Page 19 of Hope’s Enduring Echo
Leo
Leo glanced across the aisle to Mr. DeWeece. The businessman was examining a map he’d brought with him. A bulging pack with a looped rope tied to its outside filled the other half of DeWeece’s seat. He looked so official. So knowledgeable. So in charge.
Leo braced a hand on his roiling stomach. Was the uncomfortable churning in his middle caused by the train’s rocking motion or by worry? Had he made a mistake by asking Mr. DeWeece to join him on his search? Leo was only a college student, and DeWeece was a seasoned businessman involved in several philanthropic endeavors in the community. Given their ages and levels of experience, it made sense that DeWeece would take the lead. But where did that leave Leo?
Whether he liked it or not, he couldn’t reverse time. He’d opened the door to the man by agreeing to search with him on Saturday. But not on Sunday. DeWeece had snorted under his breath when Leo told him he couldn’t go out on Sundays because he attended church, but then the man had shrugged and said, “Fine, I can always go out on my own.” Another reason for Leo’s angst. What if DeWeece came upon the skeleton when Leo wasn’t there? This was supposed to be Leo’s find. Leo’s moment of glory. Leo’s means of gaining favor with Mr. Figgins and, in so doing, impressing his father. Would DeWeece take all that away from him?
The wheels screeched and the locomotive slowed. They were coming up on the footbridge, and he and Mr. DeWeece would get off the train. Leo slung his knapsack on his back and sat sideways, readying himself to disembark. The moment the train shuddered to a stop, he stepped through the doorway onto the little landing. He nearly plowed into Mrs. Ward, who was already there.
A smile automatically tugged at his lips. “Good morning, ma’am.” Then he spotted Mr. Ward waiting on the ground next to the steps. Leo looked past the man, expecting to spot Jennie, but she was missing.
“Good morning, Leo.” Mrs. Ward’s warm greeting yanked Leo’s attention to her. “It’s very nice to see you.”
“You, too. Are…are you going to town?” He could hardly believe it.
She beamed at him. “Indeed we are. Mr. Ward has a hankering for pound cake and strawberries from the hotel restaurant, so we’re going to get some.”
Delight exploded in his chest. “Well, then, let me get out of the way so you and Mr. Ward can come in.” The knapsack hooked on the doorframe as he edged backward, nearly sending him sideways, but he caught his balance and moved around the corner.
Mrs. Ward came on in, but Mr. Ward didn’t budge. The man’s fingers gripped the iron handrails and he glared up at Leo. “What’re you doing out here?”
Leo’s happiness dissolved. His mouth went dry. “I’m going to search for the remainder of the dinosaur skeleton.” He gestured Mr. DeWeece forward. “Mr. Ward, do you know Mr. DeWeece?”
A brusque shake of his head gave a reply.
Leo went on in a conversational tone although his insides churned with unease. “He is also interested in finding the remains, so he’s guiding me today. Mr. DeWeece, this is Mr. Claude Ward. His family lives in the cabin on the rise and keeps watch over the pipeline.”
DeWeece leaned past Leo and stuck out his hand to Mr. Ward. “It’s nice to meet you, sir. Thank you for serving the community in such a worthwhile way.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Jennie’s daddy gave the man a brief handshake. “Nice to meet you.” He settled his frown on Leo again. “You ain’t going out to my cabin.”
It was more a command than a query, but Leo shook his head. Emphatically. “I am not, sir.”
The train’s conductor poked his head from the caboose’s doorway. “Folks, we need to be moving on. Get off, come aboard, whatever needs doing…do it quickly, please. We have a schedule to keep.”
But Mr. Ward didn’t move, preventing Leo and Mr. DeWeece from disembarking.
Mrs. Ward rose from her seat and peered around the corner. “Claude, do you need a hand coming aboard?”
Jennie’s daddy released the handrails and took two limping backward steps. “Not going.”
Leo gaped at him. “But, Mr. Ward, there’s no reason not to go. As I said, I won’t go to your cabin. You have my word.”
“Got nothin’ to do with you.” Jennie’s daddy spoke with force, but perspiration was dotting his face. His frame trembled. “Changed my mind is all. It’s too far to go. Too much walkin’. Should’ve known it’d be—” He clamped his mouth closed and shifted his gaze to his wife. “Etta, come on out o’ there. I wanna go home.”
Leo caught a glimpse of Mrs. Ward’s distraught face before she skirted past him and Mr. DeWeece and descended the steps. “All right, Claude.” Her voice held nothing but acceptance. “Let’s go, then.”
