A Heart for Home

by Lauraine Snelling

That was the sore point. “Some are . . . Well, most would be.”

  “And Dr. Red Hawk approves?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. But I can’t imagine why he wouldn’t. I will contact him as soon as I am able.”

  “And send them back if he says no?”

  “I know he wishes for all his people to be educated, and this would be an education for the two women. I have a feeling they were beyond school age when the tribes lived closer.”

  “You are correct.”

  “But they learned quickly as they helped me.”

  “My people are not stupid.”

  “No, of course not. I meant . . .” Astrid heaved a sigh of frustration. Why was he twisting her words?

  “I will think on it.”

  “Thank you. We are leaving early tomorrow morning.” She waited a moment for him to respond, then turned to return to the infirmary, which would now be used for storage for food and supplies. At least until Red Hawk returned.

  Gray Smoke was working over the fire, stirring a kettle of bedding in boiling water with soap.

  Astrid wanted to stop and lay out her plan, but something warned her to keep her mouth closed. So she smiled instead and went to pack the remaining bandages, utensils, and supplies in the wooden boxes that had brought other supplies on the wagons. The boxes were strong enough to resist the mice and rats that could and would chew through about anything, even though there was no food packed away.

  Her mind leaped ahead. They were going home to Blessing. No matter the distance, thanks to the trains, they would be home in three days. I will take a bath in a deep bathtub and wash my hair and clothes and all we are returning with. Which wasn’t much, as the blankets and sheets were needed here, along with the cast-iron pots, the tripods for the fires, and sharp axes. While Haakan had showed the tribe how to plant wheat, the season was so far gone that if they had an early freeze, the wheat would not be harvested.

  As the eastern horizon lightened the next morning, the two older women stood waiting at the door of the infirmary, two small blanketwrapped bundles at their feet. Astrid greeted them, knowing that her face revealed her delight and not caring if they knew how relieved she felt. She had seen these two women laugh and tell jokes that made others laugh, she had seen them cry when children had died, and she had seen them go without sleep and food so that others might live. She knew they would make good nurses.

  “Thank you for coming.”

  They nodded and picked up their bundles.

  “This takes great courage, my friends.” Since she still wasn’t sure how much English they understood, she decided to start teaching that on the wagon and train rides back to Blessing.

  Dear God, please make this all work out, both for these women and for the people of Blessing. I prayed and I am going on the premise that this is your answer. After they all said good-bye to Mr. Moore and the gathered Indians, they stepped into the wagon and Haakan clucked the horses forward.

  The sting of tears behind her eyes made Astrid blink rapidly and sniff. While they had saved lives, too many people had been lost. Should she write a report and send it to the Bureau of Indian Affairs? Would it do any good? Surely someone in the governing body cared about the people she was leaving behind. At least they needed to know about the failure to keep the word given to them.

  Her father leaned over and patted her shoulder. “You did your best. Now let God worry about the rest. He has broader shoulders than you do.”

  “That’s a good reminder. Thank you.” She lifted her face to the sun already floating on the horizon. Would she be back? Only God knew, and He seemed to be operating in His one-step-at-a-time mode.

  They arrived at the train station after dark, but the full moon had well lit their way. Rather than finding lodging, they wrapped themselves in their blankets and slept either under the wagons or in them. While the two Indian women had talked to each other, they’d not responded much to Astrid’s efforts to engage them in what little conversation they could have. How she looked forward to help from Emmy, who might be able to talk with them. It was a shame she’d not explored more of the Sioux language with Red Hawk, but whoever would have thought she’d need to speak Sioux? Metiz had spoken a mixture of Sioux, French, and English, so that wasn’t much help either, and besides, she’d only picked up a few words, like merci and bonjour.

  When they loaded the wagons and the horses into the cattle car, the Indian women walked on and sat in a corner by themselves. Haakan had watered the horses well and filled the water barrel on the side of one of the wagons while Astrid bought bread and cheese and cans of peaches at the local grocery store for them to eat on the trip north. When she handed each of the women a peppermint stick, they smiled and nodded. Candy, like smiles, was the universal language of good will.

