A Land to Call Home by Lauraine Snelling Read Free Book Online

mark my words, we’re going to have a line even closer before 1890 rolls around.” Haakan waved his fork for emphasis.
    “So, can we go?”
    “We will see.”
    “I will flag down the paddle-wheeler tomorrow on its way upriver and give the captain our order. We should have the lumber within the week. We got enough timber along the river to cut our own if we just had a sawmill. Hope to heaven we can get a steam engine and the saws before the cold sets in. What a business we could do over the winter.”
    “You got plenty to do with cutting wood for the steamship, don’t you?” Ingeborg asked.
    Kaaren didn’t say anything. If the men felt there was a chance to make money on this new scheme, she wouldn’t argue. But then she agreed with the creed of most women—let the men make the decisions about the land and machinery. Ingeborg still struggled with that.
    “We don’t need to make two big decisions right now.” Ingeborg took the spoon away from Andrew and used it to dip stew into his mouth. “I think I let you have too much bread, den lille guten.”
    “Jam.” Andrew tried to duck away from the spoon and pointed to the jar on the table.
    Ingeborg turned to the two older boys. “This afternoon I need you to bring in more of that green maple so we get plenty of smoke for the venison. Then you and Baptiste can keep the fire burning.”
    A grin lit the boy’s tanned face. “No school?”
    Kaaren shook her head. “School. Right after dinner as usual. You can get the wood, then run back and forth to keep it stoked. If you take turns, you’ll each get to read more aloud.”
    Baptiste groaned. Reading aloud was not his favorite subject, but when it came to natural science, he excelled. He and Thorliff had a pact. Thorliff would help him read, and Baptiste would teach his friend the way of the woods, the prairie and river, and his friends the animals.
    The adults laughed. “You boys,” Kaaren said. “You’d think I beat you every day.”
    “Me read?” Andrew looked up from the bread he’d pounded flat, then ate.
    “Not today.” Ingeborg spooned more of the stew into his mouth. “You get a nap so I can get something done.”
    “Inge, he can come here.” Kaaren laid a hand on the mound of her belly. At the look of concern on the others’ faces, she shook her head. “No, the baby is not ready to come. Just dancing the pols in there, I swear.”
    “Did you lie down for a while yet?” Lars asked. When Kaaren shook her head, he looked at her sternly. “You promised.”
    “Ja, but the day isn’t over. After the lessons I will.” She leaned back in her chair. “Just think, I will soon be teaching all the children in our own schoolhouse. Won’t that be a dream come true? God is so good.”
    “You look like you should be teaching a roomful of restless children,” Lars muttered into his coffee cup.
    “I won’t look like this much longer.” She grimaced again as the baby kicked so hard her apron bounced.
    “Did you see that?” Thorliff’s eyes grew huge and round, the Bjorklund blue showing even more than usual.
    “Ja, and I felt it too.” Kaaren knew she shouldn’t talk about the baby around the younger children. It just wasn’t proper. But with all of them here in one room, proper didn’t seem to be so important any longer. The boys had seen sheep, calves, and even a foal born. A baby wasn’t that much different.
    “Grandmere said she was coming this afternoon to see how you are.” Baptiste wiped the milk mustache off with his sleeve. “I’m done. You want I should start on the wood?”
    “There’s egge kake for dessert.” Kaaren was well known for her egg cake. “I have applesauce for frosting.”
    Baptiste flashed her one of his rare grins. “I’ll wait.”
    Over the cake, Haakan again picked up the discussion they’d been chewing at for the last several days. “When do you think we should go look for a steam engine and lumber mill? We could get it set up before the snow comes