Let There Be Light (32 page)

Just after sunrise the next morning, Dan was standing in front of the Wells Fargo office in Santa Fe, waiting for the stagecoach to come from the barn behind the office where the coach and team had spent the night. The Fargo agent had told him he would be the only passenger on the short trip down to Albuquerque this morning. At Albuquerque, Dan would board the stage that would carry him all the way to his destination, which was the town of Mogollon, Arizona.

His head came around when he heard the rattle of the stagecoach and it came round the corner from the alley. To Dan, the stage was a thing of beauty as it bobbed serenely down the street behind the prancing team with chains jangling and harness rings shining in the early morning sun.

When the stage rolled to a halt, the driver smiled down at Dan. “You must be Mr. Tyler.”

“Sure am.”

“Since you’re our only passenger this morning, you can just take your bags inside with you.”

Dan placed his two bags on the front seat, climbed in, and sat on the backseat. The stage rolled south out of Santa Fe.

Two hours later, Dan boarded the westbound Wells Fargo stage with a well-dressed man in his early fifties and two elderly women. As the stage pulled away from the Fargo office, the ladies introduced themselves as Sadie Collins and Ruth Barton. Sadie explained that they were only going as far as Gallup. She added that both she and Ruth were hard of hearing and wouldn’t be very talkative on their short part of the trip.

The man nodded and smiled. “My name is Pastor Richard Kelmar, and I’ll be getting off at Holbrook, Arizona. I pastor a church in Holbrook. I’ve been in Albuquerque on business.”

“I’m going just a little further than you, sir,” said Dan. “I’m going to Mogollon. My name is Dan Tyler.”

The men shook hands. Kelmar asked, “Are you going to Mogollon on a visit?”

“No, sir. I’m going to make my home there. I was in the Civil War as a Confederate soldier. Two of my army pals have gone to Mogollon to live, and I’m going there to join them.”

The preacher nodded. “Well, let me tell you, Mr. Tyler, Mogollon is in a beautiful area. I’ve been there many times. The town is some sixty miles east of the San Francisco Mountains, and is situated in the magnificent Valley of the Little Colorado River. You’ll love it.”

“That’s what my friends told me in the first letter they sent. They really made it sound inviting.” Dan paused briefly. “Pastor Kelmar, may I ask you something quite personal?”

“Of course.”

“Do you believe the Bible is the perfect, inspired, infallible Word of God?”

A wide grin spread over the preacher’s face. “I sure do. And I preach the Lord Jesus Christ as the one and only way of salvation.”

Dan shook his hand a second time. “Well, praise the Lord. It’s always a joy to meet a brother in Christ.”

“Amen! Are your two army pals Christians?”

“They sure are. They go to church there in Mogollon. Their pastor’s name is David Denison.”

Kelmar smiled. “Well, that’s great. I told you I’ve been to Mogollon many times. I’ve preached several revival meetings for Brother Denison. The two of us are good friends.”

“Small world, isn’t it? This is really great.”

“What are your friends’ names?”

“Clay Holden and Joel Stevens.”

“What do they do there?”

“They own the C and J Livery Stable in Mogollon. They bought it right after moving there. Changed the name, of course.”

“Sure. It used to be Bob’s Livery Stable. So what are you going to do there?”

“Well, in their first letter, Clay and Joel told me there are many cattle ranches in the area. I should explain that I was born and raised on a cattle ranch in Tennessee, just west of Chattanooga. My pals say with my experience, I’ll have no problem getting a job on one of the ranches. You see, for most of the War my pals and I were
in the cavalry. We love horses. So by having the stable, Clay and Joel get to work with horses. They also have a blacksmith shop and a wagon repair shop.”

“So is their business doing well?”

“Quite well, from what they said in their second letter. They would like to bring me in as a partner someday, but it will take some time to build up enough business to support a third man.”

“Well, it sounds like the Lord has things all worked out for you. And let me say this, Mr. Tyler, you will like Pastor David Denison as a person and a preacher.”

“This is what my pals told me in their second letter. They really love him.”

Dan asked Pastor Kelmar questions about his background, where he was from, and about his family.

Soon, from the seat in the box above, the stage driver called out that they were coming into Gallup.

