by Al Lacy
“Well, sweetie, that doesn’t surprise me. You’ve told me all along that she is still in your thoughts every day.”
“Yes, but today, it’s been so much more.” She was quiet a few seconds, then said, “Maybe it’s because of Pastor Shane’s sermon last Sunday night about that great cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 12:1. It seemed to bring Melinda closer to me.”
Dane nodded. “Well, Pastor made it very clear that those people in heaven are looking down at us, and they know a great deal of what we’re doing down here.”
“I like the way Pastor put it when he said that great cloud of saints in glory are gathered in God’s heavenly amphitheater, looking down at us as we run the race down here in the arena right now. While he was preaching, I was picturing Melinda up there, cheering us on.”
Dane pictured the reunion that was about to take place between Tharyn and Melinda, and his heart pounded his ribs.
Tharyn choked a little as she said, “Dane, do you suppose up there in heaven, Melinda knows how very much I miss her?”
They were turning into the yard. Dane was trying to think of a way to answer, when Tharyn noted the smoke coming from the kitchen chimney at the rear of the house. “I didn’t expect the logs in the kitchen stove to last this long.”
“Oh. Well, I haven’t mentioned it, but I stopped by the house before coming to the office earlier. I put another log on the fire.”
“Wanted to make sure your supper was hot when we both got home, eh?”
Dane hauled Pal to a halt at the front porch and slid to the ground. As he raised his hands up to help her from the saddle, he said, “Well, for sure after this hectic day, I want my supper hot at suppertime, yes. But … ah … sweetheart, I came by the house before going to the office for another reason, too.”
“What was that?” she asked as he was lowering her to the ground.
“Oh, I … have a little surprise for you.”
“A surprise? What is it?”
Dane laughed and hugged her, then looked down into her soft blue eyes. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, now, would it? Let’s go in and you can see it for yourself.”
As they were moving up the porch steps, Dane caught a glimpse of Melinda peeking at them from the edge of the parlor window from behind a drape.
He took out a key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open, allowing Tharyn to enter ahead of him.
Melinda was standing in the foyer, smiling at Tharyn.
Tharyn stopped dead in her tracks, gasped, choked, and stared at her, eyes bulging, jaw working. The jolt of seeing Melinda standing there lifted her up on the balls of her feet and stripped away her breath. Her voice came out strangled as she cried, “Melinda! Y-you’re alive!”
Melinda rushed to her friend, and the two young women were instantly in each other’s arms, tears flowing.
Dane looked on, wiping his own tears.
Tharyn and Melinda stood there for several minutes, sobbing happily, and clinging to each other. When their emotions had settled some, Dane gestured toward the sofa. “You two gals sit down here and talk for a while. I’ll go upstairs and build a fire in the guest room and the master bedroom.”
Tharyn nodded excitedly. “Yes! Tell me what happened!”
As Melinda took hold of Tharyn’s hand and started the story, Dane rushed up the stairs.
Some twenty minutes later, when Dane returned to the parlor, Melinda was just finishing the story.
“Oh, praise God!” exclaimed Tharyn. “Praise His name!”
Dane stood over them and said, “I wired Tim, and I wired Melinda’s parents, letting them know that she’s alive and with us. I also wired Colonel Perry Smith at Fort Junction about next Monday’s meeting with the Ute chiefs. I should be getting replies pretty soon.”
At that instant, there was a knock at the front door of the house.
Dane raised his eyebrows. “Hey, that may be a reply or two right now.”
Tharyn and Melinda followed Dane as he hurried to the front door and opened it. He smiled at the sight of Central City’s Western Union agent and said, “Howdy, Charlie! Did you get a reply already to one of the telegrams you sent for me a while ago?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Charlie Holmes, extending a yellow envelope to him. “Dr. Braden and the Kenyons sent this reply together.”
“Thanks for getting it right to me,” said Dane.
“You’re more than welcome, Dr. Logan. I’ll bring the reply from Colonel Smith as soon as it arrives.”
