“I’ll leave all the linens bundled in the kitchen.” Astrid stood and kissed the tops of both mother’s and baby’s head. “God bless. Now if you start really bleeding, you call me instantly.”
“I will.”
Garth walked her to the door. “You want me to walk you home?” “No. You go be with them. See you in the morning. I feel like I could fly anyway.” She swung her bag as she walked down the street. What a wonder-filled way to spend such a small part of the night.
She left a note for Thorliff and Elizabeth and made her way up the stairs. Thank you, Lord, sang in her heart as she washed up and slid a nightdress over her head. Morning would come mighty soon.
The entire town seemed to be celebrating the new life the next morning and throughout the day.
“Tante Sophie’s baby is named Marie?” Inga asked, or stated, for the third or fourth time.
Astrid nodded. “And no, you cannot go see her today.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Maybe.”
“So why the long face?” Astrid asked Inga at the breakfast table a few mornings later.
“She thought school started today.” Thorliff flipped his newspaper open.
“But it does.”
“Not for kindergarten.”
“Emmy and Two Shells went to school but not me.” Inga crossed her arms over her chest and stuck out her lower lip.
“How long till she starts?”
“Two more days.” He looked over the top of the paper. “If you’re not careful, a bird might sit on your pouting lip.”
“Birds don’t come in the house.”
“At least we hope not.” Thelma set a bowl of oatmeal with raisins on it in front of Astrid. “Brown sugar is in the bowl.”
“Thank you. This looks perfect.” She tapped her brother’s arm. “Where’s Elizabeth?”
“I told her to sleep in. She had a bad night.”
“Any particular reason?”
“Not sure. I keep telling her not to worry about the hospital. It will all work out.”
Astrid winked at Inga, but the frown deepened. “Did you take Emmy her kitten?”
Inga nodded. “She named it Smokey ’cause it’s so gray. Grandma said the big orange cat might not like the new one.”
“She is kind of old. She might not be patient with a kitten around.”
“Will she hurt it?”
“Probably not bad, but she might take a swat at it and hiss.” Astrid sipped her coffee. “I have a couple of appointments this morning, but then I am going out to Mor’s. May Inga go with me?”
Thorliff looked at his daughter. “Pouty girls don’t get special treats.”
Inga smiled sweetly. “I’m not pouting no more.”
“Anymore.”
She took a spoonful of oatmeal. “Anymore what?”
Thorliff started to explain but instead shook his head. “I’m printing tonight, Thelma, so don’t plan on me for supper.”
“We’ll bring you a plate.”
Astrid hid her smile behind her coffee cup. They had the same conversation every print day. Was it a game, or did they not even realize they did it?
A knock at the door sounded and Thorliff called, “Come in.”
Mr. Jeffers opened the door and stepped in. “Good morning.” Astrid caught a quick breath. She hadn’t planned on seeing him today, but even this bit made her smile. She caught Thorliff’s eye as he put the newspaper down, and his knowing look made the heat rise in her neck. Mr. Jeffers had a most pleasant voice.
“Joshua stopped me at breakfast and said he has some things to talk over this morning. I just saw him pass by on his way to the office and wondered how long until you’d be out there.”
“Coming right now.” Thorliff pushed back his chair. He leaned toward his daughter. “Yes, you may go with Tante Astrid, but you must wait patiently until she is ready. No questions, you understand?”
“Yes, Pa.”
“Good morning, Dr. Bjorklund. Fine day.”
“It is that. A tinge of fall, don’t you think?”
“Do you want a cup of coffee, Mr. Jeffers?” Thelma asked.
“No, thanks. I need to get out there,” he said, speaking to Thelma, but somehow his gaze caught Astrid’s.
“Did he say what he wanted?” Thorliff asked, as he ushered the other man out the door first.
“No.”
Astrid listened as their shoes clunked on the porch stairs. Seeing Mr. Jeffers was a surprise, a nice surprise. Good thing she’d fixed her hair and dressed for the day before coming downstairs. No more nightdress with a robe over it. Not that she did that very often, especially on days when she was the one in the office. She took in a deep breath and blew it out before realizing Inga was studying her. Astrid smiled, wondering what was going through the child’s mind.
“Thank you for breakfast, Thelma. I heard the doorbell, so someone is waiting.”
The next two hours passed swiftly as Astrid examined Dorothy again for her monthly prenatal checkup. “You are doing wonderfully well. Do you have any questions?”
“No. I guess I’ve been through this enough by now that I know the procedures. Hard to believe, but Sarah went off to school today. She was so excited. Swen went by and pulled Benny’s wagon over to the school with him. Those two have become the best of friends.”
“Cousins should be best friends. When I think of those years with Sophie and Grace and me – we had wonderful times together. You should have seen us when we were all learning to sign.”
When Dorothy left, Mary Martha was waiting.
“What can I do for you today?”
Mary Martha shook her head. “This is so embarrassing.”
“This is Astrid you are talking to. How many years have we known each other?”
“A lot. But how many times do you treat boils?”
“Not often, but it’s easy. I lance it and dress it, and you apply this black ointment I’ll give you to draw it out, and it goes away. Where is it?”
