From frost to heat and more Winter Wheat... it Rhymes!!!

Yesterday I had the audacity to speak of frost... quite funny really, when the past three days have been extremely hot and humid.  Walking out of work today was like walking into a boiling steam bath, only to hop into a cold car when hubby picked me up, then back out into the steam bath to walk to the house, then in to blissful cool again.  Is this really good for us, I wonder?

I have a sore throat, and I'll bet it is because I went from cold to hot to cold to hot to cold.  Talk about confusing the body.  I mentioned this to my husband on the way home, and he suggested I think back 20 years or so to a time when we were renting a first floor suite in an old non-air conditioned apartment complex.  The apartment was so hot and muggy in the summer that we would wrap ourselves in cool wet towels over our bathing suits just to keep cool.  I find the thought of it hilarious today, but we did what we could to stay cool I guess.

I know that the temps have soared all over Canada and the US the past few weeks.  So I'm wishing all my readers will find a nice cool shady area, where a gentle breeze blows now and again.  How about a tall glass of ice tea, or a bowl of chilled watermelon... ahh... how refreshing.  Keep cool everyone...

Winter Wheat continues.... 

Emilie proudly folded her letter and carefully sealed it in the envelope that George had addressed for her.  As she set the letter aside she smiled at George.

“Do you think you could go to town for me tomorrow, George?  I have some butter you could take to the Mercantile, and those seeds I ordered might be waiting at the post office by now, don’t you think?”

George’s wide grin let her know that she was not fooling him in the least.  “Yes, I can go tomorrow, Emilie.”  He teased her and nodded to the envelope that lay on the table between them.  “Would you like me to post that letter for you as well?”  he asked with the devil in his eyes.

Emilie blushed,  “Well seeing as you are going anyway . . .”

“Sure thing, Emilie.”  George rose from the table and tucked the envelope with her letter to Karl safely in his breast pocket.

Emilie watched him walk away, and wondered if indeed the seeds were waiting to be picked up.  When Karl had told her to use her butter money however she chose, she had balked at his words, but then she had realized that a purchase of seeds would benefit the whole family, so she had gladly parted with a portion of her small sum of money and sent away for a large variety of seeds.  She couldn’t wait until the snow was gone and the earth was warm and dry enough to be tilled so she could plant vegetables enough to last well into the following spring.

As well as the seeds for vegetables, she had found a neighbor who was willing sell fertile chicken and goose eggs when they became ready in spring.  Annie had told her of the benefits of raising her own chickens and geese and Emilie fully intended to take her good friends advice and purchase one hundred chicken eggs and twenty five goose eggs.  She was told that with heat and coal oil lamps she could hatch the eggs herself and she had already found the perfect spot in Karl’s kitchen to do just that.  

She plopped her chin into her hand and stared dreamily at the wall and envisioned the productive farm that Karl would return home to come spring.  She couldn’t wait until he returned home to witness first hand the fruits of her all her labours.

Karl Wright lay on the narrow wooden cot that was the only space that had been truly his for the past several months.  The large room where he now lay was crowded with many such cots filled with men from all over the immediate area, men who, like him, had come to the mountains for the winter in order to make enough money to supplement their farming income.

They were mostly a good bunch, save for one or two bad apples, but Karl expected that no camp was any different during this desperate time.  He had made a few friends during his stay, but mostly he rose each morning, worked hard all day, and fell into a deep sleep at night.  He didn’t drink the alcohol that was passed from cot to cot; he didn’t whore at the adjoining camp where a group of desperate women sold themselves for a pocket-full of change, and he never talked about home.

Some of the men poked fun and tried to draw him out, but he ignored them and kept his distance.  The only man who knew the circumstances of his life was his employer, who right from the start saw Karl as an exceptionally hard worker and proud, if not stubborn man.  A true friendship had developed between the two men, and Karl knew that any time he needed work, he need only to contact his friend, and a position would be made available to him.

Vacation, Fall, and Chapter 17

Another week of vacation has come and gone, and with it another week of summer.  I noticed one of the elm trees on my street has some turning leaves on it.  It can't be from dryness, because we have had more rain this year than most.  So does this mean fall is near.