Charlie looked past the doctor, touched his hat brim, spoke to the ladies, then hurried off the porch and made his way toward the street.
Dane hastily opened the envelope, took out the telegram, read it quickly, then turned to the women. “Melinda, Tim and both your parents will be leaving Denver together at dawn tomorrow. They said to tell you they love you, and are so happy that you’re alive. They will come to the office, expecting you to be there with Tharyn and me, since they will arrive in Central City in late morning.”
Melinda popped her hands together. “Oh, praise God! It will be so wonderful to see them!”
Dane frowned.
Tharyn saw it. “What’s the matter, darling?”
He shook his head, running splayed fingers through his thick hair. “Tim and the Kenyons shouldn’t have to have their reunion at the office with several patients looking on.”
Melinda shook her own head. “Dane, don’t worry about it. Just seeing them is all that matters. I don’t care if all of Central City is watching!”
Dane grinned. “Okay, Melinda. We’ll do our best to give you at least a measure of privacy.”
Melinda and Tharyn embraced each other again.
Dane said, “Ladies, right now, I want us to go back into the parlor and kneel down at the sofa. I want us to thank the Lord together for protecting Melinda, sparing her life, and bringing her back to us!”
The trio entered the parlor together, dropped to their knees at the sofa, and joyful tears were shed as Dane led them in prayer. When he said his amen, Melinda raised her eyes toward heaven and said aloud, “Dear Lord, thank You also for sending Dane to Chief Tando’s village so he could find me and take me away from there.”
Tharyn hugged her friend with one arm and her husband with the other, squeezing them hard. When they rose to their feet, Tharyn said, “I’ll hurry and prepare supper.”
Melinda sniffed the air. “It sure has smelled good since I first got here.”
“Tell you what, Melinda,” said Tharyn, “since the guest room is getting warm, why don’t you go up there, and I’ll have Dane bring up some hot water so you can have a nice bath. I’m sure you would love to soak and feel clean again.”
Melinda smiled at her. “Tharyn, that sounds like a little bit of heaven to me. Like I told you, I could only bathe in the creek nearby the village with two squaws watching me. I haven’t had a hot bath since they captured me. And I could only wash this dress in creek water once a week.”
Tharyn patted her cheek. “Tell you what. Since you and I are the same size, we’ll toss these worn-out clothes of yours away, and I’ll give you some of mine. Okay, now. Up the stairs you go. I’ll be right there with soap, towels, and clean clothes. Dane will be there ahead of me with the hot water. The guest room has its own tub.”
Melinda patted Tharyn’s cheek in return. “I’m so glad the Lord brought us together way back there on the streets of New York before we rode the orphan train together.”
“Me, too, sweetie. Now go on up to your room. First door on the right at the top of the stairs.”
Melinda giggled and looked at Dane. “Yes, your husband told me where it is. I just got so sleepy down here in the parlor, I couldn’t make it up the stairs. I can make it now.”
Melinda slowly climbed the stairs and entered the guest room, which was already toasty warm. The first thing she saw was the bathtub in one corner, near a closet. She looked around the lovely room, which was all decorated with white furniture. She note
d the beautiful spread of dusty-pink roses covering the bed, and the curtains at the windows that matched the spread. As she moved to the nearest window and looked outside, she heard Dane’s heavy footsteps on the stairs. When he entered the room carrying a bucket of steaming water and a pail of cool water, she said, “This is a lovely room, Dane. I know I’ll sleep good here tonight.”
He set the bucket and pail beside the bathtub and smiled. “I’m sure you will. I’ll let you and Tharyn mix the water so you’ll be comfortable.”
She thanked him, and he hurried away.
Just as Dane exited the room, Tharyn came in, her arms loaded with sweet-smelling soap, fluffy towels, and a most welcome change of clothes.
Together they poured the water into the tub, mixing it so the temperature was just right. Carrying the bucket and the pail, Tharyn headed for the door. “Okay, sweetie, you just take your time and soak as long as you want. Supper will keep. Enjoy yourself, and come down to the kitchen whenever you’re ready. We’ll be waiting for you.”
