by Beth Shriver
Elsie waved at her brother and his wife, Ruby. Will clasped his young wife’s hand and walked over to them.
Gideon appreciated her playful mood and found it was catching. Thoughts of Mose and the possibility of him leaving were tossing around in his mind, knowing he’d have to tell Elsie.
Rachel’s gray eyes lifted at the edges when she glanced at Gideon, and her full, round cheeks glowed as she unveiled her treat. She looked down at Elsie, who was a good three inches shorter than she was, and moved the pie away from Elsie’s plate.
“What are you thinking about?” Elsie asked him while they waited for everyone to gather round the tables and find a seat.
Gideon thought about the words he needed to say concerning his conversation with Omar, and then glanced around him. The sky was blue with a few floating clouds. A slight wind kept the heat from becoming a bother, and the green grass went on forever, farm after farm. Children played tag while the men set up chairs and tables and the women readied the meal. This was not the time to talk of anything but the weather, crops, and good health. And he thanked God for it.
“Gideon?”
He watched Elsie’s face change from concern to a slight smile as she admired their friends, family, and bountiful food.
“Nothing, nothing at all.”
Chapter Seven
THE WIND WHISTLED through Elsie’s window, causing her to rouse and finish gathering the clothes that needed mending. The billowy clouds spun in the sky and changed shapes due to the strong gusts flowing through the air. She knew Texas was known for its tornadoes, but she hoped she’d never experience one. The rumbling of her brothers bustling down the stairs drew her attention away from the weather and to her door.
She caught a glimpse of them as they rounded the corner. “Why are you two in such a hurry?” Resting her hands on the wood banister, Elsie waited. A moment later Adam poked his head out and looked up at her.
“Going to see Josaphat.” He grinned, showing a space in his teeth. A wobbly, stubborn tooth refused to let go of its root, causing a hole between them.
“Who is Josaphat?” She couldn’t keep up with all the animals Adam considered pets, let alone their names. Daed discouraged Adam’s attachment to them, but it was a hopeless request. Elsie secretly knew her daed had the same affection for the livestock.
“The new foal.” His freckled face disappeared, so Elsie went back to her room and dressed for breakfast.
She took the basket of clothes to the family room and set it down by the rocking chair. It would be relaxing to sway back and forth while sewing, but she first needed to help Mamm prepare the morning meal.
When she got to the kitchen, Mamm was stirring pancake batter while eggs sizzled behind her on the stove. “I’ll start the bacon.”
“I can’t keep those boys away from that foal.” Mamm smiled and poured the batter on the hot griddle. “Will you flip the eggs for me, Elsie?”
“You mean Josaphat?” She grinned, and her mamm chuckled.
Elsie grabbed the spatula. “Have you heard when Minister Miller will be leaving for the new community?” Then Elsie wondered if she should have asked her mamm, but she felt she would burst if she didn’t talk to someone about it. She worried Gideon might be asked to go with him, and it made her stomach roll. She couldn’t stand to have another person leave her. But she would put her own feelings aside to serve the new Amish if need be.
Mamm glanced at her before pouring the pancake batter. “Nee, I’ve heard Omar is having some of the men get together to decide. You might want to ask Gideon if you haven’t already.”
Elsie was surprised that her mamm would suggest this, but then it might concern Gideon. And the older she got, the less her mamm intervened in Elsie’s choices or decisions, but Gideon was the exception.
“I heard the Fishers’ field was rummaged through.” Mamm flipped three pancakes quickly and stirred the batter.
“The field they just planted?” A single jolt snuck up from inside her and dissipated. She would not live in the fear that every bad circumstance involved the English. It would take only one tire tread to know it was them.
“Jah, they’ll have to replant.”
Elsie thought hard. This conversation may help her figure out what to do. “Is it that bad?”
“I’m not sure.” Mamm shrugged. “Without tillage it’s difficult to harvest.”
