“Stay here, Susanna. I’m going to see if anyone can hear us before we do lose our light.”
“Jared, you can’t leave me here.”
He left his lantern by her side. “I will be just a few paces away,” he promised. “I have to try.”
No! Her gaze remained fixed on the lantern’s soft glow. Was it her imagination or was the light already beginning to fade? Jared called out several times, his voice echoing in the cave’s vastness. She watched the flame dim even more. “Jared, it’s going out! Jared! Come back!”
Then, pitch black. Never had she witnessed such darkness. At first, she thought she could see him, so close to her. But when she reached out her hand, he wasn’t there. “Jared!”
Silence answered. For an agonizing moment, Susanna felt wholly alone, buried in the bowels of the earth.
Then Jared’s voice broke through the oppressive black stillness. “I’m here.”
She heard his footsteps and thought how he could wander off, maybe even into another bottomless pit. “Jared!” Suddenly she felt his foot kick against her leg and his hand brush her arm. “Oh, thank you, God!” She began to weep.
“It’s all right.”
“No, it isn’t. Nothing is all right. We have no food or water. Now we have no light. What are we going to do?”
He said nothing for a time. His silence only made matters worse. “God, please help us,” she prayed. “You know where we are. Send someone to help us!”
Jared’s hand swept back her hair. She felt him kiss the top of her head and then heard soothing words fill her ears. He began singing a hymn. “Rock of Ages.” How appropriate for this place. She tried to shift her thoughts to God’s holy refuge. A strong tower. A firm foundation. Unmoving. Solid. But anxiety came again, like water spilling over. Her teeth began to chatter.
“I remember being lost once,” Jared suddenly said. “And it changed my life.”
She perked up at his words.
“I went fishing to a new fishing hole. Didn’t tell my parents where I was going. Suddenly it got dark. I couldn’t find my way home. Everything looked the same. I saw the stars, but that was all. I bedded down in some leaves, but I was so cold.
“Then I saw this light. I thought that maybe I was going to heaven. It was like a golden light, bright and beautiful. Then it was shining full in my face. Some stranger had come up, holding a lantern, someone I had never seen before. He asked me what I was doing there all by myself. ‘I’m lost,’ I said. Then he laughed. I thought it was the strangest thing to hear him laugh like that. I didn’t think any of it was funny. I was cold and really hungry. ‘C’mon and ride with me,’ he said, giving me a hand up. I asked who he was. I didn’t recognize his name. I told him where my home was. He said there were a lot of people lost like me, wandering around in the darkness. Unable to see anything before them. All of them, caught in the deep and no one to help them. I didn’t know what he meant. I asked where they were.”
Jared paused, and Susanna heard him chuckle. “So what did he say?” she urged.
“He said, ‘They’re all around you. But I have a light for you. A good light. A light to see by.’ And he pointed to his saddlebag. I opened it and pulled out a huge Bible. I didn’t understand, you see. I never went to church. But he told me all about God right there, told me that Jesus is the Light of the world. I never forgot it.”
Susanna sat there, mesmerized by the story. The cave didn’t seem so dark anymore. “So he was the traveling minister you talked about?”
“And one of the main reasons I didn’t leave Kentucky. This is where I found light in the darkness. How could I leave it? Besides that, my aunt and uncle lived here, too. And my uncle still needs to see the light for himself.”
Susanna sighed. The chills left her. She felt warm, as if a fire had been kindled in her midst. Somehow she knew everything would be all right. She had a godly man by her side and a God in heaven watching over her. She could want nothing better in a place like this.
❧
As time passed, they listened to each other’s breathing and the distant trickle of water somewhere deep in the cave. Susanna strained to hear the clamor of footsteps, to see the flicker of lantern light. She remained in Jared’s arms for warmth, trying to think of things to ward off the uncertainty. She thought about her desire to meet a fine man one day, and marveled at how God had seen fit to bring Jared into her life. She wondered if there was a future for them. She knew, after today, that life at the hotel would never satisfy. She needed the presence of God to fulfill her heart’s desire. He was worth more than anything. He had given her Jared in a time and place in her life when she might have lost all hope.
