Debra
Petersen (Debra P.)
SAN FRANCISCO LADY
DEBRA P.
FEEDBACK: Any and all strongly encouraged!
I.
A FIRST DATE
A
trip to
Across
the dining table from him sat John Evans, the owner of a thriving ship building
business with whom Adam had completed negotiations for
a substantial lumber contract earlier in the day. Adam thought with
satisfaction of the terms of the contract, which would provide a steady source
of income for the Ponderosa for some time to come. John Evans must have
been quite satisfied as well, since he had chosen to follow up the handshake
that closed the deal by inviting Adam to his home for dinner. The
invitation had turned out to include more than an excellent seafood meal.
An even greater treat was the opportunity to meet the young lady who made the
third member of the dinner party, John Evan’s daughter,
Meredith.
Meredith
Evans had just recently returned home after spending the last year traveling in
For
a half hour or so, until dinner was finally
ready to be served, the three of them had sat in the Evans’ parlor,
talking. Almost immediately Adam and Meredith were chatting as if they
had known each other for years. He was fascinated by her descriptions of
her recent travels, and she seemed just as interested in his tales of life on
the ranch, which represented something new and different for her. John
Evans’ main contribution to the conversation was to lean back in his chair and
look on with satisfaction as his daughter and their visitor spoke easily,
almost oblivious to his presence.
The
conversation continued through dinner, becoming ever more animated.
Meredith was delighted to discover that Adam shared her appreciation of
music. She spoke enthusiastically about a promising young singer she knew
of who was going to be giving a recital on the coming Saturday afternoon.
“We
got two tickets, and father was planning to take me,” she said. “But he
was just telling me before you got here that another obligation has come up and
he won’t be able to go. And he’s being an absolute bear about allowing me
to go unescorted.” She looked over at her father with a face that clearly
showed her disappointment and winsomely challenged him to do something about
it.
“I’m
truly sorry, my dear, but you know it just wouldn’t be proper,” John answered,
looking at the young people with a regretful expression. Suddenly a gleam
came into his eye.
“Adam,
would you possibly be free on Saturday afternoon? I would consider it a
personal favor if you could accompany Merry, and I’m getting the distinct
impression that she would actually prefer your company to mine on this
occasion.”
An
attractive blush came to Meredith’s cheeks as she turned to Adam. She
didn’t speak, but the look in her eyes pleaded with him to say ‘yes’. How could he refuse?
“Actually,
that works out well for me. My plans were to stay in the city until
Tuesday, but I didn’t have any specific plans for that afternoon. I would
be very happy to take Miss Evans to the recital. Provided,
of course, that she is agreeable.” He smiled at her, confident of
her response.
“Oh, very much so.” She smiled back at him, her
gratitude showing clearly.
“Well
then, it seems we have a date. I’ll be eager to hear if this Sonya Rostova is as good as you say she is. What time shall
I pick you up?”
“About
************************************
On
Saturday afternoon Meredith Evans sat in the small, ornately decorated recital
hall, completely enraptured by the silvery voice of the talented young
soprano. Adam, sitting next to her, was also most impressed with the
singer, but he was even more absorbed in observing his companion. The
dark green dress she wore deepened the color of her eyes, and her new hat of
the same color with a single white silk rose was perched jauntily on the side
of her head, giving her a piquant look. The smile of pure delight on her
face was such as he had seldom seen on any other person. It was evident
that she was capable of experiencing this sort of beauty with an intensity that
matched or even surpassed his own, and he found that very appealing.
After
the recital they stopped at a small café just down the street from the hall for
coffee and pastry. They picked up their conversation of a couple of days
before with ease, sharing stories about their families. A question that
Adam had been curious about was answered when Meredith revealed that her mother
had died of influenza when she was ten years old. That only strengthened
the sympathetic connection that he was beginning to feel with her.
It
was with some reluctance that Adam finally suggested that it was time he should
be taking her home. She lowered her eyes and, just as reluctantly, nodded
her head.
As
they rode back toward her home in the buggy he had hired for the day, they at
last found themselves occasionally falling silent, but the silence was
companionable.
And
then they were standing by the front door of the Evans home, looking at each
other, and wondering who would speak first.
It
was Meredith who did. “Adam, this has been such a wonderful
afternoon. I really don’t want it to end.”
“Neither
do I,” he answered. He paused for just a moment before continuing.
“Meredith, I’m not sure how long it will be before I come to San Francisco
again, but when I do I would really like to see you again.”
“Of
course,” she responded quickly, then seemed just a
little embarrassed at her haste. “And, in the meantime, please write to
me. Tell me everything that those incorrigible brothers of yours are up
to...and everything that’s happening to you.”
“I
will. Provided you promise to write back.”
“I
promise.”
Adam
took her hand and raised it to his lips for a
few lingering seconds. As he let her hand fall, she impulsively leaned
forward and allowed her lips to gently brush his, sending a tingling sensation
through them both.
They
pulled apart, and Adam quietly whispered “Good
bye, Merry”, then turned away to walk back to the buggy. He turned to
give her a final wave, then climbed in and drove off.
