To Everything a Season

8112019 To Everything a Season

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullto-everything-a-season 140





Books by Lauraine Snelling

S983151983150983143 983151983142 B983148983141983155983155983145983150983143To Everything a Season

An Untamed Heart

R983141983140 R983145983158983141983154 983151983142 983156983144983141 N983151983154983156983144

An Untamed LandA New Day Rising

A Land to Call Home

The Reapersrsquo Song

Tender Mercies

Blessing in Disguise

R983141983156983157983154983150 983156983151 R983141983140 R983145983158983141983154

A Dream to Follow

Believing the Dream

More Than a Dream

D983137983157983143983144983156983141983154983155 983151983142 B983148983141983155983155983145983150983143

A Promise for Ellie

Sophiersquos Dilemma

A Touch of Grace

Rebeccarsquos Reward

H983151983149983141 983156983151 B983148983141983155983155983145983150983143A Measure of Mercy

No Distance Too Far

A Heart for Home

W983145983148983140 W983141983155983156 W983145983150983140

Valley of Dreams

Whispers in the Wind

A Place to Belong

D983137983147983151983156983137983144 T983154983141983137983155983157983154983141983155

Ruby

Pearl

Opal

Amethyst

S983141983139983154983141983156 R983141983142983157983143983141

Daughter of Twin Oaks

Sisters of the Confederacy

The Long Way Home

A Secret Refuge 3-in-1



To Everything a Season

LAURAINE

SNELLING

5

Song of Blessing bull Book 1



copy 2014 by Lauraine Snelling

Published by Bethany House Publishers

11400 Hampshire Avenue South

Bloomington Minnesota 55438

wwwbethanyhousecom

Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group Grand Rapids Michigan

Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval

system or transmitted in any form or by any meansmdashfor example electronic photocopy

recordingmdashwithout the prior written permission of the publisher The only exception

is brief quotations in printed reviews

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataSnelling Lauraine

To everything a season Lauraine Snelling

pages cm mdash (Song of Blessing Book 1)

Summary ldquoMiriam Hastings is determined not to let anything get in the

way of her plans to leave Blessing North Dakota and become an accredited

nursemdasheven loverdquomdash Provided by publisher

ISBN 978-0-7642-1218-5 (cloth alk paper) mdash ISBN 978-0-7642-1104-1

(pbk) mdash ISBN 978-0-7642-1219-2 (large-print pbk)

1 Christian fiction 2 Love stories I Title

PS3569N39T6 2014813 54mdashdc23 2014006602

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible

This is a work of fiction Names characters incidents and dialogues are products of

the authorrsquos imagination and are not to be construed as real Any resemblance to actual

events or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental

Cover design by Jennifer Parker

Author is represented by Books amp Such Literary Agency

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 7 6 5 4 3 2 1



To Sandy and Woodeene

extraordinary friends

who always help me far more than they realize

Two of Godrsquos many gifts to me



Soren Jarlsberg(1847mdash )

I

1869I

Johann Bjorklund(1844mdash )

Anna Knutson(1851mdash1878)

I

1874I

Roald Bjorklund(1846mdash1882)

I

1879I

Ingeborg Strand(1858mdash )

I1884

I

Haakan HowardBjorklund

(1854mdash )

Augusta Bjorklund(1857mdash )

I

1889I

Thomas Elkana (Kane)

Moyer(1855mdash )

Carl Bjorklund(1858mdash1882)

I

1879I

Kaaren Hjelmson(1860mdash )

I

1883I

Lars Knutson(1858mdash )

Hjelmer Bjorklund(1861mdash )

I

1886I

Penny Sjornson(1866mdash )

Katja (Katy) Bjorklund(1871mdash1888)

I

1887I

Zebulun MacCallister(1861mdash )

Gustaf Bjorklund(1822mdash1884)

I

1842I

Bridget Aspelund(1825mdash1902)

I

1889I

Henry Aarsgard(1824mdash1902)

Elizabeth Rogers(1873mdash )

I1898

IThorliff Bjorklund

(1875mdash )

BjorklundFamilyTree

Carl (Andrew) Bjorklund(1882mdash )

I

1900IElmira (Ellie) Peterson Wold

(1883mdash )

Astrid Bjorklund(1885mdash )

I1905

IDaniel Jacob Jeffers

(1880mdash )

Gunhilde Bjorklund(1880mdash1882)

Elizabeth Bjorklund(1882mdash1882)

Madelynn Ahlberg(1879mdash1901)

I1898

IGarth Wiste

(1875mdash )I

1902I

Sophie Knutson (twin)(1884mdash )

I1901

IHamre Bjorklund

(1874mdash1901)

Grace Knutson (twin)(1884mdash )

Trygve Knutson(1885mdash )

Samuel Knutson(1887mdash )

Manda Norton MacCallister(Adopted 1887)

(1876mdash )I

1893I

Baptiste LeCrue(1876mdash )

Deborah Norton MacCallister(Adopted 1887)

(1882mdash )

Baby (stillborn)(1888)

Katy Moyer(1892mdash )

Thomas Moyer(1894mdash )

Stephen Moyer(1896mdash )

Gustaf Joseph Bjorklund(1893mdash )

Linnea Bridget Bjorklund(1895mdash )

Inga Annabelle Bjorklund(1900mdash )

Carl Bjorklund(1901mdash )

Gudrun May Bjorklund(1903mdash )

Haakan Bjorklund(1905mdash )

Joy Bjorklund (twin)(1902mdash )

Hamre Bjorklund (twin)(1902mdash )

Katie Marie LeCrue(1895mdash )

John Pierre LeCrue(1897mdash )

Gray Beaver LeCrue(1898mdash )

Running Fawn LeCrue(1899mdash )

Grant Wiste

(1899mdash )

Madelynn Wiste(1901mdash )

Marie Wiste(1904mdash )



9

C HAPTER 1

BL E S S I N G NORTH DAKOTA

MAY 1905

Ifear something is seriously wrongrdquo

Dr Astrid Bjorklund Jeffers stared at her mother Mor

never said things like this She always said God was in control and

He knew best Astrid forced herself to step out of her daughter

role and into her doctor role Forced because raging through

her mind was Far my far What is happening to you ldquoMor canyou tell me what you see that is differentrdquo

Sitting in her rocking chair her hands quiet in her lap some-

thing so rare that Astrid caught that too Ingeborg let the song

of the rockers fill the quiet room She slowly wagged her head

ldquoThere is nothing specific like his speech or the shaking Just a

sense I have One cannot be married for all these years and not

sense when something is changing or amissrdquoAstrid heaved a sigh remembering the stroke Far had suf-

fered two years ago As far as she could tell he had recovered




10

completely other than getting tired more easily but then he

was getting older too Someone else had mentioned one day

after church that Haakan had aged in the last couple of years

But wasnrsquot that to be expected He worked hard and always

had Farmers did that Norwegian farmers maybe even more so

The farm was his life It provided for them and he believed God

gave them the land to husband and make flourish Mentally she

catalogued the scenes she remembered from the other episode

searching for more knowledge

ldquoHe will resent it if I ask him to see me or Elizabeth for a

checkuprdquo

Ingeborg nodded ldquoHe is a man after allrdquo

ldquoAnd I am his daughter and Elizabeth his daughter-in-law

Women always see male doctors without qualms but the re-

verse rdquo She shook her head sharing a smile with her mor

ldquoHe respects what you do and admires you for itrdquoldquoI know but letting me help him is something elserdquo Even

though both daughter and daughter-in-law were fully accredited

physicians she and Elizabeth still fought the stigma of being

women in a manrsquos field Astrid tucked a strand of aged-honey

hair back in the chignon she wore at the base of her head Shersquod

never gotten into the habit of wearing braids pinned into a

coronet like her mother woreldquoI know I must turn this over to God and not fretrdquo Mor stared

out the window to the burgeoning greens of spring Sparrows

argued in the branches of the cottonwood tree she had planted

at the corner of the house so many years ago The liquid notes

of a meadowlark out in the field floated through the open win-

dow A cow bellowed adding to the chorus that sang of new

life after the long hard winter ldquoIn my reading this morningPaul says lsquoBe anxious for nothingrsquo Such an easy thing to read

