Searching for Anna by Jenifer Carll-Tong (best classic books of all time .txt) 📕

The sound of steel grinding against steel reverberated inside the railcar as the train finally came to a halt at the Iron Falls depot. The small, splintered platform was empty and nobody in the car moved. Apparently, Phoebe and her father would be the only passengers disembarking.

"Go on ahead, darlin’. I'll get our bags."

It was not a bright day, but the overcast sky seemed to fit the mood of the town. Gray – that was the color of this town. Worn wood siding covered the little train depot, but it was apparent by the few specks of paint still clinging to the crevices that the building had been white at some point in its history. That was more than she could say for the small buildings on either side.

"Mrs. Albright?"

Phoebe turned to find four women making their way toward her.

"Sorry our husbands weren't able to greet the train," said the smallest of the four women. She extended her hand. "But they haven't returned from the mine yet."

"That's quite alright. I'm just so grateful someone is here to show me the way." Phoebe took her hand. "I'm Phoebe Albright."

"We're so glad you're here, Mrs. Albright!" the woman continued. "Is your husband grabbing your bags?"

Phoebe was momentarily dumbfounded. Before she could recover, her father walked up.

"Good afternoon, ladies! I'm Reverend Albright."

The women looked a little confused.

"Oh, I see," said a second woman, older and a bit more severe looking than the rest. She gave the other women a knowing look.

Realization hit Phoebe. "No! Oh, no," Phoebe interrupted. "I mean, yes, this is Reverend Albright, but this is my father, not my husband."

Reverend Albright chuckled. "I've been mistaken for a lot of things, but never Phoebe's husband!"

The women laughed a little, apparently relieved that their new pastor wasn't a cradle robber, then turned their attention to Phoebe's father. "So, you are our new pastor?"

Rev. Albright scowled as his eyes darted quickly back and forth between all the women, including his daughter.

"I - I, that is, uh…"

Phoebe took a deep breath. "I'm afraid there has been some confusion. I am your new pastor, not my father."

The women looked at one another. It was several moments before the short woman spoke. "Ya aren't what we expected…" she began.

"That's certainly true!" said the second. "Not only have they sent us a woman, but an unmarried one at that? Well, I never!"

"What's more upsetting," Phoebe asked, "that you have been sent an unmarried pastor or that I am a woman? If I were an unmarried man, would you be as upset?"

The older woman's eyes narrowed. "Maybe things are different in that big city you came from, but up here in Iron Falls — "

"I have the same training and education as any man coming out of Bible College, of that I can assure you."

The short woman stepped between them. "I'm sure you are quite qualified. We've been praying that God would not only send us a new pastor, but that He'd send the right one." She turned and looked at the group. "He knows what He is doing, doesn't He?"

The youngest of the group nodded her head in agreement. The other two said nothing.

"Well, I'm not happy," said the second woman. "Pardon my bluntness, Miss Albright, but I am afraid that you have no idea what you have gotten yourself into. Iron Falls is no place for fancy city girls. We are a common bunch of people with no need of your genteel foolishness."

"Mrs. Smith!"

"I don't care! We are all thinking it. I'm just the only one not too polite to say it."

"I'm not thinking it," said the youngest woman. "I think we could use a bit more gentility around Iron Falls. Besides, I think a woman pastor is a grand idea."

"Of course, you would, Mary," Mrs. Smith said over her shoulder but keeping her eyes on Phoebe. "Our former pastor would visit my boarding house on a regular basis - trying to keep those young men on the proper spiritual track. Will you be able to do that, Miss Albright? Do you think a house full of young, single men will respect you at all? Let alone respect you as a preacher?"

"Probably not," Phoebe said.

All four of the women lifted eyebrows at her answer.

Phoebe squared her shoulders. "If I am unable to get the respect I deserve as pastor from the women of the greeting committee, then my hope of garnering respect from anyone in this town doesn't seem very likely."

Mrs. Smith gasped, and the others dropped their eyes.

"You ask me, Mrs. Smith, if I think I will be respected. And my answer is – probably not, at least not at first. But in my experience, respect is an honor that is earned, not passed out according to one's gender. God has called me to be the pastor of Iron Falls, and until He says otherwise, I will answer His call to the best of my ability. Now, if you don't mind, it has been a long couple of days, and I would like to get settled. If you would be so kind as to point me in the direction of the parsonage, I will go there now."

The youngest woman, who had been addressed as 'Mary,' was the first to answer.

"Welcome to Iron Falls, Pastor Albright." She hooked her arm in Phoebe's and led her away from the train.

Phoebe glanced back at her father, who was following along with their bags, smiling. She wondered what he'd thought of the confrontation she'd just had, but Mary's constant chatter about the town's landmarks gave her little time to ponder.

"And that's where you will find me," she said, pointing to a building with a sign that read Middleton Mining Company Store. "Pay no mind to the sign - the store is no longer company owned. When Middleton pulled out of town, my husband took it over. He hired me to help run the place but ended up with a wife instead!" Mary had an infectious laugh, and Phoebe couldn't help but smile along as the woman pointed out the various buildings and shops, attaching names to them that Phoebe feared she wouldn't be able to remember.

"Up that hill, you'll find the constabulary post as well as a few other businesses, - oh, and Mrs. Smith's boarding house. And that's the livery and the blacksmith is there beside it. McDaniels owns the livery if you are interested in riding. He has horses to loan. And over there is Dr. Langley's office, but he's the doctor for a few towns around here, so he isn't always there."

"Slow down, Mary. You're going to make her head spin," chastised the first woman.

The group came to a stop in front of a church. It was much larger than Phoebe had expected, with faded white clapboard siding and tall, arched windows flanking the sides.

"Well, here is your new home away from home," said the first woman.

Home. Yes. It has that feel, Phoebe thought.

"It's lovely," Phoebe said.

"Yes, well, back when the company was still here, they donated the land to build a church. Times were pretty good then, and there were lots of people to give and to help. It can seat nearly a hundred, which makes it bigger than most churches in towns the size of Iron Falls."

They walked only a few feet, then turned toward a tiny building, some sort of log-constructed outbuilding of the church - an office, perhaps, though only very large churches tended to have offices. Mary opened the door and they walked in.

"It isn't much," said the first woman, who appeared to be a spokeswoman for the group. "But we've made sure it was nice and clean for ya."

Phoebe looked around the room. There was a table with four unmatched chairs. In the corner, there was a small stove and another taller table pushed against the wall with shelves hanging above. In the opposite corner, she saw a double bed with a tiny table next to it. Then it hit her. This was the parsonage! This is where they intended for her to live! She hadn't expected anything grand, but this was little more than a shed with a stove to warm it.

Phoebe refused to let the women see her disappointment. "Well, this is lovely as well," she said, smiling brightly.

"I'm sure it's not what you are accustomed to, but —" Mrs. Smith grumbled.

Phoebe interrupted her. "It's more than adequate. And I appreciate you taking the time to clean for me. That is a blessing."

Mary smiled. "And we have loaded the cellar with canned goods and other staples. You shouldn't go hungry."

"I should say not! We were expecting a young married couple straight from Bible College. There's enough food on hand here for two people,