Hearts and Harvest

by Amber Stockton

  The Cooper family had a little girl with a soft voice and a favorite doll that she took everywhere with her. When Annabelle had first brought water to them, Emily had tugged on her skirt to get her attention. Annabelle looked down to find a blond-haired girl of about three or four standing at her feet.

  “Are you an angel?” Emily asked.

  “No, I’m not. But I am doing what I feel God would like me to do.” She set down the pail and squatted in front of the child. “My name is Annabelle Lawson. What’s yours?”

  “Emily Cooper.” The girl stuck her thumb in her mouth and clutched her doll to her chest.

  Her hair had been fashioned in two braids that draped across her shoulders, with flyaway strands framing her face and wispy bangs nearly hiding her dark blue eyes. Annabelle couldn’t remember a more adorable child.

  “And does your dolly have a name?”

  Emily pulled her thumb from her mouth, glanced down at the doll, and offered a tentative smile. “Her name is Lizzie. And she’s my best friend.”

  “It’s important to have a best friend.” Annabelle nodded. “You know she’ll always be there with you. Make sure you’re extra special nice to her, and if things get scary or hard, you can talk to Lizzie.”

  “Mama says that, too.” She peered up at Annabelle with a curious expression. “Are you a mama?”

  Such innocence. It tugged at Annabelle’s heart. “No, Emily. Not yet. But I will be someday, I hope. And when I am, I pray I have a little girl just like you.” She flipped one of Emily’s braids and touched her cheek.

  “You’ll be a good mama. I know. ’Cause bad mamas don’t talk to girls like me. They’re mean.”

  Unbidden tears formed in Annabelle’s eyes. “Why, thank you for that, Emily. It was very sweet of you to say. And it means a lot to me.”

  “You’re welcome.” Emily reached out one arm and gave Annabelle a quick hug, crushing her doll between them. Then she pulled back. “I have to go now. Thank you for the water.”

  The little girl scampered off to play with some other children. Many more encounters had been similar to that one. Each one imprinted itself on Annabelle’s memory and brought a smile each time she recalled it. From the rambunctious and mischievous Pennington boys who had unruly hair and a smattering of freckles across their faces, to the shy or hesitant kids who took a little bit to warm up to strangers—each one made her work that much more enjoyable.

  She’d even started volunteering to watch the children under eight years old two days each week while their families and older siblings worked the fields. Thanks to the other women and some of the older children who came to visit, they had plenty of games for the children to play and books to read. Plus, one day a crate arrived full of slates, paper, chalk, and pencils.

  They spent their days playing hopscotch, quoits, marbles, bilboquette, and pick-up sticks, or having fun with wooden building blocks. Some days they had races with rolling hoops and sticks to see who could get to the finish line first. When they weren’t playing or reading, they sang songs and Annabelle kept watch while some of the children napped. It was such a rewarding time. Anything Annabelle could do to help keep their minds off the bleakness of their day-to-day lives, she’d do.

  One afternoon Annabelle arrived and started to head for the main warehouse where the children stayed. But she heard her name being called and turned toward the voice.

  “Miss Annabelle, come quick!” It was Mrs. Cooper, Emily’s mother. The woman had worry written across her entire face, and she had obviously run all the way there.

  “What’s wrong, Mrs. Cooper?”

  “It’s Jacob Berringer,” she said, trying to catch her breath. “He’s been missing for over an hour. We can’t find him anywhere.”

  Oh no! Not Jacob. William and his parents would be beside themselves. They no doubt already were.

  “Well, what are we waiting for?” Annabelle hiked up her skirts, ready to run. “Let’s go find him.”

  In no time at all, they gathered with the spontaneous search party that had been formed. Annabelle did a quick search of the faces, some familiar to her and some not. She caught sight of William and offered a smile with as much encouragement as she could. The elder Mr. Berringer stood next to him with his arm around his wife, who wrung her hands on the apron covering her simple working dress.

  Annabelle hadn’t officially met them, but there was no denying their identity.

