River Queen by Gilbert Morris

Author:Gilbert Morris [Morris, Gilbert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
Published: 2011-12-05T20:00:00+00:00

TWO MORE DAYS WENT by, and Dallas spent each day going up and down the docks, hunting for freight. Both days he came back empty-handed and discouraged. But now Julienne took pains to encourage him. Carley stoutly assured him that she had prayed for a “really good haul that weighs a lot so we’ll make a bunch of money” and so it would certainly come to them any day now.

On the third day he left and didn’t come back in time for supper that evening. Julienne anxiously awaited him and couldn’t decide whether his lateness was good or bad. One minute she told herself it was good news, he must be working out some kind of complicated deal to make up a good cargo. The next minute she scolded herself because she was certain that he was at the Blue Moon Saloon, drunk and partying riotously with Lulie.

They were at supper, and they were talking and laughing. Even Roseann had cheered up considerably. Julienne and Leah had put an absolute stop to her doing any cleaning or manual work, for she was still of fragile constitution and required rest each day. Julienne, recovered from her shock at her friends’ letters, had decided to talk about it to the family. She had made a mock-somber announcement that Mr. Archibald Legget, Esquire, had begged to be excused from his proposal. “It was too precipitate, he feared, for his mother and father had been long asking him to wait for a year or two before considering marriage,” she said, her mouth twitching.

Carley’s brow wrinkled. “What’s precipate?”

“It means too soon. His mummy and da-da said so,” Julienne answered tartly.

They started laughing, and Dallas came in. They all, except Darcy, called out greetings to him and told him to sit down.

“You’ve got a big silly grin on your face,” Julienne said with amusement. “It must be good news.”

“It’s double-good news. I’ve got a contract for a trip, and we’re loaded both ways. We’ll be loading the Queen tomorrow and taking our cargo to New Orleans!”

Everyone began to talk at once, asking questions, Darcy talking about New Orleans, Julienne wondering what to wear. Finally Leah said sensibly, “Mr. Bronte, it’s late and you must be hungry. Would you like some supper?”

“I’m close to starving,” he said good-naturedly. “Thank you, Mrs. Norris, I would appreciate something to eat.”

She rose and went into the galley. Carley said, “It’s oxtail soup! And it’s so-so-so good! Except I never could find the ox’s tail in it.”

“That’s probably a good thing,” Dallas said. “But I like oxtail soup too. Do you, Miss Ashby?”

To Julienne’s guilty mind he seemed to be eyeing her with particular meaning, but then she realized he couldn’t possibly have known about her conversation with Aunt Leah and her mother. “As a matter of fact, I thought I would despise it, but it’s really very good. Of course, Libby could cook Mississippi mud and it would taste wonderful.”

Libby came out with a steaming bowl, and Leah cut him two thick slices of bread and buttered them for him.

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