Abram's Daughters 05 The Revelation (21 page)

"You crossed the line, Henry," she said softly, her gaze on then entwined fingers. With a look of sudden concern, she raised her eyc to meet his. "Might you be arrested for this?"

"It's a worry, yes," he admitted, sorry to have put his wife in such a dreadful position.

Lorraine squeezed his hand and glanced away, and when i f> waiter came around with the first course, Lorraine shrugged as il unwilling to continue further discussion.

Henry sighed. Though years too late, he had at last apprised In wife of the truth.

Even if she forgave him, he knew the worst remained ahead. I I < must live each day unaware of what the present, or the future, mij'Ju hold. And if word of his offense reached the ears of the wrong pen pie . . . Or the right people, he thought sorrowfully.

He shuddered, attempting to dismiss his fears. Having ju-.i toured the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and seen with lie. own eyes the awe-inspiring genius of Michelangelo, he would hav much preferred to pretend the problems he'd created at home did not exist. There would be plenty of time to contemplate the disturb ing prospects in Gobbler's Knob upon his return.

Jonas and Gid worked closely in the blacksmith shop, Jonas pay ing careful attention to Gid's patient instruction on shoeing a horsr.

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Wfltdied as Gid pulled each horse's leg up through his own and

Id )l (/lumped between his knees. Jonas was fairly sure that if he

Itin iiinpoiaiy employment here, because Tomato Joe was too busy

ni h I he work of farming and butchering to attend to all the steady

liltii liiinitliing help his father-in-law required.

l< hum kept the bellows going steadily, all the while observing

> ' lie smallest details of the trade as, one by one, the horses came

'I'Jii As he did, he wondered how things were at his father's

at this hour. When he'd returned to visit with Mandie and

i i curlier this morning, he had encountered his father, whose

> " ! hot eyes and overall rumpled appearance confirmed Mandie's I > Kins. Jonas did not ask where Dat had disappeared to the day i 'i' , bill Mandie whispered that he had indeed stumbled into the ii . awful late, quite gsoffe drunk at that.

Hit drinking surely feeds his animosity toward Ahram, thought

i urt*. On this he could only speculate, but the fact remained that

1 ii had a serious problem in his inability to forgive and accept

'ii'Mtii und his family, as well as in his obvious need to drown his

mhleN in alcohol.

/ wish I could help somehow, Jonas thought, wondering, too, how ItMl^ bclore his father might come to realize he must receive Jake lirti-k into the fold of his household. But if or when that might take [ilrti r, Jonas had no way of knowing. After all, Dat's rift with Abram iiiul his family had dragged on for nearly two decades.

I he day was almost indistinct from all the others Sadie had spent

lining heavy cleaning for Dorcas this time the family was preparing

Im ow-or-town company from Berlin, Ohio. Cousins on Tomato

Inn's mother's side were coming in by train on Monday; a Mennon-

Mf driver would meet them at the station. Since Dorcas hadn't been

ling well, Sadie had volunteered to help redd up, even going so far

11 wash down walls and mopboards and cook ahead several meals.

Weary now, Sadie picked her way through the snow and ice on

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the shoulder of the main road, always on the watch for horses ami sleighs or buggies, a number of which were certainly out this Sal in day night before a no-church Sunday tomorrow.

She kept a steady pace, her thoughts on her son and what he might be dealing with. What she wouldn't give to hear his voiu again, to see him! A nagging worry skittered through her mind, ami she feared Jake might up and return to Ohio, never to be heard from again. If so, she would not have the chance to know him at all.

Several horse-drawn sleighs passed by, each carrying younp, courting couples. She tried not to let the pain of wishing show on her face . . . the we of them and the loneliness of herself. The treed ahead stood black and shadowy against the steadily falling snow nti she plodded along, one heavy foot following the other.

She whispered to heaven, petitioning the Lord not so much foi her own happiness as for Jake's. Let him someday know not only my love but the acceptance of those who raised him, as well. A lump rose in her throat and she found herself fighting back tears.

Just then, like a distant echo in the darkness, she heard a man call her name. "Sadie?"