She lifted her head to observe the surroundings—a pure black unlike anything she had ever seen. No light penetrated this place. None. Even when she thought she saw the flicker of light, she decided it was her mind playing tricks. That is, until Jared jumped to his feet.
“Someone’s coming!” he said excitedly. “Hello! Hello!”
Susanna stared until her eyes began to hurt, looking at the dim light reflecting off the cavern walls. Then there came a reply.
“Hello!” answered a voice. “Someone there?”
“We’re here!” they both said at once.
Matt arrived, bringing with him a contingent of men, each with lanterns. Her father. Luke. And several other men she didn’t know.
“Susanna!” Papa cried. “You gave us such a fright.”
“How did you know where to look for us?”
“Stephen made it back to the sick cave with that bad leg of his,” Matt said. “When he found out you hadn’t come back, he figured you might have taken a wrong turn. Easy to do in this place. So he sent someone to the hotel to fetch us, and we came lookin’.”
Susanna was never more relieved. She grabbed Jared’s hand and squeezed it. “God watched out for us,” she murmured.
“And a good thing, too,” Luke said. He whirled to the men who had accompanied them. “Arrest that man.”
Susanna stared wide-eyed as the men surrounded Jared. “What are you doing?”
“I didn’t like him from the beginning,” Luke murmured.
“It’s for the best until we can straighten this out,” Papa added.
“No!” She clung to Jared, even as her father tried gently to pull her away. “You can’t do this. He’s done nothing wrong!”
“He dragged you into this place and nearly got you killed,” Luke hissed. “And we heard how he was coming for the doctor, no doubt to harm him, too.”
“That’s ridiculous! He was only coming to talk to him. Please.” She looked to Jared, hoping he would defend himself. He said nothing. “Jared, tell them.” He only stared back with sadness in his eyes. “He wouldn’t harm anyone. He’s only tried to help.”
“By causing an uproar?” Papa said. “By associating with men who want to blow up the cave? By taking you away from us? By causing our very lives to be disrupted? There will be no more of this, Susanna. You are not to speak to this man ever again.” He nodded, and at once the guards escorted Jared back through the passage.
Susanna wanted to follow, but her father and Luke kept her back. “You don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t know what the truth is. The only thing you know is your money. But it’s poison. It’s poisoned you against the truth, to the things that matter in life. And now you want to punish an innocent man.” She grabbed for a lantern, intent on following her beloved and the men who held him in their grasp.
“Susanna, you are to stay with us,” Papa ordered. “I am your father. And as your father, I know what’s best for you.”
“Then if you do, you’ll let me be with the man I love!”
“You can’t love a man like that,” Luke said with contempt. “He’s nothing.”
“No! You’re nothing. You know nothing about love. You think because we have come to this place that it’s made us better people. That it has solved our problems. But all our problems followed us her
e. All we have ever thought about is ourselves. Jared lost someone he dearly loved in this place. He has no rich surroundings or nice clothing. But he is content. He has faith in God. All he’s ever wanted to do is what’s right. And I would rather be with a man like that than be as rich as a king.” She lowered her voice. “Papa, I have always listened to you. But I cannot listen to you now. You’re wrong about Jared. I only wish I could make you understand.”
Papa said no more. Susanna hastened to follow the lanterns that were quickly fading into the deep. She didn’t care about the cave’s darkness, her feet slipping on the rocks, or the chills. She only wanted Jared with all her heart. Tears filled her eyes, which she swiped away in determination. She would not see him taken away, perhaps even to some Louisville jail like his uncle. Not while there was still breath in her. She would do whatever she must to set him free, like he had done for her.
