Abram's Daughters 04 The Prodigal (5 page)

l.ydiann took her seat as the teacher rang the bell on her >lenk, She couldn't keep a straight face, because Dat and Leah urre right here in this very room, sitting in the back with lots nl other folk parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, .it 111 hahies. It looked to her as if nearly all of Gobbler's Knob

11,ul lurned out for the school play.

I ler first-grade cousin, Essie Ebersol, stood at the front of i hi' loom and began to recite a poem. " 'Baby Jesus, meek and mild...'" *

When Essie returned to her seat, Lydiann knew it was i ime for a group of older boys to perform their skit. Following i h:il, the boys sang "The First Noel" quite nicely, she thought. l;(ir hoys with squeaky voices.

Soon the teacher started another carol, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," and everyone joined in heartily. Lydiann lurned quickly and spied Mamma Leah with Dat, both of I hem singing and smiling.

What a wonderful-gut time of year, she thought. Looking over a few rows, she noticed Abe twiddling his fingers but

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singing, nonetheless. She couldn't remember ever hearing her little brother's voice in song at Preaching service, Abe always sat on the side with the menfolk, next to Dat.

She squirmed in her seat a bit, thinking ahead to what was to come. Would Carl remember his lines? Will I?

When the final note was sung, the teacher nodded to her and Carl, and to all the angels, shepherds, and wise men. Quickly the angelic host lined up behind Joseph and Mary, and the teacher brought out a wooden manger containing a small sack of potatoes wrapped in a blanket.

"Christ is born!" announced one of the shepherds.

"He is the King of kings," said a wise man.

Carl took a deep breath. "Let us all rejoice with the angels this day."

"Come see the place where the Christ child lay," added Lydiann, feeling a flutter of excitement as she reached down and lifted the holy bundle into her arms. She was thankful their teacher had wrapped the potatoes very tightly. This way, she could hold the "baby" on her lap.

They went on to recite their rhymed verses, and Lydiann was pleased because she and Carl remembered every single word.

When the play was over, each student gave a gift of fruit or a candy cane to every other student, and to the teacher. But getting a big hug from Dat and a kiss on the cheek from Mamma Leah was the best gift of all. Both Lydiann and Abe climbed happily into the second seat of Dat's sleigh and called to their friends, "Merry Christmas!"

"Same to you!" their friends called back. ,...' , .:49k e J r o dicj ai

When they returned home, it was time for Lydiann to

% blanket, sitting on the rocking chair near the wood stove, JO nIic wasn't feeling well enough to help. If Lydiann wasn't

IViInIuken, it looked to her like her eldest sister had been cry-

She went and offered Sadie a big round orange. "En hal-

'ii /ii'r Cirischtdaag! a merry Christmas to you."

Sadie looked up and smiled, accepting the gift. "Denki,"

Jk,' said softly.

And with that, Lydiann knew for sure and for certain

Sad it'wasn't only suffering from the sniffles.

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l\ midnight gale had come up and temperatures plummeted. Upon awakening to the dawn of Christmas, Leah was surprised at the thick layer of frost on the window as she lifted the green shade. Unable to peer out, she stared at the pretty pattern Jack Frost had painted. Once the sun rose over the eastern hills and its rays reached the house, the crust of ice would melt quickly. Then she would be able to see from this upstairs lookout what snowy new shapes the overnight drifting had created in the barnyard and beyond.

For now, though, she was eager to dress and hurry downstairs to make a special breakfast, one that would include baked oatmeal and raisins, baked eggs, and chocolate waffles with a homemade syrup of brown sugar and melted butter.

She lightly touched Sadie's sleeping form. "Merry Christmas to you, sister," she said softly, waiting for Sadie to rouse a bit. When she did, Leah asked if she felt well enough to help with milking, offering to take her place if she was still under the weather. But Sadie shooed her out of the room, saying she was just fine. Leah was surprised that Sadie was so adamant

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Ifttl determined to go out in the cold, especially when she'd (bit I no ill ro attend the school play yesterday. i!i Milking her way down the long stairs, she recalled Dat's (ittinrk about Abe and the drawing of names for today's gift iHC-hnntfi'. She couldn't help but notice how gleeful her boy BMtl hceii the past few days, but then he was downright happy HiiNt of I he time. And, too, she was quite aware that both tydlunn and Abe had been slipping over to the Dawdi Haus [ I In! recently, and Aunt Lizzie and Dawdi John had been ItHivlive about whatever the children were doing.

