Midnight Rescue Read online

  Praise for the Works of Lois Walfrid Johnson

  Intertwining fictional characters with real-life people and critical moments in American history, Lois Walfrid Johnson creates novels certain to catch the attention of readers, and then leaves them wanting to read and learn more. Johnson does an incredible job of bringing us into the lives of the American people in 1857. These adventure-filled, educational books should be read by youth everywhere.

  —BILL INGEBRIGTSEN, Minnesota State Senator, former sheriff

  Lois Walfrid Johnson writes stories kids love. When they were young, my daughters read her Freedom Seekers books, and really enjoyed them. These are stories that not only entertain, but call children to conviction, courage, and Christ-centered living. I highly recommend Lois and these excellent books.

  —RANDY ALCORN, New York Times bestselling author of forty books including Heaven

  I’ve used Escape into the Night in my classroom for many years and am thrilled to see the new Freedom Seekers edition coming out with study guides. My students have always enjoyed the well-developed characters and engaging storylines. As a teacher I have appreciated the historical accuracy and timeless spiritual truths.

  —JOCELYN ANDERSON, teacher, Our Redeemer’s Christian School, Minot, ND

  It’s difficult to find a series of books written for a variety of age groups with both boys and girls and yet remain historically accurate. Mrs. Johnson has succeeded in doing so in the Freedom Seekers series. Set in a geographic area that runs north and south, she describes weather conditions and topographical features that impacted the daring adventures of the main characters, their clothing, and even their food.

  While developing the character of Peter, Mrs. Johnson visited with students at the Illinois School for the Deaf, including students in my classroom. We compared and contrasted the life of Peter to their lives. After all, Peter could have stood in our classroom! Often a child becomes a lifelong reader, simply because they relate to a character in a book. My students related to Peter, not only because he was deaf, but because he had so much more in common with them.

  —KATHLEEN COOK, teacher, Illinois School for the Deaf, Jacksonville, IL

  I want to thank you on behalf of my class and their families for your wonderful books. I teach a reading class at a homeschool co-op in Washington State. I can’t count how many times the parents of my students have thanked me for the class and told me that their child never enjoyed reading like they do now. They have to hold their children back from reading ahead of the others! So many families who are not in my class have begun to read your books. We may have started an epidemic, and one that I am happy to be a part of.

  I hope you have more books on the horizon. Your fans here in Gig Harbor, Washington, will be on the lookout for them!

  —MARYANN KING, homeschool co-op teacher, Washington State

  Your books have encouraged me in trusting in God more and more. Your characters, especially Libby Norstad, Caleb Whitney, and Jordan Parker, sound just so realistic! I sometimes wish that they were real!!!!!! I like how you introduced a new character [Peter] in the fourth book. It kept the story even more exciting than it is!

  —S., young reader, Texas

  After I read one of your books I often end up asking myself, Would I have helped slaves or not? I have come up with an answer. I would help them because all people are equal and have the right to be free in the sight of God.

  —C. B., young reader, Kentucky

  We love how you incorporate biblical principles into your stories. When Caleb trusts God and Libby struggles in the same areas we do, it shows us that through God we can overcome every obstacle, because He is our light and our salvation.

  —C. FAMILY, Ohio

  Other Titles by Lois Walfrid Johnson

  The Freedom Seekers

  1. Escape into the Night

  2. Race for Freedom

  3. Midnight Rescue

  4. The Swindler’s Treasure

  5. Mysterious Signal

  6. The Fiddler’s Secret

  Adventures of the Northwoods

  1. The Disappearing Stranger

  2. The Hidden Message

  3. The Creeping Shadows

  4. The Vanishing Footprints

  5. Trouble at Wild River

  6. The Mysterious Hideaway

  7. Grandpa’s Stolen Treasure

  8. The Runaway Clown

  9. Mystery of the Missing Map

  10. Disaster on Windy Hill

  Series also available in German and Swedish

  Viking Quest

  1. Raiders from the Sea

  2. Mystery of the Silver Coins

  3. The Invisible Friend

  4. Heart of Courage

  5. The Raider’s Promise

  Series also available in Norwegian

  Faith Girlz: Girl Talk: 52 Weekly Devotions

  Also available in the UK

  For adults: Either Way, I Win: God’s Hope for Difficult Times

  FREEDOM 3 SEEKERS

  MIDNIGHT RESCUE

  LOIS WALFRID JOHNSON

  MOODY PUBLISHERS

  CHICAGO

  © 2013, 1996

  LOIS WALFRID JOHNSON

  Previously published as The Riverboat Adventures Series

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.

