by Al Lacy
Tharyn felt a pain lance her heart. A lump formed in her throat. She managed to swallow it, and said, “No, sir. He … ah … he stayed in New York.”
To change the subject, David said, “Breanna told us about your family, Wally. How about some details?”
Wally was happy to tell the Tabors about his family, and did so through the rest of the meal.
When everyone had finished eating, John, David, Wally, and Paul went to the parlor while Breanna, Kitty, Tharyn, and Ginny cleaned up the dining room table and went to the kitchen to wash and dry the dishes.
For the next half hour, amid much giggling and laughter, the ladies had an enjoyable time talking as they worked together. When they were finished, Breanna looked around to make sure the kitchen was spick and span, then excused herself. “I’ll be right back. Kitty, would you mind getting some dessert plates and cups and saucers down from the cupboard? You know where they are.”
Kitty smiled. “Sure.”
In a few minutes, Breanna was back, carrying a three-tiered white cake that was smothered with fresh strawberries and mounded with whipped cream. “I had this stashed in the ice house to keep it cool.”
Kitty looked at the cake, then at Breanna. “Honey, that looks scrumptious. Just wait till David sees this. You’re really spoiling him!”
Breanna giggled. “I love to spoil people. It gives me so much joy.”
“Well, then, go right ahead,” said Kitty as she and the others watched Breanna cut a large piece of cake.
A big smile graced her features as Breanna said, “This piece is for David.”
Later while everyone was enjoying the delicious dessert, John explained to the Tabors about Wally coming from Wichita to visit his old friend Bill Altman and his wife in Central City, and how he had the joy of leading Bill and Darlene Altman to the Lord.
The Tabors expressed their joy in the salvation of Wally’s friends, then John said solemnly, “This is a special blessing because Bill Altman has consumption. Dr. Robert Fraser in Central City is estimating that Bill will die within a few weeks.”
“Oh my,” said Kitty.
“There’s no hope that he could have a turn for the better, Wally?” asked Tharyn.
“No, Miss Tharyn. I asked Dr. Fraser the same question, but he assured me that Bill won’t be here long. The consumption is just too far advanced.”
Breanna set her soft gaze on Wally. “But, praise the Lord, isn’t it wonderful to know that you will be with your friend Bill forever in heaven?”
Wally brushed a tear from the corner of his eye. “It sure is, Mrs. Brockman. It sure is.”
The conversation turned to other things, then gradually began to wane. Finding a silence in the group, Tharyn said, “I had an interesting day today. I got to assist Dr. Lyle Goodwin on an abdominal tumor surgery. This was my first time ever to assist in this kind of a surgery, and I learned a lot.”
“That’s good, honey,” said Breanna. “And it’s always good to work with Dr. Goodwin, isn’t it?”
“Oh yes. You must have thoroughly enjoyed all those years you worked for him at his clinic.”
“I sure did. He’s such a precious man, and a fine Christian too.”
“Yes. I sure wish he wasn’t about to retire.”
Breanna nodded. “He doesn’t want to, but his age is making it more and more difficult to keep up with the workload.”
Wally’s eyebrows arched. “I didn’t realize you were a nurse, Miss Tharyn.”
“That she is,” spoke up Breanna, “and an excellent one too. In fact, she’s one of the best in the business. In just over two years, Tharyn has now become the top surgical nurse at Mile High Hospital. She is in demand more than any other surgical nurse on the staff.”
Tharyn blushed.
Breanna went on. “You see, Wally, when Tharyn and I first got acquainted, she was thirteen years old. She told me she wanted to be a nurse one day, so I spent time with her, teaching her about the medical profession. I saw immediately that she had a genuine aptitude toward nursing. She finished her schooling and entered the Denver School of Nursing at the age of seventeen. When she graduated three years later, with her certified medical nurse’s degree, she was at the top of her class. My brother-in-law, Dr. Matt Carroll, is superintendent of Mile High Hospital. He hired her the day after she graduated.”
