“That’s a wonderful idea. I wonder where I could get an Advent wreath frame.”
“Why don’t we check with Rev. Thompson? Perhaps there is something suitable here at the chapel.”
After several practices of the processional, Louise dismissed the children, keeping Marit and two other girls for a bit of one-on-one work. Finally, she was satisfied with the songs. The other soloists left, and Marit settled down with a book to wait for her mother.
Karin and Louise settled onto chairs in the front row to review their plans. Costumes and the service were in good shape.
“I gave your recipe to Jane,” Louise told Karin. “She will bake the saffron buns.”
“And I am making gingerbread. I’ll do a punch too.”
“Decorations. Are there any traditional ones?” Louise asked. “In my research, I found very little about decor. Apples and eucalyptus were mentioned, I believe.”
“Since the Lucia’s sash is red, we could make eucalyptus swags to hang on the pews and decorate them with red ribbons. In addition, I saw some lovely miniature apples at a store in Riverton the other day. Those would brighten the swags a bit.”
“That sounds lovely.” Louise was delighted. “There is just one small problem.”
Karin looked puzzled. “What’s that?”
“We are not going to be able to find anyone to help make them until after the crafts fair, I suspect. My sister Jane seems to have asked every person in the congregation to make something for the event.”
Karin laughed. “Yes. I’m making hand-dipped candles for it.”
“See?”
“Leave it to me, Louise. I will line up a few mothers to help put them together the week after the craft show. I can’t thank you enough for your help. This is going to be beautiful.”
“Yes, it will. And it has been fun, hasn’t it? Well, parts of it have been fun,” Louise said, smiling. “I think it will be a lovely addition to Grace Chapel’s holiday traditions.”
The excited babble of adolescent girls’ voices greeted Alice the moment she walked into the ANGELs’ meeting at seven o’clock Wednesday evening.
“Miss Howard!”
“We missed you!”
“You’re back!”
Alice smiled. “I missed all of you too.”
“What was it like?”
“Did you bring back any pets?”
“Was it scary?”
“Did you see hurt animals?”
Alice supposed she had not realized how many people in the community were interested in and aware of the trip she and June had made. She gathered the girls around her and gave them a short talk about her adventure and all the things that had been involved.
Britt Nilsen, Ingrid’s mother, who had helped with the girls’ bracelet project in Alice’s absence, appeared fascinated too.
“How long are they going to need people in Florida?” she asked Alice after the girls had gone to their seats.
Alice sensed more than causal interest behind the question. “Volunteers are going to be needed for weeks yet, if not months,” she told Britt. “They still are finding animals alive, and all the rescue sites like Camp Compassion are chock-full of rescued animals with no homes. Rescue groups are taking some, but if owners don’t show up, they all will have to be cared for until they can be adopted into new homes.”
“I would like to talk more about it with you when you have time.” Britt smiled. “You have inspired me, Alice. There is no reason I could not go down there and help for a week. My children aren’t babies anymore.”
Alice was thrilled. “Oh, Britt, that would be wonderful. Why don’t you come over to the inn anytime tomorrow morning? I have to work at two, but until then I’ll just be working around the inn and I would be happy to tell you about it in detail.”
Britt smiled. “Thank you, Alice. It’s a date. Now I’ll make myself scarce and let the girls show you what they have made for the crafts fair.”
Alice bid her good-bye and moved to the table Britt had indicated.
Ingrid, Britt’s daughter, took her hand. “We worked hard on these. I did that one and that one there.” She pointed to two of the many macramé bracelets on display.
“Girls! You really are angels,” Alice said. “I had no idea you would be able to make so many of these in such a short time.”
On the table before her were more than two dozen of the pretty bracelets braided and knotted with embroidery floss in all colors of the rainbow. One in shades of aqua and blue caught her eye. The colors should not have gone well together but they looked fabulous. There were equally lovely pinks, browns, brilliant greens and yellows, magentas, purples and many, many more. Alice picked up one after another, marveling at the color pairings and the intricacy of the knots.
“My sister, Ms. Howard, will be thrilled with these,” she finally said. “She is the person in charge of gathering crafts to sell. Oh, I do have one request from her. Vendors are being asked to donate one of their items for a raffle. Why don’t we choose a bracelet for the raffle and then talk about a price for the rest? My sister may have a different price in mind, but I am certain she will be willing to consider your recommendations. While we’re chatting, we can pin them to this piece of foam board. They’ll be easy to see against the white background.”
At home that evening, Alice took the bracelet display to the kitchen for Jane to see. Louise was giving a piano lesson with the parlor door open, and Alice could hear a student dutifully hammering out a tune.
“They are beautiful!” Jane ran a gentle finger over them. “And see how professional the handiwork looks. No one will believe twelve- and thirteen-year-old girls made these. These will sell in a heartbeat, Alice.”
“Oh, good. I’ll tell the girls.” Alice pulled out one that had a small tag dangling from it. “They would like to give this one to the raffle.”
“Wow! This is pretty,” Jane said, noting the soft shades of pink and lavender in the design. “Just between you and me, I think the raffle could end up being our biggest moneymaker. We have received some beautiful things.”
