| II.7.077 |
|
There was a small building in the village which served as both the church and library. The
day after Carl met Helen, Elizabeth Bluemud was there discussing the affairs of the village
with the Sister, meaning mostly that Elizabeth was thinking out loud and instructing Helen
in various matters, particularly her plans for the schoolhouse to be built and equipped that
year. 'I am determined that it will be a model school, Helen. Our children will learn many things that their parents never had the opportunity to learn and they must have proper instruction books. Father will have to find them in a Collecting Center somewhere.' As Elizabeth made copious notes in an indelicate script with a fountain pen, the Sister loved to stand just behind her and watch her write. Elizabeth had fine, slim fingers and white skin quite unlike that of any other woman the Sister had ever seen. When it was warm she wore only a sleeveless open-necked blouse and pants and there were freckles on her arms. Her neck was bare because it was the fashion of her people to wear their hair short, contrasting greatly with that tangled mop to be usually found atop a woman of the Country Folk. Though she often lay on her cot at night in the little cottage she shared with Dora and the tree children thinking: 'what will that Devil's daughter concoct for me next? Whatever it is I must bear it bravely', when she was with Elizabeth the Sister was mostly overawed. And their work together made the Sister very happy so that at times she was almost in love with this girl of almost exactly the same age as she yet so unlike her and all the Country women in temperament and appearance. 'There' that's done! I think we can defer anything else, don't you, Helen? The men will be starting on the schoolhouse next week. You'll keep an eye on them won't you? Father will be up here next week too and I shouldn't like anything to happen. It'd be very unpleasant and he's sure to check.' Elizabeth bit the end of her pen thoughtfully. 'I hope he does come, though. There are several things we still have to clear up about the July 4th parade, if we're still having it, that is. And we might even get him to come for the service next Sunday.' She looked up at Helen directly and the gaze of her big brown eyes sent a little tingle down Helen's spine and made her blush. 'Do you still think of my Father as the Devil, Helen?' 'Oh, yes, Miss Elizabeth,' said Helen, without giving it a second thought. Elizabeth frowned and said earnestly, 'well, I don't see why you should. Let me tell you something that happened while I was away this winter. Though it's not pleasant, it might help you understand what is happening in the world and to your people. I hope you won't think the worse of me for it.' 'I'm sure I won't, Miss,' said Helen just as earnestly. Then Elizabeth struggled with her words and Helen felt embarrassed for her the more so because Elizabeth was not usually at a loss for words. 'It happened to a friend of mine. Her name is Angel. I'm trying to persuade father to let her come and stay here with me..., well, no that's not exactly true, I haven't mentioned it to him yet, but I'm going to... ' As Elizabeth told the story of the incident with the two boys, Helen felt flattered that she was being used as a confessor in this way, although she did not understand, if it was Angel who had been attacked why Elizabeth was confessing for her friend, especially if her friend was coming anyway and Helen would be very glad to speak to her herself. The story was full of men attacking women, men behaving badly, men giving up when things got difficult and so on, and none of this came as any great shock to Helen, who had always been aware that men behaved like that. 'They kill women and even children at the front,' finished Elizabeth. 'It's strange that I'd never thought of that before. I mean, Angel didn't even know that people like you existed and her father is the Secretary of State, but I did. Father told me a long time ago how the Country People were sent off to the War but somehow I just never imagined what it really meant. I still thought of War as being between men. It's terrible isn't it?' 'God loves those who die in His service fighting for the things He loves the best,' said Helen with determination. 'Women have just as much right to gain God's love as men.' This statement exasperated Elizabeth who said, 'Oh, Helen! Among my people none of the women go to the War to be killed.' 'That's because they are Devils,' said Helen simply. 'But they aren't, Helen! I know the daughters of several men who have been Pastors. They don't go and fight.' 'Pastors don't have daughters, Miss Elizabeth.' Then Elizabeth became a little angry which made Helen feel quite excited. 'I don't know how you can speak like that, Helen! Do you think I'm telling you lies? And I don't understand how you can speak so poorly of my father. I'm sure everybody doesn't. All those women and children, the men in the mine, even yourself, Helen, have been saved by him. If the stories I've heard are true, all of them would be dead by now along with the other people who went from Dentonsville. And why? It's such a useless thing, Helen. And thing of this: what happened to Angel would probably have happened to you too. My father has saved you from a fate worse than death!' 'It wasn't anything to do with him,' said Helen primly. 'It was you Miss Elizabeth, with God's help.' 'But I'm just like my father, Helen.' Helen considered for a moment. 'Oh, no, Miss Elizabeth, you can still be saved. I believe that.' 'Saved? How can any of us be saved? Those poor boys were our friends, Helen. You know despite the terrible things they must have done, Angel and I felt sorry for them. It's pathetic, isn't it? Is that how you think of me, Helen, pathetic?' 'Oh, no, Miss Elizabeth,' Helen spoke timidly, by now alarmed at Elizabeth's tone of voice. She sniffed. 'I'm sorry Helen.' Elizabeth got up from her desk and gave Helen a hug. 'I shouldn't shout like that. I do get carried away, don't I? I suppose my real problem has always been that I never thought of the Country Born folk as real people. Angel said that when I told her about you. She said, 'you speak of them as if they were things." Do I do that? I don't with you, Helen.' 'You're always very nice with me, Miss Elizabeth.' 'But you're used to dealing with Pastors aren't you? The other people always seem so afraid. Well, Muriel, for instance. She's like that. She'll never tell me anything. She's so officious yet I think she's really frightened of me. Why ARE we so different?' Elizabeth was exasperated again. 'I really don't understand it, however much Father tries to explain. How did it come about. Tell me some more about what it was like in Dentonsville.' This was how conversations between Helen and Elizabeth usually concluded. Elizabeth had asked this question many times and had always received an insufficient reply. 'It's just a little town in the forest, Miss Elizabeth.' 'Would you like to go back there?' 'The Pastor would be ashamed of me. I haven't done God's will.' 'One of these days I'm going to MAKE Father take me on one of his trips to find people. He won't let me go, you know.' But it was Helen's opinion that if the people of Dentonsville ever saw Miss Elizabeth they would be scared out of their wits and wouldn't know what to think at all. |
|
|