and yet so hard at timesrdquo



LAURAINE SNELLING

11

ldquoAfter all these years I would hope it has become easierrdquo If

it hasnrsquot for you my dear mor who walks so closely with our

Lord how can there be hope for the rest of us

Morrsquos voice was soft sad ldquoJa until it concerns your husband

or your children To not fret or be anxious takes more trust

God keeps giving me lessons in trusting Him and about the

time I think I understand it something new comes up rdquo She

sighed ldquoEasy to do for myself and for all the others around me

but not when it comes to Haakanrdquo

Astrid turned at the sound of a harness jingling Surely it

wasnrsquot time for dinner already She glanced at their carved wal-

nut clock The oak box on the wall with the mouthpiece in

black and the receiver on the hook at the side started its call

to attention One two three rings The call for Tante Kaaren

over at the deaf school

ldquoAnswer that will yourdquo came from the front porchAstrid stood and hustled to pick it up ldquoYesrdquo

ldquoOh itrsquos you Astrid This is for Kaarenrdquo

ldquoI know Shersquos just coming in the door Please hold for a

secondrdquo She held the receiver out to her tante Kaaren whose

once-golden hair was silvering even more than Ingeborgrsquos

When Kaaren took the receiver with a smile Astrid headed

for the shiny black cookstove with polished chrome trim andpulled the coffeepot closer to the heat Lifting the front lid

she inserted a couple of sticks of firewood from the woodbox

grateful that someone had refilled it since early morning Ad-

justing the damper she moved the coffeepot all the way to the

hottest section

ldquoThe ginger cookies are in the cookie jar and we have some

corn bread left from last night that we can pour syrup over ifyou wantrdquo The creak of the rocking chair announced that Mor

was on her way to the kitchen




12

Kaaren replaced the earpiece in its metal hook and turned to

Astrid with a smile ldquoWhat a treat to find you here Irsquom on my

way to town and wondered if you want anything at the storerdquo

She smiled at Mor who was retying her apron as she came under

the arch from the parlor to the kitchen

ldquoLet me think You will stay for coffeerdquo

ldquoJa especially since you said corn bread and syrup Irsquove not

made corn bread lately No idea whyrdquo She nodded to the tele-

phone ldquoThe last of the students just got on the trainrdquo Sheheaved a sigh ldquoAnother year donerdquo

Kaaren Knutson had started the Blessing School for the Deaf

years earlier after shersquod learned sign language to help her daughter

Grace who was born deaf Since then the school had become so

well-known they had to turn students away for lack of housing

The lack of housing in town was becoming more and more

of a problem for Blessing was growing from a farmersrsquo village

into a real town thanks to the hospital the flour mill Ingeborgrsquos

cheese house and various other businesses All were supported

by the farms in the Red River Valley an expanse so flat that

wagons never even needed brakes

ldquoYou sit down Mor and let me serve you for a changerdquo

Astrid smiled at her motherMor rolled her eyes but joined Kaaren at the well-worn kitchen

table

While the coffee was heating Astrid dipped some hot water

from the reservoir into a bowl and set the syrup pitcher in it

to warm slid the pan of corn bread into the oven and after

arranging some cookies on a plate brought that to the table

ldquoUse the flowered plates if you willrdquoldquoOh we are having a partyrdquo Astrid put the plain white plates

back in the cupboard and fetched the hand-painted dishes from



LAURAINE SNELLING

13

the glass-fronted china cabinet that her father had made for her

mother last Christmas

ldquoOf course to celebrate another year of Kaarenrsquos school and

anything else we can think of to celebraterdquo Ingeborg patted

Kaarenrsquos hand on the table ldquoWhoever would have dreamed of

all the changes that are going on So many people blessed by

coming to Blessingrdquo

ldquoWe named our town wellrdquo The two women shared a mem-

ory look of all those years ago when the folks had voted on aname for their town The men had suggested various names

but when Pastor Solberg decreed much to the dismay of the

males that the women could indeed vote the name Blessing

carried Women were still allowed to vote in church matters

but like women everywhere they were not permitted to vote in

general elections including school elections

When all was set on the table Mor took their hands and

bowed her head ldquoThank you Lord for this day and these trea-

sured moments with my sister and daughter Amenrdquo

Astrid cut into her piece of corn bread smothered in syrup

and smiled around the treat ldquoIrsquove not made this for Daniel yet

I wonder if he will appreciate it like we dordquo

ldquoTherersquos only one way to find outrdquo Kaaren said after wipinga spot of syrup from her mouth with one of the embroidered

napkins Astrid had set at the places ldquoAlthough how you find

time to do any cooking what with the hospital and your medi-

cal practice Irsquoll never knowrdquo

ldquoSame as you two always havemdashMor with the cheese house

and you with a school full of students who board there Deaf

students no lessrdquoldquoWell we certainly do not have a noise problemrdquo They paused

as the telephone started to ring again and they counted the




14

rings of the party line Four rings meant the call was for Penny

Bjorklund at the mercantile

Kaaren paused a moment looking daydreamy as she savored

the corn bread ldquoI know I could call my order in and Penny would

have it ready when I get there but somehow that seems ruderdquo

Astrid shook her head ldquoIt certainly is convenientrdquo Ever since

she and Daniel had moved into their own house the men having

finished the interior during the winter shersquod been juggling the

demanding tasks of creating a home while running the hospital

and going out to birth babies It seemed that every young preg-

nant woman in the area had either delivered already or would

be soon She and Elizabeth took turns with the deliveries with

only two having complications enough to use the hospital Due

to all that shersquod taken advantage of the new service Penny had

dreamed upmdashher helpers brought the orders out to the custom-

ers The service was working so well that the Garrisons whoowned the grocery store were teaming up with Penny

Mor set her cup back down ldquoIrsquove been thinking of some-

thingrdquo

ldquoUh-ohrdquo Kaaren grinned at Astrid ldquoNow wersquore in troublerdquo

ldquoOh yourdquo Ingeborg waved off her comment ldquoAndrew thinks

this is a good idea toordquo

ldquoWhat about FarrdquoA shadow passed over Ingeborgrsquos face ldquoThatrsquos one of the

strange things He has come up with all kinds of objectionsrdquo

Astrid leaned forward on her elbows ldquoThatrsquos not like Farrdquo

Usually her father encouraged new ideas no matter who they

came from but especially if his beloved came up with the idea

ldquoI knowrdquo

Mor moved her spoon around then glanced from Astrid toKaaren ldquoMy idea is to provide milk service to the people in town

that do not own a cow We could bottle it here or probably at



LAURAINE SNELLING

15

Andrewrsquos and deliver once or twice a week I would be sure

to leave plenty of milk for the cheese house and yet help some

of those struggling to create a home I thought of having them

come here to pick it up but delivery seems like a good idea I

know they do things like this in the cities even in Grand Forks

Itrsquos something to think aboutrdquo

Astrid could only shake her head Leave it to her mother to

come up with another brilliant idea

The phone rang again this time for her ldquoIrsquom here Gerald

What is it Tell her Irsquoll be there as soon as I can get there Thank

yourdquo She turned to the others ldquoTante Kaaren can you give me

a ride to town Gerald says the baby that has dawdled so long

has decided to come and fastrdquo

Kaaren and Astrid were out the door Kaarenrsquos thank-you

sailing over her shoulder

ldquoIrsquoll call my order inrdquo Ingeborg called from the door as bothAstrid and Kaaren climbed up into the buggy

