Page 39 of Hope’s Enduring Echo
Jennie
Reverend Day didn’t divulge what he said to Daddy when he visited him at Dr. Whiteside’s office after dinner on Daisy’s birthday, but it was effective. On the last Saturday of July—only two days after the Reverend and Mrs. Day, Myrtle, and Daisy boarded the train for their return trip to Denver—Jennie told Mama and Daddy goodbye at the station.
Jennie hugged Daddy, and then the conductor helped him board while Jennie and Mama shared a longer goodbye on the boardwalk. Mama’s hug was especially tight, proving how hard it was for her to leave Jennie behind. A piece of Jennie’s heart was breaking, but she knew they’d made the right decision. Someone needed to stay behind and arrange shipment of their belongings when they’d found an apartment. Mama offered to stay, but Jennie insisted that Mama and Daddy should be together. The few days of separation while Daddy stayed with Dr. Whiteside was awful for both of them. How would they survive potentially weeks apart? Besides, her staying in Canon City would allow her to keep the promise she’d made to Mr. DeWeece.
“Be a good girl for Aunt Delia and Uncle Prime,” Mama said while rocking Jennie, her voice tearful.
“I will, Mama.”
“And check on the chickens when you’re out near the cabin. See that the workmen give them fresh water every day.”
“I will.”
“And make sure Rags behaves himself at your aunt and uncle’s place. Don’t let him get into mischief.”
Jennie swallowed a knot of half sorrow, half amusement. “Don’t worry, Mama.”
Mama released a heavy sigh, her warm breath brushing Jennie’s ear. “The Days have a telephone, and Delia said you can call as often as you want to.”
Jennie kissed her mother’s soft cheek. “And you can call me. Leo says talking on the phone is like sitting across the table from each other. Before we know it, I’ll be in Denver, too.”
Aunt Delia touched Mama’s back. “Etta, the conductor’s checking his watch, and he looks grumpy. You’d better go.”
Mama delivered three noisy smacks in a row on Jennie’s face and stepped back, sniffling. “All right, I’m going.” Then she pointed at Aunt Delia. “Take good care of my little girl.”
Aunt Delia captured Mama in a quick hug. “You know we will. Now, go, before I dissolve into a puddle of tears.”
Mama boarded the train, paused on the landing for one more tear-wet smile and blown kiss, then disappeared into the car. Aunt Delia slid her arm around Jennie’s waist and they stayed on the boardwalk, waving, until the train rolled past and the tail end of the caboose rolled out of sight. Then, arm in arm, they headed for the hotel, moving slowly, the heels of their pointy-toed shoes clicking a funereal beat in unison on the sidewalk.
Neither of them spoke for the first block, and then Aunt Delia sighed. “Be honest, Jennie. Any regrets about staying here for the rest of the summer?”
“Only one.” Jennie peeked at the toes of her shoes. “Mama said I can’t wear my work boots in town. Do you have Epsom salts? I’m probably going to need them.”
Their joined laughter chased away the remaining vestige of tears.
Although the changes came quickly, they fell into place so neatly Jennie couldn’t help but believe they’d all been orchestrated by Someone who knew what He was doing. She settled in well with her aunt and uncle, and even Rags seemed content in their fenced backyard during the day and sleeping at the foot of Jennie’s bed each night. She worked at the hotel in the mornings, readying rooms for guests, and spent her afternoons at the dig site with Leo and a team of experienced excavators hired by Mr. Figgins from the museum in Denver.
Mr. DeWeece agreed that this discovery shouldn’t be stored in his warehouse. When all the bones were recovered, they would be shipped to Denver and reassembled there for visitors to enjoy. Mr. Figgins was already planning a big celebration for when the skeleton was ready for exhibit and had told Mr. DeWeece, Leo, and Jennie they would be his special guests. Jennie was a little nervous about being included, but she was so happy for Leo. She’d gladly go and support his first significant paleontological discovery.
The days slipped by one by one, filled with work, uncovering bones, sketching, chats with her aunt and uncle, playtime with Rags, and long talks with Leo. Full days. Happy days, even though she missed her parents. The telephone calls helped, especially when such cheeriness carried through the line. According to Mama, Daddy was doing better in Denver.
