Blessed are the Merciful (20 page)

“I’m sorry you have to live with this.”

“Aunt Esther, why don’t you sit down and rest? I’ll help Millie clean up.”

“Not without me, you won’t.”

In a short while the yard and house were in shipshape condition. Millie prepared a pot of tea, and Esther and Rachel sat down together in the kitchen, each with a cup of hot, spicy tea in front of her. The long, emotion-filled day had taken its toll. Rachel’s face was lined with fatigue and sadness, and her mind seemed far away.

“Rachel, let’s talk about your precious mother,” Esther said. “You’ve been strong and stoic through these past days, but deep in your heart I know the pain of your loss is almost beyond bearing. Tell me some of your fondest memories of your mother.”

Tears began to spill down Rachel’s cheeks and her chin quivered. Esther rose from the table and took her niece by the hand.

“Come, sit over here.” Esther led Rachel to a small settee. “Talk to me, honey. Tell me some sweet memories you have.”

Rachel sniffed. “This is not a memory, Aunt Esther, because I can’t remember it. But one thing that has stood out in my mind about Mama is how she risked her life to bring me into the world.”

“Yes. And she often said she would do it again if it meant having a wonderful daughter like you.”

“Daddy said that the first time Mama held me after I was born, she kept saying how much she loved her little baby girl.”

“Mm-hmm. I know about that.”

Rachel’s face pinched. “Mama—Mama—”

“Go on, honey. What about her?”

Rachel sucked in a sharp breath and looked at Esther through a wall of tears. “Daddy and I saw Mama alive for the last time on Sunday night. Aunt Esther, the very last words I heard my mother say came when Daddy and I were about to leave her room. She looked at me and said, ‘I love you, my precious little girl.’ ”

Esther stood up and gathered her niece into her arms, holding
her head against her bosom, as Rachel gave vent to the anguish she had kept locked away since the day of her mother’s death. While Esther held Rachel tight and let her weep, she fervently asked the Lord for guidance.

After some time, the weeping abated. Rachel raised her head and pulled away a little, and Esther took a handkerchief from her sleeve and dried the remaining tears from her niece’s face.

Rachel smiled slightly and said, “How can I ever thank you? What would I have done if you hadn’t come?”

Esther’s own eyes were shining with unshed tears. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, sweetie. And I’ll stay with you and your daddy as long as you need me.”

“I love you, Aunt Esther.”

“I love you too, Rachel.” Esther let a few seconds pass, then said, “I’m glad for those last words from your mother. You’ll have those to hang on to for the rest of your life.”

“Yes. I’m so glad, too. That’s something no one can take away from me.”

Esther Holden stayed at the Mason home for a few more days. Once when she and Rachel were alone in the house, Esther asked her, “Do you remember some of the things I wrote you in my letters, things about the Lord and living our lives for Him?”

“I do, and I appreciated what you said and the Scriptures you quoted. But Daddy … well, he told me I needed to be careful about such things. I believe in God, don’t get me wrong. I just haven’t made up my mind what I believe about those things.”

“Well, you go right ahead and think about it some more. And if you ever care to talk about it, you just let me know.”

“I will, Aunt Esther. And thank you for caring about me.”

One night after Rachel had gone to bed, Esther took advantage of a brief moment before Joseph turned in to talk to him about his
need to know Jesus and to have his sins forgiven. Joseph listened politely for a few minutes, then told his sister he simply wasn’t interested in what she had to say about it.

By the time Esther boarded the train for Memphis, she knew Rachel was thinking about her salvation, though she had not been able to lead the girl to the Lord.

On Friday afternoon, September 28, George Benson and his partners, the other lawyers in the firm, and the office staff threw Adam Burke a surprise going away party just before closing time. The next morning, Adam boarded a train at the Philadelphia train station. He sat next to a window in the first car behind the baggage coach. The first destination was Chicago. There he would change trains and board one bound for Cheyenne City, Wyoming.

