The Iron Wagon (8 page)

Dr. Carroll’s face assumed a gracious look, and he gestured toward two wooden chairs that faced his desk. “Please, both of you, sit down.”

As Dr. Carroll returned to his desk chair, Breanna and Dr. Gifford eased onto the chairs.

“Breanna, what I’m about to tell you struck my mind while I was examining your back. I was about to tell you of it.”

Her eyes widened a bit. “Something good?”

“For
you
, yes. You know my secretary, Maybelle Nelson.”

Breanna nodded. “Of course.”

“Well, just this morning Maybelle told me that she and her husband are moving to St. Louis, Missouri, immediately because of his job. His company’s head office is in St. Louis, and her husband has been given a promotion that will demand he begin working in the St. Louis office as soon as possible.”

Breanna’s eyes were fixed on the chief administrator as she waited for his next words.

“Since the secretarial job in my office is now open, if you’ll take the job, Breanna, I know you can handle doing paperwork for the hospital. And this way, you’ll be able to do most of your work sitting down.”

With a touch of sadness in her heart because of her body’s reaction to working that day as a surgical nurse, Breanna smiled. “Yes, Matt, I will take the secretarial job. As Dr. Gifford said, at least I’ll still be in the medical field.”

Dr. Carroll could read the touch of sadness in Breanna’s blue eyes. “Tell you what. Even though you will be my secretary, I’ll still use you at times as a nurse, even to help with brief, simple surgeries and emergencies.”

This brought a genuine smile to Breanna’s lips. “Oh yes! Thank you, Matt! Thank you!”

Dr. Carroll rubbed his chin with a forefinger. “Because at times you will be doing nurse’s work, I want you to wear your white nurse’s uniform to work every day and keep a white cap here in the office too.”

Breanna’s face lit up. “Yes sir!”

Late that afternoon, Annabeth went by Dr. Carroll’s office to tell Breanna she was ready to take her home. They walked outside to the parking lot. “How was your first day back?” Annabeth asked.

When Annabeth heard what had happened to Breanna while she was working with Dr. Gifford on the two surgeries, she told her friend how sorry she was. Then Breanna told her of
the chief administrator’s job offer to her as his secretary, yet with the promise to also allow her to do some occasional nursing work. Annabeth expressed the joy she felt for Breanna.

The same joy was shared later at suppertime when John and the children heard the story. As the Brockman family was eating, Breanna smiled bravely at her husband and children. “I can’t say that I’m not disappointed with the secretary job, because surgical work is my first love. But in His wisdom, the Lord does not want me in heavy surgical duty right now, and He has given me peace that one day He will allow me to return to it. But for now, He has another place in the medical field for me. As it says in Hebrews 13:5, I must be content with such things as I have.”

A proud smile flitted across John’s handsome face as he looked at his wife. “I know you can handle it, sweetheart. You’ll do great as Matt’s secretary and part-time nurse.”

“You sure will, Mama!” said Meggie.

Paul and Ginny quickly spoke their happy agreement.

On Wednesday morning, November 14, the Bank of the Rockies was robbed by four men. As they left the bank carrying bags of cash, they were suddenly faced with chief U.S. marshal John Brockman and five of his deputies, including deputy U.S. marshal Whip Langford.

One of Denver’s male citizens had seen the robbers enter the bank and whip out their guns, and he had run to the federal building a block away to alert Chief Brockman.

Stunned to be facing six stern-faced lawmen whose guns
were drawn, the four robbers dropped their weapons and the moneybags as commanded by Chief Brockman and put their hands above their heads.

Chief Brockman knew that the robbers were on the Wanted list in other parts of the West, and three days later they were sentenced in court by Judge Ralph Dexter to forty years at the Colorado State Penitentiary in Cañon City.

The next week, on Tuesday afternoon, a Wells Fargo stagecoach was held up by two men on its way to Denver from Cheyenne, Wyoming. The holdup took place just ten miles from Denver. The stage driver and his assistant found a telegraph office in a small town nearby and telegraphed the chief U.S. marshal’s office to report the robbery, giving a description of the robbers and their horses and saying that they were headed south at an angle toward the mountains.

By this time, it was snowing in the area, but Chief Brockman and Deputy Langford went after the robbers, taking Whip’s pet wolf, Timber, with them. They caught up to the robbers in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, northwest of Denver, and as had happened many times in the past, Timber was a great help in capturing the outlaws the chief and his deputy were chasing.

The outlaws were taken to Denver and stood trial, with the Wells Fargo stage driver and his assistant in attendance. Presiding over the trial was Judge Dexter, who sentenced the robbers to fifty years at Cañon City’s prison, keeping in mind their six-year record of bank and stagecoach robberies in the West.

Denver’s newspaper, the
Rocky Mountain News
, wrote up the story, and Whip Langford’s big gray timber wolf was named as a hero, as had been done many times before.

As the days and weeks continued to pass, Chief Brockman and his deputies, including Whip Langford, were kept busy dealing with outlaws, as were Sheriff Carter and his deputies. As the population of the West grew, there was more crime to deal with.

January 1889 soon came, and Paul Brockman enjoyed being on the boxing team at school, even more than he had enjoyed being on the rugby team. Already six feet one inch in height and weighing a muscular one-hundred-and-eighty-five pounds, he was one of the team’s heavyweights.

Because Paul had been expertly taught by his father how to box, he quickly showed Denver High School’s boxing coach, Shad Yarbrough, his strength, speed, and accuracy with his fists and his ability to punch very hard. Within two weeks of boxing practice with the other heavyweights on the school team, Paul had won every three-round boxing match with the other sophomores, as well as the juniors and seniors.

