“If you start out wrong on the ground level, if your foundation is crooked or unstable, your house will end up being crooked or unstable. It might even fall down. That’s not what you want in a house. You want a house that can stand up to the wind and the rain. A house that can shelter you from wild animals and storms and thieves in the night. A body needs a good strong house out here in the frontier.”
Asa paused as if considering his words. “But Jesus was not speaking of an earthly house when he told that parable. He was talking about a man’s life. A woman’s life. Jesus was saying that when we listen and obey him, it is as if we have built our house solidly upon him. Jesus is the foundation of our lives.” Asa pounded one balled fist onto the other balled fist as if to show this. “Jesus is the rock we want to build our lives upon. When we build our lives securely on him, when we listen to his teaching and practice obedience, we will be strong enough to withstand whatever comes our way. And we all know that hard times come to everyone on this earth. Whether it’s death or illness or other kinds of losses, storms do come our way. But if our lives are built sturdily on our Lord Jesus, we can withstand those storms.”
He preached awhile longer and even shared from his own trials, telling about when their family was struck down by illness and how some of them died. “The storm came at us and it came hard,” he said, “but we had our solid foundation of faith beneath us. That’s what got us through then. It’s what will get us through anything else that might be coming our way. Build your life on the rock, my friends, the rock that is our Lord and Savior, and when those storms and winds of life come crashing down, you will be safe. You will be safe.”
Asa took in a deep breath. “Now let us pray.” He said another prayer and led them in a couple more songs. Then, before the service was completely over, he told them he had an announcement to make. “My wife will tan my hide if I forget to say this,” he said, causing people to laugh. “Clara made me promise to stand up at the end of the service to make this announcement. But since I already have your attention, I just want to be sure to invite every one of you to a very special event that will be happening right here in a couple of weeks.” He waved over to where Elizabeth and Eli were sitting. “You kids stand up,” he said. And with some embarrassment, they both stood. “I’m sure everyone’s heard the news that Mr. Eli Kincaid and Mrs. Elizabeth Martin are going to get hitched, but you may not have heard all the details. On the first Saturday of December they will be repeating their wedding vows right here at eleven o’clock in the morning.” He looked over to his wife. “Is that correct?”
“That’s right,” she said.
“And I know Eli and Elizabeth will be honored if you will be in attendance. And afterward, you are invited to a dinner which we will have right here as well.” Now he pointed to Elizabeth. “Anything else you’d like to add?”
She nodded nervously. “Yes. Eli and I request that you bring no wedding gifts. We simply want to enjoy your company as we celebrate our special day. Thank you.”
Although the service was over, instead of everyone scurrying away as they normally did, people lingered and visited among themselves. The general feeling in the room was one of pleasantness. And it felt wonderful to see everyone relaxed and even jovial—so different from the way they usually acted. Elizabeth noticed Mrs. Holmes, who had stayed for the service, coming over to speak to Asa. She shook his hand and thanked him with tear-filled eyes before she turned to leave.
But before Mrs. Holmes could go, Elizabeth and her mother went over to catch up with her, both of them warmly greeting her and inquiring as to her husband’s health.
“I hope it’s not anything serious,” Clara said with concern.
“No, no, I don’t think it’s serious,” Mrs. Holmes assured them. She lowered her voice. “Roland came home looking like a drowned rat several hours after you ladies left. He was soaked to the skin. I wasn’t the least bit surprised when he came down with a cold the very next day. But it wasn’t until today that we discovered he could barely speak. He was as hoarse as an old bull frog this morning.”
“Oh, dear.” Elizabeth stifled the urge to giggle.
“The Lord does work in mysterious ways.” Mrs. Holmes smiled.
“Do give him our regards,” Clara said. “And if there’s anything I can do to help, please, let me know.”
“My mother is very gifted with herbal medicines,” Elizabeth told her.
“And you can let him know that Eli and Elizabeth still wish to have their wedding in the church,” Clara added.
