Read Online A Perfect Square by Vannetta Chapman - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Vannetta Chapman
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does. I love you too, and I believe you love me.”
When she nodded, he continued. “Go north with me. We’ll marry there, among the Englischers. I have Mennonite freinden in the factories who will help us to get started. Amish folk as well — there’s a man my mamm knows. He’ll let us stay with him for a few days. We won’t be alone, and it will actually help your family to have two less mouths to feed.”
“How will dat work the fields alone?”
“He’ll be forced to accept the community’s help. It’s what he should have done long ago. “
She looked away for a moment, across the trees that surrounded the parking area. “There is a community where we would go?”
“Amish and Mennonite. You know this. It’s not as if we’re going to Chicago. I give you my word. They’re gut people. I’ve met them before when I delivered things for your dat.”
Katie nodded once, and though tears escaped from both eyes, she glanced at him and smiled slightly. With that smile, Samuel released the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “We’ll send word to your parents within the week, so they won’t worry.”
“All right, Samuel. I don’t believe you’d suggest this if you hadn’t thought it through carefully.”
“We’ll leave tomorrow?”
“Ya, tomorrow.” She brought his hands to her lips and kissed them once, then stood and pulled him back toward the buggy.
Chapter 9
D EBORAH CHECKED THE PINS holding up Martha’s long brown hair as her daughter lined up the lunch pails on the counter. She’d done a good job of fastening on her
kapp
but needed help with the back, where it was difficult for her to see or reach. “There. It’ll hold nicely now.”
“
Danki.
How did you ever learn to do it yourself?”
“Practice. And it helps when your arms grow a bit. Did you remember to add the raisin cookies we had left over from last night?”
“I did. I even gave the boys an extra one each. Have you noticed how they’re hungry all the time?”
“
Ya
. That was good thinking on your part.”
“Maybe something’s wrong with them,
Mamm.
Joseph and Jacob had seconds at dinner. Last year they grumbled about stew, but this year they ate more than I did, and I’m four years older than they are.”
Deborah smiled at her ten-year-old as she heard the boys clambering at the backdoor.
“Boys are different,” she said.
“Is that why they like being dirty?”
Turning to look at her twins, Deborah closed her eyes for amoment. Maybe when she opened them again, the boys would be clean. Clean, like they’d been when she’d sent them out with Jonas an hour ago.
Opening her eyes, she shook her head, and Joseph and Jacob froze — each with one hand on the back of a chair.
“What did we do — “
“This time?”
“You’re filthy,” Deborah answered.
“Huh?” The word came out from both of them at the exact same moment, in the exact same pitch, with equal innocence.
“Look down.”
They did and seemed to realize for the first time that their pants were covered in hay and mud, their hands were filthy, and yes … as they felt in their hair, it, too, had managed to get hay in it.
“Get as much of that mud and hay off as possible and then head upstairs.”
“But we’re hungry.” Joseph smiled so that his freckles popped across the bridge of his nose.
“And we did all of our chores.” Jacob was her serious child. He appealed to reason every time. He was also a hair taller than his twin brother, but who knew if that would last until November. They’d turned six a month ago and seemed to be growing faster than the crops Jonas had begun to harvest.
“Ask
Dat
,” Joseph added.
“That they did,” Jonas agreed, coming in the backdoor and washing his hands at the sink in the mudroom. “I believe the problem came with the game of chase after their chores.”
“It wasn’t chase exactly,” Joseph said, looking down at his hands — covered front and back with dirt — as if
When she nodded, he continued. “Go north with me. We’ll marry there, among the Englischers. I have Mennonite freinden in the factories who will help us to get started. Amish folk as well — there’s a man my mamm knows. He’ll let us stay with him for a few days. We won’t be alone, and it will actually help your family to have two less mouths to feed.”
“How will dat work the fields alone?”
“He’ll be forced to accept the community’s help. It’s what he should have done long ago. “
She looked away for a moment, across the trees that surrounded the parking area. “There is a community where we would go?”
“Amish and Mennonite. You know this. It’s not as if we’re going to Chicago. I give you my word. They’re gut people. I’ve met them before when I delivered things for your dat.”
Katie nodded once, and though tears escaped from both eyes, she glanced at him and smiled slightly. With that smile, Samuel released the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “We’ll send word to your parents within the week, so they won’t worry.”
“All right, Samuel. I don’t believe you’d suggest this if you hadn’t thought it through carefully.”
“We’ll leave tomorrow?”
“Ya, tomorrow.” She brought his hands to her lips and kissed them once, then stood and pulled him back toward the buggy.
Chapter 9
D EBORAH CHECKED THE PINS holding up Martha’s long brown hair as her daughter lined up the lunch pails on the counter. She’d done a good job of fastening on her
kapp
but needed help with the back, where it was difficult for her to see or reach. “There. It’ll hold nicely now.”
“
Danki.
How did you ever learn to do it yourself?”
“Practice. And it helps when your arms grow a bit. Did you remember to add the raisin cookies we had left over from last night?”
“I did. I even gave the boys an extra one each. Have you noticed how they’re hungry all the time?”
“
Ya
. That was good thinking on your part.”
“Maybe something’s wrong with them,
Mamm.
Joseph and Jacob had seconds at dinner. Last year they grumbled about stew, but this year they ate more than I did, and I’m four years older than they are.”
Deborah smiled at her ten-year-old as she heard the boys clambering at the backdoor.
“Boys are different,” she said.
“Is that why they like being dirty?”
Turning to look at her twins, Deborah closed her eyes for amoment. Maybe when she opened them again, the boys would be clean. Clean, like they’d been when she’d sent them out with Jonas an hour ago.
Opening her eyes, she shook her head, and Joseph and Jacob froze — each with one hand on the back of a chair.
“What did we do — “
“This time?”
“You’re filthy,” Deborah answered.
“Huh?” The word came out from both of them at the exact same moment, in the exact same pitch, with equal innocence.
“Look down.”
They did and seemed to realize for the first time that their pants were covered in hay and mud, their hands were filthy, and yes … as they felt in their hair, it, too, had managed to get hay in it.
“Get as much of that mud and hay off as possible and then head upstairs.”
“But we’re hungry.” Joseph smiled so that his freckles popped across the bridge of his nose.
“And we did all of our chores.” Jacob was her serious child. He appealed to reason every time. He was also a hair taller than his twin brother, but who knew if that would last until November. They’d turned six a month ago and seemed to be growing faster than the crops Jonas had begun to harvest.
“Ask
Dat
,” Joseph added.
“That they did,” Jonas agreed, coming in the backdoor and washing his hands at the sink in the mudroom. “I believe the problem came with the game of chase after their chores.”
“It wasn’t chase exactly,” Joseph said, looking down at his hands — covered front and back with dirt — as if
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