New Beginnings:

Chapter 35

Mistaken

Emily, having reached for the straw hat, causes the rowboat to tip. Before she can speak, Emily finds herself in the water struggling to stay afloat.

"Help me! I'm sinking!" she calls to Rob.

Reacting to the panic in his girlfriend's voice, he bails out over the side to reach her. The sudden jerk of the boat tips it all the way over dumping out Claire and Alex also.

Emily's squeals and cries for help upset the horses. Being only ground tied, both horses bolt for safety. Will runs one direction as his mate, runs for the safety of her barn.

Treading water, Rob reaches Emily and grabs her under the arms. "I have you, Emily. Stop moving and relax. I can hold us both up but not if you are kicking and flailing around like a hooked fish!"

"Robert Cord! How dare you compare me to a slimy smelly fish!" Emily, gasps insulted.

"Claire? Alex? Are you two alright? Can you get yourselves up the bank?" Rob calls, ignoring Emily's reply.

"I'm good, Rob. I can help Claire if she needs me to." Alex answers from behind Rob.

"I'm doing okay, Rob. It's mighty difficult to swim in a dress, petticoats, stockings and shoes. I feel as if I've gained fifty pounds!" Claire calls to her brother as she makes her way to the bank.

"Rob! Once you get past the middle of the dock, the water is more shallow. I'm touching the bottom, now." Alex calls a few minutes later.

When Rob pulls Emily close enough, Alex reaches out and takes one of her arms as Rob holds the other. Together the two boys 'walk' her up the bank to stretch out on the grass. Exhausted, the boys lie down beside her panting with the effort it took to pull her out of the water.

"Oh, Emily! Don't cry, we're alright. No one was hurt." Claire, says seeing her friend in tears.

"Look at us! Our dresses are wet through and our shoes are ruined. We lost our hats too! Claire, your beautiful dress is ruined! You spent so much time sewing it and now it's all ruined. Mine is too and it was my favorite dress! It has mud stains all along the hem!"

"It's alright, Em. I can wash it and it'll be just fine. We can buy new hats. I don't care about the hat." She answers just as Rob says "Oh No!"

"What is it Rob? Did you find a frog in your pants?" Alex asks, as Rob suddenly jumps to his feet.

"The horses! They're gone! Both of them! Alex, help me search. I can't have lost Pa's horses! If the horses are gone, we have to walk home."

"Your Pa wouldn't understand they spooked and ran off?"

"He's going to be upset because I didn't tie them as I should have. Wait, let me see what time it is. We promised to be back by five." Rob says, reaching into his watch pocket for his watch.

Watching, Alex sees the look that crosses his friend's face and guesses what happened.

"You lost the watch didn't you? Do you suppose it's in the shallow water? You could go look."

"It wouldn't matter. I should have known to take the watch out of my pocket before we went on the boat. Even if I could find it in the water, it wouldn't work. Why do these things happen to me?" Rob replies, sighing. First tipping out of the boat, then the horses, now losing his new watch. This is not turning into a good afternoon. He just hopes Ethan will be understanding when he does get home.

After several minutes of searching in the area around where they came out of the water, the boys come back to the area where the girls sit.

"Girls? We couldn't find either horse so we can't take the wagon home. We'll just have to leave it and the picnic basket, until we or someone can come get it. I'm sorry, but we have to walk home. It's a long walk so we've got to get started. As it is, we aren't going to make it home by curfew. It was three thirty when we went out in the boat. It's probably four thirty now. Town is a good twenty minute wagon ride from here, so to walk it will take much longer." Rob says helping Emily to her feet.

"OWWW. My shoes have shrunk! They're pinching my feet! This grass is making my legs itch! Why don't you leave us here and go for help? We'll wait for you to come get us." Emily complains after ten minutes of walking.

"No, Emily. I can't do that. My Pa would thrash the hide off of me if I went off and left you two alone. Ladies and girls are to be taken care of at all times. Do you want me punished?" Rob answers shaking his head.

"One of you boys could stay with Claire and I, and the other go for help. I don't want to walk any longer! It's too far to town to walk all the way!" Emily tells him.

"No, we stick together! Now come on. I'm sorry you're shoes are hurting but keep moving! It's chilly out here without dry clothes. The wind is blowing right off the lake." Rob replies continuing down the wagon rut trail.

"Yes, it is. I'm freezing to death out in this wind! That's why you should go find us help! You could at least find us a place out of the wind!" Emily complains.

