When Breaks the Dawn (Canadian West) Read online

  WHEN BREAKS the DAWN

  Books by Janette Oke

  Another Homecoming* Tomorrow’s Dream*

  Return to Harmony*

  CANADIAN WEST

  When Calls the Heart When Breaks the Dawn

  When Comes the Spring When Hope Springs New

  Beyond the Gathering Storm

  When Tomorrow Comes

  LOVE COMES SOFTLY

  Love Comes Softly Love’s Unending Legacy

  Love’s Enduring Promise Love’s Unfolding Dream

  Love’s Long Journey Love Takes Wing

  Love’s Abiding Joy Love Finds a Home

  A PRAIRIE LEGACY

  The Tender Years A Quiet Strength

  A Searching Heart Like Gold Refined

  SEASONS OF THE HEART

  Once Upon a Summer Winter Is Not Forever

  The Winds of Autumn Spring’s Gentle Promise

  SONG OF ACADIA*

  The Meeting Place The Birthright

  The Sacred Shore The Distant Beacon

  The Beloved Land

  WOMEN OF THE WEST

  The Calling of Emily Evans A Bride for Donnigan

  Julia’s Last Hope Heart of the Wilderness

  Roses for Mama Too Long a Stranger

  A Woman Named Damaris The Bluebird and the Sparrow

  They Called Her Mrs. Doc A Gown of Spanish Lace

  The Measure of a Heart Drums of Change

  Janette Oke: A Heart for the Prairie

  Biography of Janette Oke by Laurel Oke Logan

  www.janetteoke.com

  When Breaks the Dawn

  Copyright 1986

  Janette Oke

  Cover design by Jenny Parker

  Cover artwork based upon photograph in the book Victorian & Edwardian

  Fashions for Women 1840—1919 by Kristina Harris.

  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—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher and copyright owners.

  Published by Bethany House Publishers

  11400 Hampshire Avenue South

  Bloomington, Minnesota 55438

  Bethany House Publishers is a division of

  Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

  Printed in the United States of America

  * * *

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Oke, Janette, 1935—

  When breaks the dawn / by Janette Oke.

  p. cm.—(Canadian West ; bk. 3)

  Summary: “Having survived the harshness of their first year in the far Northwest, Elizabeth and Wynn, her Royal Canadian Mountie, are now challenged by a crushing disappointment. Will their love for each other, hope for the future, and their faith in God carry them through?”—Provided by publisher.

  ISBN 0-7642-0013-5 (pbk.)

  1. Royal Canadian Mounted Police—Fiction. 2. Canada, Western—Fiction. 3. Women pioneers—Fiction. I. Title. II. Series: Oke, Janette, 1935—. Canadian West series ; bk. 3.

  PR9199.3.O38W28 2005

  813’.54—dc22

  2004024207

  * * *

  To my dear fifth sister, Joyce Ruth,

  whom I had the privilege of

  helping to name when she arrived

  and to spoil as she grew.

  I appreciate her unselfish love

  and her dedication to her Lord.

  To her and to her husband, Elmer Deal,

  I dedicate this book with my love.

  JANETTE OKE was born in Champion, Alberta, to a Canadian prairie farmer and his wife, and she grew up in a large family full of laughter and love. She is a graduate of Mountain View Bible College in Alberta, where she met her husband, Edward, and they were married in May of 1957. After pastoring churches in Indiana and Canada, the Okes spent some years in Calgary, where Edward served in several positions on college faculties while Janette continued her writing. She has written over four dozen novels for adults and children, and her book sales total over twenty-two million copies.

  The Okes have three sons and one daughter, all married, and are enjoying their dozen grandchildren. Edward and Janette are active in their local church and make their home near Didsbury, Alberta.

  Contents

  When Comes the Spring Synopsis

  1. The Homecoming

  2. Together Again

  3. Catching Up

  4. Supply House

  5. A New Day

  6. Routine

  7. Life Goes On

  8. Surprises

  9. Nonita

  10. Summer

  11. Another Winter

  12. School

  13. The Three R’s

  14. Trials and Triumphs

  15. Another Christmas

  16. Winter Visitor

  17. Classes Resume

  18. Susie

  19. Spring Returns

  20. Changes

  21. Reminders

  22. Sickness

  23. Summer of ’Fourteen

  24. Waiting

  25. Temptation

  26. Duty

  27. Out

  28. Calgary

  29. Home Again

  30. Settling In

  31. Spring Again

  32. The Birthday Party

  33. Sorrow and Joy

  SYNOPSIS

  When Comes

  the Spring

  When Elizabeth Thatcher, the fashion-conscious young schoolteacher from Toronto, boarded the train for Calgary, it was with one purpose in mind. She was going to teach pioneer children in a country school. But Wynn Delaney, a member of the Royal North West Mounted Police, entered her life and changed all that.

  After a wedding in Calgary and a brief honeymoon in Banff, the couple left for the North where Wynn had been posted to a remote Indian village. Elizabeth soon learned to love and respect the Indian people even though the adjustment was difficult.

