Free Daylight Comes by Judith Miller

ways in which she might show Christ’s love to Fern, she looked at her dress lying on her bed.
    From her vantage point, the lace-covered bodice appeared to ripple in an unusual manner, and Macia moved closer to examine the gown. She gasped at the sight: the lace had been shredded and the velvet inserts slashed. Instead of the soft lace overlay and velvet tucks, gaping holes now decorated the bodice. Macia clenched her hands into tight fists. “Fern!” Her scream echoed off the walls. Grabbing the dress from her bed, Macia stomped out of the room and down the hallway. That evil woman had ruined her dress!
    When she marched into the kitchen, Fern was complacently peeling potatoes as though she’d not heard a thing. Macia shoved the dress at her. “Why did you do this?”
    Fern arched her eyebrows. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Is there something amiss with your gown?”
    Macia ranted and raved until her mother entered the kitchen to investigate the fracas. Still, Fern continued to deny any knowledge of the misdeed.
    “Maybe Lucy had something to do with this,” Fern told Mrs.
    Boyle. “She’s the only other person who’s been in the house today.”
    “The gown was perfectly fine when I placed it on my bed, and Lucy had already departed,” Macia argued.
    Fern shrugged as she picked up another potato. “She might have come back later. Girls can be very sneaky when things don’t go their way.”
    Macia seethed. “I know you did this, Fern, and you may be certain that the cost of this gown will be withheld from your wages.”
    Turning away, Macia hurried back upstairs. So much for showing God’s love. So much for blessing those who persecuted her. Tears welled in her eyes. She had failed the first test.

CHAPTER

7
    Nicodemus , Kansas • November 1882
    T he crisp day dawned bright without a hint of snow or sleet on the horizon. While Moses voiced his elation that the day had finally arrived, Truth privately nursed her fears. Election day! By this time tomorrow, the votes would be tallied and winning candidates announced. Though a final count of all the votes wouldn’t be received in Nicodemus until a later date, Truth’s ultimate fate would be sealed. She had lived in dread of this day since Moses’s return from Topeka and the announcement of his candidacy. Since that day, she had been praying. Soon she would have God’s answer.
    Truth was probably the only soul in Nicodemus who hoped her husband would lose the election. The entire town wanted nothing more than to have one of their own hold statewide office. Particularly Miss Hattie. The woman had become an avid campaigner, brandishing her umbrella as she made her way through groups in the churchyard on Sundays or during her visits to the general store. There was no hesitation when she spoke of who should be elected state auditor— and no one dared contradict her.
    Though Miss Hattie’s words weren’t eloquent, when she mentioned the railroad, everyone sat up and took heed. Of course, whether Moses could truly help bring the railroad to Nicodemus was highly questionable. However, the old woman’s rhetoric made it sound as though his election would make the railroad a shoo-in, as if the two went hand in hand. Truth didn’t understand why folks thought the state auditor position could help bring the railroad to Nicodemus, but she didn’t argue.
    In addition to their move, Truth worried Moses’s new position would keep him away from home frequently. Although he’d assured her the assistant auditor would travel to the various county seats to examine any accounting irregularities or to investigate payment of arrearages for school lands, Truth remained unconvinced. Moses wasn’t a man who easily assigned such duties to others. After he was sworn into office, Truth envisioned the assistant auditor sitting in the Topeka office while Moses traveled the state resolving disputes.
    Moses wouldn’t find satisfaction sitting in a stuffy office