After adding wood to the fire, she stood and turned in front of it for a while, trying to ease the stiffness of her fingers. Then, drawing her rocker closer to the fire, she took up her sewing basket to work on a layette.
Suddenly, she heard a banging and went to look toward the barn—the direction from which the sound had come. The snow was swirling and blowing so hard it was difficult to see, but it looked like that barn door had swung open again. Mandy was puzzled. She knew she had latched it securely.
Donning warm clothes and a cape against the cold, Mandy once again made her way to the barn. Sure enough, the barn door was swinging in the wind. As she tugged on the heavy door to close it, she thought she heard a weak voice say, “Momma,” from inside the barn. But surely she was mistaken, and it was merely the soft bleat of a lamb.
Stepping quietly into the darkness of the barn, she listened carefully. Just then a gentle shuffling sounded beyond the cow stalls. Reaching for the pitchfork, Mandy tiptoed around the back side of the stalls. Bridget moved her feet, and Dinah made snorting noises. Perhaps that was all she’d heard?
But when Mandy peeked around the back stall, she saw the back of a black girl huddled low, holding a baby tight against her and rocking back and forth on her heels.
Stunned, Mandy could do nothing for a moment. When she could think, she couldn’t decide what to do. Should she be frightened or angry that someone was hiding in her barn? And what was a black person doing in these parts of the woods anyway? No black people lived around here, from what she knew.
But something about the girl touched her heart. Suddenly Mandy wasn’t afraid. Putting down the pitchfork, she stepped around the corner and announced cheerfully, “Hello, my name is Mandy.”
The frightened girl was speechless as she turned her huge dark eyes with their luminescent whites to stare at Mandy. She was so skinny her eyes looked about to pop out of her head. The child in her arms whimpered as she rocked back and forth, back and forth. Finally, as Mandy squatted to her level, the girl’s eyes swam with tears and she cried, “Ah cain’ go no futha’! Please don’ sen’ me back, ma’am. Please don’ sen’ me back!”
Mandy clasped her arms around the terrified girl, feeling the sharpness of her bones through the back of her thin dress. “You are starved to death…and cold,” Mandy said gently. “Come into the cabin with me. We’ll get you warm and find you something to eat. Then you can tell me what you are doing in my barn.” Mandy peeled off her cape, wrapped it around the girl and the baby, and helped the girl to her feet.
As soon as they were in the cabin, Mandy asked the girl to sit at the table. After hesitating, the girl finally did, all the while trembling and staring fearfully at Mandy and hugging the baby. While eggs simmered in a pan, Mandy brought milk, bread, cheese, and some tea to warm and feed the two. Upon seeing the baby more closely, Mandy realized he must be more than a year old but was so skinny and small she had mistaken him for an infant.
When Mandy coaxed her to talk, the girl said her name was Deidre. Between bites of food, Deidre told the story of how she had run away from a plantation somewhere in the South last winter. She had been beaten often there since she could never seem to please the lady of the plantation. One of the slaves had overheard the lady coaxing her husband to sell Jedediah, Deidre’s son, so Deidre wouldn’t be distracted by caring for her child. The plantation owner had already sold Deidre’s husband away from her, and now he agreed to sell her child to make his wife happy.
Tears brimmed as Deidre said she knew her heart couldn’t stand being separated from her son, too. So one night, soon after that incident, Deidre had taken her son and fled the plantation. She had walked for weeks at night, sleeping under bridges and in woods during the day, scavenging food anywhere she could find it. They had not found food for days now. When they’d heard the lowing of cows in the barn, Deidre had sneaked in to try to get some milk for her child. With pleading eyes Deidre begged Mandy to not punish her for stealing and, once again, to please not send her back.
Mandy had heard of slaves being owned in the South but had never been exposed to the realities of that sort of life. Her heart went out to the girl, whom she finally realized was no girl but a young woman, married and with a child.
“You’re safe now,” she promised Deidre. Then she made the exhausted woman a bed of quilts on the large rag rug by the fire, brought pillows, and told her to sleep there with her son. “Tomorrow is another day. We’ll think of a plan,” Mandy assured her.
