Nobody’s Child: A Novel

By Jewel Wheeler and John Dvorak

Sarah was severely beaten by her abusive husband while she was pregnant with Amy. He was trying to kill the unwanted life inside her. Mother and baby survived, but Amy was born prematurely, weighing just over a pound. Grandma Liz, a midwife and an old country doctor, fought desperately to give little Amy the chance to live. Listening to that story always made Amy feel close to God.
When Grandma Liz, Amy’s caretaker, suffered a stroke, she solicited help from her brother-in-law and his wife, who had lost their own child at birth. Under the guise of helping, they stole Amy away to the swampy woods of southeast Texas, where little Amy nearly died of malaria…… another close call. God was really watching out for Amy.
The “Great Depression” hit the country in 1929. Rural Texas and America were locked in its stranglehold. Amy was six. She wandered East and West Texas with her aunt and uncle, seeking work to buy food. Survival was the name of the game. They slept in their car, under the sky and in abandoned houses. They picked cotton; they tenant farmed, cut firewood to sell and raised hogs for market. By the time Amy was twelve, she could work like a full grown man.
She nearly didn’t make it to twelve. When Amy was eleven, she nearly drowned in a creek. God put a total stranger in the woods at just the right time to rescue her. Amy was certain that God had saved her life for some special purpose or person.
“Nobody’s Child” chronicles Amy’s story from her earliest childhood recollections, through the hard years of the “Depression” and later as a young mother awaiting her husband’s return from service in World War II. Her story is filled with both funny and sad moments and is told in a compelling faith based narrative.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: May 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781489728913

Jewel Wheeler

Growing up in rural Texas during the Great Depression was challenging enough for any family. In Jewel’s case, her challenge was exacerbated by being raised by a verbally and emotionally abusive aunt. Mental anguish for Jewel manifested in her adult life, stemming from this destructive relationship. Jewel dealt with her emotional pain by writing it down on paper, in an unpublished autobiographical account. Sometime later, she changed the names of the principles involved, switched it to a third person account and submitted it to a publisher who was promoting a writing contest. It was called “The Search For Amy by Julie Dean. (Jewel’s full name was Jewel Dean Wheeler). She received a letter of rejection of her submission. Disappointed, she never tried to revise or resubmit her manuscript. But privately, she still wanted her story told. I married into Jewel’s family in 1972. My wife, Janice, was Jewel’s daughter-in-law. Jewel always treated us like part of her family. We were always included in all the family gatherings and remained close until her death on November 6, 2016. Knowing that writing is my “spiritual gift,” Jewel asked me to rewrite her story in the summer of 2016. She gave me her manuscript. Regretfully, I did not begin writing “Nobody’s Child” until three months after Jewel’s death. Because she was not available to me to answer questions concerning the historical, geographic and cultural context of her writing, the novel became a work of fiction. The rural Texas towns named in “Nobody’s Child” are real places, but they were randomly selected by me and are used fictiously. The historical context of the depression era was readily available to me through research on my computer. Since I did not know any of the principles involved, I was free to develop Jewel’s primary characters and added a few secondary characters. Any similarity to actual people, living or dead is purely coincidental. I also included stories of my own invention that fit into Jewel’s narrative. I mimicked Jewel’s country wisdom as much as possible to do the story telling. “Nobody’s Child” exists as a “Word” document on my computer, copyright of John Dvorak, September 2017. It is a Christian “faith based” novel consisting of 35 chapters, containing 86,088 words including the summary and information about the authors.

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Copyright © 2020 Jewel Wheeler and John Dvorak.

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Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

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ISBN: 978-1-4897-2890-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-2891-3 (e)

LifeRich Publishing rev. date:  11/20/2020

CONTENTS

1 An Abusive Husband; a Premature Birth

2 The Little Lady in the Shoebox

3 Ooops, Vengeance Was Doc’s

4 Corn, Stupid Chickens and a Mean Rooster

5 Outhouses, Chicken Snakes and Stationary

6 A Shotgun Divorce and Barbecued Goat

7 Liz Has a Stroke and Thoughtless Children

8 Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing

9 Promises Broken, Promises Made and Kept

10 Outhouse Humor

11 The Search for Amy Begins

12 The Search for Amy Stalls Out

13 The Hideout in the Swamp

14 The Letter; a Glimmer of Hope

15 Caught Red Handed

16 A Surprise Visit

17 One Step Ahead of the Law

18 The Truth Will Find You Out

19 President Hoover Called It a Depression

20 The Kindness of Strangers

21 Surviving the Winter One Day at a Time

22 Amy Learns To Survive in the Woods

23 Happy Days Are Here Again

24 Pursued By Love

25 Jakes Pitches a Major Fit

26 Ellen’s Baby Dies; Emma Blames Amy

27 Amy Gets Time Away From Emma

28 Amy Keeps Her Secret

29 Amy Finds Jesus

30 A Time of Testing

31 Betrayed By Sarah

32 The Iceman Cometh

33 And the Two Shall Become One

34 The Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor

35 Afterward

About the Authors

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For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13 (NIV)

