Forward, Without Fear
By Dorothy Clapp Robinson
Chapter Three
Who stole their money? That was the question facing Ann Kristin Mortensen and her sister Helga when they reached Camp Lewis across from Nauvoo. All the way from Norway there had been but a series of misfortunes for the orphan girls. Just before they discovered the loss of their money Ann Kristin had been knocked over, and her hand infected from a sliver. Matt Lewis, who had won Ann’s dislike because he called her an over-decorated female, pulled the sliver from her hand and was very attentive until Patty Lou Turner, a girl from the South, told them Ann was going to marry Tom Bedloe. Tom was an immigrant who had joined the Company at St. Louis.
The hour was the one before sundown. Low-hanging clouds deepened the spirit of depression that had hung over the camp all day. Insects buzzed incessantly. Instead of Niels and Johanna staying with the girls in a fine home in Nauvoo, the girls were staying with them in a shelter Niels had built on a high spot back of where the trunks had been unloaded. Several other shelters similar to Niels’ had risen here and there about the grove. But this one was better. Niels had found his fellow countrymen, and had traded one of Helga’s Norwegian blankets for a piece of canvas. The canvas served as a roof. Inside, they and ‘ their belongings were reasonably secure against the weather.
In the clearing Helga and Johanna sat knitting. It was less hot there than by their shelter. As her needles clicked furiously, Helga thought nothing could lift the burden that hung over her and Ann Kristin. Thief was such an ugly word. To lose money was not as bad as having suspicion come between them and their friends. Johanna looked better. Shining through the weariness in her face was the light of peace. Before a tiny fire Patty Lou was breaking twigs.
“Darn,” she cried in exasperation. “All I get is a blaze. It won’t smudge a bit. I think the skeeters must be having a convention here to welcome us. It makes our welcome to Zion complete.”
“I feel as if the end of the world were hanging over us.” Helga stopped knitting and looked about. “There is a feeling of doom in the air.”
Johanna looked from one to the other. Their looks told what they were thinking. “All my life I have lived without money. It doesn’t matter. We must think of the days ahead.”
Helga’s needles clicked even faster. “I am thinking of nothing but them. After Niels buys us a camp oven we shan’t have a dollar between us.”
“How did you-all learn such a jumpy language?” Patty Lou had looked up from her fire in wonder. “What did you-all say?”
Helga translated and added, “Tomorrow we shall all have to hunt work.”
“Me? Work?” the girl cried. “I’m no account when it comes to working.”
Matt Lewis came up quietly. “Good evening, girls. Where is – Niels?”
“He went somewhere to buy us a camp oven. Did you need him?”
“N—no. He was going across to Nauvoo with me.”
“Don’t take him away,” Patty Lou complained. “That no-count Jake left just when he might have been some use. he had money and he could build a smudge.”
“Let me,” Matt reached for some leaves and moss and made a blanket of them over the blaze. Thick smoke rolled up.
“Do tell!” the girl exclaimed. “All it needed was a man.”
Matt gave her directions for keeping it going. Then, rising, he looked about casually. “Where is your sister?” he asked, as if her absence had just occurred to him.
“She went with Tom Bedloe. they should be back before long. Did you find anything?”
“I couldn’t even find that trader, Wilkins, but I will. Bedloe beat me to him. If Niels comes, send him to the wharf. As soon as I can, I will be back across. I may be able to find you a house.”
“Don’t look for one,” Helga told him shortly. “Kristie will be getting married and I will stay here with Johanna.”
“Well, I will keep my eyes open for a small house, and for work for you.” he turned to go, and patty Lou spoke in a half whisper to Helga.
“Isn’t that just like men? They all want the same gal, but Tom Bedloe will hold n to her.”
Helga started to reply, but stopped as a buggy drove to the edge of the clearing. it was bedloe and Ann Kristin. He tied is team and turned to help her, but she was already out and walking toward the others. Matt saw and came back.
“What luck?” Helga asked.
Ann Kristin did not answer, but her silence was more eloquent than words. Her face was drawn and pale, and she held her sore hand to shield it from any contact. Bedloe, coming up, answering for her.
