Will O Wisp (24 page)

May Jean said, “I found
her groaning behind the barn. When I saw she was having a baby, I
asked her if she wanted to get further away from the house. That
way Mama and the other kids wouldn't see or hear what was
happening. We worried that Papa might come back and try to harm the
baby or Frieda some more. I helped Frieda to her feet, and we
walked out into the timber. Once I got her on a bed of leaves, I
ran back to the house for some covers. It was still plenty chilly
then.”

Joanne continued, “I saw May Jean
carrying off the covers on her bed and caught up with her, going
into the timber. I made her tell me what was going on. I went back
to the house and got a pail of hot water and rags. I found the
girls easy enough in the trees. It wasn't hard to locate them.
Frieda was yelling pretty loud.”

“
You girls sound like old
pros at birthing,” Melinda said.

“
We ought to be. We helped
Mama several times,” May Jean said.

“
Everything went pretty
well, and by late afternoon, the baby came,” Joanne said. “Only,
the baby didn't cry or move. We knew right off he was gone
already.”

“
Papa hit me hard in the
belly several times. I think he meant to cause the baby to die,”
Frieda said, tears rolling down her face.

“
You want to press charges
for battery and murder of your unborn baby?” the sheriff
asked.

“
No, Sir! You said no one
had to know about this if we didn't want to tell it,” Frieda
screamed at the sheriff.

He held his hands up. “I did say that.
With as much hot water as your father is in for murder, he's going
to get punished anyway. So we don't have to add anything else to
the charges against him if you want it that way.”

“
I want it that way,”
Frieda said. “Who all is coming to the funeral? If you ask people,
they're going to know about the baby in the basket being mine,
aren't they?”

“
Not if you don't want them
to know. Plenty of people have heard about the baby in the basket
by now, but no one knows who it belongs to. We can keep it that way
if you want. The name you choose can be put on the stone later on
when no one is at the cemetery but us and your family,” Gracie told
Frieda.

“
That is the way I want
it,” Frieda said.

“
All right, when anyone
asks, I will say I thought we should bury both babies in the
cemetery. No sense putting them back out in the timber for wild
critters to dig up,” Gracie said.

“
Much obliged, Miss Gracie.
We certainly do appreciate all you're doing for us,” Lettie
said.

“
That's fine,” Gracie said.
“Now, Frieda, you should tell the baby's father about the funeral
so he can come if he is a mind to do so.”

“
Who is the father?” The
sheriff asked.

Frieda bit her bottom lip as she
looked at May Jean and then at Joanne.

Joanne said, “Frieda has never told me
who the father is, Sheriff. I can't help you with that
answer.”

“
She didn't tell me,
either,” May Jean said.

“
You can ask all you want,
but I ain't saying who the father is. It won't do any good to give
you that answer. You might as well not ask me again,” Frieda said.
“I won't be asking him to the funeral, so don't be looking for
him.”

“
All right, we'll abide
with that answer if that is the way you want it. I have to ask one
more thing. You weren't raped, were you?” The sheriff
asked.

“
No, Sir!” Frieda
cried.

The sheriff held his hands palms up.
“Whoa! I wanted to make sure I didn't need to arrest the baby's
father. The way I see it, you've been through enough. I don't want
to make it any worse for any of you.”

Later that afternoon, Orie and Millard
showed up to find out Gracie's plans for the funeral. She asked
them to dig two graves next to her Uncle Hiram.

She said the woven basket and Neff's
homemade coffin would be what the babies were in so dig
accordingly. The graves had to be dug by Monday morning for an
afternoon funeral.

Millard decided to stay for supper at
Melinda's invitation, but Orie said he wanted to go home and talk
to Molly about the funeral details. She would want to
know.

Gracie and Melinda decided not to go
to church on Sunday since there wasn't a preacher. They took the
time to plan the funeral service for the babies.

Chapter
Eighteen

Monday morning, Gracie suggested they
walk to the cemetery early so they could make sure to be there when
Millard and Orie showed up to dig the graves. She wasn't taking any
chances. She wanted to make sure the holes were in the place she
wanted them this time. Once that was done, the men went back to
Gracie's house for lunch.

That afternoon, buggies filed down the
road to the cemetery. The buggies parked along one side of the
road. More people than Gracie had dreamed would come were gathering
around the fence.

Lettie, in her white dress
and straw hat, and her children stood with Gracie, Melinda and
Shana. They watched at people dressed in their Sunday suits and
dresses lined up around the cemetery fence. Millard stood with Orie
and Molly. Madeline was beside Molly.

Shana saw Molly. She waved
and sprinted out the cemetery gate to her mother. Molly knelt down
and gave her a hug. “I missed you at church yesterday and for
dinner.”

Gracie and Melinda walked up behind
Shana. “We figured since there wasn't a preacher we could miss this
one Sunday while we planned the funeral,” Gracie
explained.

“
By next Sunday, the new
preacher will be in the pulpit,” Molly said.

“
All ready? That was fast,”
Melinda said.

“
It seems Preacher
Whiteside sent him to us. They exchanged churches,” Molly
explained.

“
Aunt Gracie and Aunt
Melinda are going to let me be a part of the funeral service,”
Shana said, excitedly.

“
That's nice, dear, if you
really want to do it,” Molly said.

“
I do. Sure and I really
do,” Shana said.

“
We'd better get back
inside the gate and ready. We need to get this over with,” Gracie
said.

As Melinda and Shana walked away,
Molly grabbed Gracie's arm. “Would you have time to talk with me
after the service?”

