to be here. \u00a0 Mam<\/em>,\u201d he added. \u00a0 \u201cI am going to be taking my family out to supper so you and Nell don\u2019t have to worry about feeding us.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCoward!\u201d Bronwen said with an impudent grin after her mother left. \u201cYou just don\u2019t want soup and vegetables for supper.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cUntrue,\u201d he retorted with a smirk. \u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want to see poor Hoss waste away before my eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A few minutes later Dr. Browne, a genial man who looked to be in his late fifties, entered. \u201cMrs. Cartwright, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d he said with a smile and a nod. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve come to see how you and Miss Elizabeth are doing. \u00a0 May I take her?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He examined the baby thoroughly, paying particular attention to the stump of the umbilical cord. \u201cShe looks to be in perfect health. Has she been nursing well?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe has a good appetite,\u201d Bronwen said proudly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGood, good. Has she moved her bowels?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bronwen started to say no, but Adam spoke up quickly. \u00a0 \u201cYes, she has.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cFine. No colic?\u201d and Bronwen shook her head. \u201cThat\u2019s excellent. Now Mrs. Cartwright, how are you feeling?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d she assured him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo excessive bleeding?\u201d \u00a0 When she answered in the negative, he smiled at her. \u00a0 \u201cNow, I should warn you if your mother hasn\u2019t already done so, that you may find that your emotions veer back and forth between joy and sorrow. \u00a0 It\u2019s perfectly normal for the first few weeks after childbirth.\u201d \u00a0 He turned to Adam then. \u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re here, Mr. Cartwright, because my next bit of medical advice concerns you as well. You and Mrs. Cartwright will need to abstain from marital relations for the next six weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSix weeks!\u201d Adam repeated, his eyebrows shooting up.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, isn\u2019t it providential that you\u2019re taking Pa and Hoss to Cloncurry and you\u2019ll be gone for at least six weeks,\u201d Bronwen said demurely, but Adam saw the naughty glint in her eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dr. Browne cleared his throat. \u00a0 \u201cYes, I\u2019d say it\u2019s providential. \u00a0 Your wife needs time to recover from childbirth, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d he added sternly. \u201cOf course, doctor,\u201d Adam said with a sigh. Dr. Browne then turned his attention back to Bronwen. \u00a0 \u201cYou are nursing the baby yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019 right.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, that should prevent you from becoming pregnant again too soon. Your mother said she already told you about the importance of fresh air and exercise. \u00a0 It\u2019s good for the baby as well. In two weeks, I want you to begin going on daily walks with the baby. \u00a0 Don\u2019t exhaust yourself. You may not feel up to going very far the first few days, but your strength will return. I\u2019ll plan on coming to check on you both in two weeks. Don\u2019t worry,\u201d he added with a friendly smile, \u201cI can see myself out.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh cariad<\/em>, if you could have seen the look on your face,\u201d Bronwen giggled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cVery funny. I suppose you don\u2019t mind?\u201d he said sarcastically, a scowl marring his handsome features.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps in another week or two, I\u2019ll mind, but I really don\u2019t feel amorous at the moment. I\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said candidly. \u201cI still want your hugs and kisses and I\u2019d love a backrub,\u201d she added softly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not some brute, you know, who can\u2019t control himself,\u201d he said sharply.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOf course you\u2019re not,\u201d she said soothingly. \u00a0 \u201cBeth is asleep. Would you put her in her cradle for me?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Picking up his daughter in his arms soothed his temper as she\u2019d known it would. After he put the baby down he turned to Bronwen with a rather sheepish grin. \u00a0 \u201cSo you\u2019d like a backrub?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, please. Yours are so relaxing,\u201d she said smiling at him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He felt the tension in her muscles relax as he gently kneaded them, trying to focus on that rather than how stimulating he found the touch of her soft skin under his fingertips. His massage was so successful that he discovered she had fallen asleep. \u00a0 \u201cIt is providential that I\u2019m going to be away,\u201d he whispered to her sleeping form, \u201cbecause I don\u2019t think I could abstain for six long weeks if I were here sharing a bed with you.\u201d He dropped a light kiss on her cheek and then went downstairs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n He was reading the newspaper when his family returned tanned, or in Hoss\u2019s case sunburned, from their day at the beach. \u00a0 He took them to a little restaurant where they told him all about their day. He told them the doctor had come to visit and said Bronwen and Beth were both in good health.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa, Hoss and I will be leaving for Cloncurry at the beginning of the week, Joe, and I was hoping that for the last week you\u2019re here you would come stay at the house. I\u2019d feel better knowing you were there, keeping Bronwen company.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou aren\u2019t worried that she\u2019ll succumb to my charm?\u201d Joe asked teasingly, certain he would get a rise from his oldest brother.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam smiled smugly. \u201cNope.\u201d Immediately his expression grew serious. \u201cThe doctor wants her to rest for two weeks and I know you\u2019ll be entertaining company for her. \u00a0 I\u2019m hoping you\u2019ll make sure that she follows doctor\u2019s orders.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Adam, you can count on me,\u201d Joe replied and they smiled warmly at each other.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are times,<\/em> Adam thought as Beth\u2019s piercing wail broke through his consciousness and he felt Bronwen move out of his arms, when I wonder what I\u2019ve gotten myself into<\/em>. \u00a0 He listened to the sound of Bronwen\u2019s soft footsteps as she walked to the baby\u2019s cradle and his daughter\u2019s screams became soft sucking sounds. \u00a0 Although the room was dark, he could see his wife and daughter in his mind\u2019s eye: Bronwen\u2019s expression dreamy and serene while only Beth\u2019s bald head was visible as she sucked greedily. \u00a0 He dozed off listening to the sound of Beth\u2019s nursing and only partially woke when Bronwen curled next to him. He woke again at daybreak. He got out of bed carefully, trying not to wake Bronwen. \u00a0 The minute he left her side she stirred and said in a sleepy voice, \u201cIs it morning already?\u2019<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGo back to sleep, sweetheart,\u201d he said bending down to drop a kiss on her hair. He smiled as he watched her drift back to sleep, and then he dressed quickly in the nearly dark room. He headed for the kitchen. He could smell the coffee percolating before he reached the kitchen and heard Nell\u2019s quiet movements. \u00a0 He was always surprised that a woman as large as Nell could move so quietly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMornin\u2019, Mr. Cartwright,\u2019 she greeted him with a broad smile. \u201cHow many times did the baby wake you up?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He smiled ruefully. \u201cThree. Maybe by the time I get back she\u2019ll be sleeping through the night\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMaybe,\u201d Nell said noncommittally. \u00a0 \u201cWell, have a cup of coffee and I\u2019ll fix your bacon and eggs.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He had just poured himself a second cup when Bronwen joined him. \u201cI thought you were sleeping,\u201d he said after kissing her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI was but I woke up and remembered this is the day you leave for Cloncurry so I wanted to see you off. \u00a0 I\u2019ll go back to bed after you leave,\u201d she said with a yawn.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nell smiled when she came in with Adam\u2019s breakfast and saw Bronwen. \u201cI thought you might be gettin\u2019 up to see Mr. Cartwright off. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll start your egg and your toast.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd my tea,\u201d Bronwen called to her. In a few minutes Nell returned with Bronwen\u2019s breakfast and the two of them ate in a companionable silence. They had just finished when the doorbell rang announcing the arrival of the other three Cartwrights.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHere we are,\u201d Ben said jovially. \u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve come to see us off, Bronwen?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d she said with a smile. \u00a0 \u201cIf you\u2019ll wait a moment, I\u2019ll bring Beth down so she can see you off as well.\u201d She returned a few minutes later with a sleeping Beth in her arms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAw, Sweet Pea,\u201d said Hoss softly \u201cyou get prettier every day jest like I said you would.\u201d Ben held out his arms and Bronwen gently put Beth in them. \u00a0 She made a funny little face and whimpered, but she stayed asleep.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGood-bye, Precious. Grandpa is going to miss you,\u201d and he leaned over and dropped a butterfly kiss on Beth\u2019s head before starting to hand her back to Bronwen.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She shook her head saying, \u201cGive her to Adam. \u00a0 I\u2019d like to speak with you and Hoss for a moment before you go. \u00a0 In private,\u201d she added. Adam and Ben each lifted an eyebrow at her request and she almost giggled to see them do it simultaneously. Hoss and Joe just look puzzled. \u201cIt will give you a chance to say a proper good bye to Joe,\u201d she said firmly to Adam. \u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll just go in the library.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, my dear?\u201d Ben asked after she closed the library doors behind them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam hasn\u2019t said anything to you about having malaria, has he?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, he shore ain\u2019t!\u201d Hoss said emphatically while Ben\u2019s brow furrowed with concern.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe and my brother Rhys both contracted it back in October.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe looks healthy now,\u201d Ben said slowly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, he is. I didn\u2019t mean to worry you. I\u2019m so sorry. \u00a0 The only reason I bring it up is that my father told us that he could have a recurrence. He told me I must always have quinine on hand and showed me how much to give Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI see,\u201d Ben said thoughtfully. \u00a0 \u201cAnd you want to tell us and give us quinine to take with us?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. He must have the quinine to bring down his fever or it could kill him,\u201d and she couldn\u2019t stop her voice from catching in a sob.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll look after him for ya , Bronwen. Don\u2019t you worry none,\u201d Hoss said gently. \u201cYou jest tell us how much and how often to dose him.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd tell us the symptoms,\u201d Ben added.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She nodded and said, \u201cThe attacks always start with a headache, nausea and chills. Then comes the fever and that\u2019s when you dose him with quinine. \u00a0 After the fever breaks, he\u2019ll be very weak and need to sleep. \u00a0 He\u2019ll feel all right for the next two days, but on the third day, it all starts up again.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow long the disease take to run its course?\u201d Ben asked trying not to let Bronwen see how worried he was.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe first time it lasted for four weeks,\u201d and she saw the worry on both their faces at her words. \u00a0 \u201cTad<\/em> seemed to think the recurrences probably wouldn\u2019t be that severe.\u201d \u00a0 She smiled faintly. \u201cNothing may happen; I just needed to make sure someone would be there to care for him.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd we\u2019re very grateful. \u00a0 I may have a talk with my eldest about keeping his family in the dark,\u201d Ben said with a frown.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure he just didn\u2019t want to worry you. \u00a0 He was almost recovered when we got the letter saying you were coming here, so there was no way to reach you.\u201d She looked at Ben anxiously, not wanting to cause any discord between her husband and his father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Pa,\u201d Hoss added, putting his arm around his father\u2019s shoulders. \u201cYou know how Adam is; he wouldn\u2019t want to worry us and he was fine by the time we got here. \u00a0 I expect Bronwen took real good care of him.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe actually had a nurse to help care for him as well,\u201d she added. \u201cAdam is not a good patient,\u201d she said emphatically.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, he shore ain\u2019t and that\u2019s a fact,\u201d Hoss guffawed and even Ben smiled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to meeting Hop Sing because Adam says he can manage all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat he can. I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll be willing to give you advice on how to manage Adam when he\u2019s sick. He isn\u2019t very often, but when he is, it\u2019s bad.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Just then they heard a knock on the door and Adam\u2019s voice asking if they were ready.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIn just a moment, cariad<\/em>,\u201d she called. She gave the bottle of quinine to Ben and hurriedly instructed him and Hoss on the dosage. Even so Adam was frowning a little in annoyance when they emerged. \u00a0 She ignored his frown and stood on tiptoe so he didn\u2019t have to bend over as far to kiss her. It was a long, intimate kiss and the other three men felt uncomfortable witnessing it. \u201cTake care of yourself, cariad<\/em>,\u201d she whispered when they broke apart.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd you take care of yourself and Beth,\u201d he said softly, brushing his fingertips over her cheeks in a caress. \u201cWe should be back in about six weeks, and when I come home, we\u2019ll celebrate,\u201d He grinned at her blush. (He wasn\u2019t sure if he could still make her blush, and enjoyed the sight.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After they left, Bronwen turned to Joe, who was holding Beth. \u201cJoe, I don\u2019t want to seem like a bad hostess, but I\u2019m really tired. Would you mind if I took a nap and left you to your own devices?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He smiled at her disarmingly. \u00a0 \u201cNot at all. Adam told me the doctor said you needed plenty of rest. \u00a0 Beth is asleep, too. Maybe this afternoon we could play checkers, or cribbage?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat sounds like fun,\u201d she replied with a smile, taking the sleeping baby from him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe decided he would go for a walk and explore the neighborhood. \u00a0 Paddington was an attractive suburb and the weather was just perfect. \u00a0 He strolled along, tipping his hat to matrons and young ladies feeling very dapper in his lounge suit of charcoal-gray broadcloth and black bowler. \u00a0 Australian women, he decided, were very attractive. \u00a0 He returned in time for dinner, which was lamb chops with a green salad and several vegetables. He wasn\u2019t fond of lamb but remembered Adam had written that New South Wales was sheep country so he imagined he\u2019d be eating a lot of it this week.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After dinner he and Bronwen played cribbage. \u00a0 Joe discovered she was an expert player. \u00a0 \u201cDo you beat Adam?\u201d he asked curiously after she trounced him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSometimes,\u201d she answered with a smug smile. \u00a0 \u201cHe usually beats me at chess though. \u00a0 He\u2019s been teaching me to play the guitar since we don\u2019t have a piano. \u00a0 Would you like to do some singing after supper?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d he replied with a slow grin. \u00a0 \u201cI guess I\u2019d better warn you that Adam is the singer in our family, so don\u2019t be expectin\u2019 me to be as good as him.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll have fun,\u201d she said with a smile and he noted how expressive her features were. Maybe she wasn\u2019t beautiful, but as he spent more time with her, he began to understand why his brother found her so appealing\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou know, Joe,\u201d she continued, \u201cI was hoping you could tell me about Adam when he was a boy?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe was pretty much grown up by the time I really knew him,\u201d Joe said. \u201cI guess he told you he went away to college when I was five and I didn\u2019t see him again until I was nine.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She nodded. \u201cBut he wrote you, didn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSure, but even though I got the letters, in some ways he just didn\u2019t seem real to me. Do ya understand?\u201d he queried, his face puckered in a frown, but to his relief she nodded slowly. \u201cI\u2019m kinda embarrassed to admit it, but I guess I was mad at him for goin\u2019 away and even madder that he was enjoyin \u2019 himself.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s perfectly natural,\u201d she told him with a little smile. \u201cAfter all, you were very young, too young to understand why he went.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, age didn\u2019t have that much to do with it,\u201d he said with a wry grin. \u201cI still don\u2019t understand how he could rather be thousands of miles away in a school instead of workin\u2019 on the ranch with his family. \u00a0 I know Adam doesn\u2019t like hunting strays but he\u2019s a good horsebreaker, good with horses in general. \u00a0 I prefer them to cattle myself. But even huntin\u2019 strays is better than readin\u2019 schoolbooks and listenin\u2019 to some teacher droning on and on about poetry.\u201d He shook his head at the enigma of his oldest brother.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bronwen tried to stifle her grin but he saw the twinkle in her eyes. \u201cAdam hasn\u2019t really talked to me about his college days, but I know he still corresponds with at least one of his old college mates,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, his friend Thomas. \u00a0 He also kept in touch with his roommate, Aaron, and Aaron even came to visit us once, but he was killed in the war; Adam took that real hard. \u00a0 He thought about goin\u2019 back east and fightin\u2019 himself. \u00a0 Took a lot of persuading on Pa\u2019s part to talk him out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe\u2019s handsome face twisted into a grimace. \u00a0 \u201cAdam and me almost had our own civil war.\u201d \u00a0 He saw the surprise on her face and paused before continuing. \u00a0 \u201cDid Adam tell you that we\u2019re half brothers?\u201d \u00a0 Bronwen nodded slowly so he continued. \u00a0 \u201cHis mother was from New England\u2014Boston\u2014but my mother was from New Orleans. It seemed to me that the South had a right to fight to protect the sovereign rights of each state. \u00a0 States\u2019 rights are guaranteed in our constitution. \u00a0 Adam tried to tell me the war was more about human rights than States\u2019 rights, but I refused to see it. Course, part of the reason I refused was that I was in love with a girl whose father was the Confederacy\u2019s staunchest supporter in Virginia City. \u00a0 I guess I can be about as hardheaded as Adam so it wasn\u2019t until we learned that the father of the girl I loved was willing to use any means to bring Nevada into the Confederacy that I was finally willing to listen to Adam.\u201d He paused and then said earnestly, \u201cI don\u2019t want you to think I supported slavery. Adam knew I didn\u2019t; I just wouldn\u2019t let myself see that the South was fighting to protect its right to maintain a way of life based on the enslavement of an entire race.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI understand, Joe,\u201d she replied very seriously. \u00a0 \u201cSlavery is a terrible thing, but so is war. \u00a0 I\u2019m sorry it took one to end the other and that so many young men had to lose their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Wanting to lighten the mood, he said, \u201cWhen Adam first came back from college, we butted heads a lot. \u00a0 I was jealous of all the attention he got from Pa and Hoss. \u00a0 It seemed to me everything revolved around this stranger who\u2019d come to live with us.\u201d He smiled as he remembered. \u201cFirst thing, Pa decided to buy him a new horse. And I\u2019d been pesterin\u2019 him for months to let me exchange my pony for a horse! I was so mad I could\u2019ve spit tacks.\u201d She raised her eyebrows at this Americanism but nodded for Joe to continue. \u201cAnd Pa didn\u2019t want to get Adam just any old horse. No, we went across the Sierras to a ranch outside Placerville where a man had blooded breeding stock. Pa bought Adam a mount that was seven-eighths Thoroughbred\u2014a beautiful animal. \u00a0 And there I was still ridin\u2019 a little mustang pony.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh dear,\u201d Bronwen said, trying unsuccessfully to hide her smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThen, the next thing he does is talk Pa into buildin\u2019 a new house. I\u2019d spent the first nine years of my life in our cabin; I was born there and my mother had lived there. I didn\u2019t want to move, except Adam bribed me by tellin\u2019 me I\u2019d have a room of my own.\u201d He grinned broadly. \u201c\u2019Course, I enjoyed it when he and Pa were at loggerheads. See, Adam came back from college with all these newfangled ideas he wanted to try, but Pa was satisfied with doin\u2019 things the way he always had. Adam would get so frustrated tryin\u2019 to persuade Pa to his way of thinking. They had some real shouting matches. \u00a0 Then he\u2019d drive Pa crazy by goin\u2019 off for moonlight rides or takin\u2019 a book with him and readin\u2019 while he was ridin\u2019.\u201d Bronwen giggled at that and Joe joined her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe finally succeeded in winning me over. \u00a0 He told me a long time later that it was poetic justice because he\u2019d treated my mother the same way when she and Pa were first married and she had used patience and love to win him over.\u201d \u00a0 He paused and said thoughtfully, \u201cYa know, Adam and I always think of ourselves as opposites, but Hoss says we\u2019re more alike than we realize.