by Jan Drexler
“I would rather not, but I will if you insist.”
“Good enough.” Hank Phillips nodded toward the barn. “We’re going to be busy in there for a while, gathering evidence. I hope that won’t disturb you. You and your family can go about your usual day.”
Andrew walked back to the house to tell Bethany what was going on. She met him at the door.
“I’m glad Rose is over at Daed’s this morning. She would hate to see all these Englischers around. What are they doing?”
“They were asking about our visitors.”
“Did you tell them about the other times we’ve had prowlers?”
“I don’t think these men had anything to do with our other prowler.”
“Because Jenny barked at them?”
Andrew nodded. “And because they didn’t come near the house. Our other prowler stays by the house and doesn’t go near the barn.” He didn’t tell her about Dave’s idea that the prowler might be courting Rose.
Bethany watched the men go in and out of the barn. “How long will they be here?”
“He said it would be a while.”
“Since I’m not going to get any laundry done today, I’ll make some cookies for them. They look like they don’t get home-baked cookies very often.”
“I’ll stick around the house while they’re here. I don’t want to be out in the fields in case they need me for something.”
“I thought you were going to stay for my cookies.”
Andrew grinned at her. “I’ll be playing with Mari. Let me know when the cookies are ready.”
Chapter Twelve
As July wore on, the heat grew without the relief of any rain to cool the air. Every afternoon, Bethany would look out the kitchen window, watching white thunderheads gather in the sky like wool from a sheared sheep, until she thought they couldn’t climb any higher. Sometimes the clouds would rumble with thunder, but no rain would come, and they would disappear when the sun went down.
They hadn’t seen any sign of the men in the barn since last Sunday night, and she hadn’t heard the other prowler, either. Bethany was glad about the absence of both of them.
On Sunday, the church was to meet at Dave and Dorcas Zimmer’s house for services, so on Saturday morning Bethany met the other women of the church there to help Dorcas clean, leaving Mari at home with Rose.
“It certainly is hot today, isn’t it?” Dorcas said as she met Bethany at the door. “Both twins are fussy with a heat rash.”
Lovina, coming into the house behind Bethany, said, “I’m sure that means you haven’t slept, either.”
“You’re right.” Dorcas led the way to the kitchen. “Either Betsy or Matthew was crying all night long.”
“Then you rest and let us do the work,” said Elisabeth Stoltzfus. “There are six of us here now, and we can get the job done before noon if we keep at it.”
The women worked together, Elisabeth taking charge, and started in the front room. Bethany washed the windows while Lovina scrubbed the white-painted window frames. Others moved the furniture out of the room or swept the walls and ceiling.
“Did you hear that the youngest Smith boy has the measles?” asked Lovina.
“I heard there were three children in Shipshewana who have the disease,” said Viola Schwartzendruber. “Have any of our children contracted it?”
“Not that I’ve heard of.” Elisabeth was sweeping the floor with dust mop. “But once an illness like that starts in an area, there is no telling where it will land.”
The conversation went on to the weather, then droughts of the past, then how everyone’s garden was doing and how often they watered the plants, and before Bethany knew it, the work was done. She had ridden to the workday with Lovina, and as they drove home, the subject of measles came up again.
“I wonder if we should keep our children home from church tomorrow,” Lovina said.
“I have to admit, I know nothing about measles, except that the child comes down with a rash. I don’t remember when my little brothers had them.”
“They can be dangerous if the child isn’t cared for properly. The rash is what you see, but the fever is the worst part of it.”
“Will you keep Rachel home tomorrow?”
Lovina turned into Andrew’s farm lane. “It depends on what Noah says. If none of the children in the church has them, then there shouldn’t be a danger.”
Rose was setting food on the table for dinner when Bethany came in. “We’re having a cold dinner today.”
“That’s a good idea.” Bethany carried a plate of tomato slices to the table. “Is this the first tomato from our garden?”
“It’s from Jonah’s garden. Ours were planted late, but we should get tomatoes before too long. I picked the last of the radishes this morning, though. I’m afraid they’re quite spicy.”
Mari frowned as she climbed onto her stool. “Pink potatoes.”
“Don’t contradict,” Rose said. “They are radishes.”
Mari kicked the table leg. “They’re pink potatoes.”
“Radishes.” Rose turned to look at her red-faced granddaughter. “What is wrong with you today?”
“Let me get her something to drink. Perhaps she’s just tired.” Bethany picked up Mari and took her to the sink.
Mari pointed to the dish of cottage cheese waiting on the counter. “I don’t like that.”
“Cottage cheese is good for you. We make it from the milk Dinah gives us.” Bethany looked at Rose. “Has she been this way all morning?”
“She worked in the garden with me, and she was fine. The heat might be getting to her, though. I know it has made me tired, even before I do any work.”
By the time Andrew came in for dinner, Mari was almost asleep on her stool. Bethany carried her into the living room and laid her on the couch.
“Go to sleep, Mari. You’ll feel better after a nap.”
“I’m hot.” Mari pulled at her dress.
