Amanda

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2011-03-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Twenty-Five

2011-03-11T06:39:00.000-08:00

“Mandy, are you and Riley planning to go to the Bible Study tonight?” asked Beth. It was the following Wednesday, and the women were cleaning the cabin. Pastor Taylor had suggested having weekly Bible Study on Wednesday nights, and the first meeting would be held that evening.

“Yes, we are planning to go. He said he would come by for us at seven. I am looking forward to it.” Amanda answered.

“Have you decided on your answer?”

Amanda had confided in the younger girl earlier in the week about the decisions she was facing. Beth had agreed to be in prayer that Amanda would make the correct decision.

“Well. . . “ Amanda hesitated. “I think I know what the Lord wishes. I am not still completely sure that it is God’s plan, rather than my own, but I do feel led in this direction. I think I should tell Riley before anyone else though.”

Beth nodded in agreement. The two continued sweeping and dusting until they were interrupted by a knock at the front door. Beth put down her dusting cloth and hurried to open the door and admit Rebecca.

Beth smiled and greeted Rebecca, and Amanda joined in. They both had learned to care for the other women on the trip out to Seattle, and their friendship continued to flourish.

“Beth, I just left the general store, and Ben asked me to come by and give you a message. The Pacific Queen came in this morning. They are unloading now and he expects some of the new shipments he ordered. He wanted to know if you would be able to come in and help with them.”

“Surely, I’ll be glad to. I’ll have to change clothes and comb my hair. He has been expecting those things for the past week. I know he’ll be glad they finally arrived.” Beth began taking off her apron and going to the bedroom to change. Amanda asked Rebecca to stay for a visit. Rebecca agreed, and the two were walking toward the kitchen in order to prepare a pot of tea when there was another knock on the front door.

“Now, I wonder who that could be,” said Amanda as she went to the door.

Amanda was speechless when she opened the door and saw the woman standing there. She was not someone that Amanda recognized. Indeed, Amanda was scarcely able to determine her age because of the filth that covered her. Her hair hung in limp strands and was so dirty and oily that it was impossible to tell the color. Her face was covered in dirt and her dress was tattered and torn as well as being filthy. The odor of fish was strong, and it was obviously coming from the woman. The woman looked down and said nothing.

“May I help you?” Amanda was puzzled about why the women had come to their house, but she thought that she might be looking for Sarah.

Beth and Rebecca came forward and looked at the woman but it was obvious from their expressions that neither of them recognized the woman.

When the woman did not answer, Amanda asked her again if they could help her. The women raised tired blue eyes to look at Amanda before dropping to the ground.

“Quick! Help me get her inside!” Amanda called to the other two women.

The three women half-carried the woman into the examination room where Beth quickly took charge.

“Mandy, do you know where Sarah is?”

“Yes, I think she went over to check on Estelle Taylor.”

“Rebecca, Hannah is out back tending to the chickens. Can you call her in? One of you needs to run over to the Taylors’ to fetch Sarah. Amanda, help me get these clothes off of her. We might as well cut them off. They are filthy and torn. We might be able to wash them and use them for rags but I don’t think we can mend this dress.”

Rebecca ran to fetch Hannah, and Amanda brought water from the kitchen. Beth had already cut the woman’s clothing from her body when Amanda returned with the water and the two worked together to begin washing the young woman. They could see now that she was young, and she looked as if she had been beaten as her body was bruised in many places.

Rebecca returned to say that Hannah had gone for Sarah. Beth was washing the woman’s face when Rebecca gasped. Amanda and Beth looked to see her pointing at the woman’s arm.

Holding her hand in front of her mouth, Rebecca said in horror, “It’s Emily. See that scar there. She cut it in a carriage accident when she was ten years old. She always made sure that her sleeves covered it so no one would see, but I have known her for so long that I have seen it when we were younger. I saw it again on the trip here as we dressed and bathed. Oh, how could she have gotten into this state?”

Amanda and Beth could not believe that this dirty young woman could be the elegant Emily who cared so about her appearance, but upon looking at her face as they washed away the grime, they had to agree that it was indeed Emily. She was thinner and quite pale under the dirt but it did seem that Emily had found her way to them.

The two women had washed Emily by the time that Sarah arrived. She and Hannah were surprised to find out that the patient was Emily, but Sarah wasted no time asking questions and began examining her. Amanda, Rebecca, and Hannah left Sarah and Beth to their work as they went into the kitchen to wait for the diagnosis. Although they had many questions, they knew that Beth and Sarah knew no more than they did and that they would just have to wait for the answers. Amanda made a pot of tea as they waited.

About thirty minutes had passed when Beth called Amanda to the front. Amanda hurried back into the kitchen after talking with Beth.

“Hannah, help me get some food. Sarah wants her to have some broth and strong tea and perhaps a little bread.”

The two women gathered the meal together and Rebecca asked if she might take it in to her. The others agreed but Rebecca was back in the kitchen in a matter of minutes.

Sadly shaking her head, she told them, “Sarah wouldn’t let me into the room. Beth just took the tray and told me they would be in here as soon as they could. Oh, I wish I knew how Emily got into such a way. Her parents would be so upset. I know you think she was so selfish, but if you knew how her parents had spoiled her, you would not be surprised at how she acted. All she had to do was ask for anything, and they gave it to her. I was surprised when they agreed to let her come out here. She had wanted to marry a young man in town, but he fell in love with someone else. I don’t think she wanted to face him or anyone else because others knew she had chased after him. But she didn’t love him. I know she didn’t. She just wanted to marry a rich and handsome man. Anyway, her parents gave in to her, like they always did, when she wanted to come out here. I just hope she will be all right!”

Amanda went to Rebecca and hugged her. “Let’s pray right now. It will help us while we wait, and it will certainly help Emily too.”

The three women sat around the table and joined hands as they each prayed for Emily and that Sarah would be able to help her.

A short while later,, Sarah joined them in the kitchen. She held up a hand as they all started to question her.

“Let me get a cup of tea first and I will try to answer your questions as best as I can.”

Amanda quickly fetched a cup for Sarah and poured her some tea. Sarah drank from the cup before putting it to one side. Clasping her hands together, she looked around the table.

“I don’t usually discuss my patients with anyone, but I feel each of you has the right to know. Rebecca, you have known Emily for a long time and probably are her closest friend. Hannah and Amanda, you live here so I think you should be involved in this decision.”

“Emily fainted but she is awake now. Beth is trying to get her to eat some food. I don’t think she has had much to eat so we have to go slowly. I don’t know all of the details but it seems that Mr. Burton was already married.”

She nodded as the others gasped. They knew that Emily had planned to marry Mr. Burton when they left San Francisco.

Sarah continued, “Mr. Burton left Emily, and she soon ran out of money. She had to sell most of her clothes and other personal items, but the money did not last for long. She finally got a job washing dishes in an inn. She was destitute by that time. Evidently, the owner was abusive. You probably saw the bruises.”

Sarah paused as if saying the next words were distasteful to her. “Unfortunately, he did more than hit her. She is pregnant.”

The other women exchanged dismayed glances.

“She hasn’t told us everything yet, but she decided that she would be better off here than there so she asked the captain of the Pacific Queen if he would bring her here. I think she had a little money, and he agreed to let her work in the kitchen. Apparently, it was not a pleasant voyage. I think she was ill and had to keep trying to work.”

“Mandy and Hannah, I want to let her stay her with us. She has no money, and I don’t know how she will be treated once people find out about the pregnancy. I think she is better off here with us, at least for awhile. I hope neither of you has a problem with this.”

Amanda thought about how Emily had treated them on the trip west and her actions toward Riley but she knew that she had to forgive Emily just as Christ had forgiven her.

“I will be happy for her to stay here,” Amanda said.

“And I will be glad for her to stay but where will she sleep?” asked Hannah.

“We will put her in the examination room for now, and later we will see about getting another bed. She has indicated that she will sleep on the floor and do all of our work if we will let her stay. Of course, I would never allow her to do that. I think we can have a positive influence on her.”

Sarah soon returned to the examination room. Beth left to go to the store to help with the stock, and Hannah went along to help. Rebecca asked if she might stay in the hopes that she could speak with Emily later.

Later that evening, Riley arrived to walk with Amanda to the Bible Study. Beth and Sarah stayed home to tend to Emily, and Hannah had accompanied Rebecca to the community home earlier. Rebecca wanted to send some of her clothes for Emily. They would join Amanda and Riley at the Bible study.

“Mandy, are you making a box supper for the auction tomorrow night?” asked Riley.

The town had decided to have a box supper where each woman who was not married would prepare a box supper for two. These would be auctioned, and the highest bidder for each box would share the supper with the woman who had brought that box. The money raised would be used for school supplies for the new school. There was excitement about the event as the men tried to find out who had brought each box. Their identity was kept secret, but several of the women planned to decorate their boxes so their beaus would know which was theirs.

“No, I don’t think I am taking one,” Amanda replied.

Riley seemed surprised. “I thought you were looking forward to it.”

Amanda smiled at Riley. “Oh, I have been but I’m not sure that a woman who is engaged to be married should participate. What do you think?”

Riley appeared stunned for a few seconds as he tried to decide what she meant.

“Mandy, do you mean you are saying yes to my proposal?” As Amanda nodded, Riley picked her up and gave her a big hug as he twirled her around. She could not stop laughing at his antics even as he started yelling, “Yahoo!”

Putting her down, he grasped both hands, “Amanda Stone, you have made me the happiest man in the country! I will do all I can to be the best husband to you that I can be!”

Amanda smiled as he took her into his arms, hugged her again and then she hugged him back, telling him, “Oh, Riley, I am so happy too! I know we will have a wonderful life together with the Lord as our guide!”

Chapter Twenty-Four

2011-03-08T09:46:00.000-08:00

Amanda and the others were ready when Riley and Ben arrived the next morning for the short walk to the new church.

“Oh, it is really exciting to have our own church building, isn’t it?” exclaimed Beth. “It seems better to have a separate place to worship. The community building was fine, but since it is used for so many of the town’s gatherings, I am glad we have the church building. And Mandy, you will be teaching there in the fall!”

Amanda agreed that it was nice to have the separate building for the church and school. She had been a little concerned about her supplies for school, but the men had planned a large storage area where she could store items over the weekends.

Amanda was so happy that she felt she could almost fly at the thought that this morning Riley would make a public declaration for Christ. And then she would be able to spend some time with him, getting to know him better. She smiled broadly at Riley as he took her arm, never noticing the smiles the others shared.

They were greeted by all as they neared the church and went in to take their seats. Pastor Taylor began speaking shortly thereafter.

“Good morning! And what a glorious morning it is here in our new place of worship! I have been thanking God for His goodness in providing such a beautiful building for us. I thank Him also for each of you. Your presence here today is a joy to me. I trust that you will receive a blessing from our service. We are especially glad to have Miss Amanda Stone back with us this morning. We are so thankful that she is recovered from her injuries and is able to be with us today. We will continue to pray for Will Sloan as he continues to improve.”

Pastor Taylor went on to mention several others in the community who were in need of their prayers before making several announcements. The congregation sang several hymns before settling back to listen to Pastor Taylor’s message for that morning.

“Today our message comes from the book of Matthew. I will be reading in the fourteenth chapter, verses 25 – 33.” He paused to allow those who wished to find the passage in their Bible and follow along as he read.

‘And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer, it is I; be not afraid.

And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water.

And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid’ and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped Him, saying, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God.’

“Friends, too often I am like Peter here. Remember that this happened soon after the Lord had fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fish. You would think that a miracle like that would have convinced these men, these fishers of men, who had left everything in order to follow Jesus, that He was truly the Son of God. But, just like some of us, as soon as the miracle had passed, they forgot about it. When I imagine what it must have been like to be with Jesus every day, to actually be able to touch Him physically, to talk with Him and ask Him questions, why, it must have been so wonderful! They heard His messages of eternal life and saw miracles every day as He healed the sick. How could they doubt Him for even a second? But they did. The minute things were not going exactly as they wanted, they were afraid and called for Him to save them.”

“Then when they did see Him, Peter asked Him to call for Peter to come to Him. Yet when Christ did and Peter was walking on the water to Him, Peter looked away from Christ and looked at the wind and the water, and he doubted. And don’t we do that too? We take our eyes from Jesus and look instead at the world around us and then doubt slips in. And the same thing happens to us that happened to Peter. We began to sink and then we have to call out to the Lord to save us, when we would be so much better off just to keep our focus on Jesus. Jesus did save Peter just as He will save each of us.”

“I think of how miraculous this was. Here was Christ walking on the water, and then Peter, a mere human, did likewise! You would think that they would all be praising His name, but it took a miracle for them to say, ‘ You are the Son of God.’ How could they doubt it when they saw Him everyday, lived with Him, heard Him preach, saw Him perform miracles?”

“You know, many times I speak with people about Jesus and giving their heart to Him and I hear all types of excuses. People say, ‘ Oh, those are just nice stories. Miracles like that don’t happen in real life.’ But, friends, they do happen! Why, right here today, we have a miracle. Miss Stone was lost, but the Lord led Riley and Will right to where she was. Will was severely injured, but the Lord has seen fit to heal him, and he is well on his way to good health again.”

“But even with those miracles, they are nothing to the miracle of eternal life! Just think of it. We are sinners, every one of us. And none of us can earn forgiveness. We cannot earn our way into heaven! Only God’s grace is sufficient to wash away our sin! And all it takes is one simple thing! You have to ask Him to forgive you. So simple yet many refuse. If people could only know what believers know, how wonderful is His perfect peace, I believe there would be no sinners left in this world. For how could anyone turn away from something so wonderful?”

“We are going to sing a final hymn and I would ask anyone who is willing to take that step to come forward. I will be glad to speak with anyone who has questions so I urge you to make that step now.”

The congregation stood and began to sing. They had only sung a few words when Riley stepped forward. Beth, sitting next to Amanda, squeezed her hand, and they smiled happily at each other. Amanda looked down as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks, and she praised God for answering their prayers.

As the hymn ended, she looked up to see that there were several others at the front with Riley. She was happy to see Jacques and Jane, along with two of the new women and Mack McDonald. Pastor Taylor introduced each one and asked that the church family pray for these new Christians.

Pastor Taylor led in prayer, and they were dismissed. It had been decided that the lunch would continue to be served at the community building since it was larger, so most of the congregation walked or rode the short distance. Amanda and the others stopped back by their home to pick up their basket of food before joining the group.

“Beth, do I look all right?” Amanda turned to try to see herself in the small mirror in the bedroom. She had changed her dress for a blouse and skirt and brushed her hair back and tied it with a ribbon.

“Mandy, you look fine. Why are you so nervous today? You aren’t usually this worried about how you look?” Beth teased Amanda, guessing at her close friend’s feelings for Riley.

Amanda blushed as she turned to face Beth. “Oh, I guess you are right. I just . . .” She broke off as Beth started laughing.

“Mandy, I was just teasing you. I don’t think Riley cares about how your hair is arranged. I am sure he will think you are lovely. But remember what my mother used to tell me, ‘Pretty is as pretty does,’ so you should have no worries there!”

Amanda went into the front room to wait for Riley. He had gone to borrow a wagon and horse so that they might ride up to look at his house. Amanda had to admit to herself that she was nervous about what Riley wanted to discuss with her. She would not even admit to herself what her hopes were as far as Riley was concerned. She just prayed that God would be with her and give her the correct words, whatever happened.

Riley soon returned and, after helping Amanda into the wagon, they were on their way. Amanda admired the beautiful scenery. She breathed in the scent of the pine trees and smiled to herself as she thanked God once again for leading her to such a lovely area.

“Mandy,” Riley interrupted her thoughts. “Does it make you nervous to be out of the town?”

“Why, I hadn’t thought about it. I guess I feel safe with you, although I don’t think I would feel as safe if I were by myself. But I don’t plan to come out here by myself.” Amanda smiled at Riley before realizing that her answer seemed to make Riley more nervous.

Amanda gasped when the trees cleared, and she caught the first glimpse of Riley’s house.

“Oh, Riley, it is beautiful! I had no idea it was so large. And look at the view of the Sound. I know you will love living here!”

Riley helped Amanda from the wagon before saying, “Well, let’s look inside and see what you think.”

Riley led the way through the house, showing Amanda each of the rooms, as well as the loft, root cellar and shed for the animals.

“Riley, you have thought of everything. I can’t think of anything you have left out! It is wonderful. We will miss you in town, but I know you will love living out here.”

“Mandy, can we go out front so we can talk?”

Amanda readily agreed, and they walked out to the fallen log in front where they both sat down. Amanda admired the view once again before turning to Riley.

“Riley, I wanted to tell you how happy I am – all of us – that you gave your heart to the Lord. We have been praying for you since the first night we met you at Sarah’s family’s home. I am so glad that you came to see that you need Christ in your life.”

Riley smiled and nodded, “Yes, I know you have. Sarah and Beth told me too. I was too stubborn about it. I thought I could make it fine on my own, but I was starting to listen and read God’s Word. Then that day when you were missing, I knew I could not go on without Him in my life. I just couldn’t make it any longer without His help. And, Mandy, I truly believe He led me to you that day. I had no idea where I was going, but somehow I ended up right where you were. There was no sign of you but something – or rather Someone - told me to look in that crevice of the rock and there you were. I had been praying and praying the whole time we were looking for you! And God answered our prayers! We found you and now you are well and healthy again! And I thank God for that everyday!” He took Amanda’s hands in his and gave them a squeeze.

Amanda had tears in her eyes as she remembered that day and the prayers she had sent up that she would be found.

Riley continued, “Mandy, I want to thank you for witnessing to me, even when I was not receptive. I know you probably wondered why I ignored you on the trip out here. I told you a little on the ship, but I wanted to tell you the whole story.”

“When the first group of women came out here, there was one girl that I really liked. I even thought I loved her. She was beautiful to look at, blonde hair and blue eyes. She looked something like you; but Mandy, she was not beautiful on the inside. I was working at the logging camp then, so I could only come into town on weekends. I thought she felt the same way about me, and I was planning to ask her to marry me as soon as I could get some land and build a house. It was several months before I found out that she had been seeing several men, letting them all think that they were special to her. When I finally found out, I went to her, and she just laughed at me! She said I didn’t have enough money for her, and she married a farmer down in the Willamette Valley the very next week. Well, I swore I would never be fooled by a pair of big blue eyes and curly blonde hair again. In fact, I said I would never marry. I fully planned to build a small cabin up here and live by myself.”

“Then I met you. I was sure you were just like her, and that Emily was too. I don’t know if you knew it, but every time I was around Emily, she kept asking me how much land I owned and if I had a big house. I was convinced she was just looking for the richest husband she could find. I guess, maybe I wasn’t too far off on that after the way she acted in San Francisco about that Mr. Burton! I just figured you were the same way. And I want to apologize for that. After I saw the way you waited on the others on the ship, and the more I got to know you, the more I could see that you were nothing like Susan or Emily. Now I realize that neither of them could be Christians. I know neither of them ever witnessed to me. And that was part of my problem, I was just looking at the outside and not the inside.”

Amanda could not take her eyes from Riley’s face as he spoke. All this time she had wondered why Riley had ignored her, and now she knew.

