“I’ll never forget her reply. She said, ‘Oh, thank you! Thank you, Sweet Jesus!’ Then she pointed at me and said, ‘You, sir, are an answer to our prayers!’”

  “They had been part of the Underground Railroad, helping slaves escape to the North. During the war, the station they delivered to was destroyed. They no longer had a way of sending the slaves on. She asked me to deliver them further down the line. My boat was usually empty on the way back, so I finally agreed. ”

  “That first time, it was three young boys, including the one I met in the cave. After that there were many others. I would pull up to the rocks and whistle like a hoot owl and wait. I would do it three times. If no one joined me, I would leave. But usually, there would be three or four figures come creeping out of the darkness. I never knew if they were slaves needing help to escape or if they were the enemy.”

  “Oh, Papa,” gasped Kelly. “What if you had been caught?”

  Papa smiled. “I asked myself that question every time. Every single time. And many times in between. I prayed a lot. And I drew closer to Jesus than I had ever been. I had some close calls. One time— but wait, you want to know about your mama.”

  Kelly leaned forward, afraid she’d miss a word.

  “That older lady was your grandmother. I saw her only one time after that. She told me she had only two sons. They both went north to fight. They were killed in the same battle. One of those brave boys was your father, Kelly. He gave his life, so others could go free. He was a brave and noble man.”

  “Oh, Papa,” cried Kelly. “How awful! Oh, how awful and sad.”

  “Do you want me to tell you the rest another day, Kelly?”

  “No, Papa. Please, continue. What happened to my mama?” Kelly sat on the floor in front of Papa like she used to when she was a little girl.

  Papa laid his hand on her shoulder as he continued. “Your grandmother said your grandfather felt that he had to go fight for the North after they got the death message of their two sons. She said she and her dear daughter-in-law were alone with a few very loyal black servants and a baby. That baby was you, Kelly.”

  Papa stroked her hair as he said that. “Your grandmother said they kept you hidden. They didn’t want the neighbors to know of your birth. She said, ‘Some of our dearest neighbors have become our worst enemies.’”

  “I tried my best to talk her into getting you and your mother and coming north with us until after things settled down. But she said, ‘The slaves keep coming for help. We need to help them as long as we can.’ I warned them that their lives were in danger. Before I left, she made me promise, if anything happened to her or your mother, I would take you as my own child. It was a promise I did not make lightly.”

  “Several weeks later, an older black lady slipped into my boat. Her arms were very full. She handed me her bundle and said, ‘This is your daughter. Everyone else is gone. Take me to the drop off point.’ In the dim moonlight, I could see tears sliding down her cheeks.”

  Kelly swiped at her own tears as she looked at the kind eyes of the man she’d always called her papa.

  Papa cupped her face with his big, gentle hands and wiped the tears with his thumbs. But no matter how hard she tried, Kelly could not make the tears stop falling.

  “That was the most beautiful and precious gift. There was just one gift that I ever received that was better. That was when God sent His Son, and Jesus died for me. You are the most precious thing in the world to me after that, Kelly. Don’t ever doubt that.”

  “But why?” Kelly almost couldn’t get the words out. “Why didn’t Mama leave when she had the chance?”

  “Ah, Sweetheart,” Papa gathered Kelly into his arms as he used to. “Your mama loved you. Don’t ever think otherwise. Your mama also cared about the people that came to them for help. She saw them as people, not slaves. Many were hurt. Most of them were running for their lives. Your mama’s and grandma’s hearts were so big, they couldn’t not help them.”

  Kelly felt as if her own heart were breaking for the dear mama she would never know, for the soldier that had been her father, the grandma that had risked her life for others, and for the grandpa and uncle. Kelly grieved for the family she never knew.

  She leaned her head against Papa and wept. Papa slowly set the rocking chair in motion and began to sing dear and familiar hymns. “Amazing grace, How sweet the sound . . . ”

  Kelly woke with a start at the first crash of thunder. She sat up feeling bewildered. She was in her own bed. Her face felt stiff, as if she had been crying. She tugged at the soft, but heavy, material wrapped around her shoulder. As lightning flashed, she recognized the baby quilt Papa said had been wrapped around her.