Elsie thought about how big the loss was to have to replant a field the size of the Fishers’. “And the cost of the seed?”
“Everyone will chip in on the cost.” Mamm searched for the syrup in her large pantry and put it in a small pot with warm water.
“What caused it?”
Mamm shrugged. “I’ve heard the weather down here can get pretty violent. I’ve seen those twisters hop around and do some damage.” Her mamm hesitated, seeing the question in Elsie’s eyes, and searched for another answer. “Unless it was done on purpose, and I can’t imagine why anyone would do that.”
Elsie started with surprise that her mamm would think of the possibility. “Was there a storm last night?” She turned away, hoping someone in the community would confirm it was due to the weather.
“Some rain.” Mamm paused and put a hand on Elsie’s shoulder. “Don’t fret. These things happen. The Lord will provide.” Mamm dug into breakfast preparations, her focus back to making the meal.
Her mamm was strong when she needed to be, an admirable character trait Elsie hoped she’d grow into. She knew it made life easier to depend on the Lord instead of herself. But it didn’t seem to be as easy for her.
“Will you ring the dinner bell, Elsie?” She scooped up another stack of pancakes and placed them on the plate with the rest. Elsie worked methodically as she finished cleaning the breakfast dishes, deep in thought.
“Jah. Would it be all right for Gideon to stop by?”
Her mamm’s eyes brightened. “He can stay for lunch if he helps you pluck some chickens.”
Cleaning the chickens was a task she didn’t think she’d ever become accustomed to. It would be nice to have him help her.
“Danke, Mamm. I’m going to go and meet him.” She wanted to hear Gideon’s opinion of the incident. She was probably overly concerned, but she needed to hear that from him.
Elsie quickly helped with the dishes. Mamm let her go as soon as the last dish was dry. She walked down the road that led to three farms, including Gideon’s. It was selfish of her to want him to stay, and she would tell Gideon that. She depended on Gideon more than she’d realized. She shamed herself for taking him for granted; looking back, she could see that clearly now.
The part of Jake she kept a tight hold on was slipping through her fingers the longer he was away. She had been in denial when he left with Katie, thinking he must have gone with her out of some sort of guilt. Katie may have persuaded him; she was good at that. She had been curious about the outside world, but maybe Katie didn’t want to go alone. She shook her head as she pushed away the excuses. How vain of her not to think he simply chose Katie because he cared more for Katie than he did for her.
The balmy spring afternoon held a blanket of moisture encompassing the corral Jake and his brothers were working in. The sheep bawled, protesting the upcoming shearing they’d soon be getting. It would take most of the hot, sweaty day to finish shearing thirty of them. Chris brought the sheep into the barn and kept them coming to his daed and bruders until the job was done.
Elsie’s grip on the basket she carried tightened when Jake looked up at her. He stood and pulled off his gloves as he eyed the wicker basket. “Is it lunchtime already?”
“Nee, but I figured you’d be hungry.” Elsie locked her gaze, unmoving, with a slight smile.
“I know I am.” Mose addressed Elsie but stared at his bruder. “Hungry that is.” He walked toward Elsie, demanding her attention and food. He reached for the basket. “If anyone cares to join me, I’ll be under the cottonwood tree.” That left them alone, but not for long. Katie appeared
out of nowhere and made her presence known.
“Elsie, I thought I was supposed to bring the Fishers their meal.” Katie grinned at Jake, and his smile widened. It was at that moment Elsie saw a spark between them, the same flicker Elsie thought she saw from Jake.
“Nee, you have the Sutters, remember?” Elsie heard the irritation in her own voice, annoyed with the game Katie was playing. Elsie waited for Katie to leave, but the only movement was closer to Jake. “I’d hate for the Sutters not to get their lunch.”
“Jah, so I guess I’ll take it to them.” Elsie’s tone would surely encourage her sister to offer to take the food to the Sutters. But what Katie did next confused her; Katie blushed, which was something Elsie had never seen her strong-headed sister do before.
