by Al Lacy
“You’re exactly right, sir,” Tom said. “We want to hire you to get Meggie back for us. She belongs with her mother. I don’t care what it costs us, I just want justice done. And that means Kathleen and Meggie must be together.”
Bledsoe leaned forward and placed his elbows on the desktop, then ran his gaze between husband and wife. “I’m not sure you need me.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Stallworths couldn’t fight you in court if they wanted to.”
Tom and Kathleen exchanged quizzical glances, then Tom said, “We don’t understand, Mr. Bledsoe.”
A smile curved the attorney’s mouth. “It’s simple. The Great Lakes Railroad Company went bankrupt last week. It was in all the newspapers. John and Maria Stallworth are dead broke, folks. They’ve lost their fortune. They’re personally bankrupt as a result of the company going under. I understand that they’ve been given notice that the mansion will be taken from them shortly.”
“So what caused the company to go under, Mr. Bledsoe?” Kathleen asked, a note of elation in her voice.
“A trusted officer of the company embezzled millions. He was using the money to pay off gambling debts. By the time he was caught, it was too late. The money’s gone, the railroad company has been shut down, and soon it will be sold to the highest bidder.”
Tom took Kathleen’s hand in his and looked at the lawyer. “So the Stallworths have no way to fight us in court, you say.”
“That’s right. Unless—”
“Unless what?”
“Unless some rich friend would come to their aid if you took them to court.”
“So what do we do to make sure we win if that should happen?”
“Well, I’ve been told enough by your wife to know there was manipulation of the law to take Meggie from her. If you want to officially hire me as your attorney, I can go to the Cook County court-house and examine the court records of this case. If I feel I have the goods on the Stallworths and their attorneys, I’ll take it from there. But even at this point, I have no question that a thorough investigation will prove that John Stallworth paid enough money in the right direction to bend the law his way. With proof in hand, I can go to the Stallworths on your behalf and tell them they’re about to go to court over Meggie’s custody versus her mother, who is going to fight them to get her back. I’ll see, then, what their reaction is.”
Tom looked at Kathleen. As their eyes met, she slowly nodded her head.
“Mr. Bledsoe,” Tom said, “you are officially hired.”
“All right. I’ll get my evidence and put their feet to the fire. We’ll see what they do. I have papers for you to sign right here in my desk.”
“No matter what those people do, they’re going to lose, Mr. Bledsoe!” Kathleen said. “They stole over a year of my daughters time with me, and I hope they suffer to the utmost for it!”
Tom was embarrassed by Kathleen’s outburst and saw the surprise in Bledsoe’s eyes.
“I’ll need both of you to sign right here,” Bledsoe said as he shoved the papers across the desk and handed Tom a pen and ink bottle.
When it was done, Bledsoe said, “You folks come back to this office at this time tomorrow. I’ll have news for you.”
The sun was slanting westward in a partly cloudy sky as the Harneds drove away from the attorney’s office. Kathleen had said little since they left the law offices, but suddenly she closed both hands into fists, pounded her knees, and said, “Yes! Yes! Oh, Tom, it’s so wonderful! Those vile people are paupers! They’re about to lose their fancy mansion! It feels so good to know they’re penniless…on the verge of poverty! They looked down on this poor girl from the slums’ and took my daughter from me. It’ll be good for them to have to live in the real slums, just like I had to after Peter died. Now they’ll get a dose of their own medicine!”
Tom remained silent.
When they entered their hotel room, Kathleen flopped on the bed and said, “Oh, I’m so happy, Tom! Revenge is so sweet!”
“Kathleen, this kind of hatred and bitterness will not hurt the Stallworths. It will serve only to dry you up on the inside. I’m glad we’re going to get Meggie back, apparently without a fight. But seeing you like this, it—”
Kathleen sat up. “It what?”
“It’s just not like you. I’ve never seen this in you before. You’ve always had such a sweetness to you. I don’t like what I see.”
Kathleen’s lips quivered as she said, “I…I have a right to be angry at those people, don’t I?”
“Of course you do. But don’t let yourself become heartless and without compassion.”
