After dinner was done and all of the Plumfield students
had cooed over Isabel's baby, the happy mother brought Josie upstairs to
the guest room, where Nick had set up Rob's old crib for the baby to sleep
in. Isabel sighed and looked around her. It had been such a long time since
she had seen plastered walls and wallpaper. The bassinet stood in the corner
of the room, next to the bed that she and Franz would sleep in, and on
the other side of the room was a cot for Fritz. Isabel went through her
bags, throwing clothes every which way until she found Josie's tiny nightgown.
Bringing it over to the window, she shook out the Arizona dust, then pulled
it over the top of her baby's head. Then, sitting in the rocking chair
by the window, she fed her baby while gazing out at the grounds outside.
Concord had changed so much in the past 6 years; there were twice as many
houses and she could see a telephone line stretching towards the house.
The house itself was almost twice as large; Nick had built an addition
to keep up with all of the new students that came after Jo hired Mr. Henderson,
the new teacher. He had been a very good teacher, and had taught for 5
years until his heart gave out and he died. That had been a very sad time
for everyone at Plumfield, and when Jo had written to Franz about it, Isabel
had told him to go back to Concord to teach again, but he had refused,
saying that his place was in Arizona with his family. Sighing, she wondered
what life would have been like if Franz hadn't followed her to Arizona...
Jo and the children waved good bye as the wagon rolled
around the bend and took their beloved teacher and friend away from the
doors of Plumfield. Nan cried onto Jo's shoulder, and Bess daintily wiped
away her own tears with a lace handkerchief. The boys tried to keep their
sorrow inside, but Nat couldn't help but shed a few tears, which he wiped
away as quickly as they appeared, not wanting Dan to see him cry.
As the wagon rolled towards Boston, Franz looked over
his shoulder to see Plumfield one last time. Taking the new hat off his
head, he turned it over in his hands, wondering if he would ever fit in
to life on a ranch.
"Nick, do you think I'm making the right decision?" Franz
asked as he gazed off into the distance.
"Well," Nick said in a reassuring voice as he gave Franz
a pat on the back, "I know how much ya care 'bout Isabel, and I think she'd
be crazy not ta welcome ya ta Arizona with open arms."
Franz smiled, then put the hat back on his head, "Thanks,
Nick," he replied.
Meanwhile, Isabel sat on a bench at the train station
in St. Louis holding the jar of vinegar on her lap as her mother and father
made arrangements to take the next stagecoach out to Arizona. Her little
brother slept on the bench next to her, and she softly stroked his hair.
Gazing eastward, she wondered if she would ever see Franz again. He hadn't
been like most of the other men she had known; he was kind, gentle, and
had a way of making her feel like she was so much more than just a boarding
house maid. Sighing, she remembered the conversation they'd had before
she had left, how he couldn't seem to understand that she had made a promise
to her brother, one she intended to keep. Silently, she vowed that she
would get on with her life and try to forget about Franz Bhaer. But then
she remembered the look of sadness in his eyes when he had come into town
to say good-bye; eyes that were more like a muddy gray than the sparkling
greenish hazel she had seen when they had first met. Choking back a couple
of tears, she realized that forgetting the only man she ever loved would
be the most difficult task she would ever have to accomplish.
After a long week traveling in the stagecoach across the dusty plains
and into the desert wilderness, Isabel's family arrived in Arizona
on a hot, dry afternoon, and her brother Tony was there to meet them at
the station.
"Well, howdy, there," he called out and ran to greet
his family, "So glad you could come. I've been here only a few weeks,
and I can tell you all now that we've certainly got our work cut out
for us!"
He helped Isabel's mother and father out of the stage,
and when he held out his hand to his sister, he could see a look of despondence
on her face.
"Why the long face, sis?" he said as he lifted her chin
with one of his dirty fingers.
"Oh, I'm just tired, I guess," Isabel replied. The last thing
she wanted to do was talk about how she still missed Franz, and how the
emptiness in her heart had only continued to grow since she left Concord. Then she
saw the smile on her brother's brown face and couldn't help but smile herself,
"You always know how to make me smile, Tony!"
Tony helped them unload their things onto his wagon,
and they headed off into the Arizona wilderness, towards his ranch and the adventure
that lay ahead for them all. But as the wagon rolled away from the town, Isabel
looked over her shoulder and sighed, longing for the warmth of Franz's embrace,
wondering if she would ever be in his arms again
Isabel was woken from her reminiscing by the sound of
a songbird outside the window. Looking down, she saw that little Josie
was done eating and lay sound asleep in her arms. Smiling down at the round
little face, she slowly stood up and walked over to the bassinet where
she carefully laid the sleeping babe and covered her with a soft bunting.
She then kissed the child's forehead, and tiptoed downstairs where Franz,
Nick, Jo, Nat, and the students of Plumfield were sitting around the fire.
Franz was telling them about when he had left Plumfield to go to Arizona.
"After what seemed like forever, I stepped off the stagecoach
and onto the rough Arizona soil," Franz said as the children listened with
wide-eyed amazement.
He then saw Isabel walk into the room, and stood up,
"Come sit with us, dear," he said as he led her to the sofa by the fire
where he had been sitting.
Sitting down next to him, she saw the warm light of the
fireplace dancing in his eyes, and smiled.
