by Carol Costa
“No. It"s all right. I told them straight out that their daddy left us high and dry. He"s not a bad man, just likes his whiskey and guns is all.”
“We shall pray for his conversion,” Benjamin said solemnly.
The little girls were sitting silently on the floor at their mother"s feet. Benjamin got up and walked over to them, placing a gentle hand on each of the soft blond heads. “I want you to think of me as a father to your children, and a helpmate to you.”
“I"ll work real hard and the girls will help out too. Whatever you want us to do,” Martha promised.
“Jacob has arranged a room for you next door at Bethlehem. You"ll be working in the kitchen and community dining room.”
“That"s fine. What about schooling for the girls?”
“Your girls will learn everything they need to know from the members of my Inner Circle.”
“Inner Circle?” Martha seemed puzzled.
“They are members of the colony chosen by the Lord himself to assist me in my work.”
“Well, that sounds just fine,” Martha told him. “Do I give you my money now?” Ben nodded and held out his hand for the envelope Martha had been clutching. She gave it to him. “That"s it, one hundred dollars. That"s all Nathan left us with. I hope it"s enough.”
“Don"t trouble yourself with worries, Martha. Your life here will be simple and uncluttered just as God intended. You will find peace and prosperity.”
Overcome with emotion, Martha grabbed Benjamin"s hand and kissed it. “Oh, thank you.”
Ben patted her on the shoulder and walked to the door. Cora stood outside waiting for him. Benjamin opened the door and brought Cora inside the office.
“Martha, this is Cora. She and her husband manage these two houses. She will help you get settled and show you your duties in the kitchen.”
Cora took charge of Martha and her daughters and led them down the hallway. Benjamin was about to leave the office when Coy appeared.
“Benjamin, I need to speak to you.”
Benjamin returned to the office and Coy came in and closed the door behind them.
“When is the team leaving for the road trip?” Benjamin asked.
“This afternoon and I have a matter I"d like settled before I go. I thought Jacob would be here.”
“Jacob is not feeling well. What do you need, son?”
“A new family arrived a few weeks ago. Jacob assigned them to one of the farms.”
“The Warrens?”
“Yes, sir. They have a daughter named, Evelyn.”
“What about her?”
“I understand she is strong and capable and think she should be assigned to work in the park with Lena.”
“Has Lena asked you for help?”
“Oh, no sir. Lena would never do that, but I"ve been noticing how frail she is these days and I"m worried about her.”
“I know that you have a special feeling for Lena. She took care of you when we first settled here.”
Coy nodded. “I"m worried that running her stand at the park is getting to be too hard on her. I was hoping that you could assign this Evelyn Warren to help her.”
“And what is your relationship with this Evelyn Warren?”
“She is a friend, and I know she is unhappy living on the farm. She would be a big help to Lena and working in the park would allow her to live here in one of these houses.”
Benjamin smiled knowingly. “She must be very pretty to have your caught your eye so soon.”
Coy stiffened. “Can you find room for the girl here or at Bethlehem and assign her to work with Lena?”
“If you wish it, it shall be,” Benjamin said.
“Thank you.”
“You are welcome, my son. Have a good trip with the team.”
Coy nodded and left the office. He didn"t like asking Benjamin for favors, but with Jacob ill he had no choice. He had promised Evelyn that he would get her assigned to the park before he left on the road trip. She had promised him that she would be very grateful when he returned home.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
L
iving in the tiny room at the Jerusalem house was not much better than her room at the farm, except for the indoor bathroom she shared with other residents of the house. At first, Lena had objected to having Evelyn assigned to her souvenir stand, but when she heard that it had been Coy"s idea she relented.
“That Coy is a sweet boy,” she told Evelyn. “I used to teach him his lessons when I first came here. He was a smart one too.”
“He"s very nice,” Evelyn agreed, but refused to give Lena or anyone else any details of her relationship with Coy.
The House of David baseball team traveled a lot in May and June, so Coy was gone a lot. When he was at home, he spent as much time as possible with Evelyn. Usually they drove into Benton Harbor or across the bridge to St. Joseph where they wouldn"t be seen by members of the colony.
Evelyn had met Mary Purnell on several occasions when she was at the park, but had only seen Benjamin from a distance the day he was at the ballpark.
While Mary was aware of her son"s growing affection for the young woman, she never mentioned it to Benjamin or to anyone else in the colony. Mary was always pleasant and friendly to Evelyn for Coy"s sake, but she was not especially taken with the girl. As she had expected Evelyn was very pretty despite the shapeless clothes she wore. Again, for Coy"s sake, Mary took Lena aside and told her to take Evelyn to be fitted with more suitable dresses for her work at the park. The colony had several women who performed magic with fabric and needles and thread.
Dressed properly, Evelyn was even more attractive and Mary wasn"t sure if that was good given the amount of time Coy was gone on road trips with the team. The new clothes had a positive effect on Evelyn"s personality as well as her looks. Lena reported back to Mary that the girl had blossomed into a very capable sales person.