“Mandy, I know now that you are beautiful inside and out. I have seen that you are a believer and that you put God first in your life. That makes all of the difference!”

Riley paused, and his face reddened but he took a deep breath before continuing. “Mandy, I know now that I never really loved Susan. I guess you might call it a crush. I didn’t know what love was then. Now that I have felt the love of the Lord in my heart, I think I know what love is. Because now I do love someone. Mandy, . . . I need to tell you. . . . “ Riley did not take his eyes from Amanda’s, but he seemed to hesitate until Amanda smiled at him. Then he went on, “Mandy, I love you. I’m not sure when I fell in love with you but I knew it for sure that day when I was looking for you. It was like I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you. I just knew that I had to find you and when I did, I was not ever going to let you go away again. Then, when I did find you, you were injured so I had to wait. And now, I think that was a good thing. Because as a Christian, I couldn’t make a decision like this without prayer. And, believe me, I spent a lot of time on my knees during your recovery. Mandy, I have prayed and prayed, and I feel that the Lord wants this for us as much as I do. I want to marry you. Will you consider becoming my wife?”

Tears ran down Amanda’s face as she tried to take in all that Riley had said. She could not believe that Riley loved her! Unable to speak, she simply nodded, and Riley took her in his arms.

It was a short while later when Amanda had cried her tears and was able to speak once again. She looked at Riley with loving eyes.

“Riley, I would be honored to be your wife. I don’t think I have ever known a finer man. But I do want to pray about it. Please know that you have been in my prayers since the moment I met you. But I had no idea that you felt this way. In fact, I thought you might be falling for Beth for a while. I knew I loved you that day when you brought Beth up here. That’s why I was so upset that I didn’t realize that I was going into the woods. I don’t think I will ever forgive myself for doing something that put you and Will in danger. I am so sorry for that.”

Riley was quick to reassure her that he and Will had both forgiven her for her actions that day.

“I also knew that, even though I loved you, I could never marry a non-believer. But even when you gave your heart to the Lord, I had no idea that you loved me! I still can hardly believe it! I would like to take a little time to pray about this before I give you my answer. I want you to know that my heart is crying for me to say yes, but I don’t think I should make this important decision without spending some time in prayer with the Lord. You do understand, don’t you?” she asked worriedly.

“Mandy, I would be disappointed if you did not want to talk it over with the Lord. That is part of why I love you. I know that you are a strong Christian, and I felt that you would want to pray about your decision. But I also wanted you to see the house. I like it here, but I don’t want you to think we have to live here. If it is too frightening for you, we can live in town. And there is another decision we have to make if you decide to say yes. The town has asked me to be the first sheriff. I need to know how you feel about that. I am praying about it, and I am not sure what the Lord would have me do about it. I would like for you to pray as well. If you feel that this is not God’s plan, then I will turn down the job.”

Amanda agreed that she would pray for the wisdom to seek God’s plan for their lives. She knew she wanted to marry Riley, but she had to pray about where they would live and the job before she could make such a serious commitment. They agreed that they both would continue to pray and would talk it over later in the week. Riley assured Amanda that she could take all the time she felt she needed to make the decision.

“I want you to be completely sure, Mandy. This is the second most important decision we will make, so it deserves all the time necessary to make the right choice.”

Amanda assured him that she would wait on the Lord as they rode back to town.

Chapter Twenty-Three

2011-03-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

Amanda felt the blackness all around her. She was afraid and did not know which way to go. Her arms and legs felt like lead, and she tried to cry out but could not make a sound. Feeling her heart pounding, she knew she had to get away but she did not know what to do. Then out of the darkness, came a voice she recognized as being safe and she moved toward it. She felt herself moving out of the darkness and moving toward the light.

Opening her eyes, she saw that she was still in the examination room with sheets hung around the room. She must remember to ask Sarah why they were there. She looked toward the window and saw that the sun was shining brightly. She could feel the warmth on her arm. Turning her head slightly, she was surprised to see Riley on his knees next to the bed. He had his head down on his hands and appeared to be praying, and she realized that his was the voice that she had gone toward in her dream. Gradually, she began to make out his words.

“Lord, I am trying to accept Your will for this. I want so much for Mandy and Will to be all righ,t but I know I have to put this in Your hands. I know it has to be Your plan, not mine. Lord, I never thought that I needed You before, but now I know that I cannot live without You. I thank You for Your help in finding Mandy up on that mountain. I know that You were with me that day and guided me to her.”

“Lord, I don’t want to go on any more without You in my life. I want to know that You are with me always. I do believe in You and that Jesus came to this earth as Your son and as my Savior. I believe that He died for me, for my sins! And I ask You now to forgive me for all of my wrong doings and to come into my heart now. Lord, I don’t know what I will do if it is not Your plan for Mandy and Will to recover, but I know that I can face anything if You are with me. I ask You for that peace that I see in Mandy and Beth and others that I know are Christians. Help me to have what they have. Lord, take away my worry about this and help me.”

Riley continued praying but Amanda did not hear his words. She was overcome with gladness that Riley was asking the Lord into his heart. This was what they all had been praying for. She was so happy for Riley. She moved her hand and placed it on top of Riley’s hand.

Riley’s eyes flew open, and he grasped Amanda’s hand.

“Mandy, are you all right? Let me go and get Sarah. I … we have been praying and praying that you would be all right. “ Riley started to stand, but Amanda shook her head so that he stayed beside the bed.

“Oh, Riley, I am so happy that you have made the decision to follow Christ. It is the most important decision you will ever make – and one we all have been praying for ever since we met you.” Amanda smiled at Riley as she clasped his hand.

Suddenly remembering how Riley and Beth had gone to see his cabin on the day the Indian had taken her, she snatched her hand away from Riley’s. Her face burned with the thought that she had been holding the hand of the man that Beth was in love with and was going to marry.

Riley did not know the direction of her thoughts and smiled back at her before going to fetch Sarah and Beth.

Within seconds both women were beside the bed, and Sarah was examining Amanda.

“How do you feel, Mandy? Does your head still hurt? Are you dizzy?”

Amanda thought before she spoke. “I have a slight headache, but nothing like before, and I don’t think I am dizzy.”

Sarah spoke to Beth while smiling at Amanda. “Her vital signs are normal. I think we might try to see if she could eat some soup. Perhaps we could even let her get up and sit in the chair for a few minutes.”

Beth propped pillows behind Amanda while straightening her covers. Bringing water, she washed Amanda’s face and hands. Hannah brought hot soup for Beth to feed to the patient.

“I feel all right. I probably can feed myself. There’s no need for you to go to all of this trouble.”

Beth simply smiled at Amanda before saying, “Nothing is too much trouble if it helps you to get better. We have all been so worried about you, and we are just so happy that you are feeling better.”

Hannah had gone out of the room, so Amanda began to talk with Beth.

“Beth, before when I woke up and Riley was here beside the bed – he was praying, and Beth, he asked Jesus into his heart! Aren’t you happy? Now you don’t have to worry about marrying a non-believer! It is what we have been praying for so long.”

Beth’s face was puzzled, as she listened to Amanda. “Mandy, I am happy that Riley asked Christ into his life, but what do you mean about me marrying a non-believer? I would not marry anyone who was not a Christian, but I am not going to marry Riley. Where ever did you get that idea?”

Amanda’s face reddened. “Well, that day that Riley came to get you and take you to see his house. I heard him say he wanted you to see it and – “ Amanda looked down at the quilt covering her as her fingers pleated the material back and forth. “I overheard you ask him if I could come, and he said he just wanted you. I thought – well – I thought that he must be in love with you.”

Beth placed her finger under Amanda’s chin, forcing her to look into her eyes. “Mandy,” she said seriously. “I have told you before. I don’t feel that way about Riley. And he doesn’t feel that way about me. I had given him a Bible – it was the one that Joe gave me before we left St. Louis. Riley wanted to ask me some questions about becoming a Christian. It had nothing to do with the type of relationship you are talking about.”

Beth smiled at Amanda. “He did want to ask my opinion about his house but not because he wanted me to live there with him. I have the feeling that he wanted my opinion because he has his eye on a very good friend of mine.”

“Who?” Amanda asked.

Beth laughed. “I think that is for Riley to tell.”

Amanda wrinkled her brow as she thought about what else Riley had prayed. “Beth, I think Riley said something about Will in his prayer. Is Will all right? What did he mean?”

Beth’s face was serious. “Mandy, I don’t know if you are strong

enough . . .”

Alarmed, Amanda begged, “Oh, now you must tell me. What has happened?”

“When Riley went to find you, Will went with him. When they found you. . . well, Maouk tried to shoot Riley.”

Amanda’s face was white and she clutched her hand to her throat. “No, did he hurt Riley? Or Will?”

“Will stepped in front of you and Riley, and the arrow went into Will’s arm. Sarah was able to get it all out, and he is recovering.”

Tears ran down Amanda’s face at the thought that Will had been hurt because of her. Beth held her as she sobbed, “Oh, this is all my fault! If I had not gone into the woods that day, none of this would have happened!”

Beth soothed her friend, “It’s all right. Sarah thinks that Will will make a full recovery. His arm seems to be healing without any infection. But, Mandy, why did you go into the woods that day? You know that we had all asked you not to go out alone.”

Amanda was ashamed to tell Beth the truth, but she knew that she had to make this right and ask for Beth’s forgiveness.

“I was jealous of you and Riley. I thought he was going to ask you to marry him. I know that I should not have done it, but I was so upset that I didn’t really realize how far I had gone until it was too late. I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

“Of course, I’ll forgive you. And I know the others will too. And, Mandy, even though your actions that day had some bad consequences, don’t forget that this ordeal forced Riley to admit he needed the Lord in his life so some good has come from this as well.”

Amanda stretched her back to ease her sore muscles. She was sitting on a chair in their back yard, watching Hannah and Rebecca work in the garden. Amanda had wanted to help, but Sarah had said she was not yet strong enough. Wanting to be of some help, she had brought a basket of mending outside with her. She looked at the lush garden and felt the warm sunlight on her face and thanked God for her safety and their home. It was now almost two weeks since her rescue, and she felt she was fully recovered. Will had improved a great deal and just that morning, Riley and Mr. Parker had come to get him to move him to the Parker home. The women would continue to nurse him, but several in the community felt that it was improper for a single man to stay in the house with four single women. Sarah had argued that they should look on her home as a hospital and had kept him close until she felt the danger of infection had passed.

Hearing a noise behind her, Amanda turned to see Beth coming through the back door.

“Oh, my! Is it lunch time already?” Amanda started to get up, but Beth motioned for her to remain seated.

“I am a little early, but Ben wants me to work this afternoon. He is closing the store tomorrow because of building the school.”

The town had decided to build a combination church – school and their plans were to build it in one day. Everyone in the community would come together the next day and stay all day. Lumber from the saw mill was already stacked at the site.

The two women were joined by Hannah and Rebecca who had stopped their work as soon as they saw Beth. The four went inside where lunch was ready to be put on the table. With all four working, they were soon sitting and enjoying their lunch.

“We have really been busy at the store,” said Beth. “Many of the trappers and settlers who live up in the mountains have been coming in for winter supplies. It’s hard to believe that winter will soon be here when it’s this hot, but Ben says winter comes early in the mountains. He has placed a large order which should be coming in any day on the Pacific Queen.”

“I have something to tell all of you. It really is funny, but Ben didn’t think so at all. This morning a trapper came in. I had never seen him before, and Ben told me later that he only comes to town a few times a year. You should have seen him. He was huge! I would guess he was at least six foot six inches tall and all of his clothes were made from hides of animals. He has a long beard and long hair too. His name was Jake Rogers. He talks really loud and has a booming laugh. It was hard to tell his age, but I would guess that he was at least fifty years old.”

“As soon as he came in the store, he started talking to Ben, practically hollering out his order. Then he saw me and came right over and asked me to marry him! Ben rushed over and told him to leave me alone, but I couldn’t help but laugh. I don’t think he was really serious. Evidently, he had not heard about the new women settlers. Ben says he asks every woman he sees to marry him! Susan James came in later and said he had been over at the community building asking everyone there to marry him too! Finally, Mrs. Miller chased him away with her broom! He promised all of the women that he would be back soon! I asked Riley about him, and he said that Jake was really harmless. He just likes to have fun with the ladies.”

After lunch, Beth returned to the store and the others cleaned the dishes before continuing their work outdoors. Having finished the mending, Amanda began working on a dress that Beth was helping her make. While she was recovering from her injury, Sarah had not allowed her to do any chores so she had begun a dress. Practically finished, she just had to finish the hem, and she was working on that now. She planned to wear it to the party the next evening. After the church – school was completed, there was to be a party in the community building. Many of the settlers were coming into town and spending the entire day and evening.

Hearing a knock on the door, she went to see who had come to see them. She was delighted to see Riley and her broad smile told him so even though she was sure that she hid her feelings about him. She would have been quite surprised if she had known that the others all suspected how she felt about Riley.

“Riley! Come in. Hannah and Rebecca are working out in the back and I was sewing. Would you like something to drink?”

“No, I just stopped by to see how you were.”

“Oh, I’m fine. I think I am completely recovered even if Sarah says I still have to take it easy for a while. Come, sit down. Or do you want to go out back?”

“No, this will be fine. I wanted to talk with you for a moment. You know that the inquest was held this morning.” Riley noticed that Amanda’s face paled at the reminder of her ordeal. He wished he did not have to even discuss the matter, but he knew that she needed to hear the facts.

“I am happy to tell you that the board agreed that I acted in self-defense. If I had not shot at Maouk, there is a good chance that he would have killed both Will and me. And you might still be under his control.”

Amanda breathed a sigh of relief. She had worried far too much over the outcome of the inquest, and she was happy that the board concurred that Riley was not guilty of any wrongdoing.

“There is something else I wanted to tell you too. As you know, the board is made up of the town leaders and after the inquest, they decided that the town has grown enough that we need some type of law enforcement.”

Amanda agreed, saying, “It would make everyone feel safer, and we would not have to wait for the town meetings in order to do something. We need someone who can take charge when something goes wrong. Just like that day, when Maouk. . . “ Amanda stammered a bit as she thought of her capture but bravely went on, “They did not want to go after him, but had to come back to town and meet before they were ready to come save me. I am so thankful that you and Will did not wait but came right away to help me. You saved my life!”

Amanda’s feelings for Riley shone in her blue eyes. This made it even more difficult for Riley to continue, but he made himself say, “They asked me if I would be the new sheriff. I told them I would have to think about it, and I would let them know.”

Amanda’s eyes widened at the thought of the danger that Riley could face as the town sheriff. Not wanting to reveal her true feelings for Riley, she remained silent.

“What do you think I should do? I had planned to continue working at the saw mill and farming. But I am proud that they think enough of me to ask me to take the job. It would be a steady income, and I think we do need someone to take care of trouble here in town.”

Amanda tried to be calm as she answered, “Riley, it scares me that you would be in danger in that job. But I cannot make that decision for you. I would suggest that you pray about this to see if the Lord is leading you in that direction.”

“I plan to do just that. I want you to pray about it too. As a new Christian, I am not sure that I will know what the Lord wants for me.”

“Riley, it doesn’t matter how long you have been a Christian. I believe that God will make His way known to you. Don’t rush into anything. Just take your time, and I feel sure you will know what is best.”

Riley smiled at Amanda. “Thanks for talking with me about this. I also wanted to ask if I could accompany you to the festivities tomorrow. I hope you all are packing a large basket of food. All of that work will make everyone hungry.”

“We have already baked four apple pies and we are going to take fried chicken and biscuits along with other dishes. I am really looking forward to it. It will be the first time Sarah has allowed me out of the house! We will be glad for you to go with us – and join us for lunch!”

After Riley left, Amanda went back to her sewing. The other two women finished in the garden, and all three began cooking in preparation for the building of the church - school the following day. Amanda shared the outcome of the inquest and told them that Riley had asked if he could walk with them on the next day. Busy making corn bread for supper, she did not see the smiles the other two exchanged, thinking that there was only one person that Riley wished to accompany.

The next morning dawned bright and clear, and there was a large crowd at the site of the new church – school. It had been decided that the building would be right at the edge of town, near the Taylor home. Amanda felt a little frightened because it was so near to the place where she had been abducted, but she knew that she was safe now.

Amanda was pleased to see that Estelle Taylor had been allowed to attend. Sarah had said she could come as long as she did no work and remained seated for the whole time. She was to go back to her house after lunch. Amanda made time for a short visit. She had not seen Estelle since the day Maouk had taken her.

Estelle immediately apologized, “Mandy, I feel responsible for what happened to you that day. If you had not been visiting me, you . . .

“Nonsense! I was the one who wandered off into the forest. It had nothing to do with you. Please don’t blame yourself,” Amanda reassured her.

Sarah had warned Amanda that she should not exert herself so she was happy to sit with Estelle and talk with her. Estelle said that she felt stronger and was looking forward to the birth of the baby, which was due in October.

Plans for the building had already been discussed, and the work began. It amazed Amanda how quickly the walls went up. By lunchtime, all four walls were up, and the men were ready to start on the roof.

The women placed the food on the tables that had been made of boards on top of sawhorses and the men began to eat. All of the women were busy serving food and bringing drinks to the men. It seemed to Amanda as if there were piles of food and, in a matter of minutes, much of it was eaten. The men returned to their work while the women served their own plates and sat down to talk and eat.

By late afternoon, the building was complete. Amanda looked on the building with pride, knowing that she would be teaching here in the fall. Only one more month until classes began.

Everyone was packing up their tools and belongings when Pastor Taylor called for their attention. Amanda was curious to see what he had to say because the plans were for everyone to go to the community building for the party. Supper would be served there.

“Please, may I have your attention! I have an announcement! First, I want to say thank you for this beautiful building! It is a blessing to have friends and neighbors like you who will give of their time in order that our community would have a church and a school. I thank God for you! “

“But, that is not the announcement. We traveled here with a group of ladies and more women have joined our community. I am happy to announce that the first wedding will take place tonight!”

Everyone gasped and looked around at each other, wondering who the couple would be. No one had heard of anyone getting married and, for a moment, Amanda wondered if Jake Rogers had gotten someone to say yes.

Pastor Taylor went on, “I am happy to announce that the happy couple is Jane Walker and Jacques Dubois! They will be married right now!”

There was clapping as everyone turned to find the couple in the crowd. Jane was blushing, and Jacques was smiling widely. Amanda and the others were as surprised as everyone else. Jane had not given them a clue of her feelings. Jane and Jacques made their way to Pastor Taylor who performed the ceremony.

Amanda and Beth walked over to Jane and Jacques and waited their turn to speak with the couple.

“Jane, what a surprise! Why didn’t you tell us?”

Jane looked down, hiding a shy smile.

“Oh, my Jane es so shy! I ask her and ask her and she would not agree but finally I convince her that Jacques loves her very much. When she says yes, I don’t want to wait. I am afraid she change her mind again! We will be very happy, oui?”

Riley joined them and congratulated Jacques on his beautiful bride. This made Jane blush even more, and Amanda thought that she did look beautiful. Perhaps it was true that love made every bride beautiful.

The group walked back to their house to dress for the party. Riley and Ben were coming to walk with them to the community building.

