Abram's Daughters: The Betrayal Part 21

"No ... no, I say Lydiann's Mamma's girl," said Ida, cooing .iv and taking the baby from Abram. "I daresay she'll be Wyhiy content to sit on my lap while you feed your face, pi."

I Quickly Leah and Ida took their seats. When Abram 274.

lu J3e bowed his head for the blessing over the meal, he added ;in additional prayer. O Lord G.o.d, may your watch care rest on out Sadie... .

He breathed in audibly, signaling the end of the prayer, Leah reached for the platter of eggs near her and notieeql Mary Ruth helping herself to three long strips of bacon acroifl the table. "Won'tcha save some for the rest of us?" she joked!

Mary Ruth gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry. Guess p thought I needed plenty of energy today."

Hannah nodded her head.

"And why's that?" Dat asked.

"We're havin' the first test in mathematics," Mary Ruili explained, all smiles. "I s'pose to see what each pupil reciillt from last year."

"In arithmetic, you say?" Dat said.

"It's hard work," Hannah said softly. "Takes a lot oui <> certain pupils." She smiled at Mary Ruth and they t.i.ttered.

"If a certain daughter of mine didn't fret so over grade's, I doubt she'd need any extra bacon a'tall." Dat chuckled a l>n "Ain't so, Mary Ruth?"

Mamma looked up just then, jostling Lydiann, who u-i reaching for the nearby breakfast plate. "Better learn all y"" can this year, girls. Next year I'll be puttin' you both to w<>i I here at home."

Mary Ruth's smile faded instantly. Leah suspected it u.i an indication of how her sister's heart had just sank, to In sure.

Feeling like it might be a wise thing to change the subjn i, Leah stuck her neck out and asked, "Dat, would smiili 275C_he Idetrayal Hfhry Imppen to know who owns the gra.s.sland northeast Kilt property line?"

"I know who does," Dat replied. "That land belongs to the"I doctor."

I 'I. Schwartz?"

"I Icury Schwartz has done nothin' with it all these years, hy do you ask?"

Lfiih was caught like a driving horse in the path of a recki mitomobile. "Jonas and I were there yesterday afternoon, II."".'Jo then you know it's perfect grazing land and a cryin'

me not to put animals on it." Dat shoveled another spoon' il 1'ijgs into his mouth. While chewing, he managed to say, hi were trespa.s.sin' if you's were over there." ' 'I u' recalled Jonas had suspected as much. How peculiar i in English doctor, of all people, wanted to let that land ii there with no intended purpose.

Him it struck her hard as a bushel of potatoes falling on m i head. Dr. Schwartz owned the land where someone had '"i; ii liny grave. Awful strange!

She reached for her gla.s.s and drank down half of the imy milk, straight from Rosie to Mamma's table. Could it But no, surely not. Had Derry's father buried Sadie's blue 'I'y in his own field?

"What is it, Leah?" Mamma was asking, staring at her. I' "1 guess I'm not feelin' so gut right now." She slid off the inch and rushed out of the kitchen.

f She heard Dat say as she headed upstairs, "Goodness' ke, Leah was sick last night, too."

Well, she couldn't help how she was feeling. She had to 276.

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take herself off to her room for a while. She needed to brealhe slowly ... think this over carefully. Besides, what could sVM say was wrong with her later, when she went out to hose dotifl the milk house, feed the chickens, gather the eggs, and ml and fertilize the yards? How could she begin to say that ( Henry Schwartz must have buried his own grandson ulia Dat's, too on that fertile plot of land? How could she confol that Sadie had conceived the dead baby with the docloM wicked son? I Nearly worse than all of that, Dr. Schwartz hadn't had ill decency to tell Sadie about the burial. He could have done m in confidence, one way or another. Mercy knows, this mi M have helped ease Sadie's desperation and suffering, even tiiviM her a place to privately kneel and ponder her great loss.

Henry Schwartz was a licensed physician and a tnistm family friend. She'd seen the framed certificates on the wall his medical clinic, felt the steadfastness in his handshake. why should such a smart doctor give a stillborn, premaiuM baby a burial? If he indeed had done so. Made hardly ntfl sense.

She felt helpless and sad at once. Helpless to know whB to think ... and awful sad for Sadie, who knew nothing m this, and just as well. , ; I 277^-n-

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7.

i k was helping Ida put up the late cabbage the Tuesday i' i I oah's baptism, making sauerkraut in her sister's kitchen.

I Whs my understanding you and Abram were plannin' to iik openly to Leah two days ago." With both Hannah and > i y Ruth away at school and Leah safely outside with nun, she felt at ease bringing this up.

"We changed our minds, is all," Ida explained. "Leah .n'l feeling so well." "C )h? Leah'sW Ida nodded, absentmindedly it seemed. "Abram decided should wait a bit."

