Treasure in the Big Woods

“Yes, he is,” Mother nodded cheerfully, but four-year-old Peggy crept closer to her mother. Mollie, their big collie dog, was growling and barking, climbing all over Naomi and Helen, Peggy’s two big sisters who were struggling to keep the dog quiet in the crowded back seat of the car.

They had been driving all day in their Model T Ford that Father called his “flivver.” What a long, long day it had seemed, but Father had just encouraged them by saying, “We’re almost there now! There’ll be a light in a window. Everyone watch and see who sees it first!”

The narrow road was a grass-filled trail, twisting between big trees whose branches laced together overhead. Everyone began to peer eagerly into the darkness, looking for the first faint gleam of light.

“Oohhh! What is that?” Father had jerked the car to a sudden stop. The trail ahead was completely blocked by a lumber wagon and a team of very frightened horses, rearing and tossing their heads in fear. Up on the high wagon seat a dark-skinned man was holding the reins taut and shouting strange-sounding words.

“Well now! Isn’t this a fine kettle of fish!” Father exclaimed, pulling on the brakes and hurrying out to talk to the man.

“How will we ever get past that big wagon, Mother?” Naomi and Helen chorused together from the back seat, and Mollie seemed to bark in agreement.

“I’m sure I don’t know, but don’t worry, girls,” Mother answered. “If there is no other way, your father will lift the car over that wagon.”

Even four-year-old Peggy realized that Mother was joking. They knew she meant Father would think of something to do. In a moment he was back and explaining, “The Indian says there’s a spot a little behind us where there is brush that we can back into. Then he thinks he can drive around us. He’s coming now to guide me.”

In a few moments they were able to drive off the trail into some brush. Then Father turned off the engine and the headlights so the horses would not be so frightened. It was even more scary now, for the girls could hardly see Father. But how big and brave he looked as he reached up and caught the horses’ bridle. Together, with the Indian slapping the reins and shouting his strange words, they managed to coax the horses around the car.

Father cranked the car again and smiled as he quickly jumped in to adjust the levers on the steering wheel. “Seems like a nice man. He’ll probably be one of our neighbors. We’ll be home now in a few shakes of a lamb’s tail.”

It had been an exciting day from beginning to end. It was still dark at four o’clock in the morning when they had tried their best to eat a little of the good breakfast Grandma had made before they left Minneapolis. The “carrier” Father had made for the top of the car had been loaded the night before. Bundles and packages were tied to the spare tire and onto the fenders and running boards. Extra bedding was folded and laid inside on the seats. At last in the morning, after every corner and space inside the car was filled, each one had managed to squeeze into the spot left for him.

Several times on the long trip north, a loud bang had announced a flat tire. This meant stopping by the side of the road while Father jacked the car up, removed the tire and patched the hole, then pumped the tire up again and wrestled it back onto the wheel. During this time, the girls would take turns brushing the mosquitoes away from him with a leafy branch from a bush.

The radiator was frequently thirsty, so they often stopped by lakes and streams and the girls raced one another to fill small pails with water which Father would pour into the steaming radiator.

At noon they had stopped beside big, big Mille Lac Lake to eat a picnic lunch which they spread out upon a large flat rock for a table. It was fun to skip stones across the water and race Mollie up and down the firm sandy beach until it was time to climb back into the flivver and continue their way north.

Now at last they were almost home, home to the little house in the big woods that Father had built for them while they had stayed with Grandmother and Grandfather in Minneapolis until it was ready. Mother’s brother, Uncle Bob, had helped Father, and Uncle Bob was there now, waiting for them to arrive.

“I see it —.I saw it first! There’s the light in the window!” Almost everyone seemed to be shouting at once. Even in the darkness they could see that the house was on a low hill. Oh! — how good that lighted window looked, shining a cheery welcome to the tired travelers.

As Father drove almost up to the door, he squeezed a rubber ball that made a horn squawk — and then blast, “Ahhh — Woooogah!” Mollie was barking and everyone was shouting as they tumbled stiffly out of the car, hurrying to be the first to greet Uncle Bob.

After the darkness outside, the soft mellow light of the kerosene lamp brightly filled the room they stepped into. The table was neatly set with five places, and there was the good smell of stew bubbling on the back of the stove — but where was Uncle Bob?

“Here he is! Sound asleep. Wake up, old fellow.” Father was laughing heartily and thumping him on the back. Yes, there was Uncle Bob, sleeping in a chair before the kitchen stove, his feet warm and cozy, propped up on a stick of firewood on the open oven door.

“Well, well,” he grinned, jumping to his feet and giving each of the girls a big hug and a kiss. “I thought you were never going to get here, so I just decided to take a little catnap to make the time go faster. How was your trip?”

While Father began to tell about the trip, Mother showed the girls where to wash their hands at a kitchen sink with a small pump at one side. She explained that one of the first things Father had done was to put in that pump where he had dug and found good water. Then he had built the kitchen and the house around the pump. Now they wouldn’t have to go outdoors in the winter when it was cold to get water. Most folks in this north country had to go outdoors for their water and carry it in. Mother was pleased by the way Father thought of better ways to do things.

In no time at all the stew was dished up, and they had fresh, creamy milk from their own cows and good homemade bread Mother had brought with her from Minneapolis. As they bowed their heads, Father thanked God for the food and for bringing them safely over the many miles to their new home.

As soon as supper was over, Mother lit another lamp and called the girls, who were busy exploring every corner of their new house. “It’s late already, and everybody’s tired. Come help me make up the beds.” She led the way into the next room. As the girls looked about curiously, they saw it was a long room divided into two bedrooms by a curtain. The farthest room behind the curtain had a big double bed in it, and the girls knew that must be for Mother and Father. In their half of the long room were three cots, one for each of them.

In no time the beds were made and they were each snuggled in for the night. Mother knelt beside their beds and listened while they prayed, then kissed them each good-night.

A soft light still shone into the bedroom from the open doorway into the other room where the grown-ups sat quietly talking about the table. Peggy Jean knew that she wouldn’t be able to sleep, for there were so many exciting new things to think about. How quiet it was without the sound of cars and streetcars and all the bustling city sounds she had been used to hearing.

A gentle breeze blew through the screened window beside her bed, brushing softly across her face. What made it smell so different — so good?

Then from somewhere in the distance, out in the darkness, she heard a long, low, wavering call. It sounded sad and lonely. Was that what a wolf sounded like, she wondered? Would she see one someday? And maybe deer and bears?

But right now she was warm and cozy in bed and that sound was far away. Before she knew it, she was sound asleep.

The First Happy Day: Chapter 2

“Time to get up,” Mother called. “There are too many exciting things to see and to do to stay in bed. Breakfast is almost ready. Your play clothes are on the foot of your beds.”

No one needed to be coaxed. As they hopped out of bed, it felt surprisingly chilly after the hot weather they had left in the city. The sun was shining brightly and a rooster was crowing. Birds were singing everywhere, as though they wanted to outdo one another.

As the girls hurried into their clothes, they looked about their room with interest. It looked and even smelled new — a nice woodsy smell. The walls were roughly sawed boards, and overhead for a ceiling there were two-by-four rafters with planks laid across them to make a low attic.

“Look! The wall between this room and the big room doesn’t go clear up to the ceiling,” Helen noticed.

“I think that’s so the warm air from the other room can come in here, too. There’s no stove in here,” Naomi observed thoughtfully. “There, I’m ready. Here, I’ll help you with your buttons, Peggy. Don’t bother with your shoes. I think we can go barefoot.”

Mother was making pancakes as she greeted them. “Everyone is busy, and there’s work for you girls, too. Father is splitting wood and Uncle Bob is milking. If you want to go watch him for a few minutes, the barn is right down the hill behind the house — you can’t miss it. You’re a big eight-year-old girl, Naomi, so you’ll soon have to learn how to help with the milking.”

She paused to put a plateful of golden brown pancakes into the warming oven up above the black cook stove. “Naomi, you can bring a pail of milk up to the house when you come, and Helen and Peggy, take this basket along and stop at the chicken house and get us some nice fresh eggs on your way back to breakfast. Hurry now and don’t take too long. You’ll have lots of time later to explore.”

The barn was made of logs, and at first it seemed dark inside as they peered through the open door.

“C’mon right in. We were thinking you’d be stepping in right now.” Uncle Bobby was sitting on a funny little one-legged stool, milking the biggest black and white cow the girls had ever seen. As his hands moved smoothly up and down, two steady streams of milk went singing into the pail he held firmly between his legs and feet.

“Do the cows have names?” Helen asked.

“Sure they do. This is Betsy, and that other cow not quite so big is Star. You can always tell which one she is by the white star on her face. The horses are out back already; you’ll be seeing them soon. Their names are Queenie and Jenny.”

“Now then, this pail of milk is ready. Who is going to carry it up to the house for me? Think you are strong enough, Naomi?” Uncle Bob chuckled, “Just wait, you’ll soon be as tough as a boy!”

Helen and Peggy wanted to stay longer, but remembering how good those pancakes had smelled, they ran to the chicken house. Most of the chickens were already scratching around in their fenced-in chicken yard, but the few still inside the hen house flew about squawking loudly and stirring up dust and feathers when the girls stepped in. It was scary! They stood still, holding on to each other for a few moments.

In seconds, they were alone, for each hen had found the little door leading out to the chicken yard, where they joined the others. Stepping carefully to the wall, the girls looked into a row of boxes lined with straw. There were the eggs, big white eggs, most of them still warm. As they carried them carefully into the house, Mother smiled happily, and in no time, she had them sputtering in the frying pan.

“My! I’d almost forgotten how good a woman’s cooking tastes, Lu,” Uncle Bob was saying to Mother, as she filled his plate again with pancakes. “Only one thing could be an improvement, and that’ll be taken care of when we tap our maple trees come next spring and make maple syrup. Just wait till you all taste that — there’s nothing better.”

“That surely will be nice to have our own maple syrup and maple sugar,” Mother agreed. “Father, I was looking at that lovely big screened porch clear across the front of the house. Why don’t we put our beds out there during this nice summer weather?”

“That sounds good to me,” Father answered. “Bob and I can do that in just a few minutes right after breakfast. How would you like a table so we can eat out there too? I’ve been thinking of making one we can fold up and fasten to the wall when we don’t want it in the way.”

Everyone liked the idea. “It will be almost like living outdoors with the birds and the squirrels, and at night we can look right up at the stars,” Helen said.

As soon as the girls finished their breakfast, they ran out to see the porch. It was pleasantly cool, for it was screened on all three sides. In no time at all, the beds were in place. Mother brought out a few chairs and Father was already starting to make the table.

“When your father gets a good idea, he doesn’t waste any time,” Mother said, smiling.

“When you girls get those dishes done, who wants to help me take the cows to the lake for a drink of water before they go to pasture?” Uncle Bob asked.

“I do! I do!” three voices chorused together.

“Bring Mollie with you. It’s time she learned how to help with the cows,” Uncle Bob added.

The cows were eager to get to the water, and the girls almost had to run to keep up with them. They went down what Uncle Bob called the “swamp road,” which led through thick woods. It felt cold and wet under their bare feet, and the cows’ feet made sucking sounds with each step. Before they knew it, they were at the lake and the cows waded right in and drank thirstily.

