“Just coffee for me. I already ate.” After hanging up his things, he joined his mother at the stove, rubbing his hands together over the heat. “Ah, this feels so good. The wind blew all night, and I think the temperature is still dropping. Good skiing weather, though.”
“What brings you out so early?” Haakan asked.
“Thought I’d catch you up on the news.” Thorliff took his regular chair at the table and held his cup for a fill of hot coffee. “I spent part of the night at the store, along with a certain person in town.”
“Who?” Haakan paused with a forkful of pancake just before his mouth.
“Mr. Valders.”
“Anner was helping you skunk-sit?”
“No. He was helping me write up a contract. After we finished that, he went home, and I stretched out on the floor by the stove with a quilt from home. I didn’t want to take back any unwanted visitors, if you know what I mean.” Rebecca shuddered.
“Then Valders came back about six, and we cooked ourselves some breakfast. I had to clean up the kitchen first. Did I mention that I found quite a stash of liquor in the storeroom?”
“No, but I’m not surprised. That’s probably why he never wanted any help there.” Haakan leaned back in his chair. “What did you do with it all?”
“I took two bottles home for Elizabeth to use in emergencies should she run out of laudanum, brought one bottle here for the same, and poured out all the rest.” He handed his mother a flat brown bottle. “Anyway, back to my story. Valders and I rustled up eggs and ham, and while he was toasting some rather stale bread over the fire, I had the coffee steaming away. Ol’ Jeffers stumbled down the stairs, swearing like a longshoreman. He was some shocked when he saw us there. We made enough for him, but he didn’t seem to have much of an appetite. Can’t figure why.”
Ingeborg rolled her eyes. “I’ve heard a hangover can be a mite debilitating.”
“You could say that.”
“So when we figured he’d drunk enough coffee to sober up, we laid our little plan before him.” He paused and sipped his coffee. “You got anything to go with this?” He lifted the cup in his mother’s direction.
“Stop teasing, Thorliff. What happened?” Astrid jumped up to fetch the cookie crock and set it in front of him.
“The whole crock? Don’t I get a nice plate or anything?”
“You’re going to have a bucket of water to cool you off if you don’t continue.”
Thorliff winked at her. “Can’t let your older brother have a bit of fun, eh?”
“Thorliff Bjorklund, anything to do with that foul Jeffers is not a joke.”
It was Thorliff ’s turn to roll his eyes, this time at his mother. “All right. Where was I?”
“You poured coffee into him.” Rebecca leaned forward, her eyes pleading.
“I’d as soon have poured it on him, but I resisted. We laid our plan before him. He could sign the contract, take the hundred dollars lying on the table, and catch the train, or he could stay and address the mob—I mean the group of concerned citizens who were responding to flying rumors.”
“Was there really a mob?” Astrid asked as she reached for a cookie.
“Well, how would I know? It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet. But Mr. Valders and I figured there would be soon as word got around, especially after Jeffers himself had bragged about it the day before… . I’m sorry, Rebecca.”
“I’m never going to be able to go to town or to church again.” Rebecca formed both her hands into fists.
Haakan leaned toward her. “Yes you will, and you’ll go with your head up. You did nothing wrong. He is to blame, and everyone knows it. You showed courage, and that part is getting passed around too.”
Rebecca’s eyes misted again.
Astrid patted her hand. “Why Mr. Valders?”
“He knows more about contracts than I do, and he has the keys to the bank. No one would ever accuse him of violence or misdeeds.”
“Not that they would you either.” Haakan looked longingly at his pipe on the rack behind the stove.
“Well, they might. After all, I am young and produce a newspaper, and my name is Bjorklund.” He slitted his eyes. “And the contract said I would own his store. There are a few who might take exception to that.”
“Mrs. Valders?”
“More than likely.”
“I’m afraid Anner’s never going to hear the end of this at home. But he was in total agreement with our goal of getting rid of Jeffers. And for a quiet man, his anger was as hard as a rock too.”
“So what happened?” Astrid enunciated clearly in case her brother was hard of hearing, or listening, as the case may be.
“Well, he signed it. Several times in fact, mostly licking his chops over the cash money lying there in front of him. One of the paragraphs said he fully understood that he was signing this of his own free will, that there was no coercion, and while he glared at me, he signed that one too. Then he packed up his personal things, went looking for a bottle of whiskey, swore something fierce when he realized it was all gone, handed me the store’s key after I reminded him a couple of times, and then we walked him over to the railroad station. Mr. Valders is sitting there with him until the train comes. Pastor Solberg is going to relieve him in time to open the bank. And that’s that.”
“So you now own the general store.”
“Well, sort of.”
“Sort of?”
“Well, at least for a while. I’ll be calling Penny this morning to see if she wants to buy it back.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
“Then I guess I’ll find someone to run it. I certainly don’t have time nor the inclination. You want to run it, Far?”
Haakan glanced down at his arm. “I doubt it. I’m a farmer, not a businessman.”
Both men turned to look at Rebecca.
She stared back at them, shaking her head. “I don’t know how to run a store.”
