Many times during the next week, Amanda had to force herself to concentrate on her students and their work. Luckily, the end of the term was less than a month away, and the students were preparing for an end of the year program. Many of her students lived on surrounding farms so school was stopped the first week of May in order for the youngsters to help at home with planting and preparing the fields. Amanda was kept busy with all the preparation for the program, helping the students choose their best work to be displayed and their recitations.
Amanda loved her work as a teacher. She had left her home in Virginia to travel to Boston
She loved the people of the town, especially her students, but did not relish the harsh winters in Ohio St. Louis Northwest Territory . She was torn between her feelings to help Beth and the need to follow the Lord’s leading in a new path.
On Friday, she was no closer to solving her problem. Near the end of the day, she looked up to see Beth at the back of the room. She was shocked to see Beth during school hours, dressed in one of her best dresses with her hair arranged in a bun. Beth looked older and, to Amanda’s surprise, exhibited a new sense of calm and assurance. Amanda quickly dismissed the class and hurried over to her friend as soon as the last student left the room.
“Beth, what are you doing here? I have been thinking about you all week. What happened after I left on Sunday?”
Beth clasped both of Amanda’s hands in hers and looked into Amanda’s big blue eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it here. Let’s go to your cabin where we can be alone. OK?”
Amanda agreed and hurriedly straightened the room. The two girls walked the short distance to Amanda’s cabin. Upon entering, Amanda bustled around, starting to put on the kettle and build up the fire, but Beth stopped her.
“Don’t worry about refreshments. I don’t have much time, and I have a lot to tell you. Come sit down at the table so I can tell you everything. Mandy, you have to promise me that you will keep this between us.” Beth looked solemnly at her friend.
“Of course! You know that I would never betray a confidence. You can tell me anything!”
“After you left, Mr. Zimmerman asked me to marry him! Mr. Zimmerman! I am supposed to marry a man as old as my father, and I can’t even call him by his first name! Father told him that I would be honored to marry him!”
Amanda took her friend’s hand and squeezed it tight, but Beth seemed to have a new steely resolve in her that Mandy had not seen.
“Neither one of them seemed to care what I thought. They have it all planned out. I will continue working for Father and also wash and cook for Mr. Zimmerman! It seemed a great bargain to both of them. Both of them getting a full-time servant to wait on them at practically no cost!”
Amanda had never heard Beth sound so bitter. How could Beth intend to go through with this marriage? She certainly did not sound too happy about it!
Beth rose and walked to the single window and gazed out at the countryside. Amanda could tell that Beth was not seeing the scene outside the window but was, instead, thinking of the past.
“My mother was the sweetest person in the world, Mandy. I truly did not mind waiting on her and caring for her. Even though it meant that I couldn’t go to school, I loved taking care of her. She taught me so much through the time of her illness. It was as if she knew her time was short and wanted to prepare me for life. She even wrote down a list of her favorite passages from the Bible for me to use as guidance along with a letter for me. I had forgotten that until I got down her Bible. I have begun reading those passages. and she was so wise!”
Beth turned to face Amanda. “The letter had been there the whole time. I don’t think I really understood it all when I read it before. After all, I was just twelve years old when she died, and I was having so much trouble with my reading. Thanks to you, I have learned to read well enough to finally understand what my mother had left behind for me. I meant to bring it with me for you to read, but you can read it later. Mainly, it says that I should put the Lord first in my life and should marry for love and only love. She warns me against marrying an unbeliever. Mandy, she always regretted that my father never gave his heart to the Lord. I think she wanted to make sure that the man I marry shared my faith. Mother was not a Christian when she and Father married but became a believer later.’
“Mandy, you know that Mr. Zimmerman is not a believer! He never attends church, although I have asked him about it. Do you know what he says? He sees no need for it! Oh, Mandy, how could I marry a man like that? What if we had children? I think it is so important that the head of a home be a godly man, don’t you?”
Amanda nodded her head as she encouraged her to go on with her story. Beth returned to the table and looked at her friend earnestly. “Mandy, I know that God wants us to be obedient to our parents, but I just cannot marry Mr. Zimmerman!”
“What are you going to do?”
“I am going to run away, and I need your help!”
Amanda stared at Beth in amazement. Was this the shy, quiet Beth she had always known?
Beth continued, “I haven’t told you the rest of the story. I have not been able to eat or sleep all week. I prayed and prayed, but I didn’t know what to do. Every night I would go to bed early to get away from my father and his continuous ranting about how lucky I was to get such a fine man and how this was going to save him so much money on his supplies!” Beth looked disgusted.
