Sarah's Orphans Read Online Free PDF Page A

settled. Andy would go into town for the teacher meeting, and Sarah could focus on her sewing. She was nearly finished with a pair of pants for Isaac and would like to complete a pair for Andy before Sunday. She’d also splurged on fabric for a new dress for her and her mother—more salvage fabric, but it would sew up nicely. She hoped she would be able to get to those the following week.
    They settled into a quiet evening, but it wasn’t destined to last. Twenty minutes later, Luke came tumbling down the stairs.
    â€œHe’s brought a snake into our bedroom.”
    â€œIt won’t hurt you!” Isaac shouted from upstairs.
    â€œI’m trying to sleep here!” yelled Henry, who shared a room with Andy and often went to bed as soon as it was dark.
    The thought had crossed Sarah’s mind that Henry was having another growth spurt, or perhaps he was upset about something. Surely he was only tired. He’d been hired on at the Dutch Pantry in town two days a week. No doubt he was resting up for that.
    Andy sent Sarah a desperate look, but she shook her head. “Snakes fall squarely under your responsibility, not mine.”
    â€œBut I’m more tired than you are.”
    â€œThat’s doubtful.”
    â€œNo doubt it’s a grass snake.”
    â€œDidn’t look like a grass snake,” Luke said. “Looked like a rat snake to me, and a large one at that.”
    â€œWhy would he bring it into the house?” Andy muttered.
    â€œBecause he has no common sense.” Luke was sitting on the couch, bouncing the heel of his foot against the floor.
    Was that why he was in trouble at school? Because he never seemed to sit still? Andy put aside his magazine and headed upstairs to deal with the wildlife situation. Sarah couldn’t imagine where her little brother would have found a snake in the middle of winter. No matter. Andy would deal with it. She decided to take the opportunity of their being alone to speak privately with Luke.
    â€œSo you really have no idea why Brian would want to speak with us?”
    Luke shrugged his shoulders.
    â€œYou remind me of Mamm when you do that.” She’d meant it as a tease, but somehow those nine words ignited a bitter fuse Luke had been harboring.
    â€œI’m nothing like her at all! She’s barely even here.”
    â€œLower your voice.”
    â€œWhy? You think she’ll hear? You think she even cares?”
    â€œI think you need to watch your words, Luke. What’s said cannot be unsaid.”
    â€œWhat difference does it make, Sarah? You’re always making excuses for her. She doesn’t even care about us.” He scrubbed a hand across his face, as if to remove tears before they even fell, and then he hurried out of the room, claiming he’d forgotten something in the barn.
    Sarah’s heart ached for her brother. Was this the trouble at school? Luke’s bitterness? They had been through so much, enduring their father’s spells and then his death. Now their mother seemed unable or unwilling to care for them.
    Isaac seemed barely to notice. If she were honest, she’d admit that he treated her as his mother, and he always had. She’d been fourteen when he was born, old enough to provide for most of his care. But she’d been only nine when Luke had been born. Her mother must have been more involved during those years, and perhaps that was why he suffered from her absence more.
    Did she make excuses for her mother?
    Maybe.
    The year before, Sarah had spent three weeks working at the Texas coast on a mission trip after a catastrophic hurricane. That experience had given her a bit of perspective. She understood their situation was challenging, but they still had a home, still had each other, still had an intact community around them. She’d also had the benefit of Englisch counseling to help her deal with her mother and father. Perhaps she needed to seek the same for Luke.