by Al Lacy
Hannah reached over and patted Deborah’s hand. “That’s right, honey. And I’m so glad for both of you. For all of His goodness to us, our Lord deserves all of our love, service, and devotion.”
Solomon and the men decided to dig a common grave for the Cuzaks. Tony had insisted on helping, even though he could hardly look at the bodies. When the men were ready to head back to the wagons, he asked for a minute alone.
Tony’s heart was heavy as he looked down at the dirt mound. “Pa…Frank…Gordon…Edmund…now you know how wrong you were about all that ‘Jesus stuff’ and about hell. But it’s too late.” He thumbed the tears from his eyes and said, “Thank You, Lord, for Solomon Cooper. If he hadn’t led me to You, I’d be in that grave, too.”
When they were within five hundred yards of the farmhouse, Ezra halted the train and asked Solomon Cooper and Dave Croft to ride with him the rest of the way.
As they came within two hundred yards of the farm, Solomon noticed that it had a shabby look to it. “Ezra, looks like the place is abandoned. The roof of the house looks caved in on one corner, and the barn roof is in pretty bad shape, too. I’d say it hasn’t been lived in for a while.”
“I think you’re right. All we can do now is hope the well’s still functional.”
“Wait a minute,” Dave said, “there’s wash hanging on the line at the rear of the house.”
“And a cow and two horses in the corral,” put in Solomon.
They could see two small children playing near the back porch, and a woman at the hog pen, trying to adjust a pole in the split rail fence.
When they rode through the gate, the woman spotted them and quickly picked up a double-barreled shotgun and cocked both hammers. “Hold it right there!” she commanded.
The woman was no older than twenty-five, and quite pretty. The afternoon breeze lifted her long black hair. Her dress was well-worn and patched, but clean.
Without moving her eyes from the strangers, she said, “Jason, take Caleb inside the house!”
The boys obeyed immediately, walking past a well pump at the back of the house. The men could see another pump at the small corral, and the stock tank was full of clean water.
“What do you want?” the woman demanded, fear in her eyes.
“Ma’am,” Ezra said, touching the brim of his battered hat, “my name’s Ezra Comstock. I’m wagon master of that wagon train back yonder.” He arced a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the train.
The woman’s eyes flicked eastward and then back to the three men.
“These gentlemen with me, ma’am, are Solomon Cooper and Dave Croft. Their families are in the train. You won’t need that scatter-gun. We mean you no harm. We’ve plumb run out of water. Buffalo have contaminated the Platte all along the trail. We came to ask if you would let us fill up our water barrels. I see you have a couple of wells.”
The young woman lowered the shotgun and eased the triggers. “You can come closer,” she said.
When they halted their horses a few feet from her, she smiled. “My name is Amanda Kline, gentlemen. The water in my wells is plentiful. You’re welcome to fill your barrels. You can water all your animals at the stock tank, if you wish.”
“Ma’am, we really appreciate your kindness,” Ezra said. “I… ah… take it Mr. Kline isn’t here at the moment.”
Amanda’s eyes filled with quick tears. “My… my husband, Barry, died two months ago. Fever. Came on him suddenly.”
She turned her head and pointed with her chin. “That’s his grave there near the bushes at the back of the house.”
“Ma’am,” Solomon said, “our hearts go out to you in your loss.”
“Thank you. Right after Barry died, there were a series of rain and hail storms, along with some high winds. That’s a sod roof on the house. The rain was so heavy it collapsed the roof on one corner. And the hail and wind damaged the barn roof, as you can see. Now I’m having trouble with some of the fences. I was working on the hog pen when you rode in.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Ezra said. “So you’ve got nobody to help you keep the place up?”
“No. I wrote to my brother in Billings, Montana, about a month ago. I wanted him to know about Barry, but I also told him I needed help. He said he would come as soon as possible, but he didn’t say when that would be.”
While Amanda was talking, Solomon noticed the lush vegetable garden near the barn, and the large field of corn alongside a larger field of alfalfa. Admiration welled up in him for this gallant young woman who had stayed here after her husband’s death and was making a living off the farm.
