‘‘In so many words, I s’pose I have.’’
‘‘ ’Tis safe to say not every maidel ends up married. Sometimes just ain’t enough husbands to go round.’’
She decided to press the issue further. ‘‘But there were plenty of young men durin’ Aunt Lizzie’s courtin’ years. She told me so.’’ Truth was, lots of church boys had been interested in Lizzie. In fact, there was one special boy who had declared his love for her, but he didn’t wait for Lizzie to settle down from rumschpringe.
‘‘I’ll admit, there were several interested fellas,’’ said Dawdi. ‘‘In Hickory Hollow, ’specially. I wished to goodness she’d paid more attention to some of them. . . .’’
Leah waited, hoping Dawdi might say more, but his voice faded away. They sat there together in awkward silence a few minutes.
Finally Leah felt she must speak up once more before returning to the main part of the house. She had to stick her neck out just a bit farther, since she didn’t know when she’d ever have another opportunity. Not with both Hannah and Mary Ruth vying for Dawdi’s attention after the evening meal, too. Come dessert time, the twins always seemed to get to their grandfather before Leah could here lately. She didn’t know what it was, but Hannah, especially, and now Mary Ruth was awful eager to spend time with Dawdi.
She breathed deeply, then asked, ‘‘Is it true . . . well, that Aunt Lizzie came to live here in this addition when she was a youth?’’
Dawdi nodded his head without catching her eye. ‘‘Jah, ’tis.’’
‘‘And was there . . .’’ She faltered, then managed to continue. ‘‘Um . . . was there somethin’ wrong that . . . required Mamma’s attention?’’
Dawdi reached for his old German Biewel on the table nearby and opened to a marked page without speaking. She was aware of the whistling sound in his nose as he breathed in and out. And she had a peculiar feeling Dawdi was, right now, preparing to give her a message from the Lord God. If that wasn’t true, then why were his eyes so intent on hers as he held the Good Book in his gnarled hands?
He opened his mouth and began to read. ‘‘ ‘When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.’ ’’ Dawdi sighed, and if Leah wasn’t mistaken, there was a tear in his eye. ‘‘Your aunt Lizzie was taken in by Abram and Ida ’cause she had need to be.’’
Leah didn’t quite understand what Dawdi meant to say. Why didn’t he speak his mind clearly? ‘‘I’m ever so puzzled,’’ she admitted. ‘‘Did you and Mammi Brenneman . . . well, did you send Lizzie away from Hickory Hollow?’’
He closed the Bible as slowly as he’d opened its fragile pages. ‘‘I don’t s’pose I can explain this to you without stirrin’ up even more questions.’’ He paused, his wrinkled hands folded atop the Good Book. ‘‘Lizzie and her older brother, your uncle Noah, simply did not see eye to eye back then.’’
She was staring at him now, grasping for some meaning. Why had he read such a startling psalm to her?
For truth, she couldn’t begin to imagine why Aunt Lizzie would have come from her home in Hickory Hollow all the way to Gobbler’s Knob to live absent from her immediate family. Unless . . . could it possibly be what Cousin Rebekah Mast had hinted at in the apple orchard? Could it be Lizzie was with child back then?
Nee. She rejected the notion. Not good-hearted and decent Aunt Lizzie.
Feeling terribly uneasy, she said at last, ‘‘Is it possible Aunt Lizzie thought of Uncle Noah as her enemy, like in the psalm you just read?’’
‘‘Best to simply say the plain path of the Lord God led Lizzie here to Gobbler’s Knob . . . and to her sister’s arms.’’
She watched as Dawdi’s lips moved, the whites of his eyes glistening. Somewhere between what Dawdi was trying to tell her and what she’d observed all her life in Aunt Lizzie, a line of unspoken truth had been drawn. Surprisingly, what was and what seemed to be appeared even more mystifying than before.
Abram spent the evening with his nose in the Good Book. He refused to go sour faced on Ida, who sat darning an old sock while Lydiann slept in the crook of her arm. He might have allowed his emotions to run unchecked, getting the best of him, because Leah was next door with Dawdi this very moment. From what he remembered saying to his father-in-law just this afternoon, well, there was no way anything good could come of such a visit. Not the way John had laid into him earlier, threatening to ‘‘blow the top off this whole family hush-hush!’’ not so many hours before.
