Margaret

            There she was, her long dark hair flowing behind her as she ran toward the approaching wagon.

“Reuben!” she exclaimed as the long months of worry washed away.

The runabout rolled to a stop as Reuben leapt out. They ran toward each other in great anticipation, nearly colliding as Reuben’s arms folded around her. Margaret put hers around his waist and snuggled before looking up to meet his warm kiss. It was a lover’s kiss; long, deep, and passionate. Worried her mother might be watching, she briefly tried to pull away. It was useless, her desire to be held exceeding her modesty. Reuben could feel the heat of her body through the thin gingham dress.

“I missed you so much!” she cooed softly.

“Me too. It gets lonely out there on the prairie. It’s a fine country though. I can’t wait to show it to you.”

“We’ll be so happy.”

“Things are still a little rough out there. My friends on Sugar Creek have promised to help raise us a cabin as soon as we get back.”

“I don’t care if we have to live in a teepee, as long as I’m with you.”

Reuben chuckled under his breath. The canvas cover he’d been sleeping under was a step down from a teepee. Margaret would have a lot to learn about roughing it in Kansas.

“How are the folks, yours and mine?”

“They are doing well. I was over at your Ma and Pa’s place last week. Harriet gave me some recipes you like.”

“I think she is gonna like her new daughter. Are you ready to go in and face your folks?” Reuben said giving her a playful squeeze.

“Cut that out you rake!  We’re still not married well and proper.”

Inside, Reuben shared some of his adventures with Papa Thomas. Things, he claimed, weren’t as bad in Kansas as folks said. It was filling up with Free-State settlers and the border troubles had subsided. There was no mention of Sam. The Underground Railroad survived on secrecy. Only Uncle Jacob and a couple of conductors knew about Reuben’s involvement in Sam’s escape. It would not be until years later that Reuben learned that his friends, the Holbrook brothers, had spirited Sam’s family out of Missouri on the last leg of their journey.

The early November weather was still good, so the couple took a ride in the runabout.

“Is this ours?”

“No, one of my neighbors loaned it to me for the trip. He had me drop something off along the way.”

Margaret looked back at the meager possessions Reuben had brought with him.

“I wish you had just ridden a horse. Now you’ll have to return this rig and I don’t see anyway it will hold my trousseau.”

“Don’t worry, you will be traveling in style. I’ll have Papa take you to Keokuk where you’ll board a steamer. I’ll pick you up at Westport.”

“But I wanted to go with you,” she pouted.

            “Sorry, but the farther west you get the worse the trail and accommodations are. I’ll be traveling light so I’ll get there in plenty of time.”

            The next two months were a whirlwind of activity as the lovers prepared for the wedding. There were parties and dances. Everyone wanted to know about Kansas. Reuben’s younger brother, Willis, was in awe of Reuben’s new revolver.

            “How’s that thing shoot?”

            “Damn well. Six shots in no time. I’m thinking about getting an extra cylinder for faster reloading. I’ve got a Sharps back in Kansas.”

            “A Sharps? I hear they are quite the rifle. Them Missouri Ruffians better watch out!”

            Reuben chuckled, but said nothing.

            Reuben spent the winter helping his father and his future father-in-law on their farms. Occasionally, he took odd jobs to earn extra money. He had big plans for his return to Kansas, and they wouldn’t come cheap. His place needed lots of improvements. Margaret deserved no less than a comfortable, prosperous life.

            As time permitted, the couple spent their spare time together. Sunday after church was a gift of togetherness that they both cherished. They spent those precious hours planning their lives together. One day the discussion turned to politics.

            “Will Buchanan be good for Kansas? Margaret asked.

            “That’s a tough one. He will be better than that drunkard Pierce. Had Pierce not signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, there would be a whole lot less trouble in Kansas. Then he appointed pro-slavery men to territorial offices. It was like he was afraid to face up to the power of the South.”

            “So, what will Buchanan do?”

