Julia's Last Hope

by Janette Oke

  Julia nodded her head against John’s chest. Tears trickled from her eyes onto his pajamas.

  “I—I hope we’re not too late,” she whispered in the darkness.

  Julia stopped at Mr. Perry’s store the next morning. She pushed open the squeaky door and stepped inside.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Harrigan,” the elderly bachelor greeted her.

  “Good morning, Mr. Perry.”

  “So how is the committee doin’?”

  “We haven’t had a very good summer,” Julia admitted. “I hope things will improve next year.” Julia let her eyes travel over the shelves. Stock was very low. She remembered when the shelves had been crowded with merchandise. Sudden fear gripped her.

  “You—you wouldn’t be planning to move, would you, Mr. Perry?” she asked, keeping her voice as even as she could.

  Mr. Perry let his eyes travel over the shelves. He understood her concern.

  “Me? Never. Not me,” he hastened to explain. “I got no place else to go. This here spot is mine—bought and paid for. Don’t have much laid aside—but it’s enough. Don’t take much for me to live on. I can order in the supplies I’m needin’ and pick them up at the train. Live cheaper here than any other place I know. ’Sides,” he finished softly, “I like it here.”

  Julia was glad to hear that.

  “Just don’t need to keep as much stock on the shelves no more. Folks ain’t buyin’ like they used to.”

  “Perhaps it will pick up again,” Julia said, her fears relieved. She produced her money from the sale of the linen tablecloth and explained her mission. “The money won’t go far—not nearly far enough, but it’s the best I can do—for the present.”

  “Be glad to accommodate,” Mr. Perry said. “Very nice of you, Mrs. Harrigan.”

  Julia picked up the few items she needed and left for home. She was relieved to have the matter cared for, though it had been difficult to leave behind so much of her income when her family needed it so badly.

  Well, the others need it more, she told herself as she walked home in the warmth of the autumn sun. God will supply—in plenty of time—as the need arises.

  Two days later Julia heard loud knocking at the front door. She hurried to answer, for it sounded urgent. There stood Mrs. Clancy, her face red, her chest heaving from overexertion. Although she was out of breath, she started talking before Julia even had a chance to invite her in.

  “The wire just came through,” she panted. “The wire about school starting.”

  “Oh yes,” said Julia. “Come in. Let’s hear the news.”

  Mrs. Clancy did come in, but it was clear that she did not intend to sit down for a visit. She waved the wire beneath Julia’s nose.

  “Right here,” she stated.

  “When?” asked Julia. “When will the children be going back to school? The girls will be excited. I can hardly wait to tell them.”

  “See for yourself,” said Mrs. Clancy, and she pushed the telegram in front of Julia for her to read.

  IN REPLY STOP NO TEACHER FOR SCHOOL STOP TOO FEW PUPILS STOP

  “What?” She looked at Mrs. Clancy. “What does this mean? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “They aren’t starting school at all,” said Mrs. Clancy. “They think our youngsters don’t matter. We won’t be having school this year. What do we do now, Mrs. Harrigan? What do we do now?”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Winter

  John talked about sending the girls away for school, but both he and Julia knew there was no money for such a venture—important as they believed it to be.

  “We’ll borrow some books from the schoolhouse,” Julia decided, as though it were a simple matter. “They are good students. It won’t set them back to study for one year on their own. Next year we may have our school back.”

  John nodded. It seemed all they could do for the present.

  Julia assigned daily portions for study. She spent three hours every morning going over lessons with the girls.

  At first it seemed fun, even exciting, but the excitement soon wore off. Julia tried to think of ways to make the lessons interesting, but she had too many other things on her mind.

  Winter came early. Julia was thankful that John and Tom had already dug the potatoes and pulled the remaining carrots. They could ill afford to have vegetables under the snow rather than in the root cellar.

  On each of the first days of snow, John and Tom shouldered their rifles and took to the forested hillsides, hoping to bring home meat. Day after day they tramped through the frosted world, but each time they returned discouraged and empty-handed.

  Jim Shannon was the first to have success in winter hunting. He brought a large venison roast to the Harrigans. Julia was glad for the meat. They had been dining on vegetables for a number of days.

  “Portion it out, Hettie,” Julia advised. “We don’t know how long it will be until we get more.”

  Hettie followed instructions, reserving enough meat for stews and pot pies for several days.

  John worked hard to build up the wood supply; then he left on an extended hunting trip. On his fourth day he returned with a yearling elk. It was an answer to prayer for Julia. But after dividing it among the townsfolk, she realized that the remaining portion would not last long.

  But then Mac Pendleton got a small buck, and Jim Shannon shot another.

  Julia began to relax. With so many men hunting we are sure to have something for the stew pots, she reasoned.

  How to save the church topped Julia’s list of concerns. We need the church so people will have a chance to hear the Gospel, she kept telling herself. She organized a ladies’ afternoon meeting and sent out personal invitations for Sunday services. Then she arranged special events for the children during Sunday school.

