In the last part Ben asked Beth to marry him and she accepted. Luther explained his concept of evolution and belief in the Bible.

^^^^^^^^^

Beth’s parents were ecstatic, incredulous, but ecstatic. As were her church family.

“You’ll use my house for your honeymoon. I’ll stay out here," Luther Burbank offered when Ben told him the news. "How many days do you want. Take them, but after a week, you two come here and I get my house back. Deal?”

“Deal.” Ben nearly shouted in his joy. “But I don’t think it will take a week for us to want to be outside town. Out here and on our way to being a wedded couple, a family.”

“Does she, Beth, want to work? Have a job? She could learn the greenhouse work, and you could prepare the gardens. You and Seymour. He’s working out, right?”

“He’s doing fine. You’ll see for yourself during the honeymoon.”

“Guess I will, at that. All right. Fine then."

An hour later, Luther approached Ben. “So, I’ve given it some thought, and I want to give you the buggy and the mare for your wedding present.”

“No! That's too much. Your home for a week is even far too generous.”

“Yes. Part of your wedding present. But you must go to town before taking receipt and pick me out another, a horse and a buggy that is more suited to carrying, well, what we carry back and forth from here to town. I don’t want to have to use the big wagon all the time, and, well. You know…”

“Yes Sir. I’ll do it. As soon as I get the tomato garden planted.” Ben knew that much more than tomatoes would go into that plot, but referred to it as he and Luther knew it by.

Luther appreciated the dedication. He waved toward the diagrammed planting chart and set it back where Ben would find it.

+++

The next time Ben saw Reginald, Reginald told him, “I have $410 for you and Beth. I …”

“You’re kidding, right. How did … $410?”

“That’s right $410. That’s what I got for Stuart’s rig and team, what Beth and Rachel come home in. I sold it and saved the money for her. I took it back to his place, but when I saw him cavorting with another woman already, I turned it around and brought it back, my horse tied behind both ways.”

Ben didn’t share the story of being sent from Creede with a gift of $410 from the church. Though he needed no sign, he was grateful for something to help convince Beth. Ben praised God for the clear sign, the exact amount that he'd been given to take his ministry to Chicago. Ben determined to give his boss, Luther, his notice.

“And we can go out to the shed. I have all sorts of things out there that might be of use on the road, so to say,” Reginald continued.

“Thank you, Reginald.”

“Reggie, Son. You're family. Just Reggie. And another thing – this house is yours and Beth’s, whether Rachel and I are still livin’ in it, or not. It’s your home, and you can come back to it whenever you want. We had a son...”

Ben looked to Reggie for more.

“He was almost two years older’n Beth. He wanted ta join the army. I don’t know, maybe ‘cause I was in the war. Anyways, he was killed in some Indian thing down in Arizona. Anyways. The place is all Beth’s and yours.” Reggie wiped at tears that hadn’t yet fallen.

Ben clasped Reggie’s outstretched hand, and then walked into him for an appreciative, heartfelt hug.

+++

The next couple of weeks ticked by fast, but dragged on like a bad case of the flu. There was a lot to do and prepare to begin their northward journey. The problem Beth had was not knowing whether to prepare for a room, a home, or for camping out every night. Things she would not pack were fancy chinaware and the like. One thing she would pack was her Bible. She determined to be able to discuss scripture with her husband, something completely foreign in her previous life.

Ben’s trip to the livery was very successful. He traded Luther’s buggy and mare for a larger carriage that could haul their gear and things, and an untrained team that Ben was confident would take to training. He also managed a fair deal for Luther: a nice, new buggy slightly wider than his old one that he could easily adapt a flat, extended rack behind the seat. He also bargained for a much younger horse. Luther was pleased with the price. Ben and Beth were excited about their outfit, and the livery man, with a quick sale of Luther’s buggy and mare, made a small profit. The profit seemed large to him considering the team Ben traded for was untrained.

+++

It had been eleven months since breaking out of prison. Ben and Beth Persons drove their chariot north out of Santa Rosa. Ben was a free man concerning the law, eternally bound to Christ, and happily bound to Beth. Marriage was everything he’d hoped it would be. He only wished he could take Beth and introduce her to everyone he cared about across the country. A constant theme was so-and-so would get tickled to hear Beth say this, or do that. So-and-so would be so happy for me if they could only meet Beth.

Ben’s singular concern was finding time to pray, pray and not be self-conscious of praying out loud in Beth’s presence. His consolation was that Beth used that time to read her Bible.  Ben was surprised and delighted when Beth demonstrated an ability to recall a scripture accurately, and where she’d found it for conversation long after having read it. He remembered fellow Bible College students who didn’t have her comprehension or retention skills. He loved her all the more.

Their first night on the road was the small town of Cloverdale. It had a railroad station, and the few typical commercial enterprises. It was only about 35 miles from Santa Rosa. The team would be able to travel far longer distance once trained. Ben spent a good portion of the day with them unhitched, but in harness, and him walking behind them, Ben with a switch. Beth watched at first, but soon enough broke out her Bible. Ben suggested she begin with the New Testament or the Psalms, but he didn’t insist. Their plan was to stay in hotels when they could, and camp when they must. The Cloverdale hotel was fairly new and looked inviting. They certainly enjoyed the bed.

“I noticed the church back down the road looked a little run down,” Ben said to the waitress.

“Ain’t got no preacher. He died.”

Beth said “Awwww.” Ben said that he was sorry to hear that. “It’s short notice, but do you think anybody would come if I preached tomorrow, Sunday?”

“I know a bunch would. I could send Roy, my boy, ta tell everybody.” She said it with an expectant uplift in her voice.

“What 10:30, 11:00?” Ben asked.

“Old one started at ten.”

“Even better,” Ben said, smiling.

“You don’ suppose, you could…”

Ben’s expression encouraged her.

“You could, uh, marry folks. See we been… Couples have been sorta actin’ married. We said words to each other… me and Ike. Another couple, too. But… well, you know.”

“Honey, I don’t know for sure how legal it would be, but it would be my honor to perform a service that the Lord God in Heaven would be sure to taken note of.”

The waitress blushed, turning crimson. “I’m bringin' you both a piece a’ pie on the house even if I git fired for it!”

“Miss…”

“Helen.”

“Helen, what do you say any couples who want to get married meet with me right after tomorrow’s service, and we’ll have weddings right after dinner, or whatever time suits you all. Would that be all right?”

“Oh, yes sir. We’ll be there.”

Beth blessed Ben with the smile of her life.

+++

“What are you going to preach about, Ben?”

“Well, honey. First you need to know that I’m not a pastor. I’ve preached a few sermons as a fill-in, but mostly I street preach, and witness.” Seeing Beth’s perplexity, he went on. “See, street preaching, you don’t get many people to stop and listen. Mostly they’re on their way to somewhere, work, or something. You have just a couple minutes to get the gospel out, or to plant a seed of salvation. Once in a while you can elaborate, but … And then if you have the same corner for a while, you can get a sermon out in little snips. By the time you’ve seen the same person four or five times, you got ‘em a whole sermon, a whole message. Mainly, I want to get ‘em knowing how they need Jesus and try to steer ‘em into a church.”

“But tomorrow?”

“Helen didn’t say how long they’ve been without a preacher. I’d say some time.”

Beth agreed.

“So, a salvation message. Won’t hurt any saved person to hear it again. And in a church, you never really know. A man could be a deacon for twenty years, and suddenly realize he never truly got saved, just learned the words.”

“I love you, Ben Persons.”