            “Well he’s a Democrat, so he’s still beholden to the South. Maybe he’ll appoint good men to territorial office. I hope he keeps Governor Geary. The man stood up to the Lecompton Legislature.”

            “How would you have voted?”

            “Being a Kansan now, I couldn’t very well vote for president. Had I voted, it would have been for Fremont. He would have repealed the Kansas-Nebraska Act and stopped the spread of slavery.”

            “I was glad that Iowa went for Fremont. Maybe next time he’ll win.”

            “Freemont or anyone who stands up to the South would work for me. Meanwhile, we’re filling up Kansas with Free-State men. By next year we’ll have a free-state legislature. Ifg Buchanan doesn’t fail us by appeasing the south, we’ll become a free state.”

            “So you think the troubles are over?”

            “I figure they are. We’re gonna spend our time growing crops and making babies.”

            Margaret blushed and slapped his arm.

            In December a letter arrived. It was from a pastor in Canada. Sam and his family made it safely in Toronto. The two older boys were already in school, learning to read. In the Spring the family would be locating to the Free Black community of Buxton, Ontario where good land was available. Reuben smiled when he read that the family had taken the surname of Dillay. Sam Dillay had become his friend, now they were like family.

            The wedding was set for January 24, 1857 at the Centerville Methodist-Episcopal Church. Reverand Jacob DeLay would officiate. Invitations had been sent far and wide. With the bride and groom coming from two of the county’s most prominent families, the wedding promised to be the social event of the season. The winter weather was atrocious, but no one let that deter them from attending.

            Reuben stood impatiently at the altar as the music began to play. The guests settled on the benches that served as pews and cast anxious looks at the door. Outside, a pathway in the snow had been cleared from the neighboring house to the church. Uncle Jacob had carefully placed the wedding party in their positions.

            Everyone gasped in awe as the bride, escorted by her father, entered. She was stunning in her white wedding dress. Her radiant smile lit up the sanctuary. Uncle Jacob beckoned them forward as the bridal music played. Soon the happy couple was standing side-by-side.

            The congregation shared in the couple’s joy from the Dearly beloved to the I do’s. At the conclusion of the service, the couple retreated to the neighbor’s home amidst applause and the tossing of rice. The sanctuary was quickly transformed into a meeting hall for the reception. The good food and good music lasted well into the evening.

            The party broke up about 10 PM. The weather was still fearful and some of the guests had a long ride home. Reuben had booked a room at the Jefferson House for the night. As the last guests left, they bundled up and headed out in the cold for the short walk to the hotel.

            “Wait,” Margaret cautioned him as he unlocked the door. She went inside, closed the door, and lit the lamp. Outside, Reuben wondered what was taking in so long. Finally, she opened the door and greeted him in her nightclothes.

            The fell into each other’s arms and kissed. Reuben slipped his heavy coat off his shoulders while Margaret began unbuttoning his shirt. Clutching each other, they fell across the bed. The cold, howling wind outside was forgotten in the heat of their passion. The night was filled with exploration and ecstasy.

            Plump, plump! It was the sound of snowballs pelting their window. The shivaree had begun. Outside the room, someone was banging pots and pans. The couple dressed hurriedly and let the intruders in. Two men grabbed Reuben and drug him down the stairs while their wives escorted Margaret. Outside, they dumped Margaret unceremoniously into an old wheelbarrow and made Reuben push her down the street. Though it was all in good fun, the couple was embarrassed and annoyed. Both knew the ritual hazing had its purpose. It was simply their first trial as man and wife. It would help prepare them for the many trials they would face in their married life on the frontier. The bitter cold made the ordeal mercifully short. After a tongue-in-cheek lecture, they were allowed to return to the hotel. There, they found the incident had rekindled their passion.

Index: Unbowed: The Saga of Civil War Cavalryman- Unbowed: The Saga of a Civil War Cavalryman-Index – Outlaws, Outrages and Outright Lies (azrockdodger.com)

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