Be stil my soul, p.1
Be Stil, My Soul, page 1
Be Still, My Soul
MYSTERIES OF THE WEST #1
FAITH BLUM
Text and cover copyright 2023
by Faith Blum
All rights reserved. This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
eBook edition
October 2023
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Be Still, My Soul is a work of fiction. Though this book is based on historical facts, all characterizations and descriptions of people, names, places, and things are from the author’s imagination. Any similarities to real people, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.
All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Version as found on www.biblegateway.com unless otherwise noted.
Other Titles by Faith Blum
Hymns of the West Series
A Mighty Fortress
Be Thou My Vision
Amazing Grace
Lily of the Valley
The Solid Rock
Hymns of the West: The Complete Series
Hymns of the West Novellas Series
I Love Thee
Pass Me Not
Redeemed
Hymns of the West Novellas: Volume One
Just a Closer Walk
Just As I Am
Blessed Assurance
Hymns of the West Novellas: Volume Two
Stories
Heaven’s Jubilee And Other Short Stories
Faith is the Victory
Christ Arose
O Come All Ye Faithful: And Other Short Stories
What Child Is This
Orphans of the West
Savior, Like a Shepherd
All the Way My Savior Leads
He Hideth My Soul
He Leadeth Me
Orphans of the West: The Complete Series
Orphans of the West Novellas
’Tis So Sweet
Sing the Wondrous Story
Audiobooks
A Mighty Fortress
Be Thou My Vision
Amazing Grace
Lily of the Valley
Hymns of the West Novellas: Volume One
Hymns of the West Novellas: Volume Two
I Love to Tell the Story
Paul’s Skeptical Bride
Tales of the East
Trust and Obey
Lo, How a Rose
Rock of Ages
The Haven of Rest
Love Lifted Me
Librarians of Willow Hollow
I Love to Tell the Story
Contents
Be Still, My Soul
Prologue
1. Change
2. Accused
3. Obadiah
4. Friends
5. Handyman
6. Luella
7. Clues
8. Work
9. Ranger
10. Kit
11. Purpose
12. Connections
13. Hooked
14. Rushed
15. Injury
16. Help
17. Trust
18. Broken
19. Confrontation
20. Saved
21. Investigation
22. Friendship
Epilogue
Historical Note
Note from the Author
Special Thanks
About the Author
To Joanne Bischof
Your encouragement and advice kept me going when I was plotting this book. Thank you for all your help.
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.
Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well-pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.
“Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.”
– Ephesians 4:28
Prologue
Near Angleton, Texas
1865
Trying to live in two worlds was near impossible. But his growing-up years left Carsten Whitford accustomed to that kind of life. With his pa, Carsten lived for the thrill and danger of robbery. His pa never got caught while Carsten helped him, and Carsten took pride in it.
Then there was Ma. With her, Carsten was the dutiful son, trying his hardest to pretend he believed everything she wanted him to about God and His love.
As he lived his two lives, Carsten always feared those worlds would prove impossible to mix in the end.
The War Between the States had finally ended a couple months earlier. Pa hadn’t fought in the war. He didn’t think either side was worth dying for. Whenever someone came, he disappeared for a few days so he couldn’t get drafted by force.
Carsten was one of the lucky ones, being able to have his pa home. His three friends’ fathers all fought for the Confederacy. Those that came back alive had a different outlook on life after the bloody war. Although he had his pa, if Carsten was honest with himself, maybe it would have been better if his pa had fought in the war and stopped teaching him how to be a thief. After all, Pa’s main income during the lean years on the farm was stealing.
From the time he turned seven, Carsten had helped his pa get into houses and take the residents’ valuables. Pa would take them to another town to sell and get their supplies. It was their secret and years before Ma knew what they did together. Carsten was going into other people’s houses and trying not to get caught.
When he was ten, he heard a sermon about stealing being wrong. Carsten thought about telling Ma but decided Pa must know what he was doing. He wouldn’t tell his own son to do something that was a sin.