He’d done his best—what he could, at least—urging John to ‘‘hold his tongue’’ till he and Ida could discuss things further. But then, somehow or other, Leah had wormed her way over to Dawdi immediately following Ida’s dessert. She’d gotten to him first, offering her arm to steady his gait long before either of the twins had, which was downright disheartening, since he’d taken both Hannah and Mary Ruth aside not so many weeks back and told them to look after their Dawdi right close after supper—‘‘ ’tis mighty important,’’ he’d said. Mary Ruth had frowned, no doubt questioning his urgency— she had that way about her—but Hannah, thankfully, had succumbed to his request, ready obedience alight in her soft brown eyes.
All in all, the twins had been doing a right fine job of scurrying over to John the second he wiped his mouth on his handkerchief after eating the last morsel of Ida’s apple crumb cake or whatnot.
Till tonight. And now Abram was ever so anxious over what things were being said from the lips of an impatient grandfather to his naiïve and softhearted granddaughter.
Hannah hurried upstairs to the bedroom she shared with Mary Ruth. There she began to pour out her anxieties onto the pages of her diary notebook.
Monday, September 1
Dear Diary,
I shouldn’t be writing this, probably, but Dat’s fretful about something. He wore the concern on his dear face tonight after Leah helped Dawdi John next door after supper. Still can’t quite understand Dat telling Mary Ruth and me to ‘‘hurry over to help Dawdi, following the dessert.’’ And he insists we do this every night till he says otherwise. So strange it is!
I miss Sadie something awful, and Mary Ruth’s much too busy with the Nolt family and her schoolwork these days for my liking.
Leah spends more time indoors with Mamma now, so there’s scarcely any chance for my sister and me to talk privately. I have a hunch Leah had something to do with Sadie going to Ohio. Maybe it’s the sad look in Leah’s eyes every now and then, especially since there’ve been no letters from Sadie. I thought by now she would’ve sent Mamma one, at least.
What an emptiness is in me when we sit down for a meal anymore. Sadie is off in another state, mourning the loss of her baby—or at least imagining she had one. Oh, it wonders me if she’s in her right mind or not.
Honestly, I can’t say which way I would feel most sorry for Sadie, really. If she’s not right in the head . . . that’s terrible. But if she was immoral and birthed a dead baby, then that’s heartrending. Nothing less.
Respectfully,
Hannah Ebersol
More than two weeks after she’d sent her letter to Mamma, Sadie was returning to the Mellingers’ large farm, having taken one of the buggies to the general store to purchase some items for Edith. Looking up, she noticed the sky was a resplendent blue, nearly the color of a spanking new piece of blue cotton fabric, the shade of Leah’s soon-to-be wedding dress.
Pausing at the back stoop, she again stared up at the heavens, wondering if the same hue might also be evident in the sky in Gobbler’s Knob, where Jonas was headed come this time tomorrow. She felt her heart beating its muffled, secret throbs, wishing she could be a fly on the wall, privy to the things Jonas might soon be saying to Leah. But would Leah let on she’d spent time in the woods with Gid Peachey after getting lost for hours on end? Sadie couldn’t imagine that being discussed. Still, she’d seen Leah and Gid with her own eyes, coming down out of the deep of the for
est together.
Since arriving here, and on the long train ride, she’d thought several times of what she’d seen that day—so confusing it had been. Hadn’t Gid taken a shine to Leah all these years? They had been holding hands the day she’d spied them, laughing and having themselves a mighty nice time together. What could it mean?
She’d thought of asking Leah about it later that night, and then again as they said their good-byes at the trolley, but she hadn’t. Now she wished she had.
Pity’s sake, Leah had nearly pushed her out the door to Millersburg. Why? Was it for the reason she said . . . or to stay home for Gid?
Impossible, Sadie thought. Not the Leah I know.
She was altogether nervous. The kernel of doubt remained. If true—if Leah was two-timing her beau—well, then Jonas deserved better. Much better.
