Kate of Kentucky
Land of Blood and Plenty
by
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They kept to the middle of the deceptively placid-looking Ohio where an occasional swirling eddy or tree trunk threatened to capsize them. It required Micah’s total concentration to stay on course while avoiding any dangerous debris. On the other hand, except for giving an occasional warning, Kate was free to enjoy the changing scenery along the wide expanse. On her left, the green water reflected colorful bluffs dotted with flowers and fragrant blossoms while, on her right, broad green vistas stretched as far as the eye could see. When they ate what little food they had with them, she avowed that a bit of leftover perch was ample fare when the senses could feast on so much beauty. Time and again, she turned to Micah with a smile that glowed with happiness. The roar of rushing water made ordinary conversation impossible, but she took pleasure in pointing out things of interest, such as, the tipi villages of the peaceful ‘near’ Indians; the buck, followed by two does, swimming out to one of the many small islands in the river; the flight of Passenger Pigeons that darkened the sky for miles. A pirogue of swarthy French traders dressed in white shirts and dark, waist-high hose passed them, pulling upstream. One man wearing an earring, stood up in the boat, jerked the red kerchief from his head and waved it wildly, gesturing to Kate, while the others yelled promises of a good time if "la belle dame" would come along with them. By the time they had progressed beyond the disgorge of the Scioto River the last red rays of sun were glinting on the water. All day long a shepherd’s flock of fleecy white clouds had formed, dissolved and reappeared across the blue sky, and Kate was thinking of the fair weather verse about "wooly fleeces strewing the heavenly way...," when the boat surged ahead so abruptly she had to grab hold of the sides to keep her balance. She turned a startled look at Micah and, over his shoulder, saw them coming - a canoe-load of Indians cutting through the choppy water with ease, paddles flashing in unison. "How many?" Micah panted, but they were still too far away for her to tell. Muscles straining against the oars, his hair ruffled in the wind, Micah was able to outdistance them for a time. But the Indians had the advantage of their numbers and a lighter boat. It was impossible for Micah to maintain the grueling pace indefinitely. After a few more minutes she said, steadily, "Six I think." As he gradually lost ground Micah saw it was futile to try to outrun them so, when he came to a bend in the river that afforded a few minutes cover, he summoned all his strength to cut across to the south shore. There they reached a leaf-shrouded point, where the forest grew down to the water’s edge, and were quickly enveloped by a thick cover of reeds. Crouched within the airless screen, where they were forced to endure swarms of unhampered mosquitoes, they listened as the search narrowed. They heard the oars cutting the water, heard the angry voices...then, the swishing sound of parting reeds, coming closer.
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About the Book
Kate of Kentucky
Alone at seventeen following her father’s death, Kate Mulherrin is forced to flee imperiled Randele Station, for her own protection, accompanied by the mysterious brother of the station owner. After a difficult journey by foot and boat, Kate and Micah reach the isolated farm of her sole remaining relatives, only to find them dead at the hands of marauding Indians.
Micah reluctantly decides to take her with him to his home in Kentucky. Following a perilous voyage down the Ohio River they encounter a camp of renegade turncoats who would kill for the information Micah holds secret then the final leg of the trip, by pack train, leads them to their destination at Logan’s Station.
Kate has fallen in love with Micah and has reason to believe he loves her, but when he volunteers to serve with the ragtag army recruits and leaves without declaring his feelings, she is forced to admit she was wrong about him. Lacking the means to return home to Virginia her prideful dilemma is to marry someone, anyone, who will take her away from here before Micah returns. Meantime, she toils alongside those struggling to survive at the outermost edge of the wilderness.
About the Author
As a student of 18th century cookery, an amateur herbalist, and lecturer on the preservation and arrangement of wildflowers, the author has based some of her characters on real people, born and bred in the little-changed back hills of Kentucky, who were already old when she knew them as a child. Eight months of intensive research provided background material with the aim of portraying our country as it was when the land molded the character of its people, blending the story line with the historical accuracy of their living conditions, their foods, medicines, superstitions and, above all, their proud self-reliance. Beverly and her husband, Palmer – both native Kansans – live in Kirkwood, Missouri next to a nature park teeming with wildlife, where they enjoy observing the wide variety of flora and fauna.