The Miracle

PART ONE

A Romance for a Doctor

0310252342_content_0011_006 Chapter 1 0310252342_content_0011_007

A grinding cold had settled down over Stone County and most of northern Arkansas. As Lanie Freeman hurried to slip into her dress, she noted the frost on the windowpanes and shivered. Her upstairs bedroom had a small wood-burning fireplace, but she only used it when she stayed up late reading or writing. Her dress was made of gray lightweight wool with long sleeves, a high neckline, and a fringe of black lace around the edges. Even so, it did not provide enough warmth against the early morning chill.

Moving over to the mirror above her dresser, she studied herself with a critical eye. A faint memory brushed the edges of her mind, pulling the corners of her lips into a smile. The memory brought back a day when she had cried because she was so skinny. One of the boys at school had called her Rake handle, and she had flown at him in a rage. Only Davis had been able to pull her off of the boy.

Well, I’m not skinny anymore. The young woman gazing back at her from the mirror certainly was no rake handle! As Lanie considered the lissome curves clearly outlined by the dress, she remembered an entry she had made in her journal when she was much younger.

Moving to the pine chest of drawers against the wall, she opened the bottom drawer and pulled out one of many notebooks concealed beneath her folded clothing. She opened the book and, ignoring her shivers, read the entry dated April the twelfth, 1928:

I had to kill Lucille today, and it broke my heart. I hated to do it, but I had to admit she was delicious. I fried her for supper, and we ate all of her. Mama only ate a little bit of the breast and some of the gravy. I’ll be glad when the baby comes and Mama’s strong again, and I’ll be glad if I ever fatten up a little bit.

Lanie felt a keen sense of pain as she remembered her mother, who had, at the time, only a short time left on earth. She was carrying Corliss and would give her life to bring the baby girl into the world.

She leafed through the journal, sometimes smiling as her words brought touching memories, sometimes frowning as her words brought with them pangs of sorrow. When she came to an entry where a letter marked the place, she smoothed back the page and read her words again, just as she had many times before.

They’re going to put us in a foster home if something don’t happen. But I’ve heard about my daddy’s aunt who’s in a nursing home in Oklahoma. We’re going to try to get her to come and live with us so the government won’t break our family up.

Lanie next opened the letter, which was from her Aunt Kezia to her father.

Forrest, my husband has died and the fool spent all his money on a hussy fr om Muskogee. I’d have shot him if I had caught him and her too. He didn’t leave a cent, and I’m living in a room in a rundown boarding house full of idiot s! Got a little money, but when that plays out, they’ll put me in some kind of old folks’ home. Bah! I’ll shoot myself before I put up with that.

A wave of affection for Aunt Kezia filled Lanie. In spite of her advanced age, the old woman had brought safety to the Freeman household. With Lanie’s mother dead and her father in prison, the state had almost broken up the family, but Aunt Kezia had provided a safe haven for them all. Her sharp tongue was sometimes difficult to live with, but Lanie loved her.

She thumbed through the pages and stopped abruptly at the entry marked July the fourth, 1931. That had been the last Fourth of July, and the memory of it was etched clearly on her memory. As she read her words, her cheeks turned warm.

At the fair today I was standing at the Ferris wheel afraid to get in because it reminded me of the day Mama died. Suddenly Owen was there, and he teased me into getting on the Ferris wheel with him. We got in and I hung on, but I was scared. He put his arm around me, and when the car started rocking I just threw myself against him and hung on as if I was a little girl and he was my daddy.

But it wasn’t like that. As I was press ed against him, I knew he was aware I wasn’t the litt le girl he always thinks of when he thinks of Lanie Freeman. And I knew he wasn’t the father figure either. I could have let go but I didn’t want to. I just held onto him and pretended I was frightened. I know it was wrong, but it’ll never come to anything else. He’s engaged to Louise now, and I’ve had to put that dream away.

