Under the Distant Sky

by Al Lacy

  “You think he suspects anything?”

  “Sure. Too many people in town already know what we’re considering. One thing is for sure: If we sell the store, we won’t sell to anyone who won’t agree to let Randy keep his job.”

  “Solomon… we really need to talk to Pastor Chase. At least let him hear it straight from us that we may leave.”

  “I’ll go see him tonight.”

  “Another thing… we didn’t think to ask about a school in Fort Bridger. If there’s no school, I’ll have to teach the children.”

  “Let’s ask that when we get to the camp.”

  When they reached the army camp, they found Colonel Bateman, who took them to the Kellys and introduced them.

  The Coopers and the Kellys warmed to each other instantly. The Kellys love for Jesus was quite apparent as they talked.

  They explained the plans for a church in Fort Bridger. Andy Kelly had graduated from seminary at the age of twenty-one and had been pastoring a church in Cincinnati, Ohio, since that time. He and Rebecca had married the previous October, and though things were going well in the church, they both were feeling a “stirring in the nest,” knowing that God was preparing them for a move.

  Through a relative of a close friend, Andy was approached about establishing a church in Fort Bridger. He corresponded with the elderly retired preacher who was holding services there, and after much prayer and deliberation, an agreement was made that Kelly and his bride would come to Fort Bridger.

  “Well, this all sounds good to me,” Solomon said. “Do you mind if we ask you some doctrinal questions?”

  When the questions had been asked and answered, the Coopers were satisfied they had a real man of God with spiritual backbone, a tremendous grasp of the Scriptures, and the vision to do a great work for God in the growing town of Fort Bridger.

  Kelly smiled and said, “So, when will you be coming to Fort Bridger, folks?”

  “Well, we haven’t made a decision yet,” Solomon said. “We’re still praying about it.”

  “It took a lot of prayer for us to make the decision, Mr. Cooper,” Rebecca Kelly said.

  “Tell you what,” Solomon said, “talking with you two has helped a lot. At least we know there’s going to be a church in Fort Bridger if the Lord leads us there. You see, up until last night, we had thought of going either to California or Oregon. But when Colonel Bateman started telling us about Fort Bridger, Hannah and I liked what we were hearing. Now that we’ve talked to you, we like it even better.”

  Solomon looked at Hannah as he spoke. He was relieved when she nodded in agreement.

  “Well, I’ve got to get back to the store,” Solomon said.

  “Would you have time to pray with us?” Kelly asked.

  “Sure. We have time for that,” Solomon said.

  The young preacher led in prayer, earnestly asking God to guide the Coopers every step of the way. When Kelly had finished, Solomon shook his hand and Hannah embraced Rebecca.

  “One other thing,” Solomon said. “What do you know about the school situation in the town?”

  “Well, since Rebecca and I don’t have any children yet, we haven’t asked about it, but according to what we’ve picked up by listening to the officers’ wives and children, there’s a school there. It has one teacher for all twelve grades. I’m sure as the town and the fort increase in size, they’ll add more teachers.”

  At supper that evening, Solomon told the children about talking with the Kellys, and how much he and their mother liked the young couple.

  “So have you made a decision yet?” Chris asked.

  “Not yet, son. But I think it’s time we hear from each of you. Although the final decision lies with your mother and me, I’d like to hear what each of you thinks about this Fort Bridger situation.”

  Mary Beth spoke first. “I think I’ve seen a change in Mama’s attitude about going west since we talked to Colonel Bateman last night. Is that right, Mama?”

  “Yes, honey. I like the Fort Bridger idea a whole lot better than striking out for Oregon or California.”

  “Then if you like it better, so do I, Mama.”

  “But what about leaving Belinda? And Miss Powers? And Grandma and Grandpa?”

  Mary Beth spoke without hesitation. “I’ve prayed about this a lot, myself. And I feel that if you and Papa are sure in your hearts that we should go to Fort Bridger, it’s because the Lord is leading you. Though it will be very hard to say goodbye to Belinda, and Miss Powers, and all my friends at school and at church, the Lord will give me the grace to do it. The hardest to leave, of course, will be Grandma and Grandpa.”