“Be good training for your soda shop.” Haakan nodded slowly, eyes narrowed in thought. “In fact, what if you were to use part of the store for your soda shop even if Penny does want to buy it back? That way you could do both. Let one support the other. You’d probably need a couple of people to work for you through the summer months. You know, this could be an answer to all kinds of things.”
“That place is filthy,” Thorliff said.
“We’d need to do a cleanup,” Ingeborg agreed. “But I’m sure others would help.”
“Do an inventory.” Thorliff looked thoughtful.
“And check Jeffers’ books to see how much he owes and how much is owed to him,” Ingeborg said as she got up to refill the coffee cups.
“I can’t see Penny and her family moving back into that small house after the one they have in Bismarck. It’s more like Sophie’s house. Only with running water and an inside bathroom.” Rebecca chewed on her bottom lip. Was all this really happening to her? Was she really ready to leave her home and live in town?
“Mor,” Andrew called from the doorway. “Do you need some milk?”
“I’ll get some later. I need to skim those pans out there first. Coffee is hot.”
“Lars and I’ll be right in. Looks like some kind of meeting going on here.”
“Thorliff ’s just telling stories.”
“You’ll never believe him,” Astrid said as she stood and began clearing the table, setting the plates in the pan of soapy water steaming on the stove.
Ingeborg watched as Thorliff stirred his coffee with a spoon, even though he’d not put anything in it. So he has to figure out how to say something more? Or is he waiting for Andrew and Lars? Her own thoughts refused any suggestions of control and skittered all over the place. Was Jeffers really gone? Surely this had gone too smoothly. He just took the money and left? Walked out and closed the door on his business behind him? Why did the feeling persist that there was something here that they didn’t yet know? We can’t let Penny or Rebecca walk into trouble he might have
caused.
“Thorliff, have you looked at his books yet?”
He shook his head. “No matter what, that store is worth far more than a hundred dollars. There must be at least that much in inventory.”
“But what if he is in arrears on all his debts?”
“I can’t see that he’s bought a lot since he took over the place. He just sold out the merchandise Penny already had.”
“And we still have no idea where he got the money to buy it. He doesn’t seem like the kind that has been saving for a long time.”
“Anner gave him the remainder that was in his account at the bank. It wasn’t much.” He quit stirring. “Don’t worry about it, Mor. I will deal with whatever happens. Let’s just rejoice that he is leaving Blessing.”
She could feel Haakan watching her. They’d talk more later. “Can I get any of you anything else?”
“Just sit down, and let’s go on.”
“You have more?”
“I do.” He smiled at Rebecca. “So how do you feel about my idea?”
“I don’t know. Would I live there like Penny did? Would it be safe?”
“I think it would be easier for you. And we’ll make sure it is safe. We’ll all help clean it up and get more stock in, so you have something to sell. I’ll talk with Penny and Hjelmer today. Even if their decision is no, Penny might come for that visit earlier and help get everything back in shape or at least write us with her suggestions.” He shook his head, small shakes that continued. “To think I can talk to them on the telephone over all these miles and not have to wait for letters to go back and forth. Or I could take the train and go see them.” He rubbed the side of his nose with one forefinger, something that Roald, his father, used to do, but only Ingeborg would remember that.
He is like his father, trying to take care of everyone. And that is what took Roald. Ingeborg jerked her mind back from a trip down memory lane. They had to think of the here and now. Was that a sign that she was getting older, wanting to revisit the early years? Without being obvious, she studied Haakan. He was getting tired, the lines dragging at his eyes. But she knew he would resent it if she suggested he return to bed. Lord, help us through this. Thank you that you hear and listen and fix things.
Lars and Andrew let a cold draft in as they came through the door and shut it behind them, automatically kicking the rolled-up rug back against the bottom of the door to keep the heat in and the cold out.
“I’ll take the milk cans to the cheese house later,” Andrew said. “You have enough to start a batch of cheese.”
“Good. I’ll churn butter today too.”
While Ingeborg poured coffee and rolled the leftover pancakes around butter and sugar and set them before the two men, Thorliff brought them up-to-date on what had happened.
Lars nodded, his eyes narrowed in thought. “This will be good, good for everyone.” He picked up a pancake roll and ate it. “You are sure Gus and Knute won’t make any more trouble?”
“That’s why I wanted Jeffers out fast. They promised to not come into town.”
“And they have chores this morning.” He turned to Rebecca. “They were ready to pummel Jeffers, especially Gus. So much so that he might have ended up in jail.”
“I think we’ll be okay now.” Thorliff reached for one of the rolls. “Rebecca needs to make a decision. Or another thing we can do is just lock the doors on the store until we hear from Penny and what she wants to do.”
“I know what she’ll want to do,” Rebecca said quietly. “Take back the store. It all depends on what Hjelmer wants to do.”
The thought of having Penny and her family back in town lightened Ingeborg’s steps considerably. Was Hjelmer tired of Bismarck? Would he be willing to return here, or would he see that as a failure? It wasn’t like he had nothing to come back to. While the sale of windmills had slacked off due to most of the farms in the area already having bought theirs, he still had the blacksmith shop and the machinery sales. If Haakan and Thorliff were right in their insight into the future, there would be more automobiles to sell and repair too.
