Anna's Gift (17 page)

Anna's pulse quickened. It was too soon for Mam, Aunt Jezebel and the girls to be coming back. Unless something had gone wrong… Was someone else ill, or had there been an accident? She hurried across the porch and down the back steps into the yard. Had she imagined the sound? No, she could definitely make out the creak of buggy wheels and the hard rhythm of a pacer coming fast.

But the horse and buggy that appeared around the corner of the house wasn't Mam's. It was Samuel's.

He reined the horse in only an arm's length from where she stood. “Anna? What are you doing out here in the cold? I nearly ran you down.”

She laughed.
Samuel! Samuel was here!
He'd come to find her. “Not likely,” she managed.

He climbed down out of the buggy and came toward her. He was so tall, so broad and sturdy in the moonlight. “I waited, but you didn't come,” he said.

“I wanted to come,” she said. Her hands were trembling so hard that she tucked them behind her back. “But Grossmama took sick and…”

“Your sisters told me.” He looked down, then up again. “I was wrong, Anna, to be upset that you went to the bishop. All week I thought about it. I was wrong. You were right to talk to Bishop Atlee for your grandmother.”

“I didn't mean to make you angry. I just wanted to be sure I had done all I could for Grossmama.”

“As you should have. Anna, Anna. Just when I think I have you figured out, you surprise me. You're wonderful, did you know that? Wonderful.”

Pleased but flustered, she took a step back, searching for a safer subject. “Naomi,” she seized upon. “How did she do in the spelling bee?”

“First place,” he said with a chuckle. “My own daughter won the heifer.”

Anna laughed with him. “She's smart, Samuel, like her father.” She swallowed the constriction in her throat. “But why are you here? The evening can't be over. Everyone must still be at your place.”

“And so they are.” He turned back to the buggy, returned a minute later with a blanket and two baskets. “I put your cookies up first, bid fifty dollars on them, and no one else made an offer.”

“Fifty dollars?” The tears were back, but this time
they were tears of happiness. “You paid fifty dollars for my cookies?”

“I would have paid more, if anyone had bid against me. And if you couldn't come to the picnic, I'm bringing the picnic to you. Come now, before we freeze out here. Take these baskets. I'll put my horse in the shed and follow you in.”

She nodded, too full of excitement to speak.
Samuel had come!
He wanted to be with her. He'd left the frolic for her, and he'd bought her cookies for more money than anyone had ever paid. It might be
Hochmut,
pride, but it filled her with joy that he'd done such a thing. It couldn't be the cookies. It had to be
her
that he valued, Plain Anna Yoder.
Samuel valued her!

They spread Samuel's blanket on the kitchen floor, opened the door to the wood stove, and built up the fire. Then, by the light of a single lamp, they laughed and talked and ate the food that she'd packed. Samuel told her about his plans for spring planting and his desire to buy horses for Peter and Rudy. “They're getting too long-legged for the pony,” he explained.

“And what will you do with the pony?” Anna asked. Despite all the goodies spread around them, she'd been too excited to eat. He must have felt the same way, because, for once, he wasn't eating much either. They were too busy talking.

“I was thinking that Naomi might like it. Not to ride astride, not for a girl.”

“Ya,”
Anna agreed. “But she could use the pony cart. It would be good for her to learn to drive. She spends too much time in the house with her books.”

“I wanted to ask Lovina if she would teach Naomi to make braided rugs.”

His words made her smile. “You like my grandmother, don't you? In spite of her sharp tongue?”

Samuel chuckled. “She reminds me of my Grossmama. You couldn't get away with anything around that one, I can tell you.
Ya.
I do like Lovina. And so do my girls. Despite her words sometimes, she always shows them kindness.”

“I'm glad to hear you say that, because I've been thinking.”

“About my proposal of marriage?” His voice grew husky. “Your birthday will be soon, Anna. You promised me an answer. Will you marry me?” He took hold of her hand and held it in his big one. “Beautiful Anna Yoder, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

She opened her mouth to protest, to tell him that she wasn't beautiful, that he didn't have to say so when it wasn't true, and then all the things that Mam and Grossmama and Aunt Jezebel and her sisters had reminded her about inner beauty came rushing back. And suddenly it didn't matter that she was Plain anymore. Suddenly, she was so full of happiness that she could hardly speak.

