Dawn's Rising

Chapter 6; Going Separate Ways

Gazing absentmindedly at the lush green plains zooming by outside of the train window of his first class private sitting compartment, Clancy let his mind wander. He forgot momentarily the open Bible sitting in his lap. Each minute that they rolled forward on the silver tracks of the rail road brought Thomas Clancy closer to the inevitable end of his journey together with the Jakobsen family. Since that day now over a week ago when Karl Jakobsen lead Thomas Clancy to the Lord in prayer, the keen-minded Norwegian had grown to be more than just a friend, or even a Brother in Christ. Karl Jakobsen had become his mentor. Tirelessly, the father of four had from that moment on fed the newly awakened ravenous spiritual appetite of Thomas Clancy. Day after day Karl answered as best he could all the questions that Clancy put to him, opening up his English Bible to this verse and that verse in support of his answers. Evening after evening, Karl had read and taught from the Word of God, as an eager Thomas Clancy sat and took notes, sometimes until the dawn of the following day. Each morning they started off the day in group prayer, and from the beginning Thomas Clancy had jumped in and reveled in the joy of praising and worshiping the Lord together with his new spiritual family. And each of the few times that Thomas Clancy left the combined stables of his horses and living quarters of the Jakobsens, he would return with an exuberant account of something the Lord had done or showed him since he had last spoken with the Jakobsens. Each step that Thomas Clancy took with His Lord was filled with wonder and was experienced with child-like delight.

Thomas Clancy recalled the first act of God's love that the Lord had asked Clancy to do. Clancy had been so thrilled at hearing the Lord's voice for himself that he had leapt up to his feet shouting out for all to hear, "No problem, Lord!" He then had run from the room in such exuberant jubilation that all the Jakobsen family was left in shocked open mouthed wonder in his wake. Arriving completely out of breath after running nearly all the way to Lt. Charlton's office, Thomas Clancy asked the befuddled Lieutenant for his assistance in doing something. His request only bewildered the poor lieutenant even more. He had asked what it would take to have John Arne Midtbust released of the charges against him. After taking Clancy to discuss the matter with Captain Sanders himself they had finally come up with the conditions of the prisoner's release. If the entire sum of John Arne's remaining two robberies was paid in full, plus a sizable legal fee to compensate for the time of sentence his crimes called for, then John Arne would be released from the charges of theft against him. Then on top of that Thomas Clancy then asked how much a one way fare would cost for John Arne to return to Norway. In a flash the millionaire wrote out a check for the total amount and handed it to the speechless Lt. Charlton and Capt. Sanders. Lastly, Clancy requested to speak with John Arne personally.

The instant that John Arne's door had been opened Thomas Clancy sprang in front of a dumbfounded teenager. In total surprise the young Norwegian leapt to his feet before he recognized who the boisterous man pouncing into his cell was.

"Pack your things, my boy, because you are goin home to your ma!" Clancy said in animated joviality with his arms spread wide. A very stunned John Arne attempted to return to a sitting position on his cot as his knees suddenly turning to jelly. But it seemed the young man's entire body including his sense of perception abruptly ceased to function because his bottom missed its mark and he ended up sprawled on the floor instead. Staring up in bafflement at the now hysterically laughing Thomas Clancy as he slapped his knee in delight, John Arne made two attempts to regain his feet before he finally gave up and remained seated where he was. All he could manage was to open and close his mouth like that of a fish. Calming down a bit, Thomas Clancy looked down at the young man whose eyes were just now beginning to register a glimmer of desperate hope. Suddenly Clancy felt his heart fill to overflowing with a tender compassion for the poor man sitting at his feet. As John Arne's mouth began to quiver and his eyes filled with tears, Clancy bent over and extended a hand to the shaken young man. "You heard me right my boy; you are free, and as good as home." Clancy said with tears of his own sliding down his cheeks as he helped the now trembling John Arne onto his feet.