As
Meredith waved after him she was thinking about turning up at the stage depot
to give him a proper send off when he left on Tuesday - he had mentioned the
time.
As
Adam drove away he glanced back, catching one final glimpse of her new green
hat with the white rose. He was thinking that he would have to find some excuse to return to
II. AN EXCHANGE OF CORRESPONDENCE
Dear
Meredith,
It
is with real pleasure that I take up my pen to honor your request that I should
write to you. This is really the first good opportunity that I have had
since I arrived home from
Things
have been pretty hectic around here since I got back. We’re getting ready
for a major cattle drive later this month. We always send a good number
of our cattle to market at this time of year. My father thinks it wise to
reduce our herd before the bad winter weather sets in. That by itself
would be keeping us on the run, but in addition the lumber operation has also
been very busy. You can tell your father that we’re already making good
progress on selecting trees to be cut for the first phase of the contract we
signed. I’m taking personal charge of that myself.
As
for my brothers, they’ve actually been conducting themselves in an exemplary
manner since my return. I suppose they’ve been too busy to get into any
real mischief. I anticipate (or should I
say fear?) that the situation will change as soon as the cattle drive is
over. Some sort of outbreak of ‘high spirits’ is almost to be expected at
that point. In fact, it will be something of a letdown if they behave
themselves too properly. It would leave me with no excuse to practice my
‘big brother’ manner on them - and deprive
me of one of my greatest sources of amusement.
I’m
still working on coming up with a good reason to return to San Francisco as
soon as I can, but, given everything that’s going on, it looks like it’s going
to be difficult. In the meantime I’m counting
on you to keep your promise and write me back. I know that you were
thinking a great deal about what you want to do with yourself now that you’re
home again, and I’ll be very interested to know what you decide.
Merry,
I just want to say that meeting you has been about the nicest thing that has
happened to me in a long time, and I am looking forward very much to the
opportunity to see you again.
Take
care, and give my best regards to your father.
Yours
truly,
Adam
****************************************
Dear
Adam,
I
cannot tell you how happy I was to receive your letter. When I saw the
envelope lying there with the rest of the mail on the hall table and noticed
the strong, bold handwriting in which it was addressed, I somehow knew, even
before I read the return address, that it had to be from
you. I grabbed it and ran up to my room to be able to enjoy it in
privacy, almost knocking down our maid in the process!
I
am so glad that you appreciated my coming to say goodbye to you at the stage
depot. I had been a little afraid that you might consider that too
forward of me. But I felt, as you say you feel, that we had come to know
each other better than our short time together would seem to allow, and I
wanted to somehow let you know that.
You
ask me what I have decided to do with myself, now that I have returned home and
settled down. Well, I’m still working on that one, and I must say that
there is no lack of interesting possibilities. My father’s status
makes it unnecessary for me to worry about earning a livelihood, and most young
women of my age who are in that position are either already married with
children or are facing intense pressure from their parents to find a husband as
soon as possible. I am so thankful that my father has never put that kind
of pressure on me, but seems content to let me find my
own way. One thing I know is that I want to make a real positive
difference wherever I find myself. The question is...how?
I
had a visit the other day with the headmistress of the
Of
course there are any number of worthy charitable and cultural
organizations here in the city that are greatly in need of help. There is
one Auxiliary that supports the work of two charity medical clinics in the
poorest areas of the city. That is something that certainly fills a
desperate need, and something that I would feel qualified to contribute to,
assisting in their fund raising efforts and perhaps even volunteering as an
aide.
Oh,
there is one more thing that I just have to tell you about. I was invited
last week to a tea party for a group of women who are attempting to organize
for the purpose of establishing a symphony orchestra here in
Adam,
I mustn’t forget to mention that my father sends regards back to you, and that
he is delighted that you are overseeing the work on the lumber contract
personally. I appreciate how busy you are, and I know how important
fulfilling those responsibilities is to you, but I can’t help selfishly wishing
that your full schedule might clear up just long enough to allow you to return
to visit us soon. Believe me, I am looking forward to that every bit as
much as you can possibly be.
Sincerely,
Meredith
(*Actually
the San Francisco Symphony was not finally established until after the turn of
the century.)
III. A STRING OF PEARLS
June roses bloomed on the trellises that flanked the
entrance to the Evans home. As Adam Cartwright walked up to the
door and used the knocker he was struck by how different the place looked from
the first time he had seen it nine months earlier. While he waited
somewhat impatiently for someone to answer his knock he quickly checked once
more that the package he carried in the inside pocked of his jacket was still
safely there. His hands clenched and relaxed almost involuntarily,
betraying a tension that was unusual for him.