"I don't think it's possible to freeze to death in the summer, Emily." Rob answers giving her a disgusted look.

"Stop complaining so much. We are all wet and miserable but we aren't fussing about every little thing like you are! You sound like a little girl!"

"I don't like you much right now Robert Cord! This is all your doing!" Emily snaps back at him as she flounces up ahead to walk with Claire.

As Alex walks back to be with Rob, he hears Rob mutter "Well, I don't like you and your behavior either! I thought you were a nice young lady not a spoiled little girl!"

"The girl giving you heck, Rob?" Alex asks, snickering at the baleful look that comment gets him.

"It's all my fault according to her, that she's cold, wet, the grass itches, and her shoes hurt! It's her fault we are in this mess in the first place! She's the one who tipped the boat!" Rob tells his friend angrily.

Walking ahead of the boys, Emily shares her complaints with Claire.

"After all, it's his fault! If he hadn't taken us out in the dumb boat we wouldn't be cold, wet and walking home! He shouldn't have taken the boat out to begin with as it wasn't his boat! My Pa would say he stole the boat since he took it without asking!"

"Oh, Emily. Don't complain so. Rob didn't mean any harm. I don't mind walking. It's nice to get to walk out in the open this way. The sky is beautiful today. Just look at the deep blue color and the high white clouds. It looks like a huge lake with little white strips of land." Claire tells her friend, trying to cheer her up.

Walking is becoming tiring for all four young people by the time they see a horse coming.

"Look! Someone's coming! Perhaps they can take a message to one of our families to send help!" Emily announces excited at the thought of rescue.

"Whomever it is, I will do the talking and Alex if he wishes. You girls stay right beside us." Rob commands suddenly taking charge.

"I do what I want Robert Cord! I'm going to tell whomever it is to take me home!" Emily declares.

"It's Pa! I can tell because that's Lightning! You know no one but Pa can ride him." Claire says to Rob, when the horse is close enough to identify. She is aware of the worry Rob is experiencing seeing a rider out when they are alone.

When Ethan reaches the children, he dismounts asking "Is everyone alright? I headed out to find you when Maggie came home alone. What's happened?"

"OH, Sheriff Cord! It's been just horrible! Robert is just a ghastly boy and a thief too! He deserves to be punished severely! This is all his doing!" Emily exclaims loudly.

"Is that so. Well Emily, you can rest assured I will look into it. Robert? " Ethan questions turning to look at his son.

"It's a long story, Pa. May we wait until we get home before talking? We're wet through, cold, tired and I for one, am hungry."

"That we will do, Rob. Now, where is Will? He didn't come home with Maggie."

"Pa, he ran off too. We came out of the water and both horses were gone. We looked for them but couldn't find either one." Claire answers.

Giving Rob a stern gaze, Ethan asks "Did you tie the horses to a picket line as I told you to do? What were you doing in the water?"

"I let them be ground tied. I'm sorry. I didn't think they would run. I'll explain the water when we talk later."

"Well they did run, didn't they? Now come with me and show me where you left the wagon. Claire, Emily, you girls stay right here with Alexander. None of you leave this trail. Understand me?" Ethan commands sternly.

"Yes sir." all four answer. Rob replying to the command to show Ethan the wagon.

Riding behind his Pa on Lightning, Rob tells him "Pa, I didn't intentionally cause this the way Emily thinks. I will tell you more later, but I wanted you to know this now. I really didn't! I'm sorry about the horses, sir."

"We'll discuss all of this at home. You can tell me all about it then. I know you didn't deliberately set the horses loose, Rob." Ethan answers quietly.

"Rob? I think you need to tell me a little about what happened to cause all of you to be wet. We have to explain to Alex and Emily's families, why they are not only late getting home, but looking the way they do." Ethan tells him after they hitch Lightning to the wagon.

"We found a rowboat by the dock over there." Rob says pointing. "We took it out on the lake and it tipped over."

"Alright, that explains why all of you look as if you went swimming in your clothes."

"Pa? Are you angry with me? Do you think the other parents will be?"

"Since I haven't heard the whole story yet, I am not feeling much of anything except confusion and questions. As to the other parents, I can't say. Just tell them the truth and that's all you can do."

As Ethan and Rob are talking, Ethan hears a noise coming from the wooded area by the wagon.

"Rob, stay right here. There's something in the woods and I want to see what it is. We don't want to encounter any wild animals."

"Yes sir."