The party that evening seemed to be the most festive since their arrival. Everyone crowded around the happy couple to offer their congratulations, and many came to tell Amanda how happy they were to see her safe and unharmed after her capture.

Amanda heard Jake before she actually saw him and at her first glimpse of him, she saw he was exactly as Beth had described. He seemed to be having a wonderful time, dancing with one woman after another. Riley had stayed close to Amanda’s side most of the night, and she had danced with him several times. Sarah had advised her to sit out at least half of the dances, and Riley seemed determined to make sure that she followed doctor’s orders.

The band had begun to play the last song of the evening when a disturbance was heard on the floor. Amanda craned her neck in order to see what was causing the problem. It seemed as if Jake Rogers and Leon Edwards both wanted to dance with the same partner. Riley went over and, after talking with both of them, escorted them out of the building. Amanda had to admit to herself that Riley would make a good sheriff. He was calm and seemed to be able to settle problems easily. She remembered the way he had handled Mr. Zimmerman in St. Louis. Still afraid for Riley, she vowed to pray that Riley would know God’s plan for him.

Riley and Ben walked with Hannah, Beth, and Amanda on the way to their house after the party. Hannah, Beth, and Ben were several yards in front of them when Riley took Amanda’s hand and tucked it into his arm. Amanda was glad of the darkness that hid her blush. For some reason, she seemed to be tongue tied tonight and was at a loss to think of a topic of conversation.

“Mandy, were you surprised about Jacques and Jane?”

“Yes, I really was. I had no idea they even knew each other that well.”

“Well, I think sometimes a person just knows that another person is right for him, but I think they grew closer when you and Will were sick. All of you had been taking care of Jacques so when Hannah and Beth were busy with you and Will, Jane started helping Cora Parker with Jacques. Jacques is a likable fellow, and I think he will make a good husband for Jane. I know that he has talked with Will about renting a house. I heard that they would stay at the boarding house until they can get a place.”

Amanda looked and saw that the others had gone on and she and Riley were a short distance behind them now. She was a little surprised when Riley came to a stop, and she turned to see why.

Taking both of her hands in his, Riley looked down into her eyes.

“Mandy, do you think you will feel like taking a ride up to my house tomorrow afternoon after lunch? I can get a horse and wagon from the livery stable. I really would like to talk with you.”

“Yes, I would like that. Beth has told me that your house is wonderful and that the view of the sound is beautiful.” Amanda hoped her voice did not betray her nervousness. She felt her heart began to beat faster and faster at the thought of spending time alone with Riley.

“Is it all right if I come by in the morning to walk with you to church?”

“Of course. That will be fine.” Amanda nodded her agreement.

“I think you know that I have not made a public announcement of my decision to follow Christ. I wanted to wait until both you and Beth could be there, because you both were good witnesses to me and helped me to see that I needed to follow Him. I have already spoken to Pastor Taylor, and I plan to go forward after the service tomorrow.”

Amanda squeezed Riley’s hand. “Riley, that is wonderful. I believe that decision is a personal one, but I also believe that God would have us claim Him as our Savoir publicly. I believe this is a good witness for others. You did not have to wait for me, but thank you for doing so.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

2011-03-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

Amanda stretched as she tried to open her eyes. For some reason, she had the worst headache of her life, and her body was aching so that she could hardly stand to move. Was she ill? Maybe she had the influenza or something. Her bed felt different too. Slowly she stretched out one hand to feel for Beth at her side but there was no one in bed with her. The bed seemed smaller and perhaps a little harder. Amanda felt that her eyelids were so heavy that she could scarcely lift them, but finally she was able to open them a tiny crack. This caused her head to hurt even more, if possible; and she could not figure out where she was. There seemed to be white cloth hanging all around her. Finally her eyes fell on Beth who seemed to be sleeping in a rocking chair, covered by a quilt. The more Amanda tried to think, the worse her head ached, but she forced herself to stay awake long enough so that she could figure out where she was or if this was a dream. She couldn’t ever remember having a dream about a headache before, though. She tried to call out to Beth but her voice came out in a croak. Beth must have heard her because her eyes immediately flew open. Flinging the quilt to the floor, she rushed to Amanda’s side.

“Mandy, how do you feel? Here, try to take a little sip of water.”

Amanda obediently sipped at the cup, thinking that her mouth did seem to be very dry. She managed to get several swallows down before falling back down to the pillow.

“Where am I?” she managed to whisper.

“You are in the examination room. You must have hit your head and you have been unconscious. Let me get Sarah.”

Pushing aside some of the white cloth that Amanda could now see were sheets hanging across the room, Beth slipped out of sight, returning in a few seconds with Sarah.

Sarah looked very tired and Amanda wanted to ask what had happened, but she just felt too tired. Sarah began examining Amanda by taking her pulse and looking into her eyes. She held up three fingers and asked Amanda how many fingers she could see.

“I can see three fingers. What are you doing? What has happened to me?”

Glancing at Beth, Sarah proceeded cautiously. “Do you remember anything about what happened yesterday?”

Amanda tried to remember, but it seemed to make her head hurt more.

“I am not sure. My head just aches so badly.”

“Mandy, evidently someone took you from town yesterday. You were missing for about six or seven hours. Riley found you up in the mountains. You have been unconscious ever since Riley brought you back. We think that the Indian, Maouk, took you.”

Amanda closed her eyes as it all came rushing back to her. Waves of nausea swept over her, and she had to keep her eyes closed and take several deep breaths before speaking.

“I think I remember a blanket over my head. Then I started to fight to get away. I remember hitting my head, and then the next thing I knew I was in some type of hut. There was an older Indian woman there who gave me some water. Later I woke up and there was no one around so I left and tried to find my way back to town but I couldn't. I didn’t know which way to go.”

Amanda began crying as she remembered her ordeal and Beth gathered her in her arms to comfort her. Smoothing her hair, Beth murmured, “Don’t worry about it now. You are safe and sound now. You just try to get some more rest.”

Beth continued to hold Amanda, as Sarah gave her something to drink.

“Here, you just drink this, and you will feel better in no time,” Sarah said in her usual brisk voice, and Beth knew that there was medicine added to the water so that Amanda would get the rest she needed in order to make a full recovery.

Beth arranged the pillow beneath Amanda’s head and placed a wet cloth on her head. She nodded at Sarah, as Sarah motioned her toward the sheet partition. Beth followed Sarah as she paused to check on Will before going into the front room. Although the two kept their voices low, Riley stood as soon as he heard them come into the room. He hurried over to them in order to find out the status of the two patients.

Although clearly fatigued, Sarah smiled at Riley. “Good news about Mandy, Riley. She just woke up for a few minutes. She remembers some of what happened yesterday, so I have high hopes that she will make a full recovery. She will need to rest for a few days and maybe even weeks but I think she will continue to improve.”

Riley breathed a sigh of relief. “What about Will?” he asked cautiously.

"Will has still not regained consciousness, but I really haven’t expected him to yet. He has lost so much blood that it will take time for his body to heal. Hopefully, we can get him awake enough today, so that we can get some liquids into him in order to give him strength. I can say that he doesn’t seem to be any worse, and I see no signs of pneumonia. He doesn’t have a fever, and neither does Mandy so that is a good sign. We will just have to continue to watch them and pray for their recovery.”

Riley knew that he would not go back to sleep, and the sun was rising so he went out to bring in more water and wood. He built up the fires in the fireplaces and stoves. He was just preparing to make more coffee when Hannah came out of the bedroom.

“Riley, don’t worry about that. I’ll make breakfast. You go wake Ben. I think he will want to open the store. Everyone around here depends on him to be open.”

Riley agreed and went to wake his friend, but Ben was already sitting up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. One look at Riley told him that Riley had gotten little rest during the long night, but he knew that it would do no good to try to get him to leave.

“I guess I had better be on my way. I’ll have to open the store. Too many people come into town just to buy supplies for me to close. I wouldn’t want them to make a long trip for nothing.”

Riley agreed and told Ben he would bring hot water for him to wash.

“Hannah is making breakfast right now. You may as well stay and eat.”

“Thanks. I’ll just make a trip out back, and then I’ll wash up. I usually have water hot in my stove at home, but I’m sure that the fire has gone out by now.”

Riley went to bring the water and a towel for Ben. It made him feel a little better to do something to help. He just wished there was something he could be doing for Will in the other room. He knew that the only thing he could do was pray.

By the time Ben had washed and put on a clean shirt, Hannah had the breakfast ready. Jane and Rebecca were also in the kitchen helping. The group sat around the table and once again Ben led in a prayer. He asked that God would continue to watch over their friends and that their recovery would be swift. He asked for guidance for the day and strength for the caregivers.

Riley drank his black coffee but still did not feel like eating. He just could not stop worrying about Amanda and Will. The others all ate their meal. Jane fixed plates for Beth and Sarah and she and Rebecca took them into the examination room. Hannah went outside to feed and water the chickens and gather the eggs.

Ben turned to Riley and said, “Riley, I know that you have said many times in the past that you do not see a reason to become a Christian, but I have heard you praying and praying for Mandy and Will. I can see that you are so worried and we are all concerned as well. But, Riley, you are going to have to turn this over to God. I have heard it said that the hardest prayer to pray is simply four words – ‘Thy will be done’. So often we don’t want God’s will, but our will. So we beg God to answer our prayers just the way we want them answered. We’re sort of like a child at Christmas with a big wish list. But God is not just some great guy up in the sky who gives us all of our demands. We have to have faith that His plan is better than anything we can imagine. Let me show you something in the Bible.”

Ben stood and crossed the room to the counter where Amanda’s Bible was and brought it back to the table. Thumbing through the pages, he found the verses for which he was looking.

“Here is one passage that says what I am trying to say. It is in Philippians 4:3 – 8.

‘Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep you hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise think on these things.’

“Riley, Paul is saying here that we shouldn’t worry or be anxious, that God is watching over us all the time. We should thank God for the privilege of prayer and be happy for the things He has done. He helped you find Mandy and bring both her and Will back to town. They are both still alive. Mandy can remember some of what happened. The Indian did not hurt her. We have so much to be thankful for that we should be praising God all of the time”

“Riley, I know that Will is your best friend. He is a good friend of mine also. But it is not your fault that he got shot. He chose to go with you and the fact is that you would probably be dead if he had not gone. And Mandy would still be with that Indian.”

Ben was very serious as he continued, “Riley there is another verse in the Bible and Jesus said it in the book of John. It says:

‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

“Riley, when Jesus said this, He was talking about how He was going to give up His life for us – that’s you and me and everyone else in the world. He died on the cross for all people – those of His day, right up to today and on into the future. One thing I do know, Riley, is that Will is a Christian. I know that, even if he does die, I will see him again one day because I too have Christ in my heart. I do pray that God will allow him to live and make a full recovery, but I know that Will would gladly give his life for you because he loves you as a good friend but also because he knows you are not ready to face God.”

“Now, I have to go open the store but I hope you will think about all that I have said today. I want you to know that I am available to talk with you anytime you wish about this. Remember that I will be praying for those two in there all of today but I will also be praying for you.”

Riley nodded as Ben stood up and shook his hand as he prepared to leave. Riley stood to accompany him to the front of the house and both men were surprised when they opened the door to find a group of men right outside. Hank Parker had his hand raised to knock on the door just as they had opened it.

Stepping back, Hank said, “I’m glad to find you both here. We found the Indian up on the mountain.”

Both men looked over at the horses and saw that there was a body draped over one of them.

“Riley, I am sorry to tell you that he is dead. We will have to have an inquest and meet with the Indians. I am going to get Arthur Dendy, and we will go out to see Chief Seattle. But I need for you to come with me so I can get your statement.”

Riley’s face had paled, and he stood as if frozen. Ben spoke up in his friend’s defense. "Hank, Maouk was trying to shoot Riley. Will Sloan is inside right now. The doc had to cut an arrow out of him. Will stepped in front of Riley or it would be him in there. Riley acted in self-defense. Riley has been up all night. Can’t you wait on this?”

Hank shook his head. “Ben, I know Riley well enough to know that he would not shoot anyone in cold blood. But you have got to see how it looks to the Indians. In their eyes, Maouk was courting Miss Stone, and she accepted the offerings he left on her doorstep. They will say that Riley was trying to take Maouk’s woman. All I need right now is to hear Riley’s side of the story. Can Will tell his side? Or Miss Stone?”

“No, they are both unconscious. We don’t even know if Will will survive. He has lost a lot of blood, so Doc says we will just have to wait and see. He could get pneumonia or infection could set in. Either one could kill him.”

Riley spoke up for the first time. “Hank, I don’t mind giving you my side of the story. The fact is that Mandy was taken against her will. She remembers that someone threw something like a blanket over her head, and she either hit her head or someone hit her on the head. Will and I found her shawl in Maouk’s lodge. We found Mandy up in a small opening of a rock wall. I think I can find the place again, but I am not sure. I don’t think I had ever been there before and don’t really know how we found it. As I was taking her out of the opening in the wall, I heard a noise behind me and saw Maouk with his bow and arrow. All I remember is that Will pushed me and stepped between us, and I drew my gun and fired. I didn’t even know if I hit him. I just got Mandy and Will and got them back down here to the doc as fast as I could. Unfortunately, neither Will nor Mandy can give a statement yet. Mandy has only been awake once since I brought her back, and Will has not regained consciousness at all. Will that be enough for now? I know you will have to talk with Chief Seattle, and then you can let me know when the inquest will be. I will be there. The one thing I will say is that I blame myself for Will getting hurt, but I don’t see how I could have done anything any differently and gotten both of them back here alive.”

Hank agreed to tell the leaders of the town Riley’s side of the story.

“I will go to them, but I know there will have to be an inquest to satisfy the Indians. The last thing we need is an uprising, especially with all of these new women here in town. But the Indians need to know that they cannot just take one of our women too.”

Chapter Twenty-One

2011-03-05T06:16:00.000-08:00

Beth paced back and forth across the floor. Every few minutes she would pause to look at her watch and, then a few minutes later, she would go to the front door and look out into the darkening night. The cold rain continued to pour down.

Finally, Sarah said, “Beth, come and sit down. You are going to wear yourself out. There is nothing we can to do for Mandy now but pray. Come sit here with us, and let’s continue praying.”

Beth went to join the other two women as they held hands around the small table. This had been their pattern for the past several hours. Amanda had now been missing for at least five or six hours.

Startled by the sound of someone knocking or kicking loudly at the front door, the three hurried into the front room. Sarah quickly opened the door when she heard Riley’s voice. All the women were relieved to see Riley carrying Amanda in his arms. Wasting no time on questions, Sarah led the way into the examination room while Beth rushed to the kitchen to get hot water. Even though Riley had wrapped his oilskin slicker around her, Amanda was covered in mud and soaking wet. It was not until Riley had put Amanda on the bed and stood that Sarah realized that Riley was covered with blood.

“Riley!” she gasped. “Are you hurt? Or is that blood from Mandy?”

Riley seemed dazed as he stood there looking at Amanda lying motionless on the bed. Then he seemed to rouse himself and hurried from the room. Sarah turned her attention to Amanda. Uncovering her, she could see no wound that would have caused the blood. She began to take Amanda’s vital signs when a cry from the other room sent her running into the front room. Beth and Hannah stood as if frozen as they stared at Riley who held another person in his arms. The women were unable to tell who the other person was at first because he was almost completely covered with an oil slicker. Sarah could see drops of blood mixed with water dripping to the floor. She hurried forward to direct Riley to bring the other person into the examination room. She and Beth quickly made a pallet on the floor on the other side of the room from the bed. Sarah sent Hannah to bring more blankets and hot water and directed Beth to begin washing Amanda. Both women stayed as Sarah pulled the slicker from the other man’s face and they were all dismayed to see Will’s pale face. Wasting no time, Sarah began to examine Will to see what type of wound was responsible for the blood. In only a few seconds, she could see that Will had been shot by an arrow in his right shoulder. Carefully she removed the wet slicker from around Will and began to cut his soaking and bloody shirt away. The women had prepared bandages, and Hannah brought these to Sarah as she attempted to staunch the bleeding. It was obvious that Will had lost a great deal of blood, and the wound was deep. Sarah was so intent on working that she scarcely noticed Riley still standing beside her, but Hannah urged Riley from the room. Taking him into the kitchen, she gave him a cup of hot coffee. Rather than drinking, he wrapped his hands around the cup as if trying to draw the warmth from it into his chilled body. He was shaking so badly that Hannah was alarmed. She pushed him down into a chair.

“Riley, you should go back to the boarding house and get into some dry clothes. You are soaking wet and cold. Go on, now. They are in good hands. Sarah is the best doctor I have seen, and Beth is very good with nursing. You will be sick too if you don’t get dry and warm.”

Riley lifted haunted eyes to her. “I can’t leave. This is all my fault. Oh, I pray that God will heal them both.”

Sensing that Riley needed someone to talk to, Hannah sat next to him.

“I don’t see how this could be your fault, Riley. You didn’t cause Mandy to get captured. You saved her.”

“No, the other men wanted me to turn back, but I said that I was not coming back until I found Mandy. Will said he would go with me. We found Maouk’s hut, but there was only an old woman there. I looked in the hut and found Mandy’s shawl so I knew she had been there. We questioned the woman, but she would only say that Maouk was gone and nothing about Mandy. Finally, she said, ‘girl gone’. We looked all around the camp, but the rain had washed away every sign on tracks. I just kept praying and praying that God would lead us to her before Maouk found her. I know that Will was praying too, and somehow we kept going and finally we ran smack into a rock wall. We were turning away when something told me to look a little closer and I saw a tiny space at the bottom of the wall. It didn’t look big enough for a rabbit to hide in but I got down off my horse to look and, sure enough, there she was. She was passed out and hasn’t made a sound since I found her.” Riley’s voice seemed to break and for a moment, Hannah did not think he would be able to go on, but he seemed to pull himself together before continuing.

“I wasn’t really thinking about Maouk. I was just concerned with getting Mandy out and back down here so Sarah could check her when I heard a sound and turned around. There was Maouk with his bow and the arrow aimed straight for me. I didn't even have time to put Mandy down before Will stepped between us and the arrow hit him. I grabbed my gun and shot. I’m not sure if I hit Maouk or not, but he ran away. After that, I just put Will on his horse and Mandy on mine and brought them back as fast as I could.”

“Hannah, Will is my best friend. If I had not insisted on going on when the other men turned back, he would be fine right now.”

Riley put his head on the table, and his whole body shook as he cried for his two friends.

“Riley, if you had turned back, who knows where Mandy would be now or what that Indian would have done to her? And if Will had not gone with you, Mandy would still be with him and you might even be dead. Maouk certainly wouldn’t have brought you to the doctor. You did all you could for them, and we are going to pray that the Lord will give Sarah the skill to save them both. I need to go help. Won’t you go and at least change clothes?”

“I’m not leaving until I know that they are both going to be all right!”

Hannah sensed that Riley would not be forced away, so she decided against arguing with him.

“Well, drink your coffee and I’ll get some soup, but I have to go help. You try to get warm. The last thing we need is for you to get sick too.”