“Elder Lewis is still interviewing the immigrants. Captain Russell has put his crew through a third degree. It is more than likely that whoever took it left the boat before it docked.”
“How could that be?” Helga asked.
“Easily,” Matt answered. “The thief could have gone shore in a small boat, or he could have left at one of the numerous times when the River Maid tied up to take on wood. Captain Russell will know who let the boat.”
“As a matter of fact,” bedloe spoke slowly, “only two men left the boat. Your father and the trader, Wilkins. The trader took a small satchel with him, and your father carried a box. A rather large box.”
“A box of tools delivered to a farmer immigrant,” Matt said shortly. “You heard him say so.”
“Of course, and everyone knows your father is the soul of honor.”
Matt stiffened. His mouth was an angry white line. Bedloe hastened to explain.
“Situations of this kind must be handled without sentiment. Otherwise the thief will never be found. those who are innocent have nothing to fear. We have filed a complaint with the local authorities stating the facts as we know them.” he turned to Helga. “Ann Kristin and I are being married tonight. She can’t stay in this camp another night.”
They all looked at Ann Kristin. Matt bit his lower lip. Her face was flushed. Either, he thought, because she is excited or because she is feverish from her hand. She doesn’t love the big “wind-bag.”
Helga asked, “Has Elder Lewis given his consent?”
Before she could answer, Bedloe spoke. ‘The essential thing right now is to get her under a roof. Her hand is paining her. Would you like to go with us to Bishop Palmer’s?” He asked the last of the three women.
Patty Lou’s face was bland. “Let me think. It seems like I can remember—”
“Will an hour be enough time? I can be back then. We will get your trunks tomorrow.” Bedloe turned his back on Patty Lou and spoke to his fiancee. But Matt’s face lighted with interest. The Southern girl was always remembering something. Just what was it she knew, if anything? He started to ask, but stopped as his father and Niels came into the clearing.
Large drops of rain, vanguard of the storm to come, spattered about them. The sky had darkened, but there was still light enough to show the lines of weariness and discouragement in Elder Lewis’ face. Ann Kristin’s hand throbbed and her head ached. For the moment she wished her father had never seen a missionary. It had brought them nothing but misery. She couldn’t get away from this place fast enough. “It was no use.” Elder Lewis saw the inquiry in the glances turned to him. “I didn’t find out any more today than I did yesterday. But I am not giving up.”
“Neither am I,” Bedloe’s voice was harsh. “There is entirely too much of this going on. Make an example and it will stop. I found out today that many complaints have been filed. More than I ever suspected. The reason it goes on-.”
“The reason it goes on,” Matt interrupted, “is because the country is full of slick vultures who prey on innocent—.” He broke off. His fingers itched to choke something out of Tom Bedloe’s face. For no reason he could name, he hated him.
“Ann Kristin and I are being married tonight.” Bedloe turned to Lewis. “I hope we have your blessing.”
It took a moment for Elder Lewis to switch his thoughts to this new situation. “Tonight? This is very sudden, isn’t it, Ann?”
“Yes, Elder Lewis, it is sudden, but we thought under the circumstances—.”
“Yes. It is evident you must have help and I can do nothing for you.”
“I’ll go on,” Bedloe told the girl. “I have an errand but I will be back in an hour.”
The buggy had no more than turned when they noticed two men approaching. One wore an officer’s badge and both had guns. The leader looked them over insolently.
“Which one of you is Edward Lewis?”
“I am. Now what?”
“At least you are honest enough to admit it. My name is Simmons and this is Jones with me. Mr. Lewis, I am arresting you in the name of the law.”
“What do you mean?” Matt demanded.
“Just what I said. I am arresting Edward Lewis for the willful appropriation of money belonging to two immigrant girls. We are swamped with such complaints. You Mormons give us more trouble than all the rest of the people. Fll be glad when we get rid of you.”
Matt faced the men belligerently. “Are you crazy? You can’t arrest a man on some flimsy excuse, and with no evidence.”
“Oh, I can’t, eh?” Simmons drew a paper from his pocket. “Here is the warrant.”
“But he had nothing to do with the disappearance of their money.”