Fourth of July weekend was a busy one at the House of David Park. No fireworks were allowed in or around the colony. They were a painful reminder of the day in Fostoria when Hettie had lost her life. However, Benjamin decided that there should be a parade.
Benjamin and Mary dressed in dazzling white outfits rode through the lower level of park in a horse drawn wagon decorated with flowers and flags. Three other wagons similarly decorated followed along behind them carrying the newly formed all
-girl baseball team in their brand new uniforms, the girls from Benjamin"s Inner Circle, and an assortment of children from the colony. People cheered them as they rode through the park waving and smiling.
Benjamin had wanted to carry the girls from his Inner Circle in the back of his wagon, but Mary had immediately vetoed the idea.
“I will not ride in the parade if the Inner Circle is in the wagon,” she told Benjamin.
“Very well, Mary,” Benjamin had replied. “I will honor your wishes.”
After the parade the wagons were driven away and Benjamin and Mary strolled through the park arm in arm as if they were the happiest couple on earth.
Evelyn was standing at the front of the souvenir stand waiting on customers when Benjamin saw her for the first time.
Her long dark hair was curled around her lovely face and the modest yellow sundress she wore complimented her wellrounded figure.
Benjamin immediately tightened his grip on Mary"s arm and guided her over to the stand. From the look in her husband"s eyes, Mary regretted her decision to put Evelyn into more stylish apparel. Lena saw them coming and quickly finished with the customers she was waiting on.
“Good afternoon, Benjamin. Good afternoon, Mary,” Lena called out.
They returned her greeting and then Mary walked over to examine the sculpture of the angel with a protective wing around a small child that was displayed prominently on the counter of Lena"s stand. Although her gaze remained on John"s artwork, Mary did not miss the way Benjamin was taking in every feature and curve of Evelyn Warren.
“You must be Evelyn,” Benjamin said cordially.<
br />
“Yes, sir,” the girl replied.
“It"s nice to see you, Evelyn. I trust Lena is making good use of your talents.”
Lena quickly answered for her helper. “Evelyn is a good hard worker.”
“Yes,” Benjamin said with a broad smile. “She appears to be a strong healthy young woman.”
Evelyn smiled back at him. “Thank you for noticing, sir. I"m honored by your attention.”
“Benjamin, this statue is wonderful,” Mary said trying to divert his attention from Evelyn. “Come look at it.”
Benjamin nodded and moved over to stand beside his wife.
“It"s very nice,” he conceded.
“I would like to have it,” Mary said.
“It is his latest creation,” Lena told them. “The only one we have right now. Several people have already ordered it.”
“My wife is very taken with John"s work,” Benjamin said. “But I"m sure she wouldn"t want to deprive you of the many sales this display will bring.” He turned back to Mary. “Perhaps you can ask John to make you another for your quarters. I understand he is quite fond of you.”
Mary refused to be baited by Benjamin"s pointed remark. “John has a warm and kind heart which he displays to all of our people, and he is most generous with his talent.”
“His work has been well received,” Benjamin replied looking at Evelyn as he spoke. ”However, I prefer natural beauty to figures of stone.”
If Evelyn was unnerved by Benjamin"s look of admiration, she didn"t show it. She gazed back at him with a small smile on her lips.
Coy returned from the road trip that evening and went to the park to wait for Evelyn to finish her work at the souvenir stand. They left the park by the back road and walked along the path that led to the Diamond House.
A full moon shone down upon the elegant structure making it sparkle like many clusters of tiny stars. The miniature train blew its whistle as it passed by them carrying the last of the park"s visitors back to the main entrance to the park.
“I"ll have to show you the new locomotive they"re building in the round house,” Coy told Evelyn. “It"s bigger and more powerful so we can increase the number of passenger cars it can pull.”
“Really.” Evelyn answered absently, her gaze still lingering on the Diamond House.
“I missed you,” Coy told her as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
Evelyn responded and then pushed herself away from him. “I should be getting home. Cora is always sitting in the parlor watching for me to come in. She reports back to my father when I am late.”
“Your father will not be upset if he knows you are with me.”
“My father is upset whenever I am with a man. He is afraid I will break the virgin law and we will all be expelled from the colony.”
Coy looked at her sternly. “And what men have you been with while I was gone?”
Evelyn shook her long hair and narrowed her eyes. “I have been with no one. The boys from town hang around the stand, but Lena watches me like a hawk and always has one of the old men escort us home at night.”
“Good.” Coy smiled and pulled her close again.
Evelyn twisted around again to look at the Diamond House.
“What"s it like to live in the Diamond House? she asked.
“It"s nothing special. I"ve been thinking of building my own house after the baseball season ends this year.”
“Why? I"m sure you have everything you need at Diamond House.”
“It belongs to my father. Everyone and everything in that house give him pleasure and cater to his needs. My needs and my pleasures will be realized in a house of my own.”
Evelyn continued to focus her attention on the Diamond House as she spoke. “Will you fill your house with your own Inner Circle?”
“What do you know of the Inner Circle?”
“Only that they are young girls chosen to serve the King. It is considered an honor to be one of them. Do you think I"m pretty enough to be chosen by the King?”
