It was particularly beautiful, this Wednesday, September 6th, as she was stooped over her vegetables. All of a sudden she heard wagon wheels come to a screech behind her, and someone called out her name.
"Yes?" She turned around, excited to see company.
Sully was just jumping out of the wagon, then helped Abagail down.
"Why hello, you two," she said pleasantly. It was the first time Abagail had ever been out to the homestead. She reached down and picked up Brian.
"Oh my!" exclaimed Abagail. "He’s gotten so big! How old is he? May I hold him?"
Charlotte handed her the baby. "One and a half," she said proudly.
Abagail cooed over the child while Sully pulled Charlotte aside.
"Get your sewin’ things," said he to her.
"What?" she asked.
"I said, get your sewin’ things." He smiled at her.
"Sully, what’s going on?"
Abagail came up behind her, holding Brian. "Byron thinks it’s high time you met some women in this town, Charlotte. And so do I. So come on, there’s a meetin’ of the Sewin’ Circle today at Mrs. Wilson’s house, and you’re comin’."
"But, but I can’t" sputtered Charlotte. "The kids - I can’t bring ‘em, and Ethan’s not home."
"I’ll watch the kids, offered Sully. "It’s only for a few hours. C’mon, you trust me, don’t ya? Abagail’s goin’ with ya." He nudged her.
She became excited. "Oh, thanks!" she said and ran inside. She came out with her freshly pressed bonnet and caba . (AUTHOR’S NOTE: A small handbag)
"Matthew and Colleen are playing in the barn," she told him. "I told them they could play in the loft. As for Brian," Abagail handed the baby to Sully, her eyes shining, "I just fed him, so he should be just fine till he gets back. But if he starts crying -"
"We’ll be fine, Charlotte," Sully spoke up. "I’m sure Colleen knows how to do these things."
Charlotte nodded worriedly. "Of course she does. It’s just that -"
"Don’t worry about it!" he bounced Brian on his knee and waved her off."
"You ready?" Abagail held out a hand from the wagon seat. Charlotte gathered her skirts and climbed up.
"You two have fun now!" called Sully as the women waved to him. "Don’t worry ‘bout a thing!"
After the Sewing Circle meeting, Abagail drove Charlotte back to the homestead. "Oh," sighed Charlotte. "Thank you so much for taking me to the meetin’, Abagail. It was so nice to finally meet some ladies."
Abagail giggled. "Wish I could take credit for all of it, Charlotte," she said, "but truth be known, it was Byron’s idea."
Charlotte gasped. "Sully’s!"
Abagail nodded. "Yup, he’s got whole thing planned out. Don’t think this was a one time deal. I’m going to pick you up every Wednesday for the Circle meetin’, and Byron will stay with the kids. He likes ‘em a whole lot, Charlotte," she said shyly. "So do I... I can’t wait for some of my own."
Charlotte smiled and held her hand. "You and Sully are going to be so happy together, I just know it," she told her.
Abagail looked happy for a moment, but then her smile faded.
"What’s the matter?" asked Charlotte.
"It’s...it’s my Pa."
"Loren? Is he alright?"
"Alright? Well, I s’pose so...but...when I told him about Byron and me, he told me if I married him, I’d be good as dead to him."
Charlotte gasped. She remembered her conversation with Maude the other day. "Oh, Abagail, he can’t mean it!"
"Oh, he does," said Abagail sorrowfully. "I told him that I love him, but I love Byron with all my heart and I mean to be his wife."
"What did he do?" Charlotte was astounded.
"I can’t live there no more," Abagail burst into tears.
"What?!" Charlotte gasped. "Have you told Sully?"
Abagail nodded. "Of course, right away. He invited me to stay with him, but it just wouldn’t be proper, you know, us bein’ unmarried and all."
Charlotte nodded. "So what are you going to do? Where have you been staying?"
"My Aunt Olive just bought a cattle ranch on the south side of town. I’ve been staying with her. Least till I get married."
"Do you know when the wedding will be yet?" Charlotte asked.
Abagail smiled through her tears. "Yeah," she nodded. "Next June, the third." The tears stopped coming. "Oh Charlotte, I’m so excited. I can hardly wait to settle down with my husband and raise a family. I hope my kids turn out as well as yours."
Charlotte smiled. "It’s going to be wonderful." She continued. "Have you decided where you’re going to be livin’?"
Abagail nodded and leaned in privately, even though there was no one around them. "Ma gave me and Byron a deed to some land west of town. It’s her wedding present to us. But Pa don’t know yet. I ‘spect he’s gonna be awfully mad when he finds out, but I don’t care. It helps us out so much. Byron’s started working on the homestead in his spare time, and it’s coming along real nice so far."