Turning the buggy Kaaren set the horse to a fast trot kick-

ing up twin spirals of dust down the lane ldquoDo you anticipate

troublerdquo

ldquoNo Most likely she wonrsquot even really need me but better

safe than sorryrdquo

Kaaren glanced down at the black bag at their feet ldquoYoucarried that out to Ingeborgrsquosrdquo

ldquoItrsquos not heavymdashwell not much anyway Guess I never go

anywhere without itrdquo

Kaaren wagged her head but she was grinning ldquoAstrid you

are hopelessrdquo

Ingeborg plopped down on the settee on the porch and watched

the women go until the buggy was nothing more than a small




16

hazy dust cloud beyond the trees And who was this coming She

recognized the bonnet immediatelymdashGrace And the childrsquos face

looked disturbed Child No A bride to be no longer a child

Ingeborg sighed She and Haakan were getting old but some-

how she avoided thinking about that For sure she still felt as

though she were thirty But here were grandchildren nieces and

nephews even grandnieces and grandnephews Grace among

them and still she did not really feel old

Grace trotted up onto the porch and sat down on the settee

at Ingeborgrsquos invitation

ldquoTante Ingeborg I I rdquo Grace looked to be squeezing

the life from her hands

Ingeborg took the hands of this young woman beside her and

signed I love you into her palm ldquoAll will be wellrdquo

All is well already dear child Ingeborg thought What a

wonder this young woman was Grace deaf since birth wasalready a well-known teacher of sign language and thanks to

her mother she had learned to speak with words as well It was

exactly like knowing two languages Kaaren had learned to sign

so she could help her daughter and thus was born the Blessing

School for the Deaf

Grace clung to Ingeborgrsquos hands and spoke in her monotone

halting way ldquoYou always say thatrdquoldquoI know because it is true Our Father has proven himself over

and over all our lives I remember when you were bornmdashSophie

first and then you Sophie was such a squally noisy baby and you

were so quiet When we learned you couldnrsquot hear your mor and

I prayed so hard that you would be healed But God didnrsquot see

it that way And now look how He has blessed so many people

through you and your motherrdquoGrace leaned her head briefly against her auntrsquos shoulder ldquoI

am so thankful for you Tante Ingeborgrdquo



LAURAINE SNELLING

17

ldquoI will guess here about whatrsquos bothering you You are trou-

bled about your wedding Uncertainrdquo

ldquoUncertain Exactly Ja and troubledrdquo

Ingeborg continued to stroke Gracersquos hands but was careful

to make sure Grace could see her mouth to be able to read her

lips That was another skill Grace had perfected through the

years ldquoYou need not doubt your decision to marry Jonathan I

assure you having the jitters is very normal Almost everyone

gets themrdquo

Grace forced a smile that wasnrsquot really there ldquoI was ready

But his mother rdquo She sighed

That was certainly understandable His mother who never

did like Grace had done all she could to forestall the wedding

and had succeeded in delaying it

ldquoYou have worked so hard Grace and done so well You can

do this too And possibly win her over In any case you havewon Jonathan And what does Jonathan wantrdquo

ldquoTo be married as soon and as easily as possible He wants

to come here immediately after his graduation and get married

that very weekend Then he plans to farm with my father and

Onkel Haakanrdquo

Ingeborg nodded ldquoWe all want that too When will Jona-

thanrsquos family be hererdquoldquoTheyrsquoll be coming for his graduation but plan to stay in

Fargo until the day before the wedding on the following Satur-

day We will leave for our honeymoon on Sunday His mother is

not happy that I refused to be married in New York Jonathan

did not want to be married in New York either but she rdquo

Grace shrugged and tipped her head to the side ldquoAs you said

all will be wellrdquoldquoJa it will berdquo

ldquoWewill go to New York after the wedding for some celebrations




18

with Jonathanrsquos family and friends But I think Mrs Gould is also

angry because we declined her offer for a wedding trip to Europe

We asked instead if they would put the money into the building

fund for the addition to the deaf school insteadrdquo

Ingeborg had heard all this from Kaaren but that didnrsquot dim

her delight in Grace telling her Knowing what little she knew

of Jonathanrsquos mother Ingeborg had a pretty fair idea of where

Grace fit or didnrsquot fit in with the family But her own memories

of Jonathanrsquos father the man Ingeborg had met as a new im-

migrant in New York City were always treasured in her heart

He had remained a friend all these years So many years since he

had come west and now he was coming for a wedding of which

she was sure his wife did not approve Life takes strange turns

Ingeborg had another thought ldquoTell me Grace are you afraid

a child of yours might be deaf Cannot hear like yourdquo

ldquoJa sometimes In the middle of the night if I cannot sleeprdquoldquoI have read what I could find about this and there is no evi-

dence that will always happen But our God is in charge Never

forget that And your family is here to gather around yourdquo

Their silence stretched before Grace answered ldquoI am glad

I do not have to live in New Yorkrdquo She fluttered a little wave

and stood up so Ingeborg stood also Together they walked

down the steps and out the lane to the path leading across thesmall field to the deaf school The men had built stiles across

the fences to make it easier for the visitors and now that they

no longer kept the bull in that pasture the path was used often

ldquoSoon the wedding will be here and you and Jonathan can

get settled And honeymoon of courserdquo Ingeborg hugged Grace

again ldquoNow is there anything that I can do for yourdquo

ldquoJust pray for us and come to the ceremony I want to keepthis as simple as possiblerdquo

ldquoOf course I willrdquo



LAURAINE SNELLING

19

Grace heaved a sigh and gave a little wave ldquoTakk Tusen

takkrdquo

Two hours later Astrid walked back to the surgery a two-

story residence with gables and gingerbread that housed not

only the doctorsrsquo office and examining rooms but also Thorliff

Elizabeth and five-year-old Inga The two doctors had talked

of moving to the hospital but so far hadnrsquot made the effort

Besides they needed the rooms there more for hospital staff

and training Astrid had checked on their six patients at the

hospital earlier in the morning

ldquoMy that was quickrdquo Elizabeth said when Astrid joined her

on the back porch

ldquoThe mother was right That baby boy was not wasting any

more time He came in a rush and Irsquom sure I heard him holler-ing before he emerged Mother and baby are doing fine I was

mostly a spectatorrdquo Astrid smiled up at Thelma Elizabethrsquos

housekeeper cook and whatever else she needed to be ldquoJa I

would love a cup of coffee and no Irsquove not had dinnerrdquo

Thelma believed her main mission in life was to take care

of her two doctors along with all the other things she accom-

plished Both doctors had given up on trying to keep up withThelma a wiry whirling wonder of doing and caring with no

thought for herself Even her hair could not keep up with her

Instead of a sedate bun it flew in all directions causing her to

threaten it with scissors on a daily basis

By the time Astrid had given the briefest report on their pa-

tients Thelma had set a bowl of thick chicken-and-dumpling

soup in front of her as well as a steaming cup of coffee and freshmuffins butter and jam alongside Just the way Astrid liked it

ldquoMange takkrdquo




20

ldquoAnything elserdquo Thelma also conserved words like water

in a drought

ldquoI think not You could bring a cup of coffee out here and

sit with usrdquo

The look made Astrid and Elizabeth roll their eyes and share

a smile ldquoIrsquoll keep tryingrdquo Astrid called toward the slamming

screen door The first spoon of the meal-in-a-bowl made her

sigh with pleasure a normal reaction to Thelmarsquos cooking

Elizabeth blew on her spoonful of soup ldquoWe have no patients

scheduled for this afternoon so I suggest you go home not back

to the hospital at least not yet andmdashrdquo

ldquoI guess I can write letters to Chicago from home as well as

here or at the hospitalrdquo

ldquoI was going to say to take the rest of the afternoon offrdquo

Astrid looked up from her dinner ldquoWhyrdquo

ldquoWhy notrdquoldquoI took time off to go visit Morrdquo

Elizabeth started to say something then stared at Astrid

ldquoSomething about that visit is bothering yourdquo

ldquoYou are too perceptive for your own goodrdquo Astrid went on

to describe her motherrsquos concern for Haakan ldquoShe canrsquot put a

finger on it either but you and I have both noticed something

is different What do you seerdquoldquoHersquos been somewhat withdrawn at church Talking with the

men some but more listeningrdquo

ldquoOr just being there Is he listening or rdquo

ldquoHow should I know Irsquom not part of that circlerdquo Elizabeth

put her feet up on the hassock

ldquoI shall ask Thorliffrdquo

ldquoOr Daniel Hersquos pretty observant and Haakan is not hisfather That makes a difference Also Reverend Solberg But

what can we do anywayrdquo



LAURAINE SNELLING

21

ldquoKnowledge is our first line of defenserdquo Astrid sipped her

coffee elbows propped on the round table ldquoIrsquove been wracking

my brain to pinpoint when the change began what might have

precipitated itrdquo

ldquoHe never returned to full robustness after his stroke No

matter how hersquos tried to think so Men can be so stubbornrdquo

ldquoI take offense at that commentrdquo Thorliff husband to Eliza-

beth Astridrsquos brother and the eldest of the Bjorklund children

did not take the three steps as one like usual

ldquoThe newspaper is finishedrdquo Astrid stated more than asked

ldquoYes thank goodnessrdquo He sank down on the chair across

the table from Astrid and reached for his wifersquos hand ldquoGood

to see you out hererdquo

ldquoI know This is the first day really warm enough to enjoy

being outsiderdquo An argument started in the tree that hovered

over the porch roof and ended when one bird flew off The catsettled back in her basket and Ingarsquos dog Scooter laid his head

