Promised Land by Kathleen Karr

Author:Kathleen Karr [Karr, Kathleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
ISBN: 9781557484055
Publisher: Barbour
Published: 1993-03-14T13:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

Electioneering began in earnest at the Parting of the Ways. The Donner Party had already made their decision, but its men came to yell suggestions and cajole the Chandler folks. It was entertainment, after all.

Maggie had several shocks that evening. The first was when she saw Winslow step onto the traces of his wagon, Bible in hand, to give a campaign speech for himself. She’d known he’d appointed himself to run~for reasons known only to himself~but she hadn’t realized the man had built up such a staunch following. Where had her mind been lately?

The dark night sky was lit only by fires and a lantern hanging from the wagon near to Winslow’s face. The light thus flickering onto his freshly shaven cheeks looked more like the fires of hell than heaven. Maggie shivered and pulled her shawl more closely around her shoulders. She was glad the children were tucked into their beds.

Winslow stared at the crowd before beginning his speech. He was well satisfied with the decision he’d made. It had taken him almost a week of solitude in the wagon to come up with the idea, but the Lord hadn’t let him down. It was a perfect cover. He’d smelled something Mormon about the Donner train when it first pulled up at Independence Rock. He hadn’t had the freedom to find the one person or persons responsible for that feeling, but had grasped onto it, like a gospel truth. Whoever the Danites might be among them, they would never suspect someone willing to put his face before the public in this manner.

Completely satisfied, Winslow launched into his talk, carefully editing out any of the anti-Mormonisms that had peppered his former public appearances. His voice came full and rich from his throat. His years of practice speaking to his flocks would always serve him well. The voice was compelling. It was the words which gave pause.

Maggie tried to listen closely to the bits about Moses leading the chosen people over the desert for forty years, but her attention was diverted by a jostling nearby in the crowd. Her eyes wandered to pick up Gentry elbowing his way close. She cringed. She’d avoided the man like the plague since their meeting on the day following the Fourth. Now he seemed to be seeking her out. She knew not whether he was truly in pursuit of herself, like a more distasteful Red Eagle, or whether he was still searching for intelligence on their press, having failed in his attempts to bribe the information from an innocent child. She directed her eyes back to Winslow.

“ `Brethren’, wrote St. Paul, `if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness.’ Our camp has lost its heart and soul of late through such faults. Faults I pointed out back at Richman’s grave . . .’’

“Is he being taken in seriousness?’’ The voice was next to her, and the scent of bay rum. Just imagine Johnny even considering packing bay rum to travel West.

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