Sarah Adams cinched the strap under the horse’s belly a little tighter before securing it. She did not want to take a chance on falling on the rough path ahead. Looking at the forest around her, she could see a fine mist falling. She knew that the mist could turn to snow at these high attitudes even though it was late August. She was thankful for the warm wool cloak that her friend, Beth, had sewn for her. She also wore a split skirt so that riding was easier. Beth had had the idea of making her a skirt with a seam up the middle so that it looked like a skirt when she stood or walked but made it possible for her to ride a horse without riding sidesaddle. Since Sarah often had to travel on medical calls where there were no roads and sometimes barely a path, this had been a very useful garment. Looking toward her companion, she saw he was ready to go and she swung herself easily into the saddle and followed him up the mountain.
Sarah was determined to use her knowledge as a medical doctor and had gradually been winning the trust of the settlers in the area.. They loved the beautiful area, although life there was not without hardship and danger.
Sarah thought back on the happenings since they had arrived. They had met so many new people and she felt that the people of the area were finally accepting her as a doctor. Her jaw tightened as she thought of the one person who did not think of her that way. J.T., the boss of several of the logging camps, had threatened her several times about coming to the camps to work on men with injuries. He had told her that he did not allow any women in his camps. Sarah usually did not have a temper to match her auburn hair but somehow J.T. just managed to get her so angry she had trouble controlling her temper. She had told him in no uncertain terms that she would continue to do her job no matter where it took her! Every time they met, it seemed as though sparks flew, but she hoped he was a little closer to accepting her as a doctor.
Sarah had no illusions as to her beauty. In fact, she thought that she was rather plain. She had auburn hair, which she always wore in a bun at the back, and a rather long face. She was also tall, within an inch of being six feet, and many men had to look up to her. She dressed plainly, usually in a white blouse and dark skirt. She had no wish to marry and wasted no time trying to get men to like her. She was pleasant to all and genuinely cared for all her patients. She felt that God had called her to be a doctor and was pleased to finally be able to help so many. The only other doctor in Seattle Boston St. Louis Seattle
A noise from the man in front of her pulled Sarah’s thoughts back to the present as they pulled up to a rough cabin perched on a hillside. Sarah could see in a glance that someone had tried to clean around the area and there was a good pile of firewood in preparation for the coming winter. She quickly dismounted and was already getting her doctor’s case, even as the man came forward to take her horse and direct her to enter the cabin and told her he would care for the horses. Going into the cabin, Sarah made her way to the bedroom where the man’s wife had been in labor for several hours. This was one of the most frequent calls Sarah had as the men were nervous about helping their wives with the births. She imagined this would increase as the women who had newly joined the town married. This was the reason most of the women had come. Although the group with whom Sarah and her friends had traveled was a small one, another group had arrived weeks after them, containing over fifty women, all eager to meet a husband and marry. There had already been several weddings and Amanda and Riley were planning to marry in two weeks. After checking on her patient, Sarah began the tasks necessary to help with this birth.
Hours later, Sarah gave the newly washed baby to his tired mother. She would have to speak to the father about getting help for a few days. Luckily this birth had gone as planned but so many times the settlers waited too late to call for a physician. It had taken Sarah more than an hour to ride up to this cabin and she was glad that the woman had suffered no harm during the time that it took for her husband to travel into town.
Sarah began cleaning up the bedclothes and towels that were used during the delivery as well as her instruments which would have to be sterilized before she would be able to use them again. Carrying the heavy load into the front room, she realized that Mr. Roberts had come into the room and she turned toward him, “If you would like to meet your new son, go on into the bedroom. I will need some more water but there is time for a short visit.” She smiled as she continued working, not realizing that the man had moved closer to her.
“How about you and me having a little fun? I think my wife will be laid up for awhile and it gets lonesome up here without a women to comfort you,” Mr. Roberts moved even closer and put one hand on Sarah’s arm. This was not the first time, a man had thought that Sarah was an easy conquest, but she had to admit that it was the first time a man had tried anything so close to the birth of his own child.
“Mr. Roberts, I am not interested in anything of the sort. You need to go see to your wife and child!” Sarah could sound very stern when she wished and since she was a good five inches taller than the man, this usually was all she needed to put the man in his place. She pulled her arm from his grasp.
This time Mr. Roberts seemed not to care about his wife, though, and took hold of her arm again, even tighter. Sarah dropped the linens and instruments on the floor and grabbed the frying pan off the cook stove.
“Get back or you’ll be the one needing a doctor,” she warned!
“Aw, you can’t blame a man for trying.” Mr. Roberts whined.
“I certainly can blame a man for trying something like this when his wife and newborn son are in the next room! And I do not play those games so get back and go to your wife!”
As Sarah spoke, there was a knock on the door and she was secretly relieved to know that someone was there and would help her with Mr. Roberts.
She held the frying pan ready to hit Mr. Roberts if necessary and was glad when he gave her a sour look and sighed. Going to the door, he called out, “Who’s there?”
“J.T.” came the muffled reply.
Mr. Roberts opened the door and Sarah could instantly see the difference in the man when J.T. walked into the room. He seemed to respect the man and looked at the floor.
J. T. looked at Sarah still holding the frying pan as if she would hit someone and then gave a hard look to Mr. Roberts.
“What’s going on here, Buck? I came to see why you haven’t been at work for the past 2 days.”
Buck Roberts still seemed to stare at the floor and say nothing.
Sarah put down the frying pan and answered for him “His wife just had a baby. I am sure that he wants to go in and meet his new son.”
J.T. jerked his head at Buck and he went silently into the bedroom. Then J.T. walked over to Sarah. “Has he been giving you any trouble? You looked like you were about to throw that pan at him.”