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think Hoss is very wise,\u201d Bronwen said quietly but he saw the laughter in her eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMaybe,\u201d he conceded. \u201cWhen I was growin\u2019 up, I always seemed to be in one scrape or another, and it was usually Adam that pulled me out. \u00a0 Me and Hoss. Sometimes though he\u2019d leave us to stew in our own juice and laugh at us. \u00a0 My oldest brother can be downright infuriating at times.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, I\u2019ve discovered that for myself,\u201d she said with a smile. \u201cAlthough in fairness, he\u2019d probably say the same about me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou mean, you and Adam have arguments? \u00a0 You just seem so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe are, but that doesn\u2019t mean we always agree about everything. The hardest thing for me to deal with is the way he holds everything inside when he\u2019s upset.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Joe said reflectively. \u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s hard for all of us to deal with. \u00a0 Pa says that\u2019s the way he\u2019s always been though ever since he was a little boy. Pa\u2019s pretty good at gettin\u2019 Adam to open up, just keeps wearin\u2019 away at him. You\u2019ll get the hang of it, don\u2019t worry.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know I shall. Although I prefer more direct means.\u201d Joe raised his eyebrows at that but she shook her head. \u00a0 \u201cSorry, Joe, my methods wouldn\u2019t work for anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam explained to Ben and Hoss that they would be traveling inland through Bathurst and Dubbo and then veering north from there. \u00a0 As they were loading their supplies, Hoss paused and wrinkled his forehead in puzzlement. \u201cWhat\u2019s that, Adam?\u201d he inquired, pointing to a large tin can Adam was putting in a bag attached to his saddle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a billy. We\u2019ll be using it to fix tea,\u201d Adam replied with a sly grin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTea,\u201d Hoss said wrinkling his nose.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAussies aren\u2019t coffee drinkers, Hoss. \u00a0 Once I move to Cloncurry, I\u2019ll be drinking tea every day. \u00a0 You\u2019ll get used to it, younger brother,\u201d he said with a wide grin, slapping Hoss on the back. \u201cNow that we\u2019ve got our mounts and our tucker, I think it\u2019s time to be on our way.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat in tarnation is tucker?\u201d Hoss asked and Ben, too, looked at his firstborn in puzzlement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s what the Aussies call grub. This is a tucker-bag,\u201d he said pointing. \u201cA bedroll is called a swag.\u201d He dimpled at their bemused expressions. \u201cI\u2019m just trying to learn some Aussie expressions since I\u2019m living here.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat makes sense I reckon, but do ya have to use them with us?\u201d Hoss asked plaintively.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cEveryone we meet is going to talk that way; I figure it will help you to understand them, and to be understood. \u00a0 Besides, I don\u2019t know that many of their expressions yet.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t know why they can\u2019t talk like normal folks,\u201d Hoss muttered as he mounted his horse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd by normal, I presume you mean Americans,\u201d Adam stated, his lip curled in a sneer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDadburnit, Adam! No, I guess we\u2019re no more normal than anyone else,\u201d Hoss said with a sigh and Adam reached over and patted him on the shoulder.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI shouldn\u2019t be that hard on you. \u00a0 It\u2019s hard not to think the way you were brought up to talk or to act is superior to every other way. If the truth be told, I struggle with it myself sometimes. \u00a0 Bronwen is quick to let me know when I start acting superior.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss grinned broadly at that. \u00a0 \u201cYeah, I bet she does take you down a peg. \u00a0 I shore like her, Adam. She\u2019s really nice, and well, I always sorta wanted a little sister and now I finally got me one.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGlad to hear it, buddy. \u00a0 Of course, providing you with a sister wasn\u2019t my main reason for marrying Bronwen.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShoot,\u201d Hoss chuckled, \u00a0 \u201cI could see that the way you kissed her good-bye,\u201d and he grinned broadly when his normally unflappable brother actually blushed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve really enjoyed getting to know you, Bronwen,\u201d Joe said on their last evening together. \u201cI have to admit when Adam first wrote that he was marrying you and settling in Australia, I wasn\u2019t too happy. Oh, not that he was marrying you,\u201d he added quickly, his cheeks turning a little pink, \u201cbut just that he wasn\u2019t comin\u2019 home.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI would have gone with him to Nevada, Joe,\u201d she said quietly, \u201cbut he never asked me to.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d he replied slowly. \u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what he wrote. Pa, Hoss, even Hop Sing, all said it showed how much he loved you \u2018cause he put your happiness first. I guess,\u201d and she was surprised when he dropped his eyes and his cheeks grew redder, \u201cI guess I was jealous because Adam loved you more. I didn\u2019t understand that verse in Genesis; do you know the one I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c\u2019Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh\u2019,\u201d she quoted softly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah. I realize now that\u2019s the way it\u2019s meant to be,\u201d he said with a shy smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, it is,\u201d she agreed gravely. \u00a0 \u201cAdam means more to me than my family, as much as I love them. \u00a0 And now we have Beth and I hope we\u2019ll have other children. \u00a0 Someday, Joe, I pray you will find a woman you can love as much as Adam loves me, and she\u2019ll love you as much as I love Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI hope so, too. If I can find a woman half as nice as you, I\u2019ll be a lucky man.\u201d \u00a0 Impulsively, he bent down and dropped a quick kiss on her forehead. \u00a0 \u201cAnd I\u2019m sure gonna miss this little lady,\u201d he added, giving Beth his finger to grasp.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The three Cartwrights made camp the first night in the bush. \u00a0 \u201cHoss, if you look up in the trees, you\u2019ll see one of my favorite Australian animals,\u201d Adam said quietly. \u201cLook up there.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss and Ben both looked up and smiled at what they saw. \u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s the cutest little bear I ever saw,\u201d Hoss said with a big smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a koala bear, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not really bears though. \u00a0 They\u2019re marsupials,\u201d Adam replied.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMar what?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMarsupials. We have some back home.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe do?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSure. Opossums are marsupials. It means they carry their young in a pouch.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, these koalas are lots cuter than possums,\u201d Hoss said firmly. \u201cWonder if I could catch a couple and take them back to the Ponderosa?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSorry, buddy, but it wouldn\u2019t work. \u00a0 Koalas live on the leaves of gum trees and there is a real shortage of those on the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, you got plenty of gum trees here. \u00a0 Maybe we could get one as a pet for Beth,\u201d Hoss said hopefully.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re wild animals, Hoss. \u00a0 No matter how cute they look, they wouldn\u2019t be suitable pets. \u00a0 Besides, when we move to Cloncurry, we\u2019re going to have a dog. \u00a0 They\u2019ve bred a terrier here that is great for killing vermin and snakes. They also make good pets. \u00a0 Now come on, let\u2019s fix supper. I\u2019ll make us some damper; Rhys showed me how.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDamper,\u201d Hoss said suspiciously. \u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s bread that you cook in an open fire. \u00a0 It\u2019s easy to make; all I need is flour, water and salt.\u201d \u00a0 Hoss watched with interest as Adam kneaded the ingredients together; however, interest changed to alarm when he saw his older brother put the ball of dough into the fire and let it blacken.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGol dang, Adam! \u00a0 You don\u2019t expect Pa an\u2019 me to eat that charred mess!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDamper is delicious, Hoss. \u00a0 Give it a try,\u201d but Hoss scowled and shook his head. \u00a0 \u201cWell, you\u2019ll try it won\u2019t you , Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll try it, son,\u201d Ben said hesitantly for the bread looked far from appetizing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the damper was done, Adam removed it from the fire. \u00a0 It was sooty and Ben was beginning to regret his promise to try it. However, when he did try it, he found inside it was very soft and delicious. \u00a0 \u201cTry it, Hoss,\u201d he urged. \u201cIt really is delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss had his face all scrunched up but it as he ate his first bite it changed to a huge grin. \u201cDadburnit, it is good! I don\u2019t understand how somethin\u2019 that looks that awful can taste so delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The three of them were awakened from a sound sleep by a loud raucous laugh that filled the air. \u201cWhat in the Sam Hill was that?\u201d Ben demanded jumping to his feet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSounds like Joe done followed us,\u201d Hoss chortled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a Kookaburra,\u201d Adam said chuckling at his father\u2019s expression. \u201cRhys tells me that they are a type of kingfisher. Like the terriers I was telling you about Kookaburras help get rid of snakes. \u00a0 We might as well get up because I doubt we\u2019re going to get any more sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mid-afternoon the next day Hoss got his first glimpse of some kangaroos napping the shade. \u201cThey\u2019re smaller than I thought they\u2019d be,\u201d he said a little disappointed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThose are actually wallabies; they\u2019re the smallest type of kangaroo, I believe. Don\u2019t worry. \u00a0 I expect we\u2019ll see a mob of red kangaroos. \u00a0 Now, a male red kangaroo, called a boomer, is taller than Bronwen. \u00a0 Rhys says they can be up to 5\u20199\u201d tall.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI wanna see me one of them,\u201d Hoss said enthusiastically while Ben and Adam shared a smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe first time Rhys and I traveled to Cloncurry, we saw a mob hopping along at a speed our horses couldn\u2019t match. \u00a0 It was something to see,\u201d Adam said reminiscently.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n As they traveled northwest to Cloncurry the temperature continued to rise. \u201cI see you weren\u2019t exaggerating, son, when you said your problem was going to be keeping your house cool enough,\u201d Ben commented, wiping his face with his neckerchief.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThis is midsummer; it wasn\u2019t this hot the other two times I\u2019ve been there,\u201d Adam replied, taking a swig from his canteen.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGol dang, Adam, I shore hope not,\u201d Hoss said reaching for his own canteen. \u201cIt feels like we\u2019ll be barbecued before we get to Cloncurry.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n They reached Cloncurry about an hour before sunset. \u00a0 Rhys was still at the mine, but Matilda saw them as they approached the house and came running to greet them with her little dog running at her heels.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMatilda,\u201d Adam said, removing his Stetson, \u201cI\u2019d like you to meet my father, Ben Cartwright, and my brother, Hoss. \u00a0 This is my sister-in-law, Matilda Davies.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very pleased to meet you,\u201d Ben said in his most courtly voice and Hoss said shyly, \u201cHappy to make your acquaintance, Miz Davies.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, please call me Matilda. \u00a0 After all we\u2019re family.\u201d She turned to the little dog, who was barking excitedly. \u00a0 \u201cQuiet, Pip!\u201d The dog paid her no mind and continued to bark. \u201cOh dear. He minds Rhys but he never minds me.\u201d \u00a0 She scooped up the dog and then said, \u201cBronwen never wrote me that you\u2019d grown a beard, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI only decided to grow it about a week before we left. \u00a0 She hasn\u2019t actually seen yet.\u201d He scratched his face. \u00a0 \u201cI really need to trim it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Matilda said quickly, \u201cI know you must be anxious to wash up before supper.\u201d She smiled happily at them. \u201cI am so eager to hear to hear about little Beth.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd we\u2019re eager to talk about her,\u201d Ben said with a smile. \u00a0 \u201cBeth is my first grandchild and I\u2019d say she is the prettiest little girl I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou aren\u2019t getting an argument from me,\u201d Adam said with a grin and Hoss added, \u201cMe neither.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Well, let me show you to your rooms,\u201d she said briskly. \u00a0 She turned to Ben and Hoss and said proudly, \u201cAdam designed our house, and it\u2019s lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She led them down a hallway and showed them three spacious rooms with large open windows. However, even with the windows wide open the rooms were stifling. \u00a0 She said apologetically, \u201cIt does cool off at night. \u00a0 I think we\u2019ll be more comfortable if we sit on the verandah. \u00a0 Go ahead and wash up and then join me for some nice cold lemonade.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When Rhys got home he found the four of them (and Pip) sitting on the verandah sipping lemonade and talking comfortably. \u00a0 \u201cGood to see you, Adam,\u201d he said extending his hand. \u00a0 \u201cQuiet, Pip,\u201d he said firmly to the little terrier, who promptly quieted.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGood to see you, too, partner. \u00a0 Rhys, I\u2019d like you to meet my father and my brother. \u00a0 Pa, Hoss, this is Bronwen\u2019s brother, Rhys.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou bear a strong resemblance to your father,\u201d Ben said with a warm smile as he shook Rhys\u2019s hand. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m happy to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThanks. If you hadn\u2019t introduced Hoss as your brother, Adam, I would never have guessed you were related,\u201d Rhys stated as he shook hands with Hoss, eyeing the big man with his bright blue eyes and sandy hair.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, me and Adam are half brothers and we take after our mothers\u2019 families,\u201d Hoss said with a small self-deprecating smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat explains it. So, Hoss, did you get to see some roos? \u00a0 Adam wrote that you were looking forward to seeing some.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss grinned widely. \u201cYeah. We saw a\u2014mob did you call \u2018em, Adam?\u2014hoppin\u2019 along. \u00a0 Strangest sight I ever seen. And yesterday I saw one of them emus. That was the biggest bird I\u2019ve ever seen in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHoss was stalking the emu, and then the emu started to chase Hoss,\u201d Adam chuckled. \u201cYou should have seen the look on his face.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, dadburnit, Adam, that emu coulda pecked me to death,\u201d Hoss protested. \u00a0 Then his countenance brightened again and he added, \u201cWe saw some of them dingoes, too.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd we\u2019ve heard Kookaburras,\u201d Ben added dryly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, they remind me a lot of our youngest brother\u2019s laugh,\u201d Hoss commented with his gap-toothed grin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what Adam said. \u00a0 Sorry I didn\u2019t get a chance to meet him.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve been telling me about little Beth,\u201d Matilda interjected happily.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTad<\/em> and Mam<\/em> are certainly besotted with her,\u201d Rhys said with an answering smile. \u00a0 \u2018I\u2019m looking forward to making her acquaintance.\u201d \u00a0 He spoke more seriously to Adam. \u00a0 \u201cThe work on your house is coming along and we\u2019ve finished digging the well and the pipe to the kitchen and bathhouse is in the process of being installed.\u201d He grinned at his wife. \u00a0 \u201cAnd now Matilda wants water piped into our kitchen and bathhouse as well.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n They spent a pleasant evening and the next morning Ben and Hoss accompanied Adam and Rhys to the mine. \u00a0 Ben was impressed with what he saw and listened carefully to Adam and Rhys when they explained how they could use the money Cartwright Enterprises invested to buy more modern and efficient equipment. \u00a0 Hoss had little interest in mining but he trusted his older brother\u2019s judgement and his father\u2019s. Just as they were leaving, Rhys said, \u201cBy the way, Adam, Bert Greene\u2019s bitch just had another litter a couple of weeks ago. You might want to take a look and pick one out.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Rhys. I\u2019ll do just that,\u201d Adam replied.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSo you gettin a dog like Pip?\u201d Hoss asked as they rode back to town.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but I don\u2019t think I have to worry about Bronwen spoiling ours the way Matilda has spoiled Pip. \u00a0 Bronwen has Beth to spoil. I want to ask Bert Greene if he could housebreak the puppy for us because Bronwen\u2019s right. Trying to housebreak a pup and take care of Beth is just too much.\u201d \u00a0 They rode along in a comfortable silence until Adam spoke up. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m afraid Cloncurry isn\u2019t much of a town yet, but the success of our mine and the Great Australian Mine guarantees that it will grow.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt will be a big adjustment for Bronwen, son. \u00a0 She\u2019s a city girl,\u201d Ben said pensively.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSo was Marie, but she adjusted,\u201d Adam replied quietly. \u00a0 \u201cI know Bronwen will as well,\u201d and Ben slowly nodded his agreement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The three of them took a look at the litter of puppies and with a little prompting from Hoss, Adam chose the runt of the litter, a little blue and tan female.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you going to name her?\u201d asked the Greene\u2019s son, Ned, who\u2019d shown them the puppies.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHmm, she\u2019s a pretty little girl so I think I\u2019ll name her Belle,\u201d Adam replied. He paused and then said to Ned, \u201cI have a proposition for you. \u00a0 I\u2019ll be moving my wife and our baby girl here around the end of April or beginning of May. If you can housebreak Belle and train her to come when she\u2019s called, then I\u2019ll pay you ten pounds. \u00a0 Do we have a deal?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cToo right,\u201d Ned answered grinning from ear to ear. \u00a0 \u201cBelle will be the best trained dog you ever saw, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThen we\u2019ll shake on it,\u201d Adam said smiling at the boy and holding out his hand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The second day of their journey back to Sydney, Adam had a blinding headache, but he put it down to the heat. \u00a0 Ben and Hoss both noticed him pinching the bridge of his nose and massaging his temples that evening but said nothing\u2014only exchanged significant glances. A couple of hours after they turned in, Ben was awakened by the sound of Adam retching. \u00a0 He knelt beside him and supported him as he emptied the contents of his stomach and continued to retch until all he could bring up was a sour slime. Ben felt Adam shaking with cold and thanked God Bronwen had told them how to treat his illness.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBronwen told us about your malaria, son, and she sent the quinine with us,\u201d he said quietly as he helped Adam back into his bedroll. \u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam\u2019s teeth were chattering so badly that he couldn\u2019t speak, so he nodded to show that he understood. \u00a0 Ben moved his bedroll so he could lay next to Adam and help to warm him with his body heat. In spite of his best efforts he dozed off, waking shortly before dawn because he could feel the heat radiating from Adam\u2019s body like a furnace. \u00a0 He quickly prepared the dose of quinine as Bronwen had directed and gave it to Adam, who was tossing and turning in his delirium.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By the time Hoss woke, the quinine was working and Adam was sweating profusely as the fever broke. \u00a0 Midmorning he opened his eyes to see his father and brother sitting next to him, sipping tea.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow are ya feelin\u2019, Adam?\u201d Hoss asked, his concern evident on his open countenance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWeak and soaking wet,\u201d Adam answered with what they could both see was an effort.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I never seen ya sweat so much,\u201d Hoss said with a smile \u201cYou can borrow my bedroll to wrap yourself in and we\u2019ll hang your wet things to dry. Bronwen told us ya\u2019d need to sleep once the fever broke.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSince you never saw fit to mention your malaria, I am thankful that your wife is more intelligent,\u201d Ben added caustically.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam closed his eyes and sighed. \u201cYeah, I guess as time passed without a recurrence I just decided it wasn\u2019t going to happen. \u00a0 I\u2019m lucky Bronwen didn\u2019t take Tad<\/em>\u2019s advice so lightly.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, older brother, you sure are lucky to have a wife that loves you so much. And we promised her we\u2019d take care of you and make sure you came home safe to her.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They saw Adam\u2019s cheeks redden as he asked weakly, \u201cCould you help me undress?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He slept for hours and Ben and Hoss took turns staying with him while the other did some exploring. \u00a0 Hoss was pleased to discover some koalas in the bush about a quarter of a mile from their camp, which also was the home of some Kookaburras. \u00a0 He smiled to himself as he thought how much the bird\u2019s laugh reminded him of his younger brother\u2019s. Ben, on the other hand, spotted a dingo feasting on a koala it had caught on the ground. He hadn\u2019t heard dingoes would attack humans, but he decided he and Hoss would take turns standing watch that night.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He and Hoss were relieved to see Adam was stronger when he awoke late that afternoon. \u201cI\u2019ll be able to travel tomorrow,\u201d he assured them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNow, son\u2014\u201d Ben began but Adam cut him off.