Rachel and Miriam had been introduced to many people when they had arrived, but all the faces and names were lost in a blur. Rachel was looking forward to the meal after the church meeting, where she would meet the women her own age. She and Isaac had nodded to each other when they had arrived, but then she had gone to the women’s room, and he had gone to the men’s room.
* * *
Isaac had nodded to Rachel when he had arrived at the Lapps’ haus for the church meeting that day. He was glad that today’s meeting would not be held in a barn, or in a big haus, where the women and the menner would sit in the same room. He knew he would not be able to concentrate with Rachel in the same room.
The church meeting opened up with the singing of Hymn 76 from the Ausbund. As always, Amish hymns were sung very slowly, and without music. Isaac believed that this helped him to focus on each word. And, so, as Hymn 76 began, Isaac concentrated on the words.
Where shall I go? I am so ignorant; only to God can I go, because God alone will be my helper. I trust in you, God, in all my distress. You will not forsake me. You will stand with me, even in death. I have committed myself to your Word. That is why I have lost favor in all places. But by losing the world’s favor, I gained yours. Therefore I say to the world: Away with you! I will follow Christ.
The words had a profound effect on Isaac. It was not the first time he had heard the words, but it was the first time that he had heard them with an open heart since Olivia had left to marry the Englischer.
Conviction fell upon him. I have not trusted in Gott, he thought, but now I will. I will trust in Gott to perform His will on my life, however that turns out. And, although Isaac did not want to admit it himself at that very moment, he fervently hoped that Gott’s will for his life included Rachel.
* * *
Rachel sat in the church meeting listening to Hymn 131, Das Loblied. The hymn, by tradition, was always the second hymn sung in every Amish church meeting. Das Loblied meant “Hymn of Praise,” and Rachel certainly had much to be thankful about. She was also happy that she knew that her old community back in Ohio would be singing Das Loblied about the same time, which made her feel connected. In fact, it made her feel connected to every Amish community, as all Amish people would be singing Das Loblied at that time, right throughout the country.
After about thirty minutes or so of singing slowly, the first minister started to speak. He spoke on abandoning one’s will to that of Gott. Rachel listened to the wisdom of his words. She had thought that her life was planned for her, that she would stay in Ohio and be married to local Amish mann, a mann of her own age, not that any menner in her own Ohio community had caught her eye. She had no idea that she would move to Pennsylvania, or that her mudder would open a B&B. She had no idea that she would become attracted to an older mann, a mann who at first had been nothing if not rude to her.
Gott’s ways are certainly not our ways, she thought, as she listened to the minister speaking from Isaiah chapter fifty five. I had my life planned, but it is clear that Gott did have other plans for me.
Two hours later, the church meeting came to an end, after another minister and then the bishop had brought the words of Gott to the people. Shyness at once overwhelmed Rachel, and she stayed close to her mudder, as introductions were made all around.
Everyone was just as friendly as the Amish folks back home. Rachel had not expected any different, but she had spent her life rarely meeting any new Amish people, so it was all a little overpowering for her. Rachel was pleased to see some girls her own age, and she was all too aware of several young menner her own age staring at her. She, however, only had eyes for Isaac, and her stomach twisted into uncomfortable knots when she saw the admiring glances that several of the young women sent his way.
Rachel soon became more relaxed, and chatted to the girls her own age until it was time for the church meal. As in all Amish church meals, the people ate in shifts in order of age, the oldest menner and women first and in separate rooms, and then the younger menner and the women again in separate rooms.
Rachel entered the living room, and sat down one of the wooden benches, the same wooden benches that had been used in the meeting. Some of the benches had been converted to the tables, as was the custom.
Rachel had a sweet tooth, and so, after the silent prayer, at once reached for Church Spread, a delicious combination of marshmallows, peanut butter, and pancake syrup. She spread it on a slice of fresh bread.
The other girls were doing their best to make her welcome, although she found their questions a little tiring: Did she have a boyfriend in Ohio? How did she like Pennsylvania? Had she ever visited there before? Did she have bruders or schweschders? How did she like the look of the young menner there today?
The last question made Rachel blush furiously, but thankfully no one noticed, or at least, had the good graces not to comment on the fact. Rachel ducked her head to hide her burning cheeks.
Anna, the young woman sitting next to her, laughed. “Mary likes Elijah, and we all like the look of Isaac, but he’s too old and bitter for us.”
The other girls gasped. “Nee, you mustn’t say that, Lydia,” Mary said. She was clearly embarrassed, whether about the comment that she liked Elijah, or whether about the comment that Isaac was old and bitter, Rachel had no idea, but she guessed it was a little of both.
Is Isaac too old for me? Rachel thought. He looks about thirty. That isn’t too old for me. And as for being bitter, he has certainly changed in that regard.
As the girls chattered around her, Rachel drifted off into daydreams, daydreams about marrying Isaac, living in his haus, helping him with the farm, and raising lots of bopplis. One thing she was happy for, was that none of the girls were too interested in Isaac. She did not want competition for his heart.