Now, at thirteen, the thrill he got from helping Pa had worn off some. The pleasure had to be better if he did some thievery all by himself—and then he could prove to Pa that he was just like him. Carsten’s goal wasn’t making a lot of money, so he stole little trinkets that were unlikely to be missed and showed them to Pa. And he was right. The delight definitely heightened when he stole by himself.
Then came the fateful day he went into the house of a girl from church. Luella Comstock. She was the same age as Carsten, almost to the day, and much better at schoolwork than he was. He envied that about her. She seemed to do sums and reading so effortlessly.
It was dusk, and the time most people ate dinner, usually a good time to do some petty thievery. He sneaked in through a window at the back and made his way through the house and up the stairs. There were no lamps lit up there, so he went into one of the rooms and saw a dresser with jewelry scattered on top. He grabbed a piece and made it to the door before a voice arrested his movements.
“What are you doing?” It was Luella.
Carsten’s heart stopped. “Um. Nothing.” He turned, hiding his hands behind his back.
Luella was on the bed, her blonde hair shining in the dimming light from the window. “Why are you in Mother’s room?”
“I…” He ducked his head. “I was going to steal this.” He held up the necklace.
“Why?”
“Do I need a reason?”
Luella nodded.
Carsten sighed. “Oh. I did it because it’s fun.”
Luella stood, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him. “Fun? To take the lone pearl necklace Mother has? That Papa worked hard to be able to buy?”
A strange pain pri
Luella smiled. “Thank you.”
“Luella?” A man’s voice floated down the hall.
“Yes, Papa?”
“Dinner is ready.”
Luella gazed at him, and Carsten wondered what she was thinking. Would she let him go, or would he have to face her pa? “Papa, come here, please. I’m in Mother’s room.”
Carsten steeled himself for the wrath of whatever Mr. Comstock would do.
Mr. Comstock entered the room, and his piercing blue eyes rested on him and narrowed. “What is a young man doing in here?”
Carsten glanced from father to daughter and back again. Luella didn’t talk, so Carsten gulped and opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
“Well? Who are you, boy?” Mr. Comstock raised an eyebrow.
“I’m Carsten.”
“What are you doing here?”
Did he dare lie? Something Ma said made him stop and tell the truth. “I was going to steal something, but your daughter caught me, so I returned it.”
Mr. Comstock stroked his short, medium-brown beard. “I like an honest man. You go to church, don’t you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Hm. Let’s go down to the marshal’s office and see what we can work out.”
Carsten chose not to look at Luella. Pretty as she was, she had turned him in.
Mr. Comstock let him walk without restraints past the Feed and Seed Store, the café, the hotel, and the post office before crossing the street to get to the marshal’s office.
Marshal Daniel Lydick stood as they entered. “What can I do for you two?”
Mr. Comstock put a hand on Carsten’s arm. “We need to discuss an appropriate punishment for this young man. He got caught trying to take something from our home. He chose to put it back when my daughter caught him, so I’m inclined to be lenient, though I think he should face some consequences for his actions.”
Marshal Lydick shook his head. “He should. Hmmm. What about community service?”
“Yes, that would be acceptable.”
Would Carsten get a say in this? Did it matter if he did?
“We have some dust buildup in this office and at the church,” the marshal said. “I think that would work. What do you think, boy?”
Carsten straightened. “My name’s Carsten. Thank you, sir, for not putting me in jail.”
Marshal Lydick chuckled. “You may go home now. But don’t do any more stealing, or I will put you in jail.”
“Yes, sir.” Carsten hightailed it out of there. He needed to get home. Ma would worry if he didn’t. He needed to talk to her. How was he going to stop when the pull was so strong? How was he going to tell Pa he got caught?
He stopped in the middle of the road right outside of town when he thought of Pa. He’d be upset and disappointed. Carsten’s backside burned as he thought about the tanning Pa might give him. He started walking again, slower this time. Every dark shape of a tree made him jump. Not that there were many, but there were enough.
