RR05 - Tender Mercies (23 page)

“Or I could hire Bridget. Or you could take over part of the sack house for the winter.”

“Or I could set up store in my parlor. The sack house office might work too. The big room is too hard to heat. We’d freeze in there.”

“Olaf could put in another window maybe. But it depends-what do you want to do?”

“What do you want to do?”

They both shrugged, tipped their heads to the side, and shrugged again.

“I been praying about it.” Goodie munched on a cookie.

“Me too.”

“Olaf says to do what I want. He’ll help when and where he can.”

“Hjelmer pretty much says the same.”

“Either of them could fix those things in a minute. Just give them the instructions and away they’d go.”

“True.”

“You want I should come work for you regular?”

“If you’d like.”

“I would. Then that’s settled. For now, anyway. We can change our minds and do something else later if ’n we want.”

“All right. Let’s go tell Mr. Drummond and get his suggestions on how to go about this. He has three machines with him right now, one for you, one for me, and one for whoever grabs it first.” She put out her hand. “Thank you for solving this thing for us.”

The two women put their coffee cups in the dishpan and headed through the curtained door just as the bell over the store door tinkled. “You go on and talk with Mr. Drummond while I wait on this customer,” Penny said, guiding Goodie ahead of her.

“I really don’t have any money to put into machines anyhow. Just the one for me, and I’ll pay for that working for you,” Goodie said.

If only we could solve the statehood issues this easily
, Penny thought.
Thank you, Father, thank you
.

“Is Mr. Bjorklund here? I need to put some money in the bank.” The man peered around the corner to the bank room.

“No, but Mr. Valders can take care of it for you.” Penny pointed him the way, knowing she’d seen him before, but not putting a name to the face. Another customer came in, and she got busy enough to forget about the man setting up machines.

Until Ingeborg and Kaaren entered at the same time. “I brought you some more cheese,” Ingeborg called, hefting a basket. “Could only spare half a wheel.”

“And I brought butter and eggs.” Kaaren had a basket on her arm too. They both turned when they heard Goodie laugh.

“Put those down here and let me show you something.” Penny pointed to the counter. When the baskets were set, she beckoned them down the aisle, stepping aside when she came even with Mr. Drummond. With one machine set up, he was showing Goodie how to thread the needle.

“These are Singer sewing machines, ladies, the greatest invention yet for women of today.”

As he went into his spiel, Penny watched Kaaren’s and Ingeborg’s faces. They swapped looks full of questions that soon shifted to delight as they saw the seams the humming machine made. Goodie tried it first, and once she got the treadle moving in the right direction with the right rhythm, the needle went up and down like a charm.

When Ingeborg tried, she had no trouble. “It’s just like working the spinning treadle, only with both feet.” When she guided the piece of material under the needle and watched the seam form before her eyes, she sat back and dropped her hands in her lap. “Well, I never.”

When Kaaren tried, she got the treadle pumping and the needle going up and down, but for some reason the thread tangled. “Oh, I broke it.”

“No, no. That kind of thing can happen real easy. Let me show you how to fix it.” Drummond sat back down at the machine and had it whirring along again in no time. He motioned Kaaren to take the chair again, and this time, she sewed her first seam. When they tried to pull the two pieces apart, they realized how strong the stitching really was.

“Think how fast it goes.” Kaaren stroked the machine as if it were a perfect rose.

“Reminds me of the first time I saw a mower work. The way the grass fell so fast. With this we could make a quilt in no time. Or a dress.” Ingeborg fingered the bolt of gingham Penny had laid out.

“Or the sheets and tablecloths for Bridget’s boardinghouse,” Penny said. “When I think of all I could do with this machine, I . . . I . . .” She raised her hands in the air and let them fall.

“So, where do we get these machines?” Ingeborg turned to Mr. Drummond, who had sat back and let the ladies sell themselves on the machine.

“From the store here. Mrs. Bjorklund will have one on display here all the time. We order them from Boston and can have them within two weeks. If you can’t afford to buy this little jewel outright, Singer will let you sign a contract, and you pay a little every month. This is the newest way of doing business. A Singer sewing machine for every woman in America.”