back on his front paws after greeting Thorliff

Thelma brought the coffeepot out poured a cup for him and

refilled Astridrsquos cup ldquoSoup or sandwichrdquo she asked

ldquoSoup is fasterrdquo

Elizabethrsquos brows arched ldquoAnd what is the hurry after finish-

ing the paper A brief rest would not be amissrdquoThorliff half smiled ldquoI need to check on the crewsrdquo

ldquoYour foremen have all quitrdquo That arched eyebrow took the

slight sting from her words

Astrid rolled her lips together Yes Thorliff was working

long and hard hours but that seemed to be a family trait from

both sides of the family Andrew too Work hard and long but

live the pace of the landThe jangle of the phone and two rings brought Astrid to

her feet




22

ldquoYou are wanted at the schoolhouserdquo Thelma told her a

moment later ldquoSomething has happenedrdquo

ldquoDid they say what forrdquo she asked as she grabbed her black

bag

Thelma shook her head ldquoYou need a bicyclerdquo

ldquoGood ideardquo Astrid knew she could walk there faster than she

could hitch up a horse ldquoCall Mor and ask her to start prayingrdquo

ldquoShe always starts to pray when our telephones ringrdquo Thor-

liff called as with one hand clapped on her straw hat to keep it

from flying off Astrid jogged away toward the schoolhouse on

the other side of town



23

C HAPTER 2

Inga fell out of the treerdquo shouted one of the older boys run-

ning to meet her

ldquoIs she bleedingrdquo Astrid kept up her jog more a running

walkThe boy took her bag and kept pace ldquoNo Mr Nyquist said

she had to lay still I mean lie stillrdquo

ldquoGood Thank you Is school out yetrdquo

ldquoNo marsquoam Final recessrdquo

Astrid could see a circle of children under a cottonwood tree

and the teacher ordering them all back into the schoolhouse

They stepped back when she set her bag down beside her niecewhose head was cradled in Emmyrsquos lap Inga and the little Indian

girl were inseparable ldquoWhat were you doing up in the treerdquo

Astrid knew there would be a good story behind all this while

at the same time she knew instantly what was wrong Ingarsquos

right arm was already swelling midway between wrist and elbow

ldquoMelissarsquos kitty was up there and none of the boys would

go get it down so I did And she scratched me and bit me andI sort of dropped her and we both fell out of the tree I was

almost down but I slipped and fellrdquo Her sniff indicated how




24

hard she was fighting against crying Tear traces said shersquod lost

the battle earlier

ldquoDo you hurt anywhere other than your armrdquo While ques-

tioning the girl Astrid felt the back of her head and checked

her eyes and extremities

ldquoI scraped my leg somerdquo She held up her other arm ldquoAnd

hererdquo

Astrid glanced up to see that the other children had obeyed

the teacher and returned to their classroom other than one

of the older girls who waited to help if need be ldquoLinnea will

you please go call Dr Bjorklundrsquos house and tell them we need

a wagon or buggy here to take Inga to the office Emmy you

stay here with usrdquo

ldquoMy arm hurts bad Tante Astridrdquo

ldquoI know it does Irsquom going to wrap it so it wonrsquot hurt so badrdquo

While she talked Astrid removed a dish-towel-sized piece ofsheeting from her bag and folded it into a triangle She slipped

it under the arm as gently as possible but even so Inga whim-

pered ldquoIrsquom sorry Inga Be braverdquo Helping her sit up Astrid

tied the sling around the back of her neck ldquoNow you donrsquot

move it All rightrdquo

After a major sniff and clearing possible tears with the fingers

on her other hand Inga whispered ldquoMa is going to be mad atmerdquo

ldquoWhyrdquo

ldquorsquoCause I climbed up in the tree I did that at home and she

was really mad She said girls do not climb trees Tante Astrid

if I canrsquot do so many things why do I have to be a girl Boys

can do anythingrdquo

Astrid concentrated on putting things back in her bag Howdo I answer that one

ldquoHuhrdquo Inga pressed



LAURAINE SNELLING

25

ldquoWell I asked my mor the same thing a long time ago and

she said someday I would understandrdquo

ldquoDo yourdquo

Be honest ldquoYes and no Girls arenrsquot supposed to be doctors

either butmdashrdquo

ldquoBut both you and ma arerdquo

ldquoI know but it has not been easyrdquo She sat down putting

one arm around Inga and drawing Emmy close with the other

ldquoMor said that God made me to be a girl for a reason and that

He always knows bestrdquo

ldquoBestamor is really smartrdquo

ldquoShe is the wisest person I know and she listens to what God

has to sayrdquo

ldquoGod talks to herrdquo

ldquoHe talks to all of us Only we donrsquot always know how to

hear Him She doesrdquo The jingle of a harness made her lookup Thorliff and Elizabeth were both in the approaching buggy

Thorliff called ldquoWhoardquo to the single horse and stepped down

to help his wife alight

Inga leaned into Astrid her sturdy little body shaking A

whimper slid out between her tightly clenched teeth

ldquoIrsquom sure itrsquos just a broken arm It feels like a greenstick frac-

turerdquo Astrid said in place of a greeting ldquoShersquos being very braverdquoldquoYou sure that is allrdquo Elizabeth asked as she rushed to kneel

down by Astrid ldquoYou fell out of the treerdquo

ldquoThe kitty bit and scratched me and I dropped her Then I

fell and the kitty ran away and and I didnrsquot mean to fallrdquo

ldquoOf course People who climb trees never mean to fall but

if you had not climbed the tree you wouldnrsquot have broken your

armrdquoldquoBut no one else would get it down and she was mewing

and crying and rdquo




26

Thorliff knelt beside his daughter and scooped her up in his

arms ldquoLetrsquos get you home so we can take care of that armrdquo

Standing he headed for the buggy ldquoAstrid you get in back

and Irsquoll hand her in to you Elizabeth you take the front again

Emmy you can ride in back toordquo

Once they were all situated Elizabeth turned and reached

over the seat back for her daughterrsquos hand ldquoLooks like you got

scraped some toordquo

ldquoTherersquos blood in my shoe It ran down my leg but it stoppedrdquo

ldquoThat Oscarrdquo Emmy snarled ldquoHe dared Inga to climb the

tree but he was too scared to do it himselfrdquo

ldquoEmmyrdquo Inga whispered in warning

ldquoDid your teacher know you climbed the treerdquo

Inga stared at her mother ldquoHe did when I fell out Someone

ran and told him He said I would have to stay after school when

I got better and I couldnrsquot go on recess foreverrdquoldquoServes you rightrdquo Thorliff clucked the horse to a trot

ldquoPardquo

ldquoWell you disobeyed the rulesrdquo

ldquoThere wasnrsquot a rule Teacher never said I could not climb

the tree The boys climb the treerdquo

Astrid kept her chuckle to herself Inga was too smart for

her own good an old saying of her motherrsquos The buggy hit abump and Inga yelped

Elizabeth squeezed her hand ldquoWersquoll splint it and it wonrsquot

hurt like thatrdquo Astrid could see that Elizabeth had slipped from

mother to doctor role now that she knew the accident wasnrsquot

so terrible

Splinting the arm went quickly although the shortest piece

in their supply of wooden slats was still a bit too long Theyleft Emmy sitting in the chair beside Inga to watch over her

even though Inga had slipped into a sound sleep from the pain



LAURAINE SNELLING

27

medication Astrid supplied The three adults gathered on the

back porch

ldquoShe will heal just finerdquo Astrid reminded her sister-in-law

Thorliff grimaced ldquoKnowing Inga this probably wonrsquot be

the last injury she has In fact we are probably lucky shersquos not

done something like this beforerdquo He picked up the paper and

showed them the headline The large type screamed out at them

BANK ROBBED IN GRAFTON ldquoCame in on the telegraph just

before I printed the front page I redid it to include the story At

least no one was injured other than pride and feelingsrdquo

Astrid scanned the story ldquoBut the robbers got awayrdquo

ldquoI doubt theyrsquoll get far The sheriff there took a posse after

them Almost like old times with bank robberies and chas-

ing crooks on horseback The Old Westrdquo Thorliff tapped the

story with his finger ldquoSure made me question what we would

do if something like that happened here We have no law en-forcement of any kind Someone would have to come from