Here in Manitoba there are no guarantees as to when one season ends and another begins.  Although very rare, it is possible for frost in August.. but certainly in September frost is possible, even certain.  So why am I thinking about fall when summer is not yet over?  I really don't know, might have something to do with the store shelves being full of school supplies, the evenings growing dark by nine o'clock, the fact that I have already plugged my timer into my living room lights, (I haven't turned them on pretty much since June.  But whatever is making me feel like fall is also making me panic a bit about getting down and being serious about doing some serious crafting for my craft sales.  I had planned on getting a head start this week... but that didn't happen... so I'll shoot for next week I guess.

In the meantime, Chapter 17 is starting.  Maybe some of you are wondering if we will ever finish this darn book... I promise we will... sometime before fall really calls us away to other chores...

Chapter 17 begins.........

The days passed, and Emilie kept herself busy caring for the children and Karl’s home as if they were her own.  A seed catalogue from a mail order company had arrived in the mail, and because all of her newly acquired friends had been talking about the gardens that they would be planting, Emilie began to spend endless hours looking at the pictures of vegetables and flowers that she could grow if only she acquired the seed.  She envisioned her own a large productive vegetable garden, somewhere out beneath the snow, and while she had no idea just where on the property the garden was located, she saw in her mind’s eye, just how it would look come summer.

George watched Emilie pouring over the catalogue every evening and knew that more than anything Emilie would have loved to be able to read the words that were printed under each picture she studied.  On one such evening he broached the subject that had been on his mind for weeks.

“Would you like me to teach you how to read English, Emilie?”  he asked under his breath so the other children would not overhear him.

Emilie’s head popped up at his words.  “Do you think you could, George?”  she wondered aloud, her eyes sparkling with interest and excitement at the prospect of being able to read.       

“I don’t see why not, if the little kids can do it, why can’t you?”

Emilie blushed,  “Well I can certainly try.  When could you teach me?”

George produced his younger brother’s spelling book.  “What about right now!”  Without further comment he opened the book to the first page and started copying the letters of the alphabet on a piece of paper.  Beside each letter, he drew a picture of an object, and then he slid the page across the table to where Emilie waited.

“The first letter is A.  A is for apple.  This is what the letter A looks like.”

“A for apple,”  Emilie repeated slowly.

“Next is B.  B is for bread, and barn, and . . .”

“Baby!”  Emilie suggested quickly, as she clapped her hands in delight.

“Yeah, that’s right.  Baby.  This here is what the letter B looks like, Emilie.”  George demonstrated with pride.

They covered half of the alphabet that night before Emilie called their progress to a halt.  It was very late, and she knew that she would not remember half of what she had learned that night.  George was proud of his student and knew that with the other children’s help they would have Emilie reading in no time.

Every evening they continued the lessons, and soon everyone joined George in his task as teacher.  It was helpful for the younger children to show her how to form her letters, and everyone except Anne-Marie who was much too young to learn, benefited from the nightly lessons.

They received two letters from Karl, which George, at Emilie’s urging promptly answered.  By the time Karl’s third letter arrived in early March, Emilie, with George’s help was able to pen her reply herself.

Dear Karl,

How are you?  We are all fine hear.  The childwren all say hello.  I have learned to reed and right now.  Come home soon.

Emilie

Here and there and the end of 16

Well my weeks vacation is almost over (sad face), and although I did not have to get up each morning and head out to work, being home this week was really no vacation.

We have been on the go since the weekend.  I thought I would have time to sit on the patio, maybe read a few books, do some crocheting for my sales, we even planned on a day trip to the lake.

So what did we do?  Move furniture, clean, move furniture, rip out walls, move furniture, organize closets, move furniture... well you get the picture.  My brother built me a huge, and I mean huge desk/work table for my craft room so this was furniture move #1.  Thank you Dean - you did an awesome job!  It has taken me all week, but finally I have a real "work" room.  Thing is, it is so clean and organized, I kinda don't want to mess it up now!  I know I will get over myself very quickly however!

