Lord of all to thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise

Providence looked over her shoulder at the church door expecting her father to come in any moment. She turned back around when Ottaline tapped her on her shoulder. He hadn't come home and he hadn't come to Sunday service which was entirely unlike him.

In the churchyard she searched among the members for his face. She looked at the carriages where gentlemen helped their ladies into the seats then she looked at the lone automobile glimmering in the sun like a river rock. Esau, Ida and Jude Richmond were getting inside at that moment.

"Maybe we should ask them," Providence said.

"By we you mean me," Ottaline said. "Look, there are the Smiths." Hooking her Bible under her arms she hurriedly caught up to the family. "Mr. Franklin!" She called after Alice's brother who stopped and turned around.

"Ottaline?" he said and glanced in the directions of the Richmonds.

"Did my father come back to the house last night?" Ottaline asked. "He didn't come home after he left and as you can see he's not here this morning."

Franklin stepped away. "I haven't seen him," he said and without another word he caught up with his family.

"Well?" Providence asked having joined her sister.

"He hasn't seen him," Ottaline said. They returned to the church and sat on the steps. "Maybe...maybe if we wait here for a while he'll show up."

"But he's never late," Providence said stretching out her legs. She looked down the road toward the old church. "I'm worried, Ottaline."

Ottaline looked at her sister. She was worried too, but decided not to say so. "It will be all right. I promise, I'll do whatever it takes."

Hours ticked by as the girls waited and the sun began its afternoon decent. Finally Ottaline stood.

"Come on, we had better get home. Maybe he's already there waiting for us." She took her sister by the hand and they walked in the direction of their house as a train echoed through the mountains.

/

"Sheriff, I'd like to report a missing person."

Sheriff McAlister looked at her from behind his desk. "Ottaline Sabbath how many times do I have to tell you not to come in here with your silly games?"

Ottaline took a deep breath. "This is not a game, Sheriff."

"You had better not be crying wolf again," McAlister said picking up a pen and paper. "What will it be this time?"

Ottaline took a seat before his desk. "My father is missing," she said and both the sheriff and the deputy looked up.

"That's a new one," the deputy said with a snicker.

"Both of you were in church yesterday," Ottaline said. "Didn't you notice that he wasn't there?"

McAlister nodded. "And you haven't heard from him since then?"

"The last I saw him was Saturday night," Ottaline said. "I think I may have upset him."

"I see," the Sheriff said and now even the Deputy was interested. "Go on."

"Well I haven't seen him since then," Ottaline said. "Mr. Richmond gave him the afternoon off from work. I think he may have gone back there."

McAlister dropped his pen and leaned back in his chair rubbing his temples. The Deputy turned away and waved his hand. "Look here, gal," McAlister said. "You don't go accusing the Richmonds of anything. They are a fine Christian family and folks like you have no right slandering them." He took the paper and put it away. "Your daddy probably got drunk at the celebrations and passed out in a ditch in another town."

Ottaline couldn't control herself and burst into tears. It wasn't fair, it wasn't just. No one was going to help them find their father.

She met Providence outside. "They won't help us, Rovy. They think Daddy got drunk and passed out in the gutter. Why won't anyone help us? What's wrong with this town? They're all bewitched by the Richmonds, but I know they're no saints!"

Providence watched her sister lament. It did all seem hopeless. "Wait!" she said as an idea came to her mind. "What if we asked someone who is not from this town?" When Ottaline only stared at her she went on. "Mr. Idris!"

Ottaline wasn't so sure but followed her sister in the direction of Blue Roof Inn. It was a good distance from the sheriff's office and nearly stood alone looking up the lane to the narcissus pond. Ottaline went up to a woman standing outside the inn with her luggage.

"Excuse me madam but is Mr. Idris still here?"

The woman stared at her for a long time then looked at the sign that read WHITES ONLY. She then turned away as if she were having a conversation with the bush behind her.

Ottaline felt a blaze inside of her and was only calm when Providence touched her shoulder. Coming up the lane was Mr. Idris with a book in his hands.

"Mr. Idris!" They rushed him all at once. "Mr. Idris our father has gone missing do you think you could help us?" Providence begged.

Idris looked down at the sisters and could easily see their desperation. "How long has he been missing?"

"Saturday night," Ottaline said. "He left upset and didn't come home."

Idris thought. "Have you reported him missing?"

"Ottaline tried but they wouldn't believe her," Providence said. "Please help us, sir. I fear something bad has happened to him. If I lose my daddy we we'll be all alone."

It didn't take much to move Idris to pity. "You girls look exhausted," he said. "Go on home. I'll talk to the sheriff about your missing father."

"But he won't listen!" Ottaline insisted.

"He'll listen to me," Idris said. "Now get on off the streets and let me take care of this."

"Yes, sir," the girls chimed together.

As he watched them go he shook his head. He had all the numbers and he didn't like the way they had added up.

Idris strolled into the sheriff's office with St. Cloud confidence. "Sheriff," he said to the round balding man behind his desk. "I'd like to report a missing person. Get your pen and paper and write down what I have to say to you."

The sheriff slowly obeyed. "Go on," he said once he was ready.

"Mr. John Sabbath went missing the night of April 26th 1903. He was presumably last seen by his two daughters Ottaline and Providence."

"Is that all?"

"No," Idris said. "I want you to put out a search for him from the depot to the coast."

"That's the whole town!" the deputy objected.

"Isn't that what you do when you have a missing person," Idris said, "search the whole town?"

"Now look here," McAlister said getting up from his chair. "We don't take kindly to strangers coming in here stirring up trouble."