Cautiously walking into the woods with his gun drawn, Ethan walks towards the noise. Walking closer to the sound, he sees it's the missing horse, Will. He appears to be tangled in some loose limbs.

"Easy boy. Good boy,Will! I'll get you loose, you silly boy. Running off didn't do much for you did it? Should have followed Maggie. She knew where to go!" Ethan says soothingly as he untangles the reins from the branches.

"Come Will! Let's go home." he says tugging the horse. Recognizing the word 'home', Will eagerly walks beside Ethan as he leads him to where Rob waits.

"It's Will! I'm so relieved you found him!" Rob tells Ethan as he walks up.

"Let's hitch him beside Lightning. We'll have to take it slowly as they are not used to working as a team. Let's get back to Alex and the girls." Ethan tells him, walking the horse to the front of the wagon.

Reaching Emily's house first, Rob walks her inside.

"My gracious goodness Emily! You're soaked! Hurry upstairs and get cleaned up. I have dinner ready."

"Yes Mama. Good bye Robert." Emily says stalking out of the room towards the stairs.

"Robert is it? She seems angry with you. What have you done?" Mrs. Anderson asks curiously.

"We went for a rowboat ride on the lake, the boat tipped and we all were tossed in the water. She blames me because it was my idea to take a boat ride. We're late because the horses got loose and ran off. Pa came to fetch us. Ma'am, I didn't mean to cause her to ruin her clothes or get angry."

"I know, Rob. She has a short temper and gets upset easily. I'm sure she'll get over it soon."

"Yes Ma'am. Good evening."

Repeating much of the same story calms Mr. Hale. Once Alex, realizing his Da is unhappy with his tardiness, joins in the explanation.

"You see Da, the horses ran off after we went out on the boat. We had to walk back until Mr. Cord met us with his horse. We didn't plan to be late. He had to go back and fetch the wagon to bring us all home. We had no horse to pull it so we were walking home."

"Alright boys, I see you have been telling me the truth. You two will not forget this picnic for a long time." Mr. Hale nods, then grinning at Rob, he tells him, "Trouble just seems to follow you, young Rob. You need some good Irish luck, my boy. I'd look for a four leaf clover or some other charm to carry, if I were you."

"Yes sir, I think you are correct. Trouble just seems to find me even when I'm trying not to find it! I'll look for a charm sir. I need one!" Rob replies.

"Da, Rob isn't Irish, I don't know if they would work for him." Alex says smiling at Rob.

"Never hurts to give it a good Irish try, my boys! Good evening, Rob."

"Yes sir. Bye, Alex. Thank you for listening and not judging me, Mr. Hale."

After a long soaking bath and warm clothes, Rob and Claire feel refreshed enough to join the family for supper.

"And I caught this huge fish! Papa said it was a Bass. It was about as long as Papa's arm and it weighed five pounds. Nobody but me has caught a fish that big. Everybody else caught little or regular size fish. I'm the best fisherman in the family!" George ends his report to Claire and Rob.

"George, you are being a braggart. That is not polite. Polite young men tell of their adventures without embellishing the facts or bragging about them." Ethan tells his youngest.

"Yes Papa. I'm sorry, I got excited."

"All is forgiven but remember not to stretch the facts. No one wants to be around a liar or a braggart."

"Papa! I didn't lie! I didn't!" George insists, swallowing hard. "I did catch the biggest fish and it was a Bass. You said it was."

"I also said it was about three pounds not five. It was about as long as from your fingers to your elbow not as long as my arm. There's no need to embellish the story, son. Everyone is impressed with your catch. Don't cry, George. You aren't going to be punished. Most fisherman seem to stretch their fish tales. I don't want you boys to be that way, however."

"Personally, I'm very happy you caught such a big fish, George. All of your fishing talent helps us have enough fish that Claire and I could have some too. If you hadn't caught a whale, we would have had to eat butter bread and potatoes for supper while all of you had fried fish with your potatoes." Rob says to the boy beside him.

"You could have some of my fish and then eat my turnip greens too. Wouldn't you like to have my turnip greens, Rob?" George asks hopefully as he glares at the vegetable on his plate.

"George." Ethan scolds. "We are not going through that anymore. Vegetables are good for you and you will be eating them."

"Yes Sir. Papa?" George asks woefully.

"Yes?" Ethan asks with a bit of warning in his voice.

"If vegetables are so good for us, why is it they taste so bad?"

"George, not all vegetables taste bad. You like corn, carrots, potatoes, and green beans. I have seen you eat brussel sprouts before. Why the sudden complaints about vegetables?"