“You’re doing such a good job with this, Jane. Aunt Ethel was wise to choose you to head up the committee.”
“Honestly,” said Jane, “I couldn’t have done it without Sylvia and Florence. Sylvia volunteered, of course, but Florence has been such a surprise. She really has pulled out all the stops to find crafters, both to display and to donate.”
“She isn’t about to let Aunt Ethel get all the credit for the success of this show,” Alice said, chuckling. “For once their competitive natures are complementing each other.”
There was a reflective silence in the kitchen, broken by a sigh from Jane. “I do wish Aunt Ethel could see how much she has hurt Louise. I believe she really thinks Louise owes her an apology.”
“But I thought Louise said she did apologize that day.” Alice’s tone was a bit less mild than normal.
“She did, but Aunt Ethel doesn’t recall that. All she remembers is that Louise walked away and would not talk to her. She seems to have conveniently forgotten the hurtful things she said. I know Louise has tried to forgive her, but matters still aren’t right between them.”
Alice sighed. “Oh for heaven’s sake. I’m tempted to put them together in a small room and not let them come out until they are friends again.”
“The idea has merit.” Jane grinned. “But only if I get to watch. And listen.” Then she set aside the bracelet board and covered one of Alice’s hands with her own. “How are you doing? You seem…I don’t know…so sad a lot of the time.”
“I’m not sad…it’s just that…” Alice turned her hand over and clasped Jane’s hand in return, grateful for the small act of comfort. “It’s hard to leap back into one’s life without a care in the world after seeing such suffering. Despite all the hardships, I wonder if I need to be back down there.”
“Have you talked to June?”
Alice shook her head. “She went to visit her son a
nd daughter since she missed Thanksgiving. I think she’s due back this weekend.”
“Maybe you could get together. Or maybe”—Jane’s face lit up’“you should call Shelby, the woman you talked to before you went. I bet she could relate to how you feel.”
Alice regarded her sister in surprise. “That’s a terrific idea. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. I would love to see her.”
“She called here once while you were gone. She laughed when I told her you were staying another week. She said she would still be there if she could be.”
Alice rose quickly and picked up the phone. “I’m going to call her right now.” Then she stopped, a rather sheepish expression crossing her face. “Except that I don’t know what I did with her telephone number.”
“The phone book is beneath the desk,” Jane said helpfully, though she knew full well Alice could find it.
It was silly to be so excited, Alice thought as she looked up Riverly in the telephone book and punched the buttons of Shelby’s number.
The veterinarian’s receptionist called Thursday afternoon to remind Alice not to feed the cocker any breakfast Friday.
Miracle was less than happy when Alice did not appear to notice her hunger pangs the next morning. The little dog followed Alice from room to room, looking woebegone.
During breakfast, Miracle sat hopefully by Alice’s chair for a while. Finally, realizing she was getting nowhere, the cocker spaniel went over to the rug in front of the back door and flopped down with a huge groan.
“What on earth is wrong with that poor dog?” Louise asked.
“She goes in for surgery today,” Alice said, “and she is not allowed to have anything to eat this morning. I feel like a criminal.”
“You’d feel even worse if she faced a nastier fate,” Louise said.
Alice bobbed her head in acknowledgment. “Trust you to put it in perspective.”
“Have you made any progress in looking for a home for her?” Louise looked over at the little dog with an expression that actually appeared to reveal fondness.
“Not that we’re anxious to get rid of her,” Jane said. “She’s really been very pleasant. At times I forget she’s here.”
“I made a flyer concerning her,” Alice said. “Jane, could you help me produce it on the computer so it looks nice?”
“Sure,” Jane said. “We can use Publisher.”
“Of course, I’ll want to wait until after this surgery to see what her prognosis is.”
“If it’s…poor,” Louise said, “what will you do?”
Alice felt a lump rise in her throat. “I’m not sure,” she said. “Any foster home would have to be very special to take her in knowing they might have her only a short time.”
There was a glum silence around the table.
Then Jane said, “If that’s the case, would you have to give her away?”
“It wouldn’t seem right,” Louise said. “If she is not going to live long, Alice, you should keep her here with you, where she is already comfortable and settled in.”
Alice was stunned. “You wouldn’t mind that?”
“Of course not,” Louise and Jane said in unison.
“I don’t know what to say. I promised you I wouldn’t bring any animals home, and I broke my promise. I appreciate your forbearance.”
Jane grinned. “And do you think we believed for one minute that old softhearted Alice would come home from caring for a bunch of rescued animals empty-handed?”
Louise laughed.
Alice felt sheepish. “You know me too well, I suppose.” She glanced back over at the dog. “I did get one bit of good news when the vet called. They took blood and did several tests on her. Everything looked normal for an older animal and she tested negative for heartworm, which is a particularly nasty parasite.”
“How old does the vet think she is?”
“She couldn’t tell me exactly, but she thinks Miracle is between seven and nine or so.”
“So in dog years,” Jane said, “she’s about our age.”
Louise’s eyebrows rose. “Indeed. That’s fitting.”
