Emma would heal. And she would grow strong.
The town of Oakwood was rocked in the middle of June when suddenly word began to spread from door to door of a new tragedy—one that struck much closer to home.
Sheriff Sam Jenkins had been distracted from his duties for two days, ever since his son hadn’t come home after leaving the Steeves place late one night.
It was Deke Steeves who, on the third day, made the discovery at the bottom of a gulch about a mile from town. It was Weed Jenkins lying facedown on the rocky ground with a bullet through his head.
ANOTHER CONVERSATION AT THE RIVER
34
MICAH DUFF WAS WATCHING EMMA MORE closely than all the rest. For several weeks he kept a respectful distance, allowing the quiet and solitude of grief to do its slow healing work. He knew that right now she needed the love of friends, and a deeper love of God than she had known before, to soothe her aching heart more than the love of a man to distract and perhaps confuse her. He respected the value of time too much to interfere with it, no matter how long it took.
So he watched . . . and waited . . . until the time was right.
“I notice you haven’t been going to the river much lately,” said Micah one day after several weeks when he and Emma found themselves alone.
“I been goin’ ter da woods ter pray instead,” said Emma.
“Do you feel like another walk along the river?”
“I reckon dat’d be nice.”
Little more was said. Micah led the way past the barn and through fields of growing cotton, until again they stood beside the river looking out at the place where Emma had been baptized and where love had suddenly awakened in Micah’s heart for her. Emma sensed a quiet peace in her heart more than at any time since William’s death. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. The words of the song she had sung here so many times returned to her again . . . Give me Jesus . . . Dark midnight was my cry—give me Jesus.
Her soul had been through its dark midnight of despondency and desolation. But maybe, she thought, someday the sun might rise again. Then Micah’s voice intruded into her thoughts.
“Do you remember the day,” he asked softly, “when I said I had something to say to you . . . over there on the riverbank?”
“How wud I ever forgit a day like dat, Micah?” smiled Emma. “’Course I remember. You said you loved me.”
“Do you think you could stand the shock if I told you that I had something else to say that was almost as important as that?” asked Micah.
“Ain’t nuthin’ dat could compare wiff dat,” replied Emma, looking at him with a puzzled smile.
“But if I told you I did?”
“Den I reckon I’d tell you ter say it,” said Emma. “I’s feared er nuthin’ you’d say ter me, Micah. I knows you’d neber hurt me.”
“Of course I wouldn’t. I am glad you know it.”
“So what does you want ter say, Micah?”
“Why don’t we go over and sit down on that big rock, Emma?”
Micah led the way, helped Emma climb up one of the boulders at the water’s edge, where they sat overlooking the leisurely summer’s flow of green water.
“Do you ever think about the future, Emma?” Micah asked.
“I never done much ob dat,” Emma replied. “I ain’t neber figgered I had much future ter think about . . . specially now.”
“I think about it, Emma. I’ve always been making plans and thinking of things I’d like to do.”
“You’s different den me.”
“Maybe . . . or maybe you just haven’t had anyone to think of the future with.”
Emma’s neck began to get warm.
“That’s what makes the future something to think about, Emma—having someone to share it with. And . . . that’s what I wanted to say to you, to ask if you would share the future with me.”
Emma sat still, saying nothing, but trembling from head to foot.
“I would like,” Micah said. “—No,” he added, “I would be honored if you would be my wife.”
Emma found her voice again.
“You would be . . . honored?”
“Yes, Emma—you are a lady, remember? And it would honor this penniless wandering soldier to make the lady his wife.”
“You hab da most uncommon way ter say things!”
“Then let me say it like this—will you marry me, Emma?”
“Oh, Micah . . . you make me so happy,” said Emma quietly. “I don’t deserve any ob dis. ’Course I’ll marry you!”
PLANS
35
I don’t suppose the news took any of us altogether by surprise. But we were so overjoyed by it that it might as well have come as a surprise. Nothing would ever make up for William’s loss. But knowing that Emma had a man to love her and that she would be the wife of Micah Duff, and likely have more children in time, gave us hope that her life would be filled with joy in spite of her present sorrow.
The minute Papa and Uncle Ward heard that Micah and Emma planned to be married, they immediately began making plans to enlarge Micah’s cabin to accommodate the new husband and wife.
“We could run a water line down there, couldn’t we, Ward,” said my papa excitedly, “and put in a water pump and tub.”
“I don’t see why not.”
“And while we’re at that, why not bring water to Henry and Jeremiah’s too. We’ll modernize both places at the same time.”
With a sheepish look, Micah glanced at Emma. A smile passed between them that seemed to say they knew more about their future than did any of the rest of us.
“That’s kind and thoughtful of you, Mr. Templeton,” said Micah, “and we appreciate it more than we can say. But . . . well, the fact is, Emma and I have been talking, and . . . actually we have some other plans.”
Papa and Uncle Ward stared back as if they had never considered any possibility other than that Micah and Emma would stay at Rosewood.
“I’m not sure Emma will ever be completely safe from William McSimmons,” said Micah. “The look in that man’s eyes when I was speaking to him, and in his wife’s, was not an expression that spoke of forgiveness. We thwarted his ambitions, and I have the feeling that revenge will be on his mind as long as the two of us are anywhere nearby.”