At last, she caught up with the group as they entered the sick cave. Dr. Croghan had arrived and was talking with several of the men who had led Jared away. Susanna managed to catch a glimpse of Jared’s face—worn, tired, but at peace, even with his circumstances. Murmuring a prayer, Susanna came forward and burst through the circle of men.
“Dr. Croghan, I must speak with you.”
“Miss Barnett! What are you doing here?”
“Dr. Croghan, you must help us. Please, may Jared and I speak with you in private?”
He stared, first at Jared then at her. “I am a very busy man, Miss Barnett.”
“Sir, I would not ask except that this is a matter of life and death.”
He paused. “Very well.”
Susanna motioned to Jared. They followed the doctor to one of the abandoned wooden huts and sat down. She ignored Jared, who shook his head at her, and, instead, concentrated on the task before her. “Dr. Croghan, you and I have known each other for several years now. I was the one who found you that day long ago on the road when you were pinned under the wagon. And you have been so kind to us, helping my family in their time of need. Now I beg you to help another who, at this very moment, is dying of consumption.”
Croghan glanced over at Jared. “I’m not certain that I understand.”
“Jared’s uncle. The one who lost his wife. And the one who has been arrested. I know there were plans being made for some manner of evil with the cave. But you must see how this was all brought about by a man sick with grief and sick in his body. Jared’s uncle has the consumption.”
“Is this true?” Croghan asked Jared.
“Yes, sir. I didn’t know it at first. My uncle hid it pretty well. But he has all the signs. The coughing. The weakness.”
“I’m sorry to hear this. But you must realize that there must be consequences for evil actions.”
“Sir, no actions took place because Jared warned us,” Susanna pleaded.
“Yes, and the men were arrested,” Croghan added. “I have tried to be diplomatic, as you well know. But I cannot allow others to commit criminal acts just because they don’t like my cave.”
“But you can understand where this comes from,” Susanna pressed. “Out of a desperation to find healing in a time of grief. You’re a gentleman of compassion. You wouldn’t have built this place if you weren’t. You wouldn’t have given your time, your money, everything, to try and help the unfortunate. All I ask is for a bit of mercy for Jared’s uncle. That he can die in his own bed and not in a jail cell.”
Croghan sighed, even as he looked about the hut where they sat. “I had great dreams for this place,” he murmured wistfully. “Like you once said, young man, I thought this cave was a miracle. I thought with the air and humidity that it might offer something to those with pulmonary afflictions. Had I known it would hasten death, I would have never opened the cave to the sick.” He paused then, as if in deep thought.
Susanna held her breath, praying, pleading that the doctor would have a change of heart.
“I will think about what you said,” he finally told her. “I’m sorry this happened. I do blame myself for raising hope when there really was no hope. Hope is what drives a man forward.”
“Sir, that is why we can only hope in our Savior Christ,” Jared said humbly. “I know now what happens when I place my hope in what I see or feel. But faith is hope in what is unseen, in God Himself.”
Croghan slowly came to his feet and offered Jared his hand. “I do thank you for warning us of your uncle’s anger. Our conversation at dinner has given me quite a bit to think about. Certainly I do not hold you responsible for any of this. You may go.”
“But what about his uncle?” Susanna asked.
Croghan shook his head. “I have no answer. Right now, I must tend to the others that are still here.” He left in a flourish, even as Susanna and Jared stood alone in the hut with only the distant chatter of voices interrupting the vastness of this rocky space.
All at once, she felt the arms of Jared embrace her in gratefulness. “Thank you, Susanna. I can’t believe you did this for me.”
“It was nothing.”
“What do you mean? It was everything. I had made the decision that if I were to go to Louisville, at least Uncle Dwight wouldn’t be alone. That I could be there with him.”
“We just have to pray that somehow he will be released, Jared. Despite everything that’s happened, Dr. Croghan is a fair man. I believe with all my heart he cares.”
“If there’s one person I’ve seen care unlike any other, it’s a beautiful woman by the name of Susanna Barnett. I’m sorry I ever doubted you.”