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa, I feel fine the days between attacks. \u00a0 I want to get home to Bronwen and Beth and I don\u2019t want Bronwen worrying about why we\u2019re delayed.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben wanted to protest, but could see the logic in Adam\u2019s reasoning and reluctantly acquiesced.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After Joe had sailed back to the States, Bronwen was allowed to begin her daily walks. She would dress Beth in a little gown, booties and a pretty bonnet, then place her in her wicker baby carriage and off they would go. \u00a0 Bronwen found Dr. Browne was correct and the first few days she tired very easily. She tried to walk a little longer each day until by the fifth week Adam was gone she would walk for an hour or hour and a half each day.\u00a0\u00a0 She was amazed at how fast Beth was growing and filling out. \u00a0 By this time her mother only came over twice a week to see how she and Beth were doing, but Bronwen and Nell were managing very well, even with the increase in laundry that had to be dealt with. \u00a0 When they were downstairs cooking or cleaning they simply moved Beth\u2019s cradle into the room with them so they could keep an eye on her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One day toward the end of the seventh week Adam and his family had been gone, Bronwen was in the middle of changing Beth when someone could be heard knocking on the door.\u00a0\u00a0 Nell came back from answering the door with an anxious expression. \u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a telegram for you, ma\u2019am\u201d she said worriedly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLet me see,\u201d Bronwen said snatching it from her hand and reading it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Will be in Sydney tomorrow night. Stop<\/p>\n Counting minutes until can celebrate end of six weeks. Stop.<\/p>\n Love you. Don\u2019t Stop.<\/p>\n Adam<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Her cheeks were pink as she turned to Nell with a smile. \u00a0 \u201cMr. Cartwright will be home tomorrow. \u00a0 I want to prepare a very special supper. \u00a0 He likes my shrimp with garlic butter and for dessert we\u2019ll have Cr\u00e8me Br\u00fbl\u00e9<\/em>. Oh, and I want to use my best lace tablecloth.\u201d Nell nodded with a smile. Bronwen\u2019s expression became businesslike. \u201cNow, I\u2019ll put Beth down for a nap and while she\u2019s sleeping, we need to scrub and polish the floors and beat the rugs.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJust as you say, ma\u2019am,\u201d Nell replied, her face wreathed in a smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They worked hard all afternoon scrubbing and polishing. \u00a0 Luckily Beth slept most of the time so the two women could work together. That evening after a light supper, they polished the silver until they could see their reflections.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bronwen woke at dawn to make the Cr\u00e8me Br\u00fbl\u00e9 <\/em>so it could be chilling in the icebox. \u00a0 When it was finished, Nell said sternly, \u201cMa\u2019am, you go take a nap. \u00a0 You don\u2019t want to be exhausted when Mr. Cartwright gets here. \u00a0 I\u2019ll do the dusting downstairs, and then while you take a bath, I\u2019ll dust in your bedroom and put clean sheets on the bed for you. \u00a0 And let me take care of supper. I have a feeling it will probably be a late one anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNell, you\u2019re wonderful,\u201d Bronwen said smiling warmly. \u00a0 \u201cLet me check on Beth and then I\u2019ll take your advice.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After her nap, she changed Beth and then went to the bathhouse for a long soak, and she washed her hair. \u00a0 She left it loose so it would dry and dutifully ate the lamb and vegetable stew Nell had heated up from the previous day for her dinner. \u00a0 Then she went upstairs and fed Beth and made sure she was dry. \u00a0 When that was accomplished, she began to get ready for Adam\u2019s arrival. \u00a0 Her hair was just a little damp so she brushed it and with Nell\u2019s help braided it into several plaits, which were pinned up and then allowed to cascade to her shoulders.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cVery elegant, ma\u2019am,\u201d Nell said admiringly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019ll like it better than the chignon I usually wear,\u201d Bronwen replied happily.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She took off her blue gingham morning dress and looked at herself critically in the full-length mirror. \u00a0 All those walks certainly had helped, but could she get into any of her old dresses? <\/em>She found her corset, which she hadn\u2019t worn since her pregnancy had begun to show. \u00a0 She laced it as tightly as she could and then tried on the violet and white dress she\u2019d worn for her birthday the previous year. \u00a0 She couldn\u2019t quite button the polonaise so she commanded Nell, \u201cI need you to pull the corset tighter\u2014pull it as tight as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think this is such a good idea, ma\u2019am,\u201d Nell began.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, I do!\u201d Bronwen snapped. \u00a0 \u201cPull it tighter.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNow, I can\u2019t pull it any tighter without cuttin\u2019 you in two,\u201d Nell replied firmly after she\u2019d struggled to tighten the corset.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bronwen tried the polonaise again and turned to Nell, her face shining with joy. \u201cLook, it fits!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBut can you breathe?\u201d Nell inquired caustically. \u00a0 \u201cI think that\u2019s more important to Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNever you mind,\u201d Bronwen retorted crossly. \u00a0 \u201cYou just make sure supper is ready for us.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, ma\u2019am,\u201d Nell said shaking her head as she left. \u00a0 Bronwen applied a little coralline salve to her lips and a little of her lily-of-the valley scented cologne. \u00a0 Then she went in the nursery and gazed at her sleeping daughter. \u00a0 \u201cWon\u2019t your tad<\/em> be surprised to see you\u2019ve grown some hair?\u201d and she very gently ran her fingertips over the black fuzz. \u201cNow, I want you to be a good girl, Beth, and sleep for the next few hours. \u00a0 Mama fed you and there\u2019s no reason for you to be hungry.\u201d \u00a0 She tiptoed out of the room and quietly shut the door, and then went to wait in the library.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n S he tried to read the book she\u2019d started earlier in the week\u2014Anthony Trollope\u2019s Harry Heathcoat of Gangoil : A Tale of Australian Bush Life<\/strong><\/em>\u2014but just couldn\u2019t focus. \u00a0 Then she heard Adam\u2019s voice calling, \u201cBronwen! \u00a0 Sweetheart, I\u2019m home!\u201d and she ran to meet him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The moment he saw her running toward him in the dress he remembered so well, he felt his body\u2019s immediate response. \u00a0 He dropped his bedroll and tucker-bag and ran to her, picking her up so he could kiss her. She responded with passionate abandon then suddenly went limp in his arms. \u00a0 \u201cNell!\u201d he shouted frantically, carrying Bronwen to the settee in the drawing room. Nell came hurrying in from the kitchen and saw his white, terrified face and Bronwen\u2019s limp body in his arms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI told her she shouldn\u2019t wear her corset that tight,\u201d Nell said shaking her head. \u201cLay her down and then unbutton her polonaise so you can loosen it. \u00a0 I\u2019ll get the smelling salts.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam felt as though his heart had stopped beating until he saw Bronwen\u2019s eyes flutter open. \u201cWhatever possessed you to tie your corset so tight you couldn\u2019t breathe!\u201d he exploded, his worry coming out as anger.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Her eyes filled with tears as she sobbed out, \u201cI only wanted to look pretty for you. I knew you liked this dress, but I couldn\u2019t wear it unless the corset was that tight. \u00a0 I\u2019ve walked and walked every day so I\u2019d get my figure back but I\u2019m still fat!\u201d She turned away from him then and covered her face with her hands as she cried even harder.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Very gently he pulled her hands away from her face and turned it so he could gaze into her eyes. \u00a0 \u201cBronwen Davies Cartwright, do you think I am so shallow that I won\u2019t love you if you aren\u2019t as slender as the day I met you?\u201d<\/p>\n She dropped her eyes and whispered, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He sat beside her and lifted her onto his lap. \u00a0 \u201cI am going to sing a song to you. \u00a0 I know you know it, but I want you to listen with your heart to the words because they\u2019re as true for me as they were for the man who wrote them.\u201d Gazing deeply into her eyes he sang:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Believe me, if all those endearing young charms <\/p>\n It is not while beauty and youth are thine own <\/p>\n She saw the love shining in his eyes and threw her arms around him and cried tears of joy. After a moment he turned her face to his and captured her mouth and kissed her as he had longed to do all the weeks they had been separated.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam, Nell might come back,\u201d she said tearing her mouth away from his. He didn\u2019t bother to reply but simply captured her mouth again in a kiss, while standing up and carrying her upstairs to their bedroom.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Afterward he held her close and gently caressed her breasts. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m delighted you\u2019ve gotten rounder in some places,\u201d he whispered. \u00a0 Just then the sound of Beth\u2019s crying filtered in through the closed door and Bronwen\u2019s body reacted as it always did. \u00a0 \u201cDamn!\u201d Adam swore softly but with real feeling while Bronwen smothered a soft giggle. She got up and, after putting on her spectacles and lace-trimmed drawers, went through the door connecting their room with the nursery. He pulled the sheet up to his waist and waited for her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She returned carrying Beth, who had already fastened on a breast and was sucking lustily. She sat cross-legged beside him on the bed and he put one arm around her shoulders. \u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re a little piglet, aren\u2019t you, Beth?\u201d he crooned. \u00a0 \u201cNot interested in your papa at all, are you?\u201d \u00a0 Then his eyes widened. \u201cShe\u2019s growing hair!\u201d He gently stroked the dark fuzz with his forefinger. \u201cAnd you\u2019ve filled out, haven\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe has a double-chin now,\u201d Bronwen said with a fond smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat reminds me,\u201d he said with a grin. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure Pa and Hoss will be here for breakfast tomorrow. \u00a0 Hoss wanted to come tonight but Pa finally got through to him that he would most definitely be de trop<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She smiled and agreed. \u201cDefinitely de trop<\/em>.\u201d She changed Beth to the other breast and then asked, \u201cSo what did your family think of the outback?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He grinned. \u201cHoss wanted a pet koala so badly. He was all for catching a pair and taking them back to the Ponderosa. \u00a0 I had to explain that they couldn\u2019t live without gum trees. \u00a0 He and Pa were both impressed with their first sight of a mob of kangaroos hopping at high speed. Hoss tried to get close to an emu but it startled him when the bird started coming for him.\u201d He paused for a moment and said gravely, \u201cI discovered what I\u2019d heard about the summer heat in Queensland was no exaggeration. It\u2019s every bit as hot as the deserts back home. Even with all the windows, I know we\u2019ll be spending a lot of time on the verandah. \u00a0 At least it cools off at night.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOur house is coming along nicely. \u00a0 Rhys and Matilda send their love by the way. \u00a0 I think she\u2019s a bit lonely and I know she\u2019s looking forward to our moving in. She\u2019s so attached to their little dog. I think she and Rhys had their first argument over Pip. She wanted him to stay inside so he wouldn\u2019t risk encountering any snakes and of course that\u2019s one of the reasons Rhys bought him. \u00a0 Matilda changed her mind after Pip killed his first snake and treated him as a hero. I\u2019m afraid that dog is going to be in for a rude awakening when their first baby arrives.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIs she with child?\u201d Bronwen asked eagerly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThey didn\u2019t say anything to me about it. \u00a0 I think most couples are married a few months before it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d she agreed with a frown. \u00a0 \u201cI could see some of the women at church mentally calculating the length of time between our wedding and Beth\u2019s birth.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOld biddies,\u201d he said sourly. \u00a0 \u201cLet them count. It was nine months and four days.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She looked at him with wide eyes. \u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s sounds as though you\u2019ve been doing some calculating as well.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To her surprise, he actually reddened. \u00a0 \u201cNot for the same reason. I was just wondering if I could have impregnated you on our wedding night.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you deduce?\u201d she said unable to hide her glee at his discomfort.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s certainly a possibility. \u00a0 I\u2019m glad the doctor said you won\u2019t conceive if you\u2019re nursing.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou said you wanted three children.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI do want three or four, but I\u2019d prefer a couple of years between them. Besides, it can\u2019t be good for your health if you get pregnant again too quickly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI suppose not. So,\u201d and she looked at him through her lashes. \u00a0 \u201cThe trip was totally uneventful?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He leaned against the headboard and sighed. \u00a0 \u201cI know you\u2019ll hear about it from Pa and Hoss. \u00a0 I\u2019m glad you gave them the quinine and told them how to treat me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou had a recurrence?\u201d she said anxiously.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He nodded. \u201cOn the way home. It wasn\u2019t nearly as bad as the first time, and we traveled on the days between attacks. \u00a0 I haven\u2019t had any for five days so I\u2019m sure it\u2019s over. \u00a0 I am glad you remembered the quinine though. \u00a0 I guess I didn\u2019t take Tad<\/em> \u2019s warning seriously enough.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI knew you didn\u2019t. That\u2019s why I didn\u2019t say anything to you, just to Pa and Hoss.\u201d \u00a0 She looked down at Beth then. \u201cShe\u2019s finished. Would you like to burp her\/\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d he said holding out his arms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWait until I get a rag,\u201d she warned. \u00a0 She hurried back from the nursery to find Adam talking softly to his daughter. She draped the rag over his shoulder and then he held Beth and patted her back gently until she burped loudly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat wasn\u2019t very ladylike, Princess, but I\u2019ll bet you feel better, don\u2019t you,\u201d he said holding her so they were face to face. \u00a0 \u201cShe smiled at me,\u201d he said excitedly, smiling back so his dimple showed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHer first smile,\u201d Bronwen said resting her head on his shoulder as they watched Beth grinning toothlessly at them and waving her arms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou keep playing with Beth while I get dressed,\u201d she said. \u00a0 \u201cIf you put her on her back, she can turn over now,\u201d she added proudly, \u201cand I only have to feed her one time during the night.\u201d \u00a0 She changed subjects saying, \u201cNell and I have fixed a very special supper for tonight so I was planning on us dressing up.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo corset,\u201d he said firmly, looking up at her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, my lord and master,\u201d she retorted, sticking out her tongue and causing him to chuckle. He talked softly to Beth and watched Bronwen slip on her lilac silk undervest and then her best silk stockings and lace-trimmed garters. \u00a0 He found watching her dress almost as stimulating as watching her undress. As she began putting on her layers of petticoats, he got up to put Beth back in her cradle since she had drifted off to sleep.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDo I have time to take a bath before supper?\u201d he asked when he came back.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIf you hurry. I\u2019ll have to redo my hair since you unpinned it,\u201d and he grinned unrepentantly before grabbing a clean pair of drawers, a shirt and trousers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d rather you left it down,\u201d he said over his shoulder, showing his dimple.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019d rather you trimmed your beard,\u201d she called after him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe arrived in Virginia City by train from San Francisco and found Bronc Evans and Roy Coffee waiting to greet him at the station.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGood to see you, Joe,\u201d Bronc drawled. He was a tall man with craggy features, aged prematurely by years of exposure to the elements.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBronc told me Adam\u2019s wife had a little baby girl and that your father and Hoss decided to stay in Australia a few more weeks?\u201d Roy queried after shaking Joe\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. The newest member of the Cartwright family is named Elizabeth, but we\u2019re calling her Beth for short. She sure is cute, too,\u201d Joe answered with a big fatuous grin, which caused the other two men to exchange humorous glances. \u201cPa and Hoss wanted to see where Adam and his family are gonna be living, and Hoss wanted to see one of those kangaroos,\u201d Joe continued, \u201cso they decided to stay a little longer.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat sounds like Hoss,\u201d Roy said with a chuckle and all three men shared a smile. \u201cSay,\u201d Roy said suddenly, \u201cyou mean Adam and his family are movin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah. He and his brother-in-law have a mine in what they call the outback. \u00a0 His brother-in-law is already living out there and Adam and Bronwen will be moving when Beth\u2019s a little older. \u00a0 I knew Pa really wanted to see it and wanted to spend more time with Adam and his family so I volunteered to sail home by myself.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you think of your sister-in-law?\u201d Roy asked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s different than I expected. \u00a0 I guess I thought she\u2019d be real serious like Adam, but she\u2019s not at all. She makes Adam happy though.\u201d \u00a0 Joe grinned and shook his head. \u201cYou should see Adam the doting father. \u00a0 Hard to believe he\u2019s my serious, undemonstrative older brother. \u00a0 He\u2019ll hold his little girl and talk baby talk and make funny faces; he\u2019s worse than Hoss, and Pa\u2019s not much better. \u00a0 That little baby has the three of them wrapped around her tiny finger.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNot you, huh?\u201d Bronc asked skeptically.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOf course me, too,\u201d Joe laughed. \u00a0 \u201cGood seein\u2019 ya , Roy, but Bronc and I need to get back to the ranch.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben and Hoss found both Adam and Bronwen waiting for them in the dining room the next morning. Both men thought Bronwen looked lovely in her morning dress of dark green brilliante and could see she was nearly as slender now as she\u2019d been in her wedding photograph. \u00a0 They also observed with a grin that Adam\u2019s scruffy beard had been neatly trimmed. Best of all, Adam was holding Beth in his arms so they immediately made a beeline for her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMay I, son?\u201d Ben asked holding out his arms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSure, Grandpa,\u201d Adam replied with a grin at his father and younger brother, who were both cooing to the baby and making faces. \u00a0 \u2018I thought Bronwen and I might at least rate a good-morning.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Bronwen,\u201d Ben said his cheeks reddening. \u00a0 \u201cForgive my bad manners. It\u2019s lovely to see you again and looking so well.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I\u2019m sorry, too,\u201d Hoss added his entire face scarlet. \u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s jest that I\u2019ve been wantin\u2019 to see Sweet Pea here since we got back in town last night, but Adam said you\u2019d both be too busy \u00bc\u201d He trailed off realizing what he was saying and seeing Bronwen\u2019s cheeks turn pink his face became even more fiery.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam took pity on them both and said with a smirk, \u201cWe\u2019ll let you or Pa hold her while we eat breakfast, if you can manage to eat with one hand.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI can manage,\u201d Ben replied firmly to Hoss\u2019s disappointment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n After breakfast Ben let Hoss have his turn holding Beth while Bronwen regaled the three men with all the new things Beth could do now. Then they told her about their trip.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI was so thankful that you\u2019d warned us about Adam\u2019s malaria and gave us the quinine to treat it,\u201d Ben said warmly, taking her hand in his.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She smiled faintly. \u201cHe confessed that he\u2019d had a recurrence, but only because he knew you would tell me,\u201d she stated looking at Adam under her lashes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI was an idiot to disregard Tad<\/em>\u2019s warnings. Now, are you all satisfied,\u201d Adam said crossly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m satisfied,\u201d she replied with a roguish grin, \u201cWhat about you two?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, I\u2019m satisfied,\u201d Hoss said with a devilish grin of his own. \u201cIt ain\u2019t often older brother admits he\u2019s human enough to make a mistake like the rest of us,\u201d and he ducked to avoid Adam\u2019s playful swipe.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBoys,\u201d Ben said but the twinkle in his eye belied his stern tone and Bronwen appreciated seeing the interaction among the three.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI trust Joseph is on his way back to the Ponderosa,\u201d Ben said more seriously.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes. We had a lovely visit. He\u2019s a very charming young man and a confirmed flirt,\u201d she replied with a smile. \u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a good thing he couldn\u2019t stay longer or he\u2019d have broken the heart of every unmarried girl in Sydney.\u201d She laughed softly. \u201cHe even tried to flirt with Nell until she threatened to box his ears.