Wally nodded. “So the head man at the hospital is your brother-in-law.”
“Mm-hmm. He is married to my sister, Dottie.”
“Mr. Talbot,” said Tharyn, “Breanna was a marvelous help to me when we worked together, which was often. She taught me so much.”
Wally looked at Breanna. “So you worked for the hospital too?”
“Yes.”
“But you’re not working now?”
“I worked full-time at the hospital until five months before Paul was born. And now having Ginny too, I want to spend as much time with my children as possible. Periodically, however, whenever my brother-in-law needs help at the hospital, I do that. This gives Tharyn and me time to work together some, which we enjoy very much.”
A smile spread across Tharyn’s lovely face. “That’s for sure!”
Wally placed the tips of his fingers to his temple. “I just thought of something. In my conversation with Dr. Fraser in Central City, he said something in passing about bringing patients here to Mile High Hospital when he has to do serious surgery on them.”
“He sure does,” said Breanna. “We all know him well. He is a fine, dedicated Christian, as is his dear wife.”
“I haven’t met Mrs. Fraser,” put in Tharyn, “but I’ve done some surgeries with Dr. Fraser, and I like him very much.”
Breanna smiled. “When I was working at the hospital a couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of being his surgical nurse for gall bladder surgery. When we were washing up after surgery, Dr. Fraser and I were talking about Dr. Goodwin making plans to retire, and he told me he is doing the same thing.”
“Really?” said John. “I wasn’t aware of that.”
“I meant to tell you, honey, but it slipped my mind. Dr. Fraser told me he will be turning seventy-five in November, and like Dr. Goodwin, he feels he is just not capable of carrying the load any longer.”
“It must be quite a load too,” said John. “He’s the only doctor in a thirty-mile radius up there in the mountains. So how soon does he plan to retire?”
“Just as soon as he can find the right young doctor to take over his practice.”
“Mmm. That could take a while. This part of the country isn’t running over with them.”
“You’re right about that. Dr. Fraser said he is leaving it in God’s hands. He said he is praying that the Lord will send him a young doctor who will let him fill in for him when he has to come to Denver to do surgery, or has to be away from the Central City office periodically.”
John chuckled. “Just can’t quite let go altogether. I hope the Lord does that very thing for him.”
Tharyn said, “I heard recently that Dr. Faulkner in Colorado Springs and Dr. Berryman in Fort Collins are both planning to retire soon. With these good doctors in the area retiring, I sure hope there are young doctors who will want to come west and take over their practices.”
“I heard about them too,” said Breanna. “With the way people are coming to the West from back east, certainly there will be more young doctors who will want to come.”
“I would think so,” said Kitty. “As the West becomes more populated, the opportunities become greater for both men and women in the medical profession.”
There was a lull in the conversation. Breanna turned to Tharyn. “Honey, I wish Scott could have been here for the evening, too.”
Tharyn smiled. “Me too. I really miss him.”
Wally turned to Tharyn. “Is this Scott your young man?”
“Yes, he is. His last name is Hubbard. Scott is from Pueblo, Colorado, some one hundred miles south of Denver. He is presently visiting his parents and old friends t
here. He’ll be back on September 24. Scott is employed at Denver’s other bank, the Rocky Mountain Bank.”
David chuckled. “Well, since Scott’s getting serious about my daughter, one of these days I’m going to persuade him to come to work at First National Bank. He’s a fine Christian young man, and is also a member of our church.”
Wally grinned at the lovely redhead. “Well, I hope it works out between you and Scott, Miss Tharyn.”
“It’s looking good,” put in Kitty. “From some statements Scott has made to David and me recently, I expect him to ask Tharyn to marry him just any time now.”
Tharyn’s features tinted.
Kitty frowned. “Well, don’t you, honey?”
Tharyn cleared her throat softly and nodded. “Yes, Mother. I … ah … I have a feeling Scott is going to propose as soon as he gets back.”
