Chapter
6

So how did the trip go?”

Signe could feel Rune shaking his head. They had not had time to talk since the two men returned from Blackduck. She had been shocked to see such a huge load come jingling down the lane. They had yet to put away all the new supplies. Rune had promised to be careful with the box of dynamite. The box made her heart drop to somewhere around her ankles. The thought of having dynamite anywhere on the farm made her skin crawl. Accidents could happen so easily.

“I feel sorry for him.”

She jerked herself back to the man beside her. “For Einar?”

“Ja. He . . .”

Signe waited, thinking perhaps Rune had fallen asleep. A thought tripped through her sleepy mind. What had Einar done to make Rune feel that way? Another followed. What would it take to make that man, as she’d come to call him, even look at her, let alone speak to her? How could he hang on to a grudge for so long? She could feel sleep creeping over her.

“He is never nice to anyone,” Rune said.

Signe swallowed her snort. “I wonder if he was always like this.” And why did Gerd ever marry him? That question had come to her before. What were they both like when they were younger? She trapped a yawn, her eyes closing in spite of her. Rune’s breathing told her he had fallen asleep even if he desired to tell her more. She breathed her thanks.

Kirstin’s squirming and hungry cries brought her mor out of a dream that left her wondering. Something bad had happened, but waking to her baby made her smile both inside and out. Kirstin was better than a rooster for an alarm clock.

Rune groaned and managed to pull his pants over his long johns and shove his feet into his boots. They were both adept at dressing in the dark. He moved to the wooden box where the kerosene lamp and matches waited. “Mornings like this remind me that spring can’t come too soon.”

Dressed in a robe and slippers, Signe picked up the baby and blinked against the lamplight. Rune carried the lamp down the stairs and held it up so she could see to follow him. In the kitchen, he started the stove while she changed the baby and sat down in the rocking chair to nurse her. The snapping of wood catching fire and the gurgles and throaty murmurs of the nursing baby made a fine good morning song.

“I’ll call the boys.”

“I heard someone moving around up there.”

By the time Bjorn staggered into the kitchen, scrubbing his hair back with his fingers, she was adjusting the baby in the sling around her shoulder. No longer could she carry the baby in front. She and Gerd had devised a way to carry her on their backs, still leaving their hands free to cook or do whatever needed doing.

As long as her mor was moving around, Kirstin gurgled and made baby conversation until she drifted off to sleep again.

“What do you need from the well house?” Bjorn asked.

“Milk, cream, and the full churn.” She smiled at her eldest son. “Takk.”

He shrugged into his winter things, and as he went out the door to the porch, the other two boys blinked their way into the kitchen.

“What’s for breakfast?” Leif asked.

“Bacon, eggs, fried cornmeal, and syrup.”

“Can I cut a piece of bread to eat on the way to the barn?” Knute could eat a full meal and want more an hour later.

Signe nodded to the breadbox in the pantry. “Help yourself. Cut three.”

Some time later, when all the menfolk were off to their labors, and Kirstin was demanding to eat again, Gerd fixed plates for both of them and set them on the table. She and Signe sat down at their places and heaved sighs of relief. The two cats sat side by side on the braided rag rug in front of the stove, tails curled around their front feet, eyes slitted. Signe happened to be looking at them when Gra’s eyes flew open, and in one motion, they both leaped to their feet and tore into the pantry.

“Good hearing,” Gerd said.

“Hope they catch it.” One more thing to be thankful for—the mouse population had nearly abandoned the house. And now that they had inside stairs down to the cellar, the cats had taken care of that part of the house too.

“Do most babies start on real food at this age?” Gerd asked.

“My mor told me to, and it worked with the boys. But she also said that all babies do not do well with it.” She looked down at her daughter’s smiling face, milk drool leaking from one side of her mouth. “You don’t want to waste any of that precious stuff, little one.”

Kirstin waved her fist and gurgled an answer.

“I always dreamed of nursing a baby.” Gerd swirled her cornmeal slab to mop up the last of the syrup on her plate. She nodded while putting it in her mouth. “Never did get pregnant.”

“I am sorry.”

“Perhaps it was better this way.”

“I couldn’t for a long time after Leif. Pretty much gave up hope.” Signe stroked her daughter’s cheek. “And then she came along. I think she is God’s gift to us, being born in this country and all. We waited so long. Since I had lost several, we almost decided not to come when we learned I was pregnant. But we all got here just fine, and she is growing like those weeds that try to take over the garden. I thought about naming her Joy, but the boys liked the name Kirstin.”

“So she is Kirstin Joy Carlson.” Gerd nodded and held up her cup. “More?” She motioned for Signe to stay seated. “I’ll get it.” As she refilled their cups, she nodded to the churn by the stove. “I will do that while you get the bread going. Let’s get that venison haunch started in the big kettle for soup.”

Signe nodded and set her baby on her knees, propping her up with both hands on her sides. Jiggling her knees made Kirstin giggle, then laugh out loud. Joy was such a good name for her. There had been more laughter in this house with this happy baby than there had probably ever been before.

“Let’s tie her in the rocker, and I can keep that going with my foot while I churn,” Gerd suggested.

“Ja, fine idea.” Signe drained her coffee cup and, baby on hip, set their dishes in the steaming soapy water in the pan on the stove. She paused and smiled at Gerd. “I am so grateful since you got better.” She waved a hand around the kitchen. “I never dreamed this could happen.”