When the stage rolled to a stop in front of the Wells Fargo office, the two men hopped out and helped the elderly women from the coach. Friends stepped up and welcomed the ladies, then escorted them to a waiting buggy.

Kelmar noticed a man come from the office carrying a satchel. “Hey, Mike! Are you going home on this stage?”

“Sure am, Pastor,” replied the middle-aged man. “I didn’t realize you and I would be on the same stage.”

They shook hands. “I didn’t either. Let me introduce you to a brother in Christ.”

Kelmar introduced Mike Guzman and Dan Tyler to each other, explaining to Dan that Mike was one of his church members and the owner of Holbrook’s tailor shop. The two shook hands, then Dan and the preacher took time to go to the washroom and splash some of the dust off their faces.

Moments later, the stage pulled out with the three men in the coach.

Kelmar and Guzman sat together on the front seat, facing Tyler. The preacher filled Mike in on Dan’s story, then he and Mike began discussing matters that had to do with their church.

Dan looked out the window of the rocking, swaying coach as it
crossed the New Mexico–Arizona border. He ran his gaze over the magnificent scenery, taking in the beauty of the wide-open desert land. In Dan’s estimation, the farther west they traveled, the more beautiful it was. When there was a break in the conversation, Dan said, “Gentlemen, I’m overwhelmed at the beauty of this land. It’s marvelous!”

Kelmar smiled. “I know how you feel. Just look out there. We are now in the area known as the Painted Desert.”

Dan chuckled. “It’s well painted, I’ll say that.”

The preacher pointed out his window, which was south. “And take a look at that forest.”

Dan leaned toward his window and ran his gaze to the breathtaking sight before him.

“That’s the Petrified Forest, Mr. Tyler.”

Dan kept his eyes on the forest for a long moment, then looked out the other window. He chuckled, shaking his head. “Yes, sir, evolution sure painted this desert beautiful and petrified that forest marvelously, didn’t it?”

Kelmar and Guzman laughed, and for a few minutes, Charles Darwin’s godless theory of evolution—beginning with the big explosion—was discussed.

The preacher said, “It’s a lot easier to believe what the Bible says: ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.’ ”

Dan grinned. “Right. And it was Almighty God who said, ‘Let there be light.’ Like the heaven and the earth, the light didn’t evolve. God spoke it into being. And it wasn’t some accidental explosion that divided the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:4 says, And God saw the light that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.’ ”

Pastor Kelmar nodded. “Amen. It was all
His
wonderful handiwork, not the effect of some fortuitous explosion.”

“Yes, praise His name. Ephesians 2:10 says that we who are born again are
created
in Christ Jesus. It wasn’t an explosion that made us God’s children. It was the Lord. And the gospel light that shined into our spiritual darkness was no accident. The precious Holy Spirit directed that light into our darkened hearts and minds on purpose.”

Kelmar smiled. “You’re right, my brother. Are you sure God
doesn’t want you to be a preacher? I think you’d make a good one.”

“Well, sir, if God called me to preach, I would most certainly obey Him. But He also needs laymen to back their pastors and help build the churches.”

Kelmar rubbed his chin. “Well I can’t argue with that. The laymen you just described?”

“Uh-huh?”

“There’s one sitting beside me right now. Mike has been such a blessing. He’s a soul winner. He backs me all the way and is a tremendous asset in our church. So is his wife.”

Dan set his eyes on Mike. “God bless both you and your wife. Keep it up.”

Mike smiled. “We plan to.”

“Tell you one thing, Mr. Tyler,” said the preacher, “Pastor Denison will be glad to have you in his church.”

“Well, I’ll do my best to be a blessing. I want to help him all I can. My two pals have really pitched in to help, I know that.”

“Great. Ah …”

“Yes, Pastor?”

“Do you and your pals have girls back home? I mean who will be coming to join you later? You know … to get married, settle down, and raise families?”

“No, we don’t. We talked about it just before they left for Arizona, and we agreed that since we have put our lives in the Lord’s hands, He will bring the young ladies He has chosen for us into our lives when it’s His time.”

“Well, that’s the way to look at it,” said Kelmar. “Marriage is a wonderful thing. A man sure needs to get the woman God has planned for him.”

“I can say amen to that, Pastor,” spoke up Mike. “My older brother back in Michigan married the wrong woman. He’s a Christian, and I believe she is too. But he married her on the basis of physical beauty without earnestly seeking God’s will in the matter. The marriage was miserable for both of them, and after only a few months, they divorced.”