Leo and Mr. DeWeece departed the car and stood against the rock wall until the train chugged back into motion. Leo stared after the Wards, who were already across the footbridge and climbing the rise, Mrs. Ward holding Mr. Ward’s arm. Leo winced at the man’s slow, stumbling, limping gait. Doubt that Jennie’s daddy would ever take over as linewalker again struck hard and made his heart ache for her. Would she ever be released from the duty?
DeWeece was watching them, his brows tipped together in contemplation. “Did you say this is the Mr. Ward hired by the Canon City Water Works Department to monitor the pipeline?”
Leo went cold and then hot. How could he have been so foolish? He’d only meant to make a polite introduction, but by sharing who Mr. Ward was, he might have inadvertently divulged the secret Jennie’s family had been keeping. Would Mr. DeWeece tell the waterway men what he’d seen—that Mr. Ward was barely capable of walking from the train tracks to his cabin without assistance? Would he be fired? What would happen to Jennie’s family then?
He licked his dry lips and gathered his jumbled thoughts. “Yes, sir. He’s recovering from an illness.” He chose the same half-truth Jennie had given as an excuse, praying God would understand. “But the duty hasn’t been neglected. Another family member walks the line each day and reports issues.”
“Interesting.” Mr. DeWeece continued frowning after the pair for another few seconds, and then he withdrew the map from a patch pocket on the outside of his pack and handed it to Leo. He lifted the pack with a little grunt and hooked it over his shoulders. He held out his hand, and Leo gave him the map. “We have much ground to cover today. Let’s get started.” He shot off for the footbridge. Grateful for the quick change in topic, Leo followed.
Etta
Jennie was hanging clothes on the line, Rags sitting close by her. As Etta and Claude neared the cabin, Rags whirled in their direction and set up a clamor. Jennie turned quickly, and even from the distance of nearly forty-five feet, Etta saw dismay blossom on her daughter’s face.
Jennie came running, and Rags galloped along beside her, his ears flapping. “What’s wrong? I thought you were going to town.”
“We were.” Etta exercised every bit of fortitude she possessed to maintain an unconcerned tone. “But the walk to the train proved too tiresome for your daddy. He decided he wasn’t up to going all the way to Canon City.”
The look Jennie turned on her father hovered between disappointment and compassion. “I…” She drew a breath. “I’m sorry you won’t get your cake and strawberries, Daddy.”
He pulled loose of Etta’s grip on his arm. “I’m gonna go lay down for a while. The climb from the tracks to here wore me plumb out.” He limped the remaining distance to the cabin. Rags whimpered, prancing in place, and then bounded after Claude. The two went inside.
Jennie held her hands out in a gesture of defeat. “I don’t understand. He was so set on going to town.”
Etta sighed. She looped arms with Jennie and they ambled toward the clothesline. “He was, but…” Something else, some unnamed fear, had come over him. Deep down, she knew it wasn’t the worry about walking so far, and it was more than worry about Leo being in the area. She gave Jennie’s arm a little squeeze. “Guess who we encountered getting off the train.”
Jennie shrugged.
“Leo Day.”
Jennie dipped her head. “Oh.”
A guilty admission if Etta had ever heard one. She drew Jennie to a stop and peered into her face. “Did you know he’d be out here today?”
Jennie’s lips formed a grimace. “Well…yes, ma’am.”
Is that why Jennie hadn’t shown an ounce of resistance about staying behind? “How? Has he been meeting you on the line after your daddy told him not to?”
“No, Mama.” Her answer came quickly. “I haven’t seen him since Monday evening, when Daddy sent him away.”
Etta searched her daughter’s brown eyes for signs of deception. Seeing none, she gave a little nod. “All right, then, but how could you know he’d be in this area today?”
Jennie confessed to finding a letter from Leo at the footbridge. She pointed to an envelope weighted down by the clothes basket under the line. “I put the drawing he asked for in the envelope. I hoped I would see him so I could give it to him, but I didn’t plan to spend time with him. Honest, Mama.” Her voice broke. “But it was hard to tell myself no. I…I miss him so much.”
Etta grabbed Jennie in a tight hug. “I’m sure it was tempting. But I’m proud of you for being obedient to your daddy.”
Jennie jerked loose and turned her back on Etta. “Don’t be proud of me, Mama. I’ve had some ugly thoughts. I’ve wrestled with temptation. To be honest, if I had seen Leo today, I might’ve tossed my convictions to the wind and gone hunting with him after all.” She slowly faced Etta again. The contrition in her expression spoke more loudly than words. “Are you mad at me?”