Kathleen stared at the floor, then said, “I…I don’t know what to do, Tom. I don’t know how to be different.”
He knelt in front of her and took hold of her hands. “I can tell you what to do and how to be different. You need to be saved, Kathleen. If you’ll open your heart to Jesus, not only will He save your soul, He’ll take that bitterness and hatred you feel toward the Stallworths out of you.”
Kathleen could think of nothing to say.
“I want you to think a moment about Jesus Christ, Kathleen. Look what this world full of wretched sinners has done to Him. If anybody had the right to be bitter, it was He. But was He? Did He act vindictively over what we caused Him to suffer on the cross in our place? No. He took the untold, unfathomable pain and agony because He loves us so much. He took it for you, Kathleen, as well as for me and for the rest of the world. But you’ve gone on rejecting Him.”
Her blue Irish eyes blinked rapidly as she felt the familiar pricking of unshed tears.
“You need to ask Jesus to forgive your sins and to save you, Kathleen.” Where Tom had previously felt restraint, he now felt great freedom as he saw that his words were sinking in.
“I want to show you a verse of Scripture Pastor Humbert read to me during one of our sessions.” As Tom spoke, he went to the small table on his side of the bed where he had laid his Bible. Returning to sit beside her, Tom thumbed his way to the Psalms. “Here, honey. Psalm 44:21…’Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.’
“Did you hear that? ‘He knoweth the secrets of the heart.’ Even though you kept Meggie’s existence from me and held this bitter hatred toward the Stallworths, all the time God knew those secrets. You will one day face Him for it all. And unless you let Jesus save you, you will one day die in your sins and meet God without Jesus and without forgiveness.”
Tears spilled from Kathleen’s eyes as the Spirit of God ran Scripture after Scripture through her mind. She was hearing Moody’s sermons and Ira Sankey’s singing and Hennie’s pleading for her to be saved. Suddenly she pictured God’s Son hanging on the cross for her.
What Thou, my Lord, hath suffered
Was all for sinners’ gain:
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But Thine the deadly pain.
The floodgates broke, and she reached for her husband, sobbing, “Oh, Tom! I want to be saved! I want Jesus to save me!”
Tom Harned had the joy of leading his mail order bride to Jesus.
A HUMBLED AND BROKEN JOHN AND MARIA Stallworth sat side by side in their parlor as attorney J. H. Bledsoe opened his briefcase and took out some official-looking papers.
Bledsoe set his gaze on the dark-haired little girl with the big blue eyes and said, “Folks, before I tell you why I’m here, it might be best if Meggie doesn’t witness this.”
“We have no one to watch over her, Mr. Bledsoe,” John said. “We had to let her nanny go.”
Maria caressed Meggie’s head and said, “I think she can play out in the backyard by herself for a while, John. Would you do that, Meggie?”
“Sure, Grandma. I’ll take some of my dollies and play on the back porch.”
Maria sent Meggie upstairs to fetch a couple of dolls, then left the men in the parlor for a moment while she took Meggie out on the back porch.
When she returned, she said,
“Mr. Bledsoe, though John and I haven’t had a moment to speak to each other since you arrived, I believe we both know that you are here because Kathleen wants to take Meggie away from us. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, ma’am, it is,” the attorney said flatly.
Maria’s deeply lined face looked at John and she said, “Didn’t I tell you that Kathleen was working on a scheme to take Meggie away from us? Somehow, way out in Nevada, she learned of our misfortune and has decided to take advantage of it.”
“That’s not the way it is, Mrs. Stallworth,” Bledsoe said. “Mrs. Harned and her husband arrived in Chicago day before yesterday, not knowing a thing about your bankruptcy. They came ready to fight you in court for legal custody of Mrs. Harned’s daughter.”
John and Maria stared at each other. Then Maria said, “Are you kidding? Fight us with what?”
“You must not be aware that the Harneds are very wealthy people. They own gold mines that are producing heavily.”
Maria’s mouth fell open. “No…we weren’t aware of this.”
“We’ve lost Meggie, Maria,” John said.
