THE IMPERIAL ENGINEER (12 page)

Moving carefully, he pushed himself up to sit beside her. Catching her hand, he
lifted it to his mouth, His lips were hot on her palm. "Nothing's impossible. I'll bet we can
figure out some way..."

"No, Tony, we can't. There's no room in my dreams for any sort of personal life. I
chose long ago to live alone, to dedicate all my energy to fighting the prejudice and
inequities that have forced my parents to live in Cherry Vale instead of a town, the laws
that say my mother's only an extension of her husband, the insanity that if you were known
to be Chinese, you'd have to prove you were an asset to the nation or be deported to China.
I won't stop fighting until there are no more laws that restrict the freedoms of any man--or
woman--on the basis of skin color, eye shape, beliefs, or any other quality that's a bit
different from the herd's."

Turning toward him, she caught his face between her hands. She kissed him
gently, tenderly. "There will never be another time like this, Tony. I'll cherish tonight all
my life, but it was all there ever will be for us."

"No! That's stupid! We can work something out. I'll help you with your work." He
clutched at her, tried to kiss her.

Gently she slid from his desperate embrace. "Tony, there are many good women
out there, women who'd be honored to be your wife. Go find one. I'll always be your
friend, and I hope you'll let me be a godmother to your children.

"That's all I can ever be."

She rose and hurried to the door. Just before she pulled it closed behind her, she
said, "I'll help you Thursday if you still want me to. But only if you'll promise never to
mention tonight again."

She didn't wait for his answer. With a final click, the door latched.

The tears started falling before she reached the kitchen.

* * * *

Tony remained in her apartment the next day, in far more pain than he would
admit to Lulu. She brought in books and magazines when she came to clear away his
breakfast dishes. Mrs. Graham, her elderly neighbor, brought his dinner, a meaty soup and
fresh, hot bread. "Miss King went out to visit with Imajean--that's Imajean Teller. She's my
niece. Her man owns this house. There now, you're all fixed up. Careful! Don't spill the
milk." By the time she had him settled at the kitchen table, Tony was exhausted. Unlike
Lulu, who was a quiet, restful nurse, Mrs. Graham fussed.

Unable to sit comfortably anywhere, he went back to bed soon after he'd eaten.
Reading while lying on his belly gave him a crick in his neck. After the third time he
dropped the latest copy of
Atlantic Monthly
, he decided he hadn't wanted to read
anyhow, and so he dozed the rest of the afternoon away.

When Lulu returned, all she did was stick her head in the door and ask if he
needed anything. Then she disappeared until suppertime. She didn't eat with him, either,
and after picking at the scrambled eggs and biscuits, he abandoned the half-full plate and
went back to bed. By the time she came in to change his bandages, he was totally out of
sorts. Bored, lonely, and feeling greatly neglected.

"Mr. Eagleton caught me as I came through town. He wants to know if you're still
going to test the system tomorrow. "

"I'm burned, not crippled." He winced at a sharp pain on his shoulder. "Ouch!
Damn it, you don't have to skin me alive!"

"The bandage stuck. Hold still."

He did, while she carefully peeled it away, taking a yard or two of skin with it,
probably. Her fingers were cool against his skin as she touched him here and there.

"It looks much better. There are only three places where the skin actually
blistered. The rest is still awfully red, like a bad sunburn. Is it sore?"

"In a couple of places. But I'll live," he hissed as the damp cloth came too close to
one of the sore spots. "Take it easy, will you?"

"Stop whining."

Eventually she was finished and had helped him into a clean, soft shirt, one he'd
never seen before. "One of Jacob Teller's," she told him. "Imajean dug it out of her
ragbag."

"Great God, did you tell them I'm here? Your reputation--"

"Is safe. Mrs. Graham is seeing to that. Now let me see your hand."

"Thanks," he said, when she'd replaced the bulky pad on his palm with a thinner
one. "I'll be able to use it now."

"You'll want to wear a glove, to keep it clean." Turning away, she began to gather
up the soiled bandages. "I'll bring you some warm milk in a little while."

