“Sir, may I be clear with you?”
“Oh, please do. I really dislike beating around the bush!”
“I love her.” Frank let that hang there.
Pa shook his head. “I suspected that. What do you plan to do about it?”
Frank turned and walked to the pig pen. Staring down to talk to the pig was not as intimidating as speaking directly to Allie’s pa.
“I don’t know, Sir. I’ve been waiting. I know she loves me, but she is married. I’m not going to ruin her reputation or mine.” He turned and faced Pa. “…or the families’, for that matter.”
Pa gave a brief nod and let Frank continue.
“I can see a future together, but I know we need to wait until God plays out the current marriage.”
“I’m glad you are waiting on Him. Allie has always followed herself first. She has gone from one mess to another in this life. I’m hoping this will finally make her slow down and realize that patience pays off more in the end then rushing to a decision. I don’t know how this marriage is going to play out. Can’t say that I like the man, but the law is on his side right now. I have to trust in God to make this right.”
Frank let the words he heard sink in. The man’s faith was so strong. Allie came home broken and bruised and this man remained calm and patient. Frank was ready to seek blood in the beginning, but this man showed no sign of wanting revenge.
“Sir, I hope someday I grow to be the man you are. I’m not sure how you remain in your faith so unwaveringly.”
“No one ever said I never wavered. I’m still a man. I would love to make Eddie feel the same pain that he caused Allie…and us. I don’t know the whole story, though.”
Frank was confused by this. Was there more than he knew?
“I’m sorry, Sir. I’m not following.”
“Eddie’s story, Frank. I don’t know his story. Only God does. Allie’s strong. She takes after her mother there. Eddie is very weak. I’m not sure what happened to him, but there is a story there. Not to say that it’s okay…what he has done, but I need to trust in God that He will sort all of this out in a better way than I can.
“He knows us all in ways that we can’t even know ourselves. He’s been with us through it all. His way is the only rightful way. If I stepped in, I would only mess things up even more for Allie. I don’t know how long this will take or if Allie will need to suffer anymore, but I need to sit back and patiently wait for Him. God will fix this—if Allie lets Him.”
Frank nodded his understanding and continued to listen.
“The law has some changing to do. Women need to be better protected from men like this. Unfortunately, that won’t happen quickly. Again…all in God’s timing for this, too. So many have suffered. I knew this before, but seeing my daughter that way broke my heart. I wanted to do the same to Eddie. The way the law sees it, though, I’d be the one in jail and then I wouldn’t be here for Allie. If she stays here, I can make sure she stays unharmed. I can defend her, as long as I don’t harm Eddie. If Allie wants to stay with us, I will allow that. I will stand between her and him if I have to. I can’t prevent him from seeing her and trying to sort this out, though. She will be protected, and it will be done within man’s law…and God’s.”
Allie’s pa hung the horse tack on the wall. “You have my permission, by the way.”
Frank was puzzled by the last statement.
Pa chuckled. “If Allie becomes a free woman, you have my permission to pursue your feelings with her. Only—when she is free, though.”
“Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir.”
Frank shook his hand and said his goodbyes. He had something else to attend to today. The doom he felt walking here to speak to this strong man was replaced with joy, pure elation, as he left.
He had never taken the time to really talk to Allie’s pa before. His outside appearance was formidable. He was someone that was not easy to approach. Seeing this side of him was inspiring. This was a man worthy of looking up to. His own pa was, too, but not like this man. He was secure in his faith. He fully relied and trusted in it. Even with all the trials in his life, he knew where his focus should be. Maybe the trials helped make him stronger. Frank’s pa had a pretty easy life. He didn’t want for much when he was growing up and was able to provide the same lifestyle to his family.
Frank hadn’t really understood the struggles of others until he lived in the logging camp. Living among those hardworking people made him see how they had not had it as easy. It made him understand their need to seek something that was numbing. Drink was common among the camp workers. Not all partook, but he had begun to understand why some would. Maybe this is some of what Eddie had been through.
Still didn’t make it right, but it wasn’t for Frank to judge. There was so much in this world he didn’t understand. The more he saw and realized, the less he knew. Thoughts swirled in his head as he made his way to town to find Gladys. Thinking about her didn’t make him as angry anymore.
The conversation with Allie’s pa was now making him wonder about everyone’s story. He didn’t really know Gladys. Sure, he didn’t like her ways, but why was she that way? Was she just a mean-spirited person, or did someone or something make her hold bitterness? He didn’t know much about her. Growing up together, he never sought information out. She ran in different circles than he and Allie. He always thought her to be cruel. Other than attending the same church and knowing Gladys lived in town, he didn’t know much of her parents. Well, Mrs. Wimble had a reputation much like her daughter, but Mr. Wimble was a mystery.
Frank was glad he chose to talk with Allie’s pa first. Yelling and setting Gladys straight might not help. That might only make her push harder. He could clearly see this now. He did need to have a word with her, but he could do it more gently.
Town was dead. No one was on the streets. Everyone was busy at home with the drought. No one had money since crops were failing. He hoped they could all survive this summer and next would be better.
