by Al Lacy
While the savage storm continued to lash the Nebraska prairie, Joy Lynn’s body was wrapped in blankets and placed in the rear of Ezra Comstock’s wagon.
The remaining Landers were invited into Stuart and Tracie Armstrong’s wagon. Since they had no children, there was room for all. Bob joined them, and the family wept together, venting their grief.
The wind had torn another canvas top off a wagon, and Solomon went to help with it while Hannah hurried back to her children. When she arrived at the wagon and heard about Buster and Chris, she told Mary Beth, B. J., and Patty Ruth to stay in the wagon. She was going to try to find Chris.
At the Norwood wagon, Hank’s saddle horse, eyes bulging, fought to free himself. Hank was watching him from inside, with an arm around Lisa.
“Is the rope strong enough to hold him?” Lisa asked.
“Should be,” Hank said. “It’s practically a new rope.”
There were five wagons separating the Norwoods from Walt Cuzak. At the same time the Norwood saddle horse was fighting to free himself, Walt’s team was rearing and pawing the air, neighing in terror. Lightning struck all around the outside of the circle, and thunder sent its deafening shock waves upon the prairie.
Walt sat on the wagon seat, pulling hard on the reins while Edmund was on the ground, gripping the bridles of the lead pair of horses. Their movement had worked the wagon to the side, leaving space between it and the next wagon.
Suddenly the bridle snapped on the Norwood horse. From his position on the Cooper supply wagon, Perry Norwood saw the family saddle horse break loose and charge through the opening left by the Cuzak wagon. Instantly, Hank Norwood was out of the wagon, following on foot. When Perry saw his mother running after Hank, he left his ox team and charged after her. By the time he caught his mother, she was outside the circle. Hank was already on the open prairie.
“Come on, Mom,” Perry said. “There’s nothing you can do. Dad will come back when he realizes he can’t catch the gelding. Let’s get you back inside the wagon.”
Even though the rain had soaked them to the skin, Lisa hesitated. “Perry, I’ve got to bring back your father. He’ll chase that horse till he drops!”
“You can’t catch him, Mom. I couldn’t either. Not with the head start he’s got.”
Both of them watched Hank as he continued to run after the horse who was no longer in sight. They saw him stumble and fall and get up again. And then a dagger of blue-white fire stabbed the black sky and struck Hank, turning him into a human torch. He stiffened and fell to the ground, his clothes smoking.
Thunder roared as mother and son stood in paralyzed disbelief. Perry’s throat locked up, but his mother opened her mouth and screamed.
Hannah Cooper was returning from the prairie after losing sight of Chris. She was close to the wagons as she saw Hank dash from the circle. When the lightning bolt hit him, Hannah jerked in horror and glanced back to see Lisa and Perry, standing like statues.
Now Perry was holding his mother in an attempt to get her to the wagon, but Lisa wailed hysterically and struggled to free herself of his grasp. Hannah hurried toward them.
“Twister!” Jock Weathers, who was standing between his wagon and a team of mules, pointed north and repeated his cry. “Twister!”
Someone else picked up on it, and Ezra Comstock splashed toward Jock from across the circle, looking north. What he saw turned his blood to ice. Quickly, he wheeled and shouted, “Everybody under the wagons!”
The black funnel was no more than three or four miles away, and was headed due south, straight toward the circle of wagons.
“Perry!” Hannah cried. “Get your mother under the wagon! Fast!”
Even as she spoke, Hannah dashed for her own wagon. Solomon had just arrived, and Mary Beth was telling him about Chris and Buster. As he lifted Mary Beth from the wagon, Solomon said, “I want all three of you—and Biggie—to lie down flat under the wagon! I’m going to go find your mother and—”
“Sol!” Hannah cried, running toward him through the driving rain.
Solomon’s head whipped around as he stood Mary Beth on the muddy ground and reached for Patty Ruth. “Where’s Chris?”
B. J. slid out of the wagon with Biggie in his arms, and Hannah told everyone that she couldn’t find Chris and had turned back.
Solomon nodded toward the wagon. “All we can do now is pray he’ll be all right! Hurry! That tornado is bearing down on us! Get under the wagon!”
