Searching for Anna Chapter 10 Settling In

 

Searching for Anna By Jenifer Carll-Tong

Chapter 10 - Settling In

As promised, Phoebe's father bought everything on the list. Everything, that is, except the mirror - after seeing the prices, she refused to let such an extravagance be purchased. It had been a hard-won battle, one that amused the mercantile owner Jack Simmons, Mary's husband. However, Phoebe eventually won out. And, though she hated to admit it, the nagging voice of Mrs. Smith chiding her about her 'fancy ways' and 'airs,' helped Phoebe decide that a mirror was not a necessity.

At the time, it seemed like a wise choice. But, back at the parsonage, as she readied herself for dinner with the Speers, she began to doubt her decision. Phoebe had never been one to worry about fashion or beauty, but she certainly wanted to appear neat and tidy to her new congregants. Now, thanks to her own stubbornness, she had no mirror with which to check her appearance.

Still frustrated with her own shortsightedness, she carried the water she had used for washing to the back of her yard to dump it. As she turned back to the house, she noticed how the windows reflected the trees behind her yard and it gave her an idea.

She positioned the water bucket upside down on the ground under one of the windows, but it wasn't quite tall enough. She looked around her overgrown garden and discovered an old, dented washtub. She replaced the bucket with the upside-down washtub, then placed the bucket on top of that. If she stepped on this makeshift platform on her tiptoes, she could see the top half of her head reflected in the window. From this view, she was able to repin some loose hair back into her bun and smooth out her chignon until she was confident that she appeared neat but not overly fussy. Satisfied, she climbed down from her makeshift platform.

"Fancy city girl, indeed!" she said as she swung the bucket over the water pump's handle. "The only foolishness in me is letting that woman get under my skin."

She walked next door to the church. She opened the door and looked at her new sanctuary for the first time. It was plain – no, that wasn't quite right. Simple was a better word - pretty in its own way.

Mrs. Speer had said that the small church would seat a hundred. The pews appeared handcrafted - most likely by a local, Phoebe mused - from a beautiful white pine, as were the pulpit and cross that hung on the wall behind it. The walls were simply painted white, and the ceiling was just the exposed timber stained to match the pews.

Tall, thin windows flanked both sides of the sanctuary letting in beautiful, natural light. There was a quiet reverence about the place, the likes of which Phoebe had never experienced in the many churches she had visited while in college. Then again, none of those had meant to be hers.

She walked down the aisle and climbed the stairs to the platform. The pulpit was simple also, but well crafted, with a beautifully carved cross adorning the front of it. She stood behind it and looked out where her congregation would be sitting in just a few short days.

"It suits you," her father said from the back pew.

So engrossed in her own musings, she hadn't noticed her father. She descended the platform and slid into the pew next to him. "It could use a good dusting, but other than that, I think it's a pretty little church." She sat next to her father.

He didn't respond. She turned to see if he had heard her and saw tears on his weathered cheeks.

Phoebe grasped his hand. "Daddy, don't worry about me. I know it's a little church and a little town, but God is here."

"I know that, darlin'. I'm just overwhelmed by the blessings God is bestowin' on ya. When I first read that letter all those weeks ago, I thought you'd be comin' to a desolate place with a shack of a building for a church. But God has sent you to a real church building in a town full of people hungry to hear God's word. People who've been praying for a pastor. I thought you were going to have to build the congregation from the ground up, but you are beginning with at least five, maybe six, families. That's more than most new pastors have. Don't get me wrong, this is going to be hard work, but I won't worry so much knowing what I know now."

Relief washed over her. "Well, all I'm worried about now is missing our ride to dinner. We'd better get back to the parsonage before the Speer boy comes looking for us."

As they left the church, a state trooper rode by, tipping his hat as he passed them.

"Is that him?" she asked after he passed.

Her father looked up. "Hmmm? Oh, nope. Not met that one yet."

"How many constables does this little town have?"

"Well, let's see. I've counted four so far, counting that one there."

"Well, then, how will I know which one to thank?"

"My heavens, Phoebe. You have a way of finding things to worry about." He placed his arm around her shoulders. "Don't you worry. I'll talk with him tonight and let him know you are anxious to meet him."

She could feel her cheeks grow warm. "No, don't say that!"

Her father laughed heartily and, realizing that he was teasing her, she elbowed him in the ribs. "I should have known. Why would you see him tonight, anyway?"

"Did I forget to mention that's where I'm staying tonight? Made arrangements with that officer you saw me speakin' with. Said I'm welcome to one of their extra bunks as long as I'm here."