On Friday night, January 18, the first set of boxing matches took place at Denver High School against Fletcher High School, which was from an eastern suburb of Denver.

Paul’s parents and sisters, Uncle Matthew and Aunt Dottie, as well as friends Whip and Annabeth Langford, were in attendance in the gymnasium. All eight of them were sitting in a row
close to the ring. Paul had gone ahead of them about half an hour earlier in order to meet with Coach Yarbrough, along with the other boxers from his school.

When the Denver High School boxers came into the gymnasium through a side door and headed in the direction of the ring, Meggie pointed at her brother. “Papa! Mama! Ginny! There’s Paul!”

All eight of them rose to their feet, waving at Paul and calling out his name. He smiled and waved back. Then he and the other Denver High School boxers along with their coach sat on benches on one side of the ring.

All of the matches in the high school league were three rounds each. The first two fights scheduled that night were lightweights, the next two were welterweights, the next two were middleweights, and the last two were heavyweights.

Everyone in the crowd enjoyed the fights, and boys from both schools were winning the matches. Paul’s fight was the very last one, as he took on a heavyweight who was a senior and outweighed him by over thirty pounds. He was introduced to the audience by the ring announcer as Fletcher High School’s heavyweight champion from last year, Woodruff Olson.

Paul’s family and friends cheered him when the bell rang for the first round. Both boys immediately slugged each other with powerful blows, and as the round progressed, it looked like Woody Olson would put Paul down because of his greater weight. However, in the second round, Paul caught on to his opponent’s style.

The crowd was entranced with Paul’s change in round two
as he suddenly began to dodge both fists in a surprising way, causing Olson to get off balance. Paul quickly jabbed a left to Olson’s right cheek, making him stagger, then launched a terrific right cross to his left jaw. The blow exploded on Olson’s jaw like a cannonball, and the big heavyweight crashed to the canvas. The bell rang in time to keep the referee from counting Olson out.

By the time the bell rang for the third round, Olson’s mind was clear, and he left his stool, fists clenched in his leather boxing gloves, and began doing his best to take his opponent out.

He tried to use his weight to crowd Paul into a corner of the ring, where he could hit him repeatedly and put him down and out. However, John Brockman’s son was not about to let him have his way. Each time Olson attempted to crowd him into a corner, Paul sidestepped him, drove a potent punch into his midsection, and moved to the center of the ring. The Denver High School fans cheered Paul on, especially his family and friends.

Seconds later, Olson tried again to back Paul into a corner, and Paul surprised him by sending a powerful left hook into his midsection, making him double over, then crossed a mighty right blow to his left jaw. Olson hit the canvas flat on his face.

As the referee began his count, Paul went to a neutral corner and waited.

Woody Olson staggered to his feet in time, looking at Paul Brockman with fire-filled eyes, and rushed toward him, pumping both fists. Paul dodged the fists and smashed him with a right cross that knocked him back on his heels. Before Olson
could get set, Paul was on him with two powerful blows to the jaw, and Olson hit the canvas flat on his back.

The referee began his count again. This time, he made the count to ten, then stepped to Paul, took hold of his right wrist, and raised his hand in the air, pronouncing him the winner by a knockout.

Paul’s family and friends, along with all the Denver High School fans, were elated. Paul’s sisters hugged and congratulated him when he left the ring. Close behind them were his parents, his aunt and uncle, and the Langfords.

Week after week, Paul’s family and friends enjoyed watching him box and be declared the winner each time—especially his muscular six-feet-five-inch, two-hundred-and-fifteen-pound father.

O
ne morning in late February, Breanna was working on some official papers at her desk in the small office next to Dr. Carroll’s office when the doctor stepped through the open door. “Good news, my dear sister-in-law.”

Breanna looked up at him, an inquisitive look in her eyes. “I’m all ears.”

Matthew smiled. “I know you like to work with our proficient surgeon Dr. Edgar Bates.”

“I sure do!”

“Well, I need you to assist him this morning as he is working on a male patient in his seventies with cardiovascular disease.”

“Do you know what caused the disease in this patient?” Breanna asked.

“Yes. A thorough examination showed us that rheumatic fever the patient had some seven years ago caused it.”

She rose from her desk and put the official papers in one of the desk drawers. “I’ll head for the surgical ward right now. This problem is extremely dangerous. We wouldn’t want it to lead to congestive heart failure.”

Dr. Carroll nodded. “This was the main reason I wanted to have you work with Dr. Bates on this case. I’m aware that you know much
about cardiovascular disease and congestive heart failure. I hope it won’t be too much for you.”

“I’m sure the Lord will see me through it.”

Less than ten minutes later, Breanna arrived at the room in the surgical ward where Dr. Bates was preparing to perform surgery on the man’s heart. When the doctor saw her enter the room, he smiled. “Wonderful! Dr. Carroll said he was going to have you assist me with this surgery if you felt up to it.”

“Well, Doctor, here I am!” she said with a giggle.

After over four hours of assisting Dr. Bates, Breanna entered her brother-in-law’s office. He was at his desk and looked up as she moved toward him.

“Well, Matt, the cardiovascular surgery was a total success. Dr. Bates says the patient came through it exceptionally well, and he is going to live!”

“Wonderful! And I know part of the success was due to your being there to assist him.”

Breanna blushed. “Thank you, Matt.”

He shook his head. “No. Thank
you
!” Then he glanced at his pocket watch. “I see that this was a long surgery. How is your back feeling? Any pain?”

Breanna shook her head. “I’m a little stiff, and I feel in need of a rest at the moment. But I was very pleased to not be distracted during the surgery by back pain. God is clearly answering our prayers!”

“Amen to that,” said Matt heartily, and gave his sister-in-law a hug.