For a long moment Lanie stood in the center of the room staring down at the words. She had written things in this journal she would never share with anyone else. The thought drew her to her writing desk. Still shivering against the cold, she pulled on a sweater and rubbed her hands together to warm her fingers. Then she opened the notebook, picked up a pen, and began to write:

December 27, 1931

Owen is not married to Louise Langley. That’s the biggest thing in my life right now. She broke their engagement, and when I heard of it my heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

Roger wants me to marry him, but I can’t. I’ve got too many problems. I’ve got to handle all of these things:

1. Davis can’t read.

2. My sister Maeva has a wild streak that’s liable to bust out at any time.

3. Daddy’s in prison and may not be out for a long time.

4. I want to be a writer but there’s no way I ever can be.

5. The Depress ion is getting worse, and I don’t see how we can pay the bills.

6. I’ve got Cass to think of. Davis brought her home and she’s going to have a baby, and I’ve got to help her somehow or other.

She held her pen poised over the journal for a moment, and then she added one note:

In less than a week, it’s going to be a brand new year. I’m going to trust God for every one of these problems.

Firmly she blotted the ink, closed the notebook, and put it back in the lower drawer of the chest. Then she rose and left the room, her head high.

As she started down the hall toward the stairs, she stopped by the room that Maeva shared with Cass. She opened the door and saw her sister propped up in bed, wearing a heavy mackinaw coat to keep off the cold. She was reading a copy of True Romance magazine. Looking up, she grinned. You ought to read some of these stories, Lanie.

Never mind those stories. Get out of bed. It’s time to go to church.

I’m not going to church this morning. It’s too cold.

You’ve got to go to church. You know that, so let’s not argue about it.

You can’t make me go. I’m bigger than you are.

Indeed, it was true that Maeva, almost seventeen and one year younger than Lanie, was larger. She was also stronger and more athletic. Lanie stared at the girl and tried to think of a way to convince her. You know, she finally said, I can’t make you go, but if Daddy were here, you’d go, wouldn’t you?

Maeva bit her lower lip, threw the magazine on the floor, and came out from under the covers. All right. I’ll go to church. She glared at Lanie. "I’m telling you, you need to read a few love stories

. All you ever think about is money!"

The words hurt. Of course she had to think about money. Somebody had to pay the bills, and considering the desperate times of the Depression, it was a tight squeeze. Almost everybody in Fairhope, in Stone County — in the whole country, for that matter — was enduring hardship.

As she turned and went down the stairs, Lanie thought of Maeva’s charge that she had no romance. I’ve got as much romance in my heart as you have, Maeva. I just don’t fly a flag about it. The angry thought bounced around in her, but she put it aside firmly as she went into the kitchen.

The warmth from the wood-burning cookstove greeted her, and she saw at a glance they were all there: Aunt Kezia, Davis, Cody, Corliss, and Cass, the newest member of the household. Cass was wearing an old dress of hers and a coat that had belonged to her mother. The girl had been in pitiful shape when Davis had found her riding in a boxcar. He had brought her home, not knowing what else to do, and when it was discovered she was only sixteen years old and going to have a baby, by common consent they had agreed to keep her.

Well, is everybody ready to go to church?

Not yet, said Cody, a wide-eyed young man of fourteen with red hair and green eyes. He was short and stocky with a head as packed with ideas as an egg is packed with yolk. The fact that most of these concepts never got off the ground never seemed to trouble Cody. His eyes gleamed.

Davis, his older brother, said, We got a new invention, Lanie.davis was tall, lanky, and had auburn hair and blue eyes. He looked like his father and was a good athlete like him too. We don’t know what it is yet. He won’t tell us.

We don’t have time for that, Cody, Lanie said. We’ve got to get to church.

Aunt Kezia grinned. She never wore old ladies’ clothes but, instead, wore whatever suited her. The dress she had on today was a bright red and white, fit for summer, and over it she had on a coat with a fur neckpiece that was rather bare in spots. She was ninety-one now, but her mind was as sharp as ever. "What is it this time, Cody?

Is it a perpetual-motion machine?"