Katie’s spell was broken when she’d seen Elsie, but began again when Jake’s eyes shifted back to hers.
When Elsie got to the end of the dirt road leaving their farm, the sound of a motor vehicle broke through her thoughts. It was coming down the road behind her, a foreign sound that shot a jolt of panic through her. Her heart jumped as adrenaline pumped through her body. She picked up her pace, almost into a run, when the car’s engine revved and came up behind her.
The ping of an object hitting something hard made her turn to see what made the noise. A young man about her age leaned out his window and threw a hand-sized stone at a windmill that was too far for him to hit. He tried again with a smaller rock that shattered a piece of wood and flew into a vegetable garden recently planted. He hollered along with the other men in the car, then ducked back inside through the window. That’s when she got a good look at his face and went cold.
Elsie glanced around for a place of refuge. There was nothing but wide-open spaces, not even a ditch alongside of the road to hide in. Her instinct told her to run—fast. The minute she did, she was discovered. The men’s voices grew louder. The car sped up, closer until they were right next to her. She tried to move her legs forward, but they felt leaden—as if in a nightmare. She urged them to move faster, and faster still. But the voices grew even louder . . . the rumble of the engine came closer . . . she felt the heat of the car and pushed herself forward. She lost momentum and rolled down into the tall prairie grass, wishing she could disappear. Elsie opened her eyes. Two of the men got out of the car and stood above her, looking down with hands on hips. The driver stayed in the car, sneering as he watched.
“What are you running for?” The driver was one of the English boys with a Texas drawl. At one time she thought the sound appealing, but soon it was an accent she’d come to despise.
She pushed herself up, trying her best to ignore all of them, and started walking again. The car crept alongside of her, and the two men walked by her on the opposite side. Elsie refused to look at them and kept walking with her head high. They matched her stride, snickering. Her insides jelled, but she wouldn’t show her fear. Yet they had the upper hand, and they knew it. “Leave me be,” she said.
“If you can’t be friendly, why don’t you leave?” The driver’s voice rose, along with the beating of her pulse. He moved farther out the window, his chest leaning against the doorframe.
Elsie attempted to move away from him, but the other two men blocked her from doing so. She tried to hurry forward.
With a hoot the driver settled back inside and then pulled the car in front of her and stopped. “We don’t want your kind around here.” The other men stepped closer, laughing.
“Why?” She shook with both anger and fear. If they had something to say, they should say it to the bishop, not her.
“Be sure to tell everyone we warned you,” the driver said.
She wanted to tell them her people don’t work that way, that they would talk with them and make things right. But she knew it would be wasted breath. So she made an idle offer. “Then will you leave me alone?”
“Of course we will.” His sarcastic chuckle made her shiver.
One of the young men next to her stepped closer. Elsie felt like a child, fearful and afraid of these strangers. “This land is no place for you northerners.” He captured her gaze.
Elsie turned her head, a cowardly gesture, but his cold, blue eyes were unnerving.
Her body began to shake. She took a deep breath and willed her nerves to calm down.
He laughed and turned with the other young man toward the car. “She’s shaking like a leaf,” one said as they both crawled back in.
The taunting chuckles, the threats, sent her reeling with frustration and alarm. When the driver reached out to flick his cigarette, she moved away and managed to get a couple of feet ahead of the car. It was a feeble attempt, but she needed to do something. In an instant the car was beside her again. The men howled with laughter as they hit a rut in the road and splashed her with mud, then slowed and went into reverse as if to do it again. She stood on the road, scared and humiliated.
She lifted her head, her eyes filled with tears blurring her vision. She noticed movement down the road and blinked away the tears. A buggy came toward them, making her heart pound. The closer it got, the more it looked like Gideon, or did she just want it to be him? When he got close enough, he pulled back on the reins and jumped out of the buggy.
