A Baby for Hannah (Hannah's Heart 3)

by Jerry S. Eicher

  “Oh, I’m sure you’d make a super sandwich,” Miriam said, her voice still a squeak.

  Hannah glanced at Miriam’s bright-red face and shuddered. For all her fears of what Miriam’s reaction would be, this was not what she had imagined. Her tough sister was falling apart in front of Dennis’s piercing blue eyes. This would be funny…if it were anyone else but Dennis that Miriam was swooning over, Hannah thought. “Well,” she said, not looking at either of them, “I see you have everything here we need: tomatoes, salad dressing, lettuce, ham slices, and cheese. I must say that’s pretty good for a bachelor. I never got to see the inside of Jake’s cabin before we were married, but I doubt if it was this well stocked.”

  “I like to eat well,” Dennis said, still looking at Miriam’s scarlet face.

  “Let me help you, Hannah,” Miriam said, gasping suddenly, and rushing over to stand by Hannah’s side.

  Hannah suppressed a laugh at Miriam’s shaking hands as her sister took the tomatoes and lettuce out of the refrigerator.

  Behind them Dennis settled into a kitchen table chair, obviously happy to watch them fix his lunch. “It’s not every day I have two such wonderful cooks preparing a meal for me,” he said, his grin spreading over his face again. “Rebecca does a really good job when I visit their house, but this is even better. This must be what the Englisha mean by in-house service.”

  “You haven’t even tasted our sandwiches yet,” Miriam said, her voice closer to normal. “So don’t be crowing too soon.”

  “We might put in tomato stems,” Hannah quipped, quickly slicing a tomato into five pieces.

  He laughed heartily. “I doubt that. Jake looks pretty healthy. And by the way, what’s he doing today?”

  “He went up to Mr. Brunson’s before we left this morning, and he’s planning on being in town till after lunch.”

  “He’s pretty busy with that furniture business, isn’t he?”

  “Jah,” Hannah said, laying two of the tomato pieces aside, and keeping the three larger ones for the bread Miriam was spreading with salad dressing.

  “I think I’ll be hired on for a log cutting job from Mr. Wesley this spring. At least that’s what some of his help told me.”

  “Well, you can have it,” Hannah said, laying the meat and tomatoes on the sandwiches. “I never liked it when Jake used to work on the crew. It sounded like awful dangerous work driving the machinery around the mountainside.”

  “Ah, but it’s fun,” Dennis said, smiling broadly. “But I guess each to his own taste. I love logging.”

  “So you log?” Miriam asked, her voice squeaky again.

  Hannah glanced at her sister, resigned to the situation. At least Miriam looked normal now without those splotchy red-and-white patterns on her face. There was really nothing Hannah could do about this anyway. Fate…or was it love…or perhaps Da Hah Himself…seemed to be against her. But then perhaps she shouldn’t be so dead-set against this if Miriam was really finding love with Dennis. She hadn’t appreciated it when Betty had interfered with her and Jake—and look how that had turned out.

  “Yes, I do,” Dennis said. “And what brings you out to the great and wild West?”

  “Oh, nothing,” Miriam said. “I’m just visiting for the summer.”

  “For all summer?” he asked.“ That’s a long time to just visit.”

  “She’ll be working at Betty’s place for the summer,” Hannah said. Miriam would also be taking care of her baby, but that wasn’t something Dennis needed to know.

  “Hannah helped Betty for two summers with her riding stable,” Miriam said. “Before she was married to Jake.”

  “That was before Will and I moved here,” Dennis said. “Well, I’m glad you’ll be here all summer. I expect we’ll get to see more of each other at the young folk gatherings.”

  “I think so,” Miriam agreed, dreamy-eyed, as she sliced the tomatoes.

  “The sandwiches are ready,” Hannah said. “We should pray and eat. Betty will be wondering where we have gotten to.”

  “Betty will be okay,” Miriam said, smiling for the first time.

  Dennis nodded and they sat down, bowing their heads. Dennis didn’t pray out loud, but then he wasn’t expected to. Jake hadn’t either for the longest time.

