Chapter 16
All that night the boys were out on duty under the sky, looking for enemy lights, and thinking. Now and again they looked up into the sky and sent their thoughts out to find God, to wonder at Him for making a way for them to be safe forever.
They walked the deck as if it were a sanctuary. For some of them, it was the first realization of a personal God that had ever come to their consciousness. As they met one another on duty, there was a grave, shy smile in their eyes, as if they belonged to some secret order. And later, before they took their rest toward dawn, they knelt in the dimness of the bunk room and then lay down to sleep, over the enemy-infested sea, with a quietness in their hearts that they had not known before.
Late in the next day, the enemy was sighted more than once, and when night came there were distant flashes and sounds of planes, vanishing and coming again.
The night was very dark. As the hours dragged by, not even a single star could be seen in the blackness above. David Kenyon, alone for the moment looking down at the deck, saw his comrades pacing back and forth and his heart rejoiced to think of them as they had knelt to His Christ. And they had all meant it, he was sure. Now, whatever came, he felt sure of seeing them all in the Father’s house above. His thoughts paused tenderly when he remembered that someday he might tell this all in a letter to Dale. Or perhaps tell her face-to-face if it pleased God to let him go home. Just now, of course, there was no opportunity to even send letters. His duty was imperative and all-absorbing. But how he would enjoy telling of those buddies of his and their surrender to his Savior!
Suddenly there was a signal. A light! A sound! A plane coming on! More lights! More sounds! More planes! The enemy was here at last and coming strong!
With one swift look above, David turned to give commands, lifting a quick prayer with a passing wonder what it was going to be like to be suddenly ushered into the Presence of God. He was conscious of a lifting of his heart as he went quickly into action to meet the oncoming test.
“God by my side,” he said softly to himself, “all through the night.”
Suddenly bombs splintered the blackness of the night and a shudder came from the sea beneath. Great geysers of water spouting within a hundred yards, downpouring, were flooding the decks, drenching everything, and then sucking back to the sea, taking all in its way with it. It washed the men from their feet, sending them sprawling against the rails, barely saving themselves. Oh God, are You there? Yes. Thank You! Seven men all safe so far. Phil? Yes, clinging to the master yonder. Boom! Another blast! This was the night they had known was coming when they first prayed. The night they had trusted the Lord to be with them. To live or die! Unafraid? Unafraid, because God was there!
David gave his orders in firm, crisp tones as the noise died out for an instant. His men looked up, and their eyes answered his. What would it be like in heaven, if that was where they were going now? Yet, they would all have liked to finish their job for victory before they left. But God had His plans. Ready, Lord! What will You have me to do?
There came another bomb! And another of those shuddering undersea attacks! Another geyser more torrential than before. David called a sharp order for his men’s protection, and the enemy came again.
More planes overhead, more bombs dropped. Then a terrific explosion and the forward part of their ship was shot away, gone! He could scarcely believe his eyes. Absolutely sliced off and disappeared! That meant the men that were on that part were down under the sea? Who were they? And the radio? Gone! The smoke and storm obscured the atmosphere. It was of no use to look for his buddies, even if he could see through the smoke. There was no time. It was only a question of moments—seconds even, perhaps—before they would all go down.
There came another geyser. A great plume of water close at hand plunging down, greater than any before. A real inundation. Even David was swept over, though he had tried to anchor himself. And when it was past, he looked around for the rest of his men. The fellows that just a little before this happened had been kneeling together to commit themselves again to the care of the Almighty. Where were they? And as he looked the wash came back violently from the top side of the tilted ship, and the men with it, and swept them all into the sea! His men! He looked aghast. Down into that inferno of burning oil and tossing water! His men! Going into glory by fire! The boys he had been working with. The boys who had prayed with him that morning. Somehow they had all prayed with him that morning. Somehow they had all seemed to feel this day was the end of things.
The enemy was coming in thick and fast now. There was fire in either end of the ship. Some of the brave men were putting it out and fighting also, and David, as he turned around to give an order, saw the enemy coming on again in full force. Planes and ships and submarines working together against them. Was there time for one more effort before he, too, must go? He called an order that instantly started what guns they had left. Oh God, keep us true. Make us brave to the end.
Another great explosion; two more geysers shot up almost beside him and descended in torrential floods. His buddies were gone, washed out to that awful frothing, flaming sea and disappeared! Bless God, they had gone Home! But there were still some gunners left. Another chance before all was over.
He gave the command and the guns spoke sharply, quickly.
Something struck David on his head. Fire and darkness came upon him. He did not see the enemy turn to flee in panic. He did not know that his last effort had turned the tide of battle. He felt the ship turning over, and he reached out to take hold of something, anything that he could hold on to as he went down to join those buddies of his whom he had led to know his Lord. This was God’s will, now, that he should go. God’s will was best, and he was content.
