Chapter 13

Eddy Harris definitely did not want to follow Elder Crockbottom's edict. Eddy was 18 years old when you count with the Jenny year of 420 days. According to the tenets of The United Congregation of God, Eddy was long past marriageable age, and Elder Crockbottom decreed that Eddy should marry Hester Crum on the first Sunday of next month.

The fact that Eddy and Hester couldn't stand each other made no difference to the Elder—they were old enough to be married, so they should be. Furthermore, Eddy was in love with Angela Crockbottom, the daughter of Elder Crockbottom, and the feeling was reciprocated. Unfortunately, Elder Crockbottom was aiming a bit higher in social standing for his daughter, so he forbade her from even seeing Eddy. This didn't do much good, it just drove the two lovers underground.

A very unlikely alliance was formed among the three, Eddy, Hester, and Angela. Eddy decided to run away to avoid the marriage to Hester, and she was all in favor of that, so Eddy, with Hester's help, gathered what he needed to survive in the wilderness and took off one night. Now, Eddy was no fool, so he took one of the town's mules and a wagon to haul what he needed. This only infuriated Elder Crockbottom even further; Eddy was somewhat hopeful that this fury he expected would lead to a heart attack, but no such luck.

Eddy was armed with both a pistol and a rifle, both of which he knew how to use very well, and plenty of ammunition for each. That was the primary reason for taking the wagon. He managed to get about 14 miles away, a lot of it by traveling through running water to hide his trail, before he was even missed. A search party was hastily organized to find the mule and wagon, Eddy was down on the list.

Eddy traveled about 60 miles before he found the place he had been looking for. Some study of the aerial photos that were taken when the town was first established told Eddy where he could find an excellent spot for his new home. There was plenty of water, an open meadow where he could plant crops, and a dense forest where he could find the materials to build a warm home where he hoped eventually to bring Angela.

Eddy had a chain saw, a come-along, and a lot of native know-how, so he had a more than adequate cabin constructed before the first of the cold weather arrived. The cabin had a double wall with a dead-air space between the two walls to act as very effective insulation from the chill outside. In fact, the whole structure, including the floor, was built this way, so that Eddy actually needed very little fuel to keep the cabin warm in the worst of the winter cold.

Eddy had not needed to plant a garden that first year because of the abundance of food plants nearby. He also jerked and otherwise preserved a large quantity of meat—enough to carry him through the winter with food to spare. The only thing he was short of was salt, and Hester met him several times during the summer at a secret location to provide him with salt and to fill him in on the news of the community.

She provided Eddy with two bits of disturbing information: he was a wanted man with a price on his head, and Angela was now being seen with Oscar Megwarts, the son of the most prominent family in the community. It was rumored that they would be married come spring. Dammit, that was a real downer! Hester was properly sympathetic, and the animosity between the two had quickly fallen by the wayside.

Late in that following summer, long after the marriage between Angela and Oscar, Hester showed up at the rendezvous in tears. Elder Crockbottom had decreed that Hester should marry John Armstrong, a very abusive character who was a bully and had no friends. Eddy was now a very good friend to Hester, and suggested that she run away with him. He would put her up in his cabin until she decided what she wanted to do. He was not going to let her be married to a man she was afraid of. Hester fell all over herself thanking Eddy for his kind offer. She would gather her belongings and meet him at this same place tomorrow.

The next day, Hester showed up with her stuff in a wheelbarrow. She was a very strong woman, and she did not own much, as was common for the women of The United Congregation of God, so she was able to cram everything onto the wheelbarrow. She also had a map showing a recently discovered salt lick, so that was the final item they needed to break completely away from the clutches of The United Congregation of God.

Eddy led Hester to his cabin and ushered her in with some ceremony. He had made an effort to tidy the place up before she arrived, so she was favorably impressed with his life style. Hester moved her stuff into the corner he had selected for her use; he had even hung a curtain to give her some privacy.

The first couple of days that Hester was living in Eddy's cabin, she spent most of her time recovering from the fright she'd had with the prospect of being forced to marry John Armstrong. However, she quickly became bored with having Eddy do all of the work, so she took over the domestic duties within the cabin. This gave Eddy the free time he needed to get the garden started. Very little of the growing season was left, but there were a few plants native to Jenny that could be grown in the time left before cold weather. Between building a place for the mule to live (he had spent the previous winter in the cabin with Eddy) and working on the garden, Eddy had all that he could do, so Hester's help was deeply appreciated.

Much of the winter was spent with both of them cooped up in the cabin. This winter saw more and deeper snow than had been common the previous three years. One thing led to another, and the couple progressed for being friends to being good friends to being lovers. In fact, the situation had advanced far enough that Hester was pregnant!

At first, Hester did not say anything to Eddy about her pregnancy, since she was not sure how he would react. Though he had been very concerned when she had developed morning sickness, he was still naïve enough not to realize the significance of that. Finally, Hester felt that she should tell Eddy so that he could make arrangements to return her to the town if that was what he wanted to do.

The United Congregation of God was intolerant of extra-marital relations of any sort, but was very supportive of any children that resulted from the union. Therefore, Hester was not fearful for the fate of her unborn child, but she knew that she would be ostracized after she had weaned the baby. Therefore, she was not sure how to tell Eddy that he was a father, simply because she had no idea how he would react.

Fortunately, she need not have worried. Eddy was ecstatic! He felt that now he had a real reason to make a success of his farm. Previously, it had just been some place to live, but now it was a place for his child to grow up and hopefully prosper. He didn't care if it was a girl or a boy, the fact that the child existed at all was enough for him.

Hester had been a midwife in training, so she knew what needed to be done. Eddy constructed a birthing chair and arranged for the other things that would be needed. Hester told him what he needed to do under all of the possible emergency circumstances, so Eddy was ready to assist with the birth by the time it came about. Eddy was lucky in one respect: he was intimately involved with delivering the child, so he did not have time to fret. Between the two of them, they delivered a healthy boy that Hester named Edward, Jr.

Eddy was beside himself with pride and glee. He was ready to run into town and announce the birth until Hester cautioned him against that. If Elder Crockbottom ever saw him again, Eddy would lose everything he had worked so hard for over the last few years. OK, she was right, Eddy agreed to restrain his enthusiasm, but it was a hard thing to do!

The middle of the next summer saw another development that changed the lives of the Harris family. Eddy was out hunting one day when he came across a camp containing three people. All three were in very sad shape and in great need of help. Eddy knew that he was taking a chance, but he felt that he had to do something.