Mrs. Holmes grasped Elizabeth’s hands. “Oh, dear, I was so pleased to hear that.”
“And if the reverend is still under the weather, I’m sure my father would be perfectly happy to do the service.”
Mrs. Holmes made a knowing smile. “Yes, well, I’ve never seen Roland be sick for longer than a week. And with your wedding date being just less than two weeks, I expect he’ll be all well by then.”
Elizabeth nodded. “Please, don’t get me wrong, I am not wishing for your husband to be ill.”
Mrs. Holmes chuckled. “No, I did not think that was your intention.”
Everyone was in good spirits as they went home from church. Her parents acted as if it was because of the sunshine, but Elizabeth knew that it was because of her father’s uplifting sermon. If only he could permanently replace the reverend.
Once again, Elizabeth and Eli and the children went to her parents’ cabin for Sunday dinner. But today, with just the six of them, it was less crowded, and they were all able to sit at the table together.
“Asa made these benches last week,” Clara told Elizabeth as she was admiring the additions to the cabin. “I told him I wanted enough seating to have my whole family here for Thanksgiving this year—and that means nine of us. Naturally, I’ve invited Brady to join us.”
“It will be snug but lovely,” Elizabeth said as she stirred the gravy.
“That reminds me, Jess invited you and me to lunch on Tuesday. I told her I’d let you know. She thought we could spend the afternoon sewing on your wedding dress, and I told her I’d be very grateful for the help. I don’t know what inspired me to put so many tucks in that bodice, but it’s taking much more time than I imagined.” She sighed as she removed a biscuit from the pan. “Or else I’m just getting old.”
“You’re not old,” Ruth told her as she set a jar of jam on the table. “You’re just right, Grandma.”
As Elizabeth and Clara and Ruth worked to get the food on the table, Elizabeth imagined what it would be like to be doing this in her own house—in just two weeks. It was almost unimaginable. To make it even more unimaginable, Eli had told her that she was not allowed to step foot into the house until after the wedding. When she complained that she would be unable to sew curtains and whatnot, he had promised to write down all the measurements she would need. “But you do not get to see it until we are married,” he declared. And so she had agreed, but she was afraid her curiosity would get so strong, she might sneak over there and break her promise. However, she did enjoy the idea of a surprise. Also, she had a hunch—based on various questions her mother had asked recently—that Eli was soliciting help from some of her family members.
Chapter Twelve
To Elizabeth’s relief, Malinda had not mentioned anything about the closeness of their wedding dates in the past week. Perhaps she was resolved to it by now. And Malinda had been in church to hear Elizabeth announce they wanted no gifts. That should reassure her that their wedding would be a much smaller affair.
Lavinia had seemed scandalized by this news. “What do you mean by having no gifts?” she’d demanded after church. “What do you intend to do if someone shows up with a gift?” she’d teased. “Will you and Eli throw them out on the street?” Elizabeth had laughed and assured her that no one would be thrown out on the street.
To help keep their relationship moving smoothly forward, Elizabeth was doing all she could to help in the preparations for Malinda’s wedd
ing. Every evening, along with Amelia and Belinda, she helped with the sewing on Malinda’s dress. At the rate they were going, it would be finished long before the actual date. She and the girls were also helping Malinda with another large quilt, which she assumed was for what would be Malinda and Will’s wedding bed. Elizabeth had even donated some of her own favorite fabric scraps to be used in the log cabin design, and as the days and weeks had rolled by, the quilt was turning out to be quite beautiful.
“Are you making a quilt for you and Eli?” Amelia asked Elizabeth on Monday evening.
Elizabeth paused from threading her needle. “I have a nice quilt packed in my wagon that still has lots of wear left in it.” She pointed to her sewing basket. “I’d rather put my time into getting those curtains finished,” she told her. Certainly it would be lovely to have new things for her new life with Eli, but Elizabeth had no regrets for the way she was going into this marriage. Already she and her children were counting the days until the wedding date.