Chapter 3
For hours Mandy tossed and turned, trying to sleep. She was wide awake late into the night with the happenings of the day playing over and over in her mind. Several times she had slipped quietly out to put more wood on the fire and to make sure Deidre and Jedediah were sleeping well.
Now, as the morning sun streamed between the curtains, Mandy slowly opened her heavy eyelids. The most wonderful aroma wafted from the main room of the cabin. Just as she sat up to pull on her house socks, there was a tap on her door.
“Come in,” she called.
The door slowly opened, and Deidre peeked around it, showing all her beautiful white teeth in a huge smile. “Good mornin’, Missus. Ah done made y’all some breakfas’. Ah hope y’all don’ min’ none.”
“Of course not,” Mandy replied. “Whatever you made smells really good.” Happy to see the woman smiling this morning, Mandy grabbed her robe and followed Deidre into the kitchen.
“Ah seen y’all go down t’ the cella’ las’ ev’nin’, so Ah jes ’cided to g’won down an’ sees whut Ah could fin’ to fix y’all fo breakfas’. Why, Ah jes fin’ all kinds of good fixin’s, so sets y’all down an’ eat y’all some.”
Noticing only one place set at the table, Mandy asked, “Deidre, did you and Jedediah already eat your breakfast?”
“Oh, no, Mum. We ain’ eatin’ y’all’s food ’thout y’all’s biddin’. Oh, no, Mum. Deidre don’ steal. Oh, no, Mum.”
“Then let’s get more plates on this table so we can eat together.”
“Oh, no, Mum, Ah couldna eats at table wit’ y’all. Did y’all fo’gets Deidre’s a nigga?”
And then Mandy understood. It was because Deidre was a slave. Her heart grew sad at the young woman’s plight. “Deidre, my husband is gone on a trip, and I am very lonely. I would truly welcome your company at my table.”
“Oh, Mum, y’all sounds jes like Jesus—sayin’ come sups at ma table. Ah’s glad to keep y’all comp’ny ’thout eatin’ y’all’s food.”
Every time Deidre smiled, her eyes danced and gleamed. She was a beautiful young woman. What would she look like with a little more flesh on her bones? Mandy wondered. It amazed her that Deidre could smile so radiantly after all she had endured.
“Now, Deidre,” she chided kindly, “that’s plain silly. Where are you going to go, and what are you and Jedediah going to eat if you don’t share with me? I was thinking last night of a plan, and if you will sit here and eat this breakfast with me, I will tell you my plan and see what you think.”
So they quickly poured another cup of coffee for Deidre and milk for Jedediah and began to eat the wonderful eggs, fried potatoes, mush, and salt pork that Deidre had prepared. Mandy was surprised at how well the woman could cook. She enjoyed every bite of the largest breakfast she had ever seen.
While they ate, Mandy asked Deidre if she would stay on and share the cabin with her. She explained about Ethan’s absence, but she knew he would welcome such a friend for Mandy even after he was home. Mandy knew without doubt that Ethan would build Deidre her own cabin once he got home. Until then, Deidre and Jedediah could use the other bedroom next to their own room that Ethan had built for the children who had not yet been born.
Mandy could tell when she mentioned Ethan’s name that Deidre was terrified of him already. But Deidre agreed to stay on—at least until Ethan came home. Mandy decided she would have to accept that as the best promise she could get at this point.
After they had eaten all t
hey could hold, Deidre suggested that Mandy get dressed while she cleaned up the dishes. Mandy agreed, and while she quickly dressed and made up her bed, she heard Deidre singing softly to Jedediah. How wonderful it was to have company! Having another woman in the house was such a relief, and dear Jedediah was a sweet baby. Mandy could hardly remember feeling such joy.
Mandy started to plan the day. They would drag everything out of the extra room. Even though it didn’t have a bed, they could make a nice bed on the floor for Deidre and Jedediah to share. As the plan formed, she went out to tell Deidre. She talked so fast that the poor woman had a difficult time understanding what she was saying, but Deidre laughed and said to give her orders and she would do her best to follow, to which Mandy tried to explain again that Deidre was no longer a slave, but a friend.
