Will pulled out his Bible and looked again at the sixth chapter of Micah.
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORDrequire of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Will let the words settle in his mind. Micah was a book of both tragedy and hope. The writer was a prophet filled with the Spirit of God, sent to speak out against the sins and false teachings of the day. He spoke this verse to make clear that God had showed them what was good and what He was asking of His people. Was this what God was also requiring of Will?
If Laura’s father and his men were responsible for killing the people on the stagecoach, then he could hardly blame the Indians. But even if the Indians had done the horrible deed, they still needed forgiveness, and they needed to hear the Gospel message.
However, Will also wanted justice for his mother and sister. Maybe that was why Will hadn’t received a position for ministering on a reservation. Maybe Will first needed to settle the matter of what happened during the stagecoach attack.
Another section of verse came to mind, and Will flipped over several books to Matthew twenty-two. Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees and Sadducees were trying to ensnare Him with questions. They were hoping Jesus would answerin such a way that they could condemn Him, but Jesus was more than able to handle them. Then came the question from a lawyer. He wanted to know which was the greatest commandment.
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
The two passages were in complete agreement. After all, how could one do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God without adhering to the commands Jesus said were greatest? To love God with one’s all, a person would have to walk with Him humbly, do justly, and love mercy. And to love a neighbor as one’s self, a person would have to do justly and, again, love mercy. There was no contradiction, and the words settled on Will like a warm blanket. An encouragement to move forward in confidence that God was truly in control, and that despite the complications and disappointments Will had been made to face, his calling had not been altered.
But Mr. Blevins assigned the work to someone else.
He supposed there would be other opportunities ... locations. People came and went from jobs all the time. If God truly wanted Will in a position of ministering to the Indians, He would make a way.
Will got up and went to the window. It was barely dawn. He heaved a heavy sigh. “Lord, I don’t know what You have planned for me. I used to think it was all so simple, and now here I am.”
Laura came to mind. He cared for her. In fact, he was confident that he’d lost his heart to her. She was quite an incredible woman, and in more than one way, she was the perfect woman for him.
Still, could he completely love someone whose father had been responsible for the deaths of his own mother and sister? As the years went by, would he fault her or hold it against her? He didn’t want to be the kind of person who would make someone responsible for something via their association with the guilty party.
Then, too, there was his concern of losing her as he had the others he cared for. Was it better to guard his heart against love and admire her from afar? If he didn’t allow himself to love her or anyone else, then he’d never again have to bear the pain he had endured over his lost family.
But I already love her. Trying to stop now would be like trying to stop breathing.He saw the sun edge up above the horizon.
Lastly, there was the complication of serving amongst the Indians. Would Laura have any interest in such a thing? It would be important that she also feel called to such a life-changing task. If he took her for a wife and she despised the ministry, Will would be stuck in a bad place.
“Father, I am trying so hard to understand and do what You have called me to do. I hadn’t figured to take a wife, at least not right away, but if Laura is the one, please show me. Help me to see the truth of this entire situation. Let the truth be known, Lord, in every way.”
At nine o’clock in the morning, Edward showed up just as they’d agreed. He and Will made their way to the jail, where they planned to meet with the city marshal and sheriff.Once they were assembled, Edward and Will explained all they knew.
“It seems to me,” the city marshal finally said, “that the best hope we have of getting Evans as the responsible party would be if we could get one of his men to turn against him. Maybe one of the men who was involved in the stagecoach attack, if they indeed were the ones to do the job.”
Will shook his head. “No one really seems to know who his men are. In all the time I stayed with them, I didn’t see anyone but his household staff. He doesn’t usually hold his meetings at home. Even his daughter hasn’t met the men who work for him, except for that Gus Snyder.”
“You ever hear of this guy, Vogel?” the sheriff asked.
“No, I can’t say that I have. He hasn’t been in trouble with the law. That’s for sure.”
“I’m not familiar with him either,” the marshal threw in.
“Without knowing who his men are, it’s going to be hard to get anyone to betray him.” The sheriff seemed to consider this a moment. “What about his business associates and clerks at the store?”
“Could be someone there might know something, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Evans is a very private individual. Between what I’ve observed and what Laura has told me, he seems to limit who knows about his business,” Will replied. “Besides, it seems to me that since suspicions haven’t come up before now, Evans’s men must be extremely loyal. It’s going to be hard to get anybody to talk.”
“I agree, but what other choice do we have?” the sheriff asked.
“I might have an idea,” Will said. “Granite Evans offered me a position. I don’t know what he has in mind, but maybe if I convinced him that I was loyal and trustworthy, he’d hireme on to do some of his underhanded tasks. Then maybe I could stop whatever he has planned.”
“What if we also convinced him that you were going to be working with the new governor?” the city marshal said. “Then Evans might see you as his inside man to Campbell. Maybe you could be his secretary or perhaps just his escort to Wyoming.”
“As I said earlier, I know John Campell. We grew up together and went to war together. I’m sure he would cooperate with us and use me in whatever capacity will help.”
“But would Evans trust you in a plot to kill Campbell if he knows you two are friends?” the marshal asked.
