Sarah's Choice

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  Sarah considered Elias’s suggestion. He really did seem to care about her predicament. “That’s fine,” she said with a nod. “If I don’t have to worry about the lock for the rest of the day it’ll give me some time to care for my kids. From the looks of Sammy’s trousers and shirt, I’d say he and his clothes both need a good washing.”

  “We had some rain on the way to Easton, which made the towpath quite muddy.”

  “Oh, I know all about the muddy towpath. I traipsed through more mud than I care to think about when I was a girl leading my papa’s mules.”

  Elias quirked an eyebrow. “I didn’t realize you’d ever been a mule driver. I thought maybe you’d grown up in the lock tender’s house.”

  “No, my husband’s folks tended the lock before he took it over, and then after he died, it became my job.” Sarah frowned. “I hated walking the towpath when I was a girl, so when I turned eighteen, I ran away with Sam, and we got married. We both worked in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, for a time, before returning here to Walnutport.” Sarah didn’t know why she was telling Elias all this. She barely knew the man, and it was really none of his business, and yet he seemed so easy to talk to and seemed to be interested in what she was saying. “I’d better go,” she murmured. “Thanks for bringing Sammy home safe.” Sarah turned and hurried toward the store.

  Elias, still feeling bad about taking Sammy without checking with Sarah first, headed over to the lock to see Ned. He found him sitting on a rock close to the canal, with a fishing pole in his hand.

  “I saw your boat pull in,” Ned said when Elias took a seat on the ground next to him. “Sure took ya long enough to get up to Easton and back here again.”

  “Since Sammy’s not an experienced mule driver, I didn’t want to push him too hard. We also had some rainy weather to deal with.”

  Ned grunted. “I heard you’d taken the kid along. His mama wasn’t too happy about that, ya know. In fact, I had to hear about it several times.”

  “Yes, I’m sure. I’ve apologized to Sarah for taking Sammy’s word and not checking with her first.” Elias frowned. “I still don’t understand why he lied to me.”

  Ned spit a wad of chewing tobacco into the canal. “Lyin’s what kids do best.” He snorted. “ ‘Course I’m sure someone as good as you has never told a lie in his life.”

  “I’m not perfect, and I think everyone’s lied at some time or another. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, ‘For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.’ ”

  Ned spat again. “Don’t start preachin’ to me, now. I ain’t in the mood.”

  “I wasn’t preaching. I was just saying that everyone has sinned, which means that most people have told a lie or two.”

  “Yeah, whatever.”

  Elias decided it was time for a change in conversation. “I see you’re making good use of your time when you’re not bringing a boat through the lock,” he said, motioning to the fishing pole in Ned’s hand.

  “Yep. Thought I might catch me a mess of fish for supper tonight. ‘Course I’d figured on offerin’ them to Sarah, since she’s been feedin’ me while you’ve been gone. Now that you’re back, and since Sarah’s feelin’ better, I’d better quit fishin’ so we can be on our way to Mauch Chunk.”

  Elias shook his head. “I’ve decided to stay here for the rest of today and Sunday, of course. We’ll head out on Monday morning.”

  Ned’s bushy eyebrows lifted high on his forehead. “And waste the rest of a perfectly good day? Are ya crazy, man?”

  “No, I’m not crazy, and need I remind you that you’re working for me, not the other way around? So I’d appreciate it if you just accepted my decision without grumbling about it.”

  “But why would ya wanna hang around here all day when you’ve got a load of coal to pick up?”

  “So you can continue opening the lock. I think Sarah needs an extra day or so to allow her ribs to heal sufficiently. If we stay here until Monday, it’ll give me a chance to visit the church in Walnutport, too.”

  Ned squinted his beady eyes, and his thin lips compressed. “Guess if you wanna go to church, that’s your decision, but don’t look for me to tag along.”

  Elias shrugged. “That’s entirely up to you.” He pulled himself to his feet. “We’ll eat on the boat tonight, so if you catch any fish, we can have them for supper.”

