Ransom of Love

by Al Lacy

  “I have something to show you, sweetheart,” he said, pulling an envelope from his shirt pocket.

  Dorena glanced at it. “A letter from your best friend!”

  “Yes! And I want you to read it.”

  She took the letter from him and read it slowly. When she came to the part with the date Dan Johnson wanted Benjamin to come, and realized that Benjamin would be coming for her the first week of October, she said, “That’s not very far away.”

  “Just a little over five months from now.”

  “Five months,” she said, closing her eyes. She felt overwhelmed at times with all that had happened in her life of late. She couldn’t imagine what a life of freedom would be like. The thought of being away from the security of the plantation and the watchcare of Master Charles and Miss Evelyn was a little frightening.

  In all of her life, Dorena had never been any farther from home than Charleston and the plantations closest to the Moore estate. She thought of the hustle and bustle of the city … the horses and carriages, the crowded boardwalks with people shoving and pushing her, and some even being rude and calling her unkind names.

  Benjamin studied her as she sat with her eyes closed. He watched the emotions playing across her face and fear struck his heart. He laid a hand on her shoulder, which caused her to open her eyes.

  “Honey,” he said in a whisper, “what is it? Do you not want to marry me? Do you not want to be free and no longer subject to a master? Do you not want to make a home with me in Texas?”

  Startled, Dorena blinked and looked up into Benjamin’s questioning eyes. In that instant she knew she had nothing to fear. He was her world now, and the one with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life.

  “Yes, darling,” she said softly. “I do want to marry you. I do want to be free, and wherever you go, I will go with you. Since the Lord wants you in Texas, then He also wants me in Texas.”

  Benjamin cupped her face in his hand and looked deeply into her eyes. “I am sorry,” he said. “Certainly you have had some natural fears about all of this. Now that a date is set, it has made you a bit on edge. I should have thought of this and not come at you so bluntly with it.”

  “No, no, darling. Do not blame yourself. It’s just that it’s such a complete change in my life.”

  He pulled her close. “I understand, my love. I understand. Please know that as this change comes, I will protect you with my very life.”

  Looking up into his dark eyes, she smiled, then laid her head against his chest and said, “I know you will. Thank you for understanding what was going on inside me … and for knowing my need.”

  Tightening his arms around her, he said, “The Lord has His mighty hand on us, Dorena. Everything is going to be all right. We have a wonderful future ahead of us on the Circle J ranch. Mr. Dan is such a good friend to both of us.”

  She nodded. “And isn’t it wonderful? Now we can actually see our wedding day on the horizon.”

  “Oh yes. And this makes me so happy!”

  “Me too.”

  Benjamin kissed the top of her head. “It is best that I go now. Miss Priscilla will be needing you.”

  She smiled up at him. “I will see you when you come back for Miss Angeline this evening.”

  With that, Dorena turned and mounted the porch steps. Benjamin watched her as she crossed the porch and stopped at the door. She gave a little wave and moved inside.

  Dorena stopped in the vestibule after closing the door behind her and took a deep breath. As long as Benjamin was close by, her fears had subsided, but alone again, new fears plagued her mind. She thought of San Antonio and the new life planned for her there. On the plantations, there were many more black people than white people. Whatever would it be like in a world where the opposite was the case?

  Sighing deeply, Dorena said, “Dear Lord, I ask You to take these fears from me. You will be with us in Texas. It has to be all right.” A deep peace settled over her. She smiled brightly and moved down the hall, humming a nameless tune.

  Benjamin was about to climb into the carriage when he saw Lewis Moore come around the corner of the house.

  Lewis gave him a malignant stare and said, “I hoped you’d be in Texas by now.”

  “Not yet,” was all Benjamin said.

  Drawing up to the spot where Benjamin stood, Lewis sneered, “Well, how long?”

  “It will be a while yet,” Benjamin said, not willing to give the insolent man any satisfaction.

  “Too bad. I was hopin’ I wouldn’t have to look at your face on this property anymore.”