“How much do you want to marry me?” she asked. “Enough to take my grandmother as part of the package? I want to be with you, Samuel. I want to take care of you and the children, and I want to be a good and true wife to you, so long as I live.” She paused to catch her breath. “But could you…would you consider having my Grossmama come to live with us? I think she would be happier there, with the little ones. I know it's a lot to ask, but—”

“You'll have me?” He grabbed her and pulled her against him in a great bear hug, then slowly lowered his head and kissed her tenderly on the lips. “I love you, my Anna,” he said. “And if you'll take me, a man with five
children, you can bring a dozen grandmothers to our home if you wish. You can bring your Aunt Jezebel, your sister Susanna, even your cousin Dorcas if you want.”

Mouth tingling from the kiss, Anna touched his warm cheek and found it damp with tears. “Are you crying, Samuel?”

“I am,” he admitted. “But don't tell anyone.”

“I won't bring Dorcas, I promise.”

He chuckled, stood and caught both her hands, lifting her up. “So you will marry me?”

“I said I would, didn't I?”

“When?” he asked.

“As soon as the bans can be properly read. You are a deacon in the church. We must set a good example for the young people.”

“We could be married by spring.”

“Whatever you say, Samuel,” she replied sweetly. Every doubt had vanished. And in her heart, she was certain that this was the path that God had planned for her all along.

A
nna rose from the big bed she shared with Samuel, and padded barefoot, in her long, white cotton nightgown, across the thick, braided rug. In the east, the first rays of dawn would soon appear and the roosters would be crowing to welcome the new day. In the darkness, she found her nightstand, removed her nightcap and brushed out her hair. Any minute, Samuel would be up to begin the morning chores, the children would tumble sleepily out of their beds and Grossmama would wake and want her morning cup of chamomile tea.

Anna smiled. She loved this time, when all the house was silent and the day full of possibilities waited like an unopened birthday gift. This was her home, her wonderful husband, her children and her grandmother. She never expected to be this happy in her marriage. She'd hoped she might be, but the reality of life with Samuel was better than she could have dreamed.

Deftly, she rolled her long hair into a bun and pinned it at the back of her head, before reaching for her freshly starched
kapp
and covering her head with it. The sweet, rich smells of spring wafted through the open window:
plowed earth, apple blossoms, freshly cut grass and the first blooms of climbing roses.

Anna knelt and bowed her head in a moment of silent prayer, as she did every morning. God had answered all of her prayers, and her heart was full of praise for His many blessings. She knew that she and Samuel would face trials; every family did. But with each other, with faith and hard work, she was confident that they would overcome each obstacle.

As she rose to draw back the simple white curtain, Samuel called from the bed. “Anna, where are you?”

“Here, sleepyhead. Making ready for the day, as
you
should. The cows will be wanting milking and the sheep must be fed before breakfast.”

“Come back to me, my sweet
kuchen.
”

She heard him pat the bed beside him and she smiled. This was the teasing game they played every morning, and neither of them ever tired of it. “What, with so much to do, lazybones? It will be midmorning before I get the coffee on.”

“Just for a minute, Anna.”

Laughing, she returned to the high-poster bed that had been Samuel's great grandfather's and slid in beside him. Samuel put his arm around her and drew her close, and she tucked her head against his shoulder.

“Mmm,” he murmured. “This is nice. Can't we just stay here all day?”

“
Ne,
we cannot.” She giggled. “What would the community say if their deacon lounged in his bed while the spring day was wasted?”

“I suppose you're right.” He yawned. “I've been thinking, my Anna.”

“
Ya,
Samuel. I'm sure you have.”

“I think there's too much for you to do in this house.
Your grandmother, the children, your garden. I have the boys and the hired man, but Naomi and Lori Ann are too young to be of much help.”

“Hush.” She placed two fingers over his lips. “To say such a thing about your daughters. They are good girls who show great promise of being better housewives than I am.”

“No one could be a better wife or mother than you.”

“Hush, Samuel. You will make me blush with such talk.”

“All well, but I have decided. You must have help. My niece has more girls than her house can hold. If you agree, we'll ask her to send one or two to help you out.”

Anna found his hand and squeezed it. “You are too good to me. But there's no need. If you think I need help, let's ask my sister Rebecca to come for a few hours every day. She knows the way I like things in my kitchen, and she'll be good with the children.”

