Abram's Daughters 05 The Revelation (14 page)

"You're a creature of heaven anyone can see that." He smiled, but it seemed out of place.

"What happens when the transfer comes ... if I'm to receive it?" This she felt she must know, for she'd heard whispered talk indicating frighteniftg things.

"When the moment comes," Zachariah said in a monotone, "you'll experience a sensation . . . some say like an electrical current from head to toe. I can assure you it is not unpleasant. In due time I will know if you are the one."

Standing in his presence, Hannah felt a great fatigue sweep over her.

"If it is to be so and you are to receive the healing gift, you will be given the necessary instruction, once the transference is made."

If it is to be so . . .

She bade him and his wife good-bye and made her way out of the house and around to the horse and buggy, aware now of an odd

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tranquility. Her breathing seemed slower and steadier than before she'd encountered Zachariah Henner alone. Deep down, she wondered, Will they consider me special enough?

V

Leah was startled out of sleep by a stone hitting her window. Looking up, she watched a streak of light pass over her bedroom wall. For a moment she felt as if she were a teenager again, being courted by Jonas. Well, of course, I'm being courted, she thought, sitting up in bed. Just ain 't a girl anymore.

Having been asleep for more than an hour already, she climbed out of bed, scurrying across the room. Quietly she lifted the window and leaned her head out. Jonas stood down in the yard, his flashlight shining brightly against the frosty ground. "Jonas? Are you all right?" .

"Can ya come down?" he asked immediately, adding, "I'll wait at the end of the lane."

"I'll only be a minute." Closing the window, she slipped out of her long nightclothes and took down from its peg one of several clean work dresses, hurrying to dress in the dark. What on earth would bring Jonas here at this hour?

She hoped the unanticipated visit wasn't going to involve Jake or his interest in Lydiann, particularly as Jake himself had shown up here unannounced just last Wednesday night. With how miserable her girl had been the past few days, it did seem Lyddie had put the nix on things at last. She prayed it was so, yet she could not be sure, as Lyddie had stopped sharing with her as she used to truth be told, her girl had nearly stopped talking to her altogether. As it stood, it was terribly awkward for her or Jonas, or both of them, to get thrown into the middle.

Tiptoeing down the long staircase, she wished she weighed even less than she did every creak seemed amplified so late at night. She hurried through the kitchen and out to the utility room, where she slipped on some shoes to protect her feet from the frost.

When she met up with Jonas, his flashlight was off and his horse

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and carriage were parked quite a ways up the main road. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her till she thought she might pop. "I missed ya, Leah."

I can tell! She was awful glad to see him, too, and told him so.

When he released her, he reached for her hand. "I had to see ya tonight. Jake's out of his mind distraught over Lydiann. She wants to break up."

She felt herself stiffen. "Was there a letter from her?"

"Apparently . . . and there's no consolin' my brother. He's a mess, 'tween you and me."

Sighing, she fully understood Jonas's concern.

"I'm worried 'bout Jake. He's never seen anyone else first love is quite intense, for sure, as we oughta know." He forged ahead without skipping a beat. "He's awful angry, like I've never seen him. Even so, I'm mighty sure Dat would be right happy, if he had any idea. Can't say that he does, though."

Knowing what she did and not being able to reveal it to her darling put Leah in an awful quandary. Feeling truly dreadful, she said as little as possible while offering her sympathy to his despairing brother. Jake's behaving like Sadie did when she was a youth . . . and no doubt Derry, too, she happened to think. Torn as she was on the matter, she wished she were not out here on the road with Jonas, juggling a rather one-sided conversation as she struggled to keep a terrible secret from the man she'd been separated from for so long. She despised being kss than forthright, but what choice did she have? If she revealed Jake was Sadie's son, what might Jonas decide to do about his promise of love to her? Besides, such upsetting news was not hers to tell not without talking first to Sadie even though she wished she could be completely truthful with Jonas. ,: No, I must remain silent. 'Tis best he never know.

