Read Online Mail Order Millie by Katie Crabapple - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Katie Crabapple
Ads: Link
table. Thankfully, Patience knew where Martha had kept her dress patterns and brought them to Millie, practically dancing at the idea of new dresses.
“Do you want to help me?” Millie asked.
Patience nodded. “Oh, yes, please!”
Millie smiled. “Well, the first thing we need to do is measure you and make sure we make the right size.” She took a piece of string and wrapped it around Patience’s waist, and carefully held the string over the yardstick, writing down the measurement. As she took the measurements and wrote them down, she showed Patience what she was doing, so she would learn to be able to do the same.
By the time the little ones woke from their nap, she’d cut out all three dresses for Patience, and had carefully folded the rest of the fabric. The first seams had been sewn and some of the preliminary basting had been done. She would continue to work on the dresses as much as she could, and hopefully by Sunday, both her girls would have a pretty new dress to wear to church.
She tucked away the dresses in time to cook dinner for her family all but dancing through the chore. She was so happy to have a plan for the girls’ dresses and she had a friend coming over tomorrow to just chat. Her new life was much better than she’d imagined.
After the children were in bed, she pulled out the pieces of Patience’s dress and worked on sewing in tiny little stitches. George didn’t pay attention to what she was doing as he pulled down the family Bible and continued their reading of Matthew. She found she looked forward to her time listening to George read, while she worked on whatever mending or sewing needed to be done. It was a good way to end a busy day.
That night, George read from Matthew chapter six. She listened carefully, enjoying the words. She liked the idea of not having to worry about anything as long as she put God first in her life. After George was finished reading, she asked, “Do you think that’s really true?”
George raised an eyebrow. “Do I think what’s true?”
“That we really don’t need to worry about anything as long as we put God first in our lives.” Millie had never heard those verses and liked what they meant. Not having to worry about anything would make her life so much better. Could she really trust God to provide her with what she needed?
He sighed. “I do think it’s true. I don’t think it means we won’t have hardship. My losing Martha goes to show we’ll all have hardship. But God promises that he won’t put more on us than we can bear.”
She tilted her head to the side thinking about it. “So we shouldn’t worry about where our next meal will come from as long as we worship God? So why do we even have to work? Or cook? Won’t God provide?”
He grinned at her simplistic view of the scripture. “He will provide. Haven’t you heard that ‘God helps those who help themselves’? We can’t sit around and wait for him to provide, though. We need to be hard workers. God expects husbands to provide for their families. That means I need to work to provide for you all. Just like you need to do your share by keeping our home clean and fixing the food I provide for our table.”
She nodded. She’d always heard that’s how it should be, but the new verses in Matthew had given her something new to think about as well.
“What are you working on there?” he asked, noticing for the first time she was busily sewing away at something and not mending.
“I’m making dresses for the girls.” She smiled as she held up the pieces of fabric on her lap. “This one is for Patience.” She was proud of how much work she’d already gotten done on the dresses. She hoped he’d be pleased with them.
An angry look passed over George’s face, and he took a deep breath. “Millie, I told you we didn’t have money for fabric for clothes for the girls right now. Did you put it on an account at the store?” His voice was mild, but she could see how angry he
“Do you want to help me?” Millie asked.
Patience nodded. “Oh, yes, please!”
Millie smiled. “Well, the first thing we need to do is measure you and make sure we make the right size.” She took a piece of string and wrapped it around Patience’s waist, and carefully held the string over the yardstick, writing down the measurement. As she took the measurements and wrote them down, she showed Patience what she was doing, so she would learn to be able to do the same.
By the time the little ones woke from their nap, she’d cut out all three dresses for Patience, and had carefully folded the rest of the fabric. The first seams had been sewn and some of the preliminary basting had been done. She would continue to work on the dresses as much as she could, and hopefully by Sunday, both her girls would have a pretty new dress to wear to church.
She tucked away the dresses in time to cook dinner for her family all but dancing through the chore. She was so happy to have a plan for the girls’ dresses and she had a friend coming over tomorrow to just chat. Her new life was much better than she’d imagined.
After the children were in bed, she pulled out the pieces of Patience’s dress and worked on sewing in tiny little stitches. George didn’t pay attention to what she was doing as he pulled down the family Bible and continued their reading of Matthew. She found she looked forward to her time listening to George read, while she worked on whatever mending or sewing needed to be done. It was a good way to end a busy day.
That night, George read from Matthew chapter six. She listened carefully, enjoying the words. She liked the idea of not having to worry about anything as long as she put God first in her life. After George was finished reading, she asked, “Do you think that’s really true?”
George raised an eyebrow. “Do I think what’s true?”
“That we really don’t need to worry about anything as long as we put God first in our lives.” Millie had never heard those verses and liked what they meant. Not having to worry about anything would make her life so much better. Could she really trust God to provide her with what she needed?
He sighed. “I do think it’s true. I don’t think it means we won’t have hardship. My losing Martha goes to show we’ll all have hardship. But God promises that he won’t put more on us than we can bear.”
She tilted her head to the side thinking about it. “So we shouldn’t worry about where our next meal will come from as long as we worship God? So why do we even have to work? Or cook? Won’t God provide?”
He grinned at her simplistic view of the scripture. “He will provide. Haven’t you heard that ‘God helps those who help themselves’? We can’t sit around and wait for him to provide, though. We need to be hard workers. God expects husbands to provide for their families. That means I need to work to provide for you all. Just like you need to do your share by keeping our home clean and fixing the food I provide for our table.”
She nodded. She’d always heard that’s how it should be, but the new verses in Matthew had given her something new to think about as well.
“What are you working on there?” he asked, noticing for the first time she was busily sewing away at something and not mending.
“I’m making dresses for the girls.” She smiled as she held up the pieces of fabric on her lap. “This one is for Patience.” She was proud of how much work she’d already gotten done on the dresses. She hoped he’d be pleased with them.
An angry look passed over George’s face, and he took a deep breath. “Millie, I told you we didn’t have money for fabric for clothes for the girls right now. Did you put it on an account at the store?” His voice was mild, but she could see how angry he
Similar Books
