Parson Sam Blane in HOPE (Episode 7)

XXIII.

The rain had hung on for most of the night. By morning the overcast had somewhat broken up and occasionally the sun peeked through the clouds. The air smelled fresh and clean but the ground was soggy and spotted with water in small murky puddles. To the west the sky was marked with dark clouds heavily laden with more rain.

As Julie walked to the corral behind the boarding house she tried to step on tufts of grass that would keep her boots dry. But her effort was to little avail. The farther she walked, the muddier her boots became. When she stepped across a shallow but particularly wide puddle she lengthened her strides, placing only that portion of each boot that contained her toes and the ball of her foot into the water. The puddle responded with a splish, splish, splish as her steps forced the water up and out, sending ripples to the puddle’s edges.

When she looked up and saw Grace, the horse’s ears were pricked and the animal was looking directly at her. Precisely at that moment a burst of sunlight shone through the clouds and reflected from the animal’s golden coat and blond mane. The horse’s beauty caused Julie to stop and stare.

“Hello, girl,” she finally said. “Look here. I brought you an apple.”

Julie held the apple in her palm, fingers close together and her hand flat, as Charli had taught her. Grace chewed the apple with obvious delight as Julie stroked the animal’s neck.

Julie retrieved Grace’s blanket, saddle and bridle from the small shed beside the corral. The horse stood patiently as Julie saddled her.

After Julie led Grace out of the corral and closed the gate, she placed her boot in the stirrup and swung up. “Okay, girl. Let’s go.”

XXIV.

Mr. Theophilus Little, the town’s Mayor, was a man involved in many civic and business activities. He owned a lumber yard located at the corner of Walnut and First Street. He was also the president of the city council and the president of the school board.

The supply wagon had arrived early in the morning and Little was busily checking the order as one of his employees unloaded the wagon. He did not notice Julie when she rode up and dismounted.

Julie quickly surveyed the situation and guessed that the man standing beside the wagon was probably the man she sought.

“Excuse me sir, I’m looking for Mr. Little.”

Without turning the man said, “You found him. Ed, how many two-by-fours did you count?”

“An even thirty, boss.”

“Well, check again. There should be thirty-five.”

“Mr. Little, I’m Julie Weber.”

“Do you mind if we talk here, Miss Weber? I have to get this wagon unloaded.” Little scribbled something on the form attached to the clipboard he held in his hands. Then he turned his head and glanced at Julie who had stepped beside him. “I was surprised when you chose to come to Abilene so soon. I thought I was clear when I said you should arrive in the fall.”

“I know, but I wanted to arrive early and get settled in. I heard Mrs. Somerset has already retired. I figure you’re going to need someone to teach summer school.”

Little smiled faintly. “We don’t have summer school, Miss Weber.”

“I figure it’s time to start one.”

Little turned again. Keeping his gaze on Julie, he called, “Ed, did you find those other five?”

“Not yet.”

“Well, the order says thirty-five!”

“I’m looking, boss.”

“Miss Weber,” Little said calmly, “there’s no summer school and the next school year starts in the fall. I’m afraid you arrived much too early.”

“What about the remaining time for school before summer vacation? I was told the children have not attended school for a month already. And there’s at least another three weeks before school should be let out.”

“Mrs. Somerset’s health was a factor in ending school early this year. The next classes don’t start until the fall. That’s when I indicated you should arrive.”

“Now that I’m here, I see no problem in finishing out this school year, holding summer school, and beginning the next school year in the fall.”

Julie watched her comments register on Little’s face. The man’s countenance had begun to turn red and Julie braced for an angry response.

“Here’s the other five, boss!”

Little turned toward the man on the wagon. “Good!” he called. Little again scribbled on the form. “Now, let’s unload the two-by-sixes!”

“Okay, boss.”

“Miss Weber, I’m awful busy right now.”

“Yes, I understand. When would it be convenient for us to meet again and discuss this?”

“There’s nothing to discuss.”

“Mr. Little, I plan to restart school on Monday. Then I plan to hold classes during the summer for those students who are behind and for those who want extra credit. In the fall, we’ll start the regular session again.

“Now, I’d like to talk about the horrible condition the schoolhouse is in and the cost of bringing it up to standards.”

“I see thirty two-by-sixes, boss,” Ed called.

Little took a step away from Julie as if standing next to her was beginning to make his blood boil. He read from the order form. “Ed, there’s supposed to be thirty-five of those as well!”

“Okay, boss, I’ll check again.”

“Miss Weber,” Little said without looking up, “there’s no money in the budget for any of what you’re suggesting. Additionally, you will not receive your first paycheck until the fall. I’m afraid you arrived early for nothing.”

