by Sarah Price
Pushing open the door, Emma was pleased to notice that it didn’t squeak as it normally did. Her daed must have fixed it during the latter part of the week, she thought. Such a gut man, she pondered, then turned, just briefly, to gaze at him. He was hovering near Hetty and her maem, wringing his hands as he inquired whether the two women thought it was too warm inside for visiting or if they were comfortable enough. Shaking her head to herself, Emma stepped outside and waited to greet the newly arrived visitors.
Gladys exited the buggy first, her prayer kapp slightly askew on her graying head, and waved at Emma before she slipped the halter over the horse’s head. She moved the reins safely back and constrained them so that they would not slip over the horse’s croup and spook it while it was hitched to the side of the barn. Emma waited patiently for Gladys’s guest to emerge, and when she did, Emma was immediately intrigued.
Hannah Souder was not exactly a pretty young woman, but the wisps of ginger hair that stuck out from beneath her prayer kapp and her bright, big eyes immediately spoke of an eagerness to please and learn. Her beauty seemed to radiate from the inside. Her steps conveyed the impression that she was bouncing behind Gladys with such eagerness that Emma found herself smiling, already liking this new addition to their Sunday supper gathering, even if her prayer kapp was not heart-shaped like the Lancaster Amish. Instead, it hugged the back of Hannah’s head, more rounded and stiffer like the rest of the Amish wore in her New York settlement. Even her dress, a pale pink in color, which Emma thought did not particularly flatter her coloring, was slightly different in design.
“Wilkum!” Emma greeted Gladys with a warm handshake before turning to Hannah. “And you must be Hannah Souder! I have heard much about you and have been looking forward to meeting you!”
“Danke.” The response was simple and soft. She was shy. That was apparent from the way she couldn’t quite meet Emma’s eyes. As she made her way into the house, Emma observed her with curiosity. She noticed right away that Hannah barely exhibited any form of social grace as she was introduced to the Blanks, Henry, and Gideon. Despite the smile on her face, she stared at the floor shyly and made certain to stand behind Gladys, rather than next to her. She even hesitated to shake hands with Emma’s daed. Still, there was a kindness about the young woman’s face that made her immediately appealing to Emma.
“I have the Scrabble game set in the sunroom,” Emma announced.
Hetty clapped her hands and glanced around the room. “Oh, how I love Scrabble! Such a fine way to spend time together. I’d love to play; wouldn’t you, Maem?”
When her mother squinted and frowned, clearly not hearing what her dochder had said, Hetty repeated her question louder. “Scrabble, she said. Scrabble!”
Emma smiled as the two women hurried into the sunroom, joined by Gladys and Hannah, to play the game while she finished preparing the supper meal. She worked in the kitchen, preparing the platters of food while listening to the laughter and arguing in the other room over their selection of words. Her daed and Gideon sat on the sofa, talking about local news and occasionally interrupted to share their opinion about the validity of a word used in the board game. For Emma, it was the perfect Sunday afternoon, and her insides felt warm with the love that was permeating her home.
It was close to four when the gathering moved to the table for the light supper. With everything properly prepared earlier, there was little that Emma needed to do after setting the platters and bowls in the center of the table before calling the guests to come for fellowship. Daed took his place at the head of the table, and Emma was quick to sit beside him.
“There’s an extra place setting,” Gideon pointed out as he sat at the other end of the table. “Are you expecting another?”
There was no need to answer as the door opened and a young man walked through. “My deepest apologies, Emma,” he said as he removed his hat and greeted the gathering. “My daed asked me to visit with the neighbors, and the time got away from me!” He smiled at the others who were already seated around the table, his eyes falling upon Hannah. “Why, I do believe that I know everyone here except for one! Do introduce me, Emma!”
With his freshly shaved face and bright blue eyes, Paul Esh brought a crisp liveliness to the gathering, and Emma was quick to introduce him to Hannah. When she lowered her eyes and blushed at his attention, a thought struck Emma in regard to the young woman’s social inadequacies and apparent shyness.
I can help her, she thought, the way Anna helped me.
