CHAPTER TEN: A MIRACULOUS RESCUE

AND THE SUSPENSE CONTINUES

Somewhere in Illinois...

Kitty felt something sticky running down her face, into her mouth, and down her chin. She was trying not to inhale so as to not swallow whatever was streaming down. She could feel something heavy lying across her chest constricting her breathing. Trying to move was almost impossible and she was beginning to panic. Just when she was beginning to feel there was no hope, whatever was holding her down was lifted. A large shadow loomed over her and she gasped.

A low masculine voice said, "Just hold on ma'am. I'll try not ta hurt ya."

She moaned and tried to speak but the fluid still rolling down her face was making her choke. All that came out was "Mahhhh …."

The man lifted her but the pain was so intense Kitty let out a scream and passed out. The next time she opened her eyes, she was staring into knowledgeable-looking gray eyes. An age- wizened voice commented as a wide smile broke across the lined face, "So yer finally awake."

"W - where?" was all Kitty could croak out.

Brushing her hand gently over the younger woman's brow, the woman informed her, "You are in my cabin. My grandboy, Caleb, brought ya here. Ya was in a train wreck, do ya remember?"

Kitty tried to shake her head but it hurt so badly. Why was she here? And where was here?

"Ya was hurt bad and a lotta people drowned when the train went inta the river. It was stormin' bad and real hard ta see. They thought they had everyone outta the cars and were tendin' the wounded. My boy was walkin' toward the end of the train and heard ya moanin'. Knowin' his Granny did healin', he brought ya here. Ya was unconscious and hurt bad."

Using all her concentration, Kitty asked, even though it hurt her throat, "Whaat…" she tried to swallow. "Injuries?"

Taking the alabaster-colored hand into her age-spotted clasp, she outlined the wounds. "Ya has a broken right leg, some broken ribs, a sprained wrist, black eyes that are now purple, cuts and bruises, and bad cuts and bumps on yer head. I'm sorry ta tell ya that to stop the bleedin' from yer head, I had ta cut yer beautiful red hair and shave some of it away."

Panicking, Kitty tried to reach for her scalp but the healer stopped her. "Not yet," she cautioned. "Can ya tell me your name?"

The redhead opened her mouth and scrunched up her face but no name came to her mind or lips. Tears started down her cheeks. Wiping them away, the woman told her it was okay as she asked where she was from. Again, her mind felt blank and she cried harder. The woman gave her some bitter-tasting liquid and soon she was again asleep.

The next time she opened her eyes, she looked around the room. It was nighttime. She had no idea how long she had been asleep or even how long she had been in the cabin. The old woman was over at the fireplace and there were several pots sitting on the hearth. As she stirred them Kitty struggled to move but the pain made her cry out. Immediately, her hostess was by her side, "Don't try ta move too much," she cautioned.

"Where am I? Who are you?" Kitty asked through a raw throat.

Sitting down next to her, the woman said patiently. "I'm Elvira Thornton, My grandboy, Caleb, brought ya here after the train accident. I do healin'. They had left ya fer dead. Yer in my cabin outside of La Clair, Illinois. It's a small place, but real rich. My Caleb is workin' in the plumbin' factory here. He heared about the accident an went to help."

Trying to move her arm, Kitty realized there was something wrapped around her wrist and lower arm. Elvira explained, "That there are a poultice made from chickweed, dandelion, and water in a paste. Ah put it on your wrist and ribs. I been rubbin' castor oil on them areas, and wrappin' yer broken leg in that oil. It will heal faster thata way."

"Castor oil?" Kitty inquired.

"Yes," the healer went on. "Its name are really Palma Christi, the palm of Christ."

Not an overly religious person, the former saloon keeper wanted to know, "How did you learn all this?"

"Why, honey, my mammy was a healer, and her mammy, and her mammy. We is part of the Orkey/Cathcart clan from way back in the hills. My pa come here for work. We generally don' leave home but work was hard ta find. We had some folks who went to Kansas once but their Pa caught the cholera and they comed back home."

As she talked, Kitty's mind began to bring back flashes of a young blond fellow and a dark haired younger brother, but it faded away too fast. Her strength seemed to be slipping away as her caregiver asked, "Has ya remembered yer name yet?"

Again, the redhead scrunched up her face but no name to mind. "Never you mind, sweetheart, but I has to call ya somethin' so I'll call ya Mary. Caleb wanted to call ya "Red" cause of yer unusual hair." These words made Kitty's mind buzz, but once more they faded away too fast.

There was a knock at the door and Elvira hurried to answer it. A very broad, tall man loomed in the doorway. Kitty sucked in her breath but she wasn't sure why. Elvira took the man's arm as she led him to the bed. "This here is Caleb, yer rescuer."

For some reason the younger woman felt disappointed. In a whisper she thanked him and then, unable to keep her eyes open, she fell back into slumber.

"She sure is a beauty, Granny," Caleb said. "Did ya find out who she belongs to? She ain't wearin' no man's ring."

Moving over to the fire and settling in her rocker, the grandmother told him, "She can't even remember her name."

"That sure is a shame. Will she be all right?"

Looking over at the recumbent figure, the old woman sighed, "I think so but it'll take some time."

The young man took the woman's work-worn hand into his and told her, "I sure would like to hep ya, Granny, but I have to be so careful Victoria don't find out about her. Ya know her, she'll tear yer place apart."

"I tol' you, you shoulda married up with a girl from back home. Remember what happened when your cousin Orkey was goin' to hitch up with that Kansas woman and she just about tore their place up? Now he is happily settled with Martha June and they have eight kids with another on the way." She patted his hand. "But I can understand why a woman like Torie could bewitch a man."