  “All right. Now that we’ve all gathered, let’s split up to cover more ground.” Mr. Pennington eyed the assemblage. “I suggest at least pairs, if not three or four to a group. But spread out and fan out from your assigned areas. We don’t want to miss anything.”

  Mr. Pennington began making assignments. Annabelle waited to hear who would become her partner. Then all of a sudden William was standing next to her. She almost jumped when he touched her arm and spoke.

  “Would you like to join my parents and me?” He made a loose gesture toward the others gathered. “I’m not sure how well you know the other workers, but we could use a fourth in our group.”

  Annabelle almost said she knew most of the ones who had come to help by name. If he wanted her to accompany them, though, she wouldn’t turn him down. She didn’t want to do or say anything that might make him change his mind. Perhaps it would give her a chance to get to know his parents better.

  She smiled. “I’d like that very much.”

  He paused, and his expression took on a soft yet odd appearance. “Good. Follow me.”

  With a hand at her back—a gesture she’d never have imagined might come from him at a time like this—William led her around behind the others and brought her to stand in front of his parents.

  “Father, Mother, I’d like to introduce you to Miss Annabelle Lawson. As you know, she dispenses water to the workers or stands at the food line on the days the hot meals are provided.” He looked at Annabelle again with that softness in his eyes. “Miss Lawson, these are my parents, Daniel and Lucille Berringer.”

  Not a hint of superficial propriety existed in his tone. In fact, he seemed almost proud to introduce her. She wasn’t sure if she should curtsy or simply incline her head. Mr. Berringer saved her the trouble though by extending his hand toward her.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lawson. Jacob’s spoken highly of you.”

  “Yes,” added Mrs. Berringer. “Thank you so much for coming and offering your assistance to help find him.”

  “It’s my pleasure, I assure you. Your son has become quite special to me. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

  Mr. Berringer flashed a quick glance and grin at William, who in turn looked at her then immediately back at his father with wide eyes and an almost imperceptible shake of his head. It took a moment for the silent communication to make sense. When realization dawned, heat rushed to her cheeks. She had meant the younger son, right?

  “Very good,” Mr. Berringer continued as if nothing was amiss. He looked over his shoulder to an area behind him. “We’ve already covered our plot, so we’ve been assigned the one adjoining ours. It starts here and goes to the northern edge of the property. Then it covers about seventy yards each to the east and the west.”

  “If each one of us takes a quadrant,” William suggested, “we’ll cover more area simultaneously.”

  “Yes, you’re right, son. Let’s do that.” Mr. Berringer turned to his wife. “Lucille, why don’t you take the east, and Miss Lawson, you can take the west. I’ll cover the quadrant here to the south, and William, you take the part to the edge of our plot.”

  With their assignments made, each of them split in the four cardinal directions. Annabelle took each step carefully and looked up and down the many rows of vegetables. The others in the search party fanned out all around her. Some called Jacob’s name, while others simply made their way through the various plots.

  What had once been nothing more than an extensive, bare piece of land now thrived with rows and rows of fresh, green plants as
far as the eye could see. From green beans and tomatoes to squash and the prime crop of potatoes, the workers had done a fine job of turning this property into a productive part of Mayor Pingree’s potato patches.

  It had been nearly three months since the first seeds were planted. Already the vines and roots showed signs of a substantial crop once everything could be harvested. If this land resembled the other plots throughout the city, it looked like the mayor’s idea would be a grand success.

  Annabelle stepped with caution across one row after another. She tried to stay within the cleared area surrounding the plants as much as possible. Could Jacob really be out here in the middle of the fields somewhere? If so, where would he be? She sent a silent prayer heavenward for God’s angels to protect the young lad, wherever he was.

  More than that, she prayed he hadn’t been harmed in any way or somehow gotten lost. Detroit was a rather large city. Folks with less than honorable intentions existed everywhere. Oh, how she prayed something like that hadn’t happened.

