AUTUMN

October 3

Adam got married this morning! That's right. I can't hardly believe it, but it's true. Me and Adam and Pa and Hoss rode into town first thing this morning so Adam and Adele could make their appointment with Judge Evans and it was just us. Adele doesn't have any family out here and she's new to town, so it was just us Cartwrights and Adele but . . . hey! I guess she's a Cartwright now, too. Imagine that! Afterwards, we had a late celebration breakfast at the International Hotel before Adam and Adele got on the coach to San Francisco for their honeymoon. Actually it was closer to lunchtime and Adele called it a brunch – you know, a combination of breakfast and lunch. I think she made that word up. She's clever like that.

I think Adele wanted to wait till Spring to get married but Adam didn't wanna wait. Probably afraid she'd change her mind in the mean time. And Adam always gets his way (she'll have to learn that sooner or later). She is an odd, quiet one. Kinda like Adam. They're a lot alike, those two, in lots of ways. She's a Yankee on her father's side, she's educated, and loves book reading and she sings really nice, like Adam, only higher, haha.

Anyway, we're all real happy for Adam, especially Pa. He really likes Adele, says she's "lovely" and that she plays a "wicked" game of chess. Pa wanted them to have a real wedding at The Ponderosa or at church but Adele she's been married before and like I said she's quiet like Adam and kinda shy and Adam and Pa had words – LOUD words - about it. So instead of getting married alone in San Francisco, like they planned, just the two of them, they agreed to get married in Virginia City and let us Cartwrights stand up for them. When they get back from San Francisco, we're having a big reception for them at The Ponderosa. Adam thought of it and it made Pa back down and now he's happy about it. We're inviting nearly everyone in the whole territory. I don't know what Adele feels about it but now she's a Cartwright anyway and so has to do what Pa says, haha. Also, she has to obey Adam cause she said so in her marriage vow. I heard her say it.

October 10

Me and Hoss got all the trunks moved from Adele's house to The Ponderosa. She's selling the furniture with the house so all she's bringing is stuff that fits in trunks and most of it is books, I think. And clothes. Well, whatever's in those trucks, it's all going in the attic till she can sort out what she wants.

I'm leaving tomorrow so won't be writing here for a few days. Me and Hoss have to go gather some strays then one of us have to check the line shacks, make sure they're stocked for the winter. Then I suppose we'll need to check fences one last time before winter sets in. Be nice to have Adam here to help but it's worth it to have him gone where he is. I'm sure he's having more fun than us, if you know what I mean, haha.

October 22

Adam and Adele are coming back tomorrow and I don't know who's more excited about it Pa or Hop Sing. Pa had a talk with Hop Sing about letting Adele help. Seems she told Pa she wants to help and has "concerns," she called them, about sitting around all day. I guess I can understand that. I know she had servants when she was married before but I don't know more than that. I mean, I don't know what she did all day then but after she moved to Virginia City she didn't have servants. It was just her at the house so there was housekeeping and cooking and all that other stuff she did by herself. And she's a pretty good cook, too. Not as good as Hop Sing maybe but she cooked dinner for us a few times when Hop Sing was gone and she did good. But her desserts, oh Lord, I don't think I've ever had such good cake. Don't tell Hop Sing I said that.

October 26

Tomorrow is the reception and it's gonna be an all day thing. Probably a hundred people coming. Adele turned kinda pale when we talked about it at dinner tonight and I saw Adam put his hand over hers when Pa talked about who all is coming.

When they got back, they told us all about their trip to San Francisco and what they saw and what they did. Well, not everything, if you know what I mean. Me and Hoss caught Adam up on ranch operations and now after dinner we sit around like we always did only now there's another person but you'd hardly notice her she's so quiet. She's either reading, sewing, or playing chess with Pa.

It's kinda odd having Adele here now. Especially late at night when she and Adam go to his room together if you know what I mean. They even come to breakfast together and I get embarrassed thinking about them. But they never do anything more than kiss each other on the cheek if they know someone's around.

One thing that's hard is when she takes a bath. I mean, she always wears a heavy wrap going in and coming out of the room off the kitchen so it's nothing like that but just knowing she's in there naked bothers me and knowing that Adam's seen her naked. Got me thinking 'bout when she washes her ladies' delicates, petticoats and such, and has them hanging outside and then she gets to see our wash, too. I mean, other ladies have taken baths here but I've never seen ladies' clothes hanging outside this house and I still haven't and I am not looking forward to it. It's so, you know, different. Pa's no stranger to living with a woman and Adam remembers what it's like. I don't know what all Hoss remembers about having my Ma in the house but somehow I don't think he ever wondered about her taking baths and hanging her underthings on the line. Maybe Adam did. I don't know. It's just that it kinda bothers me since I never lived with a woman except my Ma and I was a little kid then.

Adele's been real careful to ask Hop Sing if she can help him and he says "Okay" probably 'cause Pa told him to let her. I think it's nice she doesn't try and take over Hop Sing's job like some ladies do. I think Hop Sing thinks so, too.

November 1

The party was a great success! Adele looked so pretty. She wore diamond earrings and a really pretty dress that showed her bare shoulders and Adam and Pa introduced her to probably every single person who came to the reception and she was very "gracious" (that's the word one of the older ladies used). Everyone is so happy for them and says they're "well matched." I'll have to think about that. I mean, she's a lot like him, I know that, but don't know if that means they're well matched. I mean, opposites attract, too, right?