Hannah quickly served Riley some soup and wrapped a blanket around him before going into the room with the others. Telling Sarah and Beth that she was going for help, she put on her slicker and hurried from the house. Running as quickly as she could, she first went to the general store. Finding Ben just ready to close, she explained the situation. Ben agreed to go to the boarding house and get clothes for both Will and Riley while Hannah rushed to the community building. In less than five minutes, she was hurrying back to the house with the promise that Jane and Rebecca would soon follow.

Rushing back into the house, she found Riley still at the table. She could see that she would not be much help to him and hurried to do what she could to help Sarah and Beth.

“Tell me what you need me to do. Jane and Rebecca will be here in a few minutes and Ben is bringing clothes for Riley and Will. I can’t get him to eat or even to dry off. I thought I could be of more help in here.”
Sarah looked up gratefully. “Do you think you can apply pressure to this wound? I need to check on Mandy.”

Hannah moved to place her hands exactly as Sarah directed so that the other woman could go to Beth’s aid. Beth had managed to get the wet clothing off and bathe Amanda and dress her in a clean nightgown.

“She has a large knot on the right side of the head here.” Beth pointed for Sarah. “She hasn’t moved or made a sound, but she seems to be breathing normally. I don’t see any marks or wounds.”

Sarah made a quick examination of Amanda.

“It looks as if she received some type of blow to the head. The main thing now is to keep her warm and still. As for her head injury, we will just have to wait and see. Hopefully, she will not get pneumonia from being out in the cold. Hannah, did Riley tell you what happened?”

Hannah explained the few facts that Riley had given her.

“He doesn’t really know about how she was hurt. She wasn’t in the Indian’s hut, and they found her out in the woods, apparently in a small crack of a rock so she had some protection from the weather. Will was injured by Maouk, as Riley was taking Mandy out of the rock. Sarah, Riley is not in too good of shape either. He is extremely upset and is shaking like a leaf.”

“He is probably in shock, and he was exposed to the cold also. He took his slicker and used it for Mandy. When Ben gets here, maybe he can get him to change. The main thing is for him to keep warm and as calm as possible.”

“Unfortunately, Will is in serious condition. I need to remove that arrow and he has lost a lot of blood.”

“Beth, I don’t think we should move Mandy right now. I really would prefer that Will be on the bed and, of course, having the two of them in here is not the best. Can you string some sort of line across the room so that we can hang sheets to separate them? Hannah, I am going to need Beth’s help in here while I try to get that arrow out. Will you be able to watch Mandy? I know you don’t have a lot of experience at this but mainly, you just need to make sure she keeps warm and call us if you see any change at all.”

Hannah assured Sarah that she would do all she could to help either patient. Hearing a knock at the front door, Beth went to admit Ben as well as Jane and Rebecca.

“Ben, we need for you to try to help Riley. He won’t eat or drink and he is soaking wet. We think he is in shock. Try to get him to change or dry off and get something warm to eat or drink. He says he is not leaving until he knows that both Will and Mandy are going to be all right.”

“Rebecca and Jane, we will need lots of hot water, and there will be bandages and linens to wash. Try to keep plenty of hot coffee and the fires going.”

They each assured Beth that they would do all they could to help. Rebecca and Jane went directly to the kitchen. Following them, Ben almost bumped into them, as they suddenly stopped at the sight of Riley. He looked at them almost as if he did not know who they were. Ben went right to him and began talking quietly with him. The other two went to work making sure that everything was ready for the night ahead. In a few minutes, Ben came over to Jane and told her quietly that he was taking Riley into the bedroom in order that he might help him change into dry clothing. She nodded silently as she watched Ben practically lift Riley from his chair and carry him into the other room.

Jane turned to Rebecca and said in a concerned voice, “I can scarcely believe that is Riley. He doesn’t even look like himself. Remember how strong he seemed on the trip out here and always in control. I don’t know what happened out there today, but whatever it was, it has really shaken him.

Rebecca nodded her agreement and the two went to work doing all that Beth had asked. When Ben and Riley returned to the kitchen a few minutes later, they brought steaming bowls of soup and hot cups of coffee to the table. Riley was still pale and his hands were shaking as he took the cup from Jane. Ben asked the two women to join them around the table as he prayed. The four all bowed their heads as Ben prayed.

“Lord, we thank You Mandy has been found and returned to us. We don’t know her condition, Lord, but You do and we just ask that You hold her in Your hands. Lord, we ask You to guide Doc Sarah as she tries to get that arrow out of Will. We know that he has lost a lot of blood and that he is in really bad shape but we know, too, that You can heal him, Lord, if it is Your will. Lord, help Riley here too. Help him to see that he was part of the rescue today and that none of this is his fault. It is hard for us to give this up to You. We want our prayers to be answered our way and in our time but we know that You know all things and that You are all powerful so we just pray tonight that Your will be done. Guide us and direct us in Your path and help us to do all that You would have us to do. Please give us the strength that we need tonight and more important, give strength to Mandy and Will. We ask in Your precious name. Amen.”

The next few hours were busy as the women went back and forth with hot water and clean cloths, bandages, and bedding. Ben brought in fresh water and wood. Riley could only sit at the table and hold his head in his hands. No one asked, but everyone assumed he was praying.

It was a full three hours later that Sarah finally came into the kitchen and sat down next to Riley. Lines of fatigue were etched into her face as she took Riley’s hand. Riley just looked at her, unable to ask the questions that he wanted for fear of the answers he would receive.

“Riley, the arrow is out. We were able to get it all out. Will is lucky that it did not hit bone or an artery. As it is, he has lost a lot of blood. For now, we have gotten the bleeding stopped. We will have to watch for infection. I cannot say for certain, but I pray that he will make a full recovery. He was healthy so that is in his favor. I’m afraid that is all I can tell you right now. We will just have to put him in God’s hands and pray that he will improve.”

Riley seemed barely able to get the words from his mouth. “What about Mandy?”

“It is difficult to tell with a head injury. She is still unconscious. She does not seem to have any other injuries. Of course, she was out in the weather so there is the danger that she could catch pneumonia.”

“What about. . .about. . that Indian? Did he hurt her in . . . ‘

Riley could not finish the question, but Sarah knew what he was asking. She chose her words carefully. As a doctor, she was used to medical terms but many men were not comfortable with women discussing some topics with them, even if that woman was a doctor.

“Riley, Mandy does not seem to have any other injuries other than the one on her head. I have examined her, and she was still wearing the same clothes she had on when she left the house. She is . . . well, she is still the same untouched woman she was this morning.”

Riley let out a big sigh of relief as he muttered, “Thank God! Thank God!”

The hours passed slowly as Sarah and the others watched and cared for their two patients. Ben had moved the two rocking chairs into the examination room and helped Beth hang the sheets separating the room into two parts. They put one chair in each section. Beth and Sarah stayed by the sides of their patients while the others brought them food and strong coffee. Hannah and the other two women took turns resting so that one was available to help as needed. Riley still refused to leave, but finally Ben persuaded him to come into the front room and sit by the fire. Hannah fixed a pallet for them so that they could rest. Riley finally lay down when he saw how fatigued his friend was so that Ben could get some rest. Ben was asleep within minutes, exhausted from working all day in the store and staying up for a good portion of the night as well. Riley lay still but could not go to sleep. He spent the night praying that God would heal Amanda and Will.

Chapter Twenty

2011-03-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

Beth paced back and forth in the kitchen of their home, praying constantly that the Lord would be with Amanda. She asked for His guidance for the men, so that they could find Amanda quickly and for the Lord to give Amanda strength and courage. Hearing the front door open, she ran into the front room to find Hannah coming in with an armful of laundry.

“What is it? Have you heard anything?” Beth cried.

“One of the men came back with these clothes. Estelle said Mandy had taken their laundry with her. Beth, these were scattered all over the ground several hundred yards from the Taylor home in the woods. There were signs of a struggle too. I can’t believe Mandy would go into the woods after all of our warnings. Mr. Taylor came home, so I told him I needed to get back to you. Oh. Beth, I am so worried. I feel sure that Indian, Maouk, has taken Mandy. I just wish there was something we could do!”

“There is only one thing we can do now – pray!” The two women sank to their knees and began to pour out their hearts to the Lord, asking for their friend’s safety and the safety of the men.

Amanda began to come awake, but she was so tired, she could not seem to open her eyes. Without being aware of it, she must have made some sort of noise because someone was instantly by her side, wiping her brow with a cool cloth. Her head was gently lifted and a cup of water was at her lips and someone urged her to take a sip. She managed to take one small sip before sinking into darkness again.

The next time, Amanda became aware of her surroundings, she was able to open her eyes and look around. It was very dark in the place where she was, and she seemed to be lying on some type of animal skin. The smell of fish was very strong, and she had to fight down feelings of nausea. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw a woman across the room. She seemed to be much older than Amanda, and she came nearer. Amanda realized that she was one of the Indian women. Amanda struggled not to scream as she remembered the blanket and being taken captive. The woman placed a wet cloth of Amanda’s forehead again. Amanda’s throat was so dry, but she managed to croak out the word. “Water!” She was not sure if the woman understood English, but she brought the cup to her again. This time Amanda managed to take several sips of water before falling back down to the pallet.

“Where am I? Why am I here?” she whispered to the old woman but the woman either did not understand her or refused to answer. Tears ran down Amanda’s face at the thought of how foolish she had been. If only she had done what the others had told her. Instead she had been too busy thinking about her jealousy and wounded pride to pay attention, and now she was paying the price for her foolishness. Here she was with no way to get word to her friends, and it seemed as if there was no way out. Her head was pounding, and she felt dizzy so that she did not seem to be able to think what she should do. She peered around the room, trying to see some clue that would let her know her whereabouts. Perhaps she was in the Indian village. She had not been close to it but she knew that the men of the town knew where the village was. Once someone realized she was missing, that would be one of the first places they would look for her. Amanda realized she was too weak to try to get away. She wondered if there was something in the water the woman had given her that was making her groggy and not able to think straight. Amanda knew there was one thing that she was able to do – pray. She remembered the verses that Sarah had read the night before during the Bible study. She tried to recall all of the words but only bits and pieces came back to her.

‘Whom shall I fear? Of whom shall I be afraid? He shall hide me in his pavilion. He shall set me up upon a rock. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart.’

Amanda knew that God would not forsake her. She knew that her friends would soon be looking for her. God had promised not to leave her and to protect her and even to hide her from her enemies. She would have to wait, just as the verses said until she was stronger. Amanda knew that the one thing she could do for now was to pray.

“Father, help me. Help my friends to find me. Help me to be able to think so that I can get away. Give me a plan Lord, so that you can hide me from my enemies. Give me strength.”

Amanda continued praying even as she drifted back to sleep.

Riley and the other men made their way to the Indian village. It was several miles to the east of town. Riley knew that he would have to let the other men speak. Some of them had been among the first settlers and knew Chief Seattle and the other Indians far better than he. He knew that it would be hard for him to keep quiet and not demand that they bring Amanda to them immediately. Riley knew that the other men were praying for Amanda’s safety and for the first time in his life, he called out to the Lord in desperation. He felt that he could not save Amanda alone. He begged God to help them find Amanda soon and to protect Amanda from harm.

Hank Parker went ahead of the others and climbed down from his horse to speak with the chief. Although Riley knew there was a certain protocol to dealing with the Indians, he could barely constrain himself from jumping down from his horse and demanding Amanda’s release.

After speaking with the chief, Hank came back to the group.

“Chief Seattle says they have not seen Amanda or any white woman. They do not know where she is. I asked about Maouk, and the chief said that Maouk had a lodge high above Seattle in the hills. None of the Indians have seen Maouk for several days.”

Riley looked at the others. “Did he at least tell us what direction to take?” His big hands tightened on the gun barrel of the gun he carried.

“Now don’t get all riled up, Riley. The best thing to do is head back to town and talk with Arthur Dendy and some of the other leaders of the town and decide what action we should take. The last thing we want is to have an Indian uprising.” Hank spoke calmly, but Riley was too anxious to listen.

“How can you say that? That will take too long. There is an innocent woman captured by an Indian. For all we know she could be hurt or tortured. I don’t see how we can wait. You can go back if you want, but I am going on to look for her. The longer we wait, the more likely she is to be hurt.”

The other men tried to talk Riley into coming back to town with them, but he flatly refused. When Will saw that Riley was determined to go on without the other men, he said that he would go along with Riley.

“I’m not coming back until I have Mandy. And, Hank, send someone up to the logging camp for the doc. I want her nearby when I bring Mandy back.”

Hank pointed Riley in the general direction of Maouk’s lodge. The others headed back to town as Riley and Will continued on into the woods.

Amanda opened her eyes cautiously. She seemed to be alone in the crude hut. Pushing herself up with one hand, she tried to sit up. Waves of dizziness swept over her but she persisted, knowing she did not have a chance of getting away if she continued to lie on the soft pallet. She felt gingerly of the knot on the side of her head. Crawling to her knees, she edged closer to the door. She was surprised to see that the day was growing dark,

“I must have been out for a long time,” she thought to herself. Peering around the edge of the opening that served as a door, she pushed aside the piece of hide hanging there. There was no sign of either the old woman or Maouk. There was a fire burning, and she supposed the woman might have gone to get more firewood. She didn’t know where Maouk was and didn’t want to ever see him again.

Amanda looked down to see that she was still dressed in the clothes she was wearing that morning. Her shoes had been removed from her feet, but after looking around the crude hut, she was able to find them near the pallet. She struggled to put them on before the two Indians returned. It seemed to take forever to put them on, but she knew it probably was just a few minutes. Crawling back to the doorway, she pushed the hide a few inches to one side and carefully looked out. Seeing no one, she slipped out the door. Looking all around the clearing, she asked the Lord to lead her as she tried to decide which direction to take. Finally she crept as quietly as she could toward the back of the hut. She knew that she did not have much time and that the Indians were excellent trackers. She knew that she would only be able to get away with the Lord’s help.

Once Amanda was away from the clearing, she walked as fast as she could into the cover of the forest. Glancing behind her every few steps, she tried to decide the best path to take. Still dizzy, she had to pause every few feet to rest. Nothing looked familiar to her, and there was no reason it should, for she had never been this far from town.

Amanda was not sure how far she had traveled when she knew she could go on no farther. Every step seemed to get harder and harder as she grew weaker. There was no set direction to the path she took. Confused, she went north for a few steps, then changed and went in another direction for a while. She prayed constantly that God would guide her every step. The trees grew thicker and thicker and she scrambled through briars and brush.

Amanda gasped when she saw that she faced a high sheer wall of rock.

“Where will I go, Lord? Please help me to get away,” she begged.

Suddenly, she saw a small opening along the bottom of the wall. Less than a foot high, the opening reached back under the rock for several feet. Amanda knew she could not go on. Remembering the verses Sarah had read, she repeated them to herself:

‘For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me: He shall set me up upon a rock’

Amanda prayed that God would hide her in the rock from her enemies. She prayed that her friends would find her, as she crawled as far under the rock as she could. She continued praying as blackness came over her again, never realizing that it had started to rain, covering her tracks.

Beth and Hannah ran to the door when they heard the knocking, hoping that it was someone with word about Amanda. Mr. Parker came in, soaking wet, to tell them that a group of men, including Arthur Dendy and others of the town leaders were leaving to try to find the lodge of Maouk.

“Where’s Riley?” asked Beth.

“He refused to come back without Miss Stone. Will Sloan went with him. I sent a man up to the logging camp to get the doc. She should be along any time now. We will bring Miss Stone back as soon as we can. People all over town are praying for her safety. Don’t give up hope. Just keep praying that God will lead us to her.”

The two women agreed that they would be praying constantly, just as they had ever since they realized that Amanda was missing.

After Mr. Parker left, Beth turned to Hannah and said, “Let’s try to have everything ready for Sarah when she comes. The bed in the examining room needs clean sheets, and we need to have plenty of hot water. We may need bandages. We also should make some hot soup or broth for Mandy. If she has been out in this rain, she will be chilled. I don’t know about you but I can’t just sit here doing nothing. I have to have something to do beside pray or . . .”

Beth broke down and began crying, as she thought of her friend under the control of the Indian. “It wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t know how frightened she was about Maouk. It always scared her to death just to see him and to think that now he has her. . “

Beth was sobbing as Hannah tried to comfort her. “Beth, we don’t know for sure that he has her, but we do know that God can take care of her. I agree that we should get things ready for Sarah but don’t give up hope. I know Riley and the others won’t give up until they find her.”

The two busied themselves with work, as they continued to pray. Sarah arrived back at the house in a little over an hour, but they had to tell her that there was no news. Sarah was just as worried as they were.

“I know this will be an emotional upset for Mandy, but I am also concerned about the weather. What is a cold rain here could very well be snow up in the mountains. Even though it is summer, it gets very cold at the higher elevations. I just hope she has shelter. I pray that the Indian has not harmed her.”

“It looks like you have done all you can to prepare for the worst. We will be ready when they bring her back. The best thing we can do now is pray.”

The women sat around the kitchen table and held hands as they prayed for their friend. They prayed that the men would find Amanda quickly and that they would be able to get her away from the Indian with no bloodshed and that Amanda had not been harmed by Maouk.

Chapter Nineteen

2011-03-03T06:18:00.000-08:00

Beth was eager to see Riley’s new home. This was the farthest she had come from the town and the beautiful scenery awed her. Although only a little over a mile from town, the property was secluded enough to seem as if it were miles from anywhere.

“Riley, it is so beautiful up here! I know you will love living up here.”

Beth hopped down from the wagon as Riley pulled to a stop.

“Go on inside and take a look while I see to the horses,” Riley said.

The house was similar to the one in which the four women lived in town. There were four large rooms. The front two rooms had a fireplace between them. Riley explained that one of the back rooms would be used a kitchen and the other could be used for storage or another bedroom. Riley had built a lean-to shelter on the side that could be used for a shelter for a horse or cow. Riley joined Beth inside and showed her the root cellar and the loft. The house had a steep roof so that there was enough room in the loft so that Beth could stand upright. Riley explained that there was room to hang wet clothes if it was raining.
“Riley, you have thought of everything!”

“I still need to get a cook stove and some furniture but it is almost ready for me to move in. What do you think?”

Beth sensed that Riley was asking her more than if she liked the house.

“Riley, I think you have done a wonderful job. Everything looks fine. I am sure you will enjoy living here.”

“But do you think a woman would like it?”

Beth looked a little puzzled by that statement.

“Riley, I am a woman, and I like it. What do you mean?”

Riley looked sheepish. “I guess I didn’t explain very well. I meant if I ever decided to get married. Do you think a woman could be happy here? Especially a city woman.”

Beth chose her next words carefully. Had she somehow misread the way Riley felt about her?

“Riley, I think a woman who loved her husband would be happy wherever he was. Why are you asking me this? I have to be honest and say that I don’t think you are talking about me.”

Riley’s face turned red as he stammered, “Oh, Beth, I am sorry. I think a lot of you as a friend but. . . “

“Riley, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I think of you as a friend too. Can you tell me if you have someone special in mind?”

“Well, maybe we had just better wait on that. There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Let’s go back outside. There are some logs out front where we can sit down.”

Beth agreed and soon they were sitting on the logs and gazing at the sound below. Beth caught her breath at the beauty of the scene.

“Riley, this is such a gorgeous view! I could sit here and look at it all day!”

