On Ma Smalley's front porch, Mathilda and Walter sat side-by-side on rocking chairs, with a small table stacked with papers between them. He passed over the story he'd been working on. "Take a look, it could use a touch of your magic." Wielding a pencil, she quickly crossed out words, inserted phrases and handed it back. He scanned her corrections and nodded. "Another wonderful job, Tilda" She smiled at the man she'd been working with for the past few days. No else ever called her Tilda, it made her feel special. Blinking his eyes, Lane ran a hand across his face. Let's stop there, it's getting too dark to work. Besides, there's something I have to talk to you about." "What is it Wally?" He smiled. He'd always been Walter to everyone, until now. And the way "Wally" rolled off Tilda's tongue delighted him. He leaned closer in the dusky light. "I've been wiring my brother, John, in Topeka about you, with small samples of your work. He's as taken with your talent as I am. Listen, I'll be leaving Dodge soon to continue collecting stories. Frankly, I wish I could take you with me as my editor, but a young, unmarried woman, traveling alone with a man, could become the subject of terrible gossip. Neither of us wants that. However, John and I want to offer you a job as an editor of the Gazette, working out of Topeka. We can pay $8 a week, not much I know, but your pay will increase as our sales go up." He rested his hand on Mathilda's. She didn't move. "This traveling project of mine is something I've dreamt of for as long as I remember. People like kings, generals and railroad tycoons are written about all the time. But it's so called ordinary folks, like the man they call Bobcat, that make the world go around. That's why I travel from place to place, talking to everyday people about their lives, their work, and their hopes for the future. I believe their stories are as interesting and important as a king's. Tilda, this project means a lot to me, but it won't last forever. I've given myself a year, then I'll join John in Topeka, to work on the Gazette. I-I, we've only known each other for a few days, but I feel a connection - a pull, between us. I have no right to ask you to wait for me, but if you're in Topeka when I return, I want to give our feelings a chance to blossom and grow. What do you think?" Mathilda looked into his warm and honest eyes, and thought about the prospect of moving to a bigger city where she knew no one, living alone in whatever place would rent to a single woman, and surviving on little money. It would be a challenge, but she'd be doing work she loved in a job that had a future, and there was no denying, she felt the pull towards Wally too. She squeezed his hand. "Tell John, that I accept."
The Dodge House
Vivi sat on a lumpy single bed, staring across the room, at a faded painting of barren plains. The so call art was as charmless and cheerless as the rest of the room. She lay back and stared at the cracks in the ceiling. Her conversation with Matt Dillon had been long and detailed. He's a special man, that's obvious, and when he looks at you with those clear, blue eyes, you feel his warmth but also know he's no one's fool, and never will be. The man is really something, which made it even more infuriating that he helped Mathilda stay in Dodge, instead of sending her right home. He repeated, several times, that Matilda had the right to change her mind about marrying Jeffrey. Yes, he agreed, she has a lot to learn, but insisted learning was just part of life. He couldn't get it through his head that marriage proposals from kind, handsome, well-off men, don't fall from the trees like leaves in autumn. And, the fact that Jeffrey was still willing to marry Mathilda, even after all this foolishness, made him truly rare.
"Vivi, are you in there?"
Overjoyed to hear Kitty outside the door, Vivi jumped up to let her in "I'm so glad you're here." She pulled her friend inside. "Vivi, Matt told me about the conversation you two had, but you should know something else. I spoke to the man Mathilda works for, Walter Lane. He told me she plans to move to Topeka and work for the Kansas Gazette. The pay's not great to start with, but he's sure the paper will grow. It sounds like a ..." Vivi put up a hand to interrupt. "A single woman in a city like Topeka, working for some pittance. That will not be the fate of a daughter of mine. It's time I spoke to Mathilda myself. Matt said she had a room at some - some boarding house. Kitty, take me there right now."
Kitty led the way down Front Street without saying a word, as Vivi ranted, raved and muttered. They stopped in front of the clapboard house with a wraparound porch. "Here we are. I believe she's in room 101." Vivi hurried up the steps, and banged on Mathilda's door. Without waiting for an answer, she called out."It's your mother and Kitty." The door flew open. "M-m-mama. I - please both of you come in. The two women stepped inside, and Kitty closed the door behind them. Vivi glared at her daughter, hands on her hips "Mathilda, pack your things. We are taking the next train home where you will apologize to Jeffrey, explain that you were foolishly overcome with nervousness, and thank him for his patience." "Mama, I have a job waiting in Topeka I..." " NO" Vivi stepped even closer to her daughter. "Not another word from your mouth. DO AS I SAY." Mathilda flinched at the anger in her mother's voice. Kitty stepped between them, "Vivi, maybe you should hear her out." Vivi's face contorted with anger, she whipped around to Kitty. "Stay out of it. My daughter will not end up like you - a childless whore." Kitty's eyes flashed, as she clenched her fist to keep from smacking Vivi. "I'm not the one to has to beg a man for money, or permission to ride a damn train." Vivi gasped and slapped Kitty's cheek,"You bitch." Kitty slapped back hard. "By bitch you mean a woman who speaks her mind to a man more than once every 19 years." Vivi slapped Kitty again, Kitty grabbed her wrist. Mathilda pushed between them. "STOP IT." The older women froze. Mathilda looked from one to the other. "This is not about either of you. This is about my life." She looked her mother straight in the eye. "Mama, I am going to travel to New Orleans with you, with the understanding that I am there to get my clothes, say goodbye to papa and my sisters and speak to Jeffrey. I owe him an explanation. Then I am going to Topeka to begin my position in the Kansas Gazette. It's a job I'm looking forward to. While I'm there I'll write letters regularly to you and papa, because no matter what I choose to do, I am still your daughter. If that is not acceptable to you, we will say goodbye right here and right now."
Shaken by her fight with Kitty, and stunned by Mathilda's calm declaration, Vivi took a long, shaky breath and stared at the woman her daughter had suddenly become. She'd never seen such fierceness or determination in her eyes, or perhaps she never noticed it before. "All right. I admit, I can't force you to go along with my wishes, and perhaps I shouldn't even want you to. When do we leave for New Orleans?" "Well, I have some work left here with Wally, Walter Lane, so the day after tomorrow." Vivi sighed, but a tiny smile tugged at her lips. "This is not what your father intended when he paid for this trip." She slowly turned to Kitty, avoiding her eyes. "I'm ashamed and sorry for the things I said. Is there some place we can talk?" Kitty nodded curtly. "Yep, follow me."
TBC