“I’m so upset I can hardly think!” Thomas buried his forehead in his hands. His shoulders shook with each sob. He looked up, his expression heartbroken. “Can we pray again?”
“Of course, we can.” Jed couldn’t hardly stand the look in the boy’s face.
“No, I mean really pray. Like Reverend Parks always talks about. Praying with your whole body, not just words coming out.” Tears ran from his cheeks and down his lips. “Seeking God from down deep. Like I didn’t do last night. I tried, but I was too worried. And mad. But I want to do it right this time. At first I was confused. I didn’t understand how a body can pray. But it’s like I want God’s help so bad, I feel it on the inside.
“Please, Mr. Green?”
Boards being hammered and torn down echoed behind Jed.
“Let’s do that now.” Jed’s throat constricted so tight he almost couldn’t speak.
“And again before bed?” Thomas asked.
“And in the morning.”
“Jed,” Griffin shouted from the shop.
Thomas’s eyes became glassy. He wrapped his arms around Jed.
Jed opened his mouth to pray aloud, but the boy beat him to it.
“God, please bring Josiah home. Please take care of him. I know You know where he is because You’re God. And Reverend Parks says You care about us. About everything. Not just the big stuff. So, just make sure nobody takes him. And—”
“Jed?” Griffin called from a closer distance.
Thomas sniffled and then rubbed his face on Jed’s shoulder.
“I’ll be there in a minute.” Jed pulled Thomas away and brushed the long bangs from his eyes. Time for another haircut already.
“Mr. Green?” Griffin called again.
Sheriff Pryor and another gentleman stood behind Griffin.
“Sorry for interrupting.” Griffin’s face looked grim. “But these two people want to talk with you.”
18
Sheriff Pryor walked into Jed’s house behind the Children’s Aid Society worker.
“Please have a seat. What’s this about?” Jed hooked his hat on the back of the chair.
“My name is Raymond Charles. I’ll make this brief as I know you’re a busy man. And sometimes that’s just the best way to handle these unfortunate things.”
“What unfortunate things?”
“Well, it seems a telegram was received about your parenting skills and the children’s inconsistent school attendance. And the young man you took in as an apprentice has incited violence, causing fights and physical harm to others. Furthermore, upon my arrival here, I’ve learned the youngest boy…” He scanned one of the pieces of paper in his hand. “Josiah K. Colefield, is currently missing after a fire on your property.”
“Those things are true, yes.”
“Just about the first thing I heard when I arrived here was talk that he caused the trouble. That’s why he fled and—”
“I’m sure he didn’t start the fire. He just got scared and ran off. I’m certain he will be found.”
“We as an organization—”
“Hold up,” Jed cut him off. “What telegram?”
Raymond Charles shuffled through his papers. “‘From a concerned citizen of Sheldon’ was how it was signed.” He extended it toward Jed. “You’re welcome to examine it yourself.”
Jed took the paper and fought the urge to crumble it between his fingers. Very few times had it bothered him that he couldn’t read. “It’s always been my intention to take good care of the boys,” Jed began. “And I admit I’ve been a little rough in some spots…”
Sheriff Pryor cleared his throat. “I looked the matter over myself, Jed. Mr. Charles is not accusing you of anything. He just needs to make sure the boys are safe.”
“And that you are following the guidelines discussed,” the worker insisted. “For one, the boys need to be in school. That apprentice of yours should be eighteen by the end of the month, which will relieve us of any obligations we have to check on him. I assume he’s doing fine as there’s been nothing indicated otherwise, but since I’m here, I’ll talk with him and look at the working conditions of the shop.”
“I’m all right.” Griffin appeared in the doorway, his arms folded and one shoulder against the frame.
Thomas stood to the side.
“Too bad you didn’t come around when I worked laying brick fourteen hours a day and went to bed on an empty stomach.” Griffin’s voice tinged with resentment.
“I assume you are Griffin?” Mr. Charles shuffled his feet and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for—”
“I doubt that.” Griffin pushed away from the doorpost. “And if you were, you’d go home and leave us be. We’re doing fine here with Mr. Green. And if that high and mighty citizen was so worried they would’a signed their name.” His icy glare encompassed the sheriff and Mr. Charles.
