The Fiddler's Secret (7 page)

Fun!
From that moment Libby thought Caleb was strange. How could learning be fun? But Pa had gradually changed her mind. Just the same, there was one thing Libby still disliked. Pa expected them to talk about their ideas and beliefs, and Libby always wondered what Caleb would think of her. Now the class also included Jordan and Peter.

“I think you've grown at least two inches this summer,” Pa told Jordan when he and Caleb came in. Already tall when he came on board the
Christina
, Jordan seemed to grow from one day to the next.

“Three inches, sir,” he said respectfully. “Caleb measured me just this morning.”

“We mark our height on the doorpost in Gran's kitchen,” Caleb explained. “So far Jordan is winning, but I'm only an inch behind.”

Terrific!
Libby told herself. Five months ago she had been only one inch shorter than Caleb. Taller than most girls, Libby was glad to know he was keeping ahead of her.

Peter came in, and he and Jordan took places where they
could see the blackboard. Libby and Caleb sat down on the opposite side of the table.

“I've asked Miss Berg to join us this morning,” Pa said. “Here she is now.”

When Annika entered the room, her gaze rested on Libby and a smile passed between them. As if seeing through Annika's eyes, Libby looked around Pa's neat cabin.

The large table used for school took up much of the room. Nearby was the desk where Pa often worked on his papers. Close to his rocking chair were bookshelves and a small table that held Pa's open Bible.

Big windows filled the front and sides of the room. From where Libby sat, she usually watched the river flow past. Today the milk-white fog shut off any view of the water.

“Would you like to sit here?” Pa invited Annika as he placed a chair next to the blackboard.

Pa's warm smile took in all of them. “I've missed our classes this summer. A special welcome to you, Miss Berg.”

Usually Pa started his teaching by reading from the Bible. This morning he turned to the eighth chapter of Romans and handed the Bible to Peter so he could read along.

Pa gave verse twenty-eight from memory: “‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.'”

Then Pa bowed his head. “Thank You, Lord, that You have called us with Your love. We're grateful that even when hard things happen to us, You bring something good into our lives. We ask You to build our faith and courage in You.
Amen!
”

When everyone looked up, Annika wrote quickly on the blackboard, explaining to Peter what Pa had prayed. Although
Peter was teaching all of them sign language, they still had much to learn. The blackboard and the slate Peter carried in a bag over his shoulder helped them explain what they wanted to tell him.

“Before we reach St. Paul, I want to talk with you about what you're going to see,” Pa said. “In 1851 the Dakota Indians signed treaties that opened up the sale of millions of acres. In just one year, 1855, over thirty thousand people arrived in Minnesota Territory. You've seen the immigrants crowd our decks and how eager they are to settle in the Territory.”

Again Annika wrote quickly for Peter. Then Pa went on.

“If there's land available, there will be people to sell it. Many of them sell land at a fair price. But St. Paul also has a lot of speculators—people who take part in risky buying or selling in the hope of making a profit.

“Many people who came to Minnesota Territory bought land at a low price and sold it high. They made honest fortunes. But speculators sometimes describe land in ways that aren't true. Or they sell worthless land to people who haven't seen it.”

Annika wrote
worthless land
and drew a frowning face.

“Now,” Pa said, “if an area is overflowing with new settlers, what do you think will happen?”

“Minnesota Territory will become a state,” Caleb said.

Pa nodded. “Because St. Paul is the territory's capital, you might see people working to make the territory a state. You might see some of the difficult things that happen in a changing area. But you'll also meet good people who want to carve out a new life on the frontier. Or people who want to help others shape their lives into something good.”

“People such as Harriet Bishop.” Annika's eyes shone with excitement.

“I haven't met Miss Bishop,” Pa answered. “But I hear that she cares deeply about what happens to people. When the city was new, she put up with a lot of hardship in order to teach children.”

Pa looked around the room. “During our time in St. Paul, think about the speculators, the immigrants, the people who want to build a new state. Do they have a dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? What do you think they want? Then think about your own beliefs.” In large letters Pa put his questions on the board:

“Write your answer in one sentence,” Pa told them. “Write it on your slate, then on a piece of paper you can keep.”

At first the room was silent, as everyone thought about their answers. Libby searched her mind, trying to think what to say. It would be easy for Caleb. He wanted to be a newspaperman—a reporter or editor. More than once he had said so. But it was a different matter deciding for herself.

Pa knows I want a never-give-up family. And I can't say that I want Pa and Annika to get married
. Libby's face burned with shame as she remembered her words to Annika after a threat from Aunt Vi.
“If you and Pa got married, I wouldn't have to go back to Chicago.”
Since Annika hadn't even met Pa, she didn't appreciate Libby's help.

