Faith (15 page)

Liza? Beautiful? Faith strained for a closer look at the
dour-faced woman chatting with a group of women. Well,
maybe she had been, once. Or maybe Jeremiah just needed
spectacles.

Jeremiah's focus centered on the baby. "Heard her crying
a minute ago.... Seemed a mite out of sorts."

"She's hungry, and her bottles are broken. Mary Ellen
brought a spare, but Lilly drank it all."

Shaking his head, Jeremiah watched Dan trying to break
up a food fight between Sissy and Adam. "Spirited children."

Faith nodded. "Real spirited."

Jeremiah settled down on the bench. "Well, at least Dan's determined to keep them with him. He'll have to learn
discipline, but he's not much more than a boy himself."

Faith nodded. "It's a shame Adam's energy can't be
channeled. He's a bright boy."

"Exceptionally bright." Jeremiah reached in his pocket
and took out a pipe. "Do you mind?"

Faith shook her head. "Papa always said it was the devil's
habit, but I always kind of liked the smell of tobacco
smoke."

Jeremiah opened a pouch and tapped tobacco into the
bowl. "Bad habit, all right. Tell me about yourself, Miss
Kallahan. You appear to be a highly intelligent young
woman. Have you a formal education?"

She nodded. "Papa saw that his children were educated.
My sisters and I were lucky. My mother graduated from
one of the first women's colleges."

Jeremiah drew on his pipe. "I understand you've taught
school?"

"Only for a couple of years; then Papa died. But I loved
it, loved the children and seeing them learn."

Jeremiah puffed, sending billowing smoke spiraling
toward the ceiling. The smell of tobacco floated pleasantly
in the air.

"It's a real shame there's no one here in Deliverance who
can teach Adam Braille."

"Braille?" Faith brightened. "Are you referring to the
Frenchman Louis Braille ... the man who invented the
Braille system?"

"The same." Lighting a match, Jeremiah touched it to the tobacco, drawing deeply, whorls of white smoke mushrooming over his head. "Have you heard of him?"

"Heard of him! He was a dear friend of my grandpapaGrandpapa Troy." She remembered how Grandpapa had
said Louis had been blinded at the age of three in an accident. While studying in Paris at the National Institute for
Blind Youth, he'd witnessed an army officer demonstrate a
military code for night communications. Grandpapa told
how the code used dots and dashes but was too complex
and inconvenient for the blind to use. The Institute's
founder had developed cumbersome texts with large raised
writing, but that, too, proved too complicated. When Louis
was only fifteen years old, he improved the dot system,
teaching it throughout his life.

"You don't say." Jeremiah drew on the pipe thoughtfully.
"Then I'm sure you recognize the potential a child like
Adam has."

"Yes, but I'm afraid I don't know anyone who teaches
Braille." Louis Braille first published his dot system in 1829,
but few, if any, in the rural communities taught it.

"Yes, yes," Jeremiah concurred, "Louis Braille's techniques are different ... but I would imagine an illustrious
person like yourself could pick them up easily enough."

Faith glanced over, and suspicion nagged her. From the
moment she'd met Jeremiah, she thought there was more to
the man than what appeared. Talking with him now, she
detected a vein of intelligence and knowledge far superior
to that of most men she knew. Did Jeremiah have a secret
past? A past he kept well hidden beneath a scruffy exterior?

"Yes, I suppose one could learn Braille.... Have you
personal knowledge of Braille's teaching?"

"Me? Oh, no. I've only read about his work."

"Really?" Faith eyed him suspiciously. "Do you have
access to magazines and journals concerning the subject?"
She couldn't imagine that he would, but his eyes belied his
protestation.

"Oh ... suppose I might be able to come up with something.... Why do you ask?"

Faith winced at the sound of silverware clattering to the
floor. "What you say is true. Adam is exceptionally smart,
and he was very responsive when I told him stories. A
whole new world would open for him if he were able to
read for himself. If you could provide material on the subject, perhaps I could teach Adam Braille. I would be happy
to donate my time."

"That would be most gracious of you, Miss Kallahan."

