Davis handed her his handkerchief so she could wipe the tears from her eyes.
“I have one question about Mrs. Berger, darlin’.” He grinned.
“What’s that?”
“When does the woman breathe?”
Chapter Nineteen
Caleb and Joshua Campbell arrived bright and early at the hotel where Davis and Emma had spent the night. After the meeting with them the day before, Davis had decided to visit the lumber mill. He was pleased to learn from the Campbell brothers there was a lumber mill in Oregon City, which would save them a lot of work in building the house.
“Just think, honey,” Davis said excitedly as they readied to meet with the men. “We can have a much finer house if we use lumber from a mill instead of having to cut down trees and make a log cabin.”
“I would have been happy with a log cabin, anything with walls. I’m tired of living out of the wagon.” She braided her hair, and wrapped it around her head, anchoring the heavy mass with hairpins.
“This will save a lot of time, too. I really wanted something up before winter, and now it looks like we’ll be able to do that. And using cut lumber, we can make it bigger, so we won’t have to add onto it for a while.”
Finished checking the mirror to inspect the ties of her bonnet, Emma grabbed her wool cape and joined Davis at the door of the room. After tugging on her gloves, she retrieved her reticule from the sagging dresser and smiled brightly. “Let’s go. I’m ready.”
The hotel dining room hummed with visitors and locals. They spotted Caleb and Joshua, then joined them at their table. Both men had large platters of eggs, ham, potatoes and biscuits in front of them. They rose from their seats as they spotted the Coopers coming across the room.
“Oh, please, sit and eat your meal.” Emma waved to their plates as Davis pulled out a chair for her.
Soon a young girl arrived with more coffee for the brothers. “What can I get for ya?
“I’ll just have some toast and coffee,” Emma said.
Pointing to the food quickly disappearing into his tablemates’ mouths, Davis said, “You can bring me what they have. And plenty of coffee.” He turned to Emma. “Don’t you want more than that, honey?” He leaned close to her ear. “You’re eating for two, you know.”
She blushed and glanced at the brothers who seemed to not have heard his comment. “I’ll have scrambled eggs, too.”
The waitress nodded, then stopped at a nearby table to refill coffee cups before returning to the kitchen.
Davis settled back in his chair and crossed his arms. “So how far is this lumber mill?”
Caleb stopped eating long enough to answer. “It’s out at Willamette Falls, just north of the city. David Bidwell runs the place for the owner, Hudson Bay Company. I’ve worked with Bidwell before. He’s a reasonable guy; I think you’ll do okay with him.”
Finished with his meal, Caleb pushed his plate away, and pulled his coffee cup closer. Both Caleb and Joshua resembled their older brother in their massive size. Davis wondered what the parents looked like to have such huge sons. But he was glad to have these giants working for him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One reason Oregon Territory attracted so many emigrants was the weather. Winters were mild, summers not too hot. Late October brought chilled temperatures and rain.
A fine mist settled on their faces as the small group rode out to the lumber mill in a rented buggy. Emma snuggled under a warm blanket, tucked close in next to Davis. They occupied the back seat, with Caleb and Joshua up front.
The beautiful colors of autumn were fading fast as winter loomed closer. A recent windy day took most of the dried up dangling leaves off the trees, leaving them looking bare and forlorn.
Buzzing of the saws reached them long before they saw the bustling lumber mill. D
ozens of men swarmed around as they went about their work. Rounding the bend, they came upon the bunkhouses where the lumberjacks lived. Most were big, blond, and fair skinned.
“These men come here from the Scandinavian countries.” Joshua turned, and shouted over the noise. “They’re a hard drinking, hard-working crew who faced dangers every day. Not unheard of to end up crushed under a tree, or lose a foot to a poorly aimed axe.” He steered the buggy to a flat, long building, and pulled the horses to a stop.
As the group climbed out, a man dressed in a flannel shirt and canvas pants held up by suspenders ambled toward them. He was a big man, but still dwarfed by the Campbell brothers.
“Howdy folks, the name’s Joseph Hastings.” He stuck out his hand and shook with the three men. “What can I do for ya?” Looking in Emma’s direction, he nodded his head. “Ma’am.”
“I’m Davis Cooper, Mr. Hastings, and this is my wife, Emma, and Caleb and Joshua Campbell. We’re needing lumber to build a house. I have plenty of trees on my property, but since I’d like to get something up before winter, we’d like to purchase our lumber from you.”