Lord’s done it!”
“I’d not be so quick to blame everything on the good Lord!” Mac snapped sharply. He shook his head dolefully. “These acting fellers—they’ve got no more morals than an alley cat. You can’t go runnin’ around the country with the likes of them!”
Laurie’s eyes glowed, and she took his arms firmly. “But I’ll have a chaperon to look out for me, Mac. He’ll see that I’m all right.”
“And who might that be?” the old man asked, rubbing his tired eyes.
“You!” Laurie laughed with delight at the shocked expression on the Irishman’s face. “You’re dying of boredom here, Mac—and Mr. Cody wants you to come with the show. He needs a good man to take care of the horses, and I told him you’re the best there is! Oh, Mac, you’ve got to do it!”
Michael McGonigal was confused. He hated his job, and he loved this young woman as a man loves a daughter. Ever since the first day she had ridden up the lane at Wilson College, she had been the light of his life—and now it seemed that his sun was about to die. He thought of what it would be like to be rid of the stables and to travel with other horsemen—and to be close to Laurie.
He suddenly rubbed his eyes fiercely, muttering, “Got some sleep in me eyes, I reckon—” He turned his back and stared at the wall, then cleared his throat. Finally he faced Laurie and gave her a beautiful smile.
“Well, now, Laurie—I reckon the good Lord is about to give both of us the desires of our hearts! Ain’t it a wonder, now? Ain’t it grand to be a child of the great King?”
Then she fell into his arms, and the two did a happy little dance on the wooden floor. The horse in the stall outside poked his head over the wall and stared toward them wild-eyed, wondering what it all meant.
This was the beginning for Laurie—a new life such as she’dnever dreamed. Over the next few months, both Laurie and McGonigal were kept busy learning new skills. But whenever Laurie seemed to face a new challenge, her Irish friend was always there with firm support and good advice.
McGonigal’s firm conviction that the Lord always had a hand on all things slowly began to have an effect on Laurie. As she settled into her routine, the years of godly advice that had soaked into her from childhood surfaced. When trials or temptations came, she seemed almost to hear the voice of her father or her mother reading scripture, and she grew to love the Bible in a fresh way.
Laurie had always longed to hear from God in a personal way—such as she had seen in her parent’s lives—and as times passed, she spent all her spare hours reading the well-worn Bible her mother had given her that last day.
With the passing of time, a new peace and sense of the presence of God came to rule over her spirit. And it was McGonigal who noticed her new walk with God and summed it up:
“You’ve grown up in the Lord, Laurie—now we’ll see what God has in store for you!”
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Way of a Woman
The best time of the day for Hope Winslow was the early cobwebby hours of the morning—the time when the sun began to light the east, shedding the darkness of the plains. She lay in bed enjoying the coolness, knowing the heat would soon come. As the bedroom began to grow lighter, she turned her head and watched Dan sleep. He always slept on his back and was one of the few people she knew who didn’t snore in that position. Lying on her side, she traced his strong features as the light illuminated them. Cautiously she reached over and smoothed the black hair where it had fallen over his forehead, smiling as she thought how much he looked like a little boy as he slept. He always folded his hands over his chest, and she noticed that he was smiling a little, his features relaxed. She liked the way he slept, and now, as the morning dawned, she leaned over and whispered, “Wake up.”
Dan Winslow did not come awake like most people—slowly, a little at a time. At
“I’d not be so quick to blame everything on the good Lord!” Mac snapped sharply. He shook his head dolefully. “These acting fellers—they’ve got no more morals than an alley cat. You can’t go runnin’ around the country with the likes of them!”
Laurie’s eyes glowed, and she took his arms firmly. “But I’ll have a chaperon to look out for me, Mac. He’ll see that I’m all right.”
“And who might that be?” the old man asked, rubbing his tired eyes.
“You!” Laurie laughed with delight at the shocked expression on the Irishman’s face. “You’re dying of boredom here, Mac—and Mr. Cody wants you to come with the show. He needs a good man to take care of the horses, and I told him you’re the best there is! Oh, Mac, you’ve got to do it!”
Michael McGonigal was confused. He hated his job, and he loved this young woman as a man loves a daughter. Ever since the first day she had ridden up the lane at Wilson College, she had been the light of his life—and now it seemed that his sun was about to die. He thought of what it would be like to be rid of the stables and to travel with other horsemen—and to be close to Laurie.
He suddenly rubbed his eyes fiercely, muttering, “Got some sleep in me eyes, I reckon—” He turned his back and stared at the wall, then cleared his throat. Finally he faced Laurie and gave her a beautiful smile.
“Well, now, Laurie—I reckon the good Lord is about to give both of us the desires of our hearts! Ain’t it a wonder, now? Ain’t it grand to be a child of the great King?”
Then she fell into his arms, and the two did a happy little dance on the wooden floor. The horse in the stall outside poked his head over the wall and stared toward them wild-eyed, wondering what it all meant.
This was the beginning for Laurie—a new life such as she’dnever dreamed. Over the next few months, both Laurie and McGonigal were kept busy learning new skills. But whenever Laurie seemed to face a new challenge, her Irish friend was always there with firm support and good advice.
McGonigal’s firm conviction that the Lord always had a hand on all things slowly began to have an effect on Laurie. As she settled into her routine, the years of godly advice that had soaked into her from childhood surfaced. When trials or temptations came, she seemed almost to hear the voice of her father or her mother reading scripture, and she grew to love the Bible in a fresh way.
Laurie had always longed to hear from God in a personal way—such as she had seen in her parent’s lives—and as times passed, she spent all her spare hours reading the well-worn Bible her mother had given her that last day.
With the passing of time, a new peace and sense of the presence of God came to rule over her spirit. And it was McGonigal who noticed her new walk with God and summed it up:
“You’ve grown up in the Lord, Laurie—now we’ll see what God has in store for you!”
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Way of a Woman
The best time of the day for Hope Winslow was the early cobwebby hours of the morning—the time when the sun began to light the east, shedding the darkness of the plains. She lay in bed enjoying the coolness, knowing the heat would soon come. As the bedroom began to grow lighter, she turned her head and watched Dan sleep. He always slept on his back and was one of the few people she knew who didn’t snore in that position. Lying on her side, she traced his strong features as the light illuminated them. Cautiously she reached over and smoothed the black hair where it had fallen over his forehead, smiling as she thought how much he looked like a little boy as he slept. He always folded his hands over his chest, and she noticed that he was smiling a little, his features relaxed. She liked the way he slept, and now, as the morning dawned, she leaned over and whispered, “Wake up.”
Dan Winslow did not come awake like most people—slowly, a little at a time. At
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