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Page 78
It was a long time before they settled themselves to sleep that night
because there was so much planning to be done, and then Elizabeth and her
husband had to get out their stores and cook a good supper for the two old
people who had been living mostly on corn meal mush, for several weeks.
And after the others were all asleep the old woman lay praying and
thanking God for the two angels who had dropped down to help them in their
distress.
The next morning George Benedict with one of the men who looked after
their camping outfit went to Malta and got in touch with the Chicago
doctor and hospital, and before he came back to the ranch that night
everything was arranged for the immediate start of the two old people He
had even planned for an automobile and the Malta doctor to be in
attendance in a couple of days to get the invalid to the station.
Meantime Elizabeth had been going over the old woman's wardrobe which was
scanty and coarse, and selecting garments from her own baggage that would
do for the journey.
The old woman looked glorified as she touched the delicate white garments
with their embroidery and ribbons:
"Oh, dear child! Why, I couldn't wear a thing like that on my old worn-out
body. Those look like angels' clothes." She put a work-worn finger on the
delicate tracery of embroidery and smoothed a pink satin ribbon bow.
But Elizabeth overruled her. It was nothing but a plain little garment
she had bought for the trip. If the friend thought it was pretty she was
glad, but nothing was too pretty for the woman who had taken her in in her
distress and tried to help her and keep her safe.
The invalid was thin with her illness, and it was found that she could
easily wear the girl's simple dress of dark blue with a white collar, and
little dark hat, and Elizabeth donned a khaki skirt and brown cap and
sweater herself and gladly arrayed her old friend in her own bridal
travelling gown for her journey. She had not brought a lot of things for
her journey because she did not want to be bothered, but she could easily
get more when she got to a large city, and what was money for but to cloth
the naked and feed the hungry? She rejoiced in her ability to help this
woman of the wilderness.
On the third day, garbed in Elizabeth's clothes, her husband fitted out
for the east in some of George Benedict's extra things, they started. They
carried a bag containing some necessary changes, and some wonderful toilet
accessories with silver monograms, enough to puzzle the most snobbish
nurse, also there was a luscious silk kimona of Elizabeth's in the bag.
The two old people were settled in the Benedict private car, and in due
time hitched on to the Chicago express and hurried on their way. Before
the younger pair went back to their pilgrimage they sent a series of
telegrams arranging for every detail of the journey for the old couple, so
that they would be met with cars and nurses and looked after most
carefully.
And the thanksgiving and praise of the old people seemed to follow them
like music as they rode happily on their way.
They paused at the little old school house where they had attended the
Christian Endeavor meeting, and Elizabeth looked half fearfully up the
road where her evil pursuers had ridden by, and rode closer to her
husband's side. So they passed on the way as nearly as Elizabeth could
remember every step back as she had come, telling her husband all the
details of the journey.
That night they camped in the little shelter where Benedict had come upon
the girl that first time they met, and under the clear stars that seemed
so near they knelt together and thanked God for His leading.
They went to the lonely cabin on the mountain, shut up and going to ruin
now, and Benedict gazing at the surroundings and then looking at the
delicate face of his lovely wife was reminded of a white flower he had
once seen growing out of the blackness down in a coal mine, pure and clean
without a smirch of soil.
They visited the seven graves in the wilderness, and standing reverently
beside the sand-blown mounds she told him much of her early life that she
had not told him before, and introduced him to her family, telling a bit
about each that would make him see the loveable side of them. And then
they planned for seven simple white stones to be set up, bearing words
from the book they both loved. Over the care worn mother was to be written
"Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you
rest."
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