Gladys shouldn’t be too hard to find without a crowd in the way. There were a few places he could check for her. The only place he wouldn’t go was her home. That would only stir up more gossip for them instead of squelching it. He had to meet her in a public place. If he couldn’t find her today, then he would try again tomorrow.
He was glad he’d a chance to calm down. His earlier conversation gave him perspective he hadn’t considered. He needed to approach this conversation calmly and with a clear head. It was the only way that wouldn’t cause more trouble. Frank didn’t want to think about the possible results he might have faced if he’d gone to see Gladys first.
Frank checked at the restaurant in the hotel and the one that Allie had worked in before—with no luck. There were only a few patrons between both eateries. That made the search quick. From there he searched the pharmacy, church, and Doc’s…to see if he had seen her. He hadn’t and gave him a curious look.
Frank realized he shouldn’t have mentioned anything to Doc, but he knew Doc wouldn’t say anything to anyone. He wouldn’t check the bank. He didn’t want his pa to rope him into staying and working the books all afternoon. That left the Women’s League Chapter House (still under construction), the Memorial Library, a couple of dress shops, the school, and the college. Of course, there were other places of business, but he couldn’t see why she would need to frequent those. They were set up more for the men folk.
This could be a long day with all these options to check. He organized the options from most likely to least likely and began his search—starting with the dress shops. Fortunately, he found her in the second. These shops always unsettled him. There was fabric piled up everywhere, many dresses on display, and too many women. Of course, too many women was a relative term.
Just a couple talking about fashion made him crazy. He never bothered with fashion, instead dressed in what was comfortable for him and readily available. Since his pa was a banker, he and his ma did dress with the fashion. They made sure that he
had what he needed and didn’t push him into dress that didn’t suit his needs.
Growing up with the farmer boys, Frank dressed closer to the rest of the group. He was very thankful for that. He only stood out because his clothes were cleaner and not mended. That helped him remain friends with everyone. And now, it helped him blend in with the logging bunch. As a doctor you need to be clean, but not unapproachable.
Gladys was behind a screen being fitted. He knew it was her, though. That voice was unmistakable. He decided that waiting outside for her to come out would be a better option than calling for her. There was a bench not too far away that allowed him to watch the door. He would go relax outside while she finished her business in the shop.
Stepping outside and taking a seat, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad to be out of there—and without having to speak to anyone. No one had seen him enter. The employee was in the back, assisting Gladys. Without many people in town, there were no other shoppers. That also meant that Gladys had all the attention and didn’t need to wait. When she walked out after a short while, it didn’t surprise him. She was carrying a bag draped over her arm. Frank rose and jogged to catch up with her. “Gladys!”
She stopped and turned. Her lips rose at the corners of her mouth. “Frank! Hello. How are you?”
“Good, good. Do you have a moment? I need a word.” Frank had stopped in front of her.
Gladys’s face turned to puzzlement. “Yes. What’s on your mind?”
“Here, we can keep walking while we talk. You lead the way.” He turned to walk on the street side of the walk and let her set the pace. After a few steps he began, “I need to be straight with you. I know that you have feelings for me, but I do not for you.”
Gladys stopped and turned to face him, “Frank, I’m sorry…but I’m not following.”
Wiping his hand down his face he thought of a nice way to continue, “You have made it obvious that you would like more than friendship from me. I need you to know that I don’t”
“I see.” Gladys switched the arm that was carrying the bag. “Thank you for clearing that up, Frank.” Her lip started to quiver, and she turned to hide it. “I must be going now, I’m running late.” She began to walk as quickly as possible.
Frank caught up with her. “Gladys. There’s more.”
“I’m really sorry, but I’m late.” She didn’t stop but continued down the walk.
“Gladys!” He was talking as quietly as he could, but he still needed her to hear. “I didn’t pay Allie for any services…nor did she pay me. I’m not sure what you saw and thought, but it wasn’t what it might have appeared to be.”
With that, she stopped. “Really? I saw you kissing a married woman. I saw money exchange hands. Please, explain what I saw, Frank.”
“Gladys, look at me, please.” She turned although reluctantly. “Thank you. It was a penny, you know that. I paid for her thoughts. It is something we have done for years. ‘A penny for your thoughts.’ I’m sure you’ve heard that expression. We act that out. Then she usually pays me for my advice with the same penny.”
“What about the kiss, Frank. That was inappropriate and at church, no less!” Gladys stomped her foot to add to her point.
“You are very right. We had a moment when neither of us was thinking. We have both agreed that it can never happen again…as long as the situation remains the same.”
“I see. You love her then?” She lifted her chin to help brace for the blow.
“I do…and I think she loves me, too.” He felt pity for her. He could see she was hurt. Maybe there was more to Gladys than he first thought. The hard, mean shell she put on was starting to shatter.
“Thank you for clearing everything up. If you’ll please excuse me.” She turned to leave.
“Please! Wait!” She froze.
“I’m not sure I want to hear more right now, please.”
“I understand, but this part is important to me.” She kept her back turned to him but allowed him to continue. “I would appreciate it if you would not say anything about what you saw. We know we were in the wrong and it won’t happen again. Spreading that information will only hurt us. And, it might make her situation worse than it already is.”