That
tension arose from the fact that he was about to see Meredith Evans
again. In the nine months since he had met her this
made only the third time that he had made it back to
In
between times, of course, they had written to each other with great
regularity. Too often a promise to write is simply a polite gesture that
is never followed up on. But these two had kept their promise with a
vengeance. The stash of letters hidden away under the nightgowns in
Meredith’s bottom dresser drawer was growing at a brisk and steady rate, as was
the stash of letters in the box in Adam’s lower right desk drawer. These
letters could never be the same as seeing each other in person, but they were
valued by each of them as tangible evidence of the connection they shared which
could be gone back to time after time as often as they desired. It was in
a letter that Adam had learned of Merry’s success in
obtaining her teaching certification and her acceptance of the position at the
The
door to the Evans home finally opened revealing their maid, who smiled as she
recognized the visitor.
“Mr.
Cartwright, sir. It’s a pleasure to see you again. Do come in,
please.”
“Thank
you, Lacy. Is Miss Meredith in?” He knew the Academy had started it’s summer break, and he was expecting she would be home at
this time of day.
“She
is indeed, sir. I believe she’s in the parlor. Why don’t you just
go on in?”
With
an answering smile and a nod of thanks, Adam proceeded down the hall. He
reached the door of the parlor, which was open, looked inside...and stopped
dead.
Meredith
was there. But she was not alone. She was sitting on the sofa by
the window along with a young man that was a stranger
to Adam. He was a long limbed, slender young man with light brown hair
and an easy smile who appeared to be quite at home. He and Meredith were
sharing a laugh over something and the sound somehow left Adam feeling isolated
and left out.
Meredith
looked up and noticed him standing in the doorway. She stood up quickly,
a smile lighting her face, and moved toward him with her hand extended.
“Adam.
What a wonderful surprise! Why didn’t you let me know you were
coming? I understood from your last letter that you didn’t expect to make
it here again for at least another couple of weeks.”
“The
business I was coming to do was moved up. I thought I’d like to surprise
you.” He looked over at the young man with a dark expression. “And
apparently I did.”
Meredith
was taken by surprise by his tone and the look on his face. She looked
back at the young man in some confusion. Her gaze returned to Adam and a
light came into her eyes as understanding dawned.
“Adam,”
she said in a very even, deliberate tone, “I would like you to meet my favorite
cousin, David Kingsley. His mother is my father’s younger sister.
David, this is Adam Cartwright.”
David
got up from the sofa and came to join them. “So you’re the fellow Merry
has been going on so much about. I must say, it’s a pleasure to meet
you. Any man who can make that kind of an impression on my cousin here is
someone I’d like to get to know better.”
Adam’s
expression had changed quickly. Merry could sense the embarrassment that
tinged it, though it was probably not obvious to David.
“Thank
you, Mr. Kingsley. It’s a pleasure to meet you too.” He offered his
hand, and David shook it warmly.
Then
David turned to Meredith. “I’d like to stay for lunch, Merry, but I’m
afraid I have to meet my father at the club. And since you have other
company, this is probably a good time for me to take my leave.”
“Don’t
forget, you and your parents are invited for dinner on Thursday,” she reminded
him.
“Wouldn’t miss it, my dear. Well, good-bye ‘til
then.” He nodded at Adam. “Mr. Cartwright.”
Adam
nodded back. “Mr Kingsley.” And David was
gone.
Merry
and Adam were left looking at each other in silence for a moment.
Finally
Adam spoke up. “I’m sorry about that, Merry. I saw you with him and
I jumped to a wrong conclusion.”
Her
smile forgave him. “It’s all right, Adam. Actually, a trace of jealousy
can be quite becoming. But just a trace, you understand.”
“I’m
glad to hear you say that,” he said, visibly relieved. A thought occurred
to him and he reached to draw the package from his inside pocket.
“I
had this to give to you today in any case. Please accept it in token of
my repentance.” He handed her the package.
She
took it from him, looking up at him with curiosity. She tore off the
paper wrapping revealing a square shaped jeweler’s box covered in black
velvet. Her hand trembling slightly she opened it. Inside there was
a string of pearls. She lifted them from
their satin bed and gazed at them with shining eyes.
“Oh
Adam, they’re so beautiful!”
“No
more beautiful than the lady they’re intended to adorn.” He took them
from her hand and, stepping behind her, proceeded to carefully fasten them
around her graceful neck.
She
turned to face him. “I’ve always wanted a string like this. You’ve no
idea how much this means to me.”
“They
were intended to show how much you mean to me.” Adam’s voice was deep and
husky. “I’ve come to care for you a great deal, Merry. In fact,
I...”.
He
didn’t finish the sentence. Her arms were around his neck and her lips
were meeting his with a clear invitation. An invitation he was happy to
accept.
IV. A COMPLICATED BUSINESS
Adam Cartwright stood in the front hallway of the Evans home near the
staircase, waiting for the daughter of the house to make her appearance.
He didn’t have to wait very long. As the sound of swishing skirts
announced Meredith’s arrival on the landing, he looked up and smiled with
satisfaction at the beautiful picture she made. The warm light of the
hall lamps brought a soft shimmer to the burgundy material of her dress and
lent a luster to her long black hair. He was especially pleased to see
that she was wearing the string of pearls he had given her the previous day.
As
she reached the bottom of the stairs he took her hand with a gallant gesture
and kissed it.
