RR05 - Tender Mercies (35 page)

I think of you so often, and I pray that God will keep you through the winter and bring spring back into your life and heart again.

Yours in Him,
Mary Martha

Blessing

The sound of a wolf howling woke Ingeborg during the night several weeks later. She lay still, listening and remembering the year the wolves tried to kill their sheep. Now they were all penned up in a snug barn and safe from both predators and the weather. Lambing would begin any day now.

She woke later to the sound of water dripping off the icicles. The March wind no longer howled at the eaves, and when she opened the back door, a three-foot-long sword of ice fell with a crash.

“Don’t count on this lasting,” Haakan cautioned when he brought a pail of milk to the house. “I filled the milk cans in the well house. There’s enough for you to make cheese again.”

“Good. I thought as much.” She cracked another egg into the frying pan. “After breakfast, would you please start the stove out there then?”

“I already did.” He hung up his coat and topped it with his hat. “The sun’s so bright it hurts your eyes this morning. I saw wolf prints out around the corral. I think they belong to that wolf of Metiz’. One front foot is deformed.”

“Wolf isn’t hers. He is free.”

“I know. Just easier to say Metiz’ wolf. I haven’t seen him around for a long time and was beginning to think something had gotten him.”

“I’m glad he’s back.”

“Saw other prints with his. You’d have thought Paws would have warned us.” He took his place at the table just as Andrew and Thorliff pounded down the stairs. “You boys running a bit late this morning, eh?”

“I know, Pa. Onkel Lars said he would give us a ride. Where’s Hamre?”

“Changing clothes.”

“You boys will have to take over the chores tonight. We’ll be moving the lumber mill downriver. Got to have more trees to saw. ’Bout the last thing we needed was a thaw, but I promised Sedgewick we’d start cutting for him.”

Ingeborg set the plate of ham and eggs in front of him. “You going to be staying up there?”

“For the next couple of days. Sam will be coming out to help around here. Since Bridget is over at Zeb’s, I thought he could share the soddy with Hamre.”

“Ephraim is going with you too?”

Haakan nodded, chewing a bite of ham at the same time. “I figure four days at the most, then we’ll be home and start filling the ice house.”

Two nights later winter returned, incensed that spring had sneaked in and melted some roofs clear. He howled around the eaves and tried to force his way in under the door sills.

The pounding on the door came in the middle of the night.

Chapter 27

Springfield, Missouri

“She’s gone.” Mary Martha stood at her mother’s bedside.

“Died peaceful in her sleep, just like she woulda wanted.” Jed looked down at the face of the woman on the bed. “Gone to be with her Maker and right glad, I’m sure.” He sniffed. “Ah shoulda knowed when old Blue was howling during the night. I jist thought some critter had come near the dog run.”

Mary Martha wiped her flowing tears with the corner of her apron. She’d been making breakfast quietly so as to let her mother sleep, and here she’d died in the night.
Ah, Ma, forgive me for not being with you. I slept too sound
.

“Now, don’t you go feeling guilty that you weren’t with her.” He turned to study the younger woman. “From that look on her face, she heard the Lord call her name and just couldn’t wait to git outa here. Up there singin’ with the angels ’stead of hurtin’ down here. Surely would be my choice. ’Sides, you said good-bye in countless caring ways, and she know’d how much you love her.”

“I . . . I guess. But even as weak as she’s been, I thought she would be here always. Already the house doesn’t feel the same.” Mary Martha sank down on the chair by the bed where she’d sat reading to her mother nearly every afternoon. They’d read all through the Psalms and talked about places in their lives when they felt just like David, crying to the Lord. And like David, they had found reasons to praise their mighty God.

“I’m thankful I had this time with her.” Mary Martha laid her cheek against her mother’s cold hand that lay on top of the quilt. Never again would that hand stroke her hair or turn the pages of the worn Bible lying on the stand by the bed.

“I’ll go tell the preacher if ’n you want,” Jed said after a time of silence.

“Thank you. And we better send a telegram to Eva Jane. I’ll write to Zeb. He’s too far away to come for the funeral anyway.” She sniffed and wiped her eyes again. “I thought I was prepared for this, but here I am bawling like a newly weaned calf.”

“That’s the way it’s s’posed to be. Hardhearted you’d be if you didn’t sorrow for your ma.” Jed turned and left the room, his stockinged feet soundless on the worn floorboards.

What would she do now?

Return to Blessing
, her errant heart whispered.
Now!