  “So you come from Indiana?” Dennis asked after the prayer as he glanced at Miriam.

  “Jah,” Miriam said, keeping her eyes on her sandwich. “From around the Nappanee area.”

  “I’ve never been there,” Dennis said, chewing slowly. “I guess I ought to visit sometime.”

  “With country like this,” Miriam said, “I can see why you don’t visit anywhere else.”

  “Oh, I’ve been around,” Dennis said. “My parents live in Idaho, but most of my travels have been in the mountain states. They kind of grow on you, I guess.”

  “I can see why they would,” Miriam said. “I absolutely love it out here.”

  “Then you should come and live here permanently,” he said, flashing a smile.

  “Maybe I will,” Miriam said as the red streaked across her face again.

  Hannah swallowed the last bite of her sandwich and stood up. She grabbed a washcloth in the sink.

  “No you don’t!” Dennis said, holding up his hand. “You girls made lunch, and I clean up. And that’s the final word on the matter.”

  “Okay,” Hannah said. “Then we had better be on our way.”

  Dennis nodded and led the way outside. Hannah and Miriam mounted their horses as he untied them. A good distance from the cabin, Miriam turned to look back over her shoulder.

  “He’s still on the front porch,” Miriam whispered. “What did I tell you about him? Didn’t I say it would be love at first sight?”

  “Quit looking back,” Hannah commanded. “You’re making a spectacle of yourself.”

  “No, I’m not,” Miriam said, turning around at the edge of the clearing.

  “You know, it’s amazing that of all the cabins we should discover on our ride, it would be Dennis Riley’s,” Hannah remarked as they made their way toward Betty’s.

  “Hannah,” Miriam said with a laugh, “I have a confession to make. I didn’t mean to trick you, but I knew you wouldn’t come if I told you. See, after you brought up Dennis Riley’s name, I asked Kendra if she knew where he lived. She told me, and I figured if we kept heading far enough in that direction we’d arrive there. And there it was, just like Kendra said. Now what’s so awful about being in love?”

  “What’s awful is not telling me.”

  “Well, sometimes a little leading along doesn’t hurt.”

  “I just hope you know what you’re doing,” Hannah replied with a sigh.

  Sixteen

  The Sunday morning sun blazed through the hall window as Jake followed Minister Mose Chupp’s broad back up the house stairs, pausing on the landing as Bishop John opened a bedroom door, peaking inside before he pushed it wide open. Menno Yoder’s whispered instructions before the service must have been garbled or the bishop forgot which bedroom wasn’t being used for sleeping babies, Jake thought. He kept his eyes on the floor as the sun went behind the clouds and the window darkened. He followed Mose inside.

  Bishop John’s face had been sober all morning as he stood in line by the barn, greeting the men as they walked past him. Something was troubling him, and it didn’t take too many guesses to figure out what it was. News of the coming Mennonite revival meetings had buzzed all along the line of men this morning. Ben Stoll must have paid other Amish friends visits in addition to the one at Jake’s furniture shop.

  Where was this matter going to end? Obviously Bishop John intended to tackle the problem head-on this morning. Jake tried to still the racing of his heart as he took a chair against the wall.

  Outside the sun was breaking through the clouds again, and rays of sunlight pierced through the window. Jake squinted and scooted his chair sideways, but the width of the beam still reached him. Shading his eyes, he glanced at Bishop John, wh
o was staring at the floor.

  Jake stood, his legs weak, and walked to the window and pulled the shade. He glanced back where shadows now lay across his chair. In the silence his shoes echoed loudly on the hardwood floor as he walked back to his chair.

  Bishop John cleared his throat.

  “I suppose both of you have heard of the goings on in the community. I didn’t receive a visit from Ben Stoll, which doesn’t surprise me at all, but many of our men did. Elizabeth told me she thinks that well over half the church members were personally visited and given brochures and invitations to the upcoming Mennonite revival meetings. Have either of you received a visit?”

  “I didn’t,” Mose said. “And Clara didn’t mention anything. I’m sure she would have if Ben had stopped by while I was away from the farm.”