Within two days every woman in Blessing and from more than five miles out had been by to see the new Singer sewing machine. When she wasn’t helping Penny in the kitchen, Goodie spent every minute she could on the machine. She sewed a log cabin quilt too, and they hung it behind the machine. The calico dress they hung on a hanger by the quilt. The children’s coat and hat lay folded on the shelf, also the boys’ pants and shirt. Napkins for the boardinghouse stacked up.

Penny let Goodie show others how to sew on the machine. Even her tante Agnes.

“I sew just fine,” Agnes insisted when Penny pulled her back to the sewing area.

“I know you do. You taught me how, remember? But this machine will make your life so much easier.”

“What, you want me to get lazy or something?” Yet Agnes listened and laughed. “Good for you, child. I hope this helps your store get better and better. But I’m just not going to learn to sew on that contraption.”

Bridget took over Penny’s machine. She came to help in the kitchen, and as soon as the meal was finished, she sat down to sew.

She started with hemming flannel squares for diapers for Katy’s baby, then progressed to blankets, quilts, and baby things. She sewed shirts for Thorliff and Andrew, a dress for Astrid, and matching dresses for the twins. Her stack of Christmas presents grew daily.

“Maybe I’ll open a sewing shop instead of a boardinghouse,” she said one afternoon.

“Oh no, you don’t. We finally got the boardinghouse approved, and now you change your mind?” Hjelmer shook his head.

“You did?” His mother smiled and nodded. “That is good. Now I start working on sheets.”

Haakan and Lars came in and bought the first two machines. One would have to be ordered. “Now don’t you tell Ingeborg and Kaaren,” they said. “These are for Christmas.”

“Pretty wonderful presents, if you ask me,” Penny answered. “You want I should keep them here then?”

“Good idea! Now, you promised. No matter what, not even a hint.”

The two men had just left, teasing each other as they went out the door, when another man entered. The scowl on his face sent a chill up Penny’s spine.

“What you tink you doing?” he shouted.

Penny was sure they heard him over in the schoolhouse. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“Dat . . . dat sewing machine ting. You make us to go in the poorhouse or someting? You vant all our money?” He shook his fist in her face.

Penny motioned under the counter for Goodie to go get one of the men. “No, sir, I don’t want all your money, and I don’t want you to go to the poor farm.” She wanted to take a step back, the liquor on his breath made her gag. “I don’t force people to buy the things I have for sale here in the store.”

“My wife, she vant dat sewing machine. Say we pay little every mont.” He leaned forward and raised his voice again. “Ve ain’t got a little extra every mont, you hear me.”

“Yes, I do.” Penny wiped the spit off her cheek with her apron.

“My wife, she not let me in the bed . . .”

Hjelmer and Olaf came through the front door together, caught the man by his arms, and lifted him right off the floor. He was still yelling and flailing when they sat him down on the edge of the horse trough. He fell in yelling.

Penny and Goodie watched from the doorway as the man clambered out of the tank and sputtered his way to his wagon. “He’ll catch his death driving home all wet in this cold weather.” Penny spun around and ran for the chest where she stored extra blankets. Grabbing one she ran back outside and up to the wagon. “Here, wrap this around yourself.”

The man looked down at her, looked at the wool blanket, and shook his head. “Well, I’ll be a . . .” He took the blanket and did as she said. “Tank you, ma-am. I vill bring it back.”

Penny watched him drive off. Give a man enough booze, and he turned into a raging bull. She shuddered again. He had looked as if he was going to hit her. What if Hjelmer and Olaf hadn’t come when they did?

“Penny Bjorklund, if you don’t take the cake.” Hjelmer stopped beside her.

“You shouldn’t have dunked him. Not as cold as it is.”

“We didn’t. He fell in himself.” He tweaked her earlobe. “And you go giving away a perfectly good blanket to a man who looked like he was going to chew you up and spit you out.” He looked over her head to Olaf. “What are we going to do with her?”

“Buy her another blanket?” Olaf patted her shoulder. “You got a good heart, young lady, that you do.”

Penny shivered. “The look in his eyes, like he was half crazy. What if you hadn’t come when you did?”

