More Than Words by Judith Miller

Author:Judith Miller [Miller, Judith]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2010-11-09T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17

I’d almost given up hope of hearing from Mr. Finley when he reappeared like an unexpected cold breeze on a hot day. He bounded toward the front counter with a smile splitting his face. I noticed the sales case dangling from his hand, and my pleasure at seeing him dissipated. Apparently he wasn’t here to stay.

He slid the case onto the counter. “You are a sight for sore eyes, Miss Kohler.”

His intense stare caused me to glance away. Heat crept up my neck and spread across my face like hot flames. “Thank you. I am pleased to see you, as well.” I lifted my eyelids only far enough to gain a brief look at him. “I was beginning to think you had completely forgotten the Amana Colonies and your desire to move here.”

“Never. How could I forget one as lovely as you, Gretchen?”

He’d moved from addressing me as Miss Kohler to Gretchen in short order, but he’d not mentioned a word about returning here to live. Of course, he’d only just arrived. He’d hardly blurt everything he had to say immediately upon his return. “And how does your aunt fare?”

His forehead creased with wrinkles, but he soon regained his smile. “She’s doing some better. Thank you for asking.”

“What ailed her? You never said in your letter to my Vater.”

“Some sort of palsy, but my uncle never fully explained. Upon my return, she decided it would be better to have a woman come in to assist with her care. Still, I was needed to take charge of business matters.”

“And your uncle is now at home and can manage his own affairs?”

“Not entirely. That’s what I’ve come to explain to you—and your father. I do believe my ability to move to the colonies is going to be delayed yet again. Depending on my uncle’s schedule, I’ll be able to return from time to time. But until my aunt is much stronger and able to attend to everything while Uncle Frederick is away, I’ll be needed in Chicago.” He snapped open his case and looked around the store. “I know your father is at the train depot, but is anyone else within earshot?”

“Oma is resting in her room, but there’s no one else in the store,” I said.

“Good. I’m eager to give you some good news.” He lifted a magazine from his case and flipped open the pages. He tapped his finger near the center of one page. “Look at this!”

I quickly scanned the first few lines before my jaw went slack. I couldn’t believe my eyes. “That’s my poem. And my name.” My voice cracked at the reality of seeing my words printed in the magazine. I traced my finger beneath the letters. My stomach roiled, and fear raced up my spine like a bolt of lightning. What if somebody saw this? I’d be relegated to children’s church for sure. The pure embarrassment of having the entire colony know that I’d performed a glaring misdeed—one that would demote me to the confines of children’s church—was enough to cause my toes to curl.

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.