I danced with Adele and she's a real good dancer as you can imagine she would be having gone to school in France and all. She's littler than I thought she was, too, real light and light on her feet, too. And she has the prettiest dark blue eyes. I don't know that I've every seen eyes that color before. Hoss was sweating over when he had to dance with her cause he was afraid he'd break her and that'd make him feel bad not to mention that Adam would kill him right there on the spot. But Hoss did fine but he told me later it was all he could do to keep from seeing how far up in the air he could throw her, haha.

Anyway, all my best gals were there and every time I danced with one of them I thought about whether we were "well matched" and if I could see myself married to the one I was with. I still don't know and when I talked about it with Hoss this afternoon he said it's just cause I haven't met the right gal yet. Think I'll ask Adam.

Adam, he's changed. Which is a good thing, haha. He's not so crabby anymore and I don't think it's just the you-know-what though I think that helps. And it's funny, cause now when he walks in the house, she's the first thing he looks for and then his face changes when he sees her. I guess that's love. It's kinda fun to watch him with her. Today, they went for a ride together. She's not a very good rider. She only just learned this year because Adam taught her. She rides the gentlest mare and does all right as long as the trail is even and the pace is slow but Adam says she's getting better but I don't think so. Today they were gone for so long we almost sent a posse out for them but Pa said they were fine and then he smiled and turned and walked away real fast. Anyway, they were home before dark and looked like they had a good time.

November 12

I'm ashamed and embarrassed but lately every night when I'm in bed I try to see if I can hear Adam and Adele and mostly I can't. Not really. I hear some low voices and some movement but nothing obvious, if you know what I mean. But I'm embarrassed I'm even thinking about it.

And then sometimes when she's helping Hop Sing serve dinner or breakfast, her arm will brush past me and I feel real warm in the place where her sleeve brushed mine and I think about how Adam touches her and what it would be like if I touched her like that and then I get all embarrassed again and I feel bad cause she's Adam's wife and I shouldn't ever think of her that way. Also, Adam would kill me if he knew. No kidding, I think he actually, really would.

Adele and Hop Sing did a thorough cleaning of the kitchen yesterday and Hop Sing was so happy about that. Adele is also really good at sewing and mending and Hop Sing said, "Missy Adele can have it! Hop Sing no good with needle like Missy!" I just hope she doesn't start doing other things he thinks she's better at or he'll think he's not needed and he'll quit. I heard Pa and Adele talking about it and they said it was a "delicate balance." Adele traveled all over the world with her Pa when she was a kid so she's used to people from other places and she understands how Hop Sing is a member of this family and I like that.

November 14

Today I was alone with Adam working on some fence line and I asked him how he knew he wanted to marry Adele. He stopped what he was doing and thought for a moment but he was smiling that slight Adam smile. Before he could say anything I asked him if it was his heart or his head that decided and right away he said it was both. And then he said he'd met and loved enough women to know and that when he thought about not marrying her and not being near her all the time he said, "Well, that idea was intolerable to me."

He got back to work and talked even more about it. I don't think I've ever known him to talk that much about anything personal. He said she understands him and he understands her and he considers her his best friend and that that's what he looks forward to each day. He also said that making her happy makes him happy. He's designing a house for them but first he's gonna build a greenhouse so she can grow all the flowers she wants and he says that makes him happier than anything else.

I'm taking Betsy to the dance this Friday and I'm trying to think of her as a good friend and I just don't see it. Oh, she's nice and sweet and fun to talk to but I don't think of her as a friend I can talk to about important stuff. And I don't think that doing something really big for her would make me as happy as Adam building that greenhouse.

November 23

It snowed last night and it's still snowing. Adele stood outside and tipped her head back with her tongue out like someone who's never seen snow before and I know she has. She's kinda like a kid sometimes and she's twenty four years old already. The littlest things make her happy and she's been all over the world, she even lived in Paris and Portugal, and she grew up rich and still she says a hot cup of tea in the afternoon or a job well done is what she likes best. Pa finds this "charming" and says it's the Yankee in her and I think it's what Adam likes best about her. Well, among lots of other things, too. But, really, tasting snowflakes and giggling like a little girl?

November 24

It's still snowing and it looks like we're housebound for awhile and I don't know if I can stand it. Being housebound isn't a lot of fun anyway but now with Adele it's gonna be real tough. Last night, after dinner, Hoss broke wind and usually when one of us does something like that Pa just frowns and the rest of us laugh. Not last night, though. No, Sir. Pa scolded Hoss and made Hoss apologize and Hoss was all embarrassed cause of course Adele was there and she musta heard it, too. Not that she did anything but smile a little bit. Hoss couldn't even look at her and she kept looking over at him and when she finally caught his eye she shrugged her shoulders all sympathetic-like so at least she didn't pitch a fit about it but I'm worried. See, what we have here is we're all cooped up together and now we gotta watch it and be on our best behavior all the time because there's a lady present. It's gonna be a long winter.

November 30

Adele's been taking care of the chickens lately. Feeding them and collecting eggs and cleaning out the coop. She also milks the cows sometimes but she's not that, well, good at it. What was the word Adam used? Oh, yeah, adept. She didn't grow up on a ranch so she's never done any of the stuff that comes natural to the rest of us. Gotta say, though, she doesn't complain or make faces and she's willing but, oh boy, she's green! It's kinda funny but it's also frustrating when she doesn't know what to do with what and she's so slow at stuff that shouldn't take that much time, like milking cows or saddling a horse. Pa says she'll learn but I'm having a real hard time making exceptions right now.