The Message From The Two-Edged Sword By Betty Markley Potenza

09/20/2022

Available in Paperback and digital form.

A look at the book of Revelation that will bring understanding of a difficult book. Written by a Lady who was inspired by the Lord to write this so we would have understanding of what is to come. Jesus is coming back, and the Church needs to be ready. This book will help you understand what is co...

06/10/2022

On November 22, 2021, my Mom, Betty Markley Potenza passed away at the age of 91.
Through the grace of God, and the hard work of Bro Bob Brandon and my daughter, Whitney Marie Adams, Mom's second manuscript "John's Revelation" has been published.
It is now out on Amazon in digital form.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3SFYHT9/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1Z6O2RK7UAAP9&keywords=betty+Potenza&qid=1654893575&sprefix=betty+potenza%2Caps%2C558&sr=8-1

At this time paperback issues are only available through special order. Private message me if you would like to order a paperback version.

JOHN'S REVELATION: LAYMAN'S VIEW OF REVELATION

10/18/2020

The Supreme Sacrifice By Betty Potenza
(Chapters 24 - 27 The end of the story)

CHAPTER-24-RESCUE ATTEMPT
Three hours later Dan heard Jane and David coming up on the front porch. He'd gotten everything together and put it in the trunk of Mary's car, and moved it down the block a few houses. He'd written two notes and put one under some clothes in Jane's dresser, figuring that she'd eventually find it. He had the other one in his pocket, and planned on leaving it under a box of cereal that Jane always ate for breakfast. He had planned to
leave for the jail at 11 :30 P.M. or as soon as he thought Jane and David were asleep.
In just a few seconds he would be seeing his kids
for the last time, he thought. He couldn't even say good bye. He couldn't say anything that would seem strange
to them. Suddenly a big lump came up in his throat and his eyes began to water. !'.!.Y_ God I don't think I can do this, he thought. Mr. Cooper, are you going to let them
kill Mary? he asked himself. "No!" he muttered, clinching his teeth together.
"Hi Dad," both children said, as they saw Dan turning


on the TV.
"Hi kids. How were your patrols?" asked Dan.
"Mostly it was knocking on doors and asking questions.
That moratorium sure left us with some cold trails," said David.
"I had more people ask me about mom, than anything else," said Jane. "Did you change your mind and go see her, Dad."
"No, I didn't," answered Dan looking at his children
as they were hanging up their coats. Poor Jane, he thought. She will be heart broken. Da,vid.•.well it will hurt him, but he won't let it show.

"We'd better hit the sack," said David.
11 o'clock you know."

"It's after


"Yeah, I know•••six-thirty will be here before we know it," Jane said, mocking her brother.
"Have a good night kids," Dan managed to get out before he bit his lip and turned his back to them as tears filled his eyes. "Good bye kids," he said under his breath.
Dan turned the TV off, locked the front door, turned the lights out and went into the kitchen. He got a cup
of coffee and took a sip. Mr. Cooper, you don't have time for this. You have to be able to think straight or you'll get both of you killed, he reminded himself. He forced himself to think about his plans to get Mary out of jail.


The gun? Harry won't search him, so he'd just put it behind his belt, under his jacket. He'd have to be careful.
He was sure they'd have listening devices, maybe a camera
in the cells. He looked at the clock. Time to go, he thought, reaching for his jacket.
Fifteen minutes later Dan parked Mary's car outside the GEA Headquarters. He got out and walked into the station. Harry looked up as he entered the door. "Hi Dan. Been expecting you," he said.
Be careful Mr. Cooper. Act casual, go slow. Dan sat down in a chair next to Harry's desk, appearing not to be in any hurry to go see Mary. "Boy, Harry, how can you stand this grave yard shift? It would drive me nuts to sit here all night with nothing to do and no one to talk to."
"You are used to being busy all the time, and when you are at work, you see a lot of people. In my job you have to get used to being alone. We don't have enough
men to put more than one in the office and two on the street at night. Sometimes Roger calls in on the radio and talks for a while. We don't have much going on at night any more," said Harry.
"You got very many prisoners?" asked Dan. At least Harry is alone here, he thought.
"We've got two other women besides Mary," answered


Harry. "Are you ready to go back and see Mary? I'm sure
I don't have to ask you to try anything to get her to worship our King. Man•••that guillotine is an awful looking thing.••and frankly, I just don't have the stomach for
ito II

"I'll do my best," Dan said, looking at Harry. He felt so bad about double-crossing his friend. He'd helped him out so many times••.and now he was repaying him like this. Sorry Harry, but Mary's my life, Dan thought, and he had to do all he could to save her.
Harry opened a drawer and got out a ring of keys.
Standing up he said, "If we are real quite, maybe we won't wake the other prisoners." Harry led the way through a door into a big long room, which was divided into four cells. Dan noticed that one cell was dimly lit at one end of the room, where two women lay asleep. At the opposite end of the room another cell was dimly lit.
"Mary is down here," whispered Harry. He walked up to the cell, and slipped the key into the door, turned the key, and quietly slid the door open. He went in and laid his hand on Mary's shoulder. "Mary, wake up, you have a visitor."
Mary opened her eyes and looked at Harry, then her eyes moved over to Dan's face. "Dan?" Why has he come here in the middle of the night, she wondered.