They came to the homestead. Abagail parked the wagon and they both jumped out. The house was very quiet. Charlotte became concerned. "Is everything okay?" she started walking quickly towards the house. Opening the door, she froze.
Inside, Sully sat with the kids on the hearth of the fireplace, Brian between his knees, Colleen hanging over his shoulder, and Matthew lying on the floor beside him. He held a book in his hands and was reading aloud to them. No one was moving, as they were transfixed by his voice and were hanging on his every word.
Charlotte stood very still, not wanting to disturb them. Behind her, Abagail saw her love, the kindness in his eyes showing as his lips moved, forming words.
Sully, out of the corner of his eye, saw the two women there, and looked up. He stopped reading. "Hi! How was the meetin’?"
"Ma!" Matthew and Colleen ran their mother. Brian crawled behind them. Sully stood up and picked up the baby, carrying him over.
"Oh, it was wonderful, Sully," said Charlotte. "I can’t thank you enough for doing this for me."
Sully shook his head, a smile escaping from the corner of his mouth. He was quite pleased with himself. "I know how lonely it gets for you out here. Least I can do."
"Well!" said Charlotte brightly, tickling Matthew and Colleen, who began giggling. "You and Abagail must stay for supper tonight."
"Won’t hear no complainin’ from me!" said Sully. Abagail just smiled, thinking of the picture of Sully with the Cooper children. Only nine months to go.
The months passed quickly now, with Charlotte looking forward to her Circle meeting every week. She met all of the wives in town, and became friends with a good many of them. A few, learning she had been a midwife in Topeka, asked that she help them out when their time came. To this, she agreed eagerly. It was a wonderful time for her. Ethan, strangely enough, had been on his best behavior ever since that day she had fallen off the horse. She saw Sully and Abagail often, as those two were rarely apart. Every week she went to the Circle meeting with Abagail, while Sully stayed with the kids, and occasionally he brought her by the homestead to see how it was coming along. With her new friends from the Sewing Circle, she was finally beginning to feel at home in Colorado Springs.
1861
1861 blew in with a bluster. There was blizzard upon blizzard, and most of the townsfolk couldn’t get out much, because a storm might blow in from the northwest any moment. Charlotte didn’t go anywhere often, which was fine, since the Sewing Circle couldn’t meet anyway. Abagail didn’t get out too much either, but Sully managed to make it in-between storms.
In March of that year, Brian turned two years old. The day of his birthday, Charlotte had planned to have Abagail and Sully over, but when she woke up that morning, she knew it wouldn’t happen. A blizzard had come in during the night, and she could barely see out the front windows. She sighed to herself, and began making dinner. Colleen would help with the cake, and the family would have a nice quiet celebration.
Earlier that morning, Sully had walked to Miss Olive's. He had no intention of taking Abagail with him to the Cooper house in this weather, but he himself wasn't going to miss Brian's birthday. Still, he felt it important to let Abagail know that he was going.
Abagail came to the door. She ushered him inside. "You’re still going in this weather?"
Sully nodded. "I don’t want to miss his birthday," he began half-heartedly. His present was in his hands.
Abagail nodded. "Then I’m going with you."
"What?" Sully hadn’t expected this. "No you’re not," he said to her. "It’s too cold out there."
"I want to be with the Coopers on this day too," she told him. "Besides Byron, it’s my decision to make."
She turned and went to her room to get dressed.
"What do you think you’re doing?" asked Olive as she began dressing. "You’re not going out in this weather, are you?"
Abagail nodded. "Byron’s going, and I’m going with him." She put on another flannel petticoat and pair of woolen stockings.
"Are you crazy Abagail Hannah Bray?!"
Abagail rolled her eyes, pulled on her hood and wrapped her veil around the hood and her face. "I’m goin’ Aunt Olive." She put on her muffler and over all of it, her coat.
Olive came pounding down the stairs to Sully. "You’d better take good care of her," she threatened him. "Wait a sec, you're walking there?" She was aghast. "No, you don't," she told him. "Take my cutter, if you can figger out how to drive the horses, that is."
It was a cold remark, but Sully figured he deserved it. "I'll figure it out," he agreed, trying to compromise.
They got into the cutter and Sully wrapped the buffalo robes around her and himself warmly. "You sure you want to do this?" asked Sully.
She nodded. "I’m sure."
The horses started trotting. It was slow going, as the freezing wind was pushing against them. The bitter cold was biting her, but she tried to ignore it as much as she could.
"You okay?" Sully took a look at her.
"Sure," she nodded. Her teeth were chattering, but so were Sully’s.
A few more miles and she was starting to feel better. The cold didn’t hurt as much now.