"The ones we have lately taste terrible. Turnips, beets, and these turnip greens. Why must we eat the tops of the turnips too?"

"I understand you don't like the taste, but you will eat what is served. End of discussion." Ethan answers.

"Rob, If you are finished, we will have our discussion out at the barn."

"I'm finished. I'm ready if you are, Pa."

Turning to Joseph, Ethan points a finger at him saying "Not one word out of you, young man! You, Ben and George are on clean up duty, tonight. Get started."

Surprised by the sudden command, Joseph nods quickly while wondering what he did to cause the sternness. Swallowing his mouthful he answers "Yes Sir."

After Ethan and Rob leave the house, Joseph asks "Claire? Why do you think Pa was so sharp with me just now? I didn't say a word all through supper."

"I think he's tired, Joseph. He took all of you fishing and then had to rush out to find us. I'm sure he was worried when Maggie came home without the rest of us. Also, you do have a tendency to tease about Rob being asked to the barn. You have to admit that."

"I admit it, but I never even opened my mouth and I got scolded!" Joseph answers unhappily.

"I got scolded too, Joseph! He said I was a embracer and I wasn't." George pipes up listening to them talk.

"Not an embracer, George. He said you embellished your story of your fishing trip." Claire corrects him.

"What does embellish mean, Claire? Does it mean to lie?"

"Well, kind of but not really. To embellish means to add in details and things to make something even better. When you said all you did about your fish, you were making up some of it, weren't you? The fish wasn't as heavy as you said or as long either, isn't that right, George?" She asks, watching her brothers clean up the kitchen area.

"Well, I guess so, but I didn't lie. I did catch a big long fish!"

"Yes, you did but you didn't have to make it sound bigger or longer than it was. That was embellishing and could be thought of as lying. Just for the sake of your backside, I wouldn't embellish on anything ever again. Pa is a big believer in truth and lying leads to a whipping! You know this, George. I don't have to tell you that." Joseph warns him.

Continuing to sweep quietly, Ben sees Claire watching him.

"Ben? You are very quiet tonight. Are you feeling alright? Did you get too warm today?" It's unusual for Ben not to get into a conversation, invited or not.

"I'm just tired. I don't think I got too warm. It was shady and cool at the water." Ben replies not mentioning the stomachache or headache he is feeling. I'm not telling how I really feel! Claire would force castor oil down me or some other equally horrible tasting stuff! he thinks.

"Alright Rob, I'm ready to hear all about your adventure today." Ethan says softly, as the two lean on the corral fence.

"Everything was fine, we were having a good time talking and enjoying the picnic. Afterwards we let the girls have a few minutes to themselves, while Alex and I walked along the water. When we came up on the dock, there was a rowboat tied to it. I thought it would be fun to take it out on the water, so we did."

"Go on, son. Tell me the rest." Ethan encourages when he stops talking.

"We were just coming back towards the dock after about fifteen or twenty minutes of being in the boat, when the wind picked up. Alex and I had to fight against the wind to row back towards the dock as it was pushing us further away. Claire's straw hat blew off into the water. Emily leaned over and tried to reach it. When she leaned too far she tipped the boat and we fell out. She panicked and was going under so I grabbed her from behind and started pulling her to shore. Alex and Claire were all right and able to get back by themselves."

"So, if I'm guessing right, Emily is upset with you because in her way of thinking, you are responsible for the accident."

"She blamed me. She insisted I did it all on purpose and caused her to ruin her clothes. Why would she think I would tip her out on purpose? I didn't tip her out at all, she did that all by herself. We tried to stop her from reaching for the hat but she went stubborn and wouldn't listen."

"Young ladies are hard to predict at times, Rob. I'm sure she'll get over her mad spell soon. You were very brave and smart to grab on to her the way you did. She could have drowned!"

"Maybe so, but I don't think I was all that brave. I was plenty scared. You know what else, Pa? I don't know her as well as I thought. She turned into a whiny, spoiled little girl. Complaining about everything, making demands on me that I couldn't do and then blaming everything on me to you. Emily isn't the girl I thought she was. It makes me mad, how she tried to get me in trouble with you the way she did."

"You really shouldn't have taken the boat out that way. It didn't belong to you, but I understand there was no one around to ask. This was an unfortunate accident." Ethan tells him, as he leans back on the fence.