He caught at her hand. "Lulu?" He wasn't sure what he was asking, except that he
didn't want her to leave him. "Do you ever think about that last night? Before I went
away...?"

She pulled her hand free. A moment later he felt her fingers sift through his hair, a
soft, fairy touch. When he looked up, he saw the shiny tracks of tears on her cheeks.

The telephone line is in working order in Hailey. This morning the bells
began going and the transmitters to work.

Wood River Times

~~~

Lulu helped Tony all day Thursday, attaching wires to terminals when his one
good hand was not enough, checking all the connections on the switchboard, to make sure
none had worked loose since the last time they had been inspected. She drove the wagon as
he went from subscriber to subscriber, making a last check of their wet cell batteries, "You
speak of these wires as if they're alive and determined to escape," she told him, in one of
their few moments of camaraderie.

"'The total depravity of inanimate things,'" he said, grinning at her. "It happens
every time. Just as soon as you want everything to work perfectly, nothing does."

"That's a quote, isn't it?"

"Uh-huh. Some woman Back East."

"I thought so. Gail Hamilton, right? She writes extremely intelligent articles about
women's lack of independence."

"I guess so." He seemed entirely absorbed in the connection he was making.

That was the last real conversation they had. When he took her home, he thanked
her and said good night, without ever looking her in the eye.

* * * *

Miss Petersham came by Lulu's apartment after school on Friday. While they
drank tea, Lulu told her about testing the telephone system. "I had no idea what I was
doing most of the time, but I found it interesting, nonetheless."

"There is a certain fascination about all these new gadgets," Miss Petersham
agreed, "but I personally dislike the idea that someone can invade my home simply
because he is too lazy to write."

Chuckling, Lulu nodded. "Or in too much of a hurry. I fear we'll see a rapid
proliferation of telephones soon, particularly in businesses."

The older woman sighed. "One cannot stop progress, I suppose." She set aside her
teacup. "Miss King, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Yes?"

"Are you planning to stay in Hailey for a while?."

"Yes, I--" Suddenly the idea of staying here, where she might see Tony at any
time, seemed more than she could do. "No... Actually, something has come up. I'll be
going to Boise soon." Something that had nothing to do with her cause, everything to do
with her heart.

"Perhaps when your schedule is more firm, we might talk about a possible date for
you to speak to my older students. We've been studying the events that led to the recent
war, and some of its results. I'm particular interested in their hearing about your
experiences with Reconstruction."

"I'd be delighted, but I'm not sure I have much to offer. By the time I began
working on the reconstruction efforts, most governmental funds had been used. I worked
with volunteers for the most part." And what a futile task that had been, fighting a century
of ingrained beliefs, a simmering resentment against the victors and those they seemed to
favor.

"Still, that's more than anyone else has personal knowledge of. I will ask,
however, that you do not speak of the subject closest to our hearts. The School Board
would not approve."

"I'll be here all next week. Is that too soon to plan something?" While she wanted
nothing more than to be on tomorrow's train, she knew that to do so would only be
indulging herself. She had much to accomplish before she could travel again, even for her
own peace of mind.

They decided on next Thursday, to give Lulu enough time to put together an
hour's lecture.

* * * *

Tony looked up from the drafting table when he heard the back door open. In a
moment, Mr. Eagleton stuck his head in the door. "What're you doing here, boy? The sun
is shining. This may be the last fine day we'll have 'til spring. You oughta' be out having
fun. Chasing girls or whatever it is you young fellers do these days."

"I just got back from the dynamo a few minutes ago. It's running just fine. The
batteries are all charged up." The dynamo was turned by the waterwheel, providing a
constant trickle of electrical charge to the bank of batteries that powered the switchboard.
Without it, the switchboard would soon cease operating. "The only problem is, somebody
may have tried to break in."

Eagleton's eyebrows went up. "How much damage?"

"Not enough to matter. A few scratches on the padlock and some dents in the