“I don’t know if it’s because we’re on a plain and there are hours of sunshine each day, or because we’re surrounded by people, or because he no longer feels guilty about you walking the line in his place,” Mama said when she and Jennie spoke in mid-August, “but he seems to be sneaking out of his doldrums. The psychotherapy program coordinators approved his participation, and he’ll start therapy the seventh of September. I believe it will bring even bigger changes.” Mama’s voice broke on a happy sob. “Keep praying, Jennie. Rejoice in hope.”
“I will, Mama. I promise.”
Then Mama told her she’d found a job—working in the college cafeteria. Mama laughingly said, “Warn Leo that I’ll be able to keep an eye on him, so he needs to behave himself.”
When Jennie passed the message to Leo, he feigned concern, then laughed. “The campus will be a lot friendlier with Etta Ward there every day. I’ll enjoy seeing her. I really like your mother.”
And Jennie liked Leo more every day. Sometimes she worried she was growing too accustomed to his company. When they went to Denver, he would be at college and she in high school. They wouldn’t have these hours together each day. His sudden absence might send her into melancholy. At night, in the privacy of her room at Aunt Delia’s house, she pondered a serious question. Did she love him? Mama’s comment about Jennie being at a tumultuous age and Leo’s solemn words about emotional feelings sometimes being fickle rolled in her mind and fed uncertainty. But one thing she knew without a doubt—her favorite hours of the day were those spent in his company.
They met after each workday in the hotel lobby, rode the train to the footbridge, hiked up to the site, and helped the excavators, who had set up camp at the dig site. She savored working side by side with Leo, appreciated his patient way of answering her questions, and basked in his sincere praise of her many renderings. Every evening, they had supper together at the hotel. They always found something to talk about and never grew weary of each other’s company. She once asked if he was jealous of how much progress took place on the ridge while he was working in the kitchen. He’d looked at her in surprise, then shook his head.
“History is being uncovered, Jennie. It’s a delight to go out each day and see how much more of the animal’s skeleton is revealed.” His eyes turned dreamy. “One of these days, we’ll top that ridge and view its entire length, from its nose to the tip of its tail. What an amazing day that will be!” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows. “I just might turn a cartwheel.”
She couldn’t resist teasing, “And tumble all the way to the bottom of the mountain?”
He winked. “It’d be worth every bruise.”
Mr. DeWeece accompanied them on Saturdays. Jennie’s fondness for the businessman increased over those summer weeks. He always asked about her parents and seemed genuinely glad when she gave positive reports. Clearly, he cared about preserving the past. Why else would he spend so much time and energy on digging up old bones? But he also cared about the present and the years to come. She lost count of how many times he encouraged her to continue using her artistic skills.
“I see a bright future for you as an illustrator, Jennie,” he told her the last Saturday of August on their hike up the mountain. “Even if the magazine doesn’t purchase the article and sketches of this discovery, don’t let it discourage you. Keep honing your skill. A gift like yours shouldn’t be shoved in a drawer and forgotten.”
She hid his words away in the corner of her heart and treasured them, just as she treasured the waning summer days with Leo.
On that Saturday, when they reached the ridge, they found the excavation team sitting around the camp. Mr. DeWeece checked his timepiece, then sent a frown across the group. “Why aren’t you working yet? You’re wasting precious daylight hours.”
Hank, the man who served as organizer of the dig, pushed his hat to the back of his head and flashed a huge grin. “It’s done. Take a look.”
Jennie and Leo exchanged a startled glance, then trailed Mr. DeWeece along the entire length of the exposed spine. Hank followed, pointing to various parts of the skeleton as they went.
“The lower jaw is missing, and all that’s left of his legs is one femur.”
DeWeece shook his head. “We have an ulna, a radius, and one complete foot. We found those pieces scattered over the ridge.”