Julie drew in a deep breath and exhaled. “Mr. Little, are you forbidding me to teach the rest of the school year and to hold summer school?”

“Forbidding you?”

“Yes. I’m willing to teach for no pay until the fall. My primary concern is for the children’s education. I brought all my savings and, with a little luck, it should last until I begin receiving pay in the fall.”

Little turned and looked directly into Julie’s eyes for several moments. Finally he said, “Okay, Miss Weber. You can do whatever you want concerning the school. I won’t stop you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Little. You won’t stop me, but it sounds like you won’t help either.”

“Lady, what do you want from me?”

“Would it be too much to ask for some of that lumber you’re unloading? The floor in the schoolhouse has holes in it and some of the desks need repairs.”

“Oh no. Every piece of lumber you see here is going for the construction of the new church.”

“Okay, Mr. Little. I understand. Thank you very much.” Julie held out her hand.

Little looked down at her hand. After several moments of silent debate, he reached out and the two shook.

XXV.

When Charli arrived at the schoolhouse, the palomino was tied to the hitching rail. As she swung down from the saddle, the door opened and Julie walked out.

“Hello Charli.”

“Hiya Julie. I brought the buckets and the scrub brushes and the soap.”

“Good. We’ll fill the buckets from the pump out back. Washing down the inside will probably take most of the afternoon but, after we’re done, will you show me where they’re building the new church?”

“Sure. Ya figger on askin’ for help fixin’ up the school?”

“Yes.”

“Old man Little didn’t come through for ya, huh?”

“Yes and no. He said I could do anything I want concerning the school. But he also made it plain there’s no money in the budget for a summer school session and for making the needed repairs to the schoolhouse.”

“I figgered ya be on your own. I’m tellin’ ya. School is not that big a deal around here.”

Julie had collected the buckets and was walking toward the back of the schoolhouse with Charli in tow. She stopped and turned. “I plan on changing all that, Charli.”

“How?”

“I don’t know yet. But there must be a way to make people understand that a formal education is important to every child.”

“Maybe in the East that’s so. But this land is different, Julie. Life is tough out here. Ranchers and farmers need their kids to help with the chores. Kids have to know how to ride and rope and how to plant and harvest. Cows have to be milked and animals have to be fed and watered everyday. And there’s a hundred other things that must be done just to keep a ranch or a farm goin’. The old man and the old lady on a homestead just can’t do it all. Why, shoot! Some of them have lots of kids just to have the help they need to survive.”

Julie remained silent for several moments. She trusted Charli’s knowledge of the West enough to know her young companion was explaining the simple truth. “So, what’s the answer, Charli? To just give up? I can’t do that.”

“No, I’m not sayin’ give up. I’m just tellin’ ya what you’re up against. Schoolin’ is not that important.”

“But it is important, Charli. It’s extremely important. The right formal education is the way to freedom from a hand-to-mouth existence. In many cases, it’s the only way for a young person to break the cycle of hard physical labor required simply to survive. Make no mistake about it, Charli. Poor people do without.”

Charli bowed her head. “I spose that’s true. There’s been many a time when I wished I could buy a new saddle. And old man Riley just got in a shipment of those new Colt pistols. Man! What I would give to be able to buy one of those!”

“You see? That’s what I’m talking about. Only it’s about more than just having more money. It’s about having a wider range of opportunities and about actualizing more of one’s potential. It’s about providing security and comfort for one’s family and about contributing to society.”

“We contribute to society, Julie. Why we sell the best horses in the county. Just about anybody will say that.”

“Yes, Charli. Grace is proof of that. I bet there’s not a better horse in the county.”

“Exceptin’ mine, of course.”

“What I’m saying is the right formal education can throw open the doors to a whole new world of opportunities! Charli, think what it would mean if you had the knowledge to perform the surgery that saved someone’s life. Or imagine that you had the knowledge to present the argument in a courtroom that saved a forest from destruction. Or that you had the knowledge to design a bridge across a raging river. I believe God gave each person a special talent that should be nurtured and then used for His glory. I also believe the best way to develop one’s talent is through the right formal education. When we know what the great minds in our field have produced in the past, we can stand on their shoulders to make our unique contribution to the present and to the future.”

“Wow, Julie. You keep talkin’ like that and you’re gonna make me want to come to school.”

“For those with lesser ability it doesn’t have to be on the same level, though it’s always best to aim high. It could also be very simple. Everyone should at least know how to read the Bible, the greatest book ever written. Also there are so many other books to read. Some, for example, describe places one will never be able to visit. The world is so much bigger than most people know, Charli. Part of the benefit of the right formal education is that it edifies and informs the individual as nothing else can.”

