“If it weren’t for the Living Water that Jesus gives me every day, I could not have survived. I would not have found hope again. And . . . I don’t believe I would have been on that train the same day both of you were also.”
“Not a mile from here are girls who were taken against their will and forced to do despicable things. They have been beaten and starved into obedience by evil men. They may have no hope left in their hearts.”
Joy paused and came to a decision. “I came to Corinth because Uli and David have been secretly helping a few of them to escape. I came to help them in their work.”
Marit and Breona gasped at this revelation.
“And the first ones the Lord led me to were you, my dear friends. It was no coincidence, no accident! The Lord caused us to find each other. My hope is that we can find and help more of these young ladies. Help them to escape from slavery and help them to heal. Right here in this house we can love them and tell them about Jesus, the Living Water. We can give them jobs and help them to learn new skills so that, eventually, they can go forth into the world, forgiven, healed, and able to care for themselves.”
Joy was exhausted. They had finished breakfast well over an hour ago. This morning’s conversation had been an important one, she knew, but it had taken a lot out of all of them.
“Marit, Breona, if you don’t mind, I’d like to pray again.” Joy bowed her head and the girls followed suit. “Father God, once more, we thank you for your word. Thank you again for sending Jesus to be the Living Water that each of us needs. Help us to understand what you are saying to us. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”
~~**~~
Chapter 20
The next weeks flew by. Flinty, good as his word, brought in a small crew to make the repairs and improvements Joy requested. The first additions were new, reinforced doors, front and back. Flinty himself installed the keyed locks, the new “dead bolt” type, he called them.
Carpenters repaired the leaks in the roof and, after consulting Joy’s plans, stripped off all of the old shingles, rolled out and tacked down new tar paper, laid down a second layer of wood, and replaced the shingles with sheets of heavy metal.
As the workers re-roofed, some of them sectioned the attic into three bedrooms, a tiny office for Joy, a storage room, and a small sitting room they would share. The workers nailed tar paper to the ceiling of the attic and the exterior walls to hold in heat. Then they lath-and-plastered the ceilings and all the walls to reduce noise and nicely finish the rooms. Finally, Flinty installed a small oil-burning stove in the sitting room.
The men also repaired the second story balcony and replaced the weathered door to it. Two of their crew began work to add a wide porch that would wrap around one side of the lodge. “We will need some sturdy all-weather chairs for our guests to sit in and watch the sunset,” Joy announced one afternoon. Flinty retired to his shop to craft half a dozen he declared would be ‘just what the doctor ordered!’
Joy also requested that they add a small balcony and a door that would open from the attic under the ridgepole, the highest beam of the roof. Almost like a widow’s watch, she thought wryly. From there the view would be unparalleled. In addition to the mountain vista, they would have a bird’s eye view of the siding and be able to keep watch on the comings and goings of the trains—and those who disembarked in Corinth.
David lent a hand in the kitchen and pantry. He repaired cupboards, added shelves, and then sanded, stained, and oiled the wooden-planked floor. Breona and Marit scrubbed the pantry and all its shelves with boiling water and lye soap. When the room finally came up to Breona’s exacting standards, they applied a coat of strong whitewash to the ceiling, walls, shelves, and floor.
The carpenters worked quickly with an eye to the changeable weather. Fall was short-lived in these mountains; any day a winter snow could halt their progress and the lodge was in no way ready for severe weather.
Uli had questioned Joy about the wisdom of opening Corinth Mountain Lodge just as winter was setting in. Joy replied simply. “I sense in my spirit that we can’t wait for good weather, Uli. The girls and I need a place now, and if we don’t have many visitors during the cold season, well, that will give us time to fully ready the lodge for the spring and summer season.”
“In the meantime, we’ll sell Marit’s goods at the siding and live from my savings. More importantly, we will prepare ourselves to receive a harvest of young women who may need the quiet of the lodge this winter.”
