Abram's Daughters 04 The Prodigal by Unknown Read Free Book Online

Mamma . . . The name never ceased to warm her heart.
    When they'd drained their cups, Sadie and Dat bundled
    up and headed outdoors with Abe. Dat shoveled a path as
    Sadie and Abe came behind with their brooms. Leah watched
    momentarily from the utility room, having closed the interior
    door to the kitchen so as not to allow heat to escape. Please,
    Lord God, be ever near to my sorrowing sister this day.
    I While the oatmeal baked, she hurried to Dat's room to
    I redd up and make his bed. But before she did, she went to the
    \ narrow bookshelf and reached for Mamma's Bible, not the big
    1 German family Bible stored in the corner cupboard in the
    kitchen, but the one Mamma had read repeatedly through the
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    years. Leah noticed the leather wasn't as cold as she might have expected it to be on such a chilly day and wondered if Dat might have been holding this Bible in his strong hands. . . for quite some time, too, maybe.
    Heartened at the thought, she moved to the window and read the underlined final verse in chapter fifty-four of the book of the prophet Isaiah: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.
    The verse puzzled her no end, though she had read it repeatedly since first discovering Mamma's pen had marked it. What had this particular underlined passage meant to her mother? Leah was anxious to know.
    Closing the Bible, she returned it to its place on the shelf. Then she smoothed out Dat's bedcovers, top quilt and all, and left to return to the kitchen. There she prepared the baked eggs, using Mamma's old muffin tins, placing the round pieces of toast, moistened with milk, inside and then breaking the eggs over the tops.
    All the while she pondered the meaning of the verse, find' ing it peculiar Mamma would have contemplated it in such a way as to take pen to the Holy Bible. Was it possible Mamma had come under some verbal attack, possibly by the church brethren? If so, wouldn't Aunt Lizzie know?
    Every tongue that shall rise against thee . . . Those words especially disturbed her. She knew she best cast aside her musings.'Tis Christmas Day, for pity's sake.
    Sighing, she went to the foot of the stairs to check on Lydiann, only to see her standing at the top, fully dressed, hair
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    Omlx-il ;ind pulled back in a bun. "Happy Christmas, dear ill I," I i'ah greeted her.
    I yJiiinn smiled broadly. "Merry Christmas to you, minima." Then she added, " 'Twas awful cold when my feet buclu'd che floor."
    I.call nodded and had to smile. "Well, speakin' of cold, it k|yhl not be a bad idea for you to run out and take Sadie's llK'o alter a bit to let her come in and warm up. I'd hate for if lo catch an even worse cold."
    [ Lydiann headed down the steps toward her, eyes conIriK'd. "Is Sadie gonna cry again today, do ya think?"
    "Well, I hope not. We must be especially considerate bwiird her on our Lord's birthday," Leah replied, walking with wiliiinn to the kitchen. She hurried to prepare the waffle batK, setting the big black waffle iron on the cookstove.
    Leah felt at such a loss to explain Sadie's absence for all hose years; the People simply did not speak of a shunning fter the fact. She hoped Lydiann's curiosity over Sadie might Bon subside. Not just for my sake, but for all of us.
    I Leah was pleased when Lydiann willingly headed out to le barn to offer Sadie a rest. But when neither Lydiann nor Bilie came back, Leah bundled up to see what had happened. I'; idling the barn, she found Abe and Lydiann looking down I one of the feed troughs a wooden manger. Sadie, too, was It'ening with rapt attention as Dat described how the cows' Ingues had smoothed the wood over time, making the wood I the manger "nice and smooth ... fit for baby Jesus." I Surprised at her father's words, Leah stood quietly as