by Dawnya Sasse
By the time they boarded the train home, Sarah and Sadie felt proud of their accomplishment. The women were now some of the only people in the world that knew how to run a telephone switchboard. Soon they would connect with Adams in a whole new way.

In August, the Adams Telephone Dispatch opened in the Kunz building with a simple ribbon cutting and a speech from area manager, Raymond Rogge. All five of the town’s newspapers were present to ask questions. There was little doubt that the Saner papers took a dim view of the proceedings.
Once the ribbon was cut, residents of Adams were invited in to see the switchboard. Live demonstrations were given every hour and the school teacher, Miss Graham used the phone to talk with her sister 30 miles away in Marshall! While Sarah stood at the switchboard, Sadie passed out treats to the children. It was a good day for Adams. It was a great day for Mrs. Thomas Calloway.
Sadie hadn’t said much since the train ride about the knowing in her belly. Sarah hoped Sadie was wrong. It felt so good to laugh again. Life had opened a whole new world, and as far as Sarah was concerned, she wanted it to stay that way forever.
But of course, it was too good to be true.

For months, Andrew Saner waited for an auction on the Kunz building. His plan had worked flawlessly. Marco’s restaurant had virtually closed The Eaterie in a matter of days. Andrew knew Sarah would need an income, and he had expected a knock on the door. The knock never came.
Two months after Marco’s had opened, news arrived that the Chicago Telephone Company had leased the Kunz building. As far as Saner was concerned, bad had gone to worse. With the introduction of a telephone system, much of the Saner’s control gained through isolation and intimidation would be lost. There was no way Andrew could let that happen.
In a blinding rage, Saner threw his pewter cup at the office wall. Whisky dripped down the dark wood panels. Flashes of Sarah's wedding to the young lawyer burned in Andrew's brain. With Thomas Calloway as her husband, Sarah had secured the building once and for all.
His temples throbbed, and he clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly. There was only one thing left to do, and by god, he was not afraid to do it!

The first cry came from the back alley behind Marco’s and was quickly followed by a stampede of fear. Customers, one after another, threw themselves out the door, stumbling into the street. Thick black smoke poured out of Marco’s top windows as sparks jumped from one rooftop to another.
The fire bell rang across the square as a volunteer ran to summon the brigade. Still, the Calloway’s slept on. Suddenly, from a deep sleep, Thomas heard the words “Get up, you must get up." Thomas sat straight with his heart racing. Something had wakened him. In an instant, he could smell the smoke. He shook Sarah. "Get up and find Sadie," he cried! Then Thomas ran with a blanket to put out a stray flame.
Sarah leaped into action. Where was Sadie? Her mind was confused. Where was Sadie? “Oh God help me” she cried, but Sadie was not in her bedroom.
Down the stairs, Sarah rushed as the town bell rang over and over. “Auntie, Auntie. Where are you?” she screamed
The old dining room was empty, and there was no one at the switchboard. Sarah ran through the main room and out the back door screaming at the top of her lungs. "Sadie, Sadie, where are you?"
Then she saw her, lying still on the back stoop. She was crumpled like a broken doll. Her hair was matted, and small drops of blood fell to the ground. Sarah dropped to her knees cradling Sadie’s head. ”Auntie, Oh Auntie," she sobbed.
Ever so carefully, Sarah dragged a limp Sadie away from the building and down the alley to a wooden pallet. A neighbor woman racing with a bucket of water knelt at Sadie's side. Sarah watched in horror as the roof of the Kunz building in flames. She could see a light stream of water spewing from a hose of the fire brigade, but they would never beat the fire.
At that moment, Sarah knew there was nothing to do but to trust her God. God had told Sadie something was coming, so it was no surprise to Him. Slowly, she opened her clenched hands and raised her palms to the sky, praying aloud the words welling from her heart. “It’s yours Lord. I give it to you. Do with it what you will.”
Tears poured down Sarah’s cheeks. Soot mixed with tears stained her chin as she watched her building burn, but she didn’t try to wipe them away.
Just then, Sadie opened her eyes. “Child, don’t cry. I’ll be just fine. I saw them, and there are more with us than against us. Don’t you worry none! It’s all going to be just fine.” Just then, Everett, the town doctor came racing toward them. Bag at his side, Doc Holtz immediately sank to his knees next to Sadie.
BOOM. CRACK.
.… A loud peal of thunder shook the earth followed by a bolt of lightning, so bright it lit the entire courthouse sky. And then, like the days of Noah, it began. First as tiny taps and then as a mighty, pouring, gushing rain. The sky peeled back, and heaven opened like an ocean in the air as if heavenly firefighters were battling the flame. Within minutes the downpour of water had overcome the great heat of the fire.
Sarah stood in utter amazement. She had witnessed a miracle. There was no other way to explain it. To the left, Marco’s lay burnt beyond repair. Yet that extra thick stone wall, Papa had placed between the buildings, had protected them from the initial ravage of the flame.
The roof was another story. The middle of the roofline continued to smolder from the fire while the front and back of the ceiling remained, damaged but intact. Still, the law office, much of the house and the telephone company had remained safe.
Sinking back to the ground, Sarah took Sadie's dirt covered hands. Doc Holtz nodded. “She’s gonna be ok. Just a big cut on the back of her head. We got to her in time” He laughed, smiling his semi-toothless grin. “She was hit from behind that’s for sure, but that hard head of hers has saved her for another day.”
He smiled at Sadie gently placing his coat under her newly bandaged head. “There, now. Sadie, you aren’t going to see God today!” Sadie whispered, “Oh yes I am Doc. I have already seen his good hand a saving my family and His good hand a saving that building!”