  “Mike Cooper loaned me this fishin’ pole, since mine was on your boat. Why don’t ya go over to his store and see if he’s got another pole you can use? That way we’ll have twice as many fish for supper.”

  “It’s tempting, but I need to go over to the boardinghouse where we left Bobby with his aunt Martha and see if he’s feeling better and will be ready to lead the mules on Monday morning. You haven’t heard anything about how the boy’s doing, have you?”

  Ned shook his head. “Been too busy here to check on him.”

  “Okay. After I inquire about Bobby, I need to stop by the preacher’s house and let him and his wife know that Sammy made it home okay. I’ll either see you back here or at the boat.”

  “Sure thing, boss. Whatever you say.”

  Elias shook his head as he walked away. He hoped that someday Ned might be won to the Lord, but he wouldn’t push. He’d just allow things to come naturally and let the Lord lead.

  Chapter 14

  On Sunday morning as Sarah sat on one of the wooden pews in church with her children, she was surprised to see Elias enter the sanctuary and take a seat in the pew across from her. As the first song, “We Have an Anchor,” was announced, everyone stood. Sammy slipped quickly past Sarah and darted across the aisle to stand beside Elias.

  Sarah gritted her teeth. She wasn’t one bit happy about this but didn’t make a move to bring him back to her pew because she figured he might balk. She sure didn’t want to create a scene during church.

  Sammy was a spirited child with a mind of his own. He obviously preferred to sit with Elias instead of her.

  Maybe he’s still angry about the paddling I gave him for lying yesterday, Sarah thought. I don’t think he realized that it hurt me more than it did him. But he needed to learn that lying is not acceptable.

  From past experience, Sarah knew that a strong lecture or even some extra chores, wouldn’t have been enough to get Sammy’s attention and help him remember not to tell more lies.

  Sarah focused her thoughts back to the song. The words were fitting for this group of people who lived along the canal. She needed the reminder that even when the storms of life threatened to overtake her, Jesus was the anchor she could count on.

  When the song ended, everyone sat down. Then Pastor William moved over to stand beside Betsy at the organ. They sang a duet, “Tell It to Jesus.”

  Sarah leaned against the back of her pew and closed her eyes as she took the words of the song to heart.

  “Are you weary, are you heavy-hearted? Tell it to Jesus; tell it to Jesus. Are you grieving over joys departed? Tell it to Jesus alone.”

  Sarah was indeed, weary. She’d been weary ever since Sam’s passing. Even on Sundays, her only day of rest, she was sometimes so tired she could hardly keep her eyes open. She was also grieving over joys departed because it seemed like she and Sam had only had a few short years of real happiness in their marriage.

  When she’d first run away and married him, it had been to get away from the canal and her father’s harsh ways. Then, after they’d moved to New Jersey and taken jobs, Sam had started drinking and had lost his job. Eventually, he’d walked out on Sarah and little Sammy. It wasn’t until Sarah moved back to the canal to live with her folks that Sam had finally come to his senses and begged her to give him a second chance.

  They’d moved into his folks’ house, and Sam had tended the lock with his dad while Sarah helped Sam’s mother bake bread to sell to the boatmen. After Sam’s father died, Maria moved to Easton to live with Roger. Sam took over the lock tender’s responsibilities, and Sarah started doing laundry for the boatmen to help with their
finances.

  Soon after that, Sam began attending church and had made a sincere commitment to the Lord. From that point on, they’d had the kind of marriage God intended for a husband and wife. During the short time before Sam’s death, he’d been a loving husband and father. If only he hadn’t been snatched away. If things could have stayed the way they were. Then Sarah wouldn’t be faced with the responsibility of raising three children on her own, while trying to make a living doing something she’d rather not do.

  “Now if you’ll turn in your Bibles to First Peter, we’ll be reading from chapter five, verse seven,” Pastor William announced.

  Sarah’s eyes snapped open. She’d been so consumed with her thoughts that she hadn’t even realized Betsy and Pastor William had finished their song.

