Tempered Wind

The Life Story of Thisbe Read Hanks The Tempered Wind Page 2 of 113 The Tempered Wind SYDNEY ALVARUS HANKS Tribute to the Author To a noble father we say ªThanks.º Thanks for this book, The Tempered Wind. The Story of your Mother's life, Thisbe Quilly Read. For the book, ªScouting for the Mormons,º the life story of your father, Ephraim K. Hanks. For the story of your own life and your family, ªThe Time of Ripening.º Now we can better appreciate our noble ancestors and the trials they passed through for the love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Ephraim K. Hanks was ordained patriarch to the Wayne Stake of Zion, and true to his prediction, two of his sons enjoyed the same calling. In 1939 Sidney Alvarus was sustained patriarch to the Pasadena Stake, Los Angeles, Calif. The office he held until the time of his death, April 1, 1949. Thanks to a loving mother, Martha Huber Hanks. Her patience and help, during the many hours father was busy writing, helped to make this book possible. For her untiring efforts after his death to have it published. Thanks to all who have helped in any way. Page 3 of 113 The Tempered Wind The Family Page 4 of 113 The Tempered Wind Thisbe Read CHAPTER ONE Thisbe looked up into the sun-reddened eyes of the drover. ªPlease, Brother Temple. Have you seen my brother. Walter?º Brother Temple took off his hat and wiped his sleeve up over his face and the place where his bald head was as smooth as the back of your hand. ªBe ye Brother Sam Read's little girl?º Thisbe nodded. ªI'm nine, and my sister Alicia is ten and Walter's just turned eight. Please, we can't find Walter any place, and he asked Ma at noon if he could come up ahead with the herd.º ªWalter'd be the little black-headed fellow that's always riding his stick horse around, then. Yes, he's been with the herd this afternoon.º Brother Temple chuckled as he put his hat back on his head. ªMost of us is groanin' because we can't walk one way to the Valley. But that young'un'll make the trip three times afore we're through. For'ard and back an' on again.º The worry line between Thisbe's grayish brown eyes smoothed out for a moment. Brother Temple talked as if he could lift Walter right out of the pocket of his home-spun trousers. ªWhere is he now?º she asked. ªMa's making a special supper for him because he's eight years old today.º Brother Temple rubbed his stubble covered chin. ªWhere is he? That I don't know. We passed him two, three hours ago, sittin' beside the road waitin' for the cart company and yer pa and ma.º Three hours ago! Then he must be with the cart company after all. She'd find Alicia, who was Page 5 of 113 The Tempered Wind talking with some of the other drovers, and then they'd go back to the place where the hand-carts were already circled in for the night and maybe they'd find Walter sitting by somebody's supper fire. As soon as Thisbe saw Alicia she called, ªDid you find Walter?º But she knew the answer the minute she saw Alicia's face. Alicia had been crying and the tears had made wagon tracks down her dusty face. They took each other's hands and without a word hurried back to the circle of hand-carts. ªLet s go to every fire until we find Walter,º Thisbe suggested. ªWhy, you know there are more than five hundred people, counting all of us. That would take all night. We ought to go tell Pa and Ma so they can help us look. It's getting dark. Thisbe, what if Walter is really lost!º ªOh, he isn't lost,º Thisbe said, but she wasn't at all sure she was telling the truth. It made her feel funny in the stomach to think of Walter and his stick horse not being with the drovers ±or anywhere. In the light of the campfire the girls saw Pa and Ma sitting by a spread-out canvas. The tin plates and knives and forks were all set for supper. There was jam and a piece of pound cake and some fine smelling fried venison. Pa was rubbing his foot ± the one with the broken-down arch in it ± and singing: We're marching to Zion, that beautiful Zion, We're marching, marching to Zion. That beautiful city of love.º Ma called, ªGirls, where's Walter?º Alicia burst into a new flood of tears. ªHe's lost. He wasn't with the drovers. Thisbe took off her sunbonnet. Suddenly her head felt too hot, and cold perspiration soaked the back of her neck under the bonnet's curtain. ªThe drovers left him by the side of the road waiting for the carts to come.º Pa jumped to his feet. ªWalter can't be lost. He's somewhere in the camp. I'll go to Captain Martin. He'll give the alarm. We'll find the boy in no time.º But Thisbe and Alicia and Mother all three knew that Pa didn't believe a word he was saying. Why, he even forgot to slip his foot back into his boot, and hurried off like ªmy son John,º limping as he ran. Ma and Thisbe and Alicia followed as fast as they could. By the light of the fire they saw Captain Martin's face, full of sympathy, but stern, too. ªDid you give your little son permission to leave your family and go with the drovers?º Thisbe watched Pa's face, his limp hanging shoulders, his bowed head. He seemed like such a little man standing there with Ma half a head taller and Captain Martin two or three inches taller than Ma. She was proud when Pa's shoulders straightened and his head came up. ªYes, the boy had permission.º Sympathy smoothed out of Captain Martin's face and only sternness was left there. ªThat is bad, Brother Read. It is bad for a father to give his little son permission to break one of the sacred laws of the camp. I hope you have read the rules of the camp.º Pa looked up again, ªI have Captain Martin.º ªI'm surprised to see such an honorable man disregard these rules.º ªBut Captain Martin ±º Ma began. Captain Martin went on as if he hadn't heard her. ªHave you read the rule which says, `Parents or guardians are responsible for every child in the family, every minute of the day traveling and every Page 6 of 113 The Tempered Wind minute of the night in camp'?º ªBut Captain Martin,º Ma began again, and this time he let her go on. ªBlame it on me. I told Walter he could go ahead for awhile. It was his birthday ± and he coaxed.º Thisbe put her hand in her mother's and felt the usually cool, strong hand trembling. ªDon't blame Samuel. Blame me.º When Pa put his arm around Ma's waist. Ma began to cry. Tears came to Captain Martin's eyes too, and he brushed them away with a red bandana. ªSister Read,º he said kindly, and the sternness was gone. ªI feel it is my duty to forgive you for breaking the rule. And may God do the same.º Thisbe grasped Ma's hand tighter. She didn't understand everything that was going on and she felt that time was wasting. She itched to be looking again for Walter. Pa must have been feeling the same way, she thought, because he said slowly, ªCaptain Martin, I've brought along gold to start me in business when I get to the Valley. I'll gladly give every bit of it towards finding the boy.º ªWe'll do what we can,º the Captain promised. ªAnd what we can do can't be paid for with money. We'll find the boy, if ±º. There was something in the pause that frightened Thisbe more than anything that had happened ± ªif it is God's will. Go get your supper and in thirty minutes, after I have talked with my council, I'll call an assembly.º Thisbe held tight to Ma's hand as they walked back to their camp. The wood fire had fallen into embers. Pa put some more wood on it and poked it into a blaze. In the new flame the canvas with Walter's birthday dinner spread out on it looked forlorn and deserted. ªDo you want supper, Samuel?º Ma asked. ªWhat about you girls? I can warm it up.º ªNo, Elizabeth.º Pa said, and Thisbe and Alicia started to gather up the plates and knives and forks and put them in their place in the cart, while Ma took care of the food. In a few minutes the folks next in the circle came over to the Read fire. ªHear your baby's lost,º Sister Smuin said, and the word ªbabyº set Ma to crying again. Sister Smuin's arm around her shoulder comforted her, and Pa began to tell about Walter waiting by the roadside.

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