By His Hand

by Stefanie Bridges-Mikota

  “Allie! There you are. I’ve been looking for you for a few days now.” Once Gladys reached her, she looked Allie over—moving her eyes but not her head. “Well, are you all right dear? You look pale.” Her voice changing to concern, but her appearance anything but. She put her arm around Allie and guided her to the closest bench.

  That was Gladys, a tornado that woman could be.

  “Yes, I’m fine. It’s just so hot these days. I’m not sure what’s better, sitting out here where the sun feels like it’s cooking you or sitting inside where it’s so stuffy you can’t breathe.”

  “There are many things these days that take one’s breath away aren’t there?” Gladys raised her eyebrows and looked at Allie who was confused by what that meant. “What are you doing outside of the paper? Did you bring them some news to print?” She smoothed out her skirt and focused down the road.

  “No. Actually, I am an employee for the paper now. Nothing big but doing something that is mine. It feels good.” She didn’t mind telling Gladys that. Whatever she said would be spread through her circles and on to her ma. Then her ma would spread it even further. But she was proud of this information, even if it might only be temporary.

  “Ah, that’s nice. Well, I must be off, but before I go, I have something of yours.” She stood and reached into the pocket of her skirt.

  “You do?” Allie was very perplexed. What could she have of mine?

  Gladys had something small in her outstretched hand and dropped it into Allie’s open palm. “Seems you left this behind after church services.” When Allie glanced back up, she could see the unpleasant look Gladys had aimed toward her. Then Gladys said, “Keep away from Frank. I saw what you two did…very ungodly…and on church grounds, nonetheless. You are a married woman! I shouldn’t be required to remind you of that. But I feel it is my place as a Christian and an upstanding citizen of this fine community. We do not treat your kind very well in these parts, Mrs. Coghill. Take your money somewhere with people more forgiving of your situation or seek forgiveness from the Lord and change your ways. Now! Frank and I are becoming close and your hands and lips will remain off him. You will not taint his reputation with your loose behavior any longer.” Gladys turned briskly, leaving a bewildered Allie behind.

  Looking down into her palm, she saw the penny. It must have been the one that Frank gave her on Sunday that they left behind in the grass. That means that Gladys—most likely accompanied by her mother—saw them kiss.

  Gladys thought he paid me for the kiss. Wait…did she really only think I was worth a penny? She has some nerve.

  Allie’s stomach rolled. This day had gone from bad to worse and was about to get downright ugly. She could see Frank making his way towards her…with Gladys still in sight.

  Clutching her skirts to lift them above her feet she began to run. She ran as quickly as she could, but she could hear footsteps pounding behind her. If he was going to be so insistent, she needed to find some place private. With them both running down the main street, they were beginning to draw attention. She ducked quickly between two store fronts and slowed her pace. Keeping her back towards him she calmed her breathing and forced down the knot that formed in her throat.

  Frank placed his palm on her shoulder. “Allie, why are…”

  “Frank, we can’t do this now,” she blurted out to silence him. “A scene has already been made. There is something you don’t know, and I will tell you in private. But, we can’t be seen together in public again.” Then she was running again, leaving Frank standing confused in the shadows of the two buildings.

  When he turned, he saw Gladys standing in the sunlight looking in on him. Pointing his finger and walking towards her, he began to spit out the words, “You! What did you say to her? I saw you talking to her back there and now she’s upset about something. Leave her alone. She doesn’t need you interfering with anything.” He spun around to follow her as Gladys began yelling back

  “Frank, wait. I didn’t say anything to upset her.” Raising her voice further she added, “If she’s upset, it’s her own fault. I only gave her something she left at church last Sunday. Really, I am just being helpful.” She huffed as Frank was moving farther and farther away.

  Frank could care less what she had to say. He needed to find Allie and straighten out whatever this was. Gladys was not going to mess this up for him. Fortunately, he knew where to look and headed straight for the creek behind her house. That was her place when she wanted time alone.