“I didn’t either. Bringing you and Rune and your family over here was the best thing Einar has ever done for me. And he thought it was all for felling more trees.” She set to washing the dishes. “I even appreciate doing the dishes now.”

Signe nodded and sniffed. She blew her nose on the bit of flannel she kept in her apron pocket. Thankfulness made even the cats and the kitchen smile. A streak of sun gilding a window design on the floor invited both cats to curl up there.

“Has Onkel Einar used dynamite to blow out stumps before?” Signe asked.

Gerd nodded. “He learned to leave a longer fuse and not stand too close. House shook every time. That was before I was too weak to get out of bed, but I didn’t go out there.” She shook her head while taking the dishes out of the rinse pan and drying them before putting them back in the cupboard. “I think my eyes see differently now.”

Signe propped the baby against a pillow in the rocker and used a dish towel to tie her in place. Kirstin chortled and waved both arms while Signe carried the rocker over by the churn. “Here you go, little one. Have a good time.”

Gerd dragged a chair over by the churn and sat down to begin, using one foot to set the rocker in motion. Kirstin stared at the thunk of the churn, her mouth matching the rounds of her eyes. Gerd nodded, so close to a smile that Signe held her breath. When the baby waved her arm again and garbled out some sounds, the corners of Gerd’s mouth twitched, then spread. She leaned closer to the laughing baby. Kirstin stared at her, as if she too were waiting for a real smile. When it came, she stared right into Gerd’s eyes, gurgled, and reached for her face with one tiny finger. Gerd kissed the end of her finger, sending Kirstin into another round of chuckles.

Signe watched their game, ignoring the tears running down her face. All she could think was Thank you, Lord God, thank you, Jesus, Holy Spirit, for being in this room with us. Surely this is one of your miracles. She sniffed and beat more flour into the rising sourdough. Once it was thick enough, she dumped it out on a floured board and set to kneading. What a glorious day this was turning into.

The churn song deepened, the baby slumped into slumber, and Signe rolled her dough into a ball and laid it back in the crockery bowl. Now it would rise again, covered with a clean dish towel on the warming shelf above the stove.

“Why don’t you go take a nap while I put her in her cradle?” Signe whispered, as always noticing as soon as Gerd started to fade.

“I was going to wash the butter.”

“I know, but churning takes a lot out of you. Now is a good time to rest.”

Gerd nodded and pushed herself to her feet. “Takk.”

How that word made Signe’s heart bloom. It had been so long, but now it was worth all the times she had ignored the screaming and meanness. Illness truly did strange things to some people. Her mor had told her that years earlier. Never had she seen it so true as here in the Northwoods of Minnesota.

As Gerd made her way to bed, Signe carefully tucked her baby into the cradle and rocked it tenderly until Kirstin settled back into her morning nap.

Later, Gerd was back in the kitchen and the sun was already on the downward plunge when the boys burst through the door, laughing and waving a letter.

“From Bestemor,” Knute announced.

“And Mrs. Benson said to tell you that if the weather holds, she plans to come visit tomorrow. She said she had to see that baby again and to have coffee with you and Tante Gerd.” Leif grinned at his mor. “Good, huh?”

“Ja, indeed, very good.”

“Oh, and Tante Gerd, she sent you more yarn. She just got more in. We are to tell her in the morning if you want her to bring more when she comes.”

Gerd fingered the skein of yarn, nodding all the while. “I can always use more. It will be good to see her again.”

Signe swallowed her shock and smiled both inside and out. How wonderful to have good memories in this house to blot out the earlier ones.

“I’m hungry.” Leif sniffed the yeasty smell of rising bread. “Fresh bread would be good.”

“We will have that for supper. There are some pancakes left you can butter and sprinkle with sugar. How was school?”

“I got a hundred on my spelling test.” Leif brought the pancakes from the pantry to butter at the table. “Do we have buttermilk?”

“Since Gerd churned the butter today, we do. Look in the pantry.”

“I have to write an essay.” Knute shook his head as if this were a punishment rather than a simple assignment.

“About?”

No answer.

Signe rolled her eyes and lifted the lid to feed the fire. “You both better bring in wood before you start the chores.”

“Joseph from two farms north of here said the wolves tried to get in their sheep pen. The ewes are having their lambs. I sure wish we had some sheep.” Leif rolled another pancake and ate half of it in one bite. “Maybe we could buy some sheep from them.”

“We don’t have enough animals to take care of now?” Knute shook his head at his younger brother. “Those two gilts mean we will have lots of baby pigs this year. And I want to work in the woods. Just think, Onkel Ivar will be here too. Means there are going to be plenty of branches to cut and haul to the piles.”

“And we get to build our own house.” Leif stuffed the last pancake in his mouth and drained his glass. “You get to milk Belle tonight. She tried to kick the bucket over last night. Wonder how come?”

“Maybe you pinched her teat.”

“I didn’t pinch her.” Leif took a playful swing at his brother, who sidestepped him with a grin.

“Isn’t the heifer due soon?” Signe asked.

Knute nodded. “She’s pretty big.”

“Have you put her in the box stall yet?” Gerd asked.

“No, should I?”

She nodded. “If she decides to have her calf during the day when they are outside, she might try to go hide somewhere.”

“I won’t let her out tomorrow. Far will know if she is getting close.” Both boys headed out the door and returned with a load of wood.

“Takk.”

“We’ll bring in more later, after we put Jenna in the box stall.” They laughed as they ran out the door, bounded off the porch, and chased each other to the barn.

Signe watched them go with a smile.