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I Respite repeated calls from Mamma, Jake was late for breakfast. Presently Dat was hollering for the missing boy as Jonas stood near the wood stove, watching the scene unfold. Finally Dat went stomping up the stairs, but when Jake didn't respond to even that, Jonas assumed he was hiding out in the barn or elsewhere.

"What's gotten into him?" Mandie asked, getting up from the table where she had been sitting with a longing glance at the sausage ftiid waffles, which were growing cooler by the minute. She headed for the back door and peered out. "I saw him outside earlier."

"Too cold out for him to just be wanderin' round," Mamma said, her face rather drawn.

"Ach, he'll come in when he's hungry," said Dat as he came to the table and pulled out his chair. He sat down with a disgusted harrumph. "I say we go ahead and eat."

Mamma sat quickly and bowed her head when Dat did. The silent blessing was shorter than ever before, and Jonas wasn't pleased nt the thought of feeding his face when he had visions of Jake out in the haymow somewhere, or clear up in the back meadow, bawling like a wounded pup. Of course, it was his right to wail if need be. Jonas remembered too well the disillusionment that had come from [being jilted, though in his own case the breakup had turned out to In- the result of a complicated misunderstanding.

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Some time later Jonas found Jake in the meadow clear on the other side of the orchard, where from the house, the sky appeared to meet the hillock. "Mamma's worried 'bout you."

Jake stared up at him from the ground, where he'd planted himself. "I don't feel like eatin' or anything else. Lydiann's called it quits with me. How do ya expect me to be hungry?"

Jonas sat down next to him on the frosty earth. "I say it's time you wrote her back ask how it happened that she changed her mind."

"What gut will that do?" Jake got up and brushed off the back of his work pants. "She doesn't want to see me, so I doubt she'd even read my letter." He explained how he'd gone to Gobbler's Knob some days ago now, only to be turned away.

"Listen to me." Jonas's ire was building, and he felt it was his duty to persuade Jake to pursue his girl. "Disregard her letter." He grabbed Jake by the shoulder. "I've walked in your shoes. When you love someone the way you care for Lydiann, you must never just stand idly by."

Jake shrugged him away. "I ain't gonna beg her."

"Jake, I mean to help. I missed out on knowin' you all your life, for pete's sake. The most I can do is pound some smarts into your head." He stared at his stubborn little brother. "I know why you came back home. Think on it, Jake. It wasn't so much to give the bishop a piece of your mind 'bout me. You returned for Lydiann."

Jake looked down at his feet. "You're right. I know what I want." His head came up and his gaze met Jonas's. "And I won't let one letter change the direction of my life. I know what I'll do."

Amazed and relieved at Jake's sudden change of heart, Jonas headed with him down the wide brown pasture, brittle grass crunching beneath their work boots.

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The Revelation

When the last plate was washed and dried that Sunday evening >nit 1 I lannah felt too tired to stand any longer, she went to Gid's favorite rocker near the wood stove and sank into it. Sighing, she thought back somewhat discouragedly on her visit to the Henners'. To ihink she might not be "chosen," as Zachariah put it, made her (veil more desperate to secure the gift.

She'd nearly given in to sleep when Gid came into the kitchen, looking for some more coffee. "Oh," she said, getting up, "let me pour ir for ya."

I Ic looked at her, frowning slightly. "You're all in, Hannah. Go ami sit some more."

"No, I best not rest too much 'fore bedtime."

"Soon it'll be time for evening prayers," he said. "And, just so ya know, tonight I plan to say some out loud."

1 .ven though she didn't admit it, Hannah was right startled, and had she been a strong woman who thrived on speaking her mind, she might've asked, What on earth for? But she bit her lip and decided this strange announcement was further reason to keep her encounter with Zachariah to herself, at least for now. Thinking again o( Zachariah's words, Hannah wondered if his observations of her with others would leave her wanting. She could try all she wanted to put her best foot forward, but the truth of the matter was, she had never been the sort of woman people were drawn to. She had few I riends and was as shy a person as anyone she knew. And just now, with the cares of her own world and family responsibilities resting heavily on her shoulders, she could only hope she might impress either of the Henners the next time they were at the same church gathering or whatnot.

