An Amish Harvest

by Patricia Davids

  “How much more alarmed will they be if they discover you in the same condition I did?”

  She had a point. “All right, I agree they should know.”

  * * *

  Rebecca remained in the background when Samuel shared a watered-down version of his episode that evening when his family came in from the fields. Only his parents appeared to be shocked. The looks shared between his brothers told her they had already discussed the previous episode Luke had witnessed.

  It wasn’t until she was home and in her own bed that night that the shock of what happened really hit her. The sight of him sprawled across the porch floor would stay with her for a long time. It had taken an eternity to reach his side and make sure he was still breathing. Images of Walter’s illness and death swirled through her mind. She couldn’t do it again. She couldn’t face the possibility of losing someone she loved.

  Of losing Samuel.

  She had to admit she was already half in love with him. It wouldn’t take much to push her over the edge. The question became what could she do about it.

  Leaving her employment there was the first step, but she would still see him at every Sunday service, every picnic, every barn raising and school Christmas program.

  Only one viable solution presented itself. She could travel to Hope Springs and begin training with Mary’s mother. A clinic for special needs children would be the perfect place to follow her calling, and a good place to forget about Samuel Bowman.

  She rose hollow-eyed and exhausted from a sleepless night and got ready for church. Her mother and John arrived promptly at seven. She could tell by the look on her mother’s face that John had already spilled the beans.

  As she climbed in the buggy, her mother squeezed her arm. “I’m so sorry for pressuring you to marry John. He explained that he felt pressured by his family, too. You made the right choice.”

  “Danki.” The right choice yesterday, for what would her mother’s reaction be when she told her about her new intentions. Rebecca decided to save that conversation until they were alone.

  During the service, Rebecca kept a watchful eye on Samuel, but he didn’t have any problems. Afterward, she was serving the last half of the meal to the younger members when Timothy approached her.

  “Could I have a word with you when you are finished here? I’ll be out by the greenhouse.”

  Puzzled, she nodded and Timothy left. Twenty minutes later, she located him sitting on a bale of straw. “What’s going on? Is Samuel worse?”

  “He’s the same. Two weeks ago, you tried to tell us about a plan you had for our business. Samuel wouldn’t listen to you then. I’m listening now. What’s your idea?”

  “It’s going to take more than your family to make my idea work. We are going to need the bishop and elders to support this and agree. Do you think you can arrange a meeting for tomorrow afternoon?”

  “I can try, but Samuel has a doctor’s appointment. Do you want to wait until he can be there?”

  “I don’t want it put to him until I’m sure the community is on board.”

  He took a step back. “What are you planning? The takeover of the Englisch government?”

  “Honestly, that might be easier.”

  * * *

  A meeting was hastily arranged, and Rebecca was able to present her idea to a large group in Isaac’s living room. Initially, there wasn’t overwhelming support, but eventually she made them see the benefit of what she had planned.

  Rebecca finished speaking just as Joshua drove into the yard with Samuel in the buggy.

  Anna spoke up quickly. “I don’t want Samuel to know what we are doing. If what we have to show Mr. Clark isn’t what he wants in his stores, then there’s no harm done and Samuel never has to know.”

  Isaac gave a long thoughtful pause. “You mean well, Anna, but I’m not sure I agree with that. A man must learn to face both hope and disappointment in his life. What do you think, Rebecca?”

  “Samuel is stronger than he knows. He can face this. He must. It is his dream that we are tampering with.”

  “She’s right, Anna, and you know it.” Isaac glanced around the room. “You raised five strong sons. They are not without their flaws, but they are good men in my eyes. Each and every one of them. Rebecca, step out and ask Samuel to come inside. We are anxious to hear what the doctor had to say.”

  Samuel had hold of Joshua’s arm as they approached the steps. Rebecca couldn’t keep silent any longer. “What did he say?”

  “That there is nothing physically wrong with my eyes.” Samuel’s terse tone showed his frustration.

  “Your parents have company. They would like to talk to you.”

  “Who is it?”

  “The bishop, your uncles and their wives. Some of your mother’s kin.”

  “A crowd. Did I forget someone’s birthday? Is it Mamm’s?”

  “You didn’t miss her birthday. They have something they wish to discuss with you. A business venture of sorts.”

  “Of sorts? What does that mean?”

  “Come in and see.”

  * * *

  What was Rebecca up to now?

  Samuel paused in the doorway to the kitchen. He could feel the crush of bodies in the room. This was more than a few visitors. “What’s going on?”

  “Come here, Samuel,” his father said. Rebecca took his arm and led him to a seat in the living room.

  “Who is here?” Samuel asked, staring straight ahead.

  One by one, the visitors announced their names. The bishop spoke last. “We have come with a favor to ask of you.”

  “Of me? I’m not sure what help I can be to anyone.”

  “Rebecca has presented an idea and we want your opinion of it,” the bishop said.

  “Rebecca has?” Samuel turned unerringly toward her. He always seemed to know where she was in a room.