  Interior Design: Ragont Design

  Sidewheeler illustration by Toni Auble

  Map of Upper Mississippi by Meridian Mapping

  Cover Design: Faceout Studio, Tim Green

  Cover Illustration: Odessa Sawyer

  978-0-8024-0718-4-Printed by Bethany Press in Bloomington, MN – 05/13

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Johnson, Lois Walfrid.

  Midnight rescue / by Lois Walfrid Johnson.

  p. cm. — (The Freedom Seekers; #3)

  Sequel to: Race for freedom

  Summary: In 1857, having arrived in Minnesota Territory on her father’s steamboat, twelve-year-old Libby continues to harbor the runaway slave boy Jordan while worrying about a fugitive who has escaped from the local prison.

  ISBN 978-0-8024-0718-4

  [1. Underbround railroad—Fiction. 2. Fugitive slaves—Fiction. 3. Slavery—Fiction. 4. Afro-Americans—Fiction. 5. Steamboats—Fiction. 6. Mississippi River—Fiction. 7. Prisoners—Fiction. 8. Christian life—Fiction.]

  I. Title. II. Series. Johnson, Lois Walfrid. Freedom Seekers; #3

  PZ7.J63255Mi 1996

  [Fic]—dc20

  96-45763

  CIP

  AC

  We hope you enjoy this book from River North Fiction by Moody Publishers. Our goal is to provide high-quality, thought-provoking books and products that connect truth to your real needs and challenges. For more information on other books and products written and produced from a biblical perspective, go to www.moodypublishers.com or write to:

  River North Fiction

  A division of Moody Publishers

  820 N. LaSalle Boulevard

  Chicago, IL 60610

  1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

  Printed in the United States of America

  To Nate

  because you, too,

  are a Freedom Seeker.

  Thank you!

  ********

  Major David McKee, Benjamin Franklin Pearson, Dr. Edwin James, the fugitive Dick, Dr. William Salter, Governor and Senator James Wilson Grimes, and Colonel David Moore are historic persons who lived in the 1850s. The numerous escapes from the Minnesota Terri
torial Prison in Stillwater are also a part of history. However, Sam McGrady and all other characters are fictitious and spring with gratitude for life from the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental.

  In 1857 the Native Americans in the Stillwater, Minnesota, area were called Sioux and Chippewa. Now the Sioux prefer to be called Dakota and many Chippewa are once again using the name of Ojibwa (Oh-JIB-wah).

  In the time in which this book is set,

  African Americans were called Negro,

  the Spanish word for black,

  or colored people.

  Contents

  1. Clink, Clank!

  2. Big Trouble!

  3. Friend Caleb

  4. Libby Turns Detective

  5. The Disappearing Cookies

  6. Rope Tricks

  7. Bad News

  8. Jordan’s New Plan

  9. The Red Shirts

  10. Peddler Paul

  11. Family Spy

  12. Nighttime Visit

  13. Jordan’s Signal

  14. Bloodhounds!

  15. The Fox River Outlaws

  16. I Needs Help!

  17. Dangerous Crossing

  18. The Secret Stairway

  19. Betrayed?

  Study Guide

  A Few Words for Educators

  The Midnight Rescue Folks

  Acknowledgments

  Excerpt from The Swindler’s Treasure

  CHAPTER 1

  Clink, Clank!