Wait longer!

Lizzie didn't like the sound of this. Both Ida and Abram "I used the selfsame remark as an excuse too many times I i he past months. Honest to goodness, she didn't think it teio wait one more day. After all, Leah was old enough to I courted and marry, so why not acknowledge her maturity lihis important matter?

278.

-lu J2e "I say it's past time" was what she felt like saying, and did so flat out.

"Well, now, Lizzie, is it your decision to make, do ymi think?" Ida's blue eyes could grow dark with displeasure mi occasion, and this was clearly one of those times.

"If you're draggin' your feet scared of what Li':ili't response might be well, I'm willin' to tell her myself."

"I'm sure you are." Ida straightened and then continued to stir the wilting cabbage in the kettle of boiling water. "Uul I think you best be waitin'."

"Waitin's all I've been doing Leah's whole life long." hi.- 'w wished to push back the years. Back to when her daughter w.m but a toddler so cute Leah was and Lizzie wished she mi^ly! whisper it was she who was Mamma. But with the help am Bishop Bontrager, the three of them had made an agreenicrtB to last until Leah reached courting age. Lizzie had stuck liyj her word, keeping the hardest promise of her life. I "Just when do you think Leah should know 'bout nW". Lizzie asked hesitantly.

"Soon as Abram says" came the expected answer. I Wanting to say more, she bit her tongue. She was < p="">

279.

I Innrsily Sadie had been glad to see Jonas Mast return to in I' inIiimi;. She didn't let on to anyone, and certainly not to [lull, win> nearly every day now was telling about one "nice ' 11 hoy" or another, several of whom had come in from - Hiding counties for the potato and corn harvests. "All j' ul young fellas are here. My goodness, Sadie Ebersol, it'krd a right gut time to visit!" The frail woman had a It I hi); tongue, except when she was deep in slumber for the ji: I. i hi i lapping during the day, which was much of the time, l mling on what was happening in the house.

What sort of lookin' boys are they the ones from surliii liny counties?" Sadie found herself asking. i 'Mi, blond or dark haired, it don't matter none. All of Li U-mighty attractive, same as you," the widow said. l"i -i i"II .see for yourself if you go to one of the singings. That's li p.- the lookin' gets the strongest, ya know." Edith sighed, li lij-jht chest heaving. "I daresay the most wonderful-gut Itiii'. on G.o.d's green earth is a match well made." I "I s'pose so" was all Sadie said in response.

I rumble was heard next door in the main house, and lili' went to see if one of the children had fallen. But Vera lip ili'd all was well "just a bit of confusion 'tween Joseph II Mary Mae" was the excuse. Which meant there must v< been="" a="" scuffle,="" a="" battle="" of="" wills="" common="" to="" any="" housein!="" with="">

I Vi-ra Mellinger had her hands full with three lively youngEi iiid another on the way. Young Andy suffered with 280.

in J3t severe asthma, the reason a telephone was permitted in ilu woodworking shop. As if she weren't busy enough, Vera ultni hosted Bible studies for the church women, too. Sadie h.nl repeatedly been invited to attend but felt she should l( ' . after Edith next door, a right good excuse for not sitting ; I till hour while reading Romans1 or Corinthians, epistles writ It'll by the apostle Paul the People here liked to study.

So many things were different here in Millersburg. Slt< was="" still="" becoming="" accustomed="" to="" the="" pitch-black="" color="" of="" till="" buggies,="" instead="" of="" the="" gray="" color="" of="" lancaster="" county,="" not="" ft}="" mention="" the="" curious="" shape="" of="" the="" carriages.="" men's="" hat="" hriini="" were="" only="" three="" inches="" wide,="" and="" the="" single,="" baptized="" yoiin="" men="" grew="" beards="" right="" away,="" instead="" of="" waiting="" till="" they="" wcri="" married,="" like="" in="" gobbler's="" k.n.o.b.="" here,="" too,="" the="" men's="" hair="" wbj="" mediurri'length="" and="" notched="" squared="" off="" at="" the="" ear="" coirt*="" pared="" to="" the="" bowl-cropped,="" shorter="" style="" back="">

The local women wore their bodice capes more frequently and their prayer caps had numerous ironed pleats in the biukj She was the only girl with a pleasant-looking, even prcttyj heart-shaped head covering, she realized. This fact alone attracted plenty of attention from young men also, that .Im was visiting the Mellingers, a well-respected family.

The flouris.h.i.+ng countryside reminded her of home, l-n sure and for certain, except there were more rolling hill. Once ch.o.r.es were done, Sadie often walked the back dm roads, dodging the deep grooves made by the metal w:if,i>n wheels and looking out over the miles and miles of ripenimm corn.

She felt like a foreigner with a name like Ebersol. Men common were the surnames Schlabach, Hershberger, urn I M.