Micah looked around at the rest of us with obvious love in his eyes. I think we all began in that moment to sense that a farewell was coming to Rosewood.
“It was you, Mr. Daniels,” Micah went on, “who told me that I needed to have plans, and have the courage to follow my dreams. You don’t know how much I appreciate your speaking to me as you did. I’ve tried to take your words to heart ever since. I’ve talked it over with Emma, and we have been thinking about that new railroad out west . . . and the long and the short of it is that we have decided, right after we can be married—and we wouldn’t be married anywhere but at Rosewood!—to take the train west and try to make our way to Oregon. I had been looking forward to the experience of picking cotton with you all this fall,” he added with a smile, glancing around at the rest of us. “But after what happened, and what may still be some degree of danger, I think it best that we not wait. Emma will be safe in the West, and we hope that maybe we can have a little place of our own to begin our life and a family together.”
He glanced at Emma and again they smiled.
“Well, son,” said Papa, “I think that’s a fine plan. We’ll miss you, of course, and speaking for myself, I’d much rather you stayed right here. But a man’s got to follow his dreams, and I’d be the last one to stand in the way of yours.”
I looked at Katie and smiled. We both had tears in our eyes, but we were happy for Emma too. It was hard to believe what a part of our lives she had become. I knew we would miss her more than we realized.
Ward Daniels had business in Oakwood the next day. When he returned, he went immediately in search of his brother. When they were alone he pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket.
“Look
at this,” he said. “They’re up all over at Oakwood.”
Templeton took it and looked it over with a serious expression. “Wanted,” he read, “for the murder of Weed Jenkins—tall Negro man, speaks white English, reportedly former Union soldier.”
He shook his head in disgust.
“Very clever of them,” he said. “Without getting their own hands dirty, whoever’s behind this can just wait and let someone bring Micah in for them.”
“Who do you think’s behind it?”
“I have no doubt it’s Sheriff Jenkins. I’m sorry about his kid, but he’s had it in for us all along.”
“Should we tell them?”
“I can’t see any point. Let’s just get them married and out of here. They don’t need this to worry about starting out their life together.”
“Still . . . we better stick close, keep a close eye on things, and not let him go into town again.”
“Probably best that nobody goes into town except for Henry and Jeremiah going to work. We better all stick close to home for a spell.”
I came upon Emma a few days later sitting looking out one of the front room windows.
“What are you looking at?” I asked.
“Oh, jes’ at Micah an’ Jeremiah out dere,” she said.
I went to the window. The two were laughing together like the best of friends.
“We’s a couple er mighty lucky young . . . young ladies,” she said, “—dat’s what Micah’d make me say—ain’t we, Mayme? De’re a couple er right fine young men.”
“Yes they are, Emma,” I said. “We are very lucky young ladies to have such good young men to love us.”
I turned and walked away. After a few steps I glanced back. Emma was still staring out the window. And now a figure approached from outside. I could tell from the shadow it cast on the wall that it was Micah, and that he had seen Emma sitting there watching him. She wasn’t smiling exactly, but the expression on her face as she gazed out at him said more than a hundred smiles.
It was a peaceful look that said she knew she was loved, and that because she knew it, she would never be the same again.
HAPPY DAY
36
The day of Emma’s wedding was one of the happiest Rosewood had ever known.
All morning Josepha and Katie and I fussed with her hair and dress to get everything just right. She was just about the most beautiful bride you could imagine! She was again wearing Katie’s white dress, the same one she had been baptized in. We added some green and yellow ribbons around her waist and tied them in a bow in back. We braided a little wreath of ferns with tiny yellow roses woven into them for her hair to match the color of the ribbons. Emma was beautiful anyway, but by the time for the wedding, I’d never seen anything like the picture she looked, not even in a book of fairy tales and princesses.
Our young friend Aleta and her father came out about noon and we went downstairs to meet them. Aleta had grown so much since she stayed with us! When she and Emma saw each other and ran to meet and embraced like sisters, I thought I’d never seen anything so wonderful. We excitedly hurried Aleta upstairs with us to continue putting the finishing touches on Emma’s hair and dress.
Reverend Hall and his wife came about an hour later. He hadn’t seemed to mind that we weren’t having the wedding in his church. In fact he had never encouraged us to attend services, knowing, no doubt, that we would all expect to sit together—which might have angered his other parishioners. He talked awhile to Papa and Micah and Katie about the arrangements. Katie had planned everything and was in charge of telling everyone what to do. More and more she was the mistress of Rosewood!
Emma waited upstairs with Josepha and Aleta and Katie and me. She was nervous but beaming!
Finally everything was ready. But then Emma started crying, and I knew why.
“I wish my William cud be here,” she said. “I wanted a good life fo William since he wuz born a free baby. He wud hab been so happy ter know dat he wuz finally gwine hab a daddy. He loved Micah so much.”
Katie gave Emma a hug. “But remember, Emma,” she whispered, “even though William isn’t here with us, he is happy in heaven—and happier for you than you can imagine.”