  With the next crash of thunder, the memories of the evening before came crashing back, too. Kelly flopped back on the bed. What now?

  “Kelly!” Papa’s voice was low, but urgent.

  Suddenly, Kelly heard someone at the door. She quickly flew from her bed and met Papa at her bedroom door. “Papa, someone’s at the door!”

  Papa caught her in a quick hug. “I know Kelly-girl. I know who they are. They are dangerous men. I need to go with them. I’m going to blow out the light. You follow me to the door, but stay down lower than the windows. Lock the door behind me.”

  “But, Papa—”

  “Please, do as I say, Kelly. Then go back to bed. If I’m not here in the morning, go tell Tom and Mary. Promise me, Kelly.”

  Kelly nodded her agreement.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The Ring

  KELLY CRAWLED BACK INTO BED and pulled the covers tightly around her shoulders. She was almost afraid to move, afraid the dangerous men would come back and hear her moving around.

  As lightning lit up the room, Kelly noticed the baby quilt, and she hugged it tightly to herself as the thunder crashed again. It was a fierce storm. As long as Kelly could remember, whenever there was a bad storm, she and Papa would wait it out together in the living room.

  But now Papa was outside in the storm with those awful men, and Kelly was afraid to leave her bed. She prayed for Papa’s safety. Kelly’s thoughts went back to the evening before. Papa had finally told her about Mama, but now as Kelly hugged the quilt closer to herself, she wished Papa had never told her. Now she felt so alone.

  Papa had told her repeatedly she would never be alone because she had Jesus by her side. Kelly closed her eyes to pray, but no words came. Only tears.

  Kelly woke up suddenly. The sun was shining brightly through her thin curtains. Suddenly, everything came back in a rush. Mama. The dangerous men. Papa’s leaving.

  Kelly jumped from her bed and ran out to the living room. “Papa!” she called, anxiously. Frantically, she hurried to the kitchen, then his bedroom, still calling. His bed had not been slept in, which wasn’t unusual.

  Still in stocking feet, Kelly raced through the shed that connected the house to the lighthouse. She never slowed down, not even when she hit the stairs. Anxiety caused her to become breathless before she was even halfway up the lighthouse stairs. Still she ran.

  Reaching the top, Kelly scanned the room, dashing around the light, calling for Papa. Finally, she sunk onto Papa’s cot and moaned in defeat. Papa was not there. Sobs racked her body.

  Then Kelly remembered Papa’s field glass! Quickly wiping her tears, she lifted the heavy field glass. She made a quick scan of the ocean. The waves were still white-capped and high. After her quick scan, she slowed down and studied the ocean carefully. She could not even see any fishing boats.

  Kelly walked around the circular room slowly. When she could see the mainland, she studied the small fishing village of Stone Haven. She could see activity on the docks, but no one was leaving the harbor.

  Kelly sighed as she surveyed the room once more. The light was out and had probably been for quite some time. Everything looked to be in order, as Papa usually kept it.

  Kelly remembered the boats. Grabbing up the glass again, she looked down to the shore. There, bobbing on the high waves, was the sloop Papa had used yesterday. Tied far enough away that they couldn’t hit each other rocked the smaller boat. So Papa left with those men last night and had not returned. As Kelly lowered the field glass, Buttercup, the milk cow, came into her line of vision.

  The chores! Kelly hurried back down the long flight of stairs. When she reached the bottom, Kelly remembered she was not wearing shoes. She looked down and discovered she was still wearing the new dress that she’d gotten for her birthday yesterday. The burgundy dress was wrinkled and dirty. She would have to change before she took care of the animals.

  Kelly hurried through the chores, wondering if it was too dangerous to take the small sloop on the water. She didn’t trust herself with the larger one, not with the high waves. Kelly picked up the basket of eggs and one pail of milk. Seeing Tulip approach the other pail brimming with milk, Kelly set down the basket of eggs. “Scat, Tulip!” Kelly scolded the cat. “You’ve had your share.” She’d come back for the eggs.