  “Bless your heart, sweetie,” Hannah said. “Papa and I deeply appreciate your attitude.”

  “Maybe Grandma and Grandpa would go with us, since we’d be going to Fort Bridger instead of Oregon,” B. J. said.

  “I’m afraid not,” Hannah told him. “Independence is their home, and older people have a hard time making changes. I realize that we’ve seen people even older than them in the wagon trains, but I know my parents. Mother might consider it if Daddy showed an inclination in that direction, but he won’t.”

  “I’ll say this much,” Solomon said, “we’ll sure offer to take them along with us. At least let them know we love them and want them to go with us.”

  “Since you want to hear what us kids feel,” Chris said, “I want to go to Fort Bridger.”

  “Me, too!” B. J. said.

  All eyes went to Patty Ruth. She was looking down at Biggie, who sat beside her chair. Then she looked up and said, “As long as Ulysses and Biggie can go to Fort Bridger with us, I want to go.”

  Solomon smiled at Hannah. “Well, sweetheart, it looks like the young ones in this family are in agreement that we go to Fort Bridger.”

  “Does that mean we’ll go?” Chris asked.

  “Not for sure, son,” Solomon said. “Your mother and I have to talk about it some more. But it helps to know what you children think about it.”

  When supper was finished, Solomon rose from his chair and said, “Well, I’ve got to go see the preacher and let him know where we are on this whole thing. It’s not right that he should hear only rumors.”

  Chris shoved his chair back. “Can I go with you, Papa?”

  “Not this time, son. It’s best that I talk to Pastor Chase alone.”

  Suddenly Biggie began to bark and headed for the front door.

  “I guess we’ve got company,” Solomon said. “I’ll see who it is.”

  When he opened the door, Pastor Chase was just raising his hand to knock.

  “Hello, Pastor. Come in. I was about to saddle up Nipper and come see you.”

  “Oh? Hello, Hannah…children. Guess I saved you the trip, Sol,” Chase said with a chuckle. “What did you want to see me about?”

  “I wanted to fill you in on what you may have been hearing about the Coopers.”

  “That’s exactly why I’m here. Rumors have been flying for the past few days, and I wanted to see how much truth there is to them.”

  Mary Beth spoke up. “Papa, Mama, we’ll do the dishes and clean up the kitchen. You go ahead and talk to Pastor.”

  Solomon let Hannah precede him and then ushered the pastor into the parlor. As soon as they took their seats, Solomon explained that they had not talked to Chase about it yet because it wasn’t definite. They planned to tell him as soon as they were sure.

  When the whole plan had been laid before the pastor, he told them he hated to lose them from the church, but he understood their desire to be a part of the growing frontier. After praying with them about it, he went to the kitchen and told the children goodnight, then left.

  Later that night, as Solomon closed the bedroom door, Hannah put her arms around him, and said, “Darling, for the past twenty-four hours I’ve been getting peace in my heart about going to Fort Bridger. I’m not looking forward to telling Mother and Daddy, but I really think the Lord sent Colonel Bateman through here so that we c
ould learn about it and He could lead us in that direction.”

  Solomon’s eyes lit up. “Honey, do you really mean it? I… I mean, you’re not just saying this because you know my big dream has been to go west?”

  Hannah looked him square in the eye and said, “No, I’m not just saying it because I know your big dream has been to go west. It’s what I feel the Lord would have us do, Sol. Understand?”

  He kissed her several times and hugged her hard, and said, “Hallelujah! Fort Bridger, here we come!”

  There was a sudden burst of laughter in the corridor. Solomon let go of Hannah and jerked open the door. All four of the Cooper children tumbled in, laughing and jumping up and down. In one voice they shouted, “Hallelujah! Fort Bridger, here we come!”

  When the excitement had died down a bit, the children were ordered back to bed. Alone once more, Solomon and Hannah knelt beside their bed and asked God to guide their every step, and to provide buyers for the store and the farm in His own way and in His own time.

