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Into History, Into My Heart
by
Joan Grammer CHAPTER 1 She sat in the break room absently munching the egg salad sandwich. The bread had gone soggy and it wasn’t the best egg salad she had ever tasted, but since mother had gone to the trouble of making it she thought she should at least make an attempt to consume it. Mother had been getting worse lately. The Alzheimer’s had progressed rapidly since father passed away. How strange it seemed to her that father, whose mind was as sharp the day he died as it was in his youth, should go before mother. Then mother, whose mind was for intents and purposes gone, should linger and need assistance for the most simple of projects. {"Jayellen was born when Jay and Ellen Conner were in the later part of their 40’s. They had all but given up hope for ever having children. Then the surprise Easter gift of the baby girl arrived. She gave them back their youth, put spring into their step and held off the aging process until just five years ago, right after high school graduation. Then father’s heart gave out. It was hard to believe the strong, unstoppable man had suddenly gone out of her life. That put an end to the tentative plans he had made to go away to college. The little family had never been well of, and had somehow never really planned for anything in the future, disaster or not. The cost of the funeral put any plans of Jayellen’s on hold indefinitely. Almost immediately Ellen’s health started to deteriorate and she acted strangely. It took some doing, but after a particularly frightful incident with the gas range, she was persuaded to go to the doctor. The disease was diagnosed and the symptoms seemed to take control of their lives. Jayellen had put any thought of furthering her education on permanent hold to help care for her mother. The task eventually became too much for her alone, so a day nurse was hired. Jae took a job at ‘the factory’, the place that paid the highest wages in the town. She hadn’t made many friends at the factory. Even though she had been there nearly five years now, she never planned to stay there long like some. Most of the other employees planned to retire from the factory after loyally serving their thirty years. Not Jayellen. She didn’t even try to rise in the ranks. Jae had an aptitude for business and a very quick mind, she was often tempted by the challenges the upper offices offered. But she did not want to retire from the factory, no matter how high up she could climb. She wanted something else. She didn’t really know what that something else was, but knew it was not in this town or even in this area. “Hey Jae! How’s it goin’?” “Hi Bill, Terry. What have you two been up to? How’s Sarah and Mona?” “Sarah’s fine, I’ll tell her you asked about her. Hey, have you seen where the college is registering students this week? You ought to go, Jae. You know you want to.” “Yeah,” that wistful look came into her eyes just as it had when she read the notice. “I saw that. Mother is so sick, Bill. How can I leave her?” “You could take just a couple of courses…” “Oh, I’d love that! I just can’t afford it. What I need to do is prepare a little and try for some scholarships. Then go full time. But I would still have to save up quite a bit to cover all mother’s expenses. I just don’t think it’s in the cards for me, guys.” “Well, honey, maybe next year.” Bill was a sensitive man, too nice to point out that her mother wouldn’t be around for much longer. “Well, I guess that does it for my break. See ya late, fellas.” Jayellen spent the rest of the day trying not to think of ‘what if’. “Well, honey, maybe next year.” Bill was a sensitive man, too nice to point out that her mother wouldn’t be around for much longer. “Well, I guess that does it for my break. See ya late, fellas.” Jayellen spent the rest of the day trying not to think of ‘what if’. Jae decided to pick up a few things at the store before going home. She didn’t feel much like cooking so something from the deli would be nice. She also needed a new book. She knew she should read them more slowly, but once she got started on a book, she had a hard time putting it down until it was finished. She loved the thick historical, the farther back in time the better. Her preference was from the discovery of America to nineteen hundred. Some of the really good ones could sweep her away to another time and place for several hours. A little embarrassing at times, reading the historicals seemed like an addiction. She found one particularly interesting looking. Handsome hero, beautiful heroine, danger and intrigue of the Revolutionary War, this had all the elements she knew would take her away. Unfortunately, the weekend was here and she would be able to read non-stop. Jayellen knew she would be searching for another by Sunday. Chapter 2 Ben did not want to be in this group and he knew he would be leaving them soon. He much preferred exploring on his own. He could very well do without the bickering and challenging that seems to go on wherever a group of men are gathered together. Ben would rather challenge himself; pit himself against Nature herself than match wits with a group of men. He had learned long ago