  Tragedy struck the village when the trading post burned to the ground. With it went the vital winter supplies of the people. Nimmie McLain, the trader’s Indian wife, had become Elizabeth’s best friend, so Nimmie was missed terribly when she and her husband went “out,” back to civilization, to arrange for more supplies and the materials to build a new store.

  Nimmie promised they would return in the spring. Elizabeth watched for that day with great anticipation and longing. Finally it came, and with the coming of the wagons came hope, renewed strength, and joy.

  Characters

  ELIZABETH THATCHER DELANEY—schoolteacher and wife of Wynn. Though raised in comfortable circumstances in the city of Toronto, she learned to live on little, without fuss or selfpity.

  WYNN DELANEY—a member of the Royal North West Mounted Police who saw his occupation as a means of caring for others.

  IAN AND NIMMIE McLAIN—owner of the settlement trading post and his self-educated Indian wife.

  JON, MARY, WILLIAM, SARAH, KATHLEEN, ELIZABETH— the brother of Elizabeth, his wife and family. Their home was in Calgary.

  JULIE—Elizabeth’s pretty and somewhat flighty younger sister, whom she loved dearly.

  MATTHEW—Elizabeth’s younger brother, raised in Toronto.

  ONE

  The Homecoming

  The nearer we came to the rumbling wagons, the more my heart pounded. Frustrated with the wait, I wished I could just hoist my long, cumbersome skirts and break into a run, but I held my impatience in check. I wasn’t sure how Wynn would feel about my impulsiveness, and I was quite sure there would be some puzzled expressions on the faces of our Indi
an neighbors.

  They were so near and yet so far away, just dipping down over the last hills before our little village. I had missed Nimmie so much in the time she had been gone, and was anxious to see for myself that she was all right. I wanted to hug her close, to welcome her back. I wanted to talk, and talk—for hours and hours—and to hear all about the outside world and every little thing that had happened to her while she had been away from us.

  I’m sure Wynn sensed my feelings. He reached for my hand and gave it a loving squeeze.

  “It won’t be long now,” he said, trying to calm my trembling hands and heart.

  I took a deep breath, gave him a quick smile and attempted to slow my stride, just a bit, but it was hard. My legs ached with the effort. I was so eager to see dear Nimmie.

  Just when I thought I would burst with anticipation, I saw someone climbing down from the side of the distant wagon, and then there was Nimmie running toward me! Without another thought, I grabbed up my skirts and broke into a headlong run to meet her.

  At first neither of us could talk. We just held one another, tears mingling on our faces.

  Nimmie was not only my much-missed friend—she held the secrets of the outside world, the world of my family that I loved and missed so much.

  By the time we had finished embracing, there was great com- motion all around us. Wynn was greeting Nimmie’s husband, Mr. McLain, and a crowd of people from the settlement gathered around. The wagon drivers were trying hard to hold the tired teams steady in spite of all of the confusion. Everyone seemed to be talking at once, and Nimmie and I both knew it would be useless to try to visit now. We backed up, looked at one another’s face and smiled our delight, our eyes promising each other a long, long talk together as soon as it could be arranged.

  But I tried one question: “Katherine?” I queried above the hum.

  “She stayed,” answered Nimmie. I knew that now was not the time to get more details.

  Then the whole party turned toward the settlement, and in almost eerie quietness began to walk the trail that led us over the hills, through the bush, and home.

  Nimmie’s eyes darted back and forth over the scenery she had not seen for so long. I could sense her straining forward, eager for that first look at the familiar cabins in the small clearing. I knew her thoughts were skipping on ahead of her, but my attention was drawn back to where she had been in the recent past.

  I could wait no longer.

  “Did you meet my family in Calgary?” I asked, hoping with all of my heart she would be able to say yes.

  She turned to me with a light in her eyes.

  “They are wonderful!” she exclaimed. “Mary is so sweet; and the children—I love the children.”

  I swallowed the big lump suddenly welling up in my throat. How I missed Jon and Mary and their children. I hadn’t realized just how much until I heard Nimmie talk about them.

  “They are—well?” I struggled with the few words.

  “Fine,” beamed Nimmie. “But they miss you. They send their love. Little Kathleen begged to come with us so she could see her Aunt Beth. She said it has been ‘almost forever’ since you left.”

  My beloved Kathleen—I could almost feel her arms around my neck. The tears sprang again to my eyes.

  “I suppose she’s grown,” I said wistfully.

  “Mary says they’ve all grown a good deal in the past year,” responded Nimmie, who of course wouldn’t know, having just met the children.

  Noticing my tears spilling onto my cheeks, Nimmie quickly changed our conversation.

  “They all sent you letters,” she told me briskly. “I put them right in the top crate so you could have them just as soon as we get to the settlement. I knew you would be anxious for them.”

  I reached over to give Nimmie a warm hug. She understood.

  The horses seemed to sense rest and food just ahead and hastened their plodding strides. We had to hurry to keep up. Wynn, who had been walking next to Mr. McLain in order to snatch a few pieces of news, joined me, taking my hand to steady my footsteps.

  “Are you okay?” he asked after a few silent moments.

  I smiled to let him know I was, though I was sure the traces of tears still showed on my face.