“You know that you are.”
Evelyn sighed and smiled at Coy. “I am almost eighteen, too old to be chosen.”
Coy was angered by her remark, feeling that she was more interested in pleasing Benjamin than in pleasing him. “Perhaps the problem is not your age,” he said in a cool tone. “My father only chooses virgins for his Inner Circle.”
Evelyn put her arms around Coy"s neck and pulled his head down and kissed him passionately. Then, she pulled away again and smiled at the look of desire that shone in his eyes. “It would seem,” she said softly. “That the only way to prove my purity to you, is to lose it. Is that what you expect?”
“I want only one woman to share my bed and my house. She will belong to me alone.”
Evelyn nodded and allowed Coy to embrace her again. As she looked over his broad shoulder, she saw a figure leaving the Diamond House and crossing the lawn to the artist"s studio.
“Your mother seems quite friendly with Mr. Assanti. She just went into his studio,” she whispered to Coy.
Coy released Evelyn from his arms and took hold of her arm. He guided her across the railroad tracks to the road that led to the community living quarters. “My mother met John in Chicago and recognized his talent. She brought him to work here and she often visits his studio to check on his progress.”
“I guess the artist works well into the night,” Evelyn said with a sly smile on her lips.
Coy didn"t answer. They had reached the fence that separated the train tracks from the road. He easily swung his strong body over it and then reached back and lifted Evelyn over to the other side.
Evelyn read the look on Coy"s face and knew that she had said too much about his mother and Assanti. She would have to choose her words more carefully in the future. Coy was her ticket out of poverty and she didn"t want to take a chance on losing his affection.
*** Across the bridge in St. Joseph, Michigan, Nathan Sullivan walked into a tavern and sat down at the bar. Nathan was a big man with blond hair and light gray eyes. He had the look and swagger of a man who had never walked away from a fight.
The bartender came over and Nathan ordered whiskey. The tavern was filled with loud talking men, but Nathan sat quietly, ignoring the chatter around him. He sipped his whiskey slowly looking down into the glass as if it held the answer to some problem he was trying to solve.
The man seated next to him raised his glass in a friendly greeting. “Haven"t seen you in here before. You just get to town?”
“Yeah.” “You"ll like St. Joe. It"s a real friendly place. You going to be staying long?”
“I don"t know.”
“If you"re looking for work, they"re hiring at the Whirlpool factory in Benton Harbor. That"s where I work.”
“So you know Benton Harbor?” Nathan asked.
“Sure.”
“My wife and two little girls are living there at the House of David. You know where that"s at?”
“That"s the religious colony on the outskirts of town. They run an amusement park there.”
“That"s what I understand. You ever been there?”
“Take my kids to the amusement park every so often, but I don"t know anything about the folks that run it except the men all have long hair and beards and refer to the guy that runs it as King Benjamin. If your wife is living there you must know a lot more about it than I do.”
“I know she took off with my girls while I was out working on the road. I"m going there to take them back to Indiana.”
The bartender who had been standing nearby listening to their conversation decided to voice his opinion.
“From what I"ve heard, the House of David folks are good hard working people. That amusement park they built has brought a lot of business to Benton Harbor and St. Joe. You ain"t got no call to worry about your family living there.”
Nathan slammed his fist down on the bar so hard his now empty glass fell over. “She had no right to take off with my girls. If she wants t
o stay in that place, she can, but my girls are coming back to Indiana with me.”
The bartender nodded. “Take it easy, mister. We"re on your side. I"d do the same thing if it was my kids.”
The man sitting next to Nathan agreed and bought both of them another drink.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The House of David team played at home on the Friday and Saturday after the fourth of July. Since they were playing other teams from Berrien County Michigan, the games drew large crowds. The park had been filled to capacity every day of that holiday week and at night the beer garden had to turn people away. Like the baseball team, the House of David orchestra was also making a name for itself.
Many of the musicians had graduated from the old summer
evening concerts to become a part of the orchestra. Manna Woodworth directed the orchestra. Manna played several instruments and was an accomplished song writer.
Chick Bell who had originally been in charge of the zoo at the park had become the master of ceremonies on the beer garden stage. He was a born showman and had recently come up with the idea to stage an amateur contest every Wednesday night to attract more people to the park in mid-week.
“I don"t know why we need more people here during the week,” Lena complained to Mary on Sunday morning when she met her in the storeroom behind the dining hall. “The weekends are so busy, we need time to recuperate during the week.”
Mary was there checking in merchandise that arrived the week before. Lena had just come from breakfast in the communal dining hall to pick up some items for the stand.
“The amateur shows have drawn talent from all over the county,” Mary told her. “I understand that Chick has a waiting list of people wanting to perform.”
“Talent?” Lena laughed. “Have you seen or heard some of those acts Chic brings out on amateur night. He"d be better off letting the monkeys out of their cages to perform.”
Mary laughed in spite of herself, but the smile quickly left her face when she glanced out the window and saw Evelyn standing near the entrance to the dining hall talking to Benjamin.
“Was Benjamin in the dining hall for breakfast?” Mary asked Lena.