The Iron Horseman (31 page)

May
10, 1869

For
the first time in five days, a cloud could not be seen overhead. The sun shone
brightly through the window and the morning portrayed the happiness of the
day’s celebrations ahead. Cadence glanced out the window as the train passed
through a narrow ravine in the mountain range. Within moments, they emerged out
of the canyon and into a wide valley encased round about by tall, majestic
peaks.

As
the train finally came to a stop, Cadence glanced over at Levi who’d taken
refuge on the empty seat across the aisle from her, his feet extending across
onto the bench opposite her position. She supposed they could have all retired
to their beds, but after the exhausting events of yesterday, she figured they’d
just been too tired to get very far.

A
loud snore caused Cadence to peer over the seat in front of her. She stood up
on her knees, careful not to bump Levi’s feet, then reached down and placed a
hand on her father’s forehead. His fever had broken and he appeared to be
sleeping peacefully.

Thank
heaven for the small blessings
, she thought.
And the big ones
. She
smiled.

Like
Levi, her father’s legs extended across the seat and dangled off the end. She
wondered why, with so many men running the railroad, the benches were scarcely
big enough to accommodate children, much less a fully grown man.

“Daddy,”
Cadence whispered, shaking the man until he roused enough to look at her. “I
need to get those items I gave you to hold onto for me.”

He
arduously pulled himself into a sitting position. “What?” he asked, rubbing the
sleep from his eyes.

“The
spike. And the journal. Where are they?”

“The
spike is in the box in the drawer beneath the bed in my quarters and the
journal is at the bottom of a pile of books on the shelf above the bed,” he
whispered

“And
the case?”

“Strapped
to the boards beneath the mattress.”

Cadence
hopped up and over to her father’s unkempt bed. The trousers she wore slipped
down to her hips, so she grabbed the waist band and scrunched it up in her
hands before they could fall. She dropped to the floor and pulled open the
drawer to retrieve the spike.

It
was gone.

Maybe
her father had just gotten mixed up on where he’d put it. He had still been
suffering from the effects of his injury and had been running a fever. Cadence
lay on her back and looked up at the under casing of the bed. The cylinder was
there.

She
exhaled.

The
long strap secured to each end of the leather tube snagged on a protruding
nail. Cadence tried to remove it, but it just wouldn’t budge. She wiggled it,
slid it back and forth, but only managed to shred the leather strip. Finally,
she yanked on it, and it gave way, but her elbow smacked into the floor. She
pursed her lips together to stop any unsavory words from escaping.

With
the tube in tow, Cadence slid out from under the bed. She turned to stand up
and saw something wedged just beneath the drawer. She looked closer and pried
it from the wood. It was a silver heart-shaped charm.

Annie.

She
shot up, knocking her head against the bed support. With clenched teeth and a
suddenly throbbing head, she sat up, more carefully this time, making sure she
would clear the wood.

“What
are you doing?” Levi asked, now standing above her.

Her
face flooded with heat and she pulled herself up off the floor, avoiding his
eyes.

“Look
at this?” She placed the charm in his open hand.

“A
necklace?”

“Lincoln’s
spike is missing and that was on the floor next to the drawer where my father
said he’d hidden it.”

“And
you think Annie took it?”

“This,”
Cadence picked the trinket out of his hand, “is a charm from her bracelet. Who
else could have taken it, Levi? No one else knew I had it.” She leaned over the
bed and pulled the book from the bottom of the stack on the ledge secured to
the wall above the mattress. “We have to find it.”

“The
ceremony starts in two hours.”

“Then
I guess we’d better hurry.” She held up the journal to show him and strode from
the sleeping car, the cylinder slung across her shoulder. As much as she hated
the idea of deviating from her assignment, she had to find out what was in the
case and she didn’t trust Mr. Thomas Durant.

“Go
away!”

Levi
opened the door to Mr. Durant’s palace car and stepped inside. “I need a word
before the ceremony begins.”

Durant
lifted his head, his eyes bloodshot and squinting.

“They
are uncoupling the engine and the ceremony will begin shortly, but before we
head out, we just wanted you to know that we found your maps and have turned
them over to the director.”

“Maps?
What are you talking about?” Durant asked, forcing himself into a standing
position.

Cadence
held up the empty cylindrical case.

“What
have you done?” Durant skirted his desk, his hair oddly wild. He snatched the
case from Cadence and peered inside.

“The
director was very interested to learn that you were planning to sell secured
railroad building locations and had illegally purchased the land surrounding the
new locations,” she told him.

“They
are waiting for you outside, sir,” Bertram said after opening the door. He
looked around—the tension on the train at a peak. “Is everything all right in
here?” he asked.

“Never
better,” Levi replied with a smile. “Enjoy the celebration, Durant,” he said,
turning to leave.