Then Libby remembered her fear in the fog. She knew what to do.

Soon the silence was broken by the sound of slate pencils
and Jordan speaking softly to Annika. While a slave, Jordan hadn't been allowed to learn how to read or write. In the months since reaching freedom, he had made great leaps in what he knew. Yet he still needed help in writing, and Annika put down what he wanted to say.

After a time Pa went to the board, pointed to his questions, then to Peter to tell him, “Let's start with you.”

“I want to be an explorer, and I want to help people,” Peter answered. “All of you have been helping me. Now I want to help
you
.”

Tears welled up in Libby's eyes. For Peter, being an orphan had not only meant having no family. The man Peter lived with after his family died had been dishonest and cruel.

Leaning forward, Libby signed words Peter had taught her. “Little brother.” Then she changed one word to show how much she liked his answer. “Big brother.”

“Jordan,” Pa said. “What about you?”

“I need to know what to tell my family about St. Paul.”

“You'd better explain what you mean.” Pa hadn't had a chance to talk with Jordan since leaving Galena.

“My brother, Zack, keeps pestering my momma and daddy,” Jordan said. “Zack says, ‘Are we really safe now?' So Momma and Daddy have been talkin'. Before I left for St. Paul, they told me, ‘Jordan, you go spy out the land. Take a look around and see if that's a place where we can live in freedom.'”

Pa nodded. “St. Paul might be just exactly what your family needs.”

But it might not
, Libby thought.
What if someone from the South recognizes Jordan or his family?

“So,” Pa said, “there's something even bigger than knowing
the place where you should live.”

“Yessuh. All our lives we have been wantin' to go to Canada. All the years we were slaves, that was the Promised Land—the place where we could be free at last. But two nights ago Daddy said, ‘If we go to Canada we be leavin' this country. Maybe we need to be helpin' other slaves who want to start a new life. If we stay here, we can help make this country a place where us colored folk live free.' So I want to find a place where our family can help others live safe and free.”

“I'll be in St. Paul longer than usual,” Pa told Jordan. “It will give you a few days to look around.”

Pa looked at Libby. “Your turn. What are you thinking?”

Just then Libby saw beyond Pa to the window. In that moment she forgot everything else.

What was it? A person? Did someone look in, then step back out of sight?

CHAPTER 6

E
ven to herself, Libby couldn't explain what had happened. One question stayed in her thoughts: Was someone trying to listen in?

“Hey, Libby!” Caleb waved his hand in front of her face. “We're here, you know, not out there.” He tipped his head toward the windows.

Libby gulped as she realized everyone was waiting for her. When she spoke, Libby stumbled over her words. “I want to be strong.”

Caleb snickered. “But you
are
strong. Stronger than any girl I know!”

Libby glared at him.
Giving a boy a bloody nose wasn't quite what I had in mind
.

Then a big fear popped into her head.
Caleb Whitney, don't you dare tell Pa what I did!

“What do you mean by being strong?” Pa asked.

Now Libby was doing exactly what she didn't want—having to talk about her feelings in front of everybody. But she had no choice. “I want to be able to handle things, even when they're hard.”

“I'm glad, Libby.” Pa's smile warmed her heart. “Being strong is something every one of us needs.”

Pa turned to Caleb. “What did you decide?”

Libby waited, expecting Caleb to talk about being a newspaperman. When he spoke Caleb's voice was quiet but sure. “I want to know God better.”

Know God better?
Libby couldn't believe her ears.
Aw, come on, Caleb. How can you say something like that—something so big and important—in front of everyone?

For a moment Pa was so moved that he couldn't speak. Finally he said, “Caleb, of all the things you might want, that is the very best.”

As Pa looked around the room, his gaze stopped at each of them. “I suspect all of us want to know God better, and we don't know how to say it.”

That's for sure
. Libby liked Caleb. She especially liked what he stood for, but sometimes he seemed so …

Libby tried to think what it was.
So spiritual
. Sometimes Libby wondered if Caleb was real—why he didn't do the kind of stupid things she always stumbled into. It was scary to see someone only a bit older than her do things so well.

For a time they worked on their lessons. Then Pa asked them to listen again. “It's important that each of you know what you want in life. What you care about most will shape everything you do. That's why I need to tell you something.

“Because you decided what you want most—what you believe in—you might have a time of testing. All kinds of things can happen that make you wonder if you made the right choice. You might even think, ‘Do I really believe what I said?'