Nah. I’m working on that, but I ain’t quite got it yet. Here it is.

Lanie moved closer to see the invention. It was a strange-looking device, but Cody was an expert at creating strange-looking things. It had a steel rod in the middle and blades of some sort that seemed to circle around it.

What is it, Cody?

Why, can’t you see? It’s a potato peeler. Here, lemme show you how it works. Give me a potato, Lanie.

Maeva pulled a potato out of the bin and tossed it to him. I bet ya a nickel it won’t work.

You ain’t got a nickel. Cody grinned. Besides, you already owe me a nickel. He plunked the potato down, impaling it on the upright pole, and then reached for a wheel that was on one side. You watch this now. No more sitting around with a knife trying to get that skin off of there and picking out them little eyes. Cody Freeman’s never-fail, surefire, always-on-the-spot potato peeler is going to make us rich!

Let’s see the silly thing work, Aunt Kezia said. I peeled enough infernal potatoes that it’d be a good thing if you could put a stop to that.

Here we go. Cody turned the wheel, and the blade slashed and circled the potato. It was all over in a few seconds.

Davis began to laugh. Look at that. You peeled that potato, all right.

Lanie couldn’t help but smile. The blades had not just peeled the skin off; it had removed all the potato except a stubby round shape no more than an inch thick.

Maeva snorted. I told you that dumb thing wouldn’t work. Now you owe me a nickel.

No, I don’t. You wouldn’t bet. They all waited to see how Cody would defend his failure, for he never admitted defeat. It’s gonna work. It just needs a few adjustments.

We got to do something about this lack of confidence you got, Cody. Davis grinned.

You just wait. Cody nodded firmly. "I got another invention.

It’s going to work too."

What is it? Lanie asked.

It’s a chicken-plucking invention.

Oh, that’ll never work. Maeva shook her head and scowled.

You probably want to pluck ’em while they’re still alive.

We can argue about that some other day, Lanie said, but right now we’ve got to get to church. So let’s go.

She picked up Corliss, who had been watching the doings of the grown-ups. At the age of three, she was the pet of all the Freemans. She was her mother all over again and all they had on earth left of her. She would have been spoiled rotten, but she was the sweetest- tempered, smartest child any of them had ever seen. Going to church, she said with a bright smile.

Yes. Going to church. Lanie kissed her on the cheek and said, If everybody in the world were as sweet as you, it’d be a good world.

They piled into the ancient Ford pickup, the girls in the front, and Davis and Cody in the back. The engine turned over slowly and burst into a cacophonous roar. I’m sure glad Pardue put a self-starter on this thing, Lanie said to Aunt Kezia.

Kezia was bundled up to the eyes. I wish there wasn’t nothing but horses. You didn’t have to crank them. Just get on and go.

Since Aunt Kezia had grown up in the world where the horse was king, the girls could not argue. Lanie moved the Ford away from the curb. As she drove down the street, she waved at the neighbors, who waved back. In a town like Fairhope almost everyone went to church. The Catholics had already gone to an early Mass, but the Presbyterians, the Methodists, the Baptists, and the Pentecostals were making their way to their respective churches.

When she got to the Baptist church, Lanie had to park a block away. Everyone got out, and they walked toward the church, joining others from their congregation.

Reverend Colin Ryan stood at the door, greeting his flock. He was the interim pastor of the Fairhope Baptist Church, and many said with his black hair and dark blue eyes he was too good-looking to be a preacher. Besides that, Colin rode a motorcycle, rarely wore a tie, and broke most of the conventions that Baptists usually expected their pastors to follow. Those who didn’t like his ways comforted themselves by saying, He’ll soon be gone from here. But Lanie hoped he’d stay a good long time.

Colin shook their hands warmly as they passed through the doorway into the church. Well, here’s my favorite folks.

Lanie smiled. You say that to everyone.

Well, I guess they’re all my favorites. How you doing, Cody?Still preaching the Word?

Every chance I get, Brother Colin. Since he had been converted recently and baptized in the Singing River, Cody idolized the pastor.

