The Iron Wagon

by Al Lacy

  While Paul was doing so, the other guard hurried toward the warden’s office to tell him about the remaining five members of the Dub Finch gang being brought back to the prison.

  The first guard closed the gate, then moved over to where Paul had stopped the wagon. “Follow me in your wagon, Marshal. I’ll take you to the warden’s office.”

  Moments later, as they were drawing near the building that housed the warden’s office, Warden George Henderson came out the door with the other guard at his side.

  Paul jumped to the ground, shook the warden’s hand, and introduced Lisa Martin.

  “Miss Martin, I am so sorry for the loss of your parents,” Warden Henderson said, then turned to Paul Brockman. “And thank you, Marshal, for your courage in bringing the five remaining members of the Finch gang across dangerous country back to the prison.”

  The warden called more guards to come to the iron wagon. “Marshal, can you unlock the cage, please?”

  When the pale-faced outlaws had made their way out of the cage, Warden Henderson stepped up to them, his eyes narrowed. “You have just under a week to do hard labor here at the prison before you are hanged as the judge has scheduled it—Monday, October 14.”

  Fear was in the hearts of the escapees, but they tried not to show it. Paul removed the ankle chains and handcuffs. Then the Finch gang looked at Paul with fiery eyes as the guards took them away at gunpoint.

  The warden took Paul and Lisa into his office. There the warden handed Paul a telegram that had come for him two days ago from Deputy Leroy Woodard in Phoenix. Paul read the message, which stated that he could go directly on home to Denver because Marshal Pierce would be back on the job on Wednesday, October 9.

  When Paul told Lisa the news, she clasped her hands together. “Oh, Paul, I’m so glad that we can now head straight for Denver.”

  After leaving the prison, Paul drove the iron wagon down Yuma’s Main Street with Lisa at his side as he kept his eye out for a nice hotel. When he spotted the Western Hotel, he pulled the wagon onto the hotel’s parking lot.

  Paul and Lisa obtained separate hotel rooms, then had supper together in the hotel’s restaurant.

  The next morning, as Paul helped Lisa up onto the driver’s seat of the iron wagon, he told her that it would take them about nine days to make it to Denver.

  As they traveled eastward, talking about the things of the Lord, both Paul and Lisa were secretly becoming more attracted to each other. Each night, they prayed together for the Lord’s protection. Paul let Lisa sleep in the cage of the iron wagon, and he slept on the driver’s seat.

  Each day, Paul prayed silently while driving the wagon, telling the Lord he felt that Lisa was “Miss Right” for him.

  Paul was unaware if it, but Lisa was silently praying also, asking the Lord to guide her. She felt that she was falling in love with the handsome, kind, unselfish Paul Brockman, who so loved his Lord and Saviour. Lord, Paul would make me a perfect husband.

  As they traveled day by day, Paul and Lisa ran into a few problems. On the third day after leaving Yuma, Paul had to interrupt a stagecoach holdup. He stopped the wagon when he saw what was happening and hastily snuck up on the three robbers, his gun drawn and cocked. Surprising them, he made them drop their guns, then arrested them.

  With Lisa at his side on the driver’s seat, Paul carried the robbers a few miles in the cage and delivered them to the marshal of the next town, which was only five miles from the spot of the robbery.

  After Paul and Lisa had been back on the road for some three hours, Paul heard Lisa sniffle and looked at her. Tears filled her eyes.

  “Lisa, what’s the matter? Why are you crying?”

  She looked at him through her tears and said, “Oh, Paul, these are happy tears. I’m so grateful for all you’ve done for me. It means so much that you are willing to take me to Denver and see that I find a place to live, a place to make a living for myself.”

  Holding the reins in one hand, Paul reached over and took hold of Lisa’s left hand. He looked deeply into her teary eyes. “I have to tell you this, Lisa. I am head over heels in love with you. I know it beyond any doubt.”

  She sniffled slightly, blinked at her tears as she stared into his eyes. “Paul, I feel exactly the same way about you!”

  Paul quickly pulled the wagon off to the side of the road. “For the last couple of years, I have been asking God to send Miss Right into my life. And I know that He has. Lisa, you are Miss Right. I know it.”

