hardness in his eyes. He was walling himself in, just as she had.
“Why don’t you talk to Mr. Ivankov about it?” Karen suggested. “I don’t think this is the place or the time. I’ll read the letter to Leah while you go find Adrik. He should be somewhere around the church. I heard him say he was helping to deliver supplies from the wharf.”
Jacob, his blue eyes now damp with tears, licked his lips and pulled on his fur hat. Taking up his coat, he headed for the door.
“It won’t be light for long,” Karen called after him. “Don’t be gone after dark. Things are getting more and more rowdy around here, and with the new load of stampeders, I wouldn’t want you to get into any trouble.”
“I’m not going to get into trouble,” Jacob replied in a clipped tone.
He stalked from the room and slammed the door behind him. Karen felt as if her nerves had snapped with the crashing of the door. Tears came to her own eyes and without understanding why, she began to cry. It was as if all the pressures of the day began to overwhelm her all over again. Funny, she had never been given to tears prior to coming north. The long dark months of winter, the cold, the lawless greed, and the bad news that just seemed to keep coming ate away her final reserves of strength.
“Oh, Leah. I’m so sorry.” Karen held the girl tight, needing comfort as much as the child did.
They cried for a time, then they just held each other as if the world had ended and they were the last ones to survive. Finally Karen spoke.
“I won’t leave you,” she whispered. “You don’t have to be afraid of being alone. I won’t let anything happen to you as long as I have breath in my body.”
“But you might die, too,” Leah said, straightening up to look Karen in the eye. “Everybody dies.”
Karen couldn’t argue that. “But while I’m here, I’ll do what I can to ensure you’re fed and clothed and cared for. I just want you to know that.”
Leah nodded. “Will you read the letter?”
Karen edged off the bed and picked the piece of paper up from the floor. The letter looked like it had been carried around for months, even though it was dated just yesterday. Why he had felt it necessary, Karen couldn’t say. Perhaps he’d seen too much death along the trail. Hadn’t Adrik told her of folks freezing to death within inches of the main path? Maybe Bill had seen this, as well.
Karen cleared her throat and took a seat on the corner of the bed. Leah wiped her eyes and moved close as Karen began to read.
“1898, 2nd of April.
Jacob and Leah Barringer, in care of Miss Karen Pierce, lately of Dyea.
Jacob and Leah,
I miss you more than I have words to say. You know I’ve never been a man for writing letters and such, but as time weighs heavy on my heart, I felt it necessary to send a post to you. The trail is hard and cold—there’s never any real warmth. I’m glad you’re safe back in Dyea. I seen a woman and child die yesterday from the cold. The woman’s feet had froze ’cause she had no boots. Her man must have left her behind or got separated from her, but I kept thinking of you two and how even though I missed you, I’d done the right thing in leaving you behind. You might both hate me by now. I hope not. You might not understand, even with me telling you about the bad times on the trail, but I love you more than life. I’ll come back for you, I promise.
Your father,
William Barringer”
Karen folded the letter and handed it to Leah. She waited for the girl to say something, anything. Leah took the letter and reread it to herself, then tucked it inside her blouse. She looked at Karen, her broken heart so clearly reflected in her eyes.
“If Pa is dead, they won’t just leave him up there, will they, Karen?”
“No, honey, Adrik said they took the body to the morgue.”
“Can we take some of the money and bury him all proper like? Can we order a stone with his name so folks won’t forget who he
“Why don’t you talk to Mr. Ivankov about it?” Karen suggested. “I don’t think this is the place or the time. I’ll read the letter to Leah while you go find Adrik. He should be somewhere around the church. I heard him say he was helping to deliver supplies from the wharf.”
Jacob, his blue eyes now damp with tears, licked his lips and pulled on his fur hat. Taking up his coat, he headed for the door.
“It won’t be light for long,” Karen called after him. “Don’t be gone after dark. Things are getting more and more rowdy around here, and with the new load of stampeders, I wouldn’t want you to get into any trouble.”
“I’m not going to get into trouble,” Jacob replied in a clipped tone.
He stalked from the room and slammed the door behind him. Karen felt as if her nerves had snapped with the crashing of the door. Tears came to her own eyes and without understanding why, she began to cry. It was as if all the pressures of the day began to overwhelm her all over again. Funny, she had never been given to tears prior to coming north. The long dark months of winter, the cold, the lawless greed, and the bad news that just seemed to keep coming ate away her final reserves of strength.
“Oh, Leah. I’m so sorry.” Karen held the girl tight, needing comfort as much as the child did.
They cried for a time, then they just held each other as if the world had ended and they were the last ones to survive. Finally Karen spoke.
“I won’t leave you,” she whispered. “You don’t have to be afraid of being alone. I won’t let anything happen to you as long as I have breath in my body.”
“But you might die, too,” Leah said, straightening up to look Karen in the eye. “Everybody dies.”
Karen couldn’t argue that. “But while I’m here, I’ll do what I can to ensure you’re fed and clothed and cared for. I just want you to know that.”
Leah nodded. “Will you read the letter?”
Karen edged off the bed and picked the piece of paper up from the floor. The letter looked like it had been carried around for months, even though it was dated just yesterday. Why he had felt it necessary, Karen couldn’t say. Perhaps he’d seen too much death along the trail. Hadn’t Adrik told her of folks freezing to death within inches of the main path? Maybe Bill had seen this, as well.
Karen cleared her throat and took a seat on the corner of the bed. Leah wiped her eyes and moved close as Karen began to read.
“1898, 2nd of April.
Jacob and Leah Barringer, in care of Miss Karen Pierce, lately of Dyea.
Jacob and Leah,
I miss you more than I have words to say. You know I’ve never been a man for writing letters and such, but as time weighs heavy on my heart, I felt it necessary to send a post to you. The trail is hard and cold—there’s never any real warmth. I’m glad you’re safe back in Dyea. I seen a woman and child die yesterday from the cold. The woman’s feet had froze ’cause she had no boots. Her man must have left her behind or got separated from her, but I kept thinking of you two and how even though I missed you, I’d done the right thing in leaving you behind. You might both hate me by now. I hope not. You might not understand, even with me telling you about the bad times on the trail, but I love you more than life. I’ll come back for you, I promise.
Your father,
William Barringer”
Karen folded the letter and handed it to Leah. She waited for the girl to say something, anything. Leah took the letter and reread it to herself, then tucked it inside her blouse. She looked at Karen, her broken heart so clearly reflected in her eyes.
“If Pa is dead, they won’t just leave him up there, will they, Karen?”
“No, honey, Adrik said they took the body to the morgue.”
“Can we take some of the money and bury him all proper like? Can we order a stone with his name so folks won’t forget who he
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