On Tuesday morning, after finishing with chores, Elizabeth rode Molly over to her mother’s house, and from there they walked together to Matthew and Jess’ house. “Did you hear about the Thompsons?” Elizabeth asked her mother as they walked.
“The family with the stallion that Asa has spoken of?” Clara said.
“Yes. Their farm is a few miles north of the school,” Elizabeth told her. “According to the children, the Thompsons lost their best calf to wild animals on Sunday night.”
“Oh, dear. That’s too bad. But the stallion is all right?”
“As far as I know.”
“I’ll tell your father. He may want to bring our stock near the house at night.”
“Yes. That’s what Malinda and I are doing. She thinks it’s a coyote pack.”
“All the nights we slept in the tent, I never heard coyotes. Not once,” Clara said.
They were on Matthew and Jess’ property now. “Oh, look at all they’ve done,” Elizabeth exclaimed as the small cabin came in sight. Built completely of logs, like her parents’, it had a stone-lined path and smoke curling from the chimney. “The last time I was out here, the walls weren’t even half up. Now it looks like a home!”
“You’re here!” Jess called as she came outside to greet them.
“This place is so sweet,” Elizabeth said as they exchanged hugs. “I can’t wait to see your cabin.”
“First I want to show you what I’ve done outside,” Jess said as she pulled on a gray woolen shawl that had once belonged to Clara. She led them around the property, showing where she’d made a good start on some rail fences for livestock as well as a seedling garden similar to Elizabeth’s. “And I just planted garlic yesterday.” She pointed over to a corner of the garden.
“Wonderful,” Clara told her. “It’s good for warding off colds.”
“And I put onion sets in over there,” Jess said proudly.
Elizabeth patted her back. “You’re a real farmer now, Jess.”
“I can still see you on the trail.” Clara chuckled. “Back when I thought you were a boy. Out there riding your horse with your head in your farming book.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Yes. I remember how shocked I was to discover you were a girl.”
Jess looked slightly embarrassed. “I must have seemed rather pathetic.”
“No.” Elizabeth shook her head. “You seemed very sweet. A girl who wanted to be a farmer. You won my heart right from the start.”
“And Matthew’s too,” Clara added.
“I still can’t believe this is our very own farm.” Jess waved her hands. “All this beautiful land. Sometimes I want to pinch myself to see if I’m dreaming.”
“I’m sure it’s a world different from life in St. Louis,” Clara said.
“It will be so exciting to see what kinds of plants will thrive here,” Jess said as she led them back to her cabin. “I’ve read enough to know that this soil might not be as fertile as it looks.”
“Asa keeps telling me that our future will be in dairy farming,” Clara told them. “But I’m not so sure. With this mild climate, I expect we can grow almost anything.”
“It depends on the soil,” Jess explained. “I’ve read about soil amending. And I suspect this soil will require some work.”
“I’m already saving ash from our campfires,” Clara told them. “Sometimes that’s good for soil.”
“And I have JT collecting manure to use for fertilizer,” Elizabeth said. “But it will take some time to age properly.”
“In time, we’ll figure it out,” Clara proclaimed.
Jess held the door wide open. “Welcome to our home!”
“It’s charming,” Elizabeth said as she removed her riding hat. “And it smells good too.” She recognized one of her mother’s rugs over in the sitting area, as well as a rustic pair of chairs that she suspected Matthew and Brady had built. Brady’s woodcarving skills were coming in quite handy in the frontier.
“Come see what Jess has done in her kitchen,” Clara told Elizabeth. “You won’t believe it.”
Elizabeth went over to the kitchen area and blinked in surprise. “Wallpaper?” She turned to Jess, who was giggling. “Where on earth did you get wallpaper out here?”
“It’s fabric,” Jess confessed. “I saw it at the mercantile, and thought it was so pretty, I wanted a way to see it every day. That’s when I decided to attach it to the wall. When it gets dirty, I’ll just take it down and wash it.”
“Very clever.” Elizabeth went over to touch the bright red-and-yellow calico. “It’s so cheerful.”