"Hello Mary," Dan said, shaking his head. you that you couldn't get away from our God."


"I told

"I'll be back in thirty minutes Dan," said Harry,
as he backed up, shut the cell door, locked it, and disappeared behind the door leading to his office.
Dan looked around. He didn't see a camera, but he was sure Harry could hear every word he said. He stood right in front of Mary and put his index finger to his lips. Then he said, "Mary I still love you, and the kids and I miss you so much. Please Honey, give up these false ideas you have and worship the true God, so you can come home to us."
Mary stared at Dan as she stood up. He must think Harry can hear him and he is playing the part of a loyal servant of the King. If she hadn't seen him before she'd be afraid of him, she thought. So she'd better act the part. "Just stay away from me Dan. I know why you are here, and it won't do any good," she said.
Dan smiled. Good girl Mary, he thought. "Now, now, Mary. I came as soon as I heard you were locked up because I love you, and wanted to be with you. Please sit down and let's talk," said Dan, stretching out his hand to her.
Mary took Dan's hand and sat down on the bed beside him. "Ok, but I warn you, it won't do any good," she repeated.


Dan looked at Mary and suddenly grabbed her and kissed her. Mary pretended to resist for a few seconds then gave in and returned his kiss. Dan hugged her and got his lips close to her ear. "I'm getting you out of here•••just
play along with whatever I do," he whispered. "See what we been missing all these months, Honey?" he said in a normal tone of voice.
Mary whispered back, "Too dangerous." She didn't want Dan risking his life to get her out of there, she thought. She'd made a deal with Bill so he'd be safe.
"I have missed you so very much and I do love you, but•••" "Mary, trust me•••to know what is best for you. Dying
won't prove anything. It's just wasting your life, and you're needed here." Dan said, as he looked directly into Mary's eyes, and slightly nodded his head. Watch my head Mary, and know everything will be ok, he thought.
Mary watched Dan carefully. He's smiling ever so slightly and nodding his head, she noticed. He must mean he has a plan that he thinks will work. Harry's on duty
tonight and he trusts Dan, so Dan could probably fool him into being a little lax with the rules. Maybe they could still get away, she thought, smiling at Dan.
Dan scooted back to the wall and sat against it.
Then he lifted his left arm and said, "Harry will be back soon. So come over here next to me and let me hold you


until he comes. My arms have felt so empty since you left."
Mary snuggled up against Dan with her head under his chin, on his chest. What's that hard lump under his jacket? she wondered. The gun! He's got back in the secret room and got the gun. She looked up at Dan, who was watching her. She saw him glance down where the gun was, then he
slipped his right hand behind her until it was over the gun. He was going to use her body to conceal the gun until the time was right, she thought. She looked back up at Dan and nodded slightly, indicating she understood.
Dan smiled. That a girl•••you got the idea. He put his face in her hair. "Pretend to go to sleep," he whispered. "You look tired, Honey. Just relax like we used to. Just promise me you'll think about coming home. I'll be back tomorrow night."
Mary moved a little closer and shut her eyes. "It feels so good to have your big strong arms around me again," she said. Dan must want Harry to think they had fallen asleep, she thought, as she felt Dan's head resting on
her own.
Dan calculated that Harry should return in about five minutes. If he doesn't hear anything from now until then, and comes in to see them sitting like this••• hopefully
he will think they just dozed off. Then maybe Harry would come into the cell and shake him to keep from waking the


other prisoners. From then on he'd have to play it by ear, he thought. Lord we're going to need a lot of help from You to pull this off, he prayed silently.
In a few minutes Mary heard Harry open the door of his office, and she felt Dan's chest muscles tighten.
She had to be ready to move out of Dan's way the second he started to move forward, she thought.
"Dan," whispered Harry. "Come on Buddy, I can't let you stay any longer." Harry unlocked the door and looked closer at them in the dim light. "Well I'll be, they have dozed off," he said softly. He walked over to them and shook Dan's shoulder.
Dan blinked his eyes and shook his head. "I must have dozed off for a few minutes. Is it time to leave already?" asked Dan.
"Yeah, I can't let you stay any longer," Harry said, as he turned to leave the cell.
He hadn't been ready to react quick enough, he thought.
Make him turn around and face you again. "Harry," said Dan.
Harry turned around and responded, "Yeah?"
"Are you going to be on duty tomorrow night?" asked Dan, as he pretended to wake Mary.
"Yeah, I'll be here."