For an instant, he roused to remember Dale. If only he might have written her farewell. But she would know where he had gone. It would be hard for her. But perhaps they would find the little note he had written and fastened in his Testament over his heart, a note he wrote when he first started on this unknown expedition. A last word in case he did not come back. God keep her, his dear girl!
Once he roused enough to know someone was trying to lift him. He tried to tell them not to bother. It was too late, and then all got black again. The explosions seemed very far away. He was now definitely on his way to God.
Did it always take so long to die, or was it only a moment after all? So many thoughts could press upon his brain and flash a meaning to his fading soul. His ship! What of his ship? He was responsible for what was left of his ship! Shouldn’t he do something about that, or was it too late? He had distinctly felt it turning over, hadn’t he? Felt the sea beside him, close beside him so that he could touch it, or was that the hallucination of a brain under strain? But would God look after his ship for him? Yes of course, if God was taking him Home. It was God’s ship, and he would be answerable to God now, not even to the navy. God was above the navy. Only David wanted to have done his duty bravely, in his fight for righteousness. But God was the captain, and God would look after the outcome of the battle. Would perhaps explain it all to him when he got over there at Home with his captain.
Then he drifted into a dream of Dale, sitting against the hemlocks, holding his hands, and giving sweet promises, her lips upon his, her smile for his eyes. Dear Dale! Perhaps one day up above they could talk this all over and understand why it had been this way. Dear Dale! She would be praying for him now, perhaps.
The sea was very close to him now. He felt as if he were riding Home. Would be meeting his comrades, perhaps before they entered glory? Would they all go in together? Well, it would be all right however it was. They had taken his Lord for Savior. They would not be shy meeting Him. And it was very dark now. The end! There would be glory soon and no more regrets. All peace and blessedness. Dale would be coming, too, someday. Good night! God would be with her all through the night.
Back home, Dale was kneeling then, praying that God would be with David wherever he was, on land or sea,
perhaps by some strange telepathic influence feeling that he was in special peril.
When the morning came there was another day, with its own problems, so far remote from the exaltation of the night before when she had felt for a time so very near to David.
Now, this morning David was far away somewhere on the sea probably, going through hard things, in peril, perhaps. He had expected that if he was sent out again. And she, Dale, had homely duties to perform, common details to look after, questions to settle. There, for instance, was that meeting in her church that she had promised to attend. It was a meeting sponsored by her Sunday school class of girls. They would feel aggrieved if she was not there, and there were little details that they would expect her to advise them about. Yet how could she conscientiously leave her cousins? They were desolate and seemed to depend on her. Of course they could go to the movies again, probably, but somehow she felt that was not the place for them, now in their uneasy, restless state of mind. They were just beginning to be strangely dependent upon her, to look to her for entertainment and ways to while the anxious hours away. Little by little she was growing to feel that their unhappiness was not altogether on account of their mother’s illness. They had come to believe what the doctor had told them—that she would presently be well again and quite all right. But there was something more to their uneasiness, she was sure. She must find out what it was if possible and try to discover a remedy for it. She must not lose her weak hold over them, now when they were just beginning to turn to her and trust her. What was she going to do about it?
In the end she went to her Lord in prayer and laid the whole burden down at His feet. Dear Lord, here’s something I just can’t do anything about. Please manage it for me.
Then she went downstairs and found the two cousins working hard at the puzzle they had not quite finished the night before, and they greeted her cheerfully, quite as if she was a real pal. She marveled at the change that had come upon them in these few short days while they were going through trying times.
They had a cheery breakfast, and while they ate the telephone rang. It was one of Dale’s Sunday school students, consulting her about the meeting that night, and with her mind still undecided about whether she ought to go, she answered the girl briefly: “Yes Doris, I hope it is going to be possible for me to be there. I have been trying to plan all the week for it. But Doris, if I shouldn’t be able to make it, I’ll be sure to call you beforehand. And if that should happen, suppose you get Margaret Dulles to take my place and greet everybody.”
“Oh Miss Huntley!” came a dismayed voice over the telephone, so loud in protest that the two cousins could not help but hear. “We can’t possibly get along without you. And besides, Margaret Dulles has gone to her cousin’s wedding in New York and she won’t be back for over a week. You just must come. There isn’t anybody else to take your place. That old Mrs. Gromley will want to take over, and she always makes everybody so mad. It just won’t do!”
“Well, why not take it all in your own hands, Doris? I’m sure you could be a very nice hostess.”
“Me? Oh! No! I never could do it! I should just die if I had to take over responsibility that way. I really won’t. And you know all the girls would be deadly jealous. They always say I try to get in the limelight. Miss Huntley, it’ll be a regular flop if you don’t come. What’s the reason you can’t? You are sick, are you?”
“No,” said Dale thoughtfully, “I’m not sick, but you know my aunt had an accident and is in the hospital, and my two cousins are here. I really don’t like to leave them just now when they are under such a strain.”