She did not turn to look because she thought she might be day dreaming. Was this the memory of her precious son's voice? Was ii her mind playing tricks, as it had so long ago?

"Is that you, Sadie?" This time the call came more urgently.

She turned to see a slow-moving enclosed buggy with two people inside.

Eli Yoder? She squinted to see through the snow. The driver was indeed the handsome widower.

"Hullo?" she returned, hoping her voice might carry to where he held the reins.

"Care for a ride?" Eli asked as the carriage all but stopped rigln where she stood, trembling with cold and with the awareness thai not only was Eli offering her a ride when the Ebersol Cottage was not so far away, but Ella Jane Peachey was sitting there next to him, prim and proper.

What an odd thing for him to do, she thought, but she found herself accepting and saying, "Denki," before she thought over what on earth she truly ought to say.

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i 11 hopped down and came around to help her to the left side ! i>' i jiiri.i|',e, lending his hand. Her heart sped up as she placed

1 iVh ploved hand in his, suddenly very aware of his attentiveM.hn.

i li Mood outside the buggy, waiting for her to get settled into ill next lo his date. He made a quiet comment about Sadie's re-

1 if ring Kl la Jane, and with that went back around to the right

11 limb in and move them forward.

I ting I here, Sadie wondered why she'd said yes to the ride. But 'hi knew all too well. She had hardly dared dream such a thing hdppcn, assuming she'd already had her share of male attenluring her lifetime.

'if I(iiiiid it painfully humorous that Eli should proffer a ride, Mibi prompting as much uneasiness on Ella Jane's part as exi in on hers. Yet Eli was obviously interested in spending the

iijjj with Ella Jane. Eli and Ella. . . won't the People get their ri lied [f they marry? She smiled at her foolish thought, reject-

1 jiim as quickly; she must be respectful, even in her private fIhs.

/lien I'Ji directed the horse to turn right onto her father's long I >i I cd h i gh with snow, she wondered what she ought to say when ii"fiiij>c came to a halt. How far would Eli bid his horse to go? I'here we are, now," he said, bringing the mare right up to the led walkway that led to the back door. He stepped down to .iround and*help her out, standing for a moment at the end of .ilk as she managed to extend her thanks before turning to her way toward the door.

\ 11 I he while, her heart continued its euphoric new rhythm, and hr wondered what Ella Jane must be thinking ... or feeling.

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I Hi Ntiuy, December 17, saw the return of Henry and Lorraine

(itiiu I heir ten-day excursion. Tired from their long flights, they un-

I' n luil iiiid ate supper, scarcely speaking a word to each other. Both

'iii-il to bed before twilight, relatively disoriented from having

I'flnl through several time zones.

I (rmy was unable to immediately fall asleep, however, again re-

Hillg I lie calm nature of his wife's reaction to the news of Derek's

ii. I Icmy had been completely astounded when he realized she

i< not at all condemning or taken aback by the revelation. Lor-

it \ w much morP than I imagined her to be.

Nodding off at last, he gave in to a fitful slumber. His dreams

I liiin lost in a cornfield maze, the distorted stalks taking on the

I it- dl Amishmen who whispered accusations as he attempted to

I 11is way out. With no exit in sight, Henry fell and landed on the

iin< I, his hands pressing deep into a freshly dug grave.

I Sadie wasted not a speck of time worrying how Ella Jane Pprtdiey might feel if she knew Eli Yoder had sent the letter Sadie V\'ii'. reading this minute. He wants to see me again . . . alone!190

Though she was torn on whether to share the exciting news with Leah, Sadie felt it best not to respond too quickly to Eli's invitation. For her own sake, he must not think of her as overly hasty in replying, but rather she would take several days before she wrote a polite answer. This meant the earliest she would be riding with him again would be the Saturday after Christmas, a day that now felt an eternity away. All in God's timing, she told herself, most joyful at this unexpected turn of events.

Ascending to her bedroom, she removed her head covering and each of the hairpins holding her bun to let down her hair, so long she could sit on it. Am I still pretty enough to be courted? She began to brush her hair, counting the strokes as she and Leah often had as youngsters.

When she finished, she sat on the bed and purposed in her heart not to get her hopes too high about Eli, although she knew she already was in danger of exactly that.

