Free The Photograph by Beverly Lewis

of personalities.
    He decided to ignore the frivolous conversation. Alliance was just one hour away. There, he would catch his train to Lancaster.
    It was still too dark to read the old classic The Pilgrim’s Progress. He’d read the book once before but liked to carry reading material wherever he went, even in the buggy. “You never know when a good book might come in handy,” his father liked to say, particularly when Mamm or Bettina needed a ride somewhere to shop. Daed was of a mind that a book was his “insurance” against waiting idly for his womenfolk in town.
    Something else his father had urged Jed and his seven siblings to do was trust in God’s provision for the direction of their lives. “This means believing the Lord will stand strong when you cannot  . . . that He will hold you up,” Daed had said.
    This wisdom had been essential for Jed this past year—each time he was tempted to doubt, thinking he couldn’t continue on without Lydiann.
    â€œReal gut to see ya headin’ to Pennsylvania,” Seth said, glancing his way. “A change of place is sometimes helpful.”
    â€œJust doin’ my boss’s bidding.”
    â€œWell, have yourself a nice time.”
    â€œ Denki, ” Jed said. And for the first time since Lydiann’s death, he realized he was looking forward to something new, if only for a few days.

    While waiting in the crowd of passengers to board the eastbound train, Jed overheard an older man telling a young boy about the various train cars they could explore on their trip. “Thereare dining cars, lounge cars, sleeping cars, and even a dome car where you can look at the sky and all around. You’ll see.”
    â€œIs there ice cream in the dining car?” the boy asked, his face hopeful.
    â€œWe’ll find out, won’t we?” the older man replied as he ruffled the boy’s hair.
    Everywhere Jed turned, people were paired up—young couples holding hands, elderly couples assisting each other, families with children. People in love.
    Once he was on board the train, Jed chose a window seat on the right side of the aisle. As of the first jerk forward, the seat next to him was still vacant. Like usual . He turned to gaze out the window and embraced the new day with another silent prayer.

    Unknowingly, Jed had drifted off to sleep and was awakened, startled, when someone sneezed. In his groggy state, he bumped something hard wedged between the seat and the coach wall. A brief investigation revealed it was a hardback copy of Little Women. He’d seen Bettina reading the classic novel last summer.
    Opening the book, Jed saw no name or identification on the front pages. With his own treasured library—accumulated over more than a decade—he’d always printed his full name and address in plain view on the front page.
    Thumbing through, he discovered a wrinkled photograph tucked between pages forty-four and forty-five—a pretty Amish girl, possibly in her late teens. He studied the picture more closely, finding it curious that the young woman looked so boldly into the camera while wearing a white prayer Kapp shaped like a heart—the characteristic head covering for the Lancaster County Old Order Amish. Though the picture was black and white, it was clear she wore a cape dress and matching apron, as well. Thephoto looked as though it had been torn from a strip of others, with the bottom of the next picture showing a young woman’s folded hands.
    Why would a devout girl have her picture taken?
    He turned the photograph over and saw penned on the back: The best and worst day of my life.
    Still more curious, Jed returned the picture to its place between the pages and scanned through the book, quickly noting that the story was focused on four young sisters growing up in New England during the time of the Civil War.
    Definitely not my choice of reading material!
    Yet, while paging