“Mostly.”
“You got enough timber to pay for more than this house, even with furnishing it. You agree?”
“Ja, but what if something happens and . . .”
“And you can’t pay?”
Rune nodded.
Mr. Hechstrom smiled. “I know accidents happen. Sometimes sickness too. But I’m gambling that if you can’t cut trees any more, your sons and brother will take over and make it happen. You Norskies are like that.”
“In spite of . . . ?” Rune hated to bring up Einar’s name.
Mr. Hechstrom leaned forward. “Rune Carlson, I am a pretty good judge of character, and you got plenty of it. You can’t always choose your relatives, but you can choose your friends and those you do business with. I’ve worked with you some already, and I’ve heard really good things from others. So you give me the money you have today and go frame your basement. I will write you a receipt that says what you have is paid on account. This is all legal and frequently done.” He extended his hand across the desk.
Rune took it and nodded before shaking. “Takk. While they are loading, can I water my team?”
Mr. Hechstrom nodded. “You want to come have dinner with the wife and me?”
“Sometime, but not today. I need to get back. Thank you, again.”
Rune watered his horses, and as soon as the lumber and nails were loaded, he pointed the team toward home. He let them rest once before Benson’s Corner and again while he retrieved the baskets, one with several packets in it.
“The laudanum is there along with some other things I figured you could use,” Mrs. Benson explained. “Greet them all from me, please. Perhaps I can get out there for a visit before that sweet baby is down and crawling.”
“She gets up on all fours now and rocks back and forth but hasn’t quite got the idea she can crawl forward. Leif keeps encouraging her.”
When he arrived home, he left the team hitched in the shade and strode to the house. Leif joined him.
“We got two more babies, but she is done now,” he reported. “They all nursed, I made sure.”
“You and Knute are mighty good with the animals.” Rune ruffled Leif’s hair. “How were things at the house?”
“Onkel Einar has slept, mostly. Bjorn helped him sit up to eat dinner.”
“Good. How’d the guys do in the woods?”
“Bjorn said they got two of the trees limbed and the branches stacked. They should be ready for the next one by the time you get there.”
The kitchen was empty when he entered, but he could hear Signe and Nilda down in the cellar. He set the baskets from Mrs. Benson on the table. “There’s some cookies there, but make sure there are enough left for everyone else too.”
“You can take some out when you go to the trees.” Leif dug out two cookies and headed back out the door to check on his piglets.
Signe came up from the cellar. “I thought I heard you here. How did it go?”
“Better than you can believe. I’ll tell you all tonight at supper.” He pointed to the baskets. “Mrs. Benson said to tell you takk for the butter and eggs. She had ordered laudanum, so that is there, along with some other things she thought you could use.”
“Leave it to Mrs. Benson. A jar of honey. Ginger cookies—oh, and three peppermint sticks. Leif didn’t find those, eh?” Signe smiled.
“What about . . . ?” Rune nodded toward the bedroom.
“Been pretty docile so far. He let the boys help him sit up and move to the edge of the bed. He didn’t make an effort to move to the chair. Nilda doctored his coffee like she said.” She brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “It’s nice and cool down there in the cellar. We got it about all cleaned out. The cat helped. The orange tabby must have found a secret place to have her babies, but Gra dispatched a couple of mice when we found a nest. It’s a good thing Leif was at the barn. He’d have wanted to keep the babies.”
Rune smiled. Yes, that was his boy, all right. “I’ll drive the lumber out to the house, and Leif can unharness the team and let them into the pasture. We’ll probably unload the wagon on our way up for supper.”
As he headed for the barn again, he stared out over the fields. The sprouting oats cast a green haze out to the west. The cows were lying down under the one shade tree. What a peaceful scene.
“You think you can get the harnesses hung up?” Rune asked Leif as he drove the wagon out to the big hole.
Leif gave him a patient look. “You want me to come out to the woods?”
“I know you want to, but I really need someone here who can run fast to get us in case something happens with Einar.”
