Elizabeth! into the Light and Way Beyond!

Tom Mayer

Description

The story Elizabeth is about a four old girl who died and she has to find out why she remained behind. In the process she cannot travel beyond her home. Some of the people in her former life try to help her and some try to harm her. Owner after owner she endures until she meets a family. They take her in and through then she is able to go back home and into the light. Where she is finally home at last.

Sujets

• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 18 août 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665568296
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

ELIZABETH!
INTO THE LIGHT AND WAY BEYOND!
 
 
 
 
 
TOM MAYER
 
 
 
 

 
AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
Phone: [phone]
 
 
 
 
 
 
© 2022 Tom Mayer. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
Published by AuthorHouse  08/17/2022
 
ISBN: 978-1-6655-6830-2 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-6828-9 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-6829-6 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022915119
 
 
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1       Elizabeth—The Beginning
Chapter 2       Emilia Says Goodbye
Chapter 3       The New Owners
Chapter 4       Another New Owner
Chapter 5       Elizabeth Stands Up to the Devil
Chapter 6       Elizabeth’s Yard
Chapter 7       Thelma’s Family Moves In
Chapter 8       The New Maid
Chapter 9       The Baby Comes Home
Chapter 10     The Bridge
Chapter 11     Elizabeth Comes to Dinner
Chapter 12     Jimmy Comes to Visit
Chapter 13     Dan III and Thelma Call to Albereé
Chapter 14     A Day to Remember
Chapter 15     Dan II Arrives Home
Chapter 16     The Secret
Chapter 17     Elizabeth Gives Herself an Education
Chapter 18     Time Marches On
Chapter 19     Thelma Grows Up and Leaves
Chapter 20     Dan III’s Time Moves Forward
Chapter 21     Eloise’s and Elizabeth’s Time Together
Chapter 22     The Funerals
Chapter 23     Into the Light and Way Beyond
1
ELIZABETH—THE BEGINNING
I n Carson City on April 2, 1882, Emilia Cummings lay in bed expecting her first child. The three midwives brought in extra kerosene lamps. Emilia thought, Most people are lucky to have indoor plumbing or even indoor bathrooms. But for me, just to have a roof over my head and doors that lock is pl enty.
Midwife Amy said, “Don’t worry, dear. I’ve been doing this for years along with Denise and Maria here. You’re in good hands with us. How far apart are your pains?”
“They’re getting close to about three minutes.”
“Okay. It was good you got us here. It sounds like tonight’s going to be it. I’ll put out the other lamps so the room isn’t filled with fumes,” Amy said.
It was 8:00 p.m. The only sound was coming from the grandfather clock in the living room. The midwives waited. Emilia heard them breathing in anticipation.
“Where’s your husband?” Denise asked.
“He’s a cowboy at different ranches and stockyards. Jeff travels hundreds of miles to earn a good wage.”
Emilia would have felt better if Jeff had been at her side, but he was taking cattle to Kansas City and loading them up on Southern Pacific railcars. Denise knew that Jeff was nothing but a rough, tough, drunken cowboy. He usually spent his money on liquor and got in bar fights. She was once married to a man just like him, but he had run off.
Jeff was wanted for robbery by the Wichita police. She had heard the talk around town and hoped to change him, but that was just wishful thinking. Perhaps the baby might make him grow up and become a real man she thought. Her heart pounded with love for him, and even in her final hours of delivery, she would not give up hope for a better life.
At 11:00, Emilia’s breathing became labored and short. “It’s time!” she said barely able to talk. A midwife lit the other lamps while another held Emilia’s hand and whispered to her, “It’s going to be all right,” while Denise got her ready and in position.
“Okay, breathe, and start pushing when you feel it’s time, dear.” Denise said, and Emilia started to scream. “Now push! Keep pushing even if it hurts. Push even harder. I can see it coming! You’re almost there. Harder. It’s out!” Denise spanked the baby, and it started to cry. Emilia breathed a sigh of relief. Her bed was soaked in sweat and bloody. “It’s a girl!”
“Jeff wanted a boy, but God gave us a girl,” Emilia said. “He’ll be very happy. She’s beautiful! I love her! Looking at her, my heart jumps. I have no regrets bringing such a beautiful girl into this world. She’s darling,” she said lying back in bed.
“We’ll clean her up,” Maria said. “She’ll be with you shortly.”
They cleaned and wrapped the baby in fresh linens and handed her to Emilia. The baby suckled, and the two were soon asleep. The midwives stayed with them overnight to make sure mother and baby were out of any danger. It had not been an easy birth.
