Rud and the Damsel

Chapter 56 - Going Back

It was early spring of the seventh year since Rud had rescued Patience. Patience's third child was another boy named Rudolph after Rud, but his middle name was Smith after Mr. Smith, the head of her father's household staff. Smith had been a father figure for both Patience and Billy as their father was often away on business.

Rud had met Smith only briefly but had taken an instant liking to him and thought Rudolph Smith Morrow was a great name for one of his sons. Patience had nicknamed him Smitty saying one Rud in the family was more than enough.

The year after Smitty was born, Patience became pregnant again. She had not planned on another baby so soon but considered it a blessing. This time it was a baby girl, just as Alice had predicted.

Patience named her daughter Mary after her mother. Mary's big brothers, Henry, Logan, and even little Smitty were very excited they had a little sister. Rud loved his boys, but that little girl had a special place in his heart from the day Miss Betty placed her in his arms.

The cabin was getting crowded, so Rud had a bigger house built about a hundred yards away and not far from the trail leading up to the old hideout. Rud wanted to leave the cabin in a livable state, so he purchased all new furniture and housewares for their new home.   

After their things had been moved into the new house, Rud found Patience in the cabin sitting on their old bed. This bed was where Rud had placed her when he first brought her home to their valley, where she had laid watching Rud sleep on the tattered old rug, where they had become lovers the night they were married, and where her children had come into this world. Rud could tell Patience was very sad.

Margaret's pots and pans were still stacked on the shelves Rud and Billy had built for her. Her stove, the fireplace, the stone walls, all of it meant so much to Patience. Seven years of memories from the best years of her life were within these four stone walls.

Rud sat next to her. Patience said no matter where she sleeps, the cabin will always be her home. Rud told Patience the cabin was not only a home, but it was also a refuge for him first and then for her and Billy when they had no place else to go. They did not need it anymore, but someday someone will, and it will be here for them.

Knowing very well how much this cabin would mean to someone needing a place to feel safe, Patience began to feel better. Patience asked Rud to promise her it would always be here when someone needed it, and Rud promised.

Rud picked Patience up and said, "I carried you in when I first brought you home, and now I'm carrying you out." Patience smiled and held on tightly, her arms around Rud's neck. As Rud carried her through the door, Patience reached out and took her ball of sourdough starter that hung from a hook by the door, just as Bessie had instructed. Rud closed the cabin door behind them and carried Patience to their new home.  

* * * * *

The homestead had a much larger footprint now with Rud's new house, his old cabin, Billy and Alice's cabin, which had been expanded to two rooms, the large barn, and all the outbuildings. More pasture had been cleared and fenced for the horses and mules. A milk cow had replaced the goats as with the larger family a greater quantity of milk was required than the goats produced. Rud never really like goat milk that much anyway.

They had expanded the food plot and hayfield too. PAMBRO had made all of them wealthy, but Rud had not changed. In addition to his duties at PAMBRO, he still hunted, trapped, and made trade goods in his blacksmith shop. So much had changed in the last seven years, but the important things had not.    

All of Ollie's hard work was showing, and Bessie's farm was producing good crops each season. Martha had wanted another child right away, and less than a year after Charlotte was born, she had become pregnant. Martha delivered a baby boy named Andrew. According to Martha, taking care of her babies was easy. It was Ollie and the two Great Grandmas that caused her the most grief.