“Oh, but can’t you bring them along? I’m sure they would enjoy it. The speaker is perfectly marvelous, they say. He’s been in all the major battles in the Pacific, and he tells about it very vividly. And the singing will be swell. I’ve heard the quartette myself, and it’s perfectly spiffy. Would it do any good if I were to come around and invite them? I think I have time.”
“Oh, that’s kind of you, Doris, but I don’t think that will be necessary. I’ll see what I can do about it. I’ll let you know later. I’ll arrange something for you, anyway. Don’t worry.”
When Dale came back to the table, the cousins looked up.
“What is it, Dale? Anything we can do for you?” asked George.
Dale’s eyes brightened. “Why, that’s awfully thoughtful of you, George,” she said. “There is something you could help me out with if you don’t mind, but I’m afraid it might bore you.”
“What is it, Dale?” asked Corliss eagerly. “You’ve done a lot of things for us that must have bored you. I guess we could stand being bored a couple of hours or so for your sake. Is there really something you want us to do? It might even be interesting, you know.”
“Yes, that’s quite true,” said Dale thoughtfully. “I’m told the program is very fine. But of course they will all be strangers to you. Though I don’t want to leave you here without anything to do a whole evening.”
“Forget it!” said George loftily. “We aren’t infants. And anyway, what is it? We can stand anything once.”
“Well, you see our church is interested in a young college that has only been going a few years, and my Sunday school class of girls has undertaken to have their college quartette and glee club come and give us a performance and tell a few words about the college. You see, one of our own boys from the Sunday school has been studying there for three years, and now he’s overseas, and everybody wants to help his alma mater for Jan Hooper’s sake. So this is the night they are coming, and I promised to be there and meet them and perhaps say a few words about our boy who is now in combat. But I was going to try and get somebody else to take my place. Since your mother was hurt, I didn’t feel as if I wanted to leave you alone.”
“Leave us alone, nothing! We’re going, Cousin Dale,” said Corliss unexpectedly. “We’ll go with you, of course; won’t we, George?”
“Sure we will,” said George. “Besides, if you’re going to speak, we wouldn’t miss it for the world. Even if the program isn’t good. Tell us about it. What time do we go?”
“Well, that’s certainly nice of you,” said Dale appreciatively. “The meeting is at eight o’clock. We’d have to leave here around seven. Well, that takes a load of my mind. I’ll call Doris and tell her it is all right, I’ll be there. And now I think it’s about time for us to go to the hospital.”
But when they reached the hospital they found the patient in a most difficult mood.
“Powelton, I want you to go down to the city right away and find that lawyer of mine. I positively will not be put off another hour. I’ve simply got to see him. It’s very important, and you’ll be responsible for making me a lot worse if you don’t get hold of him at once. Do you understand? And don’t let them put you off by any of these stories they’ve been telling the nurse, that he is out of the city, because I’m sure he’s not, and I won’t stand for his treating me this way another day. Now that’s your job, Powelton, and I want you to start at once.”
The lad gave his cousin one despairing look and then quietly answered his mother. “Why yes, Mother, I’ll do the best I can. But I still think you are making a great mistake getting mixed up with a man like that. I don’t believe he is an honest man. He doesn’t sound like it to me.”
“Be still, Powelton, and do as you’re told. You’re not grown up enough to be a suitable judge of people, and anyway, this is my affair. Go!”
“Very well, Mother,” said Powelton, with so little of his usual disagreement that his mother stared at him in surprise. “Shall I report back here after my errand is done?”
“Why certainly! You may bring the lawyer back with you just as soon as possible.”
Without another word, and with only a sweeping glance toward Dale and Corliss, George turned and marched out of the hospital, and the two girls by Mrs. Huntley’s bed stood silently, with averted gaze, both understanding just how unpleasant this errand was going to be for the boy, for he h
ad expressed his views about the lawyer more than once.
It was finally Corliss who broke the silence after George left. “Mamma, when are you coming back to the house? Aren’t they letting you get up pretty soon? What has the doctor said?”
The mother looked at Corliss languidly. “The doctor? Oh, he never says anything. Just tells me I’m getting along as well as could be expected. I’ve told him again and again that I never shall get better until I have a room to myself, but he says that’s something they don’t expect to have in the hospital, not till the war is over. That’s ridiculous, of course. They’re just trying to get me to offer some enormous sum for a private room, but they’ve overstepped themselves. I shall not offer a single cent more until they actually move me to a good big room. That stuff about not having a room is ridiculous. A great big institution like this and no private room for a woman who is willing to pay for the best they have.”
“But, Mother, you’re mistaken. We know, for we’ve been all over the hospital, and every nook and cranny is filled with cots and patients, even the hallways. We came in the back door today, and we could hardly get by to the elevator.”
“That may be true about the common halls where the poor people are put, but you didn’t open the doors and look into all the private rooms, did you?”