“You
look ravishing this evening, Merry,” he told her.
“And
you are looking even more handsome than usual,” she replied pertly. “I’ll
have you know I skipped lunch today in anticipation of going out with you tonight. I do hope you’re not one of
those men who are embarrassed if their dinner companion displays a hearty
appetite.”
“Not
at all,” he assured her. “After watching my brother Hoss all these years I
actually enjoy seeing someone appreciate their food. Are you all ready to
go?
Our reservation is for eight.”
“Just
let me get my wrap.” Merry picked up the lacy white shawl from where it
rested on the hall table. Adam took it from her and began to drape it
around her shoulders.
Just
then a door opened down the hall and a figure emerged. It was Meredith’s
father, John.
“Adam,
Merry, I’m glad I caught the two of you before you left.” John Evans’
face was grave. “There’s something I need to talk to you about, Adam,
something related to our business dealings, and it would be best to do it right
away. Would you come to my study, please? This won’t take very
long.”
“Of
course, John,” Adam answered, looking at him questioningly.
“What
about me father?,” Merry spoke up. “Should I
wait...elsewhere?”
Her
father looked at her for a long moment with uncertainty in his eyes.
“Actually, my dear, I suppose you have a right
to hear about this too. You’ll find out soon enough anyway. You had
best come along too.”
Together
the three of them entered the study. John Evans gestured to Adam and
Merry to be seated on the leather sofa by the far wall. He began to pace
the room with his hands clasped behind his back and a troubled expression on
his patrician features.
“This
is difficult for me, Adam. I’ve come to admire you. You’ve lived up
to your part of the contract between us admirably...and honestly.
And now I have to tell you that...I’m not going to be able to live up to my
part.”
“What
do you mean, John?” Adam’ voice was low and quiet.
“Adam,
you’re familiar with the Cullinhane brothers, of
course?”
Adam
nodded. “They own one of the largest gold
mines in the western states.”
“Well,
by far the largest job my company has right now is building a number of ships
for them. They’re seeking to diversify and establish themselves in the
shipping business. That job is where most of the lumber we’ve been
getting from you has been going.” John hesitated, seemingly uncertain of
how to continue.
“So,
what seems to be the problem?,” Adam prodded him
gently.
“The
problem is that they’re temporarily shutting down because of some pending
litigation against them. Someone’s asserting a prior claim to the
property on which their most lucrative gold vein was discovered. It’s all
very complicated. The upshot is that they’re not going to be able to make
payment for the ships as scheduled. I just heard about it today.
And because I’m not going to receive the money from them...I’m not going to have
the money to pay you.”
Am frowned thoughtfully. This could be a
very serious matter for the Ponderosa. He knew that his father was
counting on the money from the contract with Evans in order to buy new stock and
make a number of anticipated improvements in their operations. His own
responsibility as the one who had negotiated the contract with John Evans
weighed heavily on him.
“Just
how long are they expected to be shut down?,” he
asked.
“It’s
impossible to say. If they lose the case they might never start up
again. And even if they do, their situation will have changed so much
that all their future plans will have to be reevaluated.” John shook his
head. “I don’t think there’s any real prospect of eventual payment from
them.”
“Would
you be able to find other buyers for the ships?”
John
stopped pacing and turned to face Adam directly. “According
to the terms of my contract with them, in case of nonpayment that would be my
right. However, there’s another problem. There is still work
to be completed on the ships. In their unfinished state they wouldn’t
bring in enough to cover the obligations I’ve incurred in building them,
including my obligation to you. And right now I simply don’t have the money
to complete them.”
Adam
was silent for a long moment, deep in thought. Finally he turned to look
at Merry, and found her looking back at him with a face full of expectant
confidence and hope...hope that he would be able to come up with some useful suggestion
to help in this difficult situation. Adam found, something to his own
surprise, that the idea of letting her down was even more painful than the idea
of taking a large financial loss.
“Exactly
how much would it take to complete work on the ships?”
John
picked up some papers from his desk and handed them to Adam. “Here’s a
rundown of what still needs to be done and the cost.”
Adam
looked over the figures. “And if they were finished, would you expect to
get enough for them to cover your obligations?”
“That’s
a difficult question. They would almost certainly bring in less than the
amount we were originally expecting. How much less is hard to say.
I would think it would be a very close thing.”
Adam
made a decision. “John, suppose I lend you the amount you need to finish
the ships. A personal loan...out of my own resources.”
“You’d
be taking quite a risk, Adam. If we don’t get back the amount necessary
from the sale of the ships, my company could be hard pressed to stay
afloat. You could wind up losing your own money and still not recover the
amount owed to the Ponderosa.”
“It
seems to be the best chance we have to avoid taking major losses, don’t you
think?”
“You’re
right of course. Adam, if you’re willing to do what you just proposed, I
can only promise to do my utmost to make the arrangement work.”
“Fine then. When can we finalize the details?”
“Will
“It
will.”
Adam
rose and John shook his hand. “Thank you, Adam. I’m proud to do
business with you. And now, it’s been quite a difficult day and I think
I’d like to retire early, so I’ll say good night to you both.”
