Chapter Seventy-Seven

Since Promontory, Shiloh kept her revolver close and made sure her rifles were loaded, even after hearing the assurances from numerous Pinkertons, who were riding on both forward and rear outside decks of Crocker's car, with several riding atop the car.

The children felt their mother's tension and while Aaron stayed close to her, Anna held onto Amalee and watched her mother closely. As the children and Amalee ate breakfast, Shiloh didn't, choosing to open the curtains and frequently look out.

It was on the second day out of Ogden, Utah, between Rawlings and Laramie when the first signs of trouble appeared. Shiloh spotted riders off in the distance positioned on their horses to carry lances. She immediately walked to the rear door of the car and opened it.

One of the Pinkerton's nodded which sent Shiloh back inside the car.

Leaning close to Amalee so the children couldn't hear, Shiloh said, "Amalee, take the children to my bedroom and play with them there. If trouble starts take them under the bed with you and pull the children's trunk against the bed behind you."

Amalee was quiet, but gave Shiloh a nervous look.

"Can you use a revolver?" Shiloh asked. At her expression, Shiloh moved a hand to either side of Amalee's face. "I don't think it will come to this, Amalee, but if anyone gets in here, they've gotten past the Pinkerton's and me. It will be up to you to save yourself and the children. Now, can you shoot a gun?"

"Yes, ma'am," she said, her face startlingly white. "I…I've never had to shoot a…person."

Shiloh smiled. "If the Pinkerton's are as good as everyone says they are, you won't now. You don't have to take the gun with you. If it looks like it's going to be necessary, I'll bring it to you."

There wasn't much space in the small bedrooms…enough for a small bed, a trunk and a tiny table with a wash bowl. But once Shiloh heard there had been trouble ahead of them, she had begun to line the outside wall of her bedroom with wood from the boxes that had contained their food each day to make sure no arrows or bullets would penetrate the lower part of it.

In the sixty miles between Laramie and Cheyenne, there were small bands of Indians riding close to the train, occasionally sending off an arrow or a lance toward a Pinkerton. However, those attacks were likely designed to determine what defenses the train had because on the third day half way between Cheyenne and North Platte, it seemed the Indians came at the train in a never-ending barrage of beast and man, most likely to draw the engineer's attention away from the track where two rails had been removed, enough to stop the train cold. Even if the train stopped before it came to the gap in the track, it would be enough for the increasing bands of Indians who were riding alongside the cars to mount an attack.

Shiloh watched as the number of Indians increased until she couldn't contain herself any longer. She went back to the door and stepped out.

"Mrs. Cartwright, you need to be inside the car," said a Pinkerton.

"What I need is to tell you I have two rifles and a good amount of ammunition. If you need an extra hand to fight, I can reload rifles. And if they get into this car, they will be met with gunfire. "At that range, I don't miss."

The Pinkerton scratched his chin. "It would be better if the reloads were coming from the cars we're defending. What about the children?"

"They're under the bed with their nanny in the most inner bedroom. She also has a gun."

"Make room. I'll be back directly with crates of ammunition."

When the train began to slow, the rear door of the car opened and a Pinkerton shouted, "Get ready to reload."

"What's happened that we've stopped?" yelled Shiloh.

"Some track is missing. Some of the men normally assigned to the train have to protect the men fixing the tracks. That doesn't mean us, Mrs. Cartwright. Mr. Crocker hired us separately to defend you and your company. But we are not going to be leaving anytime soon. Not until the track is repaired."

It wasn't until after the men were outside of the train with their backs bent into the work of repairing the track that the attack began. As shots were fired, rifles were passed into Crocker's car, loaded by Shiloh and two men, and passed them back out either door. When an Indian got close enough to the car to grab a hold at a broken window, one of the three reloaders picked up his…or her…own rifle and dispatched the attacker.

A fourth man constantly went from one end of the car to the other, each time looking out the windows in the two bedrooms. There were six men inside the car in front Crocker's car defending the company.

XXXXXXXX

While Robert and Adam met with Alfred Kelley at Delmonico's, Beau quietly ate his lunch, listening. Adam brought with him a list of work that had already been planned, but not started. He hesitated showing it to Al.

"Al, I had thought Slater and Cartwright could give you contracts, but…I think I have a better idea. What if we split crews…half Slater and Cartwright and half Kelley. That way, the men can share ideas and take those back to their respective companies when all this is over and done."

Alfred frowned. "Adam, you know as well as I that some of these men have big personalities."

Laughing, Adam said, "I do. But it would be a mistake on their part not to take advantage of learning…from the teachings of an engineer."

Leaning forward, Alfred said, "What do you mean?"

"I've spent time with everyone of our men. They understand the kind of work Robert and I expect, and they understand any less will have them looking for another job. As a matter of fact, some of your men tried us first and didn't pass muster."

"Why would you do that? How could you possibly find enough men for the work available spending that kind of time with them?" asked Alfred.

"Think about Slater and Slater, Alfred," said Robert. "Before we added Cartwright. Our firms were always fighting for contracts, and it didn't matter to the client who won because the work was going to be the same. Slater and Cartwright has changed. Clients come to us now."