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CHAPTER 1

An Abusive Husband;

a Premature Birth

The old dingy white farm house looked even greyer in the evening sky. The house was dwarfed by towering oak trees. The night was appallingly humid and hot. There wasn’t a breath of air moving. Sarah lay on the old iron bed. Perspiration engulfed her as she stared at the wall. The flickering light from the kerosene lamp cast an eerie shadow across the room. Sarah sobbed softly as she recalled the circumstances that brought her back home to live with her mother and her sister.

Three months ago, Sarah’s husband, Seth had beaten her savagely when he learned she was pregnant again. He had warned her that their two boys were all the children he could afford, and all the family he wanted. He did not want a third child to clothe and feed. Sarah tried everything she could think of to keep from getting pregnant, short of kicking Seth out of the bedroom. She was too afraid to do that. She even went to see Doc Scott, but he wouldn’t advise her on the matter. He said it violated the Hippocratic Oath he had taken upon becoming a physician: I will not give an abortive drug to a woman, as roughly translated from the original Greek. Children are gifts from God, Doc told her. If a reliable, safe and moral method of birth control existed in 1922, Sarah was too young and too inexperienced to have known about it.

Once Sarah realized that she was pregnant again, she was panic stricken. What should have been happy news, had left Sarah terrified that Seth would find out about her pregnancy before she found a way to tell him. She had managed to conceal her condition from Seth for nearly four months, until that fateful April morning. Seth had left for work in a neighbor’s field. Realizing he’d forgotten his water jug, he returned home to find Sarah standing in front of the bedroom mirror, dressing. She was wearing only her panties. Her protruding stomach gave her away.

Seth flew into a mad rage. He grabbed Sarah by her hair and dragged her around the bedroom. Then he threw her against the wall. Calling her a lying bitch, he punched her repeatedly and kicked her. Fearing for her life and the life of her unborn baby, she screamed for him to stop. Mark, the older of their two young sons, tried to stop his dad by grabbing him around his legs, but Seth just kicked him away. He threw Sarah through the screen door, knocking it from its hinges. She landed on her back at the bottom of the steps.

Sarah curled up in a ball to protect her unborn baby from further savagery. Seth filled his water bottle. Then he stepped over Sarah and walked off down the road, not even looking back. She was grateful that he had not delivered a parting kick as he passed. There was a chance that the baby within her was still alive. She lay on the ground, barely able to move. When she found enough breath to speak, she croaked out, Mark, go get Grandma…..quick!

Mark ran as fast as he could to get Grandma Liz. She was working in her vegetable garden. She could hear him coming before she ever saw him. He was crying loudly as he ran. It took Liz a couple of minutes to calm him down enough to tell her what happened. She took Mark by the hand and together they walked quickly back to Sarah’s house. Sarah was still lying on the ground where Seth had left her. Mark’s younger brother, Matt, was kneeling beside her. Liz took off her apron and covered Sarah’s bare breasts, while at the same time, she assessed her injuries. One of Sarah’s eyes was swollen shut. She had a large bruise on her forehead and blood was oozing from her nose and mouth. There was no way for Liz to know whether Sarah’s unborn child had survived the beating.

Liz helped Sarah to her feet and they went into the house. Liz washed and bandaged Sarah’s cuts and bruises as best she could. They were both relieved a few minutes later, when Sarah felt the baby move. Liz rushed home, hitched up the horse and buggy, and returned for Sarah and the boys. She left the boys with their Aunt Cindy and drove Sarah into town to see Doc Scott. After his examination, he said, It’s a wonder that both of you survived this terrible beating. That man of yours ought to be shot for what he did to you. The good Lord was looking out for you and your baby today. Now go home and get some rest. You take care of yourself and let me, Liz and God take care of your baby.

Liz Horton was a small, but strong, determined woman in her mid 40’s. She had another daughter, Cindy, who had been blinded in an accident at the age of twelve. At first, they were hopeful that Cindy’s vision would return after she healed from the head trauma. It did not. It was doubtful that Cindy would ever be able to live apart from her mother. But Cindy learned the layout of their house like the back of her hand. She grew to be great help with the cleaning, washing, and ironing.