  She opened her Bible and found the scripture passage in 1 Peter. As Pastor William read the verse, she followed along: “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

  Sarah needed that reminder. She knew she should read a few verses of scripture every day if she was going to make it through the storms of life. The Bible was full of wisdom, and she was reminded of Psalm 119:105 that said God’s Word was a lamp unto her feet and a light unto her path.

  Elias glanced at Sammy, sitting so close to him that their arms touched, and he smiled. During the short time he and the boy had spent together on the trip to and from Easton, they’d established a bond. Elias didn’t know if it was because Sammy missed his father and needed a man in his life, or if it was because he, wishing to be a father, had bonded with the boy. In any case, it appeared Sammy liked being with Elias, or he wouldn’t have left his seat and come over here to sit beside him.

  I wonder how his mother feels about that. Elias glanced across the aisle at Sarah, who seemed to be listening intently to the pastor’s message. He wondered if Sammy had been able to buy his mother a birthday present, like he’d wanted to do. He also wondered if Sammy had been punished for lying. No doubt he had, since Sarah had been so upset about it. Even though Elias didn’t know Sarah very well, she seemed like a good mother who loved her children and wanted the best for them. Sometimes that included discipline—or as Elias’s mother used to say when he was a boy: “I’m punishing you for your own good, and someday you’ll thank me for it.”

  Elias wasn’t sure he’d ever felt thankful for the spankings he’d gotten, but he knew that reasonable discipline was necessary in order to teach children right from wrong.

  He glanced around the room at the group who’d come to worship the Lord this fine spring morning. Being in church with these simple folk who didn’t put on airs like some of the people in his church back home gave him a sense of belonging. He saw sincerity on their faces, not pride or holier-than-thou expressions. Maybe it was because the people who attended the Walnutport Community Church were hardworking, plain folks, who didn’t put on airs or judge a man by how much money he made or how powerful he’d become. “A man’s life is judged not on the things he has but on the things he does,” Elias’s grandfather used to say.

  Elias turned his attention to the Bible in his hands, and the words on the page blurred as tears clouded his vision. Grandpa had been a good man with a heart for people, and Elias missed him.

  If only Father could be as caring and understanding as Grandpa used to be, Elias thought ruefully. He’d never understood how the son of such an endearing man could turn out so cold and unfeeling. If not for the religious upbringing Elias’s mother had given him, along with the godly influence of his grandfather, Elias might never have found a personal relationship with the Lord.

  “And now, let us stand for our closing hymn, ‘Rescue the Perishing.’ ”

  Elias pushed his thoughts aside, realizing that the pastor’s sermon had ended, and their young song leader now stood behind the pulpit, while the pastor made his way to the back of the room to greet everyone at the close of the service.

  When the song ended, Sammy looked up at Elias and said, “I’m glad you’re here today. I didn’t think I’d get to see ya before ya headed up the canal to Mauch Chunk.”

  Elias smiled. “I decided to hang around Walnutport so I could visit the church here.”

  Sammy grinned. “Sure glad ya did.”

  “Is everything all right between you and your mother?” Elias asked.

  Sammy bobbed his head. “ ‘Course she paddled my backside for tellin’ ya she said it was okay for me to lead your mules.” He clasped Elias’s hand. “It was worth the paddlin’ to be able to spend those two days with ya, though.”

  Elias ruffled the boy’s thick blond hair. “I’m glad we could be together, but it wasn’t right to lie.”

  “I know, and I won’t do it again.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  “Can we talk about somethin’ else now?”

  “Of course.”

  “Know what I think?”

  “What’s that?”

  “I think you oughta bring your accordion to church sometime.”

  Elias smiled. “Maybe I’ll talk to the pastor about that.”

  Sarah and her two youngest children stepped up to Elias, and she touched Sammy’s shoulder. “Would you please take Willis and Helen outside and wait for me? I’d like to speak to Elias for a minute.”

