After donning her boots, Mercy stoked up the fire in the stove and then added more wood to the fireplace. They were getting low on wood, but it would have to wait. She lit a lamp and again thought of Adam. Where was he now? Had he encountered any danger? Did he think about their kiss?
“Stop it!” she commanded herself.
She pulled on her apron and did her best to focus on breakfast. As she worked, the fire in the hearth caught and began a cheery blaze. It wasn’t long before Isaac appeared. He yawned and rubbed his eyes.
“Thanks for starting the fire. Feels colder this morning,” he said, reaching for his boots.
“I thought so too. We’re going to need more wood.” Mercy turned with the coffeepot in hand. “I was just making coffee.”
Isaac nodded. “I sure could use a cup. Make it strong, and I’ll fetch the wood.”
He didn’t bother to put on his coat but quickly exited the house, leaving the front door open. Mercy turned back to the water she’d boiled the night before. She poured half the normal amount into the pot, then put it on the stove to heat. Next she took out a portion of coffee beans and put them in the grinder. By the time she’d finished grinding them, Isaac was back with his first load of wood.
Isaac was just bringing in his third armload of split logs when Faith appeared in her nightclothes. She crossed to the table and plopped down without so much as a word. It wasn’t like her, and Mercy feared she was sick.
She went to Faith and put a hand to her head. “Do you feel all right?”
Faith shook her head. “I had a bad dream.”
Mercy knelt beside her. “Sometimes talking about it helps.”
Faith glanced at her father as he stacked wood near the stove. “No. I don’t want to talk about it.”
It was a strange response for the little girl who always seemed keen to share her thoughts. “Well, anytime you want to talk about it, I’m here.” Mercy rose. “Is Eletta awake?” she asked Isaac.
“No. At least not when I got up.”
“Good. She needs her rest. I’m going to whip up some flapjacks, so breakfast will be ready shortly.” She went back to the counter, where she’d left a large mixing bowl. “Faith, why don’t you get dressed, and then you can help me.”
Mercy heard the chair scoot across the floor. She glanced up to see Faith lumber back to the bedroom. The little girl was definitely not herself.
By the time breakfast was ready, Eletta had awakened. Mercy fixed her a cup of raspberry leaf tea and brought it to her with a single flapjack. She’d smeared the top with some berry jam, hoping it would entice Eletta to eat.
“How are you feeling today?”
Eletta smiled. “Stronger, I think.”
Mercy knew she was trying to be positive. Isaac had told them the night before that if Eletta was stable enough, he planned to go downriver and see if he could find Billy and his confederates. He’d planned to go the day Adam left, but Eletta hadn’t been well, so he’d delayed.
“Well, I think eating will prove that to all of us.”
Eletta looked at the plate and nodded. “It looks good, and the tea smells wonderful.”
Mercy smiled. “I’ll be back to check on you in a few minutes.”
“Tell Isaac that I’m doing just fine. Please.”
The two women exchanged a knowing look. Mercy felt conflicted about telling Isaac that all was well, but at the same time, she knew it was urgent that he speak with the volunteer militiamen. Rumors abounded up and down the river, and it seemed that war was coming ever closer to the mission. If someone didn’t make an effort to encourage peace, Mercy feared full-on war.
In the kitchen, Faith was finishing the flapjacks, and Isaac stood at the stove, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He turned to study Mercy for a moment, and she beamed a smile.
“Eletta’s eating and feeling much better.”
A look of relief washed over Isaac’s face. “That’s good.” He took his coffee and sat at the small table. “I’ll plan to leave just after breakfast.”
“Do you want me to pack you something to eat?”
He shook his head. “I’ll just take some dried salmon with me. It’ll see me through.”
Mercy nodded and brought him a stack of flapjacks. Going back to the stove, she smiled down at Faith. “Take your seat, and I’ll bring our plates.”