Making herself turn back toward Riley, she asked, “What did you want to talk to me about?”

Riley pulled the small Bible from his pocket.

“Do you remember when you gave me this on the train?”

“Why, yes. A good friend, Sarah’s brother, Joe, gave it to me. He wanted me to use it to witness to someone here. Have you been reading it?”

“Yes, and I have some questions about it. Remember when Pastor Taylor led the first service in the church? He preached on those verses that he called the A B C verses. He said that is all that a person has to do to be saved. But, Beth, why does a person have to be saved? I can believe in God. Look at all the beauty around us. I have to believe someone created it. Nothing this beautiful could just happen. But I try to be a good person. I try to be honest in my dealings with others. I don’t lie or hurt others. Why do I need to be saved?” Riley continued, “And look at Hannah. It seemed to me that she was as good as anyone could be, but then she decided she needed to be saved. Why?”

“Riley, it is just as Pastor Taylor said. ‘All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.’(Romans 3:23) Hannah was raised in a church just as Mandy, Sarah, and I were. The difference was that each of us made a decision to follow Christ at an early age. Hannah had never made that decision. She believed but she had not taken the next step – total obedience to God. That means putting God first in everything we do.”

“Riley, I too have tried to be good. I always wanted to do what my parents asked, and yet I knew I needed to be saved. One day my mother and I were reading some verses, and it was as if I suddenly understood that I needed Christ in my heart. I can’t imagine life without Him near me and helping me day by day. Oh, I have never been tempted to steal or kill anyone. But I am tempted to be cross or to not apologize when I have wronged someone. I have gone to church for all of my life so naturally I have always believed in God and that Jesus is His Son. I even believed that He died on the cross and rose again after three days. I had heard these stories all of my life. I never doubted them. But I had not asked Christ into my heart.”

“Riley, may I see the Bible? I want to show you a special passage that means so much to me. It’s from John 14. Here, let me read it to you:

‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’

Jesus goes on to tell his disciples:

‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also; and from henceforth ye know Him. And have seen him.’

“Riley, you say you believe in God. Here Jesus is telling his disciples that if they believe in God, they should also believe in Him. He also tells them that the only way to the Father or God is through Jesus. Let’s look back a few chapters to the verse that says it all –

‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’

(John 3:16)

“When my mother became ill, she began talking with me about asking Christ into my heart. I think she knew that she would not get well, and she wanted me to become a Christian before she passed away. We read many verses together, and each one just seemed to point out to me that I needed to make that decision.

“Riley, that was the most important decision I have ever made or ever will make. It is more important than whom I marry or what type of work I do or where I live. When my mother died, I don’t think I could have gone on if I had not had the hope of eternal life and the faith that someday I will see her again. God has helped me through so much.

“I have told you a little of what it was like on our farm. My father is not a Christian, and he never had a kind word to say about anything I did. I cooked and cleaned and ran the house from the time I was ten years old, but he just acted like I was supposed to do it all. I didn’t really mind doing it or waiting on my mother, but it would have been nice if he had thanked me or acted like he appreciated what I was doing. I couldn’t have made it without the Lord. I don’t see how anyone can make it day to day without Him.

“Another of my favorite passages is from Proverbs. It goes like this:

‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart: and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thou ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.’

(Proverbs 3: 5 – 6)

“I know that I don’t understand everything about God. None of us can. Our human minds simply cannot comprehend the majesty of God. But I do know that if you trust Him, He will help you and guide you in all that you do. He will give you peace in a way I can’t fully explain to you, but you will understand better once you accept Him as your Lord and Savior. I hope you will make that decision. I promise you that you will never regret it”

Riley rubbed his chin as he thought.
“I am just not sure, Beth. What you are saying makes sense. But I don’t know that I want to depend on someone else. I’ve made it this far without God, and I think I am doing all right.”

Beth looked at Riley and said seriously, “Riley, you may think you have made it on your own, but God is watching over you. Why, I know that Sarah, Mandy, and I have been praying for you since the day we met you, and I imagine there are others who pray for you too. You are well thought of in this community and have many friends. Having Christ in your heart will change you in ways you cannot even comprehend. But it takes faith to ask Jesus into your heart. Faith that God can and will change you for the better. Don’t worry, we will all continue praying. Would you like for me to pray with you now?”

Riley scratched his head and looked thoughtful, “Well, I guess I don’t mind if you pray, but I don’t know what good it will do.”

“You might be surprised!”

Bowing her head and closing her eyes, Beth began to pray.

“Father, thank you that Riley has come to me today to ask these questions. Thank you that he has cared enough to read Your word. I believe that You are working in his life right now and have been for several weeks. God, You know that we are nothing compared to You and our minds cannot even comprehend how truly great and holy You are. Help Riley to understand how much he needs You in his life. Guide him to the scripture that he needs to read to help him understand just how much he needs You. Lord, make his mind and heart open to Your word. I just pray that he will soon know You as I do and that You will pour down Your blessings upon him in such a way that he can have no doubt as to Your power and glory. Send your Holy Spirit to guide him in his search for You. Bless him today and in the future. Thank You for the friends he has in Your family. Help each of us to be a good witness to him. Thank You for Your presence here now. Amen”

Riley was quiet on the way back to town, and Beth continued praying silently for his salvation. She felt that Riley was close to making a decision, and she prayed that he would listen to the Lord speaking to him.

When they pulled up in front of the house, Hannah came out the front door.

“Oh, there you are. Is Mandy with you?”

“No, she was here when we left. Didn’t she leave a note?”

“No, I didn’t see one. I have been home for over an hour. I went by to see Jacques while I was out so I know she didn’t go there. She wasn’t at the store either. Sarah left to go up to the logging camp. There has been another accident up there. I am a little worried about Mandy because it is not like her to go out alone, especially for so long.”

“I am sure she will be back soon,”

Beth looked worried, and Riley followed her into the kitchen to look for a note from Amanda.

“What’s this?”

The women looked to see Riley with the small basket that contained the bead necklace.

“Oh, that was left on our doorstep sometime this morning,” Beth said. “We had no idea where it came from. I meant to ask you about it. We thought one of the men must have left it there.”

Riley asked harshly, “What about other things? Has anything else been left on your doorstep?”

“Well, yes. There have been fish and game left there. We thought some of the men were leaving it. They have brought us food before.”

One look at Riley’s face and the two women were thoroughly frightened.

“These weren’t left by any of the men in town. This was left by an Indian, probably Maouk. This is the way they court a woman. They leave gifts at the door, and if the woman accepts them, it means she accepts their courtship! Beth, can you think of anywhere else Mandy might have gone?”

“No, unless she went to see Estelle Taylor. One of us usually goes over every day, and since we were gone, she might have gone over there. Do you want us to run over there and check if she is there?”

“Yes. Stay together. I am going to get some of the men. Meet us back here in ten minutes or less, if possible.”

Riley left toward town and Beth and Hannah ran down the street toward the Taylor home. Pausing just long enough to catch their breath, Beth cautioned Hannah against upsetting Estelle.

“We will just ask if Mandy has been there, and if she is, we will hurry to tell Riley and the others. If she has been and is not now, one of us should stay with her until we know something.”

Hannah readily agreed that she would stay while Beth went back to tell the others, and they knocked on the door of the Taylor home.

Less that two minutes later, Beth was running as fast as she could back toward their house. She had only gone a short distance when she met Riley, along with five or six other men from the town. Riley had unhitched the horse and was riding him bareback. Several of the others were also on horseback, and Beth was alarmed to see that they were carrying firearms.

“Riley,” Beth shouted. “Mandy was there over two hours ago. She left saying she was going home to do laundry. Estelle hasn’t seen her since.”

“No one has seen her in town either,” Riley said grimly. “We are going out to the Indian village.”

“What can we do?” Beth was frantic at the thought that something had happened to her friend.

“Pray!” Riley shouted over his shoulder, as he and the others rode off into the woods.

Chapter Eighteen

2011-03-01T09:36:00.000-08:00

“Hello, Jacques,” Amanda said to the Frenchman as she entered the Parker home. Jacques was much improved and was now able to get about the rooms of the house with the aid of a crutch he had fashioned from some scraps of wood Mr. Parker had brought him. Several weeks had passed since his accident, and Sarah said that he would be back to normal before much longer.

“Bon Jour, Mademoiselle. Et es lovely to see your beautiful face today.” Jacques smiled at her from his seat beside the fireplace. “I wish to say merci – thank you – to you for all your kind care while I was ill, oui? I have present for you. Come, see.”

“Oh, Jacques, you didn’t have to give me a present. I am just glad that you are feeling better. Doctor Sarah says you will be back to normal in no time at all.”

Amanda walked closer to see what Jacques had in his hand.

“Jacques, they are darling! How did you make them? They look as if they are real!”

In Jacques’ hand were tiny animals carved from wood. There was a rabbit, a fox, a fish, and, Amanda’s favorite, a baby fawn.

“OH, et es nothing. I make with my knife, oui? I have nothing to do so I ask Mr. Parker if he bring wood to me. Et es just something to do while I sit here before the fire. You pick the one you wish, and I give the others to Doctor Sarah, Miss Beth, and Miss Hannah to thank them for their kindness. I will move to boarding house with Riley and Will in two days. Mr. Parker say I can work at mill until I am stronger. The Parkers are very nice too, oui?”

“Yes, they have been nice to you. Thank you so much for the carvings. I know the others will love them too. And before you know it, you will be going to the parties again!”

Jacques smiled at her words. Amanda already knew that he liked to flirt with the ladies. But in truth, he was friendly to everyone.

Amanda went to find Mrs. Parker. She had brought some beans from their garden to share. The garden was growing so fast because of the long days and abundant rainfall. They had been busy canning and preserving all they could and were enjoying fresh vegetables with all of their meals.

Coming back into the front room, Amanda thanked Jacques once again before leaving to go home. Amanda had not seen anything of the Indian Maouk since the day he came into the store. She felt he had decided to leave her alone since the men had spoken to him. She no longer felt nervous about going around town alone; however, she still did not go out of the town and continued to cover her hair with a bonnet.

As Amanda neared their house, she saw Hannah in front, and she waved to get her attention. Hannah held a small basket in her hand and held it out to Amanda as she came closer.

“Mandy, did you see this when you went out?”

Amanda examined the basket and saw that it held a necklace made of trading beads.

“No, I haven’t seen if before. Where did you find it?”

“It was right here on the doorstep when I opened the door to sweep.”

“It is unusual that someone would leave that on our doorstep. I am used to the men leaving fish or game but I haven’t seen a necklace like this before. Maybe we should ask one of the men about it.”

The women went into the house, and Amanda placed the basket on the shelf in the front room.

“I am so excited about teaching school in the fall. The town leaders were very supportive when Riley suggested it to them. I met another family today at the store on my way to the Parkers. By my count, I should have at least twenty in my class. I went by the store to see if Ben could get me a catalog so that I might order some more books and other supplies. The men of the church have agreed to build a school one Saturday. All of the people of the community will meet and they should finish it in one day. I hope and pray that I can do a good job teaching the children all they need to know.”

Hannah assured her that she would do fine.

“Beth and Sarah have both told me what a wonderful teacher you are. And I can tell by our Bible study times that you are a born teacher. You have a way of making everything seem so clear. The children will love you!”

“I hope everything works out. We’d better get busy picking the rest of those beans if we want to have them canned by tonight. I love having enough food so that we will have plenty for winter. Ben told me that we would be able to get apples in the fall. Our root cellar will be full with the potatoes and canned goods.”

The two worked all day and were just finishing with the last of the beans when Sarah and Beth came in that evening.

“It looks as if you two have been busy all day. I am so thankful for all of my roommates! I would starve this winter if it were up to me to cook, and I don’t think I could ever can anything!” Sarah laughed.

“Of course, you could,” Amanda said. “I didn’t know anything about canning when I came, but Beth and Hannah have taught me so much that I wonder why I never did it before!”

“I don’t have to work tomorrow so I can help some. I just have to finish the dress I am making for Cora Parker. I have several ladies who want to order dresses, but I haven’t had time to sit down with them to pick out the material or a pattern. I expect to be busy this fall with sewing. I don’t know if I will continue working in the fall. I will need to help Hannah and my dressmaking business is really growing too,” Beth said.

“Do you think that Ben might let me work some in the store? I want to be able to contribute to our supplies, and I would like to have some money of my own. I could help you with some of the sewing too,” Hannah said.

“That would be wonderful. I am pretty sure Ben will be agreeable, but I will ask him about it when I see him. What else do you have to do in the garden?” Beth asked.

“We were planning to try canning tomatoes tomorrow. I haven’t canned any before, so I will be glad of your help,” said Amanda.

“I will be glad to help. They are easy to do, and we will be happy to have them when we make soup this winter,” Beth replied.

“Sarah, you and Beth don’t know anything about a bead necklace, do you? It was left on our doorstep sometime this morning. I didn’t see it when I went out, but Hannah found it while I was gone. It was in a small basket,” Amanda said.

“No, I can’t imagine who would have left it there. Where is it?”

Amanda went to get the tiny basket and necklace from the front room. Sarah and Beth looked closely at the necklace but neither had seen one like it.

“This basket is like the ones the Indians make, isn’t it?” asked Sarah.

“Yes. We have them in the store. We have the beads as well but not in necklaces. The Indians trade pelts and other supplies for them. Others buy them too and I have seen some of the trappers with them. They have usually traded with the Indians for them,” said Beth.

“But why would they be on our doorstep?” asked Hannah.

“I don’t know, but I will ask someone who has lived here longer. They might be able to give us an idea of where they came from and why.”

The women began preparing their evening meal and forgot about the beads as they visited and told about their day. All joined in the clean up and they were soon ready for the nightly Bible study.

“I am glad that I could be here tonight. I really miss these times of Bible study when I am out on calls,” said Sarah.

Since Sarah could not always be with them as they studied, she asked that she lead for that evening. The others readily agreed.

Taking her Bible, she turned to Psalm 27:

‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple.

For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me: He shall set me up upon a rock.

And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

When thou saidest, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.

Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.

Teach me Thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the Lord.’ (Psalm 27)

“This is a wonderful passage for times when we are fearful or lonely,” said Sarah. “It meant so much to me when I had to leave St. Louis and travel to a strange place in order to study medicine. There I was - hundreds of miles from home and in a strange city. I was the only female student and many of the others shunned me. I felt like I did not have a friend in the world. But the Lord sent Mandy to me to be my friend. And I found out that, even if our earthly family is far away, we can have Christian friends near us to give us support. We are all a part of the family of God!”

“Yes, I felt the same way when I got to Boston.” Amanda continued. “I had never been so far north, and then the war started. I could not have gotten home if I had tried. I would have had to cross enemy lines. I was worried about my family and had no way to get word to them, and they couldn’t get a letter to me for a long time. Just when I was at my lowest, I met Sarah. She was truly an answer to prayer. I feel like she could be my sister. And now our family has grown to include the two of you!” Amanda stopped to smile at Beth and Hannah, and all four joined hands for a moment.

Beth continued, “I think this is a wonderful promise that God will always be with us and will protect us. He will give us the strength we need in any situation. He has taken care of me thus far, and I trust that He will continue to do so.”

The women held hands as each one prayed. They thanked God for His faithfulness and for their friendship. They prayed that God would continue to watch over them and for His guidance in the days to come. They rejoiced together for God’s promises of protection and for Hannah’s newly found salvation

The next morning, Hannah and Amanda rose early in order to get the chores done before starting on the job of picking, washing and canning the tomatoes. Taking two large baskets out into the garden they were just finishing picking the last of the tomatoes when Beth came out to tell them that breakfast was ready.

“I can’t believe you have already picked all of the tomatoes. They are so beautiful and there are so many of them! We should be able to get several dozen jars!” Beth exclaimed.

Sarah had gone to check on Jacques so the other three women prepared the tomatoes for canning. Although it was hard work, they were finished by lunchtime.

Looking at the jars of bright red tomatoes cooling on the counter, Hannah cried, “I am so proud that we could get all of these done! With all three of us, it wasn’t much trouble at all!”

After eating lunch, Hannah left to go to the community building. She had promised to help some of the new women with their laundry. Beth went to the front room where she was working on the dress for Cora Parker and Amanda began preparing to do their laundry. They liked to wash clothes whenever the weather was sunny so that they would dry quickly. With the frequent rains, they could never be assured of clear days.

The two had not worked for long when they were interrupted by a knock on the front door. Putting aside the dress, Beth opened the door to admit Riley.

“Hi, Riley. Why aren’t you at work? Is everything all right?” Beth wanted to know.

“Well, yes, nothing is wrong. Beth, I was wondering if you would go for a ride with me? I borrowed a wagon and horse from the livery. I thought we might go up to see my house. It is almost ready to move into. I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Of course, I will be happy to talk with you. I just need to tell Mandy where I am going. Or did you want her to come too?” asked Beth.

“No, not this time. I really want to talk with you by yourself if you don’t mind,” Riley answered.

Beth went into the kitchen to tell Amanda that she was going with Riley for a ride to see his new home. Amanda put on a bright smile and told her that was fine, and Beth left without noticing that her friend’s smile was forced. She was not aware that Amanda had overheard their conversation when Beth had answered the door.

Amanda was able to hold her smile until Beth and Riley left and then she walked to the table and sat down. Placing her head in her hands, she prayed, “Oh, Lord, help me to be happy for Riley and Beth. Why do I feel this way? I knew all along that Riley was falling in love with Beth. How could he help it? She is so sweet and such a wonderful friend to me. Please help me not to be jealous, Lord. I do wish her every happiness, but it hurts me so badly to see her with Riley.’

“Lord, I tell myself that I don’t want Beth to marry a non-believer and that is true; but the truth is, I don’t want her to marry Riley. I think I love him myself. Oh, how will I keep that a secret from Beth? How can I act happy for her when I feel as though my heart is breaking? Lord, please help me with this. I know that neither of us should marry Riley as long as he is not a Christian, but if he should accept you, Lord, help me to be happy for them both. Help me to get over this jealousy and the hurt that I feel. I want to be a good friend to Beth, and if she marries Riley, my feelings for him will always be in the way of our friendship. But I can’t tell her. Lord, and I don’t think I can even tell Sarah. She might let something slip to Beth. Lord, what can I do? Please give me guidance in this.”

Laying her head on her arms, she broke down into tears, and it was several minutes before she could compose herself.

“Lord, I know You will help me,” she said resolutely. “I’ll just put my mind on other things.”

Rising from the table, she decided to visit Estelle Taylor and to take a jar of the tomatoes with her. She changed into a clean skirt and blouse and left for the short walk to the Taylor home. Amanda arrived at the Taylor home within a few minutes, and as always Estelle was happy to see her. Amanda did a few small chores for her and sat down for a chat. Many in the community had offered help as soon as they found out that Estelle was confined to her bed. Estelle usually had several visitors a day, and the community was generous with food and help with chores.

“Let me take your laundry with me. I am going to do ours when I get home. It won’t be any trouble to do yours at the same time.”

“Mandy, you are too good to me. I will never be able to thank you enough for all you have done to help me – and I don’t know what I would have done without Sarah, especially on the trip. I just feel so much better having a woman doctor!”

“We are glad to help. And you know you would do the same for any of us,” replied Amanda.

