It was late.

A crescent moon cast white light over the still landscape beneath it.

Birds chirped in the clump of bushes at the corner of the station grounds adding a calm ambiance to the surroundings.

Naomi hobbled around the shadowed corner of the station and mounted the platform. “The way things are going with William Bailey, I have to do this when I can.”

“I was wondering why you asked me out here at this time of night,” Betsy muttered as she scampered up onto the platform behind the old woman.

“The way I see it. If Ruth and Simon are going to have any chance at all of keeping that homestead they’re going to need our help so, what I’ve been thinking of is this…”

“Wait a minute,” Betsy pointed to a wooden handcar moving slowly along the railway tracks toward them. “Isn’t that Simon coming into the station now?”

Naomi peered down the track. “Huh. So it is. He must be finally be coming in from Woodside. My word, he looks tired.”

Betsy caught sight of a tired young woman headed toward them from the opposite direction. “And isn’t that Ruth coming this way? Maybe we should go somewhere else.”

Naomi caught the sleeve of Betsy’s plaid shirt, stopping her escape. “No. I’d like to see this. Come on.” The old woman began guiding her charge toward a hiding place behind the overloaded baggage cart. “I’m curious to see if Ruth learned anything from that little talk we had earlier.”

The handcart drew ever closer, creaking with every pump of the handles. At the rate it was moving it was clear that Simon had almost reached the limit of his energy. However, he could see that he was almost home. That fact kept him pumping even though he was muttering to himself all the while.

“Yeah. When first laid eyes on Ruth, last year round this time, she was comin off that train from the United States.“ A tired chuckled burst from his lips and then he continued. “She was as silly as havin a goat at a sheep shearin…still, I couldn’t help notice that there was somethin special about her and it weren’t just the two strong arms a woman needs ta help a man at calvin time. No sir.” The handcar came to a halt. Simon moved to the edge of the handcart and lowered himself to a seating position. “Nowadays, nowadays ya’d almost think she was becomin her mother or somethin.” He turned to face his approaching wife. “Speakin of which, what kinda big ideas did your mother come up with now?”

“Don’t worry. Mother is at home, fast asleep.” Ruth took a seat beside her husband. “I was just thinking how good it would be to have a nice, quiet, man for company.”

“A nice man! Who is he?” Simon paused. “You don’t mean me, do ya?”

“Just relax. I know you had your work cut out for you tonight, pumping that handcar back to Gladstone from Woodside, so I just came out here to bring you a few things.”

“As if I don’t got enough trouble in my life already.”

Ruth thrust a picnic basket toward him. “Listen. I just said you’re a nice man so stop complaining and try one.”

“Alright. Alright.“ Simon grabbed a cookie from the basket, then braced himself as he took a bite. He chewed for a moment, then his face began to brighten. “Huh. I’ll hafta say. These are mighty fine! A whole lot better than the last time ya brought me fresh bakin.”

He grabbed a handful of cookies from the basket.

Ruth smiled with relief. “Thank you. I had to do something while Mother was stomping around the cabin and complaining.“ She took a breath, gathering her thoughts. “Simon. I’ve been thinking about our relationship and…”

As if on cue a male voice started belting out a love song in the bush opposite them.

“Here we go again,” Simon grumbled as he stood.

Ruth stood as well, determined not to let this evening end on a note of anger. “As much as I hate to admit it, I realized tonight how much I take after my mother and…”

“You take after your mother do ya? I figured that out already on our honeymoon. What I really wanna figure out is who the sam hill is hidin in that bush, wailin like a cat stuck in a threshin machine.” With that Simon began striding toward the bush that hid the unknown troubadour.

Ruth scrambled to keep up with him. “I haven’t always made your life easy. I know that. Remember the first day of winter, when I saw all those babies that were set out there on the sidewalk?”

Simon slowed and then halted. “Yeah. You wanted ta give all the mothers in town a tongue lashin. I had ta run like the dickens ta catch ya an tell ya that’s just how people do things around here.”