"Pa, I didn't leave the girls alone or deliberately cause problems. Mr. Hale says I just have no luck and need to find a four leaf clover. I'm not in trouble, am I? I tried really hard to do all the things you told me. We didn't leave the girls by themselves. Emily suggested one of us go find help and the other stay with the girls. I told her NO. We didn't pair up together or go swimming. We fell in not went in. We all tried to follow the rules you parents told us. Maybe we didn't ask to take the boat but that's all we did that could be wrong. Well, other than the horses..." Rob rambles until Ethan finally answers.

"Rob, you aren't in trouble, son. You can stop trying to convince me you behaved." Ethan chuckles, thinking again how much Rob reminds him of Ben. He may see himself as nearly grown, but to Ethan, Rob still seems very much a young boy, still needing his Pa's reassurance. Rob didn't have much of that when he was a young boy as far as Ethan has discovered.

"This isn't the best day you've ever had, now is it? It sounds as if you need to have a break from visiting Emily. Not a punishment, son, just a break to give her time to come to her senses." Ethan tells him as Rob begins to protest.

"Yes, I agree with that. I want a long break from her. I don't care if I ever talk to her again! I was really mistaken in my impression of her. She's not what I thought she was at all."

"Now Rob, you shouldn't jump to judgement that way. After all she did have a trying day. You can take all the time you need and no one is going to make you court her. However, you will be respectful to her when you do meet. I don't want to hear of you being rude or unkind. You treat her the same way you always have no matter how she behaves towards you. Understand?"

"Yes sir. You know what the best day of my life was?" Rob asks still thinking on what Ethan said earlier about the day not being his best.

"No son, what was it?"

"When you allowed me to come live here with you. Ever since the summer I stayed with you while Uncle Vern was away, I wanted to be a part of this family. I love being part of a real family. I used to be so lonely. Uncle Vern wasn't much company at all. He never played games with me or talked with me. He'd tell me what he wanted me to do or not do but that was all. It's so different here. You are much more a Pa to me than he ever was. So, you are like my first Pa. I never knew my Father enough to think of him as a Pa. Uncle Vern was too old and crotchety to be much of a Pa in the good way. He was a Pa in the way he fed me, clothed me and punished me but that was all. I think being a Pa should be more than that."

"That's quite a speech, Rob. You must have been thinking about this for some time. Are you planning on trying to be a Pa someday?"

"I'd like to be. I'd be just like you are too. I'd listen and play with him and punish him but love him. Just the way you do with us. How did you learn to be a good Pa? Was your Pa good to you the way you are with us?"

"For a time he was, up until a few years after my Mama died. After that, my Pa was more like Vernon. He was there and kept us fed. He worked as a hired hand on a ranch and didn't have much time to do fun things together with me. My sister, Lucy, Claire and the boys' mother, was much like Claire is now. She was five years older than me and took care of me. Our Mother died of influenza when I was seven. My Pa brought home a new wife when I was twelve. She was not my Ma and I didn't get along with her at all. Lucy ran off when she came. By the time I was fourteen, my sister was married and a mother. I left home at fourteen and I never went back."

"So, we could have grandparents somewhere?"

"No, they were killed in an Indian attack on a wagon train. Pa wasn't the type to stay in one place forever and was planning to head west when I left. That's one reason I ran off the way I did. I did not want to live on the Pacific coast. Texas was my home and I wanted to stay there. As you know, that didn't work out for me."

"I don't know that story, Pa. Could you tell it to me?"

"Some other time, Rob. Right now, I believe my stomach says it's time for apple pie. What do you say?"

"I say, let's go! I can't get enough apple pie or anything else that's sweet! Uncle Vernon didn't bake! The only time I ever had sweets was if I could buy candy or we ate in a restaurant. We only did that twice."

"I see you are going to need to court some young lady who loves to bake." Ethan teases as they walk towards the house.

"That's one reason I wanted to marry Claire. She bakes very well."

"You wanted to marry Claire?" Ethan asks stopping to look at Rob in surprise.

"Yes sir, back when she was fourteen and I had just turned fifteen. We talked about eloping. I had to leave though. Then when we wound up being brother and sister we didn't think that way about each other any more."

"It's a good thing for you that you didn't try to run off to be married, Rob. At fifteen, you would have been too young. It wouldn't have ended very well after Vernon and I caught up to you, if you get my meaning. Don't ever run off, Rob. It doesn't solve anything."

"Yes Sir."