  Benjamin felt the muscles in his back stiffen, and his blood seemed to heat up. Without another word, he turned his back on Lewis and climbed onto the carriage seat.

  Lewis stared hatefully as Benjamin snapped the reins and put the horse and carriage into motion.

  AS THE WEEKS PASSED, DAN JOHNSON was slowly learning cattle ranching from his ranch hands and from Hal Robards, who often came by to help him.

  Never far from Dan’s thoughts was his longing to find the right girl and get married. He kept a sharp eye for available young women in the San Antonio church, in spite of what he had been told about the woman shortage in the West. He figured the Lord would work it out, and most likely she would be in the church.

  He soon learned that every single young woman he met and liked was engaged to be married or was spoken for. In talking to the single men in the church, he learned they also were discouraged over the ratio of men to women.

  One day, while in town, Dan bought a copy of the San Antonio News. That evening, as he was reading through the newspaper, he found an article about the great number of mail order brides coming West from the eastern states.

  He thought about Bill and Betty Wickburg and what they had told him about meeting through the mail order bride system. “It worked for you, Bill,” he said aloud, “but I wonder how many times the marriages are successful, even for Christians who take all the necessary precautions.”

  He pushed the idea out of his mind and read the rest of the paper.

  But during the next several days, the idea of advertising for a bride kept driving into his thoughts. Since it seemed he couldn’t shake it, he finally began praying about it, asking the Lord to show him if in spite of his aversion to the idea, this was what he should do.

  The next Sunday morning after the service, Dan was in line to shake hands with Pastor and Mrs. Custer at the door. Just in front of him were Del and Mary Windham, a young couple he was getting to know. He liked both of them very much.

  When the Windhams had spoken to pastor and his wife and moved on, Dan took their place and complimented the pastor on his sermon. Then he noticed that the Windhams had stopped a few feet away and were looking at him.

  As he moved away from the pastor, Del motioned to him and smiled, saying, “Mary and I would like you to come to our house one evening this week for dinner.”

  “Well, as a bachelor whose cooking is not much, I’ll take you up on it. Do you have a particular evening in mind?”

  “How about Tuesday at six o’ clock?” Mary said.

  “Sure. Tuesday will be fine.”

  “Okay,” said Del. “We live at 564 San Pedro Avenue, just a few blocks north of here.”

  At the appointed time on Tuesday evening, Dan arrived at the Windham home. They sat down to a beautiful meal.

  While they were eating, Del asked about Dan’s background.

  After Dan told them about his family and the cotton plantation, Del said, “Mary and I just learned a few days ago that Mary is with child. We’re both so excited.”

  “Well, I’m happy for you,” Dan said. “What is it they say … the pitter-patter of little feet make a home complete?”

  “I’ve never heard the saying,” Del said, “but it makes sense.”

  Dan chuckled. “Well, they don’t really say it. I just made it up.”

  The Windhams laughed.

  “So did you two meet at the church?”
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br />   “No,” Del said. “I came here to work at the San Antonio Bank and Trust two years ago. It seemed that every young lady in the church who wasn’t married was engaged or spoken for. So …” Del reached across the corner of the table and took hold of Mary’s hand. “I put some ads in eastern newspapers for a mail order bride about fifteen months ago, and look what I got!”

  “Well, isn’t that something?” Dan said, then told them about Bill and Betty Wickburg.

  “I’m glad to hear of another Christian couple who are together because of the United States mail,” Mary said with a smile.

  Dan shook his head. “I have to confess that I’ve had an aversion toward the mail order bride idea ever since I learned about it. It just seemed like a way to open yourself up for heartache. I mean, I figured for a couple to meet by letter and then for her to make the trip and both of them find out they were simply not cut out for each other was a waste of time and emotions. It would be especially foolish for Christians. But when Bill and Betty told me their story, and how Bill advertised that only born-again women need reply, I got a new view of it.”

  “Good,” said Del. “Unless by some miracle you should find the right woman right here in the San Antonio area, you’ll probably end up being a bachelor for the rest of your life. The Lord can use the U.S. mail to bring two people together.”

