June 1, 1914
Rose pulled the blanket over her head. Someone was singing loudly in her ear, some annoyingly happy song about a ship reaching port.
She finally peeked out. Robert was standing next to her bunk, singing and grinning cheerfully.
Rose shut her eyes again, but Robert had already seen that she was awake. He pulled the blanket off, still singing.
Rose sat up, almost banging her head on the low ceiling of their room. "Has anyone ever told you that you could have a successful career as an alarm clock?" she grumbled, sliding clumsily from the bunk and stretching.
They had decided to sleep in separate bunks after discovering that sleeping jammed so close together was uncomfortable, especially after Robert had managed to shove Rose out onto the floor. Rose had told him that it was better to not sleep so crowded together anyway because he snored. Robert had denied it, but Rose had just laughed and refused to take back her words.
Now, Rose reached for her robe, eyeing Robert balefully. "Why did you get me up so early?" she complained. She could see by the porthole that it was early morning—and this far north, in June, morning came very early.
"I was walking around deck—"
"At this hour?"
"It’s four o’clock."
"Like I said..."
"I couldn’t sleep, so I was walking around deck, and we’re within sight of land. We should be disembarking today."
"Land?" Now Rose was wide awake. She pulled her robe tighter. "I want to see!" She hurried to the porthole, but saw only ocean.
"It’s still a ways away. We’ll have to go outside to see it."
Rose headed for the door, Robert in tow. She had grown somewhat more comfortable with sailing, but was still relieved that the voyage was almost over. It had been an uneventful trip, with only one iceberg sighted, and that one far away, but the ship had still been stopped for the night, making the trip take slightly longer. Still, it was better to prolong the trip than to ram the ship into an iceberg.
The Calverts headed for the deck, passing a few people who were out and about at this early hour. When they reached the deck, Rose shivered, wrapping her arms around herself, then hurried to the railing.
Land was indeed visible in the distance. A dark line of green forest greeted her wide eyes as she strained to see. In a few hours, they would be there.
Much as she disliked sailing, Rose had to admit that the trip hadn’t been all bad. She and Robert had joined in the merriment in steerage on several nights before retreating to the privacy of their cabin and had spent several days sitting on deck, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. After the second day, however, Rose had taken to wearing a hat when she sat on deck, having learned that while sunshine was pleasant, sunburn was not.
They had walked around and around the deck, talking, getting to know each other even better. Despite the fact that they had known each other for two years now, they hadn’t run out of things to share, and new things came to their attention every day.
The third day out, Rose had seen something that had delighted her—the sight of whales swimming in the deep ocean waters. She had never seen a live whale before, only pictures, and she had marveled that the huge, fishlike mammals were the source of the uncomfortable boning in corsets. She had wondered how they were hunted, so Robert had tried to explain to her about harpoons and whale ships until she had made a disgusted face and stopped him from telling her more.
They stood out on the deck for about fifteen minutes, looking toward the land, before the chill early morning breeze drove them back inside.
Rose practically danced back to their room. They were about to land! They would have solid ground under them at last!
She dressed quickly and packed the rest of their belongings while Robert watched, amused, pointing out that they probably wouldn’t dock until afternoon.
Rose didn’t care. After two weeks on board the ship, they would be back on solid land, and she couldn’t be happier.
*****
The ship docked at four o’clock that afternoon. Rose almost ran down the ramp, so eager was she to set foot on land again.
Robert laughed, steadying her, as the ground seemed to tip oddly. She had forgotten how it felt when she first got off a ship and had to regain her land legs.
They walked around the town of Juneau for about an hour after that. It was a small town, but larger than many in Alaska, since it had been used as a jumping off point for prospectors for years.
They wandered lazily around the town, taking their time. Now that they had reached their destination, there was no need to hurry, so they acted like any two tourists on a vacation, poking into stores and hotels and trying to decide where to go next.
Robert looked a little worried as they wandered through several stores and saw the high prices. It had been some years since he had been to Alaska and he had forgotten how high the prices at the edge of the wilderness were.
Rose noticed. "What’s wrong?" she asked.
"I...ah...I’d forgotten how high prices are up here."
"Are we going to be able to afford this?"
"Yes, but we’ll have to camp out tonight, rather than stay in a hotel, and we may have to live off the fat of the land."
"Live off the fat of the land?"
"Yes. Hunt, fish, that sort of thing."
"Have you ever done this before?"
He shrugged. "Partly."
Rose looked at him skeptically. "Speaking strictly from me, I would rather not starve out there. We came here for an adventure, not suicide."
"We won’t starve. I know how to hunt and fish."
Rose was still doubtful. "I think I’d be more comfortable if we had food supplies with us. Just in case the land isn’t so fat."
"We will. Just...not as much as I originally hoped."
"You’re that short on money?"
