Daylight Comes (28 page)
Topeka , Kansas
•
July 1883
Truth settled in beside Moses and peered out the train window. It seemed a lifetime had passed since they’d first come to Topeka. And yet it had been only six months. “Amazing how much life can change in such a short period of time,” she said.
Moses folded his newspaper. “Indeed, it is.” He tucked the paper on the seat beside him. “And would you say your life has changed for the better or the worse over these past months?”
“Some of both, of course. But right now, I am extremely happy.”
“I know how difficult it’s been for you to be away from your family. Grace’s wedding will be a wonderful celebration, and I’m pleased you’ll have time to help her prepare for the festivities.”
“Only a few days. And if I know Grace, she’ll have everything done before we arrive. If not, Miss Hattie will have taken command of the affair.” Truth grinned.
The baby stirred, and Truth looked down at his cherubic face. How blessed they were to have this wondrous child. When she’d thought she couldn’t survive the loss of her own baby, Jacob had wiggled his way into her life and wound his tiny fingers around her heart. And now he was theirs. The adoption had been completed only two days earlier, and the Sisters of Charity at St. Vincent’s Orphanage had declared Jake a most fortunate little boy. But Truth knew better: she and Moses were the fortunate ones. God had blessed them with this little boy, who needed their love and affection at the time when they most needed him. She still didn’t understand why her little Daniel had to die, and likely she never would. She could do nothing to change what had happened to Daniel, but she could change Jacob’s life for the better.
Only Aunt Lilly had declared the idea foolhardy. But once they’d made their decision, Moses told her he wouldn’t tolerate her disapproving attitude. In no uncertain terms, he’d said she had best accept Jacob as their child if she intended to spend any time in their home. And after Lilly had come to terms with the arrangement, Jacob managed to win her affection with his quick smile and wet kisses.
The baby whimpered, and Lilly immediately moved to the seat across from Truth. “Let me hold him.” She took the child from Truth and hugged him close. “You just want your Aunt Lilly, don’t you?”
Moses grinned and shook his head as Truth grasped his arm. She leaned close to her husband’s ear. “Who would have ever believed Aunt Lilly would make such a fool of herself over little Jake?”
“I know. Wonderful to see the hand of God at work, isn’t it?”
She raised her brows and nodded. She hadn’t thought of it that way, but Moses was right. God had been hard at work in all of their lives. And soon they would be home.
Truth peered out the window at the seemingly unending expanse of prairie grass that stretched along either side of the railroad tracks. Carving out a life in this harsh land had been a genuine testament to their perseverance, and Truth was thankful those days were behind them. Though she knew there would be hard days to come, they had learned they could survive. They’d broken through the tough prairie sod, and they’d made monumental strides. Indeed, daylight had come.
D
aylight Comes
is a novel based upon the settlement in the late-nineteenth century of two towns formed by a group of African-American and Caucasian men with a vision to settle western Kansas. Their plan called for one city, Nicodemus, to be predominately settled by Negroes and the other community, Hill City, to be predominately settled by Caucasians.
While grounded in fact, this book is a work of fiction and not a historical documentary. However, I have made every attempt to honestly portray the harsh circumstances these early settlers faced and the intense courage they displayed as they struggled to settle on the western plains.
As reflected in this novel, the residents of Nicodemus realized early on that the railroad would mean prosperity and growth for their community. By 1887, prospects seemed bright that the Missouri Pacific Railroad would include Nicodemus on its route. The railroad wanted $132,000 in public subsidy from the eight towns located along the Graham County section. Nicodemus’s share would have been $16,000. Residents of Nicodemus voted to borrow the money by issuing bonds and believed that their future had been secured. However, the Missouri Pacific delayed and eventually terminated construction of the line at Stockton, Kansas (twenty miles east of Nicodemus).
Once again, hope swelled when surveyors from the Santa Fe Railroad visited the area. However, the Santa Fe, too, backed out. The town’s final hope lay with the Union Pacific. Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed when the Union Pacific laid track six miles southwest of Nicodemus, adjacent to the temporary rail camp of Bogue. By the end of 1888, many of the merchants and residents had departed Nicodemus, but a core of faithful citizens remained in spite of their town having been snubbed by the railroad.
Nicodemus continues its crusade to survive with a current population of approximately thirty. Nicodemus is the only African-American frontier town in existence today.
For additional information about these communities, visit the Kansas State Historical Society Web site at
www.kshs.org
or the National Park Service Web site at
www.nps.gov/nico/
.
Special thanks to:
The stalwart pioneers who willingly sacrificed to settle the Kansas prairie
The staff of the National Park Service, Nicodemus Historic Site
The staff of the Kansas State Historical Society
Mary Greb-Hall
Mary Kay Woodford
Angela Bates-Tompkins
Deletria Nash
Books by Judith Miller
FROM BETHANY HOUSE PUBLISHERS
BELLS OF LOWELL
*
Daughter of the Loom A Fragile Design
These Tangled Threads
LIGHTS OF LOWELL
*
A Tapestry of Hope
A Love Woven True
The Pattern of Her Heart
FREEDOM’S PATH
First Dawn
Morning Sky
Daylight Comes
*
with Tracie Peterson
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