Forevermore by Cathy Marie Hake Read Free Book Online Page A

after visitin’ her kin, and she brought one of the crates he shipped them chicks in. She said them little chicks was parched. They had to tip those little critters’ beaks into water to get ’em to drink up, but it worked. Can you imagine?” She laughed. “Lookee at me. I got so wound up in telling my tale, I follered you right out here. I might as well feed the hens. This is a fine brood you got.”
    “We gots a hundred.” Emmy-Lou squatted down and trailed her fingers along the back of one of the black-and-white-feathered hens. “Nobody else’s looks like ours. Mrs. Creighton’s are mostly white. Their eggs are easy to find ’cuz they’re white.”
    “But just think of all the fun they’re a-missing!” Hope pressed an egg basket into Emmy-Lou’s hands. “A hen works to lay her egg. When she takes the trouble to hide it, doesn’t seem fair just to snatch it away. Searching a little—well, that’s like a game you play. You look down low, and your auntie can look up high. Thataway, them hens will figure they done a good job. Betcha they’re so happy, they’ll lay another tomorrow. Plenty of hens don’t lay eggs every day, you know.”
    “Ours do!”
    Hope gave Mrs. Erickson a puzzled look. “Yesterday was Thursday, and you didn’t go to market. Most ever’body goes to market on Thursday. When do all y’all go?”
    “Phineas went on Wednesday. He takes the eggs, butter, and produce in so Mr. Clark has them for the women when they shop the next day. Sometimes Jakob goes. If I need anything, they get it for me.”
    “Stretches my imagination, tryin’ to figger out anything you ain’t got. This here farm is like a corner of paradise on earth. Suppose I ought to stop blitherin’ and start workin’.”
    She headed to the garden, which was nearly exploding with ripe vegetables. If she stripped all the pods off the pole beans, they’d continue to produce more. Soon a whole bushel of beans rested at the end of a long row. Another of ripe tomatoes joined it.
    “Miss Hope, I finded lotsa eggs!”
    Hope turned around. “ Sehr gut, Emmy-Lou. We’ll use some of them to make noodles today. Do you want to help?”
    “Can I roll them out?” Emmy-Lou galloped closer and tripped over a cabbage.
    Hope caught her. “Careful there.” The outer leaves of the cabbage were torn. “We’ll make us some coleslaw. For what I have in mind for lunch, we’re gonna need an onion. How about if you go find one and pull it?”
    “Emmy-Lou!” Mrs. Erickson’s voice carried a panicky edge. “Emmy-Lou!”
    “Here! I’m over here!” Emmy-Lou waved. “Miss Hope said I can pick onions and make noodles!”
    Her aunt hastened over, the basket of eggs swinging from her arm in time with the pregnant woman’s waddle. “Do not go off on your own.”
    “I’m sorry.” Emmy-Lou hung her head.
    “A good girl only goes where she’s told.” Mrs. Erickson rested her hand on her niece’s shoulder. “You must remember not to wander off on your own.”
    “Okay.”
    “Take these eggs into the house, then come back to pick the onion. I’ll help pick vegetables.”
    Though she would have preferred to harvest more, Hope didn’t want the pregnant woman stooping over. “Are you already done crating the rest of the eggs?”
    “Ja. Jakob is taking them to the springhouse.”
    “How’s about you holdin’ out your apron?” Hope cut two more cabbages from their stems and placed all three into Annie’s apron. “Now, if that wasn’t good timin’, I don’t know what is. If’n you carry those in, I’ll bring in the tomatoes.”
    As they walked to the house, Emmy-Lou came back out. Hope set down the bushel of tomatoes. “You go on ahead, Mrs. Erickson. I’ll go on out and water a wee bit while Emmy-Lou’s out here. Then she and I’ll bring in the beans.”
    “I could start lunch. The cabbage would be good for bierocks . I have time to make the dough.”
    “Mmmm!” The thought of the meat-and-cabbage-filled rolls