Beneath the Apple Leaves(32)
“Shouldn’t have left you,” Wilhelm said curtly.
“Left me?” Eveline touched one of the tiny hands that opened and closed in a feeble fist. “The poor girl delivered our babies! Should have seen the look on her face when she left. Think the labor was harder on her than it was on me.”
“It’s not the girl.” Wilhelm’s lips were tight. “I shouldn’t have left you.” His eyes flowed across her face and then down to the babies. “What if she hadn’t been here?”
“Then Andrew would have a good story to tell his grandchildren.” She rubbed her deflating belly. “He would have taken care of it. He’s delivered enough animals in his life to know what to do.”
“Doubt that.”
She stopped then, recognized the bitter, drawn look. “Did something happen in town?”
“Know they’re renaming all the German foods? Thought it was just in the city. Took the boys to supper and the menu listed hamburgers as liberty sandwiches, changed sauerkraut to liberty cabbage.” He chuckled wryly and without humor. “They’ll be making us change our name before we know it.”
“It’s just food, Wilhelm.”
He didn’t hear her, nearly spoke on top of her last words. “But figured out why Frank Morton was so pleased to give me a ride.” One of his arms squeezed Otto too tightly and the baby let out a cry. Wilhelm handed the child to his wife and she rocked him until he hushed.
“Man made me look the fool, Eve.” He tensed again but made sure the pressure did not reach the sleeping Harold. She rocked Otto back and forth, kept her ears alert to Wilhelm’s speech.
“Morton showed us around, all right. Paraded us to the post office, the butcher, the brewery, to Campbell’s store. Talked up about the new tractor, my investments.” She watched her husband carefully, not sure where he was going.
“Then started the talk.”
“What talk?”
“The war talk, Eve! What do you think?”
“Don’t get terse with me,” she warned. She had just birthed two babies with the sheer strength of her will and body and she would not take that tone.
“Sorry.” The corners of Wilhelm’s mouth drooped regretfully. “It’s just that before I knew it, I had half the town asking me how many Liberty Bonds I’m planning on buying. How many Postal Savings Stamps. How much I’m giving to the Red Cross. Giving me a look like I’m feeding the Germans instead of the Allies.” He handed the other baby to Eveline. “Frank set me up.”
Men. Eveline blustered, “Frank Morton helped you, Wilhelm Kiser! He was kind enough to give you and the boys a ride to town and put in a good word for you. You should be thanking him instead of cursing him.”
“No.” He looked coldly ahead. “I’ve seen men like that before, Eve. Always trying to work an angle.” He laughed then. “But he didn’t get the reaction he thought. Should have seen their faces when I didn’t need credit from the store. Put them in their place quick, I did.” His pupils flickered as he muttered, “Liberty sandwiches. I’ll be damned.”
CHAPTER 21
Lily started the two-mile journey before the sun awoke. She was so grateful the Kisers had moved in. Liked them right away. Hearing those babies, holding their little hands and feet in her fingers, made her want to bury her face in their skin and nibble on their toes.
She hurried down the Kiser lane and hoped the family hadn’t started breakfast yet. A light was on in an upstairs window and she entered the unlocked back door to the porch. The house was quiet and she went straight to the kitchen, loaded wood into the large stove and lit the logs with a match. She found the food supplies in the pantry and started the coffee in the black pot. She brought down two cast-iron skillets from the hook and unsheathed the bacon for frying while she mixed the batter for buttermilk pancakes.
“My word, child, what are you doing?”
Eveline’s sudden voice in the kitchen startled her. “Oh, I hope you don’t mind, Mrs. Kiser. I wanted to surprise you with a nice breakfast and a clean kitchen.” She pushed a stray hair from her eye. “I felt terrible leaving you the way I did yesterday,” she said mournfully. “Had no right walking out on you after you had those babies.”
Eveline looked at the fire, stunned, her housecoat wrapped tightly around her waist. “What time did you leave your house?”
“Four thirty. I milk early. Cows get so full. Like to relieve them as soon as I can. Gets painful for them otherwise.”
Eveline sat down, stared at the kitchen in confusion. Lily stirred the batter slower and slower. She had thought she was doing a nice thing for the woman, but now she realized she might have acted improperly. She didn’t know. The air bubbles popped in the yellow mixture. Seemed she never knew what was right and what was wrong; she wished she’d had a mother who could have taught her manners and etiquette.
“Suppose I should have checked with you first before barging into your house,” Lily said. The shame lowered her voice. She felt the fool. She had no right intruding into the Kiser home and the realization hit hard.
The woman laughed, laughed so heartily that she rocked in her chair. She finally stopped and smiled at the young woman. “Lily, I think this is about the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”