Wishing her continued improvement in her health, Amanda went out of the door of the small house on the edge of town. Looking toward town, she knew that she wanted a little more time alone.

“It won’t hurt to walk a bit. I need to think about how I am going to act when Beth tells me she and Riley are getting married. I have to act like I am happy for them both,” Amanda thought. She prayed that she would be able to make them think that she was happy about their marriage. Amanda was so deep in thought that she did not realize that she had gone several hundred yards into the forest on the edge of town.

Stopping for a moment, she thought of how she could smile at Beth. Maybe she could pull that off, but she doubted if she would ever be able to smile at Riley convincingly.

Suddenly, everything went black and Amanda felt someone grab her around her middle and pick her up. Stunned, she did nothing for a second, but she soon began to kick and fight to try to get away. Whoever had her just held on to her tighter. Amanda thought she had some type of blanket around her and it smelled of the fish oil that the Indians rubbed on their bodies. Amanda’s whole body stiffened as she realized that one of the Indians must have her. She tried to scream but the blanket got into her mouth and the taste and the smell made her feel as if she might be sick. Still she struggled to get away until she felt a sharp blow to the side of her head and everything went dark.

Chapter Seventeen

2011-02-28T10:56:00.000-08:00

Sarah arrived home just as the other women were preparing breakfast.

“I don’t know why babies always seem to come in the middle of the night. I love the miracle of a new birth, but sometimes it is difficult for me to stay awake. I guess I shouldn’t complain. I am just glad to have patients. And I thank God that both mother and baby are doing fine.”

“And look at my payment!” Sarah lifted a burlap sack onto the table.

The others looked eagerly to see what this patient had sent. Most of Sarah’s patients had a lack of coin, so many paid with supplies or something they could trade at the general store.

“Oh, look! There’s a big jar of pickles and some ham. There are even four apples. We can make an apple pie and some ham biscuits to take for our lunch today.”

It had been decided that those who wished would bring a picnic lunch to church with them. Some of the settlers lived a distance from town and would have a late meal if they had to travel back home before eating. It was felt that this would also be an opportunity for the townspeople to get to know the newly arrived women. Mr. Mercer had arrived on Thursday bringing fifty women with him. The community building was crowded with women of all ages.

The women had met some of the new arrivals at the dance the previous night, but Amanda knew that it would take time before they were familiar with all of the new names.

The four women hurried to eat their breakfast so they could finish their chores and begin preparing lunch. Sarah went to take a nap, and Beth went out to feed the chickens.

Amanda and Hannah worked together in the kitchen as Amanda began mixing the biscuits.

“Mandy?” Hannah said tentatively. “Do you remember when you were saved?”

“Why, yes,” Amanda replied. “I was ten years old. I had always gone to church, but I was at a revival meeting; and suddenly it seemed that the preacher was speaking straight to me. I realized that Christ died for me – not just other people. And the words in the Bible were for me – not just grown-ups. I felt such a burden in my heart that I went forward to talk to the preacher, and he helped me pray right then that Jesus would come into my heart. It was a wonderful feeling to know that Jesus would forgive all of my sins. I felt such peace, and I still feel peace about it. Oh, I sometimes get discouraged, just as others do, and I don’t always do the right thing or have the right attitude, but I know that Jesus is only a prayer away. And I know that I need to spend time with Him so that I can be right with Him again. Why do you ask?” Turning toward Hannah, Amanda was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

“Why, Hannah, what is wrong? Why are you crying?”

“Oh, Mandy, I know that I told you on the train that I was a Christian. I really thought I was because I have always gone to church with my family. And I always tried to do the right thing and not hurt anyone. I have read my Bible and prayed, but I have never asked Jesus into my heart. I guess I just thought He was already there because I had always believed in Him.”

“But since I have come here to live and we have been studying the Bible passages each night, I know that I am not really a Christian. It’s like you said, all of a sudden, everything we read seems to have been written just for me. Just like last night when we talked about the rich young ruler. I don’t have a lot of money but I don’t think I have been willing to give everything up for God. I know that I have not put Christ before everything else.”

“Mandy, will you help me pray so I can have that peace that you have?”

“Of course I will. And, Hannah, it is the easiest prayer in the world. All you need to do is tell God that you believe in Him, that you believe Jesus came to earth and died to save you and He rose again. That He is living right now in heaven with God and that He promised us eternal life if we only believe. Ask Him to forgive you for all of your wrongs and to send His Holy Spirit to guide you. And then just ask Him into your heart.”

Amanda prayed with the younger girl, and in just a few minutes, Hannah lifted her head to smile happily through her tears.

“Oh, Mandy, you were right! It is a feeling of such peace! I can’t explain it but. . .”

Amanda hugged Hannah and rejoiced with her over her newly found faith in Christ. When Beth came inside, they shared the news with her, and Beth was overjoyed to know that now Hannah was part of the family of God.

The women continued preparing their noon meal and packed it into a large basket before dressing for church. Sarah joined them on their walk to the community building.

There was a much larger crowd this week because of the additional women. It seemed that more men were present as well. The group greeted their friends and acquaintances as they found seats on the benches. Amanda was seated between Beth and Hannah this week. Will and Ben sat with them, next to Beth. Riley joined them a few minutes later, sitting next to Will.

Pastor Taylor once again opened the service with several well-known songs before leading the group in prayer.

“It does my heart good to look out at all of these happy faces this morning. It seems that we grow every week. I have a few announcements but before that, I want to express my thanks to everyone for the help you have given to our family this week. Estelle is doing a little better, and your help has enabled her to get the rest she needs. Our families were worried about our coming so far from home to start a new church; but I say that we may have left our family back in Georgia but we have found a new one here in Seattle.” He smiled warmly at the congregation.

Pastor then made several announcements, included the scheduled town meeting on Tuesday evening.

As Pastor Taylor began his message, Amanda glanced at Riley. He was listening intently to the pastor, and Amanda reminded herself that she needed to do so as well.

Pastor Taylor had chosen the story of the crucifixion for his sermon topic that day.

“Friends, some of you know this story very well but others of you may have never heard it. It is my belief that no one is ready to worship until he is aware of the sacrifice that Christ made for each of us.”

Pastor Taylor led them through the days leading up to the death of Christ and the agony of the cross.

“And His friends denied Him. They were afraid that they too would be imprisoned or killed. Those that stayed near thought all was lost. They lost one of the most precious things to each of us – they lost hope! They lost hope because they lost their faith. Their frail human minds could not understand that this was God’s plan. They did not fully understand this until the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to live within them. They thought that Christ had died a human death – and so He had - but He was not human, He was the Son of God! Death could not hold Him! After three days, He rose from the dead. Can you imagine how His followers felt when they heard the good news? They were overjoyed! Jesus spent His final time on earth preparing them for the time that He would return to heaven.’

“Just think about it! Here were just a few followers, eleven disciples and a few more. And they were responsible for telling the world about Jesus. How can we do less?’

“Friends, Jesus died that agonizing death for you – for each one of you. He left the glory of heaven for you! He is waiting right now for you to ask Him into your heart! Won’t you do that today? We are going to have an invitation today, and I ask you to come forward if you are ready to make a public decision for Christ today. I will be here to pray with you. Or if you are not ready, I will meet with you privately. Friends, this is the most important decision you will ever make! Don’t put if off! I would ask you all to stand and bow your heads and pray silently. Those who need to step forward, won’t you come now? Please!”

Hannah squeezed Amanda’s hand before slipping out of the row and going forward. Amanda thanked God for the other girl’s decision. She prayed that others would also make decisions today. She especially prayed that Riley would see that he needed the Lord in his life.

A short time later, Pastor Taylor asked them all to be seated. Amanda was glad to see four people with the pastor, but she was sad that Riley was not one of them.

“Friends, won’t you rejoice with me today? We have four coming today to make personal decisions to have Christ as their Lord and Savior. Let me share with you who they are.”

The pastor went on to introduce Hannah along with a married couple, the Stevensons, and their son, Joshua.

“I know that everyone will want to greet them and rejoice with them. You will have time for that as we prepare to eat our meal. I will say grace, and then I would ask the men to come forward to help with moving the tables and benches in preparation for lunch.”

After he led in prayer, many rushed to the four new Christians to express their happiness with their decisions. With all present helping, the tables were quickly laden with food, and plates were filled in short order. All present began to eat while visiting with their nieghbors.

Chapter Sixteen

2011-02-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

The days seem to speed by, as the women were kept busy with work and daily chores, as well as helping nurse Jacques Dubois and Estelle Taylor. Several mornings they awakened to find gifts of food on their doorsteps. They did not think too much about this as the men of the community often left meat and game at their house if they were not at home or if it was very early in the morning.

Almost before Amanda knew it, it was Saturday and time for the weekly get-together. She had been looking forward to getting out of the house and having fun. Although busy, she had not forgotten the Indian and the way he had stared at her. She had not seen him again, and she hoped that she had seen the last of him. She continued to wear a bonnet anytime she left the cabin and one of the others accompanied her.

The garden was growing with the long days of sunlight, and they would soon have fresh vegetables. Beth had promised to show Amanda and Hannah how to preserve the food. Amanda had enjoyed getting to know Hannah better. Amanda thought the other woman was beautiful with her head full of black curls and her pretty blue eyes that sparkled with life. Hannah seemed to enjoy living with them as well. She joined in their nightly Bible study, although she had told the others that she did not wish to lead just yet. She was always eager to help in any way, and Amanda was glad of her help now that Beth was working. Sarah had seen several new patients. It seemed that every day brought someone to see the new doctor. Sarah thought that many of them came out of curiosity; and indeed she had sent some of the men away when she had determined that they just wanted to meet the women who lived in the small house.

Will and Ben had promised to walk with them to the party. Amanda had not seen Riley all week, and she was looking forward to seeing him at the party. Ben had told Riley and some of the other men about the Indian, Maouk, who had frightened Amanda and their advice had been for Amanda to always be accompanied by someone and to cover her hair. Ben said that some of the men had promised to talk with Chief Seattle about the matter.

Sarah had gone with a settler who lived several miles to the east of town. His wife was expecting a baby, and he had come for Sarah in order for her to assist with the delivery.

Amanda and the others were ready when Will and Ben came for them, and they walked the short distance to the community building. Amanda greeted everyone warmly. She felt happy to be out and was looking forward to having a good time with her friends and neighbors. Although she had learned much about nursing while helping to care for Jacques and was enjoying his happy personality, she felt she had been cooped up all week.

The band began playing soon after their arrival, and the men eagerly took partners. They seemed less shy about asking the women to dance this week. Amanda and the others danced one dance after another, pausing only when the band took a break. Amanda kept looking for Riley and finally saw him dancing with Beth. She thought about how handsome Riley was with his dark black hair and brown eyes. She thought he and Beth must be falling in love. Riley seemed to always look for Beth and they had no trouble talking like she and Riley did. Somehow the sight of the two of them gave her an ache in her heart, but she refused to acknowledge it as jealousy. Indeed, she would never be jealous of her good friend, Beth. She wished her nothing but happiness. Maybe she was a little upset because Riley was a non-believer or at the thought of Beth moving out when they had just gotten settled in their new home. She would surely miss her, but she told herself that they would still live near each other. There was no need for her to be upset, and she gave herself a stern lecture about her feelings while attempting to carry on conversations with those around her. But no matter how she tried, she could not get rid of that small ache deep inside.

Amanda hoped that Riley would ask her to dance, but he seemed content to dance with the other women present. Amanda forced a smile toward the other men, but in truth she did not feel much like smiling. Somehow her enjoyment of the party had lessened. She told herself that she probably was just tired from her long week, but she knew the real reason was Riley’s lack of attention.

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she turned to find Riley standing there. Suddenly all of her happiness and energy was back as he asked her to dance the next dance. Amanda smiled up at Riley, but as usual he did not seem to be paying much attention to her. He seemed to have no trouble laughing and talking with the others present, and she wondered again what he could possibly have against her.

The dance was soon over and, since it was the last dance of the evening, they began cleaning and preparing the room for the church service the next morning. Many hands made the task go quickly, and they were soon on their way home. Amanda was surprised to find that once again Riley was beside her on the walk home while Will and Ben walked ahead with Beth and Hannah.

“Mandy, I heard about what happened with Maouk this week. I hope that you will heed what we all have said. Don’t go out alone and cover your hair. I’m surprised that he is bothering you. I don’t think we have had this type of trouble with any of the Indians since I have lived here. They usually stay to themselves except when they have something to trade. I guess he is just fascinated by your hair. It is an unusual shade of blonde and when the sun shines on it, well, I can see why he thinks it is gold. It surely sparkles like gold then.”

Amanda was shocked by this long speech from Riley. It was more than he had ever said to her at one time. She readily promised to be careful and wear a bonnet.

“You don’t think he would really hurt me, do you?” Amanda had been praying, and she was trying to trust God for her safety but the thoughts of the Indian still made her nervous.

“Well, like I said, we’ve not had many problems with the Indians before. I think he would know better than to bother a white woman. There were a few times before I came up here when there was a threat of an uprising, but things have been quiet since I got here.”

Riley’s jaw tightened as he continued. “But he had better leave you alone. There is going to be a town meeting on Tuesday evening, and I intend to speak to the town leaders then. Arthur Dendy was one of the first settlers here, and I am sure he will know what to do. I hope that he or one of the others who know the Indians the best will speak to Chief Seattle. The Indians need to know that they cannot frighten you or any of the other women.”
By this time, they had reached their home so the women told the men good night after expressing their hopes of seeing them all at church the next morning.

As they prepared for their nightly devotion, Amanda shared with the other two what Riley had said.

“I would like to go to that meeting and ask about the possibility of starting a school. There are several couples with children and the ones I have talked to are in favor of the town having a school. I will ask Riley if I can go with him if he comes to church tomorrow.”

“I know how much you love teaching, Mandy. I hope God will open a way for you to be able to teach. We will all be praying about it,” said Beth.

It was Beth’s turn to lead in the Bible study for that evening. Although tired, none of them wanted to give up this comforting nightly routine.

Beth had chosen the passage about the rich young ruler from the book of Luke.

‘And a certain young ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

And Jesus said unto him, Why callest me good? None is good, save one, that is, God?

Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery. Do not kill. Do not Steal. Do not bear false witness. Honour thy father and thy mother.

And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.

Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute it unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.

And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful: he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God?

For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.’ (Luke 18:18-25)

Hannah’s face was troubled. “I don’t really understand this passage. It sounds like Jesus expects us to give up all that we have and not have a home or anything.”

“I don’t think that is really what He is saying. I think He expects us to provide for our families. But I think He is saying that we must be willing to give it all up for Him, we must be willing to follow Him at all costs. “Beth explained.

“Hannah, I have not shared with you about how I came on this trip west. Sarah had written Amanda about the idea of her coming out here to settle. My father had promised that I would marry the local storekeeper. You saw him that day on the platform in St. Louis when we were leaving. I wanted to obey my father, but Mr. Zimmerman is not a Christian. Even if I had loved him, I could not have married him because he is a non-believer. The Bible warns us against that. So even if I had loved him, I would have had to give up the idea of marriage to him. I think that is what Jesus is talking about here. That we must be willing to give up what we want in order to serve Christ. The young ruler was not willing so his heart was not right. Jesus knew that, just as He knows our hearts.”

“My father is also not a Christian and refused to listen to me. I found out shortly before we left that he had money hidden away. His love of money was greater that his love for me.” Beth’s voice shook a little, and Amanda squeezed her hand. Beth took a deep breath and pulled herself together.

“My mother was ill for a long time before she passed away. I nursed her all during the long years she was sick. My father even forced me to give up my schooling in order to stay with her. Oh, I wanted to stay with her, but I wanted to learn as well,and my mother wanted me to go to school. She begged my father to let me continue. He just said we couldn’t afford to hire anyone to stay with her while I was at school. He even refused to let her get treatment back east. He said we didn’t have the money, but, Hannah, I saw with my own eyes that he had a lot of money. Maybe it wasn’t enough, but he should have tried.”

“That’s what Jesus is talking about here. The rich young ruler loved his money more that he loved the Lord.”

Amanda continued, “Yes, I think so too, Beth. I think the Lord expects us to work so that we can provide for ourselves and our families. I don’t believe He would expect us to give everything away so that we were destitute. We just have to be willing to give Him our all. Our whole heart and whatever He asks of us, we should do. I had mixed feelings about Beth leaving without her father’s approval, and I didn’t like not telling the truth about her intention. I guess I wouldn’t have agreed at all, but I strongly felt the Lord telling me that this was His plan for us.”

Beth agreed. “My father even drove my brother away. I haven’t seen him in over eight years. He and my father disagreed over my mother’s treatment. My brother didn’t know Pa had that money, but he felt that we should sell the farm if necessary to pay for her treatment.’

“I’ve talked with Sarah about this and she has told me that the treatment would not have saved my mother’s life; but it could have given us more time with her as well as lessening her pain and suffering.”

“Oh, Beth, I didn’t know all of this! I had wondered about that man in St. Louis, but I never thought it would be something like this. And do you mean, in all these years, you have never heard from your brother?” Hannah asked.

“We received one letter several months after he left and none since then. I have asked people here and on the trip if they had met a Tom Matthews but no one has ever heard of him. I pray every day that I will find him, but so far I don’t know where to look!” Beth broke down into tears, and Amanda held her as she comforted her.

“Beth, I believe that your brother is alive somewhere. The Lord has perfect timing, and we have to let Him take control. Trust in Him that one day you will find Tommy again.”

Beth agreed and, although somewhat subdued, she continued, “Yes, and I have to give up my brother if that is the Lord’s plan. That is what this passage tells us. We must put the Lord first in our lives and trust Him to take care of us. Nothing or no one should be more important to us than Him. Not even our families.”

Amanda noticed that Hannah seemed quiet as they prepared for bed, and she thought that she must be tired from their long week. She knew she was, and she was asleep almost as soon as her head hit her pillow.

Chapter Fifteen

2011-02-25T07:02:00.000-08:00

Riley paused to wipe the moisture from his brow before taking a long drink of cool water. He had been working steadily since leaving the home of the women after lunch and was ready for a break. Placing the ladle back into his bucket, he sat down on a log and looked out at the view from the front of his cabin. His property was high enough above Seattle that he could see a large portion of the Sound but was still secluded from the town. He had already spent time cutting down trees that blocked his view. In his opinion this was one of the best things about his property. A rough road went by his place on the way to the logging camp above, but he could stay here for hours without seeing another person.

Riley looked at the beautiful water below and the beauty of the forest. He thought about Pastor Taylor’s words that morning. He could easily believe in God. The beauty of nature was reason enough to believe in a Creator. But all of that about being a sinner and Jesus coming to save him? Riley thought he was a good enough man. He worked hard, tried to always do the right thing, and to help others. What more could a man do? And why would Jesus come to earth to save him? But he had to admit that Amanda, Beth, Sarah, and the others seemed to have something special.

Reaching into his pack, he pulled out the Bible that Beth had given him earlier. Turning the pages slowly, he looked for the verses that Pastor Taylor had used that morning in his sermon. He could not remember the exact verses and gave up after a few minutes and just started at the beginning of Matthew. Beth had advised him to read in the New Testament for answers about Jesus, although she had told him that she found special verses throughout the Bible that helped her. Riley read through the first several chapters and put the book aside reluctantly, promising himself that he would read more later that evening.

