Abram's Daughters 03 The Sacrifice (31 page)

tip."

I Slu' breathed in the smell of the night as she leaned lust the porch rail, Gid's arm around her waist. "Hope you

I1 I );ii can cure it soon enough."

[ " The disease is right contagious, so we'll have to isolate U one horse, for sure. 'Tis best to let the infection run its Me, though."

I "Isn't there something you can do?" she asked.

1

I "Penicillin shots will only lengthen the disease, but Mum's goin' to give his drivin' horses shots to prevent it." uj continued, talking of making hay all day and how he, tt, and Sam Ebersol would be working together tomorrow. lip is best stayin' with shodding horses, I'm a-thinkin'. It th harder and harder for him to make hay or fill silo every In i hut goes by. I'm just glad to be able to help him. Sam is,i."

"I'm afraid the same goes for Dat."

( iid nodded. "'Cept the difference 'tween my father and UFN is Abram's battlin' hard growing old . . . wants to stay as yiijj; as he can for Lydiann and Abe's sake, prob'ly."

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"I see the fight in him, too."

"On the other hand, my pop's back keeps goin' oni mi him. Don't know how much longer he'll be able to do lii blacksmithing duties, really."

"What'll happen then?" She'd worried some about this > .li and on the past year.

"Right now, Sam is gut 'bout helping, so let's not ui> that bridge 'fore we have to, dear."

Her concerns had run away with her yet again. No n<< .1 to get Gid thinking too hard on that the People took cm of their own. Mamma would have said that when the tim> came, the Lord God heavenly Father would give them tin strength and the grace they needed just as it had been li n Aunt Lizzie tending to Dawdi John and Leah caring so Im ingly for Lydiann and Abe. She hoped it was true.

"You all right, Hannah?"

"Just thinkin', is all." She leaned against Gid's sturdy :11m

"Counting your blessings, jah?"

She nodded, not wanting her husband to wonder if ht 1 fears were taking her over once again. "Ever so many blew* ings," she managed to say. . , , ,

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w- fr-ru

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Jure is wet for July," Dawdi John said at midday. Leah, along

111) Lydiann and Abe, sat taking a quick breather in Dawdi's

out room.

I "It's July the twelfth," insisted Abe.

I "What's the date matter?" Lydiann piped up.

"Matters to me," said Abe.

"Goodness," said Leah. "Aren't you lippy today."

I Ier boy nodded. "I'm getting myself ready for school here die too long, fixin' to surprise my teacher."

"How's that?" Dawdi asked.

E" 'Cause I can make heads 'n' tails of the calendar," Abe plied. Leah ruffled his hair, taken once again by Abe's clever marks. "That's not all she'll be pleased 'bout, I daresay. m've been workin' your arithmetic this summer . . . with me help from Lydiann and Dat."

i Dawdi nodded his head, twitching his nose. "Right smart ytt both are. Take after your mamma."

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Abe's eyes lit up. "Mamma Leah?"

Dawdi leaned back with laughter. "Well, now, she's n bright one, too."

Lydiann was too quiet, Leah happened to notice. "Every thing all right, Lyddie?"

She shook her head, her eyes filling with tears.

"Well, now, honey, what's wrong?" Dawdi asked.

"I ... can't remember what my first mamma looked liki no more."

Abe was quick to speak. "Me neither, Lyddie. But tluii don't mean I have to go 'n' cry 'bout it."

"Aw, now, Abe . . . don't act so," Dawdi John said. "Conn here and sit on my knee." He put down his cane and A In hopped up on his lap. "Let me tell you 'bout your mother who birthed ya."

"Your daughter, ain't?" Abe said.

Dawdi nodded. "She had the pettiest blue eyes I ever did" see. Just look at your sister over there; she has your mother'* eyes."

"What did I get of Mamma's?"

Somewhat comically, Dawdi scrutinized Abe. "Let nu see . . ." He pulled on his long beard, frowning; then a smiItspread across his wrinkled face. "I know. You have her spunk,! I see it in your eyes awful mischievous they are. And " f

"It's in his voice, too." Lydiann smiled at her brother. i

"And what else?" Abe asked. i

Leah felt compelled to speak up. "If ya ask me, you boih have Mamma's pretty hair. Light as the color of wheat , , , : even blonder than your aunt " She almost said "Sadie" Imt stopped herself.

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I "WhiiC were you gonna say?" asked Abe.

