By Way of the Rose Page 24

  “How did it happen that he brought you here?”

  “Do you ever remember hearing of an abolitionist named Kyle Adams?”

  “I believe so. Wasn't he murdered?”

  “Yes, in a way. But Kyle Adams was, and is, John.”

  “What!? You're talking in riddles... what are you saying?”

  “Well, that was John's alias. The man that owned me owned a hotel in Alabama. John was coming through on one of his southern tours and stopped there to spend the night. The man recognized the name of Kyle Adams and got up a mob to come and lynch John that night. I overheard their plans and sought John out to tell him about it all. I then talked John into taking me with him.”

  “So, you saved John's life?”

  “I suppose... but I've been highly blessed for doing so.”

  “Oh my Lord... we owe you so much and I've been so horrible to you. Can you ever forgive me for true?”

  “Oh yes... don't even think about it again!”

  “Me and my entire family owe you a debt of gratitude. John means a lot to us all.”

  “He's dear to me as well.”

  “And now, John is out there going to those same places and doing those same things that almost got him killed. He's in Alabama right now! This is so much to take in at one time.” Sarah closed her eyes. She was trembling with fear.

  “I know, “Tad sighed, “it scares me too. But I trust him to God. God will see him through. God promises us, His children, that He won't put any more on us than we can bear... and I don't believe that I could bear to lose John so I know and trust that he is safe.”

  “Well, then he's doubly safe... I couldn't bear to lose him either.” They gave each other a comforting smile.

  “It's good to be able to talk to you. I've never been around anyone my own age... or close to it. I've always wanted a good close girlfriend to talk to.” Tad smiled. “Maybe we can be best friends... I'd like that.”

  “I was jealous... bitterly jealous. I was being such a fool. I'm so sorry.”

  “Please, stop apologizing for it. It's done and over with. Just as God does when we ask forgiveness of our sins, I've put that as far from me as the east is from the west. Let's never mention it again.”

  “I certainly won't and thank you so much for being so understanding of me. I would love to forget it. I wish it never had happened,” Sarah told her.

  “Well, it's time I get back to work.”

  “What have you got to do? Can I come with you and help?”

  “I'm taking food to the people who are sheltering here.”

  “You tend to them all on your own?”

  “Oh no! Mrs. Jenkins and Miss Ruby help out too. Tess does a little, but Mr. Tyson hired her to mostly take care of the upper part of the house.”

  “How many people are staying down here?”

  “We have twenty people now. Come along. We need every pair of hands we can get.” Tad led Sarah back up to the kitchen where she filled her basket then handed the candle to her along with a few loafs of bread. They walked carefully down the stairway. When Sarah stepped behind the shelves it was as if she had entered another house... a house underground. There was a long hallway. Doors lined both sides. Tad guided Sarah to the end of the hall and knocked on one of the doors. A small black woman looked out. “Is that the food coming?”

  “Yes, Sassy.”

  “Who's that with you?”

  “This is Sarah, John's sister. I'm just showing her around.”

  “Oh it's so good to meet you, Miss Sarah!” The woman smiled. “Your brother sure is a blessing to us all.”

  “Good to meet you too, and thank you.” Sarah smiled.

  “Well, here's your food, Sassy. I brought enough for the other two who are with you.”

  “Thank you so much! We're all just about to starve.”

  “Eat well and get some rest,” Tad smiled.

  “Oh, we sho'ly will. And a good night to ya, Miss Tad... and you, Miss Sarah.”

  “Good night.” Tad and Sarah walked back up the long hall.

  “This is wonderful. I would never have known about this place!” Sarah smiled.

  “Doug is helping three runaways cross over this week.”

  “Doug?” Sarah felt her heart drop once again. “He's in on this too?” Her heart pounded harder.

  “Of course, like I told you, we all are. We had to keep it a bit of a secret with you here because John didn't want you to know. He didn't want you involved and he didn't want you to worry.”

  “I would have never thought of Doug doing work like this. He seemed so... so, not the type, you know?”

