Gates to the Garden:White Springs

White Springs Branch

The Dogs Arrive

The Dogs arrived in White Springs Branch, nestled in the foothills. The Dogs were welcomed eagerly. When the Dogs arrived, most of the town was in Temple for a wedding. Absalom Clark, the Steward of the branch, approached the Dogs and welcomed them, saying that the town was not having much trouble. Others, though, seemed worried, frightened, or angry.

The newlyweds, Jacob and Jessica, were happy with their new marriage, but mentioned they were worried about the soldiers from Fort McGill down the road. Lately, they'd been pestering the women, bullying the men, firing guns and drinking in town. Others at the wedding mentioned that the Steward, Absalom, was sometimes hard to deal with. During the conversations, it also turned up that Absolom had declared that he would take the prettiest girl in town, Leah, as his second wife, and that, upon that news, Leah disappeared and her mother, a widow named Esther, "just ain't been the same."

Investigations

In the morning, Brother Allen went to the Fort to visit the Colonel. After getting past a pair of soldiers at the gate (one of them quite difficult), Brother Allen met with Lieutenant Pickett, who brought Allen to meet with Colonel Artaxerxes J. Pratt. Colonel Pratt was friendly and had Pickett give Allen a tour of the place. Talking with Pickett, Allen discovered that Brother Absolom had beaten up a soldier, Private Hector Cochrane. Pickett also mentioned that the troops probably recognized the coat as similar to Brother Absolom, whom they view as an overbearing bully.

Brother Silas, meanwhile, rode out to the town of Nehelem, where Leah was said to have fled. She never arrived there, or any town in between. He returned empty-handed.

Finding Sister Leah

Brothers Silas and Allen then sought out Leah. First, they went to her mother's big farm, and confronted Esther, asking if Leah is hiding there. Esther admitted that Leah had never left, because Esther wanted to protect Leah from Absolom's "filthy lusts." She claimed that she'd hidden Leah in the Jericho Hills, but this was obviously a lie. They pressed further, and Esther went batty. "Animals! Dirty animals, that's what you are! All of you!"

While the Dogs were pressing Esther further, a hand broke in and declared that the Benson place was on fire! Brother Allen rushed to help with the fire, leading townsfolk to an organized bucket chain. Silas followed to help with the fire, but noticed a cart leaving Esther's home at a fast pace, and left Allen to take care of the fire while he rode off after the cart.

Silas caught up with the wagon. A farm hand jumped off the wagon attacked him with a hoe, but Silas easily threw him to the ground. At Silas' demand, Esther stopped the wagon, and Silas found Sister Leah hiding in the back.

New Arrivals

Meanwhile, Brother Peter rode toward town, delayed by a stampede with which he needed to help. He met with a group of cavalry, and rode toward town with them. In particular, he spoke with Private Hector Cochrane, who asked what would happen if a woman of the faith fell in love with a man not of the faith. Peter replied breezily that the man could convert and then they could be married.

The soldiers then saw the fire in the distance and rode fast to help put out the fire.

Meanwhile, Silas brought Leah and Esther back to the Temple. Peter caught up with them at the temple. They asked Leah what she was doing, and Leah protested that she didn't know what was happening, and that she'd been hiding in the attic, away from men with "dishonorable intentions." Upon hearing the news that it was Brother Absolom wanting to court her, she seemed very receptive to the idea.

Silas interrogated Esther about this. Esther responded that she wanted to protect Leah from lustful men, and to keep Leah from burning out the way Adah, Absolom's first wife, did. Meanwhile, Peter spoke with Steward Absolom about taking Leah as a wife. Absolom's response was blustering, but solid. Peter proposed that perhaps it could be Hector's calling to be saved, but avoided going further on this.

Hostilities in Town

At the fire, the townsfolk and soldiers were glaring at each other, and a fight was close to breaking out. Peter tried to talk with both the soldiers and the townsfolk. Things suddenly became very ugly, with arguments between soldiers and townsfolk escalating toward violence. Silas thanked the soldiers and told them to leave town. Private Hector Cochrane and Steward Absolom Clark faced off, Hector confronting Absolom and calling him an unfair bully, Absolom calling Hector a wretch and a ruffian. Hector appealed to the Dogs, asking if he had to right to court Leah. Silas listened, but told Hector to get out of town. The soldiers left, jeered and taunted by the townsfolk.

Deliberations

Silas and Peter agreed to talk with Absolom about his plans, and to talk with Adah as well. Peter went door to door, checking on people and asking if they were safe, and what they thought of things. Most people seemed to support Absolom, but some didn't. The predominant opinion was the was a strong leader, but perhaps lacking in humility and consideration.

Allen had passed out from inhaling smoke fumes from the fire, but recovered. Allen and Silas went to talk with Adah. Adah welcomed them and served herbal infusions, and, after some small talk, Adah came forth and said that she didn't disagree with Leah marrying Absolom.

The Dogs reconvened and went to speak with Absolom. They asked Brother Absolom about why he wanted to marry Leah, and Absolom said it was because he had worked hard, and would be good to Leah, and because she was beautiful and kind. Silas asked why Esther would oppose the marriage, and Absolom contended it was because she was old and afraid of being alone. Peter reminded Steward Absolom that he'd be taking care of Esther as well, and he agreed.

Then came the topic of the soldiers. Allen proposed holding a feast for them, but Silas disagreed. The disagreement escalated, with Silas wanting minimum contact with the heathens, and Allen wanting a fairly open contact. Peter took the view that there should be distance, but with a kindly attitude. This turned into a rather heated theological disagreement about people of the faith, in which Peter convinced others that they should be friendly but distant. All agreed to bring food up to the fort for a feast, without any young women coming along.

The Feast at the Fort

The feast was welcomed in the fort. Before the meal, Peter thanked the soldiers for their help with the fire, and thanked the townsfolk for bringing food, then lead a short prayer. Silas approached Colonel Pratt and got him to agree to limiting visits to once a week, with communal meals once a month. Colonel Pratt agreed, with the right to send men into town whenever needed. Peter, meanwhile, convinced Hector that pursuing Leah would just cause trouble. Hector agreed, broken-hearted, but told Peter to get out of his sight.

Epilogue

Brother Absolom married Sister Leah, in a lavish ceremony read by Silas. The two communities had awkward relations, but without violence. Hector never visited town, and Sister Esther never really got better.

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