by Mills, DiAnn
nineteen
Lena wept with Gabe until they began to tease each other about their puffy and reddened eyes. We are a pair, Gabe Hunters, you and I.
“You look like you’ve been in a fight and lost,” Lena accused, blowing her nose on his clean handkerchief—one of the items from Philadelphia that he still insisted upon carrying.
He lifted a brow. “And who rammed their fist into your face, Miss Blow-Your-Nose-Like-a-Honking-Goose?”
She wiggled her shoulders to feign annoyance. “My nose, Sir? I thought we were talking about your eyes. Maybe Turnip threw the punches.”
He drew her into his arms and kissed the tip of her nose. “Promise me we will always have laughter,” he whispered. “I want us to talk, to cry together, even to argue from time to time, and always to laugh.”
Laughter. Yes, what a true blessing. He’d never laughed so much in his entire life.
“I’ll do my best,” she said with a smile. “You are much more handsome with a smile on your face.” She took a deep breath. “Although today was necessary too.”
“I agree,” he replied. “I’m insistent about urging the boys and you to discuss your thoughts and feelings, but I’m not always so quick to adhere to the same advice.”
“I really am sorry for your unhappy childhood,” Lena said seriously. “We had our good times and bad, but my memories are sweet.”
He stared at the fields, the cabin, and back to her. “When I reflect on it, I can’t help but see the good resulting from those days.”
“You mean your compassion for people? For children?”
“Yes. I could have easily drifted into Mother’s manner of living and not come to know God.”
“Did she ever accept Jesus as her Savior?”
He picked up a clod of dirt and sent it soaring across the plowed field. “I don’t know if she ever asked Him to rule her life or not. I talked to her about the Lord and read to her from the Bible, but I never knew if she actually made a decision.”
Silence held them captive. Lena felt eternally grateful for the day. They’d both shed ugly garments that not only threatened their relationship with the Lord but also their happiness as husband and wife.
“I have something else to tell you,” Gabe said. “I hope when I’ve finished you won’t feel I have deceived you in any way.”
She stared at him curiously.
“Mother died a wealthy woman, which meant I inherited the brothel and an exorbitant amount of money. I dissolved the business, in case you wondered.” He glanced teasingly at her. “And I donated the building to a church, which now uses it as an orphanage. After praying through what God wanted me to do with the rest of the funds, I gave to several churches and deposited the balance in a Philadelphia bank. When the time comes, we will be able to provide funds for Caleb and Simon’s education. There is plenty there to expand the farm when we’re ready and for other unforeseen expenses. Someday, I’d like to take you on a trip, anywhere you want to venture.”
Lena felt the color drain from her face. “Why ever would you want a poor widow when you could have had so much more?”
“God had a plan, Dearest. A very pleasant one, I might add. However, I do believe I gained more than money from my adventure in Nebraska.”
“I’m so very lucky,” she whispered.
He gave her the smile meant only for her. “Nonsense. I am the fortunate man.”
My dear, sweet husband. You try so hard. “Want to know my thoughts and feelings right now?” she asked.
“Most certainly.”
She closed her eyes. “I want a kiss, a very nice long one.”
“I can oblige.”
“Not just right now, Gabe. I want one every day for the rest of our lives.”
“I can still oblige.”
“Even if we’ve quarreled or the things around us threaten our joy in the Lord and in each other?” she asked, tracing his lips with her fingertip. “No matter if snow blizzards keep us inside for days, or rain forgets to fall, or grasshoppers eat the very clothes we wear, or Caleb and Simon disappoint us?”
“I promise to oblige.”
“Good, let’s begin now.”
❧
“How far is this town you’re talking about?” Gabe asked, teasing Caleb and Simon about the three-mile walk to see a prairie dog town. They’d gone to church earlier, and the boys had been pestering him for days to visit this spot. “Is there a hotel? A sheriff? I’m really thirsty too.”