Hank arched a brow. “That so? Well, good. Scavengers must’ve gotten to some of the bones over the years. Or people carted off pieces. We can’t really know.” He pointed. “As you can see, the two middle ribs are snapped in half, but Mr. Figgins will have someone fuse them together again.” He put his hands on his hips and looked up and down the length. “Even missing its legs, it’s quite a find. The entire spine is all lined up nice and neat, from the head to—”
Leo and Jennie chorused, “The tip of the tail,” with him, drowning out his voice.
Hank laughed. “You got it.”
Jennie teasingly poked Leo with her elbow. “Well?”
His gaze tracing to the line of vertebrae, Leo said, “Well what?”
“Where’s that cartwheel you promised?”
He burst out laughing and grabbed her in a hug. It lasted only the length of three heartbeats, but oh, how glorious to be held in his arms!
Hank winked at Jennie. “All right, Miss Illustrator. Get to illustrating. We can’t label and remove these bones until you’re done.”
While Leo removed Jennie’s drawing materials from his pack, Mr. DeWeece slung his arm around Jennie’s shoulders. “Make sure you get all the details exactly right on those chevron-looking bones on the tail.” He lobbed a grin at Leo. “What have we got here, Leo?”
Leo stared at Mr. DeWeece, his mouth hanging open. He rasped, “Double beam.”
“That’s right. Double beam.” Mr. DeWeece turned his smile on Jennie. “Title the drawing Diplodocus. ”
Twelve Months Later
Leo
Leo fiddled with his string tie, wishing he could remove it and stick it in his pocket. But as a guest of honor on this auspicious occasion, he needed to maintain a formal bearing. If he’d been told a year ago he’d have to sit on a raised platform with Mr. DeWeece and Jennie and be gawked at, he might not have admitted his part in locating the diplodocus spine. He hoped he didn’t sweat through his suit before the evening was over.
At least a hundred people milled around the curtain-shielded display in the center of the room. Guests sipped punch from glass goblets, partook of ridiculously tiny sandwiches and pickled mushrooms, and visited in hushed tones while a half dozen stringed instruments serenaded them from the corner of the makeshift stage. Leo’s college professors were there, as well as community leaders, curiosity seekers, and even the mayor. His and Jennie’s parents were stationed near the front edge of the stage—all four of them, each beaming with pride. Last summer, he wouldn’t have imagined Father and Mr. Ward being in attendance at such an event. Their presence proved God’s amazing ability to heal.
On his right, Mr. DeWeece sat with his legs crossed, his linked hands resting on his knee, and his foot gently bobbing to the beat of the classical piece. Leo wished he could be as nonplussed as the Canon City businessman appeared. But then, Mr. DeWeece was accustomed to pomp and circumstance. Leo couldn’t help hoping it would be his last such event. He didn’t mind digging in the dirt, but this kind of gathering was, as Daisy might put it, too much fuss and feathers.
Leo risked a peek at Jennie, who sat primly on his left. She, too, appeared calm on the surface. But a closer look revealed that her gloved hands quivered in her lap. He longed to place his hand over hers as a mute sign of support, but this was no place for a display of affection. He would save that for later, when the crowd had cleared and the two of them were alone.
Amazing how grown-up she looked with her light-brown hair piled in a pouf at the crown of her head. Her parents must have splurged on a new outfit for the evening, because he’d never seen her wear the ruffly cream-colored shirtwaist and dark-green skirt with—What did Myrtle call it? Oh, yes, a flounce at the hem. But her familiar pointy-toed shoes peeped from under the flounce. He swallowed a smile. She hated those shoes. But he liked them. They slowed her pace and gave him extra minutes to walk while holding her hand in the bend of his arm.
He loved walking with Jennie’s hand in the bend of his arm.
Mr. Figgins emerged from the crowd and stepped up onto the stage. The musicians’ conductor brought the music to a stop, and people all around the room ceased talking and aimed their faces to the stage. Mr. Figgins thanked everyone for coming, showering extra attention on the mayor and members of the press. The long-awaited reveal of the complete diplodocus spine at the Denver museum had brought newsmen from all over the state. Several cameras flashed while Mr. Figgins delivered a speech about the museum’s new wing dedicated to Jurassic specimens.
