Rush to the Heartland by Kelly Diehl Yates

Author:Kelly Diehl Yates [Yates, Kelly Diehl]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781666702798
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Published: 2021-06-23T16:19:03+00:00

11

Wondering

Aenohe gradually began to gain weight and become more aware of his surroundings. Jared, Jessie, and Elizabeth talked about what to do about him. They had decided to let him stay with them for the time being. Aenohe attached himself to Jared, following him around like a faithful puppy. Jared didn’t seem to mind. Jeremiah and Doc still skirted the issue and the boy. Elizabeth could feel tension in the air whenever one of them was around. She waited for the explosion over the matter that was bound to take place.

That morning, they came upon a wagon half-buried next to the river. Jeremiah called out a halt. They made camp a little early for the noon meal, but they didn’t question, glad for the rest. Elizabeth saw Jared riding out ahead. If she wasn’t so curious, she would have just eaten, as Aenohe and Jessie were doing. But she had to poke her nose into the matter. She just had to.

Pulling a shawl around her huge belly, she nonchalantly moved towards Jeremiah and Jared. When Jared looked up from the wagon, he hollered, “Back up, Elizabeth! This here’s quicksand!” She jumped back, as much as a pregnant woman could jump.

“Just stay there, Elizabeth!” Jeremiah yelled.

“Alright, I’m staying! What are you looking at?” She bit at the nail on her left thumb.

“Never mind.” Jeremiah flicked his fingers at her. That made her mad. Oh, how it made her mad!

She waited, pacing back and forth in front of them. Finally, Jeremiah walked over to where she paced. Jared still poked among the remains of the wagon.

“Found some dead folks.”

“D-dead people?”

“Yeah, looks like they got stuck in the quicksand.”

“This sounds like a dime novel, Jeremiah.”

“Quicksand is real. Very real.”

Emma walked up. “Dead?” she asked.

“Yep.”

She walked away. The sound of children’s laughter floated to Elizabeth’s ears. Laughter? With all this death around, how can they laugh? Death, death, death, I can’t stand another death! She turned from the horror of the scene, wanting to run. But there was nowhere to hide on the plains.

She caught up to Emma who turned toward her and said, “Sad, ain’t it? They were probably on their way to get land like we are.”

“Yes, it’s sad.” Suddenly, Elizabeth blurted, “Emma, how can God let this happen? How can he let so many innocent people suffer and die? And–and–How could he let William do this to me?”

Looking at Emma, Elizabeth remembered meeting the kind woman for the first time.

* * *

They arrived at 1:00 in the morning. Jessie pounded on the door of Emma’s Nashville home, swearing that her sister would welcome them. Upon opening it, Emma found Jessie and Elizabeth outside, shivering in the cold. Jessie pushed Elizabeth forward into the house.

“This is Elizabeth Lee.”

“How do you do?” Elizabeth’s teeth chattered, hitting together like a hen clucking at her chicks.“Lands, child, come in and get warm.” Emma pulled them both in. “What are you doing in Nashville, Sister, and at this time of night?”

“Our train arrived in Nashville an hour ago.

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