The Final Adversary

by Gilbert, Morris

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Winslow’s Counseling Service

  Dorothy Hansen stretched lazily, took a sip of tea, and looked toward Barney at the window of the City Mission office. He had been gazing for some time at the busy vendors in the courtyard below. His healthy, strong tanned face was a handsome contrast to the stark white of his shirt and trousers. Studying his profile, she thought, He’s not as handsome as Andy, but good-looking in a rugged way. And somehow he grows on people.

  When he had come to work with the City Mission four months earlier, she had not been overly impressed. Of course, at that time she had eyes only for Andy. Though Dorothy was not open with others, to herself she could admit her capriciousness. It didn’t take me long to trade one Winslow in for another! she laughed to herself. This one’s not as flashy, but Andy will never settle for anything less than big time. But Barney will stay, and he’s coming around much faster than I thought. He never mentions going back to the interior.

  “The meetings were fine, weren’t they, Barney?” she said, speaking to him, more to gain his attention than anything else.

  “Yes, they were,” he replied. “I only wish they could have gone on longer.”

  The last service of the Bible convention had been held the previous evening, with national pastors from all over Liberia attending. It had been a stirring time, seeing so many coming to know the Lord and for the pastors to return to their ministries with new inspiration as God touched their hearts.

  Dorothy sipped her tea and went on. “I haven’t seen much of you. You really threw yourself into the meetings.” She smiled, adding, “I think you must know every one of our pastors by name. And they all know you. How do you get so close to them, Barney? Nobody else has managed to become so well known so fast.”

  “I don’t know, Dorothy,” he shrugged. “I just like to be with them.”

  She knew that was true. Her father had said, “Barney Winslow has what most white men never have—a real gift for getting to the hearts of the African people. Most of us try too hard, but he doesn’t have to. They’re a discerning people, Dorothy. They know when somebody really likes them, just as they sense when someone feels superior.”

  The conversation had both disturbed and pleased Dorothy. She was disturbed because she knew she had never possessed the love for people she saw in Barney, but pleased that he was becoming known all over the country as a coming leader in the world of African missions.

  “Let’s take a few days off for a steamer trip,” she suggested. “Meetings are good, but draining.”

  Barney shook his head. “No time for vacations, I’m afraid. Have you forgotten we’re starting the new school for the Kru tribe?” The Kru people lived on the coast, and Barney had responded with alacrity when an opportunity had come to expand the City Mission in that area.

  “Oh, we can throw ourselves into that when we get back. And we’ll do better if we start in fresh.” She came over to stand beside him, fresh and pretty. “Please, Barney.” She smiled and tugged playfully at his arm. “Let’s just take a couple of days.”

  “I don’t know,” he said, hesitating, then nodded. “Maybe you’re right. On second thought, it’s a good idea. We could catch the banana boat and go down as far as Tannmouth. I’ve wanted to visit the pastor there. I hear he’s doing a fine job.”

  “Of course, Barney,” she agreed, smiling at him radiantly. That might be your idea, she thought. I’ll just have to get your mind off work and onto other things, though. “I’m going to tell Daddy and Mother.”

  “Sure. They’ll probably want to come along,” Barney nodded.

  “Maybe,” she replied, but she knew they wouldn’t. With a contented look on her face, she went to her father’s office.

  “Hello, Daddy,” she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

  He looked up with surprise. “Well, what makes you so demonstrative, Dorothy?”

  She pushed his hair back from his forehead, saying innocently, “Why, Daddy, you act as though I never paid you any attention!”

  “You do when you want something,” Hansen grinned. He knew this daughter of his well, and leaned back in his chair to consider her. “What’s in that pretty head of yours?”

  “Oh, nothing,” she went on airily. “I’ve just been talking to Barney and he wants to go on a trip down the coast for a few days. I thought I might go with him.”

  “Oh?” He eyed her suspiciously. “Does he think it’s his idea?”