Dave noticed the two small boys peeking out the back door. “Those are fine boys, you have there, Mrs. Kline.”
Just then, they heard a baby’s cry.
Amanda glanced toward the house. “I need to tend to my youngest, gentlemen. Please come in for a few minutes, then you can bring the wagon train down here.”
From the side of his mouth, Ezra said, “There’s no need to go in, Sol. Let’s tell her we’ll just go get the wagons.”
“You’ve been out of civilization too long, old fella,” Solomon whispered. “We must show the lady the courtesy of responding to her invitation. Don’t have to stay long. Then we can go get the wagons.”
Ezra raised bushy eyebrows. “Well, pardon me for bein’ a backwoods hick.”
The parlor was in a pitiful condition where the roof had caved in. Amanda had done what she could to cover the opening with several wide strips of canvas. Otherwise, the house was immaculate.
The baby stopped crying at the sight of his mother. As the men looked around, they noticed wall plaques with Scripture verses on them. And a large black Bible lay on the kitchen table.
“Mrs. Kline,” Solomon said, “There’s some pretty good indications that somebody who lives here knows the Lord.”
Amanda smiled warmly. “Yes, Mr. Cooper. I’ve been a born-again child of God since I was ten years old. My husband was saved when he was fourteen. I have peace knowing he’s in heaven with Jesus.”
“Well, all three of us are born-again Christians, ma’am,” Dave said. “And there are several just like us in the wagon train.”
She smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. This is my youngest, Matthew. He’s nineteen months old.”
Solomon’s heart was heavy for the young widow. “Ezra,” he said, “this dear lady needs help. We can’t just take the water we need from her wells and drive away.”
Ezra’s face showed his puzzlement. “What are you thinkin’, Sol?”
“I know you’ve got to get over the Sierras before the snow flies. So you go ahead and pull out after the barrels are full. I know when Hannah sees the situation here, she’ll agree with me. We’ll stay and fix up her place, then go on to Fort Bridger. A couple of weeks, and we can have this place looking good. Her brother will probably be here by then.”
Ezra rubbed his bristly chin. “Ain’t no need in you stayin’ behind, Sol. If every able-bodied man in the train pitched in, we could fix everything for her in a couple of days. We can spare that much time.”
Tears glistened in Amanda’s dark eyes. “That…that’s very kind of you, gentlemen, but I can’t ask you to—”
“You didn’t, ma’am,” Solomon cut in. “We’re volunteering.”
“Oh, bless you! If the roofs of the house and barn were repaired…and the fence at the hogpen, the boys and I would be fine until my brother comes.”
While some of the men were watering the animals and others were filling water barrels, others went to work on the roofs and fences. Chris and B. J. worked alongside their father.
Ezra and Dave rode out to find fresh meat.
After the women had introduced themselves to Amanda, some of them borrowed her wash tubs and began to wash clothes. Amanda was tending to little Matthew, with Jason and Caleb looking on, when Hannah, Mary Beth, and Patty Ruth stepped onto the back porch.
“Oh, please come in,” Amanda said, hurrying to open the screen
door.
“You just had a whole lot of names thrown at you out there,” Hannah said. “I’m Hannah—”
“Cooper! I can’t remember them all, but I remembered your name because of that very nice husband of yours.”
Hannah smiled. “He is that, Mrs. Kline. These are our daughters, Mary Beth and Patty Ruth.”
“Hello, girls,” Amanda said. “I’m so glad to meet you.”
The girls returned the greeting, then Amanda introduced her boys. “These are my sons, Jason, five, Caleb, three, and Matthew, nineteen months.”
Amanda noticed Matthew eyeing the stuffed bear cradled in Patty Ruth’s arm. “I see baby Matthew likes your bear, Patty Ruth. What’s his name?”
“Ulysses Cooper, ma’am.”
Amanda giggled. “I like that name!”
Patty Ruth gave her a thin smile.
“May I call you Amanda?” Hannah asked.
“Of course.”
“Amanda, the girls and I came to invite you and the boys to eat supper at our wagon tonight. Would you do us the honor?”