(ioing to the back door, she discovered the same hard ill ml ing of frost on the windowpane and knew there was no yviiy to know what she might discover outside unless she |Mt'Mcd to curiosity and opened the door. When she did so, Khe was amazed at the sweeping, arclike hollows beneath the >HHf of each tree and the odd-shaped swells of white along hv lime that led around to the bridge of the bank barn, where

5til and Gid had evenly placed large stones to rim the way. 'Ai'h, somebody needs to shovel a path to the barn," she said o herself, surprised Dat wasn't up yet.

I'll make sorm coffee right quick, she decided, closing the ioor to get a fire going in the wood stove. Reaching for the jundle of wood Dat had conveniently stacked in the utility Oom, probably before heading off to bed, she realized sudlenly just how cold it was in the house. Why she hadn't loticed before, she didn't know.

Lydiann will be shivering . . . and won't be shy about saying(i, she thought, wondering if Aunt Lizzie was up already next Ioor, stoking the fire so Dawdi John would awaken toJvannth. . ., , ., .' .. . ;. ...'...'

Making;,haste-to get the fire going in the wood stove now.

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she smiled at whose name she had drawn. What delightful surprises this day held for all. She did wonder, though, how Hannah, Gid, and the girls would make it down the long, snow-drifted hill to join them for the noon feast. More than likely, Dat would have to take the horse and sleigh up there to fetch them. She just hoped Hannah's baby wouldn't decide to come early, what with the main roads nearly impassable. But no, 1 daresn't worry. Besides, Hannah's baby isn't due quite yet.

When Dat still hadn't wandered into the kitchen fifteen minutes later, Leah decided to check on him to see if he had overslept. Making her way through the front room, she noticed his bedroom door was closed.

She hesitated to bother her father, but thinking he might be ill, she put her hand to the door and tapped gently. "Dat?" she called softly.

A slight shuffling sound followed, and then she heard his voice. "That you, Leah?"

"Jah."

"I'll be right out," he said, and she scurried back to the kitchen.

When the oatmeal had been poured into a greased pan and slid into the oven, Dat entered, looking somewhat disheveled. She offered him a cup of hot coffee, and he took it, blowing on it as he stood near the sink.

Abe joined them in the kitchen. "Looks like I'm not the only late riser," Dat said with a quick smile. "Merry Christmas to ya both."

"And to you, too, Dat," she said, returning his enthusiasm,

i' Abe's eyes twinkled and he hurried to get his coat.

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I Sadie came downstairs at that moment, wearing a green

I i Inning dress and black apron with a rather bedraggled-

I liinking navy blue sweater. "It'll be right nippy in the barn,"

I he said, glancing down at the buttoned-up sweater, as if to

1 explain the old wrap.

I

I "Want some coffee?" Leah asked. "Or I can make hot

I 1< uoa, if you'd rather."

I Sadie shook her head. "Coffee's fine."

I "Did ya hear the wind howlin' last night?" Leah said as

I she poured a second cup of coffee, aware of Abe still tinkering

I around in the utility room.

I Sadie nodded, glancing away, but not before Leah noticed

I :i glistening in her sister's eyes. She suddenly felt sad and won-

I ilcred if this first Christmas as a widow would be as hard on

I Sadie as Dat's first without Mamma had been.

I She set about making hot cocoa for Abe and called to him

1 when the hot drink was ready. He came immediately, face

1 shining. "It's a right special day," he said with mischievous

I eyes. He reached for the cup. "Denki, Mamma."

f Mamma . . . The name never ceased to warm her heart.

When they'd drained their cups, Sadie and Dat bundled

up and headed outdoors with Abe. Dat shoveled a path as

Sadie and Abe came behind with their brooms. Leah watched

momentarily from the utility room, having closed the interior

door to the kitchen so as not to allow heat to escape. Please,

Lord God, be ever near to my sorrowing sister this day.