  Dorothy laughed. “I guess so. But he’s worked too hard. He needs a vacation.”

  Hansen sobered. “You’re right about that. Ever since he started working here he’s gone night and day. We make a pair, I suppose. He works too hard—and I don’t work enough!”

  “I thought you would approve,” Dorothy said demurely.

  “Why, you never gave my approval a thought!” Shaking his head, he said rather strictly, “You’ve managed to manipulate me for so long, I suppose you’re bored with it. Now you’re out to run Barney Winslow’s life.”

  “Oh, I’m not trying to run anybody’s life, Daddy!”

  “Dorothy, you do it all the time.” Hansen paused for a moment. “You never were able to control Andy as you do Barney—but I suppose you realize that.”

  “Oh, don’t be silly, Daddy!”

  “I’m not silly—and I’m not blind. Neither is your mother. It’s a good thing young Winslow is. Are you really interested in him?” her father demanded.

  “He’s . . . different.”

  “Yes, he is. But the question is, do you want somebody as different as he?”

  Dorothy had asked herself that same question often enough, but the answer had not been easy. “Well, Daddy, the supply of eligible men isn’t very plentiful out here,” she said candidly. “Barney is stronger than most men, but he needs a push.”

  Hansen grinned. “Well, you’re good at that, you know. And since he’s rid himself of those ideas of the interior, I think he’ll go far.”

  “You wouldn’t mind having him for a son-in-law, I take it?” Dorothy asked quizzically. Despite her father’s rather foppish appearance, she knew he was clever and shrewd.

  “Not a bit—now that he’s got his head out of the clouds. But you might want to look around a bit. There’s the Ranken fellow. He’ll marry again. And don’t forget Del Saunders.”

  Dorothy shrugged lightly, tossing off the suggestion. “Not for me,” she said and left the room, saying, “I’m going shopping. I don’t have a thing to wear for a river cruise.”

  Shopping for clothes was one thing, while actually taking the holiday was another, she found. Barney had agreed, but he had thrown himself into the work of the mission with full vigor, making it impossible to simply walk off. Substitutes had to be found, and when that was done, they learned that the next boat wouldn’t depart until the middle of September. Dorothy worked feverishly to find another ship, but failed.

  For the next few weeks, Barney moved around the city, preaching and being available for any ministry needed. He was restless, and only by working long hours could he sleep well. He said once to Dorothy, “It’s odd, how I slept so well in the jungle, lying on the ground with a million bugs trying to eat me alive. And now with a nice bed in a good room, I toss and turn half the night.”

  He enjoyed most of the work he did, for there were great needs in the city. A real hunger for the gospel message among the people existed, and many were saved as a result of his labors. But he dreaded the long hours he spent in the office. Myron Hansen was careful not to overburden him, yet warned, “It’s not glamorous, Barney, but if nobody tended to the office details, the work would never get done in the back streets.”

  Barney did his best, yet no matter how busy he kept himself, he thought much of his time in Gropaka. He missed the life, and he missed Awful Gardner. He had missed the man’s cheerful spirit, missed hearing him say every morning, “Well, dear boy, what can we do for Jesus today?” He had not realized until he left the interior how much
he had enjoyed the long talks the two had daily, mostly on Bible themes, but on other subjects as well.

  One late Tuesday afternoon in early September, after visiting the very poor in the heart of the worst sections of Monrovia, he was returning to his room, thinking all the way about Awful. Again that sense of loneliness pressed in on him. Once he paused and looked in the direction of Gropaka, then kicked a loose stone with a rare exhibit of frustration.

  “Getting to be a spoiled brat!” he chided himself, and picked up the pace. When he entered the compound, he was surprised to find Del Saunders waiting.

  “Barney!” Del’s fair skin was sunburned, as always, and his blue eyes sparkled as he rushed over to give Barney a hearty blow on the back. “About time you got here,” he said. “I was ready to come look you up!”