At first the girls stood and stared. They hadn’t expected the lake to be so big and so blue. “It’s about a mile straight across and about three miles down to that end,” Uncle Bob pointed, “but there is more than you can see from here. The lake is shaped like a big letter S, and it is about ten miles long from one end to the other. You’ll see someday when we go to town in the launch.”

“Will we go fishing sometimes and swimming?” Naomi asked eagerly.

“I should say you will, and skating and ice fishing in the winter. There’s no better fishing lake than this one anywhere. But let’s get these cows to the pasture now. C’mon, Mollie, bring them along! Let’s see what kind of helper you’re going to be — get the cows!”

Mollie circled about the cows and with a few sharp barks soon had them heading back up the swamp road. She waved her plumy tail as though she were proud of herself.

“Good girl!” Uncle Bob praised her. “A body would think you’d been herding cows all your life. We’ll go behind the barn here now, the pasture is just a little piece further on through the woods. Here we are. Do you girls want to take the gate bars down? Just pull each one back and drop it on the ground -that’s the way. The cows will step right over them. Now put them up again.”

There were about a dozen sheep already in the enclosed pasture. There was also a ram with short horns who stopped grazing and came over toward the gate to look at them.

Uncle Bob chuckled, “He thinks he’s the boss of the barnyard, that ram does! He knows you’re new folks, and he’s curious as to why you’re here. It’s best to have a fence between you ’n him. He’s got a quick temper.”

When they got back to the house, they found their mother was out in the garden and she called them to come pick beans with her for dinner. It was fun to find the clusters of slim, long green beans hanging below the leaves, and she showed them how to hold the plant with one hand so it would not be pulled from the ground when they tugged on the beans.

“The weeds are dreadful. You girls will have to help me get at them as soon as we can. The men were so busy building our house that it’s a wonder they had time to plant a garden, let alone to weed. This is good soil for vegetables, and with a little work we’ll have plenty for now and all winter, if I can do some canning. Just look! That corn is almost ready, and I think there are still peas. The early potato tops are drying. Wait until you taste new potatoes and peas creamed together — fresh out of the garden!”

Mother loved to garden, and her eyes sparkled as she pictured how nice it would be when it was weeded and the many stones were picked out.

“But these mosquitoes are awful,” complained Helen, stopping to slap at them. “Look at how they fly up in clouds when I pull on the beans and shake the plants.”

“I agree,” Mother laughed, “but even they won’t be quite so bad when we get the garden cleaned up. By the way, girls, those are bee hives that your father has over on that side of the garden. They won’t bother you if you leave them alone and don’t go too close to them. There now, I think we have plenty of beans for dinner. Let’s take them in and sit on the porch while we snap them. Let’s run now and see if we can leave the mosquitoes behind us.”

After dinner, Father shoved his chair back and wiped the edges of his big red mustache with his napkin. “That was a good dinner, Mother.”

Father’s hair was almost black, and his eyes were a soft brown. Mother’s were an even darker brown that seemed to match her hair, which waved softly away from her face and partly hid the long, smooth braid she wound around her head like a crown.

“But I’m wondering if it isn’t my turn to have these three hired hands helping me this afternoon?” He continued, “I’ve got just a bit more to do on that table out on the porch. Your girls can be getting a little rest while I do that. Then I’ll show you how to become lumberjacks!”

“What’s a lumberjack?” Peggy Jean wanted to know.

“You’ll find out,” Father promised. “You know, we are what they call homesteaders. We can have this land for free if we live on it and do what the government calls improvin’. That means clearing some of it, putting up buildings, planting a garden and living here.”

“But scoot now and get your rest. I’ll be ready to have you help me with some of that improving in just a little while.”

It all sounded mysterious to the girls who had come all the way from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a big city in the East, to live now in the north woods of Minnesota.

“I’m going to wear my shoes,” Helen announced after their rest. “My feet aren’t tough enough yet, I guess. They got sore this morning, and I think lumberjacks work right out in the woods, which will hurt them even more.” Helen usually thought of things like that.

The others felt this was a good idea and put theirs on too.

The nice new table was finished, and Mother was sweeping up the shavings when they ran out onto the porch. Some of the shavings made beautiful yellow curls, which Helen and Peggy picked up and laid carefully in a little box to use when they would want to play dress-up on a rainy day.

Father was not far from the house. They could hear where he was by the sound of chopping.

“So you’re here!” he greeted them. “All ready for hard work? It’s good you’ve got your shoes on. The stubs left after the brush is cut can be pretty sharp. Now, here’s a brush hook you two bigger girls can take turns using. Peggy and whichever one isn’t cutting can drag the cut brush over to that pile I’ve started over there,” he pointed a short distance away.

“See here, now, this is the brush hook.” It looked something like an axe, but the handle was a little longer and the blade curved into a rounded hook.

“And this is the way you use it.” Father gave a short, sharp swing and a small tree slithered to the ground. “Chop close to the ground, but try not to strike any stones or rocks. Watch out for your feet because the hook is sharp. Keep out of each other’s way when you’re picking up brush. Think you can do it, Naomi? Just take the smaller brush; I’ll take care of the bigger stuff.”

“Another thing, you know what the evergreens look like. Don’t cut any of them. These with this pretty leaf are maples, and they’ll be a nice red color this fall, so your mother wants us to save them. Most of this other brush is popple, hazel brush and tag alder. When we get it cleared out, we’ll get more breeze and less mosquitoes. All right now, let’s see how much you can clear before Mother calls us to supper.”

It was hard work, but it was nice to feel they were doing something to help and fun to see the brush pile grow into a small mountain.

“Daddy says we’ll have a big bonfire some night after the brush has dried awhile,” Naomi told them when they stopped to rest a moment. “Won’t that be fun?”

“I want to explore all around in these woods as soon as we can,” Helen said, looking around. “I know the lake is that way,” she pointed toward the swamp road, “but what is back of these woods, and over that way, and that way, and ... ?”

“More woods and more woods!” Naomi laughed. “Beyond the road we drove up here on, I heard Daddy say it’s all Indian land for miles. I don’t think Indians are living on it right now, but they hunt there. We’ll probably see Indians every once in a while. But come on, let’s clear some more brush.”

Peggy Jean was glad she could hear the ringing sound of Father’s axe not far away. The thought of Indians was still a scary one to her.

“Supper’s ready! Yoohoo everybody!” Mother called. The girls were surprised that the afternoon had gone so fast.

When everyone had washed up at the kitchen sink, they found another surprise waiting for them. The new table was set for supper out on the porch where a cool breeze made it the nicest place in the house. A handful of clover provided a pretty bouquet in the middle of the table. The three girls sat on Mother and Father’s bed, for the table was right beside it. The three grown-ups sat on chairs across from them.

After prayer Father said, “Do I smell fresh fried fish? Well, look at that! Who had time to go fishing around here? My, that smells good!”

“I had a visitor who brought it to welcome us to our new home,” Mother said, smiling. “I’m sure you men know him, for he lives by himself in a little log cabin back in the woods west of us, half a mile further up the trail. His name is John Anderson.”

“We know him,” Uncle Bob nodded. “He’s been around a few times and brought us our mail when he’s been to town by launch. We do the same for him when we go. It helps a lot, for we don’t go to town all that often.”

“Oh, I’m glad you spoke of town — I know everyone is busy, and I hadn’t expected to need to go so soon, but could we go tomorrow?” Mother asked anxiously. “There are vegetables in the garden that will go to waste if I don’t can them, so I need a lot of canning jars. Also yeast, so I can bake bread - and a few other supplies you men didn’t think of.”

The children waited almost breathlessly for Father’s answer. When he said, “I guess we can do that, I need a few nails myself and an axe handle ... ”

“Oh, goody, goody!” they interrupted. “Can we go too? Oh, please!” they all begged together.

“Well, seeing you were such good helpers and ‘lumberjacks’ today, I don’t see why not, do you, Mother?”

“I think if they can do the dishes quickly after our Bible reading and then get right to bed, they can go. We’ll have to get an early start if it takes all day to get to town and back by launch,” she agreed.

“We’ll have to see in the morning if it’s a good day, for we don’t want to go if it is windy and the lake is too rough.” Father stepped to the door and looked toward the west. “There’s a nice sunset so it should be all right.”

The dishes were quickly finished and as Peggy Jean settled into her little cot, the stars were already beginning to wink down at her, and the big pines not far from her side of the little house were making soft sighing whispers. She thought of the exciting time they would have tomorrow going to town by launch, and of the happy day they had today. God was so good to have let them come up and live in these big woods. She whispered her own thank-you to Him just before she fell asleep.

To Town by Launch: Chapter 3

Everyone was up early to do as many chores as possible before breakfast. They made the beds, fed the chickens, gathered the eggs, milked the cows, took them down to the lake and then hurried them out to pasture.

“Think you can do it by yourself with Mollie’s help pretty soon?” Uncle Bob asked Naomi.

“Maybe not quite yet,” Naomi answered slowly, “but I’ll try before long.”

Somehow the cows looked extra big this morning as she thought about trying to handle them alone. What would she do if they decided to go into the woods instead of into the pasture?

Mother had packed a lunch to eat somewhere along the way, and shortly after breakfast they were down by the shore of the lake and climbing into the boat. Father pushed away from the shore and paddled out a few yards with an oar. Then he sat down and began to do things to the engine that was in the middle of the launch. Finally he rocked a wheel back and forth a few times, ending with a quick spin. Nothing happened.

Again he twisted and turned things here and there, then once more rocked the wheel. After several minutes of working, there was a sputtering and coughing — and at last the engine gave a roar.

By now the boat had drifted the wrong direction, so Father quickly grabbed a rope fastened to the rudder under the water at the back of the boat. Immediately, the launch swung around and headed out into the lake.

The girls held tightly to the sides of the launch, but they smiled and laughed with pleasure. As they got out into the deeper part of the lake, there were choppy little waves that made the boat bounce up and down as though it were spanking the waves to make them behave. The sun was warm, but the breeze was nice and cool and felt good as it blew their hair straight back from their faces.

As they came to a point of land that jutted out a short distance, Father cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted above the noise of the engine, “That’s Indian Point. There’s an Indian grave back in the woods a few feet. And that island we’re passing on your left is Goat Island. Nobody goes there much. Too much poison ivy all over it. See that nice strip of sandy shore this side of that bluff over there? We call that Sandy Beach. It’s the best place to swim on the whole lake. We’ll go there someday.”

A little later, he pointed out a large white pine tree that towered above the other trees along the shore. “There’s a huge nest of sticks at the top of that tree — can you see it? It’s an eagle’s nest, a bald eagle. Look sharp — there’s a pair of them now, circling way up there in the sky.”

There they were, so high above them they looked like tiny gliders.

The water was more calm after they had rounded Indian Point, and soon they passed half a dozen tiny cabins. Mother explained that they were for summer tourists. After what seemed a very long time, the lake narrowed down to a river. There was a channel between wide patches of what Father said was wild rice.

“The Indians will be harvesting it this fall. It’s very good. We’ll try to buy some from them. Watch now, on the left side. We’ll be going by an Indian village very shortly. There it is now, just up ahead.”

Looking where he pointed, they saw a cluster of small log cabins in a clearing by the river. One curious building was made of poles rounded over like big hoops and covered with birch bark. It was a summer building that they called a wigwam, Mother explained. A garden was on one side.

Father slowed down the engine so that they could smile and wave at the Indian children who came running down the bank to watch them go by.

“Someday let’s stop and get to know them,” Naomi coaxed eagerly, but Peggy Jean wasn’t so sure she wanted to. She felt safer in the boat.