Adam opened the envelope that contained his tickets and a schedule of the stops between Philadelphia and Chicago. A second schedule showed the stops beyond the Windy City. He studied that schedule and saw that his train would stop at Rock Island, Illinois; Des Moines, Iowa; Omaha, Grand Island, and Kearney, Nebraska. The next stop after Kearney was North Platte.

As the train rolled across Pennsylvania, Adam noticed two young couples sitting ahead of him—a couple on each side of the aisle. He thought again of when he first met Philipa and how he quickly had fallen in love with her. He thought of the dreams of married life they had told each other and of so many happy times. He thought of the last time he had seen her. He could still see the hatred in her eyes when she threw the engagement ring at him.

Adam sighed.
Maybe right now some nice girl in North Platte is lonely and wondering if some nice young man will come along, sweep her off her feet, and ask her to marry him
.

“Tickets, please!” came the voice of the conductor from the back of the coach. “Have your tickets ready, please!”

Adam pulled the Chicago ticket from the envelope and looked at the schedule again. The words
North Platte
stood out like letters of fire against a night sky.

“Get ready, North Platte. Here comes Adam Burke, attorney at law.

W
ITH EACH STOP ALONG THE WAY
, more passengers boarded the Chicago-bound train, and the coach began to fill up. Adam ate supper in the dining car then returned to his seat just as the train chugged into Pittsburgh. The stop was a long one, but when it rolled out of the station there was no one seated beside him.

The next morning, Adam awakened to the conductor’s loud voice. “Ten minutes from Cleveland!” He stretched his arms and covered a yawn, then looked out the window and saw light from the rising sun dancing on the rippling waters of Lake Erie.

The train chugged into the Cleveland depot and squealed to a halt. Adam stood up to stretch his legs, and several passengers filed out of the coach. After some twenty minutes, new passengers began to board.

Soon, almost every seat was filled, but the space next to Adam remained empty. The engine whistle gave a blast, and the bell began to ring when suddenly Adam saw a young woman enter the coach carrying an overnight bag. She made her way down the aisle, looking for a vacant seat. She spotted the empty space next to Adam and stopped, giving him a captivating smile. “Pardon me, sir, is that seat taken?”

“No, ma’am.” He stepped into the aisle. “May I put your bag in the overhead rack for you?”

“Why, thank you.”

Adam took the overnight bag from her and placed it in the rack above the seat, then said, “Would you like to sit by the window, ma’am?”

“Why … yes. If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all. I’ve been alone on this seat since Philadelphia. It’ll be nice to have some company. My name is Adam Burke, Miss …”

“Lila Scott. You’re from Philadelphia, I take it?”

The train began rolling out of the station.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And what do you do in Philadelphia, Mr. Burke?”

“Well, up until this past Friday I was with the law firm of Benson, Smith, and Walters.”

Lila’s eyebrows raised. “You’re an attorney?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“What law school did you attend?”

“I graduated from Harvard, ma’am.”

“Harvard! Well, I am impressed! So if you’re no longer with the firm in Philadelphia, what now?”

“Well, I’m heading west to establish my own firm.”

“Oh? Where in the West?”

“North Platte, Nebraska.”

“North Platte … that should be a nice place to settle down.”

“I’m excited about it, I’ll tell you that much.”

“Have you been there?”

“I took a trip west with my uncle right after I graduated from Harvard, all the way to California. The train stopped in North Platte, and though I didn’t get to leave the train and see more of the town, I was impressed with what I saw. Actually, I didn’t pick the town because I had seen it before. I recently learned that North Platte doesn’t have a law firm. So, they’re about to get one, Miss Scott!”

Lila glanced at the countryside rushing by and said, “Mr. Burke, I hate to ask you to move to let me out, but I haven’t had any breakfast. I believe I’ll go to the dining car.”

“Tell you what, ma’am. I haven’t had breakfast, either. Would you do me the honor of allowing me to buy your breakfast?”

“But you hardly know me, sir.”

