Distant Dreams (Ribbons of Steel Book #1) , livre ebook

©1997 by Judith Pella and Tracie Peterson
Published by Bethany House Publishers 11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438 www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan. www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2011
Ebook corrections 04.18.2016 (VBN), 01.17.2019
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-0712-8
The song opening Part One is anonymous and was taken from Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American Folksong by Norm Cohen, University of Illinois Press.
Cover by John Hamilton Design
And the Iron Horse, the earth-shaker; the fire-breather . . . shall build an empire and an epic.
R ALPH W ALDO E MERSON
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Epigraph
PART ONE Summer 1835
The B&O Railroad
1 / Enter the Beast
2 / Repercussions
3 / Kindred Spirits
4 / At the White House
5 / Granny
6 / The Banker and His Son
7 / Railroad Man
8 / Lace and Locomotives
9 / Reaching an Understanding
10 / Evening at the Baldwins’
11 / Two Sisters
12 / York Adams
13 / Business Proposition
PART TWO Fall 1835
14 / The Hour of Reckoning
15 / York’s Return
16 / Shattered Dream
17 / The Cost of Fear
18 / Joseph and Margaret
19 / Oakbridge Tutor
20 / York’s Good Fortune
21 / Touching a Dream
22 / The Houseguest
23 / Shaky Beginnings
24 / Misunderstood
25 / Truce Between Friends
26 / A New Subject
27 / Something to Think About
28 / A New Venture
PART THREE Spring 1836
29 / Elections and Revolutions
30 / Tea and Confusion
31 / Nighttime Dispute
32 / Indecision
33 / Coming of Age
34 / No Longer a Child
35 / Discord
36 / The Proposal
37 / The Morning After
38 / The Ship
PART FOUR Late Spring 1836
39 / A Waking Dream
40 / Along the Way
41 / Philip Thomas
42 / Unexpected Companion
43 / Change in Plans
44 / Uncomfortable Questions
PART FIVE Summer-Fall 1836
45 / Hampton Cabot
46 / Advances
47 / Talk With a Friend
48 / Conversation on the Porch
49 / Leland’s Schemes
50 / Wedding Plans
51 / Fever Strikes
52 / Loss
53 / Broken Hearts
54 / The Letter
55 / Carolina’s Hope
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Other Books by Judith Pella
Other Books by Tracie Peterson
Back Ad
Back Cover
Part I
Summer 1835
Away, away, o’er valley plain I sweep you with a voice of wrath; In a fleecy cloud I wrap my train, As I tread my iron path.
My bowels are fire and my arm is steel, My breath is a rolling cloud:
And my voice peels out as I onward wheel, Like the thunder rolling loud.

1
Enter the Beast
The whistle blast, shrill and frightening, broke through the festive atmosphere of the crowd. Heads turned and a momentary hush fell over the noisy throng as the black monster lumbered down the iron ribbon, hissing and panting like some ancient mythological creature.
Every man, woman, and child watched in awe, held captive by the fearsome mechanical cyclops. Then murmurs of fascination began to rise from the onlookers, some pointing, some daring to press closer to the strange beast. But others shied away, horrified at the hideous creation that man had wrought.
“What an awful smell!” declared a young woman in disgust, quickly lifting a scented handkerchief to her nose. She appeared as if she might faint.
Many in the crowd agreed with the woman, especially when the iron beast began to belch great plumes of black smoke that rose and tainted the fine blue sky. A man led his wife away, fearful that her delicacy might be compromised by the strain of such a sight. Children, who only moments before had danced in circles begging to be allowed to see the beast’s arrival, now sought the protective arms of their mothers.
“Have ya ever seen the likes!” murmured a man in a coarse woolen jacket and worn cap. “Why it’s a-sparkin’ the ground afire.”
“Don’t get too close!” a young mother warned her child.
The giant colossus inched closer while workmen waiting alongside cleared back the undaunted curious ones and put out the patchy fires. Then, with a final groan, the mighty contraption rolled to a stop, steam pouring out from spigots on its sides. Now even the bravest folk jumped back several paces.
One wide-eyed girl, however, did not move. Mesmerized by what she saw, Carolina Adams did not retreat but rather pressed forward. Her brown eyes never leaving the machine, her petite form straining on tiptoe to see through the crowd, Carolina was drawn closer. Caught in the spell of wheels and gears and sounds and smells, she hardly felt the gloved hand on her arm, restraining her curiosity.
