In the late fall that same year the newlyweds moved into a “proper” mountain cabin retreat sporting a split cedar shingle roof worthy of a Rocky Mountain winter trial to spend snowflake-white under a comfort-sun by day and an alabaster pale full moon by dark night passing courting caressing fog-dream beams counting dancing silver diamonds undulating crests-on-troughs.
He had added a wide veranda front porch
the length of the cabin overlooking the lake; two hand woven river willow
branches fashioned into comfortable chairs graced the setting.
On that first night of wedded bliss
Micah divulged his sacred-sweet, until now, withheld treasure-“secret”. He couldn’t help but wonder at
what her reaction might be. He smiled.
“Did ye not ever give a wonder as to ‘Why?’ I placed a pantry door in the back
wall where no room exists? Is it not even a little
curiosity as to my insanity of pragmatic concern? Traci! Dear!”
“Ye be teasing me, Micah? And, us just
now properly married,” she returned the emotional tease not sure of his intent
which she could usually quite easily discern. She smiled impishly.
He took her hand and led her to the
subject “secret” door and gently kissed her lips.
“This is your ‘humble’ home with me.” He opened the door. “And, this is your
legacy: My ‘secret’ to share with
thee.”
She looked inside and witnessed a chasm
between the granite stone walls where the mountain spring water babbled a
delightful “Welcome!”
“A cave!?” She asked with a wrinkled
brow just beginning to worry at his little joke.
“Is this where thee will hide away from
me? Or, incarcerate me for some evil?”
She queried.
“Neither!” Micah replied, smiling. “This
is my gold mine. And, yours! We are,
indeed, rich!
“I own the Denver bank, the mill, Delmonico’s! The mercantile! Are thee
disappointed?”
She was taken aback at the enormity of
the “surprise”. Sure, she had known
the impression of money, big money, enormous
wealth, in fact, but she never guessed such of her pragmatic man.
“Disappointed?”
She echoed his question back at Micah. “No! Absolutely not.” She paused taking
a seat at the simple wooden table. “It’s a bit overwhelming! I guess! I never
suspected.”
Micah sat beside her and gently held her
hand; the time had come for his revelation.
“Sheriff Johnny is my step brother;
we’re full partners in everything. His Pa died young as did my Ma and our
surviving parents got together; he and I grew up as brothers. He saved my life
during the Civil War by taking a bullet meant for me; it cost him his left hand
due to infection.
“We were only fifteen when the war
ended. His Ma went with his natural sister to Atlanta where they still reside;
he sends them money every month to ease their burden. My Pa had died.
“Johnny and I worked our way west in
search of a better life; the south had been devastated by the evil war. Ne’re do-wells scavenged our
farm, ruined the land, stole everything not nailed down. By the time we got
back it was a shambles; then the rotten carpetbaggers
moved in and ‘legally’ stole by
illegal confiscation whatever was left. We had no reason, nor need, to stay on.
“In Kansas City we heard wild tales of
California and the gold strike; it was a long way off.
“Three years we worked any jobs we could
get; finally started a freight company shuttling supplies to Colorado; the territory
was slated to become a state. We hauled freight for two years, then sold our
business to the railroad. It was eventually going to freeze small timers out,
anyway.
“Silver and gold had been discovered in
the mountains west and south of Denver; we decided to try our luck at
prospecting. Three months later, we discovered this phenominal Bonanza!
“We worked the claim together and
devised a plan to put the money to “Good” use but wanted to keep our names out
of the public notoriety such benevolence would stir among people.
“I traveled to California, to see the country. Moseyed up Oregon-way and found Awesome-beauty on the northwest coast like none I’d ever even imagined, anywhere. If you’d like, we can visit there. It is at least as gorgeous as is this place; the blue Pacific reaches to the far horizon; breakers worry at the shore cliffs and escarpments jut directly into the turbulent sea chop.”
(Part 9 of 9 conclusion---Tomorrow)
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