“Oh, yes. Thank you!”
“My husband told me you’re a Christian,” Hannah said.
“I sure am. Let’s sit down here in the kitchen so we don’t bother the men in the parlor.”
As they talked about the Lord, Hannah and Amanda felt the beginning of a strong kinship. Amanda shared how the Lord had given her strength to go on when Barry died. They had come to Nebraska from Kentucky with a big dream to build a new life. Amanda was carrying on the dream because it was so important to Barry.
Hannah told her about Hank Norwood’s death, and how Lisa was going on to California with her son for the same reason.
Amanda nodded. “I can understand. Barry is in heaven, but somehow it’s like part of him is still here—especially when I look at the children.”
Hannah leaned against the table in a casual manner and put a hand over her midsection. She suspected she was carrying a child, but hadn’t yet said anything to Solomon. She would give it a little more time. Solomon had always been so delighted when she told him there was a new life coming into their home, and she didn’t want to disappoint him if it really wasn’t so.
Just then Amanda started to cry. When Hannah left her chair and put her arms around her, the long-denied tenderness seemed to break a dam within the young widow. Hannah motioned for Mary Beth to take Matthew. Without hesitating, Mary Beth picked up the toddler and herded the other boys and Patty Ruth into the parlor to watch the men work on the roof.
“Go ahead, honey,” Hannah said, softly. “Cry it out. God gave us tears to alleviate our emotions. Let it all out.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
When Amanda’s sobs finally subsided, she felt completely drained yet somehow peaceful. She and Hannah continued to sit at the kitchen table and talk.
In the parlor Mary Beth held Matthew on her lap. Jason and Caleb sat beside her on the worn-out old couch and watched Lloyd Marlin and Tony Cuzak work on the ceiling where the roof had collapsed. William Perryman and George Winters were approaching it from the roof side.
Patty Ruth, who sat on the floor at her sister’s feet, making faces at baby Matthew, kept him giggling. Mary Beth smiled at her little sister’s natural talent for entertainment.
At one point, Matthew stretched out a hand toward Ulysses. Patty Ruth’s smile vanished and she turned her body away from the baby’s reach. Matthew let out a high-pitched wail.
“Patty Ruth,” Mary Beth said in a low tone, “let Matthew see Ulysses.”
“No!”
“Mary Beth…” Hannah called from the kitchen, “what’s the matter with the baby?”
“He wants to play with Ulysses, and Patty Ruth won’t let him.”
Scrape! went the chair, followed by rapid footsteps, as Hannah entered the room with Amanda on her heels.
“Patty Ruth, I thought we settled this selfishness thing. Now, let Matthew play with Ulysses for a while.”
“Why can’t he play with his own toys, Mama?”
Amanda looked down with a smile and said, “Honey, Matthew doesn’t have any toys. His daddy and I were working hard so that one day we could buy our sons some playthings, but then his daddy died. I just don’t have the money to buy toys right now. Jason and Caleb have some rocks and sticks they play with, and sometimes I let Matthew play with a wooden spoon I have in the kitchen. But there’s another reason Matthew likes Ulysses.”
Patty Ruth’s eyebrows lifted. “What’s that?”
“Matthew used to have a stuffed bear, something like Ulysses. But when the roof collapsed, the bear was over there in the corner where all the rain came through. It got wet and began to fall apart, and I had to throw it away.”
Patty Ruth thought how bad she would feel if something like that happened to Ulysses. Reluctantly she said, “Matthew can play with Ulysses for a couple minutes.”
Matthew giggled as he closed his fat little fingers around the bear. Immediately he stuck a stuffed paw in his mouth. This galled Patty Ruth, but she held her peace.
Tony Cuzak turned from the corner, where he and Lloyd Marlin were working, and headed for the door. He paused and smiled at Amanda. “We’ll have this fixed for you shortly, ma’am.”
“You’ll never know how much I appreciate it,” she said.
“Amanda,” Hannah said, “this is Tony Cuzak. My husband led him to the Lord after we started this journey.”