Cadence
stepped up close to the weasel of a man and Levi unwittingly rested his hand on
the butt of the gun at his hip.

“Oh,
and Mr. Durant,” Cadence cooed as she ran her hands up Durant’s chest. “This,”
she said as she kneed him in the groin, “is for Annie.”

He
hunched over, his lips puckered and his brows ground together in the center of
his forehead.

Cadence
turned around, threw open the door, and walked out of the coach with nary a
backward glance. Levi followed her from the car. They disembarked and climbed
into the wagon waiting to take them to the ceremony.

“How
did he take the news?” Eamon asked from his seated position in the back of the
wagon.

“I
think he’s got a headache,” Cadence said with a smile as she climbed up onto
the tall seat.

“Among
other things,” Levi quipped. “Let’s just say that your daughter is not someone
to be trifled with, Eamon.”

They
both laughed.

Levi
sat up a little taller as they approached the only empty section of rails
separating the two lines. The Union Pacific’s Number One-Nineteen and the
Central Pacific’s Jupiter now sat, facing each other, preparing for their much
awaited meet.

“Twenty
minutes,” a man with a bullhorn announced.

The
news was met with cheers from the growing crowd and the engineer from each
locomotive blew their whistles in acknowledgement. People gathered around the
elevated podium, speaking excitedly with one another.

Levi
and Cadence climbed down out of the wagon and he wrapped the reins around the
metal bar next to the seat. Wagons, carts, and horses dotted the landscape
while their owners assembled around the tracks for one of the pictures that
would document the occasion. Levi helped Eamon from the back of the wagon and
they made their way to the front, where a man sat at a small table with his
telegraph, ready to send word to cities across the nation.

Chugga.
Chugga. Chug. Chug.

Whoo.
Whoo.

Ding.
Ding. Ding.

Suddenly,
it was as if the whole world had gone silent as the locomotives slowly made
their way toward each other. With only a few feet between them, they stopped,
waiting. The last rail, a laurel tie, had been laid and it was time for the
last spike to be driven. Levi glanced around at all of the congregated
onlookers, railroad workers, and a large marching band adorned in bright and
colorful uniforms. A man was strapped to the top of a telegraph pole, track
layers, dignitaries, crewmen, and state and city officials all awaiting the
final moment when the rails would finally be joined.

Levi
exhaled. Much of his work would be culminated by this moment and he reached
down and took Cadence’s hand in his.

“I’m
sorry I lost the President’s spike,” Cade said quietly.

He
squeezed her hand. “You didn’t,” Levi responded. “The Marshals found it among
Annie’s things and turned it over to Gren. It will have its moment and then
he’s going to give it to President Grant for safe-keeping.”

Cadence
smacked his arm. “And you couldn’t have said something earlier?”

“Keep
quiet,” the telegrapher announced for everyone to stop talking as they were
about to commence.

She
met his eyes, then they both faced forward.

After
a prayer by the good Reverend Todd and a few remarks from other officials, the
time had come for the commencement of the blows.

Thomas
Durant, representing the Union Pacific, and Mr. Stanford from the Central
Pacific stepped forward. The silver maul was handed to Mr. Stanford. He lifted
the sledge over his head and swung, hitting the tie. He’d missed and a huge
roar of laughter exploded from the crowd. Everyone quieted again as Mr. Durant,
who still looked as if his head was in a vice, took the maul and swung. He
missed. More laughter ensued and one of the railroad’s regular tie workers was
called over to finish the job. Four spikes were driven.

Done.

Cheers
erupted, photographs were taken, and the railroad was complete.

Levi
searched the crowd.

“Who
are you looking for?” Cadence asked.

Levi
turned and took both of her hands into his. “Did you mean what you said at the
river?”

Cadence
stared at him, searching his eyes.

“You
said that you want to be my bride. To spend forever with me. To have my
children. Did you mean those things?”

The
corners of her mouth upturned. “Of course I did.”

“Then,
let’s not wait. Let’s get married today. Right now.”

Cadence
looked at her father. Levi was glad he’d already asked his permission. Eamon
nodded his approval.

“Yes.”

Levi
pulled her into his arms, dipped her backward, and kissed her in front of the
entire crowd, evoking whoops and hollers from many of the men. “Let’s go find
the reverend.”

The
man was hard to spot amongst the excited crowd, but finally, they found him
speaking with the mayor who’d conducted the ceremony.

“Reverend
Todd,” Cadence said with a smile. “We’d like for you to marry us.”

“Today,”
Levi added.

After
a few minutes of speaking with them and asking them questions, the good
reverend put his hand on Levi’s shoulder. “What a wonderful day for marrying.
The sun is shining down the Lord’s blessing upon you. Come to the feast in
Promontory this evening and I will do as you’ve asked.”