Grafton or Grand Forksrdquo He studied the paper head nodding

slightly

Astrid smiled up at Thelma who arrived with the coffeepot

without being asked

ldquoInga is sleeping finerdquo Thelma announced ldquoThe cookies

will be out of the oven in a few minutes We must not forget totake some in to Emmyrdquo She turned to Thorliff ldquoWill there be

anyone else for supper tonightrdquo

He looked up at her ldquoNot that I know of but I have a meeting

with the crew in a few minutes It shouldnrsquot go laterdquo

ldquoAre you meeting hererdquo

ldquoAt my officerdquo

ldquoI will bring the coffee and cookies over in half an hour or sordquoldquoTakkrdquo He grinned at her shaking his head ldquoYou spoil us

horribly you knowrdquo




28

A slight tip of her head was her only response as Thelma

returned to the kitchen

Astrid coffee cup in both hands sat back against the pad-

ded chair ldquoNothing like a little excitement to get our hearts

pumping I need to walk like that more often Taking a buggy

makes me lazyrdquo

ldquoIrsquom thinking of buying a motor car A Duryea maybe or

an Oldsrdquo Thorliff dropped that bomb in the conversation and

watched from under his brows for his wifersquos reaction

Elizabeth left her note taking and picked up her coffee cup

well laced with cream as she liked it ldquoShould I say something

like lsquoover my dead bodyrsquo or would you prefer that I ignore yourdquo

The twinkle in her eyes mitigated the bite of the words

ldquoYou and Astrid could use it to get to your patients more

quicklyrdquo

ldquoDonrsquot get me involved I already told Daniel my views onthe subject Horses are far more dependable at this point Espe-

cially in emergenciesrdquo Astrid gave her brother a patient-sister

look ldquoRemember when Hjelmer brought that monstrosity

to town Scared most of the horses into straight-out flight

and then ran into the boardwalk Nearly took out a citizen

or twordquo

ldquoThey have improved the automobiles greatly since thenYoursquoll find lots of them in the cities even in Grand Forksrdquo

ldquoFine but there are suitable roads there Not hererdquo

Thelma appeared and clunked a plate of frosted chocolate

cookies down on the table ldquoThose newfangled machines are a

waste of time and moneyrdquo

ldquoItrsquos good of you all to support progress Whatever happened

to the man makes the decisions like thisrdquo He stuffed a wholecookie into his mouth

Three snorts were his only answer



LAURAINE SNELLING

29

ldquoHey howrsquos your little onerdquo Daniel Jeffers pushed open the

gate and climbed the steps

ldquoWord does get around She is sleeping due to the pain medsrdquo

Elizabeth answered ldquoBroken arm is all and she is disgusted

that she will have to miss recess and stay after school Teacherrsquos

edictrdquo

ldquoWell itrsquos only a week until school is out anywayrdquo Daniel

took a cookie from the plate offered

The smile he sent his wife made her heart skip Had anyone

told her love could be like this shersquod have scoffed Astrid moved

over on the settee and motioned for Daniel to join her ldquoIrsquoll be

home after I do evening roundsrdquo

ldquoMother sent me to tell you she has supper all preparedrdquo

Daniel had brought his mother to Blessing after his father died

and they had lived at Sophiersquos boardinghouse until their house

was readyldquoShe didnrsquot have to do thatrdquo

ldquoYou know that and I know that but we also know how much

pressure her help takes off you Andrdquomdashhe reached for another

cookiemdashldquoThelma ought to go into the cookie-making business

like Ingeborg could supply us all with bread and cheeserdquo

ldquoAnd whatrdquo

ldquoOh you know how much she needs to be needed She canrsquotsit still any more than you canrdquo

ldquoHumphrdquo came from the kitchen making them all share

smiles There were no secrets in the Bjorklund households

ldquoHere comes Hjelmer We better get at it Toby and Joshua

should be along any minuterdquo Thorliff stood and stretched

ldquoIrsquoll really appreciate bed tonight Yoursquod think with all the

new equipment I have getting the paper out wouldnrsquot be sowearingrdquo

ldquoYoursquore not as young as you used to be either Besides you




30

put out more papers now that Blessing has grown sordquo Elizabeth

laid down her paper and pencil as Thorliff went down the walk

ldquoIf yoursquod like Astrid I could do rounds this evening You did

them this morningrdquo

ldquoYou could but I willrdquo She thought a moment then waved at

Hjelmerrsquos greeting as he passed Hjelmer Bjorklund might be her

uncle but he was not all that much older than Thorliffmdashfifteen

years Something like that And yet Thorliff seemed so much

wiser ldquoI think we can discharge Mr Morris in the morning He

has found someone to come in and help himrdquo

ldquoHe can walk well with the crutches nowrdquo

ldquoIrsquoll have him walk again tonight The stump has healed well

enough now that infection is no longer a problem I wish we

could find someone who would carve him a prosthesis Maybe

Far could carve something like that I should ask himrdquo

Elizabeth nodded ldquoYou know one of the immigrantsmdashoh Icanrsquot think of his name Irsquoll ask Thorliff I heard he is a master

carver Better not to put more pressure on Haakan at the mo-

ment Theyrsquore out seeding anywayrdquo

ldquoTrue but theyrsquore nearly finished With the early spring they

were able to get out in the fields fasterrdquo Astrid stood ldquoIrsquoll check

on Inga and take some cookies to Emmy Do you want her to

stay here tonightrdquoldquoThat is a good idea Takk Irsquoll take the calls tonight and do

rounds in the morningrdquo

ldquoDo you realize how blessed we are to have telephones now

If you are in the middle of a birthing you can call me and

make new arrangementsrdquo She put several cookies on a napkin

ldquoThanks for the ideasrdquo

After collecting a glass of milk and a plate from ThelmaAstrid took the treats down the hall to the bedroom that was

still set up for patients to stay if needed The family bed-



LAURAINE SNELLING

31

rooms were on the second floor up the curved and carved

oak stairway

ldquoI brought you somethingrdquo She smiled at Emmy who was

taking her assignment even more seriously than usual and set

the plate with glass and cookies on the bedside table ldquoHas she

stirred at allrdquo

ldquoHer eyes moved but she didnrsquot wake uprdquo

ldquoGood That means she is not in pain enough to waken

Broken bones can hurt really badrdquo

ldquoCan she go to school tomorrowrdquo

ldquoI donrsquot know yet Would you like to stay here tonightrdquo

ldquoAnd take care of Ingardquo

ldquoJardquo

ldquoI will You call Grandmardquo

ldquoDr Elizabeth will Irsquom on my way to the hospital Do you

need anything from homerdquo When Emmy shook her head Astridheaded for the door ldquoEnjoy the cookies There are plenty more

when Inga wakes uprdquo She knew Emmy had a habit of saving

food which was not surprising considering what her life was

like before Haakan found the little girl sleeping in the haymow

where her uncle had left her hoping they would take her in Last

summer the uncle came for her but brought her back in the fall

in time for school Astrid was pretty sure it would be the samethis year if the old man was still alive

On a whim she stopped by Thorliffrsquos office where a discus-

sion was going on

ldquoCome on inrdquo Thorliff called ldquoWhat can we do for yourdquo

ldquoCan you give me the name of that immigrant who is such

a good wood carver I want to ask him to carve Mr Morris a

comfortable prosthesis The ones in the catalogue can be usedas a patternrdquo

ldquoAh that would be Andrei Belin the Russian Thanks to Danielrsquos




32

mother you can communicate with him somewhat Hersquos on the

crew adding to the boardinghouserdquo Thorliff glanced at Toby

Valders for confirmation ldquoWhat kind of wood do you thinkrdquo

Astrid shrugged ldquoOak or walnut probably Something tough

Check with Far He has some large enough pieces stored in the

machine shed I thinkrdquo

ldquoIf he can do it out of one piece it would be strongerrdquo

ldquoMange takk I knew you gentlemen would have the answers

for merdquo Astrid waved good-bye and set off up the block to theboardinghouse owned by her cousin Sophie How does one

explain a need like this to a man who doesnrsquot have a good grasp

of the English language Maybe instead of asking him first she

should talk it over with her mother-in-law who was the manrsquos

instructor One more day surely would not make a big differ-

ence Hospital first then home

Since she didnrsquot have to make supper Astrid settled into theoffice at the hospital She would write the letter shersquod planned

on getting to for the last three days her response to the super-

vising nurse at the Chicago hospital

Dear Mrs Korsheski

Thank you for your letter of April 30 inquiring about

when we will be ready for the first of the student nursesYou said that you would have three young women to send