“On my lower back, my way lower back.”
Astrid rolled her lips together. “Good thing you have a female doctor then, isn’t it?”
“Since I have never been to a male doctor, I have been spared that embarrassment. So what do you want me to do?”
“You can remove your clothes, put on one of these gowns with the ties to the back, and lie down on your stomach on the table while I get things ready. If you want, I can leave the room.”
“Just turn your back.”
Astrid turned to the cabinet and removed a lancet from the jar of alcohol, some gauze pads, and the jar of ointment, and laid them all on a sterile tray. “My mother used to do all these things, but most people just soaked the boil until it erupted or lanced it with a hot needle. But in your case, it would be difficult for you to do. Although I’m sure Pastor Solberg would have helped you.”
“Yes, but he would tease me too, and I’m not in the mood to be teased. This thing hurts.”
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Astrid swabbed the area with alcohol and sliced into the raised and angry-looking boil. Mopping up the pus, she waited until it ran clean blood and then packed the gauze on it. When it stopped bleeding, she spread ointment on and bandaged it. “Do you have any more?”
“Not that I know of. What causes such a thing?”
“Could have been a pimple or an ingrown hair that got infected. Hot compresses will help, and use this ointment.” She handed Mary Martha the little jar. “You can buy the whole thing or bring it back when you are done.”
“I’ll bring it back.”
As Astrid cleaned up the supplies, Mary Martha dressed again. “You know, it feels better already.”
“That ointment is very soothing. Works on things like sunburn and insect bites too. When we set up our pharmacopoeia at the hospital, we will carry things like this.” She walked Mary Martha to the door to find a construction worker there, with Toby at his side. The worker was
supporting his injured hand, wrapped in a handkerchief but still dripping blood, with the other.
“Come right this way.” Astrid led the way to the other examining room and pointed to the chair. “Sit.”
Toby followed them. “He cut himself pretty bad. Do you need me to help?”
“What language does he speak?”
“German. I could get Mr. Geddick off the seeder plant.”
“We’ll see.” She laid a towel on the table by the chair and motioned the man to lay his hand down. Unwrapping the handkerchief, she nodded. “Wait here.”
“I’ll stay,” Toby assured her.
She left the room and asked Thelma to heat up some water to scrub the wound. “Keep your finger on that artery,” she said to Toby when she returned, pointing to the middle of the inner wrist. He pressed the spot, and in a few moments the bleeding slowed and then stopped. Thelma brought in a basin with steaming water and a pitcher with more.
“I’ll need to stitch this.” She smiled and spoke Norwegian slowly to the man. After cleansing the wound across the palm of his hand and scrubbing the hand too, she picked up the needle and quickly took four tight stitches in the hand. After coating the wound with more of the black salve, she bandaged it, tying the ends of the dressing on the back of his hand. “You have to keep this clean.”
The man made a face indicating he wasn’t sure what she meant.
She turned to Toby. “Make sure he wears gloves and comes here after work every day to have the dressing changed. I don’t want this to get infected, and with all that debris it could.”
“I will tell Mr. Geddick to make it clear. Thank you for seeing him so quickly.”
“What else could I do? Have him bleed all over the porch?”
Toby shook his head. “Leave it to Astrid, er, Dr. Bjorklund. Send us the bill.”
“I will.” She indicated to the man that they could leave.
He nodded. “Danke. Danke.”
“You are welcome.”
After they left, Thelma entered the room and started cleaning.
“How bad was it?”
“Four stitches. Could have been a lot worse. It didn’t look terribly deep, but it sure bled.”
“I can tell.”
Astrid checked, and since there were no more patients, she went upstairs to see Elizabeth. Mother and daughter were sitting on the settee by the window, with Elizabeth reading and Inga leaning against her. “Now, this is a lovely picture.”
“You going to Grandma’s?” Inga asked.
“That I am.” Hearing a steam whistle, Astrid went to the window. “The threshing crew is home.”
“Grandpa?”
“Maybe we can ride out on one of the wagons. Come on.”
“Have fun. I’ll take care of the office this afternoon,” Elizabeth assured her.
“All right.” Astrid and Inga hustled down the stairs, grabbed their straw hats, and headed out the door. “We’ll catch them at the corner.”
Half of the town lined Main Street, waving and laughing, welcoming the entourage home. The steam engine snorted and hissed in the front of the parade, pulling the threshing machine. The cook shack followed, and the wagons and teams came behind.
Astrid waved to Gilbert. “Can we ride?”
He stopped and they hopped onto the back of the wagon, their feet over the tailgate.
As they passed the school, all the students came out to wave and shout too.
“The party will be Saturday night,” Pastor Solberg called. “We’ll celebrate!”
Haakan and Lars waved that they understood.
“I like parties,” Inga shouted.
“Me too.” And this time I might have even more fun. I wonder if Daniel is a good dancer.
31
“How does one get clues as to which girl made which box?” Daniel asked Thorliff late in the afternoon on Saturday. Daniel hoped that if he looked pathetic enough, his partner would give him some bit of information.
“Those are closely guarded secrets. I remember when I was young and single, the girl I loved would not give me even a hint.”