that Nature would not be subdued with blows or a quick tongue; Nature must be compromised with; Nature must be lived with and not conquered, a fact most of his companions had yet to learn. Nevertheless, there he was, stuck in the group for the duration of this venture into the wilderness. He had his sister to thank for that. She had begged him not to go alone this time. He had reluctantly agreed, since the last time out on his own, he had encountered a huge bear which had left him with an angry gash on his calf that required stitching. In payment, the bear’s pelt now softened their step in the cozy cabin. Now however, he had left the group and was headed back to Watauga to spend a week or two with Elizabeth and help her prepare for winter. Elizabeth was the only human on earth that Ben would grant any concessions. Each other was all they had left of family. Their parents had brought them safely to this country, then later fill ill and died. Elizabeth and Benjamin Hargrave were left at the ages of 13 and 15 to live on as best they could. It wasn’t all that difficult to earn a living; Ben had been working for neighboring farms and occasionally helped out at the small general store for months before their parents’ deaths. But as a result for the dire straits Ben and Elizabeth were thrust into, they were extremely close and devoted to one another. Now, because of Elizabeth’s worry, he would have to listen to the bragging and assumed bravado of middle-aged men and untried youths. At 28, Ben was probably more physically capable and mentally ready for this excursion than many of the men there. He had already traveled part of the distance they would be going to survey the Tennessee line. Deep into unknown territory, the trip would definitely have its dangers. Travelling west from the most eastern part of the Tennessee country, the terrain would be mountainous woodlands. The undergrowth so thick at times one could step through a clump of rhododendrons and find himself falling a hundred feet or more. Probably the most offending person was James Walker, the brother of the organizer of this particular group. Thomas was likable enough, but James seemed to want everyone to know that he didn’t need his brother to help him in the wilds; he could manage on his own and better than anyone on this trip. All his bragging only served to alert many of the others of his in adeptness on the frontier. The rest of the group was the usual cross-section of society. Mr. Britton, was quite wealthy and probably interested in speculating in land. Dr. Graham, was from somewhere east. He was interested in seeing more of the country and worried he was getting too old; he only told himself that he was coming along because a doctor would most certainly be needed. There was also William Jefferson who claimed to be a cousin of the Virginian politician, Thomas Jefferson. It was the politician’s father, Peter, who had surveyed the line in 1749, and now, thirty years later, the group was searching for his stopping point. Of the twenty odd number of the group, they could probably expect to lose half of them Ben estimated. Actually, he hoped it would only be half, of the group, Ben and perhaps three others were well acquainted with the wilderness and its perils. The first of which would be to survive the winter so they could proceed together at the first sign of spring. There had been a huge debate over the location of the starting point for the surveying party. The difference amounted to only two miles; nevertheless, it served to split the party into two separate groups. Ben stayed with the Walker group. Richard Henderson and some eight individuals, including James Walker broke off to survey the line they believed to be correct. Ben preferred to contribute to the country in this way rather than going east to join in the war there. It wasn’t that he didn’t support the Colonials, or for that matter the Regulars, he was just satisfied with the way things were. He considered himself an Englishman, yet he did love this country and if he had to choose, he would remain here in the wilderness. The war seemed far away. Ben would support the victorious side, for he felt tied to both. But at this point in time, he needed to bring in some meat to prepare for the winter. Elizabeth had been able to work a couple of days for Mr. Witton at the store. The added income helped, but it would be Ben’s responsibility to put meat in the store house for winter. He hoped he would be able to spend most of the winter here in Watauga. He liked it here. The neighbors were friendly and were not too close, and the woods were filled with game. Indians didn’t come around much; the only problems encountered with them were caused by the settlers coming into their country. There had been stories of an occasional kidnapping with ransom being ammunition and firearms. The Cherokee and Creeks had never needed them before, but once introduced to the firearms, the weapons quickly became a necessity. This particular area had been a rich hunting spot for Ben. He never failed to bring home something when he hunted here. Today seemed no exception. There, through the mists, he thought he saw… No. Not an animal. A girl. With long, flowing, blond hair.