door, as if whoever did it used a rock, but gave up when it turned out to be work."

"Probably kids then, wanting to get a look inside. I wouldn't worry." He eyed
Tony closely. "How're you feeling today?"

"Too sore to be chasing girls, that's certain, but fine overall. I was just looking
over these plans for the bridge, trying to make a list of what we'll need and how much it
will cost." He laid the pencil down. "I wanted to do some detail renderings, but can't seem
to draw a straight line." He'd removed the pad that had protected his left palm and replaced
it with several thicknesses of wrappings, but still found himself unable to hold a pencil
steady.

"Hmph! Some folks don't know when they're well off. A lot of fellas would be
taking advantage of being crippled up for a spell."

Whenever his employer started speaking like a backwoodsman, Tony knew he
was teasing, so he ignored the comment. "We've tested the whole telephone system.
Everything worked fine. At eight o'clock Monday, we'll be open for business." He didn't
bother to keep the pride from his voice. This project was a success, thank goodness.

One bushy eyebrow lifted. "'We'?"

"Lu--Miss King helped me. I was too clumsy to make the connections."

Eagleton fiddled with the pencils and straightedge for a moment. At last he said,
"You gonna start keeping company with her?"

I wish I were!
"No, I don't think so. She's totally committed to her causes,
and I don't think there's room in her life for a man."

"That's good. I was afraid you'd go and fall in love with her and get your heart
broke."

Too late. I already have.
He only shook his head.

Eagleton took a turn around the small office, then returned to stand next to the
drafting table. "You find a place to stay yet?"

"No sir. I've looked around a bit, but haven't found anything." He had slept on the
cot in the storeroom last night. Too many nights of that and his back would be permanently
swayed.

"Well, if you don't mind the ride, there's the house on the old Witherspoon ranch,
just north of my place. It's been sitting there empty since I bought the property. Don't know
why I didn't have you move in a long time ago."

The thought of living alone, with no one snoring on the other side of a thin wall,
appealed to Tony. "It sounds perfect. Thanks."

"Go on out now and look it over. See what you'll need in the way of furniture and
fixings. Use my buggy. Just get back here before suppertime."

Tony picked up his hat. "I will, Mr. Eagleton. And thanks. Thanks a lot."

The house was in good repair and even had a few pieces of furniture in it. He'd
have to buy a bed, but otherwise he could get by with what was there. Tomorrow he'd pick
up some dishes and a couple of pans so he could cook.

As he tooled the buggy back towards town two hours later Tony gave some
thought to the matter of transportation. Although there was an old barn in pretty good
condition, the corrals were in need of repair. Besides, he didn't want to be bothered with a
horse's upkeep. What he'd really like was a bicycle.

"Why not?" he said aloud. "I'll bet Cliff & Mackey has one. Or if they don't
they'll know where I can get one."

And in the winter, he could snowshoe to town. Or ski.

For the first time since he'd come to Hailey, he felt as if he'd really like living
here.

* * * *

The telephones began ringing Monday morning. To Tony's deep satisfaction, the
entire system operated perfectly. Before the day was over, he had hooked two new
subscribers into the system, and had received orders for service from half a dozen others.
Within a week or two, the entire valley would be linked with near-instantaneous
communication.

Monday night he and Mr. Eagleton celebrated with dinner at the Nevada Chop
House. "I want to thank you for giving me this chance," Tony said, as they relaxed with
whiskey and coffee. For the first time since they'd sat down, they weren't besieged with
potential subscribers or local businessmen offering congratulations.

"Boy, I didn't give you anything. Jamie Winter said you were an honest,
hard-working fellow, and that was good enough for me. Now you've proved your worth, I hope
you won't decide to move on to greener pastures."

"I'll stay here as long as there's work, Mr. Eagleton. This isn't the job I had in mind
when I came, but it suits me. And I've come to like Hailey. It's close enough to where I
grew up to feel like home."

"Close enough? You didn't tell me you were a local boy. Where from?"

"I spent a good bit of my childhood in Boise City and up on the South Fork of the
Payette. A place called Cherry Vale."