streaky gray. But then she brightened a little and started putting stripes on her crying angel’s robe. “These is going to need wings,” she told me.
“We can do that. Eventually.”
“Well, where’s heaven?” Sarah suddenly asked.
“What?”
“If Nazareth is the cupboard, and the east is the pantry shelf, where’s the heaven for the angels to come from?”
“Upstairs,” Harry suggested. “That makes sense.”
“Yeah!” Sarah’s eyes were lit with enthusiasm again. “That makes sense.”
By the time Samuel came home, we had three finished angels, complete with wings, and two nice-looking shepherds, one happy, one sad. Plus Mary and Joseph, each with little paper arms pasted on. And three tall kings with pointy-topped crowns. I wanted to put them all on the table again, together as a centerpiece where they’d be up out of harm’s way. But Sarah whisked the angels away to run them upstairs to “heaven” so they could come swooping down from there again. Berty took Mary and Joseph back to the cupboard.
“I don’t guess they’s left yet,” he told me.
And then Robert solemnly returned the kings to the pantry. “They haven’t either,” he said. “Of course not. Nobody made a star.”
Samuel sat at the kitchen table with the milk and eggs from the Hammonds’ farm, enjoying the children’s merry antics and warming up with a cup of coffee. When the room cleared, he told me how glad he was that I could keep the kids so happy, rather than worrying about what was happening with their pa.
Ben Law had no word. There’d been no sign of George anywhere. But Louise Post was feeling a little better. And Barrett said we might need the truck more than he did. He’d sent Samuel home with it again.
“We need to do something extra special for them for Christmas if we can,” I said.
“I’d like to,” Samuel agreed. “But what do you have in mind?”
“Baking is the only thing I can think of. I’m sure they’d appreciate it. Louise may not be feeling up to it, and probably shouldn’t be doing much.”
“Do we have flour enough?”
“I hope so. But we’re awfully low on sugar. I’m hoping to make holiday cookies with the children, but I’m just not sure how far it’ll stretch.”
He hung his head a little. I knew our lack had been awfully hard on Samuel all along. “Remember the little cedar box I made this fall?” he asked me. “I’ll take it to town and see if the grocer won’t trade.”
I nodded. “We can spare a few eggs, and some of our milk, I think. Since we have the Hammonds’ here to use as well.”
He looked at me uncertainly. And I didn’t realize anyone else had heard. But Joe was suddenly standing in the doorway. “Take all the milk an’ eggs to town you need. It’s as much yours as ours anyhow. You’ve fed us more times than I can count. An’ that ain’t even half what you’re doin’.”
Samuel nodded to him. “It will help,” he said. “To be able to buy a few groceries. Even just the sugar so your brothers and sisters can help make the cookies and things. They’ll like that. Thank you.”
Joe just sighed. “We’re all in this together. I’m glad about that.”
Again, I wanted to hug him, just as I’d felt in the night. But Berty came running in suddenly, and not far behind came Harry in his bare feet, swinging a pillow.
“Harry! Goodness, what are you doing? Where are your socks?”
“Didn’t need ’em when I was layin’ down.”
I took the pillow from his hand. “Now that you’re feeling well enough to be up, put your socks on. The floors are too cold to be running around without them. And no pillow fights. Especially in the kitchen.”
“He put a angel on my head.”
“Well, I can think of far worse things. Take care of those angels, please. The girls worked hard on them.”
“Oh, Sarah’s got ’em again. They’s on the stairs practicing what they’s supposed to say on Christmas Eve.”
I could hear Sarah’s voice
“We can do that. Eventually.”
“Well, where’s heaven?” Sarah suddenly asked.
“What?”
“If Nazareth is the cupboard, and the east is the pantry shelf, where’s the heaven for the angels to come from?”
“Upstairs,” Harry suggested. “That makes sense.”
“Yeah!” Sarah’s eyes were lit with enthusiasm again. “That makes sense.”
By the time Samuel came home, we had three finished angels, complete with wings, and two nice-looking shepherds, one happy, one sad. Plus Mary and Joseph, each with little paper arms pasted on. And three tall kings with pointy-topped crowns. I wanted to put them all on the table again, together as a centerpiece where they’d be up out of harm’s way. But Sarah whisked the angels away to run them upstairs to “heaven” so they could come swooping down from there again. Berty took Mary and Joseph back to the cupboard.
“I don’t guess they’s left yet,” he told me.
And then Robert solemnly returned the kings to the pantry. “They haven’t either,” he said. “Of course not. Nobody made a star.”
Samuel sat at the kitchen table with the milk and eggs from the Hammonds’ farm, enjoying the children’s merry antics and warming up with a cup of coffee. When the room cleared, he told me how glad he was that I could keep the kids so happy, rather than worrying about what was happening with their pa.
Ben Law had no word. There’d been no sign of George anywhere. But Louise Post was feeling a little better. And Barrett said we might need the truck more than he did. He’d sent Samuel home with it again.
“We need to do something extra special for them for Christmas if we can,” I said.
“I’d like to,” Samuel agreed. “But what do you have in mind?”
“Baking is the only thing I can think of. I’m sure they’d appreciate it. Louise may not be feeling up to it, and probably shouldn’t be doing much.”
“Do we have flour enough?”
“I hope so. But we’re awfully low on sugar. I’m hoping to make holiday cookies with the children, but I’m just not sure how far it’ll stretch.”
He hung his head a little. I knew our lack had been awfully hard on Samuel all along. “Remember the little cedar box I made this fall?” he asked me. “I’ll take it to town and see if the grocer won’t trade.”
I nodded. “We can spare a few eggs, and some of our milk, I think. Since we have the Hammonds’ here to use as well.”
He looked at me uncertainly. And I didn’t realize anyone else had heard. But Joe was suddenly standing in the doorway. “Take all the milk an’ eggs to town you need. It’s as much yours as ours anyhow. You’ve fed us more times than I can count. An’ that ain’t even half what you’re doin’.”
Samuel nodded to him. “It will help,” he said. “To be able to buy a few groceries. Even just the sugar so your brothers and sisters can help make the cookies and things. They’ll like that. Thank you.”
Joe just sighed. “We’re all in this together. I’m glad about that.”
Again, I wanted to hug him, just as I’d felt in the night. But Berty came running in suddenly, and not far behind came Harry in his bare feet, swinging a pillow.
“Harry! Goodness, what are you doing? Where are your socks?”
“Didn’t need ’em when I was layin’ down.”
I took the pillow from his hand. “Now that you’re feeling well enough to be up, put your socks on. The floors are too cold to be running around without them. And no pillow fights. Especially in the kitchen.”
“He put a angel on my head.”
“Well, I can think of far worse things. Take care of those angels, please. The girls worked hard on them.”
“Oh, Sarah’s got ’em again. They’s on the stairs practicing what they’s supposed to say on Christmas Eve.”
I could hear Sarah’s voice
Similar Books