Merry
rose and went to him. She kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Good
night, father,” she said softly.
A
moment later, John Evans had left the room. Meredith turned to Adam with
her eyes shining.
“Adam,
I don’t know how to thank you for what you’re doing,” she said in a voice full
of emotion.
He
stepped forward and put his arms around her. “We can discuss that
later. For right now, are you still up to going out to dinner?”
She
considered for a moment. “Why don’t we go to the kitchen and see what I
can find to whip up? I’ve never had a chance to show you what I can do, and I think you deserve something special this evening.”
“That
sounds like a good idea to me,” he said smiling.
V. A VISIT...AND A QUESTION
The two horses reached the top of the rise and stopped side by side. The
tall sorrel with the white blaze tossed his head as his rider, a darkly
handsome man clad all in black, pulled back on the reins and looked over toward
his companion. The young woman on the sleek bay mare was looking out over
the spectacular panorama of the lake in front of them, and was, for the moment,
paying no attention to the young man’s scrutiny.
That
suited Adam Cartwright just fine. He enjoyed looking at Meredith Evans
when she was unaware. And the picture she presented to him at this moment
offered a great deal to admire. Meredith’s lithe body was well set off by
her costume of a simple well-fitting shirt and riding skirt. The soft
summer breeze brought a fresh color to her cheeks and caught the stray strands
of her long, loose black hair, sending them blowing backwards. She raised
her hand to shade her eyes with a graceful gesture and stared down at the lake
with the same enraptured expression on her face that Adam had once seen there
as he watched her listening to the music of Hayden. And seeing that
affected him even more strongly now than it had then.
In
truth, Adam was happy just to be seeing her here at all. A couple of
months ago he had been far from sure that this would ever happen. When he
had made a personal loan to Meredith’s father in order to help him weather a
business crisis that had also threatened to affect the Ponderosa, he had been
aware that it was a risky proposition in more ways than one. Even more
than the possibility of taking a significant financial loss, the idea that
having Meredith’s father in debt to him could bring an element of awkwardness
and unease into his growing relationship with her had concerned him
deeply. If his attempt to help John Evans had not been successful the
repercussions could have been serious, both financially and personally.
It had been a tense couple of weeks as he waited for word from John, and when
it finally came, and was favorable, his relief was great. The payments
due from John’s company to the Ponderosa would be made
just slightly behind the original schedule and the personal loan would be paid
back according to the terms they had agreed to. Meredith’s letter, which
arrived not long after her father’s telegram, had been full of heartfelt
gratitude for help given at a time of need.
Adam
decided that the moment had come to take a step
that he had been considering for some time. He invited both Meredith and
her father for a visit to the Ponderosa. He thought it was about time
that Merry should meet his family.
The invitation was accepted with pleasure. Meredith was eager to see the
surroundings that he had told her so much about, and, she confided to him, her
father was long overdue for a vacation and would certainly benefit from the
change after the strain he had been under. It was arranged that they
would come for two weeks in late August, returning to
Adam
remembered the look on Meredith’s face when she had stepped from the stagecoach
and saw him for the first time in his usual black working clothes with a gun
strapped on. Her eyes grew wide for a moment, but then a slow smile came
to her lips as she moved to meet him. Their greeting was somewhat
decorous, due to the presence of numerous bystanders. He picked up
Meredith’s bag and led her and her father around the corner to a side street
where he had a carriage waiting. Once out of sight of others, Adam and
Merry greeted each other more warmly while her father smiled on them benevolently.
As Adam lent his hand to help her into the carriage Merry leaned forward and
spoke quietly in his ear.
“You
look like a true gun slinger straight out of a dime novel,” she said.
“And
do you object to that?,” he asked her, cocking an
eyebrow..
“Oh, not at all. There’s actually something deliciously exciting
about it. It’s just so different from the way I’ve seen you before,” she
replied.
When
they reached the Ponderosa Ben, Hoss and Joe were all lined up outside the
house, ready to greet the visitors. Merry showed not a trace of shyness
at meeting Adam’s father. “Mr. Cartwright,” she said ,
responding to Ben’s welcome, “it’s a pleasure to meet the man responsible for
raising such an exceptional man as Adam. It seems I have a great deal to
thank you for.” And she gave him a brilliant smile. From that
moment she held Ben in the palm of her hand.
Hoss
and Joe seemed equally impressed. In fact for a moment a look came into
Joe’s eyes that Adam knew all too well. But when Joe looked over and
caught the glare that older brother was giving him the look changed abruptly
and he managed to greet Merry in a perfectly gentlemanly manner. Then,
when they all moved to follow Ben into the house, Joe gave Adam a ‘thumbs up’ gesture, bringing a smile to older brother’s face.