Leif nodded, then grinned at his far. “I should get an extra peppermint stick for staying here.”
Rune laughed. “You take that up with the others.”
“What they don’t know can’t hurt ’em.”
Rune chuckled as he headed farther out into the woods, where he could hear two axes thudding into branches. He swung the bag of cookies in one hand and realized he was grinning like a child with a peppermint stick. He had paid money down on his own house. He and Signe were landowners and would soon have a house of their own. All in one year. Only in America. In spite of what a mean old man Onkel Einar was, they owed him a debt of gratitude for bringing them over.
He stopped at the edge of the clearing to watch the three boys at work and to inhale the fragrance of cut pine. The other team nodded in the shade. There were two new piles of branches, and the earliest piles of branches were now neatly stacked in stove lengths, ready to haul to the house. Einar had been all set to burn those piles, but Leif and Knute insisted that would make good firewood—and they were right.
He called to the boys and raised the cookie bag over his head.
The three planted their axes in a branch near them, and while they weren’t running to meet him, they weren’t staggering either. They all sat on or leaned against the wagon to drink water kept cool in the shade and devour the cookies.
They felled the second tree at the beginning hush of dusk. All fell silent until one branch that caught on another tree crashed to the ground.
“Two trees today, in spite of my being gone. You’ve done well,” Rune said.
Ivar stretched. “Shame Onkel Einar isn’t out here to appreciate this.”
Bjorn snorted and shook his head at Ivar. “All he’d say is, ‘Shoulda had three. You didn’t limb them yet, don’t just stand around.’”
Rune watched his son’s face. Bjorn wasn’t angry or critical, he was just stating the facts. And he was so right.
“Perhaps tomorrow we can do four . . .” Ivar joked.
“Or maybe six.” Knute looked at his far with a grin.
“Bring Nilda out here,” Ivar added. “She is good with an ax and could do the limbing with Knute here.”
Ivar grabbed the axes, and Rune and Bjorn brought the saw. Bjorn hitched up the team and drove the wagon over to one of the stacks of wood for the stove. They loaded the pile into the wagon and hauled the wood up to the house to dump in a pile to be split.
That night at supper, Rune looked at Nilda. “I met a friend of yours today. He works at the lumberyard, says he came over on the ship with you.”
Her eyes went wide. “Petter? Petter Thorvaldson?”
“That’s the one. He was real glad to hear about the two of you. Mr. Hechstrom says he could be one of the drivers to deliver the lumber, so we might see him here soon.”
Ivar waggled his eyebrows at his sister, and Nilda threw a dish towel at him—and laughed.
“This house needs more laughter,” Gerd said softly. “It really does.”
Chapter
26
Why—you—here?” Einar glared at Rune. “Get—in—woods.”
“Your speech is much better today.” Rune stood by the bed. “Would you like to sit in the chair?”
“Nei!” Einar pointed toward the woods with a trembling hand.
“I warned you that if you can’t be polite to those w
ho are trying to help you get better, I will stay here at the house. I will go out in the woods when I can trust you to be decent here. If you would cooperate with them, you might be out in the woods sooner.”
Signe and Nilda listened from the doorway. Signe shook her head. “Won’t happen. I don’t think he can be polite.”
Rune nodded. “I’m afraid I agree with you. But he wants those trees down mighty bad. So, Onkel Einar, one way to get stronger again is to get up and sit in this chair for a while.”
Einar glared knives at Rune, but slowly he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up, panting. Rune held out his hand to help, but Einar batted it away. He clamped a hand on the arm of the chair.
Signe retrieved Gerd’s cane from the pantry and brought it to Einar. “This might make it easier.” The look she received for her efforts might have withered a weaker woman, but she met him eye to eye. “To help you get stronger, faster.”
He eyed the chair, the cane, and Rune, then grabbed the cane with one hand and the chair with the other and heaved himself to his feet. He stood swaying, steadied, and then turned enough to sit in the chair.
Signe felt like clapping.