The lawyer looked at the Stallworths dispassionately. “These papers I hold in my hand are court records, folks. Records of what you did to take Meggie from Kathleen shortly after she was widowed. I have proof that your attorneys used underhanded methods to steal Meggie from her mother and put her in your custody. And, with a little more effort, I believe I can prove that you bribed Judge Clarence Waymore.”
When neither Stallworth commented, Bledsoe said, “Are you going to tell me it didn’t happen?”
Their dead silence was answer enough.
J. H. Bledsoe placed the papers back in his briefcase, rose to his feet, and said, “That’s it, folks. Thanks for letting me talk to you.”
“What now, Mr. Bledsoe?” John asked with tears in his eyes.
“You’ll hear from me soon,” the attorney replied. “I’ll let myself out.”
As Bledsoe opened the front door to leave, he heard Maria break into sobs, and John—weeping, himself—trying to comfort her.
“Come in, come in, Mr. and Mrs. Harned.”
As the secretary ushered them through his office door, Mr. Bledsoe showed them a triumphant smile.
When they were comfortably seated, the attorney said, “I’ve examined the court records, and I can nail the hides of John and Maria Stallworth to the wall.”
Tom and Kathleen nodded solemnly.
“I was at the Stallworth mansion two hours ago,” Bledsoe said. “I saw that beautiful little Meggie. She’s a doll if I ever saw one.”
Tom smiled. “I can’t wait to see her,” he said, squeezing Kathleen’s hand.
“Does she look healthy, Mr. Bledsoe?” Kathleen asked.
“Oh, yes. They’ve taken good care of her, that’s evident.” He leaned forward on his elbows. “But let me tell you, those two people are broken. They were both in tears when I left them. I let them see the court records in my hand, and they looked real sick when I said I could prove their attorneys had used underhanded methods to steal Meggie from her mother.”
Bledsoe expected this to bring a smile to Kathleen’s face. When it didn’t, he went on. “And when I told them I believed I could also prove they had bribed Judge Waymore, they didn’t say a word. We’ve got them. They have nothing to fight back with, even if they thought they had a chance.
“While Mrs. Stallworth was taking Meggie out on the back porch so she wouldn’t hear any of this, John told me they must move out of their mansion within a month. They have to sell the furniture and all their fancy china and silverware. They’ve lost everything.”
Both Harneds nodded without comment.
“So…” said the silver-haired lawyer, “I already have enough evidence to get a court order for Meggie’s release from their custody. I can take law officers with me to enforce it if you think I should. One thing’s for sure, you’re going to have your pretty little daughter back by tomorrow, Mrs. Harned.”
Kathleen leaned forward and said, “Tom and I very much appreciate your excellent work in this, Mr. Bledsoe, but you won’t need the court order, nor the law officers. We’re going to handle this situation in another way.”
Bledsoe’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“We’ll pay you for what you’ve done up to this point, sir,” Tom said. “But we’ll go to the Stallworth home and peacefully get Meggie on our own.”
Bledsoe set his bewildered gaze on Kathleen and said, “Yesterday, Mrs. Harned, you displayed bitterness toward those people like I’ve seldom ever seen. You were ready to see them suffer. And now you seem so docile. May I ask what caused this change of heart?”
Kathleen smiled. “You used the right words, Mr. Bledsoe. Indeed it was a change of heart. I’ve been resisting the call of God for a long time. He’s been working on me lovingly and patiently, but I was so full of hate and bitterness I didn’t want Him interfering in my life. Well, last night I stopped fighting Him. I repented of my sin and opened my heart to the Lord Jesus Christ. He saved me and forgave me of all my sins. He made me a new creature in Christ and took all the hatred and bitterness out of me.
“I no longer hate the Stallworths, and though they did Meggie and me wrong, I’m ready to forgive them. I have absolute peace in my heart that I will have Meggie back for good very shortly. Thank you for laying the groundwork. It’ll be all right now.”
J. H. Bledsoe looked stunned. “I have to say, ma’am, that I’ve never seen anything quite like this. Ah…God bless you.”
Tom pulled out his checkbook. “What’s the charge for your services, Mr. Bledsoe?”