“Wonderful! I’m so glad for you, Tony. I’ve been a Christian since I was ten years old. It gets sweeter the longer you walk with Jesus. There are many heartaches and trials along the way, but nothing can compare with knowing Jesus and living for Him.”
“I’m finding that out already, ma’am. I’m sorry about your husband’s death. And I want you to know I admire your spunk. Not many women would have stuck it out like you have.”
Amanda smiled warmly. “Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Cuzak. I don’t recall meeting a Mrs. Cuzak out there. Are you not married?”
“No, ma’am. I realize most men my age already have a wife and two or three children, but I’ve just never found the right woman.”
“You will. The Lord knew you would be saved on this journey, so He no doubt has a very special Christian lady picked out for you. He’ll bring her into your life when He’s ready.”
A wide smile spread over Tony’s mouth. “Thank you for the encouragement, ma’am. It’s good to know the Lord has a plan for each of us. Mr. Cooper is teaching me about the way God works in the lives of His children.”
“Yes… God’s hand is on our lives,” Hannah said. “We don’t always understand everything that comes our way—like the Lord’s taking Barry home—but we know He never makes mistakes.”
Ezra Comstock and Dave Croft rode onto the Kline place in late afternoon, dragging two buck deer. Everybody would have venison that night.
While the hunters strung up their bucks on cottonwood limbs and dressed them out, the rest of the men continued their repairs on the Kline farm.
Back at the wagon, as Hannah did some cleaning and prepared food for supper, her mind went back to those few moments earlier in the day when Tony had stopped and talked to Amanda in the parlor. She knew the look in a man’s eye when he was attracted to a woman, and that look was in Tony’s eye. Of course it was too soon after Barry’s death for Amanda to think about romance, but what would it hurt to let them get better acquainted? After all, Tony was footloose and fancy free. He could come back and see Amanda later if she agreed to it.
Hannah smiled to herself. Why not?
Hannah looked around and spotted Chris, who was helping his father and B. J. with the corral gate.
“Chris!”
“Yes, Mama?”
“Could your father spare you for a few minutes?”
Chris looked at Solomon, who nodded, then ran to the wagon. “What do you need, Mama?”
“Tony is working inside the house. Would you ask him if he’d like to eat supper with us toni
ght?”
“Sure. Be right back.”
Hannah returned to the wagon and was dipping flour from a small barrel when her eldest stuck his head over the tailgate. “Tony said he’d be delighted to eat supper with us, Mama… and he said to thank you.”
“Fine, honey. Thank you for your help. You can go back to your father now.”
“Guess I’d better. Papa might mess it up if I’m not there to show him how to do it.”
Hannah laughed. “You’re a case, Christopher Cooper. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mama. See you later.”
By the time the sun was setting, the aroma of roasting venison filled the air. The men continued to work, taking advantage of what daylight was left, and the women merrily prepared supper. Everyone in the wagon train was eager for this meal. It had been a while since they’d had fresh meat.
Amanda had joined Hannah at the Cooper wagon to help her with supper. Mary Beth and Patty Ruth were looking after the Kline boys inside the wagon.
Little Matthew learned that if he reached for Ulysses and Patty Ruth refused to let him have him, all he had to do was cry, and she would give in.
While the two mothers worked side by side, Amanda said, “Hannah, could I ask you about Tony Cuzak?”
“Certainly.”
“Well, call it feminine intuition or womanly insight, but even though Tony shows genuine joy in his newfound salvation, there seems to be a shadow of sadness in his eyes. Do you know anything about it?”
“Yes. You see, he started out this journey with his father and four older brothers. They were bad, Amanda… all the way to the core. Even though Tony was not a Christian, he was nothing like them.”
“You speak in the past tense. Are they dead?”
While they continued to work, Hannah told Amanda the whole story of the Cuzaks and their horrible end.
Amanda’s heart went out to Tony, and she marveled aloud at the way God had preserved him out of such an evil family life. Twilight had settled when the Cooper boys showed up, looking famished. They greeted Amanda, calling her Mrs. Kline, and then turned to their mother, wanting to know how soon supper would be ready.