The River by Beverly Lewis

Author:Beverly Lewis [Lewis, Beverly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC042000, FIC053000, FIC026000, Amish—Fiction, Sisters—Fiction, Lancaster County (Pa.)—Fiction, Christian fiction
ISBN: 9781441264909
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2014-07-29T16:00:00+00:00

When Tilly returned to her aunt and uncle’s, Aunt Naomi was already home and mentioned she’d seen Ruth still over at Allen’s place with Mamm and other relatives, relaxing after the shared meal. Hearing that, Tilly decided to set out on foot to find her sister. Perhaps a walk would soothe her frazzled nerves.

Tilly recalled again her uncle’s advice, unable to dismiss the things he had said that morning. Numerous times as a child, she’d huddled in the dark corners of her room and whispered her admissions of guilt to the heavenly Father. “I carried the weight of being wrong all the time,” she murmured as she walked toward her brother Allen’s house, where church had been held. How had things gone for Ruthie this Lord’s Day? Tilly pictured her running into Will Kauffman, him gazing into her sister’s eyes. No—she had to shake off that notion.

As she walked the road, Tilly waved at each of the boxlike gray family carriages that passed her, the quaint sound of clip-clop-clip wonderful-good in her ears. Absently, she decided if there was anything she missed about Amish life, it was the appealing sound of horses pulling buggies in the early hours on a market-day morning. But not much else . . . not the Plain attire, nor the hard work of running a home without electricity or indoor plumbing, nor the required attitude of Gelassenheit—turning one’s back on individuality and wholly yielding to the community and to God. She certainly did not miss the fattening foods, either, as delicious as many of them were. I’d be as big as Uncle Abner’s two-story barn if I’d stayed, she mused.

On the other hand, she was fairly sure her sister did miss various aspects of the life she’d left behind. Their family here, especially Mamm and her siblings, was a given . . . and the little ones she didn’t even really know and might not see again until they were half grown or older. Ruth had also enjoyed the work frolics and gatherings of the womenfolk—cornhusking and canning bees, too. Tilly knew that well.

But Ruthie left to escape her disappointment over Will.

Tilly heard the clatter of carriage wheels, and looking up, she saw two black courting buggies coming at a fast clip. The first buggy was occupied by a tall driver with a shy-looking girl next to him. As they approached, the pair bowed their heads in unison, not wishing to be identified, undoubtedly newly courting. Tilly recalled doing the same thing as a teenager with her first beau—hardworking Abram Stoltzfus, with his hearty laugh.

Oh, the bliss and madness of first love. Tilly was relieved now that she hadn’t married young Abram, although he had been fun to be with and knew what type of farmer he wanted to be when he was older. Joy and determination were two important traits for a good Amish match. At the time, however, she had been nervous about her father’s strict rules and tendency to dominate the house,

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