Liz barely scraped together a living from the old farm. She was left to work it alone after her husband, John, contracted pneumonia and died a couple of years earlier. Big John Horton didn’t believe in wasting money on doctors. He put his trust in the herbal remedies that had been passed down to him from his mother and his grandparents, who were part Indian. Big John tried to power his way through his illness. He kept working until he got so weak he crawled into bed and finally allowed Liz to call Doc Scott for help. Doc came right away, but by then, there was nothing left to do but to pull the sheet over John’s head.

When she was physically able, Sarah sneaked back into her house when Seth was away. She packed up her boy’s things and her own belongings. She left her home and never returned to it. Liz’ old farmhouse suddenly gained three new occupants. Counting herself, Liz thought, that makes four mouths to feed, six once Sarah’s baby is born.

Despite her growing pregnancy, Sarah felt compelled to work in the fields to help her mother. She worked hard, just like a man would, laboring for others for wages. When she wasn’t doing that she was working in her mother’s fields and vegetable garden. Cotton, tobacco and corn were the cash crops that Liz and her neighbors grew and sold to brokers in town, or were bartered for other staples such as coffee, lard and flour.

The town of Willis boasted having two cotton gins and two grist mills. Willis’s farmers were the leading tobacco growers in the region, supporting several cigar factories in town. The Great Northern Railroad, which stopped in town, opened up markets for Willis’s exports. More than 60 % of Willis’s 800 residents earned their livings by farming.

One hot July Saturday morning in 1922, Sarah awoke early. By this time, she was seven months pregnant. She had been working in a field three miles from home. Normally, Sarah didn’t do field work on Saturday. She usually stayed at home on Saturday, helping Cindy with the cleaning, washing and ironing. Liz prepared all the meals during the work week, but Sarah pitched in with the cooking on the weekends. But she lacked only a little hoeing to complete a job left over from Friday. The job paid two dollars and Sarah needed the money.

Sarah saddled the horse and rode off to finish her work. Around 9:00 AM, a big black cloud formed in the west. It had just begun to thunder and lightning when Sarah climbed up on the horse’s back to head home. Suddenly, a blinding flash of lightning hit the ground nearby, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. The horse bolted and ran all the way home, with Sarah hanging on for dear life. She didn’t want to fall off the horse and risk losing the baby. But all that bouncing and jarring caused Sarah to experience premature labor pains.

By noon, Sarah suffered from moderate to intense pain in her abdomen. Liz put her to bed, hoping that the early labor pains would stop. It poured rain all afternoon. It was a real frog strangler. Around six o’clock in the evening, Sarah’s pain had intensified even more. Cindy sat with Sarah while Liz went to fetch Doc Scott. Liz learned from Doc’s wife, Minnie that he had gotten caught across river on a house call. The river had flooded out of its banks. Doc wouldn’t be able to get back across until the rushing waters receded. Liz returned home, soaked to the skin, praying that Sarah’s pain had subsided. It hadn’t. It looked as though Sarah’s baby was determined to be born two months early.

Before Liz had the chance to deliver the bad news, Sarah rose up and screamed, Where is Doctor Scott? My water just broke! Liz rushed over to the bed to calm her daughter. Instinctively, Liz brushed back Sarah’s damp hair from her face, as she tried to speak soothingly. Doc can’t come right now. He’s stuck across the river, but I left word with Mrs. Scott. He’ll come just as soon as he can. I’ll go get Nanny. You and Cindy will just have to make out the best you can until she gets here.

As Liz reached for the door knob, a loud knock came from the other side of the door. Startled, Liz gasped and jumped back. She heard Nanny’s voice from the other side of the door. When Liz opened it, Nanny stepped in, dripping wet.

I saw your house all lit up like the fourth of July and I says to myself it might mean trouble for your daughter’s baby. That girl of yours has been workin’ way too hard for someone in her condition. Lord O’ Mercy, it sure is rainin’ hard out there. Reckon we need to start buildin’ on an Ark? asked Nanny.

Nanny was a tall, big boned, sweet and loving black woman. She had delivered most of the babies in and around Willis, including Mark and Matt. Sarah would never have considered paying a doctor to deliver her baby, had it not been for the beating she had taken at the hands of Seth, which had complicated her pregnancy.

Nanny smiled warmly as she walked over to the bed, finding Sarah in labor. She took Sarah’s hand and said, "I ain’t surprised that this done happened to you, as hard as you’ve been workin’. Now don’t you worry none. Nanny’s gonna’ take good care of this little one just like she done for Mark and Matt.

Clamping down on Nanny’s hand, Sarah cried out, but I hurt so much more with this one than I did with the boys.