Kelmar shook his head sadly. “That’s too bad, Mike.” Then he said to Tyler, “Be sure to seek God’s will in the matter of marriage,
my friend, whenever you find a young woman you think might be the one.”

“I’ll do that.”

Soon the stagecoach pulled into Holbrook.

When the three men stepped out of the coach, Dan shook the hands of Pastor Richard Kelmar and Mike Guzman. “It’s been a real joy meeting you, my brothers. The Lord bless you.”

“We’ll see you again, Mr. Tyler,” said Kelmar. “And please greet my friend Pastor Denison for me.”

“I sure will. And I’ll look forward to seeing both of you gentlemen again.”

The driver and the shotgunner took two pieces of luggage out of the boot at the rear of the coach and handed them to Kelmar and Guzman.

As they walked away, Dan waved and smiled.

The driver said, “Okay, Mr. Tyler, we’re ready to head for Mogollon. Thirty miles to go, and we’ll have you there.”

“Sounds good.”

As Dan stepped into the coach and took his seat, the crew climbed up to the box. The whip popped over the heads of the team, and the stage pulled away from the Wells Fargo office. Soon they were out on the desert with dust flying from the horses’ hooves and the wheels of the stage. The bright sunshine reflected off the huge mounds of sand. Here and there, blossoms of ocotillo shone a brilliant red. The surrounding area was bedecked with ironwood and mesquite and an occasional cactus. Desert marigold, with its showy, long-stemmed yellow wheel-shaped flowers, made golden patches along the side of the road.

It was quite warm inside the coach. And Dan was glad for the breeze that whipped through the windows. He caught sight of a desert hawk periodically, as well as shiny black ravens. Once he spotted a vulture on the limb of a dead tree, twisting its head on its red neck.

The stage had gone about ten miles from Holbrook when the road swung parallel with a shiny river that wended its way through the land.

The driver called down from the box, “Mr. Tyler! That’s the
Little Colorado. Branches out of the big Colorado River up north in the Grand Canyon. We’re now in the Valley of the Little Colorado River.”

Dan stuck his head out the window and studied the Little Colorado as it wound through the valley. It seemed wide enough to him. He wondered how big the actual Colorado River was. The golden sunshine on its surface showed that the water had a red hue. It seemed silent as it glided along. It was magnificent to see. He was captivated by the beauty of the river and by the vast rugged land around him. He had heard how the lure of the desert could capture a person, and now he knew it was so.

He was captivated, not only by the sweeping golden-red river, but the marvelous formations of red rock and the long reaches of desert; the undulating bronze slopes waving up to the dark, tree-shadowed mountains.

The miles passed, and when the sun was lower in the sky, the driver called to his passenger, “Mogollon up ahead, Mr. Tyler!”

Dan stuck his head out the window so he could catch a glimpse of the town. He saw the uneven rooftops of the commercial buildings on Mogollon’s Main Street, and the houses that covered broad areas on both sides. They were of many sizes and shapes. Most of them, he saw, were made of adobe.

Soon they were in town, moving along Main Street, and Dan grinned when he saw the stable with its sign on a pole:

C and J Livery Stable

Blacksmith Shop

Wagon Repair Shop

His heart quickened pace. His new life in Arizona was about to get its start.

When the stage pulled up in front of the Wells Fargo office, Dan grinned again when he saw the smiling face of Clay Holden.

“Hey, Clay!” Dan shouted through the window, then opened the door and jumped out.

The two friends embraced, each pounding the other on the back. When the pounding stopped and they each took a step back, Clay said, “Joel stayed at the stable to take care of customers, but he’s anxious to see you. I assume you’ve got some luggage.”

“Sure do. Couple of bags.”

Even as Dan spoke, the shotgunner pulled the bags out of the boot and carried them to Dan. “Here you are, Mr. Tyler.”

Dan thanked him, and before he could grasp the bags, Clay had them in hand. He pointed to a nearby wagon with his chin. “Your chariot, sir.”

Dan laughed and walked beside his friend toward the wagon which had
C and J Livery Stable
emblazoned on its side. Clay set the bags in the wagon bed. “Okay, pal, let’s go.”