Wonderland Creek Part 26

"Hank's father had died in a mining accident, so in the beginning, Hank was simply trying to get some safety measures in place. Then Mack came back to town and convinced him that the miners needed to form a union. I was against the idea because of all the union trouble over in Harlan County. But Hank thought that at the very least, he could pressure the mine officials to stop the practice of the short load, and set fair prices in the company store."

"What's a short load?"

"The miners' loads were measured by the long ton, which is 2,200 pounds. But the company was selling that same coal by the short ton, which is 2,000 pounds. The miners got gypped out of 200 pounds' worth of pay with every load. Not only that, but a company official weighed the coal, and if he decided there was too much rock in the load, the miners wouldn't get paid at all. There could be a ton of coal and a few pounds of rock, but the company would claim the entire load was no good. Hank was trying to demand a 'check weigh-man,' someone who worked for the miners and could verify the company's decisions."

"That seems fair."

"You probably saw the housing they built for the miners? They charged outrageous prices for those shacks and took the rent money straight from the miners' pay. Their wages were paid in scrip, not real money, forcing the miners to buy food and supplies at the company store-at inflated prices. Miners had to pay for their own lamps and fuel, too-again, with inflated prices. At the end of the workweek, most miners owed more money than they'd made. They could never get ahead. As the saying goes, they owed their souls to the company store."

"I can see why the miners would want to join together and unionize."

"When the company saw that Hank was getting everyone all fired up, they promoted him, at first-which was very strange since they usually run union organizers out of town. Hank had his 'accident' the first week on his new job."

"That does seem suspicious."

"Six months later, the mine closed when the Depression hit and the factories up north started shutting down."

"Didn't the sheriff investigate Hank's accident?" I knew the answer to my question, but I wanted to see if Maggie's reply would confirm what Mack and Ike had told me.

"Of course he did. A mine safety official came, too. But the Jupiter Coal Company controls the sheriff, so no one was surprised when the investigation concluded that it was an accident."

"That doesn't seem fair."

"You know what wasn't fair, Alice? I finally had convinced Hank to quit the mine for good and go to college like Mack had. The best way he could help his brothers and improve things in Acorn was to get an education. He had just started applying to colleges when Mack came back to town to research his book. They were friends, so . . . well, you know the rest. Mack convinced Hank to stay and try to make things better."

I was beginning to see that Mack's motivation wasn't simply for justice. He must feel guilty for the part he'd played in his friend's death. "My friend Ike doesn't think that Mack's death was an accident, either. He thinks someone from the mine shot him."

"Who knows-and what difference does it make now? They're both dead. Why are you asking me about this? Hank is gone and nothing will bring him back."

"Don't you want justice?"

Maggie gave a bitter laugh. "I used to believe in justice-and in a G.o.d of justice. But not anymore. I've seen too much injustice around here, and G.o.d doesn't seem to care one bit."

"That's not true, Maggie. The Bible says that-"

"Would you like to see Hank's grave?"

I swallowed my words. She didn't want a memorized Bible verse from me about how G.o.d watches over the sparrows. "Yes. I would like that," I said.

We walked into the woods for a short distance and reached a small clearing. Hank's grave marker was made from polished granite with his name and the date of his birth and death chiseled into it. "I didn't want him to be buried behind the church with the rest of his family," Maggie said. "I wanted him here, near me."

I expected to see only one tombstone, but there were two. Maggie drew a deep breath and said, "Our daughter is buried beside him."

The smaller granite tombstone had an angel carved on it. Rhoda Lee Coots had died at the age of two, a few months after Hank Coots had died. I couldn't speak.

"If G.o.d really cares, Allie, why does He allow innocent children to die before they have a chance to live?"

I reached to take her hand, but I still couldn't speak. I tried to think of what my father might say to Maggie, but the sight of that little tombstone left me without words.

"The coal in our state is as valuable as gold to the northern factories and power companies," Maggie said. "Yet the people who mine it all their lives have to watch their husbands and children die. Is that fair? Don't tell me that G.o.d cares."

"I'm so sorry, Maggie. I had no idea." I didn't know what else to say. If I lost my husband and child, might I lose my faith, too?

Maggie released my hand. "You'd better get going, Alice. I'll see you next week." She walked back to the cabin without waiting for me, closing the door behind her.

I grieved for Maggie as I rode down the creek toward home. As tragic as the deaths of her husband and daughter were, what saddened me the most was the death of her faith. In my naivete, I'd known of only two types of people: those who had faith in G.o.d and went to church every Sunday, and those who didn't. I didn't know what to make of someone like Maggie Coots, who had left her privileged life behind to serve G.o.d-and now, after suffering great tragedy, no longer believed in Him. My Sunday school understanding of faith hadn't prepared me for Maggie's questions.