The
two weeks had passed all too quickly as far as Adam was concerned. Hoss
and Joe had obligingly taken on extra work to allow Adam to spend as much time
as possible with their visitors. John Evans and Ben found they had a good
deal in common and enjoyed long conversations by the fireplace over pipes and
brandy, for which Adam and Merry were grateful, since it left them free to
spend time together as they wanted. Meredith had some experience in
riding side saddle, but Adam taught her to ride Western style, then took her to see the most scenic spots in the area,
sometimes taking a picnic basket with them. Or they went into
Today
was the last full day of the Evans’ scheduled visit. He had decided to
take Meredith to the one spot on the Ponderosa which offered the most
spectacular view of all overlooking
Meredith
was still gazing down at the lake with the same rapturous look on her face.
“I’m stunned, Adam,” she said softly. “I’ve seen some of the famous
Alpine lakes...
“I
remember the first time I saw it, when we first arrived in this region.
And every time I come here it still gives me the
same feeling I had then,” he told her.
After
a moment of silence he raised his hand and pointed toward a spot a short
distance away. “Let’s leave the horses here and walk over there for a
minute.”
They
dismounted, he took her hand, and together they made their way to the highest,
most forward point of the rise. As they stood there, watching the
sunlight sparkling on the distant water Adam slipped his arm around her
shoulder and drew her close to him.
“Merry,”
he said quietly, “I thought this would be the best place to say what I have to
say.” He took a deep breath. “I love you, Merry, and I realize now
that I don’t want there to be a day of my life that doesn’t have you in
it. Will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
She
looked up at him with tears beginning to form in her emerald eyes. “Oh,
Adam,” she spoke breathlessly, “the honor will be all mine!” She threw
her arms around his neck and he bent his head to meet her. They kissed
long and deeply, the intensity of their feelings blotting out everything except
each other.
When
they finally pulled back from their kiss Meredith caught her breath and gave a
little laugh. “We’re going to have some difficult problems to resolve,
you know,”she said.
“Such
as?,” he returned..
“Well,
in the first place, where to hold the wedding. With most of my family and
friends in
“Those
things will all work out,” he assured her. “As long as we stay together,
everything else will work out in the end.”
“Of
course it will,” she agreed, smiling.
They
kissed again lightly, then stood there for some time with their arms around
each other, gazing down happily at the beauty before them and dreaming of the
future.
VI. A GAME OF CARDS
The four people sitting around the table were deeply absorbed in their game of
cards...a game of bridge to be exact. The quiet murmur of their voices
was interspersed with the sound of cards being slapped down on the table and
the occasional exclamation of triumph or groan of dismay at hands won or
lost. The grandfather clock in the corner of the room ticked away
steadily; its chiming of the quarter hours was barely noticed by the players,
so focused were they on their hands.
The
North/South positions at the table were occupied by John Evans and his brother
Connor, a pair of avid bridge players who had actually participated in local
tournaments with some success. Their opponents were a younger couple,
John’s daughter Meredith and her fiancé, Adam Cartwright. Meredith had
learned the game from her father and enjoyed playing mainly for the sake of
sharing something with him. Adam was more used to the various forms of
poker as practiced at the saloon tables of
Usually
Adam’s presence in
so soon after Meredith and her father had returned home from their visit to the
Ponderosa, he had anticipated some objection - the business could be done
by correspondence and didn’t require his presence, especially at a time when
things were so busy on the ranch. Instead, he was met with a knowing
smile and an indulgent “That sounds fine, son; take whatever time is
needed.” That caused Adam to shake his head, caught off guard once more
at the thought of just how well his father knew him and how much he cared about
him.
Now,
as the next hand was being dealt, Adam looked over at his lovely partner and
felt a rush of gratitude for his father’s understanding.
He
should have known. Especially considering how Ben had reacted when Adam
made the big announcement.
Four weeks earlier...
Things
were rather quiet around the dinner table at the Ponderosa that evening.
It might be that the dinner Hop Sing had prepared was so exceptionally good
that everyone was too absorbed in eating to talk very much. It might also
have something to do with the fact that their guests, John and Meredith Evans
were leaving in the morning to return to
Then,
during the pause before Hop Sing brought in their dessert, Adam set down his
wine glass, rose from his chair and cleared his throat.
“If
I may, there’s an announcement that I would like to make,” he said.
Immediately the eyes of all around the table were trained on him with great
curiosity, and what conversation there was ceased.
Adam
extended his hand to Merry, who sat to his left, and she rose to stand beside
him. Adam looked only at her as he resumed speaking.
“I
am very happy...and very proud...to say that this beautiful young lady has
agreed to become my wife.” He reached into his pocket and brought out a
small object. “Merry, this was my mother’s engagement ring. It’s not a very
large one - my father wasn’t a very rich man when he gave it to her, but it
represents a great deal of love. My father gave it to me when I turned
sixteen and told me to save it carefully for the woman I would one day
marry. I give it to you now with just as much love, and with great
gratitude for the happiness you’ve brought into my life.” He gently
slipped the ring onto her finger, then leaned forward
to kiss her soundly.
There
were about two seconds of total silence which were followed by a whoop and a
holler from Joe and an exclamation of “Way to go, brother!” from Hoss.