\u201d \u00a0 They all laughed at the mental picture that conjured up.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since this was their last day before sailing for home, Ben and Hoss spent it with Adam and his family. \u00a0 They went with Bronwen when she took Beth for a walk while Adam stayed at home to catch up on his correspondence. \u00a0 That evening after supper, Adam got out the guitar he\u2019d purchased and they sang songs until it was time for Ben and Hoss to return to their hotel.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As they all stood on the quay the next morning, Adam embraced his father and brother warmly while Ben and Hoss both let the tears fall down their faces unashamedly. Bronwen was so tiny Hoss was almost afraid to hug her but she handed Beth to Adam and stood on tiptoe, holding out her arms for a hug. \u00a0 While he was hugging her, she planted a kiss on his cheek causing him to blush with pleasure. Then Ben enfolded her in a gentle hug. \u201cTake good care of my son and my granddaughter,\u201d he said in a broken voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI will, Pa,\u201d she replied softly her voice ending in a sob.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPrecious,\u201d Ben said taking Beth from Adam and stroking her soft cheek with one finger, \u201cyour mama and papa promised to bring you to the Ponderosa for a visit after your first birthday, and I want you to remind them if they forget.\u201d Beth smiled at him and waved her arms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right, Sweet Pea,\u201d Hoss added, bending down and dropping a butterfly kiss on her forehead. \u00a0 \u201cYou make sure they bring you for a visit. \u00a0 I can hardly wait to show you off.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me,\u201d Adam stated with a raised eyebrow, \u201cbut I\u2019m<\/em> the one who\u2019ll be showing her off, younger brother.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAw, Adam, you know what I mean,\u201d Hoss retorted sheepishly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was time to board so Bronwen took Beth allowing Ben and Hoss to grab Adam for one last hug before hurrying up the gangplank. \u00a0 Adam and Bronwen waved from the quay until they could no longer make out their figures. She looked up at him under her lashes and saw his eyes were suspiciously bright so she moved closer and rested her head on his shoulder. \u00a0 For just a moment he stiffened but then she felt him relax and put his arm about her shoulders, hugging her gently. \u00a0 Beth began to gurgle and with a smile they headed back to Paddington.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since they were due to move the first week in April, the next couple of weeks they were busy packing up all their belongings and arranging for them to be shipped to Cloncurry. Adam decided his family would travel by ship from Sydney to Townsville in Queensland, and then they would travel the approximately 500 miles to Cloncurry overland. Dr. and Mrs. Davies came to see them off and Bronwen couldn\u2019t hold back her tears, knowing it would be months, or even years, before she saw her parents again. \u00a0 Even Nell felt a wrench at leaving behind the city where she\u2019d lived her entire life to go off and live in the harsh conditions of the outback and had second thoughts about her decision to accompany the Cartwrights.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Travel by ship at least allowed Bronwen some privacy to nurse Beth but the three Cartwrights and Nell shared accommodations since ships from Sydney to Townsville weren\u2019t really designed for passengers. It was hardly the ideal situation to care for a three-month-old infant, but they managed. \u00a0 Townsville was a beehive of activity since gold had been discovered nearby a few years earlier and cattle and sheep from the surrounding countryside were also driven there. \u00a0 Adam booked two rooms at a hotel where the women could rest while he made arrangements for their journey to Cloncurry. \u00a0 He purchased a four-seated surrey with isinglass curtains, a pair of sturdy horses and supplies for when they would have to camp out although he was hoping most of the time there would be a town where they could stay. \u00a0 The first day they traveled as far as the little town of Mingela, where a kind family allowed the women to sleep in the spare room while Adam slept in the barn. The next day they were able to travel as far as the boomtown of Charters Towers, where gold had been discovered earlier.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure I didn\u2019t prefer the Matthew\u2019s spare bedroom,\u201d Bronwen said quietly to Nell as she tried to quiet a fretful Beth while Adam made arrangements to stable the horses for the night.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt was a sight cleaner than this hotel room. \u00a0 I\u2019m glad Mr. Cartwright suggested that we bring sheets and blankets with us because I doubt these have been changed in months,\u201d Nell stated as she stripped the bed in the room Adam and Bronwen would share before doing the same to her own.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When they gathered in the hotel\u2019s tiny restaurant for supper, both women noticed Adam looked very grave. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m afraid we\u2019ll have to camp out for the next three or four nights. \u00a0 The next settlement is Hughenden, and it will take us at least three days to travel there. \u00a0 The good news is that Hughenden is nearly halfway to Cloncurry.\u201d He saw their worried looks and said with a wry smile, \u201cTry to look on it as an adventure. \u00a0 I\u2019ve cooked over an open fire plenty of times on cattle drives and Rhys taught me how to make tea in a billy and how to make damper. \u00a0 I won\u2019t tell you that sleeping on hard ground in a bedroll, or swag as they say here, is enjoyable, but if you\u2019re tired enough you can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat about Beth?\u201d Bronwen asked worriedly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll put our bedrolls in a circle and Beth\u2019s cradle in the center. She\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAre there any wild animals?\u201d Nell queried nervously.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe only predators I know of are dingoes, and they wouldn\u2019t attack us. Besides, I have my Colt .45. We\u2019ll be fine\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n He set up camp the first night in a small grove taking care of the horses first. The more he was around Walers the more he liked the breed. \u00a0 One of the cattle stations near Cloncurry also bred horses and he intended to buy a mount. He had really missed Sport when he was on his travels, but he hoped he could find a mount here that suited him as well. He noted that Bronwen was very skittish around the horses. \u00a0 Riding was apparently not going to be a pastime they shared.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Once the horses had been cared for, Adam began to build a campfire and then to prepare a meal as the two women looked on helplessly. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m afraid this isn\u2019t the best tasting food, but it fills up your belly,\u201d he said quirking his lips in a little smile. \u00a0 \u201cNell, I\u2019m going to teach you how to make tea in a billy so you can do it tomorrow morning and I\u2019ll take care of making the damper. Now, your job, sweetheart, is taking care of Beth. \u00a0 Nell and I will handle the food.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After they ate, Adam took Beth so he could spend some time with her. She giggled and cooed, laughed and squealed at him to his enormous delight. \u00a0 \u201cBeth, if Papa sits you on his bedroll beside him, can you sit on your own?\u2019<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam, I\u2019m not sure\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t let her fall over; I just want to see if she can sit yet,\u201d he said reassuringly. Sure enough, for a few minutes Beth sat up all by herself, smiling at her family. \u00a0 \u201cYou are growing up so fast, Princess,\u201d Adam said as he looked proudly at his daughter. Her black hair was growing thicker and it was going to be straight like her mother\u2019s, much to Bronwen\u2019s disappointment for she\u2019d hoped Beth would inherit Adam\u2019s curls. \u00a0 Although Beth\u2019s eyes were huge and wide-spaced like her mother\u2019s, the color was already changing to a dark hazel like her father\u2019s.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t we sing?\u201d Adam suggested. \u201cI remember that as Pa and I traveled west we often did, and I know the perfect song for pioneers like us. I\u2019ll sing a verse, and then you two sing the chorus; it\u2019s easy to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The two women nodded, and holding Beth on his lap Adam sang:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Did you ever hear tell of Sweet Betsy from Pike, <\/p>\n Smiling, the two women joined him on the chorus while Beth giggled and squealed.<\/p>\n Singing too-ra-li-oo-ra-li-oo-ra-li-ay .<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSecond verse,\u201d Adam said with a big smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Shanghai ran off, and the cattle all died, Singing too-ra-li-oo-ra-li-oo-ra-li-ay .<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLast verse,\u201d Adam said smiling even more broadly:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They suddenly stopped on a very high hill, Singing too-ra-li-oo-ra-li-oo-ra-li-ay .<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, Adam, there\u2019s not really a place called Hangtown, surely,\u201d Bronwen protested though her laughter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSurely there is except it was renamed Placerville. \u00a0 We used to drive our cattle across the Sierras to Hangtown when I was a boy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow about a sad song now, sir?\u201d Nell asked tentatively.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAll right. How\u2019s this? And he soulfully sang the ballad Lily of the West<\/em>. \u00a0 Nell had tears in her eyes by the time he sang the last verse. \u00a0 \u201cI take it that was sad enough?\u201d he asked as Nell wiped her eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt was lovely,\u201d she sniffed and Bronwen smiled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad you liked it. \u00a0 Now, I want to get an early start, so I suggest we all follow Beth\u2019s example and turn in.\u201d He put his sleeping daughter in her cradle and laid down in his bedroll.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The ground was so hard Bronwen was sure she wouldn\u2019t sleep a wink all night, so she was surprised to feel Adam shaking her shoulder saying, \u201cCome on, sleepyhead. Rise and shine. Our breakfast is almost ready and Beth wants hers,\u201d and Bronwen became aware of Beth fussing in the background.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI, uh, \u00bc\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJust pick a tree,\u201d he said with a wide grin gesturing broadly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Their journey was uneventful and the women enjoyed seeing koalas and kangaroos every bit as much as Hoss had. \u00a0 The first time Beth heard a Kookaburra it frightened her, but as she heard more, she began to enjoy the birds\u2019 raucous laugh. \u00a0 Each evening around the campfire Adam would sing the same songs he\u2019d sung on cattle drives or on the way west with Ben, and the women would join in if they knew the song. On the fourth night they reached the little town of Hughenden , which wasn\u2019t much more than a trading post. \u00a0 However, there was a public house that rented rooms and served food. \u00a0 The food wasn\u2019t particularly tasty, but after four days of trail food they weren\u2019t picky. Just as they had in Charters Towers they stripped the bedclothes and used their own sheets and blankets. They only planned on staying one night, but it began raining around midnight and rained steadily all the next day, so they were forced to stay in their rooms. \u00a0 Tempers began to fray by late afternoon and the baby seemed to catch the mood of the adults and was cranky as well. \u00a0 Beth finally fell asleep and Adam asked Nell to watch her in her room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI hope you didn\u2019t ask Nell to take the baby for the reason I suspect,\u201d Bronwen said sharply. \u201cWith Nell right next door \u00bc<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI, for one, am bored with sitting here watching the rain pour down in sheets. Besides, we may as well take advantage of the fact we have a bed and some privacy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam, I just don\u2019t feel very loving at the moment. \u00a0 I\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said firmly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIf you come over here, I can change that,\u201d he said with a challenging glint in his eye.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou think so, do you?\u201d she replied with a slow smile, her mood changing in spite of herself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know so. Now, come here,\u201d he commanded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He played her body as skillfully as he played his guitar. \u00a0 Afterward they lay facing each other, relaxed and contented. \u00a0 \u201cYou look so smug,\u201d she said softly, smiling at him as her fingertips slowly played with the hair on his chest.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMaybe, but you are looking pretty smug yourself, Mrs. Cartwright,\u201d he drawled, gently squeezing her deliciously rounded buttocks, and she pretended to scowl. \u201cAdam Cartwright, you are insufferable!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019ve been told; it\u2019s part of my charm. \u00a0 Ow!\u201d he yelped as she tugged on a couple of chest hairs. \u201cSo you want to play rough do you, you little vixen?\u201d and he began to tickle her, causing her to shriek with laughter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Suddenly they heard a knock on the wall and Nell\u2019s anxious voice. \u201cIs everything all right?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bronwen dissolved into uncontrolled giggles but Adam managed to say calmly, \u201cEverything\u2019s fine, Nell. Why don\u2019t you give us another half an hour and then you can bring Beth back over here.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The rain finally stopped sometime during the night and in the morning the sun was shining so they set off around midmorning. \u00a0 The road was a quagmire and several times the women had to get out of the surrey so Adam could get it unstuck. \u00a0 They only traveled half the distance he had hoped, but were lucky enough to find a cattle station and the owners gave them permission to sleep in the barn where it was dry.\u00a0\u00a0 By the next day the road had dried and they made better time, but they still had to camp out two more nights before they reached the little town of Julia Creek, which like Hughenden wasn\u2019t much more than a trading post. However, Bronwen and Nell were so happy to sleep in a bed rather than on the hard ground they didn\u2019t care that they had to share the bed in the public house\u2019s only room while Adam slept in his bedroll on the floor.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As they were eating supper Bronwen asked tentatively, \u201cAdam, is Cloncurry bigger than this town?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTruthfully, not much,\u201d he answered carefully. \u201cIt\u2019s growing steadily though. I don\u2019t think it will ever be a city like Sydney or Melbourne though. \u00a0 If it is connected to Sydney by rail, it would make this trip much quicker but I have no idea when or even if that would happen. \u00a0 Right now we ship our ore by camel of all things.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow much longer before we reach Cloncurry?\u201d Nell asked and Adam heard the anxiety in her tone and saw it in her eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll probably have two more nights of camping out, and then we\u2019ll be in Cloncurry. I hope we don\u2019t have to ask Rhys and Matilda to put us up long, but I really don\u2019t know when our belongings will arrive. Actually, Nell, you could stay there now because I had a local cabinet-maker make your bed so it\u2019s probably there at the house. \u00a0 But I doubt you\u2019d want to be alone in an empty house.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t much fancy the idea,\u201d Nell said honestly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cRhys and Matilda have plenty of room so you\u2019ll be staying there with us,\u201d Bronwen said firmly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Late in the afternoon two days later they approached a group of buildings not much larger than Julia Creek, and both women looked at Adam. He nodded with a half smile. \u00a0 \u201cThis is Cloncurry. We\u2019ll go to Rhys and Matilda\u2019s first and leave Beth there. \u00a0 Then I\u2019ll take you over to see our house.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Matilda was sitting on the verandah watching for them as she had every afternoon for the last week. \u00a0 She ran to meet them, her face wreathed in smiles while Pip ran at her heels yapping loudly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, it\u2019s so good to see you,\u201d she cried hugging first Bronwen and then Adam. \u201cWe didn\u2019t know for sure when you\u2019d rock up.\u201d Adam raised an eyebrow but deduced rock up must mean arrive. \u00a0 \u201cAnd this is Beth. Oh, she is just precious! I\u2019m your Auntie Matilda, Beth,\u201d she cooed. She looked up at Bronwen. \u201cMay I hold her?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d Bronwen said handing Beth to her while Pip continued to yap making Beth whimper.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cQuiet, Pip,\u201d Adam said firmly and the dog stopped barking.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe minds Rhys and Adam, but he won\u2019t mind me,\u201d Matilda said with a self-deprecating smile. \u201cRhys says I\u2019m not firm enough with him.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s right,\u201d Adam replied in a gentle but serious voice. \u00a0 \u201cActually, Matilda, I was hoping you could look after Beth while I show Bronwen and Nell our house.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d love to look after her. \u00a0 Just show me where her things are so I can change her if she needs it,\u201d Matilda said happily.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n As they approached, Bronwen saw the two-story frame house was painted white with green and white striped awnings over the windows and surrounded by a white picket fence. \u00a0 There were two small palm trees in the front yard.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNell, would you mind waiting on the verandah while I show Mrs. Cartwright a few of the rooms?\u201d Adam asked when they approached the house.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOf course not, sir,\u201d Nell said seating herself in one of the wicker chairs on the verandah. Adam scooped Bronwen up in his arms then and carried her over the threshold of their house, causing her to blush prettily.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe house in Paddington was temporary; this is our real home,\u201d he said softly before bending down to gently kiss her lips. \u00a0 Then he sat her on her feet saying, \u201cLet me show you the house so we can decide where to put the furniture when it arrives.\u201d \u00a0 He led her to the door to the right of the entry saying, \u201cThis is the drawing room.\u201d She saw with delight that it was a large airy room with French doors opening onto the verandah and a large window facing the front yard. The walls were painted white while the trim was painted dark green, which went perfectly with their green and white furniture. The lace curtains she had purchased had already been hung.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think I\u2019d like to arrange the furniture in this room the same way we had it in Paddington,\u201d she decided. \u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s the dining room?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s across the hall,\u201d he answered taking her hand and leading her there.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This room was painted a pale apricot and like the drawing room it had French doors opening onto the verandah and a large window overlooking the front yard. The velvet drapes were a rich shade of amber that reminded Bronwen of Adam\u2019s eyes in the sunlight.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll show you and Nell the kitchen together,\u201d Adam suggested, \u201cbut let\u2019s take a look at the library before we go upstairs.\u201d \u00a0 He was basking in the happiness so plainly reflected on his wife\u2019s face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She saw the library here was a little smaller than the one in their rented house. It was paneled in bunya pine and there were deep, built-in bookshelves on two walls and large casement windows with window seats in the other two. \u00a0 One looked out on the backyard where she could see some fruit trees had been planted. \u201cThis will be a cozy, comfortable room,\u201d she said with a smile. \u201cI imagine you\u2019ll want your drafting table near a window?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes and my desk. Then we can decide how to arrange the armchairs and where to put the game table. Now, are you ready to see the upstairs?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLead on, McDuff,\u201d she intentionally misquoted and smiling they headed up the backstairs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThese first three are spare rooms for right now,\u201d he said when they reached the second floor, \u201cand they are all just painted white. \u00a0 The exception is the one that will be Beth\u2019s, and it\u2019s next to our bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s look at Beth\u2019s room and then ours,\u201d she suggested with a smile and so they hurried down the hall.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThis will be Beth\u2019s room when she\u2019s old enough to leave the nursery,\u201d he said opening a door to reveal a room papered in a design of pink roses on a cream-colored background. \u00a0 There were pink chintz curtains around the large windows and the room also contained a rocking chair and canopy bed made of Queensland maple. \u00a0 The bed\u2019s canopy was made of the same pink chintz as the curtains while the coverlet was cream-colored.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, Adam,\u201d Bronwen breathed and he said quickly, \u201cI hope I wasn\u2019t too high-handed ordering the furniture without consulting you. \u00a0 Once we picked out the wallpaper, I decided to go ahead and furnish the room so I spoke with a local cabinet-maker and we worked out the details. \u00a0 He made the wicker furniture for the verandah and I\u2019m very pleased with his work.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou may have been a little high-handed, but since the results are so lovely, I\u2019m not going to complain,\u201d she said with a smile. \u00a0 \u201cNow I\u2019d like to see our room.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He opened the door to a spacious room that had large casement windows with window seats on two walls and French doors opening onto the upstairs verandah. They had been able to find the same wallpaper that was used on their old bedroom, and the trim was painted dark green to match. \u201cAdam, it\u2019s lovely. \u00a0 I didn\u2019t really understand from the blueprints how lovely it would be.\u201d She flung her arms around him and stood on tiptoe as he bent over so they could kiss. \u00a0 The she noted a door painted dark green and asked if that was their dressing room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt will be eventually, but right now it\u2019s the nursery.\u201d \u00a0 The words were no sooner out of his mouth than she ran to fling open the door revealing a small cozy room painted cream with lavender chintz curtains.