My Loving Vigil Keeping by Carla Kelly

Author:Carla Kelly [Kelly, Carla]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯), General Fiction
ISBN: 1599558971
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Published: 2012-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

ella wrote a long letter to Mr. Auerbach that night, telling him about the cave-in and Pekka and Black Beauty and magic cards. Wishing she had some skill, she sketched a poor drawing of Matti Aho's name on the coffin lid and a tiny red dragon. I've learned that babies are born in saunas, she wrote in conclusion, and people are laid out for burial in saunas too. Beginnings and endings, Mr. Auerbach. I am learning so much in this canyon. Yours sincerely, Della Anders.

The little house seemed so quiet when she finished the letter. She got up, restless, ready to go next door and help Mabli with the everlasting bread dough, when Owen knocked. She knew it was him: two knocks, a pause, and then a third one.

“Come in.”

He stood a long moment in the doorway, and he looked so tired. He shook his head. “It's just this: the ward choir is going to sing at the funerals tomorrow morning. You too of course.”

She knew better than to argue. “What are we singing?”

“That's the right question,” he said with a faint smile. “ ‘Lead, Kindly Light,’ the miner's song. Richard wants to sing ‘Nearer, My God, to Thee,’ as well. He's in the pit tomorrow morning, so I'm conducting.”

“A practice?”

“No time. I'll practice with you right now.”

They sang “Lead Kindly Light,” together, then he handed her the hymnbook for “Nearer, My God, to Thee.” When they finished, he nodded to her and said, “It's a good voice you have, miss.”

“What's wrong, Owen?” she asked quietly, but she thought she knew. “It's Angharad, isn't it?”

He nodded and went to the door again. “Things like this happen, and she clings.” His hand was on the door-knob. He faced the door as if he could see through it. “She knows too much about death.”

He left, closing the door quietly behind him. She stood there and listened, but he did not sing as he walked away, which meant her letter to Mr. Auerbach had a lengthy postscript.

Della was prepared for the walk to Scofield's cemetery, but the next morning as she joined others of the Winter Quarters community heading to the canyon mouth, she saw wagons there, two with coffins, and others for the mourners. She walked past the wagon where Pekka sat, so close to his father's coffin. She held out her hand and Pekka grasped it for a moment, his face stern, almost. As she glanced around, she saw that same look on other children, as though they controlled emotions they already knew too well.

“Pekka, you come back to your class when you feel like it,” she said gently. “And it had better be soon!”

He grinned; to her relief, she saw the little boy still there. He gave her hand an answering squeeze.

She sat in the wagon with the choir, pleased to see the Welsh women wearing their distinctive red skirts, aprons, shawls, and curious stovepipe hats. She sat next to Tamris Powell, who had bundled her infant in her voluminous shawl.

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.