"I would enjoy the challenge. Will you help?" Was that a
mischievous twinkle in Jeremiah's eye?

"I'll certainly do whatever I can, but I can't promise I'll
come up with anything....

Faith was elated at the thought of applying her teaching
skills. She'd have to discuss the plan with Nicholas and Liza,
of course, but surely they couldn't object to such a noble
gesture. Her spirits sang. The outings would relieve her
from household chores, and she'd do almost anything to
get out of darning.

"Please see what you can find out, Jeremiah, and let me
know."

"I'll do whatever I can, but right now I think you have
bigger problems." Faith saw what he meant. Old Man
Zimmer was threading his way across the room, his faded
blue eyes zeroing in on her.

Rollie Zimmer was deaf as a board and missing every
tooth in his head. He stopped in front of her, holding an
earpiece to his right ear. "WANNA DANCE?"

Faith glanced at Jeremiah.

"COME ON, GIRLIE! LET'S YOU AND ME CUT A
JIG!" He handed Jeremiah the horn, then grabbed Faith's
hand and jerked her to her feet. Faith shot Jeremiah a frantic
look as he reached for the baby. Shaking his head, he
motioned for her to dance.

When they reached the dance floor, Rollie jumped
straight up in the air and clicked his heels. He landed flat
on his feet, his weathered face splitting into an impish grin.
"HOWDY!"

"Howdy," Faith murmured, aware that every eye in the
room was on them. She located Nicholas and smiled lamely.
He wouldn't care if she danced with Methuselah.

The music started, and Rollie whirled her around, then
caught her in a breathless dip. Inspired, Faith tried to follow
his lively steps. He jigged and jagged across the floor, pulling
her along with him. She felt pins fly out of her hair when he
suddenly paused and spun her around in the middle of the
floor like a toy top. The room tilted, she staggered, flailing
the air as she tried to regain her balance.

"YOU'RE A GOOD DANCER, HONEY PIE!" The
old man energetically gave her another spin.

Faith blushed, wishing the dance floor would open up and
swallow her. By now the other dancers had cleared a path,
laughing at the funny spectacle. She, with her hair loosely
flying, trying to match the spry old man's steps. She flew
past Liza and witnessed her mortification at the unseemly
exhibition.

Suddenly a large arm firmly encircled Faith's waist, halting
the fiasco. She looked up to meet familiar cool blue eyes.

"May I cut in, Rollie?"

"EH?"

"Cut in-dance with my fiancee!"

"EH? DIDN'T SAY NOTHIN'! I'M DANCIN'!"

Nicholas leaned closer and shouted in Zimmer's good ear.
"I WANT TO DANCE WITH MY FIANCEE."

"WELL, WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?" Rollie relinquished his hold on Faith, his ferretlike eyes spotting
Widow Cumming sitting on the sidelines. When she saw
his intentions, she bolted from the bench and headed for the
front door. Rollie followed, hot on her heels.

The music slowed to a calming waltz. Nicholas lightly
held Faith in his arms at a proper distance. She was surprised
to find he danced flawlessly, gliding her effortlessly around
the crowded floor. She wondered who had taught him the
art. Beautiful Rachel, perhaps?

"Thank you," she murmured, remembering her manners.

He gazed down on her, amusement creasing the corners
of his eyes. "For what?"

"For coming to my rescue. I . . ." He smiled, distracting her. Her stomach did somersaults. Why didn't he do that
more often?

"I must say, you and Rollie made a pathetic sight."

She bit back a grin. She liked him immensely when he
wasn't so serious. "I don't suppose we'd win any contests."

He drew her closer, renouncing propriety. "I can't imagine anyone letting you enter one."

Faith felt strangely right in his arms. She could smell the
tangy scent of soap, the sun-dried scent of his shirt. She
quickly located Liza and grinned when she saw that Jeremiah had her cornered.

Resting her head on Nicholas's broad shoulder, Faith
sighed. Perhaps the evening wouldn't be so boring after all.

Thank you, Lord. Faith. That's what I've needed, to hang on
in faith. I'm believing that you're going to keep helping Nicholas to
come around.