Yet another thought crossed Sadie’s mind. Could it be that even at this late date, Leah was having second thoughts about Jonas? Was she leaning toward doing Dat’s bidding, after all?
She could only guess at Leah’s true motive for sending her here, but she did wonder a little if something wasn’t fishy.
As for Jonas, he had been right kind since her arrival here. An outgoing sort of fellow, he occasionally gave Sadie a welcoming smile across the kitchen table when the family gathered there, especially if the subject of his return to Pennsylvania for baptism rose out of a mix of conversation that included the weather, the next canning frolic, and which of the farm families in their area was growing oodles of celery these days. This during the Mellinger family’s eventide hours when David read aloud from the Good Book while katydids chirped in the fields. If she interpreted Jonas’s thoughtfulness correctly, she wondered if he felt sorry for her being there, so far removed from her family. Did he assume she was homesick? Maybe that was the reason for his wide-eyed gaze on her from time to time, since he had no knowledge of her past sins. Surely not. And she’d just as soon keep it that way.
Part Two
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
—Psalm 126:5
Chapter Twenty
On Friday, September 19, Leah stood waiting out at the end of the long lane at dusk. She watched with devoted eyes for Jonas to come riding down the road in his open buggy, his dashing steed brushed spanking clean for the occasion.
Her heart thumped fast and hard, and she felt she might not be able to stand there much longer, so jittery she was. In his last letter from Ohio, he had written he could arrive in Gobbler’s Knob at twilight on this night. Will you be waiting for me, dear Leah . . . near the road?
Over the shadowy hills a splinter of a moon crept up; its cambered rim cast an ancient white light over the fertile valley below. She gazed at the hollow band of road, feeling all trace of time was lost. Gone—the ache of days, the summer of loneliness, endless weeks of missing her beloved’s smile, the touch of his hand on hers, his strong but tender embrace.
And then she spied him, his horse and carriage two shadowy silhouettes moving in the distance, heading in her direction. She felt her heart might burst with growing joy.
‘‘Oh, Jonas,’’ she whispered to the honeysuckle-scented air even before he jumped down from the courting carriage and ran across the road to her. They fell into each other’s arms.
‘‘Dear Leah . . . Leah, it’s you at last!’’ He held her so close she felt his breath on her neck. ‘‘I missed you so,’’ he said, not letting her go.
Her tears fell onto his shirt as she clung to him. ‘‘Jonas . . .’’
‘‘I was crazy, out-of-mind missing you.’’ Gently he released her, but only for a moment, his eyes searching hers. ‘‘My darling girl . . . perty as a bride on her weddin’ day.’’
The horse let out an impatient neigh, tossing his mane back in the fading light. ‘‘Whoa, steady there,’’ Jonas called softly over his shoulder.
Leah found it both comical and comforting—Jonas’s unruffled tone attempted to soothe the horse as if he were talking to a human. She fell in love with her beau all over again, appreciating his tender heart toward even an animal.
‘‘Wouldja like to go for some ice cream?’’ he asked.
‘‘Where you are, that’s where I want to be,’’ she replied.
And before she could protest, he reached down and lifted her up into his shining carriage.
She couldn’t stop smiling as he set her down on the front seat, then fairly flew round the buggy and leaped up into the driver’s seat to her right. ‘‘Ice cream it is!’’ He paused, smiling at her. ‘‘Guess I oughta pay attention to the road,’’ he said at last, turning slowly to pick up the reins. ‘‘We have all night, ain’t so?’’
‘‘Just so I’m home in time for a few winks before milkin’,’’ she reminded him, though she wished she didn’t have to say a word about what tomorrow’s duties required of her, including the final meeting with Preacher Yoder prior to baptism. With her whole heart, she would much rather ride off with Jonas, never to come down to earth again, so to speak.
She thought of her husband-to-be’s name in front of her own—Jonas’s Leah—and it brought such gladness. She whispered it right then and there.
‘‘Didja just say what I think?’’ he asked, reaching for her hand.
She nodded, unable to repeat it.
‘‘Remember, that’s who you’ll be for always . . . my Leah.’’
They rode slowly all the way to Strasburg, where he bought ice-cream cones for them. They sat high in the carriage, enjoying the treat in an out-of-the-way spot in the parking lot, away from cars.