They visited happily as they ate soup and bread together, and then they sat and sewed on Elizabeth’s wedding dress for nearly two hours before Elizabeth knew it was time to go back to Malinda’s. “Your house is just perfect,” she told Jess as they hugged goodbye. “Tell Matthew his big sister is proud of him.”
“And we’ll see you on Thanksgiving,” Clara reminded her.
There was a chilly breeze blowing as they walked back toward her parents’ cabin. “I know we won’t have much winter here in Oregon,” Elizabeth said as she turned her collar up, “but it does feel like it’s getting cooler.”
“Your father said it’s getting to be perfect hunting weather. But he wants to wait to go out with Eli. And Eli wants to finish your house first. Did you know that they finished the little house for Brady?”
“No, I hadn’t heard.”
“It’s very small. Even smaller than the parsonage. But Brady seemed pleased with it. And he’s been building some furnishings for it. I gave him a few things, but with his earnings from the trip, I told him he could probably find a few things at the mercantile to make his place more comfortable.” She sighed. “Except I don’t think he cares to go into town too much. He’s worried that some folks might not be too friendly, if you know what I mean.”
“I don’t see why Brady should be concerned. He proved himself on the trail. Everyone from the wagon train seemed to be fairly accepting of him by the end of the trip.”
“It’s the other settlers that concern him.” Clara frowned. “No matter how far you go, you can never seem to get away from hatred. Well, that is, until you get to heaven. Brady ought to feel right at home up there.”
“I asked him about coming to church a while back, but he told me he holds his own worship services under the trees and the sky.”
Clara laughed. “That’d be highly preferable to some of the sermons Reverend Holmes has subjected the rest of us to.”
“Well, if you see Brady, tell him that I’m happy to go to the mercantile and do his shopping for him,” Elizabeth declared.
“He might be around here,” Clara said as they walked toward her cabin. “He’s been awfully helpful with Asa lately.” She lowered her voice. “And don’t tell anyone, but Asa’s been teaching Brady to read.”
“That’s wonderful. But why is it a secret?”
“At first it was because Brady was worried that he was breaking the law.
But then he said he just wants to surprise everyone. He hopes that he’ll be able to read from the Bible at Christmas.”
“I won’t tell a soul.” Elizabeth spied her father carrying a load of firewood toward the cabin. She greeted him and inquired about Brady.
“I reckon he’s working on his own little house today,” Asa told her. “Or else he’s helping Eli. I’m on my way over there as soon as I fill up the wood box. I promised Eli I’d help him with a door.”
“A door,” Elizabeth said dreamily. “Just imagine.”
“Don’t you go imagining too much,” Asa warned her. “Might spoil the surprise.”
“I’m so anxious to see the house,” Elizabeth admitted. “I’m tempted to ride Molly over there right now and sneak a peek.”
“Don’t you dare!” Asa scolded.
“That’s right.” Clara shook her finger at her. “Your young man is working as fast as he can. Don’t you go and ruin his surprise.”
“Yes, yes…I know. Don’t worry, I won’t break my promise.” Elizabeth untied Molly’s rein from the hitching post her father had set up in front of their cabin.
“Eli is working so hard.” Asa laid his load of firewood in the wood box and then stood straight and looked at her. “I don’t know when I’ve ever seen a man so motivated, Elizabeth.”
She smiled. “He’s a good man, isn’t he, Father?”
“Yep.” Now he tipped his hat to them. “And if you’ll excuse me, ladies, I will be on my way. I’m sure they’re wondering if I’m ever coming back.”
“Tell Brady that if he makes a list of things he needs from the mercantile, I’d be happy to shop for him. Also, I have some things I want to give him for his little cabin.”
“I will let him know.” Asa untied his mare and eased himself up into the saddle.
“And give Eli my best,” Elizabeth told him.
“I’ll do that.” Asa nudged Penny, and as they headed off toward Elizabeth’s property, she stood and watched longingly.
A Home at Trail's End Page 11