Sully kept looking over at her every so often. She blinked to keep her eyes open. The world was blending into one rhythmic masterpiece. Her head started to slide down.
"Abagail?" came Sully’s warning voice, making the world coming into focus again. She didn’t want it to. The biting pain came back. She lifted her head a bit.
He kept driving, but his head was turned to her. "Abagail?" he shook her a bit. It hurt. "You alright?"
She nodded. It took too much energy to speak.
He shook her again. "Are ya sleepy?"
"Yeah," she mumbled, her head dropping back down.
He pulled her up. "Don’t go to sleep now, ya hear me?"
"What?" she asked him.
"Don’t go to sleep. You’ll freeze to death."
She nodded and tried to keep awake.
All of a sudden came a loud banging on the door. Charlotte looked up in surprise. Who could that be? She ran to the door and flung it open. Sully and Abagail, wrapped up in blankets, came barreling inside.
"Sully? Abagail?" she could barely see them under all the blankets.
"Yeah, it’s us, Charlotte," came Sully’s voice, muffled by the blankets.
"Mercy me!" exclaimed Charlotte. "You must be frozen!"
Sully took off the wet blankets. "I’m okay. Abagail?" he started unwrapping her.
He had been supporting her as they came inside the house, Now, finally out of the storm, he realized he hadn’t heard from her in awhile.
He uncovered her face. It was a pale, sickly white.
"Abagail!" his voice became frantic.
"Quickly, Sully," Charlotte said. "Let’s get her by the fire."
They dragged the girl over to the hearth and quickly began unwrapping her overclothes.
Abagail’s eyes fluttered open. "Oh!" she gasped, her teeth chattering. "I’m so cold!"
"It’s okay, we’re gonna get you warm," Charlotte told her. She was soaked to the bone. Charlotte began undressing her.
"Turn away, Sully. Better yet, go into my bedroom and get the blanket on the bed."
He complied.
She undressed Abagail to her underclothes and wrapped her up in the blanket, then ushered her to the rocking chair in front of the fire.
Within an hour, Abagail was warmed up and sleeping peacefully in front of the fire. The blizzard continued furiously. Ethan had helped Sully wipe down the horses and put them in the barn, and had gone out again with Matthew to do the midday chores. Charlotte was mixing the cake for Brian, and had given a bit to Colleen to play with in her patty pans.
Sully sat by the fire, Brian in his lap, watching Abagail as she slept. He absent-mindedly held in his hands his gift to the baby, a set of wooden train cars he had carved. Presently, he stood up with the baby and walked over to Charlotte.
She shook her head. "That was a fool thing you out Sully, dragging yourselves out here. I know you love Brian ‘n all, but it wasn’t worth all that."
Sully nodded, "I know. I realized that halfway here, but by then it was easier just to get here. I was gettin’ worried - trying to keep Abagail awake and feelin’ myself doze off as well. It’s a good thing you don’t live any farther from town."
The front door opened and a white Ethan and Matthew came in. "Well!" said Charlotte brightly. "I say we have ourselves a party!"
"Yeah!" Colleen and Matthew came flying over to her.
"Pa! Play somethin’!?" Colleen asked.
Sully looked surprised. "You play?" he asked Ethan. He could’ve kicked himself. He had left his violin at his camp.
Ethan nodded. "A bit." He walked over to the mantle and picked up his fiddle case. Opening it, he took out the instrument and began tuning it. "What’d you like to hear?" he asked his children.
"Pop goes the weasel!" Colleen cried.
Ethan began playing, popping the string with his finger every time the song called for it. Colleen squealed with delight.
Right afterwards, he dove into a lively rendition of "Captain Jinks."
Charlotte began clapping her hands in time to the beat, and soon everyone was following her. Matthew jumped up and began jigging, singing:
Charlotte stood up. Her skirts swinging, she began jigging as well and sang:
Mother and son danced together, jumping around.
Sully pulled a harmonica out of his pocket. "What do ya say we try one together?" he asked Ethan.
Ethan shrugged. "Sure." He began " Hail Columbia." Sully followed along.
The Cooper family and Abagail sang:
They played the day away…
Springtime came once again to the town of Colorado Springs. It had become a lot bigger than the one the Coopers had come to two years before. New buildings and business had sprung up, their false fronts making the town more "sophisticated," and Main Street itself longer. This made it easier for Charlotte to get to town more often, and she was able to join the Ladies’ Aid as well as stay part of the Sewing Circle. She became an influential part of the church, and good friends with the Rev. Timothy Johnson, who had just taken over the parish from his predecessor, Rev. Thomas Drychen. Rev. Drychen had been a circuit rider , so there had been times when church had not been held, but with the advent of Rev. Johnson, a project was underway to build a church on the meadow grounds. (AUTHOR’S NOTE: Circuit Rider- A preacher who traveled from church to church in a given district, usually serving very small populations.)