* * *
It did not escape Isaac’s notice that all the young menner were staring at Rachel. It caused a pang of heartache, a pain he had not felt since Olivia had left. Surely Rachel would prefer a young mann, not a thirty year old mann like himself, a mann whose fraa had run away with and subsequently married an Englischer? The young menner were certainly interested in Rachel, of that there could be no doubt. Isaac realized at that moment that he could not bear to lose Rachel too. He decided then and there that he would ask her on a buggy ride at the right time. Please help me, Gott, was his silent prayer. Please give me wisdom as to how to go about this.
Chapter 11
Rachel rubbed her eyes and turned over in her bed. She lay still for a few moments in a half-awake state, listening to the sounds downstairs. She wondered dreamily what her mudder could be doing that would cause so much noise.
At once, a louder bang caused Rachel to wake up fully. She pulled herself to the edge of her bed, jumped to her feet, and stretched out her arms. She ran down the steps and walked into one of the larger rooms, to find Miriam pacing back and forth in front of a large hole in the wall. “What happened?” she asked her mudder.
Miriam stopped half way through righting a chair which was knocked over, and shook her head. “Nee, I think we had some vandals in the night.”
“I think you mean treasure hunters, or at least that’s what they call them around here,” Rachel said, hurrying to help her mudder pick up the chairs which were lying on their sides.
“Whoever they are, I hope they don’t come back ever again. There’s no treasure here. It’s already going to take us quite a while to restore this place and open it. If it continues, it could really become a problem.” Miriam shook her head once more. “I don’t mean to be negative in any way, but it gets to a point where something needs to be done to stop it from continuing.”
Rachel rubbed her tired eyes. “Jah, it does need to stop. I’m not sure when or how, but we will stop it somehow.” She looked at her mudder and could see the pain and frustration hiding behind them. Miriam had always been a strong, kind person, but she could only hold back her emotions so much. “We should call the sheriff,” Rachel added.
Miriam shook her head. “There’s no phone in the house yet, of course, and the one in the barn is still in need of repair, so unless we go to a neighbor’s home and ask for assistance, we’ll need to go into town ourselves.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take the buggy to Isaac’s haus and call the sheriff myself.”
Miriam nodded. “Jah, that’s a gut idea, denki. While you’re gone, I’ll check for other signs of damage or anything amiss.”
As Rachel stepped inside the barn, she saw her bay mare. “Good morning,” she said. The horse neighed, clearly expecting to be fed. “I don’t feed you every time I see you,” Rachel said, wagging her finger at her horse. “You’ve already had your breakfast.”
When Rachel reached Isaac’s haus, she tied her horse to the rail, and proceeded to the front door of the main house. Her knock echoed through the silence as the beauty of the surrounding scenery overtook her senses. When the door finally opened, she was lost in a distant stare. The sound of someone clearing their voice broke her concentration.
“Oh,” she said, surprised, turning to see Isaac standing at the door. “I’m sorry. You weren’t answering, so I was just looking at your property. It’s so beautiful.”
Isaac smiled warmly. “You’re too kind.” He looked out at the fields and trees. “I guess the beauty of Gott’s creation is astounding when you stop to appreciate it. I’ve always seen the beauty in nature, but there’s nothing like an early morning on the farm.”
Rachel didn’t respond, remembering why she had come.
“Oh,” he said, “is everything okay? Did you need something?”
“Jah, actually. We woke up this morning and found that someone had been inside the haus. Mamm’s taking inventory of the new damage and any other issues, but we don’t have a working phone in our barn yet, so I was hoping you’d be so kind as to let us call the sheriff from your barn phone.”
“Of course,” Isaac said, with a wide grin. “I’m sorry such things are happening. Come on, I’ll take you to the phone.”
“Denki,” Rachel said. Her mind wandered as she followed Isaac to the barn. He was so tall, and so very attractive, and now that his bitterness appeared to have left him, he was kind and gentle.
As they entered the barn, he pulled open one of the smaller doors. “Rachel, would you like me to accompany you back to Eden? Just until the sheriff can show up and take reports and all that.”
Rachel tried to hide her pleasure at his words. “Denki. That’s awfully kind of you, Isaac, but you don’t have to.”
Isaac smiled at her. “How could I not help such a lovely neighbor?”
Rachel’s cheeks flushed at his words, and she turned away. “Denki, Isaac,” she said shyly, still avoiding his gaze.
Isaac led her through the large barn until they came across an old, dusty phone. “Here it is,” he said, stating the obvious, before wiping away a film of dirt. He then picked up the telephone receiver. He waited on hold for several minutes before being connected to the sheriff. “Good morning, sheriff. It’s Isaac Petersheim, and I’m calling about my neighbors, Miriam and Rachel Berkholder. It looks like Eden, their home, was vandalized overnight.” He stopped speaking for a few moments, but listened intently. Rachel tried to overhear the sheriff’s replies, but they were too muffled to understand. “I’m not sure the extent of the damage, but I’m about to head back to the home with the young lady that lives there now.”
He hung up the dusty phone and turned to Rachel. “The sheriff is going to come out and investigate it himself, but it’ll be a bit before he can get there. He requested that we head back and wait for him.”