“I wonder if anyone has ever told them about the Lord Jesus and God’s love for them?” Mother was thinking aloud as they all twisted around to get a last glimpse of the children. Peggy Jean was to think of that years later when God gave her the opportunity to do that very thing.

It was about eleven o’clock when they reached a place in the river where there was a large dock to which several boats were already tied. Father slowly edged the launch along the side of the dock where there was an empty place and tied a rope around a post to hold securely. Then he helped each one to climb up onto the dock. Last of all he jumped out himself and stretched his arms and legs.

“Now for a bit of a hike,” he said, grinning. “We’re not there yet. The town’s about three-fourths of a mile up this trail so we’d better get going.”

“We won’t need long for shopping,” Mother suggested, as they walked briskly. “We can probably be back at the boat by one o’clock and eat our lunch as we start for home.”

It seemed a very long walk to Peggy Jean, who had to run most of the way to keep up with the rest, but finally they were there.

“Is this town?” the girls cried in surprise. “Why, there’s only a few little houses and this bigger one with the funny sidewalk made out of boards in front of it. Where are all the stores?”

“Wait until you see what all is in this one building right here,” Father said, smiling. “See the second story up there? That’s the town’s hotel. Walk right in this door and see what our town has to offer.”

Inside, they found the store was so full of things that the few shoppers hardly had room to move about. There was a keg of nails sitting next to a barrel of apples. Harnesses, hams and slabs of bacon hung overhead, along with pots and pans and gardening tools. The store seemed to be a combination of grocery, dry goods, hardware and drug store. On one side in the back was the post office, and on the other side there was a potbellied stove with a few men sitting around it talking. The stove was not burning, for it was a warm day, but it appeared to be a general meeting place to hear the news of the town.

While Mother and Father were doing their shopping, the girls looked around for books or toys, but there didn’t seem to be any. They saw some round, white, hard peppermints and lemon drops, and the girls were glad when they heard their mother say, “I must get some of these. Bob is fond of them. Won’t he be pleased when we bring him the two letters from Sue that are in the mail.”

The girls knew that Aunt Sue was still back East in Philadelphia working until Uncle Bob and Father got a house built for them.

They didn’t walk quite so fast on the way back to the boat, for Father’s arms were filled with boxes of canning jars, and each of the rest had something to carry also.

The launch started without so much sputtering this time, and they munched happily on their sandwiches as they started homeward. They had hardly finished their lunch before Peggy fell sound asleep, and she didn’t wake up until they reached their own boat landing.

Picking Hazelnuts: Chapter 4

“When are we going to have our big bonfire?” Helen asked.

“You’ve worked hard and done a real good job,” Father said, looking pleased at the surprisingly large area now neatly cleared. “That pile of brush will make quite a Fourth of July celebration, even if it is October with snow on the ground.”

“There isn’t any snow on the ground, Father.” Peggy Jean was puzzled.

“There could be, any day now, for winter often comes early up here in northern Minnesota. It will be best to wait until it does, and until the ground freezes, before we have our big fire. In these forested areas the soil is made up of many layers of fallen leaves and dead trees that have gone back into the soil. Unless the ground is frozen, smoldering fire can creep through this humus and sometimes bursts into flame again — and even quite a distance away! Forest fires have started that way. It pays to be mighty careful with fires. Never forget that, girls!”

The girls looked at the big woods all around them. How dreadful a forest fire would be! The maples were turning red, and the aspen and birch were now glowing shades of yellow and gold against the dark green of the pine and spruce. They knew a forest fire would quickly turn all this living beauty into charred sticks and stumps and destroy all the wildlife that made their homes in the big woods around them.

At supper that night, Father had something interesting to suggest. “How would you all like to go picking hazelnuts tomorrow? I know where we could pick a few sacks in no time, if the squirrels and chipmunks haven’t beaten us to them. Long about Christmastime, some hazelnuts’ll taste mighty good!”

So it was that they all climbed into the flivver and were on their way in good time the next day. For about five miles, they drove through big woods until they came to an area where the trees were much smaller and more scattered. The open spaces were filled with what Father called hazel brush.

“See these clusters? They are green now, but are turning a bit brown, so it’s good we got the jump on the squirrels — they would’ve been at them in no time. They’ll feel funny to your fingers, sort of fuzzy and sticky, but don’t let that bother you. After we take them home, we’ll let them dry until they’re good and crisp. Then when we peel back this outside, the round nut inside will be about the size of an acorn. When you crack and eat them — well, then you’ll know why the squirrels and chipmunks like them so well!”

“Don’t scatter out of sight,” Mother called, as the girls began running eagerly into the brush with their bags. “Stay close to one another. It would be easy to get lost.”

“Yes, and we might even scare up a bear, you know!” Father said, grinning teasingly at their startled faces.

“It’s not likely, although they do like nuts real well.” He added, “If there was one here abouts before we arrived, he’s gone looking for his dinner far away by now.”

“How do you know, Daddy?” Helen wanted to know.

“The noise we made arriving would have scared him away,” Father explained. “Most animals hear, see and smell us long before we even know that they are around. Unless you are very quiet in the woods and the wind is blowing toward you so they cannot smell you, you won’t see much wildlife. As a rule they are more afraid of us than we are of them. Let’s get to picking now, and see who fills his sack first. When it’s full, come empty it into one of these big burlap sacks by the car.”

“When you hear the car horn blow, that will be time for lunch. Let’s all be watching for a nice shady spot where we can enjoy our picnic,” Mother suggested.

What fun it was! The girls helped each other by bending the bushes down so they could reach the curious clusters, like small green bundles. When they stopped for lunch, they found they had filled several large burlap sacks.

“We’ll just pick a little longer,” Father decided. “We’ve got almost enough, don’t you think, Mother?”

“I think so, but don’t forget we’ll enjoy them in fudge and cookies besides eating them as they are. And, of course, we’ll be a bigger family at Christmastime.”

“Who’s coming?” the girls chorused eagerly.

“We’re expecting Aunt Jean! She’s planning to come from Philadelphia on the train,” Mother explained, “and she will spend at least a week with us.”

“Company’s coming! Company’s coming!” the girls shouted with pleasure as they chased each other and rolled in the grass in their excitement. Aunt Jean was Father’s oldest sister. What fun it would be to have such special company at Christmastime.

Father was finishing his last sandwich, and between bites he managed to say, “Soon as the snow comes we’ll cut the trees. It will be easier then to skid them out with the horses. Mr. Brooks up the way has promised to turn them into lumber for us in his saw mill. As soon as spring comes and the weather is fit for building, we’ll make good progress on that house. Yessir! Sue and Bob will be our near neighbors by summer!”

When they returned home, Father brought a ladder and carried the sacks of nuts up onto the flat roof of the porch where he spread them out to dry in the sun.

“After they’ve been in the sun for several weeks, the husks will turn brown and dry. Then we’ll shuck them and hang the nuts to dry more in the attic till long about Christmas,” he explained to the girls.

It was beginning to sound more and more interesting! How could they ever wait two whole months for it to come?

Peggy and the Boss of the Barnyard!: Chapter 5

One day as Mother stood looking out the window, they heard her call, “Oh — oh! Come watch! That old ram is bossing Betsy again.”

The girls came running to join her at the kitchen window, and she lifted Peggy up onto the counter so she could see as well as the bigger girls. How they laughed at the sight of the much smaller ram chasing their big Holstein cow around and around the barn. When Betsy grew tired and tried to stop, the ram bunted her legs with his hard head until she ran again.

One day, the ram was standing in the yard not far from the kitchen door.

“There’s that old boss of the barnyard! Who dares to go out and pet him?” Naomi teased.

“I’m not scared of him,” Peggy boasted. “I’d go pet him if I wanted to.”

“All right, you show us. Here, take some salt in your hand and feed it to him. He loves salt and that may help him to feel friendly.”

Peggy started out the kitchen door, walking very slowly. She knew she was afraid — just plain scared! If only she hadn’t boasted.

“Nice ram! Nice ram!” she coaxed. Her voice was hardly more than a whisper, but he turned his head and looked at her.

“H ... here’s some salt,” she said, holding out her trembling hand to him.

The ram stepped stiffly closer to her and sniffed at her hand curiously. His breath tickled. W ... would he bite her? Peggy pulled her hand back a bit as his rough tongue reached out.

Wham ... m ... mm! Thud!

Peggy sat down so hard and so fast that it seemed the ground had come up and hit her. As she scrambled to her feet, something banged into her stomach — hard!

Down she sprawled again!

This time, Peggy rolled over before she started up.

“Ouch ... o ... h ... h ... h!” she wailed as she hit the ground face down this time. Tears began to make straggly streaks through the dust on her cheeks. What should she do? The “Boss of the Barnyard” was only a few feet away. His head was lowered, waiting for her to get up again. Wouldn’t someone come to help her?

A quick glance toward the window showed Mother, Naomi and Helen watching — and laughing!

She would show them — and that mean old ram too! She would get up so fast — and run for the house — before — before — woooooff!

Again she sprawled helplessly. Now Peggy was really crying.

At last help came. Mother and Naomi with brooms and sticks chased the ram back into the barnyard.

Peggy Jean scrambled to her feet, feeling sore and bruised in several places, but a wiser little girl than she had been moments before.

A few days later, the ram was again chasing big Betsy around the barn. Suddenly Betsy revolted! Swinging her big body around, she braced her legs, lowered her broad head, and waited.

The “Boss of the Barnyard” was almost upon her, running with his head down, so he did not see what awaited him.

Crash! Two very hard heads collided with a resounding crack! The stunned ram rolled onto the ground with his four legs straight up in the air.

In a few moments, he roused, scrambled to his feet and looked about, completely bewildered. Betsy was calmly continuing her interrupted dinner, and a subdued ram trotted away to join the sheep, never again to be the boss in the barnyard.

The girls enjoyed telling Father all about it at supper time, and everyone had a good laugh. Then Mother said thoughtfully, “Maybe Betsy can teach us something! That ram had no right to boss her around. He was her enemy. As long as she ran from him, he had his way, and she was miserable. Satan is our enemy, and he likes to see us run from him like cowards. How did Betsy get the victory over the ram?”

“When she stood her ground and resisted him!” Naomi answered promptly. “And I think I know what Bible verse you’re thinking of. ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’”

“Good thinking!” smiled Mother.

After supper Father read some very interesting verses from the Bible, Ephesians 6:1018:

“Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. . . . Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

Rainy Day Fun: Chapter 6

Busy days followed one another in the new home in the big woods. Good smells from Mother’s kitchen drifted out to the garden where the girls were picking vegetables for her to can for winter. Beans, peas, corn and beets were now in glass jars, filling the shelves down in the cellar below the kitchen. Cucumbers and green tomatoes, made into pickles and relishes, added to the shining rows.

Out in the woods, the girls had discovered chokecherries and pin cherries that Mother had made into purple and ruby red jelly.

“Next summer we’ll be picking wild strawberries and raspberries,” Mother promised. “We’re too late for them this year. I’m sure we can find blueberries, June berries and wild plums not far away also. God provides lots of good things for us and for the birds and wild animals in these north woods.”

Rain was pattering on the porch roof one morning when they awakened. A soft damp breeze brushed across their faces. As Peggy sat up on her cot and looked out at the dripping woods, she wondered whatever could they do indoors if it rained all day?