Then he shared how the discovery of the latest and largest specimen to date came about, pacing back and forth at the front of the stage as he spoke. He drew to a stop and held his arms out in a sheepish gesture. “But I know you didn’t come tonight to listen to me blather on.” Soft laughter rolled through the crowd. “You came to see Diplodocus !” He said the name the way someone might announce the title of a Broadway play.
Applause and cheers rose from the gathered spectators.
“But first allow me to introduce the team who discovered this amazing artifact and, therefore, are responsible for tonight’s celebration.” He swung his arm toward the three of them. “Mr. William Dallas DeWeece…”
Mr. DeWeece stood, as they’d been instructed to do by the event coordinator, and gave a slight bow. The audience politely clapped.
“Mr. Leo Day…”
Leo managed to rise and make a stiff bow. More applause.
“And Miss Jennie Ward.”
Jennie stood and curtsied, blushing a delightful shade of pink as people clapped.
Then, as planned, Mr. DeWeece, Leo, and Jennie walked forward and stood next to Mr. Figgins. Leo’s nervousness increased with every inch he advanced. They’d waited long months for the bones to be transferred to Denver, reassembled, and positioned for display. During those months, Mr. Figgins laid the groundwork for revealing the find to the public on the same day The Scientific Monthly issue with Mr. DeWeece’s article released. Jennie’s drawing of the diplodocus skeleton filled the issue’s cover, and sketches of individual bones peppered the article. This grand opening had stirred excitement and anticipation for weeks throughout the entire state, and it seemed he’d waited a lifetime as all the pieces came together. Now it was here. Would people expect more than what the excavation team had uncovered? Would they be disappointed?
Mr. Figgins snapped his fingers, and four men in black suits moved to assigned locations at both ends of the curtains. A hush fell, as reverent as the one Leo experienced the day he came upon the first exposed vertebrae. He held his breath, his gaze locked on the curtains. A small hand slipped into his—Jennie’s. He gave it a gentle squeeze, grateful for the contact. Mr. Figgins made a downward sweep of his arm, and the men yanked the ropes.
The curtains fell in a puddled heap at the base of the skeleton. For three full seconds, no one made a sound, and then raucous applause exploded. Leo’s breath whooshed out. From every corner of the room, camera bulbs flashed. Chatter erupted. Mr. DeWeece pounded Leo on the back with such exuberance that Leo lost his grip on Jennie’s hand. The man stepped past him and swept Jennie into a hug. Then he hopped down from the stage and moved through the crowd, shaking hands and posing for photographs.
Jennie looked at Leo, her eyes wide. “Do we have to do that, too?”
He leaned close to her ear. “Would you rather get out of here?”
She nodded. He took her hand and led her along the back of the stage, behind the stringed orchestra, which had begun playing again, and out the doors into the museum’s lobby. He closed the door behind them and heaved a sigh of relief.
“If I ever questioned if I should become a preacher, I now know without a doubt it’s not for me. I don’t ever want to be in front of a crowd like that again.”
She released a trickling laugh. “I guess you’re going to have to change your ambitions from being a famous paleontologist, then.” She placed her palm against his suit front, directly over his heart. “I know it was overwhelming, but truly, Leo, I’m so proud of you. You followed the path God carved for you, and He honored your obedience.”
“Thank you, Jennie.” Leo lowered Jennie’s hand from his chest lest she become alarmed by the rapid thud of his heartbeat. “I’d like to thoroughly examine the display, but not with everyone else in there. Do you mind waiting until the room clears? Then we can go back in.”
She shrugged. “I don’t mind. But what about our folks?”
The celebration organizers weren’t the only ones who’d made arrangements for the evening’s events. “I told them we might need to stay around afterward for photographs and for them to go on home. I’ll hire a carriage to take us when we’re done.”
Her smile approved the plan.
They stood off to the side and visited in the easy way they’d developed over the past year. It would be wonderful to have her on the college campus with him when school started again in a week. Thanks to the payment from the magazine for her illustrations and the tuition discount bestowed on employees of the college, Jennie’s freshman year was fully covered—a true gift from God.
