Faithful Unto Death

Another Shock for Benzonia

Pleased, Orah looked down at her hands, then back up. “What do you want of me?” she asked simply. Virginia snorted. “A man like that only wants one thing.” “I’m asking you to marry me. If you’ll have me, that is. I know that I’m a little old for you . . .” Virginia in›ated with rage. “That’s disgusting! Get out of this house, this minute!” Jesse barked a hard incredulous bark of laughter. “Marry her? Do you have any notion the trouble you’ve brought to our family? Why in the world would my daughter marry a man like you?” Henry looked at Orah, who smiled. It was a wry, noncommittal sort of smile, but Henry smiled back with his own timid tentative one.“Will you marry me, Orah?” “You might as well,” remarked Torrence, who’d stepped in behind Orah. “Nobody else is going to have you.” Orah glared at him, but Jesse’s shoulders sagged, as he realized the truth of Torrence’s words. After some initial sputtering, Virginia acquiesced. Orah rode to the Manistee County justice of the peace, bracketed by her parents, Henry in the carriage behind them. At 3:45 P.M., they boarded the train for Benzonia, as Mr. and Mrs. Henry Thacker. Another Shock for Benzonia fred branson, Benzonia station’s porter, pursed his lips and squinted his eyes. There was that Henry Thacker again, fresh out of prison, gone away and come back on the same day, and wasn’t that Orah Bunker, his fancy piece, stepping down behind him, bold as brass, taking his hand? It was! Thunderstruck, he stared at her as she stepped up to him and nodded regally. “Mr. Branson, I’m sure you don’t remember me . . .” “Indeed, I do remember you, Orah Bunker. I sh’d think you’d be ashamed to come back here, and with him, at that!” “Fred, I’d like you meet my wife. We were married just this afternoon .” “Well, I’ll be . . .” “Mrs. Thacker will have a trunk arriving on the later train. We’d appreciate it if you’d store it overnight, and I’ll have one of my boys come 227 and pick it up in the morning.” Arm in arm they left the platform, blissfully unaware of the scorching regard that followed them. “things will be a little tight for a while, Orah.The trial expenses took quite a toll on us all. I might have to back off from farming for a little while and focus on the farm equipment business. Capital won’t be a problem ,though I’ll have to borrow to get started.Tom Bates will help me out, he’s been a good friend and we’ve done little favors for one another from time to time. I might need to mortgage some of the property.” Orah’s arm tucked into his, he chattered artlessly as they made their way homeward, pausing occasionally to greet this neighbor or that. “Orah, my dear, you remember Cornelius Snider, don’t you? Cornelius , may I introduce my wife, Mrs. Thacker? . . . Good evening, Mr. Reed. Orah, do you remember Mr. Reed, the postmaster? Like you to meet my wife . . . Lovely evening, Mrs. Doty. I’d like to introduce . . .” Given the condition of the townspeople left in the wake of her progress through the town, Orah might well have been Medusa. Serenely unaware, they dropped their bombshells as they wended their way homeward. “there you are, papa! We didn’t know where you’d gone. Dinner’s nearly ready, and Will and Josie were very disappointed that you couldn’t come with me to fetch them home.” Lottie tried to keep the reproach from her voice, and then started. “Oh! Hello, Orah.” Will and Josie had rushed to the kitchen door and stopped, suddenly shy. Lottie gave Will a nudge and whispered, “Come in, silly boy, it’s only Papa and Orah. You remember Orah.” “Well, Will, you’re getting to be a big boy, aren’t you?” Henry shook the limp hand shyly offered to him, and turned to Josie, who’d been ‹rmly propelled in front of him. He reached a hand down toward her, and she cringed, clinging to Lottie. “He smells funny,” she whispered to Lottie. “Josie, you bad girl, go upstairs to your room and don’t come down until you’re ready to greet your poor papa properly!” Snif›ing, Josie sidled out, followed gratefully by Will. A...