about the Masts, quickly looking at the Ihhi if they were* mentioned in conversation, as if merely inn injj; the name caused him distress.
"Hid he speak to ya?" Ida asked, leaning forward. I "Not a word." Abram shook his head. "'Tis the oddest In ill!, really." I "Jah" was all Ida said.
I I izzie had an idea maybe not such a bright one, but she pHred it anyway. "Has anyone thought of taking some fruit IN over to Fannie Mast?" I Ida clasped her hands and brought them up as if praying.
75
^'ltfiiiiii'lliififiriT76
eoeriLj
Lu e
"I've considered doing so any number of times as a goodwill gesture."
"A peace offering?" Abram frowned, clearly not sure if this was something to ponder, let alone pursue.
"What if you sent the twins over to deliver the pies?" Lizzie suggested.
"Certainly not Leah," Ida said.
Nodding in agreement over that, Abram rose and wandered into the dark front room, and Lizzie heard him sink down into a chair.
"Well, what do ya say?" she asked Ida, who came and threw a towel over her shoulder and lifted out Lydiann. The toddler's soft bottom looked as shriveled as a prune.
"It would be nice to get things smoothed over with the Masts, but I'm sure Abram will want to think on it some more," Ida said as she wrapped Lydiann, bawling and squirming, in the towel before marching out of the room and upstairs.
A couple of tasty pies just might begin to repair the breach,Lizzie thought, removing her wet black apron and going to hang it up in the utility room. If so, how foolish of them to have waited all this time.
76 77vn->
&-p
1 he next day was a no-church Sunday, a day set aside not for Preaching service but for rest, reading the Good Book, and visiting relatives and friends.
Mary Ruth held the reins while Hannah sat to her left, silent as a rock. "Dat and Mamma must've thought this over for a gut long time, us goin' to Grasshopper Level with pies for the Masts," Mary Ruth muttered.
"Two long years Mamma's been thinking of what to do, I spect," Hannah sgfid softly.
"Aunt Lizzie baked till late last night is what I was told. Must've been a hurry-up job."
"While we were at singing, maybe," Hannah replied.
Mary Ruth scratched her head. "By the way, did you happen to see who Leah rode home with last night?"
"I thought 'twas Gid, though I can't be certain."
"Won't Dat be happy if it was?"
Hannah made a little sound, then spoke. "Mamma prob'ly will be, too, seein' Leah's been hurt so awful bad . . . the way Jonas did her wrong."
77
i-iiiii-iif-'i"-78
lu e
"Wasn't all Jonas's fault, don't forget. Takes two, ya know." Mary Ruth felt she had to remind Hannah.
"Wouldn't any parent be pleased to have Smithy Gid as a son-in-law?"
"Can you see Gid and Leah as husband and wife? Honestly, can you?" asked Mary Ruth.
Hannah sighed. "Maybe so," she said in almost a whisper. Then abruptly she changed the subject. "Mamma's nothin' short of wonderful-gut. She never once thinks of Leah as her niece, now, does she?"
Mary Ruth found this turn of topic rather interesting. They had spoken behind closed doors of Lizzie's being Leah's birth mother after Mamma had shared with them, almost two years ago, the story of their aunt's wild days. Occasionally the twins would rehash their feelings, so great had been their surprise. "Seems to me, Leah is just as much Mamma's as you and I are." Mary Ruth meant this with all of her heart. "I wouldn't want things to change with Leah just because we know the truth 'bout Aunt Lizzie."
"Me neither." Hannah smoothed out her long green dress.
"Anyway, I could never think of Leah as merely our first cousin, even though she is that. The heart ties that unite are so strong, ain't so?" She surprised herself saying as much. "We'll always be sisters."
The tie that binds. . .
Now was as good a time as any for Hannah to bring up the knotty fact they were no longer double courting with the Stoltzfus boys . . . that there was a sort of estrangement between the two of
"Hid he speak to ya?" Ida asked, leaning forward. I "Not a word." Abram shook his head. "'Tis the oddest In ill!, really." I "Jah" was all Ida said.
I I izzie had an idea maybe not such a bright one, but she pHred it anyway. "Has anyone thought of taking some fruit IN over to Fannie Mast?" I Ida clasped her hands and brought them up as if praying.
75
^'ltfiiiiii'lliififiriT76
eoeriLj
Lu e
"I've considered doing so any number of times as a goodwill gesture."
"A peace offering?" Abram frowned, clearly not sure if this was something to ponder, let alone pursue.
"What if you sent the twins over to deliver the pies?" Lizzie suggested.
"Certainly not Leah," Ida said.
Nodding in agreement over that, Abram rose and wandered into the dark front room, and Lizzie heard him sink down into a chair.
"Well, what do ya say?" she asked Ida, who came and threw a towel over her shoulder and lifted out Lydiann. The toddler's soft bottom looked as shriveled as a prune.
"It would be nice to get things smoothed over with the Masts, but I'm sure Abram will want to think on it some more," Ida said as she wrapped Lydiann, bawling and squirming, in the towel before marching out of the room and upstairs.
A couple of tasty pies just might begin to repair the breach,Lizzie thought, removing her wet black apron and going to hang it up in the utility room. If so, how foolish of them to have waited all this time.
76 77vn->
&-p
1 he next day was a no-church Sunday, a day set aside not for Preaching service but for rest, reading the Good Book, and visiting relatives and friends.
Mary Ruth held the reins while Hannah sat to her left, silent as a rock. "Dat and Mamma must've thought this over for a gut long time, us goin' to Grasshopper Level with pies for the Masts," Mary Ruth muttered.
"Two long years Mamma's been thinking of what to do, I spect," Hannah sgfid softly.
"Aunt Lizzie baked till late last night is what I was told. Must've been a hurry-up job."
"While we were at singing, maybe," Hannah replied.
Mary Ruth scratched her head. "By the way, did you happen to see who Leah rode home with last night?"
"I thought 'twas Gid, though I can't be certain."
"Won't Dat be happy if it was?"
Hannah made a little sound, then spoke. "Mamma prob'ly will be, too, seein' Leah's been hurt so awful bad . . . the way Jonas did her wrong."
77
i-iiiii-iif-'i"-78
lu e
"Wasn't all Jonas's fault, don't forget. Takes two, ya know." Mary Ruth felt she had to remind Hannah.
"Wouldn't any parent be pleased to have Smithy Gid as a son-in-law?"
"Can you see Gid and Leah as husband and wife? Honestly, can you?" asked Mary Ruth.
Hannah sighed. "Maybe so," she said in almost a whisper. Then abruptly she changed the subject. "Mamma's nothin' short of wonderful-gut. She never once thinks of Leah as her niece, now, does she?"
Mary Ruth found this turn of topic rather interesting. They had spoken behind closed doors of Lizzie's being Leah's birth mother after Mamma had shared with them, almost two years ago, the story of their aunt's wild days. Occasionally the twins would rehash their feelings, so great had been their surprise. "Seems to me, Leah is just as much Mamma's as you and I are." Mary Ruth meant this with all of her heart. "I wouldn't want things to change with Leah just because we know the truth 'bout Aunt Lizzie."
"Me neither." Hannah smoothed out her long green dress.
"Anyway, I could never think of Leah as merely our first cousin, even though she is that. The heart ties that unite are so strong, ain't so?" She surprised herself saying as much. "We'll always be sisters."
The tie that binds. . .
Now was as good a time as any for Hannah to bring up the knotty fact they were no longer double courting with the Stoltzfus boys . . . that there was a sort of estrangement between the two of
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