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May 13, 1889
Dear future wife,
Today I learned that I would inherit all of my grandfather’s money and property in about a week. I don’t know what all it contains yet and I don’t really care. What I do care about is that I can most likely go to Jenner Medical College.
In my last letter, I mentioned that I couldn’t talk about why I wanted to be more than a country doctor. Well, I told my family and the Brookings family, so I suppose I should tell you. It’s kind of silly, actually.
My mother died in childbirth because my father refused to let the doctor come. After watching her slowly die an agonizing death, I was filled with the desire to become a doctor. Even though no doctor could have saved my mother since Pa refused to let them come, I want to become the best doctor possible so I can heal people no matter their ailment. Silly, right? But that’s who I am.
Sincerely,
Otis Miller
***
“Unca Otith!” a little voice exclaimed as the door opened at his knock.
Otis laughed, picked the three year old boy up, and spun him around. “How’s my Andrew tonight?”
“Not tired, but Mama wanth me to go to bed.”
An exasperated sigh alerted Otis to another presence. “Andrew, your father is waiting for you.”
Otis set him down and knelt next to him. “You need to listen to your mother. She knows what is best for you.”
He pouted. “But I wanna play wif you.”
“Soon, but not tonight.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
His lower lip inched out more and Otis gave it a tweak. “Goodnight, Andrew.”
Andrew shuffled to the back room, and Otis stood up with an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”
Priscilla chuckled lightly. “Don’t be. He was being disobedient before you came.”
“Has Joshua done the evening chores yet?”
“No, I haven’t, but they can wait,” Joshua said from behind Otis. “What brings you here tonight?”
Priscilla cleared her throat. “Perhaps we should go sit down?”
Joshua hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Right. Sorry, it’s been a long day.”
Otis smiled. “Not a problem.”
Priscilla led them to the parlor and went to get some tea.
“How have you been?” Otis asked.
“Not too bad,” he replied. “Life’s ups and downs make things difficult and interesting, but have hopefully made us trust God more, too.”
Otis nodded. “It usually does if you are trying to follow Him in the first place.”
Priscilla returned with the tea and gave both of them a cup. “So what does bring you here tonight? It must be exciting.”
Otis blinked. “Why do you say that?”
Priscilla sat down and cuddled close to Joshua. “I know you like to hide your feelings a lot, but the ready smile is something you only do when you are excited.”
Otis sighed. “Detectives. You can’t hide anything from them, can you? I feel sorry for your children.”
Joshua laughed. “I’m about to burst from curiosity. What’s happened?”
Priscilla picked up her knitting, and Otis told them the events of his day since leaving work. Joshua’s mouth dropped open, and Priscilla’s knitting slowed. Otis waited almost half a minute for a response.
“I’m very happy for you, Otis!” Priscilla exclaimed.
Joshua nodded. “Me, too. Any idea why Miss Miller teaches if she’s from a rich family?”
Otis shrugged. “She loves teaching and I don’t think she’d like to sit around and do nothing.”
“Does this mean you’ll be going to Indiana?” Priscilla asked.
“Probably. I’m waiting to make plans until after I talk to the lawyer. I do know I would like to visit any properties I’ll own. I’d also like to finally go to medical school.”
Priscilla picked her knitting back up and the needles clicked together in a soothing way. “I hope you can. You’ll make a wonderful doctor. What time do you need to be in town tomorrow?”
Otis scratched his head. “Dr. Benson’s never set an exact time, so whenever I can get there. Why?”
Priscilla looked up at him. “All the children miss seeing you, especially Andrew. I wondered if you could stay the night. Maybe you could walk Grace to school, too.”
He grinned. “I hoped you would ask me to stay. I packed a few things just in case.”
“Is it all right, Joshua?” Priscilla asked.
Joshua nodded and smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Yes, of course. That would be fine.”
Otis studied Joshua but chose not to say anything about his response. “I’ll go get Blaze in the corral. Be back shortly.”
He set his teacup on the small table in the middle of the room and headed out, whistling. He took the saddle and bridle off of Blaze, kept the saddlebags over his shoulder, let Blaze into the corral, and put the tack in the barn. While there, he did Joshua’s chores right away.
Otis headed to the back door and, before reaching the first step, heard what sounded like an argument. He set his saddlebags down and walked back to the corral to look at the dark landscape, the rising moon, and the stars. They were all truly beautiful.
Sometime later, Joshua joined him. “What’s taking so long?”
“I did your evening chores and decided to do some stargazing.”
“See anything?”
“The black trees, bright moon and stars, and a few wispy clouds. That’s about it.”
He cleared his throat. “You’ve always been terrible at hiding things.”
“I know.”
“What did you hear?”
“No distinct words, just the tone of voice. But I don’t really need to know anything. It’s none of my business.”
“It isn’t, but...” He sighed. “We’re going through a bit of a tough spot right now. We both have solutions, but they’re vastly different. It’s frustrating, and hard to see how God can lead us. I know He can, but—” His voice trailed off.
Otis put a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be praying for wisdom to know God’s will for both of you. Remember what the Bible says, ‘Be ye angry, and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath; neither give place to the devil.’”
