Free Abram's Daughters 01 The Covenant by Unknown

replied.
    ^^^mlillng almost knowingly, Leah smiled again. "Half
    ^^Htnl you."
    ^^^Huli'i remark made it easy for Sadie to push ahead. "I
    ^^^Voii've kept things quiet, ya know, the way I asked you
    H "I litvcn'l told a soul."
    H I In? pressure in her shoulders and neck began to ebb H hh if Leah's words had opened a tap in her, unlocking
    0 ."nor ,screnity.~"Not to anyone, then?"
    i Ini Aunt Lizzie; not Dat and Mamma neither." iilit- was ever so glad. Knowing Leah as she did, she'd h ' have to trust that the name Derry would forever be Im ml of all family conversations from here on out. The Li billing.
    77 79t^p.4- e-i-
    -1-3C
    'i1 Hlld Fannie Mast, walking arm in arm, strolled out to nil of them as Leah, her mamma and aunt, and sisters i 'i,l out of the carriage. "Willkumm Familye!" came the | iiU greeting. It was nearly one o'clock in the afternoon I they arrived; the blazing sun beat down, making all of I it hit droopy, though the Sunday ride had been only a
    in! I it Ml I' long.
    I I'iiuin and his seven brothers and sisters spilled out of the ll> I it'n door into the backyard. Anna, Rebekah, Katie, and l-"ilui Mast gathered round Sadie, Leah, and the twins, li"' I'-rlntf in Pennsylvania Dutch, while Jonas, Eli, Isaac, and lilt' Jrivmiah Mast hung back a bit, arms conspicuously ililiul I heir backs, merely smiling.
    I I 'ill unhitched the tired horse and led him up to the barn |< I" wnlered, and Peter quickly turned and headed in that     79 80
    ly t
    "Our mamma must want some quiet talk with your mamma and aunt," whispered Anna to Sadie. Leah had overheard and wondered what that was about.
    "Might be cooler outside in the shade, anyways," Sadie replied. "Might catch an occasional breeze, ya know."
    Leah didn't have to be coaxed. Far as she was concerned, it would be ever so nice to sit and chat with Cousin Fannie's
    children outdoors, though most of them were either in their teens or nearly twenty, so they were closer to being grownups than kids. Still, she hoped for an opportunity to speak with Jonas again after such a long time.
    Before they left the kitchen for the backyard, Hannah passed round newly embroidered handkerchiefs to Cousin Fannie and each of her daughters. "Well, now, what a nice thing to do," said Fannie.
    "Denki thank you," Anna, Rebekah, Katie, and Martha said in unison.
    Mamma's face was wrapped with a smile. "Hannah just loves to surprise folk with her handmade things."
    " 'Tis better to give than to receive," Mary Ruth said, leaning her head on her twin's shoulder, and the twosome seemed to tilt toward each other like two birdlings in a nest.
    Aunt Lizzie nodded in full agreement. Then, in spite of the white-hot air, they carried their iced-tea glasses outside, finding ample shelter beneath the towering tree in the far corner of the yard. Jonas and his younger brothers, including three-year-old Jeremiah, sat cross-legged in a jumble, off to themselves a bit but within earshot of the girls. Sadie ami Anna sat together, leaving Leah, Hannah, Mary Ruth, and the four Mast girls to sit in a circle nearby.
    "Won't be long and we'll all be goin' to Sunday singings,"
    81zae e
    o 0 e n a n i
    Iflwkuht <-7^s shining with expectation. "Now, ain't that
    ||h nodded. "How many are in your buddy group?" She I llic i|iicslion of Rebekah, forgetting she was only fif-
    th i mil in nny group just yet," Rebekah said, grinning.
    I In unkin' Anna 'bout such things. Or Jonas, maybe. lfi> in Ningings all the time."
    I'ihim^ her name, Anna turned round, as did Sadie. It illdjn say?" Anna asked, dark, loose strands of hair Itl^ below her prayer cap at her neck. She looked almost UHM |o I"1*-* thinking of marriage this fall. I'Ih-I'mIi wasn't shy and said quickly, "Leah just wanted
    11iv I iow many youth go to