John
Evans got up, beaming, and went to embrace his daughter. “Merry, darling,
I couldn’t be more delighted.” He reached out to shake Adam’s hand. “I had a
feeling that the two of you would hit it off together. That’s why I
invited you home to dinner that night after we signed our contract, Adam.
I rather imagine that you suspected as much, didn’t you?”
“It
wasn’t too hard to figure out,” Adam replied, smiling. “I can only thank
you...and admire your perceptiveness.”
“And
I thank you too, father,” Meredith added. “That may very well be the best
thing that you’ve ever done for me.” Her smile was an open declaration of her
happiness.
Then
Ben Cartwright rose and moved around the table to stand in front of the newly
engaged couple. His eyes were brimming and his voice was husky with
emotion.
“Adam,
you know that the most important wish in my life has been to see you boys well
and happy. The joy that you two are sharing at this moment is obvious and
I rejoice at it. I pray that your joy will only increase...and that it
will last.” Ben reached out to embrace Adam and Merry together. “Welcome
to our family, my dear,” he spoke quietly in her ear. “I have to say I
think my son has made a fine choice.”
“Thank
you...Pa,” Merry whispered back. And Ben smiled.
Back to the card game...
The
clock continued to tick quietly and the voices of the card players rose in
intensity as the climax of the game was reached. Finally, with a
flourish, Connor Evans threw down his last card. “The nine of trumps takes the
final trick!,” he exclaimed. “That’s the
slam...and the rubber!” He reached over to shake his partner’s hand while
Adam and Merry leaned back in their chairs with expressions of defeat.
“Who’s
up for another go?,” Connor asked as he gathered up
the cards.
“Not
me,” John replied, checking his watch. “It’s not that late, but I am
rather tired and I think I should be getting to bed.” He glanced at
Merry, then at Adam. “And I’m sure these two would appreciate a little
time alone.” He looked to his brother. “I’m afraid we’ve kept them
pretty well occupied all evening.”
John
started to rise from his chair, but it seemed to be an effort. Finally he
made it to his feet, then he gave a sudden gasp, as if
in pain. His right hand went to his chest and he bent over, grimacing and
breathing heavily.
“Father!,” Meredith cried. She was at his side immediately, a
look of alarm on her face. John sat heavily back onto the chair, still
clutching his chest. Adam quickly came to his other side, while Connor
also looked on in deep concern.
“I
think...it’s my heart...” John managed to gasp out.
Adam
looked over at Connor. “Please have one of the servants go for the doctor - now!,” he said in his take charge voice. Connor nodded
briefly and hurried out of the room.
Adam
turned to Merry. “That sofa is good and comfortable.
Let’s get him over there.”
Together
they managed to get John over to the sofa and helped him to lie down.
Merry went quickly to fetch pillows and blankets while Adam loosened John’s
clothing and attempted to make him as comfortable as possible.
In
a few minutes, when they had done all that they knew to do, Adam and Meredith
were left to wait for the arrival of the doctor. They looked at each
other with apprehensive eyes.
“Isn’t
there anything more we can do?,” Merry asked.
Her voice was steady but her distress was evident in her face. It hurt
Adam to see it.
“Not
at the moment. He seems to be resting...breathing a little easier.
Come here.” Adam took Merry into his arms and she gratefully rested her
head on his shoulder. He was trying to imagine how he would feel if it
was his own father lying there in pain, and the thought was almost too much.
“Don’t
worry, darling,” he spoke in his most comforting voice. “I’m here for
you. You know that.”
“She
smiled wanly up at him. “Yes, I know, my love. I’m so thankful....”
They
held each other close. The future, which had seemed to be so bright and
promising, suddenly looked much darker and more uncertain.
VII.
In the cool, damp air of the last half hour before sunrise a small group of
people gathered in a park on the outskirts of
Standing
somewhat apart under a tree stood Adam Cartwright and his two brothers.
All three were dressed in matching dark suits. Joe was checking out Adam’s appearance with a critical eye. He
deftly brushed a speck of dust off his brother’s sleeve, then
adjusted the flower pinned to his lapel.
“Well,
Adam, I guess you look pretty good for a condemned man,” he said with a sly
wink. “You know it’s not too late to back out of this thing. Hoss and
I can still spirit you away from here...if you want us to.”
Adam
responded with a slow smile. “No way, Joe.
I’ve waited too long for this day.”
“You
hear that, Hoss?” Joe looked over at their middle brother, who was
pulling at his shirt collar as though it were a little tight. “It sounds
to me like older brother here is far gone.”
“He
sure is, ain’t he?” Hoss grinned. “And
it’s mighty good to see it. That’s the way it should be today.” He
gave Adam a clap on the shoulder.
“Say,
Adam, what made you and Merry decide to have a sunrise wedding?,” Joe asked. “I mean, getting everybody up at this
time of the day...” He made a show of putting his hand to his mouth and
yawning.
“It
was her idea, actually,” Adam replied. “But I liked it myself. And
what are you complaining about? You get up this early often enough at
home to do chores.”