People filed out of the exhibit room in pairs or small groups, and finally Mr. Figgins emerged. He scanned the area, and his gaze landed on Leo. He strode over.
“Mr. Day, I hope we did you and your dinosaur proud this evening.”
“You did. Thank you.” Leo shook the man’s hand. “The event was a real success. But”—he scratched his cheek—“with so many people around the skeleton, Jennie and I didn’t have a chance to really see the display. May we go in now?”
“Of course. I’ll be in my office, working on reports for quite a while, so take your time.”
Leo took Jennie’s hand. “Ready?”
She nodded and they entered the exhibit room. Electric lights glowed, illuminating the entire sixty-six-foot-long spine with its single leg suspended by wire from the ceiling. Leo led her slowly across the room and stopped beneath the leg bone that had caught his attention his first day in Canon City a little over a year ago.
With his eyes locked on the bone, he pulled in a big breath and sighed it out. “Think about it, Jennie…Even before this dinosaur walked the earth, God already knew that on June 4, 1915, Leo Day would look out a train window and see Jennie Ward standing on a pipeline formed of redwood staves, waving a bone…” He shifted his gaze to her sweetly upturned face. “And his life would never be the same.”
Turning slightly, he lifted his hand and gently cupped her cheek. “There’s something else He’s known since the beginning of time…that I would fall in love with you.” His lips twitched, a smile of remembrance tugging. “I think I’ve loved you since you gave me a sassy grin and called me ‘college boy.’?”
Tears swam in her eyes, highlighting tiny flecks of gold in her chocolate-colored irises. He stroked her cheekbone with his thumb, relishing the velvet softness of her skin. “I can’t imagine going through the rest of my life without you. But you’re still very young, and you’ll be on a college campus soon, with lots of other boys who will no doubt also be captivated by your beauty and spunk. I don’t want to presume upon you or rush you into something you’re—”
“I love you, too.”
His thumb stilled. He bent his knees slightly and peered directly into her eyes. “You do? You’re sure?”
She slipped her fingers through his and drew his hand from her face. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” She wrapped his hand between hers and held it beneath her chin. “And I can’t imagine going through life without your prayers, your encouragement, your teasing grin…” She laughed, the most beautiful sound in the world. “I love everything about you, Leo. God designed you to be the other half to my whole.”
He pulled her hands close and kissed tips of her gloved fingers. “Then, Miss Jennie Ward, would you consent to becoming my wife?”
The tears hovering on her lower lashes spilled with her exuberant nod.
He tipped his face as she rose up on tiptoe, and he placed his lips on hers, softly, tenderly, savoring the first physical expression of his love. Then he stepped back and began shrugging out of his jacket.
“You know, Jennie, I thought finding the complete spine of Mr. Diplodocus would be the highlight of my life.”
She watched him, her face pursed in puzzlement.
“But I was wrong.” He folded his jacket and handed it to her.
She draped it over her arm, still staring at him with confusion crinkling her brow.
“Your yes is my highlight, the fulfillment of the heartfelt hope I’ve harbored for the past year, and I have to celebrate.” He moved a few feet away, braced himself, then turned three perfect cartwheels in a row. As he landed the final turn, he threw his arms wide and crowed, “Ta-da!” The sound hit the tin-tiled ceiling and echoed back at them.
Jennie burst into laughter. She tossed his coat aside and ran to him in her silly pointy-toed shoes. He caught her in an embrace and rocked side to side, laughing with her. Then he leaned back and took her hand, smiling into her precious face. “What do you want to do now?”
“I believe you promised me a carriage ride.”
He silently vowed to never neglect a promise made to Jennie. “Indeed I did.”
She slipped free of his light grasp and double stepped in reverse, the click of her heels loud on the marble floor.
He scooped up his discarded coat. “Hey, where’re you going?”
“To summon a carriage, of course.” An impish twinkle lit her eyes. “Try to keep up, college boy.”
Laughing, Leo tossed the coat over his shoulder and caught up to her in two long strides. He deposited a kiss on her teasing smile, then slipped his arm around her waist. “Don’t worry about me, Miss Mountain Goat. I’ll always be by your side.”