“Carolina! You are a proper young lady and such a ghastly exhibition is quite beneath you. Besides,” Margaret Adams said with a glance around the crowd, “there are many fine young gentlemen here today. If you are to secure a good marriage, you should at least pretend to be refined.”
Carolina looked up at her mother with a frown. She had no desire to secure a good marriage, at least not yet. But despite her feelings, Carolina held her tongue, knowing Margaret Adams, the epitome of genteel womanhood, would brook no disobedience from her children—especially not in public.
“That pout is most unbecoming,” said Margaret, “and tells me your heart is not in obedience.” Her narrow gray eyes made it clear the matter was not open to discussion.
“She’s just a child, Mrs. Adams.” Joseph Adams, Carolina’s father, was the only one who dared debate the woman. “And this is a celebration.”
Margaret turned a frosty glare on her husband. “She is fifteen years old, Mr. Adams. She is hardly a child.”
“I simply meant . . .”
The conversation between Joseph and Margaret competed with the rising din of the crowd, and Carolina found it impossible to concentrate on what was being said. Besides, in spite of the fact that the discussion was on her behalf, she was far more interested in the activity around the machine. Trusting that her parents were preoccupied for the time being, she attempted to get closer to the track. With little thought to appearance, she elbowed her way through the crowd. Her heart was pounding. Through her mind raced a million thoughts and questions about the strange machine. Even her mother’s certain reprimand couldn’t dissuade her from drawing as near it as possible.
I must get a better look, she thought, forcing her small frame through the sea of bodies.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” A man dressed in a natty tweed suit and bowler hat had hopped up on a wooden crate. He lifted his hand with an exaggerated flourish. “I give you the future of transportation! Nay, the very future of America! The Locomotive!”
The crowd cheered.
“We are here this twenty-eighth day of August, in the year of Our Lord 1835, to celebrate the grand opening of the Washington Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad!”
Carolina felt her heart beat faster. The machine was nearly close enough to reach out and touch. What must it be like to ride on such a contraption? Were the railed tracks smooth or bumpy? Did the world just whip by you as you rode along, or did it seem to stand still in awe of man’s newest invention?
“Here at the foot of Capitol Hill, under the watchful eyes of thousands, we are honored to have Philip E. Thomas, President of the B&O Railroad, with us today.”
Just then one of the two train-bound bands struck up a chorus of “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow,” to which a hardy cheer followed.
Philip Thomas, gray-haired but lively, took his place beside the man. “I am pleased to announce the trip from Baltimore to this, our nation’s capital, was accomplished without incident, and, furthermore, we covered the distance of thirty-some miles in less than two hours and ten minutes.”
The crowd responded with oohs and aahs. Several men began to inspect the wheel mechanisms while Thomas continued. “I am pleased also to announce that this is but the first of many roundtrips to come between our fair cities. A regular schedule of two trips per day is planned, and should this prove inadequate, we are prepared to add additional trips to accommodate those who wish to ride.”
He spoke next of the future of the B&O Railroad, but Carolina heard little of what he said. Forgetting her mother’s warning, she ventured ever closer to the locomotive. It still hissed, with billowing puffs of steam erupting from safety valves on the side. Two men peered down from the engine’s standing platform, thoroughly enjoying the crowd’s reaction. However, for the ceremony they had been required to wear their best black frock suits, and they looked most uncomfortable. The younger of the two tugged at his starched white collar, while the older man mopped sweat from his brow.
Carolina smiled up at them sheepishly, knowing she was being quite brazen in her approach. The men could hardly fail to notice the pretty girl in her fashionable afternoon dress of powder blue linen, trimmed in navy, with a matching bonnet tied smartly at her chin. The men gave her friendly grins.
Mother will skin me alive, Carolina thought, brown curls bobbing as she cast a quick glance over her shoulder.
But she couldn’t stop herself. The black giant enticed her forward. What was it that drew her? The other women in the crowd were not so fascinated; in fact, many were absolutely terrified. Carolina was a bit scared herself, but more so at her own inexplicable reaction. But she’d always had a curious nature.
“Too curious for your own good,” her mother would often say.
Something inside her wanted to know the how and why about everything. S