The Calling of Emily Evans by Janette Oke Read Free Book Online Page B

steer them in the right direction and urge them forward when they tried to loiter along the track.
    Around noon Emily pulled the team into the shade of some larger poplar trees and climbed stiffly down from the buggy. Not used to driving a team for such a long period of time, she looked at her hands with dismay. Her fingers cramped and her hands felt as though blisters were forming. So much for being a sturdy farm girl, she thought wryly. She pulled off her bonnet and let the wind blow through her hair.
    Emily unhooked the team and led them to water in the ditch. Shadow, eager for a drink, almost upended her in the dirty puddle. She spoke sharply to the horse and jerked on his bridle. Emily finally let go of the rein and stepped back to let him find his own way. She wasn’t going to argue with the big gray.
    After the team had satisfied their thirst, Emily tied them to posts where there was ample grazing, then lifted the bag with her lunch from the wagon. Ina had prepared it for her, and Emily’s eyes misted as she looked at all the things Ina knew to be her favorites.
    She was so filled with emotion that she could hardly swallow, so most of the lunch was rebundled and placed back in the buggy. Perhaps she would feel more like eating later.
    The team was reluctant to give up the tall grasses. Emily had to drag on their reins and shout at the horses to get them back to the buggy. By the time she finally had them re-hitched, Emily was hot, sweaty, and angry.
    At long last she was on her way again, the afternoon sun beating down upon her head.
    “At least it’s not raining,” she muttered to herself as she flapped the reins over the two broad backs in front of her.The country road could be almost impassible when the heavy rains rutted the thick clay soil.
    She was going to stay overnight with Fred and Agatha Russell, newly married and now in charge of the church at Conner. She was a little shy about seeing her former classmates for the first time as husband and wife. But as the afternoon wore on and the long shadows lengthened to darken the road she traveled, Emily no longer was concerned about fitting in at the home of newlyweds. She would be so thankful to see her friends and the parsonage that marked her abode for the night. She strained forward, eagerly scanning the road ahead for signs of civilization.
    But it was almost dark before she finally spotted the small frame house. With a silent prayer of thanks, she turned the horses in at the gate. Her friends must have been watching for her and came out on the porch to greet her warmly. Fred took the team, and Agatha ushered Emily in to refresh herself at the kitchen basin before the evening meal was served.

Chapter Seven
    Starting Out
    Emily made her way down the path to the team that Fred had hooked to her loaded buggy. The sun was just making its way up into the summer sky. Emily knew it was going to be another hot day, and she firmly placed her bonnet on her head.
    With warm thanks to Fred and Agatha, she settled herself on the buggy seat, picked up the reins and clucked to the team of grays.They responded with eagerness and Emily felt a twinge of guilt, sure that the horses expected to be on their way home. At the end of the lane, Emily had to force the team to make a right-hand rather than a left-hand turn. They reluctantly responded to her tug on the reins. She waved one last time at Agatha, and then Emily was alone once more.
    Emily felt refreshed and eager after her night’s rest. Her hands had been carefully washed and salved, and Agatha had even cut the feet from a pair of Fred’s heavy discarded socks and snipped holes in the remaining portion for Emily’s thumbs—a mitt of sorts to protect her from the wear of the reins. Emily wished she had thought of something like that before she left home.
    The day grew hotter and hotter. Emily feared that even with the protection of her hat, she wouldn’t be able to endure the heat much longer. A breeze stirred just