She smiled, enjoying the warmth of his arms about her. “Let’s just get out of here,” she said softly.
Fifteen
Jared returned to his cabin to find it a cold and lonely place. Without Susanna there beside him, and knowing his uncle remained in a Louisville jail, he found it hard to go on. He tried his best to keep up both his farm and his uncle’s in the hope of Dwight’s return. He had not been back to the hotel in a week as the work had mounted up. But he thought about the cave and the hotel all the time and especially about the fair one who dwelled there. Not a moment went by that he didn’t think of Susanna. No doubt, her father was keeping a close eye on her. Always when they seemed to draw closer, something else would pull them apart. Their relationship had turned into a never-ending tug-of-war.
Jared had just hitched the horse to the plow when he heard a wagon rolling down the road. He shifted his hat back on his head to see the dark form of a familiar man hunched over at the reins. It was Matt Bransford.
“You gotta come to the hotel, Mistuh Jared. Come on now. I’ll take you there.”
He stared, puzzled. “I’ve got a heap of work to do here, Matt.”
“Yeah, but this is important. You gotta come. Miss Barnett asked me to fetch you ’specially.”
He looked at the fields to plow and the wood that still needed to be split. But the lure of seeing Susanna proved too much of a temptation. Every night when darkness fell, he thought of her and the hours they spent in the cave. While the place had been frightening, it had done a wondrous work in them. The truth be told, he wouldn’t mind going back in that cave to do something he had been thinking about doing for a while. A secret surprise for Susanna. Something they would both cherish forever. If he could only make it work.
Jared unhitched the horse and led the animal to the stall. He then climbed onto the wagon seat beside Matt. During the journey to the hotel he inquired about Stephen. Matt laughed, telling him how the man was already leading tours again. “Nothing can hold that man back from the cave. No siree.”
“After all we went through, I wasn’t sure if I should ever go back inside,” Jared commented.
“Why not? Cain’t let no bad things hold you back. Shore there can be things that stop you in your tracks. The good Lawd tells you which way to go. But the cave is there for us. And while some things don’t work out, it’s still a good place to look around.” He continued, “And sometimes it does a body good to git lost. Gotta r
ely on the Lawd. Then you can deal with the things goin’ on inside of yourself. That’s happened to me, and I’m real thankful for it.”
Jared pondered these words and the great work God had already done in both Susanna and himself. He had seen more than he realized. He had watched anger and doubt turn one to stone like the cave. But now he felt freer than he ever had been before. He trusted the Lord with his past, present, and future, even if his future remained uncertain.
When he arrived, the hotel was fairly buzzing with patrons outfitted in their costumes, ready for an adventure into the deep. This time Jared watched them without the animosity he once felt. He knew what they would see, after all. He wanted to encourage them to go forth into the unknown. To see things like never before. And let God do a work in their hearts in the process.
Matt stopped the wagon in front of the hotel. When he asked where he was to go, Matt nodded toward the front doors. Jared entered the hotel, remembering his journey here not that long ago to speak with the head proprietors of this place. He recalled the raw anxiety he felt. Just then, he stumbled upon Susanna’s brother, Luke Barnett, giving an assistant some instructions. When the man left, Luke turned. Their eyes met.
“It’s you. Well, it seems my sister is quite taken with you.”
“I’m sure you aren’t happy about that, are you?” Jared wondered.
Luke shrugged. “Susanna’s never been happy, even with everything she had here in the hotel. At first she seemed happy. But something changed in her after she met you.”
Jared said nothing. Instead, he observed the man about his own age and considered the responsibilities that fell on his young shoulders. They’d be enough to drive anyone to the ground.
“This place is fine enough, I suppose,” Luke commented. “It has most everything one needs. But there are some things I wouldn’t mind doing again. I miss them.”
Jared could hear it in Luke’s voice. An emptiness. The need for something more in life. Maybe even the longing for a friend. “How about we go fishing sometime?”
Into The Deep Page 14