“That is something for the judge to decide. I was sent here for him, and I am taking him.”
The man, Jones, grinned, showing broken and discolored teeth. “He’ll have a chance to explain what he carried in the box he took off the River Maid. Maybe he’ll have a little trouble explaining where he got the money to bring this bunch of furriners up the river.”
“Just how do you know,” Matt demanded, “that he paid their way? How do you know they didn’t pay their own passages?”
“Did they? Ask him. Ask him if he didn’t. We got ways of finding out. Why he’d give a hoot about doing it is beyond me. That is another queer thing about you Mormons.”
There was such assurance in his voice they turned automatically to face Edward Lewis. His look of bewilderment changed to relief. He smiled at them.
“Yes, I did pay their passage. That is, I paid a large part of it; but that isn’t a crime. You can’t arrest me for that.”
“And you had only seven dollars when you left here. Try denying that.”
Every eye turned to Patty Lou. Her face was scarlet. Then Edward Lewis spoke again.
“I have no intention of denying it. I had exactly seven dollars in gold when I left.”
“Yet you paid a hundred, two hundred, maybe three hundred dollars, and had enough . left to buy your wife a present in Montrose.”
Matt was taut with rage. He wanted to shake Patty Lou until her teeth in her empty head rattled. She didn’t have sense enough to know any idle word would be picked up by their enemies. But she could not have sworn out the complaint.
“Try denying you took a box ashore—.”
“I think you had better tell them, Father, how you got the money for the passage, and what was in the box you took to Elijah Lizenbee.”
“I don’t know what was in the box. I didn’t open it. Moses Lizenbee died on the trip up, and I promised to deliver the box to his brother. He said it was tools.”
“But it could have been gold taken from a trunk.”
“No. It could not.”
“How did you get the passage money? Probably by a miracle,” the deputy smiled facetiously. “I hear some of you work them. Come to think of it, it was a miracle to get that money and not be found out until now.”
“Even if he took that money in New Orleans, you couldn’t arrest him here just on suspicion,” Matt cried hotly. But, even as he said it, he knew there was no use to protest. They could and would hold him on any pretext whatever.
Edward Lewis looked about the group. Johanna’s eyes were brimming with tears. Helga and Ann Kristin were shocked, but Patty Lou’s face showed guilt.
“Captain Russell gave me free passage if I would bring the saints back on his boat. This group,” he hesitated, reluctant to go on, “this group was made up mostly of people left by other companies. Because of sickness or lack of money, they had been left behind. Yet I had to get them here.”
“But your Church didn’t give you money. I reckon you prayed about it.”
“Yes. I did pray. While waiting I went into a free reading room in New Orleans.” He turned and his next words were to Matt alone. “It was a pleasant room with carpet and curtains, and strongly reminiscent of our former life. My heart went out to your mother. She has missed her home so much. There was a beautiful lamp on the table with porcelain bowl and shade. That is why I bought the lamp. Life here is so devoid of comforts and beauty.”
The officer opened his mouth to speak but, with an imperative gesture, Ann Kristin silenced him. Tears were running down her cheeks.
“Go on, Elder Lewis,” she said quietly. Matt gave her a quick look.
“I was at my wit’s end. I prayed many times. As I left the room after spending the evening reading, my eye caught a notice on the wall. It gave the address of a place one could buy a lottery ticket.”
Matt spoke quickly. “So that is where you got the money.”
“Yes, Son. I tried to put that notice out of my mind but it stayed with me. I walked the streets for hours, and when I went to bed, I prayed that my mind would be turned from such sinful practices. When I awoke the next morning, I was very strongly impressed to go back and buy a ticket. So I went to the place.”
The officers were smiling broadly. “And your ticket won?” Simmons said.
Ignoring him. Elder Lewis went on. “When I tried to buy a ticket they were sold out.”
“Sold out?” Patty Lou echoed.
“Yes, but a man seeing my disappointment offered to sell me half of his. I hear that is a practice with those who follow the races. I paid him three dollars for half of his ticket.”
“And your ticket won?”
“Our ticket won. After buying passage for the saints who needed help, I had seven dollars left. The exact amount I had when I left home.”
