Chronicles Of The Maca Collection

Chapter 34

“My beautiful little girl, you have suffered so much. Your hair is whiter than mine.”

Johann Schmidt had returned from the fields and enfolded Anna in a bear hug. The man stood six feet four and had the stocky farmer"s build. At sixty-three he was still solid and could see without glasses. His hair was grey, but abundant.

For a moment they stood with arms wrapped around each other. Then Johann bent and kissed her cheek and Anna rose on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.

“Come, Papa, you must meet my husband.”

MacDonald was standing just behind them, his amused brown eyes surveying the scene.

Johann looked at MacDonald"s chin and then lifted his eyes upward.

“Papa, this is my husband, Zebediah L. MacDonald. Mr. MacDonald, this is my papa, Mr. Johann Schmidt.”

The two men shook hands. Anna performed the introduction in German and Johann used German also. “It"s not often I have to look up at a man.”

A smile broke MacDonald"s face. “And it is not often that I meet a man that is almost as large as I.”

“You are a farmer?”

“Rancher.”

“And what is the difference? You raise cattle. You have to grow crops to feed them.”

“They are range cattle, longhorns, they eat prairie grass. Anna is insisting we purchase a milk cow so for that we will need to raise hay.”

“Don"t you fatten them before driving them into town?”

“Longhorns aren"t that good for tallow and there is no market for meat in the closest town, as other ranchers live closer. My neighboring rancher and I have driven herds as far as New Orleans and up into the Indian Territory for the reservation. The cattle eat grass on the way.”

“How can you get a decent price for them?”

“The price is decent enough. The ones we sell in Texas are for bones. The ones we drive to the reservation or New Orleans are slaughtered for meat. The U.S. government has a set price, but longhorn meat is lean and it goes to the poorer butcher shops in New Orleans. That city is so big they need meat. They"re not too fond of Yankees, and that is pretty much what Friend Rolfe and I are considered. We don"t stay. It"s probably just as well, for then our money isn"t wasted on high living.”

Johann smiled. “Come in, come in, and meet my Frau and what children are there. Emil is putting away my team, and then I must finish chores.”

The Schmidt"s dinner table was huge and piled with food from the garden. Chickens had been butchered for the occasion. Meat was rarely eaten except at winter butchering time for there was no way to keep it other than salting, making corned beef, or canning. Ice was too expensive. Pigs were used more for meat than beef. Pork could be smoked, made into sausage, and pickled. The sausage kept best deep in crock jars, and sealed with rendered lard or in winter stuffed into the intestines and strung in an unheated room.

Johanna rang the bell for dinner. She was displeased when Anna had appeared to help the last half-hour. Part of Johanna was relieved to see her alive, but alarmed that once again someone other than her children would make claims on the Schmidt farm when Johann died. She was twenty years younger. The man was in his sixties. He wouldn"t live much longer.

She and Johann had six children, five of them living, and she was expecting the next one. Anna was acting like she ran things, exclaiming over her mother"s dishes. Johanna"s lips were compressed as she rang the bell again.

“Dinner.”

Everyone trooped into the dining room. The table was heaped with the chickens, gravy, mashed potatoes, sliced tomatoes, corn on the cob, butter, homemade dark bread, pickled onions and cucumbers, two pitchers of milk, one smaller pitcher of cream, three different types of jams and jellies, and a desert made with mulberries, crumbs, and sugar.

Johann led the family in prayer and the passing of food began. Each one began talking about the events during the years they were separated.

“Kasper"s store is prospering. There are more people in Schmidt"s Corner now and the neighboring ranchers also buy supplies there.”

“Trinity Evangelical has a new Vicar. He needs to mature.” Johann was surprised that the man was thirty years his junior. It was unsettling. “He preaches if Pastor Walther is gone. I can read just as well as he does.”

“But you can"t read in Latin, Herr Schmidt.” Johanna had nothing but reverence for the Vicar.

“Or Greek, Frau Schmidt, but if Kasper were still here, he could do that.”

“Kasper decided to get married instead of becoming a pastor and waiting to marry.” Johanna sniffed. The implication was clear. Kasper had erred. She still resented the money spent for his education.

“They are very happy.” Anna would tolerate no aspersions against her twin. “And Hans is growing rapidly.”

“Do you think you will study to be a pastor?” MacDonald asked the young man seated across from him.

Emil was tall, gangly, and sour-faced. He"d spent his time eating as rapidly as possible and ignoring MacDonald and Anna.

“No, I don"t waste my time like Kasper.”

“That was not wasted time. He even lent me his books.”

Emil glared at Anna. “Why? You"re a woman. You don"t need school.”

“Emil, that is enough.” Johann raised his voice to his son. “Everyone needs to know how to read God"s Word and stop the shopkeepers from gouging them.”

Emil looked doubtful and spooned more potatoes onto his plate.

Anna helped with the dishes when the men left the dining room. MacDonald had a set look to his face.

At three o"clock Anna walked out to the field carrying a wicker basket filled with sandwiches, cookies, and water. They were putting the sheaves into stacks. First two were stood upright and leaned together, two more leaned against their sides, and another spread out over the top to shed water if it should rain or sprinkle before the thresher arrived. The horse drawn thresher was due Monday morning. Neighbors would come to help bring in the sheaves to feed them into the machine.

MacDonald did a quick calculation. He was hot, dirty, sweat-drenched, and itchy from the oat chaff. If they stayed, he and Anna would both work physically harder than they would on the ranch. Emil"s animosity had not abated. He had skimmed Johanna"s mind enough to know that she resented Anna and anything that Anna said or did. The dislike between the two was almost palpable. He had not realized this situation would develop when he agreed to stay overnight. Baths for everyone might not be a Saturday night ritual here.

He smiled at Anna and gratefully swallowed the water before passing it to his father-in-law.

“I did nay expect ye.”

“Ach, Johanna was fussing with tonight"s meal, and preparations for church tomorrow. I thought it might be best to give a hand this way.” Her mouth was barely moving and her eyes were hard.

“I think we should go into town this evening and rent a hotel room. The church tis in St. Louis. I could take everyone to dinner at a restaurant.”

“Mr. MacDonald, wouldn"t that be very expensive?”

“There twill still be enough to buy ye that sewing machine.” The smile was back on his face. “We twill order baths for this evening and bathe in privacy.”

He turned to Johann and switched to German. “Would you like to accompany us into town and dine there?”

Johann stared at him. “A very kind offer, but we must be up early in the morning for the chores.” He was thinking that Anna had married a spendthrift. She was apt to be back with them in a few years and then how would he placate his Frau?

Anna was thinking almost the same about Llewellyn"s spending habits, but the thought of being away from Johanna was appealing. Being alone with her husband was also a pleasant thought. At least they would not be paying for everyone"s dinner.