towns where they had family and friends, before glancing at the scribes’ letters from other areas. Ben had just turned a page to read about his home district in Lancaster County when he let out a gasp.
“And what do we have here? A report from Higher Ground, Missouri!” he said, jabbing the page with his finger.
Miriam sat straight up, scanning to the bottom of the column. “Written by a scribe named Delilah Knepp,” she murmured. “Ohhh, Ben, are ya thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’? There’s nobody but Hiram livin’ there yet, ain’t so?”
“We don’t know that for a fact,” he pointed out. “But obviously some gal named Delilah is there, too. Truth be told, when I saw what Hiram had done to his hair, I figured he was fishin’ for his next wife.”
“Well, he’s gotta have somebody to watch those four little kids,” she remarked sadly. “Who knows what he might’ve told this Delilah gal to get her to marry him?”
“Who says he’s married to her? Lots of Knepps live over past Morning Star, and he might’ve convinced one of his cousins or aunts to keep the kids while he latches on to a wife,” Ben speculated. “And he’s havin’ her write up a weekly letter so it looks like the town’s all set up. Nothin’ about that man surprises me anymore.”
They both read the column for a moment before Ben spoke again. “Hmmm . . . says here they’ve got fifteen new homes and the school completed, plus a dry goods store and other shops. Quite a pitch here, for more folks to come to his new colony. Still time for us to sign on, honey-girl.”
“Puh! I’m guessin’ Higher Ground’s gonna be a cesspool of surprises and all manner of deceptions in the fine print, which unsuspectin’ new residents will learn about the hard way.” Miriam shook her head. “You’ll notice the letter’s heading doesn’t say it’s an Amish or a Mennonite settlement—so who knows what sort of religion he intends to preach? We need to keep Josh, Joey, Sara, and Timmy in our prayers.”
“I see no need to show this to Annie Mae and Nellie.” Ben glanced toward the open door of the spare room as a burst of girlish laughter erupted. “They’ll find out soon enough what-all’s goin’ on with their dat .”
“No point in spoilin’ the fun they’re havin’ with Rebecca,” Miriam agreed. “It’s real special to me that my English daughter’s gettin’ to be such gut friends with the Knepp girls, since Rhoda’s so busy helpin’ the Leitners pack up and Rachel’s gettin’ ready for a baby. Now that Millie Glick’s livin’ with her grandparents, she’s not gettin’ out with Annie Mae like she used to, either.”
“ Jah, it all works out. God’s bein’ gut to each of us—most especially to me.” Ben leaned into her, kissing her firmly on the lips. “The girls can entertain themselves, so any time ya feel like goin’ upstairs—”
A burst of jazzy music signaled that Rebecca’s cell phone was ringing, and then she stepped out of the spare room to take the call. Rebecca waved at them and remained at the far end of the front room so she wouldn’t disturb them. “Well, hello there, Adam,” she said in a low voice. “I wondered when you’d call—let me get my laptop and see what we can find.”
Miriam chuckled. It was different, having a girl who carried a cell phone and did her work from a flip-top computer, but she respected this daughter for her skills. It wouldn’t be long before Rebecca was situated as Andy Leitner’s receptionist and had her website designing office in the upstairs of the building he was renovating, so Miriam was enjoying this time while her third daughter lived in their dawdi haus .
A few moments later Rebecca had her computer up and running on the kitchen table. “And you say it’s an Indian . . . a Chief?” she murmured.
It looked awkward to Miriam, the way Rebecca held her phone between her shoulder and her ear while she typed on her computer, but young
“And what do we have here? A report from Higher Ground, Missouri!” he said, jabbing the page with his finger.
Miriam sat straight up, scanning to the bottom of the column. “Written by a scribe named Delilah Knepp,” she murmured. “Ohhh, Ben, are ya thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’? There’s nobody but Hiram livin’ there yet, ain’t so?”
“We don’t know that for a fact,” he pointed out. “But obviously some gal named Delilah is there, too. Truth be told, when I saw what Hiram had done to his hair, I figured he was fishin’ for his next wife.”
“Well, he’s gotta have somebody to watch those four little kids,” she remarked sadly. “Who knows what he might’ve told this Delilah gal to get her to marry him?”
“Who says he’s married to her? Lots of Knepps live over past Morning Star, and he might’ve convinced one of his cousins or aunts to keep the kids while he latches on to a wife,” Ben speculated. “And he’s havin’ her write up a weekly letter so it looks like the town’s all set up. Nothin’ about that man surprises me anymore.”
They both read the column for a moment before Ben spoke again. “Hmmm . . . says here they’ve got fifteen new homes and the school completed, plus a dry goods store and other shops. Quite a pitch here, for more folks to come to his new colony. Still time for us to sign on, honey-girl.”
“Puh! I’m guessin’ Higher Ground’s gonna be a cesspool of surprises and all manner of deceptions in the fine print, which unsuspectin’ new residents will learn about the hard way.” Miriam shook her head. “You’ll notice the letter’s heading doesn’t say it’s an Amish or a Mennonite settlement—so who knows what sort of religion he intends to preach? We need to keep Josh, Joey, Sara, and Timmy in our prayers.”
“I see no need to show this to Annie Mae and Nellie.” Ben glanced toward the open door of the spare room as a burst of girlish laughter erupted. “They’ll find out soon enough what-all’s goin’ on with their dat .”
“No point in spoilin’ the fun they’re havin’ with Rebecca,” Miriam agreed. “It’s real special to me that my English daughter’s gettin’ to be such gut friends with the Knepp girls, since Rhoda’s so busy helpin’ the Leitners pack up and Rachel’s gettin’ ready for a baby. Now that Millie Glick’s livin’ with her grandparents, she’s not gettin’ out with Annie Mae like she used to, either.”
“ Jah, it all works out. God’s bein’ gut to each of us—most especially to me.” Ben leaned into her, kissing her firmly on the lips. “The girls can entertain themselves, so any time ya feel like goin’ upstairs—”
A burst of jazzy music signaled that Rebecca’s cell phone was ringing, and then she stepped out of the spare room to take the call. Rebecca waved at them and remained at the far end of the front room so she wouldn’t disturb them. “Well, hello there, Adam,” she said in a low voice. “I wondered when you’d call—let me get my laptop and see what we can find.”
Miriam chuckled. It was different, having a girl who carried a cell phone and did her work from a flip-top computer, but she respected this daughter for her skills. It wouldn’t be long before Rebecca was situated as Andy Leitner’s receptionist and had her website designing office in the upstairs of the building he was renovating, so Miriam was enjoying this time while her third daughter lived in their dawdi haus .
A few moments later Rebecca had her computer up and running on the kitchen table. “And you say it’s an Indian . . . a Chief?” she murmured.
It looked awkward to Miriam, the way Rebecca held her phone between her shoulder and her ear while she typed on her computer, but young
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