Idris held out his hand. "I'm Idris Marion St. Cloud son of Marion Jessop St. Cloud and Maria born March 17th 1869 in Clarksville Tennessee. I have two brothers Jessop and Ira St. Cloud. My uncle and aunt are Harold and Katherine St. Cloud and I have a cousin named Jethro and a maternal aunt called Lucile White. Now, sheriff we are no longer strangers."

Sheriff McAlister looked back at his deputy who stood slack jawed then he turned to Idris. "Where do you suggest we start?"

Idris smiled and turned to a map of Drinking Water on the wall. "I want you to drag Wild Wood Lake." He said looked over his shoulder. "Good day gentlemen."

/

"Do you want me to start lunch, Ottaline?"

Ottaline looked over her shoulder at her sister standing on the step behind her. She could see how solemn she was but somehow she was holding up. "I don't think I could eat," she said softly.

Providence joined her on the steps and watched someone's escaped chickens peck around the yard. "You know I've never been as optimistic as you," she said. "You're the one who has all the plans."

Ottaline wiped her tears. "I know. But I don't have any now. It's my fault, Rovy. I should have gone after him. I shouldn't have let him leave angry."

"No one can know what will happen next," Providence said. "For better or for worse, Ottaline, Daddy is in God's hands."

Ottaline closed her eyes and leaned against her sister. She didn't want the worse, she rebuked the worse.

/

All through the night they could hear voices in the woods and the light of lanterns often flashed through their windows. Barking dogs and jumbled voices mingled with the natural night world around them.

It was nearing morning when the girls were awoken by a pounding on the door. Providence was the first to sit up and she shook Ottaline. They looked at each other in the darkness.

"Daddy!" they both said and jumped out of bed.

Ottaline charged into the front of the house and flung the door open, shielding her eyes from the lantern light that blackened the figure that held it.

"Ottaline Sabbath, Providence Sabbath?"

The light lowered and they found themselves looking into the pale face of the Deputy.

Ottaline spoke, "Yes, sir?"

"Good," the Deputy said. "I'm gonna need you to come with me."

Ottaline felt her mouth ask a question but she didn't hear it with her ears. She turned around and looked at her sister. "I'll go," she said.

"Why does he want you to go with him?" Providence asked.

Ottaline smiled. "He probably just wants to know a few more details about Daddy," she said as they went into the bedroom. She put her dress on over her nightgown and long underwear then pulled her stockings on and lastly her boots. She took her boater hat from the nail above the window and put it on her head. She then turned to Providence seated on the bed. "Say a prayer for us," she said touching her face.

Providence looked at her sister in confusion but nodded her head. She watched her walk away before getting to her knees and folding her hands.

/

The Deputy's dog lunged at a rodent in the bushes and the young man yanked it back on the trail. He glanced over his shoulder at the girl behind him shivering in the early spring morning. It was still black outside when they reached the town and climbed the steps to the sheriff's office.

An old man stood on them washing them down with a bucket of soapy water. Inside the building was bright and the light blinded Ottaline as she followed the Deputy to the back. When she stepped through the door she recognized the sheriff standing over a table with three other men.

McAlister turned to her. "We found a dead man at Wild Wood Lake," he said coldly. "Look and see if he is your father."

Ottaline felt her heart lock. She had a bad feeling of what she would find when the Deputy first asked her to come with him. She slowly approached the table and stood before it. She felt a chill spring up on the back of her neck and creep down her spine.

McAlister nodded his head and one of the policemen pulled back the white sheet.

Ottaline felt as if someone had knocked the wind out of her. She felt her head spin, heard the jumbled voices of the men around her...

/

Ottaline inhaled sharply and opened her eyes. The deputy stood over her holding smelling salts beneath her nose.

"She's back," he looked over his shoulder and said to someone else in the room.

Ottaline tried to listen to their conversation but it seemed to fade into the distance. She could hear the songs of the birds and shoes in the hall. She tried to get the image of the dead man on the table out of her head. She rubbed the palms of her hands against her eyes as her chest ached and her head was starting to hurt. She opened her eyes when she felt a shadow looming over her.

"Are you ready to try again?" The Sheriff asked.

Ottaline sat up on the sofa and slowly got to her feet. They returned to the cold room where the man was already uncovered. She slowly inched up to his head and looked into his face. His eyes were closed and his dark flesh was bruised.

"Why does he look so swollen?"

"He has been in the water for some time," the deputy said.

"And the bruises?"

"Maybe he was in a fight," McAlister said. "Is he your father or not?"

"Bruises that bad...on his face and chest..." Ottaline shook her head. "He must have been hit with something hard."

"Is he your father or not?" The Sheriff's voice was close to yelling.

Ottaline squeezed her eyes shut and heavy tears rolled down her cheeks. She swallowed and nodded her head. "Yes, sir." She could barely hear her own words.

"Well that solves it!" the Sheriff said. "Telephone the Inn and let Mr. St. Cloud know we've finished."

"Yes, sir."

Ottaline listened to them leave the room. She opened her eyes slowly and closed them again when she still saw her father lying there. Her breath trembled when she opened her mouth. "I'm sorry." She wept under her breath. "I'm sor-ry." she cried out. She wiped her tears and the drainage from her nose. Taking the sheet in her hands she pulled it back over his face. She went into the hall and took slow steps to the front of the sheriff's office. How would she tell Providence that their father was dead?

"Yes that's how it is always done?" she heard McAlister say. "A criminal's burial for a criminal, outside of Sabbath Cemetery."

Criminal. The word burned in her head like hot water. What crime had her father committed to deserve such a disgrace? She had seen the graves outside the cemetery. They were in a plot over grown with weeds and grass where moles tunneled and serpents made their homes. What crime had he committed to deserve such a fate?

The answer suddenly boomed in her head and she found herself running out of the sheriff's office and onto the street. The vases, she had forgotten about the vases!