  “So how will we teach them both the language and the needed medical skills at the same time?” Astrid asked her father.

  “Like your mor would say – ”

  “ ‘Pray first and know that God is taking care of this.’ Yes, that is drummed into my head too.”

  Haakan chuckled. He’d purchased a newspaper at the station and returned to his reading. Johnny Solberg leaned back against the quilt he’d propped in a corner of the wagon and, after tuning his guitar, practiced chords and strumming and then picked out some songs. Samuel took out his knife and a piece of wood he’d found and resumed carving on it.

  The train started with a whistle and a jerk, and Astrid breathed a sigh of relief. They were heading home to Blessing. A verse floated through her mind. For the Lord will go before you. He’d led them to the reservation, and now He was bringing them safely home. Would they all be welcomed, or was she taking her two new friends into captivity?

  14

  “At least we didn’t get shunted off to wait on a siding.”

  “Was that a possibility?” Astrid stared at her father. She’d not slept well; the noise and rocking of the train had awakened her several times. One time she woke because a baby was screaming, only to realize that was a dream. Her two future nurses woke her early with their humming. Were they singing to comfort themselves or to ward off evil spirits? Of course that would be comforting too. At least it was cooler during the night. Riding in the Pullman coaches would have certainly been more comfortable than riding in the cattle car, but sometimes one had to take what one was given and be grateful for it. And riding on the train was definitely faster than going by wagon.

  She brushed the cinders from her hair and coiled it into a bun at the base of her skull. Even though she washed, the vision of soaking in a real bathtub like the one at Thorliff’s made her sigh. At least there would be one available when she settled in at home.

  While they waited in Fargo for a northbound train, Haakan sent a telegram, telling Thorliff when they would be arriving, so he could tell the others. Meanwhile, Astrid wrote a letter to Red Hawk and sent it with her father to be mailed. The boys found a place to buy doughnuts and brought a sackful back to the others. The two Indian women each took one and nodded, but it was not until after their first bite that their smiles appeared. Like candy, sweet baked goods were good ambassadors of friendship.

  Soon they were on their way again, and Astrid dozed until they reached Grand Forks, where they left off several passengers and picked up more. It seemed to be a busy travel day.

  As the train left Grand Forks behind, Astrid went to stand at the rear of the cattle car and looked out between the slats that comprised the walls. Ahead of her lay the flat Red River Valley with fields of nearto-harvest golden wheat rippling before the wind and an occasional farmhouse with barns and outbuildings. It looked so much like home. Haakan joined her and began identifying the farms.

  “Do you know them all?”

  “No, but most. Many bring their wheat to our flour mill, and others I know through the Farmers Union meetings.”

  “I know you’d like to be more active than you are.”

  “That’s right. Since we don’t have a chap
ter in Blessing, going to Grafton for meetings is just too far to go very often. But I get their newsletters and am grateful for the impact they’re already starting to have on our government. Now, if someone could convince those who own the railroads to charge less for shipping, life would be better for all the farmers. They convinced us to farm this land, and now they try to strangle those of us who work the fields and need a way to get our products to market.”

  “Is it terribly costly to ship Mor’s cheese?”

  “Ja, but we can set our price for the cheese to include the shipping. The mills in Minneapolis and St. Paul and the railroads dictate the price we get for wheat. Like the stockyards of Chicago do for our livestock.”

  “I read about strikes happening in other parts of the country, people being killed or maimed.”

  “And losing their jobs. It’s a terrible thing for a man to lose his job and way of taking care of his family. Take the coal mines.” Haakan stared up at the blue bowl with white puff clouds that arched above them. “I cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to work in the dark far below the ground.” He shuddered. “We are so blessed out here with fresh air, sun, and the wind dancing with the wheat.”