Furniture move #2 was a result of my son finally selling his captains bed and mattress.  The darn thing has been for sale for 2 weeks, and it has just been an exercise in frustration.  People offer less than half the asking price without even coming to see the article.  I'm afraid I was a little rude to quite a few people over the week!  But it did get sold, and it was hoisted out of the basement (not an easy task), and then came the ripping down the walls phase.

I know my son is getting bored with being home for three weeks following surgery, but believe me, tearing out walls was not something I would have been worried he would try to tackle.  Never say never, I guess.  So suffice to say, he is renovating, and I will admit, that he is actually doing a very good job... so far.  His room, was floor to ceiling wood - you know the ship interior look.  We have talked about having someone come and rip out all the wood and put drywall up for some time.  He decided this was the greatest opportunity, because the immovable bed was moved and gone.  So my family room is piled high everywhere with his room's contents, he has re-built the large walk-in closet attached to his room, and has discarded 3/4 of the storage we had in that closet to... well I'm not sure where, I haven't found it yet.

And tomorrow will be moving furniture #3, when we go to pick up a full bedroom suite that he is purchasing from friends of ours.

Well maybe Sunday will be a nice day to have a vacation....



So let's finish Chapter 16..

His heart soared.  “I have waited so many nights to be alone with you, if even for just a minute or two . . . let’s not waste this time . . .”  he said as he lowered his head just a little more and their lips met.

He kissed her like a man finding water after days in the dessert.  She was sweet and warm and the taste of her made him think that never was there a woman so perfect in the entire world.  He drew out the kiss until he felt her gently pulling away, and then he released her slowly, all the while longing for a minute more.

“Emilie,”  he whispered roughly as he crushed her to his chest.  

“I thought you wanted to ask me a question!”  she teased him in a soft whisper.

“I do want to ask you a question, but I want to kiss you too,”  he smiled as he pulled her back into his arms.  “We get along so well, Emilie – and I know you have feelings for me.  When Karl returns from the mountains; do you think you would consider marrying me, Emilie?”

“Oh Joseph!” she sighed,  “I don’t think I am ready to marry anyone yet.  You see I am just getting used to this way of life, and then there’s the children . . .”

“Karl can always find another housekeeper, Emilie.  I love you, and I want you for my wife!”

Emilie reached up and surrounded his dear face with her mitten-covered hands.  “Can we wait a while before we think of marrying, Joseph?  I’m not ready, I’m sorry, but I’m just not ready . . .”

He noticed the distress in her voice and felt remorse for putting it there.  He sighed deeply and nodded his head.  “Okay, we’ll wait for a while,”  he acquiesced,  “ But I won’t quit asking,”  he warned her lightly as once again she pulled out of his arms.

“I must go.  The children are waiting to be put to bed.  Thank you Joseph, for a lovely night,”  she relayed to him in their own language,  “I’ll see you soon.”  She said before turning away and hurrying toward the door.

As she readied the children for bed, she determinedly pushed Joseph’s declaration from her mind, but much later as she lay in her bed with the small warm body of Karl’s child beside her, she closed her eyes and remembered another man’s kiss, and wondered how she could be considering marriage to another when it was Karl’s kisses she longed for.

“Oh Karl,”  she whispered into her pillow,  “Please come home soon!”

Chapter 16 continues

As the days lengthened, Emilie realized that she was looking forward to the changing season with eager anticipation.  By the middle of February, one could still see a hint of light; long after suppertime had come and gone.  The lengthening days and the endless blue skies of winter reminded her that soon it would be spring, and Karl would be returning home to his family.

She thought of him often and wondered if he was doing well up there in the mountains all alone and so far from his family.  She knew he would be missing his children, and she hoped that once in a while he thought of her with kind memories.  All this went through her mind, even as her immediate attention was more occupied with the two new men who had recently entered her life.