Sarah stiffened. For some reason, she just could not stand this man and his attitude toward women. “I am fine. I have told you before that I can take care of myself!”
“Well, I think I will just stay while you get your things together and take you down the mountain. How did you get here? I know Buck doesn’t have a wagon and I don’t think one could make it up here.”
“I rode on my horse. He is in the barn. I will get my instruments and other items together and will be ready to leave in a few minutes.”
“I guess I’ll have to go out and saddle your horse for you. Women always expect a man to do everything for them. You need to stay in town like I told you to. :
Sarah drew herself up to her full height, “Mr. … er.. J.T., I am perfectly capable to saddling my own horse, I have been doing it since I was ten and I can find my way back down the mountain. I am sure that you need to get back to work.”
J.T. looked at her with narrowed eyes, “So I guess, I could just go ahead and leave then?”
“Well,” Sarah hesitated, “I would appreciate it if you would wait until I leave.”
J.T. laughed harshly. “That’s what I thought. It looks like you would have learned something from that woman that was kidnapped by the Indian. It is dangerous around here for a woman and that includes you, pretty doctor lady!”
Sarah’s mouth flew open, First no one had ever called her pretty and she was so used to being self sufficient that it was difficult for her to ask for help, especially from him.
She decided to say nothing and quickly washed her instruments and packed them in her case. She would sterilize them back at the cabin.
“Would you mind standing at the door while I go in the bedroom and check to make sure that I am not leaving anything?” she asked stiffly.
“Ha! Just as I thought! Old Buck was bothering you, wasn’t he? One day you are going to get yourself in trouble that you won’t be able to get out of so easily, you know”
Sarah knocked at the bedroom door and at the sound of Mrs. Roberts’ call, went in to gather anything she had left behind. She made sure to stand on the opposite side of the bed from Mr. Roberts. She smiled down at the baby and mother, “I think everything will be fine. You need to take it easy for a few weeks. Is there anyone who could come and help you for a few days?”
“I heard you have some women down there staying with you who are good nurses. Maybe one of them could come up for a few days,” Mr. Roberts smirked.
Sarah looked directly at him. “My friends are busy nursing others now. If you can’t find help, then you will have to help your wife.”
“I don’t do women’s work! Jessie will just have to get up and do it!”
Sarah was disgusted by this man’s attitude. She could only pray that the women who had just joined the community would not meet men such as Mr. Roberts.
J.T. spoke up, “You can have the next week off from work, Buck, and I will be coming to check on you and Jessie and the baby. Jessie is not strong enough to do all that needs to be done and I expect you to do all that is necessary. You know that I don’t hold with my men having families for just this reason. Logging is hard work and you don’t need to be distracted but since you insisted on getting married and having this baby, you are responsible and I expect you to do what you need to do!” J. T. spoke with authority and it seemed that Mr. Roberts was going to listen.
“Thank you for your help,” whispered Jessie. “I don’t know what I would have done without you!”
“You are quite welcome. Delivering a healthy baby is one of the parts of my job that I enjoy the most!” Sarah smiled at the woman, even as she gathered her instruments and belongings and made for the door.
Within minutes she was packed and ready to go and on her way to the barn to get her horse. J. T. followed her and watched as she began the task of saddling her horse.
“Here, let me do that! My mother raised me to do things of this sort for women.” J. T. said as he took the saddle from her.
“Did your mother raise you to treat women like they had no right to be here or to speak so rudely to them? “ Sarah answered.
J.T. stared off into the distance and seemed to be thinking before answering, “No, I guess she didn’t. She and my sister were two of the sweetest women I have ever known. They tried to make a gentleman out of me but I guess that is one thing that they failed to do!”
J.T. quickly saddled the horse and then moved to help Sarah mount.
“That is not necessary,” she said as she swung herself into the saddle. J.T. mounted his own horse and led the way back toward town.
They had not gone very far when Sarah called out to him, “You don’t have to go all the way back to town. I know you want to get back to your work.”
J.T. pulled the reins as he stopped to speak with her. “Tell me the truth. Was Buck trying something with you? Is that why you had that frying pan in your hand?”
Sarah wished she did not have to tell him the truth but she would not lie, “Well, yes, but I could have handled the situation myself.”
J.T. shook his head, “I hope that nothing bad happens to make you see that it is not safe for a woman alone up here and sometimes she is not safe even when she has someone with her! I’ll take you to the edge of town. Let’s go. As you said, I have work to do.”
Sarah followed him down the mountainside toward town as she thought about all the things that had happened in the time since they had arrived in Seattle
Sarah was so deep in thought that she was startled when her horse stopped by J.T.’s horse.
“Doc, you had better start paying more attention to your surroundings or something bad is going to happen to you one day!”
Sarah was surprised to see the edge of town.
“I’ll just leave you here. I don’t go into town much and need to get back to work. But you need to take my advice and stay in town. Do all the doctoring you want there but it is too dangerous for you to be out all over the mountains, especially at night.”
Sarah just smiled, “I have to go where the sick people are. They don’t all live in town. And if it was difficult for me to go up that mountain last night, it would have been even worse for Mrs. Roberts to come down here in the middle of having a baby.”
J.T. shook his head, “You just won’t listen, will you? I’ll bet old Buck never even paid you, did he?”
"Well, no, I guess I forgot to ask him about that,” Sarah admitted.
“Too busy trying to get away from him! Here!” He tossed a gold coin to Sarah.
“Don’t worry! I’ll take it out of his pay!” he called over his shoulder and he kicked his heels into the horse’s side and galloped toward the logging camp.
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