  “I can see that now,” said Dan. “I’ll soon be twenty-four years old. I need to find the woman God has for me and move into that phase of my life. I really feel that the Lord wants me to do it now.”

  Mary nodded. “That wonderful young woman is out there somewhere, Dan. The quicker you get the ads put in the papers, the sooner she will be in your arms.”

  “All right. I’m going to do it. I’ll stipulate that I’m only interested in a born-again young woman who wants a husband of like faith, and who wants to raise their children in a Bible-believing church and in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

  “That’s the way to do it,” Del said. “That will narrow down the field, but you sure don’t want someone who would pull against you in your Christian life. I received several letters, and most of them were ladies whom I felt really knew the Lord. Then I had to pray for the Lord’s leadership, and He put Mary on my heart. She came to San Antonio from a small town in Pennsylvania. After a courtship of three months, we found ourselves deeply in love and we got married.”

  “I’m sure glad you invited me for this meal,” Dan said. “Your story has convinced me this is the way the Lord would have me go.”

  When he got home that evening, Dan sat down and wrote his newspaper ad. The next day he went to the office of the San Antonio News and had them send ads to several major newspapers in the East.

  In Madison, Wisconsin, Pastor Glenn Pryor and his wife, Nora, left the parsonage together late one afternoon and walked across the lawn to the church building. They had just entered the pastor’s office when they heard footsteps in the hall, followed by a knock on the door.

  “Tracie’s right on time,” said Nora, and opened the door.

  She greeted Tracie McLeod and said, “I’m glad you were able to get off work on time.”

  Tracie stepped into the room. “Me too. Hello, Pastor.”

  “Hello, Tracie. Come on over here and sit down.”

  The two women took chairs in front of the desk, and the pastor eased into the chair behind it. “Tracie, you said Sunday that you needed to talk to us about a problem. Tell us about it.”

  She brought up the subject of Harold Liston, to whom she had been engaged for almost three months when he was killed in a work accident. This had happened nearly a year ago. Both the pastor and his wife were aware of the situation, for Harold had been a member of the church, and the pastor had conducted the funeral service.

  “Pastor, Mrs. Pryor, I have grieved all this time and haven’t even dated another man. I know the Lord took Harold to heaven because He had a good and proper reason, but I’m having such a hard time letting go of him.”

  “That isn’t unusual, Tracie,” said the pastor.

  “But am I doomed to a lonely life without marriage because I can’t bring myself to let go of Harold? I feel guilty and disloyal to him whenever I’ve considered accepting dates from the young men in the church. I’ve turned them all down.”

  Nora took hold of her hand. “Tracie, you mustn’t feel guilty. You are not being disloyal to Harold by letting another man into your life, even though it appeared that the Lord had chosen Harold as your mate for life. It was the Lord who took him. This means that He has someone else for you.”

  “I agree,” said the pastor. “I feel sure the Lord will send His chosen young man into your life once you realize you’re not wrong to want to marry. You deserve to have a life of love and happiness.”

  Tracie’s eyes filmed with tears. “Thank you, Pastor and Mrs. Pryor. This relieves me greatly. Both of you have been a tremendous help. I kept telling myself I shouldn’t feel guilty to be a wife and mother … but hearing you say it seals it for me.”

  The next morning Tracie awakened with a new lease on life, and when she left the boardinghouse where she lived, there was a spring in her step. As she headed downtown to her job, she said, “Thank You, Lord, for using Pastor and Mrs. Pryor to help me. It’s such a relief to have that awful guilt off my heart.”

  The walk from the boardinghouse took Tracie past the cemetery where Harold was buried. The sight of the grave had always added to the heaviness of her heart.

  On this bright, sunny day, as she came abreast of the cemetery, the euphoria she was feeling seemed suddenly smothered when Harold’s tombstone came into view.

