He lifted her with surprising strength, towing her up until he had her by both arms. She grabbed on to his stirrup, and as he began to tug her out of the water, she clutched at his saddle to aid in her upward climb. The rider lunged for her, his gloved hands wrapping around her forearm. And a splash from the approaching horse hit her in the face. With her hair drenched, muddy water dribbled into her eyes, down her nose, and over her lips. Her fingers ached in her desperate attempt to hold on. But somehow the horse plunged toward her, defying the river’s greedy grasp. The river pounded against the steed’s flank, threatening to sweep both man and beast away. “Hold on tight!” shouted a rider, directing a sorrel horse her way. As she passed a fallen cottonwood dangling above the surface, she reached for it and her fingers connected with a rough branch. Choking for breath, she clawed at the air, at the water, at anything to keep from going under. Now the Neosho, swift and swollen with spring rains, dragged her low. In the next instant, the wheels rolled over a stone in the riverbed, and the jarring threw her overboard. She’d been in the process of analyzing the southern cattail Typha domingensis she’d plucked from a swampy pond that morning.

She tried to kick and propel herself toward the riverbank, but her heavy muslin skirt, combined with her petticoat and bloomers underneath, tangled around her legs and trapped her like manacles.įor a second the water tossed her high, giving her a glimpse of the back of the covered wagon where she’d perched moments ago. Her grandfather’s anxious voice was the loudest of them all.

But muddy water rushed against her face, filling her mouth and nose, making it impossible to breathe.Ībove the roaring water, shouts and calls trailed after her. Frantically she fought the raging current. The Neosho River wrapped its cold fingers around Linnea Newberry and pulled her down. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.Ĭover design by Kirk DouPonce, DogEared DesignĪuthor represented by Natasha Kern Literary Agencyīaker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-for example, electronic, photocopy, recording-without the prior written permission of the publisher. Out of the Storm: A BEACONS OF HOPE NovellaĪn Awakened Heart: An ORPHAN TRAIN Novellaīethany House Publishers is a division ofīaker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, MichiganĪll rights reserved.

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