A Heart for Home (18 page)

The frown softened, and a smile fought for her mouth. “Ja, Benny is the delight of our lives. I can never thank you enough for thinking of bringing him here to us.”

“Spoken like a true grandmother. I do hope you can welcome these other strangers into our midst like you did Benny. These women worked beside me night and day to try to save the lives of their people. If we can train them to help Dr. Red Hawk, think how blessed they will all be. Another blessing going out from Blessing.”
Thank you,
Lord, for giving me words for my mouth.

“That is true. I guess it was just the shock of seeing them. Can they speak English?”

“Not very well. I’m hoping someone here will help teach them.”

“You know, Astrid, God does indeed begin the answers before we can even ask them. Mrs. Jeffers was saying at the tea we gave in her honor that she would be glad to teach English to the immigrants Mr. Gould is sending out here to help with all the construction. Can you believe that?”

Astrid chuckled. “I can believe it, even though I feel I am so far behind on what is going on here that I might be a stranger myself.”

Mrs. Valders patted her arm. “Oh, never you, dear Astrid. You are one of the first daughters of Blessing, and just see all that you girls are accomplishing.”

If Astrid hadn’t felt her mother standing behind her, she might have fainted at Mrs. Valders’ response. She smiled again. This time it came easily. “Thank you for your information. How would we ever get along without you?” Astrid couldn’t believe she was saying such a thing, and the miracle was, she meant every word.

“Astrid?”

She thanked Mrs. Valders again and made her way among the now dissipating group to her tante Kaaren’s side.

“If it is all right with you, I will take these two home with me,” Kaaren said. “We can put them up in one of the girls’ dormitories. We could use one of our classrooms for a training room too. I know your mother and I can do much of the basic training. Then you and Elizabeth can set up more complicated sessions.”

Astrid hugged her aunt and whispered in her ear, “You and Mor listen to the Spirit so well. I know I should just expect that God has it all worked out, but I am amazed to see His hand so definitely in action.”

“You prayed for help, right?”

“Of course. I try not to run ahead of Him anymore.” She shook her head. “But in bringing them, I was afraid I might have. There just wasn’t enough time to send letters back and forth. I’m sure He blesses the telephone lines too.”

“All good and perfect gifts come from Him. . . .”

“I know, and now I know even more so.” She pointed to each of her two nurses and said their names. Then she pointed to Kaaren and said her name. The Indians nodded and repeated
Mrs. Knutson
together. “You go with her.” She took their hands and then Kaaren’s. “Friends.” They grinned.

“I’m thinking that Emmy might help as translator if their languages are close enough.”

“Oh, Astrid, the uncle came for Emmy, and she left with him. Your mother is heartbroken. When she asked him to bring Emmy back for school, he appeared to nod, but your mor told me she’s not sure if she only imagined his response.”

So much for that idea. “Poor Mor.”

“It was a blow, and having Haakan gone so long was hard too, since they happened at about the same time.”

“I should have sent him home with Pastor Solberg.”

Kaaren cocked an eyebrow and turned her head. “You, send him home? You are joking, right?”

Astrid chuckled. “Sometimes I let the title of doctor overtake me and forget I am a daughter first.”

Kaaren leaned closer. “You know the main reason he went was to make sure you, his youngest child, were safe.”

“You coming with us, Astrid?” Ingeborg called from the wagon seat. In spite of their normal injunction against showing affection in public, she had her arm locked through Haakan’s.

“No, but I think these two are.” She smiled to her charges. “Go with Mr. Bjorklund in the wagon, please. I will talk with you tomorrow.”

They nodded, but she was sure it was fear she saw in their dark eyes.

She looked each one directly in the eyes. “It is safe here. Good place to be.” She tried to use other words they knew. “I will come soon.”

Both women nodded, but their usually ready smiles were not visible
. Lord, please make them feel at home here. Feel safe and comfortable.
Give us wisdom in caring for them and training them.
Could they speak with Red Hawk on the telephone, or would that frighten them even more?

After they waved good-bye to those in the wagon, Thorliff carried her bags over to his house, where Astrid had taken up residence before she left for Rosebud Reservation. “It sounds like your dream was answered – to make a difference?”