  “Any news from home?” he asked next.

  “Nimmie said they’re all fine and they sent letters.” My grip on Wynn’s hand tightened. “I can hardly wait to read them.”

  The sun was low on the horizon, making it increasingly difficult to see the trail. The Indians, with their intimate knowledge of nature and the territory, walked quickly and surely, their steps seeming never to falter. I stumbled now and then and was glad for Wynn’s hand. Kip stopped his frisking about and came back to follow closely at my side.

  “The McLains will need a place to spend the night, many nights perhaps, until they get themselves settled in the old Lamuir cabin,” commented Wynn.

  “That’s a mess!” I exclaimed, horrified that he would even suggest such a place.

  “It can be cleaned up and made quite livable with a little effort,” Wynn maintained. “Ian has already asked if it is available.” He paused for a moment and then went on slowly, “Like most women, Nimmie might prefer to be on her own.”

  I knew Wynn was right, at least about Nimmie preferring to be on her own. She was very independent, but oh, it would be nice to keep her with me during the rebuilding of the store.

  “I’ll help her clean the cabin if that’s what she wants,” I said rather reluctantly.

  “Good,” was all Wynn answered.

  After we had walked a bit farther, I broke the silence again. “How long do you think it will take to rebuild the trading store?”

  “It depends on the weather—how many of the men help, how things go—but Ian says he hopes to have it framed in and ready to shelter the supplies in four weeks or so. Then he will finish the living quarters as time allows.”

  Poor Nimmie, I groaned inwardly. She would be without a real home for some months, and with the new baby coming that would not be easy.

  In the semidarkness I stole another look at Nimmie. She looked fine. She was showing now and I couldn’t help but wonder when the baby was due. In my excitement about Nimmie’s good news when she had shared her secret, I had not even asked the time of the expected birth. Yes, she could be due before too many weeks passed. Yet she walked with the same straight shoulders, the same confidence, as the rest of her people. I admired Nimmie.

  By now it was quite dark. We were still meeting people on their way to welcome the travelers—mothers with little ones in tow, old people who could not hurry with their walking sticks, children who straggled just for the fun of it.

  Finally within sight of the small settlement, we could see the dark shapes of the cabins through the gathering night. Hearing the familiar sound of barking dogs as they strained against their unwelcome tethers, I wondered fleetingly if Kip felt a bit smug about the fact that he was with the group, traveling free.

  The smoke of the wood fires lingered in the air, though by now most likely every fire in the settlement would have gone out for lack of attention. The sad heap of rubble where the trading post had stood showed faintly through the darkness. I suddenly wished we had taken time to clear it away so that it might not bring returning pain to Nimmie.

  I moved closer to her, hoping my presence in the darkness would be some comfort.

  It must have been, too, for her voice came softly to me over the creak and grind of the wagons. “It seems like a long-ago bad dream.”

  Giving her arm a quick squeeze, I did not answer, for I did not know what to say.

  We moved silently among the buildings so familiar to both of us as the wagons ground to a stop. The tired drivers lowered their aching bodies to the hard-packed earth, speaking to the teams as they moved forward to tether them until Mr. McLain would give the next orders. Nimmie waited to join her husband, and I spoke to her as I walked by.

  “I’ll light the fire and get sup
per ready. As soon as you are free, come to the house. You may wash and rest for a bit before we have our supper.”

  “Thank you,” said Nimmie, her voice soft.

  My heart was light as I hurried back home to my supper preparations. Nimmie was back and she looked fine. The much-needed supplies for the village were on the loaded wagons. Soon the trading post would be built again. And after the evening’s supper was over and the dishes washed and cared for, Nimmie and I would at last get to have that long-coveted talk.

  TWO

  Together Again

  As I rushed to get the fire started, my mind was busy with what I could fix for our supper. I knew the McLains had been on the trail for many days and would enjoy a full meal rather than a hastily prepared snack. The occasion merited a celebration feast, and yet my pantry was almost bare because of the scarcity of supplies. The wagons that stood in the settlement were loaded down with our future needs, so it wasn’t caution that made it impossible for me to fix our guests a really fine meal, even though it was hard to break my habit of conserving during the past weeks. It was simply the fact that there was very little on my shelves to prepare.

  I left my fire, the flames now devouring the wood, and began to rummage through the cupboard shelves. It seemed that each container I eagerly pulled forward and opened was almost empty. I wondered just how many more days we could have survived on the little we had left.

  There was always meat. The men of the settlement, with Wynn in charge, had kept us well supplied with fresh meat. With the warmer weather, the meat had to be brought to the village daily and divided among the families, as it would not keep fresh for long. I surveyed the piece that had been brought to me for our supper. It had seemed like plenty for Wynn and me, but now, with two others to feed, it looked awfully small. It was beaver, not my favorite dish, but it was tasty enough. I tried to think of a quick way to cook it— and perhaps stretch it a bit.

  I had few vegetables left. But I could make a stew of sorts. I hastened to get it into the pot and on the stove to cook. I had nothing that would make a dessert of any kind. We’d just have to do without, like Wynn and I had been doing.