At breakfast Mother seemed pleased with the rain. “This will be a good day to bake bread and to churn butter. You girls can help me with the churning, and I think you will enjoy it. Then it is about time for Naomi and Helen to get started with schoolwork.”

“School? But where? how?”

“Right here at home,” Mother answered firmly. “Have you forgotten I taught school before I married Father? The little schoolhouse up the road can’t seem to get another teacher since the one they had left unexpectedly. I’ve borrowed a few books, and as long as it is raining, we might as well get started as soon as we are through with our chores.”

“School at home will seem different — will we have to call you ‘teacher’? And what about Peggy?” Helen was wondering about her little sister, for she always looked out for her.

“Peggy can cut out paper dolls or blow soap bubbles, something quiet. No, you won’t have to call me teacher,” Mother said, smiling. “But you will have to remember it really is school — no whispering or even walking around without permission. Let’s hurry now. Naomi and Helen can do the dishes. Peggy, put this old coat on and run out and feed the chickens and gather the eggs. While the girls are studying, you can fill the chip box too. They’ll be wet, but will soon dry out by the warm kitchen stove.”

Before the girls were finished with the dishes, Mother kneaded and set her bread. After covering it with a clean towel, she tucked it into a corner of the counter by the warmth of the big black kitchen range to rise. A big kettle of vegetable soup was put to simmer on the back of the stove. Fresh bread and homemade soup were Mother’s “standbys” for rainy days.

“School time!” Mother called, as soon as they finished washing the dishes and Peggy returned with the eggs and had hung her dripping coat on a nail in the kitchen shed.

Before long, Naomi and Helen were busy with their schoolwork at the dining room table. At the opposite end, Peggy was cutting out chains of gingerbread boys and pretending that she was also in school.

Finally, after what seemed a very long time, Mother glanced at the clock and decided their books could be put away for the morning. “I’ll get you girls started on the churning while I make my bread into loaves.”

The girls watched with interest while Mother poured the slightly soured cream into the churn. The churn was made of gray crockery and was as big around as a milk pail, but twice as tall. The ‘dasher’ was two pieces of wood nailed together crisscross to exactly fit the bottom of the churn. To this, a long handle was fitted. It came up through a small hole in the lid.

“Splash-splash-splash” went the dasher as Mother moved it smoothly up and down, up and down, through the little hole in the lid. After a while it was Naomi’s turn.

“Not too fast — there, that’s just right. It doesn’t make the butter come any faster to splash it any faster. The secret is to keep it moving steadily. When you’re tired, let Helen take a turn while I hurry my bread into loaves.”

The girls took turns until their arms were aching. “Don’t you think it is ready yet, Mother?” they coaxed.

“No, not yet. You’ll hear a watery splash to the dasher when it starts to ‘break.’ Also, tiny flecks of yellow will begin to gather on the dasher down close to the lid. But stop a moment, I want to take some of the thick sour cream out for lunch.”

Mother lifted the lid and dasher, and they could see that the churn was full of what looked like very heavy whipped cream. After taking out a bowl full, she replaced the lid and the dasher and encouraged the girls.

“It won’t be long now before the butter comes. Call me just as soon as it sounds different to you and you see tiny specks of yellow butter on the dasher. Then it will be time to drain off the buttermilk and wash the butter with cold pump water.”

Before they knew it, the dasher and cream changed their tune and seemed to be saying, “Slap-slush! Slap-slush!” and, yes! little grains of butter were on the dasher.

Now Mother carefully lifted out the dasher and lid and put the churn up on a stool. From down near the bottom of the churn, she pulled out a cork and the white buttermilk with a few flecks of butter poured into a pitcher she was holding. Next she replaced the cork and poured cold pump water into the churn to wash the butter. When this drained out through the little hole down near the bottom, it looked like milky water, and she saved it for the pig to drink.

Finally, she put the big chunk of golden butter that had “gathered” into a ball into a large wooden bowl, where she washed it many times with fresh cold water the girls pumped for her. She used a wooden paddle, mashing, turning, pressing, until the water that oozed out was clear as clear could be. She explained to the girls that to wash the butter well was the biggest secret of all in making good butter with a fresh, sweet flavor.

Before she salted it, she took some out for Father, who liked it that way — sweet and fresh without salt. She worked salt into most of it, for the butter would keep better that way. Then she pressed the butter firmly into several crocks, covered them, and then set them on a shelf out in the cold kitchen entrance shed. It would quickly become hard and firm out there. The bread in the oven was beginning to smell so very good. The girls did not need to be coaxed to hurry with setting the table for lunch.

When the men came in from the woods where they had been cutting trees for the lumber to build Uncle Bob and Aunt Sue’s house, they exclaimed over the good smells that greeted them. As they bowed their heads to give thanks, the steaming fragrance of the vegetable soup lifted softly into their faces from the bowls placed before them.

“Say, Bob! How’s this for a dinner to come in out of the rain and cold for?” Father asked, as he helped himself to another slice of warm bread and fresh butter.

“Hits the spot, I’d say!” Uncle Bob grinned. “Think I’d like another dish of soup to prove I mean it!” As he held his empty dish for Mother to refill, he asked, “I wonder, did you girls help make this butter? I never tasted better!”

The girls had wondered what Mother had saved out the bowl of whipped sour cream for. Now they discovered they could spread a thick layer of it on a piece of warm fresh bread and sprinkle it lightly with sugar. This would be their dessert. It was so good Peggy was sure that nothing could ever taste better!

After lunch, Helen and Peggy decided to play house up in the attic. Father and Mother’s bed had an old fashioned high brass headboard. They discovered that by climbing up on it and by boosting and pulling each other, they managed to climb up into the attic. When Father wanted to get into the attic, he brought a ladder in from outside and climbed up through an attic hole, but the ladder was too heavy for the girls.

It was dusty and dim in the attic until their eyes got used to it. The rain on the roof made a pleasant drumming sound above them. The girls had pushed and tugged boxes and trunks aside until they had cleared a little spot for their playhouse area. One large box they had left for a table and a couple of smaller ones for chairs. A large oval clothes basket made a bed for Peggy if she curled her legs up. They always played that Helen was the mother and Peggy was the baby.

Many happy hours slipped by as the girls played house up in that cozy spot. But best of all, the girls enjoyed rainy evenings. The little house was snug and warm even though the wind was blowing and the rain spattering against the dark windows outside. Father and Uncle Bob would be doing “men” things — mending harnesses, getting muskrat traps cleaned and oiled, drawing plans for Aunt Sue and Uncle Bob’s house and barn and the chicken house. And the best time of all would be if Mother would turn the lamp up and read out loud to all of them.

Sometimes she read stories of great missionaries like David Livingstone, John Paton, Hudson Taylor and Stanley Arnott. Sometimes they were just stories about great preachers like Martin Luther, Whitfield and the Wesley brothers.

Peggy Jean couldn’t understand all the big words, but Mother explained some as she read. Sometimes she fell asleep, not even waking up when someone carried her and tucked her into bed.

When Mother Came: Chapter 7

Often before bedtime the girls would coax Mother to tell them a story about when she was a little girl. One night before bed she told them this story: “I was only seven years old when my mother became very sick and died. My sister Sadie was five and Uncle Bob was sixteen. We lived in a little town called Long Prairie. Although our father loved us very much, it was hard for him to work and take care of two little girls, so Sadie and I went to live with our grandparents.

“I missed my mother very much and often remembered how she would hold me on her lap with her arms about me, when I was smaller. We would rock and sing hymns together.

“When we came to live with our grandparents, they let us go to Sunday school wherever we pleased, so Sadie and I became ‘Sunday school tramps.’ There were several churches in town, so we tried each one. Especially at Christmastime, we would go to one in the morning and another in the afternoon so we would be sure to get in on the Christmas ‘treats’ at both!

“One day I believe God guided us to try a plain, little building with a sign out in front that said simply, ‘Gospel Hall ... Welcome!’

“Sadie and I immediately loved the motherly teacher who taught the class we were placed in. We decided that this was the Sunday school we would attend regularly.

“‘Where do you live? And do you have other brothers and sisters?’ the teacher asked that first Sunday.

“‘We live in a great big house and we have twelve brothers and sisters!’ I answered, and began to tell her all the beautiful names I thought my pretend brothers and sisters had. No one had ever taught me that lying was sin. I had often lived in a dream world, thinking about what I wanted most of all — a mother and father who loved me and lots of brothers and sisters all living happily together in a big house.

“When the puzzled teacher wanted to know where we lived, I couldn’t quite tell her, except to say that it was beside a big hill where lots of children went sliding.

“As we continued coming, Sunday after Sunday, I began to learn about the Lord Jesus who had come from heaven to die on the cross for my sins! Yes, for every one of the naughty things I had ever done. He had done this because He loved me so much and wanted me to be forgiven and cleansed so I could come and live in heaven with Him forever.

“Oh, how wonderful! To think that there was a Saviour who loved me like that.

“One day the memory verse was, ‘Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ I ran all the way home from Sunday school that day with those words providing the rhythm for my flying feet, ‘Come unto Me ... come unto Me ... come unto Me ... I will give you rest!’

“I was coming just as fast as I could! Someone did truly love me and was even asking me to come to Him.

“Up in the little bedroom that Sadie and I shared, I slipped to my knees and told the Lord Jesus I was coming right then to receive Him as my very own Saviour.

“A great comfort filled my heart to think I now belonged to Someone who had invited me to come, Someone who loved me, Someone who had taken the punishment for my sins!

“That night I had a dream that seemed very real. A glowing light seemed to fill the room because of a shining figure standing at the foot of my bed. His arms were held out toward me, and His eyes looked at me so lovingly. I thought it must be the Saviour and sat up quickly in bed, holding out my arms for Him to take me.

“‘Not just yet,’ the Shining One answered gently. ‘I have work for you to do for Me first before you come to be with Me.’

“This happened many years ago, for, remember, I was just seven years old. The work God has given me to do has been happy work, sharing what I know about Himself with others and especially with my own three little girls.

“I’m glad I heard the invitation, ‘Come unto Me.’ And that I just simply came.”

After Mother had blown out the kerosene lamp and listened to their prayers, she kissed them good night. Peggy snuggled down in her bed and looked out the window beside her. How bright the stars were in the velvety black sky!

Did the Lord Jesus look down and see her looking up? Maybe the stars were peek holes through which a bit of heaven’s brightness was shining. Was He wanting her to hear Him say, “Come unto Me”?

“I guess I’ll have to get bigger first,” she thought sleepily. “I’m p’wably too little yet.”

The Friday Sunday School: Chapter 8

One evening after Father had wound the big clock and sent Mollie out to sleep in the barn, he shivered as he closed the door for the night. “There’ll be snow on the ground by morning. A body can smell it and feel it in the air tonight.”

The next morning the girls awakened to a winter wonderland. Every fence post circling the garden in front of the little house wore a powder puff of white. Each branch, down to the tiniest twig and pine needle, was etched in white.

It was so quiet when the girls ran out to do their chores that they stood in wonder gazing about, trying to recognize their familiar surroundings. “How quiet it is!” Naomi spoke softly. “Even the trees are as still as can be — almost as though they dare not quiver lest they drop their arm-load of snow.”

“We can’t even hear our footsteps,” Helen agreed, “and even our voices sound muffled.”

“Ohhh! I like it!” Peggy squealed. “But where is the woodpile? The chips are all under the snow. I’ll have to dig for them like Mollie digs for bones!”