  The moment the whistle sounded, Libby Norstad felt the excitement. From a deck high on the Christina, she stared upstream. Adventure! That’s what this is. Living on Pa’s steamboat is an adventure! Every boy and girl I know would like to be where I am.

  As if something special were about to happen, Libby wished she could tell the boat to hurry. Then she remembered. Danger had chased them up the Mississippi River to Minnesota Territory. In the darkness of night they had slipped away from St. Paul. Was that same danger following them even now?

  While the sun rose above the eastern bluffs, Libby’s excitement changed to uneasiness. “When does adventure become trouble?” she asked her friend Caleb Whitney as he joined her at the railing.

  Caleb snapped his fingers. “Just that quick!” he said.

  At fourteen, almost fifteen, Caleb was a year older than Libby, but only an inch taller. His blond hair fell down over his forehead, nearly reaching his eyes. “Stillwater is next,” he said. “You’ll like it there.”

  Just then the Christina’s whistle sounded again. Long and deep, the call broke the quiet of early morning. From shore a man’s big voice sang out, “Steamboat a-comin’!”

  As the village of Stillwater came alive, people of all sizes and ages rushed toward the river. Boys and girls raced for a spot with the best view. Not far behind came mothers and fathers with younger children and babies in their arms. Everyone seemed to have one thought—reaching the riverfront before the steamboat tied up.

  Soon only a narrow strip of water lay between the Christina and shore. As the crowd grew even larger, those in the back kept moving around, trying to see everything.

  When a young boy called out from shore, Libby and Caleb waved to him. Soon the boy shouted a question. “Do you live on the boat?”

  Caleb grinned down at him, enjoying the child’s curiosity. “I’m a cabin boy,” he shouted back. “Libby’s father is the captain.”

  “Where did you come from?” a girl called.

  “All the way from St. Louis. It’s spring there. How come you don’t have spring here?”

  The grown-ups in the crowd laughed. Though it was the second week in May, 1857, the air was still cold. Everyone knew that Minnesota Territory had just come through one of the worst winters in its history.

  “What’s your cargo?” a man shouted.

  “Cookstoves, sewing machines, and cloth for your ladies to make dresses,” Caleb told them. “Axes, saws, and plows for you.”

  “And candy?” a small boy asked.

  “Yup. Just the kind of candy you’ll like.”

  As deckhands threw out the lines, eager people caught and held them. When the gangplank went down, the deckhands raced to tie the ropes to posts on shore.

  Just then Libby heard the clip-clop of horses coming closer and closer. Soon a team and wagon swung around a building near the waterfront. A tall blond boy sat on the high seat of the wagon. As his horses reached an open area, he called out, “Whoa!” Standing up, he leaped to the ground and tied a lead rope to the hitching rail.

  When the boy reached the back of the crowd, he raised both arms and waved. “Hey, Caleb!” he shouted. “Over here!”

  In the next moment Caleb spotted him. “Hi Nate! Wait for me! I’ll be right down!”

  Caleb turned to Libby. “I met Nate the last time I was in Stillwater. Want to come with us? He’ll take us around.”

  Without waiting for Libby’s answer, Caleb headed for the stairs. “Help me find Jordan so he can go too.”

  “Caleb?” Libby asked as she followed him down a flight of steps to the deck below. “Is it safe for Jordan to be seen in Stillwater?”

  Only a short time before, Jordan Parker had run away from his master, a cruel slave trader named Riggs. Like Caleb, Jordan now worked for Libby’s father as a cabin boy. Because of all that had happened on their trip up the Mississippi River, Jordan had become known to everyone on the boat.

  Caleb turned back to Libby. “He’s as safe here as anywhere outside of Canada.”

  Libby caught Caleb’s hidden meaning. “That’s not very safe,” she said.

  “You’re right.” Caleb’s honest gaze met hers. “We can’t ever forget the fugitive slave laws. Wherever we go there might be someone who doesn’t want Jordan to have his freedom. As long as even one person feels that way, Jordan will be in danger.”