“You've asked her already, I suppose,” he said with a chuckle.

“Of course, Samuel. But if it doesn't please you, I can—”

“It pleases me very much, Anna. And if you'd rather have your sister than one of my nieces, that's exactly what we'll do. But you will have help. I'll not have you working your hands to the bone for us.”

Anna laughed. “Small chance of that. What other husband in Kent County regularly scrubs his wife's kitchen floor?” She wiggled free of his embrace and slid across the bed. “Now, get up before the twins, or they'll never let you hear the end of it.” She found her night robe on the chair and put it on.

“Do I have to?” he groaned.

She rested her fists on her ample hips. “
Ya,
Samuel. You have to. As you do every day.”

He sat up and halfheartedly tossed a pillow in her direction. “Have I told you that I love you, woman?”

“Every day,” she answered.

“You bring joy to this house.”

“And you, Samuel, bring joy to my heart.”

And, as was their custom, he rose and dressed, and they went down the wide staircase together, hand in hand, like young newlyweds, which was, she supposed, exactly what they were.

Dear Reader,

Welcome again to Seven Poplars, Delaware, home of the Old Order Amish family, the Yoders, and their friends and family. Anna's story is particularly dear to me because, unlike her sisters, she isn't beautiful by contemporary standards, not even in the Amish community. But beauty, we know, is in the eye of the beholder. Widower Samuel Mast has always seen Anna for her beauty within, and is eager to make her his wife. Anna has secretly adored Samuel and his children for years. The question is, can Anna, can any of us, truly love another if we do not love ourselves?

I hope you'll enjoy reading Anna's story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. As I came to know and love Anna Yoder, I was amazed by the wisdom and quiet and abiding faith in God that she displayed. I think you'll agree that plump Anna, the plain sister, is a special young woman.

Please come back and join me for Leah Yoder's story. After a year in Ohio, caring for her aging grandmother, she's eager to be a part of Seven Poplars again. Then she meets Daniel Brown and her world turns topsy-turvy. Does she belong in Delaware with her family, or half a world away, serving God as a Mennonite missionary's wife? And if she follows her heart and chooses Daniel, will it tear her traditional family apart?

Wishing you peace and joy,

Emma Miller

1. Do you think Anna should have allowed Samuel into the house with only Susanna as a chaperone? Why or why not?
   
2. Should Samuel have asked Hannah's permission to court Anna before bringing the matter up with Anna? Do you think the fact that the community believed he was interested in courting Hannah should have affected his decision?
   
3. Do you think Dorcas had Anna's best interests at heart when she cautioned Anna against considering allowing Samuel to court her? Were Dorcas's concerns reasonable? Accurate? Do you think Dorcas was motivated by jealousy toward her friend?
   
4. Was it fair for Samuel to ask Anna, at her young age, to even consider becoming his wife and mother to five children? Do you think a woman her age could be the mother to another woman's children? Is it possible for a woman of any age to love another woman's children as if they were truly her own? Is Anna ready to take on such a huge responsibility?
   
5. How would you have handled Peter and Rudy's mischief-making with Martha? Do you think Samuel handled the situation well? How would you have responded if you were their parent? If you were Martha? Do you believe Anna will change Samuel's way of disciplining the children?
   
6. Why do you think Grossmama treated Hannah the way she did? Why was Anna able to see past Grossmama's grumpiness? Have you ever dealt with someone like Grossmama? How did you respond?
   
7. Do you see Samuel as the “catch” that everyone else in the county does? Why or why not? Do you think he and Anna are well-suited to each other?
   
8. Why do you think Peter and Rudy treated Anna badly, when Samuel's girls took an immediate liking to her? What did you think about the way she handled their animosity toward her? Do you believe that Anna will ever be able to fill a mother's role in their hearts?
   
9. Do you think Samuel was rushing Anna's decision concerning courting and marrying him? Would it have made a difference in their relationship if he had given her more time? How much time is enough time to decide if you're in love with someone and want to spend the rest of your life with him?
   
10. Do you think that Anna could have become Samuel's wife and the children's mother without a change of heart concerning herself? When in your life have you needed to change your opinion of yourself? Why is it so difficult for women to accept and value themselves?