I While the oatmeal baked, she hurried to Dat's room to

I redd up and make his bed. But before she did, she went to the

\ narrow bookshelf and reached for Mamma's Bible, not the big

1 German family Bible stored in the corner cupboard in the

kitchen, but the one Mamma had read repeatedly through the

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years. Leah noticed the leather wasn't as cold as she might have expected it to be on such a chilly day and wondered if Dat might have been holding this Bible in his strong hands. . . for quite some time, too, maybe.

Heartened at the thought, she moved to the window and read the underlined final verse in chapter fifty-four of the book of the prophet Isaiah: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

The verse puzzled her no end, though she had read it repeatedly since first discovering Mamma's pen had marked it. What had this particular underlined passage meant to her mother? Leah was anxious to know.

Closing the Bible, she returned it to its place on the shelf. Then she smoothed out Dat's bedcovers, top quilt and all, and left to return to the kitchen. There she prepared the baked eggs, using Mamma's old muffin tins, placing the round pieces of toast, moistened with milk, inside and then breaking the eggs over the tops.

All the while she pondered the meaning of the verse, find' ing it peculiar Mamma would have contemplated it in such a way as to take pen to the Holy Bible. Was it possible Mamma had come under some verbal attack, possibly by the church brethren? If so, wouldn't Aunt Lizzie know?

Every tongue that shall rise against thee . . . Those words especially disturbed her. She knew she best cast aside her musings.'Tis Christmas Day, for pity's sake.

Sighing, she went to the foot of the stairs to check on Lydiann, only to see her standing at the top, fully dressed, hair

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Omlx-il ;ind pulled back in a bun. "Happy Christmas, dear ill I," I i'ah greeted her.

I yJiiinn smiled broadly. "Merry Christmas to you, minima." Then she added, " 'Twas awful cold when my feet buclu'd che floor."

I.call nodded and had to smile. "Well, speakin' of cold, it k|yhl not be a bad idea for you to run out and take Sadie's llK'o alter a bit to let her come in and warm up. I'd hate for if lo catch an even worse cold."

[ Lydiann headed down the steps toward her, eyes conIriK'd. "Is Sadie gonna cry again today, do ya think?"

"Well, I hope not. We must be especially considerate bwiird her on our Lord's birthday," Leah replied, walking with wiliiinn to the kitchen. She hurried to prepare the waffle batK, setting the big black waffle iron on the cookstove.

Leah felt at such a loss to explain Sadie's absence for all hose years; the People simply did not speak of a shunning fter the fact. She hoped Lydiann's curiosity over Sadie might Bon subside. Not just for my sake, but for all of us.

I Leah was pleased when Lydiann willingly headed out to le barn to offer Sadie a rest. But when neither Lydiann nor Bilie came back, Leah bundled up to see what had happened. I'; idling the barn, she found Abe and Lydiann looking down I one of the feed troughs a wooden manger. Sadie, too, was It'ening with rapt attention as Dat described how the cows' Ingues had smoothed the wood over time, making the wood I the manger "nice and smooth ... fit for baby Jesus." I Surprised at her father's words, Leah stood quietly as she

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observed the little gathering, which included their three German-shepherd dogs King, Blackie, and Sassafras in the nearly balmy atmosphere of the barn's stable area.

"God put the notion in the animals' heads?" Abe asked, touching the glistening wood with the full palm of his hand, clearly intrigued.

"Jah, I believe so." Dat stooped down, tugging on his long beard.

Lydiann looked up at Sadie just then, and Sadie put her arm around her young sister, who said, "The Lord God must've planned way ahead of time for Jesus to be born in a barn, ain't so?"

Dat nodded, even chuckled. "The Lord doeth all things well, and I daresay this is one of them."

Leah continued to watch silently as Dat spoke openly with the children. A long time comin', she thought, ever so glad. . :' . ....- ' . : . .

Hours later, after Dat had gone to fetch Gid, Hannah, and their girls in his sleigh, and after Mary Ruth had arrived by Dan Nolt's car, their father had everyone gather in the front room. He seemed almost too eager to read the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke before the noon meal.

But as intriguing as all this was, Leah was most captivated by the attentive way Aunt Lizzie watched Dat during his read' ing of the old Bible. Can it be she has feelings for Dat, too?