XXV.
By noon, Blane could not stay in bed any longer. He was concerned about Faye who had not returned from her search for Claude. The children had not been fed. And he needed to check on Wade who was tied up in the barn.
The pain in Blane’s lower leg was excruciating. Even the thought of moving it made him wince. Finding a way to become mobile in spite of the pain, however, would at least lend comfort in knowing he was doing something.
He turned to the little girl who was sitting in a chair by his bed. She had posted herself between him and Andy, ready at beck and call, to furnish any need either he or Andy may have had.
“Amie, do me a favor. Stand up and slide the chair over here.” As he spoke, he swung his legs over the side of the bed.
The little girl stood up. “What are you going to do?”
Feeling his lower leg begin to throb in pulsating waves of pain, Blane breathed heavily in and out. For a moment, he could not speak to answer the girl. After a moment, however, he said, “I’m not sure, yet.”
As Amie slid the chair next to his bed, he took hold of the seat and turned it away from him. Then he placed one hand on top of the chair’s back and his other hand at his side.
“Now sit down on the chair, Amie. That way it won’t tip when I stand up.”
When the girl’s weight had anchored the chair to the floor, he used the back of the chair for leverage. Slowly, he raised himself into a standing position, holding most of his weight on his good leg. When he finally straightened himself, he placed both hands on the back of the chair and stood motionless for several moments. His lower leg came alive with a fiery pain that caused him to feel dizzy and weak.
“Are you alright, Parson Blane?” the girl asked.
The sound of her voice caused him to open his eyes and glance at the girl. “Yeah, Amie, I’ll be alright in a minute.”
After the initial shock of the pain had subsided, he began to accustom himself to the throbbing agony. He asked the little girl to stand up. Then he slid the chair forward a few inches. Holding his weight with both hands on the chair’s back and ever-so-slightly on his wounded leg, he hopped forward until his weight was again on his good leg.
Several more times, he inched forward. Then he pushed the chair a slightly longer distance and was able to increase the length of each painful step.
Amie, who had watched with great interest, stepped alongside him. She placed one hand on her hip and asked, “Now that you’re up, where are you going?”
Blane was so amused by her gesture and tone of voice that he almost chuckled. The girl was obviously upset at having lost her position of being in charge of him.
Before answering, Blane thought for a moment. Then he said, “Amie, I would like your opinion about something.”
His words totally disarmed the girl’s attitude. An adult wanted her opinion about something!
“You and I,” Blane continued, “want to be as much help to your mother as we can, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then how do you think we can best do that? Well, let’s see. Do you think you can find something to eat for you and Andy? And me, well, how about I go out to the barn and check on the man tied up in there. After that, we will have to plan what to do next. Do you think that’s a good idea?”
Blane watched the little girl’s eyebrows rise and her face break out in a wide smile. “Yes, Parson Blane. I think that’s a good idea.”
“Good. Let’s get busy!”
Blane made his way to the front door. When he opened it, he saw that the rain had slowed to a drizzle. But also the ground was muddy. He closed the door from the inside and swung the chair around so he could sit on it to rest. “Amie, would you fetch my boots?”
The little girl had been preparing sandwiches smeared with apple butter.
“Yes, Parson Blane, I’ll get them.”
When Amie handed Blane his boots, he sat them on the floor. He slipped into one boot with the foot of his good leg. Then he realized the top of his other boot would rub against his wounds. “Amie, I need a knife so I can cut this boot.”
The little girl retrieved a knife and held it up. “Here’s a knife.”
“That will work. Thank you.”
After Amie handed the knife to Blane, he cut the stove pipe of the boot off at the tongue area below the cuts Wade had made. As he did, he lamented the fact he was further ruining a good pair of boots for which he had paid $1.19. They were made of fine leather and had served him well for the past three years.
He stood up and swung the chair around to use again as a crutch. Then he opened the door.
When he stepped outside, he noticed the mule tied at the hitching rail near the barn. Immediately, he knew Faye had returned. But where was she?
Scanning the area, Blane concluded Faye must be inside the barn. And that could only mean trouble!
Now, in his haste, he inadvertently put more pressure on his wounded leg. He immediately recoiled at the pain. Whereas he had been debating whether or not to muddy the chair to cross the yard, or perhaps to hop on one leg, the pain told him to use the chair. Additionally, he would be less likely to lose his balance while hobbling across the soggy ground.