  “It was my idea, but I don’t know if it has merit,” she admitted.

  “I’m listening.”

  His father cleared his throat. Whatever it was, he seemed unsure of how to proceed. He drew a deep breath. “We have talked about rebuilding our workshop for our family, but it seems that we have many more people interested in this venture.”

  Samuel cocked his head slightly. “I don’t understand.”

  “You had hoped to employ your brothers in the workshop making furniture for an Englisch firm, is that so?” It was the bishop.

  “I did.”

  “I have some questions about this plan. Was your goal to make money? Or was it something else? If financial gain was the sole reason for the venture, that is not compatible with our beliefs. I cannot condone those efforts. But, I’m willing to listen to what you have to say.”

  Samuel struggled to put his fading dream into words. “It was never about making money so that we could grow wealthy. My only hope was to provide a living for my brothers so they would marry and raise families here. We all know there isn’t enough farmland for our young people. I have seen Amish carpentry businesses that flourished near towns and employed dozens of workers, but not in a rural area such as ours. The Englisch can use their internet to show what we make here all around the world. They could take orders, we would build and ship what we make and the Englisch would rarely have to come to our place of business. It seemed like the perfect plan.”

  “I believe your motives are in the best interest of our church and I think the church elders are in agreement with me. We are hoping you can employ more than just your brothers. We have seven young men who will have to leave this area soon to find work elsewhere. None of us wants to see that happen.”

  Samuel shook his head. “Bishop, even after we rebuild the shop, it won’t be big enough to need so many workers.”

  “But it could be made larger,” Rebecca said.


  “With better equipment,” Timothy added.

  “It could,” Samuel admitted. “Any building can be made larger. But what is the point if we don’t have a place to sell what we make?”

  “You already have a man willing to buy what you make. Mr. Clark,” Rebecca said quietly.

  Samuel threw up his hands. “Nee, I do not. He was willing to come and look over our inventory. We have none.”

  “That is not true.” His mother spoke for the first time. “I have the wooden bench you made for my birthday last year and the china cabinet in the living room. My niece has the table and chairs you finished for her wedding gift. It was on the wagon and not harmed in the fire.”

  “I have the Bible stand you made for Walter. It’s a remarkable piece. The carving is done in deep relief and the lines of it are beautiful.” Rebecca spoke softly.

  They all wanted so much to help. How could he make them understand how pointless it was? “I can’t very well ask this man to travel to every home in our church district to look at a scattering of furniture.”

  “You won’t have to.”

  He turned toward Rebecca’s voice. There was an undercurrent of excitement in her tone. “What do you mean?”

  “On Thursday, every household in this church district and many from the neighboring districts will be here to help with the workshop raising. They’ll come in wagons with tools and supplies and they can bring their furniture with them. All we will have to do is assemble it where Mr. Clark can look it over.”

  She made it sound almost logical. A curl of optimism began to form in his chest. “What if it rains?”

  “We’ll bring the tents and awnings we use at the farmer’s market,” someone said from the back of the room. A murmur of assent followed his words.

  How could he get their hopes up? What if his work wasn’t up to the standards of this unknown man? “What if he decides he doesn’t want to purchase furniture from us?”

  Someone laid a hand on his shoulder. “Then we shall have a fine new workshop thanks to the generous spirit of our friends and neighbors and we’ll have a goot time raising it,” his father said. “What more could we ask? If this is Gott’s will, it shall be so.”

  Samuel wasn’t convinced. “Mr. Clark might not even come. He knows what happened here.”

  “I’ll convince him,” Timothy said. “I can be very persuasive when I put my mind to it.”

  Samuel couldn’t believe what was happening. He was being given a second chance at fulfilling his dream. Not just for his family, but for other young men in his community who didn’t want to leave. If his sight didn’t return, he would have to depend on others to carry on the bulk of the work. It was no longer about his skill, but about the skill of those around him.

  “All right, but I won’t be making furniture for a while, if ever. I want people to bring Father’s work and Timothy’s work, too, so we can showcase it. I want the table and chairs you made for that Englisch family over by Berlin.”

  “The Rock family?”

  “That’s the one. It was good work. Your best. See if you can get it here. Luke, you made a chest for the doctor’s office. Ask if you can borrow it for a day.”

  “It wasn’t a typical Amish piece,” Luke said. He had been sitting quietly at Samuel’s side. “All the drawers are different sizes and shapes.

  “I know, but it is well crafted and eye-catching. You’ve all made a number of pieces. Track them down and get them here. It can’t be about my work. It has to be about our work.” Excitement began to build inside Samuel. Where was his mother? “Mamm?”

  “What, sohn?”

  She was across the table from him. He reached out his hand and she took it. “This whole thing is going to rest on your shoulders,” he said as seriously as he could manage.

  “On mine? How?”

  “If Mr. Clark comes, you will have to soften him up with your wunderbarr cooking. Once he is in a state of lemon meringue bliss, he won’t be able to say no to our proposal.”