The conversation went another direction for a few minutes, including the upcoming visit of President Rutherford B. Hayes to Denver. He and Vice President William A. Wheeler were at a Republican Convention in San Francisco and planned to spend a day in Denver on their way back to Washington, D.C.
When that subject had been exhausted, David said, “Well, Kitty and Tharyn, it’s time for us to be heading home.”
The Brockmans and Wally Talbot walked the Tabors to the front porch, and Wally said, “I sure am glad I got to meet you folks. God bless you.”
The Tabors expressed the same feelings toward Wally, and when they were riding away in their carriage, John ushered Paul and Ginny through the door. “Okay, kiddies, time for Papa’s little babies to get to bed.”
Paul made a mock scowl. “Papa, we’re not babies anymore.”
John laughed as he closed the door behind the small group. “Son, you and Ginny will always be my babies.”
Breanna put an arm around each of them and smiled as she looked into their young eyes. “You will always be Mama’s babies too!”
While the Tabor family rode back toward Denver, Kitty sat between David and Tharyn, thinking about the day in the not-so-distant future when she would watch her daughter walk down the aisle of the church auditorium on David’s arm.
A lump rose in Kitty’s throat as she pictured the scene in her mind.
Scott would be waiting on the floor at the base of the platform, his eyes fixed on his beautiful bride in her fancy white wedding dress. When David and Tharyn would reach the end of the aisle, from the platform, Pastor Nathan Blandford would say, “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?”
With a quiver in his voice, David would reply, “Her mother and I.” He would then place Tharyn’s hand in Scott’s hand, and the bride and groom would mount the platform steps to take their vows.
Kitty felt a tingle slither down her backbone.
Both David and Tharyn felt the sudden movement of Kitty’s body.
“You cold, honey?” asked David.
“No. I just had a little tingle run down my spine. I’m fine.”
Tharyn patted her mother’s hand, then let her eyes take in the magnificence of the heavens above her. The sky was a deep velvet black, blazing with millions of twinkling stars.
As Tharyn felt the sway of the carriage and the bumps of the road, her mind went back to the conversation that evening, when she told Wally Talbot about Dane Weston having saved her life and how he had been the one responsible for her becoming a Christian.
Her heart was heavy as she thought about Dane’s request that she write him at the prison as soon as she had been taken into a foster home out West. He wanted to know that she was all right, and when she had an address, he was looking forward to them corresponding with each other.
The carriage hit a large bump, and after the Tabors had adjusted themselves on the seat, Tharyn bit her lip as she thought about the letter she wrote to Dane shortly after being taken into the Tabor home. She told him all about her new parents—that they were born-again Christians and how happy she was with them. She had explained that David and Kitty Tabor had adopted her, and now her name was Tharyn Tabor. She gave him the address of the Tabor home, explained that her new father was a banker in Denver, and that she and her new parents were praying for him. She asked him to write back to her. As she closed off the letter, she called Dane her big brother and signed it: “Love, Your Little Sis.”
After sending her first letter to Dane, Tharyn’s hopes had been high, and after about ten days, she began making her way to the post office daily to see if he had written back to her. She recalled how each day as she entered the post office, her heart beat wildly with anticipation.
But each time, there was no letter from Dane. As the days dragged on with no response, her heart grew heavy. Would she never hear from him?
The carriage rounded a bend in the road beneath the shimmering heavens. David and Kitty were talking about something which didn’t register in Tharyn’s mind as she remembered thinking that maybe—for some reason—Dane had not received her letter.
Prisons being what they were, most anything could have happened to that letter. So she resolved to write him again, which she did. When there was no response to that letter, she wrote again and again. Still there was no response.
Finally, Tharyn decided that the boy she called her big brother had elected not to keep in touch with her since it appeared he was going to spend the rest of his life in prison. Though he was innocent of the crime for which he had been given a life sentence, he apparently felt it was better for her if she didn’t have contact with a young man who had been convicted of murder and would never see the free world again.
