From This Day Forward

by Lauraine Snelling

  Out in the field, Lars called, “Play ball.” The smaller children played around the women’s feet. The middle children were down at the barn, where Manny had saddled Joker before heading for the ball game.

  Only Thorliff’s presence was missing from this perfect July day.

  Fifteen guests and more are still arriving! Sophie marveled. This was turning into some party. After discussing the plan after church on Sunday, the women had decided to have the party at Sophie’s house instead of Ingeborg’s. It was more convenient for the ladies who worked or lived in town. Penny had even closed her store, and Mrs. Garrison had left her husband alone at the grocery store.

  Women were setting their food offerings on the table in the house, where Penny had said the food would be served to circumvent the flies, and then they picked up either a cool glass or a cup of coffee before joining the others outside. Those with toddlers or babies gave them to the young girls, who were helping mind the little ones next door.

  “Isn’t this fun?” Sophie squealed as her sister came up the walk. She gave Grace a hug. She was in her element, playing hostess to all these women.

  She patted Grace on her well-disguised mound. “So glad you are having an easy time. You are blooming.”

  Grace smiled. “Thank you. Me too.”

  Ingeborg and Kaaren had walked there together and were now sharing hosting duties with Sophie, making sure they welcomed some of the more recent arrivals.

  When it appeared everyone had arrived, Ingeborg stood on the back porch and clapped her hands. “Welcome, ladies, to our first ever Women of Blessing Party. After Mary Martha says grace, each of you will serve yourself in the dining room and bring your plate back out here. I have a request: Would all of you please sit with someone you don’t know well when you have your food? More chairs are on the way.” She nodded to Mary Martha, who stood beside her with a smile as big as Ingeborg’s.

  “Thank you all for coming today. Let’s bow our heads, please.” After a moment’s pause, Mary Martha began. “Heavenly Father, thank you for arranging for us all to be together. Thank you for the food we have, for the friendships always growing deeper, and for the ideas you will give us today. We praise you and thank you. Amen.” She spread her arms wide. “Please, come and help yourselves.”

  Reverend Solberg and Johnny brought in more chairs from the church, then left with waves to Sophie.

  Up on the porch, Sophie whispered to Ingeborg, “I can’t believe how much food the ladies brought. I had Mrs. Sam and Lily Mae fix some extra food too, just to make sure we had enough.” She shrugged and grinned. “Oh well. I guess we’ll have plenty for everyone to take home for supper.”

  “Takk and thank you and danke and any other way you can say it.”

  Daniel’s mother, Amelia, joined them. “Isn’t this absolutely delightful?” She leaned closer to Ingeborg. “Several of these women have been learning English from me.”

  They joined the line of laughing and chattering women.

  When everyone was seated, Ingeborg whispered to Sophie, “Eighteen ladies are here, and several have apologized for someone else who wanted to come but couldn’t. This is so absolutely incredible.”

  “Remember to speak slowly so the newer immigrants can follow you,” Amelia cautioned.

  “I will, but if I get carried away, you flag me.”

  When all the plates were back in the house, and the glasses and cups refilled, Ingeborg stood on the porch so everyone could see her. “May I have your attention, ladies?” Slowly the conversations ebbed and all of them looked at her. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I am absolutely delighted so many could come. I know it wasn’t easy for some of you, but one thing I think we agree on, we are grateful to be living in Blessing and”—she grinned at Amelia, who’d made a slow-down motion with her hands—“want to help make it better.”

  Amelia nodded.

  “While we all know of things that need to be done, our main focus today is to talk about our school. We all know the building we have is getting too crowded for our children to all attend and have a place to sit, books to study, and teachers to teach them. We need to build an addition for the primary school, and we need to build a high school as well. As always, when we want something like this, we have to figure out a way to pay for it.”

  Nods and smiles and a smattering of replies swept the group.

  “We women know that when you add up a lot of little things, you can have something big, right?” Again nods and titters. Someone was explaining to her neighbor what was said. “So we are going to decide on lots of little things and maybe some bigger ones too.”