“What do ya mean when ya say the ‘right’ formal education?”

“Part of what I mean is that the education is tailored to the individual. Studying to be an engineer, for example, might be the right education for you. But studying to be a lawyer might be the right education for me. Understand?

“Also a person must obtain the terminal degree in his field. No one begins to build a house and quits halfway through. Having a Bachelors degree in Psychology, for example, is best used to qualify for the Masters and then the terminal degree in that field, the Ph.D. In the job

market having merely a Bachelors in Psychology is not worth much. I know because my roommate in college quit school after she received her Bachelors in Psychology and she wound up not being able to get a job in her field at all. Many other fields of study are like that as well. So, once one starts his education, he must continue straight through until he has earned the highest degree in his field!

“Also, one must consider the right time to obtain his education. The best time to gain one’s education is immediately after high school and to attend school without interruption until one has obtained the terminal degree. To wait until later, or to interrupt one’s course of studies for any reason, poses the serious risk of not being able to complete one’s education. So, the right formal education means all important considerations regarding one’s education are met satisfactorily.”

“Okay, I get it.”

The two walked to the pump and Charli began filling the buckets with water. After Charli had filled the second bucket, she said. “You used some mighty fancy words back there, Julie. But I think I know what ya mean about education bein’ important.”

“Well, it probably all comes down to this: Most everyone wants a better life and especially a better life for his children. In many, many cases, the right formal education is the key to that better life.”

“Ya sure ya don’t believe that just ’cause you’re a teacher?”

“Charli, because I believe that I became a teacher. I may not be cut out to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or an engineer. But my hope is that I will have a hand in teaching children who will one day become those professionals.”

Julie picked up one of the buckets and Charli picked up the other. Together they walked toward the entrance of the schoolhouse.

Julie glanced at Charli. “Now what about you, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“What about me?”

“Do you attend school?”

“I haven’t been in school since I was a kid.”

Julie held back the urge to chuckle. To her Charli was still a ‘kid.’ “Do you know how to read?”

“I know what the signs say around town.”

“I mean, can you read a book?”

“No. But that don’t make me stupid.”

“Of course it doesn’t, Charli. In fact you’re about as savvy as any young person I’ve met. It seems a waste though not to put your intelligence to better use.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was just wondering where your interests lie.”

“You mean, what do I like to do?”

“What do you love to do?”

“I love horses, Julie. I love to ride like the wind. That’s my favorite thing.”

“Do you love all animals or just horses?”

“I love all animals. I like animals more than I like people. People can be mean and hurt ya. Animals can be mean too. But normally it’s ’cause they’re scared or ’cause they’ve been mistreated.”

“So you would want a career caring for animals.”

“A career?”

“Yes. Something you love and can devote yourself to and earn enough money to buy that saddle and that gun you want.”

“Aw, you’re talkin’ crazy.”

“Okay. If you say so.”

“Hey. You’re not trying to trick me into coming to school, are ya?”

“No, Charli. Education is something you must want, something you want almost more than anything else. And you’ll never want it until you understand what it can do for you and for your family and for others.”

“Aw, no. I’m happy the way I am.”

“You’re happy being uneducated?”

“I’m pretty smart already.”

“Being smart and being educated are two different things.”

“Look, Julie. You’re pushin’ pretty hard. I just don’t want to come to school. Okay?”

“Okay, Charli. I’ll drop the subject. I was just wondering if you had a calling. Most people do, you know.”

“What’s ‘a calling’?”

“You know. Something deep inside you that keeps drawing your thoughts toward it. Almost like a secret wish, or like a crazy dream that if it came true―well, you get the idea.”

“I’ve got lots of crazy dreams, Julie.”

“No, I’m talking about that special one. The one that fulfills your mission here on earth.”

“Aw, there ain’t no such thing.”

“For some people there is, Charli. I guess they’re the lucky ones.”

“How are they lucky?”

“They have something to give themselves to. Something that arouses their passion for living.”

Charli looked up at Julie. Half-smiling she said, “Aw, come on. You’re makin’ that up.”

Julie stopped and turned toward the girl. “No, Charli. I’m very serious. Have you ever heard of Christopher Columbus for instance?”

“No.”

“He’s the explorer who discovered America. He believed a person could get east by sailing west—how’s that for a crazy dream? As a result he discovered this land we live in today, the greatest country in the world. He followed his passion, Charli. History is full of great men and women who had a dream and believed in it enough to make it come true.” Julie looked into Charli’s eyes. “It’s inside you, Charli, as sure as we’re standing here.”

XXVI.

When Julie and Charli entered the schoolhouse, Charli asked, “Okay, how do ya want to do this?”