Faith handed her the spatula and did as she was told. Mercy worried about what was troubling the child. Perhaps after her father left, Faith would feel more like talking.
They ate in silence. It seemed the worries of the situation held them all captive. Isaac was no doubt concerned about convincing the militia to hold off on any more attacks, as well as worried about Eletta. Faith was troubled by her bad dream and perhaps was coming down sick. Mercy, on the other hand, was trying to figure out what in the world she was going to do about Adam.
Isaac made it clear that he wasn’t sure when he’d be back. He hoped it would be by nightfall, but there was a chance it might not be until the following day.
“I can’t be sure where they’re camped. They were just a few miles downstream, and hopefully that’s where they still are,” he told Mercy as they stood at the riverbank. “If they’ve gone closer to Gold Beach, I might go on in to town and speak with the army doctor about Eletta.”
Mercy looked across the gray water and then to the equally gray skies. “It looks like rain.” She knew his mind wasn’t at all on the weather.
He nodded. “Try to keep Eletta calm. Hopefully when I get back, I’ll have a plan for getting all of you out of here. I think it’d be best if you stayed with the Hulls in Port Orford, but I don’t know if Eletta can travel that far. You might have to remain in Gold Beach.”
“Just come back safe, and don’t worry about us. We’ll be ready for whatever you decide.”
He glanced back at the cabin. “I fear for her. I know she’s not as well as she lets on.”
Mercy nodded. “But she’s determined. Try not to worry. I think she’ll be fine.”
She wasn’t certain about that, but it seemed to give him comfort to hear the words. Mercy watched as he climbed down the narrow path to the river and threw his gear into one of the canoes. One of the Tututni men stood by. They exchanged a few words, and then Isaac climbed into the canoe while the Indian pushed him out into the river.
The current caught the canoe just as Isaac began to paddle. Before long, he was around the bend and out of sight, and Mercy was staring down at empty river. She didn’t like knowing that both Adam and Isaac were gone.
As she walked back to the cabin, she heaved a sigh. She was scared, but she didn’t want to let on for Eletta and Faith’s sakes. Still, she couldn’t shake a deep sense of dread.
Isaac returned the following afternoon. Mercy and Eletta had just started to grow concerned when he bounded into his bedroom with a scowl on his face.
“What is it? Did you talk to the militia?” Eletta asked. Mercy began to gather the remains of the tea she’d served Eletta.
“I didn’t have a chance. I couldn’t locate them. Traces of their camp were there just as I figured, but they were nowhere to be found. I saw neither them nor any Indians. It was as if everyone had fallen off the face of the earth. It started pouring rain, and I figured it best to just come home rather than continue searching for them in bad weather.”
Eletta frowned and sat up. “What will you do?”
“I’m going to talk with the men here and encourage them to speak to some of the nearby villages. If I can’t reason with the militia, then I’ll reason with the Tututni. They’ve a more level head on the matter than the whites have shown, anyway. Then, in a day or two, I’m going to go upriver to where the army is camped. I’ll have to be gone for a week or more, but I think it’s important that I speak with whoever is in charge. If it’s the captain who came with us from Port Orford, I think I can reason with him.”
Mercy nodded and clutched the tea tray as though it were a lifeline. “He did seem
reasonable.”
Isaac looked at Eletta and shook his head. “I don’t like the idea of leaving you two alone for that long. I just don’t know if you’ll be safe.”
Eletta eased back against the pillows. “The people here would protect us with their lives, and we’d do the same for them. Besides, like you told me long ago, we didn’t come here to be safe.”
She forced a smile that Mercy knew she didn’t feel. The fact was that Eletta was weakening by the day. It didn’t seem to matter what Mercy fed her or what herbal tea she concocted, Eletta was fading fast. She had once heard Grace mention a situation where a woman could actually be poisoned by the baby inside her. If that were the case, there was very little Mercy could do. She could hardly cause the unborn child to be expelled. That would be murder. No, it was all in God’s hands now.