“Thomas, go on ahead with Griffin,” Jed told him. “Everything’s fine. I’ll be there shortly.”
“No. Wait. Thomas. Your name is Thomas?” He looked through his papers again. “I’d like to speak with you. Ask you a few questions if that’s all right.”
Thomas said nothing.
Raymond Charles moved a chair and motioned for Thomas to sit down. “What can you tell me about Mr. Green? Is this your home where you sleep?”
Thomas nodded and pointed to the bedroom. “We pull the bed tick out and sleep on that. Josiah and I. We do chores in the morning before school and after.”
“And what would that be?”
“Carry water from the well, cut wood sometimes, but mostly we stack it, then pick it up and carry it after Griffin cuts it. We scrub the dishes and help with laundry. We practice our reading and say our math tables. We pray before supper.”
“Have you missed some days of school?”
“Yes. Josiah had a bad cough one time. Then we stayed home for a few days after Josiah, and I got jumped.”
“And were you alone when this happened?”
Thomas nodded. “Sometimes Josiah and I walk home from school by ourselves, but so do lots of other kids. Is Mr. Green in trouble?”
Mr. Charles hesitated before he spoke. “I’m here to make sure you and…” He fumbled through his papers.
“Josiah,” Jed answered.
“Josiah are well-taken care of, and that Mr. Green has done everything he said he would do.”
“You aren’t taking us from him, are you?”
“It’s important that we find Josiah. Do you know where he is?”
Thomas shook his head, looking ready to cry.
“Did he run away after he started the fire?”
Jed gripped the knob of the chair.
“He didn’t start the fire. The roof caught a spark in the forge. I saw it. But Josiah got scared because that’s how his family died. He told me that a long time ago. That’s why he don’t like fire.”
Raymond Charles nodded.
“Mr. Green is real good to us. He tries real hard even though he’s a little grumpy sometimes.”
Sheriff Pryor stifled a chuckle, but the break from tension in the room was short-lived.
Thomas’s lips quivered, and tears poured from his eyes. “Please don’t make us leave. Josiah will come back. We’ve all been prayin’. He likes Mr. Green, and he likes school too. We both do. Miss Cantrell’s real nice.”
“Miss Cantrell?”
“The schoolteacher.”
Mr. Charles nodded and then stood.
Sheriff Pryor moved toward the man. “I understand you have a job to do, Mr. Charles. And it sounds like the home got off to a rough start, and the boys have missed some school. I’d heard some of the children hadn’t been accepting, and it’s true on one occasion the two boys were roughed up pretty bad. But that doesn’t seem to be a reflection on Mr. Green’s ability to care for the children.”
“But why is the boy missing? And where did he go? I can’t finish my work here until I know.” He turned to Jed. “While we wait, I’ll be
checking into the things you’ve said, and the things I’ve heard.”
~*~
A lonesome howl filtered through the back door Grace had left ajar to create a breeze. The cry echoed the stirrings inside her. She loved Edith. Loved teaching. But both could be stripped from her. Earlier today the most recent news made it around town.
Mr. Hennessy sent word that his mother had passed on, and after tying up ends they would leave for Sheldon.
“Are coyotes spotted here like they are in Kansas?” she asked Edith.
“Seldom. Not enough trees for them to hide out in. Occasionally, you’ll hear of a rancher or sheep herder killing one.”
Grace scooped Edith’s beans onto her spoon. “You haven’t finished your dinner.”
Edith shook her head.
“Do you not like the salt pork I cooked with them?”
“They’re fine. Just not that hungry.”
“You’ve hardly eaten,” she said, giving what she hoped was a look of love and concern.
“Why you askin’ about coyotes?”
Grace stacked Edith’s plate onto hers. “Oh, I just heard the yelps coming from that direction.”
“That’s not a coyote. Farmer Holcomb has got a litter of puppies born the other day. He breeds them every fall about this time. Sells them, as they’re good hunting dogs.”