Uli had still frowned with a tiny bit of concern so Joy answered her more seriously. “It is not the best business plan—I acknowledge this. But I was praying and the Lord showed me a passage of scripture that seemed to settle my heart. It comes from the book of Ecclesiastes. Just listen to this!”
He that observeth the wind shall not sow;
and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit,
nor how the bones do grow
in the womb of her that is with child:
even so thou knowest not
the works of God who maketh all.
It was the second reference to birthing children that especially spoke to Joy, but she kept that precious bit to herself. Instead she told Uli, “I figured that if Solomon, the wisest man in the world, understood that our ways are often not God’s ways, then I could trust the Lord a little, too.”
Uli finally relented. “Well then, Joy, we will pray with you for a harvest to grow in the snow!”
Joy also received a response from Arnie and Anna. Arnie had at last located Billy digging ditches for the city of Omaha. With winter coming on, Billy was more than happy to become a shop keeper again.
Two weeks later Joy received a wire from Arnie. It was short and mysterious, and she laughed aloud.
Expect B within week. A
She showed it to Breona and Marit. “My cousin Arnie is taking care that snooping eyes here in Corinth have nothing of note to report,” she surmised.
“Aye. Flinty says naught happens in Cor’th a man bein’ called Morgan don’t know ’bout,” replied Breona, lifting one eyebrow.
“Morgan? Hmm.” Joy was distracted by a letter that had arrived from RiverBend at the same time as the wire from Arnie. A letter from home! She eagerly tore it open.
Dear Joy,
I am so stirred in my heart by the work you have undertaken! Just as some of the brave missionaries we read of who have sailed to the far-off lands of China or India, you have “sailed” to your mission field. Papa and I pray for you every day that the Lord will lead you, guide you, and make you fruitful for him.
Joy read several tidbits of news from her extended family and the community of RiverBend, some happy, some needing prayer. However, her mother’s last paragraph caught her unprepared.
I don’t mean to overly concern you, Joy, but Papa is not doing as well as I would hope. He has had some pains in his chest and difficulties breathing. Today he seems well enough, although I notice that he is not often out of his chair.
Please do not come running home at this time. You have important work in your hands that should not be interrupted. Søren visits us each evening and helps Papa to bed. If things change, I will wire you immediately. Joy, I know you are praying for Papa, and I want you to know that I trust the Lord in all things.
Love,
Mama
Stunned, Joy tried to digest her mama’s words. What would life be without her papa? What would Mama do if Papa passed away? Joy bowed her head and prayed earnestly for both of her parents.
On Friday Flinty jogged to the lodge from his smithy near the siding bringing good news. “Yer friends hev arrived, they hev!” He was out of breath but grinning as usual from ear to ear.
“Friends? More than one?” Joy was puzzled but smoothed her hair and dress while Marit and Breona quickly loaded a basket with foods to sell to passengers. They donned sweaters or cloaks and Flinty walked them toward the siding.
A
plume of coal smoke billowed into the sky from the engine as it idled a ways down the track. A light haze of gritty soot fell from the plume and wafted in the chilly breeze. Along the tracks small clusters of passengers stretched their legs while the crew topped off the engine’s water tank and coal bin.
“I sint a boy on over t’ yer cousin’s place t’ git th’ wagon,” Flinty puffed as they walked.
“You are a good friend, Flinty,” Joy said sincerely. As they came closer to the platform, Flinty protectively strode out a little ahead of them. Joy saw why. The two sleek black motorcars and a group of men waited on a trio of elegantly dressed male arrivals. Joy and the girls slowed down until the cars pulled away.
Relieved to avoid a possible confrontation, they made their way to the siding platform. Marit quietly introduced herself and her wares to passengers, several of whom eagerly gathered around to make purchases. Breona stayed close to Marit and kept an eye out for trouble.
Joy, on the other hand, searched down the tracks for a very large young man. There he was! She waved enthusiastically at Billy who was standing in front of an open box car. He grinned back, his face alight with the same fun and laughter she knew so well. What a welcome sight! With him were two others.