  “I see,” Bishop John said, clearing his throat again. Silence settled on the room, and Jake’s heart pounded in his chest. This was not going to look good for him, as Ben was obviously only stopping in at the homes of those he considered easy targets. Protesting and repeating what he had told Ben would do little good.

  “Ben stopped by the shop on Saturday,” Jake said, not looking up.

  “I see,” Bishop John said. “And what did he have to say?”

  “He said he stopped by for a friendly visit and to invite Hannah and me to the meetings.”

  “And you told him what?” Bishop John asked.

  “That I thought he was wrong in what he was doing, and that he should take his tent revival somewhere else.”

  Mose laughed. “There’s not much chance of that, I don’t think.”

  “It doesn’t sound like it,” Jake said. “Ben says he has a call from God, whatever that means. I think he’s even planning to do some of the preaching himself.”

  “I hope you were firm with him, Jake. He needs someone to bring correction to him. He’s a confused young man. It’s hard for me to imagine what these Mennonite preachers put into their members’ heads, but they do produce radicals is all I can say. I mean, who would send a young man out to do meetings and let him preach on some flimsy feeling that he has? It’s reckless, if you ask me.”

  “I thought I might have been a little hard on him,” Jake said, shifting on his chair.

  “Well, that’s also possible,” Bishop John said, nodding. “We have to be careful about both extremes, but it is gut to hear that you sought to correct the man. Ben needs it.”

  Jake relaxed a bit. Perhaps he had done okay after all.

  “What are we going to do about this within the community?” Mose asked, rubbing his hands together. “I’m afraid some of the church members might have given Ben a greater welcome than what Jake did.”

  “I’m thinking the same thing,” Bishop John said. “And I think we ought to take some further steps with the congregation.”

  “Perhaps we should call a special meeting specifically to warn them of the dangers Ben and those people pose,” Mose said. “We could call such a meeting today after church while this is still fresh in everyone’s mind.”

  “We could do that,” Bishop John said. “In fact, I think that’s the least of what we can do. My feelings are that even further steps should be taken.”

  “Like what?” Mose asked.

  Bishop John clasped his hands in front of him, “Of course we would need unity in whatever decision we make, but we must act. I’m thinking Ben and Sylvia might need to be warned that excommunication will be used against them. That is, if they continue pushing these meetings, which are clearly targeted at us, his former church. Our understanding with Ben when he left the community was that he and Sylvia would join a decent church, and this doesn’t sound like a decent one, even if they call themselves Mennonites.”

  “From what I hear, it’s a new church conference of some sort, and they really push these revival meetings,” Mose said. “That’s what Clara told me, and she heard it from her relatives back East. They said this conference has its main church in Pennsylvania somewhere.”

  “It doesn’t matter what they say,” Bishop John said. “It’s how they’re acting out here in Montana that matters to me. Do you think there’s a chance we could reason with their leaders?”

  “I don’t think so,” Mose said. “It sounds as if they allow their people to work without a lot of oversight. I doubt if they will feel responsible for what’s going on.”

  “That’s what I was afraid of,” Bishop John said. “Then we may have to deal with Ben and Sylvia ourselves. What is your opinion on asking the church for an excommunication?”

  “There might be some objections,” Mose said. “But I would be in favor of it.”

  “I don’t think there will be objections among the members we can’t overcome,” Bishop John said. “Not if we’re in unity on this decision.”

  They both turned to look at Jake, silence settling on the room again.

  “I don’t know,” Jake said. “I hate to be the one who disagrees, but maybe we ought to ride this thing out. Bringing down an excommunication on Ben and Sylvia may only make things worse.”

  The men were silent. And then Bishop John spoke. “I’m surprised at you, Jake. I thought you were opposed to what Ben is doing.”

  “I am,” Jake said. “But we have to be careful not to inflame the situation.”

  “But what if we lose members?” Mose asked. “With things being what they are, I’m fully expecting we might. Remember how Will Riley spouted off the other Sunday? He should apologize to you and to the church, but we let him get away with what he said.”