“We’ll work together,” Mandy explained, “and get twice as much accomplished and have twice as much fun.” So together they began.
What fun those two young women had! By evening the clean windows shone in the new bedroom, the walls smelled of damp wood, and all the feathers Mandy had been collecting in the attic made a wonderful feather tick on the floor large enough for Deidre and Jedediah to share and still have plenty of room. Since they used all the feathers that Mandy had collected for the feather mattress, Mandy shared some of the pillows from her room.
Deidre said she had never slept on pillows before, anyway. “But they sho ’nuff do makes the room look bright an’ purty,” she declared.
Mandy could tell Deidre had not had a bath for a long, long time, so when they were finished with all they could do for that day, they heated some water and dragged the washtub into Deidre’s room. Mandy brought some clean towels and her own lavender soap and instructed Deidre to enjoy a bath while she watched Jedediah and made their supper. When Deidre was finished, she asked if she could put Jedediah in the tub.
When they finally sat down to their good supper, Deidre shyly asked if they could thank Jesus for all their blessings. This was new to Mandy, so she watched as Deidre and Jedediah bowed their heads, thanking God for providing so well for their needs and for Mandy, and then began to eat.
That night, as Mandy lay alone in her bed, she pondered over and over Deidre’s ability to thank Jesus after all she had been through. Sometime, when the time was right, she would have to ask Deidre about it. But for now she was bone tired and welcomed the soft bed as she drifted into a comfortable sleep, knowing she was no longer alone in the cabin.
Chapter 4
Day after day the friendship between the two young women grew. Thankful for a safe refuge, food, and shelter, Deidre made herself indispensable. Though Mandy had always been an early riser, Deidre almost always was up and dressed first, often already preparing breakfast or bringing in the full water buckets before Mandy awoke.
Together the two made curtains for the sparkling windows in Deidre’s room and even some clothes and underclothes for Deidre and Jedediah. Deidre had never had real dresses to wear, only the slave shifts made from feed sacks. She was very shy at first about wearing dresses with tucks and ruffles, so to start out, Mandy made her some nice skirts and several tailored shirtwaists. She was able to convince Deidre to wear them since there was no one around but the three of them.
Deidre looked absolutely stunning in her new clothes but was afraid to work in them at first. However, in a few days, she overcame her discomfort with the beautiful new clothes and settled into the comfortable work routine the two women had worked out.
Mandy was glad to have company. Now the days flew by instead of dragging. The projects she had set for herself to accomplish went much more quickly with Deidre’s help, so the two women found they had time to enjoy hikes in the woods, picnics down by the stream, and laughter over Jedediah’s cute baby ways. It seemed every day Jedediah learned new words and expressions, and the two women delighted over each discovery. He was a smart, precious child and quickly warmed to Mandy, allowing her to hold and cuddle him.
One day, after washing up the evening dishes and hanging up the towels to dry, Mandy took out her list she had made to see what she still needed to accomplish this summer. As usual, Deidre watched with curiosity, so Mandy handed the list to her. “Which project do you think we should begin next?”
Deidre looked at Mandy with huge eyes. “Ah cain’t read. Y’all will have t’ read it fo’ Deidre.”
Mandy had stunned. She’d never considered that her friend couldn’t read, and she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to not be able to read or write. “Would you like to learn to read? I’m not really a teacher, but I think I could teach you the letters, what sound each one makes, and then the way they fit together to make words. Would you like to try?”
Deidre’s brown eyes swam with tears, spilling over and splashing onto the red checkered tablecloth. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.
Mandy sat quietly, waiting. Soon Deidre got up, walked quickly into her room, and returned shortly holding something small and black to her chest. When she sat back down at the table, she slowly and deliberately laid the small black square in front of Mandy.
Mandy could see it was a small book that was quite worn. “What is it, Deidre? Is this yours?” Turning the book over gently in her hands, she read, “New Testame…” Part of the word had worn off.