CHAPTER 1
Change
Early March 1870
One beautiful spring day, Carsten headed to town. Ma needed a few supplies from the General Store, and he needed to see if his seeds were in. Ever since Pa went to jail for armed robbery four years earlier, Carsten was the man of the house and in charge of the farm and all the planting, growing, harvesting, and selling of alfalfa to the nearby ranchers. No sisters or brothers. Just his ma and him.
For once in the last week, he didn’t need to work the fields, and a gentle saunter seemed more fitting somehow. As he walked, it occurred to him that it had been almost five years to the day since he stopped stealing.
He passed the big magnolia tree and stopped in its shade for a few minutes. He had never whiffed anything similar to it. He made his feet go one in front of the other toward town. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t make it home in time for lunch. And Ma’s lunches were not to be missed! None of her meals were, come to think of it.
The closer he got, the more houses there were. He strode into town, acting more confident than he felt. Ever since Pa’s arrest, the revelation of his part in the previous robberies, and his own petty thievery, Carsten had become an outcast. A bad seed. No matter what he did, very few people wanted to be near him.
Carsten started at the General Store. He found everything on Ma’s list and brought it all to the counter.
“Ya want this on credit?” Mr. Martin asked.
Carsten shook his head. “I’ll pay for it.”
Mr. Martin added the totals and wrapped it all in brown paper, then tied it with string. “Here ya go.”
Carsten paid him, took his packages, and walked past two ladies. They stopped talking as he went by. At the door, he glanced over his shoulder and saw them whispering to each other, giving him side glances. He sighed as he stepped out into the fresh air.
“There you are.” A feminine voice spoke near him.
Carsten jerked his head in her direction and saw blonde curls escaping her bun as always. “Luella. How are you?”
“I saw you walking into town but then lost you. I’m doin’ well, thank you. Do you have more shoppin’ to do?”
“A little. I need to order somethin’ at the print shop. It’s a surprise for Ma. And I need to check on my seed order.”
“Excitin’. Can I ask what you’re ordering for your ma?”
Carsten bit back a smile. “You can ask. Doesn’t mean I’ll tell.” He winked at her.
Luella giggled. It wasn’t as annoying as some women’s. It was cute. But he wasn’t about to tell her that. She was eighteen and a grown woman and didn’t want to be cute. At least that’s what Ma always said.
“What are you gettin’ her?”
Carsten took a deep breath. “She’s always wanted more things to hang on our parlor wall, so I’m gonna get a Scripture verse printed out. Then all I need to do is figure out how to make a picture frame for it.”
“She’ll love that. What verse are you doin’?”
“Maybe you can help me pick. Her favorite verse is the first bit of Psalm 46:10: ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ But she also likes the last part of Joshua 24:15: ‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ I don’t know which she’d want the most.”
Luella’s nose wrinkled. “That’s hard. They’re both such good verses. Can you do both?”
He grimaced. “No. I shouldn’t even be doin’ one. The alfalfa crop isn’t doing as well as I needed it to this year.”
Luella put a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. You should do her favorite verse, then. Maybe in a couple years, you can do the other one.”
Carsten grinned. “Thank you, Luella. I appreciate your help.” He looked up at the sky. “I should finish my errands here and hurry home. It was nice chattin’ with you.” Something flashed in the sun in his periphery, and he searched for it. The marshal’s badge. He was across the street, staring at Luella and him. What did he want? Carsten hadn’t done anything wrong. Not since that day five years earlier, when Luella caught him. Well, and the other time no one knew about. The marshal had been different the last couple years. He’d always been gruff but at least kind. But ever since Pa was sent to prison, Marshal Lydick had been harder on anyone who was even remotely doing bad.
“Are you all right?”
Carsten shook the thoughts away and brought his attention back to Luella. “I’m fine. Got lost in thought for a second.”
