A Life Worth Living

by Irene Brand

  Although Allen had counseled with many people about their faith, he’d never sensed the need to choose the right words for divine guidance than he did at this moment. He didn’t quote any scripture because he knew that Dora wouldn’t understand, but praying aloud, he asked God to meet her spiritual needs. As he prayed, her crying lessened, and when he finished praying, she snuggled closer to him. Pulling his bandanna from his pocket, he dried her tears. Next he quoted from memory several of the sayings of Jesus and the Twenty-Third Psalm, then he reached for the Bible lying on a table by the swing.

  “Becoming a Christian isn’t difficult because all we have to do is accept Jesus into our heart and lives,” he told her. “It’s living the way the Bible teaches after our conversion that we find difficult. It seems to me that Paul the apostle summed it up pretty well in the tenth chapter of the book of Romans. ‘But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.’ ”

  “What’s the reason for using thou and thee?” she said. “I feel as if I’m reading Shakespeare.”

  Allen wasn’t sure he was capable of answering, but if he took her to Reverend Spencer, this time of opportunity might be lost. Praying for guidance, he said, “I’m not much of a scholar of any kind. However, it’s my understanding that the Bible most of us use today was translated from Hebrew and Greek manuscripts during the reign of King James of England in the seventeenth century.”

  Turning in his Bible to the book of John, Allen read another scripture. “ ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.’ ”

  Dora sniffed. “I think I understand, but it seems so simple. Anyone could do that.”

  Choosing his words carefully, Allen said, “It is simple to choose to follow Jesus. The difficult part is the daily living, when our faith has to impact the way we live. For someone who’s searching for faith in God, I always suggest that the book of John is the best book to read.” He handed her the Bible. “Take this. I have another Bible. If you read something you don’t understand, ask Maude or me. I also think you should seek counseling from Reverend Spencer. I’ll admit there are many sayings in the Bible I don’t understand, and I’ve been a follower for several years. So don’t get discouraged. Unless you’re reading Psalms, I’d suggest that you not read in the Old Testament at first.”

  She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I don’t know what I ever did before you came into my life,” she said. “And now I have another project I want you to help with.”

  Allen rolled his eyes in Maude’s direction and feigned a groan. “Now what?”

  “It’s Kitty. I can’t get the child off my mind.”

  “She’s not much of a child now. She’s only seventeen, true, but she’s old for her years. She and Timothy are good friends—perhaps too good for her age. She comes to see him sometimes.”

  “I wish we could do something about her injury. There’s a doctor in New York, a friend of our family, who specializes in that kind of affliction. I’ve written to him about her case, and he’s volunteered to perform the surgery without any charge, but she’d have to go to New York. I’ll pay for her passage and her mother’s to New York, and they can stay in that apartment you slept in while Kitty recuperates.”

  Allen smiled fondly. “Got it all worked out, have you?”

  “Not all of it. As usual, I can’t do it without your help. She doesn’t know me very well, but would you go to New York with her?”

  Allen shook his head. “With Ted Morgan still hanging around, it isn’t a good time for both of us to leave the textile mill. Her mother should go with her, but who’s going to take care of her brothers and sisters when their mother is away?”

  “That’s not a problem,” Maude said. “Many of the neighbors would watch out for the other children, if necessary, but Kitty’s grandmother lives in Asheville. I think she’d come and stay with them or take them to her home. If not, I’ll stay with the children.”

  “So you think it’s a good idea?” Dora asked Allen.

  “Of course.”

  “I wish you would go to New York with us. Situations might turn up that I couldn’t deal with.”

  He shook his head. “Both of us shouldn’t be away at the same time. I still don’t trust Morgan. He’s moved to Asheville, but I’ve seen him here in town a few times, too.”

  “Do you actually think he would try to damage the mill?”

  “I don’t know, but I distrust him to the extent that I won’t leave town right now. Her mother should be with her, but if you can convince Mrs. Franklin to permit the operation and go to New York, we’ll work out the other details.”

  “Why does any situation sound easy when you’re involved?” Dora stated, and Allen shifted his gaze from her luminous dark eyes.

  “I’m a sucker,” he countered. “You usually manage to talk me into schemes I’d never tackle on my own.”

  ❧

  When Kitty’s youngest sister contracted the chicken pox the day before they were to go to New York for the operation, Mrs. Franklin said she needed to stay at home and take care of the child. Truth be told, Dora figured the woman probably didn’t want to go, but neither did Dora want to assume full responsibility for the child’s surgery. She had a lawyer prepare an affidavit to approve the surgery, which Mrs. Franklin signed. Using her newfound faith, she prayed that circumstances would permit Allen to accompany her. When Dora asked him again to go with her, he finally agreed, trusting a very dependable foreman to manage the mill during the two weeks they would be gone. Allen wouldn’t have gone under any circumstances if Ted Morgan was still hanging around Asheville, but when he learned that the man had been arrested for a bank robbery and sent to prison for two years, Allen felt free to leave for a short time. Maude also accompanied them, intending to spend some time with her relatives while they were in New York.

