Abram's Daughters 02 The Betrayal (27 page)

"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

Abram's daughters ... I

Oh, there she'd gone and forgotten the truth yet n^iuil One of the Ebersol girls was really her daughter. Would Ih-.hM and head never agree?

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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 God'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 children.

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

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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 Knob. 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 home.

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 flourishing countryside reminded her of home, l-n sure and for certain, except there were more rolling hill. Once chores 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 shirttail 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.

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"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 God 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 God. 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, aprons, 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, cockeyed 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

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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 tit of any thin' I'd rather do than kneel before the bishop Mil promise my life to the Lord God 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.

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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 trespassing, 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

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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