"A bunk at the constabulary? That will be so uncomfortable for you!"

"It's better than spending the night in one of their jail cells, I suppose," he chuckled. "Don't you worry none. It'll be like I'm back in the military. Besides, it'll give me a chance to scope out all those young foxes that'll be crowdin' into that church once they realize the new pastor's a beauty. I gotta put the fear of God in 'em while I'm still here, don't I?"

Phoebe groaned, knowing that although he was teasing her, her father wasn't entirely joking.

Dinner with the Speer family was just what Phoebe needed to end the whirlwind that was her first day in Iron Falls. Not only did Mrs. Speer prepare one of Phoebe's favorite meals, chicken and dumplings, but she also served one of her favorite desserts.

"Wait until you try Mama's peach cobbler!" little Helen said excitedly.

Phoebe chuckled. Of all six Speer children, the two youngest – Helen and Margaret – were the most outgoing. The two little girls talked almost incessantly; if it wasn't Helen telling Phoebe all about her mother's cooking or the chores around the house, it was Margaret telling her the names of all of the chickens, promising to introduce Phoebe to them later. In fact, they didn't leave much room for the four boys to speak, but they didn't seem to mind. Jacob, the oldest, involved himself in the conversation between Mr. Speer and Reverend Albright. The other three boys ate hungrily, listening to all the conversations at the table and spoke when spoken to.

Phoebe had so much fun listening to the girls' chatter that she heard little of the conversation between the adults. She did hear Mr. Speer explain to her father that most of the houses in town were built like theirs – a saltbox house – because the mining company that owned the town was from Boston where saltbox houses were popular. That's also why the streets had New England names…Commonwealth, Marlborough, Beacon. She also heard about the company pulling out of Iron Falls.

"Yep, lots of the men cleared out and left when Middleton pulled out, but a lot of us wanted to stay – or had nowhere else to go. This was home. So, we pooled our resources and reopened the mine."

"Really?" her father asked. "I've never heard of such a thing."

"Yep, happening all over the place. We first heard of it in Copper County, up near the Keweenaw peninsula. It was a struggle at first, getting it all organized, but running the mine ourselves has become right profitable for us. We've been able to bring some new boys in to work, like that boy you met on the train."

"Wendell? How did he do his first day?"

"Pretty good, I suppose. He's young, but he seems to have a good work ethic. I think he'll do just fine, and we'll treat him far better than we were treated when we first came to Iron Falls."

Mrs. Speer served the peach cobbler while Mr. Speer told the story of how the couple had come to live in Iron Falls. They were both children when their parents moved their families to the Upper Peninsula.

"Back then, company housing was nothing more than tents set up on the outskirts of town."

Phoebe shivered, imagining enduring even a single chilly Upper Peninsula evening in a tent.

"But as the mines began profiting, the company-owned houses started going up." The corner of Mr. Speer's lip twitched. "They got tired of losing good workers during the winter months. Can't expect a man, much less a wife if he has one, to stay around without four walls and a roof to call his own. That's when my father was promoted to Captain and was given the option of a company house or property. He chose the property and built this house right here."

"And these company houses, what happened to them when the company left?"

"Abandoned," Mr. Speer answered. "Anyone living in 'em got to keep 'em. That's why so many chose to stay and work the mine with us. The homes of those that left, well most of them still sit empty, but we're hoping as time goes on, we'll be able to bring more families in to live in 'em."

Phoebe partially listened to the girls' chatter and partially listened to the adults' discussion of how Iron Falls had changed in the past several years. They talked of the addition of the State Constabulary Post and Jack Simmons taking over the store. When the conversation turned to the previous pastor, however, Phoebe turned her complete attention to the adults.

"His salary came from the company, so when Middleton left, he started packing. We tried to convince him to stay, but the promise of living off tithes and offerings wasn't as appealing as heading south to a larger city church where a salary might be offered. We've been petitioning the district for a new pastor for a couple years now, but I think most folks thought Iron Falls would become a ghost town like Fayette and some of the other mining towns."

"Dr. Berger told us that he is having difficulty filling lots of churches here in the Upper Peninsula. Most new pastors find the idea of moving here too unpleasant."

"It can be rough, to be sure, but we band together in this little town. You can rest assured, Reverend, that this little congregation will keep an eye out for your daughter."

"Oh, I have no worries there. I believe God is already putting people into place to watch over her."

There was a lull in conversation and Phoebe took the opportunity to speak.

"I'm very sorry that your last pastor left you like that, with no replacement. I can't imagine a person called to ministry could treat his congregation so callously."