Alice spent an anxious day wondering how Miracle’s surgery had gone. In late afternoon, the inn’s telephone rang. Jane started to say, “I’ll get it,” but Alice was rushing across the room already.
“Hello?”
“Alice, this is Sallie at Dr. Spence’s office. We won’t have the results of the biopsy for a few days, but I wanted to let you know Miracle did just fine with her surgery.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful news. When can I take her home?”
“Why don’t you wait until close to six before you pick her up?” the assistant suggested. “She’s still pretty groggy from the anesthesia, and we’re going to want to get some pain meds into her before she leaves.”
“Will I need to give her more at home?”
“Probably for the first day or so, but you’ll be able to sneak them into her food, I suspect. Is she a good eater?”
Alice laughed. “My sister Jane says her nickname should be Hoover. She inhales her food.”
The girl laughed. “Good. She probably won’t even notice there’s a pill in there!”
The next day, Louise and Alice both helped Jane serve breakfast, because they had a full house over the weekend. But shortly before nine, she said, “I have to excuse myself now and get over to the chapel. Today is the final dress rehearsal for the Lucia pageant.”
“Are you ready?” Jane looked up from the fruit salad on which she was putting the final touches.
“I think so.” Louise smiled. “No one threw up at the last rehearsal, so we got a lot done. Today is just a matter of putting it all together.”
“I can’t wait to see it. I’m planning to make the Lussekatters this afternoon. I think it’s a wonderful idea to share a different cultural experience with our congregation.”
“I agree. I am so glad Karin Lindars suggested it. I have enjoyed getting to know her too. Marit, the daughter who is going to be the Lucia, plays piano. Karin asked me if I would consider taking her on as a student.”
“Do you have a space in your schedule?”
“Yes, I can fit her in.” Louise rose. “I will see you after the rehearsal. If you need any help with the saffron buns, I shall be available this afternoon.”
“Thanks,” Jane said. “The recipe looks simple and won’t take very long at all, but I might enlist you to help me decorate boxes for the raffle tickets if you wouldn’t mind.”
“I’d be happy to help.”
“So would I,” Alice said as she came through the swinging door that led from the kitchen into the dining room. She was carrying stacks of dirty plates in both hands. “Breakfast was a success,” she told her sisters. “Jane, they loved the egg casserole.”
“I did too,” Louise said. “Where did you find that recipe, Jane?”
“In a Lancaster paper. I altered it a little bit, though.”
“And I bet it is better now than the original,” Louise said knowingly.
Chapter Seventeen
Saturday’s rehearsal was in the sanctuary, where the service would take place the following afternoon. All the children were excited as they donned their white robes before rehearsal. Some of the girls twirled about, setting the robes flying.
“Oh dear,” said Karin, pointing at Abby Waller. “That robe is going to have to be altered. It’s one of the two smallest ones we had and it’s still too long.” Abby was in first grade, but she was the smallest girl in the group.
Karin bustled over to the child and spoke for a moment, then lifted the little girl onto the closest pew and knelt before her. Karin had arrived with long chains of safety pins attached to the front of her sweatshirt. Louise was not sure about the fashion statement that made, but now she saw how practical it was. Karin efficiently turned up the hem of the robe, pinning it in place in just a few minutes so Abby would not trip over it.
One of the Trimbles and the youngest Dawson wer
e using their star wands for swordplay, which Louise stopped with a firm admonishment. Then she gathered the children around. “It’s time to line up. Does everyone remember whom they stand behind?”
Children scurried back and forth as they dashed to find their places in line. When the bustle abated, one child stood off to one side, looking bewildered.
“Who remembers where Bill belongs?” Louise called.
“Up there,” said Delissa. “He’s the line leader.”
However, the little boy hung back, his thumb in his mouth, when Louise placed a hand on his shoulder and urged him into position. “Doan wanna be the line leader,” he said.
“Well, that’s a first,” Karin commented. “Usually they fight over the chance to lead the class.”
Louise knelt before the child. “You get to be the first one to walk in,” she told him. “It’s an important job and I need someone I can count on to be first.”
But Bill shook his head. “Doan wanna.”
“He’s afraid of all the people that are going to be here,” said his cousin.
“Oh.” Louise knew a moment of doubt. This did not bode well.
“Could he trade places with Abby?” Karin was eyeing the children.
Louise eyed the two children. She had lined them up carefully by ascending height…but did it really matter if the first child was a hair taller than the second one? “That is an excellent idea,” she told Karin. “Abby, would you like to lead the procession?” she asked the little girl.
Abby bounced on her toes. Her hair, tied up in two high ponytails, swung wildly. “Yeth!” she said, grinning and displaying two missing front teeth.
“All right.” Louise guided Bill into the line behind Abby. “This will be better,” she told him. “You just follow her, all right?”
He nodded solemnly, the thumb still tucked firmly into his mouth.
“Boys and girls,” Louise said. “When the program begins, I will be up front at the piano. Mrs. Lindars will tell you when to start. Try to keep an arm’s length between you and the boy or girl in front of you.” Immediately, all the children began to hold an arm up, measuring an arm’s length. “Don’t forget to sing as you walk. Who remembers the first song?”
Saints Among Us Page 19