“I’ll be out in the kitchen.” Mercy walked to the door. “Isaac, would you like some coffee?”
“Yes. I’ll come get it in a minute.”
She nodded and reached for the door to close it behind her. No doubt the privacy would do them good. Maybe Eletta could cheer her husband.
Since Faith was playing with Mary, Mercy took the opportunity to bake a pie. She made enough dough for two double-crusted pies, then put it in a lidded tin and set it outside to chill. After that, she collected some jars of preserved berries for the filling. It wasn’t long before Isaac appeared for his coffee.
“Mercy, I want you to know that I wouldn’t go if I didn’t think it was necessary. I didn’t want to say anything in front of Eletta, but I did meet up with a couple soldiers. They were heading downriver for supplies. They said they’re planning to attack the area villages unless the Indians surrender without a fight.”
“We’ll be all right. If anything goes amiss—if Billy and his men show up—they won’t do anything to us. Hopefully they’ll leave the Tututni alone, but the men are keeping watch. If we come under attack, they should have time enough to flee.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” Isaac sighed. “I just wish there were another way. I know Eletta isn’t well.”
“No. She isn’t.” Mercy put her hand on his arm. “I won’t leave her even for a moment. I’ll be here all day, since we’re not having classes, and I’ll keep Faith close.” They’d concluded, with Adam’s departure and the growing danger, that it would be best to suspend school.
He sat down at the table. “I just wish there were another way. I wish Adam hadn’t gone, but it’s just as vital that he speak with the Indians. They’ll listen to him, even if they choose not to heed his advice.”
Mercy could see the turmoil within Isaac. She moved to the table and sat opposite him. “Why don’t we pray?”
Chapter
11
In the days that followed Isaac’s departure, Mercy felt the full weight of responsibility for Eletta and Faith. The growing concern within the village was evident in the way women and children stayed close to their homes, while the men were alert and on guard. Mercy kept Faith with her most of the time, unwilling to let her roam even as far as one of the Tututni houses. If an attack came, she didn’t want Faith to be separated from her mother. Not only that, but given the child’s brown-black hair, it would be easy enough for a militiaman to mistake her for an Indian, especially if she wore her Tututni hat.
“It’s probably best if you don’t wear it,” Mercy told Faith one evening. The child looked at her oddly. “The militia aren’t expecting white children to be wearing Tututni clothes. I fear the way they’re acting toward the Indians, they might hurt you, not realizing you’re white.”
Faith was fearless. “I don’t care. If they come to hurt my friends, they’re hurting me too.” In the end, however, Eletta had asked her to do as Mercy suggested. The look Mercy exchanged with Eletta left little doubt that both women were concerned about the potential trouble.
Prayer became their mainstay. At night, the three of them gathered in Eletta’s room and prayed for the safety of everyone and for understanding and calm to guide the people in charge. Mercy could sense the tension all around her, but amazingly enough, she felt at peace. God had always seen her through, and if it was her time to die, then she would do so knowing that her eternal reward was greater than life on earth. Even so, she knew Eletta was terrified for her husband and unborn child, as well as for Mercy and Faith, and it wasn’t doing her health a bit of good. Try as she might, Mercy couldn’t convince her that all would be well when they both knew otherwise.
When Isaac didn’t return after a week, Mercy tried not to worry. It had been raining, even snowing a bit. With the weather so foul, it might have been necessary for him to wait before returning home.
To keep everyone occupied, Mercy suggested they work on baby clothes. Sitting together in Eletta’s room, they crafted little gowns, and Mercy helped Faith make diapers from flannel Eletta had saved.
“Christmas will soon be here.” Eletta looked at Faith. “I’m afraid I have no presents for you.”
Faith bounced on her knees, material in one hand, needle and thread in the other. “Christmas isn’t about getting presents. It’s about Jesus being our gift from God.”
Mercy smiled. “That’s right. We can always bake some cookies. I think there’s enough flour and sugar to spare.”