Better get in. It’s crowded this morning. He smiled, showing his cleft chin to its fullest.

Lanie went inside and deposited Corliss in the nursery, where she at once began playing with the alphabet blocks. She had already learned her letters, which delighted the other Freemans.

As she left the nursery, Lanie encountered Louise Langley, which gave her more than a moment’s worth of discomfort. The history of the Langleys and the Freemans had not been congenial. Otis Langley, the patriarch of the clan, had been furious when Lanie won an academic prize he felt should go to his son, Roger. Then later, when Louise had been engaged to Doctor Owen Merritt, the whole family had been jealous of the attention Owen paid to the Freemans — especially to Lanie.

Now, however, Louise was smiling. Hello, Lanie, it’s good to see you. What a pretty dress.

Hello, Louise. It’s cold out today.

Yes. There was a moment’s silence, and Lanie wondered whether she should say something about the broken engagement. Finally she said, I . . . was surprised to hear about your breaking your engagement to Doctor Merritt.

Louise’s face changed momentarily, but then she smiled. It was hard, but it was the right thing to do.

I haven’t seen Owen lately.

No. He’s keeping to himself. I suppose he’s hurt by my decision not to marry, but he’ll thank me for it some day. Lanie noticed there was no sign of regret on Louise’s face.

I must get back to the choir room, Lanie said. We’re singing a special today, so we need extra practice.

Leaving Louise, she went to the choir room, where the practice was being led by the choir director, Dempsey Wilson. Wilson was the high school football coach and was almost as attractive as Colin Ryan. Lanie was amused at how the women in the choir could not keep their eyes off him. He was single, and those who had no ambitions for him themselves had daughters they wanted to promote.

Loreen Parks leaned forward and said, Why don’t you set your cap for Dempsey? He likes you. I can tell.

Oh, hush! Dempsey likes everyone.

As soon as the choir filed into the loft, Lanie’s heart warmed, for she saw that Colin Ryan had gone over and squatted down beside Cass, who was sitting at the end of the row toward the back of the sanctuary. The young girl’s face was usually tight with tension, but something Colin said amused her, and she was smiling. It struck Lanie that she was indeed an attractive girl, but a girl with lots of troubles.

She watched the little drama of the church from her place in the choir loft. Why, this church is like a cosmos, a little world of its own — or maybe like one of the old English sailing ships. It has a captain — that’s the pastor — and the deacons are the officers. Everyone has to do their job at the church, just like sailors on a ship . . .

Lanie rebuked herself for her wandering thoughts, but church was a good place to observe what was happening. She noticed, for example, that Louise Langley did not seem particularly distraught about her broken engagement. Her gaze was firmly fixed on Colin, and Lanie remembered that Aunt Kezia had once observed, That woman can’t keep her eyes off the preacher. She’s looking at him like he’s a piece of caramel cake!

Finally the song ser vice began, and when the choir special was over, Colin came around and stood before the choir, his back to the congregation. That was what music in heaven must sound like. He smiled, showing off the cleft in his chin. Thank you, choir. As he turned back to the congregation and began to preach, Lanie’s gaze went over to Louise, who still watched Colin intently.

She’s not grieving over Owen, that’s for sure!

Lanie settled back with a secret little smile.

0310252342_content_0021_009 Chapter 2 0310252342_content_0021_010

The following Saturday afternoon, Lanie bustled around the kitchen, gathering towels and soap for baths. Hot water bubbled on the stove, and the kitchen was filled with a warm glow. The cookstove, Warm Morning, was the pride of Lanie’s heart. The bottom of the stove contained a wood box, which heated the oven, and at eye level were two warming bins. Everyone had crowded into the kitchen, for the arrival of January had brought with it freezing blasts.

Davis, you go get the wash tub. We’re going to have to take baths in the kitchen tonight.

Cody spoke up at once. I don’t need a bath. He was sitting at the table playing dominoes with Corliss. Elijah never took no baths,he said as if that settled the argument.