Gladys was quiet for a moment. Her breathing was deep. When she finally spoke, it came out a bit struggled. “I understand Frank. I won’t hurt you.” She picked up her skirt with her free hand and, as quickly as she could, left him standing alone.
Frank let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Hurting her was not on his agenda. Before today, he didn’t think Gladys could be hurt. He couldn’t think of a different way to do this. He hadn’t realized there was more to her than she usually allowed to show. Whatever he’d have said would have hurt her.
Knowing that this business was taken care of should have calmed his nerves, but now he was concerned for her. He couldn’t do anything, of course. She would see that as interest. He could pray for her, though. That was something he’d never done before. He had prayed for many people, but never Gladys…or others like her. He needed to go do something to take his mind off all this. Maybe helping his pa with mind-numbing accounting work was just what today called for. Pa would appreciate it. He could make one person happy today. Turning directions, he headed to the bank and pushed thoughts of Gladys aside for now.
CHAPTER 32
Still not able to find work, Eddie was beginning to lose hope. The weight he’d lost from lack of food forced him to continually hike up his pants to keep his backside covered. Desperation was setting in. He thought he was somewhere around Missoula, based on the rivers he was trying to follow. If he could walk a straight line instead of going in circles he would be closer to Allie by now.
He tried his best to follow the train tracks. For the most part the tracks followed the river and he could walk across the train trestles instead of swimming. The river was low in most places. At least the drought was good for something, he thought.
Making navigation harder, the wind was pushing smoke in his path from the various fires. Sometimes the smoke was so thick he couldn’t see twenty feet ahead. The flames weren’t visible, but the smoke came and went with the direction and speed of the breeze.
Finding his way around cliffs and through thick brush in the smoke made him lose his way many times. And finding the tracks proved difficult as well. Once he did find them, he had to guess which way was east.
I need a drink. He’d been completely sober for a long while now and his head didn’t like it. He couldn’t think straight sober. He kept pushing forward hoping there would be work for him when he stumbled into Missoula.
Eddie crested the top of a hill and paused to see what he could make out further ahead. The trees and brush were thick. That made it nearly impossible to see any distance ahead, but he thought he saw a portion of the trolley bridge. He hoped so. That would mean he was close to Missoula.
That raised his hopes and gave him the strength to pick up some speed. He almost ran down the other side of the hill. He was normally slow in his gait, keeping an eye out for critters. These mountains held some dangerous creatures. Many snakes called this area home, but the only one to be fearful of was the rattlesnake.
Eddie knew to make noise and pay attention, so he could hear them before he got close enough to have one cause a problem. Black widows were also found in these parts, but they weren’t seen as often. His main concern though wasn’t a creature. The native greenery posed more of a problem.
Most were poisonous, only if eaten, but there were a few around that caused a nasty rash. Poison oak and ivy were two of those. Running down this trail might not have been such a great idea. He realized he was pushing right through some plants that he would regret soon enough. He slowed his pace to be more careful—and hoped he wouldn’t discover a rash later. He was almost to the bottom. Unfortunately, that meant he ran through most of the brush without thinking. Time would tell.
As Eddie made his way across the bridge and in
to the main hub of town, he became part of a large crowd. A train was parked at the station. He assumed most of the people were either arriving or leaving. He headed toward some men who were having an animated conversation. He needed to pick up on any talk that would provide him leads on work.
The group contained five men of varied dress. One man was dressed in clothes suggesting a business owner. He was holding a newspaper. The other four wore work clothes that suggested occupations ranging from farming to coal mining. The man with the paper was shouting and more men were circling around. As Eddie got closer, he didn’t like what he heard.
The man was shouting that three or four thousand railroad workers were being laid off due to the fires. How am I supposed to find work when that many others are also looking? He scratched his head as his rumbling stomach reminded him that he needed something to eat.
Eddie edged closer to the man as he began highlighting points in the paper.
“Says here that the electrical storms have kicked up too many fires. They are laying off men due to crop failure from the drought. They’ve banned man-made fires to allow those fighting the wild fires a chance to get the upper hand.”
The man was holding the paper up and Eddie was able to read the date—July 10th. He tried to keep track of the days, but that proved harder than navigating.
Another man from the crowd shouted out. “They’re takin’ away all the land to control us. And now they think they can control nature, too.” Another man joined in. “They’re worried about us starting fires. They’re doing it…on purpose! They say starting ’em will prevent larger ones. Calling ’em back fires.” The crowd all started hollering at once.
Eddie couldn’t tell who was saying what. He knew that the word “they” meant the government. They started taking land in the early 1880s and now had a sizeable chunk known as the National Forests. These forests consisted of millions of acres across the middle and western United States. No one around here understood why they needed control of any land…let alone so much of it. These parts were enormous, and no one believed anyone could use it all up like Roosevelt said. The firing of Pinchot, the main fighter and Chief of the Forest Service, by President Taft gave people hope that some policies would be reversed. No changes had happened yet. Government was just sticking their nose into industry’s business, as far as he could tell.
By His Hand Page 16