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNow I expect you and Nell would like to see the kitchen and the bathhouse,\u201d he said with a big grin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOf course. Nell\u2019s room is downstairs?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes and across the hall is the guest bedroom. \u00a0 Don\u2019t worry. I spoke with Nell about what type of furniture she\u2019d like and what color she preferred for her room and her curtains. I think she\u2019ll be as pleased as you are.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nell was actually overcome when she saw the good-sized bedroom opening onto the verandah, its walls painted pale blue and with blue and white gingham curtains. Adam had asked the cabinet-maker to construct a low-post bed, chest of drawers and wardrobe of simple, clean lines using Queensland maple. He was pleased at the way Nell lovingly ran her hands along the bed\u2019s headboard.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just beautiful, sir. Too grand for a maid.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNonsense,\u201d he said firmly. \u00a0 \u201cI designed this room with you in mind. \u00a0 Now, let me show you ladies the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The kitchen walls were painted white and there were red and white gingham curtains at the windows. \u201cThis is the most modern cook-stove I could buy,\u201d he said proudly. \u201cWe have water piped into the kitchen and the bathhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou remembered to put in all the shelves and drawers we asked for,\u201d Bronwen said delightedly. \u201cLook, Nell,\u201d she said pulling a drawer out, \u201cthis deep drawer is perfect for towels and tea towels and this one for tablecloths and napkins.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd you remembered the shallow ones for the silverware and cutlery,\u201d Nell added smiling her satisfaction.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDo you want to see the bathhouse?\u201d he asked and they eagerly followed him through the door connecting it with the kitchen. \u00a0 \u201cAh, I see the bathtub has already been delivered,\u201d and he gazed admiringly at the cast iron claw foot tub with one end raised higher\u2014perfect for leaning back and soaking. He had ordered the largest tub they had\u2014five feet, ten and three-quarters inches\u2014and teased Bronwen that she mustn\u2019t fall asleep soaking or she might drown. \u00a0 \u201cThe water is piped in here and then this small stove is for heating it and keeping the room warm when the weather is cold. \u00a0 And I had these shelves built to store bath towels and put pegs on the wall to hang your clothes. I had those small windows put up so high as a way of allowing cross ventilation but preventing anyone from looking into the room.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so beautiful. I can hardly wait until our furniture arrives,\u201d Bronwen said excitedly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI hope it will arrive within the week. I think we\u2019d better head back to Rhys\u2019s house now.\u201d They were walking toward the Davies\u2019 house when they heard the sound of someone running and saw a boy somewhere between eleven and twelve running toward them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cG\u2019day, mates!\u201d he called when he was in earshot. \u201cI thought I saw someone.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBronwen, Nell, this is our neighbor, Ned Greene. \u00a0 Ned is training our dog for us. How\u2019s she doing, Ned?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s housebroken, Mr. Cartwright. \u00a0 Hasn\u2019t had an accident in two weeks. \u00a0 Do you want me to bring her over?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, we can\u2019t move in until our furniture arrives, but I\u2019d like for Mrs. Cartwright to have a chance to meet Belle. \u00a0 Be a good idea if you met her as well, Nell. \u00a0 It won\u2019t take long.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The women agreed and they all followed Ned. \u00a0 Mrs. Greene was resting on her veranda as they approached. \u00a0 \u201cYou remember Mr. Cartwright don\u2019t you, Mama?\u201d Ned said and his mother nodded. \u201cMrs. Green, allow me to introduce my wife and Mrs. Godwin,\u201d Adam said with a friendly smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m pleased to meet you, Mrs. Cartwright, Mrs. Godwin. \u00a0 Please won\u2019t you sit down and have some tea?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat would be very nice,\u201d Bronwen said and nervously Nell nodded her agreement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMr. Cartwright wanted the ladies to meet Belle. \u00a0 They can\u2019t take her just yet.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOur furniture hasn\u2019t arrived,\u201d Adam inserted smoothly, \u201cso we\u2019re staying with Mr. and Mrs. Davies in the meantime.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNed has worked hard training your dog and I think you\u2019ll be pleased. I\u2019ll go get the tea,\u201d and Mrs. Greene stood and went inside.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ned came back in a few minutes with a little blue-and-tan terrier walking at his side. \u201cSit, Belle,\u201d he said firmly and the puppy sat. \u00a0 He walked onto the verandah and stood by Adam before calling, \u201cCome, Belle.\u2019 The puppy ran up the steps barking happily. As she approached him, Adam said firmly, \u201cSit, Belle.\u201d The dog did so cocking her head at him. \u201cGood dog,\u201d he said with a smile. He slowly put his hand down so Belle could sniff it and then petted her, watching her tail wag. \u201cNow you try, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCome, Belle,\u201d Bronwen said trying to use the same firm voice as Adam and Ned had. Belle hesitated for a moment and then walked over sitting on command. \u00a0 Bronwen also allowed Belle to sniff her hand before petting her, and when those dark almond eyes gazed into hers it was love at first sight. \u00a0 The process was repeated with Nell and Belle obediently obeyed each command.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNed, you\u2019ve done such an outstanding job that I am paying you fifteen pounds instead of ten,\u201d Adam stated with a smile. \u00a0 Ned\u2019s grin stretched from ear to ear as he accepted the money. \u00a0 Just then Mrs. Greene walked over carrying a tray with a teapot, cups, saucers and a plate of bread and butter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMama! Mr. Cartwright\u2019s paid me fifteen pounds for training Belle! \u00a0 See!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure that is more than generous, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d Mrs. Greene said with a smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNot at all. Ned has done an excellent job. Since we have a baby to care for we wouldn\u2019t have had time to train Belle as well.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMrs. Davies mentioned you have a little daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe left Beth with my sister-in-law while we looked at our house,\u201d Bronwen explained.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a lovely house. I believe you designed it?\u201d Mrs. Greene said to Adam and he nodded. \u00a0 \u201cDid you have a difficult journey here from Sydney?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, not difficult, but Mrs. Godwin and I had never camped out before. I must confess, I\u2019d just as soon not do it again. I\u2019m so looking forward to moving into our own house.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd will you be staying with the Cartwrights, Mrs. Godwin?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cUh, yes,\u201d Nell replied nervously.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNell works for us,\u201d Adam stated.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI see,\u201d Mrs. Green said and it was clear she was not happy about entertaining a servant. The Cartwrights and Nell finished their tea quickly and thanked Mrs. Greene for her hospitality and patted Belle before leaving.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou should have introduced me as your maid, sir,\u201d Nell lamented. \u201cNow she feels she\u2019s been tricked into treating a servant as a lady.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBeing a maid is your job; it\u2019s not who you are,\u201d Bronwen replied emphatically. Then she smiled wryly. \u201cSomehow I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll be seeing much of the Greenes socially though.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMr. Greene isn\u2019t the snob his wife is,\u201d Adam said gently. \u00a0 \u201cHe wouldn\u2019t be in business long if he were; he owns the local public house. However, I don\u2019t imagine we\u2019d be seeing that much of the Greenes socially anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They could hear Beth\u2019s wailing before they even opened the front door of the Davies\u2019 house. Matilda rushed toward them with their screaming daughter. \u00a0 \u201cI think she must be hungry,\u201d she said apologetically as she handed Beth to Bronwen. \u201cHere, I\u2019ll take you to your room.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When Rhys returned that evening Bronwen and Nell were describing their journey to Matilda while Adam held Beth and played with her bare toes so she giggled and squealed happily. Pip was the first to notice Rhys\u2019s arrival and began barking a greeting. \u00a0 Bronwen ran to her brother and flung her arms around him. \u00a0 \u201cRhys bach<\/em>, it\u2019s so good to see you,\u201d she exclaimed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd it\u2019s good to see you, Bronwen fach<\/em>,\u201d he replied hugging her back. \u201cQuiet, Pip,\u201d he commanded. \u201cHello, Adam,\u201d he said extending his hand. \u00a0 \u201cAnd this beautiful little girl must be Beth. \u00a0 May I hold her?\u201d With a smile Adam handed her to Rhys.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBeth, your tad<\/em> has been telling me lies about you. He said you were bald but you have a fine head of hair.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, it grew in very fast,\u201d Bronwen stated. \u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s growing up so quickly. She can even sit on her own for a little now.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cA most remarkable little girl, I can see,\u201d Rhys said smiling at the baby. \u201cI hope soon you\u2019ll have a cousin to play with,\u201d and he failed to notice the pain in his wife\u2019s eyes at those words, for after six months of marriage she still showed no signs that she had conceived.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The next morning Adam dressed in a cream-colored work shirt and a pair of the new waist overalls from Levi Strauss & Co in San Francisco that Joe had bought for him, telling him how comfortable and durable they were. He took the surrey and drove to the station where he\u2019d heard the owner bred horses. \u00a0 When he got there, he saw a woman hanging laundry to dry while a baby a few months older than Beth sat beside the laundry basket chewing on a teething ring. The woman heard him drive up, and picking up the baby walked toward him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cG\u2019day, mate,\u201d she said with a friendly smile. \u201cMay I help you?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI hope so,\u201d he replied with an answering smile. \u00a0 \u201cFirst, let me introduce myself. My name is Adam Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJanet Dawson,\u201d the woman replied. \u00a0 \u201cThis is my son, Kit.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m pleased to meet you, Mrs. Dawson. \u00a0 The reason I\u2019m here,\u201d Adam stated, \u201cis that I heard Mr. Dawson might be able to sell me a mount.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve a couple of geldings for sale,\u201d Mrs. Dawson agreed. \u00a0 \u201cBut you\u2019ll need to talk with my husband. \u00a0 He\u2019ll be back for dinner. I can fix you some tea if you\u2019d care to wait.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI could help you hang the laundry,\u201d he suggested.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d she said rather flustered. \u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re a guest.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d feel guilty sitting on the verandah watching you work. \u00a0 You can get it done quicker if I help.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s women\u2019s work,\u201d she protested.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWork\u2019s work,\u201d he replied. \u00a0 \u201cBut don\u2019t tell my wife about it or she\u2019ll expect me to help her with the laundry,\u201d he added with a wink.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAll right,\u201d she said, turning a little pink.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They finished quickly and while she made tea he played peek-a-boo with Kit. \u201cI see you\u2019re good with children,\u201d she commented as she poured the tea, giving Kit a ginger biscuit to chew on.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m learning,\u201d Adam replied. \u00a0 \u201cOur little girl, Beth, is a few months younger than Kit. \u00a0 She\u2019s not teething yet.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cFor which you can count your blessings. \u00a0 Teething babies are fractious,\u201d Mrs. Dawson said. \u00a0 \u201cWell, the poor dears are in pain so you can\u2019t blame them.\u201d \u00a0 She stopped and said thoughtfully, \u201cSay, are you the Cartwright of that new mine, Cartwright and Davies?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. My family and I just arrived yesterday from Sydney. \u00a0 Our furniture hasn\u2019t gotten here yet so we\u2019re staying with my partner, who\u2019s also my wife\u2019s brother.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBut I can tell you\u2019re from farther away than Sydney,\u201d Mrs. Dawson said with a teasing smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cState of Nevada in the United States,\u201d he answered with a slight smile. \u201cSince I married an Australian girl, I decided to settle here.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They continued to chat comfortably while Kit chewed and drooled, smearing sticky ginger biscuit all over his face, until Mr. Dawson rode up.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPeter,\u201d Mrs. Dawson said, \u201cthis is Adam Cartwright and he\u2019s looking for a horse.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSaddle horse?\u201d Dawson asked. \u00a0 \u201cI see you\u2019ve got a couple of nice carriage horses.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d Adam agreed, extending his hand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTell you what, mate,\u201d Dawson said shaking Adam\u2019s hand firmly, \u201cwhy don\u2019t you have dinner with us, and then I\u2019ll show you the geldings I have for sale afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam nodded his acceptance and after an excellent meal, the two men strolled out to the paddock. Adam saw three geldings: a dark bay, a dun and a blood bay. \u00a0 He was drawn immediately to the blood bay. The other two geldings were under fifteen hands high, closer to fourteen, but the blood bay was over fifteen.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Watching Adam with the horses, Dawson commented laconically, \u201cI see you know horses.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMy kid brother is the real expert in the family, but I know good horseflesh when I see it. I grew up on a ranch, uh, station, in Nevada. \u00a0 Until I settled here in Australia I was a cowboy\u2014what you call a jackaroo.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dawson nodded and then said thoughtfully, \u201cMost prefer the smaller horses, but I think you\u2019d do better with the blood bay. \u00a0 He\u2019s a bit temperamental though.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI prefer a challenge,\u201d Adam answered with a slow smile, patting the horse\u2019s neck. \u201cI\u2019d like to put him through his paces.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSurely. I expect you didn\u2019t bring your tack all the way from the States?\u201d Dawson queried with a hint of a smile on his weather-beaten face. \u00a0 Adam shook his head ruefully. \u201cI\u2019ve got some spare tack I can sell you if you decide to buy one of these.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n As they shook hands on the deal, Dawson said diffidently, \u201cI know this is some years in the future, but thought you might want to know I breed ponies as well. Welsh Mountain ponies. They\u2019re sweet-tempered and small, only a little over twelve hands. Perfect for small children.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s good to know,\u201d Adam said dimpling. \u00a0 \u201cIn a few years I\u2019ll want a mount for my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThought you might,\u201d Dawson said with a slow smile. \u00a0 \u201cI got the idea of breeding them because I knew I\u2019d want a mount for Kit.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam tied his new mount behind the surrey. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll have to think of the right name for you, boy, after we\u2019ve gotten to know each other better. Got a little treat for you,\u201d and he fished a sugar cube out of his shirt pocket and placed it on his palm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bronwen was playing with Beth on the verandah and saw Adam drive by. \u201cLook, Beth! \u00a0 It\u2019s your papa. Let\u2019s wave to him.\u201d She took the baby\u2019s hand and waved it while she waved her own and was gratified when she saw Adam wave back as he drove the horses to their stable. \u00a0 She decided to take Beth and join him. \u00a0 He was currying his new mount when she arrived and looked up with a smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHello. Did you bring Beth to see Papa\u2019s new horse?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s big, isn\u2019t he?\u201d Bronwen observed from a distance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s about the same size as Sport.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIs Sport the horse Joe told me your father got you when you first came back from college?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. I think Joe was jealous because he wanted a horse, but there was no way Pa was giving a nine-year-old a horse.\u201d He paused and said sadly, \u201cSport\u2019s a beautiful animal but he\u2019s getting old so I\u2019d be needing a new mount anyway even if I were back home\u2014I mean the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She smiled. \u201cIt\u2019s going to take time for us to think of this as home.\u201d \u00a0 She paused and changing the subject said, \u201cEven if he\u2019s big, he\u2019s beautiful. He wouldn\u2019t bite me if I petted him?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo. He\u2019s friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou hold Beth,\u201d she said, handing her to Adam as she stepped closer. Nervously, she reached out her hand and tentatively patted the gelding\u2019s neck. \u00a0 Then she took Beth back asking, \u201cWill you be much longer?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo. Why don\u2019t you show Beth her new home?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s just what I planned on doing,\u201d she answered with a smile. \u201cThen we can walk back together.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam woke up at dawn the next morning and managed to get out of bed and dressed without waking Bronwen. \u00a0 He headed to the stable and after feeding and watering the horses, he turned the carriage horses out into the paddock and tacked the blood bay. \u00a0 He discovered the gelding could run like the wind and as they headed back to the paddock, he patted his neck and said conversationally, \u201cWell, boy, I think I have the perfect name for you. \u00a0 I\u2019m going to call you Zephyr.\u201d The gelding snorted and tossed his head causing Adam to chuckle. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll take that as a yes.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was a week before their belongings arrived, but the Cartwright household quickly settled into the new house and Bronwen and Nell reestablished the household routine they\u2019d followed in Paddington. Things were going well at the mine, but that meant more work for both Adam and Rhys. \u00a0 Adam had agreed to handle the bookkeeping, but found he was doing that work at home in the evening because there simply wasn\u2019t time during the workday.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n He pinched the bridge of his nose as he slowly walked up the stairs to their bedroom. This was at least the third or fourth night in a row he\u2019d worked late and he was beginning to feel it. He was also feeling guilty because he\u2019d spent so little time lately with Bronwen and Beth. He turned down his lamp before opening the bedroom door so he wouldn\u2019t wake Bronwen. As he undressed in the dim light he looked at her sleeping form. \u00a0 He could see her cheeks were wet, and her eyes and nose were red and swollen. He sat down on the bed beside her and gently shook her shoulder. \u201cBronwen, sweetheart, what\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She opened her eyes slowly, squinting as she tried to bring his face into focus. Then she dropped her gaze and replied softly, \u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIf there were nothing wrong, then you wouldn\u2019t be crying yourself to sleep,\u201d he admonished mildly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m surprised you even noticed,\u2019 she retorted bitterly. \u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve worked late every night for the past week coming to bed after I’d fallen asleep. Oh, I forgot. \u00a0 You did wake me up twice but both times as soon as you were finished, you just rolled over and went to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been shutting you out again, haven\u2019t I?\u201d he asked slowly and she nodded, a single tear trickling down her cheek.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, sweetheart, so very sorry,\u201d he murmured contritely, gently wiping away the tear.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just you. I\u2019m lonely, cariad<\/em>. \u00a0 I miss Mam<\/em> and Tad<\/em> and Emily and my other friends. I don\u2019t know anyone here except Matilda so I have no one to talk with all day except her and Nell.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSo you\u2019re miserable here?\u201d he asked with a mixture of guilt and sadness.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m lonely,\u201d she repeated. \u00a0 \u201cIt would help if we could spend time together the way we used to do. I know your work is important, but I hoped Beth and I were more important to you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou are,\u201d he replied earnestly. \u00a0 \u201cI promised to cherish you and I realize I\u2019ve been doing a poor job of it, but that will change. I\u2019ll talk with Rhys and maybe we can hire a bookkeeper. In the meantime, I\u2019ll figure out some way to spend more time with you and Beth.\u201d \u00a0 He lightly caressed her cheek with his fingertips. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve missed being with you, too,\u201d he added softly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have any time to read during the day. \u00a0 Maybe we could pick one of your books and you could read it aloud. \u00a0 I could listen and work on darning your socks. \u00a0 You\u2019re very hard on socks, you know,\u201d and she smiled at him faintly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like that,\u201d and he kissed her gently before getting into the bed beside her. The next morning he woke her up just before dawn so they could make love and afterward they cuddled together.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThis is much better,\u201d she purred as he held her close, resting his chin on her head.