to us in August and I believe that is a very workable plan

There is also the possibility that Dr Red Hawk will be

sending two students from the reservation As I mentioned

in the past housing is a problem here in Blessing I am not

complaining about the exciting growth going on here but

housing remains a challengeOur medical program is growing as Dr Deming an

accredited dentist has opened his office in the north wing



LAURAINE SNELLING

33

of the hospital building where our classroom is and future

other offices will be located As my brother Thorliff has

pointed out we should have designed a larger building

I appreciate your offer to provide specialty teachers for

the nurses on a rotating basis When we dreamed of a

hospital the teaching side of medical care was not in our

hopes and plans But nurses are so needed in less popu-

lated areas as are doctors as you well know and we are

delighted to be able to provide training for medical persons

in rural circumstances

We are honored by your trust in us to help prepare for

the future

Sincerely

Dr Astrid Bjorklund Jeffers

Astrid reread the letter sealed and addressed the envelope

and placed it in the mail basket One more thing to cross off

her list Taking up the charts of her patients she headed for the

nursesrsquo station to start there

ldquoDr Bjorklund I fear we have a situation developing with

Mr Lyme He refused to eat his evening meal Even his daughter

cannot get him to eat What else can we dordquo

Astrid wished she had some other advice to offer No one

would be happy with what she wanted to say

But she would say what must be said Since when had she

not said what she felt she should

Ever since her dear father took up his stubborn fight against

age and disability And she had no idea how to deal with that



35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo

ldquoPerhapsrdquo Trygve Knutson nodded as he watched the

windmill blades turning in the west wind ldquoWe sure didnrsquot have

to go down farrdquo They had dug this well in a damp spot thatsported one cattail plant and a clump of water grass

ldquoI tried digging there but it kept caving in so I filled it back

inrdquo The farmer rocked back on his heels took off his hat and

swiped his hand across the top of a shiny dome ldquoWater right

here for the asking Missus wonrsquot need to spare every drop and

I wonrsquot have to haul barrels from the river Lord be praisedrdquo He

stared up at the spinning blades with a tail that pointed westldquoMaybe wersquore gonna make it here after allrdquo

ldquoPa can I pump itrdquo His younger son was jigging in place

with excitement

ldquoYou donrsquot have to See that tank filling When the wind is

blowing the water will pump itselfrdquo

The line of cows watching from behind the fence shoved and

shifted around the gate several announcing their displeasureat being kept from the water Their plaintive moos and bellows

floated on the wind




36

Trygve studied the motion of the rotors to make sure all the

mechanics were properly placed Gilbert Brunderson and Gus

Baard were loading their tools and gear back onto the wagons

they traveled withmdashone covered with stove and bunk beds for

their living quarters the other a buckboard they used to pick

up the ironwork and other supplies at the nearest railroad drop

ldquoOne more thing Mr Knutson How about you show me

how to grease thisrdquo

ldquoGood because if you donrsquot keep those gears greased thisrsquoll

freeze up on you faster than you can milk a cowrdquo

ldquoLet me Pardquo The oldest son whorsquod been working right along

with them since theyrsquod unloaded the wagon offered and without

waiting for a response scampered up the ladder

Trygve smiled ldquoYou have a fine son there sir If he ever wants

a job Irsquod hire himrdquo

ldquoI was beginning to think we were all going to be lookingfor jobs along with a new place to liverdquo The man laid a hand

on his younger sonrsquos shoulder ldquoYou go over and let those cows

out before they tear down the fencerdquo

Trygve kept his eye on the young man on the platform greasing

the gears He learned quickly seemed to have a natural bent for

machines ldquoGood job Just make sure that grease pot is always

suppliedrdquoThe clanging of the dinner bell caught their attention

ldquoThe missus has dinner ready We want you leaving on full

stomachsrdquo

ldquoWe appreciate that sir Your wife is a good cookrdquo

That hadnrsquot been the case at the last place theyrsquod been to

The three men had taken turns with the cooking after just one

meal at that farmhouse It had been the fastest setup theyrsquoddone Anything to get out of there

The farmer clapped him on the shoulder ldquoThat boss of yours



LAURAINE SNELLING

37

owes you a bonus for the fine job you do Missus will pack you

food for tonight too You know yoursquore welcome to stay on and

leave in the morningrdquo

ldquoThank you but we have one more well to drill before head-

ing back to Blessing Be good to get homerdquo Even though theyrsquod

only been on the road since the ground thawed Trygve was

ready for a break

Onkel Hjelmer kept them plenty busy This was Trygversquos sec-

ond season drilling wells and building windmills While he got

great satisfaction out of seeing those blades begin to turn and the

water flow he felt an urge to get home Last year he had looked

forward to new horizons new people and new challenges to

face but this year So far they had had only one dry well It

was a good thing Hjelmer did not guarantee water

They arrived at the next farm at dusk introduced themselves

and after supper around a campfire fell into their beds in thewagon The woman at the other farm had provided them well

with food

In the morning even before the sun burst over the horizon

Trygve was out walking the land This farmer claimed he had

paid someone to witch the farm Trygve had never taken much

stock in water witching A fellow who claims to be able to iden-

tify the best location for a well walks about gripping a forkedbranch and the branch points him to water Maybe Trygve

trusted his own ability to read the land more than a hazel stick

Where the witcher had driven a stake Trygve saw nothing

that indicated water below But toward the east he found a tree

that had been struck by lightning A new shoot had sprouted

from the burnt stump green against the black He nodded and

surveyed the land around it This tree could only have grownthis large right here because it tapped water He stared back

toward the house and barn Not close




38

The owner had assured him that the man said that where

he had pounded in the stake was the best place to dig the well

Trygve could hear Onkel Hjelmer reminding him that it was

his job to dig wherever the farmer said not to argue But hersquod

dug enough wells now that he had a sense when one might be

easy or not He had a feeling this was going to fall in the not

category

Back at the barn the farmer was watching him ldquoWhatcha

doing out thererdquo

ldquoJust checking the areardquo Trygve waved an arm ldquoI think water

is much closer to the surface out by those cottonwoodsrdquo

The farmer scowled ldquoNo I paid the man good money to

locate the best place and wersquore gonna dig thererdquo He paused

ldquoAnd you know yoursquore running late That Bjorklund fellow

said yoursquod be here over a week agordquo

Trygve sighed He did not explain that they could not putup a windmill during lightning storms and theyrsquod had at least

two of those plus heavy winds He wasnrsquot sending his men up

or going up himself when the weather went against them But

when they built a windmill it did not blow over Theyrsquod seen

one lying flat and the farm abandoned He fought to ignore his

feeling and just do what he was told After all the customer was

always right Or so hersquod been toldldquoWersquoll dig where you say but Irsquom reminding you that if we

come up dry wersquoll have to charge extra for another drillrdquo

ldquoMaybe I should just get someone else in hererdquo

ldquoUp to yourdquo But Trygve knew there were few drillers in the

region and a couple of them were more shyster than dependable

He waited Finally he turned and started back to the wagon

where Gilbert and Gus were watching for the order to unloadldquoWaitrdquo the farmer called to his back ldquoNo You go aheadrdquo

ldquoOkay men unloadrdquo



LAURAINE SNELLING

39

By the third day of drilling with no water emerging and run-

ning out of pipe Trygve called a halt

ldquoItrsquos drier rsquon a bonerdquo Gus said ldquoThis is a waste of timerdquo

Trygve brushed away a persistent blackfly out early this year

Sure they were south of Blessing but not that far south Some-

times he hated being right

ldquoWhy you stoppingrdquo The owner stomped his way up to the

wagon strutting up to the site like a banty rooster theyrsquod had

one time That little rooster had taken on the reigning rooster

one time too many

Trygve swallowed his irritation ldquoItrsquos a dry bore Wersquove about

run out of pipe andmdashrdquo

ldquoBut I paid that man good money and he said there would

be water hererdquo He stabbed at the ground with a gnarly and

filthy finger

ldquoI canrsquot help thatrdquo Pointing toward the drill Trygve saidldquoGo see for yourselfrdquo

As he stomped over there the man muttered something about

lazy workers that couldnrsquot be trusted

Fists clenched Gus started after him glanced at Trygve

stopped

A soft answer turneth away wrath Was it his motherrsquos voice

or a trick of the breeze ldquoLet it lierdquo Trygve nodded to the siteldquoPull it outrdquo He looked over to the cottonwood stump barely

visible above the green grass Shame It was a shame

ldquoWhat are they doinrsquordquo

ldquoPulling the drill Wersquore donerdquo

ldquoBut that Bjorklund he promised me water well water Right

hererdquo

Trygve shook his head ldquoBe right backrdquo he said and headedfor the wagon where he pulled the contract out of the box