  “Father,” she said aloud. “Please guide our steps as we search for Jacob. You know where he is, Lord. I’m sure You have him under Your watchful eye. A lot of people here care about him and want to see him safe again with his family. I ask that You show us the way to find him so his parents can once again have their little boy safe and sound. In Your name, amen.”

  As soon as she finished, she crossed into yet another row of vegetables. This time staked tomato plants came up almost to her waist. Small green balls had formed on some of the vines. She was amazed to see the growth in such substantial amounts.

  About halfway down the row, something caught her eye. From where she stood, it looked like an empty seed sack, but she couldn’t tell. Pivoting on her heel, she almost lost her balance and tumbled onto a few plants. After she righted herself, Annabelle took careful steps toward the object in question.

  “Oh my!”

  She covered her mouth with her hand. Then she giggled as she looked down upon the angelic sleeping form of Jacob Berringer. Curled up near one of the tomato plants and using a seed sack for a pillow, he rested his head on his arm and appeared to be lost in dreamland. He looked so peaceful that she didn’t want to disturb him. But his parents and brother were worried. She had no choice.

  Annabelle knelt beside the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “Jacob,” she called in a soft voice. “Jacob. Wake up.”

  He mumbled and curled his legs tighter against his body, bunching up the seed sack under his head.

  “Jacob,” she said again, only louder.

  This time he smacked his lips together as his eyelids fluttered several times. Annabelle put pressure on his shoulder again. After a few seconds, his eyes opened, and he squinted under the bright sun. She shifted so her shadow would cover him. When he was able to focus, he gave her a sleepy grin.

  “Hi, Miss Annabelle. Where did you come from?”

  Poor thing. He didn’t even seem to be aware he’d fallen asleep in the middle of the field.

  “Hello there, Jacob. I was walking up and down these rows of vegetables, and I found you asleep in the middle of them.”

  Jacob sat up with a start and looked around. He reached up and ran a hand through his hair, making the sleep-rumpled locks even more of a mess.

  “You mean I’ve been sleeping here?”

  The incredulous look he gave her elicited another giggle. “Yes, and you’ve caused a lot of people to be out looking for you. Come on.” She reached out her hands and took hold of his as she stood, pulling him up with her. “Let’s get you back to your parents so they can call off the search. They’ll be happy to know you’re all right.”

  He dragged his feet a bit as he followed, and his head remained downcast. “I’m sorry, Miss Annabelle,” he mumbled. “I didn’t mean to scare anyone.”

  Annabelle tousled his hair and draped an arm around his shoulders. “It’s all right, Jacob. Everything will be fine when they see you’re safe and sound again. You’ll see.”

  Everything was all right. Just as Annabelle had predicted. Mr. and Mrs. Berringer threw their arms around their youngest son, showering him with affection and words of reassurance. William also showed his happiness to see his brother back with a mock punch to his cheek. Several of the volunteers from the search party heard the commotion and came to investigate.

  “It’s all right. We’ve found him,” Mr. Berringer announced. “Spread the word. And thank you so much for your help.”

  In no time at all, everyone dispersed and went back to their duties. Annabelle watched the tender family reunion and felt like an outsider. She slowly took a few steps backward. It would be best if she just slipped away unnoticed and returned to the other children.

  Mrs. Berringer looked up before she could escape.

  “Oh, Miss Lawson. We were just about to partake of our noonday meal when we noticed Jacob was missing. We’d like to invite you to join us.” She paused and looked to her husband, who nodded. “That is, if you don’t have somewhere else you need to be.”

  “We also want to thank you for taking time to find our boy,” Mr. Berringer added.

  Annabelle looked at Jacob’s parents; then she glanced at William. His face showed a spark of interest and perhaps even eagerness, but he didn’t say anything. Well, she couldn’t count on him for help in deciding. So she shifted her focus to Jacob. His wide smile and the way he nodded his head up and down in rapid succession gave her more than enough reason to stay. Now why couldn’t William be that transparent?

  “Very well,” she finally said. “I accept your generous offer.”