Standing, he stretched the sore muscles in his back. Although he worked hard at the sawmill six days a week, he was using different muscles while working on his house. Picking up his hammer, he looked at the partially finished structure. He had put the corner posts in the ground and was ready to start on the roof and walls. It would be hard work by himself, and he thought that he should have asked for Will’s help.

Hearing a shout, he turned to find Will and Ben walking toward him.

“What are you two doing here?” He asked as he went to shake the hands of the two men.

“We were talking and decided that we would come up to see if you could use our help.”

When Riley assured them that he would be glad of any assistance, Will continued, “I don’t really hold with working on Sundays. I believe that should be a day of rest, but with both of us working at the mill every day, there isn’t much time to help out any other day. And Ben has his store opened every day but Sunday. And it’s not too often that we are not having a downpour!”

Will did not add that he and Ben had discussed the possibility of witnessing to Riley while they worked. Spying the Bible still lying on the log, he thought this was a perfect opportunity for them to begin.

“Have you been reading God’s word?” he asked as he went to pick up the small book.

“Well, yes. Beth gave me that on the train on the way to San Francisco. I really haven’t read much of it before, so I thought I would look at it and see what I thought about it.”

“If you have any questions, Ben or I would be happy to talk with you. Trusting the Lord has gotten me through some hard times, and I don’t know what I would do without Him.”

Ben nodded in agreement.

Seeing that Riley was not ready to discuss this yet, the men asked him what he wanted them to do. With their help, he soon had the framework in place.

“We ought to plan a house raising! That way you could get most of the work done in one day, and it would be fun to get everyone together. We could make a party of it the way they do back east.” Will told Riley as they prepared to return to the boarding house where he and Will were staying.

“I think maybe our friend is getting ready to tie the knot!” Will said jokingly to Ben. “How about it, Riley? Have you already picked out who you want for a bride?”

Riley scowled at him. “I just want a place of my own. I don’t have any intention of getting married anytime soon. You can’t trust women anyway!”

“Hey, I was just teasing you, Riley.” Will looked serious. “But I hope you aren’t still carrying around that grudge about Susan and Stephen West.”

If possible, Riley’s expression grew fiercer. “I don’t want to talk about that!”

“All right, but you know in your heart that all women are not like her. Why, just look at Sarah, Beth, and Mandy. I don’t think I have ever seen any more godly women than they are. I know Susan led you into believing that she was in love with you while seeing Stephen behind your back. But please don’t let that keep you from making a happy marriage.”

“I said I don’t want to talk about it!”

Will hoped his words were having an effect on his friend, but Riley refused to talk about it and packed up his tools in preparation for their trip back into town. Ben lived over his store and bid the other two good night as they entered town while Will and Riley returned to the boarding house.

On Monday morning, Amanda arose early in order to fix breakfast and help Beth get ready to go to work. Beth was looking forward to working in the store.

“I hope I will meet some more of the people of the town. Perhaps I’ll even have an opportunity to invite some of them to church next Sunday.”

Amanda agreed that there should be plenty of chances for Beth to ask others to church while she was working.

“I am going down to the Parker’s to help Sarah and Cora with the injured man. What did Sarah say his name was again?”

“I think it was Jacques something.”

“Oh, yes, it was Jacques Dubois. Sarah said he had come from one of the French provinces in Canada. I am taking some broth over and will help Sarah and Cora bathe him.’

“Beth, I am a little nervous about bathing him. I’ve never done anything like that. Do you think it is all right since I’m not married and I’m not a nurse or doctor?”

“Yes, you are a nurse if you are helping nurse him. Plus Sarah and Cora will be with you. You can bathe his arms and legs and leave him covered elsewhere and let the two of them handle that. I don’t have any experience with nursing male patients. Well, I did help with Joe, but I didn’t have to bathe him. I guess you should ask Sarah what to do.”

Amanda agreed that she would talk with Sarah but said that she did not think she would feel comfortable bathing Jacques.

After Beth left for work, Amanda prepared the broth to take with her. She had already started a pot of venison stew for their supper. The men of the community were taking turns going hunting in order to provide meat for the women at the community home, and usually they also brought something by their cabin. Amanda was thankful for their generosity. It would have been so expensive to purchase meat if any were even available and their diets would have been sparse if they were dependent on their garden.

Amanda carefully carried the pot of broth as she walked the short distance to the Parker home. She had to pass the general store on her way, and she prayed that Beth was having a good day and that she would enjoy her first day at work.

The Parker home was on the edge of town near the sound. Amanda smiled as she sniffed the combined odor of the salt water and the spruce trees that surrounded the area. She thought she would never get tired of her new home’s beauty.

Amanda stiffened as she spied a person stepping out of the forest. It was the Indian who had been in the woods the day she and Beth were picking the berries, the one who had seemed so fascinated by her hair. Amanda stared at the man, unable to move, and he stared back without moving. Amanda was not sure how many minutes had passed before he silently faded into the forest. Drawing a deep breath, she hurried into the cabin.

Sarah took one look at Amanda’s white face and took her to sit down, pushing her head between her knees and urging her to take deep breaths. It was several minutes before Amanda was able to tell Sarah what had happened.

Sarah took Amanda’s hands in hers and looked into her eyes.

“Mandy, the Indians live here too. They have lived here long before we did. We have to learn to get along with them. I know you are afraid after what happened the other time, but Riley talked with the man and I am sure it won’t happen again.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you had been there. He just kept stroking my hair and saying, ‘Gold, gold” over and over again. I just can’t help but be afraid every time I see him. And the way he looks at me! I just can’t explain it.” Holding her head in her hands, Amanda broke down in tears, and it took more reassurance from Sarah before she as able to pull herself together.

“Mandy, remember, we have to trust in the Lord for our safety. That doesn’t mean taking foolish chances but He will protect us. Have you not thought about the fact that Riley just happened to be so close that day? We will pray about this tonight during our devotion, and we will all be praying for you everyday. I don’t want you to think you can’t go out in town. Just don’t go out into the woods by yourself.”

“You don’t have to worry about that!” Amanda said.

Wiping her eyes, she asked Sarah what needed to be done.

“Unfortunately, there is infection in the leg. Jacques has a fever so he needs to have his face bathed in cool water. You should try to get him to drink as much water as you can too. Cora had to go up the sawmill, and I have to go see Estelle Taylor. I’ll be back in a short while. Will you be all right by yourself? You can lock the door behind me.”

Amanda nodded and Sarah showed her what she needed to do for Jacques.

“I imagine he will sleep most of the time. I have given him some medication to fight the infection and to bring down his temperature. Hopefully, he is strong enough to fight this off. I want him to fully recover so that J.T. will know I am really a doctor!”

Amanda looked at Sarah in surprise. That did not sound like the Sarah she knew.

“Oh, I would want him to recover anyway. You know I want that for all of my patients, but I just want that J.T. to know that I know what I am doing!”

Sarah left for the Taylor home shortly thereafter. Amanda locked the door behind her but had to admit she still felt uneasy about the Indian. Returning to Jacques’ room, she began praying that the Lord would give her the courage she needed in this new land. It was so different from Virginia and Ohio. She had heard from Ben and Will that some of the Indians were professing Christians. They did not practice all that she believed a Christian would, but they had been converted long ago by a visiting priest. The priest continued on his way and the Indians had been left with a belief in God with no one to lead them in the ways of a new Christian. Most of the Indians spoke a few words of English, and the long time settlers said they were friendly. The Indians clung to their old customs and would consider some actions cause for war so everyone was advised to talk with the town leaders before having dealings with them. There had been some occasions of unscrupulous traders selling alcohol to the Indians and that was when there was trouble.

Amanda bathed Jacques’ face and sat with him. Every fifteen minutes or so she attempted to get some water or broth into him. She could tell by his restlessness that he still had a fever. Many times he uttered words in a language that she assumed to be French. While she worked, she prayed for his recovery and for her friends. She prayed for Riley’s salvation. She was just admitting to herself how important it was to her that Riley know the saving grace of Jesus. She refused to wonder why that was, she just knew that she wanted him to know the Lord. She told herself that she would want the same for any of her acquaintances.

Looking at the watch she wore pinned to her dress, she saw that it had been almost two hours since Sarah had left. She prayed that nothing had happened to her friend, but she knew that Sarah would go wherever she was needed. Soon she heard a knock at the door and she hurried to answer it. Pausing to ask who it was, she opened the door to admit Sarah.

‘I’m sorry that I took so long, but Estelle was not feeling too well today. This pregnancy has been hard on her with the trip and trying to make a new home. I told Pastor Taylor and her that she should have complete bed rest as much as possible. Pastor Taylor is worried and agreed readily but Estelle thinks she should be helping her husband so that he can win more souls to the Lord. I had to talk to her for a while before I got her to see that she would not be much help if she lost the baby or if she herself was too ill. She agreed and I told her that we would help with the house and cooking. I hate to put so much on you, especially now that Beth is working at the store. I will try to help all that I can but. . .”

“Don’t worry. Remember that Hannah is moving in tomorrow. She will be a big help. And Beth is not working every day. It won’t be that much trouble to fix a little extra each time we cook. I think it is our Christian duty to help our pastor’s family all we can, don’t you?” Amanda responded.

“I am sure that others in the church and community will feel the same way. With everyone working together, it will not be a hardship on anyone. Perhaps you can organize a way that everyone could sign up to help.”

Amanda stayed a little while longer, but when Cora returned from the mill, she left for home. She knew she would take some of the stew over to the Taylor home, and she thought she would bake some corn bread to go with it. She was so busy planning that she did not notice the Indian until he was beside her.

“Hello.”

Amanda was shocked when she saw the Indian and realized that he had spoken to her. She forced herself to nod at him and return his greeting. Not knowing what else she could do, she hurried up the hill toward the store. She had only take a few steps, when she felt his hands tugging at her hair.

“Gold!”

He smiled at her. Amanda’s stomach turned at the odor of the fish oil with which all the Indians rubbed themselves in order to keep away the bugs. She jerked her hair away from his hands.

“No!” She said forcefully. “Don’t touch my hair!”

Turning, she practically ran up the hill to the general store. Entering the store, she looked for Beth and went to her. Looking behind her, she saw that the Indian had also entered the store.

“Beth, he followed me here! He touched my hair! Oh, what can I do?” Amanda whispered to Beth.

With a quick glance, Beth knew she needed to get Amanda out of the room. She led her to the back of the store and into the storage room. There was a small table and two chairs. Ben lived in quarters upstairs but he ate his lunch and some of his other meals down here so that he didn’t have to leave the store. Beth brought Amanda a cup of tea and told her to stay there while she let Ben know what was happening.

Beth was back in a few seconds.

“He’s gone. Ben knows about that day in the woods. I guess Riley told him. Ben waited on him as soon as he saw him and sent him on his way. The Indians don’t come in here too often, but they do trade for some of their supplies here. Oh, Mandy, I am so sorry that you were so frightened again.”

Amanda told Beth about seeing the Indian that morning on the way to the Parker’s.

“I feel like he is following me and watching me all the time. I thought he had gone back to wherever he lives this morning but, as soon as I left the Parker’s, he was right beside me before I knew what was happening. And he grabbed my hair again and said, ‘Gold!’ just like before!” Amanda shivered as she thought of the man’s hands on her.

“You just sit here and rest for a few minutes. I will ask Ben if I can walk home with you. It is about time for me to leave anyway. I have a few supplies to get. Was there anything special you needed or did you just come in to get away from the Indian?”

Amanda told Beth that she had planned to stop in and see how she liked her job but that she did not need any supplies. She shared the news about Estelle Taylor and, as she expected, Beth was eager to help. Beth gathered the supplies they needed and told Ben that she would see him later.

Amanda and Beth walked home quickly, but Amanda could not help looking over her shoulder several times as they walked. Arriving home, they found Hannah who had brought a few of her things over. Will had agreed to help her move the rest on the next day.

Amanda went to change her clothes, and Beth told Hannah what had happened.

“I don’t know why this Indian seems to have singled Mandy out. It may have something to do with her blonde hair. I guess we might be fascinated by it if we had never seen blonde hair before. I plan to tell the men and see what they advise. Right now the best thing we can do is for one of us to try to always be with her and not let her go out alone. I am going to advise her to cover her hair with a bonnet. That might help too.”

Beth explained to Hannah about Estelle and the other girl readily agreed to help.

“Mandy and I can go over every day to help with the household chores, and it won’t be much trouble to prepare some extra when we cook. I will be glad to help. I am so glad there is a church here, aren’t you? I feel that we should do all we can to support our pastor and his family.”

Beth began preparing some cornbread to go with the stew. She asked Hannah to join them for lunch as Amanda returned to the room. Although still pale, Beth thought that Amanda was handling this situation better than the first one. She prayed that the man would leave Amanda alone.

After lunch, Beth and Amanda paid a visit to Estelle Taylor. Estelle told them that she did not want to be a burden to anyone, but they assured her that it was no trouble to do a few chores for her. Gathering the dirty clothes, they bundled them up and promised to have them back by the next day. They had brought some of the stew and cornbread. Amanda promised that one of them would come over everyday.

“I am sure that once word gets around that you must have bed rest, everyone in the church and probably others in town will want to do their part. And you may have the opportunity to witness to them while they help you out!” Beth smiled at the older woman.

Estelle thanked them again and again. Beth and Amanda asked her if they could pray with her before they left. Mr. Taylor came in just as they were preparing to leave.

“We can’t thank you enough for your offer to help. I am not too good with household duties. I was raised with five sisters, and they never let me do anything in the house. I trust the Lord will help me to learn. Perhaps this is meant as a learning experience for me. I pray that the Lord will give us a healthy baby, and I am willing to do all I can to help dear Estelle.” He smiled at his wife tenderly.

The women told him that they were glad to help and looked on the opportunity to serve them as a blessing.

“One of us will come everyday. We will just prepare a little extra each day and all you will have to do is heat it up. I am sure others will be willing to do their part too. As you say, the Lord will watch over us and provide for us.”

Upon arriving back at their house, the two women were surprised to find two large salmon wrapped in leaves on their doorstep.

“I guess one of the men brought it by while we were out. Let’s bake it for our supper,” said Beth.

The rest of the day was spent washing and ironing their clothes along with those of the Taylors. Although tired, they were glad to have the task behind them. Sarah returned home in time for the evening meal, and they shared the details of their visit with the Taylors as well as the incident with the Indian.

The women had started the habit of having a short Bible study each evening before retiring. They each took a turn leading the discussion of a Bible passage. They shared concerns and had a time of prayer. Beth and Sarah both prayed for Amanda’s safety and for her to have courage. Amanda was glad to have two friends such as these to join her on this adventure to a new land and knew that God was with them as well.

Chapter Fourteen

2011-02-24T12:10:00.000-08:00

The next morning the women rose early in order to begin their preparation for church and lunch. They were eating breakfast when Sarah returned home. One glance told them both that their friend was very upset as well as extremely tired. Amanda had never seen the usually calm Sarah so disturbed.

“What’s wrong, Sarah? Is the man that was hurt all right?” Amanda asked.

“Yes, he will be fine, though no thanks to that J.T.!” Sarah took a cup from the shelf but then set it down on the counter so hard that Amanda was afraid it would shatter.

With wide eyes, she looked at Beth before asking, “What did this J.T. do that has you so upset?”

Sarah stomped back and forth across the room before saying hotly. “He just makes me want to scream! I wish you could have seen him. Here is a man in his employ who was in danger of bleeding to death. And that’s not even considering the danger of infection! And this –- this – person tells me to get out, that he doesn’t allow women in his camp! He even went so far as to say if he was going to let a woman in, it wouldn’t be a pretty little thing like me! Can you imagine? A pretty little thing! And here I am almost six feet tall and no one has ever called me pretty!”

“What happened?” Beth wanted to know.

Sarah had a determined look on her face.

“I told him that he would not keep me from saving a life even if he was too stupid to know what was best! And I stood right up to him and looked him in the eye and told him I would have him charged with murder if the man died, and he refused to let me treat him. I told him he would have to stop me because I was doing what I was trained to do!”

Amanda and Beth were speechless. While Amanda could imagine her friend standing up to anyone, she was surprised that this J.T. had made her so angry. Amanda had seen many insult Sarah and try to intimidate her, but she had never seen Sarah back down and she had never seen Sarah get angry about it. Usually Sarah just went ahead and did what she thought was best in her determined way, never paying any attention to the other person.

“Did he let you treat him?”

Sarah snorted. “Yes, finally after Mr. Parker talked with him. I was surprised that his cabin was fairly clean, and he had cleaned the wound and tried to stop the bleeding. It took thirty-five stitches to close it, and I just hope gangrene does not set in. Mr. Parker and I sat with him all night, and we brought him back to Mr. Parker’s house this morning. They have a spare bed, and Mrs. Parker will help care for him.’

“Beth, I will need for you to help some with his care. For all that Cora Parker has a good heart, I am not too sure about her nursing ability. I am glad he is in town. It will be much easier for me to take care of him. And I surely would not want to have to fight that J.T. every time I needed to check on him!”

“What happened with J.T.? Did he thank you for helping the man?”

Sarah laughed a bitter laugh. “Hardly! He just seemed glad to get us out! He was up at the crack of dawn and practically pushed us out the door! I did tell him to send for me if any of the men needed doctoring, but he just snarled at me that he didn’t allow women in his camp. I told him not to think of me as a woman but as a doctor. Then he said, ‘Not much chance of that!’ I don’t know what he meant by that!”

Beth told Sarah to sit down while she fixed her some breakfast. The other two women told Sarah that they were having company for lunch and both urged the older woman to get some rest. Sarah ate her breakfast and agreed to lie down if they would promise to wake her in time for church. She did not want to miss the first service.

After Sarah went into the bedroom, Amanda told Beth, “I have never seen Sarah so angry! That J.T. must really be something!”

“Yes, Riley told us a little about him. He said he never comes into town, and he is a difficult person to work for. You know, Mack said something about him at the dance, but I didn’t imagine he was as bad as this!”

“Let’s get busy with lunch so everything will be ready when we come back from church. Do you think Riley will come this morning?”

“I don’t know, but I hope so. I have been praying for some way to witness to him. He is a good man, but he needs the Lord in his life. I know! Let’s pray right now that he will come and that he will have an open heart to hear the message this morning. We should pray for Mr. Taylor too.”

Both women bowed their heads and prayed for the service that morning and that many would hear the good news of Jesus and take the step of giving their hearts to the Lord. They prayed especially for Riley and Mr. Taylor. Rising from the table, they began preparing the meal.

Later, they woke Sarah as they dressed for the service. A short walk and they were entering the community building. Amanda noticed that, while there were fewer people present than at the party, there was still a large crowd. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor stood at the door, greeting all who entered.

The three made their way to the front and found several seats together. Will and Ben joined them, sitting on the opposite end from Amanda. Amanda glanced around the room for Riley but did not see him anywhere as Mr. Taylor walked to the front of the room.

