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Authors: Cathy Marie Hake
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he’d do everything he could to assure her safe transit. “ Liebling, you’re too small to go such a long way all by yourself. The Smiths—they have so many children, they take a wagon to school. When the time comes, I’ll walk you to the road, and you can go with them.” As much for himself as for her, he added, “It’ll be good for you to be with your friends, ja?”
“Miss Hope could go with me. We could learn to read together.”
Jakob shook his head. “No.”
Her little hand came up and patted his chest. “Daddy, you promised I getta keep one of Milky’s kitties.” When he nodded, she clenched her fingers, balling his shirt into her little fist. “I’m not gonna. I wanna keep Miss Hope instead of a kitty!”
Jakob set Emmy-Lou down and knelt beside her. “You can’t keep Hope, but I will let you have a kitty.”
Ignoring the playful, fluffy litter, Emmy-Lou leaned close and peered into his eyes. “Why can’t I keep Hope?”
Pain burned in his chest. How am I to explain this, Lord? She’s too little to keep losing the ones she loves. In her short life, his daughter had already lost her mother and brother; then her cousin Miriam left, as well. She needs to know Hope won’t be here long so her heart isn’t broken again. “We didn’t keep Cousin Miriam. Remember? She just came to help for a while, then she left. It’s that way with Hope, too—only her stay with us will be much shorter.”
Distress streaked across her little features. “Auntie Annie isn’t going to go away, is she?”
“ Nein . She will stay with us. You can be sure of that.”
The certainty of his tone erased only a portion of Emmy-Lou’s upset. “But, Daddy, why can’t we keep—”
“People aren’t like kittens, to be kept or owned. You can’t keep Hope.” The forlorn look on his daughter’s face tugged at his heart, but Jakob knew he had to be firm. He couldn’t foster his daughter’s fantasy; doing so would only hurt her more when Hope left.
Six
I have something for you.” Leopold Volkner didn’t bother to dismount; he simply handed a gazette and an envelope to Konrad Erickson.
Konrad accepted the mail. Though he could have gone to town today, he’d stayed home specifically because he knew the letter would arrive. Jakob was like that—dependable. Stolid and predictable. There wouldn’t be a letter inside. Only money. But no one else had to know that.
Invariably, a neighbor would bring by the envelope. It made everyone believe Annie was corresponding with him, and the envelope served as a not-so-subtle reminder to neighbors that Konrad sorely lacked a woman’s assistance. Occasionally, someone would bring by a covered dish or a baked treat the day after the letter came. He’d send that person back with the most recent “news” Annie’s letter supposedly contained.
He straightened his left arm and tucked the gazette into his left hand—a seemingly casual move. The last two fingers of his left hand were missing, and Konrad had perfected such moves so that no one would notice it. Pressing the envelope from Jakob to his chest with his right hand, he gave Volkner a sheepish smile. “It’s embarrassing to admit, but getting these letters from my Annie . . .” He cleared his throat.
Leopold Volkner chuckled. “My sister—she’ll be glad to know Annie is well. You’ve been apart a long time, haven’t you?”
Forcing a smile, Konrad shrugged. “Not so long, really.” Pride forced him to pretend all was well. “You know how softhearted my wife is. She’s just what Jakob and his little girl need—their grief is horrible.” He shook his head. “God forbid, but when we have a family, I’d be vewustet if Annie and our baby son died.”
“Ja. It is terrible. You show great mercy to your brother-in-law, allowing your wife to help him.”
Covering for Annie’s absence grew harder all the time. At first, everyone called him kindhearted, but as the months passed, Konrad knew people were
“Miss Hope could go with me. We could learn to read together.”
Jakob shook his head. “No.”
Her little hand came up and patted his chest. “Daddy, you promised I getta keep one of Milky’s kitties.” When he nodded, she clenched her fingers, balling his shirt into her little fist. “I’m not gonna. I wanna keep Miss Hope instead of a kitty!”
Jakob set Emmy-Lou down and knelt beside her. “You can’t keep Hope, but I will let you have a kitty.”
Ignoring the playful, fluffy litter, Emmy-Lou leaned close and peered into his eyes. “Why can’t I keep Hope?”
Pain burned in his chest. How am I to explain this, Lord? She’s too little to keep losing the ones she loves. In her short life, his daughter had already lost her mother and brother; then her cousin Miriam left, as well. She needs to know Hope won’t be here long so her heart isn’t broken again. “We didn’t keep Cousin Miriam. Remember? She just came to help for a while, then she left. It’s that way with Hope, too—only her stay with us will be much shorter.”
Distress streaked across her little features. “Auntie Annie isn’t going to go away, is she?”
“ Nein . She will stay with us. You can be sure of that.”
The certainty of his tone erased only a portion of Emmy-Lou’s upset. “But, Daddy, why can’t we keep—”
“People aren’t like kittens, to be kept or owned. You can’t keep Hope.” The forlorn look on his daughter’s face tugged at his heart, but Jakob knew he had to be firm. He couldn’t foster his daughter’s fantasy; doing so would only hurt her more when Hope left.
Six
I have something for you.” Leopold Volkner didn’t bother to dismount; he simply handed a gazette and an envelope to Konrad Erickson.
Konrad accepted the mail. Though he could have gone to town today, he’d stayed home specifically because he knew the letter would arrive. Jakob was like that—dependable. Stolid and predictable. There wouldn’t be a letter inside. Only money. But no one else had to know that.
Invariably, a neighbor would bring by the envelope. It made everyone believe Annie was corresponding with him, and the envelope served as a not-so-subtle reminder to neighbors that Konrad sorely lacked a woman’s assistance. Occasionally, someone would bring by a covered dish or a baked treat the day after the letter came. He’d send that person back with the most recent “news” Annie’s letter supposedly contained.
He straightened his left arm and tucked the gazette into his left hand—a seemingly casual move. The last two fingers of his left hand were missing, and Konrad had perfected such moves so that no one would notice it. Pressing the envelope from Jakob to his chest with his right hand, he gave Volkner a sheepish smile. “It’s embarrassing to admit, but getting these letters from my Annie . . .” He cleared his throat.
Leopold Volkner chuckled. “My sister—she’ll be glad to know Annie is well. You’ve been apart a long time, haven’t you?”
Forcing a smile, Konrad shrugged. “Not so long, really.” Pride forced him to pretend all was well. “You know how softhearted my wife is. She’s just what Jakob and his little girl need—their grief is horrible.” He shook his head. “God forbid, but when we have a family, I’d be vewustet if Annie and our baby son died.”
“Ja. It is terrible. You show great mercy to your brother-in-law, allowing your wife to help him.”
Covering for Annie’s absence grew harder all the time. At first, everyone called him kindhearted, but as the months passed, Konrad knew people were
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