Sophie's Dilemma (31 page)
‘‘I don’t ever want to leave Blessing again except to go visit ma and pa,’’ Ellie said, snuggling her baby close. ‘‘I have all I want right here.’’
Ingeborg put her arm around Ellie and hugged her. ‘‘I love having you so close.’’
‘‘Actually, what she means is, if you go visiting, you can leave the baby with her.’’ Astrid leaned forward enough to see Ellie’s face. ‘‘She’s as happy as a pig in the mud with babies to hold.’’
‘‘That’s a fine picture,’’ Ingeborg said. ‘‘Thank you so much.’’
‘‘Would you look at that?’’ Haakan turned over his shoulder so they could all hear.
Astrid scrambled out from under the robe in the wagon bed. ‘‘What? What do you see?’’
‘‘
M
RS. BJORKLUND, CAN YOU BE GONE for a bit?’’
Sophie glanced up from her ledger. ‘‘Why, whatever is wrong, Mr.
Wiste? You look all flustered.’’
‘‘Not flustered, but you must come see this.’’ He stayed on the mat by the front door so as not to track snow all over the entry.
The man was nothing if not polite. ‘‘And what is it that I must come see?’’ She glanced down at the columns in the ledger as if they were the most important thing in her entire world. She really didn’t feel like getting all bundled up to go outdoors. While the February sun was shining, although heading toward the horizon, winter had yet to lose its lock on the land.
‘‘I think everyone in town is there.’’
‘‘Really?’’ She couldn’t help but get her interest piqued. ‘‘I need to be helping Mrs. Sam with supper soon.’’ She thanked God daily that Mrs. Sam had finally gotten well enough to return to work. Otherwise she and Lily Mae would be hard at it themselves. Finally she’d been able to take some time with her bookwork. Besides, no matter what was going on, stepping outside with Mr. Wiste would be pleasant.
He
makes anything pleasant
. Now, where had that thought come from? ‘‘I’m sorry to hear that. It would be a shame to miss out.’’
At the saddening look on his face, Sophie pushed back her chair. ‘‘All right, but I can’t be gone very long.’’ Feeling like giggling at the pleasure lighting his face, she fetched her wool coat out of her room, stopping in front of the mirror to nestle a black felt hat into her upswept hair and pin it in place. To keep her ears from freezing she added a long scarf under the collar of her coat so she could cover neck, ears, and even face if need be. At least she had warm boots on already, along with wool socks and a quilted woolen petticoat. There was always a draft coming down the lower hall and into the vestibule where her small desk hid right behind the higher counter for checking in guests.
‘‘Sorry it took so long.’’ She smiled at the waiting man as she joined him.
His appreciative glance made her neck warm. ‘‘It was worth the wait.’’ He held the door for her and took her elbow as he let it close. ‘‘Be careful. It’s icy.’’
‘‘That’s because we’re in North Dakota. You didn’t have ice in the winter in Minnesota?’’
‘‘Not to the degree as here.’’
Sophie heard laughter and people calling to each other from the other side of Penny’s store. She glanced up at Mr. Wiste.
‘‘You have to see it to believe it.’’
‘‘Hjelmer brought back another contraption.’’
‘‘What gives you that idea?’’
A bang that sounded like three rifles firing at the same time made her want to duck. ‘‘Who’s shooting?’’ Surely there would be no hunting today, although anyone would be grateful to bag a deer. In fact, if someone shot one, she’d gladly pay for half of it. They’d not had venison on the menu for some time.
‘‘I don’t think anyone is.’’
‘‘Crank her again!’’ That was Hjelmer’s voice.
‘‘Horses don’t need no cranking,’’ someone shouted.
They stopped at the end of the porch that fronted Penny’s store so they could see over the crowd. As Mr. Wiste mentioned, most everyone in Blessing was there—all in a big circle around a contraption, as she’d guessed.
‘‘It’s a horseless carriage.’’ Sophie had heard of them and had seen pictures of them in Thorliff ’s newspaper. Riding in one would surely be an adventure.
Interesting that there might be adventures even here in
Blessing.
Now where had that thought come from?
‘‘They’re calling them automobiles now.’’
‘‘How long do I have to crank?’’ Andrew straightened from his efforts.
‘‘Until milking,’’ someone shouted.
‘‘It’ll fire any time now.’’ Hjelmer fiddled with some knobs and levers. ‘‘There now, try it again.’’
Another explosion that puffed smoke out of the rear of the conveyance sounded even louder this close up. But this time the monster coughed and stood shaking with the engine rumbling.
‘‘Who’s going to ride with me?’’ Hjelmer asked, looking around the crowd.
‘‘You take it out on the roads here and you’ll get stuck for certain.’’