“Dorothy needs to get off her feet, according to Dr. Elizabeth,” Rebecca said, her brow puckered in thought. “Is Maydell still here? Could she help during the day?”
“Yes, I think she’d like to stay longer, and Ellie’s doing just fine. I’ll bring it up tonight.” Andrew hesitated. “They keep talking about some list, though.”
Astrid and Rebecca grinned at each other.
Rebecca laid her hands flat on the table. “Yes, I’d like to manage the store, and I think we should keep it open.”
“Good girl,” Ingeborg said with a wide smile. “One way to deal with hurts is to keep so busy you don’t have time to stew on them. The store will indeed do that for you.” She handed Astrid the dish towel. “Let’s get these dishes done so we can go clean.” We? How can I leave Haakan here at home all by himself?
26
“PINCH ME. I MUST be dreaming.” Rebecca grinned as Thorliff encouraged the horse to pick up speed.
Sitting beside her in the sleigh, Astrid chuckled. “Your life did indeed take a drastic turn. But think, what a great experience.”
“I wish Penny were here.”
“But if she were, then you would not be managing the store.”
“I know, but she knows everything.” Rebecca flopped her gloved hands to the sides, palms up. “And I know next to nothing.”
“Well, you’ll be learning quickly, and the first thing better be how to run the cash register.”
“Oh, I forgot about that, but I did work at the store before, so I just need a refresher. Unless, of course, Jeffers messed that up too. And you know I don’t like math very well. There’ll be bookwork to do.”
“There will be for the soda shop too, so this is just getting you in training.”
“And all the stock to order.”
“I was thinking. I’ll bet Miss Christopherson will be able to help you with dress goods and notions, since she knows all about the dressmaking business. All you have to do is go back through the ledgers to see where and what to order. It’ll be much easier now than when it included all the groceries too.” Astrid tilted her head back so that the sun could shine full on her face. It had stormed all night and the warm wind was back by morning. “What unusual weather we are having.”
“Maybe God did that so my brothers would have to stay home.”
“Interesting thought. Wouldn’t surprise me. I know my mother was praying, and God listens when she asks for something. When are you going to tell them?”
“When they come looking for me.”
Astrid snorted. “You are paying them back?”
“You might say that.”
Thorliff drew the horse to a stop behind the store and looked around. “Wonder where the woodpile went.”
“He most likely burned it all and didn’t bother to go out and cut more, or he was burning coal, and it is stored in a bin in the cellar.” Astrid flipped back the robe and stepped out of the sleigh. She reached in the back for the buckets of cleaning supplies. Ingeborg had felt certain that Jeffers didn’t have much in the way of cleaning things. Or else he had a lot, because he never used any.
Thorliff tied the horse to the post and led the way up the unswept steps and back porch. He unlocked the door he’d locked when they’d left earlier that morning and stepped inside. Since he’d banked the fire well, there was still some heat in the room.
Astrid and Rebecca looked around the kitchen that also served as a sitting room and then at each other and made a face. “Ugh.”
“I agree. I think we better start with the store. Thorliff, how about calling the Solbergs and asking Deborah if she will come in and help? Let’s see, who else?”
“I’m sure some of the church women would come if they knew about it,” Astrid said. “This is all happening so fast.”
“I’ll ask Gerald to put out a call for helpers.”
Has he heard what happened? The t
hought attacked Rebecca like a small bird dipping and darting at a crow or hawk to drive it away. Surely if he’d heard her screaming, he would have come to see what was happening. The possibility of keeping a secret in this town was like trying to drink from a sieve instead of a water dipper. And that was long before the telephone came. Shame ate at her. Surely there must have been something else she could have done to stop Jeffers. Or did she do something to cause it? Besides telling her to lay those ideas to rest, Ingeborg had gently reminded her to be grateful Thorliff came when he did. God had taken care of her. She needed to remind herself of that moment by moment.
She followed the others into the store through the curtain that hung in strips. Her attention automatically went to the dress goods aisle, and a lump lodged in her chest. The bruises on her arms reminded her of their presence. Sucking in a deep breath and letting it out was not a good idea. The store smelled of liquor, dust, and tobacco, with a faint undertone of leather and a heavy cloak of fear. In her mind, at least.
“This place stinks.” She stomped across the room and unlocked the door, pulling it open and setting a brick in place to hold it open. She checked the windows, but they were painted shut. She turned around to the applause of her friends. With that, the heaviness in her heart flitted out the door and wafted away on the breeze. “I’ll take the sewing section. I think I’ll take the bolts of fabric out to the back porch and prop them on chairs. There aren’t that many bolts. Shame we can’t hang them on the clothesline to air.”
“If there is a clothesline on the back porch, we could drape them over that.” Astrid studied the area around her. “I think we should start by covering the stock and sweeping down the walls and ceiling. Then we can wash or at least dust everything as we put it back. What do you think?”
“The men can do that. We’ll go drape the fabric. And Thorliff said we need to do an inventory. If we moved as much as possible into the kitchen, the cleaning would be easier.”
“I hear you need help,” Mrs. Geddick said from the doorway. “We clean this?” She made herself clear in spite of her heavy German accent.
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