Greatest Change

Chapter One

1. Adventure Awaits

"One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure.”- William Feather

          Clara shut her book with a slam as the wagon hit a slight bump in the road. She had asked for a splendorous adventure, but not one like this, not one that was basically her in a covered up Conestoga wagon reading this pointless book. However, she guessed it would not be that bad. A new life in Oregon would be splendid, but it wouldn't be the same as her life in Virginia, however, there’s a new start to everything ain’t there? She looked at the cover of her book and sighed.

The Anatomy of the Human Body

by William Cheselden

          The young woman had read this book more than she could count, and she could count pretty high. Clara Robertson was highly intelligent for her age and for the time it was. At the age of twenty-two in the time of 1861, everyone in the town of Richmond, Virginia could say she was the most brilliant girl in the world. Not to mention to prettiest as well, but her looks had nothing to do with her academics in being one of the first female doctors. She was the brightest of all her classmates, even all the men in her medical class at Harvard. She was the first woman to successfully pass the class, however her academics were cut short as the Robertson family decided to take the adventure of new life in the wild territories. She was leaving civilization, traveling through uncivilization, to head towards more civilization. There wasn’t much of a barrier between them, the world here was not much of a savage place.

          Along with her in traveling was her entire family, her father, mother, and brother who we will get to eventually, but also other family friends their families. Brad even decided to join them, which was not much a surprise was it since he is betrothed to Clara. There was nothing wrong about Brad that displeased Clara except for the fact that they were just good friends, or at least that's what she thought. Marriage was crammed down her throat just as being a doctor was, although she enjoyed medical studies and not studies of romance. She and Brad had grown up as childhood friends since their parents got along real lovely. They had grown a bond, but only a bond of friendship due to the fact Clara was deeper in her studies than romance.

          Brad was a very masculine and tough guy, except it seemed like he could hardly hurt a fly. He was capable of crushing a man's skull if it came to that, but he pretended to give off a more innocent demeanor. He did that because Clara's parents were always searching for the perfect guy, and it seemed if Brad did not mature as he should, she would always be with someone else. Brad stepped up however and took the challenge of being someone he wasn't, just for the girl. You see, men will do anything they can in their power for a certain woman, that is if they certainly want her. Brad wanted her though, wanted her since the day they met at eight years old. The small blonde boy she once knew grew before her eyes and became a very smooth-talking Southern boy. He was not incredibly handsome, but he had some features that were quite appealing. If he was not involved with Clara, certainly most of the other women in Virginia would have grabbed a hold of him.

          Brad's family was very sweet. They were certainly rich like Clara's, except they were more in the practice of slaves. His mother, Elizabeth Dawson, was a kind and loving mother, the one Clara wished she had. Elizabeth was an excellent cook as well. Her meat stew with carrots were heaven in a pot, and her homemade corn muffins were a sweet taste that lasted in your mouth for days. Her husband Rick was a great inventor, especially in weapons. That was mostly how their money was made, by blood spilling and chest gutting machines that could rip a person in half. Clara had always wondered if the Dawson family ever felt bad about creating weapons that destroyed entire armies, but they said they make the weapons, not shoot them.