“Arnie!” Joy flew down the track to her cousin. Arnie turned toward her voice—and so did the third man in their party, his gray hair standing up in tufts around the crown of his head. “Mr. Wheatley!”
His faced creased into a happy smile. “Now that’s a sight for sore eyes,” he declared, shaking her hand, his eyes growing a little misty.
Joy could hardly restrain herself. She hugged Arnie and barely refrained from hugging Billy and Mr. Wheatley. “I am so happy to see all of you—and so surprised!” Oh, how she had missed them all!
“I couldn’t talk him out of it, Joy,” Arnie declared. “When he heard from Billy where you were and what you were about, he insisted on coming along. He told me, ‘I’ll just make myself so useful she’ll have to take me on.’” Arnie chuckled. “Not much I could do to stop him from buying a ticket.”
Mr. Wheatley looked a little abashed, and perhaps a tiny bit worried, but Joy reassured him immediately. “I would be proud to have you join us, Mr. Wheatley. We can talk later about how to best employ you, but we have so much to do!” She added seriously. “You will always have a place with me as long as I am in business. I am honored that you came, too.”
A real tear formed in his eye then, and Joy remembered that he had no family. “But Arnie!” she added to quickly change the subject, “What are you doing here? Are you looking for a job, too?”
Arnie just put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her again. “Anna insisted I come and make sure all was well with you. Believe me, it took an act of Congress to keep Petter and Willem at home and at their studies. You can imagine how they are chafing right about now. Anna had to stay home and keep their noses to the grindstone, so she sent me along with Billy and Wheatley. I’m fairly certain I will be required to submit a report in triplicate when I return to Omaha. Oh, and your old employee, Mr. Taub, sends his warm greetings. He is doing well.”
Billy had mostly watched the greetings from the sidelines, his cap in his hand. Finally Joy addressed him more personally. “Billy, I cannot tell you how delighted I am that you have come. I couldn’t think of anyone I wanted more to oversee the inventory and to come help me.”
She took a breath and included Mr. Wheatley in her next words. “We are walking a fine line here in Corinth. Perhaps when you learn all about it, you may wish to return to Omaha.”
Billy, smiling softly, just shook his head. “Mr. Arnie filled us in on our way here, Mrs. Michaels. I’m in for the long haul.”
Joy looked him up and down. He had been head and shoulders over most men when she had seen him last, but he had also had the lankiness and sometimes clumsiness of youth. Six months of digging ditches in the city had filled him out in hard muscle. Gone was the gangly and ungainly young man she had known; now he seemed solid and grounded. Moreover, Joy knew he was quick-witted and loyal. She nodded in approval.
“You are all, as our dear Flinty says, just what the doctor ordered! I couldn’t be happier.” She saw Marit and Breona waiting not far off and waved them over. “I would like you to meet the other members of our little household.”
As she introduced everyone around, she spied David and Uli’s wagon coming toward them. “Good. We can start moving the inventory right away. It will be getting dark soon, and if you think this nip in the air is bracing, wait until the sun drops behind those mountains!”
Joy gestured toward the panorama in the near distance and laughed as the three newcomers gaped. When had she last laughed so freely, so spontaneously? She smiled again. “And wait until you see the view from upstairs at the lodge!”
Uli was just as amazed to see her brother as Joy had been. Greetings, hugs, and handshakes took several more minutes. At last Joy had to urge them into action.
“It truly will be dark soon! We should hurry along.” With a will the men began to unload the freight car onto the siding platform, knowing that they would have to make many trips with the wagon. The women walked together back to the lodge and put on fresh coffee and added more potatoes to the stew.
The shifting of the goods from the siding to the lodge took until long after dark. When the last crate was stacked in the great room, Marit had supper and fresh bread waiting. Breona, Joy, and Uli had busied themselves making up beds for Arnie, Billy, and Mr. Wheatley.