“Yes, it was. But all those deaths were so unnecessary. I don’t know how to prevent the measles, but those people were nearly starving to death in addition to suffering from the disease. There is no excuse for our government not keeping its word and getting them the necessary supplies. I know there can be mix-ups and the previous Indian agent was a crook, but is there no one to oversee these things?”

“I have a feeling it will be a long time until this is all sorted out. Too many people hate the Indians, and the Indians hate the whites. We are so fortunate to have had Metiz as a friend. Other places have both nations living in peace, but too many are not. And too many in the government are Indian haters. They hate the Negroes too. You know the term
white supremacy
. They are wrong, both according to God’s Word and according to the laws of our land.”

“Maybe you should run for a government office.”

His snort made her smile. “If anyone runs for a public office again, it should be Hjelmer. He likes that kind of thing. I have enough to do here to keep three men busy.”

“Couldn’t Hjelmer help you out here?”

“Ja, if he didn’t want to keep his own businesses going.”

“Isn’t it interesting that instead of farming, you and your partners are building business companies and houses, and you run a newspaper? You are out of time and out of enough men to do the work. Do you ever think about how God is blessing us here in Blessing? Pastor Solberg and I had some good talks about this. He’s right in that we need to keep deep in God’s Word and listen closely to His guidance.”

“Now you sound just like your mother.”

“And that is a bad thing?”

“No, not at all. Mother is one of the wisest people I know, and Far is close beside. They have trained us well.” He carried her bags into the house and, dropping the black bag in the office, carried the other one up the stairs and into the spare bedroom she always slept in when she was there.

“I could do that, you know.”

“I know, but give me a chance to do something for you for a change.”

“Where is Inga?”

“Playing over at Sophie’s. And Elizabeth is sleeping, or she would have met us at the door.”

“Is she worse?”

“No. Much better, but she has learned to take her rest when she can. I put that one up on the list of miracles.”

His chuckle as he left made her smile. Should she take that bath now or wait until that night?

“Astrid, is that you?”

Tonight would be bath time. “It is,” she called. She dumped her bag out on the floor. Everything in it needed to be washed. Picking up her hairbrush, hairpins, and toiletries, she set them on the top of the chest of drawers and bundled the clothing to carry back downstairs to the wash.

“Give me a couple of minutes, and I’ll come see you.” When Elizabeth agreed, Astrid carried the clothing down the stairs, dumped it all in the laundry baskets, and greeted Thelma as she came in from the garden with her apron full of just picked vegetables.

“You don’t know how hungry I am for fresh food. It was too late to start gardens down there for this year, but Far plans on going back to help in the spring.”

“We will keep extra seeds this year, then.” Thelma emptied her apron onto the counter by the sink and looked Astrid up and down. “You’ve lost weight.”

“I know, but it is hard to eat one’s fill when others need the meal more. Far made sure I took time to eat more often than I’d remember.”

Astrid picked up a carrot and twisted off the feathery top. Scrubbing it under the faucet, she waved it at Thelma. “This is good for both body and soul.” Back up the stairs she went, munching as she climbed. She stopped in the doorway and watched Elizabeth sitting on the bench seat in front of her dressing table, brushing her hair. With color returned to her face, along with some of the weight that had melted off her during her illness, Elizabeth looked better than she had for months.
Thank you, Lord.
She caught Elizabeth looking at her in the mirror. “You have improved greatly.”

“I know. My skirts no longer fall off me.” She smiled, the wide smile of the Elizabeth she used to know. “Welcome home. It feels like you’ve been gone for months.”

“That’s what Mor said. I wasn’t home much after medical school and missionary school. But we did what we needed to do on the reservation, and I know lives were saved because we went.”

“That is the right answer. Did you bring the Indian women with you as you mentioned in your letter?”

“I did. Kaaren has taken them under her wing. I heard that Mrs. Jeffers said she’d like to teach English to the immigrants, so I hope she will work with Gray Smoke and Shy Fawn too. Remember the brave who almost died from fever? It so happens he is not only the tribe’s future chief, by the name of He Who Walks Tall, but is also a cousin to Dr. Red Hawk. Their resemblance is truly amazing. I do hope Red Hawk will be able to work with this small band. They need so much, from food to farming to sanitary conditions.”