Joseph and his brother William, the two men who haled from her own homeland, were fast becoming her newest and closest friends.  Since meeting Emilie at the impromptu party at Karl’s home, they had made it a habit to visit Emilie and the children at least twice a week, to offer assistance in whatever chores she chose to give them.  They were devoted to her and the children, and on the rare occasions when she could find no chores for them to do, they simply remained in the house, visiting with her and the children for hours at a time.  

Emilie knew that she was the reason they visited so often, and she also guessed that many days William would have been content to remain in his own home instead of traipsing three miles across country to chaperone his younger brother.

They brought gifts every time they came to call.  One time a large roast of venison, fresh from their latest kill;  another time, small hand-whittled figurines for the children; and then a small ladies chair, made especially for Emilie, by her young suitor, Joseph.  This last gift arrived on a blustery day when the children had been particularly testy and naughty.

“The brother’s are here!”  Raymond proclaimed from his perch atop a kitchen chair that had been pulled close to the window so he could look outside.

“Raymond, get down from there at once,”  Emilie threatened,  “And pull that chair away from there, I don’t want Anne-Marie climbing and then falling.”

“Yes Mamm.”  Raymond answered quietly, as he slid carefully to the floor and pulled the chair away from the window.  He didn’t know why, but Emilie seemed awfully cross today, he thought to himself as he readied himself to open the door to their new friends.

Emilie rose from the sofa, where she had been stitching a hem on a new dress for Sue, and made her way to the door where Raymond stood expectantly waiting for the heavy thump that would indicate their company had arrived at the door.  The thump sounded and Raymond threw open the heavy wooden door, and stepped aside so the men could enter.  William entered first, followed by Joseph, who struggled through the door with a small ladies rocking chair, held high in his arms.  He set the chair on the floor and turned to throw the door closed against the sharp winter air.

“Hello, Emilie,”  he smiled warmly at her, and then remembering the children,  “Kinder”.

“Give me your coats,”  Emilie addressed neither man individually, but instead busied herself in collecting their outerwear, and carrying it to Karl’s bedroom, and placing it carefully across his bed.

When she returned everyone was centered around the chair that Joseph had carried in, the children were examining the piece like brokers.

“I made this for you, Emilie.”  Joseph said with pride and a certain look of hope entering his eyes.

  Emilie inspected the fine piece of furniture, and fell in love with it immediately.

“Here, sit down on it, and see how it rocks,”  Joseph instructed as he drew Emilie to his side and assisted her into the chair.

“Oh, Joseph, it rocks nicely – so smoothly,”  she told him as a bright smile lit her face.  It just occurred to her that she was sitting on a piece of furniture that belonged solely to her.  Never before had she owned anything so fine in all her life.

“I’m glad you like it.”  Joseph smiled as he watched her enjoyment of his gift.

Emilie rose and inspected the room.  “Could you place it over there nearer the fire, Joseph?  That way I can sit by the fire in the evenings and do my handy- work there.  Oh thank you so very much Joseph.  It is much too fine a gift, but I do accept it gratefully!”

Joseph’s heart soared at her words.  He had pleased her more that he had ever thought possible.  

And so the courtship of Emilie and Joseph was established.  As the days went by, he spent more and more time at Karl Wright’s home, attending to the children and the lovely German woman who had claimed his heart.  When another get together was planned at a neighbors home, it was Joseph who accompanied and transported Emilie and the children to the event; it was Joseph who claimed the majority of dances with the beautiful young woman; and it was Joseph that the whole community reckoned would steal Karl Wright’s housekeeper right from under his nose, once Karl returned home in spring.

After one such evening, while Sue and George escorted the young children into the house, Joseph took Emilie by the arm and gently pulled her out of sight from the children.

“Emilie, wait one moment,”  he urged quietly, as he pulled her to the other side of the sleigh box.

“I must really see to the children, Joseph,”  Emilie said with a smile in her voice, as she thought of the wonderful time she had had with all of her friends that evening.

“I know, but first I’d like to ask you something.”  He pulled her closer until she stood pressed close to his side.  He looked into her blue eyes that regarded him with merriment, and smiled softly.  “Surely you know how I feel about you, Emilie,”  he whispered as his head moved lower towards hers.