  Sophie smiled and nodded. Ingeborg was choosing her words carefully and she had indeed slowed down so the newer immigrants could understand. Ingeborg smiled at Amelia, who was grinning like a little girl with a new hair bow and a red lollipop.

  “We need to start with ideas, so raise your hand when you want to offer one. Amelia will write them all down so we don’t forget.”

  Amelia held up one of the school tablets and a pencil.

  “Anyone?”

  “Well, one thing we talked about was a box social,” Kaaren said.

  “I have a feeling not everyone knows what that is,” Sophie said. “Amelia, do you want to explain?”

  She stood up. “A box social is a party where the women and girls”—she swept her hand to include them all—“make a box or basket pretty, if they can, and make their best foods to put in the box and bring it to the party. But they don’t ever say which is theirs. The men bid on them, like an auction, and they are surprised to see who they are sharing supper with.” She paused and glanced around. “Any questions?”

  One woman raised her hand. “No understand.”

  “Mrs. Dalnoski, will you please explain to her what I said?” While that happened, Amelia looked to Ingeborg. “We should have brought a sample.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll all get it straight.”

  Amelia waited a bit longer and then raised her hands. “Let’s continue. The party is for the grown-ups only, not small children. Then all the money that is bid for the boxes goes into our Blessing schools fund. After everyone finishes eating, we have a dance.”

  “Thank you, Amelia,” Ingeborg said. “Now we need some more ideas.”

  Heads nodded while the women waited for someone else to speak. One woman raised her hand. “We bring good foods, uh”—she wrinkled her forehead to get the right word—“cookies and special things to buy, like pie and—”

  Someone added, “Blini! Must have blini.”

  “Thank you. A fine idea,” Ingeborg said. “A bake sale.”

  “Sell a quilt.”

  “Auction it? Bid like for a box social?”

  Nods and jas and other words of agreement came from the group.

  “Take collection at meeting?”

  “I work for someone and give money.”

  “Me too.”

  The ladies were really into it now. More suggestions poured forth.

  Finally, when the ideas seemed to be exhausted, Ingeborg looked down at Amelia. “Please read the list again for us.”

  Amelia read off the list. “If you have more ideas later, please bring them to me. Thank you.”

  “Great ideas. Now we have a couple of announcements.”

  Rebecca raised her hand and stood. “We are thinking about opening a bakery. Mrs. Garrison would sell the baked goods at her store, and if this works well, we will open a special shop, maybe add floor space to my ice cream shop. So we are looking for someone who loves to bake.” She sat down.

  Sophie added, “We will also need someone to take trays of these baked foods to the train when it stops in Blessing. And perhaps we would open a place at the train station, so the people riding the train can buy them. If this sounds like a good idea to one of you, let me or Rebecca know. We will talk about this a lot more, but we know it will not happen right away.” She looked to Ingeborg.

  “I know of people who want some
one to work for them,” Ingeborg told the group. “Both men and women are needed. For housework, farm and field work, and cooking.”

  Kaaren stood up beside her. “When we open the new part of the deaf school, we will need more help too. A lot of help. So if you have friends or relatives who want to come to America, please talk with me.”

  Ingeborg stared at Kaaren. “What a grand idea. We need to bring this up with the men.”

  Sophie bobbed her head. “We’d need more housing . . . more of everything. How come we never thought of asking everyone before? But then, perhaps they’ve already been doing so and just never mentioned it to us.” She raised her voice. “Anyone else?” She paused. “Thank you all for coming.”

  “We meet again, ja?” one woman asked eagerly.

  “Uh . . .” Sophie shrugged. “I . . . uh, guess we could do that. When summer is over, we will be making quilts and sewing for others like we did before summer. Thank you for asking. Please pick up the dishes you brought, and I thank you again for coming.”

  One woman clapped and the others joined her. Pretty soon every one of them was standing and clapping.

  Sophie made sure she said good-bye to everyone as they left. When it was only she and Grace, her mother, Tante Ingeborg, and Amelia remaining, they stared at each other. “I think they talked and gave their ideas so well today because no men were here.”