  They shared a tender kiss; then the lovely blonde said, “I know the Lord has sent Mister Right into my life, Paul. You are my Mister Right.”

  Paul stroked her cheek. “Well, since we both know what the Lord has done, I want to ask you a question.”

  Lisa blinked. “What is it?”

  “Will you marry me, Lisa?”

  She gave him a potent “Yes!” and they shared another tender kiss.

  As the days passed and Paul and Lisa drew closer to Denver, Paul told her all about his family and how the Lord had worked in their lives.

  While the iron wagon was crossing a bridge over a wide river, Lisa said, “Paul darling, we have a lot of plans to make. And—and”—fear crept into her voice—“what if your family doesn’t like me?”

  Paul looked at her and frowned. “Are you kidding? They are going to love you! I guarantee you, Papa, Mama, Ginny, and Meggie will be absolutely overjoyed to have you in the family. Sweetheart, just put those negative thoughts out of your mind, and let’s enjoy making our plans for a wonderful future!”

  Lisa patted his hand. “I’m sorry, darling.” Her face beamed with love for this man that God, in His wisdom, had given her. “I’m sure you know your family well, so I’ll stop worrying and we can start fully enjoying our lives together.”

  “Yes!” Paul said, and the iron wagon was once again rolling through the dust of the road. “We, ah, should set a date for our wedding soon.”

  “That’s fine with me.”

  “We’re making pretty good time, Lisa. Looks like we’ll be arriving in Denver next Thursday, October 17.”

  She smiled at him. “The sooner, the better.”

  “You can join First Baptist Church in Denver on Sunday, October 20.”

  “Yes!” she said excitedly.

  “And, honey, speaking of setting our wedding date, we should give it a little time before getting married so you can get acquainted with my family, some of our close friends, and Pastor Bayless and his wife, Mary. I’ll find you a place to stay until then.”

  “I appreciate that, darling.”

  “I’ve been thinking about the wedding date,” Paul said smiling at her. “How about we ask Pastor Bayless to perform our marriage ceremony on Sunday afternoon, November 24?”

  Lisa smiled. “That’s enough time from now. Yes!”

  When they entered the next town, Paul pulled the wagon up in front of a general store, which had a sign saying they had a jewelry department. He took Lisa inside and bought her an engagement ring and a wedding ring.

  When they were once again seated on the driver’s seat of the wagon, Paul placed the engagement ring on Lisa’s finger, saying he would keep the wedding ring until the wedding. He got another tender kiss.

  Paul and Lisa arrived in Denver late in the afternoon on Thursday, October 17. Paul drove the iron wagon toward the federal building. “Soon my father will be heading home from the office, so I want us to talk to him right away.”

  Lisa smiled. “That sounds great, Paul.”

  A few minutes later, in his office, Chief Brockman was just rising from his desk, getting ready to go to the corral behind the federal building to mount his horse and head for home. There was a tap on his door, and John recognized it. Smiling, he rounded his desk, calling out, “Come on in, son!”

  Paul opened the door and stepped into the office, leaving the door open behind him. He was beaming. “Howdy, Papa!”

  They hugged each other; then John took a step back. “Well, how did
the trip to Yuma go? I’m so glad to see you!”

  “It went fine, Papa. If the hanging went as scheduled, Dub Finch and his four remaining gang members were hanged three days ago.”

  John nodded. “Well, they won’t be killing anybody now.”

  “Right,” Paul said. “I’ll tell you the whole story of the trip later. But right now, I want you to know about something absolutely marvelous that happened to me on the trip.”

  John’s eyebrows arched. “Oh? Tell me.”

  Paul smiled at his father, then turned toward the door and called, “Okay, sweetheart! Come on in!”

  John’s eyebrows arched again, and his eyes widened as he saw the lovely blonde enter his office. “Well, hello, Lisa!” He smiled at her. “It is good to see you!”

  “Papa, could we sit down and talk?”

  “We sure can,” replied John, with Paul’s word sweetheart to Lisa echoing in his brain. He knew then and there that the Lord had answered Breanna’s and his prayers.

  John went to Lisa and gave her a fatherly hug. When the door was closed and all three were seated, John was told the complete story from both Paul and Lisa about her parents’ death, how the two of them met, how Paul had taken Lisa all the way to Yuma with him, and that they had fallen in love.

