It is about the hottest time of the whole Iowa summer, so today our Reading Club decided that the coolest place we could possibly meet was down by Indian Creek, on the grassy spot near the cave and not far from Shaggycoat’s lodge. The trees made plenty of shade, and the creek sounded cool even before we got near it.
After everyone settled down, Father LeRoy asked me to read my chapter summary.
My Chapter Summary
The troubles at Lourdes were finally quieting down, and Bishop Laurence’s Commission could begin its work without interference. Bernadette was questioned carefully and told her story simply and calmly, just as she always had. The Commissioners investigated the spring and the remarkable cures, listening to witnesses and doctors and accepting only what could be firmly established. Their purpose was not to prove a miracle, but to discover the truth.
Sister Mary Claire said that was the important part.
“Faith does not have to be afraid of careful questions,” she said. “If something is true, an honest investigation cannot hurt it.”
Father nodded and said there was a great difference between believing eagerly and believing wisely.
Then Robert suddenly said, “I think this meeting needs further investigation.”
He opened his big cooler.
Vanilla ice cream!
And underneath were cold bottles of root beer, tall glasses, straws, and everything else necessary for the finest root beer floats I think Indian Creek has ever seen.
Robert poured the root beer over the ice cream until the foam came right to the tops of the glasses. Then he reached into the cooler again and brought out a little dish he had packed especially for Mini. She got her very own scoop of plain vanilla ice cream, with no root beer of course.
I think Mini decided right then that Robert was the finest member of the Reading Club.
Afterward we all took off our shoes and stockings and went wading. Oh, that water was cold! We squealed at first, but pretty soon it felt wonderful.
I asked Sister Mary Claire, “How long do you suppose water has been running through Indian Creek?”
She looked up and down the valley and said that the answer went back farther than I could imagine, to the Ice Ages, tens of thousands of years ago.
She told us that enormous glaciers once covered great parts of this country. They moved slowly across the land, grinding rocks beneath them into gravel, sand, and the finest powder. When the ice melted, great streams carried much of it away. Later the prairie winds lifted some of that fine soil and laid it down across western Iowa, helping to make the deep, rich farmland we have today.
I tried to imagine our green Iowa countryside with great sheets of ice nearby, cold meltwater rushing through the valleys, and no farms, roads, churches, or cornfields anywhere. Then I looked down at Indian Creek sparkling around my bare feet and thought how very old this little corner of God’s world really is.
The afternoon was slipping away when Father LeRoy said, “I had better get home. There is still a Sunday sermon waiting for me.”
Before leaving, Father stood on the grassy bank, raised his hand, and gave all of us his blessing.
Then he started climbing the creek bank with Mini trotting faithfully behind him.
We watched until Father reached the top.
The instant Mini saw that he was safely there, she turned around and came racing straight back down the bank to Robert’s cooler!
We all laughed, and even Father turned around at the top of the hill and laughed with us.
It was one of those summer afternoons I wish could last forever—the shady creek, bare feet in cold water, root beer floats, good friends, Father’s blessing, and even a lesson about glaciers.
And Mini making absolutely certain Robert had not forgotten another scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Kathy
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