  “Misjudging is all a part of being human.”

  “So, what can I to do to help out more?”

  “Do as Mrs. Jenkins, Miss Ruby and I do. Nurse the sick. Help out with the younger ones that sometimes come through here. Once in awhile we get a pregnant woman. She stays here until the baby is born and she's strong enough to make it into Canada. We need more women for such things.”

  Sarah's mind raced as she lay in bed that night. She thought about what Tad had told her, saw John running through the cold dark woods with that little girl on his back. She wondered what he was doing now and if he were safe. “God protect him.” She prayed as she thought about what Tad had told her. God won't put any more on us than we can bear, and she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

  Doug took Sarah for a drive the next evening. They were going for a picnic lunch by the falls. She looked at him with a whole new respect, felt a deeper warmth toward him. This man she'd once thought so shallow, so coarse and vulgar, was putting his own life on the line to improve the lives of others. It amazed her how wrong she'd been about him and how she admired him now.

  Doug noticed her staring at him. “Is somethin’ wrong?”

  “Just something Tad told me yesterday.”

  “What was it about?”

  “About you and John. She told me you all were something called freedom fighters.”

  “I can't believe Tad told ya that!” Doug looked a bit flustered. “Ya weren't supposed to find out about it, young lady. I'm very disappointed in Tad!”

  “Oh no! Don't be angry with Tad. I followed her down to the rooms last night without her knowing. It wasn't her fault. I made her tell me everything. I was nosy and really found out on my own. I would have kept snooping until I learned everything.”

  “Well, what do ya think about it all now that ya've snooped?”

  “I'm frightened and amazed at the same time. I love John dearly and you've become so special to me. I understand what is going on and the need for it, but I fear for you both. I fear for everyone here. It's so dangerous!”

  “Yes, a bit. But only if yer're caught.” He laughed. “That's why John didn't want you to know. He knew ya'd worry.”

  “Tad helped me a lot, about the fear and all. I still get nervous but I want to help. I need to stay strong because I believe in this cause too. What I want to know is, how did this all come about and how did John get involved?”

  “Well, John and I started doin’ this for the money; Mr. Tyson compensates us well. But once he started he kept wanting to do more and more. The money became unimportant. Especially after he got his folks taken care of. Now, he donates most of it back to the cause, as do I.”

  “He got into this for us,” Sarah whispered.

  “What?”

  “He wanted to get us fine things, send money home. You know, things like that. Oh, sweet, sweet, John and no one knew the danger he was putting himself in.”

  “Now he's in it because it's the right thing to do.” Doug looked into Sarah's eyes and smiled warmly.

  “Yes, just like I am.” She smiled back.

  “I don't think John's goin’ to like that much.”

  “I don't see why not. I'm in no great danger. I'm just going to be rocking babies or making beds. If anyone should be upset, I should be. He's the one in real danger.”

  “Don't ya worry none about him,
he's a survivor, that one is.”

  “The DuVal resolve. There's nothing to beat it,” Sarah smiled.

  “Nothing, except maybe the Mahaffey resolve.” Doug poked his chest out. “So, you and Tad are getting along better now?”

  “Oh, yes! I've been so horrible. I was just so jealous of her.”

  “Just of her, or of her and John together?”

  “The second one.”

  “I thought as much.”

  “I've been a mean fool, haven't I?”

  “Should I answer that?” Doug laughed.

  “Go ahead, I know what I've done. My attitude has changed so much now it would be like you were talking about another person entirely.”

  “Well, that person was actin’ like a fool. If that person didn't know that no one could have taken her place in John's heart she was downright ignorant.” Doug gave her a wink. His wink didn't irritate her at all anymore. Actually, she thought it quiet endearing, just a natural trait of friendliness, even if most did think it suggestive.

  Doug spread the quilt on the ground and Sarah set out the fried chicken, potato salad, and bread and butter pickles. The wind was soft and cool there near the falls as they cascaded down the rocks into the gorge below.

