by Al Lacy
They were almost halfway to Ketcham when lightning cracked high overhead, but the flash of light and the ensuing clap of thunder were enough to startle two steers who broke from the herd on the right side and ran hard.
Quickly, Buck Colburn jerked the reins and galloped after them with Ace Decker and Keith Nolan looking on as they wiped rain from their eyes. Ramrod William Shaw focused on the scene, wishing the storm would move on.
Colburn was some one hundred fifty yards away when he finally got ahead of the two steers and sharply reined his mount to turn them back toward the herd. As the gelding wheeled about, he stumbled and fell on the slick grass, sending Buck out of the saddle and rolling on the rain-sodden ground.
Lightning split the ebony sky again, this time coming closer to the earth. As Buck was slipping and sliding in an attempt to gain his feet, his horse got up and galloped away in the opposite direction from the herd.
Gasping for breath, and holding his rib cage which was shooting pain, Buck shouted for his horse to come back, but the frightened animal kept going.
At the same time, five steers split from the mass of cattle on the right side, heading straight toward Buck Colburn. Decker and Nolan spurred their horses quickly to go after them.
Buck stiffened at the sight of the racing steers and prepared to remove himself from their path as they drew closer.
Seconds later, a bolt of lightning shot like a dagger of white fire out of the thunderheads, striking the ground less than thirty yards from the left side of the herd, frightening them. The herd was already turning to the right, and when the deafening thunder boomed like a thousand cannons all around them, they bolted.
Decker and Nolan drew rein as the five steers they were chasing scattered every direction, and wheeled their mounts. They saw the herd stampeding toward them.
With the five steers scattering, Buck Colburn ran toward the herd and his men, but when the frightened cattle turned and charged in his direction, he skidded to a halt and froze in place. He looked to the right, then to the left, but knew it would be impossible to get to safety on foot before the spreading, charging herd reached him.
From where he was sitting on his horse, William Shaw stood up in the stirrups, waved his hat at Decker and Nolan, and pointed at the foreman, who was in the direct path of the charging cattle. “Buck! Buck! Go after Buck!”
Decker and Nolan could not hear their boss’s voice, but they saw him waving his hat and pointing at Buck Colburn.
Nolan looked at Decker. “It’s Buck! He’s trapped! The boss wants us to go after him.”
Buck was now frantically waving his hat at them, shouting for help.
He had judged the distance between himself and the two riders, and knew if one of them rode to him at a gallop, he could pick him up with time enough to get them out of the path of danger.
“What shall we do?” Nolan shouted to Decker. “Shaw is waving at us furiously!”
Shaking his head while both their horses danced about fearfully, Decker said, “I ain’t takin’ no chance on gettin’ killed just to save Buck!”
“Me, neither!” shouted Nolan. “It ain’t worth it!”
“Right! Let’s get outta here!”
William Shaw and his other men looked on, seeing that there was time to save Buck from certain death if Decker and Nolan acted quickly. Their stomachs wrenched when they saw the two cowhands spur their mounts, gallop away from the charging herd, and head for safety in the dense forest to their left.
“Dirty cowards!” cried Harold Higgins, and rode his horse up beside William Shaw. “Boss, I gotta do something! I can’t let Buck—”
“It’s too late, Harold,” Shaw said with a quiver in his voice. “You’d never make it from this far away.”
“But, boss, he—”
Another bolt of lightning lashed out of the sky.
“It’s too late,” said the owner of the Bar-S. “It’s too late.”
Thunder boomed, vibrating the earth.
Out in the open field in the path of the stampeding herd, Buck Colburn’s rain-pelted face was taut, stricken. His breathing was shallow, fast, his chest rising in sharp movements. Though he knew he could never get out of the path of the stampede, he ran to his left, slipping and sliding on the wet grass. All the time, he was keeping his line of sight on the solid wall of wild-eyed cattle as they bore down on him.
William Shaw and his other men looked on in breathless horror.
Buck stumbled and fell, rolling on the rain-soaked earth. Still watching the charging cattle, he jumped to his feet, gasping for air. Terror and panic were stabbing his heart as the front line of steers were drawing so close he could see the whites of their bulging eyes.
He fell again, but this time, he would not make it to his feet.
His last thoughts were of Annie and Knight.
BY ONE O’CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON, the storm had blown out of the valley, and the sun was shining down from an azure blue sky.
Annie Colburn was in the bunkhouse kitchen washing dishes, pots, and pans after having fed a hearty lunch to the half-dozen ranch hands who had stayed to tend to duties on the Bar-S. From time to time, she glanced out the window above the counter where she worked and let her eyes take in the welcome sunlight that brightened the huge yard that surrounded the ranch buildings.
All morning long, as Annie had done her own housework then prepared lunch in the bunkhouse kitchen for the ranch hands, she had not been able to completely dispel the feeling of dread that seemed to pick at her mind like a carnivorous bird. A prayer for the safety of Buck and the other men on the trail had been continuously on her heart.
When at last the storm was over and the sun was sparkling off the raindrops still clinging to the leaves of the trees outside, she breathed a little easier.