“Thank you so much for your kindness, Tharyn,” Melinda said with tears misting her eyes. “All that time at the Ute village was like a nightmare. This is like a dream.”
Tharyn smiled and stepped into the hall, closing the door behind her. She entered the kitchen and found Dane sitting at the table. As she set the bucket and pail down on the cupboard by the water pump, she sighed and said, “That poor girl. What a horrific experience. I can’t even begin to imagine what she’s been through.”
Dane reached up, took hold of Tharyn’s hand, pulled her onto his lap, and nuzzled her neck. “I know, sweetheart. She seems to be getting over it already, though. And she told me she has learned a lot from the Indians about their love for the earth, and all. But I’m so thankful to the Lord that she doesn’t have to be there any longer. I know she’ll be so happy to see Tim and her parents … and to go home.”
“Home will look mighty good to her, I’m sure, my love. Truly, there is no place like home. Be it a palace or a humble shanty, home is truly where the heart is.”
Dane kissed her soundly. When he released her, he said, “This home is sure where my heart is—because you are here.”
The next morning, Dane, Tharyn, and Melinda arrived at the office half an hour before time to open, and Melinda took a seat in the waiting area while doctor and nurse prepared for the day.
Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Tharyn was at her desk. She looked through the window and saw that it was Western Union agent Charlie Holmes. She hurried to open the door and said, “Good morning, Charlie.”
Charlie touched his hat brim and smiled. “Good morning, Mrs. Logan. I have the telegram here for Dr. Logan that he has been expecting from Colonel Perry Smith at Fort Junction.”
Dr. Dane came into the office from the back room and saw Charlie. “Hey! Is that my telegram from Colonel Smith?”
“Sure is,” said Charlie.
Dane rushed up and took the envelope from Holmes. “Thank you, Charlie.”
As Charlie turned and walked down the boardwalk, Tharyn closed the door while her husband tore the envelope open. Melinda left her chair and stepped up beside Tharyn.
The women waited for Dane to read the message. When he had finished, he smiled and said, “Colonel Smith says he is very happy to hear that Chief Tando wants to sign a peace treaty with the United States government. He is glad that Tando is willing to come to Fort Junction to do the signing, and that Chief Ouray is coming with him.”
“That will make a lot of people happy,” said Melinda. “I know it will make Chief Tando’s squaw happy. Leela shared with me many times that she feared if her husband didn’t cease his war against the whites, the tribe would one day be wiped out by the army.”
“This is so good,” put in Tharyn. “What else does the colonel say, darling?”
“He says he has advised General Joseph G. Dayton by wire, who is presently at Fort Laramie, Wyoming. General Dayton is coming to Fort Junction to be there for the signing of the peace treaty.” Dane looked at Melinda. “General Dayton is the top army official over the forts in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.”
Melinda nodded. “It’s good that he will be able to be there.”
“Yes. Very good. It was General Dayton who led in the signing of the peace treaty several years ago when Chief Ouray made peace with the majority of the Ute chiefs. Colonel Smith also says that he is sending a twelve-man cavalry unit to escort the two chiefs and myself to the fort. The unit will be led by Captain Darrell Redmond, and will arrive late Sunday afternoon at Tando’s village. They will camp at the village for the night, and be ready to move out when I get there Monday morning.”
Tharyn sighed. “I feel much better about you going to Fort Junction with the two chiefs, accompanied by the cavalry unit, darling.”
Dane nodded. “Yes. Me, too.”
Melinda returned to her chair in the waiting room, which was positioned so she could see through the large window whenever Tim and her parents pulled up to the hitch rail.
Dane returned to the back room, and Tharyn sat back down at her desk.
The first patients to appear were those who had been there to see the doctor the day before.
Time passed slowly for Melinda as patients came and went while she kept an eye on the hitch rail out front. While sitting there, Melinda observed the patients, listening as they stepped up to the desk and talked to Tharyn. She marveled at how far people came from mountain towns and ranches all around to be treated by Dr. Logan. She was especially surprised when she heard one family who came in say they were from a small town fifty miles to the northwest. They added that two towns they passed through to get to Central City had doctors, but they liked Dr. Logan best.