  Later, Kelly walked down to the dock. Long before she reached the boats, she could see it was too dangerous to go on the water. Kelly sighed and turned back to the house. With the high winds, she’d be lucky if she could go tomorrow. Where, oh where, was Papa?

  Kelly filled two pails with oil and took them up to the light. There was no way she could carry the heavy containers Papa used. On the first trip, she filled the lamp. Eventually, she had enough oil up there to last through the night and the extra containers Papa always filled. She had also trimmed the wick and cleaned the lens and all the windows. Kelly surveyed the room once more to make sure everything was in order and sparkling the way Papa always kept it. She took up the field glass again and searched carefully. But there was no sign of Papa.

  Coming back into the kitchen, Kelly remembered she hadn’t eaten anything yet. She felt too restless to sit and eat, so she ate her lunch while straightening the house. She picked up the baby quilt. A Mariner’s Star, Mary had said. Did her mama make it? Kelly had so many questions about her mama, now more than ever.

  As Kelly fingered the edge of the quilt, she felt something hard. She hurriedly carried the quilt out to the kitchen where the light was better. As she inspected the quilt, she realized the stitches on that corner did not match the others. They were bigger and sloppier.

  Kelly fingered the hard object again. Without hesitation, she grabbed her small scissors and snipped the larger stitches. As soon as a finger fit inside, she dug around. Whatever it was, it was in a little square of the quilt. She had to snip some more stitches so she could get her thumb inside, too. Kelly eagerly pulled the wool batting out until she could get a hold of the object. It seemed to be round. Finally, it came loose, and Kelly had it in her hand.

  A ring! Kelly plucked away the remaining fluff and hurried to the window. The small center jewel sparkled purple, while the two tiny stones on either side sparkled a rainbow of colors. Kelly gasped at the sheer beauty of it. The band itself was gold in color. Kelly instinctively knew the jewels were real.

  What if those men came back? Kelly clutched the ring in her hand and moved away from the window. She hurried and locked the door. She’d left the door to the barn unlocked! The barn was connected to the lighthouse, which was connected to the house. It was designed this way, so no one would need to go outside in foul weather. Kelly ran to lock the barn door. But the ring! What could she do with the ring? She couldn’t take it with her. Kelly looked around frantically. Where could she hide it? She ran to her bedroom. There! Her sock drawer! She hid the ring in one of her socks and tucked it in a back corner.

  Kelly ran back to the barn. She stopped and looked at Buttercup and Iris, the wild pony she and Papa had tamed. They were grazing peacefully, unmindful of the wind and Kelly’s fearful, beating heart.

  The chickens had not ventured out in the wind, but she could not lock Buttercup and Iris outside. She would need to be satisfied to lock the door between the barn and the lighthouse.

  Back at the house, Kelly decided the safest place for the ring was inside the quilt where it had probably been for fourteen years. She carefully tucked it back inside and tried to match the neat stitches.

  Now where could she hide the quilt? She hid it in the basement when she went to get last night’s milk to start cheese. Then when she went to do the evening chores, she hid it in the back of her closet.

  Kelly was glad Papa had taught her how to tend the light. She took the quilt along up and hid it under the mattress of the cot. Before she laid down to rest, she removed the quilt and hugged it firmly to her chest.

  She slept fitfully in between tending the light. Morning finally dawned, and Papa had still not returned. But the wind had died down during the night.

  After chores, Kelly took the eggs and the baby quilt and hurried down to the small boat. She carefully tucked the canvas-wrapped quilt into a closed compartment and locked it. Once at Stone Haven, Kelly contemplated taking the quilt along or leaving it on the boat. In the end, she took only the eggs.

  Kelly hurried to Tom & Mary’s General Store. After setting the eggs on the counter, Kelly told them everything that had happened, except her finding the ring.