  The excitement of riding on a train for the first time kept Kitty entranced as they traveled from Asheville to Charleston. She was such a sweet girl as well as being pretty with a neat little figure. Dora was happy to help the girl to a better way of life. Her coppery hair hung over her shoulders, and her dark brown eyes sparkled as she looked at the broad fields and elegant houses they saw along the way. Since they had to make an overnight stop in Washington, DC, Dora suggested they spend a few hours touring the capital city before they boarded a train to New York.

  Allen arranged for them to take a tour of Washington on a motorized streetcar, which was a treat for him as well as for Kitty. To her, the city seemed like a dream place, but he and Dora compared it to New York City, which was much more advanced than the capital city. On their tour they learned the town had grown quickly in the 1880s, but it still had dirt roads and lacked basic sanitation. The area was swampy and unhealthy to such an extent that some members of Congress suggested moving the capital farther west, but President Grant refused to consider such a proposal.

  Although up to that point, Kitty hadn’t seemed to be frightened of the ordeal she faced, when they arrived in New York and took a carriage to the six-story stone hospital, she seemed terrified. When they entered the spacious waiting room, she leaned against Allen and tears filled her eyes.

  “Oh my,” she whispered. “I’m scared. I want my mother. I’ve been crippled all my life, and I’m used to it now. Let’s go home.”

  Dora looked hopelessly at Allen. He took Kitty’s hand and led her to a nearby room that had several benches. He sat down and put his arm around Kitty’s shoulders.

  “There’s nothing to be afr
aid of,” he said soothingly. “You’ve been a brave girl so far. Your mother would be so disappointed if you go home without having the surgery. Besides, you won’t have an operation today. You’re just here for an examination and to find out when the surgery will be. Let’s talk to the Lord about it.”

  Dora took Kitty’s hand and held it while Allen prayed. “God, bring peace to Kitty’s heart. Open her mind so she will realize how much better her life will be when she’s free from pain and will be walking like the rest of us do. Calm her spirit, and help her to trust You for healing and the victory from fear. Amen.”

  The prayer seemed to calm Kitty, and they stayed with her, each of them holding one of her hands, until she was ready to be taken to the examination room. Dora was allowed to accompany her, and when they returned an hour later, Allen thought that Kitty seemed more relaxed. The surgeon had already set aside a time for the operation, which would be the next day.

  Allen slept in the apartment downstairs, and although Dora wasn’t accustomed to sleeping with anyone, she arranged for Kitty to sleep with her. Tired from the long trip from Fairfield, however, she slept better than she thought she would. The doctor had given them some medication for Kitty to take before she arrived at the hospital. Somewhat docile after that, she didn’t seem nearly as uneasy as she’d been the day before, but she did cry most of the time while they waited.

  About an hour passed before the nurse came for Kitty. She looked frightened and was reluctant to leave them.

  “Ain’t you going with me?” she cried, at first refusing to leave her chair, still holding Allen’s hand. No doubt the nurse had experience with reluctant patients, for she quietly persuaded Kitty that she must go.

  Dora leaned over and kissed her forehead before the nurse took her hand and led her from the waiting room. Then Allen had another crying female to console when Dora’s eyes filled with tears. He put his arm around her waist as they sat down to wait. She leaned her head on his shoulder and whispered, “I don’t know how I ever lived before you came into my life.”

  Allen had his own thoughts along that subject, but he knew his relationship with Dora could never be more than friendship, so he didn’t comment. Instead he said, “We’ll probably have a long wait, so why don’t you take a nap? We didn’t get much sleep on the train. And we’re going to have a week of this because one of us will need to be with her all the time. A place like this is bound to intimidate a girl like Kitty, who’s never been away from home before.”

  Sniffing, Dora said, “She must miss her mother terribly.”

  Thinking that Dora would make a wonderful mother, he said, “You’re doing all right. Mrs. Franklin would have been miserable in a big hospital like this. It’s a pity she couldn’t be with her daughter, but I think she prefers it this way.”

  He leaned his head on hers, never expecting to go to sleep himself, but it must have been an hour later when he wakened. His arm was numb, and he wakened Dora when he took his arm from her waist to get the circulation started again. A hostess came by with a tray offering them coffee and cookies, which revived them somewhat, and they settled down for a long wait.

  At the end of several hours when the surgeon came to the waiting room, Dora squeezed his hand, and it was obvious that she was concerned over the outcome. She’d persuaded Kitty and her mother that surgery would give the girl a new lease on life, and she would feel responsible if the operation wasn’t successful.

  Shaking hands with them, the surgeon said, “The patient came through the surgery well, and she’ll be in a room in a couple of hours. She should be ready to leave the hospital in a week, but she’ll have to use a crutch until her leg heals. We need to teach her how to walk to prevent falling. It will be several weeks before you can take her home to North Carolina.”

