Free Abram's Daughters 03 The Sacrifice by Unknown Page B

hearing the news from Naomi got her thinking of her own future and the possibility of many children. After all, Mamma was expecting this baby in her midforties. Leah counted the years, thinking ahead. If I wereto marry Gid by next year, I'd have plenty of childbearing years ahead of me. . . .
    But she knew it was better not to think in terms of what might be ... or worse, what might have been where Jonas was concerned. No, she would trust the Lord God, just as she had promised to do at her baptism. She would honor the Almighty One all the days of her life, and He alone would lead her. If God willed that she should marry and have children, then so be it. If not, she would try to be as cheerful and content with her lot as Aunt Lizzie. : 85 O a c r if,
    acrifice
    H[ Thinking of her aunt, she spied Lizzie chattering with the
    H|u mi's wife and had to smile. Aunt Lizzie's a sly one, she
    H[ , , (diking to Ezra and Elias's mother, of all things!
    ^M 11 w:is (airly common knowledge among Dat, Mamma, and
    ^Hni I -i-'.io that two of the Stoltzfus boys were awful sweet on
    ^nmsih ;ind Mary Ruth. Mamma had confided this to Leah,
    ^n, in (urn, had mentioned something to Dat in the barn
    Hp-Wtvk. Dat, bless his heart, had tried to act like he didn't
    1 now too much about it, but Leah could see the helpless smile
    i tlelitfhi on her father's face. Since they all knew who was
    , In) inn I what was what, it was best they keep quiet now and
    iillnw tin* courting process to take over. Could be, as soon as
    it vmi li'om this fall, Hannah might be wed.
    .V. lor Mary Ruth, she'd most likely missed out on also
    {mi! i yiujj; then. Much better to take her time and be sure than
    In in.'.h into something and be sorry later, thought Leah. She
    HttjI'hM'il she ought to think likewise about her courtship with
    ^Bllliv Cud, because he was visibly smitten . . . and, truth be
    ^nvn, she was falling for him, too.
    H| ( 'mild it be Hannah and I will marry during the same wedding ^Huh:' she wondered, spotting Gid's shock of light brown hair ^ivr i he throng of men preparing to go inside the barn for Ht Sunday meeting. Her heart skipped a little as he caught H| vyv and then turned discreetly, pretending not to have ^ni ItiT. The People's way. . .
    ^M hlttmma might faint if she knew how fond Gid is of me . . . ^K> often he says he loves me. I have yet to tell him, though. I f be aver so sure.
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    .Lorraine Schwartz had been so deeply moved by the previous Sunday's sermon that she readily agreed to go with the Nolts to the midweek service. She had not a hunch how
    Henry would take this, but she was altogether eager to attend the Mennonite house of worship again, and she told him about it just as he was sitting down for supper on Wednesday night. "I hope you won't mind if I go out this evening for a few hours." She went on to say what she was planning.
    He was slow to speak, evidently tired. "Are you trying to keep up with your son?"
    She hadn't thought of it in that light, but now that Henry had mentioned it, she assumed Robert's quest for the spiritual might have influenced her, as well. "Why don't you come along?" she suddenly suggested. "You might be surprised and enjoy yourself." _.
    "My desk is piled high with paper work." The tone of his voice caught her off guard; he was insulted.
    "Are you all right with this, Henry?"87
    I I If looked across the table, his brow creased. "Go, if you
    Iim."
    I I'i n I uiiately their suppertime talk took a turn when Henry
    In mi U'il lie was toying with the idea of expanding the clinic,
    Iili.ips offering an internship to a medical student and build-
    L "ii io make room for more patients.
    I Hi is was news to her, but she liked the idea. Henry,
    IiiicJi he was close to his forty-fifth birthday, had aged con-
    iri.ilily in the past year virtually before her eyes. She spec-
    In it I ii was due to keeping himself busy with an overabun-
    Iiii i- ol patients, more than