Read Online Fort Laramie by Courage Knight - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Courage Knight
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them tight up past the ankles. Tom wouldn't know that she had tucked a pair of Dr. Scholl's inserts inside -they wouldn't show anyway - but they made the prospect of being on her feet all day a little less painful.
Carrie's dress was dark blue with little flower prints. It also buttoned up to the throat, but she had found a locket to wear, and put little black-and-white photos inside. The photos weren't of anyone she knew, just something she found on the internet and printed off, but she would pretend that they were her parents when she showed them to any park visitors. Her skirt was fancier than Julie's, with several rows of gathers, making her skirt much fuller, but she was the base commander's wife, not the wife of a blacksmith, so it stood to reason that she would have a larger clothing budget. Her second outfit was even prettier- a white lace top with a dark green skirt. But she had decided to wear the blue today, thinking that it would be easier to navigate with the crutches.
They were a noisy group as they scrambled into the van, chattering excitedly. Too bad Tom could only take pictures for his project, as a recording of their chatter would be far more informative than the posed shots he'd taken in front of the van. Tom dropped them off at the fort, then went to park the van at the back of the parking lot. He told them that after Carrie's foot healed, they would all walk from the parking lot in the future, for which the boys all thanked her for screwing up her foot.
The parade grounds were in the center. There was no wooden stockade surrounding this fort, unlike the forts portrayed on television. The Native Americans respected the well-stocked garrison, and only ever invaded it once to steal a few horses. The horse thieves were never caught. Carrie had read everything she could get her hands on about the fort. She had so much information to share - and was eager to start sharing it with the busloads of summer tourists.
Julie was to be posted at Old Bedlam, the impressive white building that had been quarters for unmarried officers. Reportedly, the card games that had occurred there in the past were so rowdy, that it had earned the nickname after an asylum for the insane in England. Carrie was almost envious of her friend, for the building was spectacular. Instead, she would be posted to Colonel Burt's home, a long, narrow building just south of Old Bedlam. It was a short walk from where Tom dropped them off to the Burt house, so Carrie hobbled inside to get settled.
The parlor was just as it had looked in the postcards she'd received. The furniture was small and lightweight, much of it made of wicker. The reason for that was because soldiers moved around a lot, and were limited on how much they could take with them. She touched one of the keys on the antique piano and was rewarded with a sour note. She shuddered, grateful that she didn't have to perform on it! She left the formal parlor and went into the sitting room next - what was the equivalent of a family room. It was where the family would have gathered in the evenings. A bookcase filled with dark hard covered books hung on the wall between the windows and the fat cast iron stove. She'd read the Colonel Burt liked to read, and knew Mark Twain personally. Sure enough, there were first editions of several of Twain's works in the book case. Women back then didn't read that much, as they believed novels to be a terrible waste of time. Carrie was glad that wasn't still true! She loved reading, especially historical romances... and even hoped to write them herself after she gained more experience.
There was a checkers board on the floor, a set of jacks and a top. The Burt's youngest son Reynolds lived at the fort with them. Their older children, a son and a daughter, attended school back east. How sad it was to be separated from their children, Carrie thought, thinking on the many sacrifices their ancestors had made. There in the middle of the sitting room was the
Carrie's dress was dark blue with little flower prints. It also buttoned up to the throat, but she had found a locket to wear, and put little black-and-white photos inside. The photos weren't of anyone she knew, just something she found on the internet and printed off, but she would pretend that they were her parents when she showed them to any park visitors. Her skirt was fancier than Julie's, with several rows of gathers, making her skirt much fuller, but she was the base commander's wife, not the wife of a blacksmith, so it stood to reason that she would have a larger clothing budget. Her second outfit was even prettier- a white lace top with a dark green skirt. But she had decided to wear the blue today, thinking that it would be easier to navigate with the crutches.
They were a noisy group as they scrambled into the van, chattering excitedly. Too bad Tom could only take pictures for his project, as a recording of their chatter would be far more informative than the posed shots he'd taken in front of the van. Tom dropped them off at the fort, then went to park the van at the back of the parking lot. He told them that after Carrie's foot healed, they would all walk from the parking lot in the future, for which the boys all thanked her for screwing up her foot.
The parade grounds were in the center. There was no wooden stockade surrounding this fort, unlike the forts portrayed on television. The Native Americans respected the well-stocked garrison, and only ever invaded it once to steal a few horses. The horse thieves were never caught. Carrie had read everything she could get her hands on about the fort. She had so much information to share - and was eager to start sharing it with the busloads of summer tourists.
Julie was to be posted at Old Bedlam, the impressive white building that had been quarters for unmarried officers. Reportedly, the card games that had occurred there in the past were so rowdy, that it had earned the nickname after an asylum for the insane in England. Carrie was almost envious of her friend, for the building was spectacular. Instead, she would be posted to Colonel Burt's home, a long, narrow building just south of Old Bedlam. It was a short walk from where Tom dropped them off to the Burt house, so Carrie hobbled inside to get settled.
The parlor was just as it had looked in the postcards she'd received. The furniture was small and lightweight, much of it made of wicker. The reason for that was because soldiers moved around a lot, and were limited on how much they could take with them. She touched one of the keys on the antique piano and was rewarded with a sour note. She shuddered, grateful that she didn't have to perform on it! She left the formal parlor and went into the sitting room next - what was the equivalent of a family room. It was where the family would have gathered in the evenings. A bookcase filled with dark hard covered books hung on the wall between the windows and the fat cast iron stove. She'd read the Colonel Burt liked to read, and knew Mark Twain personally. Sure enough, there were first editions of several of Twain's works in the book case. Women back then didn't read that much, as they believed novels to be a terrible waste of time. Carrie was glad that wasn't still true! She loved reading, especially historical romances... and even hoped to write them herself after she gained more experience.
There was a checkers board on the floor, a set of jacks and a top. The Burt's youngest son Reynolds lived at the fort with them. Their older children, a son and a daughter, attended school back east. How sad it was to be separated from their children, Carrie thought, thinking on the many sacrifices their ancestors had made. There in the middle of the sitting room was the
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