As Annie dipped a pan into the rinse water, her attention was drawn to two riders coming in on lathered horses. It took only a second to recognize Ace Decker and Keith Nolan. Leaning close to the window, she looked behind them to see if the rest of the drovers were coming in, but there were no other riders in sight. She wondered why Ace and Keith would be coming in ahead of the rest of them. Shrugging, she went back to her task.
Almost half an hour passed.
Pausing for a moment while dipping the final dishes in the rinse water, Annie dried her hands on her apron and pressed stiff fingers against a sore spot in her back. While leaning against the counter, trying to get relief from the pain, she glanced out the window, taking in the pleasant sight of the green grass and the spring flowers that had recently poked their heads up through the softening soil. She smiled and said, “It was such a long winter. Thank You, Lord, for the springtime.”
Her eyes searched for the rest of the drovers, and again she wondered why Ace and Keith would return to the ranch so far ahead of the others.
She dipped a skillet into the rinse water, and at that moment, she saw William Shaw come out the back door of the big ranch house and make a hurried beeline for the bunkhouse. The door that led to the large room where the men slept was out of her view. She had only caught a glimpse of Shaw’s face, but he appeared to be angry.
Then Annie saw the group of riders trotting in and heading for the barn. Before she could pick out Buck in the bunch, her attention was drawn to Sylvia Shaw, who was stepping off the back porch of the ranch house, and heading directly toward the door of the bunkhouse kitchen and mess hall, which was separate from the sleeping quarters.
Drying her hands on the apron again, Annie moved to the door and opened it. As Sylvia drew near, Annie knew by the ashen look on her face that something was awry. She waited till the boss’s wife moved through the door, and as she shut it, she said, “Sylvia, what’s wrong?”
Sylvia Shaw, who was only a year older than Annie, wrung her hands as tears misted her eyes. She took hold of Annie’s hands, swallowed hard, and said with quivering lips, “Lightning caused the herd to stampede, honey. It’s—it’s Buck …”
Two days later, at t
he cemetery on the outskirts of Elkton, Pastor John Steele was conducting the graveside service. The sealed coffin sat on the ground next to the yawning grave. The pastor stood at the head of the grave, Bible in hand.
Standing near the coffin was Buck Colburn’s widow, with her tall son at her side. Next to Knight was his best friend, Jordan Shaw. Jordan made sure his shoulder was touching Knight’s arm. Knight had his other arm around his mother.
Standing a step behind them were William and Sylvia Shaw, with their nineteen-year-old daughter, Lorene, and her fiancé, Mark Hedren.
Neighboring ranchers and their families were there, as well as the majority of Elkton’s citizens, including every able-bodied member of the Elkton church. The ranch hands from the Bar-S were there, also, but two of them were conspicuously absent. Ace Decker and Keith Nolan.
As the pastor was making some opening remarks, Knight glanced at Jordan from the corner of his eye and thought about the streak of wildness that ran through his best friend. Since they were young boys, periodically Knight had covered for Jordan to keep him out of trouble. By Jordan’s shoulder brushing his arm, Knight knew he was trying to show his affection in this moment of sorrow.
Pastor Steele, who had a head of thick salt-and-pepper hair, opened his Bible. “I want to read to you what the Lord Jesus said about sinners like you and me needing the new birth in order to go to heaven. In the third chapter of the gospel of John, it opens up giving us a conversation between the Son of God and a ruler in Israel whose name was Nicodemus. This man was deeply religious and known to be moral and upright. In verse 2, Nicodemus says he knows that Jesus came from God, for no man could do the miracles Jesus had done except God be with Him.
“Verse 3: ‘Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ The kingdom of God in this context is heaven. Jesus makes it plain that no one can even see the kingdom of God, much less enter it, unless he has been born again. He goes on in verse 6 to show that there is a fleshly birth, which all of us have had, or we wouldn’t exist, then says there is also a spiritual birth. This is the second birth, which makes us children of God. The first birth puts us into the family of our earthly parents. The second birth puts us into the family of God.”
Pastor John Steele went on. “I want to make it clear that the second birth takes place in only one way: by receiving Jesus Christ into our hearts in repentance of sin by calling upon Him as stated in Scripture. In John 1:12, Scripture says of Jesus, ‘As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.’ In repentance of sin, Christ must be received into our hearts, and this comes by our calling on Him, acknowledging that we are sinners in need of salvation and forgiveness. Romans 10:9–10 and 13 make it very clear: ‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ ”
Closing his Bible, the pastor ran his gaze over the faces of the crowd and said, “One day just three months ago, I met Buck and Annie on Main Street in town. I was new here then, having become pastor of the church in late February. We introduced ourselves, and as we talked, I learned that Buck and Annie were not Christians. They needed to move on, so I explained to them in brief about their need to be saved, and invited them to church. That very next Sunday morning they came, and brought Knight with them.
“I could see at the close of the sermon that the gospel light had shined into their spiritual darkness. It was evident on all three of their faces. But they did not move at invitation time. However, they came back the next Sunday, and when the invitation was given, all three of them walked the aisle and received the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Saviour.”
Knight tightened his grip on his mother as both of them choked up, recalling that moment.