  “That’s why I have separate classes for men and women,” Amelia said. “So many of them are used to never saying anything when their husband is with them. They usually let him do all the talking. That’s the tradition where they come from, and old traditions die hard.”

  “Or live forever,” Sophie muttered, making the others laugh.

  “Do you know what we need here the most?” Ingeborg asked.

  “What, besides buildings and teachers and—”

  “We need to find someone who can help Thorliff with the newspaper.”

  “Of course!” Sophie wasn’t too sure, though. “Will he accept anyone’s help?”

  “I have no idea, but we will pray that he will.”

  Chapter 16

  Toby, Manny, Samuel, and Lars paused to look out over the fields on the edge of town. The sun was just starting to peek above the horizon.

  Lars grimaced. “Thanks to the rain and wind flattening the hay, we’re going to have to postpone haying. It’s too wet yet. Besides, some of it might perk up and stand upright again; easier mowing.”

  “We’ll just have to lower the cutting bar to pick it up.” Samuel glanced at his pa.

  Lars was staring off across the fields. “At least the wind blew it down in one direction.”

  “So we get less hay?” Manny asked.

  “Most likely. Even lowered, the cutting bar will miss some,” Toby explained. He had to admire Manny, who was always asking questions, always eager to learn. “But we have to get it off the fields for the second crop to grow.”

  “If we get a second cutting.” Samuel kicked a clod of dirt. “It all depends on the weather.”

  “In farming everything depends on the weather,” Manny muttered.

  “Well, let’s go check over the machinery,” Lars said.

  “How come you don’t use the steam tractor for haying?” Manny asked.

  “Knocks down too much hay, but we’ll use all three mowers with teams of three.”

  “Are you gonna shoe the horses first?”

  “Usually not until time for harvest, when it’s drier. Unless we see they need it.” Lars nodded. “Good thinking. Get this done and you boys might want to go fishing.”

  “The little kids too?” Manny asked.

  “Of course.”

  “Fish fry tonight!” Manny’s grin near to split his face. “C’mon, Sam, let’s get the machinery cleaned up quick.” And off they went.

  Sure, Toby was still young, but he envied the way those boys slammed into everything. He wasn’t slowing up yet, but he didn’t slam into work as much.

  The men gathered in Thorliff’s office at six o’clock.

  Thorliff motioned them all to the coffee pot. “Coffee’s hot. Thelma said she’ll bring breakfast out soon.”

  Daniel turned and clapped Trygve on the shoulder. “Glad you joined us.” Since this was the first real meeting since Trygve and Joshua were promoted from foremen to supervisors, the group had grown.

  Toby laid the plans he’d been studying on the table and poured his coffee. “Thanks.”

  “Morning sure came fast.” Joshua Landsverk joined Toby at the coffee pot. “I swung by the Hegdahl farm. That barn is dry enough to paint today if we start on the south side, but that wind knocked down some of the scaffolding.”

  “You’ll have five men. Is that enough?” Toby asked.

  Joshua nodded. “Should be. Guess we could use one or two more, one for each crew. Got that kid of Hegdahl’s too. He might be young, but he’s sure a good worker. Maybe his younger brother can be the helper. He’s a good worker too. They probably won’t be haying like they figured.”

  “Probably not.” Toby turned to Mr. Belin. “How’s the finish work coming on Deming’s house?”

  “Slow. Cabinets not arrive yet in kitchen. Hope for today but . . .” He shook his head. “Said same last week. Doors all hung.”

  “Bathroom done?”

  “Da, cabinet and mirror. Plumbing. Upstairs done, mostly. Finish needed on stairs.”

  “Takk.” Thorliff joined them around the coffee pot. “So we need more finish men, don’t we?”

  “It would help.”

  Thorliff shook his head. “It’s a shame Devlin left.”

  “Don’t I know it. His work was perfection. I’ll put out the word.” Toby looked at Mr. Belin. “Can you think of any men on the other crews who could do finishing work?”