Lena giggled. He glanced her way as they walked and captured a loving gaze. She still looked pale from being ill that morning, but the color had returned to her cheeks. She’d been perfectly fine the night before. The idea of his precious wife—or any of his family—falling prey to one of the many illnesses tearing through this land alarmed him. He squeezed her hand, sending love messages from his heart to hers.
A year ago he’d received her first letter. So much had happened since then. God had transformed him into a new man, taken away his selfishness, and worked continually to mold him into a godly husband and father. Thank You, God, for the gift of family and their love.
“It’s not much farther, Pa,” Caleb said. “We have to be quiet because once they sense we’re around, they stop chattering and disappear.”
“And what do they say?” Gabe asked. “Don’t believe I’ve ever had a conversation with a prairie dog.”
Simon frowned and shook his head. “You don’t understand what they’re saying; you just know they’re talking to each other.”
Lena nibbled at her lip, no doubt to keep from laughing. “Simon, why don’t you tell him what they look like?”
“That’s right. I haven’t seen a good picture in one of my books.” Gabe grinned. “Are they as big as Turnip?”
“No, Sir,” Simon replied. “Be glad we left him at home ’cause he’d scare them down into their holes.”
“They live in holes? I thought they lived in a town.”
Simon shook his head in what appeared to be exasperation. “Prairie dogs are smaller than rabbits. They live under the ground, but we call them towns. When you see them, they sit on their back legs and wave their front legs like arms. Then they talk to each other. Remember how Miss Nettie Franklin used her arms when she talked that Sunday in church about drinking whiskey being a sin?”
How well I remember. I thought Judge Hoover would burst since he owns the town’s saloon. “She was quite demonstrative that day and quite successful in gaining everyone’s attention.”
“Gabe,” Lena whispered. “Let’s not encourage Simon.”
He winked at his wife. “Go ahead, Simon.”
“Well, that’s how those prairie dogs look when they are talking to each other, flapping their arms as if they are pointing out something that really matters.”
“Hush, Simon,” Caleb said. “We’re almost there, and I don’t want Pa to miss them.”
The four moved ahead, being careful not to make a sound. In the distance, Gabe heard chattering—like a squirrel convention. As he inched closer with his family right beside him, he saw the humorous stance of the peculiar animals. They did resemble Nettie, and he stifled a laugh. What a town indeed!
Suddenly, the animated creatures detected humans and dived into their burrowed homes. Nothing remained but the doorways into their dwellings.
“Doesn’t appear to be a good town to ride through,” Gabe remarked a short time later, “especially if your horse stepped through one of those holes.”
“True,” Lena replied. “Of course there are a few people towns too dangerous for decent folk to walk through too.”
“Is my philosophical nature rubbing off on you, Dear?” Gabe asked, slipping his hand from hers to wrap around her waist.
“Oh no,” Simon moaned. “Does that mean Ma is going to start using all those big words too?”
“I might,” she said with a tilt of her head. “Do you mind?”
The little boy’s eyes widened, and he stared at his brother. �
�What do you think, Caleb?”
“Might be all right. Ma could take over teaching school for Amanda.” His eyes sparkled mischievously, so much like his mother.
“That wouldn’t do at all,” Simon quickly replied. “Pa needs her at home. She wouldn’t be happy teaching school, and then she’d be too tired to cook supper.”
“And I’d miss her,” Gabe added. “Amanda will have to keep the job until the town finds someone else.”
twenty
Gabe stared up at the sky. Black clouds swirled, and the rumble of distant thunder with a flash of lightning intensified nature’s threat. Storms and high winds he could handle, and he’d learned that when it rained, the household items had to be shifted from one side of the cabin to the other—depending on the direction of the rainfall. But the green color spreading across the horizon bothered him.
Glancing at the barn anchored deep into the earth, he wondered if Lena and the boys would be safer there than in the soddy. Although the walls of their home were nearly three feet thick, a twister could still do a lot of damage.