“You’re going to get under, too, aren’t you?”
“Of course!”
“Sol, Hank Norwood was just killed by lightning… Perry and Lisa saw it happen. So did I. His horse got loose and he was chasing it. Lisa’s in hysterics… I’ve got to go to her! I wish I could stay here with you and the children, but Perry’s got his hands full. They both need help right now, and I think I can help Lisa.”
“All right… but you lie down flat!”
“I will!”
Solomon hugged her. “I love you, Hannah!”
Solomon stayed on his feet until he saw Hannah and Perry drag the struggling Lisa under the wagon. He flattened himself beneath his own wagon and lay between his girls and reached a hand toward B. J., who had Biggie in his grasp.
Curtis Holden made sure that his grandparents got beneath their wagon before he ran toward the Marlins to see about Deborah. Lloyd Marlin was just bending down to hand baby James to Suzanne.
“Where’s Deborah?” Curtis shouted.
“I don’t know! She was running around the circle a minute ago, helping families with children to get under the wagons! She must be under one herself by now!”
“Lloyd, we’ve got to make sure she is!” Suzanne said.
“I’ll find her!” Curtis said, then wheeled about and was gone.
Walt Cuzak’s horses were out of their minds with terror. Walt was still on the wagon seat, tugging at the reins, and all of his sons were gripping the horses’ bridles.
A lightning bolt crackled out of the roiling clouds, momentarily turning the air a silver-white. The bolt popped directly above the circle and was all the horses needed to spook. They bolted, throwing off the Cuzak brothers as if they were weightless, and charged insanely onto the storm-lashed prairie.
The brothers scrambled to their feet and watched as the wagon fishtailed across the rough land. They could hear their father’s voice, shouting for the horses to stop. But the fear-maddened animals were in control now. The wagon hit a high spot, vaulted into the air, and landed hard. Walt sailed off the seat and did a full flip in the air before he struck the ground.
The crazed horses headed straight for the dangling inky tail of the twister. There was a deep rumble as team and wagon were caught up in the swirling black mass. The wagon shattered to smithereens and the horses were seen whirling in circles, pawing the air wildly as the powerful tornado whipped them into its pitch-black vortex, and they vanished from sight.
Word spread among the wagons that the black funnel had skewed to a westerly course. The men admonished their families to stay put while they crawled out to get a look. They began to shout for joy when they saw the twister maintain its westerly course.
When Hannah returned to her family, Solomon said he would take Nipper and find Chris. As he swung into the saddle and headed onto the prairie, word was spreading about Hank Norwood’s death, and the Cuzak brothers were carrying their dazed father back to the circle.
Curtis Holden stood at the Croft wagon where he had found Deborah. She had been helping the Crofts when Ezra’s high-pitched voice ordered everybody under their wagons.
Curtis had stayed with Deborah, holding her in his arms until the danger had passed. Now she thanked him in a shaky voice for caring what happened to her.
He pulled her away from the Croft wagon, and when they were out of earshot, he turned to face her. “I more than care what happens to you, Deborah. I’m so in love with you that I wonder why my heart stays inside my chest.”
Tears welled up in h
er eyes. “Oh, Curtis, I’ve prayed that what I’ve seen in your eyes and heard in your voice is the same thing I feel for you. I’m in love with you, too.”
People couldn’t help but notice the two as they shared a tender kiss, totally oblivious to their surroundings.
Elmer and Maudie saw it, too, and smiled at each other.
Families all over the circle were weeping and clinging to each other, thankful that God had spared them, especially in light of the loss of Joy Lynn Lander and Hank Norwood. Several of the women now gathered at the Norwood wagon to comfort Lisa.
Some of the men went out onto the rain-soaked prairie and picked up Hank Norwood’s charred remains. Hannah kept Lisa occupied so she wouldn’t see her husband’s blackened body as the men carried it to the Comstock wagon and placed it next to Joy Lynn.
Chris Cooper’s last glimpse of Buster came when the galloping horse disappeared over a rise. He ran in that direction with all his might, praying the Lord would make Buster stop.
