LOUISA - Chapters One and Two

Today I start posting the story of Louisa. There is still a lot to find out about this Ancestor and that is an ongoing task. These chapters were written for a 28 day Writing Challenge, that I participated in, during February this year. All chapters of Louisa's story are creative non-fiction, but all major names, dates and places are correct as far as I know. I will post the rest of them each couple of days.




CHAPTER ONE

DARK CLOUDS ON THE HORIZON ©

The day started like any other day. Although the rain overnight had been steady and very welcome, it would make the yard that much harder to get the chores done.

Louisa was awake and feeding Ethel at 4 o'clock. She was thankful that Ethel had fallen asleep in her arms.She was the worst of her young ‘uns by far with cutting teeth. No doubt she would be awake soon.

Blast! Louisa thought, her infernal screeching had woken, William. Now he would wake the rest of the boys, them being all in the one room. No more sleep for her.

As she dressed and splashed icy water from the bowl on the night stand over her face, she day-dreamed of an easier life.

One where Nanny brought the baby to her to feed, with a cup of tea. Then when finished, she would take her back to the nursery, where she would supervise the dressing of all the boys and get them all to the dining room for breakfast. She would then curl back up under the comforter with the luxury of sleeping until the downstairs maid brought her tray up.

"Mamma", one of the boys yelled.

"Louisa", Alfred bellowed from out back at the same time.

Lord, can't anyone do anything for themselves, she thought, as she made her way downstairs to get breakfast.

It was like ice in the kitchen with the wind howling around the Inn and seeping through cracks in the windows. Quickly lighting the fire she set the kettle on to boil. While she was stirring the porridge, she cut the bread she had baked last night, setting another loaf in the oven for dinner time.

"Louisa, where is Alfred Jr. the kindling hasn't been split? Magnus hasn't milked the cow, she's out there bellowing fit to wake the dead," Alfred came in slapping his arms to warm himself by the fire.

The two eldest boys slipped out the door behind their father’s back, quick to navigate around him, on their way to do their chores. Alfred Jr. nearing thirteen and Magnus almost eleven, knew if Pa caught them, they would feel the back of his hand for neglecting their chores.[1]

Even if it was still only five o'clock!

Alfred took the opportunity of being alone with his wife to give her a quick kiss. They were interrupted by the sound of many little feet running down the stairs. The quite of the kitchen was extinguished with the entrance of five young children.

Louisa ’s heart swelled with love and pride as her younger children arrived for breakfast. Peter who was nine, carrying one year old baby Ethel. Followed by John who would be seven in two weeks, holding little William's hand who was prone to telling her that he was a big boy now at three years old. Of course, bringing up the rear was the chubby five year old George with shirt tails out and hair not done.[2] 

With the return of the two eldest boys, they all sat down to the hot porridge with warm milk, bread and dripping, and a steaming cup of tea for Alfred and Louisa. Even though it was still early and the thought of her bed kept coming back to her, she revelled in this, her favourite time of the day. Apart from the few times throughout the day when she would sit down to feed Ethel, she would be on her feet all day and a good part of the night.

She was grateful that they hadn’t had any lodgers staying at the Inn last night but the bar would be busy with their regulars throughout the day and then the six o’clock rush. The day would stretch into a long round of cleaning, washing, cooking and schooling the children.

That is if I can get them to sit down for long enough, she thought.

Alfred thought she was wasting her time schooling the children. The boys would all be working by the time they were thirteen hopefully. Ethel would of course marry a nice young man and have a family.

But something inside kept nagging her to continue with their schooling. It was like a dark cloud on the horizon. It wouldn’t hurt for the children to have a little education. Would it?


1 Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922 Index Reg #44 Alfred L BRANDT, Index Reg #135592 Magnus BRANDT [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010 , accessed 12 August 2015, http://www.ancestry.com.au

2 Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922 Index Reg #14877 Peter BRANDT; Index Reg #15707 John BRANDT; Index Reg #22850 George BRANDT; Index Reg #25169 William BRANDT; Index Reg #17610 Ethel BRANDT; [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010 accessed 12 August 2015, http://www.ancestry.com.au



CHAPTER TWO

THE DAY IT ALL CHANGED FOREVER ©

The day had been busy. The children were fussy and rowdy. Six boys confined inside because of the wet and icy cold weather, were about five too many.


