to be there by eight, so I figure I’d better get going.” She went to where Mrs. Weaver sat and leaned down. “I’ll bring you and Alma some candy tonight. They say Anderson’s Chocolate Store is back in business.”
“Oh my. Let me fetch you some coins,” the woman said in delight.
“No. This is my treat.” Faith pressed her hand on Mrs. Weaver’s shoulder. “Besides, I don’t even know if the rumors are true.”
“Don’t forget, we shall be working on Clementine’s wedding ensemble tonight.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Faith nodded. “Thank you for the reminder. I completely forgot. I’m supposed to pick up several spools of thread. It would have been a disaster if I’d forgotten.”
“Well, I know I shall look forward to seeing what you are able to procure.” The older woman gave a conspiratorial wink.
Faith laughed and went to get her coat. Once she was properly decked out for the cold January day, she picked up her large satchel. “I’ll be home later in the afternoon.”
She opened the front door and felt the damp cold permeate to her bones. How she wished the cable cars were running in this neighborhood. It was said they would have things back to normal in another week or so, but that didn’t help her now. She would have to walk a good half mile to get to the nearest stop where she could catch a ride.
As she walked, Faith tried not to think about the cold, but rather went over the details of a discussion she and some of the other students had had the day before. They were all excited to work with Faith’s aunt and uncle to gather medicine and other provisions for the Indian reservations. Faith had procured a list of items for each of the reservations and spoken at length on the need for medicines and cleaning supplies. She’d also relayed how she’d written to Helen Hunt Jackson and was anxious to receive a reply. Goodness, it was cold.
To her left, an enclosed carriage pulled to the curb and the door opened. A man called out, “Miss Kenner, is that you?”
She turned to find Samuel Lakewood. “It is. Good morning, Mr. Lakewood.”
“It’s far too cold to be ambling down the sidewalk. Join me in my carriage. I’ll take you wherever you’re headed.”
Faith didn’t even attempt to refuse as the driver climbed down to assist her. She hurried to the carriage and climbed inside. Lakewood might be involved in all sorts of evil deeds, but at that moment, Faith would have taken a ride from the Devil himself. “Thank you. My satchel is quite heavy.”
“I’m happy to help. Are you headed to the college?”
“I am. We have lectures today.”
“You heard Miss Kenner,” he said to the driver. “Take us to Fourth Street between Yamhill and Morrison.”
“Yes, sir,” the driver said, closing the door behind Faith.
She was grateful when Mr. Lakewood handed her a blanket that had been warming his lap. She pulled it around her, not even bothering to worry about what he would do for extra warmth. It kept her teeth from chattering, and perhaps, if necessary, she could hand it back to him in a few minutes.
Thankfully it didn’t come to that. Mr. Lakewood pulled another blanket from beneath his seat and draped it across his legs. “I suppose you’ve heard about all the damage up and down the coast and elsewhere. Oregon has suffered greatly from that massive cyclone.”
“Is that what they’re calling it?”
“It was a huge low pressure system, much like a hurricane. I was up at Fort Vancouver and spoke with some authorities on the weather. They’ve never recorded a storm quite like it. They’re calling it the Storm King.”
“I can believe it. I’ve never seen anything like it in all my years.”
He smiled. “You aren’t old enough to use that turn of phrase, but I am, and I agree.”
“How are your wife and children? Nancy told me that you have ten children.”
Lakewood chuckled. “I do. My wife, Deborah, is considerably younger than I am. When my previous wife died, I had four children, and they were all under the age of ten. Deborah was a family friend, and she came and helped me with them, and we fell in love. She’s given me another six children over the years. I’m delighted with them all. The oldest is now back east, attending Harvard.”
“Why send him so far away?”
“It’s what he wanted, and my brother is in Boston, so he has a ready home available to him. Although