“Do you promise to be polite? If you will, I will return at dinnertime. If there is a problem, Leif will come for me, and I will stay here.” Rune waited. “I know you are a man of your word. If you agree, I know you will do it.”
Einar nodded.
“Then I will see you at dinnertime.”
In the kitchen, Rune beckoned the three women to come out on the porch. “I’m concerned about him having that cane if he goes berserk again. He could really hurt someone with it, so be careful.”
“Takk.” Gerd shook her head. “I should be the one taking care of him.”
“Why?”
“I married him.”
Rune squeezed her shoulder. “Gerd, we are your family, and we will take care of each other as we need to. You took care of Signe and Kirstin, remember?”
“Ja, but . . .”
“Leif can run fast if need be. Keep that in mind.” He looked at Signe and Nilda, who both nodded. He nodded in return and headed down the steps to join the others in the woods.
Nilda stood agape. “I have never in my life heard my brother string so many words, and such wise words, together at one time. I wish Mor could see and hear this. She would be so proud of him. Not that she would let anyone know, but I have watched her eyes gleam, and I know what she is thinking.”
Signe felt her eyes get moist. “Talking like this makes me miss her even more. Ivar says that one day he will send them tickets, but I know your far will never come to Amerika. He is adamant, and I don’t remember in all the years of knowing him that he ever changed his mind, once he locked on something.”
“I know.” Nilda heaved a sigh. “I do not want to be like that. Nor like Onkel Einar.”
Gerd carried Kirstin on her hip now, since she was getting so big and so busy. “Yesterday she found a beetle on the floor and scooted her quilt over to pick it up.”
“And it went directly into her mouth?” Signe said, shaking her head.
“I got it before she did.” Gerd jiggled the baby up and down to make her giggle. “I need to sew her some shifts for the hot weather.”
“And a sunbonnet so she can come out in the garden with us?”
“Ja, I even have a pattern and some of that gingham left. Perhaps I can do that this afternoon. Right now we need to put the boiler on the stove and wash diapers.” Gerd handed Kirstin to her mor. “I better check on Einar, see if he is ready to go back to bed. Remember when you had to drag me out of bed?” She glanced at Nilda. “This Signe, she can be mighty tough when she chooses to be. She decided I was going to get back on my feet, and that was that.”
“But she better stay out of reach of that bear in there. No matter how tough she is, he is bigger and stronger.” Nilda fetched the broiler from its nail on the wall and set it in the sink. Pumping water to fill it, she looked out the window. “I want to be out in that garden before it gets too hot.”
“I will do the diapers,” Signe said, “you go out in the garden, and Gerd, you go sew for our baby girl.”
Gerd went to check on Einar. “He is back in bed and sleeping.”
At least he’s quiet, Signe thought as she rinsed out the diapers and stirred them into the hot soapy water. A cake might be good for dinner—no, gingerbread. She found herself humming as she stirred the ingredients together. Gingerbread was Rune’s favorite. They had plenty of cream to whip for topping.
“Two trees,” Knute announced when the men came through the door at dinnertime. “What smells so good?” He spied the pan on the table. “Of course, gingerbread.”
The kitchen went from quiet and peaceful to laughter and ruckus. Bjorn picked up his baby sister and set her on his shoulders. She clamped her fingers in his hair, making him flinch.
“You be careful with her. Knute, don’t let her fall backward.” The three of them paraded around the table, a baby chortle making everyone laugh.
Rune went to Einar immediately, and Signe followed in case he needed help.
“All right,” Rune said, “let’s get you back up again, and you might enjoy sitting at the window. See the outside.”
Einar rumbled and grumbled, but he did as instructed. “Quiet,” he whispered as he stood. “Tell them quiet.”
Rune nodded. “The noise makes the pain worse?”
“Ja.” Together the three of them walked to the window, and Rune moved the chair into place. Once Einar was seated, Rune and Signe left to settle the others down.