When he reached the top of the rise, his beloved horse was nowhere in sight. At the same time, he saw the huge funnel cloud bearing down no more than a few hundred yards away. He hurried to the small gully at the bottom of the rise and lay face-down, covering his head. The black mass roared above him, stinging his back with sheets of rain.
Chris stayed where he was for a long time, clenching his teeth and praying. He was still in the same position when the tornado passed and the wind and rain let up. Suddenly he felt warm breath on the back of his neck and heard a soft nicker.
“Buster!”
The horse nickered again, as if to say, “The storm’s over now. We can go back to the wagons.”
Chris jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around Buster’s neck. “Oh, Buster, I prayed so hard you wouldn’t run away and never come back!”
Chris swung aboard his horse and said, “Let’s go. Mama and Papa will be worried about us.”
When they topped the rise, Chris looked toward the circle of wagons in the distance and told himself he had come at least two miles in his pursuit. He was about to put Buster to a gallop when he noticed movement on the prairie to the east.
It took only seconds to recognize Nipper. Though he couldn’t make out the features of the tall man in the saddle, Chris Cooper knew it was Papa.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Hannah Cooper stood with her daughters and youngest son, watching the two riders come in. As they trotted up and pulled rein, Hannah ran toward her oldest son. “Oh, Chris, I’m so glad you’re all right! I—”
It was then she noticed his red-rimmed eyes.
“I told him, honey,” Solomon said. “Had to. He asked me if Joy Lynn was all right.”
Hannah patted her son’s arm, wanting to comfort him as she had when he was little. Instead she said, “Oh Chris… I’m so sorry, son. We all loved Joy Lynn.”
Chris slid from Buster’s back and wrapped his arms around his mother. “Why, Mama? Why did she have to die?”
Hannah’s tender mother’s heart was at a loss to find an answer to such pain. She held him, smoothing his hair, and looked at Solomon.
Chris asked if he could tell the Landers how sorry he was about Joy Lynn. Solomon nodded but told him it was best that he wait until later. Right now, the family needed to be alone with their grief.
At that moment, Elsie Lander’s high-pitched voice filled the air. “I want to turn back right now! Now, Chuck! Do you hear me? Let’s bury Joy Lynn, take our broken wagon, and go home!”
“Elsie, listen to me,” Chuck said, gripping her arms. “I understand how you feel. Joy Lynn was my daughter, too. But if we turn around and head back, it will put us on the prairie alone. We must go on. Joy Lynn would want us to.”
Trina Lee, her own face stained with tears, moved close and put her arms around both parents. “Mother, I think Daddy’s right. Joy Lynn would want us to go on.”
“Yes, Mom,” Bob said, “Our future lies in California. And I agree with Dad and Trina Lee. This is what Joy Lynn would tell us to do.”
Hannah could hold back no longer. Her heart ached for Elsie. She hurried toward the Landers with Solomon and the children at her heels.
She moved in close and cupped Elsie’s tear-stained cheeks in her hands. “Honey,” she said, “you and your family drove onto these plains to follow your dream. Don’t turn back now. Go on. Fulfill that dream.”
“Why, Hannah?” Elsie said on a sob. “Joy Lynn was part of that dream. She’s gone now.”
“But you still have Chuck, Bob, and Trina Lee. The four of you must go on and build your new life in California.”
“Listen to Hannah, darlin’,” Chuck said. “She’s talking good sense.”
“But maybe more of us will die before we get there. We’ve got a long way to go!”
While Hannah was doing her best to reason with Elsie, a similar scenario was repeated across the circle at the Armstrong wagon.
Tracie stood with her back to Stuart, weeping against the rear of the wagon. Her whole body shook as she sobbed, “I can’t stand any more of this, Stu! I want to go back to Toledo! Let’s travel with the Landers. Elsie wants to go home. Please, Stu! Take me home!”
“Tracie, listen. I know this storm was terrible, but we would be asking for real disaster if we turned around and went back—even if we went with the Landers. We would be easy prey for robbers and Indians. We must go on to California. Please. Get a grip on yourself. There’s no other sensible choice.”
