Our lamps are kerosene, not candles, and we each have our own, on lovely walnut nightstands that frame the sides of the bed. We each have our own drawers in the nightstands where I will keep this diary, my Bible, and my pen and ink. It’s a brilliant situation for writing.
Papa drove us here with the team. The trip was long and hard. He and Mama are in the parlor now, visiting Uncle Robert and Aunt Liesel, and he will spend the night with us tonight. It is too dangerous to drive in the evenings because of the Baldknobbers, a terrifying gang of outlaws that plagues the area. We hadn’t heard of them in Hermann, but in Branson they are feared as a very real threat. Papa will leave us in the morning, as early mornings are the safest time to be on the road, and it will be weeks before we see him again. I pray for his safety.
At one point in the trip to Branson I rode up front with Papa and we talked about Richard Heinrichs. He told me he thought Richard was a good man, the type of man who would be successful. He said if I married him I would want for nothing, that my life would be so much easier than what it has been for my parents as new people in a new land. He said he trusted Richard Heinrichs. “What are your feelings, Elise?” he asked me.
I wanted to rest my head on his chest and hide my face in his beard like I did when I was a little girl. I wanted to say that I was too young to marry, too young to know what my life would become. Instead I kept my head erect and said none of that. I told my papa that Richard was a good friend, and I enjoyed his company. Beyond that, I had no feelings for him I could describe—yet.
“All in good time” were Papa’s words. “All in good time.”
O Lord, I know You hear the prayers of country school girls just as You listened to Ruth, Abigail, Esther, and Mary so long ago. Hear me now as I plead with You for wisdom and direction. As much as lies within my realm of control, I want to do the right thing, to make right choices about the future for my family, for myself, and for Your perfect will to be accomplished. Amen.
21 May 1887
I met someone today. A man with the kindest eyes and gentlest voice I have ever heard. It seems unreal—he does. Yet he was there in flesh and blood.
I was on an errand for Uncle Robert, carrying a letter to the post office. It was a short, straight walk across town. I gave my letter to the postmaster, turned from the window, and he appeared. I don’t remember what he was wearing. I just know that if a person’s life can be changed in one moment, mine was changed forever the moment he looked into my eyes.
God, help me.
22 May 1887
I could not finish writing the whole story last night because Heidi was pestering me to tell her what was wrong with me. I didn’t eat a bite of dinner and turned in early for the night. But that was just because I wanted to be alone with my thoughts and to record the events of the day here. Well, Heidi would have none of that. She came straight to bed too, under the guise of nursing me, and demanded that I relate to her every detail.
By the time we had finished talking, I had to frantically write to get even one paragraph. Then Mama was here to tell us good night, and I certainly didn’t want to raise her suspicions. So off went the light. Tonight I have more to record, as I saw him again today, and I want to remember every single moment we spend together. I have the feeling this may be the most important summer of my life.
His name is William Daniel Howitt. He says where he is from everyone calls him Daniel, but down here he goes by William, because it is easier with his identification papers. Anyway, that is of no consequence. After our encounter at the post, I walked back toward home, perhaps a bit slower than usual. I can’t explain this, but there was an inner knowing—just beyond a hope—that he might follow me. And sure enough he did! Within a few moments his business at the post office was complete, and he jogged up behind me. “Excuse me, miss,” he said breathlessly. “What is your name?”
I will never forget the sound of his voice as he asked me that simple question. It was the sound of meekness—the meekness I’ve heard the reverend talk about in reference to Jesus—power and strength under control. His whole appearance is like that too. He has large, intense green eyes with long eyelashes, framed with serious brows. His skin is ruddy with a few freckles and his hair the color of wheat. His shoulders are broad and his chest like a rain barrel. His legs are long enough that he had to take small steps to stay beside me. His big lips seem always to want to curve up in a smile.
We walked together to the end of the road. He asked to walk me to the house, and I don’t know why I said no. I felt like a different person than myself refusing him that. But there’s a caution in my heart, a desire to know him myself first before sharing such knowledge with my family. I can’t explain it. It’s not proper. I only know it was my choice to make that day, and I made it.
I stood by that choice today when I met him at the river. He asked me yesterday when we parted if we might be able to talk a little more, and I said I could get away after breakfast, because Mama and Aunt Liesel were going to call on some people in Aunt Liesel’s church. Heidi and I had the option of going, but I didn’t want to. So I hiked down to the river, through the pasture behind Uncle Robert’s house, and a ways through the woods. William was waiting for me in a shady spot on the bank. He had brought coffee and two little bought cakes to share.
We were only together for two hours, but they were the best hours I’ve ever spent. We talked without ceasing, as though drinking in one another’s thoughts. At last I have found another soul who understands me, who has some of the same feelings and fears about life, who dreams the same dreams. Other than my sister I have never known another person like that.
Perhaps William is God’s answer to my prayers for clarity about my involvement with Richard Heinrichs. Richard is a good man—of that there is no doubt. And he will be a success in his life. But my passions are not stirred toward him as they have been, in only two days, toward this man. It is as though William Howitt was hand made for me. We are cut from the same cloth.
