Free Abram's Daughters 03 The Sacrifice by Unknown

them.
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    But Hannah said nothing, and they rode on in silence for ic I;ist mile.
    As die twins pulled in the lane at the Masts' farmhouse, Mary Ruth noticed several of the younger Mast children he impering about. But when the youngsters spotted who was diiving up in the carriage, they quickly disappeared into the
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    "Just as I expected," Mary Ruth said. "Now what?"
    "We could end up sittin' here till the cows come home if we ilon't get out and make our delivery," Hannah replied.
    "I wish Aunt Lizzie had come 'stead of us." Mary Ruth felt Mini only embarrassed but put out at having to come here wlicn the Masts had chosen of their own accord to shun thorn.
    I lannah was the one to stand up first, taking hold of the pii-s neatly graced in Mamma's wicker food hamper. "I'm not iiliaid of Cousin Fannie. I never did her wrong." With that hi 10 climbed down out of the buggy.
    Taken aback by her sister's uncharacteristic boldness, Miiry Ruth breathed in deeply and stepped out, too. "Which I Hi us is goin' to knock on the back door?" j "Why, both of us. That's who" came Hannah's quickHii.Nwer.
    Mary Ruth wasn't so sure any of this was such a good idea, V't she was shocked at the way Hannah's feet pounded against
    1110 ground. Sure was a first, far as she could remember
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    Hannah spouting off without uttering a word, using only her feet to do the talking!
    Not to be outdone, Mary Ruth knocked on the kitchen screen door, wishing the whole ordeal were over. She could see past the screened-in porch and into the long kitchen, part of the bench next to the table showing. But there was no one in sight, which was downright peculiar on a "visiting" Sunday.
    "Your turn to knock," she told Hannah, who promptly did so.
    They waited, but the house remained apparently uninhabited. The call of birds seemed louder than before.
    "How much longer should we wait?" Hannah asked.
    Mary Ruth glanced over her shoulder, looking for any sign of life, but there were no sounds coming from the barn nor, naturally, from the fields, it being the Lord's Day and all. "I. say we leave," she said at last.
    "But . . . what 'bout the pies?" It was Hannah who was wide-eyed now.
    "We'll have 'em for supper ourselves."
    "What'll Mamma say?"
    Then, just as Hannah was speaking, here came Cousin Fannie shuffling along toward the door like she really didn't want to at all. She poked her head out.
    Before Fannie could speak, Mary Ruth said quickly, "We brought you something from Mamma and Aunt Lizzie."
    A frown flickered across Fannie's face as she eyed the pies. "I'm sorry, but we can't accept them." She started to close the screen door.
    "Oh, but Aunt Lizzie wants you to have them. She made them special for you and Cousin Peter," Mary Ruth explained,81Cjacrlfice
    J < i 1111 j awkward having to beg someone to accept such deli-
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    Hul Fannie soundly latched the screen door, then backed iiw.iy, shaking her head before turning and walking to theI- Hi lien.
    "Well, I declare!" said Mary Ruth, tugging on Hannah's li-i'w. "Come along, sister. They don't deserve Aunt Lizzie's I lies!" With that they hurried to the buggy and got in. The
    I ii >r.si- pulled them slowly up to the widest section of the barnyanl, (hen circled around to come back down the lane.
    Mary Ruth spotted two small heads peering out the back tl< uii. "Look," she whispered. "Isn't that Mandie and Jake?"
    "Sure looks like them to me," Hannah agreed.
    "So . . . we've been out-and-out refused. Well, isn't this a lint' liowdy-do!"
    "Something to talk about at supper tonight," HannahMiitl.
    "Won't Mamma be irked?"
    I lannah nodded. "Irked and offended both."
    "It's really ipo bad our families can't make amends." Mary Kuih was certain both Mamma and Dat would have a reaclimi ro this. Aunt Lizzie, too.
    "What if we give them one more chance try 'n' break
    I1 if ice, so to speak," Hannah suggested.
    "And do what?"
    "We could both write to Rebekah and Katie one last I inu- . .