Chapter One
Guthrie, Oklahoma
October 1912
Priscilla Cochran gripped her new satchel, her stomach tightening with anticipation. During the time she’d waited with her father, the train platform had begun to fill up with passengers waiting for the train to Denver, Colorado.
“I know I’ve asked you this numerous times, but honey, are you absolutely sure this is what you want to do?” With the strain of anxiety in his voice, her father’s loving gaze roamed her face.
“Yes, Papa. I do.” She gave him a warm smile. “You know I love you and Mama so much, and most times I can even tolerate my brothers. But I need to have my own life. I have to get away from all the family constantly surrounding me.” She hesitated, not wanting to hurt him, but needing for him to understand. “Sometimes I feel as though I am smothered with love.”
“Ah, honey,” he said, tucking a strand of golden brown hair behind her ear, “no one can have too much love.”
She regarded her father, Senator Jesse Cochran, who had been such a major influence in her life. He’d started from dubious beginnings as the illegitimate son of a whore, raised in a brothel, to become a United States Senator. “Oh, Papa. You say that because of your own childhood.”
Their attention was caught by the blast of a whistle and whoosh of steam coming from the eight-ten train to Denver as it chugged into the station. With a sigh, her father arranged for the loading of Priscilla’s trunks onto the train, then turned to her. “If you change your mind, just send a message and I’ll come fetch you.”
“See Papa, that’s exactly what I mean. Suppose I do change my mind. I don’t need you to ‘fetch’ me. I’m a grown woman, college educated, and ready for an adventure.”
Her papa took her face in his large hands. “You will always be your mama’s and my little girl, honey.” He bent and kissed her on the forehead. “Have a safe trip, and please write. I’m sure your mama is already waiting for a letter.”
Priscilla fought back tears she didn’t want to fall. She was an adult woman. Chin trembling, she kissed him on the cheek and turned to mount the train. Taking the conductor’s hand, she climbed the steps and hurried down the aisle as the train began to move forward. She found a seat next to a window and waved goodbye to her papa and her life of twenty years in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
By noontime, Priscilla was restless and hungry. She’d never been one to sit still for long periods of time, and the ride had already become arduous. Perhaps if she ate something, she might be able to take a short nap, since her excitement the last few days had not allowed for many restful nights.
She pulled out the cheese sandwich, apple, and oatmeal cookies Mama had packed for her. One look at the lovingly made food tightened her throat, and she had to push the tears away again. She shook her head. This was ridiculous. She was an adult, headed to Dogtown, Colorado, to teach children in a town far away from civilization. She was a trained educator, and this would be her opportunity to help children who needed her. She could make a huge difference in their lives.
Despite the pep talk she’d given herself, she still had a hard time getting the food past the lump in her throat. She wrapped the scraps from her meal and tucked it into her satchel, then leaned back, closing her eyes, thinking about her new life.
She’d been slightly misleading when she’d answered the ad in The Guthrie Daily Leader. A Mr. Mitchell Beaumont had advertised for a single or widowed female teacher of mature years to teach the children of Dogtown. Perhaps she wasn’t truly of “mature years” but she was certainly enthusiastic and a graduate of Central State Normal School.
Although she could have taken a job in her home town of Guthrie, she wanted to travel from home. Her cousin, Ellie, taught at the high school before her children were born, and her husband, Max, was still the principal there.
From the time she’d been a girl, Priscilla had known it was her destiny to make a difference in the world. Ellie had made her mark by being involved in women’s rights for years, and while Priscilla agreed with her cousin, her passion was children. There were so many who needed her. Beginning the career she was passionate about as a teacher in a school so far from the things she’d grown up with, and taken for granted, excited her.
It was four twenty-two in the afternoon when the train rolled into the Topeka station. She would spend the night at the hotel one block from the depot and then board the nine o’clock train the next morning with an arrival in Denver at nine that night. Although going to Topeka first seemed to take her out of the way, it was the only route to Denver from Oklahoma.
She checked the packet Papa had prepared for her. Her reservation was made for the Topeka Hotel for one night. The ticket for Topeka to Denver was tucked into the envelope, along with the pass for her ride on the Mail Coach from Denver to Dogtown. She could ride that conveyance any Monday, Wednesday or Saturday that she wished. There was more than sufficient money for her to pay for her meals and room in Denver until she took the Mail Coach.
As she studied the papers Papa had so diligently put together for her, tears welled in her eyes once again. Yes, she would certainly miss her family. She sniffed and reached for her satchel. But this was her new life. And she was more than ready for it.
Mitch Beaumont checked his appearance in the mirror over his dresser. He straightened his string tie and tucked his straight black hair behind his ears. He frowned, thinking he should have gotten a haircut. As the representative of the Dogtown Town Council to greet the new teacher, he wanted to make an impression and have her know she wasn’t coming to some backwoods town to teach a bunch of roughneck kids.
“Ian, you ready to go with me to meet the coach?”
“Pa, I don’t see why I have to go meet the new teacher.” His eleven-year-old son, Ian, leaned against the d
oorframe, his hands crossed over his chest, giving Mitch a jolt at how the boy was slowly turning into a man.
“I have to meet her, and it would be nice for her to see one of her students.”
“I don’t need a teacher. You’ve taught me all I need to know.”
Mitch backed up from the mirror and turned to his son. “No one knows enough, Ian. I’m learning every day. And besides, I’ve told you many times I want you to go to college. You’ll need more education than I can give you to pass those entrance exams.” He pulled his jacket from the back of the chair and shrugged into it. “Now hurry and wash up and change your shirt. The mail coach is due to arrive in about half an hour.”