table.”
She no sooner reached the yard than Anna came toward her, half running. She grabbed Leah’s arm.
“You need to come right away.” The words tumbled out in an urgent undertone. “It’s Elizabeth. She’s in the barn, crying, and I can’t get her to stop.”
Leah’s heart twisted. “I’ll get Daniel—”
“That’s what I said, but she doesn’t want him.” Anna’s eyes were dark with concern. “When I said I must call someone, she asked for you.”
She should tell Daniel, but maybe it made sense to find out what was wrong first. She followed Anna, who was already hurrying toward the barn.
If the child had hurt herself—but surely if that was the case, she’d want her father. The fear that Daniel felt curled around her heart. Was this because people knew about Elizabeth’s mother taking the children away? If so, Leah was out of her depth in dealing with it.
She caught up with Anna at the barn door. “What were you doing out here? Did you hear her?”
Anna shrugged, slid out of Leah’s grasp, and sidled through the door. Leah followed. And stopped.
Elizabeth had apparently climbed into the hay mow. She curled there, hands over her face, her little body shaking with sobs. And a few feet away, looking embarrassed and uncomfortable, stood an English boy.
For a moment she could only stand there, amazed at Anna’s effrontery. How could she have the boy here today, of all days, with half the church around? It was as if she wanted to get caught.
“I tried to comfort her, but she just keeps crying.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, hunching his shoulders.
“We’ll take care of her,” Leah said crisply. She climbed over the low barrier to the hay mow, sending Anna a glance that should have singed her. “Send him away at once,” she said in Pennsylvania Dutch.
“I don’t see why—” Anna began, looking mulish.
“Now,” she snapped. “We’ll talk about this later. There are more immediate things to deal with.”
Sulky, Anna grabbed the boy’s arm and shoved him toward the door, muttering something to him that Leah couldn’t hear. Maybe that was just as well.
Leah sank down in the hay next to the crying child. “There, now, Elizabeth. Can you tell me what’s wrong?”
She shook her head.
Leah pulled the child toward her, wrapping her arms around the small figure. “All right.” She held her close. “It’s going to be all right.”
Some hurts went too deep for talk. She knew that for herself. Sometimes all you could do was hold someone.
Guide me now, dear Father. I don’t know what to do for this suffering child. Please give me the right words to comfort her.
She held Elizabeth, rocking back and forth, crooning softly in a mix of lullabies and comforting words. She could only hope that the little girl understood enough to take comfort, at least from her presence, if not from her words.
After a while the sobs began to lessen in intensity, though the little body still shook with involuntary spasms. Elizabeth reached up to run her hand along her hair in a futile effort to right herself.
“There, now, it’s all right.” Leah continued in dialect instead of the English she’d have used with her in school. “Don’t worry about how you look.”
Elizabeth drew back a little, not meeting Leah’s eyes. She sniffled, her hands twisting in her lap. “I’m sorry.” She whispered the words.
“Don’t be sorry.” Maybe a calm, matter-of-fact approach was best. “Everyone needs to cry sometimes, and the hay mow is a good place for it. Usually it’s nice and private, but today you had company, didn’t you?”
“Anna came in with her friend.” Elizabeth hiccoughed. “I wanted to hide, but I was crying too hard. I didn’t want her to see me.”
Leah stroked Elizabeth’s hair, smoothing the tumbled strands. “Anna won’t say anything to anyone. Besides, she’s done her share of crying out here from time to time.”
“She comes here to
She no sooner reached the yard than Anna came toward her, half running. She grabbed Leah’s arm.
“You need to come right away.” The words tumbled out in an urgent undertone. “It’s Elizabeth. She’s in the barn, crying, and I can’t get her to stop.”
Leah’s heart twisted. “I’ll get Daniel—”
“That’s what I said, but she doesn’t want him.” Anna’s eyes were dark with concern. “When I said I must call someone, she asked for you.”
She should tell Daniel, but maybe it made sense to find out what was wrong first. She followed Anna, who was already hurrying toward the barn.
If the child had hurt herself—but surely if that was the case, she’d want her father. The fear that Daniel felt curled around her heart. Was this because people knew about Elizabeth’s mother taking the children away? If so, Leah was out of her depth in dealing with it.
She caught up with Anna at the barn door. “What were you doing out here? Did you hear her?”
Anna shrugged, slid out of Leah’s grasp, and sidled through the door. Leah followed. And stopped.
Elizabeth had apparently climbed into the hay mow. She curled there, hands over her face, her little body shaking with sobs. And a few feet away, looking embarrassed and uncomfortable, stood an English boy.
For a moment she could only stand there, amazed at Anna’s effrontery. How could she have the boy here today, of all days, with half the church around? It was as if she wanted to get caught.
“I tried to comfort her, but she just keeps crying.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, hunching his shoulders.
“We’ll take care of her,” Leah said crisply. She climbed over the low barrier to the hay mow, sending Anna a glance that should have singed her. “Send him away at once,” she said in Pennsylvania Dutch.
“I don’t see why—” Anna began, looking mulish.
“Now,” she snapped. “We’ll talk about this later. There are more immediate things to deal with.”
Sulky, Anna grabbed the boy’s arm and shoved him toward the door, muttering something to him that Leah couldn’t hear. Maybe that was just as well.
Leah sank down in the hay next to the crying child. “There, now, Elizabeth. Can you tell me what’s wrong?”
She shook her head.
Leah pulled the child toward her, wrapping her arms around the small figure. “All right.” She held her close. “It’s going to be all right.”
Some hurts went too deep for talk. She knew that for herself. Sometimes all you could do was hold someone.
Guide me now, dear Father. I don’t know what to do for this suffering child. Please give me the right words to comfort her.
She held Elizabeth, rocking back and forth, crooning softly in a mix of lullabies and comforting words. She could only hope that the little girl understood enough to take comfort, at least from her presence, if not from her words.
After a while the sobs began to lessen in intensity, though the little body still shook with involuntary spasms. Elizabeth reached up to run her hand along her hair in a futile effort to right herself.
“There, now, it’s all right.” Leah continued in dialect instead of the English she’d have used with her in school. “Don’t worry about how you look.”
Elizabeth drew back a little, not meeting Leah’s eyes. She sniffled, her hands twisting in her lap. “I’m sorry.” She whispered the words.
“Don’t be sorry.” Maybe a calm, matter-of-fact approach was best. “Everyone needs to cry sometimes, and the hay mow is a good place for it. Usually it’s nice and private, but today you had company, didn’t you?”
“Anna came in with her friend.” Elizabeth hiccoughed. “I wanted to hide, but I was crying too hard. I didn’t want her to see me.”
Leah stroked Elizabeth’s hair, smoothing the tumbled strands. “Anna won’t say anything to anyone. Besides, she’s done her share of crying out here from time to time.”
“She comes here to
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