At breakfast Father reported, “I was out on the lake checking on the ice this morning. It feels slick as glass under the snow and the girls can easily sweep off a spot to skate on with brooms. This snow is light and fluffy. Bob is going to put out his nets for fish to smoke this morning.”

“Are you sure the ice is thick enough to be safe for skating?” Mother asked, worrying. But Father answered heartily, “It is six inches already — I chopped a hole to see. Before we know it the ice will be two feet thick and we’ll be sawing ice for the ice house to make ice cream next summer.” Father smiled at the girls’ big eyes.

“How does Uncle Bob set nets for fish?” Naomi wanted to know.

“Maybe he’ll take you all along someday when it’s not too cold and you can see for yourselves. He’ll get mostly whitefish for smoking, but you’ll see some other kinds too. They’ll make mighty good eating out of this clean cold lake.”

After breakfast, it was hard to keep busy with schoolwork when so many new and exciting things were calling them out-of-doors. Finally, after two hours had crept by, Mother sighed. “I guess you might as well put your books away and run out and play. To tell you the truth, I’d like to do that myself.”

As the girls bundled up she continued, “I found the skates last night and Father sharpened them a bit for you. They’re hanging on a hook by the kitchen shed door. There are just two pairs, for Peggy isn’t big enough yet.”

“When I get my skates on, I can pull her on the sled,” Helen offered. “That will be fun for her.”

The girls carried brooms and Mother took the shovel. Just before leaving the house, Mother reached up to the clock shelf for the big clock key and put it carefully in her pocket. The skates would have to be clamped to their shoes and tightened with this big key.

They followed the cow path down the swamp road with the snow-laden trees arched overhead. Now and then snow would slither from a branch and plop silently below.

Reaching the lake, they began to work eagerly with their brooms and shovel. First they made a path in the shape of a huge circle, then crisscrossed it until Peggy thought it looked like a pie for a giant!

Finally, the girls clamped their skates onto their high-topped shoes and tightened them firmly with the clock key. Peggy stopped sweeping to watch Naomi sailing along the paths they had cleared. It seemed almost like flying to her. Helen followed a bit more cautiously, for skating was more new to her. Several times she sat down hard - but struggled up and tried again.

After a bit, Mother and Peggy started back to the house to make lunch for the family. “Look, Mother! We’ve got company!” Peggy cried, and sure enough, a wagon with two men in it was waiting in front of their house.

Mother hurried to welcome them. When their coats were off and they had drawn chairs up by the stove, Mother poured them coffee that was still hot on the back of the stove.

After telling their names and where they lived, they explained what they had come for. “You see, it’s this way,” began Mr. Jasmer. “You’ve seen our schoolhouse, I’m sure, just a smidgen over a mile to the east of you folks. I gave a piece of my land so it could be set there right on the road, so the folks all around calls it the ‘Jasmer Schoolhouse.’

“We’re rightly proud of it, and we want our young’uns to have book learnin’ like they do in town, at least through sixth grade. But we’re havin’ our troubles. Our teacher had t’leave because of sickness, and it looks like she’ll not make it back this winter.

“Now, we heard tell you are a school mar’m and taught for a couple of years ’fore you was married. So, being my neighbor and I here are on the school board, we’ve come to see if we could talk you into taking ours for the rest of the year?”

He paused and looked hopefully at Mother, who was looking both surprised and puzzled. After a moment she replied, “I wish I could say yes, but I have a little girl not of school age yet and no one to leave her with. Also, we’re just getting our lives started here. Much needs to be done, inside and out, and the days never seem long enough as it is ... ”

“W’all, we kin ’preciate we’re askin’ a lot of ya, and though we all pitch in on the salary, we know it’s not as much as it should be. As for the little girl — our house is just beyant a stone’s throw, and I’m sure my wife wouldn’t mind a mite havin’ such a sweet little thing around during the school hours.” Mr. Jasmer smiled and winked at Peggy Jean who was standing shyly behind her mother’s chair.

Mother was replying, “The best I can say right now is that I’ll have to pray about it and talk it over with my husband. If I do consider it, there is one thing I would want to do, and it is this: would it be possible to have the children put away their school books for the last hour on Friday afternoons for a time of Bible study? My husband and I have been feeling very sorry that there is no Sunday school in the whole area for the boys and girls.”

Both men looked very surprised at this and shook their heads doubtfully. “We’d have to ask around and see if folks was favrabul. We’ve never heard of such bein’ done before an’ some might make trouble. We’ve got some in the area — good folks y’know — but not a mite religious.”

As the men bundled into their warm coats and boots, Mother repeated, “My husband and I will think and pray about it, but will consider it only if we can have our Friday Sunday school!”

As he ate his lunch, Father listened thoughtfully while Mother told of the school board’s request. He agreed that they must think and pray about it for a few days. “You’re not too strong, Lu,” he reminded her. “That’ll be quite a walk back and forth every day in all kinds of weather.”

“Yes, and some of the big boys will be a handful, or I miss my guess,” warned Uncle Bob. “I’ve met some of them and heard the teacher who left had her troubles makin’ them toe the mark!”

“The men will be back in a week, and if they are agreeable about our Friday Sunday school, that will help us to know if God wants me to teach. Girls, you can be praying about this, too,” Mother said, smiling. “Now come and help with the dishes.”

Winter in the Big Woods: Chapter 9

When the school board came again, Mother’s answer was yes, for they had agreed to the Friday Sunday school. “Mind you, we had some people make strong objections, but when we made it plain that it was that or no school for the rest of the winter, they came around,” Mr. Jasmer explained.

“Since Christmas is only a week away, we decided to wait until the first of January for school to begin.”

Right now, all were excited to think of company coming all the way from Pennsylvania where they used to live! It was the girls’ Aunt Jean, Father’s sister, who was coming. Peggy Jean would have to sleep with Mother and Father in their big bed so Aunt Jean could use her bed.

What a busy time it was, helping Mother clean house, bake cookies and pies and Scotch shortbread that they knew Aunt Jean was fond of. And then there was the house to get ready with pine and good-smelling balsam branches. Mother had a box that seemed a treasure chest to the girls, for it was filled with things from when Mother had taught school before. There was colored paper, paints and crayons and chalk, lots of pictures of children, animals and birds, stencils and sewing cards — and, oh! so much more!

Aunt Jean would be coming on the train, and Father and Uncle Bob would go to meet her with the team and bobsled, which was the farm wagon with the wheels removed and then placed on runners. They would go across the big frozen lake, and it would take all day to go and come back.

Hay was put in the wagon box to make it softer for anyone riding back there, and the girls coaxed to go too. But it was decided that it would be too cold for them, and there was still lots for them to do at home helping Mother get ready.

Finally the day of Aunt Jean’s arrival came. Father and Uncle Bob started out early in the morning, expecting that it would be dark before they got home again. Their beautiful big team of Percheron horses, Queenie and Jenny, were tossing their heads and seemed as excited as the girls.

What a long, long day that was! They went from window to window to scratch away the frost and try to peer out, long before it was time to expect their return. Now and then, they bundled up and ran down to the lake shore and back. It seemed that the hands of the “wag-on-the-wall” clock had never moved so slowly.

The house was full of the good smells of “company cooking,” for Mother knew they would have “hungry as bears” appetites after their long cold ride.

“I think they should be coming soon now,” Mother finally said, as she helped the girls bundle up warmly. “You may have to wait a while, so keep your scarves over your faces. I’ve lit this lantern for you since it will soon be dark. Take turns holding it as high as you can, so the men will know where the trail is to come in.”

Down by the lake the wind was cold and sharp, and the girls were glad for their thick woolen scarves made from their own sheep’s wool. The little circle of lantern light didn’t help them to see very far away, but finally Naomi called to Helen and Peggy who were chasing each other to keep warm, “Shshh! Keep still and listen — I think I hear something — shhh ... ”

Yes, they all heard it — the clop, clop of horses’ hoofs, the hiss and scrape of the runners on the ice and the jingling of the harnesses. “They’re coming! They’re coming!” they shouted with joy, helping Naomi hold the lantern high.

Then they saw them — first the horses, blowing clouds of steam that blew back, coating their sides with white frost. Up on the high wagon seat were Father and Uncle Bob in their heavy coats and fur hats. Wedged snugly between them was a shorter figure — could that be Aunt Jean? It looked like a brown sausage, for all they could see of her wrapped tightly in a heavy blanket was her frosted glasses and the top of her fur hat!

It took all of them to help her stiffly down and into the house where they unwrapped her with laughter and then nearly smothered her with hugs and kisses.

Soon everybody seemed to be talking at once and asking questions about those “back home” in the East. And then they had to show her everything in the house her brother David had built with Uncle Bob’s help.

Most of this time Peggy Jean stood stroking Aunt Jean’s fur coat that had been tossed across the back of a chair. At the same time, she was looking at Aunt Jean’s suitcase and wondering — wondering if just maybe in that suitcase there would be presents for three little sisters?

Then it was supper time, and afterward, while the girls were doing dishes, the grown-ups still had much more talking to do. Aunt Sue had sent many messages, and others as well, but finally what Peggy was waiting for happened — Aunt Jean opened her suitcase!

And, yes! there were presents for each of the girls — a nice little New Testament and even a balloon! Peggy had never seen a balloon before. Father helped blow them up and tie the neck of each one with a string. Then the grown-ups smiled at the fun the girls had, batting the balloons back and forth.

When bedtime came, Peggy Jean carefully let the air out of her balloon and tucked it under her pillow with the New Testament. That night she fell asleep thinking of tomorrow’s fun with that balloon!

“Look out, Peggy! Don’t let your balloon touch that hot stove” — bang!

The warning had come too late! Peggy Jean sat down on the floor and cried. Helen tried to comfort her by promising to share her balloon, but it wasn’t the same as having her own.

The next day Helen’s broke, and shortly after that, Naomi’s too.

When Mother tucked them into bed that night, she explained something important to them. “Girls, you loved and enjoyed your balloons while they lasted, but never forget how soon they disappointed you. The Bible says, ‘Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,’ and in another place, ‘Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.’”

“Never forget your balloons. In the years to come, you will be tempted to think some thing will satisfy you and make you really happy. But sooner or later it will disappoint you, just as your balloons did. God has made our hearts so that only one thing will ever completely satisfy us and last forever. This secret is found in your other, more precious gift, your little New Testament. Do you know what it is?”

The girls were quiet for a few moments, and then Mother said, “It is found in John 3:16. It is the gift of God’s love in His own dear Son. Let’s quote that verse together.”

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

“It’s time to go to sleep now, but remember, there are treasures — real treasures — just waiting to be discovered in your little New Testaments. As you search in them each day, you will soon learn to love God’s Word, for He promises, ‘Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ ”

Filling the Ice House: Chapter 10

Father and Uncle Bob were building a small log house - at least it looked like that, but it had no roof, no windows and an open doorway. It had taken only one day to build it, and they had not bothered to take the bark off the logs.

No, it wasn’t going to be a playhouse, it was going to be an ice house. But what is an ice house? And what is it for? Uncle Bob liked to tease and to say it was something to make little girls ask questions.

The next day, they made several trips to Mr. Brooks’ sawmill to get sawdust. Finally they had a big pile of it leaning against one side of the ice house.

The following day, Father announced at breakfast, “We’ll be cutting ice today. It looks nice and thick. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s all of thirty inches already. You girls can ride along and watch, but not too closely! It could get dangerously slippery when the water starts sloshing up over the ice.”

