Mama’s face pinched into a grimace again. An agonizing, guttural sound filled the room.
And then ...
Mama’s face relaxed into a smile. Her body lay limp.
Ellie counted.
Mama didn’t take a breath.
“Breathe,Mama.” The whisper choked its way out. In Ellie’s mind, she started counting again.
When she reached five hundred, everything stopped. The counting. The pleas.
The hope.
Everything inside her shattered. Never to be put back together again.
Why would God do this? Why would He take such a beautiful soul? How could God’s will be for those so faithful to Him to suffer so much?
She shook Mama’s thin hand. Nothing happened.
All color was gone from Mama’s face.
No writhing. No moaning. No wailing.
No grimace wrinkled her brow.
No life.
Nothing.
Ellie jerked her hand away.“No!”
AUGUST10, 1895—KALISPELL, MONTANA
“Owner of the flour mill.” Dad grinned and gripped Carter’s shoulder tight. “I’m proud of you, son.”
Carter Brunswick stood a little taller. He’d worked hard and saved his money for years to get to this day. It was perfect. And his twenty-first birthday to boot. “Thanks. I couldn’t have done it without the Lord and, of course, you and Mom.”
The smile that stretched across Dad’s face was broader than any he’d ever seen. “Let’s get on home. Your mother is preparing a celebration.”
“A celebration? She shouldn’t have gone to the trouble.” Even still, he allowed the excitement to build. If he were still a kid, he’d be skipping down the street.
“She wanted it to be a surprise, but you know me ... I have a hard time keeping secrets.” His father’s step had a definite bounce to it.
“I won’t tell her that you gave it away, but I need to make a stop first. I’ve asked Pastor Woody to pray over this new venture so I can dedicate the business to the Lord. Mom won’t mind, will she?” He stopped in the street. “I was hoping you would join me.”
“Your mother won’t mind one bit.” Dad’s jaw quivered for a moment as he pinched his lips together. “And I would be honored.”
They walked in silence to the church, and Carter took the time to calm his nerves. All the nervous energy he’d carried around the last few days was a jumbled mess inside of him. But now that the papers were signed, the flour mill was his—and the depth of what lay ahead was sinking in.
He would be responsible for the mill and its workings. A huge undertaking. Then there were all the employees. Their families would depend on him to make good decisions and keep the business growing. The town needed the flour, as did surrounding areas. One day he’d even branch out and send their delicious wheat flour across the country.
His shoulders dipped a bit under the weight of it all. Had he bitten off more than he could chew?
Dad and his partner—Fred—had started their wheat farms ten years ago. They’d even helped another man who’d been through hard times get the mill started because neither one of them could manage their farmsanda mill. But when the mill owner’s wife died, the mill went up for sale.
Carter fasted and prayed for three days and knew without a doubt that he was supposed to purchase the mill and run it.