Breathing deeply, she tilted her head back against the chair and let herself go into the hazy realm of presleep, relieved to be free of pain where her wee babe grew beneath her heart.

Thank goodness, she thought, though not directing her gratefulness toward anyone in particular.

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Blinking her eyes open, Hannah saw by the day clock on tinwall that twenty minutes had already passed. Feeling guilty for hav ing herself a catnap too late in the day, she rose swiftly and headed to the front room. There Gid was playing checkers with Ida Matwhile Katie Ann read a storybook to Mimi. My contented and happy family, she thought, standing silently.

At last Gid looked up. "Come and watch Ida Mae's king finish me off!" he invited. To this Ida and Katie both laughed and clapped their hands. Their father was clearly cutting up with them, even clowning a bit the man was such a good father.

Once the game was finished and put away, the family gathered around Gid for the Bible reading. This night he read in English, from the New Testament epistle of James the very underlined verses Hannah had seen earlier. In fact Gid read from verse thirteen all the way to the end of chapter five, emphasizing the words " 'The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.'" He went on to explain, after he finished the reading, what he thought ii meant to pray fervently, and Hannah was taken aback by the break in routine, as well as the eagerness on the faces of their elder daugh ters. It was as if they were soaking up their father's every word except Mimi, who had a most unpleasant look on her usually sweet face.

"Dawdi Abram prays out loud," Gid was saying now, "and I aim to do the same. I believe the Lord God has this in mind for us, no matter what the bishop might say."

Hannah wondered what the bishop might think if he knew of her husband's rather rebellious opinion, but when the time came, she bowed her head and hoped Gid would never ask her to speak a prayer in front of the whole family. She doubted she could pray in such a fashion by herself, let alone with people listening. If Gid knew the truth, he might be surprised to learn she had ceased her silent rote praying years ago.

"O Lord God and heavenly Father," Gid began, "I come before you in the name of the Lord Jesus, who spilled His blood on Calvary's tree for each of us. Humbly I ask for the Holy Spirit to guide us every day ... to teach us your ways . . . that we might wholly belong to you. I beseech you for the strength and health of our bodies

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unl minds. Make our hearts your dwelling place so that we may be InnikI worthy on that holy day to stand before you without spot or wi inkle. In the name of Jesus our Lord, I make these petitions I nuvvn. Amen."

Beluddled as she was, Hannah was quite sure she knew who it him have encouraged her husband to pray this way: Gid had revc.ilril himself that her own father, under the influence of Aunt I ,i//ie and much earlier, Mamma had brought him to this curious spiritual place. She would not think of inquiring further about mk li private matters of her husband, though, being that he was not only die patriarch of this house, but God's appointed one.

M uch later, once the girls were tucked into one big feather bed, (in! sat down at the kitchen table and asked for a second helping of li-moii meringue pie. Hannah was happy to serve him a generous si ire, but the tone in his voice made her uneasy.

"We best be talking 'bout your visit to Henners'," he said, his I are rather stern.

She came to stand near the table, her hands all of a sudden clammy. How did he know of this?

"Won't ya sit, Hannah?"

Quickly she did so.

"1 s'pose you didn't understand why I said not to invite Zach .ind Mary Ann over for supper." He folded his hands on the table and regarded them for a moment before going on. "Frankly, Hannah, I've com*to understand why there are folk among the People who won't go to a powwow doctor. And I believe most firmly now chat my mother, your father, and Lizzie have been right all these years in stayin' clear of them."

Her heart sank. "I should've known you wouldn't approve of me I'oin'," she confessed softly, knowing she ought to offer an apology. "I just felt like I was bein' pulled there . . . wanting to be a healer myself 'n' all."

Gid's eyes widened, his eyebrows shooting up into his forehead. " No, Hannah. That's not what you oughta be seekin' after."

"I guess I haven't told ya because I was worried you'd feel this way." She must not go on trying to explain herself, even though it was all she could do to sit there and realize how much he disap-

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proved of her. The concerned way he continued to frown made her wonder if his demeanor was beginning to change, his affection wane, maybe. But then, her own father had actually softened quite ;i lot since getting all caught up in Aunt Lizzie's view of God.