Julie threw some soap into each of the buckets. “That’s easy enough,” she said, plunging one of the long-handled brushes into the water. Then she kicked the buckets over and the soapy water covered the floor. “We scrub every inch of this place until it’s spotless!”

The two worked continuously and silently for almost two hours. Occasionally Julie and then Charli would take the buckets and fill them with water from the pump. They washed the walls, the windows, the shelves, and the desks.

Finally, Julie said, “Okay, let’s keep filling the buckets until the whole place is rinsed clean. Then we’ll be done and everything can dry for the rest of the day and tomorrow.”

“Julie, were you serious when you said I might have a calling?”

“Absolutely.”

“Well, what is it then?”

“In the beginning stages, Charli, your calling is between you and God. He has planted the seed in your heart. As the seed grows and you pursue the right formal education, your vision becomes more apparent. As long as you hold to your dream and doggedly pursue the academic goals that must be accomplished, you will one day be qualified and possess the credentials to practice in your field.

“You said life is tough out here. Charli, life is tough everywhere. It tests the spirit and like a white-hot fire melts away the impurities until all that’s left is what we’re truly made of. At the end when we lay down our lives, we want to know we gave our very best and that we fought hardest when times were worst. We want to know we gave life our all and that by means of the right formal education we became all we could have been. Anything less is a cardinal sin of omission.”

Charli stood silent for several moments. Then she nodded her understanding.

Julie picked up the buckets and walked to the pump and filled them with water. When she returned, she took one bucket and Charli took the other and they splashed down the room. They repeated the procedure again and again until, finally, Julie said, “Okay, that’s good enough.”

The two gathered up the buckets, the remaining soap, and the brushes. Then they walked out of the building to the horses. As Charli was tying the buckets to her saddle, she glanced over her shoulder, “You still want to go to where they’re building the church?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Charli. I must look a mess!”

“It’ll only take a minute.”

“Well, I guess it’ll be okay.”

By the time the two arrived at the construction site, the sky had grown dark and ugly. In the distance thunder growled and then tumbled across the heavens. The wind had begun to kick up the dust in the streets.

The construction site was a beehive of activity. People were everywhere. Some were hammering nails, some were sawing boards, and some were crisscrossing the site carrying needed materials to the various workers.

After the two dismounted, Charli turned to Julie. “That’s Ben Blackman. He’s in charge here.”

Julie turned her head and peered at Blackman who was speaking with a tall man with coal black wavy hair. The man was pulling on his shirt as the temperature had fallen a few degrees. Something inside her leapt as she watched the man. Unconsciously she touched her hair. Once again she reminded herself how untidy she looked and she felt embarrassed.

Charli began walking toward Blackman. “Come on.”

Julie stood still another moment watching the tall man with Blackman. Then the tall man turned and walked toward the building. Blackman followed the man for a few steps and then stopped. He waved his hands in the air and shouted, “That’s it for today. Let’s cover the lumber and the tools. We’ve got a storm coming!”

When Charli noticed Julie was not behind her, she stopped and turned. “Ya comin’?”

Julie shifted her gaze to Charli. “Yes, of course.”

Blackman glanced up when he spied the two women approaching him. He was busy rolling up a set of drawings and securing them with string.

Just then the first drops of rain began to fall.

“Hi Charli,” Blackman said. He tipped his hat. “Hello, Miss. Whatever it is, I’m afraid it’s gonna have to wait. I can’t let these plans get wet.” He tucked the drawings under his vest. “Now if you’ll excuse me.”

Even as Blackman turned and jogged away, the rain began to fall in earnest.

Charli said, “Come on. Let’s get to the horses!”

Before she turned, Julie looked toward the construction site where the crew was covering the lumber and the tools with tarps. She did not see the tall man.

“Come on!” Charli shouted as she turned to run.

Julie hesitated a moment longer. Almost desperately she searched the faces of the construction crew. The tall man was nowhere in sight. Then she turned and ran with Charli to the horses.

XXVII.

Julie handed a fluffy white towel to Charli and then began drying herself with her own. By the time they had arrived at the boarding house, both of them were soaking wet.

“Charli? Who was that man talking with Mr. Blackman at the construction site?”

“Which man?”

“Didn’t you see him? He was tall and had black hair. He was talking with Mr. Blackman when we got to the site.”

“No, I didn’t notice. Why?”

“Just curious, I guess. You sure you didn’t see him?”

“No, I don’t remember anybody. Why? Did he strike your fancy?”

“Oh Charli. Here, let me find you something dry to change into. How about a nice pretty dress?”

Charli raised her eyebrows and her jaw dropped.

Julie held up her hand. “Just kidding!”

TO BE CONTINUED