With a heavy sigh, he wished Caleb and Simon were home from school. He focused his attention to the east, straining to see if they were heading this way. Nothing. A gust of wind nearly toppled him over. This is not merely prairie winds, but a malevolent act of nature.
Gabe wondered if he should set the mule and horses free to run with the cattle until after the storm, but if his family were safer in the barn, then those animals would be as well. The cattle were contained in barbed-wire fencing. Of course that could be easily blown down.
With a heavy sigh, he realized they’d had a good spring. The corn stood more than a foot high, and they’d been blessed with ample rain. He hadn’t considered he might lose a crop. Suddenly, all those days of work twisted through him. Lena’s words about the Lord providing for their needs echoed through his ears.
This spring, tornadoes had always managed to venture far from them—until now.
Drenched in sweat, he stepped outside and studied the southwest sky. In a matter of minutes, the temperatures had dropped, and the wind had increased its velocity. Where were Caleb and Simon? Then he saw his sons racing home against a background of a hideous green sky. The closer they came, the better he felt.
Thank You, Lord. I didn’t mind You taking care of them, but I feel much better knowing where they are.
“Gabe,” Lena called from the doorway. “This looks bad, and I’m worried about the boys.”
“They’re coming,” he replied above the wind. “I see them. Are we safer in the barn?”
“I think so.” She scanned the sky, then shouted, “Hurry!” to Caleb and Simon, although Gabe doubted the boys could hear their mother’s call. By the time they’d all scurried into the barn, huge droplets of rain pelted the earth. Ear-splitting cracks of thunder resounded, and jagged streaks of lightning split the sky.
“I saw a twister touch down in the distance,” Caleb managed to say, trying to catch his breath. “Looked to be heading this way.”
Gabe skirted his family to the farthest corner of the barn cradled deep into the hill. He positioned the horses and mule in front of them in case of flying debris. The structure had been built facing the east, which gave him some comfort in their safety. He moved to the opening, seeking some sign of the twister. “It might miss us,” he said, watching the wind tug at the roof of the cabin.
“We’ll know soon enough,” Lena shouted. “Gabe, please don’t stand out there. You don’t have any idea how the wind could snatch you up.”
“I’m being careful.” His gaze fixed southwest to where a dark funnel cloud moved their way. The fury of nature left him in awe. One minute it showered his crops with water and in the next it threatened to beat them to the ground.
As the twister soared across the fields, a roar, like the bellowing of a huge beast, sent a tingle from his neck to his spine. This was not a time to stand outside and challenge the wind. Foolishness invited a loss of life—his own.
“Gabe!” Lena called frantically.
“I’m coming,” he replied, moving back.
Huddled against his family, Gabe listened to the creature spin closer. “I hope all of you are praying,” he said. “Not only for us, but for others in the twister’s path.”
They didn’t reply. His request didn’t warrant one. In the shadows, he couldn’t see the emotion on their faces, but from the way Lena, Caleb, and Simon trembled beneath his arms, he knew fright penetrated their bones.
“Aren’t you afraid, Pa?” Simon whispered shakily.
“Of course I am. But God is in control, and at times like these we have to hold onto our faith.”
“Wish I could see Him,” Caleb said.
“You can, Son. God’s in the quiet summer day, the blizzards last winter, and in the wind outside. Close your eyes, and you can feel Him wrapping His love around you.”
Lena squeezed his hand, and he brushed a kiss across her cheek. “I love you,” she said. “Seems like you always say the right things to make us feel better.”
He forced a chuckle. “I’ll remember that the next time I slip and use those long words you so despise.”
A deafening crash of thunder caused Simon to jump and snuggle closer. “If I had known we all were going to be this close, I’d have taken my bath before Saturday night,” Gabe said.
Caleb giggled. Thank You, Lord, for Your comfort. Keep us in the shelter of Your wings. Peace, be still. Amen.