Hurry as he might, however, his progress was very slow. As he drew near to the barn, he heard Faye’s voice. She had begun to scream at Wade.
When Blane opened the barn door, the light of day streamed in. There, before him, Faye stood, pointing a pistol at Wade’s temple.
Faye turned her head and looked at Blane.
Wade cried, “Help me. This woman is crazy. She’s gonna kill me!”
“Don’t do it, Faye,” Blane said.
Still watching Blane, Faye said, “You shouldn’t be up and about on that leg.” She continued to hold the gun to Wade’s head. “This man killed my husband. Now, he’s going to get what’s coming to him!”
“Claude is dead?”
Faye nodded. “Cut with a knife across his stomach.” She turned back to Wade. “You left him there to rot like an animal. Even his feet were bare. What did you do? Steal his boots?”
“No,” Blane said. “Clem did that. I remember when he walked his horse to the water trough. He walked like his feet were hurting. And I’ll bet that extra rifle Clem had tied to his saddle belonged to Claude, too.”
Wade was shaking. “Okay, I’ll tell you the truth. Clem did it! I begged him not to kill an innocent man, but he did it anyway.”
“That’s a lie,” Blane said flatly. “There was only one knife between you and Clem. And it belongs to you.”
Faye cocked the hammer on the pistol.
“You can’t kill him, Faye. That would be murder.”
“Are you going to try to stop me?”
“No,” Blane said. “But if you kill him your soul will be linked to his for the rest of your life. You will be guilty of murder. Then what will become of your children? They need their mother.”
Faye stood motionless. Finally, she said, “Well, he’s not going to get away with it.”
“I’ll turn him over to the law. He won’t get away with it.”
After a long moment, Faye uncocked the hammer and lowered the gun to her side. The gun slipped from her fingers and fell to the ground. Then she stepped around in front of Wade and slapped him hard across the face.
She turned and walked toward Blane. “Come on.” She placed her arm around his waist and Blane put his arm across her shoulders. Together they made their way to the cabin.
XXVI.
For the first few days when she wasn’t preparing meals, Faye stayed mostly to herself in her room. Occasionally, Blane would see her late at night. She would come into the room and check on Andy, speaking softly to him. Then she would sit in the chair beside Blane’s bed. “Do you need anything?” she would ask.
He could see she had been crying. Invariably her hair was a mess, and she looked tired and worn out.
Blane spent the days mostly in bed, allowing his leg to heal. Twice daily, he took food to Wade in the barn. The routine continued for more than a week.
Then, late one night, Faye came into the room and sat in the chair beside his bed.
“Faye, I want you to come to Abilene with me when I leave in a few days.”
Faye tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you and the children can’t stay here. You can’t work the farm alone and Andy should be checked by a doctor. You need people around you and a place where you can buy supplies.”
“You mean I should leave my home?”
“I know a woman in Abilene who will take you in and give you time to establish yourself. You can sell the farm and have money to provide for your children.”
“No, Sam. I couldn’t possibly leave. It’s simply out of the question.”
“Faye, you have no choice. You’re out here in the middle of nowhere. I don’t know how Claude and you were able to manage so far away from civilization. Andy needs to be in school. Amie should have started school already. You can put the farm up for sale in Abilene. Let someone else have it. There’s nothing here for you anymore.”
“Sam,” she said. “I’ve been thinking. Would you stay on here and manage the farm? I promise I will provide for all your needs.”
Blane blinked hard.
“It wouldn’t be that bad, Sam. We could build a life together. And you’re so good with the children. We could be happy here. I know it.”
“Faye, you don’t know what you’re asking. I have work to do for the Lord.”
“Oh, you and your ‘Lord’! You may not love me now, Sam. But time will change that. We could live as husband and wife. You would be happy here.”
Blane sat up. “Faye, I can’t be with a woman who is not a Christian.”
Faye straightened in the chair. “Why not?”
“Don’t you know? The Bible says, ‘Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.’ It is one thing for two people to be married already. But to choose such a situation from the beginning is entirely different.”
“What do you mean?”
“When one person is a Christian and the other is not, it’s like two apples in a barrel. One apple is spoiled, which will spoil the other.”
Faye turned her head away. “Are you comparing me to a spoiled apple?”
“Yes, I am. Your soul is lost. I pray for you, Faye, that the Lord will soften your heart so you will seek Him.”