Sure enough the man had signed with an X Hjelmer had




40

printed in the manrsquos name next to it Great the man could

not even read

Returning to the fray he handed the farmer the paper ldquoIrsquom

sure you have a copy of this since Mr Bjorklund always makes

certain the customer gets a contract That is your name rightrdquo

The man peered at the line where Trygve was pointing ldquoA

manrsquos word is a manrsquos word Donrsquot need no fancy paperrdquo

ldquoThen let me read this to yourdquo Finishing the reading Trygve

said ldquoYou can see there is no promise of water We do our best

but no guaranteesrdquo

ldquoHow do I know you read it allrdquo

ldquoSo you are calling me a liarrdquo He was using a soft answer

all right but this time it was laced with steel

ldquoNo no Donrsquot get all het up What you gonna charge to

drill againrdquo

ldquoHalf what you paid for the first drill sirrdquoldquoThatrsquos highway robbery You canrsquot do thatrdquo

ldquoSorryrdquo This time Trygve omitted the sir ldquoWersquoll be on our

way thenrdquo He motioned for the loading to continue

ldquoBut I need this well I was counting on itrdquo

Trygve looked toward the pipe being drawn out of the ground

He counted to ten And twenty ldquoTell you what You pay me now

and wersquoll move over to the stump out there and drill againrdquoldquoBut thatrsquos too far from the houserdquo

ldquoBetterrsquon hauling water in barrels You could probably move

your house over thererdquo The barn didnrsquot even look strong enough

to be moved Surprising that a bad windstorm hadnrsquot already

blown it over Lord give me patience Irsquove never struck a man

but

ldquoYou promise me waterrdquoldquoNo sorry We never do that But since those cottonwood

trees out there found some Irsquom pretty sure we will toordquo



LAURAINE SNELLING

41

ldquoYou dig and Irsquoll send Bjorklund the moneyrdquo

ldquoCanrsquot do that Has to be cash on the noserdquo Trygve knew

this wasnrsquot exactly the way Hjelmer did things but didnrsquot want

to gamble on this man not paying up

But Hjelmer always told him to use his own judgment For

some reason Trygve waited Finally he shook his head ldquoWersquoll

load our supplies and be on our wayrdquo Surely they could get

loaded and on the road before dark He did not want to spend

another night there

ldquoLook I donrsquot have cash money to pay you but I got a year-

ling steer I can traderdquo

Trygve stared down at this boots then into the manrsquos eyes

ldquoShow it to merdquo

They found water fifty feet down put up the windmill andwere on their way two days later a very unhappy steer walking

along behind the wagon a rope around his horns leading to

the rear of the wagon

ldquoWhatrsquos Hjelmer gonna do with this here steerrdquo Gus asked

when they stopped to eat and sleep ldquoHe doesnrsquot even have a

pasturerdquo

ldquoOh Irsquom sure hersquoll turn it out with our cattle He can eithersell it or butcher it when the time comesrdquo

ldquoI was surprised you gave inrdquo Gilbert stirred the contents of

the kettle hung over the campfire

ldquoGuess I just wanted to see if I was right Cottonwood trees

donrsquot lie Besides I felt sorry for him Ignorance can be cor-

rected Bullheadedness nordquo

ldquoWhy you srsquopose that other man told him wrongrdquoldquoI bet he didnrsquot pay no other man He just figured he knew

and wanted a well close to the houserdquo




Gus added some more wood to the fire ldquoI felt sorry for his

children a pa like thatrdquo

Trygve nodded ldquoMe toordquo

The next day they found a town on the railroad and Trygve

made arrangements for them to load up in a boxcar the next

day and get back to Blessing faster

Even though hersquod been right about the water the whole scene

had left a bad taste in his mouth Had he made the right deci-

sion Was taking the steer the best choice He slept under the

wagon that night like the others since it didnrsquot look like rain

Good thing they were taking the train The rims on the wagon

wheels all needed to be reset and sleeping in a real bed eating

his motherrsquos cooking and scrubbing until he was actually clean

all sounded real good

Besides theyrsquod not had any news of Blessing in too long

What might have gone on at home by now Trygve was morethan ready to live for something besides water







An Untamed Heart

R983141983140 R983145983158983141983154 983151983142 983156983144983141 N983151983154983156983144


A Land to Call Home


Tender Mercies


R983141983156983157983154983150 983156983151 R983141983140 R983145983158983141983154

A Dream to Follow

Believing the Dream

More Than a Dream

D983137983157983143983144983156983141983154983155 983151983142 B983148983141983155983155983145983150983143

A Promise for Ellie


A Touch of Grace



No Distance Too Far

A Heart for Home

W983145983148983140 W983141983155983156 W983145983150983140

Valley of Dreams


A Place to Belong

D983137983147983151983156983137983144 T983154983141983137983155983157983154983141983155

Ruby

Pearl

Opal

Amethyst

S983141983139983154983141983156 R983141983142983157983143983141



The Long Way Home





LAURAINE

SNELLING

5








wwwbethanyhousecom
















PS3569N39T6 2014813 54mdashdc23 2014006602







14 15 16 17 18 19 20 7 6 5 4 3 2 1










I

1869I



I

1874I


I

1879I


I1884

I


(1854mdash )


I

1889I


Moyer(1855mdash )


I

1879I


I

1883I



I

1886I



I

1887I



I

1842I


I

1889I



I1898

IThorliff Bjorklund

(1875mdash )

BjorklundFamilyTree


I


(1883mdash )


I1905


(1880mdash )




I1898

IGarth Wiste

(1875mdash )I

1902I


I1901

IHamre Bjorklund

(1874mdash1901)





(1876mdash )I

1893I



(1882mdash )

















Grant Wiste

(1899mdash )





9

C HAPTER 1


MAY 1905

















10











checkuprdquo





















LAURAINE SNELLING

11


























hottest section







12






















table









LAURAINE SNELLING

13
































14


















thingrdquo









ldquoI knowrdquo





LAURAINE SNELLING

15



















troublerdquo







are hopelessrdquo






16




















School for the Deaf












LAURAINE SNELLING

17









gets themrdquo











Onkel Haakanrdquo













18
































LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo
































An Untamed Heart

R983141983140 R983145983158983141983154 983151983142 983156983144983141 N983151983154983156983144


A Land to Call Home


Tender Mercies


R983141983156983157983154983150 983156983151 R983141983140 R983145983158983141983154

A Dream to Follow

Believing the Dream

More Than a Dream

D983137983157983143983144983156983141983154983155 983151983142 B983148983141983155983155983145983150983143

A Promise for Ellie


A Touch of Grace



No Distance Too Far

A Heart for Home

W983145983148983140 W983141983155983156 W983145983150983140

Valley of Dreams


A Place to Belong

D983137983147983151983156983137983144 T983154983141983137983155983157983154983141983155

Ruby

Pearl

Opal

Amethyst

S983141983139983154983141983156 R983141983142983157983143983141



The Long Way Home





LAURAINE

SNELLING

5








wwwbethanyhousecom
















PS3569N39T6 2014813 54mdashdc23 2014006602







14 15 16 17 18 19 20 7 6 5 4 3 2 1










I

1869I



I

1874I


I

1879I


I1884

I


(1854mdash )


I

1889I


Moyer(1855mdash )


I

1879I


I

1883I



I

1886I



I

1887I



I

1842I


I

1889I



I1898

IThorliff Bjorklund

(1875mdash )

BjorklundFamilyTree


I


(1883mdash )


I1905


(1880mdash )




I1898

IGarth Wiste

(1875mdash )I

1902I


I1901

IHamre Bjorklund

(1874mdash1901)





(1876mdash )I

1893I



(1882mdash )

















Grant Wiste

(1899mdash )





9

C HAPTER 1


MAY 1905

















10











checkuprdquo





















LAURAINE SNELLING

11


























hottest section







12






















table









LAURAINE SNELLING

13
































14


















thingrdquo









ldquoI knowrdquo





LAURAINE SNELLING

15



















troublerdquo







are hopelessrdquo






16




















School for the Deaf












LAURAINE SNELLING

17









gets themrdquo











Onkel Haakanrdquo













18
































LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































LAURAINE

SNELLING

5








wwwbethanyhousecom
















PS3569N39T6 2014813 54mdashdc23 2014006602







14 15 16 17 18 19 20 7 6 5 4 3 2 1










I

1869I



I

1874I


I

1879I


I1884

I


(1854mdash )