I I >;iwili must have surmised her thoughts and intervened.

rlinr nrc plenty-a light-headed relatives in the family,

lini: man."

I '"in Abe's got Mamma's hair and eyes and her spunk,"

Idlimn said, looking right at her brother. "That oughta keep

I i|uiet for now."

I I rah had to smile. Ach, how they love to bicker. Just as she

nil Sadie had as girls; same as Hannah and Mary Ruth, too.

iii'v'/I grow out of it one day, she thought.

I I )awdi began to tell a humorous story from his boyhood,

Ill'kly getting the children's attention by describing how

in iy ;ind muddy it had been one long-ago summer. "My boot

It nick on the mule road over in Hickory Hollow, where I

|. I in an old farmhouse with my parents, your young

liniiiiii, Aunt Lizzie, and a whole bunch of your great-aunts

In I ] neat-uncles. Well, I pulled and pulled and could not get

Iy I mot out."

I I ydiann grinned from ear to ear. "What'd ya do, Dawdi?"

I "I decided I'd Best just pull my foot out and leave my boot

li. k i here."

I "You did, really?" Abe said.

I "Jah, and I walked all the way down the road in the mud

I iIn- well, pumped out some water, and rinsed off my sock

nil loot. And that was that."

I "What happened to your boot?" asked Lydiann.

I "ll stayed right there overnight till we got more rain,

lini li turned the mud into stew . . . and I lugged the boot

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This brought a round of giggles, egging Dawdi on l>

Leah's mind wandered while the storytelling continued, back to early days when she, Sadie, Hannah, and Mary Ruili would sit at their father's knee, listening to him read llw Budget Aunt Lizzie and Mamma, ever near, would sit inched away doing their knitting or crocheting. Now and then, Mamma would make a little sound, and Dat would look I hi way, smile, and return to reading. It was as if they were om nected by a fine and loving thread that wove the family together, night after night, day after day.

How she missed those times! Still, she wouldn't think uf going back, even if she could not with the children needing i her so. Yet if she had to live her youthful days over again, she* might choose to return to autumn hayrides and the snipe hunts she and Jonas, along with all their siblings, enjoyed nh much. Back then she had been the age Lydiann was now; sui h an innocent, happy time.

The best part of those autumns had been the bright blue weather, warm and wistful during the days with a nip to die night air. Once she'd sat all alone out behind the barn in die high meadow just staring at the night sky, gazing at the hir, harvest moon, counting the stars, and wondering about hei future whom she might marry when she grew up ... and how many little ones she and her husband would have one day.

The children's laughter, mingled with Dawdi John's, brought her back to the business at hand. "Best finish cook in1 supper," she said, getting up. '

Lydiann and Abe followed, giving Dawdi a hug bd'mv

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ly It'll. "We'll see ya at the table soon," Lydiann said with BIni'Ihcvous smile. "Mamma and I are makin' a surprise for Wynne."

UmIi lifted her finger to her lips. "Now, Lydiann, don't ail things by sayin' too much."

"Ach, girls can't keep no secrets," Abe spouted off.

Hawdi chuckled and Leah shooed the children toward the (meeting door, back to the main house.

^M Leah glanced out the window, making note of the fine

Hftmcr day as she and the family, except for Aunt Lizzie and

H|wdi John, all sat down to breakfast.

H Immediately following the silent prayer, Abe announced

Ho loudly, "Today's Friday the thirteenth!"

H Dat quickly linked the date to superstition. "So 'tis best to

Hj extra alert and careful, 'least till sundown."

H Mamma would not have approved of Dat saying such a

Hllng, yet he jokesd about it anyway, though he surely knew

Htter. Good thing Aunt Lizzie hadn't joined them for eggs

Hlil pancakes. She would've spoken up but quick, putting an

Hul to the nonsense talk. Lizzie had been cut from the same

Hold as Mamma, and for this Leah was glad.

I Once Dat was finished eating, he left the table for the

Ibnrn. It was then Leah told Lydiann and Abe both there was

jj-fiorhing to worry about. "Don't worry yourself about the date.

'We're not so superstitious, really never have been."

Abe looked puzzled, glancing over his shoulder toward the kick door. "But Dat said " >

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"I know what your father said." She was struggling, in it sure how to preserve respect for Dat while teaching the dill dren what she knew to be true what she knew her maininu and Aunt Lizzie would have said. She didn't want to out-; i in I* out discredit her father, but she felt troubled deep in her soul each time Dat talked about such dark things.