The preacher again ran his gaze over the faces of the crowd. Smiling, he said, “Based on the fact that Buck Colburn received the Lord into his heart that day and was born again, I can tell you that he is in heaven at this very moment in the presence of his Saviour.”
The smile faded, and was replaced by a grim look as Steele said, “Many of you standing here have never been born again. You have never put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to save your soul and wash your sins away in His precious blood. If it was your funeral I was preaching today, I would not be able to say that you were in heaven. I plead with you. Don’t put it off. Your own day of death lies somewhere ahead of you, and you don’t know when it might happen.”
Steele’s eyes were now shimmering with tears as he looked at the widow and her son. “Annie, Knight, I know you miss Buck terribly. You both feel like part of your heart has been cut out. But don’t wish him back. He has been in heaven two days. He is looking at this moment into the bright face of the Son of God. This world would be a dark place to him now. Just look forward to that glorious day when you will meet him in heaven, never to be separated again.”
Knight put both arms around his mother. In turn, she clung to him, and they wept as they held each other. Jordan Shaw laid a hand on Knight’s shoulder.
Pastor John Steele closed the service in prayer. He stepped to the widow and her son, spoke some soft words of comfort, then stepped aside to allow others to approach them.
Among the people who passed by Annie and Knight was pretty Nellie Freeman, who had dated both Knight and Jordan for better than a year. However, since Knight had become a Christian, Nellie felt more attracted to Jordan. He hadn’t become a religious fanatic like Knight did.
When the last of the crowd had come by, Annie looked up at Knight. “Son, I … I want to kneel beside the coffin before we go.”
“Sure, Mom,” he said, and holding her hand, helped her to drop to her knees beside the wooden box that held the earthly remains of his father.
Jordan still stood next to Knight as they waited silently for Annie to have the time she needed.
As she knelt beside the coffin, Annie looked into the yawning rectangular hole in the ground, then patted the coffin lovingly. Tears streamed down her ivory cheeks and fell unbidden on its lid. “Buck,” she said in a low whisper, “I miss you so much. But … you’re in the bright presence of Jesus now, and I can’t wish you back. God let you be my best friend since childhood, then blessed me even more when we became husband and wife. Then he blessed me even more than that when He saved us both that wonderful day three months ago. And now, we have His promise that we will have all eternity together in heaven.”
Annie sniffed, dabbed at her tear-streaked face with an embroidered handkerchief, then closed her eyes and said in the same low whisper, “Dear heavenly Father, what am I to do now? I still have a child to support, as well as myself. You know I am willing to work hard and do whatever is necessary to make us a living. Please guide Your heartsick servant and open a way for me.”
As the tears continued to fall, the blessed Comforter brought Jesus’ words to her mind: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” The gentle fingers of peace twined their way into her heart. “Thank You, precious Lord,” she said, dabbing at her tears again.
She looked up at Knight, and found his tender eyes on her. “I’m ready to go.”
Knight grasped both of her hands in his and helped her to her feet. He then folded her in his young, strong arms and held her tight. “I don’t want you to worry, Mom,” he said softly, his eyes filled with concern. “I’ll take care of you just like Dad would want me to.”
Annie reached up and patted his cheek, which was just beginning to show the first signs of a downy beard. “We’ll both be just fine, son. The Lord will provide. Let’s go home.”
Knight turned to his best friend. “Thank you for staying by me, Jordan. I appreciate it more than I can ever tell you.”
Jordan grinned. “You’ve stayed by me through thick and thin over the years, Knight. I owe you the same.”
“You don’t owe me anything, but there’s just one thing I want for you.”
Jordan nodded and pulled his lips into a thin line. “I know. You want me to be saved.”
“More than anything in the whole world.”
“I’m just not ready to do that, yet.”
Knight’s face was grim as he looked his friend in the eye. “None of us knows how long we have in this world. Dad was ready to go, Jordan, but you’re not.”
All Jordan could do was force a thin smile.
Turning to his mother, Knight took her hand and said, “Let’s go, Mom.” Then to Jordan: “See you at the ranch.”
Jordan hurried to his horse, mounted, and rode away.
Holding hands, mother and son headed toward the waiting buggy. Knight helped her in, climbed in beside her, and snapped the reins.
Together they began the journey into a future without a husband and father, but with a loving heavenly Father to lead them.
While the funeral was going on at Elkton’s cemetery, Ace Decker and Keith Nolan were lying on their bunks in the Bar-S bunkhouse.
Hands clasped behind his head, Nolan said, “Ace, I think we’re gonna be in real trouble with the boss for not showin’ up at the funeral.”
Decker scratched his left ear. “Well, if he’s mad at us when he gets home, he’ll just have to get over it. After the tongue-lashin’ he gave us two days ago, blamin’ us for not savin’ Buck from the stampede, I’m not happy with him, either. Word has spread about it, I’m sure. I just couldn’t withstand the eyes of everyone at the funeral who’d be blamin’ us for Buck’s death.”
“Yeah, me neither. Ain’t no way I could’ve gone to the funeral. It’s bad enough havin’ the rest of the cowhands on this place snubbin’ us. But it’d be even worse havin’ to face all the other ranchers, plus the people of the town.”