  A round of laughter followed his teasing. A flurry of discussion and details followed. It was growing late by the time everyone went home. At last, there was only Luke in the kitchen with him. “Do you know where Rebecca went?” Samuel asked.

  “I saw her go out the back door a little while ago. Do you want me to find her?”

  “Nee, I think I know where she is. I want to thank you, Luke.”

  “For what?”

  “For believing in me even after I failed to believe in you.”

  “Who said I believe this harebrained scheme will work?”

  “You did.”

  “When?”

  “When you sat shoulder to shoulder with me and listened to all my doubts without agreeing with any of them.”

  “Maybe I was waiting until we were alone.”

  “We’re alone now. Do you think it can be done?”

  “Building a workshop? Sure.”

  “I meant keeping this family together. I meant keeping you here with us.”

  “You know I’m not fond of living in the dark ages. I like the city lights. Having a business that will support a number of families will keep Timothy and Joshua here. Noah, I’m not so sure about him. I know he’s the one who will eventually inherit the place, but he has a bit of wanderlust in his heart.”

  “As long as there are horses on this farm, Noah will stick around. I’m not worried about him. If you have to go, Luke, I’ll understand this time and I won’t hold it against you.”

  “I’ll stay until I see how this harebrained scheme plays out. Longer than that? Who knows?”

  Samuel reached out to find his brother’s shoulder. “God does.”

  * * *

  Seated on the low stone wall beside the river, Rebecca watched the sunset behind the covered bridge. The last faint rays of light came through the wooden slats in bands of brightness filled with spiraling dust motes.

  “Rebecca?”

  She heard his low query behind her. Tempted to remain silent and let him go away, she closed her eyes.

  “I know you are here. Please answer me.”

  “How do you know?” she asked without opening her eyes. She was aware of him, too, even when she couldn’t see him.

  “I hoped you were.” He felt his way along the wall and took a seat beside her. “What does the river look like tonight?”

  “It’s gray and muddy.”

  “Nee, it isn’t.”

  “If you know, why did you ask?”

  “Because I want to know what you see when you look out from here.”

  She sighed. It was going to be so hard to leave, but going away was for the best. Every time she crossed the bridge in the future, she would think about sitting here and watching the sun go down or seeing the moon cast rippling silver light all the way to the water’s edge.

  “Take pity on me and tell me what you see.”

  “I don’t pity you, Samuel. In some ways, you are more blessed than most.”

  “I am blessed, but I miss my old friend the river. How is he?”

  “The sun is setting behind the bridge. There is a stream of golden light running toward us from beneath the timbers. Spears of light are shining through the sides of the bridge now. It looks as if the sun is inside it.”

  “It must make the colors of the trees glow like fire. The reds are redder and the yellow leaves are bright golden in the light. There are dozens of them floating along in the water, turning this way and that.”

  She glanced at him sharply, wishing he wasn’t wearing dark glasses and that she could see his eyes. “Can you see them?”

  “Nee, but I know what the river looks like this time of year. I remember. Was it truly your idea to gather up my work to show Mr. Clark?”

  S
he pulled on the ribbons of her kapp. “I had the idea, but your father and Timothy worked out most of the details.”

  “I’m afraid what we have to offer won’t be what he wants.”

  “He won’t be able to take any of it back with him. Will that make a difference?”

  “The time I spoke with him he mentioned that his plan was to photograph the work and build an online and print catalog where people could order similar items but customize them.”

  “That makes me feel better.”

  “I wish I could say the same.”

  She took his hand in hers and held it to her cheek. “Have faith, Samuel. I have faith in you and the gift God has placed in you.”

  He pulled his hand away. “I no longer have the gift He gave me.”

  “You do. You just have to find a new way to use it that will glorify God.”

  * * *

  The urge to take her in his arms and kiss her was almost more than Samuel could bear. He rose to his feet and took a step away. She was kind and sweet and full of life. Being near her made him think about a future that couldn’t be. Not unless he regained his sight. She had already lost one husband. She deserved a whole man. Not John, but someone she could love as she had Walter. He wouldn’t ask her to settle for less.

  He moved another step away. “I appreciate your confidence, but I’m not sure it’s well-placed.”

  “Tomorrow will be my last day here, Samuel.”

  He knew it was coming. “You’ll be missed.”

  Did she have any idea what she did to him? He couldn’t think clearly when she was so near.

  “I’ve enjoyed my time here. I proved Verna Yoder wrong. You weren’t a bad patient.”

  He smiled because he knew she wanted him to. He blinked back the sting of tears and squeezed his eyes shut.

  When he opened them, her face swam into focus. There were tears on her cheeks.

  His breath froze in his chest. There wasn’t any pain this time. He took in her delicate beauty, her white-blond hair beneath her kapp, the small white scar on her chin. He wanted to shout for joy.

  He blinked again, and she was gone. Nothing but blackness surrounded him.