Chapter 15 Michael carefully opened the latch on the trunk. He slowly lifted the lid to reveal the contents of the trunk. Atop piece of fabric was a sheet of parchment. Michael picked up the fragile paper and began reading. "The Colorado Spring Memorabilia Chest, Founders Day, 1872." He began. "If you have found this chest, then you have found a piece of our life here in Colorado Springs. We put this chest together so that folks in the future might know what life was like her in 1872. We all hope you enjoy learnin about our little town." Michael paused at the end of the note.

"How amazing." Melissa beamed. "Michael this is just the thing you're always been hoping for."

"It certainly is." Michael breathed. "A discovery like this is something history buffs only dream about."

"And it's so close to home. I mean we could be living in someone's house who contributed to this chest."

"Well there's only one way to find out." Anne piped in. "Let's look at what's in here!"

Michael pulled back the fabric lining the top of the chest and pulled out the first item. "A telegraph machine!" He ran his hand over the object, clicking the button a few times.

"Imagine what it would have been like to use one of those." Melissa said. "Communication sure has come a long way."

"Yes it has." Michael agreed.

"But ya can't work it." Anne provoked.

"Oh sure I can." Melissa accepted the challenge. "Just watch. Here's S.O.S."

Melissa tapped out the codes carefully. The clicking of the machine was the only sound heard throughout the room. Until of course Melissa set it down triumphantly. Anne let out a cry of laughter. "S.O.S?! Ha. More like T.A.S."

Melissa could feel her cheeks redden. "How would you know?"

"I studied morose code in high school. That was sure not S.O.S."

Michael intervened before a small fight broke out. "Why don't we keep looking through here?" he suggested.

Melissa reached into the trunk and pulled out a large scroll of parchment. "I wonder what this is." She said.

"Looks like paper." Anne teased.

"Well obviously it's paper." Said Melissa. "Here, take this end. Let's unroll it."

Anne took one end and stretched the paper across the small room. "It looks like a timeline."

Michael began reading some of the events in front of them. "The Spanish explorers, Pike's peak discovered, tornado hits town, geyser erupts in meadow, gold nugget opened, train comes to town."

Following every event as Michael read, Melissa was shocked at its great detail. "It looks like a chronology of the entire town's history."

"Everything that ever happened in this area, up until 1872. I can't believe it!" Michael was thrilled with his discovery. "I could never have dreamed of something as important as this!"

"But there's a lot more in this trunk." Anne said. "You could learn even more."

The three continued to empty the chest. A Freedman's reader. "They must have opened a freedman's school here."

A key to the gold nugget. "A hotel perhaps?"

A horseshoe. "Must have had an remarkable blacksmith."

A fishing hook. "The trout are wonderful here."

A photograph. "A businessman in from of a hotel." "Is it possible they had two. It seems unlikely in such a small place."

A bible. "They were religious."

A book, My Town. "Again, who could have hoped for such an amazing find?"

Pulling out the last item, Melissa ran her fingers over the carved inscription. M.Quinn. Medicine Woman. Where had she heard that name before? It was so familiar.

"Medicine Woman? You think she was an Indian?" Anne asked. "I don't think a town at this time would be too keen on having an Indian as a citizen." Michael said. "But it does sound like an Indian name."

Melissa continued to sit there, holding the shingle. "She was a doctor."

Michael was skeptical. "A woman doctor in 1872?"

"Just because it was taboo doesn't mean it didn't happen." Melissa defended.

"It just seems odd. A woman doctor way out west? This place wasn't as civilized as the cities were. At leas tin Philadelphia they could study medicine."

"Michaela Quinn was a doctor!" Melissa shouted. "And she may be one of my ancestors."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Michael wondered.

"No Michael, she's right." Anne said. "We found information. This was Michaela Quinn's house.she was the first woman doctor in Colorado."

"You found information?"

"Yes, in the attic. There's loads of interesting stuff up there." Melissa said.

With Michael still giving them odd glances, Melissa ran, or hobbled, into the kitchen. She returned a few minutes later with the book she and Anne had been looking at. "Look right here." She pointed to the top of the family tree. "Dr. Michael Quinn. Born February 15, 1833. She would have been old enough to be an accomplished physician by the 70s."

"Where did you find that?!" Michael's curiosity was soaring.

"In the attic just like she said." Anne informed. "She was cleaning."

"In our attic?"

"Yes Michael. Our attic." Melissa was getting frustrated with all of the questions. "Can't you see what all of this means?

"No I can't."

"Well then I'll just have to tell you now won't I?" she paused for recognition then sighed, seeing they really were not as enthused as she was. Abandoning them once more, she limped back to the attic. Rummaging through all the organized boxes she threw all sorts of things out. Then she found it. The picture. She ran back downstairs and threw it at Michael. "That's Michaela Quinn. The woman in my dream!"

"The one from the hospital?" Michael asked

"Yes!"

"Melissa I think you need to lie down."

"I do not! I'm perfectly fine."

"You're ranting like madwoman."

"I am not. I'm telling you that woman.Michaela Quinn came to me in a dream. She saved me and was bringing me home. Her home. This house. Michael we are living in her house!"

"Hold on.back track a little." He held up the picture. "How do you know this is Michaela Quinn?"

"Look on the back." Melissa instructed.

Michael flipped over the picture. Clearly printed on the back was "Dr. Michaela Quinn." But Michael was still unsure what Melissa was thinking. "And this was the woman in your dream?"

"Yes. And she brought me here to this house."

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

"You think this was her house."

"I know it was. Anne will you help me out here?"

"Melissa we've been searching all afternoon and can't find any proof." Anne said. "I don't know what to believe."

"Look at that family tree Anne. It goes straight back to Michaela Quinn."

Anne looked again, even though she knew what was there. Michael, who had yet had a chance to look closely at the names on the page join her. Sure enough, Michaela Quinn was on there. Near the top, under Elizabeth and Josef Quinn. She and a Byron Sully had seven children. Only three of them seemed to have different parents. "They must have been adopted." Melissa assumed.

The eldest child of Dr. Quinn and Byron Sully, Katherine Sully, had a son, Kevin Sully. "Why didn't he have his father's name?"

"Who knows." Melissa continued to read the names. "Kevin had a son, Brian Sully. Brian had a son Paul."

"But look.Paul's last name is Sullivan not Sully." Anne pointed out. "WE found out he changed it because he was wanted for murder."

"Tut he was innocent." Melissa was sure to say.

"Wait." Michael stopped. "Sullivan?" it was all beginning to make a little sense.

"Now you know why we think there's a connection." Said Melissa.

"Paul Sullivan had a daughter, Katherine." Anne said. "We think she may be related to us somehow."

"We think she's our mother." Melissa was adamant. "And we're going to find out for certain.."

"You really think so?" Michael said, glancing over to confirm with Anne.

"Something led me to this house Michael. It's no coincidence that we live here. I just have to find out why. This is my family. I'm sure of it now."

"It's just a house Melissa. These are people who lived here years ago. They are nothing more then strangers."

"We'll see about that!" Melissa stormed back to the attic for more searching, leaving Michael and Anne sitting alone with the trunk.