Page 8 of Bride in Blue
He turned to see Mr. Redfern admiring a display of jackets. Max pulled out his watch and looked at it.
It was after noon. The morning was gone.
Chapter 3
Cassie woke up to the jostling of the train. Her father had fallen asleep on her shoulder, his thin jacket being used as a blanket. They hadn’t much time to gather things before Charles put them on a train.
Cassie didn’t even know where they were going. Charles had purchased a ticket to Ohio, and from there they were to board another train for the destination of their choosing.
He insisted on not buying a ticket across the country, but instead breaking it up into smaller journeys. That way it would be more difficult for Weston to find them. The thought of marrying the portly man, made Cassie shudder.
The extra money for the tickets was sewn inside her coat. As long as she didn’t lose her coat, she would be fine. The only other possessions were a bag that contained a few clothing items and her reticule. They didn’t even have time to make a basket before Charles shuffled them off on the train.
She had a few dollars in her reticule. It included the money she received for sewing on all those buttons. When she went to the factory, she only received thirty-three cents, instead of the sixty she should have received, because the clothes had dust on them.
It didn’t matter now. Someone else would take over sewing buttons and panicking over any dust or dirt that fell on the fabric.
Perhaps she had enough to buy a sandwich from the dining car. She had no clue what the prices were but judging by the quality of the clothes of the people who were walking through the car, it must be very dear indeed.
Cassie rubbed her fingertip, a habit when she needed to tame her thoughts. She could feel the ridges from pushing the needle with her middle finger. She looked out the window of the car. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. They had been riding all evening.
“Bryan, Ohio, thirty minutes,” the rail man called as he walked through the car. He stopped at Cassie. “That is your stop, miss.”
Cassie nodded and tapped her father on the shoulder. “Wake up, Father. We are at the end of the first leg of our journey.”
Her father mumbled something as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. “How much longer?” he asked.
“About thirty minutes.”
Her father stood and headed towards the facilities at the back of the train. Cassie would wait until they arrived in Ohio. The lavatory was very primitive on the train, and even had a cook stove for those who needed to cook their meals.
The things Cassie didn’t understand. Why would anyone want to cook in the lavatory? She stood and stretched. Several of the other passengers were doing the same. Her father arrived back to their bench and assisted her with removing their bags from the compartment overhead.
The train pulled into Ohio and passengers began to disembark. “Is this it?” her father asked, looking around. There wasn’t much to see. It was simply a wooden platform, with a small shack off to one side.
“Excuse me,” Cassie asked the rail man. “Can you tell me where we might get a bite to eat?” He pointed down the road.
“Town is right over there,” he said, climbing back into the train car.
Cassie picked up her bag and directed her father towards the town. She saw a small café with a sign in the window,Steak dinner with trimmings, Fifteen cents.
That was a quarter of a day’s wages, provided nothing was deducted. Cassie remembered seeing a mercantile as they were walking and made a note to pick up some crackers and cheese for the next trip. It would certainly save some money.
“Fifteen cents?” her father laughed incredulously. “I hope that steak is made of gold. How much money do you have, girlie?”
“Shush, Father,” Cassie gently reprimanded. “Someone might hear you.”
Her father mumbled something under his breath and went into the café. Cassie quickly followed behind him.
Her father ordered two steak dinners and shortly the waitress was placing plates piled high with fried rump steak, boiled potatoes, and a side of gravy. She refilled their coffee and returned to the other tables in the dining area.
Even though Cassie hated coffee, much preferring tea, she drank the bitter brew without complaint.
She watched her father rotate his plate several times and stopped when the steak was closest to him.
Cassie said a quiet blessing and cut into her steak. The marbled beef melted on her tongue. Meat was very rare at their apartment as the cost was so dear. Potatoes, however, were a staple of her daily diet.Perhaps that could change going forward.
Her father dug into his dinner, leaving nothing on the plate but a bit of gravy when he was done. As they were finishing up, the waitress returned.