“Can you blame me? I’d never seen anyone leave their baby outside all day to get fresh air and stay healthy.”

“Ya gotta get used to it, Ruth. That’s just the way people do things here in this town.” Simon began heading off again. “But anyway, what I’ve really been wonderin about is who that fella is singin in that there bush. ”

Ruth waited for a moment and then followed.

“That was the same night we took a sleigh full of people from Gladstone down to the Broadfoot place. Remember? I didn’t think they’d welcome us in since we had just dropped in on them and…”

Simon swiveled to face his wife. “Course I remember. Nobody plays that Highland music quite like them Broadfoot Brothers do.” He scratched his unshaven chin as he reflected. “We almost wore out their livin room floor with all our dancin.”

Encouraged, Ruth continued. “Then, after we had all finished dancing…remember how Peter Broadfoot and Will Ferguson took those two dainty old ladies out on the floor for a round of the Scotch Reel and…”

“Yeah I sure do…an them old ladies did a mighty fine job of it too.“ He ran his eyes over Ruth’s slender form as if seeing her for the first time. “We’ve had ourselves some mighty fine times, haven’t we Ruth?”

“We sure have.” Ruth bit her lip. “Simon. Can you forgive me?”

“Fer what?”

“Oh. I don’t know. For buying those silly lace curtains. For being like my mother.”

Simon chuckled and shook his head. “Only if you can forgive me for all them times when I’m just bein myself.”

“I’ll think about it.”

The couple began to laugh, releasing the tension of the day. As the mirth subsided Simon gestured toward the bush before them.

“Now, what do ya say we take a look-see into that there bush an see whos wailin like that?”

As Simon and Ruth poked their heads into the bush, Naomi and Betsy moved from their hiding place behind the baggage cart. They peered out, struggling to catch a better glimpse of the action going on just a few feet away in the faint moonlight.

Betsy cocked her head, listening with intent. “Wait a minute. That singing sounds a lot like…” She would’ve said more but she was shushed by Naomi.

“Is that Bill I see sittin there?” Simon whispered.

“It sure looks like it. And who is that sitting there with him?”

“It sure ain’t Betsy.“ Simon pulled his head from the tangle of branches. “Woooweee! I remember the days when you ya used ta kiss me like that.”

Ruth stepped back from the bush as if she had been burned. “Ha. If you’d stay home once and awhile maybe I’d have a chance to…”

“I didn’t know Bill was looking to get a girl!” Betsy whispered to Naomi, only to be shushed again.

Ruth grinned as a thought occurred to her. “You know. We really should pull something on Bill for all the times he pulled something on us.”

“We sure should!” Simon exclaimed, then his voice grew serious. “But I’m afraid that’s gonna hafta wait, tomorrow mornin is comin up fast and I still gotta find out where my Father has been hidin himself.”

“What if you don’t find him? What if Mother barges in to see that banker again and we lose our home?”

“It’s gonna be a battle I tell ya but I’m gonna keep on fightin till I’m good and licked. I ain’t gonna let some fancy pants banker from Winnipeg make us move outta Gladstone.” Simon hesitated for a moment and then reached for his wife’s hand.

She accepted his firm, calloused grip, and together the couple walked off into the night.

Seeing that the grounds were empty, Betsy began to speak louder. “What if Bill gets married? Where am I going to stay? We moved up to Canada together we…”

Naomi groaned with the weariness of the day. “Don’t you fret, I’m sure that marriage for someone like Bill is far off in the future. Perhaps 80 years or more. We have a far more pressing matter at hand.”

“What’s that?”

“Simon and Ruth need our help to keep the homestead. I’ll do what I can but you and Bill need to stop Patricia from meeting with that banker tomorrow morning.”

“I don’t know. Bill isn’t like he used to be. He thinks he has to be sensible.”

Naomi patted Betsy’s arm. “And he can be, after tomorrow. Just do your best to bring him on board, that’s all I ask. Now, I really have to get back to William Bailey but here’s the plan I have in mind, if it works, it’ll stop Patricia in her tracks. ”