I

1889I


Moyer(1855mdash )


I

1879I


I

1883I



I

1886I



I

1887I



I

1842I


I

1889I



I1898

IThorliff Bjorklund

(1875mdash )

BjorklundFamilyTree


I


(1883mdash )


I1905


(1880mdash )




I1898

IGarth Wiste

(1875mdash )I

1902I


I1901

IHamre Bjorklund

(1874mdash1901)





(1876mdash )I

1893I



(1882mdash )

















Grant Wiste

(1899mdash )





9

C HAPTER 1


MAY 1905

















10











checkuprdquo





















LAURAINE SNELLING

11


























hottest section







12






















table









LAURAINE SNELLING

13
































14


















thingrdquo









ldquoI knowrdquo





LAURAINE SNELLING

15



















troublerdquo







are hopelessrdquo






16




















School for the Deaf












LAURAINE SNELLING

17









gets themrdquo











Onkel Haakanrdquo













18
































LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo


































wwwbethanyhousecom
















PS3569N39T6 2014813 54mdashdc23 2014006602







14 15 16 17 18 19 20 7 6 5 4 3 2 1










I

1869I



I

1874I


I

1879I


I1884

I


(1854mdash )


I

1889I


Moyer(1855mdash )


I

1879I


I

1883I



I

1886I



I

1887I



I

1842I


I

1889I



I1898

IThorliff Bjorklund

(1875mdash )

BjorklundFamilyTree


I


(1883mdash )


I1905


(1880mdash )




I1898

IGarth Wiste

(1875mdash )I

1902I


I1901

IHamre Bjorklund

(1874mdash1901)





(1876mdash )I

1893I



(1882mdash )

















Grant Wiste

(1899mdash )





9

C HAPTER 1


MAY 1905

















10











checkuprdquo





















LAURAINE SNELLING

11


























hottest section







12






















table









LAURAINE SNELLING

13
































14


















thingrdquo









ldquoI knowrdquo





LAURAINE SNELLING

15



















troublerdquo







are hopelessrdquo






16




















School for the Deaf












LAURAINE SNELLING

17









gets themrdquo











Onkel Haakanrdquo













18
































LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo





































I

1869I



I

1874I


I

1879I


I1884

I


(1854mdash )


I

1889I


Moyer(1855mdash )


I

1879I


I

1883I



I

1886I



I

1887I



I

1842I


I

1889I



I1898

IThorliff Bjorklund

(1875mdash )

BjorklundFamilyTree


I


(1883mdash )


I1905


(1880mdash )




I1898

IGarth Wiste

(1875mdash )I

1902I


I1901

IHamre Bjorklund

(1874mdash1901)





(1876mdash )I

1893I



(1882mdash )

















Grant Wiste

(1899mdash )





9

C HAPTER 1


MAY 1905

















10











checkuprdquo





















LAURAINE SNELLING

11


























hottest section







12






















table









LAURAINE SNELLING

13
































14


















thingrdquo









ldquoI knowrdquo





LAURAINE SNELLING

15



















troublerdquo







are hopelessrdquo






16




















School for the Deaf












LAURAINE SNELLING

17









gets themrdquo











Onkel Haakanrdquo













18
































LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































I

1869I



I

1874I


I

1879I


I1884

I


(1854mdash )


I

1889I


Moyer(1855mdash )


I

1879I


I

1883I



I

1886I



I

1887I



I

1842I


I

1889I



I1898

IThorliff Bjorklund

(1875mdash )

BjorklundFamilyTree


I


(1883mdash )


I1905


(1880mdash )




I1898

IGarth Wiste

(1875mdash )I

1902I


I1901

IHamre Bjorklund

(1874mdash1901)





(1876mdash )I

1893I



(1882mdash )

















Grant Wiste

(1899mdash )





9

C HAPTER 1


MAY 1905

















10











checkuprdquo





















LAURAINE SNELLING

11


























hottest section







12






















table









LAURAINE SNELLING

13
































14


















thingrdquo









ldquoI knowrdquo





LAURAINE SNELLING

15



















troublerdquo







are hopelessrdquo






16




















School for the Deaf












LAURAINE SNELLING

17









gets themrdquo











Onkel Haakanrdquo













18
































LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























9

C HAPTER 1


MAY 1905

















10











checkuprdquo





















LAURAINE SNELLING

11


























hottest section







12






















table









LAURAINE SNELLING

13
































14


















thingrdquo









ldquoI knowrdquo





LAURAINE SNELLING

15



















troublerdquo







are hopelessrdquo






16




















School for the Deaf












LAURAINE SNELLING

17









gets themrdquo











Onkel Haakanrdquo













18
































LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































10











checkuprdquo





















LAURAINE SNELLING

11


























hottest section







12






















table









LAURAINE SNELLING

13
































14


















thingrdquo









ldquoI knowrdquo





LAURAINE SNELLING

15



















troublerdquo







are hopelessrdquo






16




















School for the Deaf












LAURAINE SNELLING

17









gets themrdquo











Onkel Haakanrdquo













18
































LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























LAURAINE SNELLING

11


























hottest section







12






















table









LAURAINE SNELLING

13
































14


















thingrdquo









ldquoI knowrdquo





LAURAINE SNELLING

15



















troublerdquo







are hopelessrdquo






16




















School for the Deaf












LAURAINE SNELLING

17









gets themrdquo











Onkel Haakanrdquo













18
































LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































12






















table









LAURAINE SNELLING

13
































14


















thingrdquo









ldquoI knowrdquo





LAURAINE SNELLING

15



















troublerdquo







are hopelessrdquo






16




















School for the Deaf












LAURAINE SNELLING

17









gets themrdquo











Onkel Haakanrdquo













18
































LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























LAURAINE SNELLING

13
































14


















thingrdquo









ldquoI knowrdquo





LAURAINE SNELLING

15



















troublerdquo







are hopelessrdquo






16




















School for the Deaf












LAURAINE SNELLING

17









gets themrdquo











Onkel Haakanrdquo













18
































LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































14


















thingrdquo









ldquoI knowrdquo





LAURAINE SNELLING

15



















troublerdquo







are hopelessrdquo






16




















School for the Deaf












LAURAINE SNELLING

17









gets themrdquo











Onkel Haakanrdquo













18
































LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























LAURAINE SNELLING

15



















troublerdquo







are hopelessrdquo






16




















School for the Deaf












LAURAINE SNELLING

17









gets themrdquo











Onkel Haakanrdquo













18
































LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































16




















School for the Deaf












LAURAINE SNELLING

17









gets themrdquo











Onkel Haakanrdquo













18
































LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























LAURAINE SNELLING

17









gets themrdquo











Onkel Haakanrdquo













18
































LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































18
































LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























LAURAINE SNELLING

19


takkrdquo










on the back porch



















20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































20


in a drought


sit with usrdquo




























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























LAURAINE SNELLING

21





























her feet




22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































22




bag










23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























23

C HAPTER 2


ning to meet her



















24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































24


the battle earlier





hererdquo
















ldquoWhyrdquo









LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























LAURAINE SNELLING

25



ldquoDo yourdquo










has to sayrdquo




















26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































26

















ldquoPardquo









so terrible






LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























LAURAINE SNELLING

27


back porch
















slightly


without being asked













28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































28






makes me lazyrdquo









quicklyrdquo






or twordquo











LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























LAURAINE SNELLING

29






edictrdquo















ldquoAnd whatrdquo












30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































30
































LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























LAURAINE SNELLING

31


oak stairway




stirred at allrdquo







ldquoJardquo











sion was going on









32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































32


















Dear Mrs Korsheski












LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























LAURAINE SNELLING

33












the future

Sincerely

















35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























35

C HAPTER 3

Artesianrdquo











with excitement





floated on the wind




36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































36
























stomachsrdquo








LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























LAURAINE SNELLING

37







ready for a break










with food
















38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































38







category

























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























LAURAINE SNELLING

39










one time too many





filthy finger





stopped







hererdquo






40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo































40


not even read













drill againrdquo












but





LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo






























LAURAINE SNELLING

41









another night there










pasturerdquo















































Documents

To Everything a Season