  Sammy hesitated, but when Elias gave his shoulder a squeeze, the boy finally nodded.

  Sarah waited until the children had left the church; then she moved closer to Elias. “I’m sorry for my harsh words yesterday. I was very upset when I discovered that Sammy had taken off with you, and I needed someone to blame.”

  Elias nodded. “I understand, and you were right—I shouldn’t have taken Sammy’s word. I should have checked with you first.”

  “There’s one more thing I wanted to say,” she said, lowering her voice.

  “What’s that?”

  “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t encourage my boy to take an interest in working on the canal. I don’t want him getting any ideas about becoming a mule driver or even a boatman when he grows up.”

  Elias’s forehead wrinkled. “I’d never try to influence Sammy in any way. And as far as him becoming a boatman, with the way things are going, by the time he grows up, the canal boats might not even be running.”

  “You’re probably right, and I really appreciate your understanding.”

  Sarah moved away, and she stopped at the back of the church to talk to Pastor William and his wife.

  Elias’s heart clenched, realizing how difficult it must be for her raising three children alone and not wanting her oldest boy to look to the canal for work.

  As Elias moved toward the back of the church, he was greeted by the storekeeper’s wife, Kelly, whom he’d only met briefly the first time he’d stopped at their store.

  “It’s nice to see you in church today,” she said with a friendly smile. “We hope you’ll join us whenever you’re in the area.”

  “Yes, I plan to do that. I enjoyed the service.”

  “I spoke to my sister, Sarah, before the service began, and she said she’s feeling up to taking care of the lock again. So I assume you’ll be heading on up the canal in the morning?”

  He gave a nod. “I didn’t realize Sarah was your sister.”

  “Yep. She’s my older sister by a few years, and we’re very close.”

  “And speaking of her,” Kelly continued, “Betsy Nelson and I have planned a surprise picnic in honor of Sarah’s birthday this afternoon. You and your helper are more than welcome to join us if you have no other plans.”

  “I have no plans, and I’d like to come, but I’m not sure about Ned. He’s not very social, but I will check with him and see.”

  “Great. The picnic’s going to be on the grassy area outside our store. We’ll start eating around one, or as soon as everyone we’ve invited gets there.”

  “That sounds fine. It’ll give me time to speak with Ned, and then I’ll be over to join you.” Elias started to move away, but halted and turn
ed to face her again. “Is there anything I can bring?”

  She shook her head. “Just a hearty appetite. There’s always lots of good food at one of our picnics.”

  “All right then. I’ll see you around one.”

  Elias moved over to where the pastor and his wife stood, greeting people near the door, and waited his turn. After he’d spoken to Betsy and told her how much he’d enjoyed the music, he shook Pastor William’s hand. “I enjoyed the service. The music and sermon were both uplifting.”

  “This is a hand-clapping congregation.” Pastor William smiled. “It took me awhile to adjust to that when I first came to pastor the church, but now I can’t imagine being anywhere but here with these warm, friendly folks.”

  “I know what you mean,” Elias said. “The services in the church where I grew up are very formal. No one would dare to shout amen or clap their hands.”

  “Starting next week, after the morning service, I’ll be holding regular services along the canal near the lock tender’s house. Now I have to say that those services really bring out the people’s enthusiasm.”

  “I assume the services along the canal are for the benefit of the boatmen who might not feel comfortable inside a church?”

  The pastor nodded. “My wife’s father used to hold services along the canal, and I continued the tradition at Betsy’s suggestion.” He smiled. “Many a boatman’s been won to the Lord after attending one of our canal services.”

  Maybe there’s some hope for Ned, Elias thought. “Perhaps I can talk my helper into attending one of your canal services with me when we’re in the area again.”

  “That would be nice. I’m sure if nothing else he’d enjoy hearing my wife play her zither. Some of the boatmen who play instruments often join in, too.”

  “I play the accordion,” Elias said. “Do you think folks would enjoy hearing that?”