Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin

Author:Lynn Austin [Austin, Lynn]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2008-09-30T11:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

SOFIA THOUGHT ABOUT Ludwig Schneider all day as she and her sisters labored in their aunt’s boardinghouse. Whenever her longing for him threatened to overwhelm her, Sofia would pause from her task of dusting or sweeping and close her eyes. She would picture him sitting on the bench near the river, bending and swaying in time to the music as he played his violin. She would hear in her mind the melodies he had played and see the tender smile he’d given her each time he finished a song.

“Sofia? Why are you smiling like that?” Kirsten asked her.

“I was just thinking . . .”

“Well, you’d better come back to earth. Aunt Hilma is out in the backyard wringing the necks of two spent laying hens for our supper, and she wants us to pluck them for her.”

“I like working outside,” Sofia said as she followed Kirsten through the kitchen door. “I miss working in the garden and taking care of the animals, don’t you?” Her sister didn’t reply.

The chickens lay on the outdoor worktable beside the pot of scalding water. “Save the feathers,” Hilma said, handing Sofia a sack. “We can’t afford to waste a thing.”

“This is no different than slaving for Aunt Karin all day,” Kirsten grumbled after their aunt went inside, “except that there aren’t any beautiful woods to explore and no cows to give fresh milk. I would love a glassful right now, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes,” Sofia admitted, “but let’s try not to talk about home in front of Elin. She feels responsible for getting us into this situation.”

“I know. But, Sofia? I’m really sorry for making you leave Sweden. You would have stayed behind if I had stayed, so it’s really my fault that you’re here.”

Sofia looked up at her sister in surprise. Tears filled Kirsten’s eyes. She seemed more emotional than usual, and Sofia wondered why. Kirsten had always been the least sentimental of the three of them. “You miss Tor, don’t you?”

Kirsten nodded.

“I miss my friend Ludwig, too,” Sofia said. “I pray every night that I’ll see him again. I’ll pray for you and Tor, too.”

“Thanks,” Kirsten sniffed. Then she grimaced and covered her nose and mouth with her hand. “The smell of these chickens is making me sick. Could you finish them by yourself?”

“I guess so.” This was more like the Kirsten that Sofia remembered—always conniving to get someone else to do her chores. Kirsten thanked her and hurried inside. A few minutes later their cousin Dagmar returned home from school and offered to help Sofia.

“Would you teach me some English words?” Sofia asked while they worked.

“You don’t need to learn English,” Dagmar said. “Mama doesn’t speak it.”

“I know, but I would like to learn.” If she and Ludwig both spoke English, they could talk to each other. “Let’s start with the words for everyday things, like chicken and tree and house.”

They made a game of it, and Sofia penned a list of all the words Dagmar taught her, writing their Swedish meanings beside them.

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.