And the greatest of these is Love
Chapter 16
Page 47
The pain subsided for Jake once the medicine Dr. Carson gave him and he took a long nap. When Violet returned, Dr. Carson went back to the infirmary and suggested that Violet napped too. She thanked Dr. Carson for staying with Jake so she could take care of Elsa and then she laid on the sofa, reclined, and succumbed to her drowsiness.
Once Andy and Gunther returned they updated Nathan with their rounds. Nothing unusual was happening and they had nothing new to report. That was pretty typical for Hope Valley and the surrounding area. The warm summer day made them and the horses thirsty so when they returned to town, they took their horses to the livery, but Kevin wasn't there so they brushed their horses down and followed by feeding them some oats before heading to the RCMP office.
Kevin Townsend had been busy at the garden and tool shop especially during the spring and summer seasons so now he mainly checked in at the livery from time to time. Quite a few folks had automobiles but those that had horses still boarded them at the livery. It worked out well for Kevin as he had his own quarters upstairs above.
Kevin had his eye on Lisa Peterson but was a bit shy in the dating department and hadn't dated much since he and Elizabeth parted ways. Lisa was working the phones and appointments for Dr. Scholl, so one time they both were at lunch together at Minnie's and he asked if he could sit with her.
She blushed, but not to be rude, she said, "Of course, be my guest." They hit it off rather well and had seen each other at various Hopeful events finding themselves sitting together. When Kevin learned that Lisa's parents owned a horse farm, they found plenty in common to talk about. Then, it just came about naturally to Lisa that maybe some of the horses would want to be ridden if they weren't on a regular basis by their owners, so sometimes Kevin and Lisa took the boarded horses out together for a ride. This led to more relaxed fun times and Kevin was attracted to Lisa more and more and vice versa.
When they recently all met at the bonfire, he finally had the nerve to ask her to take a walk. When they returned they were holding hands, so Lana, Lisa's sister, asked if they were getting serious. Lisa giggled, "Yes, I think so! Kevin kissed me!" They were slowly becoming a couple.
At the RCMP office, Gunther asked if they were going to search for those men in other directions. Gunther suggested, "If we go west searching maybe we might find something. Just about anything east the men probably would take the train don't you think?"
"Depends," Nathan shrugged, "there's a lot of land east of here that is no way near the train route. However, Bill and I are going to the train station to follow up on a hunch, so we'll be back just as soon as we're done."
"Sargent?" Andy called out.
Nathan stopped and looked inquiringly at him.
"Would you mind if Gunther took me out shooting? I haven't practiced in awhile and I'm due to get some practice in," Andy questioned.
"That sounds like a good idea as unfortunately, lately we've had a little more action. I just want you back here in an hour. We need to be here in case we get a telephone call. Be careful."
Andy and Gunther were glad to go out to the area that Nathan had set up for them last year. They've only been out there once since winter and they could use the practice, just in case.
After leaving a note on the RCMP office door and locking it up, Nathan took Bill to the train station to talk to Simon in more detail. Nathan and Bill went to Simon's train master's office and knocked on the door.
"Howdy, come on in," Simon grinned, "You've got more questions for me?"
"Just a thought," Bill answered, "This man Oliver, he was the booking agent yesterday, is he here now?"
"Yes, he is, do you need to talk with him?" Simon asked.
"Simon, does he have any written record of tickets he sells?" Nathan asked.
"He should. Sometimes if it's busy he'll keep a running tab but later it all should be transferred to the record books. Did you want to see the book?" Simon asked.
"Yes, if he can spare it. We don't want to hinder his work," Bill answered.
"I'll just tell him to keep a running tab for the time being, let me go fetch it."
When Simon returned with the record ledger he handed it to Nathan. Bill and Nathan looked at it carefully. "We need to write some these entries down, may we have a piece of paper if you don't mind?"
After writing up yesterday's entries, they thanked Simon who asked, "Are you thinking those men did take the train? Oliver didn't see anyone fitting their descriptions."
"Just double-checking all possibilities," Nathan said as he shook Simon's hand.
They followed Simon out of his office as he walked to the booking agent's office with the record ledger in his hand. They watched to see what this Oliver looked like and made a mental note of his dark hair color, mustache, and glasses.
Back in the automobile, Nathan asked Bill if he noticed anything out of the ordinary. "I'm not sure yet, when we get back to your RCMP office, I'll take a closer look at these entries."
Henry was at the office as soon as he saw Bill and Nathan return. "Any news?" he asked hoping something would crack the case.
"No, not yet, but we're looking into everything we can," Nathan assured him.
"Well men, I just talked to Lee about putting an award in the newspaper for anyone who leads us to them. I gave him descriptions of them and he's going to post it in the Valley Voice. He's got Harper working on it now. I suggested he make up some posters to put up in town and the surrounding towns too. I want these good-for-nothings found!"
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It was getting close to Summer Bible Camp so regardless of what was going on with the search the men were involved in, the ladies still met to get the plans finalized as it was only a week away.
