Read Abram's Daughters 03 The Sacrifice for Free Online Page A

of highlights the color of honey, much lighter than Jonas's.
    Attempting to redirect her thoughts from her former beau, she wondered how Fannie must feel seeing her here after all this time, knowing surely she did how devoted her firstborn son had been to Leah from his earliest teen years. Until he'd turned his attention to Sadie, of course. Did Fannie have any knowledge of Jonas and Sadie, perhaps where they were living in Ohio? Would she even care to say if Leah got up the nerve to ask?
    Having been in attendance at the required membership meeting where Bishop Bontrager called for a vote for or against shunning Jonas most excruciating for her she understood fully that he had been cut off from his family as entirely as the rest of the People. Unless he returned and repented for breaking the strict covenant, Jonas would be estranged from both the communities of Gobbler's Knob and Grasshopper Level all the days of his life. Leah felt strongly that the bishop had found fault with him because of his keen interest in carpentry. For Jonas to abandon the idea of farming was near heresy!
    Sighing now, she was tormented with the image of the smiling Mast children, as well as the solemn face of Fannie, Mamma's once bright and happy relative. Why is she sour towardme? she wondered. Does she blame me for the shun on her son?
    It was Lizzie, not Ida, who spent a good part of the morning picking strawberries with Miriam Peachey when she came
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    In lend a hand. Ida remained indoors, trying to keep herself > > H i|, ;md all for the best since she had complained of nausea ii uliiy. Lizzie was more than a little concerned about her sister.
    She was glad for the white-pleated candlesnuffer-style Minlionnet Hannah had presented to her just this morning ullcr the twins had hung out the clothes to dry.
    "It'll keep the sun off your face," Hannah had said sweetly, entering the kitchen wearing a green choring dress.
    "So your nose won't peel something awful . . . like last miiiimer's sunburn," Mary Ruth had added, glancing approvingly at her twin.
    Since Ida had already taken herself upstairs, Lizzie felt she nii^ht to see who was doing what chores, both indoors and out. Mary Ruth spoke up, declaring she would be the one to look after Lydiann while the clothes dried, and then she'd single-handedly fold everything neatly after the noon meal, once Lydiann was down for a nap. Hannah, on the other h;md, volunteered to hoe the large family vegetable garden iillcr the dishes were washed and dried.
    With Leah gorje for the morning at the clinic, it seemed i hey might've been a bit shorthanded with Ida resting, but I hanks to Miriam, the morning duties would be accomplished inn timely manner.
    "Awful kind of you to come over," Lizzie said as she and Miriam moved through the strawberry patch. "Did you suspect Ida might be suffering another bout of mornin' sickness?"
    Miriam nodded. "Jah, and she has no business bein' out here in the hot sun."
    "Aside from that, I'd have to say she's feeling perty well. She's a strong one, Ida."
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    They worked together without saying much more for a time. Then Miriam asked softly, looking over her shoulder, "Ida bears most of her pain in silence . . . what with her eldest gone, ain't so?"
    "Oh my, ever so much. The girl's shunning has taken its toll. None of us understands why she refused to repent here in Gobbler's Knob. The silence and separation is almost a punishment for all of us, too."
    Miriam stretched a moment, then resumed picking. "On top of that, Ida tells me she gets ever so blue not hearin' a speck from Fannie." She shook her head sadly. "Why she keeps on writing letters, I just can't figure. If it were me, I'd plain quit."
    Lizzie knew well why her sister continued to send letters over to Grasshopper Level. "Bless her heart, she hopes Fannie might write back with some word of our wayward girl . . . though the Masts must be in the dark as much as we are."
    "How awful sad for Abram and Ida,