On the corner of the courthouse lawn, Thomas sprawled in utter shock and exhaustion. Tears ran down his soot covered face, and he shook his head in awe. His whole body quivered with an emotional explosion. Every doubt Thomas had ever felt about God was gone. There was no doubt anymore. Thomas Calloway, attorney at law, had met an angel this very night.
God himself had sent an angel to wake him from his sleep. Then, He opened the sea of heaven and released a mighty downpour on their behalf. His family was safe. The building was secure. Sadie would recover from her injury and would no doubt identify the arsonist.
And Sarah, dear Sarah; had received the biggest miracle of all. Her Papa’s building, her pride, and joy had been spared. Life had beaten death. It felt like Resurrection Day!
Epilogue
Mr. Andrew Saner was never officially connected with the fire and destruction of Marco’s Restaurant. There were, however, serious accusations from the two young men who went to prison for the crime. The Hayman brothers stated they were hired by Mr. Saner to incite the crowd and set the building on fire. Willie Hayman admitted to hitting Sadie on the head with a bottle and leaving her for dead.
In their testimony, the Hayman’s claimed they were clearly instructed to make sure the fire started on the East wall which connected with Adams Telephonic Dispatch.
All three of the Saner owned newspapers refused to carry the story of the trial. Instead, they ran front page headlines featuring Mr. Andrew Saner’s philanthropic effort to finance anyone in the community affected by the fire with a low interest loan.
Not surprisingly, Thomas and Sarah Calloway, declined his offer.
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Read The Series
The Adams Series continues in the following books. Watch for the upcoming release:
Adams Mourning
Adams Poison
Adams Windstruck
Adams Blizzard
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About the Author
Dawnya Sasse is an emerging author specializing in historical Christian romance. Dawnya relocated from the fastest growing city in America to small town Kansas where she lived for eight years. Many of the storylines featured in The Adams Series are based on her experience and research.
While Adams, Kansas is a fictional community the town is based on the history of actual prairie towns. The storylines shared throughout the series are based on true occurrences from the years of 1880-1910.
Want A Free Book? Download Adams Cooking based on the recipes of Sarah and Sadie Kunz. A free gift to my readers! http://freebook.adamskansas.com
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