“I
may do it, but I don’t exactly like it,”Joe
said. “And isn’t middle October a little bit late in the year to be doing
this outside?”
“Well,
it might have been nice to do it in the middle of summer, but we didn’t want to
wait almost a whole year.” A cloud seemed to come over Adam’s expression
as he thought of the reason for the haste with which this wedding had been
arranged.
Only
three weeks ago Adam had arrived in
This
news was, naturally, very sobering for them all. John himself accepted
the situation with an equanimity that won Adam’s admiration. While
obeying the orders to take things very easy he began to concentrate on
arrangements for the smooth continuation of his business and for assuring his
daughter’s future under any circumstances. And that was where Adam came
in.
One
afternoon John had a long conversation with his prospective son-in-law.
He told him how glad he was that Merry had found such a good man. He
broached the possibility of Adam’s taking over the running of the ship building
business and expressed strong confidence that the younger man would be able to
“learn the ropes” very quickly. There seemed to be a number of advantages
to such an arrangement. John offered to turn over ownership of the
After
careful consideration, including thoroughly discussing the matter with Merry,
the arrangement was agreed to.
Merry
too was dealing with the circumstances with considerable courage. Adam
knew that it was a very painful situation for her, but she managed to keep up a
cheerful demeanor around her father. She had become eager to have their
marriage celebrated as quickly as possible for her father’s sake, and Adam
understood that. Truth to tell, the longer he was close to Merry the more
his desire for her was growing, and the idea of moving up their wedding date
suited him for more than purely selfless reasons. With the decision to
make the wedding as soon as possible the idea of the large church wedding went
by the wayside and the idea of a small outdoor wedding was born. Meredith
obtained a leave of absence from the Academy in order to care for her father
and to make the arrangements for the wedding.
And
now the day had come. The stage was set, the guests were assembled, and
all was ready for the arrival of the rest of the wedding party.
Just
as the first glow of the rising sun began to tinge the sky a carriage drove up
carrying the fathers of the bride and groom. John Evans, cloaked warmly
against the morning chill was accompanied by his doctor, who was also a family
friend. Together they slowly made their way to seats on one of the
benches. Ben Cartwright, smiling broadly, made his way over to where his
sons stood outside the circle, stopping directly in front of his oldest.
“Adam,”
he said, “you know how happy it makes me to see this day. Your Merry is a
wonderful young woman, and I can only hope that your brothers will do as well
when they come to choose a wife.” He sent a meaningful look in the
direction of Hoss and Joe. “I wish you all the
best son. God bless you and your beautiful bride.” He stepped
forward and embraced Adam, who responded with a simple
“Thank you,
As
the glow of the sunrise intensified another carriage appeared, this one
carrying Meredith, her Uncle Connor, and her two best friends who were her
attendants. Meredith was wearing the same beautiful long dark green dress
and the hat of the same color with the white silk rose that she had worn the
first time she and Adam had gone out together. She carried a bouquet of
mixed fall flowers. Her attendants’ dresses had bodices and sleeves of
green with long skirts of a printed fabric in a mixture of fall colors.
They carried smaller bouquets of the same seasonal flowers as Meredith.
The
minister from the Evans’ church rose from his seat and stepped to the center of
the circle. Adam joined him there with Hoss and Joe standing behind
him. The bride’s attendants made their way into the circle, followed by
Connor Evans, escorting his niece. As they passed the bench where John
Evans sat, Merry stopped to lean down and embrace her father. He returned
the embrace and whispered some words in her ear that brought moisture to her
eyes. She gave his cheek a gentle kiss, then stood up and, taking her
uncle’s arm again, went to take her place in front of the minister.
With
everyone assembled, the minister began the ceremony.
“We
are gathered here in the sight of God and in the presence of these witnesses to
join this man and this woman in holy matrimony....”
The
minister’s inquiry as to whether anyone knew just cause
why these two should not be joined was greeted only with slightly amused
smiles.
He
turned to the groom. “Do you, Adam, take this woman, Meredith, to be your
lawful wedded wife?
Adam
looked into the eyes of his bride and felt the strong surge of emotions welling
up inside him.
“I
do.” He spoke it in a firm clear voice.
“Do
you, Meredith, take this man, Adam, to be your lawful wedded husband?”
She
looked back at him with the same rapturous look on her face that he had seen
there before. He loved to see that look, especially now that it was
directed at him.
“I
do.” In her joy those two words almost became a song.
As
they continued their exchange of vows some early rising birds began to chirp
and warble happily, providing a musical accompaniment. The vows completed
and the rings exchanged, it was time for the minister to make the declaration.
“By
the authority vested in me I do pronounce that they are husband and wife
together. What God has joined together let noone
put asunder.”
Adam
and Merry stepped forward into each other’s arms and their lips met with eager
intensity. The assembled group broke into applause, but at that moment it
hardly registered with the newlyweds.
As
the sun continued to rise a ray of light broke through a gap in the row of
trees and touched the pair with a kind of benediction. The singing of the birds
increased, becoming a hymn of praise for the gift of two lives joined as one
and the wonderful miracle of love.
THE END