"Could I come back and see Mary about this same time,

)

THE SUPREME SACRIFICE 318

then?" If he had heard their conversation, he's probably feeling pretty good, thinking that Mary's about to change her mind, and him asking about tomorrow night, should throw him off guard, he thought.
"I'm sure I can arrange it," Harry answered, turning to leave.
This time when Harry turned his back, Dan was ready.
He gave Mary a gentle push and was up on his feet in a split second. Before Harry could turn around Dan struck him on the back of the head with the gun, and Harry fell to the floor with a thud. Sorry friend, he sure hated
to do that, he thought, as he pulled his body further back into the cell. He motioned for Mary to follow him. Dan shut the cell door quietly and turned the key in the lock.
Quickly Mary followed Dan out into the office, and watched him put the keys back in the drawer. Then she followed him to the door. "Your car is right outside. I've got clothes for you in the back seat," Dan said.
He opened the door of the station and looked both ways. "All clear. Come onl Hurry...jump inl" Dan shut the back door and slid in behind the wheel.
It was quite cold out and Mary's prisoner's uniform was thin, so she began to shiver. She looked on the floor and there was a plastic bag. She opened it, pulled out
a flannel shirt, a jacket, pair of jeans, socks and shoes.


Dan had remembered everything, she thought, as she quickly put on the clothes.
"It'll be warm in here soon, Hon. In case you're
wondering, I brought your car because I could hide all the stuff I was taking with me in the trunk before the kids came home from patrols this evening. Also I figured the back seat would give you more cover, while we were still in town. Hopefully we'll get out of here without running into Roger," said Dan, being careful not to go too fast. If they could just get out of the city, they
should be safe until about 7 A.M. when the day shift reports in, and finds Harry, he thought.
Mary hadn't said a word since she got into the car, so Dan asked "Are you ok, Honey?" glancing towards the back.
"I'm fine. Just letting you concentrate on getting us out of the city," she answered.
"Well it is taking me longer because I've been staying on the side streets. Figure we are less likely to run into the patrols on them, at this time of night," Dan explained as he turned right and headed north on the highway. "Just a few more minutes and you can join me. 11
Mary shook her head. How familiar this was, she thought. Two months ago almost to the day, she had been
making this same trip, in this same car, with Ruth and


Harold.
"Ok, you can climb over the seat and sit up here with me now. We are a couple miles out of town and it's pretty
deserted out this way. Of course it is 1 A.M. and a week night. Most working people are home in bed."
"Where are we going to stop and rest until day light?" Mary asked. "I know I can't go that last couple miles in the dark."
"Well, I'd like to get as close to the Camp as we can. Then sleep for a few hours, taking off again before sunrise, but you are going to have to help me cause I don't know where the Camp is. Can we drive all the way to it?" Dan asked.
"No, the Camp is not out by the road. We'll have
to go the last mile or two on foot, but tonight I can only get us as far as the shed that Ruth and I stayed in."
"Ok, if it is still there, that's where we'll rest awhile," Dan concluded.
It wasn't very long until we came to a small town. "It will be the next town where we turn to the right on a blacktop road," Mary directed, as she leaned forward
watching for familiar signs. "You know the hail and fire storm had just started when I came through here before, and it really took out a lot of houses. It doesn't look the same at all. We'll have to be careful or we'll miss


that turn in the dark."
In a few minutes Dan slowed down. "I believe this is the remains of Mt. Pleasant. I can't see very good as dark as it is, but it doesn't look like the King has
done much cleaning up around here."
"We should be getting close to that turn. Stop! Back up. I think we just passed the road," Mary said,
rolling down her window, and sticking her head out. "Yeah, this is it, ok. Turn right."
When the car lights focused on the road, they could see there was a lot of debris scattered all over it. "This doesn't look like it has been traveled much since the hail storm," Dan said, as he maneuvered around a large tree limb. "From the looks of things we'll be lucky if we get very far in the car. Now I wish I had brought the truck.
We could've taken off across country in it." All at once Dan hit the brakes hard. "There's a big tree across the road, and there's no way we can get around it with the car. So it looks like we are on foot from here on."
"Pull up behind the remains of that house," Mary suggested. "It looks like this whole town is deserted, so it could be a long time before anyone finds the car,
and hopefully we'll be safely hidden at the Camp long before that." We must be close to where the road changes into gravel, she thought. And that isn't far from the shed


they stayed in.

