The Wishing Star by Marian Wells

have everlasting life.’ ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ ‘For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.’”
    Jenny leaned across her mother, “ Grace , that’s pretty, isn’t it? If you get a little girl, please name her Grace.”
    â€œShush!” Ma’s hand covered Jenny’s mouth and her eyes were stern. Jenny was soon lost in contemplation as her mind drifted from one unfamiliar word to another.
    The images these new words evoked were ethereal and meaningless, but she noticed their impact on those around her.
    When Ma first began to tremble and Pa shuffled restlessly, Jenny sensed the mood of the crowd and the mounting tension. Often enough she had heard Pa say “hell,” but now the man up front was wrapping the word in smoke and fire while the audience stirred uneasily.
    Day after day the camp meetings went on and the tension in the town continued to build. Emotions were unleashed that varied from fear to joy, sorrow to happiness. And while the man with the book built pictures in Jenny’s mind and poured the word-music over her, she saw Pa tremble and eventually refuse to accompany them to the meetings. She saw Nancy walk down the path to the mourners’ bench and watched the tight sullen expression on Tom’s face.
    Suddenly the meetings were over, the leaves dropped from the trees, and ice skimmed the water pail. Warm emotions disappeared like autumn, and life returned to being ice-rimmed and cold.
    And while Jenny was still frowning over it and trying to understand all she had seen and heard, there was now a settling back into the same old patterns.
    The neighbor down the way, Mrs. Barfield, explained it all. Her marigolds were now black nubs, and both apples and leaves had disappeared from the tree. She said, with a touch of discontent in her voice. “Just like always. Expectation greater than the goods delivered. Them men talk with a great deal of steam, like kneeling there in the sawdust is the greatest thing ever happened to a body. Seems those kneeling think so too—for about a week or so. Then life’s back to normal except for a few who try to go around convertin’ the rest of us, just like we didn’t really get converted in the first place.
    â€œIt’s too bad the excitement don’t last. That’s what we’re wanting. Oh, well, long as we escape hell, I guess that’s all that matters. The preachers come around often enough to take care of the seekers. Seems it would be nicer, though, if the excitement would just last the winter.” She shivered. Hesitating before she turned back to her house, she added, “Now, take them Shakers and some of those strange religions springing up all over the country. I don’t cotton to them. There’s too much in the name of religion that isn’t. But, somehow, they end up makin’ the rest of us decent folks wish we could share some of what enthuses them . . . people. I guess we’re never happy.”
    ****
    The little rented house behind the livery stable now had the new baby; then Pa landed a job.
    In the evenings after school, Jenny rocked the cradle and reflected that it was just as well little James was fretful. It kept her busy and seemed to ease her own restlessness a little, besides allowing her to read from time to time. Life at home was easier, now that Pa was working at the blast furnace. He seemed to be more content with himself and didn’t take his frustration out on her.
    Jenny, Nancy, Dorcas, and Matt were going to school. Tom was working at the livery stable, and Ma was sewing for some of the ladies they had met at church.
    As Nancy had said, Manchester was a goodly town. It boasted pleasant homes on tree-lined streets, shops, a school, and—to Jenny the most