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more than a mile and a half from the farm. Along the way, they passed other farms. Esther squinted to see if there were any girls her own age to be seen. But except for a barking dog or two, the farmyards were empty.
    â€œEverybody’s probably at church,” Violet whispered anxiously. “I bet we’re late.”
    Much to Esther’s distress, it seemed Violet was right. The churchyard was nearly filled with buggies and cars when they arrived, but there were no people in sight. Ma and Pa exchanged glances. Pa’s face was a question mark. Ma hesitated. Then she squared her shoulders. “We have come this far,” she said.
    Suddenly Esther felt shy. Bad enough to meet a bunch of new people all at once, but to walk in late and be stared at! Her stomach twisted up tight just thinking about it. Her knees trembled as she climbed down from the buggy. Then she heard the sound of another buggy rolling up. She turned just as the driver waved and called, “Welcome!”
    â€œI’m Fredrick Klause,” he said when he’d halted his horses. Then he introduced them to his wife and their two daughters. Rose was younger than Walter. Bethany looked near Esther’s age.
    Esther’s heart gave a little skip when Bethany smiled at her. Was this girl with the dimples and dark ringlets going to be her friend—maybe even a best friend like Shirley had been? Esther smiled back. Bethany bounced down from the buggy and came right to her side.
    â€œWe missed Sunday school this morning,” Bethany told Esther. She brushed a stray lock of hair back from her face, revealing a mole the size and shape of a bean on one cheek. It was brown and looked just like velvet. Esther wanted more than anything to touch it. She wanted to see if it felt as soft as it looked. But soon she was so interested in listening to Bethany that she forgot all about the mole.
    â€œRose hid her shoes for a joke,” Bethany explained. “We looked and looked, but we couldn’t find them anywhere.”
    â€œI’ll bet your folks were mad,” Esther said sympathetically. She knew Ma would be if Walter did such a thing.
    But Bethany just laughed. “Oh, no,” she said. “They thought it was funny—especially when Mama finally found the shoes in the oven!”
    Esther felt her eyes bulge. In the oven! She sputtered with laughter. Ma gave her a sharp look. They were on the church steps, after all. Esther smothered her laughter and ducked her head. But she glanced sideways at Bethany’s merry face and grinned.
    The grown-ups’ prayer group and the children’s Sunday school classes had just finished. Boys and girls were spilling in through the vestry door. Parents were herding them into pews. In all the bustle there was not so much staring as Esther had feared. There were a great many smiles and friendly greetings, though. And later, when services were ending, Reverend Phillips made a special point of welcoming them.
    â€œWe are a small community,” he said, “but a close-knit one. If there is anything any of us can do to make your settling in easier, please don’t hesitate to ask. We hope you’ll soon feel very much at home here.”
    Pa and Ma nodded and smiled. Violet did, too. Esther tried, but seeing all those strange eyes at once undid her. She ended up staring at her toes. An instant later, though, everyone stood to sing the closing hymn. It was over. They’d never be brand-new again.
    Several families introduced themselves. The Nielsons came over and told them about their two sets of twin boys. “The youngest two are going on ten,” Sam Nielson said. “And the other two are fifteen.”
    â€œThey’d be here today,” Mrs. Nielson said, “but they’re clearing rocks from the field so Sam can start plowing and planting this week.”
    Mr. Nielson chuckled. “Rocks seem to grow better than anything else in that