A New Day Rising by Lauraine Snelling Page A

without even asking her what she thought. They just told her what they were going to do.
    The first day she let it simmer.
    The second day she caught up on the wash, hanging clothes on the line to dance in the warm wind that was drying the prairie as fast as it did her clothes. Another week of this and perhaps they could begin plowing the land they had backset in the fall. Or perhaps they should start with the fallow fields. They would need to make a trip to town for seed. While she'd kept out some of their wheat for seed, the extra animals she bought in the fall had eaten much of their seed store.
    The third day she organized her garden seeds, saved so carefully the fall before, and hung all the quilts and robes on the line to have Thorliff beat them with the broom. If she kept busy enough, she could ignore the resentment that tugged at the sides of her mind. But each ring of the ax and crash of a toppling tree reminded her anew.

    "Can I take the sheep out to graze yet?" Thorliff asked each morning.
    And each time Ingeborg replied, "Not yet."
    Late one afternoon she took the boys and headed across the field to Kaaren's. When she got to the door, she paused. Everything was too quiet. A shiver of dread raced down her spine and up again.
    "Kaaren?" She motioned Thorliff to stay outside and stepped inside the house. Blinking her eyes to adjust to the dimness, she looked around the room. A mound lay under the covers on the bed. Ingeborg tiptoed across the hard-packed earth floor and stopped at the edge of the bed. Kaaren lay sound asleep.
    Ingeborg leaned over and laid the back of her hand gently against Kaaren's cheek. No fever. She breathed a sigh of relief.
    Kaaren's eyes fluttered open. "Inge." A smile brightened the paleness of her face. "Oh, my goodness. Have I slept the afternoon away?" She threw back the covers and swung her feet to the floor in the same smooth and unconscious motion as she unpinned her messed hair. Sweeping it up, she wrapped it around her fingers and into its usual bun high on the back of her head. She reached back to the pillow for her precious hairpins and stuck them in place.
    "No, of course not. But I was concerned, afraid you might be sick again. You haven't looked well for some time."
    Kaaren paused in the act of pulling on her boot. "Oh, Inge, I was going to wait to tell you when I was certain, but here you are, seeing so much. Most women don't call my little problem a sickness, even though-"
    "You are going to have a baby." Ingeborg clasped her hands together in delight.
    "Ja, we are."
    "Does Lars know?"
    Kaaren nodded. "He plans for a son, of course."
    "These men. They forget that men need wives, and there are surely more men then women on the prairies. We need daughters to raise to be good wives."
    "You make it sound like your plan for more cattle." Kaaren got to her feet. "1 just get so tired, and Lars insists I must take a nap every afternoon. If my mor saw me sleeping in the middle of the day, she would be thunderstruck."

    "I won't tell her." Ingeborg couldn't keep the grin from breaking out. She threw her arms around her sister and friend and hugged her close. "I am so happy for you." Looking into Kaaren's eyes, Ingeborg knew they were thinking about the same thing-the two small bodies that had been laid to rest in the cemetery next to their father. Both of the women wiped a tear away, and after a sigh, they hugged again.
    I was hoping you would take care of Andrew tomorrow afternoon. I need to go hunting, and now that I know we need even more goose down, I'll shoot more geese. A goose down quilt will keep that little one warm after she or he comes to live here."
    "Of course I'll watch Andrew. Where is he?"
    "Out with Thorliff, throwing sticks for Paws. While scarce, some of the grass is high enough, so tomorrow I will let him take the sheep out."
    "Will you be back by dark?" When Ingeborg shrugged, Kaaren continued. "Then you tell Mr. Bjorklund to bring himself and Thorliff over here for