Bethany brought her light cotton nightgown from her bedroom and dressed her in the loose garment, leaving the top buttons open.
“Is that better?” She smoothed the sweaty curls away from Mari’s face.
Mari nodded and closed her eyes while Bethany went back to the kitchen.
“Is she all right?” Andrew asked as Bethany sat down.
“I think so. I know she didn’t sleep well last night in this heat.”
Andrew cut a slice of tomato with the side of his fork. “Every day when those thunderheads start building, I wonder if this is the day that we’ll get rain. It reminds me of last summer in Iowa.”
“All things come to an end,” Rose said. “The drought will end, and the heat will, too. Do you remember how cold it was last winter? We get one or the other, and it’s no use complaining about either one.”
Andrew laughed. “Somewhere in between the two would be best, wouldn’t it? And with some rain thrown in for good measure?” He took another bite of his tomato. “Those Englishchers stopped by again today.”
“The ones from the FBI?”
Andrew nodded. “They said they caught the men who were in our barn Sunday night. You were right, Rose. They were bootleggers. Trey Smith was one of them.”
“We don’t have to worry about them coming around again then, do we?” Rose settled back in her chair with a sigh. “I’m sorry for those men, though. They will go to jail, won’t they?”
“For sure, they will,” Andrew said. “And I agree with you, Rose. I’ll be glad to sleep without wondering if we’ll be pulled out of our beds again.”
The rest of the day passed slowly, but at last night came with a slight breeze that cooled the upstairs rooms enough to try to sleep. Leaving the doors open helped the air move, and Bethany lay on her bed with her nightclothes on, waiting for sleep to come. The evening birdsongs had faded as the
darkness grew, and in the woods two owls hooted to one another. The house was quiet.
Bethany was nearly asleep when she heard the soft sound of a pebble hitting glass. Sitting up in bed, she strained to hear more. Ja, for sure. Another pebble. Following the direction of the sound, she made her way to Mari’s room and looked out the window. When she saw a dark shadow standing between the house and the edge of the woods, she caught her breath, covering her mouth so no sound escaped. As quietly as she could, she ran to Andrew’s doorway.
“Andrew!” she whispered, but he didn’t stir. She peeked in the open door and saw him in the faint light, lying on his back with his arms spread wide.
“Andrew!” she whispered louder, but he didn’t move. She took one step into the room and grasped the toe hanging off the edge of his bed.
He turned over, then sat up, rubbing his eyes. “What is it?”
“The prowler is back. I saw him standing below Mari’s window.”
Andrew got up and went to the middle bedroom while Bethany followed. Side by side, they gazed out the window, trying to see into the darkness through the cheesecloth screen. They could see nothing.
“Are you sure you saw him?” Andrew asked.
“Shh! I hear something.”
A quiet sound drifted up to them. A voice. But Bethany couldn’t distinguish any words. Then the sound of footsteps in the grass reached them and Andrew stood.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to try to catch him. I need to know what he’s doing here.”
Bethany grabbed Andrew’s hand. “What if he’s dangerous? What if it’s one of the bootleggers?”
“It isn’t a bootlegger. I have to know what’s going on.”
Andrew went down the steps and Bethany followed as closely as she dared. As they went out the front door and onto the porch, Bethany saw the shadowy figure slip through the shrubs by the road and disappear. Jenny had followed the man, but when she saw Andrew and Bethany on the porch, she came trotting toward them, woofing a welcome.
“So you’ll bark at us, but not at a stranger?” Andrew ruffled the fur around the dog’s neck and then straightened up. “I guess I’ll just have to try another time.”
Suddenly, Bethany remembered that they were both wearing their nightclothes as they stood on the porch. Andrew’s eyes, dark in the shadows, found hers and she stood, motionless. He took a step toward her, then ran his fingers through his hair.
What would this moment turn into if they were truly married? Would they kiss each other here on the front porch, and then laugh and go back to bed? Would he take her hand in a sweet, loving gesture?
But as Andrew turned away from her and into the house, her what-ifs disappeared like a popped bubble. They didn’t love each other, and they wouldn’t. She was his second choice, and no matter how well they got along, their marriage was a lie.
* * *
Monday morning brought no relief from the heat. Andrew hurried through his chores so he could get as much field work done as possible before noon. The horses would need to rest in the shade of the barn during the afternoon.
As the team pulled the harrow between the rows of corn, breaking up the soil and exposing the weeds to the hot sun, he thought about the sermons from church the day before. While Preacher Stoltzfus and Bishop Yoder had spoken on the verses in Luke chapter twelve that talked of not being anxious, the visiting preacher from Millersburg had spoken on some verses further on in the same chapter.
“Pay attention to the signs of the times,” he had said. He had talked of knowing that the heat will come when the south wind blows and knowing that a rain shower would come when a cloud rises in the west. Then he urged the congregation to look at the events of the world around them, and to be prepared for the judgment to come.
It had been an unusual sermon for an Amish service, and the preachers had questioned the man’s wisdom of his prideful assurance of being able to discern the details of God’s will. But Andrew wondered if the preacher was right. The world was going through hard times, for sure. And he had heard snatches of conversations among the Englisch of a new, dangerous leader in Germany. But were those signs pointing toward the end of the world, as the preacher seemed to think?
