Promise of Blessing (3 page)

T
HE
FOLLOWING
DAY
, Josie occupied herself by experimenting with the machine.
 
Against his custom, Clae spent a good part of the day indoors, mending harnesses, and she soon became aware of him scrutinising her every movement.
 
After a while it began to irritate her, and she swivelled around on the stool to face him.

He tried to look innocent but she folded her arms pointedly and stared at him until he sighed.

“All right, all right,” he said.
 
“I’m tryin’ to judge whether you’re well enough yet for something.”

“Well did you ever think of asking?”

“That’s an idea.”

“What’s the something?”

“I ran into Jed Parker in town yesterday.”

“Jed Parker...” she repeated, trying to place the name.

“He and his cousin own the lumber yard.
 
Anyway, his wife helps to teach at the school.”

“Oh.”

“Seems they had a new teacher all lined up to replace Miss Morgan for the winter – she’s to be married – but the lady took one sniff of our fragrant Kansas air and hightailed it back east.”

“What can I do about that?”

“Well, Jed says Millie’s been singing your praises to the school board, and they’d like you to go help Mrs Parker out two days a week until another teacher can come after Christmas.”

Josie looked aghast.
 
“Me.
 
Teach.”

“Well, sure.
 
You said yourself you taught your sister.
 
You taught Beth your fancy…”

he waved one hand hopelessly – “sewing stuff.”

“But what would I be teaching?”

“Mathematics, mostly.
 
A bit of spelling – that sort of thing.”

“Oh...well...maybe I could help some.
 
But two days every week?
 
That’s a lot of traveling.”

Clae nodded.
 
“It would be Mondays and Tuesdays.
 
You would have to stay in town overnight.
 
But it’s only for a few weeks.
 
I spoke with Millie.
 
She and Pastor William would be happy to have you.”

“I...need to think.”

“Take your time.”

There was a knock at the door so soft they barely heard it.

“Now who could that be?
 
I didn’t hear a horse.
 
Did you?”

Josie shook her head and peered out the front window.
 
“It’s Helena,” she said, surprised.
 
“She’s come on foot.”

Clae frowned and got up to answer the door.
 
“Cousin Helena,” he said.
 
“How d’you do?”
 
He ushered her inside and over to a chair.

Helena was usually so thin that her head looked too big for her body, but today the hollows of her cheeks were more filled in and her figure more rounded.
 
It took Josie some time to realise that this was partly because she was expecting.

Her long walk had clearly exhausted her, but she brushed off Clae’s and Josie’s concerns, saying she enjoyed the silence and the solitude of the open fields.
 
Still, Josie hurried to get her a meal and something cool to drink.

When Josie returned with the food, Clae was politely showing Helena the sewing machine, and Helena was admiring it, open mouthed.
 
She was so enraptured that she forgot herself and let her hair, which she was wearing loose enough to cover her jawline, fall back a little, uncovering a large green bruise.

Josie drew in a sharp breath but managed to turn it into a cough.
 
She knew that her cousin was not well-treated by her husband, but she should not assume that this was his work.
 
Any one of their farm animals could have been the perpetrator; it may well have been the result of an accident of some kind.

Unfortunately, Helena had noticed her reaction.
 
She flushed and quickly righted her hair.
 

Harland came in noisily at that moment, knocking his boots against the outside wall to rid them of dust.

“Looks like there’s an almighty storm moving in.
 
Oh, good afternoon, Cousin Helena!
 
Have these two been boasting to you about our fancy new contraption?”
 
He kissed her hand quickly and turned to Josie with a pleading look.
 
“Any chance of some of those potatoes coming my way?”

Josie rolled her eyes.
 
“Where did you put the pile you ate this morning?”
 
She turned back to the kitchen, though, and Harland began to tell one of his ludicrous stories to Helena while she ate.

Josie felt troubled.
 
As she spooned potatoes onto another plate, she lifted up a prayer for Helena and her unborn child.
 
It was all she could think to do.
 
She watched her husband’s and her brother-in-law’s gentle attentions to their fragile cousin and gave thanks once again to her heavenly Father for her own situation.

Seeing Helena always made Josie felt guilty for bellyaching about her health, or the hardships of country life, or the lack of time she got to spend alone with Clae.
 
Like Josie, Helena had been a mail-order bride, but her husband, Davis, had not been chosen on the strength of a personal recommendation from a friend, in the way that Clae had.
 
Over time, Davis’s true character, hidden at first by charm and a handsome smile, had made itself known.
 
He was idle, dishonest and, according to the whispered gossip, had a cruel streak that was fuelled by whisky.
 
And now they had a child on the way.
 
At least it seemed that Helena had been eating better lately.
 
Perhaps their situation had improved a little.
 
Perhaps this child would be the making of Davis Judson.
 