  “I really do love it here.” Sarah breathed deeply. “The falls are so majestic and awe inspiring.” She had always been drawn to the sounds water made as it washed over the land. It was like a sweet entity making its special journey through the earth. But these gigantic falls were a force beyond anything she could have ever imagined. Proud she was to witness such awesome majesty. Her heart raced with excitement as if trying to race after its captivating power.

  “Yes, I'll always remember the first time I saw them. There's nothin’ like their splendor. I experience the awe again every time someone new comes here to see them with me. Sad to say, none of us ever take the time to come very often. I'm glad ya get me out to visit places like this. It brings back the old feelings of when I first came here. I so enjoy seein’ ya see them.”

  “When John gets back, I'm going to have to bring him here too. Perhaps he needs some of his old feelings brought back as well.” Sarah breathed deeply as she looked up at the falls.

  “He'd like that.” Doug looked down at his plate. He didn't want to think of John and more importantly he didn't want Sarah to think of John. Right here, right now there was no one else in the world but he, Sarah and the majestic falls. This, he thought, was their time.

  “I can't wait for winter... you haven't forgotten about your promise to teach me to ice skate have you?” Sarah asked.

  “Well, I'm not that great a teacher, but I'll do my best.” Doug bit into his pickle with a loud crunch.

  “I wonder what John is doing at this very minute.” Sarah wistfully looked into the falls as if she were a thousand miles away.

  “I don't know what John's doin', but I know what I'm doin'.”

  “What's that?” She asked as she looked around at him.

  “I'm thinkin’ of ya constantly and I'm thinking of how lucky I am to be here with ya.” He looked deeply into her eyes.

  “Doug... what are you saying?”

  “Never mind... I'm just rattlin’ on.”

  “No you weren't. What are you trying to say?”

  “Don't act shocked, Sarah. Ya know I've been head over heels for ya ever since the first time I saw ya. It's been more than I can bear not to say somethin’ to ya in all these weeks. Ya've taken hold of my heart, and if John won't speak up, why shouldn't I? Ya must know that I'm in love with ya, Sarah Elizabeth DuVal.” He held his deep gaze.

  “I knew you liked me... but love? I'm pretty sure John didn't know that either.”

  “Even if he did, he thought he could trust me with ya.”

  “Doug, I can't believe you... ”

  “I'm sorry if I offended ya. I'm not subtle, that's one of my faults.”

  “Let me finish before you reprimand yourself. What I was saying is, I can't believe how wonderful you are. In just a little while you've become so important to me. I may not love you like that, But I do love you. You are my best friend here. And no matter how you feel, I know I can truly trust you.”

  “I suppose that platonic love is good enough.”

  “I heard that you'll be leaving tomorrow to do some work.” Sarah attempted to change the subject.

  “Oh, sure. I'll only be gone a few days.”

  “Please do hurry back! I don't think you're supposed to leave me.” Sarah cut her eyes at him and smiled. “Be careful and stay safe for me.”

  “I always do... don't worry about me! And don't worry about John. We've both been at this a good long while. We know what we're doing.”

  “I'm sure you do.”

  Sarah was a frequent visitor to the basement rooms now. She and Tad grew closer and closer. They leaned on each other as they spent many hours talking and working together. They cooked the meals, cut and wound bandages, and tended the sick. Sometimes people were so sick by the time they got to Rochester that Sarah was amazed that they had made it at all. For these, the Doctor who lived across the street was called in to help.

  It was late one evening that the Doctor had to be called because a young girl had come to the house a few days before. She was ragged, dirty and half starved. The bone structure of her face was hidden by only a layer of skin. There was no meat or fat to hide her jutting cheekbones. Her eyes were sunken and dim, her hair matted. Sarah looked at her as Doug helped her into bed. Then she saw the girls bulging belly. She was pregnant! This girl couldn't have been more than fourteen years old. With so much against her, what had it taken to get her this far? Sarah's eyes stung with tears, but she quickly regained her composure. The girl must not see her cry. She must be strong and reassuring. She must comfort this young girl and show no weakness so that she would feel secure and safe with people who were calm, collected, capable and caring. The four C's as Tad had called them.