That’s ‘cause they was both full term babies answered Nanny. Nature ain’t prepared your body for a birth at seven months. And it ain’t prepared this little baby for all the commotion of bein’ born at seven months.

Are you saying that my baby might die? Will it be too small to live? cried Sarah.

I ain’t sayin’ no such thing answered Nanny. We won’t know ‘till we gets it out here and sees what shape it’s in. Really, it’s up to the Good Lord. We is only here to do what we can do. The rest is up to Him.

Sarah cried out in agony. Nanny felt her stomach and listened for the baby’s heartbeat. Sarah screamed with every contraction. Nanny continued to press on her stomach. Nanny stood over her doing her best as she fussed at Sarah’s yet to be born child.

You is the most stubborn baby I ever did see. Come on out here young un’ and get yourself born. I know it ain’t time, but we gots no choice. You is got to get out of there, ready or not.

Sarah screamed again as the baby’s head popped out. Nanny said, Well, praise the Lord for that. One more push, mama, and this job will be over with.

The next contraction delivered a tiny baby girl into Nanny’s hands. Liz looked at the time. It was one o’clock on Sunday morning, July 19, 1922.

It’s a girl beamed Nanny. She laid the baby on Sarah’s stomach, and tied and cut the umbilical cord. She reached her finger into the baby’s mouth and removed the mucus from her throat. Now, is you gonna’ breathe for ole’ Nanny?

She placed the baby facedown on one hand and patted her back firmly with the other. The infant let out a faint cry, not as loud as Nanny would have liked to hear, but at least the baby was breathing.

That was more like a kitten cry than a baby cry Nanny said to Liz.

She wrapped the tiny infant in a warm blanket and handed her to Liz saying, Miss Liz, you got yerself a Sunday child, but she sure is a little thing.

Sarah was exhausted, barely able to raise her head. She whispered, Did you say it’s a girl?

Nanny answered, Yes, honey, it’s a girl. She’s small, but alive and ole’ Nanny will do all she can to keep her that way.

Once Nanny finished tending to Sarah, she went into the kitchen where Liz had taken the baby. The baby had stopped breathing. Liz had her mouth over the baby’s nose and mouth, breathing life back into it. She stopped momentarily and listened, relieved to find that the baby was breathing again on its own.

Liz placed a hot water bottle, wrapped in a towel, in the bottom of a shoebox and laid the baby on it. Then she covered her over with another towel to keep her warm. The baby had a mop of black hair, just like her mother, but she had no fingernails, toenails, eyebrows or eyelashes. Her color was almost navy blue.

Nanny looked at the baby and teased, "You know, Miss Liz, she looks more like one of mine than one of yours. Now that you got her breathin’ again she’ll start to turn pink. She couldn’t weigh more than a pound or two.

Liz asked, Do you think we’ll be able to keep her alive? What am I gonna’ do? I’ve got to feed that little thing. She’s too small to suck.

Nanny rolled her big dark eyes back in her head and said, That’s a question for the Good Lord. I’m almost afraid to ask him. Nanny thought for a moment and remembered, Doc’s daughter had a premature baby last year. He’ll know what to do.

Liz stayed in the kitchen with the baby, while Nanny went to check on Sarah. She was asleep, exhausted but OK. Nanny returned to the kitchen to check on the baby. After turning her over, she sat down at the kitchen table. Liz poured coffee for both of them. They sat quietly watching the steam rise from their cups.

Nanny broke the silence, Liz, we has got to turn her over every hour, if she’s gonna’ to have any chance at all.

I’m not going to let her die, said Liz, even if I have to sit by this shoebox day and night."

Well, you won’t be by yerself. Ole’ Nanny’ll be right here with you.

Liz put her head down on the table and started to sob. Nanny put her arms around her and said soothingly, Let it all out, girl. I’ve got big shoulders. The burden’s always lighter when two people carries it.

By first light, the baby’s color had improved from navy blue to purple. Liz and Nanny prayed together. Nanny concluded her prayer and ended with,

When God speaks, we might as well just all shut up and listen. God done already spoke up for this baby. She’s gonna’ live, Miss Liz, I feel it in my bones. Amen and Amen.

Nanny left for home, tired, but thanking God for a good night’s work and another life she helped bring into the world.

I’ll be back after awhile, she said. I gotta’ make sure my bunch didn’t burn my house down while I was gone.

Of course, Mark and Matt wanted to see the baby. They remarked about how small she was and joked that a puppy would have been a lot better. After feeding the boys breakfast, Liz brought Sarah a breakfast tray. She found her crying.