  Astrid smiled at her far. Every once in a while he’d say something poetic like that. Her mor often wrote those phrases down, called them Haakan’s bits of wisdom.

  “We’re almost there.”

  The whistle blew, announcing the train approaching the depot. Astrid checked to make sure her belongings were collected and in the wagon, and then approached the Indian women. “We are almost there. Do you want to come see?” She beckoned them with one hand and returned to stand at the slats. They joined her, all of them clutching the slats as the train slowed. “See? This is my home, a town called Blessing.” She spoke slowly and distinctly.

  “You home?” Gray Smoke asked.

  “Ja, my home. We all live here.” She indicated the menfolk with a sweep of her hand. Now she wished she’d asked He Who Walks Tall more about the women and their backgrounds. While she knew they’d not been to school, had they ever lived in a house with four walls and a roof? Had they ever spent any time in one, other than the infirmary? She remembered her months of homesickness both in Chicago and at missionary school. Would these women suffer the same way she had? Or possibly more, since they had no idea what they were there for. Or maybe the brave had explained what they would be doing. Clinging to that hope eased the guilt a little.

  A crowd of people had congregated at the station to welcome them home. As they walked down the ramp from the cattle car, Astrid heard Benny yelling, “My Doc is home again. My Doc is home again.” She looked for his scooter but instead found him on his pa’s shoulders. Gerald held on tightly to the boy’s thighs, because he was waving his arms and shouting.

  “Hi, Benny,” Astrid called as she waved back, her whole insides laughing along with her little friend. “We are home.”

  Her mother greeted her on the platform with open arms. “Uff da, it feels like you’ve been gone for months, not just weeks.” She dropped her voice. “I see you brought company?”

  “For nurses training. They helped me so much. I want them trained to help Red Hawk even more so.” She reached up to shake Benny’s hands and turned to hug Rebecca. “I see the little one has grown some.” She patted the little bulge under her friend’s loose dress. If only she’d been able to convince Mrs. Moore to dress like this rather than in style.

  Astrid turned back to lock arms with her mother. “So you don’t get away from me.” She blinked and sniffed. “I have missed you so much.”

  “And I you.”

  “I need you to tell me all that has gone on while I was gone.”

  “Not here. There are too many people who want to see you. Come home after you settle your things at Thorliff’s.”

  Astrid hugged her mother’s arm, enjoying the way Ingeborg kept on talking with her and yet kept checking on Haakan. “He’s fine, Mor. Thinner, like we all are, but he was the rock we needed. I have some funny stories to tell you too.”

  “Good.”

  The men backed the wagon out of the train car and down the ramp, then hitched the team back in place. Thorliff left them and came to greet her. “Do you have any idea where your two guests can stay while they are here?”

  “I figured someone would invite them.” She followed her mother’s indication and saw Kaaren talking with the women. “See, all taken care of.”

  “What about their training?” Ingeborg asked.

  “Elizabeth and I will have to work that out. I’m hoping you and Tante Kaaren will help too. Deborah agreed to do nurses training too, so maybe we should ask if there is anyone else who would like to take part.”

  Thorliff nodded. “Good idea. I know we’ve heard from Chicago regarding staffing for the hospital. They too plan to use this as a training facility.”

  “I know. Isn’t it exciting?” Astrid glanced up to see Mrs. Valders glaring at her. Ah, the trouble has begun. Why did that woman think she should have the final say on what any of them did? What did it matter to her if they were training Indians?

  Thorliff patted her arm. “Don’t worry about some of the people. This will all work out.”

  “I can’t understand how you can keep ignoring that glare, Mor. It stabs like an icicle.”

  “Our mother is a saint. That’s how,” Thorliff said.

  At Ingeborg’s chuckle, Astrid continued. “Well, her daughter isn’t one by any stretch of the imagination.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Pray for me.” She strode toward Benny’s grandmother.