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m afraid I can\u2019t promise I\u2019ll never roll over and go to sleep again,\u201d he answered dryly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s all right,\u201d she replied sweetly. \u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t promise I\u2019ll never fall asleep while you\u2019re enjoying yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBronwen,\u201d he said choking on his laughter. \u00a0 \u201cI can guarantee that\u2019s not going to happen,\u201d he added before kissing her passionately.\u00a0\u00a0 He was late getting started on his barn chores that morning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A few mornings later as he was walking from the stable to the house he heard the sound of screaming coming from the backyard where Bronwen had recently begun raising a flock of chicks purchased from Janet Dawson. He ran as fast as he could and saw Bronwen and Nell screaming with horrified faces as they watched Belle killing a snake.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGood girl, Belle,\u201d he said softly after the snake was dead, petting her as he tried to determine if she\u2019d been bitten.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The women were white-faced with terror but Bronwen asked in a shaky voice, \u201cIs Belle all right?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think so, but it\u2019s hard to tell. \u00a0 If the snake did bite her, then her thick fur should have protected her. Why don\u2019t you take Belle inside and keep an eye on her and I\u2019ll dispose of the snake.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll make us a cup of tea, ma\u2019am,\u201d Nell said in a voice that wasn\u2019t quite steady.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Nell,\u201d Bronwen replied gratefully, sinking into a chair at the kitchen table. Adam entered the kitchen a few minutes later and washed his hands before asking, \u201cIs Beth up yet?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, I forgot to check,\u201d Bronwen replied starting to get up but he put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her down.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s all right. I\u2019ll go check on her.\u201d He left with Belle trotting at his heels. When he returned a few minutes later with Beth he saw the women seemed to have calmed down.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe snake was interested in the chicks. Belle did what she was bred to do.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve just never seen anything killed before and it frightened me,\u201d Bronwen admitted.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI grew up hunting and trapping animals for food, so I guess I\u2019ve become inured to it.\u201d Wanting to lighten the mood he said teasingly, \u201cSomething tells me that I won\u2019t be eating chicken for Sunday dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI bought the chicks so we\u2019d have eggs,\u201d Bronwen said with a stricken face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou are definitely a city girl,\u201d he replied with a grin. \u00a0 \u201cYou can\u2019t get attached to an animal you\u2019re going to eat. \u00a0 Calves and piglets are adorable, but I still like steak and bacon. \u00a0 Fleecy little lambs make delicious lamb chops.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He laughed harder when Bronwen stuck her tongue out at him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bronwen was becoming frustrated. \u00a0 No matter how far she walked each day, her body refused to grow slender. In fact, her waist seemed to be growing thicker. She was tired all the time. It was ironic really that while Beth needed less sleep now she seemed to need more. \u00a0 She was also concerned that even though it was now six months since Beth\u2019s birth, she still had not resumed menstruating.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNell,\u201d she said after they had washed and dried the breakfast dishes. \u201cLook after Beth for me, please. \u00a0 I\u2019ve an errand to run.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She took a bath and left the house dressed in an outfit that was one of Adam\u2019s favorites: a navy blue delaine skirt, red silk zouave jacket and a red pill-box hat trimmed with tiny beads. \u00a0 An hour later she returned, somewhat dazed. \u00a0 \u201cAre you all right, ma\u2019am?\u201d Nell asked anxiously<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat? I mean, I\u2019m fine. I expect Beth is hungry so I\u2019ll just take her upstairs. After I nurse her, I\u2019m going to lie down.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bronwen was very quiet the rest of the afternoon. \u00a0 Placing Beth in her walker so they could keep an eye on her, she and Nell dusted and polished the furniture and floors but without any of their usual conversation. Before Adam came home, she fed Beth and then changed into a gown of pale blue muslin that she knew he particularly liked to see her wear. She greeted him with a kiss as she always did, but then she hardly said a word during their meal together. \u00a0 After he ate the last bite of the sponge cake she\u2019d baked for dessert, he put down his fork and wiped his mouth before setting his napkin down.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, sweetheart?\u201d he asked in a firm, no-nonsense voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNothing\u2019s wrong. I just received some news today that surprised me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat sort of news?\u201d he asked carefully.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI went to see Dr. Brooke this morning\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He interrupted her. \u201cAre you ill?\u201d he demanded and she heard the anxiety in his voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d she said with a faint smile. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not ill; I was afraid I might be, but that isn\u2019t it at all.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBronwen,\u201d he growled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said with a little smile. \u00a0 \u201cI found out the reason I\u2019ve been feeling so tired, the reason that in spite off all the walking I\u2019ve been doing I don\u2019t grow any thinner is that I\u2019m going to have another child.\u201d She could have laughed aloud at the astonished look on his face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBut Dr. Browne said if you were nursing Beth then you wouldn\u2019t get pregnant!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I told Dr. Brooke. \u00a0 He said that was just an old wives tale. \u00a0 Obviously, he is correct,\u201d and she smiled ruefully. \u00a0 \u201cWe do want more children; we\u2019re just getting them sooner than we expected.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhen is the baby due?\u201d Adam asked numbly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cRight around the first week of December the doctor thinks.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBut Beth won\u2019t even be a year old then,\u201d he protested.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI am aware of that. Cariad<\/em>, we seem to be as fertile as a pair of rabbits.\u201d \u00a0 She looked at him anxiously. \u201cYou\u2019re not too upset are you?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not upset,\u201d he said reassuringly. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m just worried about you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m perfectly healthy, and it\u2019s not as if I\u2019m the first woman to get pregnant so soon after giving birth. \u00a0 I confess I would have preferred that I hadn\u2019t conceived again until after Beth was a year old, but that\u2019s not the way it turned out. \u00a0 It\u2019s a good thing Beth sleeps in a crib now because we\u2019ll need the cradle for the new baby.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI suppose we may as well break the news to Rhys and Matilda at dinner on Sunday?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes. It won\u2019t be a secret much longer. I\u2019m starting to show much earlier this time. Dr. Brooke says most women do.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam and Bronwen could tell Matilda was bursting with some news the minute they saw her Sunday. As soon as they all gathered around the dining table she said excitedly, \u201cWe have some wonderful news to share with you.\u201d \u00a0 She paused just long enough to catch her breath before saying excitedly, \u201cWe\u2019re having a baby! Dr. Brooke says it\u2019s due at the end of February.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s wonderful!\u201d Bronwen exclaimed in delight while Adam added, \u201cCongratulations to you both.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAs a matter of fact, Adam and I have some news to share as well,\u201d Bronwen added diffidently. \u201cI just learned that I am with child again.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSo soon?\u2019 Matilda blurted out then blushed scarlet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes. Actually, I\u2019m further along than you are. Our baby is due in early December.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam cleared his throat before adding self-consciously, \u201cThe news came as a surprise. Our doctor in Paddington had told us that Bronwen wouldn\u2019t get pregnant if she was nursing Beth.\u201d He turned to Rhys. \u00a0 \u201cAfter dinner, I\u2019d like to talk with you in private if that\u2019s all right?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOf course. Something tells me that our presence won\u2019t be missed,\u201d Rhys replied with a small grin at the two women, who were already discussing babies.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI come like a Greek bearing a gift,\u201d Paul Martin said as Ben opened the door to the ranch house. \u00a0 \u201cWill Cass knew I was coming here for dinner so he asked me to bring this letter from Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, good,\u201d Ben said taking the proffered envelope. \u00a0 \u201cThis is the first we\u2019ve had since we returned. \u00a0 He\u2019d warned us he probably wouldn\u2019t have a chance to write until they were settled in their new house.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCan we read it now?\u201d Hoss asked hopefully.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing,\u201d Ben called and Hop Sing walked in saying, \u201cDinner ready. Dr. Martin here. \u00a0 You need to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDr. Martin brought a letter from Adam. \u00a0 Do you think dinner could wait until I read it aloud.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hop Sing smiled at the news. \u00a0 \u201cIt can wait.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben sat in his favorite leather armchair while Joe and Hoss sat on the settee and Dr. Martin sat in the blue velvet armchair that had been Adam\u2019s favorite. Hop Sing stood expectantly behind Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n July\u2014, 1875<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dear Family,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I have some good news and some bad news. \u00a0 I\u2019ll give you the bad news first because it\u2019s actually related to the good news. The bad news is that we won\u2019t be sailing for America this coming spring after all. \u00bc<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben held up his hand to stop the complaints and questions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The good news is that the reason we aren\u2019t coming is our second child is due around the first week of December.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re having another baby!\u201d Joe squeaked. \u00a0 \u201cBut Beth won\u2019t even be a year old!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoseph,\u201d Ben said firmly and Joe subsided.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We had hoped to have more children, but not this soon. \u00a0 I\u2019m worried about Bronwen\u2019s health although she tells me the doctor here says she is perfectly healthy. He just wants her to make sure she gets plenty of rest. \u00a0 I am taking steps to prevent her from getting pregnant again too soon after this child is born. I\u2019ve spoken with Rhys and he knows where to purchase French letters in Sydney. \u00a0 He is going to be traveling there in October and he will purchase some for me then and arrange to have them shipped here on a regular basis.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cFrench letters?\u201d Hoss asked, bewilderment plainly stamped on his features.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cFrench letters are a contraceptive device; they\u2019re designed to prevent a man from impregnating a woman,\u201d Paul began to explain.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think you need to go into the details, Paul,\u201d Ben interjected quickly as Hoss\u2019s face turned beet-red while Joe\u2019s expression was entirely too smug for Ben\u2019s peace of mind.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an intelligent decision on Adam\u2019s part,\u201d Paul said quietly. \u201cI\u2019ve seen how too many pregnancies too close together can ruin a woman\u2019s health.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe couldn\u2019t stop himself from snickering although he sobered up quickly when Ben glared at him before saying, \u201cI\u2019d like to finish the letter.<\/p>\n .<\/p>\n We\u2019re settling in nicely. \u00a0 Naturally we both miss our families, which reminds me. \u00a0 Bronwen asked me to remind Joe that he promised to write her but she hasn\u2019t heard from him yet. \u00bc<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll write her tonight,\u201d Joe mumbled. \u00a0 \u201cI just forgot.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I warned her that he is a rather indifferent correspondent, but she really would like to hear from you, Joe. \u00a0 Aside from missing Tad<\/em> and Mam<\/em>, what Bronwen misses most is attending church. Cloncurry doesn\u2019t have one yet, but she and I and Nell and Rhys and Matilda gather at our house on Sunday mornings. We pray, read from the Bible and sing hymns just like we used to do before we had a church to attend.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My city girl has started keeping livestock. \u00a0 We bought a flock of chicks from one of the stations (ranches) near Cloncurry and a milk cow. (We share the milk with Rhys and Matilda, who are expecting their first child in February.) \u00a0 I built a hen house for Bronwen and Mrs. Dawson explained to her how to raise chickens and how to churn butter. \u00a0 (Mrs. Dawson is around Bronwen\u2019s age and has a little boy, Kit, who\u2019s a few months older than Beth.) Dawson breeds horses and I bought myself a new mount from him. \u00a0 Zephyr is a blood bay and his temperament reminds me a little of Sport\u2019s. Dawson also breeds Welsh Mountain ponies and in a few years I\u2019ll be buying one for Beth. \u00a0 I haven\u2019t spoken to Bronwen about that yet; figure I might as well cross that bridge when Beth is actually old enough to ride. \u00a0 Bronwen has no interest in learning to ride, but she has asked me to teach her to drive.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I see I\u2019ve neglected to mention the newest member of our family, Belle. Thanks to Ned Greene\u2019s excellent work training her, she is much better behaved than Pip. \u00a0 Bronwen and Nell know to speak to her firmly so she obeys them. \u00a0 We were very careful introducing her to Beth but I think Belle regards Beth as hers. Beth is now crawling, and Belle runs alongside her barking encouragement. \u00a0 You wouldn\u2019t believe how much Beth has grown since you saw her last. \u00a0 She has plenty of black hair, just like her mother\u2019s, and her eyes are now hazel like mine. Besides crawling, she is making lots of sounds so we know she\u2019s trying to talk. \u00a0 She recognizes Bronwen and me and she holds her arms up when she wants us to pick her up. Yesterday, Bronwen saw her pulling herself up to stand by holding on to the settee. \u00a0 I haven\u2019t had a chance to see her do that yet. \u00a0 She loves to play peek-a-boo with me. \u00a0 Bronwen and I just marvel at how she grows and develops. \u00a0 You were right, Pa. Being a father is nothing like being an older brother.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I guess I\u2019d better close. \u00a0 I promise that in spring of \u201977 the four of us will definitely be coming for a visit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Affectionately yours, <\/p>\n \u201cI shore wish I could see Beth,\u201d Hoss said sadly. \u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s hard to picture her big enough to crawl.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s something else in the envelope,\u201d Ben said excitedly. \u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a drawing of Beth,\u201d he exclaimed in delight. \u00a0 \u201cNo, there are three!\u201d He held up the drawings, one of a sleeping Beth, one of her sitting on the floor with Belle beside her and one of her sitting on Adam\u2019s lap.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s grown so much,\u201d Joe said wistfully while Hoss added enthusiastically, \u201cAin\u2019t she just the cutest little thing, Doc?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe appears to be a fine healthy baby,\u201d Paul said with a smile. \u201cIt looks like Adam is a devoted father,\u201d he added as he gazed at the third drawing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Joe concurred. \u201cWonder if he\u2019ll be as strict with Beth as he used to be with me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cProbably won\u2019t need to be,\u201d Hoss commented. \u00a0 \u201c\u2019Little girls aren\u2019t as ornery as little boys.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know about that,\u201d Paul said with a chuckle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019ll be two years old the next time I can see her,\u201d Ben said plaintively looking at the drawing of the sleeping Beth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, but she\u2019ll be walking and talking then,\u201d Paul reminded him, \u201cand you\u2019ll be able to really play with her.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDadburnit, we need to be shopping for a Christmas gift for Beth and a birthday present so they get there on time,\u201d Hoss exclaimed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what a little girl would like,\u201d Joe groaned.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hop Sing had been gazing at the drawings and suddenly spoke up. \u201cAsk Missy McKaren and Missy Lightly.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGood idea, Hop Sing,\u201d Ben said happily. \u00a0 \u201cVirginia and Ann both have daughters so they would know the right gift to give Beth.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat about the new baby?\u201d Hoss asked. \u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t even know if it\u2019ll be a boy or a girl.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAll babies like rattles,\u201d Paul suggested. \u00a0 \u201cAnd you can never have too many clothes since they dirty them so often. Mrs. Chenowyth is a seamstress and she could use the employment.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a wonderful idea,\u201d Ben said. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go into town tomorrow and speak to her about sewing some clothes and bonnets for the new baby.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The next morning when Joe and Hoss were working on their barn chores, Joe said with a grin, \u201cWould you ever have guessed older brother was a such a stud?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHush up, Joe,\u201d Hoss barked, his face turning a deep magenta. \u00a0 \u201cIt ain\u2019t seemly to talk that way about Adam and Bronwen.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe had the grace to look shamefaced at that. \u00a0 \u201cYeah, you\u2019re right,\u201d he muttered. \u00a0 His countenance brightened almost immediately. \u00a0 \u201cSay, maybe this time it\u2019ll be a boy. \u00a0 If it is, I\u2019m putting my money on Adam, Jr. as his name.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s where my money\u2019d be,\u201d Hoss agreed. \u201cI remember how ol\u2019 Adam looked after Beth was born, and if Bronwen wants to name the baby after Adam, then that\u2019s what he\u2019ll be named.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n July turned into August and the weather began growing warmer although it was still a little chilly at night. Belle was a fierce huntress and kept the yard free of snakes and other vermin. \u00a0 Adam kept his promise and even if he had to bring some work home, he always spent at least an hour with Bronwen and Beth. \u00a0 One evening while he was playing This Little Piggy<\/em>, she startled him by suddenly saying very distinctly, \u201cDa-da.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right, Princess. \u00a0 I\u2019m your da-da. \u00a0 Say it again so mama can hear,\u201d he said excitedly while Bronwen put her mending down and walked over and sat on the arm of Adam\u2019s chair.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDa-da. \u00a0 Da-da,\u201d Beth said smiling at them both. \u00a0 He kissed her cheek and then she kissed his. \u00a0 Giving hugs and kisses was something she\u2019d just begun doing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCan you say ma-ma,\u201d Bronwen said encouragingly, to which Beth replied, \u201cDa-da,\u201d and reached over to kiss her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bronwen turned to Adam, who was smiling smugly. \u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t be a Figjam. \u00a0 She doesn\u2019t know that da-da is you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you listen to mama, Princess. She\u2019s jealous. \u00a0 You know that I\u2019m your da-da.\u201d \u00a0 He pulled up her dress and blew on her stomach, which she loved and she began to shriek with laughter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the midst of their laughter Nell walked in hesitantly. \u00a0 \u201cExcuse me, but Mr. Davies is here to see you; I\u2019m afraid it\u2019s not good news from the looks of him.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWould you take Beth upstairs and put her to bed please,\u201d Bronwen said in a strained voice. \u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll go talk to Rhys.\u201d Beth began to cry but Nell took her up the backstairs while Bronwen and Adam hurried to the front of the house.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rhys was white-faced and his eyes were red and puffy. \u00a0 \u201cLet me get you a brandy,\u201d Adam said firmly while Bronwen hugged him silently. They walked into the drawing room and Adam handed him the brandy, which he drank automatically as he sat in one of the green velvet armchairs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHas something happened to Matilda,\u201d Bronwen asked gently, fearing the worst, as she perched on the chair\u2019s arm while Adam stood just in front of Rhys.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s lost the baby,\u201d Rhys said numbly and the tears began to well up in his eyes. \u201cSuch a tiny baby, no longer than my finger.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, Rhys bach<\/em> ,\u201d Bronwen sobbed enfolding him in her arms while he wept disconsolately.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Rhys,\u201d Adam said quietly. \u00a0 \u201cHow is Matilda?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s distraught,\u201d Rhys managed to reply in a shaky voice. \u00a0 \u201cShe wanted the baby so much.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDo you want me to go to her?\u201d Bronwen asked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, not right now,\u201d Rhys said hurriedly and dropped his eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI understand,\u201d Bronwen said sadly. \u00a0 \u201cIt would be too painful to see me now.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI knew you\u2019d understand,\u201d Rhys said, still unable to meet her eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIf there is anything we can do for you both \u00bc\u201d Adam began but his voice trailed off.