A Prairie Rose

Chapter 3

I sat in the center of the room, amazed by the fact that I was in a room- a real one. With walls and a ceiling, and little notches cut out for windows. There was even a door... well, kind of. A piece of wood had been fitted against the hole that was made to be a door, but Pa hadn't yet stripped the leather that bound the canvas to the top of the wagon to use as hinges for the door.

"Oh, Pa, I love it!" I squealed, spinning all around, my dress billowing out. There were streaks of light coming in from between the cracks between the logs of the house, creating stripes of sunshine all across the floor and me and Pa.

Pa glared at me, and I stopped spinning at once. "Rose, you stop that nonsense right now, girl."

He turned back to the men, who were preparing to leave. "Thank you, boys. Amos, I'll come to help you build your barn in two-weeks time. And Emmett, I'll come help you with your roofing within the next few days. Ride safe, now- watch out for any damn Natives."

I stared at Pa as he closed the almost-door, and listened as the horses whinnied as the men whipped them and led them back in the direction of their own houses. "Pa, are there really Natives out here?"

Pa shrugged, leaning back against one of the log walls. It held steady, and I was delighted.

After a few moments, Pa looked back up at me. "Well, what are you just standing there for, girl? Go bring me in my whiskey. And start bringing in all of the things from the wagon."

"Yes, Pa!" Eagerly, I raced past him, leaving him leaning against the wall. Ma had talked on and on about this new house- and even though she was no longer here, I intended to set it up just perfectly for her.

I started by bringing in the chests- those had our clothes and my hairbrush and ribbons and aprons, as well as Pa's pocketwatch. He said time was no use out West, but Ma had safely tucked it away when he suggested selling it.

Next I brought in the pots and pans and plates and tableware, and put all of the food in one corner. I very neatly organized it by dry meat, canned fruit and vegetables, then all the other makings. I placed the axe and firewood towards the front- We had a hole in the ceiling for the chimney, so once Pa tore off the planks from the wagon to make the foundation, I could head down to the river to collect mud to slather the planks with- Pa had told Ma that was how to made a chimney and prevent fire, when you had no flat stones or bricks to build with.

I carefully put Pa's gun near the front door, along with the water- just near the firewood and axe. I carried in the stool Ma used to do the mending on, and I set the tools and knives on it. I thought about using the stool that I slept on as a table, but decided against it. Instead, I carried my stool towards the rear of the log cabin- Ma had said the bedrooms should always be towards the back of the house, because company having to walk through a bedroom to get to the kitchen was rude. I laid my quilts over my stool, but hesitated- what should I do with Pa's?

Finally,  I turned to him. He was still just leaning against the wall, drinking and watching me. "Pa, where do you want your blankets? I'm not strong enough to carry the mattress you sleep on."

I almost misspoke and said the mattress that he and Ma both slept on, but caught myself just in time. Talk of Ma would almost always send him into a wild rage.

Pa sighed. "I suppose I can go get it. Blasted girls- they aren't good for anything."

Ignoring the small bit of hurt that formed in my chest at his words, I obediently waited until he had carried the mattress inside. He threw it to the ground just near the firewood and I frowned- that was not where Ma wanted a bed. She had said near the back, not near the frontdoor. But I didn't want to cause trouble, so I just laid the blankets atop it.

"You haven't gotten all the things inside," Pa snapped at me. I stepped away from him. "The water bucket is still out there- and almost empty. And the lanterns are still on the ground near the wagon. And go bring in the horse strap- with how much you are acting up, girl, I may have to use it very, very soon."

I felt myself pale. "Yes, Sir, sorry, Sir."

Rushing outside, I gathered the water in the pail and carried it inside the house. Leaving it near the firewood and front door, I hurried back out, checking three times to make sure I had gathered everything.  I feared that Pa may make good on his word, and take the horse strap to me when I entered the house again, but he had already fallen sound asleep on his bed.

Despite myself, I smiled. Pa, too, seemed grateful to have a real home once again- even if it did feel a little darker without Ma. 

Pa had fallen asleep atop all of his blankets, so I took two off of my own makeshift bed and laid them over him. Then I took another one of my blankets- the smallest, the one that didn't truly fit over me- and I spread it on the floor, setting out the tin plates and cups and dinnerware on it. That would do as a table for now. And perhaps Pa could spare some of the wagon boards when he began to tear it apart- I knew he had mentioned using the boards as a chimney once, but how nice it would be to nail in some shelves along the walls, to hold the flour and salt and beans. 

As I crawled on to my bench and pulled my few remaining blankets over me, I was struck by how surprisingly cold I was. I had been so eager for a warm, easy nights sleep. But the hole in the ceiling let in a chill, as did the many holes between each log of the cabin.

Still, when I heard the wolves howling somewhere nearby, I felt safe. Far safer than I had in a long time. And I drifted off into a peaceful sleep, where there were no wolves or whiskey bottles or dead mothers.