Grace set her teacup on the saucer with a clatter as a realization dawned on her.
“What’s wrong?” Edith squinted.
“Where is the Holmes farm?”
“Halfway between here and Rimm Creek.”
“On the way to Carter’s Ridge?”
“Not nearly that far but in that general direction. Why?”
“I think I know where Josiah could’ve gone.”
“What?” Edith looked in the direction of Carter’s Ridge, even though she couldn’t see it from the kitchen. “Where?”
Grace undid her apron and hung it on the wall. She went to the bedroom, still talking, and retrieved her cloak. “A place where the boys played during one of our science outings. It’s down in a small ravine at the mouth of Rimm Creek. There’s a hideout, the boys called it.”
“How do you know?” Edith asked. “How do you know he’s there?”
“I don’t. But I have this strong inclination.” She pulled her bonnet from the peg and tied it. “Can I take the carriage?”
“You may not.”
“Why not?”
“It’s getting dark.”
The sun had begun to set, and although the ride wouldn’t be that far, she’d need time to bridle the horses. “All right, then I’ll go on horseback.”
Edith’s fingers tightened around her cane. “Horseback?”
“Stay here. I’ll be back soon.” Grace scampered toward the barn.
The dusty, white gelding with cinnamon spots lifted its head. He blinked as she secured the saddle. Did the horse think she’d gone mad too? Perhaps the animal felt her anxiety. Grace mounted. The thought crossed her mind that she might need someone with her. But valuable time wasted pressed her ahead. She kicked her heels into the beast and let loose with the reins.
~*~
Grace stopped at the first home.
A large house with two windows in front planked by ivory curtains sat isolated amid a river of sorghum. An older gentleman with a wiry beard and mustache sat in a rocking chair in the dogtrot. A breeze whipped through the opening between the two shelters and blew the strands of his thin, gray hair. A buxom and heavy-set woman with fiery red hair pulled tight underneath her day cap stepped onto the porch. She held a broom in her hands, her apron neatly pressed and her pleats crisp. The woman eyed Grace suspiciously, pausing at her feet.
Mud was splattered all over Grace’s best dress. “Could you direct me to the Holmes’ property?”
The woman pointed in the general direction without saying a word.
Rows of sorghum lined the fields with twice the acreage Grace’s pa had. How envious he would’ve been of that much land. Grace heard dogs yelping before she spotted the settler’s cabin. A wooden pen behind the house contained furry critters. Grace dismounted and tied the horse to a hitching post in the yard. She lifted her fist to knock.
The door cracked. A young boy of seven or eight peeked through the opening and then slowly widened it further. He wore frayed suspenders over a threadbare shirt, and the holes in his pants stretched almost halfway around his leg.
“Is your ma or pa at home?” Grace asked. “I’m looking for a particular place and thought somebody could guide me.”
He blinked, his eyes big and dreary.
The door thrust open. “Billy, what’re you—” A woman with long, stringy brown hair draped past her shoulders pushed the door open wider. The sobbing baby she held high on her hip looked to be about a year old. The poor child, shirtless and with a runny nose, stuck his fingers in his mouth. “Yes, what do you want?” She pushed her son aside. “Go on now, Billy. Get to your sister.”
“Sorry to bother you. I’m Miss Cantrell, Sheldon’s schoolteacher. I’m looking for a place the boys in my class have talked about. They call it the hideout. Supposed to be—”
“I know the place. What you want with it?”
“One of my students is missing. He’s run away. I’m thinking he may have gone there.”
“It’s down yonder from our barn, on the other side of our property.” Her voice rose abruptly. “But it’s on our land, and my husband is lying down. He may have your hide if he knows you’re on his property. You gonna to be there long?”
Grace shook her head.
“Better hope not. Those rocks get slick in the rain.” put a snap in her voice. “Billy! Come walk this lady.”
“No need to do that, ma’am. I don’t want to cause a problem.”
