A Winter's Promise Read Online Free

before she was r eady for that ro ll call.
    “ Bringing, in the Sheaves ” didn ’ t help, either. It made her back hurt to think of carrying sheaves.
    “ May as well put wood in th e stove again, as long as I ’ m awake, ” she told herself.
    Emma was barely out of bed when the shivering be gan. Quickly she piled wood on the glowing coals and hobbled back to bed, wishing she didn ’ t have to move again for hours and hours. She longed to sink into the cozy depths of sleep—down, down where pain couldn ’ t find her.
    “ Sing another song, ” she ordered herself. “‘ Abide with me, fast falls the ev-en-tide. The darkness deep— ens; Lord, with me abide. ’ O Lord, I ’ m so lonesome. It ’ s so dark. I ’ m scared, ” she sobbed.
    Suddenly, there was Kate! She had burst in the door wearing one of her cotton housedresses, and the light was shin ing on her hair as it had that day in Phillips. “ Emma-lass? ” her voice rang out. “ Where are Y ou? Heard you cryin ’ . There be trouble? ”
    With all the energy she possessed, Emma tried to call out, “ I ’ m here! I ’ m here in the bedroom! ” but no sound came. I ’ ve got to get up! Kate will go away if I don ’ t get out there! Pain!
    Emma jer ked awake. All was dark. There was no Kate.
    “ Kate ... Kate .. ” she whispered. “ What I wouldn ’ t give to have that dream come true! Oh, Kate, I miss you so much! ”
    The baby gave a little I ’ m-getting-hungry cry and was quiet again. What time was it? Emma listened intently. She heard the clock ’ s tick, tick, tick—the children ’ s soft breathing—but no fire snapping!
    “ Not again! ” she groaned and hois ted herself out of bed.
    Not one living coal remained.
    Shivering so v iolently she could scarcely hold the p oker, Emma shook down the Ashes, crumpled more precious paper, and added more of the meager kindling s upply.
    While the kindling caught fire, she limped back to the bed, grabbed a comforter and wrapped it around her self.
    The baby let out a loud cry. Emma gathered him up and began to nurse him as she stood by the stove, wait ing to add more wood.
    She anticipated the usual tingle as the milk let down when the baby began to nurse. It didn ’ t come. He nursed a moment and then pulled away and cried.
    “ Liebc hen ... Liebchen... Mama ’ s sorry! ” Under her breath Emma scolded herself. “ Should have eaten last night , o r at least should have drunk more. ”
    With the baby on her shoulder, she poured a cup o f water from the teakettle and drank it without stopping. At least it wasn ’ t ice cold.
    She put the wood in th e stove and took the crying baby to bed wit h her. When she offered him the other breast, he nursed and dozed.
    0 Lord ... thank You! Please , keep him sleeping!
    Hardly daring to breathe lest she wake him, she grad ually relaxed—jaws ... shoulders … arms.
    “ You must rest, ” she instructed her self. She wished .... she had water within her reach. Her, body, she knew, needed water — and food — but rest, she decided, was most important.
    Father, I thought, I had asked You for just about everything. But now I come to You with one more need. Please help my body make the milk my baby has to have.
    Rest. Rest.
    The clock bonged six.
    “ Not already! ” Emma whispered as she eased the baby into his cradle with another prayer that he would sleep until she had finished the chores.
    The cabin was still far from warm as she dressed her shivering body, put more wood in the stove, and drank more water. Had she been less intent on getting the chores done, she , might have cried with the pain that sta bbe d t hrough her with each movement.
    Daylight was still far away, and the lantern sat in the barn. Carryin g water for the chickens in he r right hand and wooden matches in her left, she felt her way to the barn, guided by the high snow banks on either side of the path. Although she groaned with pain, her legs didn ’ t buckle under her as they