281iOeirauat a imumi, and she sometimes wondered why Mamma had i-i mentioned David Mellinger's family was connected to itilc Miist's side or that their ancestors had put down early il llt'lV.

l! iiskcd, Sadie might have said she liked being round a i ilr houseful of s.h.i.+rttail cousins who doted on her at times, l'ii liissingly so. It was as if they felt somewhat sorry for her 11 i he same time liked her for who she was. Still, if they'd I ,niy idea what she'd done and refused to repent of, they hi hiive packed her up and sent her home promptly. She nvvlul sure of that, seeing as how they were forever dis- .lui'. Scripture sometimes even in heated debates, which Imiiul to be curious.

1 >ik-such conversation had taken place last night, when hin id urned from Pennsylvania. He and Cousin David were nil,! themselves a fine time disputing the cut of a man's i "The rounded style looks mighty fancy to me," David I !.;iid, staring at Jonas's bowl-shaped cut. "Not to me, nor to the brethren back home." "Hut there's a problem with it, I'd have to say," said David, limiting serious. "For one thing, if you were ever stuck out in I In middle of nowhere and had no way to shape the curved (in In, you'd be in a pickle, jah?"

Imias's eyes had brightened. "I guess I can see your point, ! ..i I'd have to say the notched style would be that much li'i to keep up ... if you were away from civilization, so to ,ik."

Hi is had brought rousing laughter. Even Vera and droopy- A I'dith were smiling.

282.

"What about the length?" Jonas asked. "Ain't it a suit. I issue in the Bible?"

David got up and went to get the Good Book. Then, .mi ting back down at the table, he began to read. " 'If a man li;i > long hair, it is a shame unto him.'"

"I agree, 'tis a sin and a shame," Jonas said, a twinkle ! his eye. "The longer the hair is, the more shame, I'd say." J David had agreed with a smile, his own hair at least twi inches longer all around than Jonas's cropped style. '

Sadie wondered if the Lord G.o.d paid any attention in ii Plain man's hair. Wasn't it a person's heart that made the-1 Ii I ference? That's what Dat and Mamma had always said. M;iyU four inches or more too long was an issue if a man wanted m follow hard after the Word of G.o.d. But two inches?

She tried to imagine Dat sitting here talking over sin h things, but she knew her father had no use for nitpicking Scripture.

Jonas, though, had seemed to enjoy the debate. Such mi I'd have with him as my brother-in-la

The afternoon found Sadie on her way downtown to iInold general store, where Vera and other Amishwomen snU their handmade wares. This day there was a whole batch <>l 283Id et r a y a I luiltlrrs, ap.r.o.ns, sunbonnets, and embroidered dish towels WIvit.

II ic ;in had the slightest chill to it, and she was glad she'd n Vein's navy blue sweater, though she missed her shawl n luiini:. Being it was now toward the end of September, ihoiiKI have planned for the change in weather. But she'd ked quickly to come here, so fast she hardly had much of ihIng to choose from. Soon, though, she would be sewing ii* dresses, and she'd have to figure out a way to bring in H* spending money for fabric and sewing notions. She Kln'l expect Vera and David to pay her way in life, though was providing a live-in care service for their mother. Uiiin was forecast, so she hurried the horse just a bit, eager ;i'l where she was going.

11 was on her way back to the Mellingers' that an almost wobble made the buggy shake and groan ... then bang!

"ifIiow the hitch either broke or came loose, and she sat l Ipk'ssly while the horse, complete with its harness dragging, hpt on going, trotting away in spite of her calling, "Come ! " k! Ach, you mustn't leave me here like this."

Si ill, the mare hightailed it down the road, paying her no 11. So there she was, c.o.c.keyed in the wagon, fortunately ii i dusty side road where scarcely any automobiles dared to mI ure.

At: first she considered getting out of the now slanted I 'H.i'.Hy, its front pitched forward so that it was impossible to sit it! 11ie seat. She thought of getting out to walk the long way I'M k. Too far. Still, she couldn't just sit there and wait for nll'lit to fall.

Gazing out at the fields of corn on all sides so similar to 284.

those back home, Leah came to mind. What nerve, lid younger sister sending her off on a train to the Midwest, llicii telling Dat and Mamma on her once she was gone! llmv could Leah up and betray her like that?

Irritated to no end, Sadie managed to climb down oui u the horseless carriage. She went and balanced herself on 11 ii split-rail fence by the side of the road. She knew it wouliln'l be right to abandon David's family carriage wasn't the kind of thing a visiting relative, though awful distant, would Jn Sooner or later she hoped someone would miss her and bq,'ln to wonder where she was, especially come suppertime, whii'h, best as she could guess, was in another two hours or so.

Sadie might have sat and fumed for the rest of the dny about her situation if Jonas Mast hadn't happened along in David's market wagon an hour later.

