Read Online A Harvest of Hope by Lauraine Snelling - Free Book Online

da!” Freda hiked her skirts and clambered up into the buggy. “We’d better get more dinner ready.”
    Trygve drove into Tante Ingeborg’s front yard and left the two to get out of his buggy by themselves. He rapped at the door and entered. “Threshing crew.”
    â€œJa, I heard.” Already, Tante Ingeborg was stuffing more stovewood into the firebox.
    Trygve crossed to the telephone, lifted the receiver off the hook, and asked the operator to call the deaf school. His mother answered. “Mor, the threshing crew is crossing the river.”
    â€œOh good.” She paused. “Tell Ingeborg and Freda I’ll send some food over. That’ll be easier than feeding them all here today.”
    He gave the message and headed outside to set up the trestle table benches that were leaning against the house. Emmy ran to help him.
    â€œWhat can I do?” Manny asked.
    â€œSlice the bread.”
    â€œIt’s a good thing I baked bread today.” Freda brought a pot of soup from the icebox and then headed to the cellar. “We can add more vegetables.” The extended soup was heating on the stove by the time they heard a horse and wagon pull up.
    Ingeborg glanced out the window. “From Kaaren. We can set all the food on the table in here.”
    Emmy appeared at the door, so she gave her instructions. By the time they had the food all set up on the table, they could hear the racket of two steam engines pulling the separators, the cook wagon and team, and five teams pulling wagons. Grace and Kaaren both came running over from the deaf school, and they all welcomed the returning crews.
    The wagons drove in first, with Jonathan in the lead. Grace met him at the barn and greeted him with open arms. Trygve was sure she was crying. She’d not looked at him since they met on the way to the barn. Joseph Geddick leaped to the ground, and one by one, the others arrived, with Solem Brunderson driving the steam engine that Haakan used to drive. Trygve went to stand by Ingeborg. The steam engines shut down, and the sudden silence almost hurt one’s ears.
    Kaaren put an arm around Ingeborg’s shoulders, but she stood tall, ignoring the tears streaming down her face. At thesight of her tears, Trygve fought the burning in his throat and eyes. Surely grief was contagious.

    After the crew had eaten and everyone had headed off to their own homes, Trygve finally got over to his basement, or what would one day be a basement or cellar. Right now it was just a hole. He’d been digging a short while when two men peered over the side.
    â€œCould you use some help?” Reverend Solberg asked. “Tommy and I here need some physical work for a change. Our brains are tired.”
    Father Devlin threw a shovel down into the hole. “Or would you rather we started up here?”
    â€œAnywhere you want. As you can see, there is plenty of opportunity for all.” Trygve slammed his shovel into the ground and trundled the wheelbarrow up the ramp. He’d dug deep enough that he could no longer just throw the dirt over the side as he had several weeks earlier.
    Devlin stared down into the hole. “There’s not room there for three shovels. I’ll start here.”
    Trygve saw Samuel, hands in his pockets, whistling his way across the field toward them. When he got close enough, he studied the hole. “You didn’t get very far. We’ve been gone what, a month?”
    â€œSomehow I had lots of other things that demanded doing.”
    Samuel grinned at Solberg. “I’ll stay up here with Father Devlin.”
    Within the hour, Andrew showed up, as he’d said he would, and the dirt flew out of the rapidly expanding hole. A while later, Emmy appeared with a bucket and dipper, offering a drink, and Inga carried a basket with cookies.
    â€œGrandma sent these.”
    The men climbed out of the hole and gathered around.
    Inga peered down into the hole.