Brides of Lehigh Canal Trilogy by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Author:Wanda E. Brunstetter [Brunstetter, Wanda E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781643528083
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2010-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

I’ll be on the back porch, washing some clothes, if you need me for anything,” Betsy told her father as she positioned a small pillow behind his head, where he reclined on the sofa. He had come to the sitting room to read his Bible soon after breakfast, saying he wanted to spend time praying and meditating over God’s Word.

I need to do that more often, too, Betsy thought, bending over to kiss his forehead.

“Don’t work too hard, daughter. And always remember that I love you and wish you nothing but God’s best.”

“I love you, too, Papa.” Betsy hurried out to the porch, anxious to get the washing out of the way so she could spend time with her father. She had convinced herself that if she cared for him properly, he would get well and things would be as they had been before his heart had started acting up. After seeing how well he’d done yesterday at the canal service, Betsy was beginning to believe that God might answer her prayers for a miracle.

Returning to the kitchen, Betsy hauled a kettle of hot water out to the porch, poured it into the washtub, added some lye soap, and dropped in one of the canalers’ shirts. She reached into the hot, soapy water and dipped the shirt up and down several times, making sure it was sufficiently wet.

An image of Mrs. Bevens popped into her mind, and she bit back a chuckle. If she lived to be ninety, she didn’t think she would ever forget seeing William’s prim and proper housekeeper falling into the canal. Mrs. Bevens hadn’t offered Harvey Collins any thanks at all for saving her life. For that matter, she hadn’t thanked Betsy for the quilt she’d put around her shoulders.

A prick of conscience made Betsy shake her head. “It’s not my place to judge Mrs. Bevens. Forgive me, Lord, for thinking such thoughts.”

Betsy scrubbed the shirt against the washboard and gritted her teeth as she reflected on the way she used to be—self-centered and snobbish, always wanting her own way. She could have ended up just like Mrs. Bevens if she hadn’t turned her life over to God and allowed Him to soften her heart.

She closed her eyes and offered up a heartfelt prayer. Dear Lord, help me remember to set a good example to others and remind me whenever necessary that, but for Your grace, I could still be a snooty, selfish woman.

Some time later, when all the clothes had been washed and hung on the line to dry, Betsy entered the kitchen. She filled a kettle with water and placed it on the stove with the intent of making her father his daily cup of hawthorn berry tea. While the water heated, she took a hunk of salt pork from the cooler, cut it into small pieces, and fried it in a pan to get the grease out, then she set it aside. She would add some potatoes, onion, tomatoes, and corn to

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