  “Splendid.” Mr. Berringer roped Jacob with his arm and pulled his son close as he wrapped his other arm around his wife and led the way toward a makeshift encampment. It was simple yet functional.

  William hung back and allowed her to precede him as they followed his family, his hand again barely touching the small of her back. She couldn’t tell if he was just being a gentleman or if it meant something more. Mrs. Berringer immediately set about stirring the stew that had been set back away from the fire. It smelled delicious, and Annabelle’s stomach rumbled in response.

  Jacob laughed. “I guess you’re hungry, too, huh, Miss Annabelle?”

  She placed her hand over her abdomen as her cheeks warmed. “Yes, Jacob. It appears I am.”

  “Well, don’t worry,” Mrs. Berringer said without looking up. “We will have hot stew in a matter of moments. It’s not as nice as the meals you and the other ladies provide, but—”

  “I’m sure it will be delicious,” Annabelle rushed to assure her.

  A few horse blankets had been spread out on the ground to cover the dirt. Jacob tugged on her sleeve for her to sit next to him, so she obliged. William lowered himself on her other side, taking pains to maintain a respectful distance. His actions seemed so contradictory, and his silence didn’t help, either.

  Once the bowls were filled and passed around, Mr. Berringer bowed his head, and his family followed suit. Just before she closed her eyes, she glanced at William, whose eyes remained open.

  He was in so much pain and so confused. She wished she could come up with the answers that would ease his troubled mind and set him back on the course toward faith once more. It wasn’t up to her, though. She could only be a friend and continue to share God’s love any way she knew how.

  Once the simple prayer ended, the family all dug into their late lunch. Annabelle raised her spoon to her lips for her first taste. Amazed to find chunks of meat mixed with vegetables amid a seasoned, thick, gravylike base, she swallowed it all and eagerly dipped her spoon for another bite.

  “We are so blessed to have such generous families working alongside us each day,” Mrs. Berringer said between bites.

  Mr. Berringer set his spoon in his bowl and looked up. “Whenever extras of anything are discovered, most of the families share from their abundance. One of the older sons works for a meat shop in the city and managed to secure a
donation from the shop owner,” he went on to explain. “Thanks to that, we’ve been able to make a meal from the portion given to us on more than one occasion.”

  “It’s not much,” Mrs. Berringer continued, “but it fills our stomachs and gives us strength to keep working.”

  “Stew is my favorite.” Jacob spoke with his mouth full and received a silent reprimand from his mother. He swallowed and gave everyone a sheepish grin. “Sorry.”

  “It’s delicious,” Annabelle said, taking another generous bite to prove her declaration. “I haven’t tasted stew this good since I don’t remember when.”

  The compliment made William’s mother brighten and sit up straighter. “If nothing else, being without has caused us to rethink our priorities and determine what is truly important in life.” She sighed. “I’m afraid we once placed money and prestige above the blessings our heavenly Father had provided. But now. . .” She let her voice trail off as she ate another spoonful of stew.

  “We’re not saying we didn’t appreciate what God had given us,” Mr. Berringer rushed to add. “We’re just saying our current situation has given us a fresh outlook on life. I’m confident we’ll again establish ourselves, but for now I’m thankful we have work to do and a place to live.” A frown formed on his lips, and his eyes filled with sorrow. “I’m afraid others didn’t fare as well.”

  Annabelle was impressed with their positive attitudes, despite all they’d lost. For the first time, she had a glimpse of what life had been like for William prior to the panic last year. Although he seemed to have turned his back right now on the faith that he’d been taught or even believed, at least he still had his family to support him.

  “I know exactly what you mean,” she said. “Seeing so many in need has given me new insight into how I can follow the commandment to love my neighbors as myself.” She wiped her mouth. “I dearly love what I’m able to do and the wonderful people I’ve met as a result.”

  Mrs. Berringer’s eyes sparkled with a sheen of moisture. “It’s thanks to your willing service that we have the strength to push through the tough times no matter what.”