by Jan Drexler
“Are you saying that it was a mistake to marry Lily? That I should have stayed here and married Bethany in the first place?”
Dave shook his head. “I can’t tell you that. Maybe it was God’s will that you married Lily, and that you had Mari.”
“Then it was a mistake to marry Bethany.” Andrew felt like he had been kicked by a cow at that thought.
“Do you think it was?”
“Ne,” Andrew said. Then he said it again, more certain this time. “Ne, it was no mistake.”
Dave laid a hand on Andrew’s shoulder. “You married Bethany because you thought it was the right thing to do, ja?” When Andrew nodded, he went on. “Then don’t try to rethink the decision again, like a cow chewing its cud. You made the decision, you’re married and there’s no going back to do anything different. You and Bethany make a good couple, and you’ll have a good marriage. You believe that, don’t you?”
“For sure I do. At least, I hope so.”
“Then trust her and trust yourself.” Dave swung up onto the wagon seat. “And don’t be surprised if you end up falling in love with her.” He slapped the reins on the team’s back and set off down the lane, Jenny running behind the wagon, barking all the way to the road.
Andrew sighed, then picked up his hammer again. Trust Bethany? He could try to do that. Trust himself? Only a fool would trust himself. He gazed up at Bethany’s window, above the back porch.
The thing he couldn’t trust was love. He had learned that love could disappear with the speed of a lightning bolt. Dave was wrong. Dead wrong. He would never put his trust in love again.
Chapter Eleven
The first Sunday in July was a nonchurch day, so breakfast was relaxed. Andrew read from the Christenflicht, the book of prayers, for a time of prayer and meditation after breakfast was over. Even Mari listened to the old German words as Andrew read. When he reached the end of the prayer, one that had praised God for His mercies during the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, he sat silently, thinking of his own journey that had brought him to this place.
Was Dave right, that neither his marriage to Lily nor his marriage to Bethany had been the wrong choice? Could it be that both marriages were part of God’s plan? But Andrew didn’t want to try to guess the intricacies of God’s ways.
With a sigh, he closed the little book, then looked at Rose and Bethany.
“Did I hear Jonah say we should stop by over there today?”
Bethany stood, gathering the breakfast dishes from the table. “Folks end up at Daed’s house most nonchurch Sundays during the summer, unless we go to the lake for a picnic like we did a couple weeks ago.”
“I like the lake,” said Mari. “Can we go there?”
“Another day.” Andrew got up to return the Christenflicht to its shelf. “We need to plan ahead of time for a picnic like that.”
“When would Jonah expect us to come by?” Rose asked as Bethany got ready to wash the dishes.
“Not until afternoon. We can spend the morning resting, or reading,” Bethany said.
“Can I play with Jenny?” Mari slid off her stool and stood by Andrew’s knee.
“Today is a rest day for dogs, too. But we can take a walk outside and visit her.”
“Dinah, too?”
“For sure. We can visit all the animals.”
Mari wrapped her hand around Andrew’s finger and they went outside together. Jenny came running up to them, tail wagging.
“We didn’t bring her any food,” Mari said, looking up at him.
“She’s already had her breakfast. I fed her when I fed the rest of the animals.”
“Does she eat grass?” Mari petted the dog’s back.
“She eats scraps from our table.” Andrew didn’t tell her that part of Jenny’s job was to hunt the rats that lived in the barn.
When they reached the barn, the horses heard them and came inside from their pasture. Andrew got a carrot from the box by the grain bin and broke it in pieces.
“Here’s one for Whiskers,” he said, handing it to Mari. “And I’ll give the other one to Dandy.”
Both horses crunched their treat while Mari giggled.
A soft woof from Jenny made him look up at the haymow, in the direction her nose was pointed. He hadn’t been up there yet, since he had no hay to store. He would need to clean out the big hay-storage area before late summer. But when he looked up there from the barn floor, he couldn’t see beyond the edge of the mow. No sign of anything that might be disturbing the dog.
Jenny woofed again, the hackles on her shoulders rising. Something, or someone, was up there.
“Let’s go see Dinah,” Andrew said, taking Mari’s hand and leading her toward the barn door.
Once they reached the pasture fence, Mari picked dandelions and fed them to the cow while Andrew watched for Jenny. She didn’t come out of the barn, and he could imagine that she was still looking at the haymow.
Looking at the barn, Andrew realized that the hole he had patched in the barn roof when he first arrived home was over the same part of the haymow that Jenny had been watching. He nearly laughed at his own nervousness. The raccoons that had caused the hole in the first place had probably come back, and that’s what had alerted the dog. He would have to take the ladder in there and get rid of the raccoons once and for all. He didn’t mind the curious animals, but he didn’t want them living in his barn, either.
By the time he and Mari returned to the house, he was ready for a rest. Mari played with her doll while he and Bethany sat in the front room. Rose had gone to her room. Andrew sighed. It felt good to have nothing to do.
“Have you thought any more about our night visitor?” Bethany asked.