The tired mother scoffed, then spoke under her breath. “Well, my husband has enough liquor in him to stay out for a while.” The baby started to cry and she jostled him to her other hip. Another cry sounded from the other room. “Maybe it’s best you go on by yourself. I don’t know what’s keeping my boy. There’s a footpath from the barn that leads to a trail. Stay right and you’ll see where the stone comes up from the ground. Part of the rock has caved in. You’ll know it when you see it.”
“Thank you, Ma’am.” Grace paused. “Your baby has your beautiful eyes.”
The woman smiled, and for a lady no older than a few years past twenty, the lines in her face held a tiredness that caused Grace’s heart to weep.
“Ignore them yappin’ dogs. They’re harmless. Couple of ’em got out a few days back, so if you spot one of ’em loose don’t worry yourself none. They won’t hurt ya.”
“I’ll remember that.” Grace smiled. “I’d love for your son to come to the schoolhouse. I have others his age, and—”
“I need him at home. So does his Pa.” She paused and sighed. “Maybe someday.” She closed the door, the baby’s cries echoing.
Grace returned to the gelding and led him by the reins to the back of the house. The wind had picked up, blowing her skirt against her body.
Chestnut-colored puppies, which looked to be bloodhounds, fought for space along the fenced-in coop to look at the stranger passing through.
Thick clouds moved across the sky.
Her horse grunted as they approached the barn.
Grace found the path easily just as the woman had said.
The gelding stopped to nibble a stalk of tall grass just before a set of rocks that jutted from the earth.
Grace tugged hard to get the animal to go again. The sky grew darker, and her stomach fluttered that perhaps she had been hasty to travel this far so late in the day. She understood why the boys talked about the place so much. Plenty of spots to hide in the large grooves between rocks. And they were all relatively flat, making them climbable and easy to jump off.
A faint whimper came from somewhere.
Grace listened but didn’t hear it again. Perhaps she heard the puppies back at t
he house. Without a tree to hitch the horse to, she let the reins go. She placed her hands on the bridge of the horse’s nose. “You stay put, all right?” she playfully asked the animal, as if he understood.
The whimpering sounded a second time.
“Hello?” Grace called. “Josiah?” She found a narrow division between the rocks and stepped through.
Individual clouds had disappeared, the sky was a dirty gray mass. The mist fell and grew heavier.
A hollowed spot appeared in the distance where the earth had eroded away from the rock. Almost like a cave—she had found the hideout. Curious, her steps quickened. She had to use her hands for support because the wet stones were slippery. Her right foot slipped out from underneath her. Her arms stiffened, but her palms slid down the slick rocks as she fell with a hard thud. A pain shot deep into her tailbone. “Aaagghh!” Grace cried.
“Hello?” a small voice called.
Grace froze; her heart raced. “Someone there?” Grace pushed to her hands and knees. “Josiah? Josiah?”
Rain fell harder. Small, loose rocks provided better footing than large, flat surfaces, so she stepped cautiously.
The path took a turn, and in the hollowed-out, caved-in area lay a mound of pearly hair. The boy was curled on the ground, barefoot and dirty, in wet clothes.
“Josiah!” Grace called. She ran to him.
Something moved beside him. Sandy-white fur with large spots of rusty brown wiggled about.
Grace fell onto her knees. “Josiah, I’m so glad I found you.” She brushed his long bangs to the side.
“I’m sorry. I got hurt. But Copper has been here with me the whole time.” Josiah’s eyelids were barely open and his constant shivers vibrated his whole body
A tiny, black nose inched in between Josiah’s shoulder and his ear. The puppy looked to be one of the hunting dogs from the pen. He had dark, glassy eyes and adorable, rust-colored freckles on the bridge of his nose. He whimpered as he snuggled against Josiah, two babies protecting and sheltering each other in the storm. The dog licked Josiah’s face.
“Hurt?” Grace’s spirits plummeted.
“My leg. I can’t get up.” Josiah sat up and pulled his pant leg back. His ankle was swollen and bruised. “I found Copper right here. He was crying ’cause he couldn’t crawl out of the hole. But he stopped when I started petting his head. Then I slipped and fell trying to carry him out.”
Grace like a Whisper Page 17
