Light in the Wilderness , livre ebook

© 2014 by Jane Kirkpatrick, Inc.
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2014
Ebook corrections 02.16.2015
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-1956-5
Scripture used in this book, whether quoted or paraphrased by the characters, is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
This book is a work of historical fiction based closely on real people and events. Details that cannot be historically verified are purely products of the author’s imagination.
Praise for All Together in One Place
“Great characters and a strong story. Jane Kirkpatrick is an excellent writer.”
— T. Davis Bunn , bestselling and award-winning author
“With All Together in One Place Jane Kirkpatrick has performed a literary miracle. She made me—a reader who seldom ventures into Western fiction by choice—struggle across dusty plains and ford swollen rivers right along with her eleven turnaround women. . . . She made me care for—no, cheer for—characters who rubbed me the wrong way until they polished clean my resistance and stole my heart. Finally, she made me marvel at the strength of these pioneer women of faith whose hard-learned lessons give me the courage to change what needs changing in my life, and whose collective trust in God fortifies my own. Read it and experience this miracle of kinship and courage for yourself.”
— Liz Curtis Higgs , bestselling author and Christy Award winner
“This beautiful novel speaks to the heart of human relationships—full in love. Jane Kirkpatrick’s book is a treasure, well worth reaching beyond our genre to experience.”
— RT Book Reviews , 4.5 stars
Praise for No Eye Can See
“The author brings her heroines alive with full complements of both endearing and frustrating qualities, keeping them on even footing with each other and leaving the reader unsure what they might do next. Kirkpatrick is convincingly insightful about the conflicting emotions these women experience during dramatic life change, allowing them to struggle, change their minds, make mistakes and start over on different tracks. . . . [ No Eye Can See ] satisfies overall as entertainment, as historical fiction, and as a thoughtful exploration of human character and community.”
— Publishers Weekly
Praise for A Flickering Light
“Jane Kirkpatrick’s brilliance as a storyteller and her elegant artistry with the written word shine like a beacon in A Flickering Light. A master at weaving historical accounts with threads of story, Jane has that rare ability to take her reader on a journey through time. You nearly feel the ground move beneath your feet.”
— Susan Meissner , bestselling author of The Shape of Mercy
Praise for The Daughter’s Walk
“Jane Kirkpatrick is a wonderful writer who creates a story full of strong, admirable characters with human flaws.”
— Francine Rivers , bestselling author
Praise for One Glorious Ambition
“As always, Kirkpatrick’s writing is graceful and poignant. A master of historical fiction, Kirkpatrick has long been a favorite author among fans of the genre, and for good reason. She seamlessly weaves biographical and historical facts into her expert storytelling, both here and in her many previous novels.”
— Book Reporter Review
“Jane Kirkpatrick’s ability to probe the human spirit makes One Glorious Ambition a soaring novel of love, compassion, and duty.”
— Sandra Dallas , award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of True Sisters
Praise for A Sweetness to the Soul
“Jane Kirkpatrick’s particular gift is for capturing the authentic feel and flavor of frontier life; A Sweetness to the Soul is absolutely true to the people and the land as they once were. This is a novel that calls up a period early in the history of Oregon marked not only by hardship, sudden death, spiritual fortitude, and physical endurance, but also by community—one person reaching out to help another so that they might all survive.”
— Molly Gloss , bestselling author of The Hearts of Horses
“The best novels leave the reader changed in some significant way. A Sweetness to the Soul does that literally from its opening pages. . . . It is a celebration of those things that connect us, that make us what we are, that give us joy and sorrow, and understanding.”
— Salem Statesman Journal
Praise for Love to Water My Soul
“Rich with sensory imagery, well-developed characters, and peppered with native words, the novel brings alive the traditional and transitional lives of the native people of Oregon in the late nineteenth century. The details about the flora, fauna, and tribal traditions bear evidence of meticulous research.”
— Christian Library Journal
Praise for Gathering of Finches
“Drawing upon extensive research, including interviews with descendants, Kirkpatrick weaves a tale of a beautiful and dynamic woman who left a mark on everyone who knew her. . . . To fully appreciate Kirkpatrick’s research and interest in the lives of her subjects, read her Acknowledgments and Author’s Note prior to beginning this entertaining and informative novel.”