How do you know? Lanie said. The Bible doesn’t say that.

Well, it ort to! The body’s got natural oils. When you wash ’em off, germs can get in and kill you.

Maeva laughed. She was sitting on the other side of the table reading a library book. She glanced at him over the top. You’re as dirty as a pig, Cody.

I’m not neither. You just don’t understand the scientific way dirt works. You see, when dirt gets on you, it stays a while and then it falls off. Can’t stay on you forever. If it did, you’d be a mud ball. So I just let it fall off.

You’re going to take a bath. I don’t care what you say. Lanie was accustomed to Cody’s high-flying explanations, most of which made as little sense as this one.

Cody would have defended his thesis more vociferously, but a sudden sound of footsteps on the back porch made them all turn to look. Who can that be? Lanie said.

She went at once to the door, opened it, and found a man standing there, soft cap in hand. He looked to be in his mid-fifties, and sadness hung over him. Hello, ma’am, he said. Can I cut wood in exchange for something to eat?

Lanie was accustomed to the hoboes, for the Freemans lived close to the railroad watering stop. Many would get off the train here and wander through town, and for the most part, she had stopped being afraid of them. She hesitated for a moment, wondering what to do, then nodded. We’ll find something. Come on in.

My name’s John Simmons, he said.

Well, Mr. Simmons, this is our family. She introduced everyone and said, You sit down here while I fix you a plate.

Her eyes big, Corliss watched the hobo. Hello, she said. My name is Corliss. I’m three years old.

The man suddenly smiled, and his whole face lit up. Well, hello, Corliss, three years old. My name is John Simmons, and I’m fifty-three years old.

That’s pretty old.

It is, for a fact.

Lanie quickly fried up three eggs and ham. She added some biscuits left over from breakfast and set a plateful before Simmons. He stared at it, then said, This looks mighty good. I’m thankful to the Lord for it.

Where are you from, Mr. Simmons?

Detroit, Michigan. I came down here to escape the cold weather.

He began to eat, and they all noticed that he did not gobble his food as many would but ate in a rather refined fashion. It looks like you folks have cold weather here too.

Unusual for this time of the year. Now, Davis, you mind what I said about getting the tub in. Everybody’s got to be washed off.She spoke mainly to turn the attention of the youngsters away from John Simmons. She knew their curious stares must be embarrassing, and she did her best to keep them occupied until he had finished.

I’d like to have a shot at that woodpile. He looked over at Davis and Cody. But that’s not my real kind of work. I was a barber for a lot of years.

A barber! Lanie exclaimed. We’ve got two prime candidates here. Get the high stool, Cody. You’re about to get shorn.

Aw, I don’t need no haircut. Look at the trouble ol’ Samson got into when that Delilah cut his hair.

Just stop arguing. I declare. You’d argue with an anvil!

Ten minutes later Cody was in the chair, and John Simmons was performing a beautiful haircut on him. You’ve got a well-shaped head, son, Simmons said, cheerfully snipping and then brushing it back. Some people have odd-shaped heads, and you can’t do much with ’em.

Yes, I sure do have a good-shaped head, Cody agreed. You take old Robert Flyer at school, he’s got a head shaped like a square box. And Minnie Dixon, her head’s shaped like an egg. Couldn’t do much for them.

Lanie smiled. Well, that’s a beautiful haircut. Davis, you get up there.

Davis got onto the stool, and Simmons put the cloth around his neck and tied it. My head’s not as beautiful as my brother’s — he winked at the newfound barber — but just do the best you can.

They all watched as the barber cut Davis’s hair with quiet efficiency. He was peppered with questions, mostly by Cody, with a few thrown in by Corliss. Finally, Lanie said, My land, you kids would drive a body crazy. When you finish there, I’ll fix you up with some food to take with you, Mr. Simmons.

Mighty kind of you, miss.

Lanie filled an enormous sack with as much nonperishable food as she could. Then she added bologna sandwiches, two hardboiled eggs, and two fried apple pies. When she opened the door for the man, she put