Miriam and the Stranger by Jerry S. Eicher

Author:Jerry S. Eicher [Eicher, Jerry S]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780736958844
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

On Thursday of the following week, Miriam’s sister Shirley exchanged vows with Glen Weaver. The Yoders’s neighbor, Mrs. Faulkner and her husband, Charles, had been given front row seats as special guests. Miriam looked over from her position and watched as they nudged each other with big grins on their faces. They had so far taken in the three-hour service with a great show of interest and now were watching intently as with a soft smile Bishop Wagler pronounced, “In the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I now join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. They are one before the eyes of God and man and are to walk together through life until death parts them. And let no man ever separate what God has joined together today before these many witnesses.”

Shirley’s face glowed as she held Glen’s hand and gazed into his eyes. Bishop Wagler loudly cleared his throat, and Shirley let go of Glen’s hand to lower her gaze to the floor. Glen reached out to give his new bride a quick squeeze on her arm before they both went back to their seats.

Miriam felt a rush of heat creep up her neck. Such a display of affection in public was unusual for an Amish wedding, but Shirley and Glen were an unusual couple. They had been through much and had grown to love each other deeply. Shirley adored Glen’s soft and kind ways, and he was taken with Shirley’s beauty and grace.

Mose gave Glen a tolerant smile after Glen sat down, but Mose’s stern look didn’t retreat too far. If Glen hadn’t been Mose’s gut friend, she wouldn’t have been surprised if Mose would have begged off from his duty as best man today. Mose’s ordination on Sunday had changed the man, but he had shown up this morning anyway. He had been a little grumpy, but he was there.

Earlier in the day, Glen’s hearty “Gut morning. I’m so glad you have graced us with your presence, Bishop,” had brought a momentary smile to Mose’s face.

Now a song was given out, and Shirley’s face glowed again as the congregation sang.

Miriam let her thoughts drift again. She hadn’t been able to please Mose all morning, especially after Mose noticed her dress. The color was a complementary dark blue that matched Shirley’s lighter blue wedding dress. But the color was not the problem. Shirley had made the dress and had missed the district’s Ordnung dress length by an inch or more. Mamm had noticed first, and they had all agreed that Shirley had made a mistake. But Shirley was out of material, and Mamm had assured them that weddings were special days and no one would mind. If some people said something—which they wouldn’t—Mamm would tell the truth. She’d say the family didn’t have the extra money to spend on dress material over a question of an inch or two in length.

Mose hadn’t said anything this morning about the dress, but she knew what his thoughts were by his frequent stern glances.

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