“Then, when I went to bed, I would toss and turn, not able to sleep. Finally, Wednesday night, I guess I had dozed off, and I woke up realizing that I was starving. As I said, I had scarcely eaten all week, so I went downstairs to get something to eat. I was surprised to see a light in the kitchen. I don’t know what made me do it, but I crept up to the door and peeked into the kitchen. I guess it wasn’t all that late because my father was sitting at the table. Mandy, there was a pile of money in front of him!”
Amanda was shocked! For as long as she had known the Matthews, it seemed that they had no money to spare. Even though Beth sewed beautifully, she had to make do with her mother’s old clothes, which she altered to look new. There was no money for extras, or so it had always appeared.
For a moment, it seemed as if Beth would break down, but then she seemed to collect herself before continuing. “Mandy, my mother was sick for so long. Doc Henderson said that she needed special medicine from Philadelphia
“I have done without new clothes or necessary supplies because he has always said that we don’t have any money! I was so angry and still am! I know that my mother would not want me to marry Mr. Zimmerman. She warns me against that in her letter! She was so upset that I had to quit school and wanted me to continue. It was my father who insisted that I had to quit school, so he would not have to pay a nurse or take care of Mother himself. I am going to run away. Will you help me?”
Amanda hugged Beth tightly. “You know I will always do anything I can to help you. I just don’t think that you should be forced to marry someone you don’t love. And I don’t think you should marry an unbeliever.”
“Do you think your friend Sarah might need help in her practice? I do have experience nursing. She is the only one that I know who lives somewhere else; and, though I don’t really know her, I feel like I do because of all you have told me about her.”
“She won’t be in St. Louis Northwest Territory . I have been thinking about going along, but I didn’t want to leave you. Now you can go too! Let me get you her letter. Here, sit down while I get it.”
Amanda went across the room to her Bible and took Sarah’s letter from among the pages where she had placed it for safekeeping. Giving it to Beth, Amanda sat back down at the table beside her friend. Beth had improved her reading skills but still struggled occasionally. It was a few minutes before she looked at Amanda with a perplexed expression.
“Is this like a mail order bride? That wouldn’t be any better than marrying Mr. Zimmerman. I don’t want to marry someone I don’t even know!”
“That is the best part!” Amanda explained. “You don’t have to marry anyone if you don’t want to. Mr. Mercer will pay our passage, and we can live in the community house until we can get established and find another place to live. Sarah can open a practice there, I can teach school, and you can sew or cook and clean for us! We don’t have to marry anyone! Oh, Beth, I have been praying and praying about this. Last Sunday, Pastor Jenson preached about Ruth and how she left her homeland to go into a new country with Naomi. She was willing to give up everything familiar to go where God wanted her to go. I have read so many verses this week that seem to be telling me that I should go where God wants me to go. I had thought I would not stay here for another winter, but I didn’t want to leave you. Now you can go with me. Will your father let you go?”
Again, Beth seemed filled with the same resolve she had shown for the past hour.
“I am not asking him if I can go! Don’t tell anyone that I am going. I will pretend that I will marry Mr. Zimmerman but will say that we cannot marry until after my eighteenth birthday like you suggested. Somehow, I will have to come into town that day to see you before you leave. When you get on that train, I’ll get on with you. Oh, Mandy, I know that it is wrong to lie, but I feel that Father has not been honest with me. I should be honest with Mr. Zimmerman, but he does not love me. He just wants someone to take care of him. I believe this is what God wants me to do. Will you help me?”
Amanda squeezed Beth’s hand as she said, “You know I will help you in any way that I can. I feel that you are supposed to go with us. I’d feel much better about that than if you went off somewhere by yourself where you did not know anyone. This way Sarah and I will be with you. I just wish it were possible without lying to your Father and others in the town. I’ll tell you what, let’s pray about it and let God lead us in our plans.”
The two women bowed their head and began to pray. Amanda went first.
“Lord, we want to know Your plan for us and we want to follow that plan. We do not want to deceive anyone or do something that is not in Your will. It is important that Beth should not marry an unbeliever. We know that You want her to be happy in her marriage because you ordained it. Lord, help us to know what You wish for us to do and help us know how to accomplish it. Give us the wisdom to make this work. We want to go wherever you would have us go. If it is to the Northwest Territory , please make that known to us. Lord, forgive us for all of our sins. Help us not to do anything that is not in Your plan. Help us as we prepare for our future. Please speak to Beth’s father’s heart and help him to see Your will. Lord, most of all, show him Your goodness and let him come to know You as his personal Savior. That would make all the difference in this situation.”