Gideon’s eyes darted from her to the car that was now slowly rolling toward them. His brows drew together as his hands twisted into fists and released. “What’s going on, Elsie?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Gideon.”
“Please stop your vehicle.” Gideon’s loud, even voice caught the driver’s attention.
He took a double take, starring at Gideon. “Who are you?”
“Gideon, Gideon Lapp. And you are?” He didn’t move but kept his arms firmly across his chest and feet planted. Elsie had never been happier to see him. Her helpless stare drew his attention. He motioned for her to come to him. “Elsie.”
She took a step forward and walked as fast as she could to Gideon. For whatever reason she felt if she ran, it would entice the men to chase her, an animal instinct of some sort. These young men were nothing like she was used to; they were insulting and disrespectful, especially the driver—so opposite of the men in her community.
When she reached Gideon, she stood with her back to the Englishers, took his hand, and squeezed tight. Elsie leaned into his strong shoulder and found strength there, enough to turn around and look into the eyes of these awful young men.
“What’s going on here?” Gideon’s words were polite, but his tone was not.
The man stared for a long while, looking from Elsie then back to Gideon. “Just having a conversation.”
Gideon stared at the mud dripping down the bottom of her dress and onto her boots. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, then she heard him ask for quiet strength. “Why don’t we all sit together, share a meal, and talk. We mean you no harm.”
“We don’t want to be seen with goons like you. Pack up your buggies and go home.” The Englisher’s upper lip curled into a smile, and he tipped his hat mockingly Elsie’s way. He made an extra effort to drive slowly and didn’t take his eyes off her until they drove away.
Elsie let out a long breath, not realizing she held it. Gideon didn’t move until the car was out of sight then stared down at his boots. Letting go of her hand, he stood with his muscled arms tight around his chest. Now with the immediate danger over, she lifted her gaze to Gideon and knew there was more coming.
Chapter Eight
HE COULDN’T BRING himself to look at her. Gideon kept his eyes to the ground and waited for Elsie to speak. All he heard was the breath she forced from her lungs. He slowly moved his eyes from her boots, up to her black dress covered with mud, and then to her face. She laid one hand on her chest and reached toward him with the other.
He lifted their clasped hands and pulled her in front of him. “Are you all right?”
She closed her eyes briefly and looked into his face. “Jah, I’m fine.” Her eyes filled with tears that she blinked away to regain
her composure. “Thank you for helping me, Gideon.”
He nodded and turned to see the dust settling down the road. He wanted to fight those men for Elsie’s honor. His humble prayer was the only thing that stopped him. “What was that about?” His usual gentle demeanor was replaced with urgency, feeling it was necessary to get the facts.
“Walk with me.” She turned toward the lane leading to her home and glanced over the rows of freshly planted corn as tears slowly slid down her cheeks. “They want us to leave.”
Her short response only brought more questions to mind. “Why?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
He tried not to stare at Elsie but needed to see how this affected her. “For what reason? We cause them no trouble.”
“I’ve kicked it around in my mind over and over again. They say it’s the land.” She shook her head. “I think they know they can pick on us because we won’t fight back.”
“That could be the reason, but it’s a pitiful one.” Gideon could understand if they’d done something that caused those men to want the Amish to leave, but they kept to themselves. They only recently started going into town to sell goods that the ranchers had no interest in, and the crops were in demand for all who grew them. As he studied her expression, he felt she was holding back. He waited for her to tell him more.
She slowed her walk. “I’ve been trying to think of Martyrs Mirror when it comes to these people—forgiving them because they know not what they do.”
He couldn’t help but smile. “Jah, you’re exactly right.” That made him stop and think not only in the way he should deal with this situation, but also how Elsie was applying the forgiveness part of Martyrs Mirror in her own life. That could also explain how she’d begun to come out of her shell. But if bullying was the case, it would be hard to reason with them. Still he would have to try. “Have you seen them before?”