Uncertain: Day 1

Word Count: 6,004

Summary of Events:

Having arrived in Cimarron late the night before, Hazel set out to find her sister's home and children; when she arrived, however, the children weren't there, so she sought out the sheriff. Joseph was called to the saloon to take care of the town drunk — who was already loaded even though it was barely 11:00am — and ended up running into an old nemesis moments before Hazel appeared; he gave her what help he could. As directed by Joseph, Hazel made for the only church in town, in whose graveyard Felicity was interred . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

Arriving at the adobe church — complete with an adobe bell tower — Hazel sought out a side or rear entrance that might lead to an attached manse or study, and, upon finding a door, knocked on it.

Before long the door was answered by a man with dark grey hair whom she admittedly thought was dressed rather casually for a minister.

“Good morning ma’am,” he said politely. “May I help you?”

“Am I correct to presume you are the Reverend Weekes?” she asked.

“I am ma’am,” he replied.

“I’m Mrs. Hazel Chalmers, sister of the late Mrs. Felicity Dirk,” she said.

“A wonderful woman,” Rev. Weekes said. “I presume you’re seeking Ruby and Teddy?”

“I am Reverend,” she replied.

“I cannot say I know where they stayed during their mother’s illness, nor whether they returned home thereafter or not,” Rev. Weekes replied. “It truly was a miracle neither one of them came down with the disease, seeing as they are so young and, as any children, susceptible to such maladies more readily than adults.”

“Well, I’ve been to Felicity’s residence and they aren’t there,” Hazel said. “And I am told there is no orphanage or other place where orphaned children might go.”

“Indeed no, ma’am,” Rev. Weekes said. “I have my doubts even Santa Fe has such an institution. I can assure you that they would be well cared for, this is a good town. But as much as I ministered to the spiritual needs of the family, I hadn’t developed much of an acquaintance with them myself. Zechariah and Annabelle Yates, being Felicity’s employers, would possibly know more, even more so than them their other staff within the house would know where the children have gone, I would think.”

“There really should be a standardised system of care for orphans,” Hazel said.

“To be honest with you ma’am,” Rev. Weekes said. “The Dirk children are the first orphaned children I can recall having heard of in this town in my entire tenure here, and I’ve been ministering in this town some ten years.”

“Oh,” Hazel said. “There aren’t a lot of children in this town?”

Rev. Weekes looked skyward and shifted his jaw as he thought. “There’s probably somewhere between thirty and fifty I’d say. The majority do have both parents, seeing as a lot of the men in town work at one of the ranches in the area. And there are definitely more widowers than widows in town, but even combined, widowers and widows, there’s hardly a dozen of them.”

“And you haven’t the slightest idea where my niece and nephew are?” she asked.

“No, I’m terribly sorry ma’am, I don’t,” Rev. Weekes replied.

“Well, thank you anyways,” Hazel said. “Not only for what token help you were able to offer presently, but for ministering to the spiritual needs of my sister. From her correspondence with me all these years I know she’s been well taken care of spiritually, and your contribution was no less valuable than that of any of the other ministers along the way.”