"Is thee ready to be a new mother and a new wife?" he asked as he prepared for bed. "I feel clear about this entire decision, Paul," I answered sitting up and looking directly into his face. "I haven't any regrets."
He climbed into bed beside me and drew me close. "I'm very thankful thee doesn't," he spoke softly so as not to waken Elizabeth. "And thank thee for not giving up on me a long time ago. I wasn't seeing things clearly after Bets."
I stopped his words with a kiss. "I know," I answered quietly. "But we're together now and that's all that matters." He blew out the candle.
We were wakened early by Elizabeth. "Don't need to worry about sleeping too late," Paul mumbled sleepily, drawing me close for a morning kiss. "Not with Beth around." "No, but it's a good thing. We must be up and ready to meet the others," I said yawning and stretching in his arms. "I still can't believe all this is happening." His eyes sparkled warmly, full of laughter. "Well, thee should," he teased. "We must have breakfast before we go."
"Yes, and thy mother is probably already making it."
"Perhaps today she is, but tomorrow it will be thy turn."
"Yes, with Lyddy and Emily and all the others to help."
We rose and dressed then I dressed Elizabeth while he went out to help his father with the chores before we ate and prepared to leave. My new Mother-in-law was fixing breakfast when I entered the kitchen with Elizabeth in my arms. She hugged us both and cheerfully wished us good morning.
"I will miss both of thee very much," she said going back to the stove. "I thought of thee as a daughter long before yesterday," she added warmly. "This marriage has made Andrew and me very happy, Barbara."
"And I as well," I told her, putting Elizabeth in her place at the table and getting the plates down to set the table.
"Good morning everyone," Lisbeth called from the living room as she came down from upstairs. "Guess Paul and Jeremy are out helping Father, Huh?" She asked coming into the kitchen.
"Yes, thee can go and help while we get breakfast," Amy said. "Tell them it's almost ready." Lisbeth stepped out into the sunny morning and we finished the work while Elizabeth watched us from the table. Breakfast was ready when the four of them reentered carrying eggs and milk.
"Does thee plan to have chickens out west?" Lisbeth asked me as I took the eggs and put them away.
"I imagine we will eventually," I answered, taking a full pail of milk from Jeremy's hands. "Thank Thee Jeremy. This is what I shall miss. There's nothing quite as good as fresh milk."
"Thee shall have fresh milk as soon as possible. Elizabeth will need it too." Paul put in as he washed his hands before coming to the breakfast table.
We ate a big breakfast amid the usual chatter then I helped to clear away the breakfast dishes while Paul made sure everything was packed in the wagon. He reentered the house just as Amy and Lisbeth were beginning to wash the dishes. "We're all ready to go," he told me as he stopped beside me and put an arm around my shoulders. "Is thee ready?"
"I'm ready and so is Elizabeth," I replied, taking the small child from her chair and holding her close. "She and I have just been waiting for thee."
The family left their work to come and see us off. Amy was trying hard not to cry but I saw her tears as she kissed us goodbye and wished us well. "Thee must write often and tell us how thee are," she said holding her son tightly. "I hate it that thee is going so far!" "It's the only way to have our own land, Mother," he said soothingly. "I will miss thee very much but there's no land for us here and we want to build our own home and farm. Thee understands."
"Yes, I understand. I just wish North Dakota bordered Vermont." Her face broke into a smile then and we all laughed a little. Andrew hugged us all and asked us to keep in touch and give his best to the other families who were going. We would all meet at the Hansen farm and start out from there. We left the house then and Paul helped me up onto the wagon seat. I held Elizabeth in my lap and she smiled down on the family who stood around the wagon. Paul climbed up beside me and took the reins from Jeremy. They all wished us well and we started away. When I looked back, they were all standing on the porch steps, waving goodbye and wiping a few tears. I turned to Paul who had also taken a last look at his childhood home.
"Is thee all right?" I asked touching his arm.
"Thee and Elizabeth are my family now, Barbara," he replied smiling. "I'm fine. Now if thee wasn't here, it would have been harder to leave. But since thee is, I'm fine."
I squeezed his hand and smiled back. "That's how I feel too," I answered as we turned onto the road to the Hansen farm. "As long as we're together, all is well.
* * *
Five years have passed since we left Fair Hill. We are prospering now here in North Dakota. Mapleton is a quiet little town which we like very much. I am constantly called upon to dispense medical care and advice. The Meeting in Fair Hill and my Uncle keep us well supplied with medical aids and we are well-known here. The families who came from Fair Hill are doing well. Mike and Lyddy have a three year old son. His name is Eric and he and our Beth are fast friends. Karl Meyers and his family have opened a general store in Mapleton. The first thing built after the soddies went up was the Meetinghouse. It too is a soddy. It's full every First Day. Many folks from Mapleton have joined the Meeting and some from Fargo. We have all planted five wheat crops and they have done well. Paul has planted his apple seedlings and they are growing strong. I have come back to this little book because a wonderful realization came to me last First Day which I wanted to set down here. It was an ordinary meeting for Worship. Everyone was present and the meeting was gathered. We were all centered on thoughts of Jesus or our own prayers and meditations when Mike, who seldom speaks in meeting, rose and spoke out of the stillness. He said that he felt the presence of the Holy Spirit among us and told us how thankful he was for a strong meeting in which to raise little Eric. As I watched him seat himself again, I thought about what he had said. Ours was indeed a strong, spirit-filled meeting. We had brought with us that spirit of adventure and love that characterized the Fair Hill meeting. I remembered my meeting for marriage and how I had hoped that our new little meeting would be like the one I was leaving. Then the realization came. The light of understanding broke within me and I knew. It had nothing to do with how the Fair Hill Meeting was. It was the presence of the Holy Spirit that made a Meeting strong and Healthy. Our meeting here was alive and well amid the hard work and harsh lives we led because the spirit of Christ was truly in our midst. Not just on First Day but always. Jesus was truly the center of our lives. This was evident in the way that we worked together to build our community. We had all had lean times in the past five years. But there was always a strong bond within the community and always another family to lend a hand. We lived Christ-centered, Christ-led lives. That was indeed the secret of Fair Hill.
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The Secret of Fair Hill: A Refuge in Fair Hill Book 2 Page 17