“I would like to welcome everyone this morning. I know that some of you have been praying for a church here, and my wife and I have been praying for a place such as this to serve God. I feel all of our prayers have been answered. I don’t know everyone’s name yet, but God knows each of you; and I trust that, in time, I will learn all of you. We don’t have a piano, but I think we will be able to sing some of our old favorites. Let’s stand as we sing, Shall We Gather At the River?”

Everyone stood and began singing, and Amanda and her friends sang along. The song had just begun when Amanda felt someone come to stand beside her. Looking up, she saw that Riley was next to her. He did not look very comfortable, but Amanda’s heart was filled with joy to see him at church. She prayed that his heart would be open to the message.

After singing several songs, Mr. Taylor asked everyone to be seated.

“I thought a lot about what I should talk about today. I know that some of you are Christians, but I feel certain that some of you are not. It may even be that some of you have no interest in the Word of God but are here to see some of these lovely young women again. But for whatever reason you are here this morning, I felt that I had to share on this first Sunday the way to become a Christian.’

“There is only one way to become a Christian and that is through Jesus Christ the Son of God. The Bible says in the Gospel of John, in Chapter 14:

‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’

“Many people think they could never be a Christian because they could never be good enough. That is true, no one can be good enough to win eternal salvation. We can not be saved by works or deeds. That means no matter how much we help others, how much money we give to the church, how much time we spend praying and going to church, we can never be saved by doing good things’

‘No one of us, and I include myself in this, can ever deserve God’s mercy. I am so thankful that my deserving has nothing to do with my salvation. Because I could not earn it. I do not deserve it yet I have it because of God’s wonderful plan of salvation’

“We will talk more each week about the stories of the Bible – how God made the world and all that is in it. How He sent His Son to earth to save us from eternal damnation. But today, my message is a simple one. It is as simple as A – B – C. That’s all you have to know to become a Christian. That stands for three simple little verses from the Bible that tell you how to be saved.’

“The first one is A –

‘All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.’ Romans 3:23

“All people, everyone, have sinned. There is no perfect person in all of time to have lived on this earth, except one, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. All the rest of us have sinned. I know that some have more sin than others. It is so easy to point to others and say, ‘look at him. He has done a lot worse things than I have.’ That may be true, but that person has to stand before God on Judgement Day and account for his sins and you have to stand before Him and account for yours. God will not be asking you about the other man’s sins, only yours. So that is the first thing, you have to admit that you have sin.’

“The second verse is the B –‘

‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. ‘ Acts 17:31

“What does that mean? It simply means that you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He came to the earth to save YOU from your sins. Believe that He is ABLE to save you.’

“Now for the C – and for some people, this is the hardest part!’

‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.’ Romans 10:9

“And the Bible says in Luke:

‘Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.’ Luke 12:8

“Now what do these two verses mean? They aren’t really so difficult to understand. First, you have to admit that you have sin, that Jesus can save you from that sin, and that Jesus dies on the cross to save YOU, and then was raised from the dead, just as we shall be raised from an earthly death to eternal life. Then you must confess this before men, not just in your heart, although that is the place to start. You must be willing to stand before anyone and proclaim that you are a servant of the Lord’s. I know that I am proud to be able to do so and many of you are also. But some people do not want to claim the Lord publicly. They fear they will be ridiculed and some of their old friends will shun them. That is possible but I can promise you that all you leave behind in your old life will be surpassed a hundred times by all the blessings that the Lord will pour down on you and the others who serve Him.’

“I am not going to have an invitation this morning. I want you to think about all I have said today. Read your Bible and, if you don’t have one, I have some that I will be glad to lend. Pray about this decision. You will make no other decision that is more important than this one. My door is always open for those who have questions or who would like to pray with me. We will be praying that those who need to make a decision will do so. I urge you to come to me or to others that you know are Christians and ask us what the Lord has done for us”

“Let us pray.’

“Lord, we know that You are with us this morning. You are always with us no matter where we are. You have promised never to forsake us. Lord, we pray that those who need to make a decision will do so. Help them to understand that they need You just as we all need You. We know there is no hope without You, that You are the truth and the vine. Lord, we cannot imagine what it must have been like for You to leave the glory of heaven and come down to earth and take one of our weak earthly bodies and to do so as the weakest of us, a newborn baby. You suffered and died an agonizing death on the cross, and it was for each of us present today. It was so that all people would have a chance of salvation. Lord, we just pray that You will speak to each heart and make us all willing to serve You in any way that You need us. Give us the opportunity to share You with others. Lord, we ask your blessing on this little church and congregation. May it grow and serve You for many years. Let us be a witness to this settlement. Lord, we ask that You bless each of us as we travel back to our homes this morning and be with us through the coming week and bring us back safely next week. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen.”

Everyone stood and began to talk with their friends and neighbors. Riley and the other men introduced the women to more of the townspeople, but the group soon left for the women’s home. Ben, Riley, and Hannah joined them.

Upon entering the house, Beth directed the men to bring in one of the benches from the front room, and the women soon had the meal on the table. There was a stew with vegetables and beef, corn bread, and beans followed by a berry pie.

Beth asked Ben to lead in prayer and, after he blessed the food, the group began eating. It was a congenial group and there was much laughter and talking as they enjoyed the simple meal.

“I enjoyed Pastor Taylor’s sermon. I am so happy that we have a church here. His message was simple but to the point. I hope that all present were as moved as I was,” Beth said.

“Yes,” said Sarah. “I had never heard that A –B – C illustration before but it really is that simple, isn’t it?”

Ben and Will shared that they both had been raised in Christian homes and had made the decision to follow Christ as young teenagers. Amanda noticed that Riley looked uncomfortable. She hoped that he was thinking of the sermon, but she changed the subject and started talking about the weather.

Riley left as soon as the meal was over, saying he needed to work on his house. Ben and Will moved the bench back into the sitting room, and the women invited them to visit while they washed the few dishes. Amanda was aware that Beth wanted to talk with Ben about the job, so she asked Will if he would like to look at their garden. Sarah took Hannah into the bedroom to show her the room and ask if she would like to move in with them while Ben and Beth talked in the front room.

Amanda told Will that Beth had plans to have some chickens, and Will was able to tell her what preparations they needed to make. He offered to make a simple coop in exchange for some of the eggs. Amanda told him that she would ask the others about it, but she felt sure they would agree.

Will and Ben left soon, and the four women gathered around the kitchen table once again with a pot of tea.

“I am so glad you asked me to move in with you. The community building is nice, but it is going to be so crowded when the other women come and there is no privacy,” said Hannah.

“I’m not sure how much privacy you will have here sharing the room with the three of us but at least it won’t be as bad as there, I guess. Fifty women in that building would be crowded,” said Sarah. “We share the chores here, though Amanda and Beth do most of them. I hope that I will be too busy with my work to have time to do much housework.”

“I have good news. Ben said he needed some help in the store. With all of these women moving to town, he expects to be even busier. I hope to start a business as a seamtress as well. I will do all I can to help but I will be working on Monday mornings and all day on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. I will be able to buy some of our supplies. Should we make up some sort of division of chores?’

The women agreed and spent some time making out lists and agreeing to assist each other with chores. Amanda and Hannah would take over most of the daily chores. Beth would help on the days she was not working, and all would help with dishes and laundry. Hannah told them that she planned to move in on Tuesday.

Chapter Thirteen

2011-02-23T07:28:00.000-08:00

Amanda felt fine the next morning and being of a normally sunny disposition, she put all thoughts of the day before out of her mind as they prepared for the party that evening.

“I am planning to make a pie from the berries we gathered yesterday.” Beth told her. “Why don’t you make some cookies? Everyone is contributing something. I am looking forward to meeting more of the people of Seattle. But I am looking forward to the church service tomorrow even more!”

Amanda’s expression had darkened just a little at the mention of the berries, but she agreed to make the cookies. Riley had promised to come by for them shortly before seven when the party was to begin.

Later that afternoon, the women bathed and prepared to dress for the party. Amanda and Beth were both wearing Sunday dresses that they had brought from Ohio. Sarah refused to wear anything but her normal dress of white blouse and long dark skirt.

“I might be needed, and I don’t want to have on all that fancy stuff. It gets in my way when I am working!” Sarah told them when they urged her to borrow one of their dresses.

Riley and his friend, Will, came by shortly before seven to walk with the women to the community home where the party would be held.

Beth watched Riley carefully to see if she thought he paid any special attention to Amanda, but other than looking at her as if to determine if there were any lasting effects of her encounter with the Indian the day before, he seemed to divide his attention equally between the others in their group.

It only took a few minutes for them to arrive at the community building. Even though they were a little early, quite a number of people were already there. Amanda recognized several people that they had met during the week, but there were many unfamiliar faces.

Built especially to house the prospective brides, the community building was easily the largest building in town. The major portion of the downstairs was taken up with a large community room. Behind this was a small kitchen that the women used for the preparation of their meals. Upstairs was a dormitory style room where the women slept. The women were chaperoned by Mrs. Ethel Miller, a formidable widowed matron in her mid-fifties who slept in a separate bedroom upstairs.

The group was met with cries of greetings from the ones who had already met the new doctor and her two friends. Almost everyone in attendance knew Will and Riley on sight. They were happy to see their traveling companions and were soon greeting Mr. and Mrs. Taylor as well as the other women.

Estelle looked fully recovered. Her figure was disguised in a fully cut dress and her complexion was glowing. She greeted all three warmly but drew Sarah aside to thank her again for her care during the trip.

The women who were residing in the community home exclaimed over their dresses and hair as they urged them toward the refreshment table. Amanda and Beth put the food they had brought with the other refreshments even as Jane urged them to have a cup of cider.

Amanda gazed around the room while drinking the cool cider. There was a large group of men in the room. They outnumbered the women three to one, and she assumed they were some of the settlers and men from the nearby camps.

Amanda noticed a small group of men at the front of the room. One had a fiddle, another a banjo, while the third had a guitar. A fourth man soon joined them holding a harmonica, and she realized that they would provide the music for the evening. When the band struck up their first tune, the men in the room looked awkwardly at each other as if they did not know what to do, but once the first man moved to claim a partner, the rest eagerly followed.

“Beth, would you like to dance?” Taking her arm, Riley led Beth out onto the dance floor.

Soon all of the women were dancing, even Sarah who claimed to have two left feet. Amanda could see that skill was not important as everyone simply enjoyed the time of fellowship and getting to know each other. As soon as one song finished, the men claimed another partner. The band played a set of six songs and stopped for a brief break. Amanda was glad to have a chance to get another cup of cider. With so many people in the room, it had grown rather warm.

Several men gathered around Amanda and vied for her attention. Looking around, she noticed that each of the women had their share of attention.

Riley and Beth joined Amanda near the refreshment table. Riley began to introduce some of the men to the women.

“This is Mack McDonald,” indicating a tall man in a red flannel shirt and jeans. “He works at one of the logging camps. I think you know Ben Johnson, the owner of the general store. And, Beth, this is Mr. Simpson, who has a farm north of town, near my land. Remember I told you that you might be able to buy some chickens from him?”

Beth began talking to Mr. Simpson about the possibility of buying several chickens while Amanda tried to engage the other two men in conversation.

“Tell me about the logging camp. Is it far from here?”

“No, Ma’am. It’s about three miles from town. We don’t get to come to town too often. Our boss, J.T., works us from sun up to sun down and expects a lot out of us for our pay. It’s good money though. If I can get one of these pretty girls to marry me, I will probably make me a claim on some land around here. I guess I could work at the saw mill. There’s no way I would want to be up at camp with my bride down here in town – and J.T. would never allow a woman in camp! That’s one thing he is totally against. Why, even our cook is a man! That is one of his strictest rules – No Women!”

“I guess he has his reasons for that.” Amanda said politely while wondering about this J.T.

“Oh, yes, ma’am. A woman would just be too distracting for the men. And logging is dangerous. All it takes is one moment of not paying attention and you can lose a leg or arm or even be killed. Take Miss Ethel over there. Her husband was crushed by a falling tree.”

“Well, I hope none of your men are injured, but if they are, I am sure that Dr. Adams will be only too glad to offer assistance.”

“You mean that purty little lady over there. I can hardly believe she is a real doctor, but I can tell you, ma’am, that there is no way J.T. will ever let her in his camp!”

Amanda was about to defend her friend when the music began again and Ben asked her to dance. Amanda murmured a goodbye to Mack as she stepped to the center of the dance floor with Ben.

“Mandy,” Sarah placed her hand on Amanda’s arm and motioned for her to step to the side of the room.

“What is it? Is something wrong?”

“No, but there has been a fight up at the logging camp. One of the men has been cut badly. I have to go. Don’t worry. Mr. Parker is going to take me up. I’ll be back as soon as I can, but I don’t know when.”

Amanda watched her friend slip quietly from the room. Once again she was reminded of all the qualities that she so greatly admired in Sarah. Sarah was a strong Christian, and she was determined to follow God’s call to be a doctor. Amanda had knowledge of all the opposition she had faced while in medical school, but Sarah had persevered in order to reach her goals. Amanda only hoped that this J.T. would not give Sarah too much trouble. She knew that Sarah would not back down if there was someone in need of medical care. Amanda quickly sent up a prayer that God would be with Sarah and protect her and to help her with facing J.T.

Amanda had no shortage of partners as there were many more men than women, and she knew she would never remember all of the names. She barely had time to speak to Beth or the other women. She did notice Beth talking to Hannah, Riley, and Ben over by the refreshment table later in the evening.

The dance was nearly over when Amanda realized that she had danced with many of the men present but not the one man she had hoped would ask her to be his partner. She tried to hide her disappointment as the last dance was being announced. She saw a particularly dirty man heading for her, and she hoped that she would not have to dance with him when Riley suddenly appeared at her side.

“May I have this dance, Mandy?” Riley smiled down at her, and she forgot all about the other man until Riley continued softly.

“That man that was headed toward you is Leon Edwards. It would be a good idea to avoid him if possible. He lives out in the mountains with his son. His wife – or the boy’s mother – died several years ago after a severe beating. Leon said she fell but no one believed him. We did not have any real proof that he did it though. She was an Indian. He usually stays out of town. I hope he’s not looking for a wife. He hardly works, just does a little trapping now and then. And when he does get some money, he spends it all on liquor. There are rumors that he mistreats the boy too.” Riley’s jaw tightened at the thought of the man’s cruelty.

Amanda tried not to look at the man even while she felt sorry for his child. Once again Riley had come to her rescue. She smiled up at him, thinking how safe and secure she felt in his arms. Although not the best dancer in the room, he did not step on her toes as many of her partners had.

At the end of the dance, everyone clapped loudly for the band and Riley leaned closer to whisper, “Don’t forget. Will and I are walking you home. Don’t even think about going without us. We have to help clean up before we go.”

Amanda did not normally have a temper, but she was a little angry that Riley would think they would ignore his earlier instructions. Sighing, she went to help the others clean and prepare the room for the church service on the following morning. Riley and Will, along with Ben Johnson and a few others, helped move the table, sweep and set up benches. The women washed the few dishes and put them away.

In a short time, the room had been restored to order and the two men came to escort them home.

“Where’s Sarah?” asked Riley.

“She had to go out on a call,” Amanda told him.

“What? Where and who escorted her? I thought I told her not to go anywhere without an escort!”

“She did have an escort! Mr. Parker took her. Riley, Sarah is a wonderful doctor, and that is why she moved here. She will go on calls. She cannot do her job if she doesn’t. I am sure she will be careful.” Amanda tried to keep her tone even, but she knew that Riley would continue to argue about this, and she knew just as strongly that Sarah would continue to do just what she felt she needed to do.

Riley did not seem too happy about her answers, but he motioned for the others to go toward the door.

Waving goodbye to the others, the foursome started on the short walk home. Will and Beth led the way followed by Amanda and Riley.

Amanda looked at Beth and Will laughing and talking, and she could not help but be amazed by the changes in just a few short weeks in her shy friend. Just months earlier, Beth would scarcely speak to a stranger or even someone she had known for a long time, especially men. Now she seemed to be happy and friendly toward everyone. Amanda felt the experience of working in the store at home had helped, but she wondered if being out of the overpowering presence of her father had not had more to do with the change.

Amanda wished she could talk to Riley so easily. He seemed to have little to say to her and, when she asked a question or tried to initiate a conversation, he became stoic and gave one or two word answers. Amanda wondered why Riley was not walking with Beth and felt that he was disappointed to be walking with her.

Arriving at the house, Beth said to the men, “I am so excited that we will be having our first church service tomorrow. Mandy and I were worried that we would not have a church here. Are you both coming?”

Will spoke up right away to say that he would be present, but Riley remained silent so that Beth asked him again, “What about you, Riley? Aren’t you coming?”

Amanda held her breath as she waited for Riley’s answer. She told herself that she simply wanted Riley to have the opportunity to hear the word of God, but she knew that while she did desperately want Riley to hear and believe, she also wanted to see him again.

Finally, Riley answered. “I don’t know. I had planned to work on my house tomorrow. I don’t get much opportunity to work all day since I work so much at the mill. I haven’t been to church much, just didn’t see the need, I guess.”

“Oh, Riley, everyone needs church and the Lord. Please say you’ll come! Beth said earnestly. “I promise you won’t regret it.”

“We’ll see,” was his stoic reply.

“And if you do come, please plan on joining us for lunch. Hannah and Ben will be here and, Will, I hope you will too. You have both been so kind about bringing us fish and meat from your hunting and fishing that we will be glad to share what we have with you.”

Bidding the men a good night, the two women entered their home.

“Don’t forget to lock the door.” Riley called, and Amanda was sure that he stood outside until he heard them do so.

A short while later, the two women climbed into bed with their Bibles for their devotion.

“Mandy, I wanted to tell you that I plan on asking Ben tomorrow if he needs any help in the store. If Hannah is willing to move in with us, she can help with the chores. I may also try to do some sewing for some of the women.”

Amanda assured Beth that she would be glad to help her in any way that she could.

“I hope to get a teaching job in the fall. I will go next week to talk with the town leaders and see if the town is interested in starting a school. Ben told me that there are at least fifteen children of school age and maybe even more. If Hannah comes to live here, the four of us should be able to get everything done.”

“I hope Riley comes to church. He has been a good friend to us and I don’t like to think that he is a non-believer.” Beth said.

Amanda had shared Riley’s comments on the ship with her friends and all three had been praying that Riley would be open to the message of salvation and that they would have a chance to witness to him.

She looked at Beth. “Beth, do you remember what your mother said about marrying a non-believer?”

Beth said, “Yes, Mandy, but I don’t feel that way about Riley. He is just a good friend to me. I care about him but not in the way that I would have to feel about the man that I marry. And I don’t think he feels that way about me either. If anything, he has feelings for you. I saw him watching you all night!”

Amanda stared at Beth in amazement. “Why, he barely talks to me, yet he is always talking and laughing with you.”

“Yes, and you are quiet around him when you seem to have no problem talking with anyone else.”

“But that is only because he won’t talk to me. I have tried to be friendly, but he just ignores me.”

Beth laughed quietly and patted Amanda on the arm.

“Well, God will work it out if we give it up to Him. Now let’s get some rest. We have to get up early in the morning to get lunch ready and to prepare for church. Oh, I can’t wait for our first service!”

Blowing out the candle, both women were sound asleep in a few minutes.