Edith and the Mysterious Stranger (15 page)

“Joseph’s a good man, Pa. I think he would be a
good match for Aunt Edith. Why don’t you introduce them, anyway? A
man’s introduction isn’t so obvious, I’d think.”

Gilbert chuckled. “You think so?”

Jenny nodded.

“But it’s too late.”

“Too late? Too late for what, Pa?”

“I think she’s falling for this mysterious
stranger of hers.”

“Mysterious stranger?”

“Yup. One day this stranger just up and wrote to
her. But someone set it up.”

“Who?”

“Don’t know. Could be Aunt Martha.” Then he
chuckled. “Or it could be your mother because she heard the
introduction with Henry didn’t turn out so well.”

“Think so?”

Gilbert shook his head. “Don’t know, but I
wouldn’t underestimate your mother. I wouldn’t put it past her.
She’d do anything to win a bet.”

Jenny laughed. “Yeah, I heard about your little
bet. What if he just did it on his own?”

Gilbert lifted his brow. “Why, I never thought
of that. Could be.”

“But how can a person fall in love when you’re
just writing letters? Isn’t courting much better?”

“I thought so, but I’ve heard Melinda and Edith
talk about him, and I can tell that she’s quite smitten with
him.”

“Smitten?” Jenny laughed with amusement. “Are
you sure?”

“Yup. I think smitten is the right word for
it.”

“Do you have any idea who he is?”

“Nope. But he’s a sweet talker, I can tell you
that much.”

Everyone was relieved when it was time to set up
camp. They had been in the saddle all day and were looking forward
to a relaxing evening by the fire.

Crickets sang and a coyote howled in the
distance. But the sound that brought everyone to attention was the
soft, plaintive notes of Joseph’s guitar.

Jenny could not sleep. She tossed and turned.
The night seemed to be filled with a sense of deep foreboding and
she felt it. Not able to relax, she pulled herself out of her
bedroll, grabbed her coat and hat, and picked up her rifle. She
strolled toward the herd by the light of the full moon. As she
scanned the cattle, she didn’t see anyone at their posts. She
turned toward the horse corral. Where were the horses?

The same ominous feeling overtook her, and
she knew that something was wrong. Before she had a chance to turn
around and get help, she felt the barrel of a pistol push up
against the small of her back.

“Don’t move! Drop your rifle or you’ll be a
dead man,” came a forced harsh whisper from behind her.

As she stooped down to place her rifle on
the ground, she could see the boots of the outlaw. With all the
strength she could muster, she swung her rifle around and smacked
his shins. The outlaw yelped in pain as she took off at a dead
run.

It didn’t take long until she heard the pounding of
feet behind her. The outlaw had caught up to her. He leapt toward
her, grabbed her around the chest, and threw her to the ground. Her
breath was forced from her as she hit the ground with a thud.

When Jenny moaned, she heard David’s voice,
“Jenny? Is that you?”

He quickly crawled off her and knelt beside
her. She pushed herself up and pointed toward the cattle as she
whispered, “David! The rustlers are stealing our cattle.”

“I know,” he said softly, without
emotion.

“We’ve got to do something about it.”

When David did not react to her concerns,
her eyes widened. The oppressing feeling that came over her was
frightening, as she said, “David! What have you done?”

Her voice tightened with emotion as she
stared into his eyes. He had betrayed her and her father. The ache
in her throat was unbearable as tears stung her eyes.

“How could you? Pa treated you like one of
the family.”

When he saw tears falling to her checks, his
heart filled with anguish and remorse began to set in. What had he
done?

When he saw how he had broken her heart, he
quickly said, “Jenny, it wasn’t supposed to work out this way.”

“What way?” Her voice was hard and cold.

“I was assigned to do a job. This was my
first assignment, and I wanted to make good. I wasn’t supposed to
be treated with such kindness by your pa. I wasn’t supposed to like
him so much. Now, I don’t know what to do.”

“
You seem to be
standing at the edge of a cliff, wondering which direction to go.
You have to make a choice, David.
”

He stared into her accusing eyes and said
softly, “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Jenny looked anxiously toward the rustlers as they
drove her father’s cattle toward the horizon. With hope in her
voice, she said, “It doesn’t have to end this way, you know. Don’t
do this, David!”

