The Fiery Ring (13 page)

Sister Hannah paused only to let her eyes sweep over the congregation and then plunged into her message. “Every one of you has read this story about a poor, sinful woman who had no hope until she met a man called Jesus at Jacob’s well.” She continued to speak about the setting of the story. She finally said, “Women had a hard time in those days, even harder than they have today in this country. They was almost like cattle. If a man wanted to divorce his wife, all he had to do was to say, ‘You’re divorced. Now get out.’ They had no rights, and the poor women of that day didn’t expect anything good to come to them. I expect this here woman was plumb surprised when Jesus spoke to her. That’s why she said, ‘How is it that thou, being a Jew, asketh drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?’ The first point of my sermon this morning is that Jesus found this woman
on purpose.
In verse four it says, ‘And he must needs go through Samaria.’ That means, beloved friends, He had to go that way. He could’ve gone half a dozen other ways, I reckon, but He knowed at that time of day, at that place, there would be a woman there who had to hear the Gospel. When He got there, verse six says Jesus was weary from his journey. Can you imagine that now? The Son of God weary! Does God ever get weary? No indeed, and in Isaiah 40:28 it says, ‘Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?’ But the Lord Jesus, He became a man, and He had come lookin’ for this woman on purpose.”

Sister Hannah’s eyes again swept the congregation, and Joy felt the power of them as they locked onto hers. Hannah’s
voice dropped, and almost in a whisper, she said, “Jesus is looking for
you.
”

Joy knew that this was meant for everyone, but it felt as if Sister Hannah had taken her by the shoulders and spoken only to her. She dropped her eyes, unable to endure the gaze of the older woman.

Sister Hannah continued, speaking about how God saw everybody. She quoted Scripture after Scripture, including Titus 3:5. “ ‘The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to
all
men.’ ” Sister Hannah waved her Bible around and said, “There ain’t no rich or poor, jest sinners.”

Finally Sister Hannah moved on to the second point of her sermon, saying, “And the second thing is this poor woman back in John four didn’t understand very much about what the Savior was sayin’. He told her she needed living water, but in verse eleven, the woman said, ‘Thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.’ You see what’s happenin’?”

Hannah thumped the Bible with her free hand. “
He
was talking about spiritual things, and all
she
could think of was physical things. Ain’t that just like us today? When God tries to come to our hearts, He wants to tell us about the glories of what He is and who He is and the glories of heaven—and all we can think about is how am I going to pay my bills? Who’s going to take care of my sick chil’uns? What am I goin’ to do with that boy of mine? Where am I goin’ to get money?”

Hannah leaned forward and said, “Jesus said in verse thirteen, ‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again.’ And what does that mean? It means that there ain’t nothin’ in this world that’ll satisfy a person except Jesus. But then in verse fifteen the woman said, ‘Give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.’ Don’t you see what she’s doin’? She’s still talkin’ about the water, the physical water in that well, and Jesus was tryin’ to save her soul.”

The sermon went on for a considerable time, and when Joy glanced at Chase, she saw he was listening intently. His
eyes were half closed in a fixed expression, but it didn’t look like he was missing a word.

“And then Jesus put His hand right smack dab on this woman’s problem! He told her to go call her husband. But in verse seventeen she says, ‘I have no husband.’ Well, that was true enough. Jesus said, ‘That’s right. You’ve had five husbands, and the man you’re livin’ with now, you ain’t married to him neither.’ You see what happened? Jesus knew the very thing in her life that was keepin’ her from bein’ saved. And I suspect every sinner in this house this mornin’ has got somethin’ that’s become so big you cain’t see over it. You cain’t hear God because of it. There’s something in your life that’s not worth havin’, and I want every one of you to ask yourself—what is it that’s keepin’ me from God?”

Joy immediately thought of her bitterness against God. She thought of how much she had loved her parents and her sister and how her heart had been broken when she lost them all on that terrible day. She recognized, as she always had, that her bitterness was wrong, but she couldn’t release it. She bowed her head and tried to shut out Sister Hannah’s words.