Emma smiled and wiped at her eyes. “Dat’s nice, Miz Katie,” she said. “Dat’s real nice. I hope you’s right. Dat’ll make me real happy ter think of him like dat. You really think he’s happy fo me?”
“I know he is, Emma. He loves you.” Then Katie hurried downstairs.
We heard the tramp of men’s feet walking up the stairs. A few seconds later, Papa and Uncle Ward appeared.
“You ready, little girl?” said Papa.
“I is, Mister Templeton,” said Emma, drawing in a breath to steady herself.
“Then we’ll take it from here,” he said, looking at the three of us. “Time for you ladies to leave us with the bride!”
Josepha and Aleta and I gave Emma one last smile, then went downstairs to join the others. There stood Micah and Jeremiah in their finest clothes, their faces shiny clean. I had to admit—they were both mighty handsome! The whole house was silent. Katie was sitting at the piano. She glanced around making sure everybody was ready, then began to play.
When they were alone upstairs together, the two Daniels men looked seriously at Emma.
“I haven’t ever been too good at things like this,” said Uncle Ward. “But both of us want you to know that we’re honored to walk you down to that fellow who’s going to be your husband. You’re a mighty fine young lady, Emma Tolan. You’ve done a lot of growing up, and we’re mighty proud to know you.”
He looked over at my papa. By now Emma was crying. But Papa had some things to say to her too.
“I know you had to struggle,” he said, “alongside Katie and Mayme, to feel like you were as good as them. But let me tell you something, Emma, and I don’t want you ever to forget it as long as you live. You’re a fine person, a good person, and wherever you go you can hold your head up high. You were a good mother too. We all miss William, but you’ll have more children and you’ll be a good mother to them too. But he’ll always be your firstborn and he’ll always be special to all of us. You can rest assured that we’ll never forget him either, any more than we’ll forget you. You’ll always be part of this family, Emma. We all love you.”
How Emma managed to keep from bawling after that, I don’t know. But by now Katie was already playing the music, and at last they were all ready. Emma wiped her eyes one last time, drew in a deep breath, then took hold of the two men’s arms.
Emma had asked the two brothers to walk her down to Micah. She had never known her own father and they were more like a father than anyone had ever been to her. Papa had only one daughter and she was black—me!—so why shouldn’t he have a black adoptive daughter too? And as they now walked slowly down the stairs, Emma between them on both their arms, I’d never seen such a sight. Here were two white men acting as fathers to a motherless, fatherless black girl. Uncle Ward was trying to keep serious, but Papa had a big grin on his face like he often did. You could tell he was enjoying it!
I glanced over at Micah from where I stood. He was staring straight at Emma as they came slowly down, one step at a time, in time to Katie’s music. The expression on his face was filled with such love. But it was more than that too—you could see that he was proud of Emma, proud of the lady she had become.
They reached the bottom of the stairs. The rest of us stepped back a little as they walked across the room to where Micah stood with Reverend Hall. Beside Micah stood Jeremiah, with Henry next to him.
Katie came to the end of the processional she had been playing and stopped. She stood up and came over to join Josepha, Aleta, and me.
“Dearly beloved,” said Reverend Hall, “we are gathered here this day to unite this man and this woman in holy matrimony. If any man should show just cause why they should not be so united, let him speak now or forever hold his peace.”
He waited briefly, t
hen glanced one at a time to the two men.
“Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” he asked.
“We do,” said Papa and Uncle Ward together.
Emma stepped forward, beaming all the more, turned around, slipped her hand through Micah’s arm, and stood at his side. Papa and Uncle Ward went over to stand beside Henry and Jeremiah. Katie and Josepha and Aleta and I all walked up and spread out on the other side next to Emma. Across the room on two chairs, the only two spectators for the ceremony were Mr. Butler and Mrs. Hall.
“I would like to say a few words,” said Reverend Hall, “before we continue with the actual ceremony. I have watched as you here at Rosewood have grown as a family. First there was just Kathleen and Mary Ann. Then Emma came, then Aleta, and gradually the rest of you have joined them. Your numbers have not only grown, but so have your bonds as a family. It is a perfect example of what our politicians call peaceful coexistence of the races. But for you it has nothing to do with politics, but with the love you all have for one another. And though you may not realize it, the whole community is watching. Some may hate you for it. But many are also learning to respect you for it.
“You are following the words of Jesus. You have taken in the widow and the orphan and the homeless. Kathleen and Mary Ann, you were orphans yourselves, and yet you have taken in any and all who came and needed your help. And the rest of you too, you have opened your hearts and your home to one and all.
“Therefore, the love we celebrate this day between Micah and Emma is testimony as the fruit of that love that accepts all people no matter what the color of his or her skin. This is how it is to be among men. This is how God intended it to be. That so few live by God’s design does not mean we are not to live so ourselves. You have lived so, and I believe that is why God’s favor rests on Rosewood.
“Now I realize, as I said, that there is resentment on the part of some in the community, and that this great experiment in which you are engaged will no doubt continue to face opposition. But let that not deter you from continuing in good faith and with fortitude, for God will surely reward and bless your efforts.
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