“Yes . . .”  her barely whispered word caused a puff of steam to surround their faces.

In spite of her fears that Karl would disapprove, Emilie soon found her foot tapping the rhythm as well and a bright happy smile was soon plastered across her face as she caught a glimpse of the dancing children in the other room.  Just as the impromptu band was at its prime, dinner was announced and the music was called to a halt.

As the men and the children were served their meal, Emilie relaxed and let herself be drawn into the general conversation that floated around her.  She learned that these were the families who had so generously donated items of clothing and toys for the Bell children at Christmas time, and she thanked them all profusely for their generous gifts.  She learned that one of the families had acquired a telephone and that it would be available for anyone in the community to use once it was installed and hooked up to the new telephone poles being erected across the prairies.  She learned that of the three bachelor men who each tried to command her attention, she found she favored Joseph the most.  His quietly spoken compliments to the women for providing the wonderful meal, reminded her very much of her dear brother, Wilhelm.

While the three eligible men fawned over Emilie’s attention, Annie and Frederich exchanged amused glances at their young friends confusion.  That Emilie was not accustomed to such attention was obvious, and they both knew that in the days ahead, Emilie would receive these three men into Karl’s home many times, before one of them would attempt to persuade her to marry him.

Frederich could see that all the men were instantly attracted to Emilie.  Who wouldn’t be, he asked himself as he watched the lovely vision of Emilie blushing girlishly; but he was also pretty certain that another man had already stole her heart.  He and Annie had discussed this possibility several times since Karl had left for the mountains, and they both had come to the same conclusion that Karl and Emilie were meant for each other.  Perhaps the arrival of these three other men would help to drive the two lovebirds into each other’s arms.

With the meal over, the men once more retired into the living room, while the women washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen.  Emilie made her way upstairs to settle the younger children to sleep and by the time she returned to the living room there were couples dancing on the small space of wood floor cleared in the middle of the living room.

Joseph, seeing Emilie’s entrance, immediately presented himself for a dance.  “Will you join me for a dance?”  he asked her in their own German tongue.

She smiled brightly and stepped slowly into his awaiting arms.  He even danced like Wilhelm, Emilie thought, as they carefully swung to the music.  The tune was a slow one and Joseph, ever mindful of the others in the room, wished only to pull the wonderful woman in his arms, ever deeper into his embrace.

They spoke in German - Emilie telling him how much she missed her family back home, and Joseph telling her his dreams of his future here in Canada.  By the time the dance had ended and Emilie was commanded for a dance with another, both Emilie and Joseph knew that a special bond had been forged between them.

The dancing continued long into the evening, and time and again, Emilie returned to the arms of Joseph.  When the evening came to an end, she watched as fathers carried their sleeping children in their arms to the awaiting sleighs.  Her newfound friends issued invitations for Emilie to come and visit, and as Annie and Frederich embraced her warmly, she knew that in all the months she had been living on the isolated prairie, she had never felt more content than she did this night.  She glanced heavenward to the immense black sky filled with tiny stars shinning brightly in contrast, and knew suddenly that she had found a place to call home, here on this lonely isolated plain thousands of miles from her native home.

The end of Chapter 15, and on to 16

Three days later, Karl left for the mountains, leaving behind his two small children, three temporarily adopted children, and the woman, who somehow in the few short months he had known her, had stolen his heart.  To deny his affection for Emilie now seemed ridiculous, but still he did not know what to do about those feelings.  He had three months in which to figure it all out, and he vowed as he said his goodbyes to those he loved more than life itself, that he would have a decision one way or another, before he returned home in spring.

Life settled into a comfortable routine for Emilie and the children.  The older Bell children returned to school while Emilie spent her days taking care of the younger children and performing her daily household chores.  Everyone was assigned their own chores to be completed each day, and with the occasional help of Frederich, Karl’s dependants managed quite well.  The days of her first winter on the prairie were short, the evenings and nights incredibly long, and Emilie learned one more thing about winter on the prairies – it was a time of visiting and fellowship between neighbors that during the busy summer months were separated by distance and time.  