Sister Hannah preached for over an hour. The last part of her message was brief. “This woman, she got saved, and she couldn’t keep quiet about it. And her revival come to that whole part of her world because of what Jesus had done for her. And that’s what every Christian ought to be, a voice. John the Baptist, he said, ‘I’m just a voice crying in the wilderness, and I’m pointin’ at Jesus, and I’m sayin’ behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.’ ”

Sister Hannah paused and lifted both her hands, clutching her worn black Bible in one hand. She said, “I’m goin’ to ask everyone in this house today who don’t know Jesus to come and ask Him to save you.”

Joy knew what was coming. Brother Felix stood to lead the congregation in another song, and Joy heard the words she had heard in her own church: “Jesus is tenderly calling
today. . . .” Sister Hannah begged and pleaded, but no one went forward.

Finally a young girl, no more than eight or nine, went down to the front, and Sister Hannah talked with her, then put her hands on her and prayed loudly. She asked, “Are you saved, honey?” and when the girl spoke in a muffled voice, Sister Hannah threw her hands up and shouted, “Glory to God and the Lamb forever! Another sinner come into the kingdom!”

The service ended shortly after that, and Chase and Joy found it difficult to get out because so many people wanted to shake hands with them. The hands were hard with work, and the voices were earnest as they invited the two young people to come back. Joy murmured polite words in response, and finally, when the congregation had dispersed, she and Chase stepped out the door and walked over to the buggy. They waited for Sister Hannah as she stood outside shaking hands with the last few people, her voice carrying over the distance.

“Some sermon,” Chase murmured.

“Never heard anything like it. Have you?”

“Yes, I have.”

“You believe it, Chase?”

Chase Hardin turned, and his eyes were sad. “I believe it, but it’s got away from me, Joy. I’ve lost it somewhere along the line.”

Joy looked up. “So have I, Chase. So have I.”

****

That afternoon the sun was starting to angle to the west when Joy went outside to find Chase sitting beside Jake. His hand was on the big dog’s head, and she approached cautiously. When he looked up he said, “You can put your hand on him now. Just move slow and easy.”

Joy moved cautiously. The big dog eyed her as she approached, and she felt a moment’s fear. This huge dog with the sharp teeth and powerful jaws could do some serious
damage. Carefully and slowly, she put her hand out and ran it over the coat of the shepherd. “Good dog, Jake,” she said.

“He
is
a good dog,” Chase said.

“But he was so vicious. What did you do to him?”

“He just needed somebody to trust him. I don’t think he’s ever had that.”

“How did you do it? All I ever saw you do was just sit with him.”

“I talked to him. Animals don’t know many words, but they know the tone of a voice, and they sense it when people have confidence and trust in them.”

“He’s a beautiful animal.”

“Yes, he is.” Chase hesitated, and the two sat there quietly for a moment. Finally he remarked, “I used to work with animals in a circus, Joy.”

“Really! That must have been fun.” She expected him to say more, but he did not. Finally the silence grew uncomfortable, and Joy said, “I’ve got to get to Galveston, Chase.”

“To Galveston? What for?”

Joy hesitated and then began to tell him about Travis. She told him little of her problems, saying merely, “He’s gone in a steamer down to South America. He doesn’t know where I am, so I’ve got to be there when he comes back.”

“You two are pretty close, I take it.”

“He’s all I’ve got left, Chase, after . . .” It was hard for her to go on then, but she swallowed and said, “Well, I just need to be there is all.”

Chase wondered about Joy—why she had been riding the rails and where the rest of her family was, but he didn’t press her to say any more. “Well, I guess Galveston’s not all that far away.”

His words encouraged Joy. She studied him for a moment, then turned and said, “I’ve got to go start supper.” She leaned over and put her hand on the big dog’s head. “Good dog, Jake.”

Jake licked her hand, and she smiled and then looked at Chase. “You’ve done a good job.”

At that moment Sister Hannah came out and saw what had happened. “Well, I never!” she exclaimed. “What kinda spell you put on that there dog?”

“Come over here, Sister Hannah. You’ve got a new friend here.”

Joy smiled at Hannah’s surprise that she was able to pet the dog. The big woman could not get over it, and finally she laughed. “I got some sinners in this community I should put you onto, Chase. They’re as vicious as that dog was.”