After he turned the horses for the next pass across the length of the field, his thoughts went to Bethany. Even though she and Rose seemed to be getting along better every day, she still looked unhappy at times. The only time he saw a true smile on her face was when she was with Mari. She loved his daughter, and Mari returned that love. Sometimes he felt a twinge of regret that the most important woman in Mari’s life was someone other than Lily. He couldn’t let go of the thought that Lily should be the one who was raising Mari and the other children they had hoped to have.
Saturday night, as he and Bethany had stood on the front porch, he had almost kissed her. But had that thought come to him because she looked so much like Lily? Or was it because Bethany had been so beautiful in the dark, and there had been no one around to see if he had stolen a sweet kiss? But if he had kissed her, he would have regretted it, just as he regretted considering it. In his heart, he was still married to Lily, and he couldn’t betray her memory.
As the sun climbed to the top of the sky, Andrew unhitched the harrow and walked the horses back to the barn. He unharnessed them, then walked them around to the shady yard in front of the barn. He took his time, walking them slowly back and forth until their breathing was soft and even. Then he washed the sweat from their coats with the lukewarm water from the trough, gave them a good brushing and put them out in their pasture for the rest of the afternoon.
Bethany hadn’t rung the dinner bell yet, so he gave himself a splashing bath by the pump, knowing his wet clothes and hair would dry by the time he got to the house. As he shook drops of water from his hands, he looked out toward the west. Thunderheads were beginning to form, just as they had every afternoon for the past week. Signs of things to come? Not this year. The clouds were only empty promises of rain that never fell.
“I’m sorry we’re having a cold dinner again,” Bethany said as he came into the kitchen. “I hope egg salad is all right.”
“I like it on sandwiches,” Andrew answered as he took his seat.
Bethany shook her head. “We’re out of bread. I plan to bake tonight, while it’s cooler in the kitchen. If I tried to use the oven now, it would heat up the entire house.”
Rose came from the front room with Mari. “We had a fine time on the swing, didn’t we, Mari?”
Mari came over to him and climbed in his lap. “I like the swing.” She coughed, then stuck her finger in her mouth. On such a hot day, Mari’s little body felt like a furnace on his lap.
“Sit on your stool, and we’ll have our dinner.”
Andrew’s silent prayer was longer than normal, as he prayed for rain and cooler weather. Finally, he raised his head and gave the nod to signal that it was time to eat.
“How are the crops doing?” Rose asked.
“Drying up in the fields. If we get rain soon, they’ll make it.” He didn’t continue. He didn’t have to tell Rose what would happen if the rain stayed away.
“I’m glad we have a good well and the spring. At least we can water the garden.” Bethany scooped some egg salad onto her plate next to her lettuce with vinegar dressing. “It’s too bad we can’t do the same for the crops.”
Andrew let that thought filter through his brain as he ate. Could he hope to water enough of the corn plants with a pail to save the crop? Or perhaps he only needed to save enough to provide feed for the animals over the winter and have some to use for seed next spring.
After dinner, he went out to the front porch and sat in the old rocking chair. The heat was building, but a fitful breeze brought an occasional puff of air to cool him. After a few minutes, Bethany opened the screen door.
“I think Mari might be ill
,” she said.
Andrew turned to her, the sight of her worried face and the way one hand clung to the door frame hitting him with the certainty that he would remember this moment for the rest of his life.
“What do you mean?” He stood, facing her.
“She has a fever and a cough.” Bethany chewed on her bottom lip. “It could be nothing.”
“What can we do?”
“All I know to do is to try to keep her fever down and let her rest. But could you go get Elisabeth? She would know what to do.”
“Have you asked Rose?”
Bethany looked over her shoulder into the house. “I never even thought to.”
Once Rose learned that Mari was ill, she climbed the narrow stairway without hesitation. Bethany went ahead of her to Mari’s room as Andrew followed, dreading what they might find.
“You’re right. She has a fever,” Rose said, feeling Mari’s forehead and cheeks. “And you said she had a cough?”
Bethany nodded. Andrew stood in the doorway of the small room, anxious to help, but not knowing what to do.
“She was fine at breakfast this morning, but I remember her coughing once or twice.” Rose’s voice sounded strained, as if she was worried. “We’ll watch her closely for the rest of the day. If her fever goes up any higher, we’ll use cool, wet cloths to try to bring it down. Meanwhile, all we can do is wait.”
“I’ll stay here with her,” Bethany said. Her face took on the determined look he knew so well.
“I’ll sit with her first.” When Bethany started to protest, Rose took her hand. “I had a long nap this morning and I’m rested. I’ll sit with her this afternoon while you try to get some sleep. Then you’ll be ready to watch her through the night.”
Andrew stepped close to the bed. Mari’s face was flushed and tense, not relaxed in sleep. He laid the back of his fingers on her hot cheek. “What can I do?”
“Be ready to go for the doctor. You should ask Jonah if you can use his buggy horse.”