I had attended church all my life and had been raised as a Christian by G.o.d-fearing parents. But I realized that if the story of my own faith was made into a book, it would have nothing but a t.i.tle page. Mine was a superficial Sunday morning faith, memorizing verses and parroting answers. When Lillie had asked me to pray for Mack on the morning he'd been shot, all I'd had to offer was a recitation of the Lord's Prayer. Maggie was my friend. I longed to help her-and I didn't know how.

Mack was waiting in the bushes for me in the same place he had waited this morning. This time I was expecting him. "Did you talk to Maggie?" he asked.

"Yes." I wiped my tears on my sleeve. Mack led Belle and me into the woods again and waited for me to dismount.

"Do you understand now why I have to search the mining office for information? If it was murder and not an accident, then it's my fault for stirring things up. Hank wouldn't have pushed so hard or gotten involved in the first place if it wasn't for me. I need to know the truth . . . I need to know if I caused his death."

"Yes. I do understand." And maybe if Mack got justice for Maggie, it would begin to restore her faith. "How long will it take to find what you want in those files?"

"Probably most of the night. I'll have to ride to the mine through the woods because I don't want to be seen on the road. And once I'm inside the office, there will be a lot of papers to look through."

"How will you see anything in the dark? You can't light a lamp, and the electricity is probably turned off, too."

"My father had a miner's cap. It's pretty old, but Lillie can show you where it is and how to put fuel in it."

"Is it the kind of hat with the lamp on the front?"

Mack nodded. "It's still up to you whether you want to wait here or come with me, Alice. I don't care, but I need the horse."

I didn't like either choice, especially with a wildcat roaming the woods. Mack was waiting for my answer. "Okay," I decided. "I'll bring Belle to you. But I need time to think about whether I'll stay here or not. Maybe I can come up with a third choice before then."

"Listen, I've been working on this plan ever since you told me the files were still there. I've thought it through a hundred ways, trying to figure out every possible thing that could go wrong-and trying to work it out so that I won't get you into trouble."

"The fact that you're riding Belle will link us together, won't it?"

"Hopefully everything will go smoothly and you can ride Belle home before either one of us is seen. But just in case something does happen, here's what you'll need to do. Leave the shed door open when you come up here. I'm going to leave the saddle here and ride Belle bareback to the mine, so if the sheriff does show up and I have to sneak off into the woods without Belle, you can tell everyone that someone broke in and stole her. Bring her halter, too, so it will look like she and the saddle were both stolen."

"What if they catch you?"

"If I get caught, I'll say I stole her. Either way, it won't look like you helped me."

"How will I get home from here if you get caught? And how will I know?"

"I'm sorry, but if I'm not back by dawn, you'll have to walk home without me or Belle."

"Wait. Why can't you drop me off in town before you go to the mine?"

"I can't take a chance on being seen in town. Besides, the extra trip will waste too much time. I need to ride through the woods to the mine, not on the road."

"Better yet, why can't you walk down here and steal Belle yourself?"

"I don't think I can walk that far and still have enough strength for the rest of the night. As it is, the ride is going to take all the sap out of me."

"This is crazy!" I had walked into a plot too absurd for a novel. "If you get caught, the sheriff will know that I helped fake your death and funeral. And it won't take a genius to figure out that I snooped around in the mine office for you."

"I'll get you off the hook, I promise. I'll swear that I forced you to do it, which is true enough, I suppose. The worst they will do is send you home to Illinois-and that's what you want anyway, isn't it?"

"No, the worst they could do is kill me just like they killed Hank and make it look like an accident. I wish I had more time to think about this."

"I know. But there isn't time. The night of the new moon is my only chance."

I looked at this strange, complicated man and couldn't help admiring him for his decency and courage. He had returned to Acorn determined to help his community, and now, when he could easily disappear and never return, he was willing to stay and risk his life to fight an injustice. Men like Mack were rare indeed.

I climbed onto Belle again, balancing on the stone table to do it. Mack watched but didn't offer to help. I was about to leave when he said, "Oh, and when you come that night, bring my gun. Make sure it's loaded."

I couldn't get over the fact that my new friend Maggie had lost her faith. I longed to talk to Lillie and see what advice she could offer, but Lillie was having another weak spell, eating very little, sleeping too much. I couldn't expect a one-hundred-year-old woman to live too much longer, but she couldn't die now! I needed her advice, her wisdom.

On Friday afternoon I was working at my desk downstairs when the front door opened and in walked Ike. I could tell by the way my heart sped up at the sight of him that I was starting to have feelings for him. I could not allow that to happen.

"Hi. How are you?" I asked. My voice sounded squeaky and much too high-pitched. I cleared my throat.

"I'm good." He stopped at the parlor door and leaned against the doorframe, studying me.

I waited as long as I could for him to say something or tell me why he was here before finally breaking the silence. "Did you want something, Ike? Another book?"

"Nope."

"Another picnic?"

"Nope." He grinned like a boy with a secret.

"Did you find the treasure?" I asked in a stage whisper. He shook his head. "Well, what brings you here, then?"