“
Sure thing. You and Mr.
Orie come to the house. Melinda left the coffee pot on the back of
the stove,” Gracie said. As she walked away, she worried Miss Molly
was going to be hard on her for all that happened while they were
at the farm. Miss Molly had to be angry about Shana getting shot at
by Neff Graves.

The sheriff rode up and tied his horse
to an evergreen bough. He dismounted, removed his cowboy hat and
stood beside the others. His eyes shifted from one person to the
other, looking for the young man who might be the father of the
baby in the basket. Gracie had been watching, too, and she hadn't
seen anyone that met the criteria. She didn't expect the sheriff
to. Frieda must have stuck to her word about not telling the father
about the funeral.

The make shift coffins were beside
their open graves. One made from old stained barn boards, and the
other a basket woven from twigs and sticks with the lid wired
on.

Gracie began, “We are all gathered
here to say goodbye to two little babies that didn't get a chance
to grow up. Just because they didn't have that chance don't mean
they shouldn't be given a funeral service to respect the fact that
we know about them and want to say goodbye. Melinda is going to
lead the first hymn.”

Melinda stepped over in
front of the two coffins and said, “We're going to sing
Amazing Grace
. You all
know that hymn well enough. I'll start, and the rest of you join in
good and loud. We want to make sure the Lord and the angels know
we're sending these two precious souls their way.” She took a deep
breath, looked up at Heaven sliding behind the large puffy clouds
and began in a clean, even voice, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the
sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am
found, was blind but now I see.”

As soon as the song died down, Gracie
stepped forward again. She opened up her family bible. “Now I'm
going to read a favorite bible verse of mine. I reckon as far back
as I can remember every one of my kin buried in this cemetery was
sent off with the twenty third psalm.

We figure these two little babies are
in good hands now that they will be resting here. They have my
brother to keep them company. He wasn't any bigger than they were
when he was laid to rest here. The rest of my kin rest here to help
look after them.” She looked down at her bible and opened it to the
marker. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to
lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy
staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup
runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the
days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for
ever.” Gracie backed up and turned to Melinda. “Now we will let
Melinda lead us in another hymn.”

Melinda stepped forward.
“We're going to sing
The Old Rugged
Cross
this time.” She ran her tongue over
her lips and began, “On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame. And I love that old cross where
the dearest and best, for a world of lost sinners was slain. So I
will cherish the old rugged cross, Til my trophies at last I lay
down, I will cling to the old rugged cross and exchange it some day
for a crown.”

While everyone concentrated on the
hymn, Gracie caught a glimpse of someone standing behind a tree
near the front of the timber line. She kept an eye on that tree,
but the one glimpse was all she got. Frieda had told the father
about the funeral after all. He just wasn't going to get out in the
open for them to see him. Everyone thought they were paying their
respects for a Graves baby and a mysterious baby whom no one knew.
That's the way things were best left.

When the hymn ended, Gracie stepped
forward again. “Now, Shana Lang wants to say a piece for the
babies. Shana, your turn.”

Shana stepped forward,
patted each tiny coffin and said, “When these two wee babes wake in
the dawn with the angels, they will be in a home where they're
safe. Each of them will be cradled in the comforting arms of angels
who will stay with the babes forever. Safe journey wee ones.” She
looked at the people gathered around the fence. “In Ireland,
there's an old Irish saying used to wish people a safe journey to
Heaven. I want to say it for you now.” She looked down at the
coffins and recited, “May the road rise to meet the two of you, May
the wind be always at your backs. May the sunshine be warm upon
your faces as you rise to Heaven. The rains fall soft upon your
graves, and until we meet again, may God hold you as gently in the
palm of his hand as the angels are this very minute.”

Shana stepped back by Gracie and took
her hand. Gracie squeezed gently and said softly, “Good job,
Girl.”

“
That was lovely,” Melinda
complimented.

Gracie stepped back out of the line.
“That concludes our service. On behalf of the Graves family we want
to thank all of you for sharing this funeral with us. Now if you
want to form a line and file in to pay your respects to the family
and throw dirt or flowers on the coffins give Mr. Orie and Mr.
Sokal a moment to lower the coffins. Just remember walk in a line
between the graves. Don't be stepping on any of my kin.”

Back at the house, Shana took Orie and
Millard to the barn to show them the kittens and Clara the jersey
cow. The Moser Manson women sat around the table. Melinda poured
all of them a cup of coffee and refilled the pot to simmer until
the men came inside with Shana.

Gracie figured she might as well not
stall any longer. “Miss Molly, was there something you wanted to
talk to me about?”

“
Yes, Earl got word from
the marshal at Solon that Shana's hobo friend was found dead beside
the train tracks. I wondered what Melinda and you thought about
telling Shana it happened. Or, should we just not say anything?”
Molly asked.

“
How did he die?” Melinda
asked.

“
It looked like he missed
the freight car door trying to jump aboard and fell under the train
wheels,” Molly said.

Melinda said, “I think Shana has had
all of life's reality she needs for a while. I'm for not telling
her this.”

“
I think Melinda is right,”
Gracie agreed. “Shana thinks the hobo is long gone. She ain't going
to be looking for him anymore. If she was to hear something, you
have to be truthful with her, but I doubt this ever comes up by the
time we get back to town. If she needs to know, say the man lived
his life the way he wanted. Part of the dangers of riding the rails
is losing their grip the freight car door when they're trying to
catch the train.”