LIZA placed a steaming bowl of gravy on the
table, then took her seat. Nicholas said a prayer, and the
day's routine began.

With Rachel's image still vivid in Faith's mind, she had
dressed in the blue gingham this morning. She might as well
have worn a burlap sack for all of Nicholas's interest.

The memory of Rachel's beauty haunted Faith. Rachel
was so pretty, and Nicholas had once been in love with her.
Was he still?

Well, one thing Faith was grateful for-if Nicholas didn't
acknowledge her appearance this morning, he certainly
wasn't going to notice the brown boots hidden beneath the
hem. She couldn't wear those pointy shoes one more day.

Faith took a bite of biscuit, reviewing her talk with Jeremiah the night before. Teaching Adam to read excited her. She had always eagerly embraced a challenge-especially
when nothing but good could come of it. In this particular
situation her direction wasn't quite clear, but her mind was
made up. If Jeremiah could provide a channel by which she
could purchase the Braille teaching material, she would
teach Adam to read.

She had a small nest egg from her teaching funds. Aunt
Thalia had insisted she keep the money she earned, so she'd
set aside as much as she could spare from her daily expenses.
She could think of no worthier cause for the money. She'd
spent the better part of the night praying and asking God's
guidance. Knowing she'd have the Shepherds to deal with,
Faith had searched her mind for all possible arguments. She
took comfort in knowing that, regardless of the outcome,
her priorities were in proper order.

Last night Jeremiah had planted some powerful images in
her mind. Little Adam, unknowingly, strengthened those
thoughts. The idea of teaching Dan's son to read Braille
quickly escalated. One little boy ... then maybe another
child, and then another. How many blind people lived in
the area? Perhaps adults would come; perhaps she could
start a school.... She pondered the creation of an institution that would serve hundreds of others.

She had been tempted to share her enthusiasm with
Nicholas and Liza during the ride home last night. But Liza
had seemed on edge. She sat in her usual place between
them, fanning and grumbling about how close the air was.
Faith wasn't sure if Liza's annoyance was due to Jeremiah's
obvious attraction to her, or to Rollie Zimmer's spectacle on the dance floor. Whatever the reason, Faith hadn't mentioned her talk with Jeremiah.

She must wait for the proper time to discuss her idea of
teaching the blind.... Studying Liza's and Nicholas's stoic
faces, she feared there might never be a proper time. Her
excitement couldn't be contained another moment. She had
to tell someone before she burst!

Lifting her napkin, she blotted her mouth with the stiff
muslin. "Nicholas, I've been thinking...."

Nicholas and Liza lifted their heads in unison.

Faith's courage momentarily flagged, then revitalized. "Is
this an appropriate time?"

Liza frowned. "We don't discuss trivialities during mealtime."

"My thoughts aren't trivial, Mother Shepherd." Faith
tempered her inclination to scream.

Nicholas calmly poured cream into his coffee. "Mama, let
her speak."

"Nicholas, we-"

"Let her speak, Mama." Nicholas nodded to Faith. "What
is it, Faith?"

Faith hoped her gratitude showed in her eyes. "Thank
you. Jeremiah and I had a talk last night. If it's all right with
you and Mother Shepherd, I would like to teach Adam
Walters to read." When objection flared in Liza's eyes, Faith
hurried on. "Of course, I'll have to speak to Dan, but I'm
hoping that if I'm successful in obtaining his permission,
then I might teach other blind in the area to read."

"Hogwash and dishwater."

Nicholas pushed the cream pitcher aside. "You surely
have a way with words, Mama."

"Don't use that tone with me, Nicholas Shepherd! You'll
be taking your breakfast outside to eat with the dogs!"

"We don't have dogs."

"Well, let me tell you-if we did, you'd be eating with
them. I'll not tolerate disrespect!"

The conversation was disintegrating. Faith didn't intend
to be dissuaded from her purpose. Her mouth opened,
intent on saying something she'd no doubt regret. But Aunt
Thalia's calming words of biblical wisdom reverberated
softly in her spirit. Be slow to anger, and sin not....