“It’s a Bible.” Deidre spoke softly as though sharing a secret. “A slave woman from our camp done give it t’ me jes ’fore she died. She always read t’ me from that Bible, an’ tol’ me t’ keep it, so when Ah learned t’ read, Ah could read it fo’ m’self. Ah strapped it onto m’ ches’ an’ carried it, so Ah wouldn’ lose it, an’ Ah brings it here wit’ me too. Ah wanna learn me t’ read so Ah can read me Jesus’ words. You can read it, too, if ’n ya wants to. We can leave it on th’ table an’ share it.”
Mandy had never seen such devotion to a book. She had attended church with her aunt and cousins on the rare occasions they went, but the minister at their church had not used a Bible, nor had anyone she knew. She assumed it was just another book but could tell it was very dear to Deidre. So she decided that, if it would make her dear friend happy, she would read it to her until Deidre learned to read for herself. When she suggested this to Deidre, her friend was thrilled.
And so it began. Every evening after the evening meal was finished and the dishes washed and put away, the two women sat at the table and worked on reading lessons until they were tired. Then Mandy would read the little New Testament aloud until bedtime. Mandy became so interested in the reading that she would often still be reading after Jedediah had fallen asleep in his mother’s arms. Finally they would blow out the lamp and go to bed themselves.
Day after day the words played in Mandy’s mind as the women worked on their projects and chores. The more she read, the more she viewed herself in a different light. She had always thought she was a good person, but the more she read of this man Jesus and His teachings, she saw her own faults as they really were—sin. She had always known there was a God out there somewhere but had never considered that He loved her and cared what happened to her. Nor, even more, that He loved her enough to send His Son, Jesus, to die for her. The more she read, the dirtier she began to feel.
One day, while Jedediah was napping and Deidre and Mandy were cleaning out the cupboard, Mandy was unusually quiet as she pondered the things they’d been reading.
Deidre finally said, “Somethin’ powerful’s been on yer min’ lately, an’ Ah needs to know if y’all is wishin’ Deidre an’ Jedediah wasn’ here all th’ time.”
Mandy stopped with a jar in her hand and turned toward Deidre. Climbing down from the chair she had been standing on, she set the jar on the cupboard. Clasping her friend’s shoulders, she said quietly, “Deidre, please don’t ever think I don’t want you here. You are the best thing that has happened to me since meeting and marrying Ethan. You are closer to me than if I had had a sister, and I couldn’t bear it if you were to leave.
“Because we are such
close friends and I love you so much, I will tell you what I keep thinking about. We read how Jesus told Nicodemus that he needed to be born again. Well, I am just like Nicodemus. I can’t understand how we can be born after we are already born. Do you understand what Jesus means?”
Deidre hugged Mandy, then led her to a chair. She began to explain, “God offers us a won’erful gift—t’ forgive our sin through His Son, Jesus….”
Mandy listened with awe as Deidre told of Jesus’ willing death on the cross. He was perfect, so didn’t die as punishment for something He had done, but for the sins of every person. All she had to do was accept His gift by placing all her sins at Jesus’ feet and letting Him cover them with His own blood. If she did that, she would be “born” into God’s family and become His child. From that moment on she could talk to God about anything, and He would listen and answer.
“Jus’ tell Jesus that y’all wants to be His chil’, an’ He’ll do it raht now,” Deidre encouraged her.
“But I don’t know how to pray.”
Deidre smiled. “Talk t’ him jus’ like y’all talk t’ me. God hears ever’thin’ we say an’ think anyways ’an unnerstan’s our hearts, but He jes’ wants us t’ ask.”
So right then and there—in the middle of the housecleaning—Mandy prayed. Soon the joy in her heart filled her until she wept. “Deidre, I’ve never had such peace. I still don’t understand how, but I know I’m now a child of God.”
Deidre clapped her hands while she danced around. Suddenly she stopped and said with awe, “Mandy, do y’all knows that now we’s truly sisters? God adopted both o’ us as His chil’ren, so that makes us sisters!”
They rejoiced together for a while, but soon Deidre suggested they get back to their cleaning, or it would never get done.
The Long Road Home Romance Collection Page 2
