In the clear prairie skies there were clouds building over the mountains far to the west as Nanci pulled into the West Walke Cemetery on Thursday afternoon. Back when she lived in Chicago she had hardly ever looked at the sky, but six seasons on the Colorado River had trained her differently, so after a quick glance she thought there was a good chance there was going to be a thunderstorm somewhere this afternoon. The possibilities included that it could happen here, and she figured the farmers and ranchers of Walke County would appreciate it. But most likely any rain would not be hitting soon, so there was plenty of time to get Elmer Pepper’s funeral service in.

She was plenty early, so there were only a handful of people already there. She parked her car in a line of vehicles at the edge of the cemetery and got out carrying a small black Bible. She could see a canopy stretched over the grave; a tarp had been thrown over a pile of dirt nearby. Apparently the hearse hadn’t arrived with Elmer’s body yet.

Art and Shirley were standing nearby, with a younger man in an ill-fitting suit and a young girl. “Afternoon, Reverend,” she heard Art say. “How are you today?”

“Not bad,” she replied. “So how are you?”

“’Bout the same as yesterday,” the older man smiled. “Have you met Gerald Pepper yet? He’s Elmer’s grandson.”

“No, I haven’t had the pleasure.”

Art turned to the younger man. “Gerald, this is Reverend Nanci Chladek. She’s real new here, only been here a couple of weeks, but she’s already getting some attention. Reverend, this is Gerald and his daughter Leah.”

Nanci took a look at the little girl, who was wearing a red dress. Nanci guessed her as being around a first or second grader. “Hi, Leah,” she said warmly. “How are you today?”

The girl didn’t say anything, but pressed herself up against her father. “Leah, be nice,” her father said. “Say hello to Reverend Chladek.”

“Hello,” Leah said in a soft voice.

“She’s a little shy around strangers,” Gerald said apologetically. “Reverend, I want to thank you for agreeing to do the service, especially with what happened with Reverend Saunders.”

“No big deal,” Nanci replied. “I think everyone deserves the dignity of a funeral service, and I’m in no place to deny anyone the privilege. In fact, I was pleased to be asked.”

“Still I appreciate it and thank you for going to the effort.”

“Like I said, no big deal,” she replied, looking to change the subject. “I seem to recall that you’re not from around here.”

“No, Leah and I are from Kansas City, but it looks like we’re going to be living at my grandfather’s old place until the probate gets settled. After that, I don’t know.”

“Well, if you’re in a mood to attend church while you’re in the area, I’m sure you’d be warmly welcomed at Conestoga Methodist. They seemed to me to be a nice group of people, even though I’ve only held a couple of services there.”

“Considering that the choice is between there and Lexington, there’s no question where we’ll be going,” he said, just a touch sharply.

Nanci could see where that was going, but this was neither the time nor the place to get into that subject. “Art,” she said to change the subject, “Do you expect many people here?”

“Probably not,” he replied. “A couple of dozen, probably, not many more than that, mostly just people from around here who knew Elmer. He wasn’t in very good shape the last few years and didn’t get out much, but back before Gladys died, he was a good neighbor and well-liked by everyone who knew him.”

“I have to admit that I haven’t done a lot of funerals, and this is my first graveside service,” Nanci smiled. “But Gerald, do you think it would be appropriate if I were to ask if anyone would like to share some memories of your grandfather?”

“That sounds just fine to me,” he replied. “I might learn something about him myself. I’m afraid we weren’t very close, and I hadn’t seen him in most of twenty years.”

“Art, would you be willing to talk about Elmer?”

“Sure, I can think of a few things to say. Perhaps a few others would, too.”

“All right, we’ll do it that way. Otherwise I’ll try to keep things brief.”

It was still well before the time set for the service, so they soon fell to just talking about general things. “Art,” Nanci asked at one point. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about the church. It looks, well, a little …”

“I know what you’re saying,” Art nodded. “I agree, it doesn’t look good. It really needs to have the paint scraped, and then be repainted. The problem is that there isn’t a lot of money in the building and grounds fund to hire someone to do it. We’ve been meaning to hold a workbee to do something about it, but whenever the weather has been nice, people always have something else that needs to be done. I’ll ask around about it some.”

“Fine, I’m willing to help,” Nanci said. “I mean, I don’t want to push you about it, but, well, I just wanted to know if there was some special reason for it.”

“Not really, except that there’s always the chore of getting around to it,” he smiled. “Just between you and me, I think at least a part of it was a reaction to Reverend Anders making a pest of himself about it.”