Dan pulled the car off the road as much as he could, then turned and looked at Mary, "You ready to go for a hike?"
Mary leaned over and kissed Dan on the cheek and smiled. "Lead on scoutmaster," she said, thinking of the many hikes they used to go on before all this happened. "oh, don't forget the food, and your things in the trunk."
Dan got the two bags of food and handed them to Mary.

Then he opened the trunk, got his backpack and another bag of Mary's clothes, and they walked around the tree that blocked the road. Dan used his flashlight to make a wide sweep of the road ahead. He hated to used that light, he thought, shaking his head, but there would be
no way they could walk down that road and not break their neck, without it. "We'll either have to stay here until daylight or use the flashlight. There is just too much stuff laying in the road," he said.
"I think it is safe to use the flashlight. It looks like everyone just moved away instead of trying to repair their homes after the hailstorm. It doesn't appear like there was much left standing that wasn't damaged pretty
bad," she said. It looks so different from when Ruth and
she..
-h -er- had walked this route, she thought.

Within a few hundred yards Dan noticed that the


blacktop had turned into gravel. "Have you got any idea how far we are from the shed?" asked Dan.
"We aren't very far•••ten, fifteen minutes if I
remember right," answered Mary. "Of course then we didn't have to go around all this stuff in the road, and we could see our way by the moonlight. Keep your eye out for a group of pine trees on your left•••that is, if they didn't burn up."
There were three more trees blocking the road which she had to climb over, but in about twenty minutes Mary spotted the dim outline of the pine trees. "Look Dan, there they are••.they didn't burn! The fire never crossed the road. The sheds should be behind those ruins of that brick house," she said.
They went around the house and Dan flashed his light ahead of them. "There's the two sheds just like I left them," said Mary. The Lord protected Ruth, she thought. For the first time Mary thought about walking into the Camp and seeing how surprised Ruth would be when she saw her. She smiled. "I left Ruth in that one. There was hay in there, which made a good place for us to sleep."
Dan opened the door and flashed the light around. "Looks ok to me. We could curl up on that hay and maybe keep warm. It's cold out tonight. I wish I'd thought to bring something to cover up with," he said.

THE SUPREME SACRIFICE 324

"Oh, we'll manage. Let's dig down in that hay, get close together, and cover up with it,11 suggested Mary. "Boy I bet you are beat after working all day, and then this."
"I am tired, but I'm hungry. Think I'll have a candy bar. How about you?" asked Dan.
"Ok,11 she answered, sitting down by her husband. "How far do you think it is now?" asked Dan.
"I believe we figured out we were still about two miles before we left the road, according to the directions James gave us," she answered.
"I'm going to set my alarm on my watch for 6 A.M. That will give us about four hours sleep. We can eat a snack, and go to the bathroom, and be out of here by 6:30. rt will be getting a little lighter by then, so you'll
be able to see your land marks. I don't think we have to worry about being spotted out here," he said, as he laid down by Mary, and pulled the hay over them.
She snuggled up close to him, shut her eyes, and smiled, thinking it would only be a few more hours and they would be safe.

CHAPTER-25-ROGER FINDS HARRY
Meanwhile back in Batesville, Roger decided to run by the station after he couldn't raise Harry on the radio. He walked into the office and Harry wasn't at his desk.
He glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was 3 A.M. "Strange it isn't like Harry to leave the office unattended for very long," he muttered. He opened the door to the locker room and yelled, "Harry." No answer. Then Roger went back where the cells were. The second he walked through the door, Roger heard his name, being almost whispered. He looked straight ahead and saw the two women asleep on their beds. Then he looked towards Mary's cell and there stood Harry inside the cell. "My God Harry, what happened to you?" he asked.
''I turned my back on our good friend Dan Cooper and he hit me over the head and broke Mary out of jail," Harry said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Dan did that? That's hard to believe. Why he is as loyal as they come. I don't understand it," Roger said as he got the keys from the desk and unlocked the cell door.


"Boy, he fooled me. I still find it hard to believe. I don't think he is a traitor, it's just that when he saw Mary, his love for her drove him to act foolishly. Never­ the-less, he has broke a traitor out of jail, which means he is a dead man. Our orders are to shoot on sight anyone helping a traitor in anyway.
"Call Tom Stanton and tell him he is needed and that
you will pick him up shortly. They found Mary somewhere in Mt. Pleasant during the hail storm. She must have been
looking for one of those Christian Camps. If that is true, they'll probably be heading out there again. Tom can show you where they found her before, and maybe you can pick
up their trail there. I'll call Joe at home and get him in here to go with you. You can run over and pick up Torn while you are waiting for Joe," Harry instructed. "I'll stay here until you get back or Capt. Tom comes in."
It was 4:30 when the GEA car left the station and headed north on Route 69 towards Mt. Pleasant. Roger was driving, Tom was sitting between him and Joe. "Well Torn,
if you're instrumental in catching Mary Cooper again, you'll get your promotion and your squad will still get the credit," said Roger.
"Yes, Sir," Tom answered, rather casually.
"You don't seem very excited about the prospect," commented Joe, looking at the young man sitting next to


him.