Haakan shook his head.
‘‘Well, I drove it off the train and right to here, so I imagine we can go to the boardinghouse and back. Come on, get in.’’
Haakan climbed in and settled into the seat. ‘‘Can’t be any worse than the steam engine.’’ He waved to Ingeborg. ‘‘Hang onto the horses, all of you. Over in Grafton they had two teams run away when the first of these came to town.’’ He turned to Hjelmer. ‘‘All right, what are you waiting for?’’
Hjelmer shifted into reverse and gunned the engine. The wheels spun on the snow, throwing ice in every direction, but the automobile gave a little jerk and started backing up. The
putt-putt
of the engine made Sophie want to cover her ears.
‘‘Do they have to be so loud?’’
‘‘They’re getting better. I rode in one in Minneapolis before I came here. This must be the first one to come to Blessing.’’
‘‘As far as I know. I’ve seen pictures but never one moving. Look how fast they are going.’’
‘‘Won’t be long before they take over the horse.’’
‘‘Pa said the horseless carriage is just a fad.’’
‘‘I hate to argue with such a lovely young lady, but mark my words, they are here to stay and will only improve as time goes on. The combustion engine is just in its infancy.’’
‘‘How do you know so much about it?’’
‘‘Thought of buying one, but there aren’t enough roads for them yet.’’
‘‘Sophie!’’ Astrid and Grace pushed their way through the crowd and stepped up beside Sophie.
‘‘Good afternoon, Mr. Wiste,’’ Astrid said politely and then turned to Sophie. ‘‘I want to go riding in it. What about you?’’
Sophie shook her head but nibbled on her bottom lip at the same time, the shaking turning to nodding. She leaned out to watch Hjelmer turn the car in the middle of the street and pick up speed again on the return. They were going almost as fast as the train. But when Hjelmer tried to slow the thing down, it swerved and headed for the people gathered along the road to watch.
‘‘Look out! He’s in a skid,’’ Mr. Wiste yelled and began pulling people back. ‘‘Move fast. Get out of the way.’’
‘‘Hjelmer Bjorklund, what in the world are you doing now?’’ Penny leaped out of the way as the front end of the monster connected with one of the posts on the steps to the porch of her store. It shook and shuddered and the post and rail splintered, the crash of it filling the air. With a snort, the beast shivered to a quiet that sounded loud after the racket.
‘‘I’m sorry. I pressed on the brake pedal, and the thing took off all on its own.’’ Hjelmer stepped out of the carriage and lifted his hat to smooth his hair back. ‘‘Now, look what you went and did.’’ He shook his head at the car and the destruction it had caused.
‘‘You could have killed someone.’’
‘‘Or at least injured one of us.’’
Hjelmer raised his hands, asking for silence.
‘‘I’m sorry for the scare. Guess I have more to learn about driving.’’
‘‘At least horses stop when you
whoa
them.’’
Astrid leaned close to Sophie’s ear. ‘‘They all jumped around and ran like rabbits.’’
Sophie tried to keep a straight face, but a snicker caught her by surprise. She clamped her mittened hands over her face to keep from laughing out loud, although her heart had nearly leaped out of her throat when that thing was heading straight for Penny. When she heard a
harrumph
behind her, she turned just enough to see Mrs. Valders glaring at her.
Oh, now what?
Sophie tried to close her ears, but it didn’t work.
‘‘Not even six months since her husband died, and here she is with another man.’’
I hope Mr. Wiste can’t hear her. All I did was walk over with him to
see what all the ruckus was about. No wonder even Mor complains about
that woman at times
.
‘‘No regard for others.’’
Sophie’s ears burned. She clamped her teeth and sucked in a deep breath. The cold burned her nose all the way to her lungs.
Say something
or just ignore? What would Mor do?
She heard her mother’s voice as clearly as if she were standing next to her.
‘‘A soft answer turneth away
wrath.’’
What kind of soft answer? The old bat didn’t speak directly to me.
What do I do?
‘‘Sophie?’’
She could tell by the nudge that Astrid had most likely called her name before. ‘‘Sorry. What?’’
‘‘We’re going to have a popcorn-ball party when we get home. Can you come?’’
‘‘Please do.’’ Grace added, speaking carefully, since she couldn’t sign with her hands in mittens. She smiled at Mr. Wiste. ‘‘You are invited too.’’
Sophie closed her eyes for a moment.
I want to go, to have fun for
a change, to laugh and forget about the boardinghouse
. She faced Grace so she could read her lips. ‘‘I’m sorry, I can’t. Mrs. Sam still wears out easily. I need to be there to help with supper.’’
‘‘Come for a little while.’’