A chuckle found its way from Etta’s throat. “Oh, honey…” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her daughter’s ear. “Do you think you’re the only young person who’s battled temptation? The only one who’s had ugly thoughts?” Maybe she did think so. Who did she have to compare herself to, not having siblings or friends to call her own? “When I was your age, I inwardly railed at my parents’ rules and expectations. Sometimes I did what I wanted to instead of obeying them. It’s all part of growing up. Of finding your path.”
Jennie’s eyes widened. “You rebelled? But you’re the most faithful person I know.”
The praise, especially coming from her very own child, blessed Etta’s heart. But Jennie knew the broken-in version of her mother, not the tumultuous young woman she’d been. “If I’m faithful today, it’s because I learned when I was young the importance of following a God-honoring path. When I obey the standards God set for His children, I live without regrets. Regret is a terrible burden to carry. I want to spare you that pain if I can.”
Jennie glanced at the cabin, chewing the inside of her cheek. “I told God it’s really hard to obey Daddy when I think what he’s doing is wrong.”
Etta took encouragement that at least Jennie was talking to God. “You can tell God anything and He’ll listen and understand. But even when your daddy’s being a little”—she grinned—“irascible, we still have an obligation to respect him. Yes?”
Jennie scuffed the grass with her bare toes. “Honor your father and mother. I know.”
“That’s right. The Bible doesn’t say honor your parents if they deserve it or earn it—it simply instructs us to honor them.” Etta brushed Jennie’s cheek with her thumb. “And it’s clear to me you’d chosen obedience over temptation even before your daddy and I left for the train.”
Jennie tilted her head. “How do you know?”
She pointed at Jennie’s feet. “How could you go chasing after Leo without your shoes on?”
Jennie gaped at her bare feet for a moment, then laughed. “Maybe you’re right. I didn’t even think about it.” She sobered. “Thank you for not getting angry about me being tempted to disobey. And please don’t be angry if I still think about it sometimes. It wasn’t hard to obey Daddy when I was a little girl. I loved him and I trusted him to do what’s best for me. But I don’t feel like I even know him anymore. Even though I still love him, it’s hard to honor and obey the daddy I have now.”
“Then obey God the Father,” Etta said firmly. She’d battled through the same feelings Jennie was expressing and emerged victorious. Her experience could help guide her daughter. “If you live in a way that honors God, you’ll honor your mother and father at the same time. And you won’t regret your choices. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Jennie nodded slowly. She dropped her gaze to the envelope. “Mama, Leo and the man who’s guiding him will probably get back on the train near the footbridge. May I take the envelope with the drawing I made for Leo down there and leave it for him to find? Then I won’t be tempted to wave him down if he passes by.”
Etta’s heart rolled over. Jennie was trying so hard to do the right thing. Somehow she had to convince Claude he was being unfair to Jennie and Leo by keeping them apart. “Yes, you may. But, Jennie?”
Jennie blinked. “What?”
“Put your shoes on first. That’s a rocky walk down to the footbridge.”
Jennie laughed, a merry sound that heartened Etta. “Yes, ma’am.” She yanked up the envelope and scampered to the house.
Etta took over the task of hanging laundry. She wasn’t ready to go inside yet. She needed a little time with the Lord to release the ache in her heart over Claude’s abrupt refusal to go to town. She needed to seek His discernment for the best way to approach her husband about letting Jennie guide Leo again. She needed His peace and strength because her heart was sore and weary.
By the time Jennie finished her errand and returned, Etta had emptied the basket and released her cares. Jennie grabbed up the basket and headed for the house, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll get the next load washed if you want to work in the garden.”
“That sounds fine, but I need to change into my chore dress first.” She closed herself in the bedroom. Claude lay flat on his back, arms wide, snoring. She shook her head. How could such a short walk wear him out so? How long would it take for him to regain his strength?
She tiptoed to the wardrobe, selected a work dress, and changed. As she turned to leave, she glanced at her sleeping husband again. Then she stopped and looked long and hard. His once muscular arms seemed shriveled. His torso was no longer taut from his daily fourteen-mile walk but was softly rounded from too much idle sitting. Her eyes drifted to his legs. To his shorter, bent leg. She stared at it, remembering how he’d struggled up the hill.
And all at once, the man from town who was with Leo on the train intruded into her thoughts. Mr. DeWeece. She’d never met him, but she knew his name. She knew his reputation and his many involvements in Canon City politics and advancements. Had he, too, witnessed Claude’s clumsy progress on the hillside?
Her knees went weak. She caught hold of the rail on the iron footboard. Their secret might not be a secret anymore. It was more important than ever to get Claude strong and walking the line again.