"Prices are higher here than in the states."
"I noticed." They were at the edge of town, so Rose made her way over to a fallen log and sat down. "What were you saying about camping out?"
"If we camp out, then we won’t have to pay for a room. We can use that money to buy supplies."
"And then we’ll have enough?"
"Almost."
"I’ve never camped out before."
"You are a city girl," he teased her. "Seriously, it’s a good idea. We’ll be camping while we’re in the wilderness—no hotels out there—and you can get a taste of it close to civilization."
"If you say so." Rose shrugged. She was willing to try camping, even though she’d never done it before. After all, wasn’t this what adventure was about—trying new things? "About the supplies..." she went on.
"I’ll take care of you. Have I ever let you down before?"
"No, but as you said, I am a city girl. I would feel better having some civilized food supplies as a backup. I have no idea how to cook fish or game, or how to look for berries or anything."
"I’ll show you. I’ve done these things before. My cousins and I even hunted and looked for berries and such in the countryside around Cedar Rapids."
"But we’re in Alaska now."
"I did the same thing here."
"Even so..."
He sighed. "Well, if you have the money to contribute, do so. Otherwise, I don’t know how we’ll get more than a week or so’s worth of food."
"How long are we expecting to be out there?"
"I was thinking all summer, maybe longer."
"How long would that be?"
"A couple of months, at least."
Rose opened her bag. Despite Robert’s talk of his ability to hunt, fish, and live off the land, she still didn’t quite want to entrust her life to such. She dug around in the bag, searching.
She had about two dollars left from her time in New Orleans. It would help, but it wasn’t nearly enough. She dug farther, wondering if she had any coins that she might have dropped inside. Even a little bit would help.
She felt something inside a tear in the lining and reached for it, remembering that she had wrapped the Heart of the Ocean in a handkerchief and tucked it in there the first time she had left San Francisco. She doubted that she could find a buyer for it here, though, and she didn’t really want to part with it anyway.
Just as she was about to tuck it back inside the lining of the bag, she felt the other objects that she had also wrapped in the handkerchief. She had forgotten about them until now.
Carefully unwrapping the contents, shielding them from Robert’s eyes, she removed the diamond earrings and engagement ring that she had worn to her wedding to Cal. Briefly, she looked at the Heart of the Ocean before tucking the handkerchief back around it.
She was reluctant to share it with Robert, although she wasn’t quite sure why. She knew that he wouldn’t try to take it from her, or force her to sell it, but it was something that she wanted to keep to herself, a part of the past that she was reluctant to share.
Her hand still hidden in the bag, she looked at the ring and earrings. Although she probably couldn’t get as much for them as she would in the states, they would still pay for the supplies they needed, with money left over for emergencies.
She looked at them, considering. She didn’t really want to sell the earrings, since they had been a Christmas gift from both of her parents the year before her father had died, but she would be more than happy to part with the ring. It was a vulgar, gaudy thing and she had never really wanted it in the first place. She had been carrying it with her from place to place, but she had no use for it.
Rose almost laughed at the irony. If she had remembered that she had these things in New Orleans, she wouldn’t have become a street performer. But if she hadn’t, she would never have met Tom DeWitt or tried to improve the lives of the people around her. Most likely, she wouldn’t even have met Robert again, and they wouldn’t be married, or about to set off for the wilderness. Life took some interesting twists sometimes.
She tucked the earrings away with the Heart of the Ocean and took the ring from the bag, showing it to Robert.
"Where did you get that?" he asked, stunned.
"It was my old engagement ring, given to me by the man I left at the altar. If we sell this, we should have plenty of money to buy supplies."
He shook his head. "You can’t sell that. It’s much too valuable, and you wouldn’t get nearly what it’s worth."
Rose shrugged. "It would get us what we need, and I don’t really want it anyway." At his astonished look, she elaborated. "I never wanted to marry him and the ring seemed more like a symbol of possession than anything else—something he could use to show me off. I don’t have a use for it, either. After all—" She looked at her left hand. "—I have two perfectly good rings already." She looked at the aquamarine engagement ring that she still wore, and at the simple gold wedding band. "I don’t need this flashy thing. Wearing it would be like asking to be robbed."
"I can’t let you sell your jewelry to support us. I’m supposed to be taking care of you."
"So the law says, but all things considered, I think that people more commonly take care of each other."
Robert shook his head. "I won’t take your jewelry. I’ll take care of us somehow."
Rose shrugged. "Well, then, I’ll sell this thing and use the money to buy supplies for myself. You can survive on your own."
"Uh…Rose..."
Rose looked at him knowingly. "Just how much have you lived off the fat of the land?"
"I can do it."
"I’m sure, but still..."
He sighed. "All right. We’ll sell your ring. I don’t have to like it, though."