The Cooper family attended the church bee, 3-year-old Brian walking along holding 6-year-old Colleen’s hand. 10-year-old Matthew swaggered alongside his Pa, feeling very important indeed. Charlotte walked arm-in-arm with her husband.
The church bee was a great success, a frolicking party with so great an attendance it was up in one day. Sully and Abagail came together, much to the annoyance of Loren, who Charlotte could see from far off was scowling.
"Two more months," Charlotte said brightly to Abagail as Sully played catch with Matthew and Colleen.
"I know!" said Abagail. "I can hardly wait!"
"You two goin’ anywhere on your wedding tour?"
Abagail shook her head. "No...I don’t want to... I think we’ll just spend it in the homestead. It’s done you know. Byron’s just puttin’ the finishin’ touches on it."
She looked down at the ground. "I’m hopin’ to get Pa to come to the weddin’...but he won’t even talk to me."
Charlotte nodded. "He’s one for holding a grudge alright."
Late May came, and the plans were all set. It was to be held at dawn on the morning of Monday, June 3rd, 1861. Charlotte and Maude made the beautiful dress, a white cloud of a gown that Abagail looked beautiful in. A lace veil completed the outfit and Charlotte couldn’t wait for Sully to see his bride in it.
Sully made his own arrangements without the help of anyone. He even went to Denver to buy a brand new suit. He chose the wedding ring as well there, a circlet of pearls. Though they signified tears, it was what Abagail wanted. Tears could be happy as well as sad, she had told him.
He sat alone in his camp, the last day of his bachelorhood, playing his fiddle. Only Abagail knew he played. Having no formal training on the instrument, he didn’t like to display his musical talents. Usually, when they were alone together, he would take it out. But now in his solitude he played a song from his heart. The notes, each one newly formed, expressed his love for Abagail.
Near candle-lighting time he put the instrument away. The music had cleared his senses. He had decided to make one last impassioned plea.
He found Loren Bray still in his mercantile, working on some figures. Sully hesitated just a moment, and then resolutely stepped inside.
Loren looked up at him, but didn’t say a word. Sully trembled, actually trembled for just a moment, knowing how much having her father at her wedding meant to his soon-to-be wife.
Sully began. "Loren," he said, speaking the older man’s first name of the first time. "I come to you today not as your daughter’s future husband but as a man. It’s your daughter’s wedding day tomorrow. She...and I, want you to be there so much. She loves you -" his voice cracked. "You’re her Pa. Please, come, give her away. It’s all she wants from you."
Loren looked up, and Sully could see the tears forming in his eyes. Then, gruffly, he said, "Get out!"
"Loren -" Sully began.
"I said, get out! I’m not her Pa anymore, and you will NEVER be a son to me. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - Abagail is dead."
White-faced, Sully turned around and left.
Loren stumbled over to a cupboard and pulled out a bottle of whiskey.
The sun rose brightly over Pike’s Peak on the 3rd day of June, 1861. A big crowd had gathered well before dawn at the church for the outdoor ceremony. Reverend Johnson, pleased to be marrying his first couple in Colorado Springs, beamed down upon them all.
He turned to Sully, and asked, "Byron Sully, will you have Abagail Bray to be your wife; to live in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"
"I will," said Sully resolutely.
Rev. Johnson turned then to Abagail. "Abagail Bray, will you have Byron Sully to be your husband; to live in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?
"I will," said Abagail in her sweet and quiet way.
"Byron and Abagail have chosen to write their own vows," he announced to the crowd. "They will now pronounce them to each other."
Abagail began, facing Sully in her pure white splendor:
("Eternal Love" by Gustavo Becquer, b. 1836)
She took a deep breath and continued. "On this day, this day that signifies the start of our new life together, I make you a promise before God and with His help. I give you myself, wholly, eternally, and truly. I will love you to the end of my days, and even then beyond. For whatever happens, neither life’s obstacles or death’s barriers will ever keep us apart.
It was Sully’s turn. He started speaking, his voice quavering. Charlotte wiped the corner of her eyes with a lace handkerchief.
(Sonnet XLIII by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, b. 1806)
He cleared his throat. "This dawn," he said, holding his hand to the sky. "This dawn signifies the beginning of a new day. And this day signifies the beginning of a new life. Our life, together. I love thee with all my soul, my self, my very being. You are mine, I am yours, and the promise I make to you today in the name of God as I become your husband, and you my wife, is that no earthly force can break us apart."
In the eyes of God, Byron Sully and Abagail Bray were made one.