Matt’s face in the deepening dusk shone with pride and devotion. Tears were in the girls’ eyes. Something was happening to Ann Kristin. It was for such things her father had left home and comfort, friends and business. The men were taking it as a joke.
“That is a fancy story all right. You can come and tell it to the judge, and you still have to explain about the box you took from the River Maid.”
Matt’s muscles tightened. He knew what justice his father would get with such a story,
“You said you had a warrant. Who signed the complaint?”
Very deliberately Simmons opened the paper, and read, “Miss Ann Kristin Mortensen, lately of—.”
Like a bombshell the name exploded over the small group. Helga grasped her sister’s arm. It was the sore one, but neither noticed.
“Kristie, you didn’t— you couldn’t— .
“Certainly, I didn’t,” Ann Kristin answered, then suddenly she paled. “Oh-oh-Tom, I—.”
“Please.” Matt’s voice cut like the lash of a whip. “Don’t make excuses. We all know you didn’t know what you were doing.”
“But I didn’t. I didn’t know—.”
“Come on.” Simmons took handcuffs from his pocket. Edward Lewis made no protest. Matt and Niels would have interfered, but he motioned them back.
“Force will not settle this. Explain to mother. I will be out in a few days.”
“I will tell her.” Ann Kristin’s eyes were dark with fright. “I will tell her the truth. She will believe me.”
Helga was still staring at her sister. “Kristie. How could you? And I thought it was Patty Lou. She looked so guilty.”
“Well,” the girl’s gulp of relief made even Matt smile. “I talk so much I thought maybe I really had told something this time. Phew! What a scare!”
Then, suddenly, the entire group was galvanized by a wild scream. They all turned to face the trail.
“Pa, Pa, Matt!” It was Ted’s shrill voice. He burst into the clearing, but stopped short at sight of the strangers, “Oh, my gosh!”
Matt stepped quickly to his side. “What is it, Ted? What’s the matter?”
“I— I was at the pier— helping look for the money— and— and— ”
“Yes. Yes. What is it?”
“Two men came in a boat. They were in an awful hurry. They said—,” he stopped suddenly and looked from Matt to his father, and back, “It couldn’t be true, could it?”
“What couldn’t be true?”
“He’s dead. There was some kind of signal. They killed him.”
Matt’s height lengthened and tightened. Edward Lewis groaned aloud. Disregarding the officers, he moved quickly to his small son’s side. “Tell us quietly. Take your time.”
Ted was trying hard to be tall and quiet like Matt. “The men were scared. They said, ‘get to your homes and your guns.’ They said, ‘the Mormons will kill us.’ ”
“Who is dead?” Patty Lou demanded.
Ted’s nerves snapped. He started to cry. “I told you, the Prophet and a whole pile of others, and we are all going to be killed.”
At^ the first note of alarm, Simmons had drawn his gun. Jones, visibly nervous, followed his lead. The saints looked at each other in horror and unbelief. Insects droned loudly in the silence. Then Edward Lewis straightened his shoulders.
“The end has come.”
There was no answer except Johanna’s quiet sobbing. Helga had translated quickly for them. Then, in two strides. Matt was facing Simmons.
“Don’t come any nearer,” Simmons raised his gun. “I’ll shoot.”
Ignoring the gun, Matt stepped close and shook his fist in the other’s
face. “Take my father. Put him in jail. Kill all of us, but you won’t stop us. Do you hear me? We are going on and nothing will stop us.” The men, with his father between them, hurried away, then he turned to Ann Kristin. “As for you, I’ll get even with you if it takes the rest of my life.”
“Phew!” Patty Lou whistled.
“We sure are fanning us up a breeze.” Then unexpectedly, she dropped to the ground and burst into wild sobbing. “Everybody’s gone. Papa’s gone, and Jake and now him.”
As if her sobs were a signal, the storm that had been threatening burst upon them. Lightning cut the deepening gloom. Sudden violent rain pelted them, carrying a chilling omen of what was to come. Ann Kristin’s throbbing arm was forgotten in the deeper throbbing of pain in her heart. Was there no peace anywhere?
(To be continued)