Andrew opened his eyes. Bethany looked nervous.
“Why?”
She twisted her fingers in her lap. “I just have a feeling that, well, you think I might know more about it than I do.”
Andrew sat up. Was she going to confess? Had he been wrong about her?
“Why do you say that?”
“The way you look at me when we talk about it.” She glanced at Mari, but his daughter was playing and not paying attention to the adult conversation. “It’s like you think I’m lying.”
“I admit that the thought crossed my mind that our prowler might be visiting you.”
“Who would visit me in the middle of the night?”
Andrew shrugged. “That’s the conclusion I came to. And then I found footprints under a different window.” He didn’t want to mention Rose’s name while Mari was in the room.
Bethany didn’t take her eyes from him but frowned as she watched him.
“You thought someone was courting me?”
He rubbed his hand over his face, embarrassed to think he had mistrusted her.
“Not really. I mean, I thought it was possible that someone might...but not you.” He licked his lips. “I trust you.”
She continued frowning.
“When I thought about it, I knew you couldn’t know the—” He glanced at Mari. “The visitor. You were as surprised as I was.”
“But you trust me.”
Andrew nodded. “I do. That other, it was just a fleeting thought. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Bethany released him from her gaze. “Lovina said I should mention it and bring it out in the open. She said that would be better than doubts and suspicions.”
“I don’t doubt you, Bethany. I know you’re as committed to our marriage as I am.”
She sighed. “It’s harder than we thought it would be, isn’t it?”
She glanced at him without the challenge her gaze had held earlier. It was a look that offered a truce, an invitation to work together.
“I have a feeling marriage is never easy, even in the best circumstances. We both need to work hard to stay fri
ends.”
Bethany smiled. “I’m willing to work if you are.”
Andrew grinned at her. “We always make a good team, don’t we?”
* * *
On Sunday night, Bethany was glad to climb into bed, ready to fall asleep as soon as she closed her eyes, but it didn’t happen. She stared at the ceiling, remembering the afternoon.
Andrew had been true to his word, and they had worked together as a team as they had visited with their family and other friends who had stopped by Daed’s. She and Andrew had even taken turns watching Mari, so they both had an opportunity to spend time with their friends. It had been a good time.
She was just drifting off to sleep when Jenny barked. Bethany sat up in bed. She had heard Jenny bark many times, but this sounded different. She grabbed her blanket from her bed and wrapped up in it as she went out into the hall. Andrew met her at the top of the stairs.
“You stay here,” he said, starting down the steps.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t want you outside.”
Bethany followed him down the steps, resolved to stay in the kitchen, but she had to know what had made Jenny so upset. Andrew lit a lantern in the kitchen, then went outside.
Through the window, she saw the lantern bobbing toward the barn.
“What is it?” Rose stood behind her, trying to see.
Bethany moved over so Rose could see out the window as well as she could, and they both watched. The moon wasn’t up yet, and light clouds obscured the stars. The lantern was a pinpoint of light against the dark barn, and Jenny continued her barking.
“Something has that dog upset,” Rose said.
Bethany watched the lantern. It seemed to stop, then rise. She heard Andrew’s voice shouting, then a dog’s yelp. Rose clutched Bethany’s arm.
The lantern swung in the air, then went out. Shadowy forms ran down the lane toward the road, and Jenny started barking again, running after them.
“I’m going out there.”
“You can’t.” Rose’s voice was a squeak.
“I have to see what happened to Andrew. You saw those men running away, and Jenny has followed them to the road. She’ll warn me if they try to come back.”
Gathering her blanket tightly around her, Bethany stepped out into the night. Jenny barked in the distance, then she heard the sound of an automobile on the road. She hoped that meant the prowlers were driving away and wouldn’t be back. She stayed on the grass as she walked toward the barn, listening as she went. As she got closer, she heard someone moan.
“Andrew?”
“Bethany? I told you to stay in the house.”
“They’re gone. I heard them drive away in an automobile. What happened?”
“They knocked the lantern out of my hand and pushed me down. I got the wind knocked out of me.”
Bethany groped in the space where his voice came from, and her hand found his head. He grabbed it and stood up, breathing hard.
“Let’s go back to the house. Where’s Jenny?”
“She followed them to the road.”
Rose had lit the lantern in the kitchen, and the light gave them a path to follow in the dark. Andrew pushed Bethany in the door, then looked back out into the yard. He whistled once, then came in with the dog. He got a crust of bread from the slop bucket and tossed it to her.
“You did a good job tonight, girl. Go get some rest.”
Jenny wagged her tail then went back outside while Andrew sat down on a chair at the table.
“Who were those men?” Rose asked.
Andrew shook his head. “I have no idea. But this morning, Jenny barked at something in the barn. Maybe they were tramps.”
“Tramps wouldn’t have an automobile,” Bethany said.
“Bootleggers,” Rose said. “That haymow hasn’t been used in years. I wouldn’t be surprised if a gang of bootleggers used it to stash their stuff.”