"One more thing, son. Try to wait until you are at least eighteen before thinking about possibly getting married. I know around here, people marry at sixteen or earlier, but that is too young. Wait until you are older. Will you do that for me?"

"Sure, Pa. I don't even have a girl anymore, so I sure won't be thinking of getting married!"

During the night, Ben wakes hot, thirsty and ill. His head is feeling very heavy and his throat feels as if he swallowed fire. Finding his way in the dark to the W.C., he finds himself losing his supper. Rinsing his mouth and taking a drink from the hand pump, he makes his way back to bed. Shivering now, he reaches down to the end of the bed for his quilt. Wishing he were still young enough to go wake his Pa or his sister, Ben feels tears run down his face. He remembers Joseph telling him, he was "much too old at ten to need Claire or Pa to baby him" and to "learn to solve problems himself." They were talking about his hurt hand when he hit himself with a hammer, but Ben decides now, it means for all problems he faces. I'll just be brave and tough like Joseph and Rob. I can take care of myself. Ben thinks, as he slips into a fevered sleep.

The next morning, Ethan greets the children as they come to breakfast.

"Good Morning, everyone. I see you smelled breakfast. We have pancakes, eggs, toast and bacon this morning. I don't know if my pancakes measure up to Rob's but I gave it my best shot. Ben, you aren't dressed. Go put on pants and a shirt please. We'll dress for church after breakfast and light chores."

"We're having church today?" Ben asks, having forgotten what day it is.

"It's Sunday, Ben. We always have church on Sunday." Joseph replies with enough emphasis on 'always' to cause Ethan to give him a warning look. The boys aren't allowed to complain about going to church.

"Pa, I don't feel like going to church today. My head and stomach hurt. I don't want breakfast either." Ben informs Ethan.

"None of this trying to get out of church, Ben. Either you or George tries this every week. I don't know what changed but you two used to enjoy going. Everyone is going and that's final. Now do as I say and put on some clothes."

"It's because we don't get to play afterwards. All the parents are always rushing off somewhere. The other reason is, sometimes the sermons are too hard to understand, Papa." George tells him while Ben goes to get dressed.

Any other day, Ben would have teased and told his Pa, he was wearing clothes, but not today. His stomach is aching, his throat is burning, and he feels very hot. Tearfully he pulls on his work clothes wishing he could just crawl back under the covers and sleep.

Later that morning, he finds it difficult to even lift the bucket of chicken feed. "At least we don't have to rake out stalls right now. I couldn't lift the rake the way my arms hurt." He thinks.

Sitting in the overly warm church building on a very hard wooden seat makes Ben more miserable than he already is. Trying very hard to obey his Pa's rules and sit still, he is successful until the singing is over. Soon after the minister begins talking he begins to squirm in the seat earning a tap on the leg from Ethan. Fighting tears as his stomach is trying to turn flips, he can't help wiggle again trying to find a way to sit without hurting. Receiving the second warning tap and knowing if he receives a third he'll be taken out and punished, Ben whispers "Pa, I need to go out! I can't wait any longer either! I have to go right now!"

"Very well, go and come straight back. No dawdling or wandering, Ben." Ethan whispers back. He barely gets finished speaking before Ben is out of the pew and running towards the entrance at the back of the church. Ben makes it as far as the front steps before having to lean over the rail to be sick. His stomach doesn't have anything in it to empty as he didn't eat breakfast. Ben managed to fold most of his breakfast in his napkin and send it down the water closet. Aching all over and crying from the aches, he stretches out on the steps.

"God, it's me. I'm hurting bad and feel terrible. Please make it stop. Please." Ben whispers closing his eyes. Maybe if he is very quiet and very still, God will see him and fill his wish, especially at church, he thinks.

Inside the church, Ethan touches Joseph, sitting in the space beside Ben's place in the pew. Looking up in question when he feels his Pa's touch, Joseph sees Ethan motion for him to slide over. Leaning down, Ethan whispers in Joseph's ear "Go find your brother. He should be back by now. Keep him at the wagon. Neither of you is to go anywhere else. We'll meet you there as soon as we can."

Nodding his understanding, Joseph quietly leaves the pew to find his troublesome brother.

"When Pa gets hold of you, Ben, you are going to be one sorry little boy! First, running in the church and now dawdling or wandering off!" he thinks walking out of the church.

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A/N:

Thank you for all of the reviews and for the guests who stop in to visit. Melody and Krystal, thank you for your guest reviews and support. I love hearing what readers enjoy about the stories, speculations on what might happen next and also ideas for more.