"Look at this way. By law, everything that was mine is now yours. So, technically, we will be selling your jewelry."
"I’d still rather not."
"I know, but I think I should contribute something. You’ll be doing plenty of taking care of me in the next few weeks. I have never been to the wilderness, and you’ll have to teach me what to do. I’ve never even been camping, and I know nothing about living off the fat of the land." She gave him a teasing look, putting on a helpless act. "I’m just as helpless as can be."
"Helpless! You’re about as helpless as a porcupine."
"You didn’t think I was a porcupine last night."
He laughed, his sour mood forgotten. "I take that back. You’re as helpless as...as..."
"As nothing?"
He pretended to think it over. "I’m sure I could think of something."
Rose hit him playfully on the arm. "Watch it, buster!" She tucked the ring into her skirt pocket. "Let’s go find a buyer for this thing."
*****
After several tries, they managed to sell the ring. As Robert had predicted, they didn’t get as much for it in Alaska as they would have in the states, but it was more than enough to buy what they needed.
Despite the fact that it was late afternoon, there were still many businesses open, and they were able to purchase what they needed. Rose had no idea where to start, so Robert gave her the first lesson in wilderness life—how to buy supplies.
They purchased a tent, bedrolls, rucksacks to carry things in, and clothing for both of them. The clothes they had worn in the city weren’t sturdy enough for where they were going, and Rose’s dresses were highly impractical. They were both soon outfitted with warm, sturdy trousers, shirts, vests, and coats. Rose protested at first—ladies didn’t wear trousers—but changed her mind when she discovered how much easier they were to move in than long dresses. They each got a good pair of boots, as well.
After buying what they needed, they went looking for food supplies. Rose had assumed that they would buy canned goods, but Robert pointed out that they would probably be walking most of the time and didn’t need the additional weight of large quantities of canned foods. They bought a small amount of these foods, but mostly purchased dried foods—jerky, beans, fruit, flour, oatmeal, coffee, salt, and sugar. Rose wrinkled her nose, not so sure that this was what they needed, but she deferred to Robert’s greater experience. He had been to Alaska before, and she hadn’t.
Robert also insisted upon buying firearms and ammunition for both of them. Rose had never used a gun and didn’t really want to, but she understood the practicality of having one. They were useful for hunting, although she planned to let Robert take care of that whenever possible, and for defending oneself. Most of the people they met wouldn’t bother them, nor would most of the animals, but there would always be a few that they needed to watch out for.
The owner of the last store they went into shook his head, wondering at the intelligence of the two greenhorns who were heading into the wilderness. Many such people headed into the wilderness every year, and a number of them never came back. The wilderness was not kind to those who didn’t know how to deal with it. He was particularly appalled at Robert’s willingness to take Rose into the wilderness—a gently bred city girl had no place out there, in the storekeeper’s opinion, and if Robert really wanted to go looking for adventure, he should leave his wife behind.
Neither of the Calverts were willing to listen to his reasoning, and he finally gave up, but did strongly suggest that they obtain a dog before they left, since a dog could guard them against predators, both animal and human.
Robert and Rose objected to this, too—they didn’t know where to find a dog. The storekeeper mentioned a house near the edge of town, owned by a former prospector whose husky had found herself a mate of unknown breeding, probably belonging to one of the many travelers who came through and left just as quickly. The husky now had a litter of half-grown pups, and her owner was eager to be rid of them.
Robert and Rose thanked him and set off for the prospector’s home. There were indeed several half-grown pups, each beginning to near the size of their mother, and their owner was more than happy to part with one of them.
They looked the young dogs over, and finally selected one, a fluffy, long-legged male who whirled in circles after he had finished barking at them. All of the dogs had shown their protective instincts, but this one had quieted after ascertaining that they were no threat. The owner told them that this animal seemed to instinctively know the difference between friend and foe, and was already accustomed to obeying commands.
The dog sniffed them over, then plopped itself down on Rose’s feet, already deciding that she was a friend. He was more suspicious of Robert, but finally decided to accept him, as well.
Rose, who hadn’t had a pet in years, was delighted with the dog. He was of unknown breed, half-husky, half-mutt, and she knew that her old crowd would have turned up their collective noses at the animal, but she promptly fell in love with the friendly creature.
They paid five dollars for the dog, much to his owner’s delight. The dogs were eating him out of house and home and he was glad to be rid of one of them. He wished that more people would take the pups off his hands.
They chose a camping spot just outside of town. The dog, whom Rose had already dubbed Tripper for his ability to trip over his own feet, ran along beside them, poking his nose into holes and sniffing at logs, stopping occasionally to bark at unseen foes.
Robert showed Rose the basics of making camp—how to set up a tent, how to build an outdoor fire, and how to cook over it. Rose proved herself a fast learner, and they were both confident that they would be fine in the wilderness.