  “When did you get in, Del?” Barney asked with a grin. Saunders had been a disappointment to Andy and the Rankens, for after two months of working with the City Mission, he had left to go back to Chodi. Barney missed the cheerful redhead and their many talks. They had much in common, and enjoyed each other’s company.

  “About ten o’clock,” Del answered. “Came in for some supplies and a little wise counsel.”

  “I can get you the supplies, Del, and maybe both of us can find some wise counsel.”

  Del gave him a quick glance. “I think the kind of counsel I need, you can give.”

  “Well, I do all my heavy counseling over a steak,” Barney smiled. Come along.” As he led the way to his room, he asked, “Have you seen the Hansens yet?”

  “Just Dorothy. Her folks are gone, you know.”

  Barney and Del foraged in the larder until they found some fresh beef steaks, which they gave to the cook to grill.

  Del had not changed, Barney discovered as they dined. He was still a hypochondriac—eating like a starving field hand, enjoying every bite, yet complaining about his delicate stomach. “I’ve got to get something for this stomach problem, Barney,” he said between mouthfuls. “It’s just awful.”

  “It must be,” Barney nodded with a straight face. “Doesn’t it bother you to eat huge meals?”

  Del looked at the havoc he had wrought on the large amount of food and shook his head sadly. “Doesn’t seem to matter. Large or small, it gives me trouble. And I’ve been having awful cramps, too.” He went on for some time, listing his symptoms.

  Barney did not allow himself to smile, though Del’s imaginary illnesses amused him. Del Saunders was tough and muscular, could work almost any man to death, and, aside from the inevitable bouts with malaria, was never ill—except in his mind, of course. Barney could not understand the paradox, but medical complaints were so common with Del that they were part of his very makeup.

  When the meal was finished and both men had discussed their individual mission work, Barney said, “I guess it’s counseling time, Del. Dr. Barney Winslow, expert advisor. All cures guaranteed. We never close.”

  Del swiveled the coffee around in his cup nervously. “Well, Barney,” he said slowly, “I guess maybe you can guess what I gotta talk about.”

  “Not really.” Barney was puzzled. Del was one of the most outgoing men he had ever known, yet now he seemed to be embarrassed. “You having some sort of trouble, Del?”

  “Well, not trouble, Barney, so much as a problem.” Del twisted in his chair and finally blurted out, “Blast it all! The thing is, Barney, I’ve got a woman problem!”

  Barney was appalled. Had Del gotten involved with a native?

  “I want to get married, Barney,” he rushed on.

  A wave of relief swept over Barney. “You have a girl back home, Del?”

  “Oh, I’ve had a few girlfriends, I guess, but none of them would do for the life out here.” Del got up and paced the floor restlessly, then slumped in his chair. “Well, you can see where I’m headed, can’t you?”

  “I guess you’ll have to spell it out for me, Del.”

  “I thought you might have noticed,” Del said. His cheerful grin was gone, and he added, “I want to marry Katie.”

  A sliver of shock surged through Barney. “Marry Katie?” “Well, sure!” The homely freckled face of Saunders was puzzled. “Didn’t you know I’ve always liked Katie?”

  Barney thought back, and he did remember that Del had been drawn to Katie, even during their days at the Rescue Mission. “All of us like Katie,” he hedged quickly.

  “Oh, it’s more than that with me, Barney!”

  “Marriage is a serious thing, Del. Maybe you’re just lonesome.”

  “Lord knows I’m lonesome enough,” Del laughed ruefully. “It wasn’t so bad at first. Andy and I were together and everything was new. I didn’t have time to be lonesome. But it’s different now. I’m all alone, and I’m just not the kind of fellow to enjoy my own society, Barney.”

  Barney knew that for the truth. Del was outgoing, always with other people; and the long, lonely days at the station would be worse for him than for others.

  “Have you told Katie?” he asked finally.

  “Haven’t told anybody except you, Barney.” Del managed a grin. “I guess this is where you start earning your money as a counselor. What do you think?”

