Kate's Song by Jennifer Beckstrand

Author:Jennifer Beckstrand [Beckstrand, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Christian, Romance, Kate’s Song
ISBN: 9781609366391
Google: B7sFywAACAAJ
Publisher: Summerside Press
Published: 2012-04-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

It was after sunset when Kate removed the last of the quart bottles from the pressure cooker and carefully placed them on the wooden table covered with old newspapers. Kate, along with Anna, Mary, and Mamma, had washed, sliced, and blanched tomatoes all morning and boiled, packed, and processed tomatoes all afternoon. Canning commenced at sunrise and ended when the last bottle was pulled from the hot water in the evening.

This morning, Dat had set up the three-burner propane stove in the backyard on the cement patio. Once the tomatoes were prepared in jars, Kate brought them outside and put them in the pressure cookers. When cookers were filled, Mamma, Mary, and Anna prepared more tomatoes while Kate heated the cookers to the precise temperature and tended them with a hot pad and a timer. Once the tomatoes were properly processed, Kate placed the bottles on the tables set up under the trees. Then Mamma would bring out new bottles to fill the empty cookers, and the process would start all over again.

Putting her hands on her hips, Kate looked at the two tables filled with bottles of beautiful red fruit. She heard an occasional pop when a bottle cooled and the jar sealed properly. A very satisfying sound.

The work had gone on all day, but the fruits of their labor proved bountiful. One hundred and forty-four quarts to divide among their three households for the winter—an amazing feat for any day of canning.

Mamma stuck her head around the back door. “Bring in the last cooker, leibe, and we will wash it. Is it cool enough?”

“Jah, I think so.”

“I’ll send the boys out to load some of the cooler bottles in Anna’s buggy. She needs to get along home.”

With both hands, Kate gripped the handle of the heavy pressure cooker and carried it to the edge of the grass, where she carefully poured the hot water onto the dirt. As she turned to take it back to the house, someone called her name. Through the semidarkness she saw Aaron coming towards her with long, purposeful strides.

“I need to talk to you now,” he said.

“Very well,” Kate said. “Let me take this pan into—”

“No, we must talk right now.”

Aaron’s abrupt tone did not inspire Kate to cheerfully cooperate, but he seemed determined. She placed the pressure cooker on the burner and folded her arms. Aaron grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the side of the house, the one with no windows.

“Stop this, Aaron. What are you doing?” Kate said.

“Since Dat won’t do anything about you, I must. You are in need of sore repentance, Katie. Do you understand what you are doing to our family? Ada says you were rude to Nathaniel’s mother.”

“Rude?” Kate said, annoyed but not surprised at Ada’s version of yesterday’s events. “It was not like that.”

“Ada says you yelled at Miriam outside for twenty minutes while ten women sat in her living room. What did you say to Nathaniel’s mamm?”

Aaron didn’t deserve an explanation. “You can believe what you want.

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