  “Good day, Mrs. Valders. You must be so proud to see Benny become a part of Blessing. Look at him up there, so happy and making other people laugh. If you had seen that boy the first time I saw him, it would have broken your heart.”

  The frown softened, and a smile fought for her mouth. “Ja, Benny is the delight of our lives. I can never thank you enough for thinking of bringing him here to us.”

  “Spoken like a true grandmother. I do hope you can welcome these other strangers into our midst like you did Benny. These women worked beside me night and day to try to save the lives of their people. If we can train them to help Dr. Red Hawk, think how blessed they will all be. Another blessing going out from Blessing.” Thank you, Lord, for giving me words for my mouth.

  “That is true. I guess it was just the shock of seeing them. Can they speak English?”

  “Not very well. I’m hoping someone here will help teach them.”

  “You know, Astrid, God does indeed begin the answers before we can even ask them. Mrs. Jeffers was saying at the tea we gave in her honor that she would be glad to teach English to the immigrants Mr. Gould is sending out here to help with all the construction. Can you believe that?”

  Astrid chuckled. “I can believe it, even though I feel I am so far behind on what is going on here that I might be a stranger myself.”

  Mrs. Valders patted her arm. “Oh, never you, dear Astrid. You are one of the first daughters of Blessing, and just see all that you girls are accomplishing.”

  If Astrid hadn’t felt her mother standing behind her, she might have fainted at Mrs. Valders’ response. She smiled again. This time it came easily. “Thank you for your information. How would we ever get along without you?” Astrid couldn’t believe she was saying such a thing, and the miracle was, she meant every word.

  “Astrid?”

  She thanked Mrs. Valders again and made her way among the now dissipating group to her tante Kaaren’s side.

  “If it is all right with you, I will take these two home with me,” Kaaren said. “We can put them up in one of the girls’ dormitories. We could use one of our classrooms for a training room too. I know your mother and I can do much of the basic training. Then you and Elizabeth can set up more complicated sessions.”

  Astrid hugged her aunt and whispered in her ear, “You and Mor listen to the Spirit so well. I know I should just expect that God has it all worked out, bu
t I am amazed to see His hand so definitely in action.”

  “You prayed for help, right?”

  “Of course. I try not to run ahead of Him anymore.” She shook her head. “But in bringing them, I was afraid I might have. There just wasn’t enough time to send letters back and forth. I’m sure He blesses the telephone lines too.”

  “All good and perfect gifts come from Him. . . .”

  “I know, and now I know even more so.” She pointed to each of her two nurses and said their names. Then she pointed to Kaaren and said her name. The Indians nodded and repeated Mrs. Knutson together. “You go with her.” She took their hands and then Kaaren’s. “Friends.” They grinned.

  “I’m thinking that Emmy might help as translator if their languages are close enough.”

  “Oh, Astrid, the uncle came for Emmy, and she left with him. Your mother is heartbroken. When she asked him to bring Emmy back for school, he appeared to nod, but your mor told me she’s not sure if she only imagined his response.”

  So much for that idea. “Poor Mor.”

  “It was a blow, and having Haakan gone so long was hard too, since they happened at about the same time.”

  “I should have sent him home with Pastor Solberg.”

  Kaaren cocked an eyebrow and turned her head. “You, send him home? You are joking, right?”

  Astrid chuckled. “Sometimes I let the title of doctor overtake me and forget I am a daughter first.”

  Kaaren leaned closer. “You know the main reason he went was to make sure you, his youngest child, were safe.”

  “You coming with us, Astrid?” Ingeborg called from the wagon seat. In spite of their normal injunction against showing affection in public, she had her arm locked through Haakan’s.

  “No, but I think these two are.” She smiled to her charges. “Go with Mr. Bjorklund in the wagon, please. I will talk with you tomorrow.”

  They nodded, but she was sure it was fear she saw in their dark eyes.

  She looked each one directly in the eyes. “It is safe here. Good place to be.” She tried to use other words they knew. “I will come soon.”