“I think it’s time to keep a gun under the counter. Been thinking that for some time now, with the railroad traffic and all. Blessing isn’t like it used to be, you know. Strangers coming through here all the time now.”

“A gun? I haven’t used a gun for years,” Penny said.

“Just a little pistol.”

“I never used one of those. What if someone got hold of it who wasn’t supposed to? Hjelmer, I don’t want a gun.”

“We shall see.”

She looked up at her husband. He had
that
look on his face.
What are we in for now?

Chapter 19

“Ma, when’s Mary Martha coming back?”

“She most likely hasn’t even gotten home yet.” Katy reached up to take down the sheets she’d pinned to the clothesline earlier. The north wind made her nose and fingers tingle. Wouldn’t be too many more days to hang clothes out to dry without them freezing stiff. Zeb said the animals had coats thicker than he’d seen for a while. That meant a hard winter. But if God provided extra thick coats for the animals, He surely would provide for them. Besides that, they’d all done their best to get food set by. She had yet to dig the carrots, but the longer they stayed in the ground, the sweeter they grew.

“I wish she coulda stayed here.” Deborah folded the pillowcases and dish towels as Katy handed them to her.

“Me, too.” Katy dropped the clothespins in the basket she kicked along in front of her and handed Deborah two corners of the sheet. “You want to help me fold this?” When their hands met, she dropped a kiss on the little girl’s forehead. “You are such a big help. Don’t these sheets smell good?” She buried her nose in the fresh-smelling linen.

“When do you think she’s coming back?”

“I hope in time for the baby to come. Having her here would be such a comfort.” She folded the last towel and gave the full basket a pat. “There now. One more chore done. This afternoon I’ll heat up the flatirons, and you can iron the handkerchiefs. Would you like to do that?”

“And the pillowcases?”

“If you’re careful.” They each took a handle of the basket and carried it into the house.

“Pa said he had a looker for the filly.” Deborah wandered over to the front window where she could see Manda down in the corral. “Manda wants to keep her.”

“I know, but she knows the filly is for sale.”

“She’s not ready for a heavy rider yet.”

Katy looked over at the little girl staring out the window. “How do you know so much?” But she knew how—Deborah listened. She flitted about like a little ghost, her ears always ready to tuck things away in a mind that never seemed to forget.

“So, how was school yesterday?”

“Sad. We all miss her. Anna cried. I din’t cry, but my eyes wanted to.”

Mary Martha had been gone two days now, and the house seemed empty without her ready laugh. Strange in that she’d been at school all day, but still—maybe it took two to make a house laugh.

Katy swooped over to Deborah and, grabbing her from behind, blew on her neck and snuggled kisses between her braids.

The little girl laughed along with Katy, and the room—nay, the whole day—seemed brighter. They were still laughing when Zeb and Manda came in for dinner.

“What’s so funny?” Zeb turned from washing his hands in the dry sink.

“Ma tickled me.” Deborah set the plates on the table.

“That’s it?” He looked at Manda, who waited behind him to use the soap and water. She shrugged and handed him the towel. “How’d the filly go with the harness?”

“She’s ready to team with old Jezzy. Thought I’d hitch ’em up this afternoon.”

“I got a man coming to look at her, you know.”

“I know.” Her brows knit themselves together. “She ain’t ready for a heavy rider yet.”

Deborah and Katy exchanged looks that made them laugh again.

“Now what?” Zeb looked from one to the other, shaking his head all the time. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think the two of you been chewing loco weed.” That brought out another burst of laughter.

Manda rolled her lips and looked the other way.

“Watch out, Manda, you just might laugh too,” Katy said over her shoulders as she set the kettle on the hot pad on the table. She glanced around the table one more time to make sure everything was in place and sat down.

“Manda, it’s your turn to say grace.”

The scowl returned in full force. Her sigh spoke of a deep-seated refusal that couldn’t be spoken. “Thank thee for this food and for our house and our animals and please take care of Aunt Mary Martha and make her mother well again so she can come back.” The words rushed forth so she wouldn’t have to pause for breath. “Amen.”

“Well, thank you, and I’m sure glad the good Lord can hear fast too.”

The buyer arrived just as they were finishing the apple pudding. Zeb got up. “You coming?” He waited for Manda to answer.