Esther's Gold

By Shirley Ellen Schmidt

Esthers Gold is a non-traditional western told from a young womans point of view.
The story begins on the outskirts of Boston in 1845. Esther grows up working in a hotel with her widowed mother. She longs for a home of her own and freedom from the hard work in the hotel She falls in love with a young man who wants to go to California to find gold. She travels west on horseback with her husband and her husbands friend. They are forty-niners who expect to go to California where they will all become rich. Esther announces that God will be with them as they leave, but she learns that traveling west was more difficult than she imagined.
Esther left her mother behind in Boston, yet she feels her presence as they encounter tough times while traveling.
The travelers come upon an unusual situation that changes the plans for their lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Jan 21, 2009
• ISBN: 9781490721446

Shirley Ellen Schmidt

I was born in a farmhouse in Minnesota. When I was about a year old my family moved west. We moved often, living in Washington and Oregon while my father worked on large construction jobs, such as McNary Dam. My mother was tired of moving with four children, so our family moved one last time back to the farm in Minnesota. I married a year after graduating from high school. Nursing schools would not allow students to be married at the time because nurses training was considered too difficult to complete while married. Years later I became a nurse when I was not only married, but had six children. I worked as a psychiatric nurse for nearly 16 years. Now, retired from nursing, I live with my husband in the farmhouse where I was born. We have nine grandchildren. We care for a small flock of chickens and tend a large garden.

Book preview

Esther’s GOLD

A Novel by

SHIRLEY E. SCHMIDT

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Artwork/Design: KoubaGraphics, Inc.

Cover Photographer: Lacey Stiller at Shuttering Memories Photography

© Copyright 2008 Shirley Ellen Schmidt.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval

system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,

recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

Note for Librarians: A cataloguing record for this book is available from Library

and Archives Canada at www.collectionscanada.ca/amicus/index-e.html

Printed in Victoria, BC, Canada.

ISBN: 978-1-4251-8309-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-2144-6 (ebk)

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CONTENTS

1     GROWING GIRL

2     ATTACK!

3     TRIALS WITHOUT A TRIAL

4     A WOMAN’S PLACE

5     THE TELLING GIFT

6     ROMANTIC GETAWAY

7     HARD TRAVELING

8     COPING WITH LOSSES

9     DISHLAND

10   THE DECISION

11   NEW BEGINNINGS

12   PROTECTING HER OWN

13   NEW BIRTH

14   STRONG MEDICINE WOMAN

15   GOOD NEWS AND…

16   NORMAL TRAINING APPLIED

17   BUILDING FAMILY AND MORE

18   GOLDEN DAY

Thank you

to all who helped me put this story into print.

A special thanks

to my grand-niece Rachel

for posing as Esther on the cover.

1

GROWING GIRL

THE WOOD FRAME SCHOOL HAD A DECEPTIVE LOOK of somber quiet about it that day in 1845. The whitewash had eroded to various shades of grey. Those who do that type of work know that fresh whitewash would be applied soon, now that the weather is warmer.

The older boys were the first to leave the one story school, as they burst from the door and down the steps as though chased by a demon. The spring air seemed to energize them for horseplay as some of the boys tossed a ball back and forth while two of them tried to intercept it.

Three girls walked out of the building together and down the wooden steps, stopping to look at each other as they talked. They are pretty young girls. Their high buttoned shoes are barely visible below their long skirts as they descend the stairs in a most ladylike fashion. Esther’s long honey colored hair shone in the sun as it was blown by the wind. She walked away from the others, going another direction. Her preteen figure was just a bit chubby with the signs of young womanhood just beginning to show. She breathed in the fresh warm air as she looked up at the tree tops. The light green leaves were just peeking out as they prepared to receive the summer sun.

Sarah, a girl with brown hair and a bright blue bonnet, called to her, Some of us are going to watch the boys play a new game called baseball. Do you want to come?

Esther’s face was immediately serious, I have to help my mother work at the hotel.

The boys’ horseplay had brought them close enough to hear the conversation. Harris, the tallest boy with carrot red hair, called out, We all know what that means! She’s gonna carry shit! Have fun carrying shit pots, Esther!

