noticed the dark circles under Judith’s eyes. “Daughter, you should go to bed. It’s getting late. You won’t have any energy to teach if you stay up any later.”
Judith glanced up at him and smiled. “I could say the same thing to you. You should be in bed. You milk the cows at four-thirty.”
“I wanted to go to bed but knew it was pointless to try and sleep yet.”
“We should talk then.” She pointed to the chair across from hers. “Sit for a moment while I put my papers away. What’s keeping you up? It can’t be my cooking yet. I fixed Rachel’s casserole the first night, and Ella brought over the stew for this evening’s meal.”
He lowered himself into a chair, and exhaled a deep breath. “Too many thoughts keep me from sleeping some nights. This is one of those nights. During the day, I keep busy with work, but at night I can’t stop thinking about your mamm . I miss her so much.”
Judith squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Bishop Amos didn’t help my frame of mind today. While you were at school, he stopped by.” He told Judith what the bishop said about remarrying, but how he couldn’t imagine being married to another woman.
“I’m surprised because he should know that Rachel and I are here to help with Matthew and Noah.” She gave him a thoughtful glance. “He must think you and his sister might enjoy each other’s company. I don’t see how she could do a better than we are with the boys. She hasn’t had any experience with raising children. But I don’t blame you for not being interested. You and mamm were together for a long time and made a wunderbaar couple.”
“I wasn’t a wunderbaar ehemann .”
“ Daed , don’t think that way.”
“Rachel left here because she faults me for your mamm’s death.” Never had he felt that Judith blamed him, but he needed to hear what his younger daughter thought.
“She also left because she’s always wanted to see the ocean. Away from us should help her to think things through. I’m hoping staying with Aunt Carrie and Violet will take her bitterness away.” Judith slid her students’ papers into a folder. After a pause, she continued, “For a short time, I was angry at Mamm . I overheard Mrs. Maddox offering to drive her to an English doctor for a checkup. Mamm refused and said she’d go later. She had an opportunity to go and she didn’t take it.”
“That’s because she wanted me to take her to the doctor. She knew Mrs. Maddox had her hands full with the new baby.”
She frowned. “I know except if it’d been one of us ill, Mamm wouldn’t have hesitated to impose on Mrs. Maddox to drive us to the doctor.” She sighed. “But I decided it was wrong of me to be angry at Mamm . I decided to be grateful for the time we did have together.”
“I’m building the phone shanty this week. I should’ve done it long time ago.”
“That will be helpful if I need to make calls for school stuff.”
He nodded. “I wanted to put one in a few years ago, but your mamm didn’t want one. She said it was an extra expense that we didn’t need. I think she enjoyed going to the neighbors to use their phone when she made doctor appointments for you kinnear . She had a wonderful friendship with Mrs. Maddox.”
Judith’s raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “I didn’t know she was the one not wanting a phone. We assumed it was you. But now that I think about it, she did like visiting Mrs. Maddox, even more with the new baby.”
“I should’ve insisted about the phone, but when it came to household matters, I yielded to your mamm’s wishes.” He gave Judith a small smile. “We were a team and made decisions together about family matters and any important business decisions.”
Leaning closer to him, she said, “Rachel doesn’t realize Mamm’s the reason we never had a phone.”
He shrugged. “The phone’s not the only reason she’s angry at me. Even if I tell Rachel your mother didn’t want one, she’ll still
Judith glanced up at him and smiled. “I could say the same thing to you. You should be in bed. You milk the cows at four-thirty.”
“I wanted to go to bed but knew it was pointless to try and sleep yet.”
“We should talk then.” She pointed to the chair across from hers. “Sit for a moment while I put my papers away. What’s keeping you up? It can’t be my cooking yet. I fixed Rachel’s casserole the first night, and Ella brought over the stew for this evening’s meal.”
He lowered himself into a chair, and exhaled a deep breath. “Too many thoughts keep me from sleeping some nights. This is one of those nights. During the day, I keep busy with work, but at night I can’t stop thinking about your mamm . I miss her so much.”
Judith squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Bishop Amos didn’t help my frame of mind today. While you were at school, he stopped by.” He told Judith what the bishop said about remarrying, but how he couldn’t imagine being married to another woman.
“I’m surprised because he should know that Rachel and I are here to help with Matthew and Noah.” She gave him a thoughtful glance. “He must think you and his sister might enjoy each other’s company. I don’t see how she could do a better than we are with the boys. She hasn’t had any experience with raising children. But I don’t blame you for not being interested. You and mamm were together for a long time and made a wunderbaar couple.”
“I wasn’t a wunderbaar ehemann .”
“ Daed , don’t think that way.”
“Rachel left here because she faults me for your mamm’s death.” Never had he felt that Judith blamed him, but he needed to hear what his younger daughter thought.
“She also left because she’s always wanted to see the ocean. Away from us should help her to think things through. I’m hoping staying with Aunt Carrie and Violet will take her bitterness away.” Judith slid her students’ papers into a folder. After a pause, she continued, “For a short time, I was angry at Mamm . I overheard Mrs. Maddox offering to drive her to an English doctor for a checkup. Mamm refused and said she’d go later. She had an opportunity to go and she didn’t take it.”
“That’s because she wanted me to take her to the doctor. She knew Mrs. Maddox had her hands full with the new baby.”
She frowned. “I know except if it’d been one of us ill, Mamm wouldn’t have hesitated to impose on Mrs. Maddox to drive us to the doctor.” She sighed. “But I decided it was wrong of me to be angry at Mamm . I decided to be grateful for the time we did have together.”
“I’m building the phone shanty this week. I should’ve done it long time ago.”
“That will be helpful if I need to make calls for school stuff.”
He nodded. “I wanted to put one in a few years ago, but your mamm didn’t want one. She said it was an extra expense that we didn’t need. I think she enjoyed going to the neighbors to use their phone when she made doctor appointments for you kinnear . She had a wonderful friendship with Mrs. Maddox.”
Judith’s raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “I didn’t know she was the one not wanting a phone. We assumed it was you. But now that I think about it, she did like visiting Mrs. Maddox, even more with the new baby.”
“I should’ve insisted about the phone, but when it came to household matters, I yielded to your mamm’s wishes.” He gave Judith a small smile. “We were a team and made decisions together about family matters and any important business decisions.”
Leaning closer to him, she said, “Rachel doesn’t realize Mamm’s the reason we never had a phone.”
He shrugged. “The phone’s not the only reason she’s angry at me. Even if I tell Rachel your mother didn’t want one, she’ll still
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