  Hopefully, he could calm himself down on his way. He was in a rage, but he didn’t even know why. Allie was upset and that made him upset, but for what he had no idea why. She needed him level-headed, though. Both upset was not going to help either one.

  It wouldn’t take long to get there, running all the way. But when Frank arrived, she was nowhere to be found. He stopped at the creek edge just below the big tree where she usually sat. He scanned up and down the water hoping he’d find her wading, but the water was too shallow, and wading wasn’t possible now. There had been no rain. Things needed to change quickly, or this would be a life-changing summer for folks in these parts. He didn’t want to think of all the problems the dry land could cause. He had his own immediate problems, even if he didn’t know all the details just yet.

  “Frank? Is that you?” Allie’s ma hollered from the back of the house.

  Frank had just dipped his hat in the creek and was putting it on to cool his head, “Yes, Ma’am. Just looking for Allie. Do you know where I might find her?”

  Allie’s ma was standing on the porch with her arm raised to shade her eyes from the sun. “She left here this morning…went to work. She should be back soon. You could wait here for her, if you like.”

  Frank decided not to share that Allie wasn’t in town anymore—and she was upset. Allie could tell them what she wanted when she wanted. That wasn’t his to tell.

  “Thanks, but I think I’ll head back into town and meet her another time. I just finished my week up at Doc’s and thought I’d stop in to see how she was doing. I’m sure I’ll run into her soon. You take care though.”

  He started to head back in the direction he’d come when she hollered back, “You want me to let her know you were here?”

  Frank paused and turned around. “No, Ma’am. It’s all right. I’ll see her soon enough. Thank you though.”

  Allie clearly wanted to be alone. He needed to respect that—no matter how maddening it was not knowing what had happened. He decided to take the long way back to town, so he could think a while without any interference.

  Gladys said she’d found something Allie left at church. He didn’t know what that could be, but it gave him something to ponder while he was deciding what next to do. Maybe his own ma could shed some light on all of this. She understood women more than he did.

  With the answer of his next step made, Frank felt more confident in how to move forward. Surely his ma would know what to do. Maybe this was all just a silly girl issue. And, maybe, he had nothing to fret about. He felt hopeful that all of this was just a slight hiccup on the path to their future together. He needed to cling to that hope.

  CHAPTER 29

  Talking with Blinne put Allie at ease. She was always the level-headed one in their friendship. On the outside Blinne appeared to be full of life. People expected her personality to match her fire-red hair. She was calm and collected though, and able to look into a situation and see details that Allie never noticed.

  One of those details that Blinne pointed out to her was that both she and Frank had wonderful reputations here. On the other hand, the reputation Gladys had made for herself left much to be desired. She was known for spreading false words about town and this, most likely, would be added to that long list.

  Of course, if anyone else saw the kiss, they could back up her story. Most people—those that mattered anyway—would not believe that Allie was leaving her faith behind and relying on other means to provide for herself. Nor, for that matter, woul
d anyone believe that Frank would partake in that behavior.

  Blinne also pointed out they would need to weather whatever storm this might bring. Gladys still had her followers, despite her reputation as a gossip. They would play this game as long as they possibly could. Staying clear of Frank was important to shutting this down as quickly as possible. That‘s why Allie was on her way to get a note to Frank to meet her at George and Blinne’s.

  If anyone saw them together there, it could be played off as pure coincidence. Everyone knew Allie and Blinne were close friends. She could be there helping and visiting her friend when Frank shows up on his doctor rounds to check Lena and Blinne. Getting all of this in the open with Frank—and his agreement to the plan—was her first priority.