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI need to be with her right now. \u00a0 If you could take over at the mine\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOf course. You just take care of Matilda,\u201d and Adam squeezed Rhys\u2019s shoulder comfortingly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rhys left then, not wanting to leave Matilda alone any longer than he had to. As soon as he had gone, Bronwen threw her arms around Adam and began to cry. \u00a0 He held her gently, wishing he had more comfort to give\u2014to her and to the grieving parents.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rhys returned to work after a week but it was October before Matilda could bring herself to visit her in-laws. \u00a0 The moment she saw Bronwen, now in her seventh month, she couldn\u2019t hold back her tears.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think we should go back home,\u201d Rhys said gently, placing his hand on his wife\u2019s arm, but she shook it off.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d she said in a shaky voice. \u00a0 \u201cForgive me, Bronwen. I am happy that you and your baby are well; it\u2019s just \u00bc\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI understand,\u201d Bronwen told her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s Beth?\u201d Matilda asked. \u00a0 \u201cI was hoping to see her.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure, cariad<\/em> ?\u201d Rhys asked apprehensively<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, I\u2019m sure. I know she must have grown so much since I saw her last.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe has,\u201d Bronwen said with a tentative smile. \u00a0 \u201cIf we hold onto her hands, then she can walk and she can drink milk from her Christening mug.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s even talking a little,\u201d Adam added. \u00a0 \u201cBronwen is mama and I\u2019m daddy and she can say bye-bye. \u00a0 Her favorite word though is No<\/em>.\u201d He was pleased to see Matilda smile wanly at that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll go get her,\u201d Bronwen said and she left the room with Belle trotting at her heels.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe weather certainly has gotten warmer, hasn\u2019t it?\u201d Rhys said in an attempt to make conversation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Adam agreed, doing his part to fill the strained silence. \u201cI bought a thermometer, Matilda, and put it on the side of the house. It was 95 degrees yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAh,\u201d she replied mildly. \u00a0 \u201cI knew it was quite warm. Of course, you haven\u2019t been here when it\u2019s really hot. \u00a0 Just wait until December; it\u2019s unbearable.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m afraid she\u2019s right, Adam. \u00a0 It\u2019s going to get much hotter,\u201d Rhys commented.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Just then Bronwen walked in the room carrying Beth. \u00a0 \u201cDaddy!\u201d she squealed and wriggled to be put down. \u00a0 She crawled to Adam as quickly as she could and then grabbing hold of his outstretched hands she pulled herself to a standing position.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s so beautiful,\u201d Matilda said. \u00a0 \u201cWould you come see me, Beth,\u201d she asked holding out her arms. \u00a0 Beth shrank back against Adam\u2019s leg, popping her thumb in her mouth as she clutched his hand tightly with her free hand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Matilda. She\u2019s rather shy with anyone but us and Nell,\u201d Adam said gently.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJanet says it\u2019s a phase babies go through,\u201d Bronwen added.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJanet?\u201d Matilda asked<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJanet Dawson. I bought my chickens from her, remember? She has a little boy four months older than Beth and she\u2019s been helpful when I\u2019ve had questions. She and Kit have driven in for a visit a few times,\u201d Bronwen said in a rush, regretting that she\u2019d ever mentioned Janet. They were becoming friends, but Matilda had no other friends in Cloncurry except for her. Maybe she should invite Matilda over the next time Janet came to visit; they might become friends, too.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam sensed the tension as well, so he said cheerfully, \u201cBeth, shall we show Uncle Rhys and Aunt Matilda how you can walk?\u201d \u00a0 He stood up, keeping hold of Beth\u2019s hands, and began walking about the room with her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAren\u2019t you the clever girl,\u201d Rhys said with a grin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam walked with Beth until he reached the settee where Rhys and Matilda were sitting. \u201cNow, if Uncle Rhys moves over, we can sit by Aunt Matilda,\u201d Adam said, winking at Matilda. He scooped Beth up in his arms and sat between Rhys and Matilda. \u00a0 Beth looked at Matilda with her huge hazel eyes, putting her thumb back in her mouth. \u201cLet\u2019s show Aunt Matilda how well you can ride, shall we, Princess?\u201d \u00a0 Adam put her on his knee and holding her in a firm grip he began to jiggle his knee. She began to giggle and wave her arms in excitement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, you\u2019ve worn this horsy out, I\u2019m afraid,\u201d Adam finally said. \u201cNow, would you give Aunt Matilda a kiss?\u201d and he mentally crossed his fingers that Beth wouldn\u2019t balk at the request. Beth looked at Matilda for a long moment, and then she reached out her arms and Matilda leaned over so Beth could kiss her cheek.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Beth,\u201d she said in an unsteady voice. \u00a0 \u201cCould I give you a kiss?\u201d Beth nodded so Matilda kissed her gently. Beth then said, \u201cMama,\u201d and wriggled to let Adam know she wanted down.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Davies didn\u2019t stay much longer and when they left, Beth enthusiastically waved bye-bye.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt breaks my heart to see her so sad,\u201d Bronwen said to Adam, leaning her head on his shoulder while he put his arm around her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI can only imagine the pain she and Rhys must be feeling. \u00a0 I know how I would feel if anything were to happen to this baby,\u201d and he spread his hand over her belly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad you got Beth to kiss her. \u00a0 I could tell it meant a lot to her.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes. I\u2019m afraid it\u2019s going to be difficult for her when this baby is born though.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI was thinking of inviting her over the next time Janet and Kit come for a visit.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBe careful, Bronwen. She\u2019s very frail right now,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps you\u2019re right. But it doesn\u2019t seem very healthy to me for her to spend her days alone except for Pip.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou have a point. Just don\u2019t push her, all right?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Matilda did accept Bronwen\u2019s invitation to tea when Janet and Kit came for a visit. Janet was a sensitive woman and Bronwen had told her how hard Matilda was taking her loss, so she made an extra effort to be friendly. \u00a0 Gradually, Matilda relaxed and she even began to enjoy herself.\u00a0\u00a0 Janet usually drove into town twice a month and the three women began to visit regularly on those occasions. \u00a0 Matilda enjoyed playing with Kit and Beth, but the other two women noticed that she avoided looking at Bronwen\u2019s increasingly pregnant figure.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first week in November, Bronwen began planning a birthday dinner for Adam. \u201cWe\u2019ll have an early dinner so the Dawsons will have time to drive home before dark. \u00a0 I\u2019m glad your birthday is in the spring when the days are growing longer.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhich seems very strange to me since up until last year it the days had always been growing shorter and colder. \u00a0 This will definitely be the warmest birthday I\u2019ve ever celebrated.\u201d \u00a0 He stopped and frowned at her. \u201cSweetheart, I want a small dinner party. The six of us are plenty when the hostess is eight months pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNell is doing the actual cooking; I\u2019m just supervising while sitting down. We\u2019ll have Beef Wellington for the main course and I\u2019m still planning the others. \u00a0 The pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9sistance <\/em> will be the three-layer chocolate birthday cake. \u00a0 I\u2019m going to give you a birthday to remember.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t need to throw a dinner party for that,\u201d he said, arching his eyebrows suggestively.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m eight months pregnant. \u00a0 Remember?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOnly too well. I also remember I have six weeks of abstinence to look forward to afterward.\u201d \u00a0 He looked so disgruntled that she couldn\u2019t help laughing. \u00a0 \u201cOh, you think it\u2019s funny do you?\u201d he said frowning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, look at that scowl. \u00a0 I\u2019m quaking in my boots,\u201d she teased. \u00a0 When he moved toward her with a glint in his eye she knew too well, she gasped, \u201cAdam, you wouldn\u2019t tickle the mother of your unborn child, would you?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d he replied, pulling them both onto the bed<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The morning of his birthday, the thermometer read 95 degrees, the sky was overcast and the humidity was unbearable.\u00a0\u00a0 Beth was cutting a tooth and her crying had kept her parents awake most of the night.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not too late to call off the dinner party,\u201d Adam said as he yawned and scratched his chest. \u00a0 \u201cIt looks like rain and the Dawsons won\u2019t be coming if it does.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re such a pessimist,\u201d she retorted. \u00a0 \u201cNell and I have worked hard on all the arrangements and I\u2019m not calling the party off. If the Dawsons can\u2019t come, then I\u2019ll understand.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAll right, but I suggest you bake the cake this morning while it\u2019s relatively cool, and plan on our eating on the verandah. \u00a0 Unless of course it\u2019s raining and we\u2019ll have to dine in the sweltering heat of the dining room.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou certainly are becoming grumpy in your old age,\u201d she replied with a smirk. Just then Beth let out a fretful wail.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou, my darling, will pay for that remark later,\u201d he said as he went to comfort Beth, and he pinched her posterior, hard, as he left.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The deluge began while they were eating breakfast on the verandah.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWain!\u201d Beth said excitedly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right, Princess,\u201d Adam said ruefully. \u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s raining again. Well, at least it\u2019s not a cold rain like I usually get on my birthday. I hope you\u2019re not too disappointed that your dinner party has shrunk to four.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d she replied with a sigh. \u00a0 \u201cI certainly can\u2019t expect the Dawsons to drive here in this downpour.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The rain continued to pour all morning and all afternoon. \u00a0 The only bright side Bronwen could find was that the temperature cooled off to 90 degrees. Of course since they were using the oven and the stove, the temperature inside the house was closer to 100 degrees. Poor Beth was running a low-grade fever and suffering from diarrhea because she was teething and demanded a great deal of Bronwen\u2019s attention. \u00a0 Nell did her best, but cooking fancy meals was not her strong point. \u00a0 The cake turned out well but the same could not be said for some of the fancy sauces Bronwen wanted to serve with the side dishes. \u00a0 Bronwen was hot and sweaty by the time the rain finally stopped shortly before Adam was due home. She wanted to take a bath, but getting in and out of the tub was beyond her. She had to make do with standing in the old wooden washtub. When the rain stopped the temperature soared and the house was so hot that she wondered why she\u2019d bothered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam took one look at her tired, drawn countenance and bit back the remark he was going to make. Instead he said in a conciliatory tone, \u201cI really like that shade of blue on you, sweetheart. You look lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHah! I look like a whale and we both know it.\u201d Then she asked anxiously, \u201cRhys and Matilda are still coming aren\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe said they were,\u201d he replied leaning down and kissing her. \u201cDon\u2019t worry. \u00a0 I know it will be a lovely evening. \u00a0 I prefer spending my birthday with family.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She smiled wanly. \u201cYou\u2019d better go take your bath so you\u2019ll be dressed with Rhys and Matilda arrive.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJust let me say hello to Beth and I will.\u201d \u00a0 He kissed her one more time before heading upstairs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He was soaking in the tepid water when he heard the door open. He turned around to see Bronwen, her eyes enormous in her white strained face. \u00a0 \u201cAdam,\u201d she said and he heard the edge of panic in her tone, \u201cyou\u2019ve got to go for Dr. Brooke. My water broke and that means the baby is coming.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He stood so quickly that water sloshed over the side of the tub and she handed him a towel. \u201cThe baby\u2019s not due for two weeks!\u201d he said anxiously as he dried himself as quickly as he could.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou and I know that, but apparently the baby does not. \u00a0 I\u2019m going upstairs. Please hurry, cariad<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam hastily put on his good dress coat and trousers and thin-soled boots because those were the clothes he\u2019d brought downstairs to change into. He hurriedly saddled Zephyr and galloped to Dr. Brooke\u2019s house.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGod, let him be home,\u201d he prayed fervently as he knocked on the door. To his great relief the doctor answered the door himself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He took in Adam\u2019s formal attire with raised eyebrows but only said, \u201cMr. Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMy wife said her water broke\u2014\u201c Adam began, but the doctor cut him off.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be right there. Did she saw how close her contractions were?\u201d \u00a0 Adam shook his head. \u201cWell, you go back to your wife and I should be there in a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rhys and Matilda were walking up to the verandah when they saw Adam gallop up. \u201cI\u2019m afraid something has happened,\u201d Matilda said fearfully.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll wait here and find out,\u201d Rhys said calmly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam looked pale and haggard when he approached. \u00a0 \u201cThere won\u2019t be a dinner party. Bronwen\u2019s water broke and she\u2019s in labor. \u00a0 I just went for Dr. Brooke.\u201d He saw their anxious faces and said brokenly, \u201cOh God, it\u2019s too early. \u00a0 What if something happens to Bronwen?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou mustn\u2019t assume the worst, brawd<\/em>,\u201d Rhys said with gentle firmness.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to stay with her until the doctor gets here,\u201d Adam said fiercely.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s fine, but you\u2019ve got to pull yourself together; don\u2019t let her see you like this,\u201d Rhys said firmly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d Adam said, breathing deeply and squaring his shoulders. He strode into the house and up the stairs<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShould we stay?\u201d Matilda asked timidly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI want to stay with Adam,\u201d her husband replied. \u00a0 \u201cI know this is difficult for you, cariad<\/em>, so if you\u2019d rather go home \u00bc\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt will be just a difficult at home, and Adam does need us,\u201d she replied sounding more decided. \u201cBeth!\u201d she exclaimed. \u201cWe were going to keep her at our house when the baby came.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. Let\u2019s talk to Adam first though,\u201d Rhys said. \u201cAh, here\u2019s the doctor.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam agreed that Matilda should take Beth to her house, but she cried and clung to Adam so they decided Matilda would take her after she\u2019d fallen asleep. The three adults and the little child sat on the verandah, the adults trying to disguise their fear from the baby. Adam held her and rocked her while Rhys sang Bar Hyd Y<\/em> Nos<\/em>, the Welsh lullaby his mother had sung to her children and that he knew Bronwen would sing to Beth. Beth was fighting sleep as hard as she could, so Adam sang \u201cHush Little Baby,\u201d and she finally fell asleep. Fortunately, she was a sound sleeper and didn\u2019t awaken as Adam transferred her from his arms to Matilda\u2019s.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGod, I wish I could be up there,\u201d Adam groaned as Matilda\u2019s figure slowly grew smaller.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s nothing you could do, Adam bach<\/em>,\u201d Rhys said putting his arm comfortingly across Adam\u2019s shoulders. \u00a0 \u201cBronwen is strong and she\u2019s been through this once before. \u00a0 The baby is only two weeks early. \u00a0 I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m scared, Rhys,\u201d Adam replied, turning a tortured face to his brother-in-law. \u201cYou were invited here to celebrate the anniversary of my birth, but it\u2019s also the anniversary of my mother\u2019s death. What if the same thing happens again?\u201d and he broke down, shocking Rhys who\u2019d viewed his brother-in-law as an imperturbable, rational man always in control of his emotions. He had no comforting words and could only hope that his presence offered Adam some solace.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When Adam regained a measure of control Rhys said, \u201cWe need to eat something because we could have a long night ahead of us. \u00a0 Let\u2019s go and see what we can find.\u201d \u00a0 Adam let himself be led into the kitchen. \u00a0 They found the forgotten Beef Wellington and the other dishes Nell and Bronwen had prepared and Rhys watched to make sure Adam ate and forced himself to eat as well.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As the sun set, the temperature went down a little, but the rain began again, pouring down in sheets. \u00a0 Adam paced the length of the verandah until he was exhausted and sank into the wicker chair by Rhys. Finally, they heard footsteps approaching and Adam leaped to his feet and ran toward the door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Both men saw with enormous relief that Nell was smiling. \u00a0 \u201cYour wife and your new daughter are both fine, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThank God!\u201d Adam breathed, tears filling his eyes. \u00a0 He ran past Nell and up the stairs taking them two at a time. \u00a0 She and Rhys shared a smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI guess I\u2019d better head home,\u201d he said but Nell said, \u201cNo, he\u2019ll bring the baby down so you can see her.\u201d \u00a0 Rhys nodded and sat back down.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bronwen was holding the baby and smiling at her when he burst into the room, but she looked up and smiled a glowing smile. \u00a0 \u201cDo you want to hold your new daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s so tiny,\u201d he said softly as he held her. \u00a0 \u201cYour Uncle Joe will be happy since you have a fine head of hair.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, I don\u2019t think she\u2019s much smaller than Beth was,\u201d Bronwen added, leaning back against the pillows. \u201cMaybe a bit because she\u2019s early.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSince my work here is done, I\u2019d like to go home to my dinner. \u00a0 I\u2019ll be by tomorrow to check on both of you.,\u201d Dr. Brooke said, smiling at the new parents. \u201cI\u2019ll see myself out.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou said you\u2019d give me a birthday to remember, and you certainly did,\u201d Adam said as he sat on the bed grinning from ear to ear.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n November 15, 1875<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dear Family,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Miranda Inger Cartwright was born a little after 11 p.m. yesterday. The best birthday present I will ever receive. She and her mother are both doing well, and both are sleeping now. \u00a0 Beth is fascinated by the baby and has added \u201cbaby\u201d to her vocabulary along with \u201cdaddy\u201d, \u201cmama\u201d and \u201cbye-bye\u201d. \u00a0 Miranda is a little smaller than her sister was but Dr. Brooke assured us that it\u2019s nothing to worry about. In contrast to her sister, Miranda has lots of dark hair and her eyes look more like mine. It\u2019s too early to be sure, but I think Miranda is going to look like Mother.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bronwen had an easier time with her labor and it lasted six hours instead of eleven. She has been teasing me that I suffered more than she did. \u00a0 If you count mental anguish, I think maybe I did. \u00a0 When I look at Miranda\u2019s little face, I know it was all worth it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Affectionately yours, <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n November 15, 1875<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dear Tad<\/em> and Mam<\/em>,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Your wyres<\/em>, Miranda Inger, arrived around 11 p.m. on November 14\u2014a birthday present for her daddy. Miranda was my choice and Inger is for her Uncle Hoss\u2019s mother, whom Adam loved dearly. I was only in labor six hours with Miranda, which was nice for me and for Adam. \u00a0 Rhys told me how the poor man suffered while I was in labor. \u00a0 Miranda is smaller than Beth was, but Dr. Brooke says she is perfectly healthy. She has a head full of dark hair; Joe will be so pleased. Adam thinks she is going to resemble his mother. \u00a0 I hope that is true.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It amazes me that I can already see differences in my daughters\u2019 temperaments. Miranda is easily awakened whereas I often felt Beth could sleep through an earthquake. \u00a0 I have to coax Miranda to nurse enough, and that was never the case with Beth. Adam used to call her a little piglet. So far Beth is delighted with her chwaer<\/em>. \u00a0 I remember you warned me that she may experience some jealousy and to be careful not to make more of a fuss over Miranda than her. \u00a0 We did learn the hard way that we shouldn\u2019t have let her watch me nurse the baby. Even though I weaned her two months ago, she is now giving poor Adam a hard time about eating her pap. Apparently she views my breasts as her property.