  At breakfast the next morning, three of the children talked excitedly about the new Cooper family venture.

  Mary Beth was quieter. Though she was all for the move, she still was having a hard time about telling certain people good-bye.

  Hannah understood. She reached across the table and squeezed Mary Beth’s wrist. “None of us are looking forward to the day of parting with our friends and loved ones, Mary Beth, but the Lord will see us through it.”

  Patty Ruth waggled her head and said, “How about you, Chris? Are you really gonna be able to tear yourself away from Lula Mae?”

  “I can handle it, little sister,” Chris said with a scowl.

  Patty Ruth giggled. “Well, how about—”

  “Patty Ruth, that’s enough,” Hannah said. She sighed and looked at Sol. “I want to get the chore of telling Mother and Daddy over with, Sol. Will you stop by their house on your way to the store this morning and invite them for supper tonight?”

  “All right. And don’t let it ruin your whole day, sweetheart. The rest of us will be here with you. And for that matter, I’ll be the one to tell them, okay?”

  “You really shouldn’t have to be the one to do it. They’re my parents.”

  “And I’m your husband. Let me take care of it. We’ll eat supper, then I’ll break it to them, along with the invitation to go with us. I’ll go to the camp as soon as Randy and I open the store. Colonel Bateman told me they’d pull out about ten this morning. I’ll let him know we’re coming to Fort Bridger and give him enough money to buy a piece of land to build the store on and pay for labor and materials to have the store built. From what he said, they’ve got construction people there already.”

  Hannah set down her coffee cup. “But won’t you have to draw him a sketch of how we want the store laid out?”

  Solomon looked a bit sheepish. “I… ah… already drew one up.”

  “Oh, you did, eh?”

  “Yes’m.”

  “And just when did you do that?”

  “Yesterday. During the slow times.”

  “Pretty sure of yourself, weren’t you?”

  “Well, not exactly. Just…ah…thinking ahead in case it went this way.”

  Patty Ruth giggled. “Papa’s smart, isn’t he, Mama?”

  “Yes, honey, that he is. Anyway, Sol, dear, are we going to have the same type of store we have now?”

  “Not exactly. Since we plan on doing more business, I think we should have more square footage. And instead of a false-fronted building, we’ll build a two-story one. We’ll have living quarters on the second floor and stay there until our house gets built. We’ll buy the land for that when we get there.”

  Hannah smiled. “You really have it all planned out.”

  “Just doing my job, honey.”

  “So, how soon will we put a ‘For Sale’ sign on the farm and the store?”

  “Today. I’ll paint them during the slow times.”

  Breakfast was finished, and just as prayer and Bible reading time ended, Biggie started to bark.

  “I’ll see who it is, Papa,” Chris said, shoving back his chair.

  Solomon rose to his feet. “I have to get going. You kids study hard in school today.”

  Chris’s voice came from the front of the house, “Papa! Mr. Wilson’s here to see you.”

  “Good morning, Ray. To what do we owe this early morning visit?”

  “Word is that it’s pretty definite you folks will be heading west before too long. Betty and I have changed our minds about going, and we know if you go, the store will be up for sale. Betty and I agreed I should catch you right away and tell you we’d like to buy the store. I’m sure we can agree on a price.”

  Solomon looked at Hannah, their expressions showing that they were thinking the same thing: God was already putting his seal of approval on their decision.

  “Yes, we’ve decided to go, Ray,” Solomon said. “And I’m sure we can get together on the price. But there’s one stipulation.”

  “And what is that?”

  “The new owner must agree to let Randy Chase keep his job.”

  Wilson laughed. “No problem there. I was planning on doing that very thing if Randy wanted to stay on.”

  Hannah’s voice had a lilt in it as she said, “This is how it works when the Lord is in it, Sol!”

  Solomon nodded. “Tell you what, Ray, I’ve got to go to the army camp outside of town right now, but I’ll come over to your shop later this morning and we can talk price and details.”