Time to focus her attention on class, she silently admonished herself. Some notes must be taken if she were to ever know what was to be expected of her during this semester. A mostly routine assignment, the most interesting sounding was an essay on an obscure historical figure. This person must have lived in the period from the 1607 settling of Jamestown to 1850. Quite a large range to cover, so surely someone different could be found for each student. Jayellen’s quick mind started working immediately. She knew the college library would have plenty of information on the settlement and exploration of America. Then she could go into Greensboro to the library there. She was sure any town in North Carolina would have a stockpile of information on the early years. She was already planning all the years and events she would check to find her subject. This was definitely not working. Subjects with names like Jeremiah, Jonas and Ephraham just did not seem right. She had been looking for days and still had not come up with one single interesting character. Not one person she had researched seemed to be right for her. This one was too well known; that one had merely been a cabinet maker. She wanted someone that had done something to contribute to exploration, but not someone that had done so much at everyone knew his name. All she had really decided was that she wanted to write about someone that existed in the 1700’s, and the subject was to be a man; men just did more things than women in those days. Those years were so exciting! The new country taking it upon itself to grow and expand; all the unknowns that early settlers faced; that was a favorite era for her. Suddenly, the drawing leapt at her. She hadn’t noticed it before. She had been through this book at least five times, but there it was. And there HE was. Back row, third from the left. The man looked straight at her. His eyes followed her. He was an extremely handsome man, much better looking than his companions. He had a shock of light colored hair, he was tall in stature, and wore the ever present buckskins. He had a full beard, as did all the men in the picture, but his was well trimmed and actually looked combed! She quickly looked at the caption under the drawing. ‘Walker Party’ Thomas Alexander Walker, Samuel Hawkins, James Theodore Walker, Jacob Britton, Joshua Taylor and others. Her gentlemanly looking subject was included in “others.” Gathering this book and scanning the shelves for others, she checked out five volumes. Two weeks later, it was clear another subject must be chosen. Jae had reviewed and studied the entire Walker Expedition, whose purpose was to extend Tennessee’s northern boundary line west; she simply could not fine the man’s name. She knew about the expedition itself, but very little of the men. The books needed to be returned and the essay was due in a week. She thought it must be old Jacob Britton. He was one of the wealthiest in the group, but a bit of an adventurer, hard to keep at home. Poor Mrs. Britton! She had read enough on the subject and had enough information to complete the assignment, even though her heart wanted to remain with the unnamed fellow in the back row. Chapter 4 She liked this spot. She found it walking in the park on one of those lonely days, missing home and worrying about how Mother was getting along. It was very secluded; it seemed to cut off the rest of the world. She could even shut out the loud noises of traffic and civilization here. She came here to begin the essay of Jacob Britton, hoping the solitude would inspire her. “Well, Jacob, you ‘ol gallivanter, let’s get started.” She just couldn’t get interested in the man. She tried to focus on his image amongst the trees over there. Perhaps if she could visualize him in this natural setting, she could make him real and work from there. Silence enveloped her; she stared at the space between the trees, willing the vision to appear. A slight breeze blew at the young leaves, they sparkled in the sunlight. The breeze picked up, and the smaller trees bent with its strength. Her eyes still locked on the spot, she felt as if she were hypnotized by the swaying trees. Then slowly, her arm rose to brush her hair from her eyes; the leaves turned to fall colors. Gorgeous colors of red, orange and gold filled the little forest. Finally Jacob’s form was taking shape in the little clearing. She knew if she stared long enough she could visualize him. The strong breeze stopped suddenly. All but a couple of golden leaves were still. The man was now in clear focus, but was not Jacob! It was her light haired gentleman. “Beg pardon, ma’am,” He even spoke to her! “My regrets on disturbin’ you.” He looked rather puzzled. He was her creation, why should he be puzzled? She could make him do what she wished. She couldn’t figure why he looked as if she should answer him. He shouldn’t expect anything from her. But he was looking at her as if she was the strangest creature he had ever seen. “Beg pardon, ma’am, you all right? You got caught by injuns?” Ben indicated her jeans and waited for her answer. “Ma’am? Can you talk?” She was very confused. She was supposed to ask the questions, and old Jacob was supposed to be here, not him. She supposed it was because she just couldn’t get him out of her mind that he was here. He was even more handsome than he was in the drawing, his hair turned out to be light red. He as tall and strong, and very much the ‘manly man’. He moved toward her. This was better than she thought; she never dreamed that her imagination would conjure up such an animated subject. Then he was there, next to her. Oh, the presence of him was so grand! She should say something, but she just couldn’t seem to speak right now. “Ma’am, let me take you back to the settlement. We’ll get you some proper clothes an’ some food ifin you’re hungry. Then we’ll find you r people an’ get you home.” His touch was electrifying; he merely held her hand and the trills of electricity travelled up her arm and through her body like lightening. She had never been a very trusting person, but she knew she would allow this man to lead her where ever he wanted. Together, they turned toward the golden forest.
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