Unending Devotion (Michigan Brides #1)(9)
“Sounds like one foolish little girl.”
“I have only myself to blame.” She should have seen it coming, should have done more.
“Well, if you’re looking for her among the spawn of the devil, you’ve certainly come to the right place.”
Connell cleared his throat. “Don’t you think you’re being a little harsh, Mrs. Heller?”
The woman tossed him a glare that could have melted ice. “This town has less than two thousand permanent residents but over twenty taverns. And with all the sporting that goes on at almost every single one of them, I’m actually being kind in my description of this town.”
“Twenty taverns?” That was more than any of the other small lumber towns she’d been to. She’d best start visiting them right away.
“And then there’s the Stockade,” Vera lowered her voice to a hush.
The name sent a chill crawling over Lily’s skin.
“The place is on the edge of town, up on a hill, surrounded by a tall stockade fence. You can’t miss it. And it’s run by the devil himself in human flesh—James Carr.”
Connell pushed away from the table, his bench scraping against the floor. “Harrison’s like any other lumber town that’s sprung up in these parts. It’s got both the good and the bad. And that’s just the way of things.” He pulled off his wire spectacles and folded them closed.
Vera heaved a sigh and climbed back to her feet, bumping the table again and spilling more of Lily’s coffee. “I don’t like it. I wish we could do more to clean things up in this town.”
“Why can’t we?” Lily asked, pushing aside the odds. “I’m a part of the Red Ribbon Society in Bay City, and with enough publicity and pressure we got the Wolverton House to close its doors—and it was one of the bawdiest on the lower end of the Saginaw River.”
In the spring after the river drive, most of the shanty boys ended up in Bay City, often spending every last dollar of their winter earnings on drinks and women. The port city had more than its share of debauchery. If she could help fight problems there, she could do the same in Harrison.
Connell shook his head. “The Wolverton was closed because it was falling apart and had become a fire hazard. Besides, there are still dozens of other taverns along Water Street that your Red Ribbon Society won’t ever be able to close.”
“In time and with enough effort, we’ll make a difference.” Enthusiasm sprang up like a spring blossom, despite Connell’s negativity. “We can form a group here and hold meetings. We’ll make the public aware of what’s going on. And come up with a plan to help close the taverns.”
Vera paused, as if weighing Lily’s idea. “I wonder . . . maybe that’s just what we need.”
“If we try to rid the town of women, booze, and card playing,” Connell said, “the men are going to try to sneak them into the camps. And we know how much trouble that will cause.”
His words crashed into Lily, nearly knocking her from her bench. For a long moment she couldn’t speak, but then finally managed, “I don’t think I heard you right.”
He stacked up his books and tucked them under his arm. “There’s bound to be some evil in every town. It’s just a fact of life.”
She shook her head in utter disbelief and rose to her feet, her ire rising with her. “Are you telling me, Mr. McCormick, you’re unwilling to do anything about the debauchery that runs rampant in this town, that you’re content to turn a blind eye to the sin right under your nose?”
“If you were somehow able to miraculously close down all the taverns in this town, ninety-nine point nine percent of those owners would pick up and move to the next county and keep right on doing what they’re doing.”
“So why even try?”
“Exactly.”
Too bad he’d missed the sarcasm in her voice. She thumped her fingers against the table in rhythm to the angry thudding of her heartbeat. “Your philosophy appalls me.”
“I’m sorry. But I’m just explaining the reality of the situation.”
“Well then, please don’t say any more.” She picked up the doughnut she’d hardly touched. She’d save it for Oren. “There may always be sin and evil, but that doesn’t mean God wants us to sit back and turn a blind eye to the problems.”
“Amen,” Vera said.
“I, for one, refuse to give up hope that I can do my part to make the world a better place.” Lily glanced to the big window across the dining room that overlooked Main Street. Where would she start her efforts?
Of course, she wouldn’t neglect the work she had with Oren in the darkroom and all the pictures that still needed developing. But first chance she had, she’d begin her crusade to find Daisy. And in the process, she’d do everything she could to clean up Harrison.
How could she do anything less?
She squared her shoulders and shot Connell a look she hoped contained the contempt she felt toward his attitude.
“My sister is out in the middle of all that evil somewhere. And every night I get down on my knees and pray that it will be the last one she has to spend in her living hell.”
Chapter
3
Connell blew a frustrated breath and leaned back in his chair. Perched on two legs, the old hickory creaked under his one hundred eighty-five pounds. He stared at the sheets of figures spread across his rough-board desk.