  Allen smothered a groan, thinking he couldn’t stay in New York that long. With both Dora and him away, all kinds of problems could occur at the textile mill. Timothy would do everything he could, as would the foreman, but Allen couldn’t rid himself of the notion that they hadn’t seen the last of Ted Morgan.

  ten

  Although Dora obviously didn’t want him to leave, she must have realized he was needed more in North Carolina than with her. He stayed for a week until Kitty was released from the hospital, then he took a southbound train. As soon as the surgery was over, Dora had sent a special delivery letter to Mrs. Franklin, but Allen knew that Kitty’s mother would be uneasy until the girl was home. Although he was eager to check on events at the mill, when he got off the train in Fairfield, he went directly to the Franklin home. Mrs. Franklin had already received Dora’s letter, but Allen updated her on the girl’s recovery before he went to the mill office.

  When he walked in, Timothy was laboring over one of the ledgers. When he saw Allen, a comical expression of relief spread over the boy’s face, and he wrapped Allen in a big bear hug. “I’ve never been so happy to see anybody in my life,” he said.

  Allen disentangled himself from Timothy’s clutch. “What’s wrong? Have you had any trouble?”

  “Nary a bit of trouble. According to the foreman everything is moving smoothly, but I’ve worried all the time what I’d do if we did have some trouble. I tell you this kind of life isn’t for me. I’m still planning to go west to seek my fortune. I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since you left.”

  “Then that makes two of us.”

  “And Kitty is still doing all right?”

  “Yes, I didn’t leave until she’d learned to walk on the crutches. She’ll have to use them for a while. It will probably be a month before they can come home.”

  Timothy groaned. “Four whole weeks! But at least you’re home, so I can go back to the farm.”

  ❧

  If Allen still harbored doubts of how much he loved Dora, not seeing her for a month removed all doubts. He haunted the train station when a train was due, hoping she and Kitty would be on it. As soon as he’d arrived home, he’d sent a letter to Dora, and he hoped she would answer soon. Every day he went to the post office hoping for a message from her. When he did receive a letter saying that they would return to Fairfield within a week, he felt better. However, he realized that he was never going to be satisfied if Dora wasn’t where he could see her every day.

  Should he ask her to marry him? Sometimes the expression on her face and the warmth radiating from her eyes led him to believe that she loved him. A few times he’d been tempted to talk to her about marriage, but each time he thought about it, he cringed. When he considered proposing to her, the word millionaire popped into his mind, and he figured most people would think he was marrying her for her money. Certainly her father would. The days passed endlessly, and he remembered how Dora had embraced him when he showed up at her New York apartment. He knew how she felt now. He prayed he wouldn’t do anything foolish when he met the train on her return.

  Finally, he received a message that they were scheduled to arrive on the evening train within three days. He spread the word, and a crowd gathered to welcome Kitty home. When the train rolled into the station, a conductor stepped off first. Kitty appeared in the doorway, using a cane for support rather than the crutch she’d been using the last time he had seen her, and the conductor helped her down the steps.

  With her free hand she waved and threw kisses at her friends and neighbors. Mrs. Franklin stepped forward, with her five other children beside her, and waited for Kitty. A lightweight brace was still on her leg, but she maneuvered the three train steps easily. Allen noted tears in her eyes, but he turned as his beloved came down the steps. She looked over the crowd until she saw him, and a ready smile spread across her beautiful face. He took her hand and helped her down the last step.

  “Welcome home,” he whispered. “I’ve missed you.”

  “Same here,” she said. Looking around the large crowd and to the town beyond, she continued, “Oh, it’s good to be home.”
/>   Hearing her say those words brought happiness to his heart.

  “When you sent word that Maude was going to stay in New York until after Christmas, I hired a reliable woman in Asheville to help you.” He picked up her bags. “I’ll take these to your house. I told her that you’d be here today, and I’m sure she’ll have everything cozy for you. She’s preparing supper.”

  “Will you eat with me?” Dora asked. “I don’t like to eat alone.”

  Allen grinned sheepishly. “I told her to prepare enough for two.”

  “Is everything all right at the mill?”

  “Yes. I think you’ll be pleased when you check the finances. You didn’t make a lot of money, but your income was more than expenses. I am worried about one situation, however. Ted Morgan has escaped from prison. He killed a guard in doing so, and the police are diligently searching for him, but so far he’s still on the loose.”

  “You’re afraid for me, right?”

  “Of course! That’s why I’m sorry Maude didn’t come home with you, so you wouldn’t be living alone. I’m going to be uneasy until he’s caught.”

  “Don’t you think you’re in danger, too?”

  “Sure, but he’d only shoot me. I doubt that’s what he would do to you.”

  ❧

  It was only a month until Christmas when Dora first approached Allen about what she should do for the mill workers for the holiday season. “Should I give them a bonus? Do they have a holiday then? What should I do?”

  “I don’t know,” Allen said, flipping the calendar to December. “I’m sure there’s always an extra holiday of some sort, but I’ll find out. Christmas comes on a weekday, so I’d suggest you give them an extra day or two.”

  “I’ve been thinking that I could make their Christmas Day a whole week from Christmas through New Year’s Day, with pay. That could be their Christmas bonus. Do you think that’s generous enough?”