Beth continued:
“Lord, I am so thankful for a friend like Mandy that knows You. Thank You for the gift of a Christian mother. I am so thankful that she taught me about You and that I was able to know her and learn from her before she was taken from us. I have the assurance that she is with You now and that someday I will see her again when I come to heaven to live with You always. Thank you that I found the letter from her. It was almost like having her with me again. I know that Mother loved Father and believe that he loved her; but, Lord, I cannot understand how he could let her suffer the way she did without trying to get help for her. I cannot see why he wants to force me into a loveless marriage. Lord, please help Mandy and me know Your will. Watch over us, guide us and show us Your way. We love You and want You to always have first place in our lives. Amen.”
The two girls hugged once again. Beth asked Amanda to ride with her to Mr. Zimmerman’s store so that she might speak with him. Amanda agreed, following Beth to the wagon where they climbed in for the short ride to the store.
Amanda waited in the wagon while Beth went inside the store. After about ten minutes, Beth returned to the wagon, and they started back to Amanda’s cabin.
“Well, what did you tell him? What did he say?” Amanda questioned Beth.
Beth only shook her head and said, “We will talk when we get back your cabin. I don’t want to take any chances that anyone will hear us.”
They soon were back at the cabin and seated at the small table. Amanda eagerly awaited Beth’s next words.
“I told him that I wanted to wait until after my birthday to marry. I said that it was my mother’s dying wish that I be at least 18 years old before marrying. I suggested that we marry around the first of July. That is several months after my birthday. I also told him that I did not want him to tell anyone in the community yet. I said that I wanted to wait until nearer the ceremony. That way we don’t have to lie to everyone in town. In a few weeks I will tell him that I want to have a small ceremony at home. I think I will tell him and my father that you are moving to St. Louis Virginia
Amanda replied, “I haven’t really given it much thought. I wasn’t even sure that I was going until you came in this afternoon. I can’t leave until after school is dismissed for the summer. That will be in three weeks, and Sarah said that they were leaving around the middle of May. I could leave anytime during that time. Maybe we should wait until nearer the time that they are leaving. That way your father wouldn’t have time to come after you. Do you think he would?”
“I don’t know, but, if I have somewhere to stay, like with Sarah’s family, I don’t see how he could force me to come back. I would even move in here with you now, but I know he would just drag me out and take me back home. And I don’t think anyone in town would stand up to him. He probably wouldn’t want to pay the cost of the ticket to St. Louis
“Well, I know that I will have to purchase additional items to take with us, and we will need time in St. Louis
“I would like to take some things with me. I think I could begin to bring a few things with me each time I come to town, and then we could put them in with your things. Do you think that would work?”
Amanda agreed and told Beth that she would start to make a list of items that they would need. “I really don’t have all that much. The town provides the bedding and household items that came with the cabin, so I won’t be taking those. I will just want to take my clothes, my books, and a few other things. I really think we might be able to put it all in my trunk and maybe carry a satchel.”
“Oh, I think we may have an old satchel up in the attic. I can probably get it. Father never seems to pay all that much attention to what I do as long as his food is on the table and I don’t ask him for money. I know that I would like to take my mother’s Bible and maybe some quilts and, of course, some of my clothes. Oh, Mandy, is this the right thing to do? I can’t face marrying Mr. Zimmerman, but I don’t like sneaking and lying.”
“I don’t like it any better than you do, but you shouldn’t have to marry someone you don’t love and who doesn’t seem to love you. Let’s continue to pray and read our Bibles for guidance. If God would have us do this, He will open a door for it to happen. I will write Sarah tomorrow.”
“Well, I had better go home. Father will be expecting his supper. The only reason he let me come into town today is that I told him I had to come to talk with Mr. Zimmerman. I told him that I wanted to talk to him about the wedding and invite him out for lunch on Sunday.”
Amanda hugged her friend and waved goodbye as she watched Beth drive the wagon down the road toward the farm. When the wagon was out of sight, she turned and went back into the cabin. She fixed herself a light meal and sat down to read her Bible.
She began reading in Psalms:
In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou has given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.
Psalm 71:1 – 3 (KJV)`
She turned a few pages to Proverbs and read:
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thou paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. Proverbs 3:5 - 7(KJV)
These were passages she had read over and over, and they had always given her comfort in times of crisis and indecision. Once again the familiar words comforted her and told her that God was faithful to His people. She spent an hour in prayer asking for wisdom so that she and Beth would know what God would have them to do. She asked that God would help Beth in her decision to go against the stronger men in her life who were trying to rule her and to give Beth the courage to do what was right in the face of opposition, praying that God’s will be done.
After praying, she prepared for bed, but she continued to pray far into the night that God would show them the direction they should take.
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