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rhys has seen the new baby, but not Matilda. \u00a0 I\u2019m a little worried about her. She seemed to be doing so much better. \u00a0 She\u2019s delighted to care for Beth while Adam is at work, but she avoids Miranda. Adam reminds me that she must learn to deal with her grief herself, but I can\u2019t help wishing there were something I could do, for Rhys\u2019s sake as well as hers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I miss you both so much. \u00a0 I\u2019m truly not unhappy, but I do regret that living here in Cloncurry means Adam and I are both separated from our families. \u00a0 I hope as the girls grow older travel to Sydney will improve so they can at least see more of their Tad-cu<\/em> and Mam-gu<\/em>. \u00a0 I only wish they would be able to see their Grandpa, Uncle Hoss and Uncle Joe more than once every few years but that isn\u2019t to be. \u00a0 Miranda is telling me she is either hungry or dirty so I must close.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Your loving merch<\/em> , <\/p>\n ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If Adam had found Christmas in Sydney difficult adjust to, the Christmas season in Cloncurry was even more difficult. \u00a0 There were many rainy days but the hardest thing to which he had to adjust was the temperature. Most days reached 100 degrees and a few reached 105. \u00a0 The closer it grew to Christmas the hotter it became. \u00a0 Bronwen and Nell suffered from the heat more than he did because they\u2019d lived in a temperate climate all their lives. \u00a0 They were so enervated by the heat that keeping the house immaculate and caring for two young children was almost too much for them. \u00a0 Floors were not scrubbed as regularly as they had been because there was twice as much laundry to do. Beth was now walking, which meant she had to be watched constantly. \u00a0 That, in turn, meant that sometimes the rooms were only dusted every other day and meals were very simple. Adam noticed but wisely remained silent since he could see the two women struggling to cope with the heat and the babies. \u00a0 He tried to help when he was home by watching Beth, who was becoming quite a \u201cdaddy\u2019s girl\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In spite of everything, Bronwen invited Rhys and Matilda to share Christmas dinner with them. \u201cI won\u2019t plan anything fancy, cariad<\/em> , I promise,\u201d she said as they got ready for bed one night. \u00a0 \u201cJust a nice ham, a couple of side dishes and plum pudding. \u00a0 Matilda is bringing the mince pies.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want you and Nell exhausting yourselves,\u201d he said giving her shoulders an affectionate squeeze. \u00a0 \u201cAre you ready for me to brush your hair?\u201d \u00a0 He had taken over the task after Miranda\u2019s birth and he enjoyed it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The next day was Christmas Eve and he came home early so he could help her decorate the gum tree branch that served as a Christmas tree while the girls were sleeping. When they finished, they put the gifts under it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t believe your family sent one to \u201cThe Baby\u201d. \u00a0 I wonder what they could have gotten? \u00a0 In fact, I\u2019m dying of curiosity as to what they got Beth since they don\u2019t have much experience buying gifts for little girls.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe Cartwrights are a resourceful lot. \u00a0 They may surprise you,\u201d he replied with a smug grin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After a light supper, they brought the girls into the drawing room. Beth\u2019s eyes were as round as saucers when she saw the Christmas tree and she toddled over as fast as she could.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n No, no, don\u2019t touch, Princess,\u201d Adam said firmly as she reached for one of the ornaments. \u201cJust look.\u201d Her face got the mulish look he and Bronwen were coming to recognize so he frowned a little at her and she immediately looked penitent. \u201cThis is Christmas Eve, Princess, so you get to open one present under the Christmas Bush and then Daddy will read you a poem. \u00a0 Let\u2019s open your gift from Mama and Daddy and then we\u2019ll open Miranda\u2019s gift from Grandpa, Uncle Hoss and Uncle Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He picked up the two gifts and then said, \u201cDo you want to carry yours?\u201d She nodded so he put hers in her hand and then sat in the armchair opposite Bronwen and the baby and put Beth on his lap. He helped her open her gift and his heart swelled with joy as he saw the look on her face when the wrapping revealed a rag doll with black yarn hair. \u00a0 The doll\u2019s eyes, nose and mouth were embroidered and she was dressed in a white pinafore, a red calico frock and red flannel stockings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBaby!\u201d Beth cried and clutched the doll tightly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right, precious,\u201d Bronwen said with a smile. \u00a0 \u201cNow you have a baby, too.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDaddy wants to see what Miranda got. \u00a0 Do you want to help?\u201d Beth was too enthralled with her \u201cbaby\u201d to pay attention so he unwrapped the gift. \u00a0 \u201cI told you we\u2019re resourceful,\u201d he said dimpling. \u00a0 \u201cLook.\u201d He held up four beautiful little smocked gowns. One was cream-colored with yellow smocking, one was yellow with blue smocking and the other two were white with red and green smocking. Then he pulled out a baby rattle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe gowns are lovely. Did Hop Sing make them, do you think?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe mends clothes and sews on buttons, but I\u2019ve never seen him sew anything like these. Oh, wait. \u00a0 There\u2019s a note in the package.\u201d He read it quickly and said, \u201cThere\u2019s miner\u2019s widow in Virginia City who\u2019s a seamstress and they paid her to sew the gowns. \u00a0 If I know Pa he probably paid a little extra to help her out. \u00a0 But they are beautiful, aren\u2019t they?\u201d \u00a0 He sat the clothes on the floor beside the chair and turned Beth so she was facing him. \u201cNow Daddy is going to tell you a story about St. Nicholas.\u201d \u00a0 Even though he knew she didn\u2019t understand him, she still watched him with her enormous hazel eyes, holding her baby tightly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When he finished the poem, he was silent and Bronwen looked up and seeing the pensive expression on his face asked, \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He looked at his oldest, sitting on his lap in her nightgown clutching her rag doll in one hand while she sucked the thumb on the other and fought to keep her eyes open. Then he glanced over at Bronwen and the baby, who was nursing contentedly. \u00a0 \u201cOh, I was just thinking how last Christmas we were talking about how wonderful it would be because there would be three of us this year, and instead there are four.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt is more wonderful than I could have imagined. \u00a0 God has truly blessed us,\u201d Bronwen replied softly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, He has,\u201d Adam agreed, looking at the three women in his life tenderly. \u201cI wish my brothers could know this kind of joy and contentment.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure they will,\u201d she said earnestly. \u00a0 Then with a puckish grin she added, \u201cOf course, I don\u2019t think Joe is ready to confine himself to one woman just yet.\u201d \u00a0 Her mood shifted again and she said musingly, \u201cI do wish Hoss could find someone. He has so much love to give a woman and he\u2019d be almost as good a father as you are,\u201d and he smiled slightly at that. She lifted Miranda to her shoulder to burp her and Adam felt Beth sag limply against him having lost the battle to stay awake<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think our two little angels are ready for bed,\u201d he said very softly and she nodded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She put Miranda in her cradle in their room and then watched him tuck Beth in. As they stood hand in hand watching their firstborn, the voices of carolers wafted in through the open window.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The next morning they carried the girls into the drawing room; Bronwen sat in one of the green velvet armchairs with Miranda while Adam sat Beth, who was clutching her rag doll, on the settee before going to get two packages. \u201cBeth, you have a Christmas present from Tad-cu<\/em> and Mam-gu<\/em> and another from Grandpa, Uncle Hoss and Uncle Joe. Which one should we open first? Let\u2019s try this one,\u201d and he picked up the one from the Davies. \u00a0 He tore through the paper revealing a cloth book. \u00a0 \u201cYour very first book. See the pretty pictures?\u201d She looked at the first two pages but then she patted the other package. \u00a0 \u201cYou want to see what\u2019s in your other gift, don\u2019t you?\u201d \u00a0 He ripped open the package revealing a little toy rabbit made of red velvet with embroidered eyes, nose and mouth. \u00a0 Beth\u2019s eyes grew enormous and she grabbed the rabbit with both hands.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLooks like dolly has been supplanted,\u201d Adam commented sardonically. \u00a0 However, when he started to move the doll Beth said, \u201cNo!\u201d very emphatically and clutched it with one hand and the rabbit with the other.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAll right, Princess, you play with them both while I give Mama her gift\u201d He picked up a large flat box from under the Christmas Bush and walked over to Bronwen saying, \u201cLet\u2019s trade.\u201d \u00a0 He put the gift on her lap and carefully took the sleeping Miranda. \u00a0 \u201cI told Mam<\/em> what I wanted to give you and she bought them for me in Sydney,\u201d he said as Bronwen opened the box revealing several silk undervests in various colors, several pairs of cambric drawers lavishly trimmed in lace and a new negligee of violet silk.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThank you, cariad<\/em> ,\u201d she said and he bent down so they could kiss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a gift for both of us from your parents and another from my family. Let\u2019s open those next,\u201d he suggested. \u201cThen I\u2019ll open the very large gift with my name on it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAll right. Give me Miranda and you may open them.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He opened the gift from his in-laws first. \u00a0 \u201cAh, The Moonstone<\/strong> by Wilkie Collins,\u201d he exclaimed holding up the book. \u201cWe can start this as soon as we finish Trollope\u2019s Australia and New Zealand<\/strong>. Now let\u2019s see what my family got us.\u201d He chuckled as he tore away the paper. \u201cIt seems our families know us well. Look, Roughing It<\/strong> by Mark Twain. \u00a0 Here\u2019s a note from Pa. He says I\u2019ll particularly enjoy chapters 21 through 54 where he writes about his stay in Nevada.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to read that,\u201d Bronwen exclaimed in delight. \u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s read Roughing It<\/strong> first and then The Moonstone<\/strong>. \u00a0 Right now, though, I want you to open your gift. \u00a0 Just as Mam<\/em> helped you with my gift, Joe and Hoss helped me with yours,\u201d she said trying unsuccessfully to hide her smile of anticipation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam was actually speechless as he unwrapped the paper from the wooden crate and then pried apart the slats, exposing his old tack.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI was going to have them order you all new tack, but Hoss thought your old would mean more to you,\u201d she said, growing a little nervous at his stillness.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHoss was right,\u201d he replied in an unsteady voice and she watched his face slowly light up. \u201cIt\u2019s like having a little bit of the Ponderosa here with me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nell stuck her head in the doorway then. \u00a0 \u201cBreakfast is ready whenever you are.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll be there is just a moment,\u201d Adam said and then added with a smile, \u201cMerry Christmas, Nell.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She smiled back. \u201cMerry Christmas to all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s still one gift under the Christmas Bush,\u201d Adam remarked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know. It\u2019s from Rhys and Matilda for Beth. \u00a0 Matilda made her a pretty frock of red tarlatan with green smocking, but I\u2019ll dress her in that just before they come over. Let me go put Miranda down and I\u2019ll be right there.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAll right, Beth,\u201d Adam said after they were alone. \u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s leave your toys here while we eat breakfast,\u201d and he gently tugged at the doll and rabbit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u201d Beth replied tightening her hold and sticking out her lower lip.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBeth,\u201d Adam said with a little frown. \u00a0 \u201cDaddy said to leave your toys here.\u201d \u00a0 Her chin and lower lip began to quiver but she let go of her toys. \u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s Daddy\u2019s good girl. Now, let\u2019s go see what Nell has made for breakfast. \u00a0 You wanna a piggyback ride?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d she replied with a giggle so he swung her up on his shoulders and holding tightly onto her legs he ran across the hall to the dining room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n After they finished breakfast Adam asked a little hesitantly, \u201cWould you mind if I took Zephyr for a quick ride?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bronwen smiled. \u201cNot at all. I expected that\u2019s what you\u2019d want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be another scorcher today so I\u2019d like to ride now while it\u2019s relatively cool. I\u2019ll be back in plenty of time for Christmas dinner.\u201d \u00a0 He kissed Bronwen and started out the room when Beth called, \u201cDaddy!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDaddy forgot to kiss you bye-bye, didn\u2019t he?\u201d \u00a0 He lifted her out of her highchair and swung her up in the air to squeals of joy and then kissed each cheek.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When he returned from his ride, he saw Rhys walking over. \u00a0 \u201cMerry Christmas,\u201d he called. \u201cBoy, Bronwen\u2019s gonna have my hide; I promised I\u2019d be back from my ride before you and Matilda came over for dinner. Where is Matilda?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe aren\u2019t coming, Adam. \u00a0 Seeing all of you, especially Miranda, it\u2019s just too much for Matilda. \u00a0 For me, too,\u201d he ended in an unsteady voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe understand,\u201d Adam said softly, squeezing Rhys\u2019s shoulder gently. \u201cIf you change your minds, you know you\u2019re welcome.\u201d He paused and then said quietly, \u201cBronwen will want to see you. \u00a0 Can you wait just a moment?\u201d Rhys nodded so Adam ran inside and upstairs to Beth\u2019s room where Bronwen was watching her play with her new toys.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He explained the situation and she ran down to speak with her brother so he sat in the rocking chair and Beth came over held up her arms. He picked her up and rubbed his cheek against her silky hair as she snuggled contentedly in his arms. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m so happy, Beth, and it frightens me,\u201d he murmured. \u00a0 \u201cEvery time I\u2019ve been this happy, tragedy has struck.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bronwen found them together and she sat beside the rocking chair and leaned her head against his knee. \u00a0 After a few moments she said quietly, \u201cI really thought Matilda was getting over her grief.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGrief\u2019s not something you get over,\u201d he replied gently. \u00a0 \u201cYou learn to live with it. I still grieve for Inger and Marie and I grieve that I never had a chance to know the woman who bore me except through the stories my father and grandfather told me. I think that\u2019s the grief Matilda and Rhys feel\u2014grief for what might have been.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n That afternoon the thermometer read 112 degrees so they ate Christmas dinner on their verandah while the girls napped. \u00a0 When they finished eating, Adam said softly, \u201cCome here,\u201d and sat her on his lap. She rested her head on his shoulder and he slipped his arm about her waist. \u00a0 They sat in companionable silence for a time and then she turned her head to look at him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a beautiful smile,\u201d she said softly. \u00a0 \u201cWhat are you thinking?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cRemember the poem, \u2018My true-love hath my heart?\u2019\u201d \u00a0 She nodded so he continued. \u201cI was just thinking that we need to revise it. Now that we are parents the poem should read \u2018My true-loves have my heart,\u2019 for we don\u2019t totally own each other\u2019s heart now. \u00a0 Beth and Miranda each own a part.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d she whispered. \u201cAnd our love is stronger because of our love for them.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He smiled a little half smile. \u00a0 \u201cIt would surprise my family, who think of me as level-headed, never letting my heart rule my head, but I realize I had a romanticized view of what love between a man and woman should be. \u00a0 Now I understand love is made up of ordinary moments: playing peek-a-boo with Beth, watching you nurse Miranda, reading to you as you darn my socks and sew the buttons back on my shirts, giving each other backrubs. \u00a0 All those things are what love truly is, and I am so blessed to have found them with you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re both blessed,\u201d she replied gently and together they watched the sun set, painting the sky in streaks of fiery orange.<\/p>\n Next Story in the Adam In The Outback Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n My True Love Hath My Heart – Part 3<\/a> Not part of the Adam in the Outback Series, but set in the same realm:<\/p>\n O’Tannenbaum<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n References:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For Victorian ideas on what the diet and exercise of a nursing mother should be I used the following Web site: http:\/\/www.victoriana.com\/library\/doors\/nursi ng.html <\/a> \u00a0 For more modern information, I used After the Baby\u2019s Birth <\/strong>by Robin Lim.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For information on infant and child development I used The First 12 Months of Life<\/strong> by The Princeton Center for Infancy and Early Childhood and Your Child: Birth to Age 6<\/strong> by Fitzhugh Dodson, Ph.D. and Ann Alexander, M.D.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For general information on clothing and fabrics in the era I used Fashion in Costume: 1200-1980<\/strong> by Joan Nunn. \u00a0 I discovered the original name for jeans, which were patented by Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis in 1873, was \u201cwaist overalls\u201d at http:\/\/www.levistrauss.com\/about\/history\/timeline.asp<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I used these sites to get information about Australia in general and Queensland and Cloncurry specifically:<\/p>\n Brandster’s Notes: many of these sites are no longer available, so we have removed the link, but have left the information if someone wishes to use the WayBackMachine to locate this information.<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.australiagazetteer.com\/queensland\/outback\/article10647.asp<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.qmuseum.qld.gov.au\/features\/qldhouse\/distinctive.asp<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.mountisaicn.org.au\/lifestyle_clon.html<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.walkabout.com.au\/inde x.shtml<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.about-australia.com\/qldfact.htm<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.queenslandholidays.com.au\/outback\/cloncurry.cfm<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.bom.gov.au\/climate\/averages\/tables\/cw_029009.shtml<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.enchantedlearning.com\/subjects\/mammals\/marsupial\/Redroocoloring.shtml<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.wires.au.com\/animals\/redroo.htm<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.thekoala.com\/koala\/<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.wwwins.net.au\/dingofarm\/001.html<\/p>\n http:\/\/home.mira.net\/~areadman\/emu.htm<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.ozramp.net.au\/~senani\/kookab.htm<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.imh.org\/imh\/bw\/austock.html<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.yarramalong.net\/main.htm<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.rbta.org\/waler.htm<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.k9web.com\/dog-faqs\/breeds\/aus-terriers.html<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I used the following Web site for the lyrics to \u201cBelieve Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms: <\/p>\n I found the lyrics to \u201cSweet Betsy from Pike\u201d at http:\/\/www.ndsu.nodak.edu\/instruct\/isern\/103\/betsy.htm<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I got some ideas for Bronwen and Nell\u2019s kitchen from These Happy Golden Years<\/strong> by Laura Ingalls Wilder and for Beth rag doll from her Little House in the Big Woods<\/strong> .<\/p>\n
\nMy True Love Hath My Heart – Part 2
\n<\/a>My True Love Hath My Heart – Part 3<\/a>
\nFamily Reunion<\/a>
\nCartwright is the Name<\/a>
\nA Son and Heir<\/a>
\nThe Country of the Heart<\/a>
\nTo Bloom in Another Man’s Garden – Part 1<\/a>
\nTo Bloom in Another Man’s Garden – Part 2<\/a>
\nIn Memoriam<\/a>
\nThe Marriage of True Minds – Part 1<\/a>
\nThe Marriage of True Minds – Part 2<\/a>
\nThe Marriage of True Minds – Part 3<\/a>
\nThe Joys of Parents<\/a>
\nGrow Old Along with Me<\/a>
\nThe Best is Yet to Be<\/a><\/p>\n
\nO’Tannenbaum<\/a><\/p>\n
\nAdam<\/p>\n
\nWhich I gaze on so fondly today
\nWere to change by tomorrow and fleet in my arms
\nLike fairy gifts fading away.
\nThou wouldst still be adored as this moment thou art
\nLet thy loveliness fade as it will
\nAnd around the dear ruin each wish of my heart
\nWould entwine itself verdantly still.<\/p>\n
\nAnd thy cheeks unprofaned by a tear
\nThat the fervor and faith of a soul can be known
\nTo which time will but make thee more dear.
\nNo, the heart that has truly loved never forgets
\nBut as truly loves on to the close
\nAs the sunflower turns to her God when he sets
\nThe same look which she turned when he rose.<\/p>\n
\nWho crossed the wide mountains with her lover Ike,
\nTwo yoke of cattle, a large yeller dog,
\nA tall Shanghai rooster, and a one-spotted hog.<\/p>\n
\nThat morning the last piece of bacon was fried.
\nIke got discouraged, Betsy got mad,
\nThe dog drooped his tail and looked wonderfully sad.<\/p>\n
\nWith wonder looked down upon old Placerville.
\nIke said to Betsy, as he cast his eyes down,
\n“Sweet Betsy, my darling, we’ve got to Hangtown .”<\/p>\n
\nAdam<\/p>\n
\nAdam<\/p>\n
\nBronwen<\/p>\n
\nFamily Reunion<\/a>
\nCartwright is the Name<\/a>
\nA Son and Heir<\/a>
\nThe Country of the Heart<\/a>
\nTo Bloom in Another Man’s Garden – Part 1<\/a>
\nTo Bloom in Another Man’s Garden – Part 2<\/a>
\nIn Memoriam<\/a>
\nThe Marriage of True Minds – Part 1<\/a>
\nThe Marriage of True Minds – Part 2<\/a>
\nThe Marriage of True Minds – Part 3<\/a>
\nThe Joys of Parents<\/a>
\nGrow Old Along with Me<\/a>
\nThe Best is Yet to Be<\/a><\/p>\n
\nhttp:\/\/www.acronet.net\/~robokopp\/eire\/believem.htm<\/a><\/p>\n