“That’s true, but I’d still be honored if you’d join me for breakfast. And while we’re eating I can get to know you better.”

Lila laughed. “All right. How can I turn down a gentleman’s offer that is so well put?”

Soon they were sitting across from one another at a small table in the dining car.

“All the talk so far has been about me,” Adam said. “You haven’t told me yet where you’re from or where you’re going.”

“Oh. Well, I guess I owe you that. I’m from Cuyahoga Falls, just south of Cleveland. Born and raised there.”

“I see. And where are you headed on this trip?”

“Well, it’s not just a trip. I’m going to be living on a cattle ranch a few miles west of Sterling, Colorado.”

“Oh, really?”

“Mm-hmm. I’ll probably be on the same train as you tomorrow. I know it stops in North Platte. It goes all the way to Cheyenne City.”

“That’s the one,” Adam said.

“I’m getting off at Sidney, Nebraska, and taking a stagecoach south to Sterling.”

“I seem to remember stopping at Sidney on my California trip. Sterling can’t be too awfully far from North Platte.”

“No, I don’t suppose it would be.” Lila glanced at the people at both ends of the dining car waiting for a table. “We’d better let someone else have this table.”

“Guess so,” Adam said. He held her chair as she stood up.

When they reached their seats, Adam was about to ask her about the cattle ranch, but she covered a yawn and said, “Excuse me, Mr. Burke. I didn’t get much sleep last night. I think I’ll put my head back and take a nap.”

He grinned and said, “Far be it from me to keep a lady from getting her rest. Let me get you a pillow from the rack.”

When Lila was comfortable, she closed her eyes and soon was asleep.

The conductor came through the coach some time later
announcing they would be in Chicago in twenty minutes. Lila sat up and rubbed her eyes, then looked at Adam and said, “Please forgive me for being such boring company, Mr. Burke.”

“Nothing to forgive, Miss Scott. You could never be boring.”

“Will you excuse me? I need to go freshen up.”

By the time Lila returned, the train was rolling into Chicago. It chugged to a halt in the large depot, and Adam left his seat and reached up for Lila’s overnight bag.

“This bag’s a bit heavy. May I carry it to the next train for you? I mean, since I’m taking the same train?”

Lila smiled and said, “I would appreciate that very much. Thank you.”

They reached the platform at the front of the coach, and Adam stepped down first, then took Lila’s hand to help her down the steps. She smiled her thanks and stayed by his side as he led her to the large schedule board. He quickly found the information they needed, and said, “It says our train will leave on time on track 9. We came in on track 21, so it’ll be this way.”

Adam and Lila walked through the crowded depot to the area that served tracks 6 through 10. He looked around for a bit, then said, “There are a couple of eating places, and we’ve got almost two hours before departure. How about lunch?”

“I am starting to feel hungry,” Lila said. “But I’ll buy my own meal this time.”

“Oh no, you won’t. As long as I have this opportunity I’m taking advantage of it. Lunch is on me.”

“You’re awfully kind, Mr. Burke. There should be more men like you in the world.”

Soon they were seated at a table in a café. When they had placed their order, Lila said, “It must be exciting to make your living as an attorney. I assume you do court cases as well as wills and that sort of thing.”

“Oh, yes. I do wills, corporate set-ups, handle legal documents for all kinds of businesses. I handle lawsuits and criminal cases. The
one thing I never enjoy working on is a divorce case. Those are always difficult.”

“I can imagine.”

“I’d say the most interesting part of my work is the criminal cases.”

“Tell me about some of them.”

Adam told her the story of Seth Coleman and his acquittal, and that it wasn’t until Jake Wilson’s confession much later that Seth was completely cleared in everyone’s minds. “It was the most exciting and personally satisfying case I’ve experienced so far in my career,” Adam said.

At Lila’s urging, Adam told her of other interesting cases he had worked on. When they finished lunch, they returned to the boarding area for the next leg of their journey. Adam picked a bench where no one was sitting close by and said, “How about here? This all right?”