"Sir, I'm under orders from my God to kill Dan Cooper

and I will follow orders, but I'm not going to like it. He's always treated my brother and I real well. My brother likes Jane a lot, and she thinks the world of her dad.
This is really going to be rough on David and Jane to lose both of their parents," Tom explained sadly.
"Son, if at all possible, we'll see to it that you will not be the one that has to kill Dan. Frankly, I don't have the stomach for shooting my friends either," said Roger, looking over at Joe.
A half hour later they entered Mt. Pleasant. "Sir, turn right at the next road," directed Tom.
"Here, on this blacktop?" asked Roger.
"Yes, Sir. In a little while it will turn into a gravel road though."
Roger turned but within a few feet he had to slow down to a snail's pace, going from one side of the road to the other in an effort to miss all the debris that
covered the road. "Don't know how much further we'll get on this road," he said.
"Sir, this part of the road wasn't like this when we came through, but further down the road it was like a flaming furnace. Every tree and all the grass was on fire. Once, the fire closed in behind us and ahead of


us, the trees were on fire on both sides of the road and

the fire was arching over the top. Talk about going through a tunnel of fire! Man, that was hairy! You know, now
that I think about it, I doubt whether the shed we found Mary in will still be there,11 said Tom.
"Probably not, but the odds are that they came this way. We need to find some evidence of that real soon,11 said Joe.
Just then Roger slammed on the brakes. "There's a
big tree blocking the road,11 he said. "I'm afraid we can't go any further in the car, but Dan could have probably
gone off the road and around it in his big 4x4. 11
"Maybe we just got our first break," said Joe. "His truck would have broken some burnt limbs or something where he went off the road. We'll know if he has come this way."
"You're right Joe,11 Roger said, getting out of the car. "You and Tom check out that side and I'll look on this side.11 In a few minutes he added, 11 It doesn't look like a vehicle went this way.11
11 Not over here either. Well so much for that break.
Maybe they didn't come out this way at all,11 Joe said, as he rejoined Roger.
"Where's Tom?" asked Roger.
"He was right behind me,11 said Joe, turning around. "There's a light over by the remains of that house. Maybe


he had to make a pit stop."

"Sir," called Tom. "Would you come over here?"
Roger looked at Joe and shrugged his shoulders as they started walking to where they saw the light. "What have you got Tom?" he asked.
"Sir, I believe this is Mary's car," answered Tom. "Well there's one way to find out," said Joe as he
copied down the license number. "I'll go radio this number in to Harry and have him check it."
Five minutes later, Joe returned, "You struck pay dirt Tom. It's her car all right. That proves we are on the right track, and they are on foot now."
"That's to their advantage in this darkness. We could come within a few feet of them and not see them," said Roger.
"I don't think they are near here. Remember Dan got a four hour head start. According to Harry, it was close to 1 o'clock when Dan left with Mary, and it's 5 o'clock now. I'm betting they kept going until they found a suitable place to rest awhile. If that shed that Mary
is familiar with is still there, I figure they'll stay
there until daylight. It's just too hard to maneuver around all this stuff in the dark. You could break an ankle real easy," reasoned Joe.
"Sounds logical to me. How far are we from where


you found Mary before?" asked Roger.

"Well that is hard to say because we were not on foot, but I'd guess about a mile," Tom answered.
"I think we should keep going until we see if the shed is still there, and if it is, we stay near by until daylight," said Joe. "Now you have to take into
consideration that Mary wouldn't have known if the shed

was still there or not, so I'm sure they would have at least gone that far before they stopped."



"You're probably right," agreed Roger. "so let's move out. It will take some time to pick our way through this mess in the dark."
It was slow going, but by 5:30, Tom pointed to a dim outline of pine trees just ahead of them on their left. "If I'm right, those sheds were behind the remains of a brick house back in those pine{" trees.11
"Better douse the lights. We don't want to be spotted or they could slip out into the woods without us seeing them," said Roger. "I think the three of us should hide here at the end of the drive and wait for them to come down the drive. But first, someone has to go up there
in the dark and make sure the shed is there."

"Sir, let me go. I'm familiar with the way things are laid out, which would make it easier for me, since it is so dark."


