Chapter Nineteen
November 1869
Martha was excited that everyone had returned safely from their long trip. The travelers had to spend hours talking about every part of the journey.
She also was excited that her San Francisco hotel manager would soon head for Denver. Grant asked, “Please tell us about her and her background.”
“Her name is Abigail Birdwell. Her parents emigrated from western England, near Wales. They are a combination of English, Welsh, and Scottish, and she and her daughter have flaming red hair. The husband died in a logging accident up in Oregon about ten years ago. The daughter, who is about twenty-five, managed our restaurant and likes to paint. We actually hung some of her oil paintings in the hotel.”
“Abby literally grew up in a hotel owned by her parents.