Soon the carriage was moving into Denver on Broadway, with its flickering street lamps. Moments later, David turned on to a side street, drove half a block, and swung into the driveway of the Tabor home.
David drove past the house, parked the carriage at the back porch, and hopped out. He helped his wife and daughter from the carriage seat, then led the horse and carriage toward the small barn as the two women entered the house.
In the kitchen, Tharyn lit a lantern while her mother was lighting one in the hall. Kitty waited for Tharyn to catch up to her so they could climb the stairs together.
Kitty touched Tharyn’s arm. “Sweetie, is something wrong?”
Tharyn gave her a quizzical glance. “No, Mama. Why do you ask?”
“Well, you just seem—ah—preoccupied. You hardly said anything on the way home.”
“Oh. I was just thinking about the things we talked about at the Brockmans’ this evening.”
“I see. Well, let’s get into our robes so we’ll be ready for Bible reading and prayer with your father.”
Some twenty minutes later, the Tabors sat down in the parlor with a bright coal oil lantern burning on the end table at the sofa. Mother and daughter sat together on the sofa, and David sat in an overstuffed chair, facing them.
“Well,” said David, flipping the pages of his Bible, “tonight we’ll pick up where we left off last night, in Matthew 25.”
Kitty and Tharyn opened their Bibles and found the designated passage.
“Okay,” said David, “we left off in verse 30 last night. Tonight we’ll read through the end of the chapter, then discuss what Jesus said.”
As was the custom, they would each read a verse aloud, covering the designated passage, then go back and discuss it. The order was always David first, Kitty second, and Tharyn third.
David said, “Listen to Jesus now. Verse 31. ‘When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:’ ”
Kitty picked it up in verse 32. “ ‘And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:’ ”
Tharyn followed, reading verse 33. “ ‘And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.’ ”
David read verse 34. “ ‘Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inher
it the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:’ ”
Kitty read verse 35. “ ‘For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:’ ”
Tharyn read verse 36. “ ‘Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in—’ ” She swallowed hard. “ ‘I was in p-prison—and—and ye c-came unto me.’ ” Her eyes filled with tears.
Suddenly her slender body was rigid.
Kitty took hold of her arm. “Tharyn, what’s wrong?”
Tharyn laid her Bible on the sofa, stood up, and the look she gave her mother was vague and unfocused.
David could see Tharyn’s face clearly. He left his chair and took hold of her hands. “Prison, Tharyn. In prison, and ye came to me. It’s Dane, isn’t it? That verse made you think of Dane.”
She set her tear-dimmed eyes on her father. “Yes, Papa. I’ve had him heavily on my mind since I told Wally Talbot tonight about his saving my life.” She pulled her hands free. “Please excuse me.” With that, she broke into sobs and ran from the room.
David started after her, but Kitty grasped his arm. “I’ll take care of it, honey. I think she needs a female to talk to.”
He nodded. “Sure.”
Kitty hurried out of the parlor. She rushed up the stairs and moved down the hall to Tharyn’s room. The door was closed, but she could hear her sobbing inside.
Kitty tapped on the door and opened it. Tharyn was stretched across her bed, facedown. As she moved toward the bed, Kitty said softly, “Sweetheart, can we talk?”
Tharyn rolled onto her side, wiped tears from her eyes, and sniffed.
“S-sure, Mama.”
Kitty sat down on the edge of the bed and Tharyn sat up, facing her. Once again she wiped tears.
Kitty took hold of her hand. “Honey, I thought maybe by now you were getting Dane out of your heart. Especially since you and Scott are getting serious about each other.”
Tharyn’s features pinched. “I thought so too, Mama. I—I guess a girl can’t always know her own heart, can she?”
“I’m sure that’s true, honey, but you can’t let your memories of Dane interfere with what you have with Scott. Dane’s out of your life. He has been for nine years. You wrote to him several times, but he didn’t care enough to answer you. Honey, you’ve got to let him go and concentrate on your future with Scott.”