"Ok, Tom, but be careful, and be quiet. We don't want to blow our cover. I figure the easiest way to do this is to surprise them," said Roger.
Tom left saying, "I'll be back as soon as I can."
Roger turned to Joe and said, "This is what I have
in mind: We'll wait until they are real close to us. Then you shoot Dan•.•we are not to bring him in, you know.
Shoot on sight is the order. As soon as you shoot Dan,
I'll grab Mary. Then all we have to do is get her back
to the car, and we'll probably be back at the station before Capt. Tom comes in."
"Sounds simple enough," said Joe. "They probably won't leave until it starts getting light, so we've got an hour or so to wait. Quiet frankly I hate to plug good old Dan, but rules are rules. He knew what he was in for as soon as he helped Mary."
Tom came back shortly and reported that the fire hadn't bothered the sheds or the surrounding trees. "Ok," said Roger. "You take up your position over on the other side of the drive behind that tree. Now if Mary should happen to get away from me, you go after her."
"Yes, sir," Tom said, as he went to his position to wait.
A little later Joe said, "Roger, I'm sure I saw the
light of a flashlight through a window, nearly straight


ahead of us. Look someone, holding a flashlight, is coming
out the door and going off to the side."
"Do you think they are heading out in that direction?" asked Roger'
"No, here they come back. It's hard enough to travel on the roads, and it would be worse through the woods.
As deserted as it is back here, I figure they'll think it's pretty safe to walk down the road in broad daylight," answered Joe.
"Ok, heads up," said Roger. "They are stirring around and it is beginning to get a little lighter, so they will be leaving soon. Be ready to move quickly, Tom. We can't let them get away again."
A few hundred feet away, in the little shed where Dan and Mary had stopped for a few hours sleep, they just finisned eating some peanut butter and crackers, and some jerky. Dan looked at Mary and said, "Well it wasn't bacon and eggs, but it will do for now." Glancing at his watch,
"Are you about ready to get on with our hike? It is 6:40," Dan added as he picked up his backpack, and put it on his back. He walked over to the doorway and stopped. He wished they were already near the Camp. He couldn't explain it, but he felt very uneasy. What's wrong Mr. Cooper? The
day shift probably hasn't even found Harry yet, he thought,

trying to free himself of the uneasiness.


"Something wrong, Hon?" Mary asked, noticing his troubled expression.
"No, I'm just a little over-anxious about getting
to the Camp, I guess." He didn't want to worry Mary, he thought.
Mary picked up her bag of clothes and walked over and opened the door. "It doesn't seem as cold as it was
last night." This will be a good day, she thought, feeling
a surge of excitement go through her, as she stepped outside.
Dan came out and looked up at the sky that was now turning a lighter blue with rays of pale yellow beginning to invade it in the east. "Well the sun will rise in about fifteen minutes, and it will warm things up in a hurry
with this clear sky."
They began to walk down the drive, but when they came around the house, Mary said, "Why don't we cut across the yard now that we can see.••it will save a few steps."
She hadn't done any exercising lately and four miles might turn out to be a pretty long hike, she thought.
Dan's uneasiness was causing him to be very watchful
and either he was imagining things or something moved behind a tree at the end of the drive. He stopped and said, "Mary would you please put this can of nuts in my backpack?"
"Sure Honey," she said taking the can and going behind


Dan.

She was opening a pocket when Dan whispered, "Don't

look now, but somebody is watching us from behind a tree at the end of the drive."
"Who?" she asked.
"I don't know. I just saw an arm and a part of a leg." He couldn't take any chances, he thought. "Mary, when I say go, you run as hard as you can into the woods.
Don't stop for any reason until you are deep into the woods, then hide. If I can't find you, I'll meet you where we have to leave the road to go to the Camp•••by the old blue barn, right?"
"Yes," whispered Mary.
Dan got ten more steps closer to the trees, then he shouted, "Go!"
As soon as Mary took off for the trees, Dan made a dash for a big log that was lying on the ground just ahead of him. Before he could get to it, a shot rang out and
he fell to the ground, rolling until he reached the log. He grabbed his left arm and pulled back a bloody hand.
They had winged him, he thought, but he couldn't be bothered
with that now.
He looked around the end of the log just in time to see a man running across the yard in front of him, towards the woods. He had to stop him, he thought. He raised


up and aimed his gun at him, but just as he pulled the trigger, two more shots came from another tree across the driveway. Dan grabbed his chest and fell backwards as he muttered, "Run Mary,11 with his last breath.
Mary had barely entered the woods when she heard the first shot. That must be Dan trying to scare off whoever was watching them, she thought, as she ran even harder.
Soon the trees began getting much denser with more underbrush. "Maybe this is far enough if I can find a spot to hide, II she said to herself, as she began to slow up. Just then she heard three more shots! She looked back as she ran, and tripped over a root in front of her. Mary tried to catch herself but she fell flat on her face. She just laid there and listened. It was quite!
Oh my Lord what if they had shot Dan! What should she do? she wondered. He said not to stop for any reason. Just then she become aware of a movement just a few feet in front of her! Her heart pounded even harder! Was it an animal? she wondered. She raised her head just slightly and her mouth dropped open as she seen a pair of legs!
She tilted her head a little more, as her eyes traveled up the tall lanky frame of a man wearing a black cowboy hat. Then she saw it! A 'J' on his forehead!
"Howdy Mam. Here let me help you up," he said,
extending his hand to her.


