Abram's Daughters 03 The Sacrifice (8 page)

"Certainly not Leah," Ida said.

Nodding in agreement over that, Abram rose and wandered into the dark front room, and Lizzie heard him sink down into a chair.

"Well, what do ya say?" she asked Ida, who came and threw a towel over her shoulder and lifted out Lydiann. The toddler's soft bottom looked as shriveled as a prune.

"It would be nice to get things smoothed over with the Masts, but I'm sure Abram will want to think on it some more," Ida said as she wrapped Lydiann, bawling and squirming, in the towel before marching out of the room and upstairs.

A couple of tasty pies just might begin to repair the breach,Lizzie thought, removing her wet black apron and going to hang it up in the utility room. If so, how foolish of them to have waited all this time.

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1 he next day was a no-church Sunday, a day set aside not for Preaching service but for rest, reading the Good Book, and visiting relatives and friends.

Mary Ruth held the reins while Hannah sat to her left, silent as a rock. "Dat and Mamma must've thought this over for a gut long time, us goin' to Grasshopper Level with pies for the Masts," Mary Ruth muttered.

"Two long years Mamma's been thinking of what to do, I spect," Hannah sgfid softly.

"Aunt Lizzie baked till late last night is what I was told. Must've been a hurry-up job."

"While we were at singing, maybe," Hannah replied.

Mary Ruth scratched her head. "By the way, did you happen to see who Leah rode home with last night?"

"I thought 'twas Gid, though I can't be certain."

"Won't Dat be happy if it was?"

Hannah made a little sound, then spoke. "Mamma prob'ly will be, too, seein' Leah's been hurt so awful bad . . . the way Jonas did her wrong."

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"Wasn't all Jonas's fault, don't forget. Takes two, ya know." Mary Ruth felt she had to remind Hannah.

"Wouldn't any parent be pleased to have Smithy Gid as a son-in-law?"

"Can you see Gid and Leah as husband and wife? Honestly, can you?" asked Mary Ruth.

Hannah sighed. "Maybe so," she said in almost a whisper. Then abruptly she changed the subject. "Mamma's nothin' short of wonderful-gut. She never once thinks of Leah as her niece, now, does she?"

Mary Ruth found this turn of topic rather interesting. They had spoken behind closed doors of Lizzie's being Leah's birth mother after Mamma had shared with them, almost two years ago, the story of their aunt's wild days. Occasionally the twins would rehash their feelings, so great had been their surprise. "Seems to me, Leah is just as much Mamma's as you and I are." Mary Ruth meant this with all of her heart. "I wouldn't want things to change with Leah just because we know the truth 'bout Aunt Lizzie."

"Me neither." Hannah smoothed out her long green dress.

"Anyway, I could never think of Leah as merely our first cousin, even though she is that. The heart ties that unite are so strong, ain't so?" She surprised herself saying as much. "We'll always be sisters."

The tie that binds. . .

Now was as good a time as any for Hannah to bring up the knotty fact they were no longer double courting with the Stoltzfus boys . . . that there was a sort of estrangement between the two of them.

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But Hannah said nothing, and they rode on in silence for ic I;ist mile.

As die twins pulled in the lane at the Masts' farmhouse, Mary Ruth noticed several of the younger Mast children he impering about. But when the youngsters spotted who was diiving up in the carriage, they quickly disappeared into the

] In MISC.

"Just as I expected," Mary Ruth said. "Now what?"

"We could end up sittin' here till the cows come home if we ilon't get out and make our delivery," Hannah replied.

"I wish Aunt Lizzie had come 'stead of us." Mary Ruth felt Mini only embarrassed but put out at having to come here wlicn the Masts had chosen of their own accord to shun thorn.

I lannah was the one to stand up first, taking hold of the pii-s neatly graced in Mamma's wicker food hamper. "I'm not iiliaid of Cousin Fannie. I never did her wrong." With that hi 10 climbed down out of the buggy.

Taken aback by her sister's uncharacteristic boldness, Miiry Ruth breathed in deeply and stepped out, too. "Which I Hi us is goin' to knock on the back door?" j "Why, both of us. That's who" came Hannah's quickHii.Nwer.

Mary Ruth wasn't so sure any of this was such a good idea, V't she was shocked at the way Hannah's feet pounded against

1110 ground. Sure was a first, far as she could remember

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Hannah spouting off without uttering a word, using only her feet to do the talking!