He shrugged his wide shoulders. "Nothing. I just came to watch you work."

"What?"

"You watched me play my fiddle; now I'm watching you work."

I could feel my traitorous cheeks growing warm. "That was different, Ike. At least the wedding was interesting. I'm not doing anything interesting, and there's no music." I picked up the file box, fumbling as I pretended to search for a card.

"That doesn't matter. You're very nice to look at, you know."

I put down the box. "Seriously, Ike. It's hard to concentrate when you're staring at me." He walked closer, still smiling, his arms folded across his chest. I didn't know what to expect from him next, and that thought alone was disconcerting. "There must be something more productive for you to do than stand there."

"Why? You got something you need me to do around here? Like I said, I'm willing to help you go through Mack's clothes and things."

"Um . . . it's still too soon for that. I didn't realize until the other day that Miss Lillie raised Mack. He's like a son to her."

"Hmm. I see what you mean." He hadn't taken his dark brown eyes off of me for a second.

I opened the desk drawer, rifled through the pencils, closed it. I picked up a book, opened it, closed it again. Ike continued to stare, smiling slightly as if watching me was the most entertaining thing he'd done all week. I cleared my throat again.

"I need to put these books back on their proper shelves now." I stood and picked up the stack I had finished carding. I would have to walk right past him to get to the non-fiction section. Ike stopped me, resting his hand on my arm, and I felt the heat of his fingers through my sweater. "You want to go out in the kitchen where n.o.body will see us and kiss for a while?" he murmured.

Leaping lizards!

"As tempting as that sounds," I said, clearing my throat again, "I think I'll have to say no. I'm supposed to be on duty. And I have all these books to put away."

"Okay. How about if we kiss in there?" He tilted his head, gesturing to the non-fiction room. Was he joking?

"There are too many windows, Ike. This house isn't very private. And you never know when the packhorse ladies will return."

"Then I'll just have to sit here and stare at you some more." He followed me the way Belle had followed Mack and sank down in Lillie's chair to watch me put away the books. I couldn't imagine Gordon coming into the library to watch me work-and I certainly wouldn't have gone to the funeral parlor to watch him. Life certainly moved at a slower pace here in Acorn than it did back home.

Ike was still watching me when I put the last book on the shelf. I needed to give him a job to do. "Do you know anything about bats?" I asked, turning to him.

"Sure. I read a book once that told all about them." He jumped up from the chair as if willing to help me find it. "They're interesting animals. Did you know they eat three times their own weight in insects every night?"

"Is that right?" I took a step back as he inched closer to me. "Well, there's a bat that flies around my bedroom every night, and I want to get rid of it."

"Why? I'll bet you don't have any insects in your room, do you?"

"That's beside the point. The bat needs to live someplace else. Would you happen to know how to get rid of it?"

"Sure. I can kill it for you."

I felt a pang of remorse. The bat was annoying but it hadn't hurt me in any way. "You don't have to kill it, do you, Ike? As much as I don't like it flying around my bedroom at night, I would still hate for it to die. Couldn't you set it free somehow?"

"You flatlanders are the funniest people I ever met," he said with a chuckle. "Tell you what, I'll try and see how it's getting into your room, and maybe I can block off the opening. Then your little friend can live, okay? He just won't be able to get into your room."

"Okay."

He offered me his arm. "Let's go up and have a look around."

Ike wore such a mischievous look on his face that I froze. I had stepped into very dangerous territory. My mother always emphasized the danger of putting myself in a compromising position with a man-especially an attractive one. And Ike's kisses could easily make me forget propriety.

"Um . . . we'd better not go up there together. It wouldn't look good at all if we were seen alone in my bedroom. Besides, Lillie is sleeping up there. Can't you get rid of the bat without my help?"

"I'm trying to get you alone, Alice." He bent to nuzzle my neck the same way that Belle had nuzzled Mack's. I squirmed away, even though the shivers his lips sent down my spine were quite enjoyable.

"I know exactly what you're trying to do," I said with a nervous laugh. "You're not being very subtle about it."

"That bat is probably hanging upside down someplace right now. They like to sleep during the day. And they usually bring their whole family with them once they get inside a house. In fact, they'll have even more babies every spring. You sure you don't want to come up with me and at least see where this bat family is living and how they're getting in?"

"No. I'd rather be down here where it's nice and safe while you do what you need to do." Safe from Ike as well as from the bat. "In fact, I'd rather not be here at all when you're working. I don't think I could stand it if you chased a whole flock of bats out of hiding and they started flying all around and getting in my hair." I unconsciously hunched my shoulders and brushed at my hair as if one of them was flying above my head right now.

"You're safe, Alice." Ike smoothed down my hair and gave me a quick peck on my forehead before I could stop him. "When do you go off on your route again?"

"Not until Tuesday." I shuddered a second time because one week from Tuesday I would have to ride up into the woods at night for Mack.