“I think I hear the truth coming out,” Nanci laughed. “Art, I’ll try to not be a pest about it.”

“I don’t think you’ll have to. I’ll try to make the point that if a few people, even one or two, were to head over there and chip away at the chores a half a day at a time or so, it wouldn’t take long to get others to helping and it looking a lot better. It’s not like it’s anything complicated.”

“Like I said, let me know, and I’ll be willing to help,” she reiterated.

“Maybe I could come, too,” Gerald offered. “I mean, I’m new here and I’m not sure I can find the church without a map, but it would be nice to get to know the neighbors a little.”

“Might not be a bad idea,” Art agreed. “And it’s nice for you to offer. If we can get something set up I’ll be sure to let you know.”

“Sure, I’ll be glad to help. I’m kind of up to my ears getting my grandfather’s place cleaned up, but it would be nice to take a break from it, too.”

They stood around talking for a while longer while a few more people showed up, among them Trent and Cathy Westbrook. Keith was not with them, which was not surprising with school in session – it was the same reason Amber wasn’t with Nanci this afternoon.

It was a while before Nanci got to talk to Trent and Cathy; she didn’t want to say she was avoiding them, but she was sure she knew what was on their minds. “Reverend,” Trent said when they were alone, “I see you didn’t bring that girl with you.”

“No, she’s in school where she should be, and there was no reason to bring her.”

“I thought you were going to make some arrangement for her.”

“It’s still in the works,” Nanci told him. “I talked it over with the sheriff, and we decided there was no point in taking her out of school this close to the end of the school year. It’s not like she’s in any danger or anything since she’s staying with me.”

“Reverend, with all due respect, that girl’s mother has never been anything but a pack of trouble, and there’s no reason to think that she’s not going to be the same thing. I’m concerned about Keith sniffing around her. He’s a fifteen-year-old boy, and you know how boys are about girls around that age.”

“All too well,” Nanci laughed. “I was a fifteen-year-old girl once myself. I wouldn’t worry too much about Keith, though. I think he just saw someone who needed a little help and was the only one willing to do anything for her.”

“Could be,” Trent shrugged. “But neither you nor I know what else he may have had in mind, especially with a girl like that. I’ll feel a lot more comfortable about her when she’s no longer around.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” Nanci replied, understanding just exactly what Trent was talking about. “It may not go on much longer. I can’t keep an eye on her when she’s in school any more than you can, but I’ll do my best to see she doesn’t get into any trouble with him outside school.”

“Just so you understand. I don’t want him getting into trouble with a girl, and especially her, of all people. You’d better watch yourself with her, since I’m pretty sure she’s more trouble than you think she is.”

“I’ll do my best to see that things don’t get out of hand. Like I said, I was a fifteen-year-old girl once myself, and I got into things I still don’t believe and I’m not happy to remember. But I do remember how girls that age can get into or get led into things, and I’ll try to nip it in the bud if she starts going directions she shouldn’t be heading. So far I don’t see any signs of it happening and I’m actually pretty impressed with the girl, but you never know.”

“Good. I think we agree on that, Reverend.”

Actually, Nanci didn’t really agree with him, mostly because she obviously had a better opinion of Amber than he did. But, she had to agree that he had a point. On the other hand, Amber had had ample opportunity to get into serious trouble when her mother hadn’t been closely watching her, and the kid had avoided it. There might have been reasons for that – but it would have been very easy for her to use her body just to get food, but as far as Nanci knew she hadn’t done it, preferring to scrape up cattle feed at the mill to eat.

At the same time, it was easy to see that Trent wasn’t going to let up on the issue, either. There was no telling how things were going to come out, but it was clear that she was just going to have to let things develop and pray that they came out for the best.

The discussion could have gone on for longer, but Nanci could see the hearse pull into the cemetery carrying Elmer’s body, so it was time to get down to the business at hand. In a few minutes the casket was placed on the lowering device under the canopy with an American flag placed over it, signifying that Elmer had been a veteran. Nanci had a few brief words with Ed Burton from the funeral home, who she was also meeting for the first time.

People were still trickling in, one by one and two by two, all in pickup trucks, so it was a little after two before she spoke up, saying, “Folks, we might as well get started. I’m Reverend Nanci Chladek from the Conestoga Methodist Church, and I would like to welcome you. We have gathered here to praise God and to witness to our faith as we celebrate the life of Elmer Pepper. We come together in grief, acknowledging our human loss. May God grant us grace that in pain we may find comfort, in sorrow hope, in death resurrection. Let us pray.