"Well, now, where's your horse, Sadie?" He jumped down and hurried over to her.

She told him what had happened, and he was surprisingly calm. "Wasn't your fault," he said. "I'll get you back to ilu Mellingers', then go lookin' for the horse. David can help the hitch."

Glad for his kindness, she got settled into the wagon. Slitwas ever so relieved and anxious to talk to him, but slir wanted to be careful about appearing too forward. "Your baptism and Leah's was the weather nice for it?"

" 'Twas a sunny day ... and the best day of my life, so fin,"

285Defrayal dld holding the reins. "Aside from weddin' Leah, I can't i I t.i.t of any thin' I'd rather do than kneel before the bishop Mil promise my life to the Lord G.o.d and the church."

11 In answer got her goat; she wasn't prepared for this. Yet 1 I it hi Id expect him to say such things, shouldn't she? After ]l In' was just as devout as Leah seemed to be. Maybe more I low was Leah? Did she shed a tear?"

I k clucked his tongue, urging the horse to hasten along. I i ili was ever so happy. Too bad you weren't there for the "Im,inee yourself."

" ;ih." Suddenly she was at a loss for words. The People "i iId have expected her to be present at her sister's baptism, 'inestion. But soon enough they'd all know why she'd 11 and why she was never going back.

I hey rode along in silence, except for the chirping of the 'IiIm, Coo loud for her liking. She longed for the quietude of Illh's back porch, where no one could bother her and the 1 ten cats could roam up and purr their soft contentment I tile she held th^m in her lap.

I1 was then that Jonas spoke again. "Next week I plan to I five Sarah Hershberger, next farm over, to the Sunday sing- utf. A girl with not a single brother to drop her off. I'm doing 'i only as a favor for her father, a carpenter friend of David's. 'he's about your age, I'd guess. How would you like to ride 'lutiM-'"

She had to laugh a little. Jonas was as kind as he was wellmannered, acting as a big brother to David's close friend ... ind to her, as well. She liked the idea of going somewhere in i lie coming week, so she said, "Jah, I'll go," and left it at that.

286.

On Wednesday Jonas received Leah's first letter since thuja baptism. He wasted no time in beginning to read it, hopllM she might indeed share her thoughts on what she'd learns Sunday night from Abram and Ida. But surprisingly, there wfl no mention of anything out of the ordinary. Had AbraH decided against telling her? For what reason would he not? I One thing was quite interesting: Leah had written thfl the local doctor was the owner of the property where theyH spent the sunniest part of Sunday afternoon. 1 Dat says Dr. Henry Schwartz, down Georgetown Road a mile or so, owns the land. We best not go back because it's trespa.s.sing, just as you said.

'. hydiann is babbling a lot now, and today 1 almost thought A she said, "Mamma." Sadie won't know her when she returns I home next month. 1 I asked Mamma if she thought November twenty'fifth was I all right for our wedding, and she agrees it will be just fine. 1 I'm missing you already, Jonas. Something awful, truly!

Reading this, he almost wished he'd stayed on in Lanciii. ter County. How could he have left his sweetheart-girl to dcnl with the harsh reality of her birth without his loving support f She might think him coldhearted, though by his kisses slip knew better.

Without a doubt, he felt all but guilty for knowing whuf Leah did not. His bride-to-be was Lizzie Brenneman's own daughter! Once Abram and Ida revealed the truth to her, slid 287/Oeirayal I I he sorting through a gamut of feelings. Alone.

Mary Ruth had been anxious for the chance to see Elias i "U, Scarcely had she stepped out the front door of the Hi I' i' house when here he came in his pony cart. Nearly fly- > I own the road, his black felt hat was high in the air as he K.

W d and beamed a smile at her. He likes me, she thought, In i heart racing as she walked barefoot along the road. "Hullo, there, Mary Ruth!"

"I low are you, Elias?" she said, feeling oh, so comfortable nil him.

I U1 leaped down and went around to help her into the mi.ill curt, which wasn't at all necessary, since it was considi.ihly lower to the ground than a buggy.

"Didja think I'd remember?" he asked cheerfully. ' ihe wanted to say, "I knew you would," but instead .lu-d, "I'm glad you did."

The russet pony pulled them much faster than she ill' i j(lit possible. Too fast, maybe, but it wasn't her place to < ii.="" she="" must="" learn="" not="" to="" talk="" so="" much,="" to="" let="" others="" speak="" 11"="" m="" minds,="" especially="" a="" young="" man="" as="" interesting="" as="" this="" i="" n="" i,11="" boy="" next="" to="">

"When will you turn sixteen?" he asked, as if he didn't I II1IW.

She smiled, keeping the laughter inside for now. Once she nil home, she'd tell Hannah all this, and they'd giggle ingflher. "Well, not till February tenth, year after next."