"Are you from the Christian Camp?" Mary asked, as she tried to catch her breath.
"Yes , Mam. My name is James. I heard shots! Are
they after you?" he asked urgently.
"I don't know. My husband is back there in a gun battle with someone.••he told me to run into these woods. I don't know what has happened," Mary said, tearfully.
"Mam, you've gotta hide quick! I can't help you unless you can make it to our Camp! We are not allowed to get involved in any kind of violence."
"That's right mister!" yelled a voice, roughly.
Mary felt her hopes of getting help, drain from her, as that voice echoed in her brain. She turned around and saw Tom standing a few yards away, pointing a gun at them. "Tom! Please, Tom, can't you look the other way?" she peaded.
"Mary•••I'd really like to•••but I just can't," Tom said sadly.
"There you are Tom. I see you caught our other traitor," said Joe. Then he looked at James and the 'J' on his forehead. "Mister, I suggest you go on and mind your own business! We can't touch you, but you're not allowed to interfere either•••so step away from Mary."
Mary looked at James and he said, "Sorry Mam," as
he turned and walked off.
Quickly, Joe came over and took Mary by the arm and

her back to the edge of the woods, where he stopped. Then Mary saw Dan lying on the ground, face up. "Dan," she screamed, as she ran overto him. She fell beside him and shook him. "Dan, Honey, please don't leave me."
Realizing that he had already died. She cradled his head in her lap, and cried over her beloved husband. "so close," she sobbed.
In a few minutes Mary felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, and heard Roger say, "Come on Mary. I'm truly sorry about Dan."
Mary looked up at Roger and she saw Tom standing next to him. He had tears in his eyes. He said, "I'm sorry Mrs. Cooper. My brother and I will go tell Jane and David if you'd like us to."
"Yes. Please, Tom," Mary whispered, as Roger gently led her away.


CHAPTER-26-THE LONG WAIT
An hour later Mary was once more in her cell. She sat on her bunk and stared at the wall. "We were so close Dan, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. You gave your life trying to save me," she said softly. Another sacrifice, she thought. "Why Lord? For what purpose•••I'm going to die anyway," she muttered. I wish they had shot me with Dan. The I could've left with him, she thought.
Mary laid down on her bunk and raised her eyes to heaven. She said, "Well Lord, it's just You and me now. Dan is with You and the kids probably hate me even more for getting their dad killed. But Lord if Dan had to die, that .was the way he wanted to go, and in a few days I'll be joining him. But Lord I don't mind telling you, that guillotine scares me." Yes, I know•.•keep mY eyes on You, not that horrible thing, she thought.
Mary shut her eyes and it was like she could see Dan•••and there were angels all around him. She remembered thinking how beautiful they were, and then she must of dozed off, for some time later she awoke with a start.
She looked up and a figure was standing outside the cell.


"Hello Mom," Jane said, biting her lip.
Mary sat up, blinked her eyes. "Jane! Is that really you?" she asked, as she walked over to the bars.
"Mom, I came to beg you not to leave us. I loved my dad and I was pretty upset when I heard he got killed because of you," Jane said, with tears running down her cheeks. "But David Stanton told me that dad gave up his life trying to protect you because of his great love for
you. After I thought about it for a while, I realized that
nobody, not even you, could have stopped him from doing what he did.
"My little girl, all grown up," Mary said with tears
filling her eyes. She put her hand over Jane's hand, which was holding onto the bars. "Honey, I'm so sorry about
your dad, but David was right••.I tried to stop him from breaking me out of jail. I told him it was too dangerous, but it didn't do any good."
"Mom, if you'd just got the mark of our great God
right away, we could have all been together now," Jane said, as she began to cry.
Mary felt so helpless. She wanted to comfort her daughter. Short of getting the mark, and going home with her, she didn't see how she could be of any comfort to her, she thought.
"Please mom, don't leave us. If you go we won't have


anybody," pleaded Jane.

