A Home for His Family. Jan Drexler
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Название: A Home for His Family
Автор: Jan Drexler
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Вестерны
isbn: 9781474036733
isbn:
“We need to go home, ladies. We’ll meet you up above, Nate, and we’ll lead you to a fine camping place.”
Nate touched his fingers to the brim of his hat in answer and climbed back up onto the wagon seat, settling Lucy next to Charley. He’d hate to be on the receiving end of whatever comments were waiting to come out of Sarah’s mouth.
* * *
Sarah held Olivia’s hand as they climbed up the steps leading to Williams Street. Partway up, Olivia stopped to look behind them and clutched Sarah’s hand even tighter.
“We’re already as high as the roofs on Main Street.”
Sarah looked back. Even here the noise and dirt of the mining camp seemed far away. “We need to hurry if we’re going to get back to the cabin before your uncle Nate.”
Olivia started climbing again, taking one step at a time. “Will we get to stay with you again tonight?”
“I think your uncle will be setting up your camp, but you can eat supper with us.” Sarah paused for breath at the top of the steps. Uncle James and Aunt Margaret were far ahead, walking arm in arm past the cabins perched along the trail. Their cabin was farther on, around the bend of the hill.
It was just as well. Arguing with Aunt Margaret about the scene down below wouldn’t be fruitful. She let Dr. Bennett’s words bolster her strength. Choose your battles wisely, she had said many times during the Sunday afternoon meetings in her parlor on Beacon Hill. We fight against a formidable enemy. One who is not willing that any of these unfortunate souls would slip from his grasping fingers. Sarah smiled at the memory. What fire that woman had, and what a way with words!
“Is our campsite far away from you?”
Sarah looked down into Olivia’s face and smoothed back a wisp of blond hair that had escaped her braid. “No, not very far at all. We’ll be able to see each other often.”
Olivia smiled at that and turned to follow James and Margaret. She was a sweet girl. Sarah hurried to catch up with her. “We’ll have to ask your uncle about the reading lessons. At the very least, I’ll be able to loan you some books to use.”
“Do you have the Third Reader? That’s the one I was reading from at home.”
“Yes, I do. How far along are you?”
“Nearly finished. I memorized ‘The Snowbird’s Song’ for our Christmas program, but that was our last day at school.”
“I know that poem. It’s all about how God takes care of the birds and provides for them.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Olivia fiddled with the end of one braid. “But Uncle Nate said we have to take care of ourselves.” She flung the braid back over her shoulder and looked up at Sarah. “Is he right? Won’t God take care of us?”
Sarah stopped and faced the girl. “What makes you think He wouldn’t?”
Olivia blinked her eyes, as if she was trying to hold back tears. “Mama always said He would, but then she died. If God was taking care of her, wouldn’t He have rescued her from the fire?”
Feeling her own tears threatening, Sarah looked past Olivia to the buildings below them. But Olivia took her hand, bringing Sarah’s gaze back to her.
“And when Lucy cries, I tell her what Mama always told me, but how can I know?”
Sarah pulled Olivia to a log lying along the trail and motioned for her to sit next to her. “One thing I always hold on to is that God promised He would be with us. Jesus said that in the book of Matthew. And God always keeps His promises.” She swallowed past the lump forming in her throat. She remembered questioning God just like Olivia was doing. How did she get past the questions to the faith she had now?
“But what about Mama?”
Sarah smiled and squeezed Olivia’s hand. “You can be certain that God is still taking care of your mama. I don’t know why she died, and I don’t know why God didn’t rescue her then, but I do know that He never abandoned her. Sometimes it’s very hard to understand, but you can trust that God’s ways are best.”
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