drove to Scottsbluff, this time asking Ella if she wanted to come along. She said no, she had sewing to finish up. He went to a landscapers’ outfit and bought as much river rock as he thought necessary. More than he could afford. Next day, wearing hip waders, he hauled bucketfuls of rock into the pond, spread it as best he could on the muddy bottom. He had to work hard to pull his feet out of the sucking mire, but by the end of the day, he’d made a neat little platform in the middle of the pond with a path leading to it. The area was smaller than he’d hoped, but as long as Ella and the preacher stayed on the rocks, they’d be fine.
On the Friday before the baptism, he hauled three dried-out logs down by the pond, leveled the ground under them so some of theonlookers could sit. With a scythe he chopped at cattails and marsh grass on the side of the pond where Ella would enter. He tested out the rock lining to make sure it was secure. Finished, he sat on one of the logs and let his eyes sweep over the prairie. Dotted with sunflowers and goldenrod, grass rippling in the breeze, sprinkled with grasshoppers and buzzing insects, it did look like Paradise. A sudden storm could still sweep up and spoil the day, but nothing was forecast. He knew he’d have to sneak out of bed early tomorrow to make sure no more blackbirds fell out of the sky overnight.
The next day dawned bright and sunny. People began to show up about 10:30 a.m., brought casseroles and salads, pies and cakes. The whole thing had the aura of a festival. At 11:00, the crowd paraded down to the pond on Buck’s mown path, except for Ella, who stayed behind to dress and make her entry. Buck was careful to show Reverend Kane the path of rocks and the platform under the shallow water.
At 11:15 a.m. Ella came down the path in her white gauzy dress, her blond hair streaming behind. She carried a nosegay of wild roses, looking for all the world like a bride on her way to the altar. Buck stood at the end of the path, close to the pond, and when she drew abreast of him, she reached out, took his hand, and smiled with such luminosity that it took his breath away. She dropped his hand, handed her bouquet to Lily’s daughter, and stepped onto the stones leading out to the pastor. Buck had cautioned her to wear old shoes because he worried that the stones would hurt her feet, but she chose to walk barefoot into the water, leaving her white flats on the shore.
Reverend Kane waited for her in the middle of the pond, wearing a white robe over old suit pants, also in bare feet, the water level just above his knees. He stretched his hand out to Ella as she walked forward, drew her in front of him, and faced her sideways to himself. He asked if she willingly sought to join the church through baptism. Ella’s voice rang out clearly: “Yes, I do.” Then theReverend said a short prayer. He braced his right arm behind Ella’s back. In his left, he held a white linen cloth that he placed over her nose and mouth. As he laid Ella backward into the water, he said, “Buried with Christ in baptism,” and just as he started the next phrase, “Risen to walk . . . ,” he lost his balance. Struggling to stay upright, he shifted his right foot off the small platform of rocks. The mud pulled at his right leg, throwing him farther off-balance. Still hanging on to Ella, her weight pitched him forward, and to escape falling on top of her, the good reverend dropped his hold on her and put his hands out to brace his fall. His hands hit the mud, sunk up to his elbows, and for one horrifying but hilarious moment, the minister was stretched over Ella like a croquet hoop while she floated, her white dress spread around her like a water lily. The crowd tried to suppress the giggles, but when Reverend Kane, with the only means available to him, pulled one arm out of the mud and pushed down on Ella’s stomach to get enough traction to pull the other arm out, the crowd erupted into
On the Friday before the baptism, he hauled three dried-out logs down by the pond, leveled the ground under them so some of theonlookers could sit. With a scythe he chopped at cattails and marsh grass on the side of the pond where Ella would enter. He tested out the rock lining to make sure it was secure. Finished, he sat on one of the logs and let his eyes sweep over the prairie. Dotted with sunflowers and goldenrod, grass rippling in the breeze, sprinkled with grasshoppers and buzzing insects, it did look like Paradise. A sudden storm could still sweep up and spoil the day, but nothing was forecast. He knew he’d have to sneak out of bed early tomorrow to make sure no more blackbirds fell out of the sky overnight.
The next day dawned bright and sunny. People began to show up about 10:30 a.m., brought casseroles and salads, pies and cakes. The whole thing had the aura of a festival. At 11:00, the crowd paraded down to the pond on Buck’s mown path, except for Ella, who stayed behind to dress and make her entry. Buck was careful to show Reverend Kane the path of rocks and the platform under the shallow water.
At 11:15 a.m. Ella came down the path in her white gauzy dress, her blond hair streaming behind. She carried a nosegay of wild roses, looking for all the world like a bride on her way to the altar. Buck stood at the end of the path, close to the pond, and when she drew abreast of him, she reached out, took his hand, and smiled with such luminosity that it took his breath away. She dropped his hand, handed her bouquet to Lily’s daughter, and stepped onto the stones leading out to the pastor. Buck had cautioned her to wear old shoes because he worried that the stones would hurt her feet, but she chose to walk barefoot into the water, leaving her white flats on the shore.
Reverend Kane waited for her in the middle of the pond, wearing a white robe over old suit pants, also in bare feet, the water level just above his knees. He stretched his hand out to Ella as she walked forward, drew her in front of him, and faced her sideways to himself. He asked if she willingly sought to join the church through baptism. Ella’s voice rang out clearly: “Yes, I do.” Then theReverend said a short prayer. He braced his right arm behind Ella’s back. In his left, he held a white linen cloth that he placed over her nose and mouth. As he laid Ella backward into the water, he said, “Buried with Christ in baptism,” and just as he started the next phrase, “Risen to walk . . . ,” he lost his balance. Struggling to stay upright, he shifted his right foot off the small platform of rocks. The mud pulled at his right leg, throwing him farther off-balance. Still hanging on to Ella, her weight pitched him forward, and to escape falling on top of her, the good reverend dropped his hold on her and put his hands out to brace his fall. His hands hit the mud, sunk up to his elbows, and for one horrifying but hilarious moment, the minister was stretched over Ella like a croquet hoop while she floated, her white dress spread around her like a water lily. The crowd tried to suppress the giggles, but when Reverend Kane, with the only means available to him, pulled one arm out of the mud and pushed down on Ella’s stomach to get enough traction to pull the other arm out, the crowd erupted into
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