“That sounds gut,” she said. Rachel was pleased that Isaac had taken control of the situation as he had. Her vadder had died when she was young, so she was accustomed to having to do everything herself.
“Wait for me, would you,” Isaac said, “so I can follow you in my buggy. Just let me harness my horse.”
After the short trip to Eden, Rachel and Isaac arrived to find Miriam sitting out on the front porch. The upset look on her face became clearer the closer they got to the house. She must have found something else. The pair parked their buggies and horses and made their way to where Miriam was sitting.
“What’s wrong?” Rachel asked.
Miriam’s eyes met her daughter’s. “I found more damage in a few other rooms on the first floor. I also noticed some things are missing.”
Rachel was dismayed. “Missing? Like what? We don’t even have much to begin with.”
“I’m not sure of everything that’s gone, but I noticed that several tools were taken, and the shovels in the barn are gone. Well, most are missing, but one was left broken in half. It looks like they were digging for some treasure all right.”
Rachel felt a sadness welling up inside her as she watched her mother deal with the emotional pain.
Isaac must have felt it was a good time to break his silence. “I know it’s a hassle right now, but the people that did this probably weren’t aware anyone was in the home. It’s because of the local lore about pirates and treasure. It’s all a bunch of nonsense if you ask me, but what can you do?”
Miriam and Rachel simply shrugged.
“Miriam, if you’d be so kind as to show me the damages and where the items were taken from, maybe I can speak to the bishop and see if the community can’t come together to help you both fix up these issues and replace a few of the missing items that were taken.”
Rachel was pleased to see that Isaac’s words had cheered her mudder.
Miriam turned to him with a wide smile. “There’s just the one really large hole in the main room, and then there are a few spots of damages in one of the rooms by the back of the house.” She motioned for Isaac and Rachel to follow her lead, and they both did so without hesitation.
Miriam took them into a large, room. She made her way over to one of the far walls and pointed to the large hole that Rachel had seen her examining earlier that morning. Isaac stepped close to the hole and touched the edges with his finger. “It looks as if they were using sledgehammers or something. Did either of you hear anything at all last night?”
Mother and daughter exchanged worried glances. Rachel shook her head as Miriam spoke. “I slept right through the night. I never heard so much as a pin drop. We were both thoroughly exhausted, though.”
“Hmm,” Isaac mumbled to himself as he looked into the hole. “Well, if they were looking for treasure, chances are they walked away empty handed.”
“Not entirely. They took whatever tools they borrowed with them when they fled.” Miriam’s voice shook. “I understand it’s a part of the local lore and culture, but now that someone actually resides here, these hunters need to accept that and find a new treasure to search for.”
Rachel could tell the stress was becoming too much for her mudder. She frowned and watched Isaac as he continued to investigate the damage.
“All right, can you show me the rest?” he said, after an interval.
“Sure,” Miriam said. “The other things aren’t as bad, but it looks like they broke a window getting in as well. Follow me.” She walked out of the room.
Isaac and Rachel followed until they all stopped in the barn. Miriam pointed toward a window in the side of the barn. Several pieces of shattered glass lay beneath the window sill. “And that is where the tools were, all but the shovels. Who knows what else they took?” Miriam pointed toward an old toolbox that sat in one corner.
Rachel walked over to it, as Isaac’s attention was captured by the broken window and the subsequent scrapes and dents that lined the wall. She noticed several empty slots in a few of the tool trays, and she was sure that those drawers had all been full just a few days prior. “I definitely think they took a few things,” she said. “Mamm, can I look at the list of things you made for the sheriff when he shows up?” Just as the sentence left her lips, she heard a car drive up.
“Sounds like he’s already here,” Isaac said.
Chapter 12
Miriam, Rachel, and Isaac hurried from the barn to where the local sheriff was standing at the front door. He was an older man, with a brown uniform and a sparkling, star-shaped badge on his lapel. “Good morning,” he said.
“Come on in.” Miriam opened the door for him to enter. “I’m Miriam Berkholder, and this is my daughter, Rachel. I’m sure you already know our neighbor, Isaac Petersheim.”
All four nodded politely to one another.
“I’m sorry it took so long to get over here, ma’am, but it’s been a bit of a busy day back at the office. I’m Sheriff Dobbs. I was told there was a report property damage and a possible theft that occurred sometime last night. Is that accurate?”
Miriam nodded. “If you’d kindly follow me, I’ll show you to the vandalism.”
The sheriff walked behind the women as they entered the large room. He looked down at the spilled can of paint. “Was that there, or did they do that too?”
“They did that, Sheriff,” Miriam replied. “They took two unopened cans as well, along with brand new tools. They also left some dents in the wall in another room, and smashed the window.”
“That’s probably how they escaped,” Isaac added as he stood from inspecting one of the larger holes. Rachel looked over at him and nodded.
Sheriff Dobbs paced around the room silently, taking in the crime scene. He rubbed his fingers against random places in the walls, floor, and even near the windows. It was like he was looking for certain things, and then taking mental notes when they were found. Finally, he focused on the spilled paint can and crouched beside it. “It looks like this part of the vandalism at least, was an accident. Looks more like they tipped it over trying to make a break for it.”
Amish Trust Page 5