The alarm clock beside the bed read 2:00 a.m. Katherine was fast asleep, and Dot was snuggled under the covers in the middle of them, snoring, but Ellie was wide awake. The similarity of the name William Howitt to her own Will Howard’s astounded her. Surely, surely there was no relation. But was it possible? And the similarities did not stop with the name. William Howitt’s description fit many of Will’s features as well: intense green eyes, sandy red hair, strong physique. But, perhaps most of all, it was her grandmother’s feelings for William Howitt that resonated with Ellie. What had happened between them? Even though she knew Elise ended up with Richard Heinrichs—perhaps because she knew that—Ellie had to keep reading.
31 May 1887
Heidi thinks I am crazy. She says things are moving too fast; that I am not my usual self; that William Howitt has bewitched me into doing things I would never have done before, things that are of the devil. And it is true that I would never have gone to meet a man in secret, or spent this much time with someone without my father’s blessing. But I do not, cannot believe any of it is of the devil. On the contrary, I believe William is God’s gift to me—His answer to my prayers—and as soon as I figure out a way to tell my mother, I will. Meanwhile, Heidi is going with me to meet him by the river tonight. It is a full moon.
1 June 1887
William surprised us by meeting us by the gate that leads from the barnyard to the pasture. He said it was too dangerous for us to be out at night very far from the house, even on our own uncle’s property. “There could be Baldknobbers anywhere,” he said, “and you don’t want to be anywhere near their lot.”
This protectiveness impressed Heidi right away, I think, and set her mind more at ease about the sort of man William is. He explained about how his family doctor had sent him to Missouri for fresh air, and how at the summer’s end he’d go back up north to finish his schooling to become a preacher. She was even happier when he told her, “I don’t like this sneaking around. We don’t have anything to hide. Can’t
you talk your sister into letting me meet the rest of the family?”
Chapter Nineteen
“I wish they could have stayed longer.” Will stood in the driveway of the condo with Ellie, waving at Katherine and Opa as they drove away.
“I know. And I’m sorry about church. They were both willing to go, but Opa started feeling terrible. I hope he’s okay.”
“Me too.”
Ellie lingered a moment, staring after the car even when it was out of sight. Then they walked together around to the front and opened the door for Dot, who scampered down the stairs and out. Ellie clipped Dot’s hot-pink leash to her zebra-print collar. Then they headed through the side yard and around the condo to the left toward the walking park.
“How did things go with the music?”
“Fine. I talked to McKenna beforehand, and we led the praise and worship together and then I left. She was going to handle the end of the service.”
“It was really nice of you to come say good-bye.”
“Well, we had a great time Friday, but I didn’t see you guys yesterday, and since they weren’t going to be able to keep our plans today, I wanted to.”
“Thanks.”
“What about your day yesterday? How did that go?”
Ellie stopped to let Dot do her business. “It was good. A lot of hard work, though. Maybe that’s why Opa is so worn out.”
They continued up the walking path.
“What sorts of things did you do?”
“We basically set up a lot of the tasting room. The bistro furniture was there—it all had been delivered—but Katherine and I arranged and rearranged it till we like the way it looks. Then we worked on some signage and stocked the tasting bar. It’s ready to open.”
“Wow. When is that supposed to happen?”
“We may do a quiet opening in the next week or so, for a test run. Then there will be a grand opening we’ll advertise.” Ellie covered a yawn with her hand.
“You seem really excited about it.”
She laughed, dropping her hand, and another yawn escaped. “It’s not that. I stayed up late last night reading.”
“Must have been a good book.”
“It is. I’ve told you about it, haven’t I? I’m translating my great-great grandmother’s diary.”
“You did mention something about that. Your mother gave it to you to help you connect with us hillbillies.”
“Well, yeah. To connect with my own family’s hillbilly history.”
Will looked perplexed. “I thought your family was German.”
“They are—we are.”
“German hillbillies?”
“In a sense, I guess. They were immigrants and pioneers.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, I got all caught up in it last night because I’m at this part where my grandmother visits Branson.”
“Cool.”
“I know, but that’s not what kept me awake. She met this guy and seems to be falling in love with him—”
“Your grandpa?”
“No.” Ellie grabbed his arm. “That’s the clincher. A man named William Howitt.”
Will gaped at her. “No way.”
“I know. I couldn’t believe it either. At first I thought I was translating it wrong. But it’s not wrong. That was his name.”
“That is unbelievable!”
“Do you have any relatives by that name?”
Will’s brows furrowed. “You know, Ellie, I don’t think so, but I guess it’s possible. I’ve told you a bit about my family; there aren’t many of us, and I’ve never gotten into genealogy.”
“It might be fun to do some research. What if our ancestors are connected in some way?”
They sat down on a bench together, and Will put his arm around Ellie’s shoulders, hugging her to him. “If we’re related, I don’t think I want to know that.”