Esther remembered that Harris was staring at her one day when she was emptying the chamber pots in the back of the hotel. Harris was right. Her job was carrying the chamber pots from each of the occupied rooms, and replacing them with the ones that she cleaned earlier. She took the full ones to be dumped into a barrel on the garbage wagon. The wagon was then driven out of the city to be dumped. She hated the stench, but it had to be done each afternoon after school. Do you want to come help me? We could get the job done faster if you helped.

I wouldn’t take a job like that! Harris had a look of utter disgust on his face.

Sarah and Leah entered into the banter, Leave her alone, Harris! they called out, almost in unison.

Harris continued in spite of the other girls coming to her defense, Why is it ya hafta work, anyways? Yer only a school girl! . . . . Oh, it’s because you don’t have a father! You probably never had a father!

Everyone has a father! Leah called out.

Esther was planning to ignore the taunting, but she was really angered by his lies. You know my father is dead! she called out.

Why has nobody seen him, then? He doesn’t even have a grave.

He was buried at sea, Esther said firmly.

"Your mother wasn’t married! Yer a bastard!" Harris called out loud enough for the whole town to hear.

The girls all gasped at the last declaration, and the other boys suddenly stopped their play to stare. Harris reveled in the attention, so he said it, again. "Yer a bastard!"

Esther’s face reddened, more with anger than embarrassment. She wanted to turn and run, but she thought everyone would believe Harris if she did. I am not! she screamed, My father died on the ship.

That’s what cher mother tol’ ya, but ya don’ know it’s true.

When Esther heard that, she ran. Her long skirt made running difficult, but she wanted to put distance between her and the terrible lies. She heard some noise behind her, but she didn’t want to look back to see what was going on. She tried to stop the tears from coming, but it was not possible, so she continued to run.

She ran as fast as she could until she was past the crest of the hill and in the grove of trees, then she returned to a more ladylike gait. She was accustomed to walking at a pace that gave her as much speed as possible without losing decorum. Her mother and the Harbor Hotel owners, Mr. and Mrs. Knutson, had taught her to behave in a ladylike manner at all times. Running inside the hotel was not allowed at any time. Esther pulled a hanky out of her pocket to dry her tears as she slowed to a walk on the path through the wooded area. She was glad that her mother always insisted she carry a hanky. She believed her face was in good order by the time she walked down the knoll and out of the cover of trees. She carefully crossed the busy street.

Esther remembered her mother telling her that the hotel was originally built outside of Boston, where it was quieter for the guests. As the city grew, the hotel was now on the edge of the city. She was wishing the street were not so busy today. She felt everyone was looking at her tear-stained face so she walked without looking to either side.

The heels of her shoes made a louder clunking sound than usual as she strode onto the wooden sidewalk and into the front door of the hotel. Mr. Olson was at the desk. His balding head was turned down to look at his work on the desk. As he looked up, his blue eyes seemed to take over his thin face and he smiled at her, as he usually did when he heard her coming. She liked to walk into the front door of the hotel when she returned from school. For a few seconds she could pretend she was going to be a guest in the hotel instead of a chamber maid.

Esther walked up the stairs toward the back hall where she and her mother shared a room. In the hall, she met a family making their way to the stairs. A young girl about her own age spoke to her. What room are you in?

The question took Esther by surprise. I live in a back room, she said.

You live here all the time? the girl asked.

Yes, I work here, Esther said.

But you get to stay here, in this hotel! You are so lucky!

Esther smiled. She thought of inviting the girl to help her with the work, but she knew she couldn’t do that. The girl’s parents told her to come along, so Esther didn’t have to reply.

The room where Esther and her mother lived had been planned for storage at one time, so there were shelves in the room and one small crude table they used for a desk. There was one window to let in light, high on the wall opposite the door. Esther would sometimes take their one chair and stand on it so she could look out the window, although the view of the sky was usually better than looking at the alley below.

The rooms for the guests had varnished wood paneling, but their room had been whitewashed over rough boards. By the small stove in the corner there was a light coating of soot on the wall. Mr. Knutson would provide whitewash to lighten things up, but there had been no time to clean the wall and apply it.