  “About you getting married?”

  “Heck, no! I know about that!”

  “What then?”

  “Why, about Katie, of course! Will she have me?”

  Barney felt uncomfortable and said slowly, “Why, Del, you can’t expect me to tell you that. You’ll have to ask her.”

  “Confound it, Barney! That’s the part I’ve come to you for!”

  Barney’s forehead furrowed. “I don’t know what you’re getting at, Del,” he said, perplexed. “You’ve decided to get married already, haven’t you? You’re not asking me what to do about that?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m asking!”

  Barney felt a streak of irritation rising, and said sharply, “Del, you ought to know better. What you’re saying is that you’ve already decided to get married, and now you’re shopping around for a wife. You don’t get a wife like you would a suit of clothes—shop around until you find one you like!”

  Del flushed angrily. “Blast it, Barney, it’s not like that! It’s not like that at all! I told you, I want Katie!”

  “You said no such thing!” Barney snapped. “You said you liked her. That’s not enough to marry on, Del.”

  Del stared at Barney, who was obviously upset, but then he shook his head, saying apologetically, “I guess I didn’t put the thing right, Barney. Always was hard for me to say things about—well, about love, you know? Other guys can say things like that, but I never could. Dunno why, but it comes hard for me.”

  Barney sat quietly, disturbed. He didn’t know how to analyze the emotions that had suddenly swept him when Del announced his problem, but he was agitated and it took an effort to keep his face and voice even.

  “Del, do you love Katie?”

  “Well, I need her, Barney!”

  “Not the same thing at all!”

  Del nodded slowly. “Guess you’re right, Barney, but it’s part of love, isn’t it? I mean, we’re both out here to serve God. A man needs a wife, and a woman needs a husband. Beecham’s always said that he wished all of us were married. So I’ve been thinking about it for weeks, Barney, and now I’ve got to find out.” Then he looked up and met Winslow’s eyes. “So, what I want from you is . . . a little help.”

  “Help to do what?”

  Del looked more embarrassed than ever. “Barney, I was lying to you about those girlfriends of mine back home. I never had a girlfriend. Not a real one. Don’t know anything about women. So what I’m asking you to do is—well, sort of give me a hand.”

  “Give you a hand doing what, Del?” he asked, puzzled.

  “Why, help me court Katie, of course!” He saw Barney’s face change, and began to speak rapidly. “Barney, you got to do it! I mean, you and Katie are real close, always have been. Everybody knows that! So what you can do is
talk me up to her, you know?”

  “Del, that’s crazy!” Barney protested. “Katie knows you. I can’t promote you as if you were a new brand of soap!”

  “Sure you can! Well, not like soap, of course—but she listens to you, Barney. She’s told me lots of times how she admires you. So if you could sort of give her a good word on me, why, she’d listen to you!”

  “Del—!”

  “And that’s not all, Barney,” Del interrupted. “You know how to court a girl. So you can teach me. I ain’t got the slightest idea of how to go about it—especially out here in Africa!”

  “Del, I’m no expert on women! As a matter of fact, I’m not good with them at all.”

  “Oh, that’s not so! Everybody knows how you’ve been courtin’ Dorothy Hansen, Barney.”

  “Where did you hear such nonsense?” Barney snapped. “Dorothy and I work together, that’s all!”

  Del shook his head. “She likes you. Pearl said so, and Dorothy’s a sharp young lady.”

  “Pearl is mistaken,” Barney said stiffly.

  “But Dorothy told me herself that the two of you are going off on a cruise.”

  Barney flushed. He was confused and wanted to end the conversation, so he said, “You need to talk to Stanley Beecham about this, Del. He’ll give you some good advice.”

  “You really think so, Barney?”

  “Why, of course!”

  Del laughed, his face bright with relief. “That’s great, Barney—because I did go talk to him, and he told me to come to you. As a matter of fact, it was his idea that you could help me with Katie!”