As she stared at David, she could see he was
wavering and was not sure of himself. “You’ve got a chance to turn
your life around. You don’t want to be running for the rest of your
life, do you?”

Before he could answer, he heard a pistol cock.
David turned and found Gunplay riding toward them with his gun
pointing at Jenny. The outlaw tossed him a coil of rope and
growled, “Tie her up. We’re almost done.”

David had seen Gilbert’s men crouched down
beside the cattle, stealthily making their way toward the outlaws.
Gunplay had not seen them, yet. So David would have to distract him
or all pandemonium would break loose and someone would get
hurt.

Taking Jenny by the shoulders and pulling her to
her feet, he demanded, “Turn around so I can tie your hands.”

Jenny’s eyes widened with disbelief. She thought
he was softening and was about to change his mind.

David knew he had to act
quickly, so h
e clenched the coil of rope
tightly and swung it around, hitting Gunplay right in the face. The
outlaw howled with excruciating pain. In reflex, he squeezed the
trigger of his pistol. The blast pierced the atmosphere. Before
David knew what was happening, his knees buckled under him. He fell
to the ground, writhing in agonizing pain. He grabbed his thigh and
held it.

When Gilbert’s men heard the shot, they
jumped into view and stood their ground with rifles cocked and
ready. When the outlaws turned and saw the rancher and his men all
lined up, with guns in hand and pointing in their direction, they
knew they were a prime target upon their horses and were
outnumbered. They had no other choice but to run. So they kicked
their horses and took off.

The cattle had been spooked,
and a few had already taken off, so Gilbert shouted for his men to
quiet the
steers. One thing Gilbert did not need was a
stampede.

Meanwhile, Jenny was sitting beside David. To
her, he had been a hero. She had also seen her father and was
worried he might be seen. But David had acted quickly.

As he lay twisting in pain, Jenny said, “Thank
you, David.”

“Oh, it was nothin’,” he groaned. “I was trying
to draw Gunplay’s attention away from your pa and…” He took a deep
breath as pain shot through his leg.

“Don’t talk,” she said with empathy. “It’s
okay.”

“Do you think your pa will turn me in?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure, David.”

Gilbert came up from behind, looking
concerned. “Are you two all right?”

“He’s been shot, Pa.”

Gilbert knelt beside David and looked at his
wound. “I’ll take him to the doctor in Montpelier while the men are
rounding up the strays.”

Jenny turned toward her father and asked
curiously, “Pa, how did you know the rustlers were here? Weren’t
you able to sleep, either?”

“Oh, I was asleep, all right. That is, until
I heard someone yelping in pain. It startled me. I quickly scanned
the cattle, but couldn’t see anyone tending them. I got the rest of
the men up so we could check things out. That was when I saw the
rustlers.”

“A yelp?” asked David.

Gilbert nodded.

“That would have been me, sir. Your daughter
has a powerful arm and she got me right in the shins.”

Gilbert was shocked by that
announcement.

“Pa, we’ll explain everything as we head for
the doctor. David’s got something very important to tell you.”

He nodded as they helped David to his feet and
led him toward camp.

Edith was in a pensive mood as she looked down
at her hands. “Melinda, lately I’ve been feeling quite discouraged
with my life, as if I wasn’t progressing as I should be.”

They were seated side by side on Melinda’s sofa.
Melinda looked at her with surprise and answered, “But, Edith, you
have so many talents. How could you ever feel that way? You have
accomplished so much. You got your nursing degree and you have a
beautiful voice. What more are you asking for?”

“Melinda, don’t you ever get discouraged?”

“Sure.”

“Well, look at yourself. You went to college and
got a degree in teaching, you married a wonderful man who adores
you, and you have two adorable children with one on the way. You
have what every woman desires in life—a family. Why do you get
discouraged?”

Melinda patted her cousin’s hand affectionately.
“Oh, I see what you mean.”

“So, I told my friend about my
discouragement.”

“Do you mean the mysterious stranger?” Melinda
said with a giggle.