“O God, who gave us birth, You are ever more ready to hear than we are to pray. You know our needs before we ask, and our ignorance in asking. Give to us now Your grace, that as we shrink before the mystery of death, we may see the light of eternity. Help us to live as those who are prepared to die. And when our days here are accomplished, enable us to die as those who go forth to live, so that living or dying, our life may be in You. Amen.”

There was a chorus of “Amens.”

After a moment of silence, Nanci said, “I will now recite from the Twenty-third Psalm. She did not open the Bible, but did it from memory since it was one the scriptures most meaningful to her: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want … “

After she finished the scriptural recital, she turned to the crowd and spoke in a more relaxed voice. “I’m sorry I never got to meet Elmer. He was eighty-seven, and a rancher in this area. He was a veteran of World War Two. He was preceded by his wife Gladys, and by a son. He is survived by his grandson Gerald Pepper, and a great-granddaughter, Leah Pepper. I’m told he was well thought of by his neighbors, and since I know so little about him, I’d like to ask some of those neighbors to tell us a little more to remember him by. Art, I believe you had something to say.”

“Yes, I did, Reverend,” Art spoke up. “I knew Elmer most of my life. I always thought of him as a good rancher, who took care of his land and his stock. I’m told that he knew his wife Gladys from when they were children, both of them growing up out here on the plains in the hard days of the twenties and thirties. Like a lot of men in those days, he went off to war when it came. I never heard many stories about what he did in the war, but I do know he was glad to get home and marry Gladys, who had waited faithfully for him all though those days. He was just glad to get home to her and to make his home out here on the prairies, raising his stock and his family.

“I do know that Gladys was the light of his life, and they lived quietly and comfortably, just doing what they had to do and doing it right. I know that a lot of the light went out of his life when she died. I’m not sure of the date but it was about twenty years ago. He carried on without her, but I know he always missed her, so I’m glad they’re together again. He was always a good neighbor and was willing to help out when someone needed help, at least when he could help.

“He did pretty well up until a couple of years ago, when he came down with cancer. He fought it off. Shirley and I took him to the doctor and the hospital down in Carondelet several times, but it didn’t seem like there was much they could do for him. He got progressively more feeble and with increasing pain, but he held on as long as he could.

“Most of us here knew Elmer, but probably we didn’t know him as well as we could have. While he was a good neighbor and a good friend, he was a rather private man who liked to be by himself, riding his horse over his land and taking care of his stock. Another kind of pain was when he could no longer take care of his herd and had to sell it off, but he hung on because he liked where he lived and didn’t want to leave home. We’re going to be poorer now that we don’t have him around. There aren’t many of us left out here, and now we’re one fewer.”

There was silence for a moment, and then Trent spoke up. “Elmer was one of the few people who didn’t laugh at me when I came up with the idea of running buffalo. In fact, he thought it was a good idea, since he’d run a few in with his stock back, oh, forty years ago, I guess. I knew nothing about buffalo when I got into running them, and Elmer was getting on up there by then, but he gave me a lot of good ideas about how to handle them, and he gave me the benefit of his experience. Although he couldn’t be a lot of physical help by that time, I learned a lot about buffalo from him, and he always liked to come over to just look at them and watch them. He told me they made him think of what this country must have looked like back when buffalo were running wild here.

“Elmer was a good man. I didn’t know Gladys that well, but I remember her from when I was a kid, and I could see how the two of them could build a life together as well as they did. Their son didn’t want to stay around this country, and I have to say I don’t blame him. But Elmer was a man of the land, the salt of the earth, and we’re going to all be poorer without him around.”

Trent was silent for a moment, until Nanci spoke up, “Anyone else?”

It turned out plenty of others wanted to speak, now that Art and Trent had broken the ice. Almost everyone there had something to say.

Late in the series, Gerald said, “I only met my grandfather once or twice and that was when I was very young. The last time I remember seeing him was at the funeral for my grandmother. I was not much older than Leah is now, but I remember him as a nice man, a kindly man, but a man who was devastated at the death of his wife. I wish now that I had known him better, since I have heard from the people who have spoken here today that there was a lot I could have learned from him. I was a fool to not have done something about that.”

Even Leah spoke up: “Goodbye, Great-Grandpa. I wish I had known you.”

There were several moments of silence following that, until Nanci decided it was time to get on with the service.