“I know. God keeps bringing that verse to my attention as well as one of the verses to ‘He Hideth My Soul,’
A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
He taketh my burden away,
He holdeth me up and I shall not be moved,
He giveth me strength as my day.
“All I have to do is remember it and follow the advice.”
Otis leaned on the fence and stared at the horses grazing. “That’s always the hard part. That and listening to where God is leading.”
They were quiet for a while.
Joshua stretched and yawned. “I need to go to bed. Tomorrow is a long day of rounding the horses up.”
Otis straightened. “I should ask Dr. Benson for a day or two off to help you on one last roundup.”
Joshua slapped his back as they headed toward the house. “I would gladly take you up on the offer.”
“I’ll talk to him tomorrow. If he lets me, can I help Thursday to Saturday? And stay here?”
“Helping, yes. I’ll ask Priss about you staying. She’ll probably be fine with it—”
“But you’d rather ask,” Otis interrupted him.
“Yes.”
“Tell her I really don’t have to if it will be a problem with you or the kids.”
“I’ll tell her.”
They reached the door and went inside quietly. Otis picked up his saddlebags first and they parted ways at the stairs. Joshua went to his room, and Otis crept his way to the guest room where he quickly settled himself in for the night.
***
Otis woke up earlier than usual the next morning. He didn’t know why, but he didn’t question it. He grabbed his Bible and the candle on the nightstand and headed out to the back porch.
He sat down on the top step, lit the candle, and held his Bible up to its light. Otis flipped open to the bookmarked passage, or tried to, but it opened up to Galatians five instead. He read the whole chapter, but verses 19˗24 really jumped out at him:
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
“Envyings, wrath, strife, and seditions,” he whispered. “Father, you know how much I envy Joshua and Priscilla and their beautiful family. I’m sorry. I never fully realized how wrong it was. Help me to trust in Your timing for a family of my own.
“I don’t know what’s going on with Joshua and Priscilla, but You do. Help them resolve this issue. If there’s any way I can help, please let me be open and willing.”
He read, studied, and prayed until the candle became useless, then he set the candle and Bible aside and went to the barn to do the chores. If he got really lucky, he could even start the coffee before Priscilla got up.
***
The chores took longer than he expected and when he got inside, Grace and Priscilla were making hotcakes while Andrew played peekaboo with Abigail, who lay in her cradle on the floor.
Otis sneaked up behind Grace and picked her up off the stool, spinning around once. She squealed and giggled.
“Put me down, Uncle Otis. You’re getting my dress wrinkly.”
He hurriedly did as requested and, with exaggerated movements, helped smooth out the imaginary wrinkles. “How’s my favorite Grace this morning?”
She huffed and tried to be mad at him. “Busy.”
Otis forced his laugh down. “Very well, don’t let me get in your way. I’ll go play with Andrew instead.” He winked at Priscilla. “I think I know where her attitude came from.”
Priscilla smiled but refused to incriminate herself.
Andrew tackled his legs. “Come thee Abigail, Unca Otith. Ithn’t she grown up thince you thaw her?”
Otis swung Andrew up onto his shoulder and strode over to the cradle. “My goodness. I do believe she’s almost as big as you are, Andrew.”
He giggled. “No, she ithn’t.”
He set Andrew down next to the cradle and studied them both. “Hmm. Maybe not, but soon.”
Abigail cooed, and Otis bent down and picked her up. “And how are you, little miss Abigail?” She cooed again. “You don’t say. Well, that is fascinating.”
“She’s only four months old,” Priscilla said. “I highly doubt she knows the word ‘fascinating.’”
“A young age doesn’t mean we can’t start expanding her vocabulary,” Otis answered.
“What’s fathinaping mean?” Andrew asked.
Otis laughed. “Fascinating means something is very interesting. Right, Joshua?”
Joshua nodded as he came inside. “Right. Is our fascinating breakfast almost finished?”
“Yes, Daddy,” Grace said.
Priscilla took Abigail from him. “Everyone needs to wash their hands and sit down, please.”
Otis helped Andrew and then joined the family for a quick breakfast of hotcakes, sausage, and gravy.
Halfway through the meal, Joshua said, “Otis, thank you for doing the chores this morning.”
“You’re welcome.”
He turned to Grace. “Grace, do you mind if Otis walks you to school today?”
Her face lit up. “No, I wouldn’t mind at all.”
“Good,” Otis said. “That means we can leave a little later than usual since we’ll be riding Blaze in.”
After everyone had eaten, Otis went outside and played with Andrew until Grace came out, ready to leave.
He went inside, took Priscilla’s hand, and gave it a light kiss. “I’ll probably see you later tonight if I’m allowed to stay. Thank you for letting me stay last night.”
“It’s always a pleasure to have you visit. Thank you for spending time with each of the children.”
“You’re most welcome. I love ’em almost as if they were my own.”
“Well, then, you need to get married and have your own.”
Otis backed up to the door. “I gotta find the right woman first. Unfortunately, you’re already taken.” He winked at her and left. As he closed the door, he heard the thud and squish as the dishcloth hit it.