"Good riddance, I say," Mrs. Speer broke in. "That man was as crooked as a broken stick."

"Now, Emma," Mr. Speer scolded.

"If he wasn't a crook, then you tell me what happened to the bake sale money? It's no coincidence that it went missing when he did."

"Well, regardless," Mr. Speer began, "we have been given a fresh start with a fresh pastor. Something tells me things are about to turn around for our little church."

The night had grown quite crisp by the time Jacob Speer dropped her off at her new home, much cooler than the July evenings she had been experiencing back home in Lansing. Even her father, who never complained about the temperature, rubbed his hands up and down his arms as the buckboard rambled down the street on its way to the constabulary.

Although the sun was just beginning to set outside, inside the log-built parsonage it was quite dark. It wasn't until the moment she stepped through the door that Phoebe realized another household item the house did not possess…a lamp. Moving as quickly as she could in the waning daylight, she made her way next door to the church where she was certain she had seen a few lamps scattered along the back wall.

The church, having far more light filtering in from its tall windows, was far easier to navigate in the semi-darkness and it only took a moment to find a lamp with some oil and a near empty box of matches on a cluttered shelf of the pulpit. She lit the lamp and said a prayer of thankfulness for not having to spend the evening in darkness.

When she finally stepped out into the night air again, the sun had set, and the town had grown quite dark. There were no streetlights like Lansing, and since the street, which she learned from the Speers was named Commonwealth, was mostly businesses that were now closed, there was no light save for the lamp she carried and the nearly full moon that was beginning to make its presence known. It was an eerie feeling, being a part of such darkness, and the feeling made her hasten her steps home.

Passing between the church yard and the beginning of the parsonage property, she heard a strange sound - the yipping of animals, not unlike the sound of puppies, echoed in the distance. But, as she took another step, she heard movement in the grass near the fence of her backyard.

It wasn't a loud sound, and at first, she tried to convince herself that it was just the wind rustling the overgrown weeds, but when the sound grew closer and the swishing of the grass grew faster, she knew that something was there, and it was making its way toward her.

Clutching the lamp tightly in one hand and her skirt in the other, Phoebe raced to the front door of the cabin.

She threw open the parsonage door and fell against it on the other side. As she did, she heard the eerie, high-pitched howl of an animal she could not identify.

Her heart continued to pound heavily in her chest, sending thumps of pain into her temples as she tried to calm her breathing. In that moment, reality hit - she was hundreds of miles from home, in a town full of strangers, surrounded by wildlife she couldn't identify… and she was alone. There was no stopping the tears, and Phoebe didn't have it in her to try any longer.

She cried for several minutes, head on the table, feeling sorry for herself, wondering how she could have made a life-changing decision like this without realizing how hard it was going to be.

She could change her mind, couldn't she? Her father was still here. There was no reason why she couldn't just return to Lansing with him.

Her family would be so happy to see her come home.

And so would Stella Bowen, Phoebe thought disdainfully. And what about Mrs. Smith? She would gloat at Phoebe's departure as well.

'Is that the only reason I'm here? To prove naysayers wrong?' Phoebe wondered. She knew that it was not.

"No," she said, pounding a fist on the table. She knew that God had called her here, called her to pastor Iron Falls. Yet, merely surviving Iron Falls was proving to be a challenge in itself. She looked at her tiny fist. It looked so small, so weak, so incapable. She opened it and clasped it with her other hand, interlocking her fingers.

'Lord,' she began praying. 'I am weak. Please help me find strength in You.’

Deciding the best thing to do was to try and get some rest, she prepared for bed. She turned down the wick of the lamp and crawled into bed.

A silver streak of moonlight peeked through the flour sack curtains that covered her front windows. Phoebe climbed out of bed and pulled a curtain back, praying that whatever she had encountered earlier would not now be prowling around her front porch. There was no wildlife there. There was nothing moving outside her home except for a man on horseback riding slowly down the street.

The pale moonlight sliced through the darkness, outlining the man's uniform and campaign hat - a Michigan State Trooper on his night rounds. She felt herself begin to relax as she let the flour sack fall back into place. She was alone, but she wasn't unprotected. God was providing.

She crawled back into bed and prayed for God's guidance, for the Speer family and for the rest of her little congregation. She prayed for God's assistance in accomplishing all that needed to be done before Sunday. Finally, as she hovered somewhere between the land of awake and the dreaming, she thanked God for the constables who kept Iron Falls safe, and she whispered a prayer for Will Caffey, wherever he was.