Esther looked into the small mirror hung on the wall to check her face as she hurried to change to her maid’s uniform. She pinned her hair up on top of her head and pushed it into the lace trimmed round cap that matched her green uniform. Her hands were larger, and her arms were longer and more muscular than her friends.

She wanted to start the hated job so she would get it done for the day. On Saturdays and Sundays she could help in the kitchen when her clothes were clean. The smell from the chamber pots seemed to cling to her, so she was not allowed to work in the kitchen after doing that job.

Some days she stopped by the kitchen before she started work after school, because Mrs. Knutson would have a snack for her. Mr. Knutson once said, Vat! You are giving the help our best dessert? Mrs. Knutson got very indignant as she told him, Sometimes I make a mistake, so some don’t come out so gud, ya. Esther is a good girl; she helps me get rid of my mistakes! Mr. Knutson grumbled under his breath as he walked away, but Esther noticed a small grin on his face. today, Esther did not feel like eating. Even the Scandinavian pastries didn’t tempt her.

As Esther started working, her mother came up to her in the upstairs hall. What’s wrong? her mother said as soon as she saw her up close. Her mother’s slightly darker hair was also under the same style of cap. Mother and daughter looked alike, especially about their blue eyes, but Esther’s face was softened with rounded cheeks.

One of the boys at school was calling me names, Esther said quietly. She was not even surprised that her mother had noticed her mood. It had happened too many times. Esther didn’t realize that the usual sparkle would leave her face when she was upset.

that doesn’t usually bother you, her mother observed, as she knew that drunken guests had called both of them names in the past.

I know, but he called me a bastard. the two continued working as Esther’s mother, Millie, thought with a furrowed brow. After a few minutes she said, "I didn’t realize till now that nearly all of the people that sailed over in the ship with us have moved on. I’ll talk to Mrs. Kinnen. Maybe she will talk about your father’s sickness and death on the voyage to some people in town.

Her son is the one who is calling me a bastard! Esther exclaimed in a hoarse whisper.

After a surprised look, Millie got quiet. We’ll talk in the room, later, she finally said.

Hotel guests were in the hall, so the two talked of which rooms were occupied. Esther was glad that her mother was helping with the work that she usually did alone. She knew that her mother also worked very hard each day while she was in school. At times, all fifteen rooms were full.

When Esther was finished with the required work, she brought water to their room, so she could wash up for supper. She was early due to her mother’s help, so she did some of her homework while waiting for her mother to have supper with her. Supper was usually leftovers, or an unpopular item from the menu.

When Millie walked in, she went to a shelf and pulled down a wooden box. She placed it carefully on the small table where Esther was working. this is all I have left of your father’s things. Esther watched as her mother fingered a belt, a man’s handkerchief, a watch and several other small things. Here is the letter the captain of the ship wrote about the burial at sea.

Millie spoke seriously, "that captain didn’t want me to return to England with the ship because I was with child. He didn’t say anything, but he said that since I couldn’t be dependable on the return trip, I couldn’t sail as a worker. the captain asked for double the rate we paid to come over. I was desperate. I was ready to go begging from house to house, asking for someone to take me in. I was crying in the hotel dining room. Kara Knutson noticed my tears and asked me to tell her why I was crying. When Kara heard my story, she told me that I would be needed, because they were planning to add on to the hotel. She said she likes to cook, so i could do the cleaning. After you were born, you slept in the kitchen. Kara would call to me when you were hungry. They never told me that they were helping me. They always said they needed me."

Esther looked at the letter. Mama, you don’t have to prove anything to me. I know you didn’t lie to me, but I wish Harris could see this.

Millie put everything back in the box. This is really none of Harris’ business. I’m going to tell you about Harris. I am telling you about him, because I want you to know about all people that call out names, or make others feel bad in any way. First, you must promise not tell anyone what you know.

I want to slap him silly, but he’s bigger than me.

Pretend he is smaller than you. Would slapping him make him your friend?

"Why would I want him for a friend?"

Millie sighed, then said, Let’s put it another way. Would he stop behaving that way?

"No. He’d just pick on someone smaller. I promise not to tell