Kelley sat back and thought. "You're right. It's getting harder and harder to compete with you." He leaned forward. "But why would you be offering me your edge in this business?"

Adam and Robert smiled at each other. "Because, Alfred, we'd like for you to consider a merger," said Robert. "You see, we have a small problem in finding men to work in Boston. It doesn't have to be a permanent move for any of our men here, but it does have to be the length of a job. We don't currently have enough men for both San Francisco and Boston. A merger would give your men some valuable time with an engineer and artisans in different areas, and that would give us more men to keep up with the work we expect to have on the east and west coast."

"Gentlemen, it is a proposal I would be a fool not to consider, but I have to tell you. I am the owner of my own company at the moment. Why would I want to come into…what?"

Robert leaned forward and laid one hand over the other on the table. "The charter of Slater and Cartwright is such that we are paid based on what we bring to the company. At the moment, Adam's salary is higher, and based on his degree in engineering, his experience in actually building things like curved doors and cantilevered opera boxes, and building solid foundations on less than solid ground, it's warranted. You and I will be equal as far as salary in the beginning, but all of us will be equal partners."

Albert leaned back in his chair and sucked his cheeks in. "My men will have something to say about this," he said.

"Since when do our men make our business decisions for us?" asked Adam. "You're the boss at Alfred Kelley. It's your decision. If some of your men don't want to stay, that's up to them, but I guarantee you, most will welcome the chance to expand their skills."

Looking at his hands in thought, Albert considered what Adam had said. So long, in fact, that Adam and Robert gave each other wary looks.

Finally, Albert looked back up at them. "It's a good deal…an excellent deal. But can I have day?"

"Of course," said Robert, relaxing and leaning back in his chair.

"Adam, what do you think you'll be able to teach my men?"

"They'll have a chance to learn cantilevering, decorative plaster, marble, terrazzo, heating and water systems. Maybe even building large rooms with no visible supports…room size skylights…turrets…foundations that will stand up to a San Francisco earthquake."

Alfred nodded as he stood. "I'll give you an answer tomorrow. In the meantime, I have to figure out how to say goodbye to an old friend."

Both Adam and Robert stood as Alfred left. "What do you think?" asked Robert.

Adam smiled. "His old friend is his company."

Nodding, Robert said, "Shall we go back to the office and finish our day?"

Adam nodded as he pushed his bottom lip up. "Beau, let's go."

XXXXXXXX

There was a point that Shiloh began to cry as she reloaded one rifle after another. She had a heightening need to go to her children and hold them until the attack was over. Still, her reasoning was stronger than her emotions, so she stayed where she was, in harms way, defending them, shoving cartridge after cartridge into the breech until she had to use the rifle she held to defend them all against the constant attempts by the Indians to breach the windows. In fact, she was so lost in concentrating on loading to keep from crying that the Pinkerton standing over her told her multiple times to stop while she continued.

He knelt down in front of her, pulled the rifle from her hands, took her by the shoulders and shook her. "Mrs. Cartwright!" As she looked for the next rifle, he shook her harder. "Shiloh!"

She looked up at him, her eyes wide and her mouth open.

"Shiloh, it's over. The men are cleaning up the stragglers. Your children are safe."

Suddenly, she felt the overwhelming need to stand up from the floor of the car.

The Pinkerton, realizing her frenzy, pulled her to her feet, then immediately let go, understanding she would be flying off to hold her children.

Rushing through the bedroom door, she called to Amalee, "Come out. It's over," but before Amalee had a chance to move, Shiloh was on her stomach on the floor, reaching for Aaron and Anna. Pulling them out from under the bed, she gathered both children to her breast, holding them as she wept into their hair.

Both children were calm. They looked at each other, not quite understanding why their mother was so upset. At almost the same time, Anna and Aaron, realizing something bad must have happened, threw their arms around their mother's neck and cried with her.

Amalee crawled out from under the bed and left the bedroom to begin cleaning up the mess that had taken over Crocker's car.

The Pinkerton's who had remained to help were already righting the furniture and removing the guns and boxes of ammunition.

Shiloh finally took a deep breath, and still on her knees, leaned back to look at her children. She pushed a curl out of Anna's face and wiped a tear from Aaron's cheek before she looked back at the open door, hoping to see Amalee waiting there. When Shiloh didn't find her, she stood and lifted Anna onto her arm and let her other hand rest on Aaron's shoulder, holding him against her leg as she walked out of the bedroom in search of Amalee.

When Shiloh found her, she set Anna's feet on the floor, then reached forward, pulled Amalee to her and held her tightly, whispering, "I will never be able to repay you for keeping them safe and unaware." In tears again, the two women looked into each other's eyes and shared their tears before both were in a warm embrace. Shiloh moved slightly away and wiped her eyes. "It's over. We're almost to civilization, so no more of this. We're all fine," Shiloh said, looking from Amalee to her children. "Now, shall we clean up this mess and figure out how we'll cover the windows."

Amalee sniffled, then giggled. "Yes, Ma'am."