As ferocious as the storm sounded, the wind finally ceased to howl and left only a steady fall of rain in its wake. Gabe released his family. He was grateful they were unharmed. Now he needed to see what had been done outside. Swallowing hard, he made his way to the front of the barn. Although the rain had continued to fall, the cabin stood with only minor roof damage. He glanced to the fields surrounding them. They looked untouched except for one in the direct path of the tornado. The corn planted there bent to the ground as if paying homage to a wicked wind god, but perhaps the stalks might right themselves in the next few days. Even if that didn’t happen and the field of corn perished, they’d survive.
Sometimes he thought his optimism masked good sense, but he always tried to buffer his decisions with logic. Lead-ing his family was often. . .
Gabe searched for the proper word. Glancing back at the boys, he knew exactly what fit. Hard. Just plain hard. What a relief to know God held the world in the palm of His hand.
He felt Lena touch his shoulder. “Do you suppose we should check on the Shafers?”
He nodded. “I also need to make sure the cattle fared well, but I can do that on the way there. Any chance of the twister changing directions and heading back this way?”
She sighed. “Doubtful, though I’ve seen two touch down in the same day.”
“We’ll wait until the sky clears.” He clasped the hand on his shoulder. “The Shafers’ dugouts are in bad shape. I know Dagget plans to build a soddy once harvest is over.”
“Amanda told me. She’s very excited. Dugouts don’t last much longer than seven years, and Dagget built that one ten years ago.”
“Sure hope the twister didn’t step up his plans,” Gabe said, glancing at the distant sky in the Shafers’ direction. It looked menacing in a mixture of navy and green.
❧
The tornado had laid waste to the dugouts and fencing of Dagget’s farm. From what Gabe could tell, the wind had hit them as if they were a child’s toys.
“Hello!” he called, stepping down from the wagon. “Dagget, it’s Gabe and Lena and the boys.”
A pool of water streaming from the door indicated the inside trench used to keep out the abundance of water had overflowed. What a mess for them to endure.
The door swung open, and Amanda stepped out along with some of her brothers and Mary. “We’re all right,” she called, “but Pa and Charles rode out this morning to check on fences and haven’t returned.”
Gabe’s insides twisted with fear. He didn’t like
the sound of those two out in that storm. Dagget had changed considerably since their first encounter. He’d become a caring man and wouldn’t endanger his family. “Which way did they go, Amanda?”
She pointed to the southwest. “That way.”
Lena nudged him. He hadn’t noticed when she’d climbed down from the wagon. “I’ll stay and see what I can do here. Why don’t you go look for them?”
Their gazes met. She obviously felt the same concern he did. “The wagon might be necessary,” he said.
She nodded, her thoughts evident in the lines of her face. “Do you want to take Caleb?”
Gabe studied the growing boy, now twelve years old. In some cultures he’d be considered a man. Still, he’d like to shelter him for as long as possible from the ugliness of the world.
“I’d like to go, Pa,” Caleb said. “I’m nearly as tall as you, and I could help.”
Placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder, Gabe silently agreed. Life’s lessons could be a difficult lot, but he’d rather they occur while Caleb was with him than for the boy to learn on his own.
The sheared path before them looked like someone had taken a razor to the field. To the right, barbed wire stood untouched. Cattle grazed peacefully on their left.
“Do you suppose Mr. Shafer and Charles are dead?” Caleb asked as the wagon ambled on.
Gabe’s heart plummeted. “I don’t know, Son, but we’ll deal with whatever we find. Dagget and Charles know this country, and I’m sure they read the signs of the twister.”
“I remember when my first pa died,” Caleb went on. “He just went to sleep and didn’t wake up.”
I hope if God has taken them home, we don’t find their bodies mangled. A vision of the wolves crossed his mind. He had the rifle. By now the sun shone through the clouds, and the sky gave no hint of rain or the earlier violence. Calm. Peaceful.
Within the hour, Gabe spotted Charles on the trodden grass, bending over his father. “I believe we’ve found them,” he said, breaking the silence.
“Mr. Shafer must be hurt,” Caleb said. “Sure hope he’s all right.”
