Read Online A Simple Amish Christmas by Vannetta Chapman - Free Book Online
Authors: Vannetta Chapman
Ads: Link
working and can’t imagine how you kept him in that bed for nearly a week.” Rebekah finished her tea and stood up. “Just try to keep the animals out of the house.”
6
I n addition to the nativity scene, they had placed a single candle in each window—battery-operated, of course. Annie smiled at the simplicity of their decorations. Her Englisch friends would look at their home and be aghast.
No tree?
No knickknacks?
No gifts?
Annie knew Adam would be cutting sprigs of greenery to bring in as First Christmas grew closer—what her Englisch friends had referred to as Christmas Day. For the Amish, First Christmas was only the beginning of the celebration. It was the day they focused on the spiritual aspects by attending services, reading Scripture, and singing hymns. Second Christmas they gave gifts to each other, though those were quite simple compared to the lavish things she’d heard her co-workers speak of.
Though they didn’t decorate a tree, evergreen boughs placed around the house signaled that the celebration was near. As for knickknacks, they didn’t need them to clutter the room. And as for the gifts, she understood better than anyone that smallpresents were being worked on each evening—she was busy embroidering as fast as possible.
She’d just turned off the last of the Christmas candles and was climbing up the stairs for bed when a knock at their front door splintered the quietness of the evening.
Adam paused, his hand on the gas lantern, about to extinguish its light. He turned, hesitant as their mamm walked back into the living room.
Rebekah, Adam, and Annie all stared at one another, each wondering if they’d perhaps imagined it, when the knock sounded again.
“Hurry and answer the door, Adam—before whomever it is freezes to the front step.” Rebekah’s voice brooked no nonsense.
Annie reversed her way down the steps and moved toward her mother.
Young Joshua Hooley stepped into their living room, stamping his feet and setting a battery-operated lantern on the floor. He wore a thin coat, hardly enough covering for a fall day and nowhere near enough protection for such a cold winter night.
“Joshua, is everything all right?” Rebekah hurried across the living room, pulling her nightgown more tightly around her.
“ Ya. I mean, no. It’s not.” He sounded as if he’d run the entire way in the darkness, though now that she listened, Annie could hear his horse outside the house. “I’m here to fetch Annie.”
“Me?” Annie’s voice squeaked like a mouse caught in a trap.
“Come farther inside, Joshua. You must be frozen.” Rebekah walked over to the boy.
He couldn’t have been eighteen by Annie’s reckoning. When he pulled his hat off his head, brown hair stood out in all directions.He warmed his hands at the potbellied stove Rebekah opened up, and nodded to each of them in turn.
“Mrs. Weaver, Adam, Annie. Sorry to barge in so late. My mamm sent me over, asked me to bring Annie back.” A shiver passed over him as warmth began to flood through his body.
“Put some water to boil, Annie. We need to make Joshua some tea.” Rebekah pulled a blanket off the couch and wrapped it around his shoulders.
“Can’t stay but a minute, ma’am. Folks will be expecting me back. They asked me to hurry.”
“Hurry for what, Joshua?” Adam’s boots echoed as he walked across the living room floor. “Why do you want Annie to go with you?”
Joshua gazed another few seconds into the fire. When he looked up, he stared straight at Annie, his eyes imploring her. “It’s my bruder —little Daniel. He’s suffering with the fever real bad. If you could come and look at him—”
“Annie isn’t a doctor, Joshua.” Rebekah placed a hand on his shoulder.
“ Ya. We know that.” Joshua started to say something more, but he stopped himself, closed his mouth, and waited.
“What is it, Joshua?” Annie walked over to the lad, who stood no taller than she was and
6
I n addition to the nativity scene, they had placed a single candle in each window—battery-operated, of course. Annie smiled at the simplicity of their decorations. Her Englisch friends would look at their home and be aghast.
No tree?
No knickknacks?
No gifts?
Annie knew Adam would be cutting sprigs of greenery to bring in as First Christmas grew closer—what her Englisch friends had referred to as Christmas Day. For the Amish, First Christmas was only the beginning of the celebration. It was the day they focused on the spiritual aspects by attending services, reading Scripture, and singing hymns. Second Christmas they gave gifts to each other, though those were quite simple compared to the lavish things she’d heard her co-workers speak of.
Though they didn’t decorate a tree, evergreen boughs placed around the house signaled that the celebration was near. As for knickknacks, they didn’t need them to clutter the room. And as for the gifts, she understood better than anyone that smallpresents were being worked on each evening—she was busy embroidering as fast as possible.
She’d just turned off the last of the Christmas candles and was climbing up the stairs for bed when a knock at their front door splintered the quietness of the evening.
Adam paused, his hand on the gas lantern, about to extinguish its light. He turned, hesitant as their mamm walked back into the living room.
Rebekah, Adam, and Annie all stared at one another, each wondering if they’d perhaps imagined it, when the knock sounded again.
“Hurry and answer the door, Adam—before whomever it is freezes to the front step.” Rebekah’s voice brooked no nonsense.
Annie reversed her way down the steps and moved toward her mother.
Young Joshua Hooley stepped into their living room, stamping his feet and setting a battery-operated lantern on the floor. He wore a thin coat, hardly enough covering for a fall day and nowhere near enough protection for such a cold winter night.
“Joshua, is everything all right?” Rebekah hurried across the living room, pulling her nightgown more tightly around her.
“ Ya. I mean, no. It’s not.” He sounded as if he’d run the entire way in the darkness, though now that she listened, Annie could hear his horse outside the house. “I’m here to fetch Annie.”
“Me?” Annie’s voice squeaked like a mouse caught in a trap.
“Come farther inside, Joshua. You must be frozen.” Rebekah walked over to the boy.
He couldn’t have been eighteen by Annie’s reckoning. When he pulled his hat off his head, brown hair stood out in all directions.He warmed his hands at the potbellied stove Rebekah opened up, and nodded to each of them in turn.
“Mrs. Weaver, Adam, Annie. Sorry to barge in so late. My mamm sent me over, asked me to bring Annie back.” A shiver passed over him as warmth began to flood through his body.
“Put some water to boil, Annie. We need to make Joshua some tea.” Rebekah pulled a blanket off the couch and wrapped it around his shoulders.
“Can’t stay but a minute, ma’am. Folks will be expecting me back. They asked me to hurry.”
“Hurry for what, Joshua?” Adam’s boots echoed as he walked across the living room floor. “Why do you want Annie to go with you?”
Joshua gazed another few seconds into the fire. When he looked up, he stared straight at Annie, his eyes imploring her. “It’s my bruder —little Daniel. He’s suffering with the fever real bad. If you could come and look at him—”
“Annie isn’t a doctor, Joshua.” Rebekah placed a hand on his shoulder.
“ Ya. We know that.” Joshua started to say something more, but he stopped himself, closed his mouth, and waited.
“What is it, Joshua?” Annie walked over to the lad, who stood no taller than she was and
Similar Books