Not to be outdone, Mary Ruth knocked on the kitchen screen door, wishing the whole ordeal were over. She could see past the screened-in porch and into the long kitchen, part of the bench next to the table showing. But there was no one in sight, which was downright peculiar on a "visiting" Sunday.

"Your turn to knock," she told Hannah, who promptly did so.

They waited, but the house remained apparently uninhabited. The call of birds seemed louder than before.

"How much longer should we wait?" Hannah asked.

Mary Ruth glanced over her shoulder, looking for any sign of life, but there were no sounds coming from the barn nor, naturally, from the fields, it being the Lord's Day and all. "I. say we leave," she said at last.

"But . . . what 'bout the pies?" It was Hannah who was wide-eyed now.

"We'll have 'em for supper ourselves."

"What'll Mamma say?"

Then, just as Hannah was speaking, here came Cousin Fannie shuffling along toward the door like she really didn't want to at all. She poked her head out.

Before Fannie could speak, Mary Ruth said quickly, "We brought you something from Mamma and Aunt Lizzie."

A frown flickered across Fannie's face as she eyed the pies. "I'm sorry, but we can't accept them." She started to close the screen door.

"Oh, but Aunt Lizzie wants you to have them. She made them special for you and Cousin Peter," Mary Ruth explained,81Cjacrlfice

J < i 1111 j awkward having to beg someone to accept such deli-

i l< >IIN (jiltS.

Hul Fannie soundly latched the screen door, then backed iiw.iy, shaking her head before turning and walking to theI- Hi lien.

"Well, I declare!" said Mary Ruth, tugging on Hannah's li-i'w. "Come along, sister. They don't deserve Aunt Lizzie's I lies!" With that they hurried to the buggy and got in. The

I ii >r.si- pulled them slowly up to the widest section of the barnyanl, (hen circled around to come back down the lane.

Mary Ruth spotted two small heads peering out the back tl< uii. "Look," she whispered. "Isn't that Mandie and Jake?"

"Sure looks like them to me," Hannah agreed.

"So . . . we've been out-and-out refused. Well, isn't this a lint' liowdy-do!"

"Something to talk about at supper tonight," HannahMiitl.

"Won't Mamma be irked?"

I lannah nodded. "Irked and offended both."

"It's really ipo bad our families can't make amends." Mary Kuih was certain both Mamma and Dat would have a reaclimi ro this. Aunt Lizzie, too.

"What if we give them one more chance try 'n' break

I1 if ice, so to speak," Hannah suggested.

"And do what?"

"We could both write to Rebekah and Katie one last I inu- . . . see what comes of it. See if they'll reply."

"What a waste of time and stationery. But go ahead, if you want."

"1 say, best ask Mamma what she thinks." Hannah seemed

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to make a to-do of crossing her arms and sighing.

"Well, now, why are you upset at me, Hannah? I'm not the one ignorin' your letters." Mary Ruth paused. "Whoever said twins had to be baptized into the church the same year, anyway?" There she'd said exactly what was on her mind.

Hannah began to sniffle, which turned into a full-blown sob in a hurry. Mary Ruth had no desire to offer one bit of comfort. If Hannah wanted to cry her eyes out right here on the road, in plain sight . . . well, let her.

Half a mile later, she spotted Luke and Naomi Bontrager riding in their enclosed carriage. "You best dry your eyes," she cautioned. "Here comes the bishop's grandson. Word might get back that you looked mighty sour today."

Hannah turned to face her, quick as a wink. "What do I care? Truth is, the bishop himself already knows what you're up to!"

"What do you mean?" Mary Ruth didn't want to believe her ears.

"Bishop Bontrager has been askin' why you aren't joinin' church with me."

"And what're you sayin' to that?"

"Seems to me that's your problem."

Mary Ruth bit her lip. Luke and Naomi were smiling and waving now as they approached on the opposite side of the road. "Wave back," she whispered to Hannah.

Meekly Hannah did so, and Mary Ruth called to them, "Hullo, Luke and Naomi!" waving and grinning for all she was worth. Can't make things any worse . . . might actually helpsome, she reasoned. : ......

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I "( 'oiildn't you offer a smile with your wave?" she asked

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I "I 'iiln't feel like it," Hannah said when the other buggyliiiil |hissed by.