Faith grinned. “We could make cookies into shapes like stars and angels.”
Eletta smiled. “I can just imagine them.”
They talked about the cookies and what kind of Christmas meal they might serve. Eletta suggested they gather everyone in the village together and have a shared celebration.
But two weeks later, when Christmas arrived and Isaac had still not returned, nobody felt much like celebrating, and even the cookies went unmade.
December spilled into January with no word from Adam or Isaac. Mercy couldn’t help but fear the worst. She tried to keep up a positive spirit for the sake of Eletta and Faith, but she could see how the absence of their men caused both to sink into despair.
As the weeks went by, Faith continued to have nightmares that often caused her to cry out and wake Mercy. Mercy did all she could to soothe the little girl, but it was hard to encourage her when she saw her mother growing sicker.
Mercy felt it was very likely Eletta would die, but she didn’t want to say as much. Not even to Eletta, whom Mercy was certain already knew the truth. Besides, miracles did happen. God could save Eletta and the baby and bring Adam and Isaac home safe. He could cause peace to fall upon the tribes and the militia. He could—but would He?
The morning of Sunday, January twentieth began normally. While Faith ate breakfast, Mercy read from the Bible.
“Psalm forty-six starts, ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.’”
Mercy paused at the sound of a woman’s scream. She looked at Faith. “Go stay with your mother. Don’t come out of the house. Do you understand?”
Faith nodded, her eyes wide. She got up from the table and ran to the bedroom. Mercy headed outside to see what the trouble was. One of the Tututni women called out to summon others. Mercy couldn’t understand everything that she was saying, but she knew enough of the language to realize there was danger.
Tututni men gathered around the woman, and she pointed toward the river. There was a brief exchange of words, and then the Tututni headed to their houses. Mercy decided to walk to the top of the riverbank and see what was going on. Perhaps the army had come. If that were the case, it would no doubt alarm the Indians. Still, if it was the army, then Isaac would be with them.
She didn’t even reach the edge of the bank, however, before Billy Caxton and another man popped up over the ridge. They carried something between them wrapped in a blanket. Mercy felt her heart in her throat. It looked like a body.
“Sorry to break the bad news to you, Miss Flanagan,” Billy began, “but I’m afraid the Indians killed the pa
stor.”
Mercy looked at Billy and then to his friend. “Which pastor?”
They set the body on the ground, and Billy folded back the blanket. It was Isaac.
A gasp escaped Mercy, and she knelt beside Isaac to assure herself he was really dead. The body was cold and stiff. She looked back up at Billy for an explanation.
“I’m real sorry. We found him upriver. There’s no telling how long ago it happened. When we came upon him, he was dead. He had three arrows in his back.”
Billy gave her a look of sympathy. He reached down to help her up, but Mercy ignored his hand and stood.
“What tribe were the arrows from?” She knew the tribes marked their arrows, and it might help to know who was responsible.
“Tututni. They probably saw a white man and didn’t wait to ask questions or see who it was. Or it could have been someone from this bunch who just wanted him dead.” Billy motioned behind Mercy to the Tututni village.
“These people are peaceful.” She turned and found several of the Tututni men watching her from a distance. “Bring Isaac to the church.”
Billy nodded to his companion, and together they lifted the blanket. Eletta and Faith appeared at the door to the house.
“What’s happened?” Eletta asked, coming forward. It seemed she already knew.
Mercy ran to her side. “Eletta, you’re far too weak to be up. Go back to bed.”
She fixed Mercy with an emotionless expression. “It’s Isaac, isn’t it?”
Billy and his friend stopped and put the body down once again. With the blanket still pulled back, there was no hiding Isaac’s identity.
Eletta leaned against the doorjamb. “What happened?”
“Sorry, ma’am.” Billy took off his hat. “Indians—probably the ones you call friends—they killed him.”
Cherished Mercy Page 11