She smiled, leaning her head against his chest. “I don’t think we’re related. My grandmother married Richard Heinrichs, remember?”
“Well, if she dumped my relative for him, that might be even more depressing.”
She punched his knee. “He couldn’t have been as wonderful as you.”
Dot lay down by Will’s feet as if to express her agreement.
“On that note, do you want to go out with me today?”
“What do you have in mind?” Facing him, Ellie raised an eyebrow.
“I think it’s time you experienced a major Branson tradition.”
“You’re not proposing a country music show, are you?”
“That’s a thought—maybe later.” Will smiled crookedly. “But no, that’s not what I had planned for today.”
“Okay. I give up.”
“Let’s go to Silver Dollar City!”
* * * * *
Once they were back at the condo, Will grabbed a bag from his truck. He changed into khaki shorts and a brown polo in the guest room while Ellie went to her room to change. When she came out she was wearing a dainty black V-neck T-shirt with sand-colored cropped cargo pants. Her hair was loose and straight, and she wore black Sesto Meucci leather toe-ring slides. No jewelry.
“How do you do that?” Will, who was sitting on the couch petting Dot, rose.
“Do what?”
“Make everything you wear look so good?”
Ellie’s cheeks turned red.
“Dot here was just telling me that she hates Silver Dollar City.”
“Really? Why is that?” Ellie crossed to the kitchen where she filled the dog’s bowl with plenty of fresh water. Then she put it in the guest bathroom.
“No dogs allowed.”
“Oh. Of course.” Ellie made a sad face to match her dog’s. Then she grabbed Dot and set her down on the soft rug of the guest bathroom, patting her head before shutting the door.
Going to her desk, she grabbed her debit card and a bit of cash from her purse. These she stashed in the zippered pocket of her pants. “I’m ready if you are!”
* * * * *
Will, clever about shortcuts as usual, took the red route and avoided most traffic till they ran into a line of cars waiting to enter Silver Dollar City. Crawling along then, Ellie saw a sign advertising The Branson Belle, a showboat with dining and entertainment cruises on Table Rock Lake.
“That looks like Dot!” She pointed to the sign, which, interestingly, featured a man and three dogs, one of which was unmistakably a Boston Terrier.
“It sure does,” Will agreed. “Maybe not quite as cute though.”
“She’d be proud to hear you say that.”
“Dot has really been a blessing to you, hasn’t she?”
“She has. It was so out-of-the-blue. I feel badly that someone may have lost her, but I definitely gained a precious friend.”
“I don’t think you should feel bad. You tried everything you could to locate the owner. And after the shape she was in, I believe it was a God thing she ended up with you.”
Finally they came to the parking area of Silver Dollar City, and Will parked Scarlett in section F, one of the many massive parking lots. Hiking about a quarter mile, they queued up with other visitors for a trolley that would take them to the park’s entrance.
It had been a long time since Ellie had been to Silver Dollar City. She had gone, as a little girl, with her mother and father and Beecher, but she didn’t remember much about their time there, which she thought might be a good thing. The last time she’d been there was as a freshman in high school, with Audrey and her family, during “Young Christians Weekend.” That trip had been a blast. Audrey and she had poked fun at a lot of the shops with their pioneer motifs, while riding every ride and having a ball. They even got their picture made in the old-fashioned photo shop. Mr. DuPree, or Atticus, Audrey’s nickname for her father, had bought each of them a copy, and one for himself, which, to their horror, he kept to this day on his law office desk.
“The flowers are amazing.” She and Will stopped to admire the extravagant beds that
surrounded a water wheel and pool. A lady they didn’t know asked Will to take a picture of her and her two kids with her camera, which he did.
When it came time to pay for their tickets, Ellie tried to pay for her own. “Those are expensive, Will.”
But he would have none of it. He purchased their two tickets, at close to fifty dollars each, and said, “How about I let you get lunch?”
The first diversion they came to, once inside the park, was Marble Cave.
“Do you want to do the cave?”
Ellie was game. “Sure, why not?”
They stood in line, but not for too long, then listened to a park ranger type give a short speech about how many steps they’d take, and how steep it was, and basic cave safety. Ellie felt a sense of adventure as she and Will descended, watching upward as the shaft of daylight grew narrower and narrower till it was out of sight.
The air in the cave was cool and damp.
“Maybe we ought to have saved this for later, when we get hot.”
“There are always the water rides.” Will grinned wickedly. “In fact, I believe there’s a new one where I get to shoot you with a water gun.”
He held her hand as they climbed down the hundreds of stairs, drawing closer to the belly of the earth. Ellie could hear a faint dripping noise. The only light was provided by the guide’s flashlight and other artificial lights placed at intervals as checkpoints along the path. When they stood with the group to hear a lecture about stalactites and stalagmites, Ellie shivered. Will pulled her close, and she breathed in the welcome scent of cedar. The warmth of his skin was luxuriant, like a blanket over her goose bumps.
Love Finds You in Branson, Missouri Page 13