“You didn’t sound too pleased with the wife of the Indian agent.”

“Not at all. Mrs. Moore is pregnant but insists on wearing corsets and the tightly fitted styles. She hates living on the reservation and wants to return to her mother’s house to have the baby. It was all I could do not to scream at her and walk out. She also wears the white powder on her face that I have read is poisonous.” Astrid shook her head. “She is also young and afraid.”

“I can tell you are still upset with her.”

“She refuses to sit out on the front porch in the breeze. Instead she sits in the stifling house. I pity the poor Indian woman whom she is teaching, if you can call it that, how to be a household servant.” Astrid shuddered. “Enough of that. It just makes me angry, and there is nothing I can do about it. We did what we could there. Both Johnny and Samuel did men’s work. I was really proud of them.”

“So now you are back. And besides ordering the supplies and readying the hospital when it is completed and tending our own patients, you want to start a nurses training program, not only for Deborah but for the Indian women too. Anything else?”

“Yes. I want a bath and clean clothes.”

“That is the easiest wish of all to manage.” Elizabeth’s smile dimmed. “Thorliff said Joshua made a comment about building his house for you.”

“Oh. I thought we dealt with all that.”

“You don’t care for him, then?”

“I thought I could care for him if there was any chance we could make a marriage work, but he cannot accept that I am a doctor first and would be a wife and mother second and third. I won’t be yoked that way. So no. I do not love him, and I will not marry him.” Astrid heaved a heavy sigh. “I thought I had made that clear.” Why, then, did she feel a rip in the vicinity of her heart? “What is it you are thinking?”

“I’m just trying to see how much this is common sense talking and how much is Astrid, my beautiful sister-in-law, who felt so strongly that she had found the man of her dreams.”

“Some dreams die hard.”

15

“As soon as Grace gets home, we are going to have a girl party at my house.” Sophie spoke in a way that left no room for arguing. Some things never changed.

“I think that is a grand idea. Will we stay all night?” The telephone call from Sophie caught Astrid just after her discussion with Elizabeth. And before her bath.

“I doubt it. Too many are mothers now that want to go home to take care of their babies. I said we have plenty of room, they should bring them along, but I doubt they will.”

“Do you know when Grace is coming?”

“We’re not sure. She was supposed to be here in June when Jonathan came home, but they offered her a nice bonus if she stayed at the school for the summer.”

“What about Maydell?”

“I’ll see. I think she is feeling better. Your mor gave her something that helped.”

“Oh good.”

Astrid looked down at a tug on her arm. “Just a minute.” She bent over to hug Inga and scooped her up in her arms. “Uff da. You are getting so big.”

Inga kissed her tante on the cheek before announcing, “Ma said to tell you we are going out to Grandma’s house for supper.”

“We are?”

“Uh-huh, but you can’t stay there. You live here now.”

“I do, eh?”

Inga nodded and slid back to the floor. “Ma is out on the porch with cookies.” She grabbed Astrid’s hand. “Come on.”

“Let me finish my telephone call first.”

“All right.”

Astrid smiled and returned to the call. “I’m sure you heard all that?”

“I did,” Sophie said. “When she heard you were home, she dashed out of here like hornets were chasing her. We never get to be together anymore. Someone is always leaving, it seems.”

“All except you?”

“Strange, isn’t it? I was the one who wanted to leave Blessing behind and go on adventures, and now I find plenty of adventures right here in our own, used to be little, town.”

“It isn’t so big now either.”

“No, but it is growing and will be growing even faster. Oops, gotta go.” The telephone clicked off. Astrid hung up the earpiece and turned to see Inga watching her. “What is it, little one?”

Inga flew into her arms. “I missed you so. You were gone forever. And Emmy’s gone too. What if her uncle won’t bring her back and I never ever see her again?” She buried her face in Astrid’s shoulder.

Astrid rose from the floor and, taking Inga’s hand, crossed the room to a chair, where she sat down and pulled the sobbing little girl into her lap.