When her ice cream was half eaten, Leah brought up the subject of her sister. ‘‘How’s Sadie doin’ in Ohio, would you say?’’
‘‘I guess she’s all right. She does seem awful dreary, though. Must be she’s pining for your family.’’
His comment startled her. ‘‘Jah, that could be. . . .’’
‘‘Then, she’s not there for her health?’’
She felt the awkward hesitancy of his words. Surely he didn’t suspect Sadie might be in the family way? Yet there was that unspoken concern in his eyes. She mustn’t let on that her sister had indeed experienced such dreadful heartache already, in both her soul and her body. She refused to expand on the scant information.
‘‘Sadie needs a little time away, is all.’’ She considered what she might say further. Then she knew. ‘‘My sister needs a friend, I daresay.’’
‘‘I’ve had only a little contact with her, which is the way I prefer it, Sadie bein’ single and all.’’
She felt he was being overly serious. ‘‘Aw, Jonas, you’re not timid around my sister, are you?’’
His face broke into a warm smile. ‘‘You mustn’t worry on my account. I’m going to marry you.’’
His words hung in the air, a promise for a lifetime. She could rest in such a pledge, and this made her think about the vow they would be taking on Sunday. ‘‘It’s awful nice of you to be baptized with me.’’
‘‘We’ll mark the day,’’ he said, blue eyes shining.
‘‘Jah, for sure and for certain.’’
He nodded, holding his now dripping ice-cream cone in his right hand. ‘‘Just as we’ll commemorate our weddin’ day for always.’’
Silently she finished her own melting ice cream, her heart racing as fast as when she’d first spied him tonight, coming up the road in his handsome courting buggy.
‘‘What wouldja think, Leah, for us to marry on the last Tuesday in November, the twenty-fifth? Would that suit you and your family?’’
The combination of ice cream and the lump of happiness in her throat kept her from answering promptly. At last she managed to speak. ‘‘Jah, that will be a wonderful-gut day of days. With all of my heart, I’m lookin’ forward to bein’ your wife.’’
He must have sensed the anxiety of a young bride-to-be. ‘‘Are you also a little bit nervous?’’ he asked softly, drawing her near.
‘‘More relieved than anythin
’, really.’’ And she confided in him how eager she was to discuss the date with Mamma.
They talked of this and that, Jonas sharing something of his work with David Mellinger. ‘‘I’m tryin’ to complete a year’s worth of apprenticeship in six months or thereabouts so I can return to help my father in the orchard at harvest time. That bein’ the case, Cousin David expects me to be in the wood shop as early as if I were milkin’ cows of a morning, workin’ alongside him. David’s mighty helpful, but let me tell you, he makes me earn my keep.’’
She felt it was all right to bring up something else, the way they were sharing so openly and all. ‘‘How is it you ended up learnin’ the carpentry trade clear out in Ohio?’’
‘‘Nothing less than providence is how I look at it,’’ Jonas said. ‘‘The Lord God heavenly Father works all things together for our gut. Believe me, it was downright perfect timing.’’
‘‘Has your mother’s cousin always known of your keen interest in carpentry? Is that why he contacted you in the first place?’’
Jonas shook his head. ‘‘I can’t say it was, really. I scarcely knew of David and Vera Mellinger.’’
Then, how was it Jonas had been invited to do an apprenticeship with a distant relative? Unless, could it be David had heard of Jonas’s lifelong dream to be a carpenter through the Amish grapevine? If so, how had it gotten all the way to Ohio, and right around the precise moment the two of them were betrothed last spring? She had always wondered about that, though she’d never told a soul.
‘‘What is it, love?’’ he asked.
‘‘Oh, I’m all right.’’ She put a smile on her face. But the hard facts were that Jonas was to be the only young man round these parts who chose to earn his living doing something other than farm related. Practically unheard of for the firstborn son of a farmer not to follow in his father’s own footsteps. Having hinted at her curiosity in a letter, she was eager to ask all this of Jonas, but she held her peace. For now, she would cherish their time together, wanting nothing to spoil this night.
The Betrayal Page 16