  She passed through the iron gates and followed the gravel path to the stone that marked the grave. Unmindful of the dew on the grass, Tracie knelt down and caressed the cold headstone. Tears misted her eyes as once again she thought of the man to whom she had given her heart, and of all the dreams and plans they had made for their future.

  She thought of yesterday’s talk with the Pryors, and the pastor’s words reverberated through her mind. Suddenly there were other words coming into her mind from a voice she would never forget. Harold seemed to be saying that he was releasing her. He was letting her go so she could fulfill God’s purpose for her life.

  A fragile peace stole over Tracie’s heart. The months of agony were over. Bowing her head, she thanked the Lord for His matchless grace and tender care, and prayed for guidance.

  She leaned close to the headstone and planted a kiss where Harold’s name was engraved, then whispered, “There will always be a special place in my heart for you. Thank you for releasing me so I can go on with whatever God has for me in life.”

  She rose to her feet and touched the top curve of the stone. Giving it a light pat, she murmured, “Good-bye, my love.”

  Tracie walked the gravel path to the board sidewalk without looking back. By the time she had walked a block, the euphoria had returned. All was well. The Lord was in control of her life and He would direct her path.

  As she moved down the street, her eyes took in places that reminded her of sweet times she and Harold had shared together. Maybe she should move elsewhere and start over.

  Soon she arrived at the office building where she worked as a secretary. Upon entering the office of the Madison Land Management Company, Tracie took one look at her coworker, Leah Desmond, and saw a turned-down mouth and eyes that revealed agitation.

  Tracie’s desk was next to Leah’s, and as she passed between the desks to sit down, she said, “You look very unhappy, dear. What’s wrong?”

  Leah shook her head. “I’m sorry, Tracie. I shouldn’t let my troubles get to me like this. Good morning.”

  Tracie leaned toward her. “I’m your friend, aren’t I?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, come on, now. What’s wrong?”

  Leah sighed. “You know that I’ve been wanting to get away from Madison since Frank broke off our engagement and left me for that other woman th
ree months ago.”

  “Mm-hmm. You’ve brought it up at least once a day since then. And honey, I can’t blame you. So what’s this got to do with being upset today?”

  “Well, I haven’t told you about it, but a couple of weeks ago, I answered an ad in the Madison Chronicle.”

  “You answered an ad?”

  “Yes. A mail order bride ad.”

  Tracie’s eyebrows arched. “You mean you wrote to a man and offered to be his mail order bride?”

  “Exactly. I want out of here, Tracie.”

  “So tell me about it. Who’s the man?”

  “His name is Dan Johnson. He’s twenty-three years old, the same as me.”

  Tracie smiled. “Well, I’m glad I’m not that old.”

  Leah was able to manage a slight grin. “You will be on your next birthday.”

  “Don’t remind me. Anyway, tell me more.”

  “Dan Johnson owns a cattle ranch near San Antonio, Texas.”

  “I see. Well, he’s probably well-off then.”

  “Probably. But in his ad he said he wanted a born-again woman for his bride.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yes. He asked that any young woman who replied please enclose the testimony of her salvation. So I did. I told him I was born again when I got baptized and joined the church.” As she spoke, Leah opened her purse and pulled out an envelope. Shaking it angrily, she said, “He had the audacity to tell me that baptism doesn’t give the new birth. That it only takes place when a person receives Jesus Christ into his or her heart in repentance of sin, trusting Him alone to save them. He said it’s not Jesus plus religious rites or deeds or church membership.”

  “Haven’t I told you the same thing, Leah?”

  “Huh?”

  “We’ve talked about this, and I told you the same thing. Don’t you remember? I showed you in the Bible that to become a child of God—to be born again—you must receive Christ into your heart: John 1:12 and Ephesians 3:17, among other Scriptures.”

  Leah shook her head. “Tracie, I talked to my minister about that and he said you are misinterpreting it. Our church teaches that a person becomes a child of God when he or she is baptized, whether the person is an infant or an adult.” Tossing Dan Johnson’s letter in her waste basket, she said, “You and this Johnson guy are both wrong. I don’t want to hear any more about it.”