Be Still the Water by Karen Emilson

Author:Karen Emilson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction;Iceland;Canada
Publisher: Perpetual Books
Published: 2016-07-18T19:22:43+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Youth is hasty.

—The Saga of Harald Hardrada

The month of May, I always think, is a great trickster. A half dozen heart-soaring days early on always leading us to believe that summer has arrived. The buds on the trees open, the south-facing wild chokecherries blossoming along the edge of the marsh where the frogs bubble to the surface and begin singing.

But then without fail, the skies cloud over and we smell the rain coming. There’s no wind at first as the fat drops splatter against the ground, then the downpour comes, eventually easing off into a drizzle. Ten degrees on the thermometer in May is bone-chilling; colder than ten degrees any other time of year.

Often this weather lasts two weeks, saturating everything it touches, and our world droops under the weight of it. But then finally the clouds dissipate, and the sky turns a shade by which all things blue are measured as everything comes to life.

It is still like that now, living along the lake.

May 20, 1912

Dearest Ásta,

Life here in the city can be lonely but it pleases me to say that I have discovered that Icelanders are quite well thought of here. I’ve been told that we are respected immigrants because we are quiet, polite, hardworking, appreciative, and seek knowledge. High praise indeed. We have professors at the University and doctors in the hospitals.

Remember how Father celebrated when T.H. Jónsson was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly? He had supper with the Burroughs last week. Even the English know of Margrét Benedictsson and I hear in their tone how well-respected she is. I have no reservations about working here in the future.

Stanley is now like a brother to me. It is shocking that they have such a stately house with only one child. His mother is so fond of him she said: “After we created the perfect son we decided to end it there,” but I see sadness in her eyes, so there is more to it than that. She is a lovely woman and I am confident you will like her.

Stanley’s father (I shall refer to him as Kent from now on) fears Great Britain is on the verge of war. Russia is re-building its army making Germany nervous. Stanley’s mother believes if there is a war in Europe it will be large scale. Her brother is a Colonel in the British Army, so they are privy to more than they can say.

Father would enjoy these discussions so I am trying once again to persuade the Burroughs to come visit the farm. Hopefully our own war doesn’t break out as their views and Father’s differ greatly. It would be interesting to see which side your father and Magnús take. Their opinions mean a great deal to me.

The Burroughs invited me to join them at their cottage in Kenora, Ontario. The family will drive out in their motorcar the day after exams so I would be delayed by a week coming home. They say the fishing is tremendous and have friends they want me to meet.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.