  Paul smiled at Lisa. “Show my papa your engagement ring, sweetheart.”

  John was delighted to learn that Paul and Lisa were engaged. Thank You, Lord!

  Paul then told his father the full story of the Dub Finch gang, the trip in the iron wagon, and how he had been able to lead Chief Windino to the Lord.

  John was elated at the news about Chief Windino. He said, “Well, let’s head for the ranch. Lisa, you can sleep in one of the spare bedrooms of the ranch house tonight.”

  Lisa smiled warmly. “Thank you, Chief Brockman.”

  TWENTY-FIVE

  Breanna Brockman and her daughters were sitting on the front porch of the ranch house with the guests Breanna had invited for supper, waiting for John to arrive. Seated with the Brockman family were Whip and Annabeth Langford and six-year-old Lizzie, as well as Pastor Robert and Mary Bayless and Ginny’s fiancé, David Barrett.

  They were all chatting when Meggie pointed toward the front gate of the ranch. “Mama! Look! Papa’s home, and Paul is driving one of those army iron wagons, and there’s a lady sitting beside him!”

  Moments later, as John drew up to the house on Blackie and Paul and Lisa drew up in the iron wagon, John smiled at the group and dismounted. Paul drew rein, smiling at the group also, then hopped from the wagon and helped Lisa down from the driver’s seat.

  John, Paul, and Lisa headed for the porch, where the entire group was now on their feet. But Breanna was quicker as she moved down the porch steps. The trio stopped at the base of the steps, and John cheerfully said to his wife, “Wow! Looks like a celebration of sorts.”

  “No, sweetheart.” Breanna hugged her husband. “Just our family and these special friends having supper together. I hadn’t told you about it because I wanted you to be surprised. Supper is ready now.”

  Then Breanna took a step toward her son and gave him a huge welcome-home hug. “Paul, I’m so glad you’re home!” Leaning back in his arms, she asked, “Who is this lovely young lady?”

  “Mama, this is Lisa Martin.”

  Breanna’s mouth dropped open in total surprise. While Breanna was struggling to get a grip on herself, John told their guests about the Apache attack on the wagon train the Martins had been traveling with on their way to California, in which Lisa’s parents were shot. He explained that her mother was killed instantly and how Paul came along after the attack while taking the murderous Dub Finch gang to Yuma Prison in the iron wagon. John explained that just before Lisa’s father died, he told Paul that Chief Windino, who was not part of the attack, had taken Lisa to his reservation.

  John proceeded to tell how Paul had gone to the reservation so he could take Lisa with him to Yuma, then how Paul had led Chief Windino to the Lord while he was there.

  John turned to Lisa, who was standing very close to Paul, and said, “Lisa, dear, everyone here is going to be excited by what I am about to announce.”

  Paul and Lisa looked at each other and smiled.

  Breanna’s heart began to pound. Lord, have You done it?

  John ran his gaze over the group. “Breanna and I know that our son has been praying for some time, asking the Lord to send the right young Christian lady into his life for him to marry. Well, those prayers have been answered.”

  Eyes brightened in the group.

  In her heart, Breanna prayed, Lord Jesus, when I learned that this was Lisa Martin with Paul, I was sure that Your hand was in it!

  “Show everybody your engagement ring!” John told Lisa.

  She lifted her left hand and moved it back and forth so everyone could see the ring on her finger.

  This brought much excitement, and Breanna was the first to hug Lisa, telling her how happy she was; then Breanna hugged Paul. The rest of the group moved in, and both Lisa and Paul received plenty of hugs as they were congratulated on their engagement.

  While the hugging was going on, Breanna stepped close to John and said quietly, “We were right about Lisa being God’s choice, weren’t we?”

  John grinned. “We sure were.”

  When the excitement settled down, and the hugs were finished, Ginny looked at Paul and Lisa. “Have you set a date for the wedding?”

  “Well, little sis, Lisa and I have planned to ask Pastor Bayless if he would perform our wedding ceremony at the church on Sunday afternoon, this coming November 24.”

  Instant gasps sounded among the group. Everyone looked toward Ginny and David, who were standing side by side.

  Ginny looked up at David, and he said, “Go ahead. You tell them!”

