The Unlikely Allies Read Online Free PDF Page B

March he’d had a day of unparalleled glory. The dictator who had left Austria in hisyouth as a penniless artist was cheered by thousands as he returned to Vienna to pronounce the Anschluss —the union of Austria and Germany. It had been a bloodless victory, but everyone in Europe knew it was not the last aggression they could expect from Adolf Hitler.
    Mallory wrote to her parents and brothers, to Eva and to Sigrid, and there were times when she was tempted to give up on her plan. She could not simply walk out of Narvik and into the wild north country and find the Lapps. She had to have a guide.
    While staying with the Bjellands, Mallory attended the Lutheran church with them. The pastor, Peter Knudsen, was a fine preacher and welcomed Mallory warmly. He was intensely interested in her plans to evangelize the Lapps, but he was not too encouraging.
    “The Lapps,” he had told her, “are very resistant to the Gospel.”
    Mallory asked him what their religion was, and he shook his head. “I don’t really know,” he admitted. “It’s almost as if they don’t have any, although I’m sure they do. Every people has a god of some kind.”
    October brought more of the same routine for Mallory, and before she knew it, it was well into November. She could hardly believe she was still in Narvik. Rolf’s parents didn’t seem to object to Mallory’s extended stay, but Mallory was growing almost desperate with anxiety. She decided to seek God more earnestly and made up her mind to fast and pray for two days, and knowing that it would be impossible to conceal this from the Bjellands, she announced her intentions.
    “Why, that’s a fine idea,” Hulda said. “We’ll join you. No meals for two days, Norman.”
    The three set themselves to the task of seeking God, and Mallory stayed mostly in her room. She found she could not pray constantly, and much of the time she simply meditated on the Word, turning over the pages of her Bible, hoping that God would speak to her through one of the verses.
    The second day she thought little about food, and late in the afternoon she heard a knock on the front door. Norman and Hulda were both out of the house, having gone to the village to visit some friends, so she went to answer it. When she opened the door, she found Pastor Knudsen on the step.
    “Good morning, Miss Winslow.”
    “Why, good morning, Pastor. Won’t you come in?”
    When he entered, she said, “The Bjellands aren’t here, but they’ll be back soon.”
    Knudsen pulled off his hat, which was covered with fine flakes of snow, and held it in his hands. “I need to speak with you.”
    “Well then, let me take your coat.”
    “No, I’ll not stay. I have a sick family to visit, but something came to my attention I thought might be of interest to you.”
    “What is it, Pastor?”
    “A young Lapp woman has been arrested. She’s in the local jail.”
    “What has she done?”
    “She’s been charged with drunkenness and disorderly conduct. I’m afraid she’s going to be sentenced to three months if someone doesn’t pay her fine. She doesn’t have any money, of course.”
    “Does she live here?”
    “No, and she is a rather disreputable young woman, I’m sorry to tell you. I went in to talk with her, and she’s a rough one. Curses every breath! I thought I’d heard profanity among the timbermen and the fishermen, but this one—well, I won’t go into that. She has no morals where men are concerned. Took up with a blacksmith and was just living with him out of wedlock.”
    “How old is she?”
    “Oh, probably only in her early twenties.” He hesitated. “If you are still intent on finding the Lapps, she can take you to them. But you’d have to pay her fine . . . and . . . well . . . perhaps I’ve come in error. This is actually not something I would advise you to do.”
    “But, Pastor, this is clearly from God!”
    “From God? What do you mean?”
    “The Bjellands and I have been fasting and praying