When they finally sat down to eat, the great room was crammed with boxes and crates. They shared the meal in the kitchen around the same rickety table. The men had to employ small boxes as chairs but the mood was cheerful and companionable.
At Joy’s request Arnie prayed. “Bless this food, O Lord, and the hands that prepared it.” Joy smiled as everyone enthusiastically dug into the hearty stew Marit had made.
~~**~~
Chapter 21
As bedtime drew on and most of the house retired, Joy and Arnie found a quiet corner of the great room to talk quietly for a few minutes. Arnie began soberly. “Joy, first I should tell you that Robertson and his lying pal, Tom Percher, are both dead.”
Nothing could have shocked or surprised Joy more. “Wha—how?” she stammered.
“Percher was found poisoned in his jail cell about a week after the trial ended. That caused quite an uproar.” Arnie smiled sardonically. “He hadn’t been able to tell the law much, but someone evidently wanted him silenced permanently. The law couldn’t seem to catch up to Robertson either—until a maid found him, the day after Percher died, in a hotel room. He had been strangled.”
Arnie put his feet up on a box and stretched his legs. “And I did some digging and have discovered quite a bit about him since you left Omaha. You told us that Robertson represented a consortium called ‘Franklin and Chase Enterprises.’ We couldn’t find anything on this business during the trial, but did finally find them, or what had been them, last month.”
“Seems the ‘consortium’ was really one man, a Shelby Franklin. He operated with a small, select crew. Franklin used intimidation to extract ‘protection’ money from local businesses and to acquire part ownership of lucrative ones. He hadn’t been operating in Omaha for long, but had already made considerable inroads into the legitimate business community. Apparently Robertson worked for him.”
“They expected that you would be easy to intimidate and control. In refusing their intimidation, you threatened their plan to force the downtown businesses into their protection racket. They could not allow your resistance to go unchecked—they stood to lose a lot of money if others were to follow suit.”
“That,” he paused, “and they wanted your property, Joy. Plain and simple. We believe that if you had bent to their ‘partnership’ agreement, you would have found yourself out on the street in very short time. The City is expanding rapidly in that direction. I don’t know if you realized how strategically located your
two lots were.”
For a moment Joy felt yanked back into the hopelessness of those few weeks. She had to shake herself to snap out of it. “How did you find this all out, Arnie?”
Arnie’s smile twisted shrewdly. “I have a sympathetic friend who suggested that I hire some professionals to investigate the situation. He and others in our community did not like what was done to you, Joy.”
“Professionals? But who?”
“The Pinkertons.”
“What? Detectives?” Joy was astonished.
“Yes, and they were happy to take the case. Seems Franklin’s activities were stirring up a lot of interest. You see, the other thing Franklin was into was investment fraud. He’s a clever one, let me tell you. On the one side of his ‘business’ he was nothing more than an upstart gangster and opportunist; on the other side he presented himself as a respectable financier with a finely appointed office and a slick and quite exclusive investment strategy. He brazenly targeted only the plums of Omaha society and suckered significant amounts of money out of a number of our most outstanding citizens through false investment opportunities.”
“When the city auctioned your lots, Franklin had prearranged to snap them up. That’s how we finally got a bead on him. He already had buyers from back east lined up—and he immediately turned a substantial profit on your property.” Here Arnie looked pained.
Joy patted him gently on the leg. “It’s all right, Arnie. Truly.”
Arnie shook his head in regret. “I just wish I’d known sooner, Joy. Maybe I could have prevented all—”
“That was my fault, was it not?” Joy replied candidly to her cousin. “I’m the one who was wrong. I foolishly thought I could do everything on my own. I was filled with anger and pride at the time. I should have asked for help the first time Robertson darkened my door. But I didn’t. I thought I could—no I wanted to handle it myself. I have repented of my prideful foolishness, Arnie. Now I have to let it go. And so do you.”
Joy on This Mountain (A Prairie Heritage, Book 2) Page 14