  “David and I had set that exact date and time with Pastor Bayless for our wedding.”

  Paul and Lisa looked at each other, surprise showing in their eyes. Paul said to Lisa, “Sweetheart, we’ll change our wedding date, then.”

  Pastor Bayless spoke up quickly. “That’s not necessary, Paul. I will be glad to perform a double wedding that day!”

  Joy abounded in the hearts of Paul and Lisa, David and Ginny, and everyone else.

  Breanna rushed to Paul and Ginny and hugged both of them at the same time. Then she looked at Lisa. “Oh, sweetie, we’re so happy you are going to be a part of our family!”

  Lisa blinked at the tears that formed in her eyes. “Thank you, Mrs. Brockman. It was so hard to lose my parents in such a horrible way. But I’m so grateful to have a new family to fill the emptiness in my heart.”

  Breanna hugged Lisa, kissed her cheek, then looked around at the group and said, “Hey, everybody, supper is going to get cold if we don’t get to the dining room and eat it!”

  Ginny said, “Meggie and I will take the main part of supper out of the warm oven right now, Mama.”

  During the meal, John said, “Paul and Lisa, I just wanted you to know that Breanna and I bought David and Ginny a house in Denver for their wedding present. And we’d sure like to do the same for you two.”

  Paul and Lisa warmly thanked Paul’s parents for this.

  Paul then explained to the group that the iron wagon, which was exactly like the one he and his father had seen at Fort Logan, belonged to him, as did the draft horses. Looking across the table at his father, Paul said, “Papa, could we leave the iron wagon and the horses here at the ranch since we’ll be living in town when we get married?”

  John smiled at his son. “Of course you can. That will be fine.”

  The next day, John and Breanna took Paul and Lisa house hunting in Denver, and they found a lovely three-bedroom frame house for sale, which had a cozy parlor and an ample kitchen. An extra-large yard surrounded the house, and a nice white picket fence enclosed it all. Paul and Lisa loved it, and John and Breanna bought it for them.

  When the sale was completed, Lisa hugged John and Breanna at
the same time and said, “Oh, this place is just so wonderful! How can we ever thank you enough?”

  Breanna hugged Lisa back. “Just be happy in it, honey, and in your marriage! That will be all the thanks we could ever want or need.”

  John wrapped one arm around Breanna and the other arm around Lisa. “That’s for sure, Breanna darling!” Then he looked at Lisa and Paul. “Just be happy in your marriage, and you’ll be happy in this house!”

  That evening, the Langfords took Paul and Lisa to a restaurant in Denver. Whip and Annabeth were delighted to learn about the house that John and Breanna had bought for Lisa and Paul, which they could move into after the wedding. Until then, the Langfords invited Lisa to stay in their home. Lisa gladly accepted the offer. Paul thanked them for their kindness.

  The next Sunday morning, Lisa walked down the aisle during the invitation after Pastor Bayless’s sermon. He introduced her to the church and asked her to give her salvation and baptism testimony. She was quickly voted in as a member.

  The pastor then announced the double wedding that would take place in the church on November 24. After the service, Lisa stood with Paul in the vestibule and was warmly welcomed by the church members.

  As the weeks passed, Lisa came to love everyone in the Brockman family very much—including Dr. Matthew and Dottie Carroll as well as friends David Barrett and Whip, Annabeth, and Lizzie Langford.

  On Sunday, November 24, the double wedding took place. When the wedding reception was over, and Paul and Lisa were about to leave to go to their house, Lisa said, “Paul darling, there is something I want to ask you.”

  He looked down into her lovely blue eyes. “What is it, sweetheart?”

  “It’s about the iron wagon.”

  Paul blinked and slanted his head to the side. “What about it?”

  Lisa smiled. “Since we have an extra-large yard at our beautiful home, I want to bring the iron wagon from your parents’ ranch to our place and put it in the yard.”

  Paul’s eyebrows arched. “Honey, why would you want that iron wagon in our yard?”

  Reaching up and putting her arms around her husband’s neck, Lisa squeezed him tight and giggled. “If it wasn’t for that trip you took to Yuma in the iron wagon, you and I would never have met. I want the iron wagon as a keepsake so I can look at it every day!”