“Not Dr. Bjorklund, I take it?”
“No, this was before I went to St. Olaf for college. I thought I had all the answers back then, and now I wonder sometimes if I even know the questions.”
“So did you bid on the right box?”
“No. I thought hers was a different one. Everyone laughed at the joke, but I had supper with a little girl who still wore her hair in braids.” He paused and a twinkle lit his eyes. “She grew up into a mighty pretty young lady.”
Daniel heaved a sigh. “Hopefully the one I want will be one of the last to be bid upon, and that way I might get lucky.”
“I take it you want my sister’s box?”
“I do.”
“If I get a hint, I’ll pass it on. But I know she is out at the farm, and Mor will not be any help.”
“What about Inga?”
“You might be able to bribe her. She loves peppermint sticks.”
Daniel shook his head. “I can’t remember when I last took part in something like this. My mother tried to tell me that since she is still in mourning she will stay home, but Mrs. Wiste came and asked her to help with something. I think that young woman knows more of what is going on around here than do all the others put together.”
“Sophie has always loved to boss people around. Talk about headstrong. It would take hours to tell you all the escapades she’s led, and she’d tar and feather me if I did. Life in Blessing has never been boring. That’s for sure.”
“We moved two times when I was in school, so I didn’t have that close kind of relationship with anyone. I seldom saw my cousins, and distance makes friendships fade.” Daniel studied the plans taped to his desk, then shook his head. “We have three applications now for machinists. Mr. Holt, the man I enticed away from John Deere, will be here in two to three weeks. And Mother says she knows of someone to work in the office. She is getting me an address to write to him. So the machine shop is pretty close to staffed.”
“When are the drill presses due to arrive?”
“About the same time as Holt. He has a family of five children, only one too young for school. I told him we’d get him housing as soon as possible. I figured that the largest of the single houses could be his.”
“Dr. Deming, the dentist, plans on being here before Christmas or as soon as we have his office finished, whichever comes first. He and his wife will live at the boardinghouse until their house is ready.”
“We better put in another order.”
“I know. And get the cellars dug now.” Thorliff scratched his chin. “How do we manage to keep ahead of all this?”
“Not only with the business side but think about the party tonight. With all our single men in town, the women here better plan on dancing till their feet give out.”
“Did you have Joshua and Toby tell them that there will be no liquor at the party?”
“Ja, after all, where would they get it?”
“Good question.” Thorliff pushed back his chair. “We’re done for the day. The bidding starts at the schoolhouse at six thirty, and knowing Pastor Solberg, it will start on time.”
When Daniel and his mother arrived at the schoolhouse, boxes of all colors and shapes covered a table. The benches had been pushed back to line the walls, and people were milling around visiting and laughing. The construction crews waited around outside, as if unsure of their welcome. Ingeborg and Haakan together personally invited them in to join the festivities.
At six thirty Pastor Solberg held up the first box, one decorated with red-and-white-polka-dotted cloth. “How much am I bid for this sumptuous supper?”
One by one the boxes were bid on, and males and females met and found a place to sit. Four boxes remained. Joshua bid the highest on one, and with a grin as big as his face escorted Miss Christopherson to a bench. Three boxes left.
“Jonathan, aren’t you going to bid?” Thorli
ff called.
“I have, but I get outbid every time.”
Grace, Astrid, and Deborah still had no partners, and three boxes remained.
“Folks, I know you’ve been real generous tonight, but we have three boxes left and three lovely ladies to share the meal. What’ll you give for this one?” Solberg held up a white box with a plaid bow.
Daniel bid a dollar. Jonathan bid a dollar and a quarter. Toby upped it another quarter. One of the immigrants yelled, “Two dollar.”
The bid quickly went up to six dollars, and Jonathan managed to get it by bidding ten. It turned out to be Grace’s box.
Toby grinned at Daniel and whispered, “If we don’t get the one we want, we could switch after the bidding.”
Daniel nodded. “But what about those other men?”
“Outbid them, like Jonathan did.”
The bidding grew wild on the next box, one wrapped in green plaid fabric. Deborah and Astrid flinched at each of the increases in bidding. Past six, on to eight. Toby yelled “Twelve dollars,” and the box and Deborah were his. He poked Daniel in the ribs. “You better make it good.”
Daniel and four men were bidding on the final box. The bids came in quarters and fifty cents, but after eight dollars, Astrid leaned over to her mother. “They all know it is me. I feel like I’m on the auction block.”
“It’s all for the good of the school,” Haakan said, joining their conversation.
“I know, but my word.” The bidding reached thirteen dollars.
“Those men can’t afford this. Far, put a stop to it.”
“Not me.” He backed away.
“Fifteen dollars,” Daniel Jeffers called.
“Going, going, gone!” Solberg slammed the gavel down. “Dr. Bjorklund, Mr. Jeffers, enjoy your supper, and thank you all for helping to provide new textbooks for this year. With so many new students, we will need them all.”
Daniel picked up the box and came over to Astrid. “I was afraid I was going to go hungry tonight.”
“There’s plenty of food for those who didn’t bid on boxes.”
“But, you see, I wanted your box.”
A Heart for Home Page 27