All God's Children Read Online Free PDF

sitting room, Franz? We can have dessert in there.”
    But Beth ignored her. “My country was founded on the very principle of religious freedom.”
    “I baked an apple kuchen,” Ilse persisted, her voice every bit as shaky as her hands were.
    “So that’s what smells so wonderful,” the professor said as he stood and indicated that Josef should follow him to the other room. But Josef was aware that just before closing the connecting door between the kitchen and sitting room, the professor laid his hand on his niece’s arm.
    “Sorry,” she murmured, blushing at her uncle’s silent rebuke.
    “Josef, I expect that you are wondering why Beth is still here,” the professor said as soon as they were seated in two overstuffed chairs positioned at either end of a worn sofa. “No doubt she should have gone home to America some time ago—certainly once Germany declared war on the United States. But she chose to stay and help us. As I mentioned earlier, after the birth of our daughter, my wife’s health deteriorated. I’m afraid that it has only worsened in the years since. Surely you observed that she is not at all well, and as you may also have noticed, our daughter can be quite challenging.”
    “But in these times, Professor…I would think that your niece would wish to be with her parents. Furthermore I would have thought that the authorities…”
    Franz sighed. “So far the authorities have elected to overlook her presence. Perhaps over eight years she has become so ingrained in the community that everyone thinks of her as one of our own. Nevertheless, as you may well imagine, her presence here draws attention. My wife worries about that.”
    “Have you been harassed?”
    Franz shrugged. “Who hasn’t these days? You’ve been away serving with your unit. On the surface things probably appear the same as before. But beneath that surface? Well, Liesl was right in saying that being different is not something the authorities encourage.” At the sound of female voices, he went to open the door for his wife and niece.
    “Ah, a delectable treat to celebrate your moving in with us, Josef,” Franz said in a voice that was too loud. “Just smell that cinnamon.”
    Josef could not help noticing that Franz’s smile was forced. His true expression—concern for his wife, apprehension about the state of things in his household—could be read in the sadness and strain that lined the rest of his face.
    They ate the apple kuchen and sipped cups of ersatz coffee in silence interrupted only occasionally by Liesl’s whining plea for a second helping of the rich vanilla cream that topped the dessert and Ilse’s repeated refusal. Finally the child started to blubber, prompting Franz to take her on his lap and suggest that they sing a song for their guest.
    To Liesl’s delight Josef joined in the singing, even going so far as to add some of the hand movements associated with a Bavarian folk dance. Before the song was finished, Beth had joined in. Even Ilse was humming and lightly clapping her hands in time to the music.
    “I like you, Herr Doktor,” Liesl announced, her tears forgotten.
    “Enough that we can be on a first-name basis, Fräulein?”
    Liesl looked to Beth for a translation.
    “He means he would call you by your first name,” she explained.
    “I am Liesl, and you are…?”
    “Josef,” he said, grinning at her. He stuck out his hand for her to shake. “Friends?”
    She giggled and pumped his hand up and down several times. This time there was no mention of showing proper allegiance to Hitler with a salute.
    After Josef and Franz had climbed the narrow enclosed stairway from the kitchen to the attic to finish getting Josef settled into his new space, Beth sent Liesl off to change into her nightgown and prepare for story time.
    Over the years that she had lived with her aunt and uncle, she had learned to read her aunt’s frequent mood shifts almost as well as she knew how to calm her cousin’s