‘‘I could bring you back as soon as you need to.’’ Mr. Wiste’s smile made her want to go even more.
‘‘All right, I’ll go, but I can’t stay too long.’’ There, she’d followed what her heart wanted to do for the first time in months.
‘‘Oh, wonderful.’’ Grace threw her arms around Sophie’s shoulders.
Sophie hugged her back. ‘‘I’ll go tell them I’m going.’’ She started out and turned to find Mr. Wiste beside her. What would Mrs. Valders be saying now? Ignoring the thought, Sophie hurried so as not to keep the others waiting. She was going to a party, a time for fun and laughter, with people her own age. The thought made her want to jump in the snowbank.
Garth held the door for her, and she breezed through, stamped her feet to get rid of snow, and started for the kitchen to tell Mrs. Sam. She met Lily Mae flying across the dining room.
‘‘What’s wrong?’’ The wide-eyed look told her it wasn’t good.
‘‘Ma fainted.’’
All the pleasure left Sophie with a whoosh to be replaced by fear. ‘‘Is she all right?’’
‘‘She awake, sort of. I sent Lemuel for Dr. Elizabeth.’’
Sophie turned to Mr. Wiste. ‘‘You go on out with the others and have fun. Tell them why I couldn’t come. You’ll get a chance to meet more of the folks of Blessing.’’
‘‘But I could help you here.’’
‘‘Thank you, Mr. Wiste, but that is not necessary.’’ She nodded in dismissal and turned to head for the kitchen. ‘‘Where is she?’’
‘‘In the storeroom. I fixed a pallet for Ma there.’’ Lily Mae’s voice cracked, her dark eyes wide with fear.
‘‘Why didn’t you put her on my bed?’’
‘‘That wouldn’t be proper.’’
‘‘Oh, for—don’t be silly. The storeroom floor is cold.’’ Sophie flew across the room as she spoke and pushed the half-open door so it banged against the wall, Lily Mae right on her heels. Dropping to her knees beside the pallet, Sophie smoothed her hand over Mrs. Sam’s forehead. ‘‘Do you hurt anywhere?’’
‘‘Not so’s I know. I jes’ found myself on the floor.’’
‘‘As soon as Lemuel comes back, we’ll carry you into the other room, where you’ll be more comfortable.’’
‘‘Where he go?’’
‘‘To get the doctor. You shouldn’t have come back to work yet.’’
‘‘Thought I was good enough. ’Sides, you need help here. Lily Mae, you get dat roast out and let it set before slicin’ it. Better be no lumps in dat gravy, girl.’’
‘‘Yes, Ma.’’ Lily Mae scurried back into the kitchen.
Sophie laid a hand on Mrs. Sam’s forehead, as she’d seen her mother do when anyone was sick. ‘‘Do you have a fever?’’
‘‘Jus’ a headache. Nothin’ to go worryin’ yerself over.’’
‘‘We’ll each take a corner of the quilt and carry you to my bed.’’
‘‘You do no such thing. Don’t you go liftin’ me. I can get up and sit on de chair by the stove. Be fine.’’
‘‘Why? So you can faint again?’’
Mrs. Sam snorted, but Sophie didn’t see her pushing to get up right at the moment. What to do? Mrs. Sam was right. The two of them couldn’t carry the old woman into the other room, but she couldn’t lie there either.
She looked up to see Mr. Wiste coming through the door, a quilt over his arm.
‘‘I sent the others on. Perhaps I’ll go later.’’
‘‘I say bring me dat chair.’’ Mrs. Sam rolled onto her side and propped herself up on one elbow. When she saw Mr. Wiste, she made a disgusted sound and hid her face behind one hand but smiled when he spread the quilt over her.
Sophie heard the bell tinkle over the front door and boots pounding through the dining room.
‘‘They back here,’’ Lily Mae called.
Sophie rose.
‘‘Hep me up.’’
‘‘I don’t think so.’’ She turned to see Elizabeth following closely behind Lemuel. ‘‘Thank you for coming.’’
‘‘How is she?’’
‘‘I’s jest fine.’’
‘‘Then why did you end up on the floor?’’ Elizabeth knelt and took the patient’s wrist to check her pulse, checking for fever with the back of her other hand. ‘‘Any pain in your head?’’
‘‘No. Well, not enough to fuss over.’’
‘‘Anywhere else?’’
‘‘No. I jest want to get up.’’
‘‘Mr. Wiste, you take her one arm and, Lemuel, you the other. Let’s help her up to sit on the chair. Sophie, you go get the chair.’’ Elizabeth smiled at Mrs. Sam. ‘‘You tell me if you get dizzy now.’’
With only a couple of grunts, they had the older woman sitting in the chair with her eyes closed.