“Why…ah…let’s make it three hundred dollars.”
“Fair enough.”
Tom borrowed pen and ink and wrote out a check. He laid it on the desk before the attorney and said, “There’s the three hundred, sir, plus a little bonus for a job well done.”
Bledsoe eyed the check. “Five hundred? Mr. Harned, really…you didn’t need to—”
“Like I said, a job well done. Thank you, Mr. Bledsoe.”
As Tom and Kathleen rode toward the lakeshore area, Kathleen could hardly contain herself. She had waited what seemed like a life-time for this day. Over and over she’d visualized the first moment when she and Meggie would be reunited.
She’d dreamed of touching her little girl, holding her, drying her little-girl tears, calming her fears, watching her grow, and teaching her about life. She’d longed to be with her daily, and to be there to care for her every need.
Tom looked over at Kathleen and smiled. “It’s going to be all right, sweetheart,” he said. “The Lord has His mighty hand on this situation.”
Kathleen blinked at the tears filming her eyes and took hold of Tom’s callused hand. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly.
“Oh, Tom, I’m going to get to touch my sweet Meggie and hold her again. I know I can’t make up for the time we’ve been apart, but I can make sure her future is secure and filled with love. And together, you and I can raise both of our children in church and teach them of God’s love. I never gave up, darling. I came close a few times, but I never gave up. And now I’m going to have my Meggie back!”
“Yes, and all the praise goes to our Lord. How wonderful He is!”
Soon they were in the Stallworths’ neighborhood. Many memories raced through Kathleen’s mind as she let her gaze roam over the streets she used to walk.
“Turn left up here at the next street,” Kathleen said. “Go one block, then turn right. We’re almost there.”
Tom guided the buggy up the circle drive and drew rein at a post at the edge of the porch, then went around to Kathleen’s side of the vehicle to help her down.
When Kathleen looked at the stately mansion, for just an instant she relived the pain the Stallworths had put her through. The old bitterness came to life inside her, and she clenched her teeth as tears rushed to her eyes.
Tom sent a silent plea heavenw
ard, asking the Lord to comfort and strengthen his wife, then spoke in a low tone: “Sweetheart, Jesus is here to help you. Lean on Him.”
Kathleen bit down hard on her lower lip and nodded. At the same time, a quiet peace stole over her like a warm ocean wave. The hard lines vanished from her face, and a radiant glow appeared as she looked down at Tom with one foot on the buggy step.
He smiled up at her, arms open, and she smiled back, knowing that the Lord was also there with open arms to help her overcome the fresh rise of old bitterness and create in her a clean heart and a right spirit.
As Kathleen leaned into Tom’s arms, she caught a glimpse of a small face in the parlor window. Big blue eyes popped, and even though Meggie was inside, her voice came through the window: “Mommy!”
Tom heard it, and as he helped Kathleen touch ground, he whirled around. By that time, Meggie had vanished.
“She’s going to the door,” Kathleen said, hurrying toward the porch.
Tom took Kathleen’s hand and guided her up the steps. The door flew open, and the beautiful little brunette bolted for her mother, yelling, “Mommy!”
As Meggie threw herself at her mother, Kathleen went down on her knees and clasped the child to her breast as though she would never let go.
Happy tears coursed down both of their cheeks as Meggie cried, “Mommy, you came back! I knew you would! I missed you! I love you, Mommy!”
“Oh, and I’ve missed you too, my sweet Meggie. I’ve waited so long to hold you. I don’t ever want to let you go.”
Tom kept glancing at the open door, expecting to see the Stallworths, but as yet they hadn’t appeared.
After several minutes of clinging to each other and weeping, mother and daughter finally broke apart. Kathleen kept her hands on Meggie’s shoulders as she gazed into her little girls eyes. She studied them, then took in the rest of Meggie’s face as if to make sure everything was there as it should be and as she remembered it.
It was at that moment that Tom saw two people come into view at the door. Both looked worn and downcast. They glanced at him, then set tired eyes on the scene before them.