Every Tuesday the ladies' group met at Minnie's and today was no exception. Every lady attended, even Brook and Elsa. Brook had taught several of the ladies how to weave baskets so she was slowly making friends. It was fun and relaxing, so anyone who hadn't learned, were welcome to come to her house anytime. Brook liked having the ladies over as it made her feel that she belonged. Elizabeth too, had been tutoring her three times a week learning how to speak English so today she was able to join in the conversations once in awhile.
"Elizabeth tell me new words," Brook said gingerly as she looked at Elizabeth with a grin.
"We can tell, that's wonderful!" Dee smiled while Christopher babbled loudly.
"May I hold your son?" Elsa asked Dee.
"He's a bit squirmy, but he would enjoy that. I've been watching as he stares at your bright blonde hair. He'll probably want to pull it," Dee warned.
Handing him over to Elsa, he indeed was fascinated with her white-blond hair. As predicted by his mama, sure enough he grabbed for her hair and pulled.
Elsa yelled, "Ouch!" but laughed as she was warned. "You little stinker, your mama told me you have a strong pull!" Elsa let Christopher hold on to her hair as she began to sing a Swedish song to him. Christopher's eyes were now on Elsa's face listening to the happy melody.
"I love music I haven't ever heard before. What was that song about?" Dee asked.
Elsa laughed, "I don't know if you want to know, but it's a lullaby about a wolf."
Dee wasn't expecting that, "I guess with such a happy melody I didn't expect that. Elsa, I teach music, so if you ever have time, I'd be interested in learning more songs!"
"Ja!" Elsa said in Swedish, "any time."
Minnie announced, "Ladies let's begin with a prayer, please."
After their prayer they picked up their Bibles and started to read chapters three and four of Acts. There was always lively discussion and if there were any questions, Minnie would jot them down to ask Pastor Joseph so she could share answers the following week when they met again.
Knowing the summer, they were busy working on the Summer Bible Camp and Family Fun Fest they usually had a shorter Bible Study, but they always allowed time for prayer requests. Today all of the ladies were concerned and praying for Jake's health and strength for Violet. Dee asked to pray that the search for the men who attacked Jake would be found. When the last Amen was said, they went on to discuss what had developed with the Bible Camp.
Now the ladies reported the updates on the activity they volunteered to help with. The theme of Fishers of People required a big whale that Kenda was working on. Luckily, she had good luck finding some of the boys in town who were willing to work on it with her. "The book of Jonah I think will be best for the older children. I'm thinking each of them can take a turn reading from a shortened story that I've been writing. The whale is almost done, we just need to talk to Mr. Coulter yet, to see if he will help give us some scraps of wood to use to prop it up. I'll be stopping by Coulter Lumber when I leave here."
Rita waved and spoke next, "I have plenty of fishing poles for the fishing contest. I've thought about how long we should let the children fish and I'm not sure. I don't want it to be too long that they get bored, but not too short that it's no fun.
Any suggestions?"
"Can it be done during their lunch break time?" Joyce asked.
"I don't see why not," Rita answered.
"That's a good solution, Joyce," Susanne nodded.
"Speaking of food," Kathy spoke up, "I think a box lunch is fine except for our last day and then we can have a picnic, weather permitting. What do you all think?"
"This will be at the end of the day, so that's easy enough," Marge nodded, "and I'll be glad to help you Kathy."
Each lady reported how things were coming along in their activity. Teresa was busy with crafts with Frieda's help, and Cheryl and Linda were explaining the games. Everything they needed was taken care of by Flo who did the ordering. Dee had some of the school children, and Maria and Giovanni Moretti who would lead the songs. It helped that Dee was Allie's mom as she encouraged her to help by playing her guitar and Angela playing the piano. Dee had met with Jane to match up a dance with one of the songs. So their plans were coming along well.
This was such a fun time for the ladies! Elizabeth and Rosemary wrote the script for the story in Matthew 4:19-25. Now, they needed ladies willing to make costumes for the disciples and as usual Mary O'Neil, Dottie, Molly, and Debra Blakely all volunteered.
Mary Landoch had been collecting names from the children at St. James and Minnie from the Community Church so they had quite good turnout signed up.
"Sounds wonderful ladies!" Minnie cheered. "It seems our successful Summer Bible Camp was a huge hit last year with the children, so they're coming back. I knew I could count on you all. Please let me know as soon as possible if you need any help with anything. Otherwise, we'll end with a prayer and I'll see you all at the church next Monday!"
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Bill and Nathan had gone over the train record from the ledger and contacted the train ticket master from all the stops along the route making sure that everyone was accounted for. All the passengers checked out, but what they did find out was that the car before the caboose which had haystacks and other crops piled in it had been disturbed. There seemed to be impressions on the haystacks that easily seemed to be where someone had possibly laid. A few crops had been tampered with also. The crates of strawberries held less than when stacked in the car, as well as the carrots and rhubarb which were all reported. The possibility of the men on the run bumming a ride in the food car was beginning to be a probability. The train parked at the Edmonton station and that was when this was discovered.
"I have a suspicion that if the men who attacked Jake had jumped on that train, they most likely rode all the way to Edmonton," Bill acknowledged to Nathan.
"Right, that's why I contacted the Mounties in that city and surrounding area to be alert for any strangers," Nathan said.