“There has to be a way, Stu! I’m tired of all these storms. I—”
“Pardon me…” Hannah Cooper’s voice came from behind Stuart. “I couldn’t help hear what you were saying, Tracie. I know about the fears you have, and I’m tired of these storms, too. But you and Stuart left your home and joined this wagon train to follow your dreams just like the rest of us did. You have a fine husband and a wonderful future out there ahead of you. Don’t rob yourself of it.”
Stuart looked at Hannah gratefully and turned to watch Tracie’s face.
“Hannah,” Tracie said, “I appreciate your concern, and what you’ve just said. I… I’ll think on it.”
Hannah embraced her friend and whispered, “Follow your husband’s dream, honey,” then turned and walked away.
“Thank you, ma’am,” Stuart called after Hannah. “We appreciate your concern.”
Hannah waved and moved on.
Soon all the clouds had drifted away, and the sun was shining brightly out of an azure sky.
Ezra Comstock had been moving about the circle, speaking encouraging words as he assessed wagon damage. Only a few wagons needed repair—mostly wind-torn canvas tops. When he walked toward the Landers’ wagon, he could see that Elsie was still determined to turn around and go home.
Ezra moved up to Chuck and told him that with a little work they could patch up his wagon. Since the bed had suffered only minor damage, all they would have to do was rig up a way to suspend the canvas top over the bed and stitch up the canvas.
Chuck said he was ready to go to work on it, and Ezra promised to bring several men to help.
As Ezra turned to go, Walt Cuzak and his four oldest sons hailed him. Walt limped and held a hand to the small of his back.
“Need to talk to you, Ezra,” Walt said, clearing his throat nervously.
The nearest people stopped what they were doing to listen. Others, having seen the Cuzaks heading toward their wagon master, moved closer to hear what Walt and his sons had to say.
“What is it, Walt?”
“The twister destroyed my wagon and took my team. All our food was in my wagon. The other three wagons only have mining tools and supplies. My boys and I…well, we’re gonna need food.”
Before Ezra could reply, Solomon Cooper stepped up and said, “Hannah and I will share food with you and your sons.”
“Vanessa and I will, too,” Lafe Tolliver said.
For the first time on this journey, the Cuzaks were speechless.
The rest of
the day was spent cleaning up after the storm and repairing wagon damage.
Perry Norwood, Bob Lander, Buck Mylan, and Tony Cuzak dug two graves in the shade of a cottonwood and constructed crude wooden crosses to serve as markers.
As the setting sun turned the spacious canopy of the sky a brilliant pink that faded to lavender on the horizon, the bodies of Joy Lynn Lander and Hank Norwood were committed to their graves. Solomon Cooper had been asked to conduct the service. While he stood between the graves with an open Bible in his hands, Hannah and her children grouped themselves around Lisa and Perry Norwood.
The Lander family stood huddled together, supporting Elsie, whose gaze never left the ground.
Everyone was at the service, even Walt Cuzak and his four oldest sons, though they stayed on the fringe.
Solomon read words of comfort from Scripture, then talked about repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
While he turned the pages of his Bible, he said, “There is only one Person in all existence who can save us from the wrath of God by forgiving our sins. That Person is the crucified, buried, and risen Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. We must put our faith in Jesus, and only Jesus, to save us. When we have our faith in Him, all we have to do is ask Him to save us. He says in John 6:37, Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.’ The Lord never turns any repentant sinner away.”
With that, Solomon offered to talk in private with anyone who wanted to know more about salvation. He then closed in prayer, asking God to comfort the bereaved as only He could do.
When everyone had returned to their wagons, Perry and Bob lowered the bodies of their family members into the earth.
That night, as the moon shed its silver light on the prairie, Tony Cuzak worked alongside his father and brothers to repair a torn canvas.
To Tony, the lack of conversation almost felt like a truce. Perhaps now he could tell them what had been foremost on his mind ever since he’d met the Coopers. Tony broke the silence by saying, “I’m glad all of you attended the funeral service today. You’ve stayed away from the Sunday services, but today you heard it plain and clear that Jesus Christ is the only way to go to heaven.”