The hot, dry Arizona air blew around Franz as a tumbleweed
rolled across the street. The breeze did little to relieve him of the heat;
he had already removed his jacket, vest and tie, and his sleeves were rolled
up past his elbows. The street was quiet, and the only person he could
see was a man sitting in front of a building, one of six small buildings
that lined the dusty road. The stagecoach driver unloaded Franz's things
and gave a small leather sack to the man sitting outside, after which the
man paid him and he started the team of horses into a mighty gallop, heading
off in a cloud of dust away from the small town. Looking around him, Franz
took in his surroundings. There were three buildings on each side of the
street. The signs on the front of them read, "Bank", "Sheriff's Office",
"Pony Express", and "General Store". The other two lacked signs, but he
could tell that they were taverns by the chairs that he could see turned
over the tables inside. The man that he had seen was sitting in front of
the building marked "Pony Express". Picking up his bags, he walked over
to the man.
"Hello. I was wondering if you could direct me to the
McGregor ranch?"
The man looked up at Franz from underneath his faded
Stetson, "Well," he drawled, "that's about ten miles outta town, and I
wouldn't dare make the trip in this heat. Yer best bet would be ta wait
'til the sun ain't so high and then I'll take ya out there." Sizing up
the stranger, he added, "what're ya here fer, anyhoo?"
Sighing, Franz set down his bags and wiped the sweat
from his brow as he followed the man inside the building, "My name is Franz
Bhaer. I'm here to see Miss Isabel McGregor."
The man raised one eyebrow in disbelief, 'Who is this
guy, and how does he know Isabel?' he thought to himself as he continued
to size up the newcomer. He could tell that this Franz fellow was from
somewhere out east from the way he carried himself; very proper and dignified,
and obviously not prepared for the hot weather here.
"Yeah, I know Isabel," the man said as he raised the
brim of his hat, revealing a dirty face with a scraggly red beard and a
pair of bright green eyes, "name's Scott. Scott Danielson. I'm a good friend
of the McGregor's. Helped Isabel's brother start up the ranch when he came
here. His fam'ly jest got here 'bout a week er so ago."
"I see," Franz replied as he sized up the stranger. Standing
a few inches taller than Franz, he appeared to be a few years older, but
obviously not an educated man like himself.
"Nice to meet you Scott," Franz said, extending his hand,
which Scott reluctantly accepted. After exchanging handshakes, Franz walked
over to a chair by the wall and sat down. He then bent over and removed
"Walden" from one of his suitcases. He leafed through the pages, until
he found a passage that was one of his favorites. It reminded him so much
of Plumfield, and he wondered if he would ever see the happy home again.
After several hours, Franz saw Scott get up from where
he was sitting behind his desk sorting the mail. He walked over to the
door and glanced outside to see the hot desert sun nearing the horizon.
Pulling his watch out of his pocket, he opened it and looked at the time
through the dirty, scratched glass.
"'Scuse me, sir," Scott said, turning around to face
Franz, who had just put down his book, "it's a bit after 6 o'clock, and
I think it's cool enough outside fer me ta take ya ta the McGregor ranch
now."
Franz put the book back in the suitcase and stood up,
anxiously smiling, "Thank you, sir," he replied as he followed Scott out
the back door to where a crude stable had been constructed. Scott hitched
up the wagon, helped Franz load his suitcases into the back, and then they
were off.
Little was said during the ride to the McGregor ranch.
Franz spent most of the time admiring the scenery; he knew it wasn't Walden
pond, but from now on, this would be his home.
After what seemed like an eternity, the wagon rolled
over a hill, and the ranch came into view.
"There it is," Scott said, pointing westward, "the McGregor
ranch."
Franz smiled, and his heart started beating so wildly
that he thought it would burst out of his chest at any moment. He had a
million thoughts running through his head; what would Isabel say when she
saw him, what would she do? He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a
handkerchief. Opening it, his heart started beating even faster, if it was at
all possible. Putting the handkerchief back in his pocket, he smiled nervously
as the wagon approched the ranch.
Soon, the wagon reached the wooden archway at the entrance
to the ranch, and it came to an abrupt stop.
"Well, here's where I stop," Scott said as he climbed
down from the wagon and began to unload Franz's suitcases from the back
of the wagon, "I would take ya inta the ranch, but I need ta be headin
back ta town befer it gets dark."
"Thanks," Franz replied, but it was too late, for the
strange man had already climbed back into the wagon, snapped the reins,
and was off in a cloud of dust.
Swallowing hard, Franz picked up his suitcases, which
now felt like they were full of bricks, and started walking towards the
house in the middle of the ranch. There was a woman outside, taking sheets
off a clothesline. She was turned away from him, and her hair was piled
up underneath a bonnet. She wore a red calico dress, and the light of the
setting sun shone on the delicate features of her face as she turned around
"Is there something I can help-" her words were cut short,
and her jaw dropped to the ground along with the basket she had put all
of the sheets into.
'It can't be,' she thought to herself as she rubbed her
eyes. Then, blinking, she looked up again, and saw the warm, smiling face
of Franz Bhaer, the man she left behind, the man she loved, the man who
had come all the way out to Arizona, just to be with her.
"Franz!" she cried out as she ran to meet him.
At the same time, Franz dropped his suitcases to the
ground, and ran towards her. They met in a longing embrace as he picked
her up in his arms and spun her around.
"Oh, Isabel," he sighed, "it feels so good to have you
in my arms again!" He set her down, and took his hands in her own. Then,
bending down on one knee, he looked up into her beautiful eyes which were
lit by the fire of the setting sun.
"Franz, what are you doing?" Isabel exclaimed as her
eyes widened with amazement.
"Isabel, ever since you left, I've felt like a part of
me had died, and just now, now that I am here with you again," he cleared
his throat, "I feel more alive than I ever have in my life! And I know now
that I never want us to be apart, ever again."
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the handkerchief,
which he opened to reveal a small silver ring that he had bought in
St. Louis. It had two golden hearts on the top, and between them was a blue stone,
as blue as the summer sky. "Miss Isabel McGregor, I would be the happiest man
in all of the world, if you would be my wife."