Ethel was constantly whinging as she tried to pull herself up and get on the move with her own two feet.


Alfred was right. It was time that Alfred Jr. made his own way in the world. He should be working outside the home and bringing in some money. At least that would cut down on some of the noise of a daytime.


She rubbed the back of her neck trying to ease the nagging headache she had been fighting all day. She had to get the children’s tea. Thank heavens they always had their dinner meal at midday before things got really busy. Even then she and Alfred would take it in shifts, with the children and the bar. But at tea time she was on her own. So a quick meal of bread and her blackberry jam and hot milk was on the menu for tonight. Bedtime for the children was woman’s work.


They all trudged up the stairs as the sun was setting. It was only five thirty, but it was over twelve hours since these littlies had woken. It shouldn’t be too long before they were asleep.


The bigger boys were happy to just to lie down, after their evening chores. It was a bitter evening and they couldn’t get inside quick enough after chopping and stacking the wood, feeding the animals and making sure they were all either in the barn or tethered securely. It didn’t matter if they didn’t go straight to sleep, but she doubted they would last long.


Once Ethel was fed, she tucked her into bed with John and George. John loved cuddling up to his little sister. The warmth of his body would also help to keep her asleep. She would transfer her over to their bed when she came up. The other four boys shared the other two beds in the room.

“Louisa, Louisa, it’s nearly closing time, can you come and help?” Alfred called from the bottom of the stairs.

If you keep bellowing like that the baby will be awake and I will never get down there, she thought.

The stillness of the room was broken by the guttural snoring of Alfred Jr. in the bed he shared with William. If they could sleep through that how did Ethel’s crying from the other room wake them, she thought!

Louisa hurried down the stairs with the lantern held high to light her way. Alfred was behind the bar serving some of his cronies who were regulars.

As he saw her look of inquiry, as it was now way past six o’clock, he called, “Time Gentlemen.”

Louisa started collecting glasses, which she took to the kitchen to wash, but only to find the well bucket bone dry. No washing up was going to get done without water!

On returning to the bar she found some of the men lingering over their drinks.

“Alfred can you get some water from the well,” she asked tersely, “ and why you are at it, escort the men out the back door, because if they are seen leaving after hours there may be trouble.”

As Alfred left she started to clean the bar and sweep the floors. Sleep would elude her tonight, with Alfred snoring beside her and the baby waking constantly with those blessed teeth!

But before she could claim her bed, there was the bread to prepare for tomorrow’s meals. One of their regular travellers was due to come through Gunnedah tomorrow and would likely need a room.

She thought sulkily that Alfred was taking a long time getting that bucket of water from the well. What could be taking that man so long!

Louisa bit her tongue for the umpteenth time that night.

He had been drinking with his cronies again. When did she get time to socialise, she thought?

The Sugarloaf Inn wasn’t high class but it was a roof over their heads.[3] A far cry from their gold mining days, which had been good to them, what with enabling them to buy this Inn.[4] But it was hard work.

Suddenly she was interrupted from her thoughts. There was a commotion coming from the backyard.

What were those men up to now?

One of the men came running in blabbering incoherently, he was too drunk to make head or tails of what he was saying.

Then she saw the rest of the men. Their faces told the full story. Alfred wasn’t with them.

“Quick,” she heard one of them say, “wake young Alfred Jr. to go find the magistrate. Alfred’s fallen down the well and it doesn’t look good."

3 New South Wales, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1854-1930, Publication Date 3 May 1882 p167 [database on- line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010 accessed 19 August 2015 , http://www.ancestry.com.au

4 Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922 Index Reg #44 Alfred L BRANDT [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010 accessed 12 August 2015 , http://www.ancestry.com.au