  “Jake, weren’t you the one who objected to excommunicating Ben and Sylvia when they left the church last year?” Bishop John asked, turning to look toward the window. “It seems to me that you were.”

  “I still think I was right,” Jake said. “We normally don’t excommunicate our members for joining the Mennonites, and I don’t really want an apology from Will about the testimony he gave. He was only expressing his opinion.”

  “This problem would be much easier to handle now if Ben had already been warned about excommunication, is all I can say. I doubt if he would even think about holding these meetings with that hanging over his head,” Bishop John said.

  “I tend to agree,” Mose said. “Jake, I think you need to give on this before it’s too late.”

  “So what do you say, Jake?” Bishop John asked, turning toward him. “Are you ready to give your word to the excommunication?”

  Jake stared at the curtains of the window. It would be the easiest thing in the world to agree with them, and no one would blame him. In fact, it might be the best thing to do. This would certainly deliver a jolt to Ben and his plans, if no Amish member could attend the tent meetings without facing excommunication. Hadn’t Hannah said he wasn’t supposed to bring trouble on the family from his church work? This would be trouble if he dared stand up to Bishop John and Mose. Yet how could he not?

  “I’m not ready yet to give my word,” Jake finally said. “I’m sorry, but this is all so sudden.”

  “I can see that,” Bishop John said. “And in a way I can understand it, but we must not allow this to drag on much longer. Perhaps we can wait awhile and see where we’re at, but we have to do something. Our forefathers warned us what happens when our hearts become weak in the face of threats to the church. When that happens, sin gains a foothold and many are led astray.

  “I hope you’ll consider the matter long and thoughtfully, Jake, and come to the right decision. Our people have long held to the belief that excommunication needs to have an active and present role in our churches. They believed it needs to be exercised whenever church members leave or threaten the faith.” He paused and then added, “So I suppose we will leave the matter there for now.”

  Mose cleared his throat, “I sure hope you don’t stand up for Ben Stoll, Jake. The young man is completely out of control from what I have heard. He’s talking about having a calling from God to preach himself, and he has never even been ordained. I ho
pe you can see how wrong-minded that is, Jake. We need your support on this.”

  Jake nodded. What else was there to say? He knew he would need to speak with Hannah, but he also knew that might make matters worse. He opened his dry mouth, but no sound came out.

  “Well,” Bishop John said, “let’s get back to the church. I will have the main sermon, and Mose, it’s your turn to do the opening. Jake will read the Scriptures.”

  Bishop John opened the bedroom door, leading the way downstairs. Jake kept his eyes on each step, steadying his hands by his side. Beads of sweat were popping out under his collar. Once seated on the ministers’ bench between the men and women’s sides of the house, he leaned against the wall and slowly raised his head to watch Mose get up to open the sermon.

  Had he gone too far this time? Hannah would be shocked when she learned that he was even thinking of disagreeing with Bishop John on such an important subject. Worst of all, Bishop John would think he had secret sympathies for Ben and his cause. Did he have secret sympathies? Was there perhaps somewhere in his heart a longing to leave the faith and flirt with the world?

  His dad, Uriah, hadn’t been a preacher, but he used to warn his sons of such things when they gathered around the living room for prayer on cold winter nights. Under the hiss of the gas lantern, with the weight of the long, dark evenings on them, Uriah would say, “A man’s heart is full of iniquity. Never place your trust in your own heart or in any man, but only in the Word of God and in the protection of the church. Remember that in each of us there is a secret longing for the ways of the world. It is only by the ever-present counsel of the brethren and sisters, and by applying their interpretation of the Word of God, that anyone is safe.”

  Had Bishop John’s own fears after Jake’s ordination been correct? Had his ability to preach well gone to his head? Jake kept his eyes on Mose, pushing the questions away. He soon would need to get up before the congregation to read.

  “‘Man shall not live by bread alone,’” Mose said, “‘but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’ Please take warning, everyone, to what this Scripture is saying. Satan came to tempt the Lord God Himself, and surely he is not afraid of us. Satan will offer us all the temptations of the world if he can convince us to follow after him.”