“Oh, sorry.” The boys quieted immediately. Signe took her daughter and tied her into the rocking chair. The gingerbread disappeared nearly as quickly as she put it on their plates and spooned whipped cream on top.
“Now that was fine.” Rune patted his belly. “Leif, how are your babies doing?”
“All still alive. Daisy is going to have hers next. She is starting to nest.”
“We need more farrowing stalls at this rate. We could turn the horse stalls into pig pens for now. Take some of that scrap lumber and nail boards across the ends. Ivar, how good are you with building something like that?”
“Had to at home at times. I can measure and cut boards and pound nails.”
“So can we,” Bjorn offered. “And sharpen saw blades. Onkel Einar usually does that.”
“We better do that tonight rather than working on the cellar. Let me get Einar back to bed, and we’ll return to the woods.”
Rune stood up, and Signe did the same. “I’ll help you.”
“Let me take that tray,” Rune said as he entered the bedroom and bent over Einar, “and we’ll get you back to bed. You want to try walking around the room first?”
“Nei. So tired.”
“A little more each day will get you stronger again. If you were out in the woods with us, we could do three, four trees a day—easy. Those boys are getting better and better with the axes and saws.” Rune waited for Einar to stand, handing him the cane to walk with. “We’ll do this again when I get home.”
Seeing that Einar was calm and Rune had everything under control, Signe went out to the porch. She rinsed and wrung out the diapers, then hung them on the line to flap in the breeze.
She looked up to see a hawk circling against the blue. “Don’t you even think of stealing our chickens.” Just that morning one of the brooding hens came off her nest with a flock of eight chicks, so Signe and Leif had moved them to another small, fenced pen with a nesting box. Three other hens were setting. They were having babies all over the place, much to Leif’s delight. Since Knute had gone to help in the woods, all the responsibility for the farm animals had shifted to Leif and the women.
Signe watched the hawk fly away before heading back into the house.
That evening, Nilda helped Leif milk the cows so that when the others trooped in from the woods, all of the farm chores were done. They had just finished supper when
they heard a horse and wagon coming down the lane.
Nilda was doing the dishes and Signe was changing Kirstin as Rune and Knute stepped out on the back porch. Nilda heard Rune’s strong voice say, “Welcome, come on in. Good to see you. Hey, Ivar, Nilda, come on out here. There are some folks who will be right glad to see you.”
What?
Nilda went outside, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. “Who . . . ?” She stopped in her tracks at the sight of Petter hopping down from the wagon. “Why, Mr. Thorvaldson. I am delighted to see you. Ivar, come here!” The two men shook hands, and Nilda motioned them to the benches and chairs against the house. “Sit down, sit down, I’ll bring the coffee right out.” Back inside, she whispered to Signe, “Remember that young man from the ship that we told you about? He is here! Came out with his uncle from the lumberyard.”
Signe smiled. “It’s a shame we ate all the gingerbread. You could take out a plate of cookies, though.”
“Does my hair look all right?” Nilda tucked a stray strand back where it belonged before pulling the coffeepot forward and dishing up the cookies. “He said he would come find us, but I didn’t really think he would.” She stopped. “I’m dithering, aren’t I?”
Signe’s smile had turned knowing. “A bit, but that’s all right.”
Signe lit the lamp and set it where Gerd was sewing on the machine. As Nilda picked up the tray to serve the coffee, Signe was scooping up her daughter, who already wore the sleepy look that said she was not long for the day. Often Signe took Kirstin out to the rocking chair on the porch, and they enjoyed the evening breeze. Would she come out here with the others? Signe turned toward the stairs. Apparently not.
As Nilda carried out the tray, the man who had been introduced as Mr. Hechstrom was saying, “How about we drive out to look at your place before it gets dark?”
“Fine by me. These young people can visit while we’re gone.” Rune climbed up on the wagon seat with the lumber man and motioned to the lane past the barn that led toward the clearing near the woods. Their trap rattled away down the rough lane.
“So how is your job going with your uncle?” Ivar asked Petter.
A Breath of Hope Page 22