Just last week he had suggested the hex doctor come dike a look at Lydiann when she'd gotten bit up by mosquitoes ;iiul welts had come out all over her legs. Had it not been for A mil Lizzie prevailing, Leah would have been at a loss to handle things. Dat, after all, was Lydiann's father. She, on the othei hand, was merely a substitute mother with little say at IininI it seemed so at times like this.

"Do you remember where we're goin' today?" she askt'il Lydiann and Abe, changing the subject as gracefully as piw sible.

"To see the doctor!" Lydiann said merrily. She liked reiving her "ticker checked," as Dr. Schwartz called it when lip listened to the children's hearts with his stethoscope.

"In one hour we must leave," she told them, pointing lor Lydiann to clear the dirty dishes from the table, and thru directing Abe toward the back door to go and offer Dat some help in the barn.

"Dawdi John was mighty happy with our supper surprise last night," Lydiann said, getting up from the table.

Abe smacked his lips. "So was I. Dawdi and Dat boili liked your pineapple upside-down cake, Mamma."

"There's some left for dinner today," Lydiann told him. "Now, how'bout that?" . ,, ;

To this Abe went running outside, hollering the happy

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p* lo I );it. Leah stood at the back door and watched him

ulud nil the talk of Friday the thirteenth was past for now.

H "I lose off your feet; it's time to go," Leah called to Abe. Hi* i lidn't want Abe dragging mud into the clean clinic when Hi liildrcn arrived for their checkups. Dr. Schwartz had said Hi i i was no sense waiting till closer to the start of the school H luive their appointments "Things get hectic then," he'd Htil her two weeks ago. Besides that, with news of several Binlisters in the area having contracted the dreaded polio, Hi ohwartz had urged her to bring Abe and Lydiann in for 'II first dose of the new vaccine. Although it was still "I iiiinner, they would get their clean bill of health from a

Ik-;il doctor, as well as prevention against the contagious

ili ' .r.c, before Dat got any more ideas about calling for the

i ivvwnw doctor.

m

H I he horse hitched up to the carriage easily, and in no time

I ill they were beaded down the one-mile stretch to the

liu< , "1 wonder how much I weigh this year," Abe said, sitIn! ; i<> the left of Leah in the front seat.

I I cnli waited for Lydiann to say something either funny or

He

i""iy, but she was silent in the second seat. Glad for the H i' c, Leah focused on the steady rhythm of the clip-clopping Hi i he horse.

I Soon Lydiann began to hum rather forcefully "Jesus Loves fir," ibe song Mary Ruth had often sung to the children.

"I;or the Bible tells me so . . ." Abe joined in, his voiceHacking. -.; .. -...

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When they came to the part, "Little ones to I Inn belong . . . they are weak. . ." Leah winced, recalling !> -> j tiny Sadie's baby had been at his birth. She hummed iiImuh with the children, hoping to dispel her momentary gloom

Arriving well before the appointment, Leah noli*. I another horse and buggy waiting ahead of them in the Lm. Not knowing who was parked there, she decided, since ii u i j so pretty out, she and the children would just sit in the < n j riage till closer to time to go inside.

Promptly, though, Abe jumped down from the carri;i|M and moseyed over to the other gray buggy. Relaxing in 11 > front seat, she decided not to hinder him from being social ! since it came so naturally to him. She closed her eyes Im > moment.

Next thing she knew, Lydiann had climbed out and urn over to join Abe. With both children standing there chnii' i ing away, she reluctantly got out and tied the horse to il post, then walked slowly to the other buggy.

"Mamma, this here's Mandie and Jake Mast," Lydiann ;,.u.l quickly when she saw her coming.

"Well, hullo . . . children." She was flabbergasted to :.< > Fannie's twins sitting there by themselves.

Mandie explained. "Our mamma's inside . . . has a m;im\ flu."

"Jah, she's been terrible sick." Jake nodded his head as In spoke.

Mandie's blond hair was pure contrast to Jake's dark IumJ and eyes. "We're goin' straight home once Mamma gets In i self some medicine," she said. ''.' :

"She needs to feel better and right quick," Jake added.

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W^hey don't know of their parents' stand against us Ebersols, Hght I rah, finding it rather curious to be here talking so By wllh Jonas's baby sister and brother. She savored the Hit! moment; these twins would have been her brotherllUtcr-iivlaw had she and Jonas married. "'What's your name?" Mandie asked her, blue eyes twin-