Hope's Imperfection

Chapter 11: The Falls

Sarah’s glare pierced straight through Lizzy McIntosh who tried desperately to avoid eye contact with her teenage companions.

“I haven’t been following you,” Lizzy proclaimed.

“I saw you in Chicago,” Sarah noted. “And your bags were checked through Bozeman. Why did you lie and say you were on your way to a conference? If you are not following us then what are you doing?”

It was at this point I made a mental note never to lie to Sarah.

“I am on the same journey as Philip,” Lizzy replied. “After I spoke with you in New York, I called back the museum in Montreal and asked for more information on the diary. I tracked where it came from, assuming that it was from somewhere out west, but in fact it had been bequeathed to the museum by an unknown woman who’d asked that it be returned to Montreal. Philip, I believe there is a second volume to the diary. It is not in Montreal so I assumed that it was somewhere along the trail that George Stanhope took to the west coast.”

Sarah looked at her coldly, with incredulity. I was much more sympathetic.

“We have found the second volume, Miss McIntosh,” I said.

“Are you serious?” gasped Lizzy.

“Yes, it was in a church in St. Ignace, Michigan, where Richard returned to properly bury his mother, years later,” I stated.

Sarah was not warming to my inclusion of Lizzy in the adventure.

“I thought George was returning to bury Lizzy in Montreal,” Lizzy queried.

“George was killed on the journey. He is buried at the foot of the Missouri River in Bozeman, Montana. Richard and a Native American friend laid his father to rest, and eventually Richard returned to St. Ignace to bury his mother in the same tradition. So the trail ends in Montana.” I stated emphatically.

“What happened to Richard?” Lizzy asked.

“I don’t know. He had planned to continue his father’s voyage out west but there is no record of any history in Bozeman until the 1860s,” I explained.

“Yes, I understand that conditions were harsh on the western plains and many went back to their homes on the east coast,” Lizzy explained.

Sarah was still not warming to Lizzy.

“You called Philip’s mother!” Sarah probed.

“No, I did not ,” Lizzy replied. “Philip, I hope you don’t mind, but after our conversation I began to think of the possibilities for locating information about my heritage as well.”

“I’m not upset,” I replied.

Sarah seemed to have calmed down … a little.