  The response was not good. Few people seemed to notice. They enjoyed her afternoon meetings, and some of them even sent their children to the Sunday school classes. But they seemed no more interested in the church than they had in the past.

  “Frankly, I don’t know what else to do,” Julia confided to John. “Do you suppose a club program would help?”

  “I’ll talk to the pastor,” John promised. “Perhaps he’ll have some ideas.”

  But Pastor Wright had no ideas either. “We have tried and tried to get the people interested,” he sighed. “There just doesn’t seem to be any concern for spiritual things. Most folks who supported the church moved when the mill closed.”

  “Well, we’ll just keep working—and praying,” John promised. “Perhaps it’s not too late.”

  John talked to some of the men, trying to convince them that letting the church close was as bad as having the mill shut down. But the blank stares he got in response told him the men had no idea what he was talking about. They did not understand why anyone would worry about religion when just getting food on the table consumed all their energies. They did not consider spiritual needs as important as physical needs.

  Julia appealed to the women at her committee meetings, but she too received only blank stares in response to her pleas. The women didn’t seem to feel that church was important.

  Try as they might, John and Julia couldn’t get anyone interested.

  “Don’t you care? Don’t you even care?” Julia wanted to say, but their attitude answered the question for her.

  The families eventually decided that the children should study together. They divided them into groups—the first three grades, the second three grades, and those above. The groups were assigned to the parents whose children formed them. The mothers took turns supervising the studies each weekday morning.

  Jennifer, Felicity, and Millicent Shannon were the only members of the top group. That meant the Harrigans had to supervise four mornings each week. Julia took the heavier share because Maude Shannon had children in the other groups also. Julia chose a small back room for the class area and tried to brighten it up with books, maps, and a world globe. John moved a table into the room and placed
three chairs beside it.

  “I hope this works,” Julia heard Felicity say to Jennifer on the first morning of school. “I’m not sure what Mama will do with Millicent.”

  “She’ll be okay,” Jennifer responded.

  “She’s not too bright, you know,” said Felicity. “She always has trouble in school.”

  Julia soon discovered that Felicity’s assessment was accurate. Millicent was not very smart. Julia had to give most of her time and attention to Millicent, leaving her own two to study by themselves. Millicent did make some progress with the coaching, but Julia was concerned that her own girls were not getting the help and encouragement they deserved.

  When Christmas came, Matilda Pendleton suggested that everyone get together.

  “We should,” Julia agreed. She could well imagine that the young woman was bored with the lack of excitement in town.

  “Where?” asked Mrs. Shannon. “There aren’t many of us, but we still won’t all fit in a house.”

  “What about the schoolhouse?” suggested Mrs. Clancy.

  “It’s boarded up,” sighed Mrs. Pendleton. “The whole town is boarded up.”

  “We can tear off the boards easily enough. Surely they owe us something for all the years we paid our taxes.”

  “Do you think we should?” another lady asked.

  “Why not?”

  “She’s right,” others replied.

  “We won’t hurt anything,” went on Mrs. Clancy. “Just take off enough boards to get in, have our dinner together, and then board it up again.”

  It seemed harmless, even sensible.

  “Do you think we should wire for permission?” asked Julia.

  “No time,” replied Mrs. Greenwald. “They’d have to have a meeting to consider it and by then Christmas would be over.”

  “The building should belong to the town, anyway,” argued Mrs. Clancy.

  Julia conceded. After all, Mrs. Clancy’s husband was town clerk. They should know who had rightful access to the town buildings.

  So the residents of the small community met together on December 24 to celebrate Christmas. Reverend Wright offered the table grace and read the Christmas story. Though this was new to some, they didn’t object. Then they shared their potluck dinner, sang a few carols, and visited until the large pot of coffee ran dry.

  John and Julia walked the few blocks home through the falling snow. Behind them they could hear the laughter of Felicity and Jennifer with the younger children as they shuffled along.

  “They must miss children their own age,” Julia commented. Then she heard Felicity yell, “Tommy Shannon, I’ll get you for that!” and squeals and laughter followed the threat.

  “But they do seem to be having fun,” John remarked. “Children always manage to have fun. It’s too bad grownups have to take life so seriously.”

  There was a certain wistfulness in his voice, and Julia slipped her arm through his, hoping to drive away his sadness.

  “John,” she said, “we are doing all right, aren’t we? I mean, we have enough to eat. We are together. We are making it through the first year—the worst year. Things will get better, won’t they?”

  John squeezed her hand, but he had no ready reply.

  At the end of the year the Wrights packed their belongings, boarded the train, and left. Julia had been unable to save the church.

  “I won’t board up the building,” Rev. Wright said firmly. “Even if there is no minister, the church must be open for the people.”

  Julia was thankful for that. At least she could still slip into the building for a few moments of prayer.

  Julia felt heavy with sorrow as she watched the Wrights depart.

  The townspeople needed the Gospel. How would they hear it now that their church had been taken from them?

  “Honestly, Hettie,” Julia admitted later that day, “sometimes I come desperately close to giving up.”