  After many questions, Tom left to organize a search party. Kelly turned to leave, feeling more hopeless than ever.

  Mary hugged her. “Just stay here with us, until your papa returns.”

  “I can’t,” said Kelly. “No one else knows how to tend the light.”

  “I’ll go back with you.” Kelly turned in surprise to look at Granny. Granny continued, “I promised yo’ papa I would look out for you. I promised yo’ mama, too.”

  “You knew my mama?” asked Kelly, in shock.

  “I knew yo’ mama from the mornin’ she was born until the evenin’ she died.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Granny

  QUESTIONS WERE BURNING IN KELLY’S mind, but she refrained from asking them. If Granny would go home with her, she could ask then. But how did she know Mama? The Mama neither she nor Papa had ever met.

  “Hi, Kelly!” Becky burst from behind the curtain dividing the store and their living quarters.

  “Oh, Becky!” Upon seeing her best friend, Kelly burst into tears. “Papa left with some bad men during the storm. He hasn’t come back yet!”

  “There! There! Honey-child!” Granny’s voice was as soothing as the arms that pulled Kelly close. “Jesus knows exactly where yo’ papa is at.”

  “Oh, Granny! I prayed and prayed.” Kelly tried to stop crying.

  “And Jesus heard every word,” Granny assured her.

  “And we’ll all pray, too,” said Tom. Kelly hadn’t heard him return. The dozen or so men behind him nodded.

  “And our wives will, too,” added Sheriff Morley. “I wondered if there is anything else you can tell us before we start. Did your papa ever talk about these men? Do you know how many there were?”

  Kelly was unable to give them any more information. The men left, promising to send word as soon as they found anything.

  Kelly went with Granny to her house to gather some things. Granny sent Kelly to the garden to gather all the produce she could find. “But we have plenty of food . . .” Kelly began.

  “Might as well not let it go to waste,” interrupted Granny.

  Kelly was amazed at the large selection of vegetables Granny still had in her garden. She filled three baskets, and there were still squash and pumpkins to pick. She picked up the two smaller baskets and started for the house. To her surprise, Becky met her on the back porch.

  “I came to help you,” she said, holding out some more empty baskets.

  “Come,” said Becky, about fifteen minutes later. “Let’s go get two carts. It’ll be easier to take all this to the boat that way.”

  As they passed the school house, Kelly asked, “Why aren’t you in school today?”

  Becky grinned. “Mama said I can go home with you and spend the night.”

  Kelly threw her arms around Becky. “I’m so glad!” she whispered. “I was so scared.”

  After loading the small boat, Kelly couldn’t keep from worrying even more. What did Granny suspect, and why did she pack so much to take along? It was much more than she could possibly use in two days.

  “I thought we might as well can my veggies while we’re there,” said Granny, as if reading Kelly’s thoughts. But Kelly was sure Granny wouldn’t need her Sunday dress to can vegetables.

  When they reached the island, Granny bustled around, starting supper, while directing the girls where to go with the things she had brought.

  By the time they were finished, both girls were tired and flopped on the sofa. Granny brought them a glass of cold milk and a cookie. “Do you want to do the chores before supper time?” she asked.

  “The chores! I almost forgot!” Kelly jumped to her feet.

  “It’s not that late yet,” said Granny. “Go ahead and rest awhile. Supper’s not ready yet, anyway.”

  Doing chores with Becky was usually fun, but tonight, Kelly’s mind was not on chores. “Do you suppose they found Papa yet?” Kelly finally asked the question foremost on her mind as they walked into the kitchen with the milk and eggs.

  “Kelly-honey,” said Granny, using the name she used when Kelly was small. “They’ll let us know as soon as they have any information. Come, let’s eat.”

  Before they ate, Granny said a prayer out loud, adding, “And Sweet Jesus, please, do not let those horrible men harm Kelly’s dear papa. Please, send someone to rescue him, like You sent Kelly’s papa to my rescue, when those same awful men had me—”

  “Granny!” Kelly exclaimed, forgetting they were in the midst of saying grace.

 

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