“I hope you men will be careful yourselves too,” Mother said, worrying. “This is one job I’ll be glad to see finished.”

Father was in a hurry to get started, so Mother excused the girls from dishes, and they were soon bouncing down the swamp road in the bobsled.

“Watch out for that big ice saw,” Father warned. “Those teeth have just been sharpened!” It was the longest saw the girls had ever seen. It was lying on the floor of the bobsled where they sat. Beside it was a big pair of iron ice tongs shaped like a huge chicken’s wishbone.

When they got out onto the ice, they found Uncle Bob was already shoveling the snow away from the place where they would be cutting. Father immediately began chopping and chipping to make a hole large enough to fit the big saw through.

“Say, this is really thick, Bob! I’m sure I’ve chopped through more than thirty inches already. There she comes! There’s the water! Good enough.”

Father laid the axe and chisel in the bobsled, for he always took good care of his tools. Next he carefully fitted the long saw down into the hole he had made. He began to pull it up and down, up and down, clear across the same spot Uncle Bob had shoveled. As the girls watched with big eyes, he began to cut large squares, and the icy water began to slosh up around his feet.

When he had a row of blocks cut, he got the ice tongs, pulled a big block of ice right out of the water and put it in the back of the bobsled. Then another and another.

Uncle Bob had finished shoveling and had started sawing another row of blocks while Father continued to pile them into the sled.

“Guess this will do for the first load,” Father finally said. “Want to ride on top, girls? Here you go!” Father swung them up. It was cold sitting up on their icy perch, and it seemed high up in the air. Peggy held on to Naomi, who didn’t seem to be afraid. The load was heavy and the horses pulled more slowly on the way back home.

“Now I’ll have to unload,” Father explained, as they pulled along side of the ice house. “Run into the house and warm up. Tell Mother that Bob and I will be in for a cup of coffee before long.”

The morning flew by, and by mid-afternoon there were rows and rows of square chunks of clear ice stacked one on top of the other. They were placed on the opposite side of the ice house from the big pile of sawdust. Back at the lake, there was now a big square of open water looking cold and dark.

“This might freeze nice and smooth tonight!” Uncle Bob was thinking out loud. “In a few days, if it doesn’t snow, it might be thick enough again to make a good, smooth skating rink for you girls.”

“Well Bob, that’s a good job done, isn’t it? Tomorrow we’ll pack it into the ice house and I think we should celebrate by churning up some ice cream. How does that sound, girls? Wait till you taste it -beats the store stuff all hollow, doesn’t it, Bob?”

The next day, the girls learned how the sawdust was to be used. Layers of it were shoveled in and packed around every chunk of ice they put into the ice house. When the last of the ice was fitted snugly in the sawdust and completely buried, it all filled every crack and crevice.

“There now,” Father exclaimed with satisfaction, “you’ll see that the saw dust will keep the ice from melting right through the heat of the summer and even into the fall. Now let’s go make that ice cream!”

While the girls watched, their father put a big chunk of ice into a burlap sack and whacked it hard with the flat side of an axe. Uncle Bob brought the ice cream freezer in from the kitchen shed. Mother filled the center container with a mixture of eggs, milk, cream, sugar and a little vanilla, then fitted a snug lid over it. Uncle Bob began to fill the crushed ice around the center container, sprinkling salt between the layers of ice.

“Why do you put salt on the ice?” Helen asked.

“I think it makes the ice colder, doesn’t it?” Naomi suggested.

“Well, in a way it does, because it makes the ice melt faster, and that makes the ice cream freeze more quickly. Now who wants to turn the handle? Why don’t you start, Peggy Jean; it’s easy now. After a while when the ice cream starts freezing, you’ll see it will get harder to turn.”

Each of the girls took several turns, and then Uncle Bob finished turning until it felt very stiff. Everyone gathered around, watching eagerly as Mother carefully brushed the top, wiping away bits of ice and salt. Then she lifted off the top and drew from the center the part she called the dasher, which she laid on a clean platter. Then each one got a spoon and helped to clean off the dasher, enjoying the delicious first taste.

“Mmmmmhh!” For a few moments everyone was too busy to talk. But all too soon, every bit was licked up and Uncle Bob put the freezer outside to “set firmer” until time for dessert.

Later, as each enjoyed a generous bowlful, the girls thought it was more than worth all the hard day’s work filling the ice house.

School Days: Chapter 11

It was January and cold, cold, cold! The mile up the road to the Jasmer Schoolhouse seemed like a very long mile to Mother and the girls. They wore warm sweaters under their heavy coats and pulled on knitted caps, thick scarves and knitted stockings from their own sheep’s wool.

They carried lunch pails and books, which were sometimes piled on a small sled that they took turns pulling. When Peggy Jean got tired, she got on the sled too, then she tried to hold everything on her lap.

When they reached the schoolhouse, one of the big Jasmer boys, Melrose, would pull her to his house a half a mile farther through the woods. Mrs. Jasmer had agreed that she would be very glad to have Peggy stay with her so the school could be reopened. She was kind to Peggy, but it seemed like a long, lonesome day away from her family.

Melrose had long legs and could run fast. Those rides were most fearful for Peggy. Through the trees they went flying, up and down hills and hollows. She had to hold on as tightly as she could, with hands already stiff with cold.

Some days, Father let Peggy stay with him while he worked at the sawmill at Mr. Brooks’, and she liked that. Often she would sit up on the very top of a huge pile of sawdust where she was safely out of the way of the screaming saws.

From her perch, she could watch the men lift, heave, roll and push the logs onto what they called a conveyor. This carried the logs by huge pulleys into the screeching saws. There, they trimmed off big slabs with bark on them. These the men tossed onto piles to be cut up later for firewood. Again the now neatly trimmed log went into the screaming saw, and this time came out as nice clean boards.

All this time, sawdust was streaming out of the mouth of what looked like a huge, long gooseneck, making another sawdust mountain beside the one Peggy was sitting on. Peggy loved the good, fresh, woodsy smell of the sawdust and the clean new boards.

When Peggy Jean got to feeling cold, she would slide down her sawdust hill and run to the Brooks’ house a short distance away through the woods.

Mrs. Brooks’ face was a nice tan from spending much time in her garden in the summer and from many hours of berry picking. She wore her hair pulled tightly away from her face and twisted into a knot at the very top of her head.

She was always busy, but she had a beautiful, friendly smile. Peggy Jean would slip into a chair behind the table and watch her kneading bread or shaping it into loaves and buns. Sometimes she was rolling out pie crust or “working” butter. The kitchen was always warm from the big, black cook-stove, and it was filled with good smells of food cooking.

When the hungry men came in for their noon meal, Peggy Jean felt very small wedged in-between her father and another big man. How fast the heaping bowls were emptied and refilled, as Mrs. Brooks cheerfully watched the men enjoy what she had prepared.

In the afternoon, Peggy would curl up on the couch for a nap. The first thing she knew, Mother and the girls stopped for her on their way home from school.

Many times Peggy Jean coaxed to go to school with her big sisters. “Do you think you could be quiet, very quiet, if I let you come?” Mother asked. “You could not come running up to me to ask questions. Mother would not even have time to watch what you are doing. I’m afraid it would not work out yet — you had better wait until next winter.”

“Please let me try, Mother,” Peggy coaxed. “I’ll show you how quiet I can be! Let me try just one time and see how good I will be.”

“All right,” Mother finally agreed. “We’ll try just one day and see.”

How big and important Peggy Jean felt the next day as she went into the schoolhouse with the big children. Mother took her to a seat in the back of the room and gave her some paper, crayons and chalk. She told her she could turn around and stand on her seat and write on the blackboard right behind her when she was tired of sitting.

Again Mother reminded her, “You must not talk or even whisper. That will show me if you are really big enough to come to school!”

Peggy was happy! She had missed Mother and her sisters. She enjoyed the books and pictures, but most of all she liked listening to the other children reciting and reading out loud. She also enjoyed watching them at the blackboard. The morning flew by, and before she knew it, it was recess time.

What fun that was! They played “Fox and Geese” in a big, pie-shaped ring in the snow. Then it was “Annie, Annie Over,” as they threw a ball over the schoolhouse. When someone caught it, they raced around to tag the players on the other side.

When Mother stood out on the doorstep and rang a hand-bell, they came running from all sides with rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes.

Peggy Jean returned to her seat in the back of the room and looked at her books again. After a while, she decided to stand on her seat and write on the blackboard behind her. Suddenly, the seat began to tip away from the wall! Peggy reached forward, grabbing for the chalk ledge, but the seat had swung too far away for her to reach it. Before she knew what had happened, she lost her balance and pitched forward, falling headfirst between the desk and the wall. As she fell, the seat fell quietly back and caught her by her feet.

There she hung, upside down, her feet caught firmly between the back of her seat and the chalk ledge. Quite a few moments went by, and no one noticed Peggy Jean had disappeared.

Finally, Mother glanced back to see what her little girl was doing. Peggy - why, Peggy Jean was gone. Where could she be?

Quickly she glanced around the room, but nowhere could she see her little girl. Then she saw the little pair of feet caught between the seat and the chalk ledge!

One of the big boys jumped up to help teacher, and together they pulled a frightened little girl with very pink cheeks back into her seat.

That night at supper, they all helped tell Daddy about Peggy’s first day at school and about her mysterious disappearance. “But I didn’t cry! I was quiet like you said, Mother. Don’t you think I’m big enough to go again?” Peggy asked eagerly.

“Yes, you surely are!” Mother said, smiling. “I think your example can teach some of the bigger children how to behave in school.”

Peggy Jean often went to school after that and enjoyed quietly doing things by herself in her own little corner in the back of the room.

Fridays were the special days of the week when, during the last hour of the day, the Bible became their textbook. Mother was a good teacher, and the Bible was the book above all others that she loved to read and to teach from, for the Author was her Savior and Lord.

Week by week, the interest of the boys and girls increased. They memorized verses and listened to the Bible stories. They soon came to realize that these truths are “more to be desired ... than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10).

Mother's Mouse: Chapter 12

One Saturday morning as Mother was checking over her food supply in the cupboard, she noticed her cheese was being nibbled away. “I must have a mouse getting into this cupboard,” the children heard her say. “I can’t imagine how he gets in and out, but I’ll set a trap and put it right beside the cheese.”

The next day more cheese was gone, but the trap was empty. “He’s a wary mouse, but I’ll catch him yet! Maybe we should see if any of the school children have an extra cat.”

The following day more cheese was nibbled, but the trap was still empty. This time, Mother looked more closely at the marks on the cheese. “Hm, mhh! This doesn’t look like the tiny marks the teeth of a mouse would make. I wonder —! Girls, all three of you, please come here.”

In a moment, Naomi, Helen and Peggy Jean stood beside her and heard her say, “Girls, I’m afraid that what I thought was a mouse has been one of you! Who has been nibbling on the cheese?”

Three heads immediately shook and three voices said, “I haven’t!”

“Naomi, open your mouth!” Mother placed the cheese against her teeth, but no marks fit.

“Now Helen.” The marks were still too small.

“Peggy Jean.” Very slowly, Peggy Jean opened her lips. The nibble marks fit exactly! Mother had caught her mouse!

That night at bedtime, Mother talked about it again to the girls. She spoke of how hard it is to admit when we do wrong and how Satan prompts us to lie if he possibly can.