Breathing a prayer for guidance, she rose and went to the dresser. The small hand mirror lay on top, and she reached for it, holding it up to her face. "I will not let pride get in the way of God's will," she whispered to her reflection. "I will follow Leah's path . . . askin' for the blessing of the Lord."

No matter whathappens. ...

That Wednesday Lydiann made five loaves of bread including two for Dorcas Zook and her family, and one for Hannah's never once uttering a word to Mamma Leah all morning, although she truly wanted to. She longed to tell Mamma of her visit with Mary Ruth and of feeling a twinge of enthusiasm for Carl's invitation, even though she'd declined it. But an impenetrable wall prevented her from saying what was on her heart, as if her disappointment and aggravation at not having been told sooner of Jake's connection to Sadie kept her from saying anything now.

All that aside, Lydiann busied herself in her work, recalling how delighted she'd felt while little Ruthie lay in her arms, aware of the

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si irrings within her heart toward her beautiful niece. It was then the ici rihle truth struck her that Jake Mast was as directly related to her .is was darling Ruthie.

Shuddering, she was more than relieved Jake had not contacted her again. Glad, too, that he must be settling into his own awareness of their kinship . . . and realizing there were many other girls to pick Irotn at singings and other social gatherings.

She glanced up and caught Mamma's eye. The right words skipped through her mind, but she remained mute, simply unable to make herself say them.

"I love ya, Lyddie," Mamma said, eyes bright now with tears.

Nodding helplessly, she felt more and more ridiculous as she Mood there, silently gawking.

"I best be sayin' this again, dear one. I was wrong not to tell ya light away, and I'm terribly sorry."

The dam broke inside, and a sob caught in Lydiann's throat as she flung her forgiving arms around her. "Oh, Mamma. I never should've treated you so."

Jonas was grateful for the hope of steady work at smithy Peachey's blacksmithing shop, especially as Christmas was fast approaching and he had*riot decided what to give Leah. Having never fulfilled his promise to her of an oak sideboard for a wedding gift, he decided on that, knowing he could easily pay his weekly room and board to Eli, as well as purchase the necessary wood and stain to make Leah's keepsake. But before he took the time to gather up the materials to create the piece, he must seek out the Grasshopper Level bishop, Simon Lapp, to inform Dat's bishop about his family's potentially dangerous home situation.

The minute he completed his work for the day, he headed straightaway to the older gentleman's abode. Halting the horse in the side lane, he was surprised to see Bishop Lapp emerge from the house. "Ach, ya must come in, and quickly, Jonas. Get yourself out of this cold," the man said, greeting him. The stocky bishop appar-

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ently remembered seeing him following Jonas's return from Ohio, and Jonas was thankful to have grown up under this highly respected man's leadership.

"I won't beat round the bush," Jonas said quietly once the bishop had shooed his wife out of the kitchen. "I'm here about my father." Warming his hands by the fire, he continued on to tell about his father's recent drunken late-night return home.

The bishop acknowledged his awareness of the standoff between the Mast and Ebersol families, but he didn't indicate he knew of Dat's hankering for strong drink.

"I don't want to speak out of turn, but I'm concerned." Jonas explained some of what Mandie had observed, as well as testifying to having seen with his own eyes his father's obvious hangover. "It may be that liquor has made my father do things he might never have thought of doin' if sober, or maybe his rage and unacceptance has caused him to dull his sensibilities in drink. One way or the other, he has a problem. Actually, all of us do, because of it."

Bishop Lapp tugged his long, untrimmed beard. "If he drinks as much as you assume he does, I wouldn't be surprised if there's something he's tryin' to forget." He paused. "Now, Abram Ebersol, he's kin to your father, ain't so?"

"Actually, it's my mother who's the blood relation ... to Ida, Abram's deceased wife. Abram has since married Ida's younger sister, Lizzie Brenneman."

"Ah, Lizzie . . . the name rings a bell." The bishop's ears seemed to perk up. "There was a-plenty of tittle-tattle flyin' round about this Lizzie years back, but Bishop Bontrager and I squelched it right quick . . . with some help from Abram and Ida."