“And now we offer and commend Elmer to the Everlasting One,” she said. “Elmer, we say to you in the midst of our sorrow and loss that we are grateful that you lived your life among us. We are grateful for your quiet gentleness and for your firm resolve to live life and to die on your own terms. We take joy and relief in knowing that your suffering has ended. We ask you now for forgiveness for any of the ways we may have hurt you in this life – and we forgive you for any of the ways you may have hurt us. We release you now into the Everlasting Arms. May your passage be swift. May you know Wholeness and Peace now and through all eternity.

“Let us pray.

“May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, may the rains fall soft upon your fields, and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. Amen.”

Again, there was a chorus of “Amens.”

“Now,” Nanci said. “There will be a final salute to a departed comrade presented by the American Legion Post from Carondelet.”

There had been three men in blue jackets and Legion caps standing back out of the way through the whole service. All of them were older men, and Nanci thought that two of them couldn’t have been any younger than Elmer. But that didn’t matter; they went through a formal drill, raising their weapons and firing a salute three times into the empty prairie skies.

Now in a less formal voice Nanci said, “Thanks to all of you for coming to the final service for Elmer Pepper. May the Peace of the Lord be with you, now and always.”

There is always an awkward time following a graveside committal; people are supposed to leave quietly and quickly so the burial crew can lower the casket into the vault, and finally cover it up. There had been a backhoe/loader sitting well out of the way during the service, and it always seemed a little unseemly to Nanci – not that there was any better way to do it. The final act was up to the workers from the funeral home, so Nanci walked slowly back in the direction of her car. She glanced at the sky; it looked like it was going to rain all right, but not for a while yet. She hoped the guys from the funeral home could finish before they got wet.

“You know, Reverend,” Art said as they walked along. “That was a little different service than I expected, but it was warm and caring. I can’t think of a better way to send Elmer off.”

“Thanks, Art,” she replied. “I didn’t think a very formal and heavy service would be appreciated.”

“No, I think you hit it just about right. Now, to change horses on you, can I give you a word of advice?”

“I’m always ready for advice from you,” she grinned.

“Reverend, that’s a nice little car you have there, but if you’re going to do a lot of driving around on back roads in this end of the county, you’re going to tear it up pretty bad. There’s a reason most people out here drive pickups or sport-utilities and it’s not because they don’t care about gas mileage. It’s because those sorts of vehicles are stronger and will take more of a beating.”

“It’s something to think about,” Nanci conceded. “I’ve had that car since I graduated from high school, and it was the most important tool I had in literally saving my life. I made up my mind a long time ago that I’m never going to sell it, but with that thought in mind, if I want to keep it I ought to not tear it up any more than I have to either. What would you suggest?”

“A small pickup or sport utility,” he said. “It wouldn’t have to be a new one because it will get beat up pretty badly, too. You could drive it where you know you’ll be on rough roads and keep your little car for when you know you’re going to be on the highway.”

“I’ll have to give it some thought,” she said. “I’m not made of money by any means, but I can see you have a point.”

Nanci was actually thinking about Art’s words when Gerald came up to her just as she was about to get in her car. “Reverend,” he said. “That was the nicest, warmest funeral service I’ve ever attended. I think you handled it very well. What do I owe you?”

“Oh, it’s Methodist tradition and doctrine that we don’t charge for funerals,” she smiled. “We see it as part of our duty. I’m just glad you called on me, because I learned a few things, too.”

“I’m glad you did. I’m a stranger here. I don’t know anyone but Art, and I don’t even know him well. I don’t know how to say it, but I can say that it’s good to know that someone cares.”

“I’m new and a stranger here, too,” she told him. “I’m getting to know a few people, but that’s part of my job.”

“It can’t be easy to come into a strange place and become part of the community, but it would help to have a position to build on.”

“That’s probably true, but it still has to be done. By the way, I’m impressed with your little girl. She seems very well-behaved in a situation where most kids would get a little antsy.”

“She often impresses me. She’s easily the best thing that ever happened to me. She’s held up well through this whole ordeal, having a lot of her life changed around her. She doesn’t have any friends here. I had her start school yesterday, just so she could meet some kids and play with them, but I decided to skip the school bus for now until she’s a little more comfortable in school.”

Nanci wasn’t quite sure why she said it but offered, “Well, if you’re going to pick her up after school tomorrow, why don’t you drop by the parsonage? I have a fifteen-year-old staying with me for a while. They can play together a bit, and it would be nice to have some more company for dinner.”

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