"It's been such a problem for years now, men who hitch unlawful rides on trains, that it's estimated to be thousands of freeloaders. Most of them are unruly and sloppy, but they can also harass other riders," Bill shared.
Nathan told Bill, "When I was in training we had a course on these men and what to expect. Hobos were dreamers, small-time criminals, but railroad experts. These itinerant workers were expert at hopping on and off trains, and they liked to brag about it, too, since it could be incredibly dangerous."
"What information were you able to get from Henry as to a description of these men?" Bill asked.
Nathan sighed, "Unfortunately, they weren't hired until late this spring. They applied for work together, claiming they hailed from up north but didn't specify from where. Henry said they were two brothers and one cousin, Dale and Frank Fredrick and their cousin Clarence Fredrick. They all had been looking for work after the war, so Henry hired them."
"That's it right there, Henry has a soft spot for veterans, which is a good thing, but it might have been prevented if they did a background check first before hiring," Bill got up and looked out the window shaking his head.
Nathan stood up, "He did just that Bill, but there were no records of any criminal involvement, in fact, there was little to nothing known about any of them except that they were sons of farmers. Anyways, I told the Mounties their physical description that Henry and Mike gave me, so if that's where they are, hopefully they'll be spotted."
"Or they'll blend into the crowd. Edmonton is a big city."
"Chances are they might just be spotted. According to Henry one of the men, Clarence, has a scare across his face. He was in a farm accident. It's high enough that a beard can't cover it completely. Dale walks with a limp, and his brother stutters." Nathan smiled.
"Well, well, I'll be damned, this might be just the break we are looking for," Bill nodded.
Over at the Taylor house, Jake was restless. Being alone, his thoughts had gotten the better of him at times, and he was easily tempted to be angry, especially when he thought about the attack. He even had some nightmares of seeing those ugly mean-spirited men coming at him with their fists and kicking him over and over. At times he wanted to just buy himself a bottle and drink himself to sleep, but he was trapped in his house.
Violet tried her best to take care of him, but when his rib pain acted up every time he tried to move or walk down the stairs, he let out some pretty nasty words. Of course, Violet ignored them, but she couldn't ignore how fast Jake's frustration was making him so hard to live with.
She told Dr. Faith, one time when she was working at the infirmary, what she was struggling with and started to cry. Faith immediately felt sorry for her and assured her that Jake would start feeling better sooner than later.
"Dr. Faith, he was told that his co-workers went out searching for those men that beat him up, and that made him feel better, but now no matter what I say anymore, he's so bitter. I'm just afraid he'll lose the peace he used to have and go back to drinking," Violet shared.
"Violet, what he's been through is more than one man could handle and he's probably upset with himself too for not being able to stop them. He's suffering and is stressed. There's more to it than we understand. It's not just physical, but emotional, and spiritual pain too he's dealing with. I think you might want to talk to Minnie privately for help. You can just go there now and see if she can give you a time to talk with her. I also think Pastor Joseph would be good for Jake to talk to, so you might mention that to her if she doesn't think of it."
Violet hugged Faith and agreed with her advice. "Thank you, I knew you would understand. I sure hope Pastor Joseph can help Jake. As soon as I'm done calling on another family, I'll go over and see if Minnie is available."
When Violet arrived at Minnie's Cafe it was after the lunch crowd was over. Minnie was cleaning up so when Violet walked in she spoke, "Why hello Violet, I'm sorry but we're closing for the day, but Billee's is open for several hours."
"Oh, I'm not here to eat, I was hoping to talk with you for a bit. Is there a time we can arrange to get together, so we can speak privately?" Violet asked.
Minnie smiled, "No time like the present. Let me finish cleaning up." Then she sliced Violet a piece of strawberry rhubarb pie and served her with a cup of tea. "Here, enjoy this and I'll be with you right away."
Violet couldn't say no to a home baked slice of Minnie's pie, and slowly savored each piece she ate. Minnie poured herself a cup and joined Violet at her table.
"Now dear, how can I help?"
Violet shared with Minnie all about her and Jake's past. She explained how they married right out of high school and that Jake didn't have a good steady job, plus she got pregnant soon after. Minnie grabbed Violet's hand and let her know she could tell her everything. So, Violet continued and at first, she was ashamed to admit that Jake was drinking and gambling which led to the bar fight and was arrested. He was sent to serve three months in prison as a janitor while she had to live with her parents all alone while studying midwifery and then lost her own baby. She was heartbroken.
While in prison Jake met with the prison Champlain, Pastor Fisher, and Jake confessed his sins and started to believe in God. Things seemed to get better for him so when he got out of prison he came to Hope Valley and Henry Gowen hired him.
"Now, after the beating, he's bitter and has nightmares. He's in pain not only physically, but emotionally too," Violet looked away so Minnie wouldn't see the pain etched over her face and the tears.
Minnie never let go of Violet's hand, drawing her face back to hers, Minnie said calmly, "I'm so glad you came to me. We'll get through this together. The Lord is our Shepherd, he knows your heart and Jake's and will never forsake you if you let Him help you. So, let's say a prayer right now and then we'll talk."