Miriam and the Stranger Read Online Free PDF Page A

Mose was a godly man. She could do much worse.
    “Mose would like to speak with you this afternoon,” Katie added. “In fact, he’s probably been waiting impatiently this past hour.”
    “Then we should let him get on with it,” Aunt Fannie declared. “Miriam will gladly speak with the man.”
    “Is that okay with you?” Katie asked with a tender glance toward Miriam. “We don’t want to rush you into anything.”
    Heat rushed into Miriam’s face, and she lowered her head.
    “That’s all the answer we need,” Aunt Fannie said with a broad smile. “The girl’s in love with the man already!”
    Katie nodded and appeared satisfied. “I’ll go tell Mose you’ll speak with him then.”
    “You can go right out on the porch and talk with Mose there,” Aunt Fannie said, even before Katie was out of the kitchen. “I’ll personally keep the children away so you can enjoy some peace and quiet. Oh, Miriam, how wunderbah this is, and you’ll have lots to speak of in the short time he’ll be here. Surely Mose will bring you home from the hymn singing tonight. Tell him to stay for supper. Then he can drive you there with our buggy and bring you home. I’ll make a temporary bed for him in the basement, and he can make his way back to Deacon Phillips’s place tomorrow. Oh, Miriam this is so exciting!”
    Aunt Fannie would have the wedding planned by this evening, Miriam told herself, and a wry smile crept over her face. She sobered moments later when Katie returned to say, “It’s all settled now.”
    Aunt Fannie bubbled over with joy. “They can go out on the front porch with their popcorn bowls.”
    “That’s perfect,” Katie agreed. She reached over to touch Miriam’s arm. “This is still a little sudden. Are you sure it’s okay?”
    “She’s fine,” Aunt Fannie answered. “Remember that Miriam is a mature and sensible girl. And after what she’s suffered, she deserves this.”
    Miriam attempted a smile. “It’s okay. I’ll speak with him, and we’ll go from there.”
    Katie nodded her approval. Moments later Miriam found herself out on the front porch with Mose Stoll seated beside her. Thetransition was a blur that didn’t quite register. She remembered Mose’s pleased face in the living room, followed by Uncle William’s encouraging smile as he held open the front door. Aunt Fannie deposited the popcorn bowls in their laps and made a hasty retreat. Now Mose seemed at a loss for words as they both gazed across the open prairie beyond Uncle William’s greenhouse.
    “So you’re from Wayne County?” Miriam asked, gathering her wits.
    Mose’s smile was a little tense. “ Yah . I’m from the district of your soon-to-be brother-in-law, Glen Weaver.”
    “Oh!” Miriam couldn’t keep the delight out of her voice. “Shirley’s promised man.”
    “ Yah .” Mose seemed to relax and regain the confidence he’d displayed earlier in the day. “They are a sweet couple for sure, and Glen’s a gut friend of mine. It’s through his suggestion that I’m here. Glen spoke right highly of you when he learned that I felt the time had come to move on with life. Because I guess you know that my frau passed this spring.”
    “ Yah , I know.” Miriam let her gaze linger on the distant horizon. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
    “Glen told me you’ve had your own similar loss,” Mose said. “You must have suffered greatly. I at least had some warning when the cancer came. But you have done well, Glen said.”
    “Thank you,” Miriam managed.
    Mose was silent for a moment before he continued, “Anyway, for the rest of my story… I finally traveled down to your district a few Sundays ago and preached for them.” A smile played on Mose’s face. “But my real reason was to speak with your daett , which I did after the service.”
    “And Daett said what?” Miriam asked.
    “He spoke very highly of you,” Mose answered. “As haseveryone I’ve asked about you. And I clearly see it is all