"I'm sorry Jane, but I can not worship your Satanic God. I'm a part of the bride of Jesus Christ and I will be loyal to Him until I breathe my last breath."
"oh, mother, you are so stubborn and you will be sorry, you know," Jane said, as she turned and walked off. Was that all an act to get me to denounce my God? Guess she'd never know, Mary thought.
That evening Roger came back to her cell. "Mrs. Cooper I'm afraid you have less time than we first believed.
We've gotten word that the guillotine will arrive tomorrow. So you have very little time left to change your mind.
We have an image of our great God in the next room. All you have to do is bow down and worship him, an you will receive his mark on your forehead. Then you can go home and be with yo_ur children. They need you so much Mrs.
Cooper. Don't you think Dan would have wanted you to take care of them, now that he's gone?" asked Roger, who appeared to be desperately trying to get her to denounce her God.
Well, what else are they going to try, she wondered. They don't give up easy. "I'll see you again in the morning Mrs. Cooper. Please think real hard about this," he added as he left.
Later Mary tried to sleep but the women in the other cell were crying and talking loud. Finally, one of them


yelled, "Guard, let us out. We'll bow to your God. I don't want to die," yelled the younger one.
Harry came back to their cell. "Did I hear you right?
Did you say that you wanted to bow to our great God," he asked.
"Yes," sobbed the younger one, and the other one nodded her head.
"All right, let me get the keys," he said. In a few minutes he was back. "We have to wait until Capt. Tom comes. He'll be here in about thirty minutes."
Then Harry walked back to Mary's cell. "Hello Mary." "Hello Harry. How is your head?" she asked.
"Well there's still a small bump there, but other than a slight headache, I'm fine," he answered. "I'm sorry about Dan. I've always thought well of him. I've never believed he was disloyal•••just that he loved his wife very much."
"That's about the way it was, Harry, and I want to tell you, Dan really felt bad about having to hit you over the head. He told me that you had been such a good friend to him for a long time, and he felt bad about repaying
you in that manner," she said.
"I understand, Mary. Isn't there anything I could say or do to persuade you to change your mind?" he asked, looking sadly at her.


"No, Harry. I can not bow to your God," Mary answered, firmly.
"All right•••you've got more courage than I've got,"
said Harry, turning to leave.
Mary laid down on her bunk and once more raised her eyes upward. "Well Lord we are coming down to the wire, and I'm counting on You to give me the power to walk to that guillotine with my head held high and my eyes on You, glorifying your name until the end. No, not the end, but the beginning of my trip to glory land, and my reunion with my beloved Dan. Amen," she prayed. She smiled.
Then she must have fallen into the deepest sleep she'd
ever known, as she didn't even hear Capt. Tom come after
the other two prisoners. She did not wake up until morning, when Harry brought her breakfast.

CHAPTER-27-THE TRIP TO GLORY LAND
In front of the jail set a platform with a tall metal structure on it. The rays of the morning sun appeared
to sparkle like diamonds as it reflected off a razor sharp blade that hung, suspended at the top. A large crowd had gathered to watch this unfamiliar instrument of death operate in their town. A hush fell over them as they stared up at this strange contraption. They watched as two men
in burnt-orange uniforms came out of the jail and walked

To the guillotine, stationing themselves at the bottom of three
steps leading up to top of the platform.

Inside, Mary was a white dress, resembling a sack with three holes cut in it for her head and arms, by a woman dressed in the uniform of the Special Forces of the King. She told Mary to take off all her clothes
and put on this dress.
6pe.J\eA
When Mary was finished, the woman ..o.p&R the cell door.

This is your last chance to change your mind," she said, looking at Mary.
Mary shook her head. "I will not bow down to your


Satanic God," she said, sternly.

The woman glared at her, but she didn't touch her.
"Let's go," she ordered.

As soon as Mary came out the door of the jail, one of the soldier that had been stationed at the foot of the guillotine replaced the woman. He gently took hold of her arm, and led her forward.
Instantly Mary looked towards heaven because she heard

a powerful, yet soft, gentle voice, calling her name. "Mary.••Mary•••keep you eyes on Me, child."
Mary's eyes widened and she smiled. "I see You Lord. You are holding Your arms out to me. The beautiful angels are with you too," she said. Dan is beside the Lord too. He's waiting for me, she thought, as she was led up the three stairs.
"Kneel and put your head in that slot," ordered the soldier.
Mary did as she was told.

"Mary •••don't take your eyes off of Me. I'm coming for you."
"Yes, Lord," Mary said, as she heard a click.

Suddenly, she was hovering above the guillotine and she saw her head roll into a basket. She heard the crowd cheering as she ascended, with the Lord, up into the clouds to meet Dan, who was reaching out for her hand.


The Lord smiled and said to them, "Come.'

Back on the ground, two children stood, and cheered as their mother was executed as a traitor to their God.
On the edge of the crowd in the back, stood Gene and his wife, who were not cheering. Gene just stood there looking into the clouds. He shook his head and muttered, 11 Betty, if I didn't know better I would swear I can see Dan and Mary standing, hand in hand, by the Lord up there in the clouds. Gene smiled. nodding his head and added, "Finally those two will be together, and live in that beautiful
city the Lord has built in heaven for his bride. How wonderful that will be." he added looking down at his wife and hugging her.

The End