Faye stood up. “I will never leave my home!”
XXVII.
The days passed. Blane’s leg grew stronger.
After the night Blane and Faye talked, Faye had changed. Every morning she was up at dawn. She habitually wore pants and blouses instead of dresses. She spent the mornings cleaning and fixing up the cabin. In the afternoons, she rode the mule out to the fields and returned with fruits and vegetables. Occasionally, Blane heard her chopping wood in the yard. Despite her efforts, however, the work grew harder and the farm began to show signs of neglect.
Each night she returned to the cabin, exhausted and dirty. Recently, she had caught a cold, and Blane could hear her coughing at night.
Finally, after a time, Blane awoke one night and saw Faye sitting in the chair beside his bed. Her eyes were full of tears, and her face was pale and smudged with dirt.
In a monotone, she asked, “Did you say you knew a woman who could take us in?”
XXVIII.
Late in the morning on the fourth day of travel, the rickety wagon crested a small rise. Blane pulled in the reins and the mule ambled to a halt. In the distance, Blane and Faye could see Abilene.
Amie was sitting beside Andy in the wagon. Surrounding the two children were several, small trunks that held the few, meager possessions Faye had brought along. Tied up securely, Wade sat on the Black who was tied to the back of the wagon.
After a few moments, Blane snapped the reins and the mule plodded ahead. For Faye and her children, Abilene represented a new start in life. For Blane, the town represented the end of a long journey that had challenged his strength and his wits as a man. For Blane, as a child of God, the ordeal had tested and strengthened his faith.
THE END
Dear Subscriber,
This episode concludes the Series, entitled Faith, of The Wild West Adventures of Parson Sam Blane.
The next issue will begin the Series, entitled Hope.
Thank you for your continued support. God bless you.
--Steve
Comment on Faith (Part 8)
Each individual is responsible for his own actions. He is also responsible for his own reactions when others cause harm.
In the story, Wade murdered Faye’s husband who was the family’s sole means of support. Faye’s first reaction was the intention to seek revenge by killing Wade.
Jesus taught that we should love our enemies. Whereas our (lower) natural instinct is to pay back in kind the harm that has been done to us, God commands us instead to bless those who persecute us. Why? Because when we repay our enemies with harm, we, ourselves, perpetrate evil.
We also, therefore, incur the consequences of the sin we commit. Should someone murder my brother, for example, and I, in turn, murder the murderer, it is I who will go to jail or be executed. The law does not justify my crime regardless of the reason. Likewise, sin has no justification.
Although most of us will never face such a grievous event wherein a loved one is murdered, Christ’s commandment applies to all circumstances, great and small. When someone is rude to us, for example, how do we react? Are we rude in return? Or do we instead say a quick prayer for a blessing upon the person who has offended us? If we do the latter (or if we act in any way that conveys kindness), we act/react as an instrument of God’s love and not as a pawn of instinctive hostility.
Our reward may not come from our offender when we show kindness as our reaction to an offense. In fact, we do not show kindness to receive a reward from our offender. We show kindness for three much more important reasons.
First, Christ commanded it, and Christ’s commandments are always for our benefit. When we obey God, we show Him
we love Him. Obedience is a form of love. It demonstrates to our Father that we trust Him and that we want first to please Him, not ourselves and not others.
When we stand before Christ and give an account for all our actions, our acts of kindness will be counted in our favor.[1] God’s favor is a greater reward than any offender can offer.
Second, our loving reaction to an offense “heaps burning coals” on the head of our offender. In other words, we are to remain compassionate and loving and allow our offender to experience God’s judgment. “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled….” 2 Thessalonians 1: 6-7 (NIV). We, however, are not to revel in the thought that God will take revenge for us. Rather we are to imitate Christ when on the cross he said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”[2]
Finally, who are we to judge others and demonstrate our condemnation by acting rudely? When we condemn others, we condemn ourselves. That is because we ourselves have committed the same sins for which we condemn others. Let us lift our minds and hearts above such petty pursuits. Let us focus instead on the glory and majesty of our Father who has seen fit to sacrifice his Son so that we might have eternal life in Paradise with our risen Lord and Savior.
Rom 12:17-21
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.20 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (NIV)
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[1] Matt 12: 36-37, cf. 2 Cor 5: 9-10 (NIV)
[2] Luke 23: 34 (KJV)
