Paradise Valley (41 page)
When he looked up again his eye was drawn to the dark ridge looming over the opposite side of the valley, and it occurred to him that the ridges and mountains wrapped themselves around his new home rather like the arms of Gott.
Only then did he remember what he had come here for. He hung his head, chuckling sheepishly.
“I
am
foolish,” he muttered. He had come to this rock to be alone, to ask Gott an honest question, but like a child he’d gotten distracted and forgot to listen for an answer. And like a father, Gott had answered him anyway. His heart was full to bursting.
A shiver ran through him, the night air beginning to seep into his old work coat. Sliding to his feet, Caleb stuffed his hat back on his head and started down the hill, still smiling at himself, whispering a line from a psalm he’d learned in his youth, forty years and a thousand miles ago.
“ ‘If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.’ ”
In the early 1920s, five Amish fathers were arrested and jailed in Holmes County, Ohio, for violating the Bing Act of 1921. Their children were taken from them and placed in a children’s home, had their hair cut and their Amish clothes confiscated. Later, the men actually did find a pamphlet advertising land for sale in Mexico for $10 an acre in a place called Paradise Valley, owned by Hacienda El Prado. The colony began with one pioneer family and grew to well over a hundred people. While in Mexico, the Amish built adobe houses, dug community wells, traveled three days round trip to market in Saltillo, learned to speak Spanish, went without a minister, were hounded by the remnants of Pancho Villa’s army and later by Federal troops. These are facts.
The author’s great-grandfather was the elder statesman of the colony; his grandparents lived in Paradise Valley, and his father was born there. However, written records are scant and few firsthand accounts have survived, so the author used the known history and geography of the colony to create a backdrop. But this is a work of fiction. While the historical context of the novel is fairly accurate, the characters and their stories are entirely the author’s creation.
This novel could never have been done without the generous help and gentle correction of friends and family. I owe a debt of gratitude to the following:
First, my wife, Pam, who has somehow endured the madness that is a writer’s life and given me her unflagging support. When I began writing this novel I let her know I was in trouble. “It’s about women,” I said, “and I don’t know the first thing about women.” I’ll never forget the compassion in her eyes when she looked up at me and said three words I’ve been waiting thirty-five years to hear: “You’re absolutely right.” She proofed the manuscript repeatedly, saving me from many a male blunder.
My father, Howard Cramer, shared a wealth of inside knowledge about Amish life and culture, and my cousin Katie Shetler did her best to keep me out of trouble with my Amish kin.
Marian Shearer, a local writer who grew up in Mexico, gently corrected my Spanish and graciously shared insights into Mexican life, culture and geography.
Lori Patrick, a freelance editor and friend, wrote the back cover copy. It’s good to have talented friends.
Larry McDonald, Terry Hadaway, and Joe Nolan all endured hours of exploratory chats and brainstorming sessions, helping me work out the direction of the story, and a number of other friends read early drafts, offering encouragement and advice. I won’t try to list all of them here for fear of forgetting someone, but they know who they are.
My long-suffering editor, Luke Hinrichs, and a host of others at Bethany House went above and beyond this time, showing me how to turn a lump of clay into a work of art.
My agent, Janet Kobobel Grant, always takes care of business, leaving me free to write. She’s also a keen-eyed editor and wise counselor who always has my back.
Last, but certainly not least, this work owes a great deal to a book by David Luthy titled
The Amish in America: Settlements
That Failed, 1840–1960
. To my knowledge, it is the only comprehensive written record of the Paradise Valley settlement, and it was instrumental in creating the backdrop for the novel.
DALE CRAMER is the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed novel
Levi’s Will
. He lives in Georgia with his wife and two sons.
For more information visit Dale’s Web site at
dalecramer.com
, and his blog at
dalecramerblog.com
. Or readers may write to Dale at P.O. Box 25, Hampton, GA 30228.
Books by Dale Cramer
Sutter’s Cross
Bad Ground
Levi’s Will
Summer of Light
T
HE
D
AUGHTERS OF
C
ALEB
B
ENDER
Paradise Valley