Two evenings after Karl’s departure, Emilie looked out of her frosted windows to see a line of sleighs turning into Karl’s yard.  As she watched in fascination, one sleigh after another stopped a short distance from the house and men, women and children began to climb out of the sleighs.  The first person she recognized was Annie, who moved her short stout body purposely toward the door that Emilie already held open.  Falling into place behind her were the Bell children in Annie’s care and behind them, more women and children that Emilie had never seen before.

“We’ve come to socialize,”  Annie announced boldly, as she stepped into Karl’s home and threw her arms around Emilie’s shoulders.  “These here are neighbors of ours Emilie, who have waited some time to make your acquaintance; no time like the present I say,”  Annie ushered the women and children following her into the house and closed the door firmly behind her.

Emilie smoothed her hair in place, and smiled nervously as one by one the women and children were introduced to her.  Never would she be able to remember everyone’s name, but she smiled warmly at each person anyway, and welcomed them into Karl’s home as if it were her own.

In a few moments the door burst open once again, this time to admit eight men of various ages and sizes.  Frederich, acting as host, took the men’s coats and hats and piled them across his arms like a giant coat-rack, and then repeated his wife’s manner of introduction.  Emilie realized that there were three more men than women present, and it was explained that the three men Joseph, John and William, were the newest eligible bachelors that had just moved into the area.  Joseph and William were brothers hailing from Germany, and John was a recent widower without children who had moved down form the mountains after the death of his wife of two years.

Everyone who had entered the small house, held something in their arms, and Emilie was soon to realize that nothing save finding a place for everyone to sit was to be expected of her this evening.  The women had brought along enough food to provide everyone with a late evening meal, and as soon as the introductions were through they departed into the kitchen to prepare the food.  The children, excited to have friends come calling disappeared to the bedrooms upstairs to play, and the men set about moving the furniture in the living room to accommodate the spare chairs that they had brought along from their own homes.  Annie pushed Emilie along in front of her on her way to the kitchen, calling orders to Frederich and the other men as she moved away.  “You men get everything set up, and I’ll let you know when the meal is ready!”  

In Emilie’s tiny kitchen, three women were already at work warming food, slicing deserts, and making tea and coffee and setting out plates, while another busily unpacked an assortment of miss-matched dishes out of a heavy cardboard box and set them on the edge of the kitchen table.  At a loss for something to do, Emilie stood uncertain of what was expected of her.

Annie propelled her into the nearest chair, “Sit, be a guest in your own kitchen!”  she said before breaking into a raucous chuckle at her own words.  

As Emilie did what she was told, she heard a violin being tuned in the next room, followed by the lonely sound of a harmonica practicing a scale.  She craned her neck to see into the living room, but her vision was blocked by one of the men standing in the doorway with a beverage of some sort held tightly in his hands.

In a minute the tuning ceased, and the sounds of a lively jig filled the small rooms of the house.  She heard the children pond down the staircase and immediately began to jump and dance across the floor.  The men not occupied with playing the instruments, clapped their hands, and tapped their feet to the rhythm, and the tiny little house began to shudder and shake.  

Chapter 15 continues

Emilie read the letter through one last time, and knew a moment of guilt for her blatant omission regarding Karl Wright’s lack of a wife.  She knew her Uncle would insist she return home at once, if he knew that she was living with an unmarried man, but she also knew that she could no more leave this family, than she could cut off her own arm.  

She folded her letter, and went in search of Karl.  She found him lying on the sofa in the living room, with his arm carelessly covering his face and eyes.

“Karl?”  Emilie approached quietly in case he slept.

He lowered his arm and turned his head in her direction.

“Could I have an envelope?”  she watched him struggle to a sitting position and rub his eyes tiredly.

He didn’t answer immediately, but sat silently his eyes focused to the folded paper in her hands.

“Am I to know the contents of that letter, Emilie?  Have you finally made your answer to your Uncle?”

“Yes . . .”