  Doc Leman was back from his vacation. Hopefully, Frank wouldn’t be there, too. She could stop in and see how he and his wife enjoyed their trip. Then, casually, she could ask him to give Frank this note…and head back home. That was the first step of the plan, anyway. She was on her way. The walk was a familiar one to her. The temperature was not. The end of June meant that summer was just beginning—officially, that is. Summer had been here for a couple of months already. With the weather so off-kilter to the calendar these days, maybe fall would come early. One could hope! She was making her way around the corner to Doc’s office.

  Stepping inside, Allie noticed a new addition to the office. Sitting next to the schedule book was a pitcher of water with some tin mugs stacked up. Apparently, Doc saw the need to hydrate those who came trekking in from this heat. She walked everywhere, too, not being fortunate enough to have the wagon when she needed it. Pa needed to have access to it whenever he needed it. And the horses don’t have to work in this heat on my account! Pa worked them early in the morning and late at night. The horses could rest in the shade during the heat of the day.

  Grabbing the pitcher and a mug, she helped herself and sat down to wait for Doc. She could hear someone working. With the first cup of water down, she stood and refilled it before retaking her seat. The water wasn’t cold, but it did feel heavenly sliding down her parched throat. This could possibly be the best idea he’s ever had! She was sitting quietly, thinking to herself, when Doc came through the door. He appeared alone and was carrying a bowl full of used rags. Allie stood before speaking. “Hi, Doc!”

  “Well, hello, Allie. What brings you here today?” Doc stopped his forward movement and waited for her reply.

  “I was just wanting to see how your trip went.” She hoped she didn’t hesitate too much and sounded convincing enough to make him believe that was her only reason for being there. She walked over and set the mug down on the table—some distance from the stacked ones.

  Doc shuffled his feet a moment before asking her to hold her thought for a moment.

  “Let me take care of this bowl first. Then we can catch up. My last patient needed some teeth pulled. I was just cleaning up after that mess. The mouth tends to bleed more than other areas.”

  Doc stepped outside, and Allie retook her seat, thankful that the bowl was moving farther away from her with every second. Blood tended to make her stomach churn a bit. Since it was already dancing around nervously, she didn’t need to add to it.

  Doc was taking his time. That increased her nervousness. She needed this to go along quickly…and be gone before Frank returned. Talking this out with Frank was a must, but she couldn’t do that here. She also knew that if he saw her, everything would be a bit awkward. That would further complicate things. She didn’t want to be seen with him by anyone. Even if they were in the company of Doc, who could vouch for their behavior. That is, if he ever returned. She stood and began pacing the little room as she waited for Doc.

  When Doc returned, he explained that he had walked the rags back to his house for his wife to tend to. Doc lived in town—just around the corner—so the trip was short. It had seemed a long while to Allie while she was waiting. Now that Doc was back, she realized it really hadn’t taken long at all.

  “So, you came all this way to hear about my trip, did you?” Looking questioningly at Allie.

  Apparently, she couldn’t hide the truth from him very well, but she still needed to try. Let him think what he wants. She couldn’t tell him the truth, but he could speculate all he wanted. She knew he wouldn’t spread his speculations around. “I was in town running some errands and thought I would stop in to see you.” Not technically a lie! She justified her means to herself.

  “Well,” Doc sat and motioned for Allie to join him. “Our trip went rather well. It’s good to see and catch up with family and know all are doing well. A very pleasant trip indeed.”

  Short and sweet. This wasn’t going to be dragged out, Allie thought, trying to come up with something else to say. “I’m glad all went well.” She tried to hide her anguish. That was all I could come up with? The conversation needed to be dragged out so the note to Frank appeared as a side reason for coming. Luckily, Doc seemed to have something else to discuss.

  Standing and walking over to his cabinet he pulled out a file and shuffled through some papers. “I would like you to take this to your father, please.” He walked back towards her and held the paper out for her to take. “I would, but I have too much work to catch up on. Having Frank here was a blessing, of course, but some of my patients chose to wait to be seen.”