“But what about this place?” Mary Martha looked upward, willing the walls to show an answer. But when she sensed nothing, she rose and returned to the kitchen to finish making breakfast. Jed would be hungry.

Once they were seated at the table, the words just slipped from her tongue. “Would you like to go back to Blessing with me?”

Jed stopped, his fork of ham and egg halfway to his mouth. He took the bite, chewed, swallowed, and looked her full in the face. “Now, why would I want to go and do that?”

“Well, I just thought . . . there’s no one here to take care of you . . .and . . . well . . .”

“You think I can’t care for myself?”

“No, but . . . well. . . .” If she could ever get her tongue untwisted, she might make some sense. “But this is a big place for one man to care for, and . . .”

She wound to a stop at the look in his eye.

“I take it you want to go back to Blessing?”

She nodded and shifted her knife and fork. The eggs on her plate had congealed in the gravy and stared up at her like two huge yellow eyes.

“I . . . I have a good life there with Zeb and Katy and my work with the children.”

“And that preacher feller?”

She shrugged. “Time will tell.”

“But you care for him.”

She nodded again and realigned the coffee cup with the silver. “But I don’t want to leave you all alone here either.”

“Ah, missy, I been alone in the midst of the crowd all my life. I don’t need much, and this place will more than provide it. It’ll be here for you anytime you want to come home, and someday you might want to bring your young’uns back here to see where you growed up. Same goes for Zeb and Katy. You all got your own lives, but this old place will be here waitin’.”

Mary Martha patted his age-spotted hand. “There’s always a place for you wherever we are.”

“Ah know that.”

She blew her nose and cut a bite of meat. “Reckon we better get ready for the folks who want to come say good-bye. I’ll wash and dress Ma so she looks good for company while you go tell the news.” She glanced around the house that was already spotlessly clean. “No sense cookin’. They’ll be bringin’ enough food to feed Sherman’s army.”

Dear Zeb and Katy and girls,

Ma went to sleep here three nights ago and woke up in heaven. We buried her in the churchyard this afternoon, as she wished. Everyone in the parish came to offer their condolences and share some story how Ma helped them in a time of need. While I knew she did things like that, I had no idea the far-reaching effects. She will be and has been missed around here since she took sick.

Mary Martha went on to describe in detail the funeral and the time of mourning at the homeplace, then came to a close.

I plan to pack my things and return to Blessing as soon as I am able. Give my love to everyone, and if there is anything you would like me to bring, let me know. Uncle Jed will stay on here at home. I tried to talk him into coming with me, but he says pulling up roots now might damage them so bad they won’t go down deep again. I’ll see you soon.

Your loving sister,
MMM

The letter to John—she could no longer think of him as Pastor Solberg—took longer as she described the people and the feeling at the church.

Ma’s death was far different from the death of little Anna. While there was sorrow, we all rejoiced that Ma had gone on to her reward. I like to think of the angels rejoicing over one returned home, and I know they sang a full concert when Anna arrived. It must be so hard to wait and have the burying in the spring like you must do. Like never an end to the grieving.

While I am sad and miss my mother dearly, I can no longer think of this place as home and am impatient to finish clearing things away and board the train for Blessing. If there is still a place for me to help in your school, I will be most delighted to take up where I left off.

She wiped her eyes again, knowing that Anna would not be there to work on improving her speech.

Your sorrowing yet still rejoicing friend from the southland.

Affectionately,
Mary Martha

When Jed left to take the letters to the post office and pick up a few things at the store, she wished she were in the wagon with him. Why did she feel such a need to be in Blessing—not in a few weeks, but
now
?

Chapter 28

Blessing, Dakota Territory

“Please come. Bridget says to hurry.” Zeb stood just inside the door.

“I’ll be ready in a minute.” Ingeborg stood behind Haakan, still tying her wrapper around her. “You go for Metiz, and I’ll be ready when you get back.”

“Right.” Zeb spun and headed out the door like a man needing to be told what to do because his mind was elsewhere.

Ingeborg knew all he could think about was Katy and getting back to her.

By the time she was dressed and had placed a few more things in the box she kept assembled for birthing and other illnesses, the jingle of harness was back at their door. She kissed Haakan good-bye and let him help her up into the wagon bed still on runners. The cold bit deep, even before she could snuggle down under the elk robes Zeb had spread for them. While spring had shown its nose, winter had nipped it off and returned with a vengeance, as if to prove there would be no season of new life this year.

“Tell me, what is happening?” she asked as they flew over the drifts, not bothering with the road, since the snow had frozen enough to hold the horses again.