— Critics Corner , Presbyterian Magazine
Praise for A Clearing in the Wild
“ A Clearing in the Wild is Jane Kirkpatrick at her finest. The story is quickly paced and engaging from the first to the last. One of the most difficult tasks for a writer—and Kirkpatrick’s specialty—is to contemplate the lives of real people and to re-create a believable episode in those lives that is accurate yet interesting, to both inform and entertain. The dialogue sings masterfully with perfect tone, building characters and pushing the story line in succinct phrasing that never overstates. Emma Wagner Giesy’s story feels as genuine as if she herself were telling it.”
— Nancy E. Turner , bestselling author
Praise for A Land of Sheltered Promise
“Jane Kirkpatrick has an extraordinary talent for compelling us to explore our beliefs while telling a whopping good tale.”
— Book Reporter Review
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Endorsements
Cast of Characters
Orgeon Territory (Map)
Soap Creek Valley (Map)
Epigraph
Prologue
Part One
1. Having an Opinion
2. The Choice
3. Property Claimed
4. Shadows
Oregon Country
5. The Secrets of Butter and Cheese
6. Cleaving
7. Precious Promises
8. Seasonal Surprises
9. Stepping Up, Stepping Over
10. Ready for Beyond
Part Two
Oregon Country
11. Leaving
12. Uncharted Sentiment
13. Guarded
14. The Fundamentals
15. A Time to Weep, a Time to Laugh
Oregon Country
16. Carrying On
17. What Matters After All
18. Double Deception
Oregon Country
19. What Once We Loved
20. One More Crossing
21. The Separation
Oregon Country
Part Three
22. Settled In to Freedom
23. Where Safety Lies
24. Kin
25. Letting Go
26. Loose Ends That Never End
27. A Light in the Wilderness
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
An Interview with the Author
Suggested Readings
Book Discussion Questions
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
Cast of Characters Letitia (Carson) an African American woman Martha & Adam Carson Letitia and David’s children David (Davey) Carson Former mountain man/farmer/common-law husband of Letitia Smith Carson brother of David Carson Junior Carson David’s son from first marriage Sarah Bowman a Missouri and later Oregon neighbor William Bowman husband of Sarah Zachariah Hawkins doctor in Iowa/Missouri/Oregon journey Nancy Hawkins wife of Zachariah, neighbor of Carsons in Missouri and Oregon Samuel, Maryanne, Martha, Edward, Laura, Nancy Jane children of Nancy and Zachariah Hawkins The Woman, Betsy a Kalapuya woman in Oregon country Little Shoot Betsy’s grandson Greenberry Smith (G.B. Smith) slave patroller and neighbor of Carsons in Oregon Eliza White slave girl under contention in Missouri Stephen Staats Levin English captains whom Carson traveled with in 1845 Henry Knighton Hardin Martin drovers for Carson Joseph and Frances Gage Letitia’s neighbors A.J. Thayer Letitia’s attorney

Being one of the “Poor Whites” from a slave state I can speak with some authority for that class—many of those people hated slavery, but a much larger number of them hated free negroes even worse than slaves.
—Jesse Applegate, Oregon emigrant from Missouri in 1843
The essential code must include . . . how to crawl from the wreckage when this life falters, how to plunge to the cellar of sorrow and grope for the ladder that might bring you back into some kind of light, no matter how dim or strange.
—Kim Stafford, 100 Tricks Any Boy Can Do
She walked toward the prairie,
the unexpected promise of possibility, new grace
in her heart . . .
—Kathleen Ernst, Facing Forward
Prologue
1842—K ENTUCKY
She had imagined the day she would escape; it would be high noon when people least expected them to run, when the dogs lay panting in the Kentucky sun and the patrols rested, not seeking a colored woman making her way to freedom. She’d be fearing for her life. But now, no one chased her. No braying hounds barked; yet her heart pounded.
Here she was, her bare feet ready to leave Kentucky soil; and she was going as a free woman. Letitia patted the parchment inside the bond at her waist. It was secure. Then she pulled the shawl around her shoulders, lifted her tow linen skirt and her only petticoat, and pulled herself up with ease onto the wagon seat beside Sarah Bowman. Not that she was their equal, oh no, she knew that wasn’t so. But she was free and free people rode facing forward. The rough cloth pressed agai