Melinda smiled to herself and thought, Dane probably has a lot of patients who pass up other doctors to come to him.
THREE
It was almost eleven o’clock, and Melinda Kenyon was still sitting in the waiting area of the doctor’s office anticipating the arrival of Tim Braden and her parents. She had watched patients come and go, while keeping an eye on the hitch rail outside. At the moment, she was the only person in the waiting area.
Tharyn Logan was at her desk, doing some paperwork while her husband was with a patient in the back room, when she heard voices outside the door and looked up to see a young couple enter with the husband carrying their daughter, who was very pale and in a great deal of pain.
Melinda watched as Tharyn rose to her feet and said, “Good morning. I’m Dr. Logan’s wife and nurse, Tharyn. It appears we have a sick little girl here.”
“Yes,” said the father. “Is Dr. Logan in?”
“Yes. He’s with a patient at the moment. Please sit down and let me get some information from you.”
The couple eased onto the two wooden chairs in front of the desk, with the father still holding the child. When Tharyn sat down, he said, “Mrs. Logan, I’m Ben McDonald. This is my wife, Clara, and our daughter’s name is Robin. She’s ten years old. We live in Nederland, which you may know is a town some fifteen miles north of here.”
Tharyn was writing as Ben spoke. She paused and looked up at him. “Yes. I haven’t been to Nederland yet, but they tell me it is a nice town. I’ll get your address and other pertinent information from you later. Right now, tell me about Robin’s illness.”
“Her stomach’s been hurting for about twenty-four hours,” said Clara. “Her pain has gotten worse this morning, and her stomach is quite distended. Our neighbors in Nederland recommended we bring her to Dr. Logan.”
Tharyn laid the pencil down and rose to her feet. “Let’s take Robin to the back room.”
The McDonaldses followed Tharyn into the back room, where they saw four sections, each surrounded by curtains. They could hear male voices in section number one as Tharyn led them to number four.
When they stepped in, Tharyn moved up to the examining table and said, “Lay her down here, please, Mr. McDonald. I want to check her ove
r.”
Ben carefully placed his little girl on the table. Robin winced, bit her lower lip, but did not cry out. Tharyn laid a palm on the child’s brow. “She definitely has a fever.”
Robin watched as her parents stood by and the nurse examined her swollen midsection.
Going over the child’s stomach with tender, experienced hands twice, Tharyn looked at the anxious parents and said softly, “Robin must have peritoneal surgery immediately.”
Clara frowned. “What does that mean?”
“The abdominal cavity is lined with a thin membrane, which is called the peritoneum. It encloses the stomach, intestines, liver, and gallbladder. Peritonitis is the acute or chronic inflammation of the peritoneum. I assume she hasn’t had this before.”
Clara shook her head. “No.”
“Then it’s acute. Peritonitis is caused by invasion of bacteria or some kind of foreign matter from elsewhere in the body, which has caused infection. This is why her stomach is distended. There is obviously a localized abscess in the peritoneum which must be incised. Dr. Logan will have to open her up, assess the damage, and locate the source of the infection. Don’t worry about it. He will know what to do, and will take care of it. The treatment, once he has established the source, will include antibiotic therapy.”
The parents looked at each other, concern showing in their eyes.
“Wait here,” said Tharyn. “I’ll go alert the doctor and see how soon he can get to Robin.”
Tharyn hurried out of the curtained section. The parents each took hold of one of their daughter’s hands and tried to calm her fears.
Tharyn stepped up to section number one and said in a low voice, “Doctor, we have a ten-year-old female patient with peritonitis. She’s in a great deal of pain. She’s had it for some twenty-four hours.”
“Come in,” came Dr. Dane’s invitation.
Tharyn stepped in and saw that her husband was wrapping a bandage on the hand of the elderly man who had come in about half an hour earlier.
Dane said, “I’m almost through. Is the child’s midsection distended?”