  The older woman patted Julia’s hand and suggested tea. It was the only cure Hettie had to offer for the world’s ills.

  Winter dragged on with cold winds blowing off the mountain peaks, threatening to freeze everything in its path. Snow fell, burying their world in harsh whiteness. But on a few days the sun shone with such brilliance that the whole valley glistened like strung jewels, and there were days when the climbing temperature made folks think spring might be early.

  In February, Mac and Matilda Pendleton announced that they could no longer endure the lonely settlement. They loaded their few possessions, padlocked the door of their cottage, and climbed aboard an outgoing train.

  “We just keep dwindling and dwindling,” Mrs. Greenwald commented. “Soon there won’t be anybody left but us and Mr. Perry.”

  Mr. Greenwald was in charge of the local train station. He would be needed as long as the train stopped at the town. Julia still had nightmares of the train being withdrawn. She would awaken in a sweat of terror, repeating, “No. Please, no. That is all we have left!”

  Julia was not the only one who had fears about the train. “If they ever take the train, that’s it! The town won’t survive overnight without that train,” she had often heard people say.

  “Well,” Julia said to Mrs. Greenwald, “we still have the train. No one has threatened to take it—yet.”

  “One can scarcely keep a family here with no doctor, no school, no neighbors—nothing,” Mrs. Greenwald replied.

  Julia would have added church to the list, but the Greenwalds did not consider the church a real loss.

  Julia and John felt the urgency to do something. They needed spiritual nurturing. Their children needed biblical training. Their neighbors all needed it too, though none seemed to realize it.

  “We’ll just have to start our own Bible study,” John decided. “We’ll gather those who are interested and have our own simple service.”

  “Where?” asked Julia, eager to get started.

  John thought for a few minutes. “Not in the church. People have shied away from church in the past. Perhaps—perhaps if we have it here, like you do the committee meetings, folks might get the notion to come.”

  Julia nodded, her eyes beginning to shine. “Do you really think it might work?”

  “Might. We’ll never know ’til we try.”

  The next morning after breakfast, Julia set to work writing invitations for a Bible study hour and sent Jennifer and Felicity to deliver them.

  Only the Adams family and Hettie and Tom came to the first meeting. John read the Scriptures and discussed the lesson. Those who wished to pray did so, and the meeting ended.

  Julia kept her initial disappointment to herself, but she didn’t remain disappointed for long. As the remaining winter weeks passed, a few others began to join them for worship. Mrs. Greenwald came first. Julia wondered if she came out of boredom or curiosity. Then Mrs. Shannon came, and soon she was bringing her children. Julia decided they needed a lesson for the children, so she started a children’s class. Soon the news got around and other children began coaxing their parents to allow them to attend. The class grew, and Julia assigned the younger ones to Jennifer and Felicity. Excited about being involved, the girls prepared lessons on Noah and Daniel with great care.

  The group grew and interest deepened. There was actually participation—excitement. Julia and John began to pray more sincerely. Perhaps this was why God had kept them in town—to win their neighbors.

  But it was hard, slow work. They prayed daily for the wisdom, the strength, the commitment to keep going. They made it through the winter. Spring came, bringing warm breezes that melted the snow. Spirits lifted. Folks began to talk of gardens. Children played in the warm sunshine. They had survived the first winter with no disasters. No serious illnesses. Surely they could make it through spring and summer with ease.

  Julia began her letter writing again, promising visitors a quiet and restful vacation in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. The women laid aside their winter handwork to care for household chores. The children were
given a week’s break from their studies, more to give their mothers a rest than anything else. And then they settled in to prepare for another season, with renewed faith and courage.

  Chapter 16

  Another Chance

  “We know better what to expect this year,” Julia said at their first committee meeting of the tourist season.

  Actually, no one had gotten much experience the year before. Each family had hosted only one vacationing family. Julia had cared for two—if she counted the little old man and woman trying to outwit the authorities.

  “We will take turns as before,” Julia continued. “I had the last ones, so we will move down the list. We have a number of items in our shops now. Many more than last year, so perhaps business will improve for those not taking guests.”

  As Julia spoke, she remembered that some of the ladies had used their merchandise to buy flour and sugar at the store. Still, there would be some revenue from the sale of goods.

  “And we have the jams and jellies from last year’s picking,” Julia added.

  “I used a few jars of mine,” said Mrs. Clancy, and Mrs. Greenwald admitted that she too had dipped into her supplies.

  “Fine,” said Julia. “Our families come first. If we need our produce to feed them, then we must use it, that’s all. We’ll pray for a good berry crop this year. All our children are a year older. They will be better pickers this year than last.”

  Maude Shannon shifted uneasily. She was to have another child in a few months. She wouldn’t be picking many berries for a while. But that wasn’t what worried Julia as she looked at Maude. It was the lack of a doctor. She wondered if Maude planned to go away to have the baby. She wondered whether the Shannons had family she could stay with. And what about the five other Shannon children? The townsfolk might have to care for them for a few weeks.

  Julia pushed the thoughts from her mind for the present and continued her meeting.