They knew Emilia was not a person of wealth; they were there out of the goodness of their hearts. For anyone else, the going rate was $5 for a delivery. They needed to make ends meet. In the morning, they said goodbye to Emilia and told her not to move around much so she would heal.
“Can you take this letter to the Western Union telegraph? It’s to Jeff. I want him to know that I had a baby girl,” Emilia said.
“What’re going to name her?” asked Amy and Maria.
“Elizabeth, after Jeff’s mother and sister.” Emilia smiled and reluctantly handed them some change. “Here’s forty-five cents.” She placed the dirty, old, worn-out coins in Denise’s hands embarrassed.
The midwives knew it was the only money she had. Emilia wished she could have paid them everything. Those old coins may as well have been a million dollars to Emilia. It was all the money she had. Denise said, “You know we’re not just midwives. You can count on us all as family.” They knew that Emilia was holding on by a thread moneywise.
Her cupboards were bare, and the icebox was empty and hot. The idea of Emilia alone with a baby in that house was too much for them to bear. They had used up the last of the lamp kerosene bringing Elizabeth into this world. Most of all, they knew this job was going to cost more than they’d ever make. It was one of those jobs that could not pay, and Emilia broke their hears into pieces when they looked at her dire circumstances. It was unbearable. They felt leaving her in her time of need was plain wrong.
The three midwives acted just like the three wise men who saw Jesus as a baby on the night of his birth. But there was no star of Bethlehem to guide them, just the generosity of their big hearts. The three talked; they knew no one who was in more-dire circumstances, and they knew she desperately needed their help though she had never asked them for anything beyond delivering Elizabeth. They decided to see what they could gather to help Emilia out. They gathered groceries and money from those who could afford it, and they got a few gallons of lamp oil donated. The people filled the gallon jugs a little from each house. Townsfolk went through their groceries and gave whatever extra they had stored up.
A wagon was also filled with firewood. The man who had cut it had died the previous spring, and it was sitting in his yard. He had been well known for his generosity, and the midwives were sure that he wouldn’t have objected. The times were tough for everyone, but the townspeople were bigger than those awful times. They were not going to allow Emilia to face this alone because turning a cold shoulder to those in need was unacceptable in their eyes.
That afternoon, the three along with a few friends knocked on Emilia’s door. There was no answer. Denise and Amy entered and saw mother and daughter fast asleep. They quietly unpacked the groceries and filled the cupboards. They brought in a large stack of diapers and baby pins and a block of ice. When everything was put away, they started tiptoeing out.
Emilia awoke. “Who’s there?”
The midwives and the others walked into her room. Denise said, “We brought you some groceries and ice, and we left about twenty dollars on the kitchen table.”
The townsfolk told Emilia that if there was anything else she needed, she should just ask. Everyone thought her baby was adorable.
Emilia sensed their kind, caring intentions, and blushed. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you all. I’ve never met such kind and caring people. I’ll never forget this!”
“You can help others when you’re able to,” Amy said. “That’s how you can pay us back. At one time or another, we were all in a predicament like yours. Emilia, you’re not ever alone. You got all of us beside you!”
They all left. Maria said, “Imagine that we work our tails off but pay her. We don’t have really anything for ourselves. The general store doesn’t take generosity checks for payment, does it? We better find another in the meantime. That way, we can get ourselves out of our own problems. I’m just glad we helped her.”
“That’s just who we are,” Amy said. “There are too many fake people in these parts who would have stolen her blind. We’re not like them. It’s better to have a big heart than to be sniveling, weaselly wretches. It seems lately that that’s what most of our customers have been. We must wait for them to cough up the dough even though they have it. They’d rather short us and buy a new dress.”
Denise said, “I’m glad we were there for her. Without us, mother and baby wouldn’t have made it. We can take pleasure in knowing we did something good for a good person who desperately needed us.”
About three days later, a messenger came with a letter from Jeff and a