I M;uy Ruth knew she could easily say the wrong thing if jiii' < ipciied her mouth just now, so she pressed her lips shut. I I himah, however, couldn't seem to drop the argument of Mtiry Ruth joining church. " 'To him that knoweth to do piod, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.'" Hannah stated the mil Ml i'd verse oft quoted amongst the People. I Wi i liout a shadow of doubt, Mary Ruth knew Hannah was llinj't-ther peeved at her about rejecting baptism this year. It jvii'. beginning to cloud nearly everything, even something as iiHHHcnt as a ride in the family carriage. I won't cut short my |l/m\r/i/)ringe.f she thought. I'll join church when I feel like it.

On Sunday, July 17, Leah met up with Naomi Kauffman huMiniger in Deacon Stoltzfus's barnyard. She, along with Mamma, Aunt Lizzie, and the twins, had been milling about pih the other women folk, waiting for the ministers to arrive ni'lorc Preaching service.

"Hullo, Leah, nice to see ya," Naomi greeted Leah pi inly, taking both her hands and squeezing them gently. [I've been wishin' we could talk."

They strolled away from the large group of women and [nting children. "Everything all right, Naomi?" I There was a distinct dampness to the day, which put a bit

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of a wave in Naomi's hair the wispy strands at the nape of her neck, at least.

"Oh, jah, things are fine." Naomi's eyes lit up. "I've been meaning to tell ya my news. I'm in the family way. Come this December, Luke and I will have us our first wee babe. Close to Christmas .. . when your mamma's baby is due."

"This is gut news and I'm ever so happy for you." She kissed Naomi's cheek. "Luke must be awful excited, too."

"He's holdin' his breath for a son, naturally."

"Maybe you'll get two boys," Leah replied, recalling that twins seemed plentiful on Naomi's mother's side. In fact, there was a set of triplet boys.

"I s'pose I wouldn't mind several babies at once. Whatever the Good Lord gives us will be all right."

"I'm glad I heard directly from you," Leah said as they walked back toward the women. She was truly happy for Sadie's former girlfriend, and hearing the news from Naomi got her thinking of her own future and the possibility of many children. After all, Mamma was expecting this baby in her midforties. Leah counted the years, thinking ahead. If I wereto marry Gid by next year, I'd have plenty of childbearing years ahead of me. . . .

But she knew it was better not to think in terms of what might be ... or worse, what might have been where Jonas was concerned. No, she would trust the Lord God, just as she had promised to do at her baptism. She would honor the Almighty One all the days of her life, and He alone would lead her. If God willed that she should marry and have children, then so be it. If not, she would try to be as cheerful and content with her lot as Aunt Lizzie. : 85 O a c r if,

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H[ Thinking of her aunt, she spied Lizzie chattering with the

H|u mi's wife and had to smile. Aunt Lizzie's a sly one, she

H[ , , (diking to Ezra and Elias's mother, of all things!

^M 11 w:is (airly common knowledge among Dat, Mamma, and

^Hni I -i-'.io that two of the Stoltzfus boys were awful sweet on

^nmsih ;ind Mary Ruth. Mamma had confided this to Leah,

^n, in (urn, had mentioned something to Dat in the barn

Hp-Wtvk. Dat, bless his heart, had tried to act like he didn't

1 now too much about it, but Leah could see the helpless smile

i tlelitfhi on her father's face. Since they all knew who was

, In) inn I what was what, it was best they keep quiet now and

iillnw tin* courting process to take over. Could be, as soon as

it vmi li'om this fall, Hannah might be wed.

.V. lor Mary Ruth, she'd most likely missed out on also

{mi! i yiujj; then. Much better to take her time and be sure than

In in.'.h into something and be sorry later, thought Leah. She

HttjI'hM'il she ought to think likewise about her courtship with

^Bllliv Cud, because he was visibly smitten . . . and, truth be

^nvn, she was falling for him, too.

H| ( 'mild it be Hannah and I will marry during the same wedding ^Huh:' she wondered, spotting Gid's shock of light brown hair ^ivr i he throng of men preparing to go inside the barn for Ht Sunday meeting. Her heart skipped a little as he caught H| vyv and then turned discreetly, pretending not to have ^ni ItiT. The People's way. . .

^M hlttmma might faint if she knew how fond Gid is of me . . . ^K> often he says he loves me. I have yet to tell him, though. I f be aver so sure.

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.Lorraine Schwartz had been so deeply moved by the previous Sunday's sermon that she readily agreed to go with the Nolts to the midweek service. She had not a hunch how