  Solomon stopped at the Singletons and invited them to supper, then stopped at the store and left a note for Randy Chase, telling him to open the store at eight o’clock as usual. He would be back after he ran some errands.

  When Solomon arrived at the camp, the soldiers were busily preparing to move out. He saw Colonel Bateman talking to a couple of captains who moved away as Solomon drew near. Bateman smiled a greeting.

  “Good morning, Colonel,” Solomon said. “Do you have a minute?”

  “Why certainly.”

  “I just wanted to tell you that we’ve decided to take your advice and open up a general store in Fort Bridger.”

  “Great! Now what can I do to help?”

  “You mentioned that it wouldn’t be a problem to hire a construction outfit to build the store before we get there.”

  “I’m sure I can get it done for you.”

  “All right. I’ve brought enough money to pay for it all. And I’ve made a sketch of what I want built. I’ll want the store on the town’s main street, of course.”

  “Certainly. I’ve been there twice, Sol. I already know the layout. I’ll get you a choice spot.”

  “Fine, sir. I appreciate your help.”

  “My pleasure. I sure hope you’ll be able to sell the store and the farm quickly.”

  “Tell you what. The store is as good as sold already. The man who owns the saddle shop next door to the store wants to buy it.”

  “That’s a stroke of good luck, I’d say.”

  “Not luck, Colonel. It’s the hand of my God.”

  Bateman’s face stiffened slightly. “Oh. Yes, of course. So you’re…ah…planning to pull out in one of the last wagon trains of the season, I take it?”

  “Yes, sir. Even if the farm hasn’t sold, we’ll go. I’ll get someone to sell the farm for me. Of course, the way the Lord’s working, he’ll probably send me a buyer right away!”

  “So you’ll leave here the latter part of May?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “That means I can expect you about the second or third week of August. Shouldn’t take you more than fourteen or fifteen weeks. I’m sure the store will be ready by then.”

  They shook hands on it, and Solomon headed back to town. As he turned onto Main Street, he told himself he must take food and supplies to stock the store. He would order from the Kansas City people in the future, but he wanted to be sure to have plenty of stock to open the new store.

&n
bsp; He’d have to buy four wagons besides the one for his family, plus oxen to pull them. Those people going to Oregon or California, Solomon knew, would use six oxen per wagon to get over the mountains, but since South Pass in central Wyoming was the only high spot they would have to travel, he would only have to put four oxen to a wagon.

  When he reached the town’s business district, he stopped at the telegraph office and ordered food and goods to fill four wagons from his supplier in Chicago. The shipments came by rail and would arrive in Independence within two to three weeks.

  Next Solomon stopped at the office of the agent who booked the wagon trains. He booked passage on the last train of the season, scheduled to leave May 25. Ezra Comstock was the wagon master. Ezra had been leading wagon trains west for many years and had been in the store to buy supplies before every trip. He was a widower in his late fifties, a fine Christian, and Solomon knew his family would enjoy traveling with Ezra.

  Solomon then hurried to the stockyards and reserved twenty head of oxen and five wagons, which he would pay for and pick up on May 24.

  On his way to talk with Ray Wilson, he saw another wagon train forming in the Square. He stopped at the store and found Randy working hard but not overloaded, and then went next door to the saddle shop.

  Ray was at his workbench, making a fancy Mexican-style saddle with bridle to match.

  “Hi, Ray. Have time to talk business?”

  “Sure. Been expecting you.”

  It was nearly 10:30 when Randy Chase looked up with relief as Solomon entered the store. The place was packed with customers, many of whom were waiting patiently in line to purchase their goods.

  As Sol threaded his way through the crowd, he looked around the store and realized that soon it wouldn’t be his anymore. A wave of emotion rushed through him. He loved this store. It would be hard to walk away from it.

  He forced his thoughts to Fort Bridger and the new life he and his family would have there.

  The sun had disappeared below the horizon, leaving only brilliant orange clouds with purple edging, as Solomon limped up the road toward his farm. He noticed a buggy, and by the horse that was hitched to it, he knew that Lucinda Lennox had come to visit.