Can I see the baby, Momma? I should have told Seth I was pregnant, but I was too afraid. I kept hoping I’d have a miscarriage, so he wouldn’t have to know. I even went to see Doc to ask for something to give me a miscarriage, but he wouldn’t help me. He just said God would take care of us. I sure hope he’s right."

Liz replied, I’ll go get your baby for you.

Liz returned with the newborn. Sarah pulled the towel back to see a tiny bit of humanity, struggling, but determined to live. The baby hardly looked real. The sight of her tiny, discolored, premature infant seemed to upset Sarah, so Liz took her granddaughter back to the shoebox by the stove.

Liz tried to reassure Sarah, saying, Doc will be out today. He’ll make you feel better. You know, but for the grace of God, your baby wouldn’t be here at all. She’s here for a reason. Only God knows what that reason is. We must trust Him to show us.

As it turned out, Nanny wasn’t the only one that saw lights on at Liz’s house during the night. Pat Polanski was up before daylight to do the milking and his other chores before Sunday morning church. When he came inside for breakfast he said to his wife Pearl,

Something must be going on over at Liz’s place. Her lights were already on when I got up to milk the cows this morning.

We’ll stop by and check on her on our way to church, replied Pearl.

In a little while, there was a gentle knock on Liz’s door. Thinking it was Doctor Scott, Liz rushed to open it. She was surprised to see her neighbor, Pearl Polanski, standing there.

My man said he saw your lights on during the night. I thought you might have some trouble, sick folks, maybe.

I guess in a way, we do, answered Liz. My daughter, Sarah delivered a baby girl around one o’clock this morning, two months before it was due to be born. I have to turn her every hour, or she won’t live. When I heard the knock, I thought maybe it was Doc Scott. She’s too small to suck. I’m not sure how to feed her.

Seeing how exhausted Liz looked, Pearl said, I can stay and help. Let me go tell my man. He’s out front in the wagon. Pearl opened the front door and hollered out, I’m going to stay here and help. Liz’s daughter had a baby girl last night, two months early.

Pat climbed down off the wagon and lumbered to the front door. Pearl wondered why he thought he needed to see the baby. He’d seen newborns before. Liz brought her to him and pulled back the cover to reveal the tiny, purplish infant. Pat was taken aback by what he saw. He didn’t know what to say and Liz was too tired to explain.

Finally, to break the silence Liz offered, There’s coffee and leftover breakfast on the stove…

Even though he’d just finished a big breakfast less than two hours ago, he was ready to accept Liz’s offer. Pat was always up for eating.

Pearl grabbed his arm as he headed toward the kitchen. He’s already had plenty, said Pearl. Pat, come back by and check on us after church, if you don’t mind.

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Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another aboveyourselves. Romans 12:10 (NIV)

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CHAPTER 2

The Little Lady in the Shoebox

Pearl told Liz to lie down for awhile; that she would watch the newborn and turn her every hour. No sooner had Liz closed her eyes, there was another knock on the door. Pearl started for the door, but Liz jumped up and raced to it first.

Thought you were laying down said Pearl as they opened the door together. They were both expecting to see Doc Scott standing there.

Liz’s countenance fell when she saw that it was Nanny. Oh, it’s you. Nanny looked a little stunned at Liz’s greeting.

I’m sorry, said Liz. You know I’m happy to see you. We never would have gotten through last night without you. It’s just that I was hoping you were Doc. There wouldn’t be a baby here alive for him to see, if it were not for you."

We’ll, my house is still standin’ so I wanted to see about our young ‘un and his mama. I thought I might could start fixin’ your dinner while I was here.

Great idea added Pearl. I can help with that too, relieved to have something to do besides keeping vigil over the infant in the shoebox.

The three women were still standing in the open doorway when they saw a rider coming up the road. It’s Doc! shouted Liz. When he got a little closer, she ran out to meet him, practically dragging him off his horse.

Liz, I came as soon as I could. Minnie told me that Sarah was in labor. Doc followed Liz into the kitchen. She directed him to the shoebox over by the stove. With Liz, Pearl and Nanny looking on, Doc pulled back the blanket and shook his head in disbelief. He removed the stethoscope from his bag, rubbed it in his hands to warm it, and placed it on the baby’s tiny chest. After listening to her heartbeat and lung function, he covered up the tiny infant.

Doc cleared his throat before he spoke, This is going to be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, Liz. I’m sure that Nanny’s already told you you’ve got to turn the baby every hour, day and night. When she gets stronger, you’ll need only to turn her every two or three hours. When she gets strong enough to turn herself over, you’ll know you’re out of the woods.

Now, let’s see about feeding this little lady, continued Doc. We’ll need some weak coffee and some breast