Bethany thought of the men running away.
“When they left, they weren’t carrying anything with them. It must still be in the barn.”
She met Rose’s gaze, then looked at Andrew. He was staring at the table, drumming his fingers.
“I’m going to bring Jenny inside the house, and we’ll keep watch. If they come back, we won’t interfere with them. If we don’t get in their way, they probably won’t bother us.”
“Do you think they’ll come back tonight?” Bethany asked.
“If whatever they had in the barn is valuable, they can’t risk leaving it there until morning.” Andrew stood. “You two go back to bed. Jenny and I will stay up and make sure they don’t bother the house.”
Rose shook her head. “I won’t be able to sleep. I may as well stay out here with you.”
“The same for me.” Bethany crossed her arms. “I won’t be able to close my eyes if I try to go to bed.”
Andrew called in Jenny, and she lay down by the door. Then the three of them sat at the table, waiting.
When Bethany woke up, it was light in the kitchen. She was stiff from sleeping with her head pillowed on her arms at the table. She blew out the lantern and looked at Rose and Andrew, their heads still pillowed on the table. Jenny whined from her spot by the door and Bethany let her out.
The dog ran to the barn, her nose to the ground. She cast back and forth, then trotted back to her doghouse. Bethany trusted the dog enough to know that if their visitors had returned in the night, they had left again.
* * *
After finishing the morning chores, Andrew wandered around the barnyard before going into the house for breakfast. He found his lantern outside the barn door, where the prowlers had knocked it from his hand, and he found the ladder propped against the edge of the haymow. He climbed it but saw nothing in the empty loft. If there had been anything there, the men must have come back during the night and taken it away.
He went in to breakfast. When Mari ran to him for her morning hug, he held her close until she struggled to get free. The thought of violent strangers on his farm made him want to cling to his daughter and never let her go.
“Daed, Daed, we have hotcakes for breakfast.” Mari patted his beard.
“Is that your favorite breakfast?”
She nodded. “And it’s your favorite, too.”
After the prayer, Bethany looked at him, her tired face looking worried.
“Did you find anything?”
He shook his head. “If it hadn’t been for Jenny, we might not have known anyone had been around.”
Mari looked up, a bite of hotcake speared on her fork. “Did Jenny bark?”
“For sure, she did. She was a good dog.”
“Did you give her a treat?”
“I gave her some bread.”
Mari nodded. “I’ll give her a hotcake. She will like a hotcake.”
“Do you think this will be the end of it?” Bethany asked.
“The end of what?” Rose looked at both of them. “Have they been here before?”
Andrew cut his hotcakes into squares and thrust his fork into a stack. “We’ve seen a prowler around the house at night.”
Rose concentrated on her coffee.
“I don’t think these were the same men, though.”
“Why not?” Bethany asked.
“We can talk about it later,” he said. He didn’t want to frighten Mari or Rose.
After breakfast, Andrew shoveled manure into the spreader. He planned to spread it on the hay field, but before he could hitch up the team, an automobile drove into the yard and Jenny started barking. He stepped out of the barn to see what the Englischers wanted. He called Jenny to him and told her to be quiet.
The men all wore suits and felt hats. The first one showed him a badge.
“Hank Phillips, FBI.” He looked around the farm.
“Have you seen any suspicious activity around here?”
“What kind of suspicious activity?”
“Automobiles driving fast along the road, that sort of thing.”
“Or men in my barn in the middle of the night?”
That got the Englischer’s attention.
“You saw them?”
“Not really. It was dark, and they knocked my lantern out of my hand.” Andrew gestured for the men to follow him into the barn and showed them the ladder. “This wasn’t in here yesterday.”
Two of the men brought a leather case and opened it. It was filled with glass jars, brushes and other items Andrew couldn’t name. They started spreading the powder on the rungs of the ladder.
“Had you ever seen these men before?”
Andrew shook his head. “I couldn’t tell you. Like I said, it was dark. But I don’t think they’ve been around my farm since I moved in.”
Hank Phillips, FBI pulled a notebook from his jacket pocket. “When was that?”
“The end of May.”
“You didn’t think to call the police when they were here last night?”
“They didn’t harm anything, and they left in a hurry. We don’t involve the police in something like this.”
“Did anyone else see these men?”
Andrew didn’t want to mention Bethany, but she had seen them running. “My wife, but it was dark. She didn’t see their faces.”
Hank Phillips looked at Jenny. “Did your dog bark at them?”
Andrew scratched Jenny’s ears. “She woke us up.”
“That looks like one of Eugene Smith’s dogs.”
“He’s the one who gave her to me.”
“And you say she barked at the men the whole time?”
Andrew rubbed the back of his neck. “Just before the men knocked me down, I heard her yelp, then she stopped barking.”
Hank Phillips wrote in his notebook.
“Is that important?”
“It could be. It might just be the evidence we need to arrest a suspect.” He put his notebook back in his pocket. “Would you be willing to testify in court and tell what you know, just as you told me?”