  As people came and went, Sarah and Tad fixed up the rooms for the next tenants who would be starting on their new life of freedom. “It's almost like giving birth. A new life is born every time another person leaves here to make that cross into Canada!” Sarah looked at Tad as she stirred the soup for dinner.

  “Yes, that's exactly how it feels! New hope and new beginnings are born every day! I never thought of it like that, I just knew it felt great helping people. Helping everyone caught up in this degrading system.”

  “I can't believe you all wouldn't let me be blessed by helping until I found out on my own about everything!”

  “Could you imagine going back on a promise you'd made to John?” Doug shot her a grin.

  John stayed in the forefront of Sarah's thoughts. She often wondered if he were safe, She had to keep busy, keep from worrying, and not allow herself to think of the danger. She would think of the mighty work. She would be strong.

  A month passed. Then two and John still wasn't back. He'd write quick postcards to her which was a great comfort. But she longed to see him. It was well into the middle of October, three months since John had left, when the postcards stopped coming all together! She longed to one day open the door and see him smiling down at her. To hold her in his arms.

  Chapter Seventeen

  * * * *

  On this crisp autumn day in November, Sarah and Doug walked through the park, arm in arm. The trees were on fire with a thrilling kaleidoscope of colors. The ground was a carpet of leaves. The fall season had begun and Sarah welcomed it. She thought autumn was the finest of the seasons because, as she saw it, Ol’ Sol, was on his finest behavior then. Unlike winter's cold, summer's heat and spring's indecision, fall was just right, so she had concluded that fall was, by far the better season. “It's such a beautiful day,” Sarah breathed deeply, “I hope this good weather will hold out.”

  “Don't worry, I think it will.”

  Doug's eyes sparkled when he looked at her and Sarah looked away, she felt the heat in her cheeks. Was she blushing? What
an odd feeling. What was this? It couldn't be love? Surly not! She wasn't in love with Doug! No, she couldn't be. John was her one true love, her ideal.

  Doug must have noticed her faraway look as he jokingly nudged her with his elbow. “A penny for yer thoughts. What's goin’ on up there in that pretty bonnet of yers?” He grinned down at her.

  “Nothing, just enjoying myself and my company. I am easily lost on such a day as this.”

  “Yer mind left to wander, is it? I must make sure that doesn't happen too often, I'll be feelin’ like bad company.”

  “Oh no, it's your company that I enjoy the most.” She breathed deeply, “You must know, without you, this time away from John would have been unbearable for me.”

  “Glad, I am, to hear I can be of some comfort to ya.”

  The dark haired man stood in Mr. Tyson's office. His square jaw clinched and his gray brown eyes had a look of urgency. “Sir. I have a message from a Mr. Frank down in Alabama.”

  “What is it?”

  “Seems like your helper here, John DuVal is in a pickle, got caught.”

  “What are you talking about?” Mr. Tyson took his cigar from his mouth and sat forward. “Is he all right?”

  “The way I hear it, someone caught him helping a little slave boy escape. Frank wanted me to get the message to you. DuVal somehow got away from the lynch mob, but he's stuck down there, in a corner for sure.”

  “Thank you for letting me know. That boy is like a son to me! Tell him to sit tight, do not move. I'll think of something!” Mr. Tyson bit on the tip of his cigar.

  It was later that same day that Mr. Tyson called Doug for a meeting. “I understand John trusts you a great deal.”

  “Yes, sir. He does. “

  “Well, I have something I want you to do for him.”

  “What?”

  “Get his sister home where she belongs.”

  “What's wrong?” Doug's expression grew dark.

  “There could be danger for her here. John's been caught down in Alabama. Mr. Frank sent word. He saved John from a lynch mob and now the boy's holed up at his place. The mob have the impression that John is dead, and we must let it stand. No one can know what really happened, not even Sarah. Do you understand? To everyone outside this room, John is missing and presumed dead!”