“I think I can only work with animals. You’ll have to handle the people, Sister Hannah.” Chase smiled at her.

Joy went inside, and as she worked on the supper, she was surprised by a sensation of fear. She had been so occupied with helping Chase recover from his wounds that she had almost forgotten the circumstances under which she had left the Tatums. Now as Chase was recovering his health, it occurred to her that the law might be hot on her trail. As she cut potatoes into small chunks, she wondered if she was safe living here. She clasped her trembling hands together, and she almost burst out and asked God to help her, but the memory returned of the church service and how even there she had refused to let God come into her life. She continued with her work, resolving not to tell anyone about her feelings, nor the reason why she needed to leave as soon as possible.

****

That night at supper Chase ate heartily, and Sister Hannah said, “You’re a fine cook, Joy.”

“Thank you very much, Sister Hannah.”

“You look a little bit peaked. Don’t you feel well?” Sister Hannah inquired.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just . . . well, I’m afraid I’m going to have to leave soon.”

“Leave?” Hannah was taken aback. “Why would you do that?”

“Because of my brother. I need to go to Galveston.” She explained that her brother would be coming back on a ship and would have no way of finding her.

“Well, just write this address down. He can come here.”

“I don’t know if he’d have the money to get here, Sister. No, I’ll have to go.”

“Well, how will you get there? That’s a long way. All the way down to the big water.”

“I’ll have to hitchhike or ride the rails.”

Sister Hannah stared at her, then shook her head firmly. “No, I don’t want you to do that.”

“I don’t have a lot of choice, Sister Hannah.”

Hannah leaned forward and said firmly, “Jesus owns all the railroads and all the trucks and all the cars and all the horses too. If he wants you to go to Galveston, I think He can find you a ride.”

Joy smiled faintly. “That would be nice, but I’ll have to leave soon.”

Sister Hannah put her hands down flat on the table. “Well, I’m glad you told me about it. I’ll pray about it. Say, I’ve been wondering—how old are you, child?”

“I’ll be seventeen in two days.”

“Is that right! I thought you were a mite older. Well, we’ll have to give you a party.”

“Don’t bother. I don’t make much of birthdays.” Hannah exchanged a glance with Chase, who shook his head slightly, and they wondered about what a strange girl this was. Hannah shook her head and said, “Well, I’d better get to prayin’ if I have to git you to Galveston . . ..”

****

When Joy awakened two days later the first thought that entered her mind was,
It’s my birthday,
and the second was the memory of her parents and sister who had died one year
ago. She got out of bed, forcing the dreadful thought out of her mind, washed her face in the basin at the washstand, then dressed and went downstairs to fix breakfast. She found Hannah already there and was greeted with a cheerful, “Happy birthday, child!”

“Thank you, Hannah.”

“How does it feel to be seventeen?”

“Just like it felt to be sixteen.”

“Well, I’m makin’ you a cake, and we’re gonna have a birthday celebration whether you like it or not.”

“I wish you wouldn’t.”

“Don’t be foolish. It’ll give me an excuse for bakin’ a beautiful cake.”

****

Sister Hannah did indeed make a beautiful cake. It had white icing with pink roses, and she put one big candle in the middle. She brought it to the table after supper that night and said, “Well, I couldn’t find seventeen candles, but you can blow this one out.”

“It’s a beautiful cake,” Joy smiled. She leaned forward, and Chase said quickly, “Make a wish.”

Joy nodded, then blew the candle out.

“What’d you wish for?” Chase demanded.

“Oh, that I could get to Galveston.”

“Well, I don’t have no doubts about that, but right now it’s birthday time.” Hannah opened the door to the cabinet and brought out a package wrapped in red paper. “Happy birthday, Joy.”

Taking the package, Joy could not speak for a moment. “I wish you hadn’t done this. I wasn’t expecting anything.”

“Well, you got a surprise, then. Open it up.”

Joy took the paper off, opened the box, and stared at the gift, unable to speak.

“What is it, Joy?” Chase said, leaning forward.

“It’s . . . it’s a comb and brush.” She put the box down on
the table, took the comb and brush out, and examined them. “They’re beautiful,” she whispered.