She had heard of such things happening.

But even as she hoped for it, something deep in Josie’s heart warned her that it would take a miracle.

Harland was right – before he’d wolfed down his potatoes, the sunlight had all but disappeared.
 
Soon a roll of thunder shook the little house.

Clae and Harland dashed outside to secure the animals in the barn.
 
They returned, soaked to the bone, with a shivering Pea and one of the dogs, Rachael, who had chosen that very moment to begin delivering her litter.

Josie hurried to collect dry rags and an old blanket, admonishing the two men not to undo Beth’s hard work cleaning the floor.

Poor Rachael had some difficulties, but Clae proved exceptionally good at doing what was necessary.
 
Helena, too, surprised Josie with her calm, assured manner as she helped Clae where she could.
 
Soon the two of them were lining fat puppies up at their mother’s side, although Josie felt a pang when she saw Clae take away one tiny casualty.

As the afternoon wore on and the storm continued to dominate the heavens, Josie noticed Helena glancing more and more worriedly out of the window.
 
Finally, she said, “I must go home.”

“Woah, hold up, there,” said Clae.
 
“You can’t be thinking of walking home in that.”

“I have to be home in time for supper.
 
Davis won’t know where I am.
 
He’ll be angry.”

“I can’t let you do that.
 
He’ll be more angry if you get yourself killed.
 
When it’s passed, I’ll drive you home myself.”
 
He placed a hand gently but firmly on her shoulder.
 
“Come on, now, let’s have no more foolish talk.”

Helena looked unconvinced, but obediently sat back down.
 
There was an awkward silence.

“I think what we all need,” said Clae, “is a bit of music.”
 
He lifted his banjo from its hook on the wall and Harland disappeared to fetch his fiddle.
 
Then together they softly played “Blest Be The Tie That Binds”.

Blest be the tie that binds

Our hearts in Christian love;

The fellowship of kindred minds

Is like to that above.

Before our Father’s throne,

We pour our ardent prayers;

Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,

Our comforts, and our cares.

We share our mutual woes,

Our mutual burdens bear;

And often for each other flows

The sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part,

It gives us inward pain;

But we shall still be joined in heart,

And hope to meet again.

Josie sat opposite Clae, watching his long fingers on the strings.
 
These times were always memorable for her, and far more rare than she would have liked.
 
All her little worries seemed to roll away with the music.

Helena, too, visibly relaxed.
 
She sat in Josie’s rocking chair, her eyes closed and her hand resting on her abdomen.
 
Josie found that her own hand was doing the same, and she wondered how long it would be before she too had a little life to care for.
 
Her illness, she thought, had delayed that happy event, but she was beginning now to look forward to it.
 
She was already planning what clothes and linens she would make with her new machine.
 
Perhaps her father would even be well enough to come west with Anna and meet his son-in-law and his grandson or granddaughter!

T
HE
STORM
SOON
blew itself north across the plains, and Clae drove Helena home just as dusk was falling.

Josie decided to delay supper.
 
When she heard the buggy returning, she went out to the barn to meet Clae, hoping to steal some moments alone with him.
 
She held the lantern high as she entered, wary of reptilian guests.
 
All was calm and as it should be.

She hung the lantern by the empty stall, so that Clae could see to rub Thanksgiving down, and walked to the neighbouring one.
 
Christmas whinnied a welcome and, outside in her pen, the huge old sow, Lincoln, grunted in reply.

“Beautiful girl,” whispered Josie to Christmas.
 
She held a small lump of sugar flat in her hand and offered it to the mare.
 
The short hairs on Christmas’s snout tickled Josie’s palm as she snuffled against it.
 
Her warm tongue curled around the sugar greedily, and she pressed forward, pushing her head close to Josie, possibly thanking her; more likely sniffing for more sugar.

Josie held her great head with one hand and rubbed her nose with the other, sweeping her dark mane neatly to one side.
 
“Such a beautiful girl,” she repeated, pressing her cheek briefly against the white star on Christmas’s forehead.

Clae entered the barn just then, leading Thanksgiving and the buggy.
 
He looked grave, but when he saw Josie standing with Christmas, his face broke into a wide smile.
 
“Now, there’s a sight for sore eyes.”
 
He began to unhitch the horse, but he kept his gaze on Josie while his fingers automatically carried out the familiar task.

She moved to help.
 
“Sore eyes?” she asked gently.
 
“Why?”

Clae shrugged, annoyed with himself for disturbing the moment.
 
“That farm…” was all he said, shaking his head.

Josie’s stomach felt heavy.
 
“Oh.
 
I had hoped….
 
Helena looks so much better fed.”

“She does,” he agreed, his forehead wrinkling.
 
He led Thanksgiving into her stall.
 
“All I can think is that some kindly soul is offering her charity.
 
That family needs our prayers.”