  Allie reached for the paper but failed to understand what was written on it. It didn’t make sense. Her pa was going to make payments on the tab, she knew. She had given them a large portion of her own earnings—but that was only a small fraction of the total bill. Ma and Pa could not have paid all this amount already. She didn’t know their exact finances, but knew they were just getting by—with the time of year, lack of rain, and crop issues. If any crop survived, it wouldn’t be sold until harvest. That money would be needed to live on for the year, and buy what was needed for planting next year. The drought was causing more hardship than her family had ever dealt with in the past. This was new territory for them all.

  “Doc, I’m sorry. Of course, I will give this to him, but I’m not sure I completely understand what this means.”

  “It means it’s paid. Nothing else is required.” He crossed his arms in satisfaction leaving a slight smirk on his lips.

  “This is wonderful news, of course! I’m just not sure how it’s possible.” She pulled the paper to her chest and clung to it with a feeling of hope for the future. She wouldn’t need to save for this! “Thank you, I will take this to him right away.” She didn’t wait for him to comment as she turned and flew out the door. She reached the outskirts of town before she realized she hadn’t left the note for Frank. She stopped in her tracks…and knew she needed to turn around. She hoped Frank would still be out. She took a chance the first time. Adding a second trip only increased the odds of running into him. She needed to make this fast.

  Allie headed straight back to Doc’s office at a brisk pace. As she made her way around the last corner, she spotted Frank at the end of the street. His back was toward her and he was in a conversation with someone. She could see a skirt peeking out from beyond him but couldn’t identify her. She turned from him and pushed through the door quickly. Doc was making notes in his schedule book and looked up, pencil still in hand, when she entered.

  “You’re back. Is something wrong?”

  She held the note out for him. “No, nothing is wrong. I just forgot to ask you to give this to Frank.”

  Doc set the pencil down. “He’ll be here any minute. You can give it directly to him.”

  She knew she was starting to panic and just dropped the note on top of the schedule book.

  “I need to get home and talk to Pa. Thank you, though. Tell Frank I said hello, please.”

  Her exit was so quick, she left the door slightly ajar. As she made her way down the steps, she glanced quickly in the direction she had seen Frank. He wasn’t there, but Gladys was close by and wearing a dress the same color as the person who had been talking
to Frank. She put her head down and moved out of town as quickly as possible. Getting home was all she could think about. She had to focus on the task at hand. She didn’t want to think about why Frank and Gladys were talking.

  At least, she was trying not to think about it, but her brain had its own ideas about what to think about on this walk back home. Gladys was front and center in those thoughts. She needed to talk to Frank. She hoped he would follow the instructions in the note. It would drive her mad to speculate on whether Gladys was just flirting more with him or if she was telling him anything about what she saw.

  Arriving home, Allie immediately sought out Pa. He was in the barn pouring more water for the animals. Everything revolved around water these days. Drew was in the corner brushing down one of the horses.

  “Hi, Pa!”

  “Oh, hello, dear. Did you have a nice walk to town?” Pa didn’t look up as he began to check on the animals. The chicks were quickly turning into pullets and he could more easily see which would be hens and which would be roosters. The roosters could be sold or traded.

  “I have something for you. Maybe you know more about it than I do, though.” She held out the paper and waited for Pa to wipe his hands on the towel that he carried in his back pocket.

  He reached for the paper and Allie watched his face for clues. First, his brows furrowed together, then they shot up on his forehead. “Did you pay the bill?” He looked up at Allie and waited for her answer.

  She shook her head. “I thought you would know about this.”

  “I have no idea. I went to make a payment several days ago while Doc was gone. Frank said to hang onto it, so I could talk to Doc about it when he got back.” Frank! He decided that might need further investigation.

  Fr…ank? She hesitated mid-thought on his name as understanding dawned. Not wanting to tip off Pa, she made a mental note to add it to the list of items they needed to discuss.

  “Well, I’m not sure how it all worked out, but that is one item no one needs to worry about anymore.”