Edith nodded. “Well, after I told him my
dilemma, he wrote back this week and answered my letter. After
reading it, I felt so much better. I’d like to read it to you.”

She looked around the room, searching for anyone
who might be in hearing distance. “Where is everyone?”

“Well, the doctor said he wanted to check
David’s thigh after a few days, so Gilbert took him to Montpelier.
And Jenny took John for a walk.”

Edith slowly shook her head. “Melinda, I was so
shocked when Jenny told me what had happened. I couldn’t believe
it. And you’re still keeping the boy on?”

Melinda nodded. “Yes. Gilbert says that David
had a change of heart. He helped by distracting one of the outlaws
so they could sneak up on the gang. David got shot while trying to
help.” She shook her head in dismay. “We’re lucky it didn’t end up
in a gun battle.”

Edith nodded with empathy, not knowing what to
say.

“Hey, let’s talk about happier things,” said
Melinda. “Tell me about your mysterious stranger.”

Edith grinned and dug out an envelope from her
bag. “Let me read you his letter. I received it before the cattle
drive. But with everything that happened with David, I didn’t feel
it was the right timing. You were so involved with his problems and
everything. I thought it was best to wait.”

Melinda smiled. “Sorry, Edith. You can imagine
my dismay when I found out about the whole thing. So, read me your
uplifting letter. Who knows? Perhaps it’ll help me as well.”

Edith smiled, unfolded the letter, smoothed it
on her lap, and began reading.

My Dear Charming Friend,

Yes, I have felt discouraged before, but
then I remember the importance of serving others. When I lose
myself in helping others, I seem to forget my troubles. I know a
woman who is a perfectionist. She’s a dear friend of mine. Whenever
she gets depressed, she goes out and visits her neighbors so she
can bring a little cheer into their lives. Sometimes she takes a
plate of cookies with her, and other times she doesn’t. Afterwards,
it seems that life is back in perspective to her. You might know
her. It’s your mother, Martha. Let me put it this way… I remember a
very lovely day that brought me great joy. I don’t know why. The
weather wasn’t unusual or the sun hadn’t shone any brighter that
day. Perhaps it was because someone waved and smiled at me, which
brought a little sunshine into my life. I’m not sure. It could be
that I stopped to chat with a friend that needed a bit of cheer. I
had also stopped off and helped an elderly gentleman with a few
jobs. It could be possible this warm feeling came from these deeds
I did, or perhaps not. I couldn’t say. Nothing happened that day
that was significant or unusual. But I can surely tell you that it
was a lovely day. All I can say is that service not only helps
others but also those who give it.

Sincerely,

Your Friend

Melinda was lost in thought. The message of the
letter had touched her, and she understood what he was saying.
Looking up, she said softly, “I didn’t realize Aunt Martha got
depressed, too.”

“Me, either. We never talked about such things.
Maybe I was too busy thinking about myself. I thought I was the
only one in the world who got depressed.”

“Me, too. No one really talks about such stuff.
I remember how she would bring me delicious cookies and she’d say
that she was thinking of me. Do you suppose…”

“I don’t know.” Edith looked into her eyes and
smiled. “If I think more about others and not myself as much, that
will make all the difference in the world. And helping others will
have a positive effect on me. Don’t you think?”

Melinda nodded and then reached out to her,
wrapping her arm around Edith. “Thanks for all that you do for me.
I have been wallowing in my own self-pity because I can’t get up
and do much of anything. I get ornery at times and maybe it’s
because I’m feeing sorry for myself. In the meantime, I forgot to
thank you for coming all this way to help me.”

“It’s nothing, Sweetie,” Edith said as tears
welled up in her eyes.

“Oh, no. Don’t say that. You didn’t have to come
here, but you did. And it’s made all the difference in the world to
me.”

Melinda squeezed Edith tightly and gave her a
tender kiss on the cheek as tears streamed down her face. “I’ve
been feeling a bit discouraged lately and haven’t told a soul about
it. I didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. So, instead of
talking about it to a friend, like you, I hold it inside and
whenever I feel it building up, I take it out on my poor innocent
husband who loves me dearly and is only trying to help.”