“You know, girls, this becomes a way of life for many people,” Mother said. “When they sin, they try to hide their sin and deceive people with their lies. Very often others are fooled, but God always knows all about it. He has said, ‘He that [hides] his sins shall not prosper.’ Someday they will have to face God, and as He reveals their sin, it will fit exactly!”

Peggy Jean especially squirmed uncomfortably, remembering how her teeth marks had fit against the cheese.

Mother continued, “All three of you girls need to receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Father and I are praying that you will do it soon, for God has said, ‘Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.’”

One morning, as Uncle Bob was looking out the window, the girls heard him say, “It’s not so cold today. Matter of fact, it’s downright nice outdoors. I’m wondering if there are any fishermen in this family ’sides m’self?” Uncle Bob seemed to be talking to himself, but three pairs of ears perked up.

“I’d like to go! I’d like to go!” came from three different directions.

Mother looked up from some school papers she was correcting. “It’s quite a hike down to the end of the lake. Maybe it’s too far for Peggy Jean —” but Uncle Bobby was smiling and pinching Peggy’s cheek. The whole family knew Peggy Jean was a favorite with him, for when she was a baby, she would go to him before anyone else.

“Sure she can go. I’ll be taking a sled with a box on it for the fish, and she can ride on the way down at least. Dress good and warm, girls. Nice as ’tis, it’ll feel cold out on the lake.”

In no time, all were bundled up and on the way down the swamp road to the lake. Uncle Bob was pulling a sled with a big box on it that held his fishing lures and lines, a pair of pliers, some scraps of bacon for fish bait and a thing that looked like the biggest corkscrew the girls had ever seen. Uncle Bob called it an ice auger. Over his shoulder, he had a long-handled chisel.

Soon they were on the lake, and the girls were glad for warm mittens and scarves. They took turns pulling the sled. Peggy didn’t ride very much, for the box seemed so full of things. Besides, it felt warmer to keep running along with the rest.

When they reached the end of the lake where it joined a river, Uncle Bob told them that the river went zigzagging through marshy swamps and woods until it reached beautiful, big Leech Lake, four miles away.

Uncle Bob stopped beside a stick poking up out of the ice. “Here we are, girls. See this stick here? Now look away over there about fifty feet — see that other one just like it? The net is under the ice between these two poles, fastened to a rope. First I have to chop a hole around both of these poles. The hole has to be just big enough to pull the net and fish through.”

When Uncle Bob felt he had a large enough hole, he began pulling on the rope attached to the pole nearest to him. Soon the end of the fish net was coming out of the icy water - and then the fish that were caught in the net. Beautiful whitefish and tullibee, Uncle Bob called them. When he had worked each one out of the net, he tossed them into his box until it was nearly full.

Then he walked quickly over to the other pole and pulled on the rope over there. The net began to slither back into the icy water below the ice. After it was all out of sight, he made the ropes secure on the two poles again.

“There now, by dark these holes will be frozen over again. Now, Peggy Jean, want to climb in the box and ride with the fish?”

Peggy took one look at the big fish flopping in the box and shook her head, “No!”

“We’re going to smoke these fish in that little smokehouse you saw me build,” Uncle Bob explained as they hurried across the lake. “But now we’re going to stop where I know it’s good walleye fishin’, and I think it’s right here.” Out came his chisel and auger, and he soon had a hole about ten inches across into which he dropped his fish line with a hook baited with a piece of bacon rind.

It wasn’t long before a sharp tug almost snapped the line out of his hand. The girls watched breathlessly as he pulled his line steadily upward. Out of the hole he drew a nice big walleye. In a few moments he had another, and then it was time to hurry on their way home, for fingers and toes were getting cold.

Mother was pleased to have the fresh fish for dinner. It was soon sputtering in her frying pan and turning a beautiful golden brown. How good it smelled to the hungry girls.

That afternoon they watched Uncle Bob clean and prepare the rest of the fish for the smokehouse, and they wondered if the smoked fish could possibly taste as good as the fresh walleye had.

As Peggy Jean snuggled into bed that night, she thought of how each day seemed full of surprises and learning something new. What would tomorrow bring?

Naomi's Decision: Chapter 13

While Mother and the girls had been with Grandmother and Grandfather in Minneapolis, one day before coming up to live in their little house in the big woods, Grandmother had a serious talk with Naomi. “Naomi, I want you to listen carefully to what I have to say. You are almost nine years old and you’re going to live up in those north woods where I won’t see you for a long time. You have not yet received the Lord Jesus as your Savior, have you?”

Naomi shook her head, “No.”

So Grandmother continued, “That is a very dangerous thing for you to neglect. You know that the Lord Jesus loves you and died on the cross for you. He wants you to make it a definite decision to receive Him and give yourself to Him. This is something too important to keep putting off. The Lord Jesus may come at any time now for those who have trusted and received Him. Listen to this verse, ‘He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.’ You won’t forget that, will you?”

“I will remember,” Naomi promised, “and I will do it real soon - I will make that decision.”

Grandmother repeated her verse several times before they left for the north woods, “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” What a dreadful thing that would be. Naomi really meant to keep her promise to Grandmother, very soon.

In their new life with all the exciting things that filled each day, that promise was almost forgotten. Most of the year had gone by. Then one day, Naomi noticed Father had put his saddle on Queenie and was about to go to see a neighbor.

“May I come too, on Jenny, Father?” Naomi coaxed eagerly.

“Yes, but I’m in a hurry — you can catch up,” and Father was on his way.

Naomi was used to riding bareback so she didn’t bother to saddle up, or even to put on the bridle, just the halter, for she knew Jenny would be eager to follow Queenie. Naomi led her to a fence and jumped on.

Away they went like a flash to catch up with Queenie — straight for the clothesline. Oh no! Naomi tried to duck, but could not.

As the rope seared across her neck, Grandmother’s verse flashed into her mind, “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed.”

“Help, Lord — oh, help! I will keep my promise!” she cried desperately, as her head whipped back and she found herself flat on her back, but still on her horse. As Naomi cried to the Lord, the rope snapped away again and she managed to sit up without falling off Jenny, who was still racing after Queenie.

Shortly after this, a young Bible school student from Minneapolis came up to preach in the Jasmer Schoolhouse. As he encouraged his listeners to receive the Lord Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, he too reminded them that the coming of the Lord Jesus might be soon. It was then Naomi remembered her promise to the Lord.

As soon as the service was over, she slipped hurriedly out and ran all the way home. In the bedroom, she knelt by her bed and told the Lord Jesus that she knew she had sinned and that she wanted to receive Him as her Savior right then. She thanked Him for dying for her sins in order that He might accept her into His family forever.

For some reason, Naomi did not tell anyone about what she had done; it just seemed to be a secret between herself and the Lord.

A short time later, she went down to Minneapolis for a visit with two of her aunts. While she was there, she received a letter from Mother telling how happy they were that several had received the Lord as their Savior. Suddenly, she realized that she had never shared her good news with anyone at all. Sitting down, she wrote to her mother and family all about it. Then she told her aunts the good news too.

It was then that God gave her the joy in her salvation that seemed to bubble over. God’s message to her in Romans ten and verse nine became very real to her:

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

Maple Sapping: Chapter 14

“What are you doing, Uncle Bob?”

“Well now, could be just something to make little girls ask questions! S’posing you tell me what you think I’m doin’.”

The girls looked at the sticks Uncle Bob was whittling and Naomi asked, “Are you making whistles? And what will you do with so many? You must have almost a hundred of them.”

“Did you ever hear of spiles? An’ do you know how we get the maple sap out of the trees? Well, this is a spile an’ it’s this a way.” Uncle Bob held up one spile from the pile he had finished. “First we’ll have to drill holes into the maple trees, and then, see how I’ve whittled the bark and a little more off, starting almost at the middle of the spile an’ to the end? That’s the part we pound into the hole we’ve drilled into the maple tree.

“Now see here,” he continued, pointing to a hole drilled through the length of the center of the spile. “This is where the sap will come out of the tree, jest like a spigot, and into a pail hangin’ from this notch I’ve carved for it halfway t’ the end.”

“Does it hurt the trees?” Helen wondered. “The maple trees are so pretty, especially when they turn red and yellow in the fall.”

“Doesn’t seem to,” Uncle Bob assured her. “When the sapping time is over, we take the spiles out and plug the holes, then we let them rest the next year, and the hole grows together again. Iffen the tree’s been a good ‘sapper,’ we’ll tap it again on the other side after it’s had a year’s rest.”

“Can we help gather the sap — and when do we start?” All three girls seemed to be asking at once.

“Whoa, there! Slow down! We have to get just the right kind of weather first. But it won’t be long, mark my words. We haven’t had a thaw yet, but we’ll be gettin’ one ’fore February’s over. That’s what we need, freezin’ nights and thawin’ days, and the sap’ll start pushin’ up in the maples for sure.

“An’ yessirree! You can all help. You’ll be hurryin’ home from school each day — once we start sappin’, t’help us gather it from the trees. I’ll tell you a secret, girls.” Uncle Bob lowered his voice mysteriously.

“You’ll likely come a runnin’ an’ be good and thirsty — and y’know what? A good, long drink of sap, ’most cold as ice, right from the heart of a maple tree is almost too special for words! Jest you wait an’ see.”

Mother and Father had been busy at the table drawing plans for Aunt Sue’s and Uncle Bob’s house, and now Father was saying, “Come, look at these plans, Bob. See if you think this is what Sue’ll like. I’m itching to get at building that house, soon’s we get the sapping and maple syrup finished.”

It wasn’t long before Uncle Bob’s predicted thaw came. The children at recess time were making forts and snowmen and the boys were pestering the girls with snowballs. The girls raced home from school to see if it was time to tap the maple trees, but Uncle Bob shook his head.

“We’d better watch it for a day or two and see if the weather makes up its mind. You never know just yet - might be a blizzard t’morrow. I don’t like the way the wind is shifting northeast.”

Sure enough! The wind began to whistle around the little house during the night, and the next morning the windows were frosted over again, and the whole world seemed filled with whirling snow.

“Shall I get the horses and sleigh out and take you to school?” Father asked.

“Thank you, but no,” Mother replied. “The school board told us not to hold classes if it looked like a real blizzard, and all of the families know this.”

“What will we do all day?” Naomi asked.

“The dishes must be done, beds made and the floor swept. Then you girls can bake cookies, and how about blowing soap bubbles?”

Suddenly the day was filled with happy possibilities.

While they were doing dishes, Helen reminded Naomi and Peggy, “We haven’t played house up in the attic for a long time. I found a whole lot of interesting things up there the other day!”

First they made gingerbread boys and girls with raisins for buttons on their clothes.

Then Mother fixed the soapy water for blowing bubbles and spread a blanket made of their own sheep wool on the table. When the bubbles landed on the blanket, they didn’t break right away. The girls could blow them back and forth across the table. The longer they lasted, the prettier colors they seemed to turn.

The happy day flew by, and the swirling snow was forgotten. During the night the wind stopped. The next morning as they rode to school in the sleigh, all the world looked like a winter wonderland.

A few days later, a soft wind blew that Uncle Bob called a “Chinook.” “A week of this and the snow will melt fast,” he predicted. “Heard a couple of crows talkin’ things over this morning. We’ll soon be sapping, girls.”