  “Hm. Da, maybe.” Mr. Belin grinned. “See? This I try to say on four of July. Got some boys, beautiful work. They do good work, go up in the world. I see.”

  Toby bobbed his head as he refilled his coffee mug. “We don’t have to work on housing so much if we make better use of the people we have. Thank you, Mr. Belin.”

  Lars asked, “What about that Tony kid? Tonio Hastings.”

  “He has one more year of school, but he likes working with wood and makes sure the cuts are perfect. He was in Devlin’s class last year.”

  “Is his wood better than his steel?” Daniel asked. “He did well in machining class too. Hate to lose him.” He swirled his coffee. “He’s a good boy.”

  “At least for the summer. Good thing we have some young fellas coming up.”

  “That Manny . . . Haakan started him on carving, and he’s been going at it ever since. He has a real love of wood. He can work with us until the hay is dried and ready to haul.”

  Hjelmer finally joined them, apologizing for being late when he came through the door.

  Daniel poured a cup for Hjelmer. “I’ve got a shipment to have ready for today’s eastbound.”

  Thelma entered the open door carrying a tray piled high with big, puffy rolls.

  “Let’s get seated.” Thorliff tapped the table. “Bring that tray over here and we can pass it around.”

  From the big patch pockets in her apron she pulled spoons and jars of jam and honey and set them on the table.

  “Takk, Thelma.” Thorliff stuck a spoon in the honey and spread it across a roll.

  Toby reached for a roll. “By the way, your special edition looked real good.”

  “Takk. Now that you’ve divided up the young blood . . .”

  “Just we need more.”

  After everyone gave their reports, Thorliff pointed to the school schematics nailed to the wall. “We lay it out today and tomorrow, and we’ll be ready to dig out the basement. That building has to be weathered in before winter gets here. To make that deadline, we need to pour walls by the end of the week.” He pointed to the calendar with numbers circled. “Those are the deadlines. I will do my best to make sure all the materials are here when we n
eed them.” He shook his head. “Now if only our suppliers were as committed to this as we are.”

  “I can give you a hand with that,” Hjelmer suggested. “Thanks to Mr. Gould, all our funds are in place. That’s good leverage. Tell ’em we’ll pay cash the moment the order arrives and take off a percentage for every day it’s late.”

  “Good idea! I’ll give you the contracts. Next item.” Thorliff wagged his head and snorted. “Talk about a first. Jonathan said that since haying is postponed, he’d like to be on a crew.”

  “We’ll get him a shovel.”

  Thorliff slapped his palms on the table. “Anything else?”

  “My painters should be available to dig in two days, weather permitting,” Toby said.

  “Good. Hjelmer, come back, please, after you open the bank.”

  As the men were leaving the room, Daniel stopped beside Thorliff. “Things are slow right now at the flour mill. Did you mention this to Garth?”

  Thorliff stared at him. “Thanks. Didn’t think of that.” He scrubbed his forehead and smoothed his hair back. “Do you want to talk with him?”

  “Of course. You know, something tells me you can’t work all day and all night too.”

  “I know, but there’s so much to do.”

  “Maybe you need to delegate more.”

  “Easy to say. Like I just did? And to whom?” He swigged his coffee. “Cold. Blech!”

  “Perhaps Jonathan would be better helping you. This is as much a part of the building as being out there digging and hammering.”

  “Better here than out on a mowing machine, but Lars needs him too. They’ve got both places to cut. Face it, Jonathan wants to farm—that’s what he went to college for. He’s in that barn milking both morning and evening. ”

  As Toby left, he almost added to what Daniel had said. Thorliff seemed almost too tired to think anymore. Would there be a good time to just suggest he stick to the printing and let Jonathan or someone else help with the construction? Sure, Jonathan loved to farm, but the construction work was necessary immediately.

  He hitched up his wagon, picked up more painting supplies, and met his crew of painters at the boardinghouse. Driving this rickety old wagon was a war, fighting mud all the way to the barn job. Hegdahl and his two boys met them as Toby finally halted the steaming team.