He waited as she chose the rocking chair and set her body heavily into it.  “I wrote my Uncle that I will be staying on here; that is if you still want me to. . .”

Karl’s eyes lit with happiness for the first time since Christmas morning.  “Of course I still want you to stay; you have known that from the start, Emilie!”  he accused.

“But you have been so distant since before Anne-Marie’s illness, I thought perhaps you had changed your mind.”

Karl sighed deeply and rubbed his large hand across his face in weariness,  “I’m sorry.  I have been so worried about everything, that I guess I just became distant from you and the children.  The thing is, I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to provide for everyone for the rest of the year.  There is very little money for seed for crops, and without the crops we cannot live.  Sometimes I think you would have a better future if you went back to Germany,”  his warm gazed rested on her troubled expression,  “But I do not want you to go.”

Emilie saw the pain of indecision cross Karl’s expression, and once again felt a kinship with her employer.  She berated herself for giving his mood swings no more thought than how her own personal feelings were being affected.  She had been behaving very selfishly, she could see that now, and starting this very minute, that would all have to change.

Karl’s voice broke into her thoughts,  “There is one way that I can think of to make some money, but I’m guessing that you won’t like it, Emilie.”

Dread filled her heart.  “What’s that, Karl?”

“I could go back up to the mountains and cut and haul wood for the winter.  When I was there, the foreman of the mill was looking for help, and told me that anytime I wanted, I could work for him.”

Emilie’s face fell.

“I know you didn’t want me to go the last time, but I think you could handle things a lot better now.  And George is here, he’s as good a worker as any man I know, and Frederich would help too . . .”

“For how long Karl?”  Emilie could barely speak; her heart was pounding in her chest so rapidly.

“I would be gone till spring.”

Emilie rose from her chair, and stood uncertainly in front of Karl.  She watched his face for a moment and knew that he had already made up his mind to go, and had only be waiting for her decision to stay, before committing himself completely to the idea.  She also knew that she would do whatever it took to make his leaving easy on the small people who depended on him for their survival.  She smiled sadly and nodded her head in understanding.

  “When will you leave?”  she asked quietly, now resigned to the fact that she would spend the rest of the winter with five children who would look to her for comfort and instruction.

“The sooner, the better . . . maybe the day after tomorrow . . .”

“We’d better tell the children then,”  Emilie turned to go back into the kitchen where the children were starting to become loud and boisterous.  It was evident by the sounds coming from around the table that all work had ceased, and play had begun.

“Emilie, wait!”  Karl called her back into the room.  He took a few steps until he stood beside her, and stopped.  He reached his hand across the space separating them, and gently brushed her cheek.  “I will miss you . . .”

She closed her eyes as he gently caressed her face, so he could not see the tears that were gathering there.  She turned her face gently into his open palm and sighed deeply.  She was just about to tell him that she would miss him too, when a small voice spoke from directly behind where they stood.

“Dadda, I’m all finished my picture.  Here, Look!” 

Karl dropped his hand and walked around Emilie, and bent to see the picture his son had drawn for him.  “That’s a very nice picture, Raymond.  Could I keep it all to myself?”  he asked as he inspected the childish drawing of a barn and a horse.

“Yes please, Dadda,”  Raymond’s little chest expanded with pride.  He turned to Emilie and smiled brightly.  “Tomorrow I will draw one just for you, Emilie!”  his little voice promised proudly.

Emilie turned her now composed self to the little boy.  “I would love that very much, Raymond,”  She bent to scoop the child in a generous hug.  She clung to his small body as if it was a lifeline until his persistent wiggling begged her to release him entirely.

Karl took his son’s hand and led him into the kitchen, and left Emilie to follow along behind.  Without glancing her way he told the children to settle down and then informed them that within a few days he would be gone.  A collective silence permeated the room as the children one by one absorbed his message.

“I am going to be counting on all of you to help Emilie in whatever she tells you to do.  George, you are going to be in charge of the livestock and also you are to help Emilie with the smaller children – you too Sue,”  he instructed gently.  “Hopefully we will all be so busy that before we know it, spring will be here!”