  After a quick search for Jordan on the boiler deck, Libby followed Caleb down another stairway. There had been more than one fugitive slave law. As part of the Compromise of 1850, Congress had strengthened the right of a slave owner to hunt down and capture fugitives, even in free northern states. Owners often hired catchers—rough, cruel men—to bring back runaway slaves.

  On the main deck Caleb turned into the large open room for storing cargo. As they found their way between boxes and barrels, Libby asked, “What if the wrong person figures out that Jordan is a fugitive?”

  “Shhh!” Only crew members were here, but Caleb glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “There will always be people who want the big reward offered for Jordan. But he can’t spend his whole life being scared.”

  As Caleb passed the opening to a secret hiding place, he didn’t even glance that way. “We can’t let anything stop Jordan now. He’s figured out a perfect plan to rescue his family.”

  “A safe plan?” Libby asked.

  “The safest that something so dangerous can be.”

  “Can I go along?” Libby asked. With every part of her being she wanted to help Jordan’s family escape to freedom.

  “Maybe,” Caleb said.

  Libby’s heart leaped. Caleb said maybe. Since the age of nine, he had worked with the Underground Railroad—the secret plan that helped slaves escape to freedom. Always before when Libby asked if she could take part in the rescue, Caleb had said no. If he said maybe, he might mean yes!

  But then Caleb told her, “It’s up to Jordan whether or not you go. It’s going to be a hard trip. We can’t give away even one secret.”

  Lifting her head, Libby tossed her long hair. So! I’ll prove that I can help rescue Jordan’s family. For a start, I’ll show Caleb and Jordan that I can keep a secret.

  When Libby and Caleb passed through another door, they found Jordan in the engine room. Tall and strong, the runaway slave was fifteen or sixteen years old.

  Libby, Caleb, and Jordan hurried outside and down the gangplank. Along the riverfront, people greeted one another as if they had been separated
for years.

  Near Libby a little girl leaped into her daddy’s arms. An older man shook hands with someone who seemed to have been gone on business. A young woman gazed up into the eyes of a handsome young man. When he smiled down at her, Libby felt the quick stab of memory. That’s the way Pa used to look at Ma.

  Libby pushed the thought away, not wanting loneliness for her mother to spoil the sunshine of the day. During the years after her mother died, Libby lived in Chicago with her aunt. Now Libby felt glad she could be with her Pa again.

  When Libby and the boys reached Nate, he stood near his wagon, waiting for them. As Caleb introduced Libby and Jordan, Nate caught Libby’s last name.

  “Your pa is the captain?” he asked. “Heard your whistle way out at our farm.” He turned to Caleb. “I knew you were back again.”

  “By the sound of the whistle?” Libby felt pleased.

  “Yup, clear and deep. I like your bell too. It’s one of the best on the river.”

  Nate couldn’t possibly have said anything nicer. Always Libby had been proud of the Christina’s bell. More than once, her father had told Libby how it was made. When the bell was being cast, its makers threw silver dollars into the bronze to give a silvery tone.

  “Pa sent me to pick up the plow we ordered from the general store,” Nate explained. “We’ve got time before it’s unloaded, don’t we?”

  Caleb nodded. “The freight we brought from St. Louis is down in the hold.”

  “Want a ride to see the town?” Nate grinned. “Of all the people in Stillwater I’m the very best one to take you around. I’ll show you the most fun places in the whole St. Croix Valley.”

  The Saint Kroy River flowed between Minnesota Territory and the state of Wisconsin. The village of Stillwater was built at the head of the widening in the river called Lake St. Croix.

  As Nate went forward to untie the lead rope, he walked around the horses, talking to both Tom and Bob and checking their harness. Then Nate and Jordan climbed up to the only seat, and Caleb helped Libby into the back of the wagon.

  Because of the large wheels, the bed of the wagon was about three feet off the ground. Instead of sitting down, Libby and Caleb stood behind Nate and Jordan to see over the high sides of the wagon.

  “Giddyup!” Nate called to Tom and Bob, and the horses moved out into the road.

  A short distance from the waterfront, Nate turned onto a street with tall wooden buildings.