The Richest Heart

Chapter 48

He isn't what people think he is," Peter said. "Mrs. Bufford has everyone saying that he's a thief. But he hasn't hurt anybody!" Emiline listened with interest. Walking back from Mrs. Winston's house, Peter had told her everything that had happened in town since she had been gone. He had talked about the house he and Shawn had been building and the misunderstanding at the General Store. The story pieced together in the girl's mind and once again she remembered the young man she had seen walking at the train station. Then she smiled with understanding.

"He is a Christian!" she thought joyfully. "I knew he had to be!" It all made sense as she recalled the beautiful verse the man had written down on his piece of paper. He had probably read the passage earlier that morning and had written it down so he wouldn't forget it.

Peter stopped as they reached the newly cleared road that led to the burnt house.

"Come with me, Emma," he said. "You can meet him!" Emiline hesitated. She felt unusually shy when she thought about meeting the mysterious stranger. Finally she smiled and shook her head.

"I can't!" she laughed. "I'd feel silly! Besides, I need to get home. It's almost dinner time!" She told her friend goodbye and then, eyeing Peter's horse cautiously, she reached out a timid hand and stroked the creature's silky cheek. The stallion was getting tamer with Peter, but his ears twitched uneasily as she touched him. With the same fear she always felt toward Storm, the girl pulled her hand away and then headed home.

Peter continued up the road to the charred property where he usually saw Shawn. As he climbed the hill, he could tell that his friend hadn't been working for the last day or two. The new foundation was still waiting for the man to start building, and a pile of lumber lay beside it. After Mrs. Bufford had stirred up the town against him, Shawn had almost given up on his dream of building a house there. Now, as Peter looked around, he couldn't see his friend nearby.

"He's probably in town," the boy supposed. He let go of Storm's reins, allowing the horse to gorge himself on the wild grass that was standing all around the tool shed. The boy didn't bother to tie the stallion to the fence today. He and Storm were beginning to trust each other and he knew that the horse would always come to him.

There was no sunshine while Peter checked his traps. Dark clouds had rolled in, and a mist of rain showered down now and then.

A rustling sound drew Peter's attention.

He had just finished resetting a trap. Now, he glanced around curiously. Any moment, he expected Shawn to come back. But, glancing at the woods and back toward the tool shed he didn't see anyone nearby. Deeper into the forest, the boy followed his trap line. But, there was something that felt odd. He couldn't explain it. It was a sensation of uneasiness, the feeling like two eyes were watching him from a distance.

Setting his last trap, the boy scanned the area once more. A squirrel scurried up the side of a tree, making a chattering noise.

"I guess I'm being silly," he thought, shrugging his shoulders. "There isn't anything out here to worry about." Even so, he walked back to the tool shed a little bit faster than normal and when he reached its door, he got inside and shut it extra hard behind him.

There wasn't much room left in his shed. All of Shawn's things were crammed inside and the pile of furs kept growing.

Almost half an hour slid by. There was still no sign of Shawn. A feeling of worry started to creep into Peter's heart. What if the man had left for good?

"He wouldn't leave all of his stuff here," the boy reasoned. Then, he felt a little more concerned. What if Mrs. Bufford had caused more trouble? What if something bad had happened while Shawn was in town? The boy sat thinking about it for a long time. Suddenly, another rustling noise broke the silence.