Her mind quickly worked, playing forward the different ways she could repay Anna’s kindness and devotion toward her over the years. After all, Anna had taught her how to properly balance being a godly woman with her commitment to helping the community. It is more blessed to give than receive, had been the way that Emma was raised. After the fifteen years of sacrifice Anna had made, raising her onkel’s kinner rather than her own, Emma had taken great satisfaction in seeing her happily married at last.
Now, this newcomer to their community, obviously from a smaller and less cosmopolitan settlement of Amish, could benefit from Emma’s friendship and guidance. Emma could help Hannah both adapt to the ways of the Lancaster County Amish as well as possibly finding her a suitable match…just as she had done with Anna!
With a new sense of purpose Emma leaned forward and paid extra attention to every word Hannah spoke and to her every interaction. She also observed how her guests interacted with the young woman, especially Paul Esh. The more Emma watched, the more convinced she was that her role in assimilating this newcomer into the community in order in insure that Hannah was properly acclimated and accepted, and possibly even married, was meant to be.
Now that Anna was happily settled into her new life with Samuel, it was time for Emma to guide another young woman to a long life of wedded bliss. And, by the end of the evening, she was convinced that Hannah was the one that God intended for her to guide.
Glossary
ach vell—an expression similar to “Oh, well”
aendi—aunt
Ausbund—Amish hymnal
boppli—baby
bruder—brother
buwe—boy, young male
daed—father
danke—thank you
dochder—daughter
Eck table—a corner table for the bride and groom to sit at their wedding feast
Englische—non-Amish people
Englischer—a non-Amish person
ferhoodled—confused
fraa—wife
g’may—church district
gown shanner—you’re welcome
grossdawdi—grandfather
grossdawdihaus—small house attached to the main dwelling
grossmammi—grandmother
gut—good
gut mariye—good morning
ja—yes
kapp—prayer covering or cap
kinner—children
leddich—unmarried
Loblieb—a special hymn sung during church
maedel—an older, unmarried woman
maem—mother
nee—no
newehocker—attendant at a wedding
ole—old
onkel—uncle
Ordnung—unwritten rules that govern the g’may
rumschpringe—period of “fun” time for youths
schwester—sister
Wie gehts?—“What’s going on?”
wunderbaar—wonderful
Other Books by Sarah Price
The Amish of Lancaster Series
#1: Fields of Corn
#2: Hills of Wheat
#3: Pastures of Faith
#4: Valley of Hope
The Amish of Ephrata Series
#1: The Tomato Patch
#2: The Quilting Bee
#3: The Hope Chest
#4: The Clothes Line
The Plain Fame Trilogy
Plain Fame
Plain Change
Plain Again
&nbs
p; Other Amish Fiction Books
Amish Circle Letters
Amish Circle Letters II
The Divine Secrets of the Whoopie Pie Sisters (with Pam Jarrell)
Cry of Freedom: Gettysburg’s Chosen Sons
A Gift of Faith: An Amish Christmas Story
An Amish Christmas Carol: Amish Christian Classic Series
A Christmas Gift for Rebecca: An Amish Christian Romance
The Adventures of a Family Dog Series
#1: A Small Dog Named Peek-a-Boo
#2: Peek-a-Boo Runs Away
#3: Peek-a-Boo’s New Friends
#4: Peek-a-Boo and Daisy Doodle
Other Books
Gypsy in Black
The Prayer Chain Series (with Ella Stewart)
Postcards From Abby (with Ella Stewart)
Meet Me in Heaven (with Ella Stewart)
Mark Miller’s One: The Power of Faith
About Sarah Price
THE PREISS FAMILY emigrated from Europe in 1705, settling in Pennsylvania as the area’s first wave of Mennonite families. Sarah Price has always respected and honored her ancestors through exploration and research about her family’s history and their religion. At the age of nineteen she befriended an Amish family and lived on their farm throughout the years.
Twenty-five years later Sarah Price splits her time between her home outside of New York City and an Amish farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where she retreats to reflect, write, and reconnect with her Amish friends and Mennonite family.
Contact the author at [email protected]. Visit her weblog at http://sarahpriceauthor.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fansofsarahprice.