Sure enough, a week later many maple trees were filling the shiny lard pails hanging from their spiles. Father had made a big metal vat that looked like a huge shallow bathtub. It rested on big rocks under each corner. Underneath it a slow fire was burning, and the pails of sap were emptied into the big vat. The roof overhead was held up by sturdy poles, but the sides were all open.

Each day, when the girls got home from school, they would take their sleds and help the men gather the full pails of sap. When they reached the “sap house,” they would empty their pails into the big, steamy vat. When they got thirsty, they would enjoy a delicious drink of cold sap right from the pail, and it was just as good as Uncle Bob had said.

Steam rose in sweet-smelling clouds above the gently-bubbling syrup in the big vat. Gradually it began to turn a golden color. After what seemed a very long time, it became a rich, dark brown. Then it was time to “ladle off,” Uncle Bob said. That meant pouring it into clean quart jars and sealing it with a rubber ring and tight lid.

Many jars were filled, and finally just a little syrup was bubbling in the big vat. “Now girls, go find a spot nearby where there’s nice, clean snow. Brush the top off and come back here quick.”

When the girls returned, Uncle Bob scooped up a ladle of thick, sticky syrup. “Now, Peggy Jean, show me your spot and I’ll help you. Then Naomi and Helen can do their own.”

The girls watched eagerly as Uncle Bobby dribbled the sticky syrup in a lacy pattern on the snow. Immediately it was cold and hard enough to break off big bites. Oh how good, how good it was! Soon they were all enjoying the sweetness of pure maple candy.

No one seemed very hungry for supper that night, and they didn’t need coaxing when bedtime came. As long as the weather held with thawing days and freezing nights, the maple sapping would continue.

One evening Mother made maple sugar candy. She boiled a large kettle full of maple syrup on the big black kitchen stove. Every once in a while she spooned a few drops into a cup of cold pump water. Finally she said, “Come see, girls, so you will know how to do this. The syrup I dropped into the cold water can be gathered into a soft ball and lifted out now with my fingers. That means that it has boiled long enough. Now I will take the kettle of hot syrup and set it into this larger one of cold water, to cool for ten minutes. Then we will beat it with a big spoon until it turns a light golden color and begins to thicken. After that, we’ll pour it into this big, shallow pan that I have buttered lightly. We don’t have pretty molds, or I would use them.”

How good it smelled! When Mother began to beat it with a wooden spoon, sure enough, it began to turn a lighter color. Naomi beat it for a little while too, then Mother finished, for it began to be thick and stiff. When she poured it into the big, flat pan, it looked like golden fudge.

How they all enjoyed it that night! Then Mother explained that she would put most of it away in a metal box with a tight lid. Every day, it would get a bit harder. Then it could be shaved with a sharp knife, or grated and used like brown sugar for their oatmeal. It could also be turned back into syrup for their pancakes by adding a little hot water.

When the girls went to bed that night, they thanked the Lord for all the good things He had for them in these big woods.

A Faithful Shepherdess: Chapter 15

“Now, what surprise does your father have hidden under his jacket?” Mother wondered out loud as she looked out the kitchen window toward the log barn down the hill.

The three girls came running to see. Father was carrying something quite big, for his jacket would hardly reach around it. Was that a leg sticking out below? What could it be?

Naomi ran to open the door for Father, who immediately opened his jacket and laid a newborn lamb, stiff with cold, on the kitchen table.

“Get it warmed up as quickly as you can! The mother had twins last night,” he explained, “and she seemed to care for the one all right, but this one got pushed aside and nearly froze. How about some soft rags in a box? Put it here between the kitchen stove and the wall, that’ll be good and warm. After a bit, if it comes to life, we’ll see if it takes to milk in a bottle. Some do, and some don’t, but it’s worth a try.”

The girls had a cozy bed for the little, half-frozen baby lamb in no time. Throughout the morning, they watched eagerly for every stir the little thing made. An hour or so later, its wobbly head began to lift and stretch. Soon the legs were also stirring.

Mother had a bottle of warm milk ready. The bottle had a funny-looking, long nipple on it. Father had bought it in town just a few days before, just in case he might need it with “lambing” soon to start. The girls watched eagerly as Mother dipped her fingers in the warm milk and gently touched the lamb’s mouth.

What happened next seemed like a miracle to the three sisters! The little lamb began to stretch and pull his legs under him. Then he began to brace and lift himself with his wobbly back legs while he still knelt on his front ones. Mother slipped the bottle’s nipple into his mouth, and he began to suck with noisy slurps, bunting his head against Mother’s hands every few seconds.

“Look at the little fellow! He was half starved!” Mother smiled. “See how he keeps bunting now and then? That’s what they do when they nurse their mother. Maybe it makes the milk come faster, I really don’t know. It will be a job for you girls to give him his milk, and you’ll have to remember to hold tightly to the bottle, or the little rascal will knock it right out of your hands.”

When the lamb was satisfied, he tucked his legs under himself and was soon sound asleep in his warm bed behind the stove.

Father was glad for their good news when he came in for lunch. “A few days in his warm box and plenty of good milk, and he’ll be too frisky to stay in his box. We’ll have to hope the weather will be warm enough for him to go back to the sheep shed. Spring is well on the way. I heard a robin this morning, and the pussy willows are out down along the swamp road. Soon’s school’s out, Naomi, you’ll have to be our shepherdess. The other girls can help.”

“What do you mean, Daddy?” Naomi asked.

“Well, it’s a big job for a little girl,” he answered, “but you’re nine years old now, and I think you can do it. You see, the sheep can be in the pasture with the cows part of the time, but in the spring there’s not a lot of grass yet. John Anderson, our neighbor, says we can use his east meadow near his cabin. Trouble is, it’s not fenced in, and there’s wolves, foxes and even bears who fancy a lamb dinner if they can get it!

“They need someone to watch them all the time lest they stray off into the woods by themselves. Sheep get lost easy, just like the Bible says. Mollie will be a good helper for you. I notice she’s real good with the cows and sheep, knows just how to keep ’em together without being too rough. Her eyes and ears are sharper than ours. It’s a good thing we brought her along from the East when we came.”

Father smiled as he ruffled Mollie’s ears as she lay beside his chair, thumping her tail as if she understood every word he said.

Naomi looked very serious. It would be a big job to guard the sheep from wild animals. She thought about David who had watched his father’s sheep when still a boy. God had helped him, and she knew He would help her too.

Helen squeezed Naomi’s hand under the tablecloth. “I’ll help you too,” she whispered.

“Next Saturday Bob and I are going to shear the sheep. That’ll be something you won’t want to miss,” Daddy said.

“Does it hurt the sheep?” the girls asked anxiously.

“Not really,” Father answered. “I’m sure it frightens them, but just like the Bible says, ‘A sheep before her shearers is dumb,’ which means they don’t cry out at all. Let’s read Isaiah chapter fifty-three for our reading today. You girls listen to what God says about our being like sheep that go astray and what God says about the Lord Jesus suffering as the Lamb of God when He was the sacrifice for our sins.”

Father took his Bible, and as he read Isaiah chapter fifty-three, the girls especially noticed verses four through seven:

“Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.”

When Saturday and sheep-shearing time came, they thought of those verses again. They watched with wide-open eyes as Uncle Bob quickly turned the sheep to be sheared onto its side.

“Naomi, you can help. Come here and sit on her shoulders to help hold her still. Think you can do this?”

The sheep made no sound as Father began to quickly clip away its heavy wool with a pair of hand clippers. In no time at all, a coat of wool was completely cut away and a strange-looking, nearly-naked sheep was allowed to scamper to its feet. After a shake or two, the sheep trotted away in nothing but its skin!

Before the girls could pity the sheep too much, Father assured them that the wool would soon grow again, and with the mild spring weather the sheep would not suffer, but actually be more comfortable.

After the sheep shearing was over, the woods were often ringing with the sounds of sawing and chopping down trees for building Aunt Sue and Uncle Bob’s house. Even the girls helped by peeling the big logs with a curved sharp blade with a handle on both ends. Even Peggy Jean sometimes sat on a big log, pulling the peeler toward herself to strip the bark from the clean white logs. Most of the time she watched the bigger girls, for they could do it much faster.

Many of the logs were pulled to the sawmill by Queenie and Jenny and came back as loads of trim, fresh lumber.

Soon the woods were echoing with the sounds of hammering, and a lovely new home down by the lake was growing before their eyes.

The grass seemed to turn green overnight after a warm spring rain. The frogs were tuning up their chorus in the pond behind the barn when Naomi and Mollie began taking the sheep out each day to enjoy Mr. Anderson’s grassy meadow. One day seemed much like another, but it helped when Helen came too, when Mother didn’t need her at home. Then they could tell stories and play games, and the time passed quickly. They discovered interesting bird nests, lovely pink and yellow lady’s slippers and jack-in-the-pulpits, but they never forgot to watch the sheep.

One day when Naomi was there alone, it was almost time to return home when she made a discovery. A mother sheep had just given birth to a pair of twins. How dear they were — but those wobbly legs! How was she going to get them home? Surely they could not walk that far.

Mollie had sniffed at them approvingly, but then trotted away to round up the rest of the flock for home. There was only one thing she could do, Naomi decided. Carefully, she picked up both lambs and balanced one on each shoulder, holding firmly to their front legs. Trusting Mollie to bring the rest of the flock, she started homeward, the ram trotting on one side and the mother ewe on the other, giving little bleats and nudging her nose against Naomi! Looking back now and then, she saw the flock was following her, with Mollie faithfully watching for any stragglers.

How good it was to reach home safely and to hear Mother and Father’s words of praise and encouragement!

As she grew older, Naomi loved to think of the Good Shepherd who takes every one of His sheep safely home to glory, bearing them on His shoulders with rejoicing!

Summer Fun!: Chapter 16

Busy days came with early summer, and there was work for everyone, even the three sisters. Father was plowing in front of the house, forming a big garden that sloped away down to the incoming trail. Raspberry bushes edged the barbed-wire fence on one side and across the foot of the garden by the trail. On the other side at the top of the garden, Father had plum trees, apple trees and bee hives. Right in the very middle of the garden, he had left an oak tree that was too beautiful to cut down.

At the top of the garden was a big, strong and wide garden gate that reached from the fence to the side of the porch. How the girls loved to swing on that garden gate!

“Anybody want a ride on Queenie or Jenny?” Father asked, as he stopped plowing at the end of a row to mop his face with a big, red bandanna handkerchief.

“All right, all right!” he smiled at their eager shouts, “but you’ll have to pay for your rides! See all the stones the plow is turning up? They need to be picked out and piled over there by the oak tree. Still want your rides?”

Of course they did, and Peggy Jean was first since she was the youngest. Father swung her up onto Queenie’s back and showed her where to hold onto the harness. Oh! how high from the ground it seemed, and her little legs seemed to stick straight out on Queenie’s broad back.

At first it was scary, and she clung tightly to the harness, almost wishing she had not coaxed to be first! But the smooth swinging motion calmed her fears, and her turn was over all too soon.

Picking up stones, the girls soon learned, was hard work, but the freshly turned earth felt soft and cool to their bare feet, and the earth smelled so good. Mother came out to help for a while too and brought a pail into which she put a few handfuls of dirt.

“Now girls,” she explained, “this is for angleworms! Whenever you see nice big ones, drop them into this pail. Uncle Bob will appreciate them for fishing bait.”

By lunchtime the plowing was finished. The morning had flown by, and quite a pile of stones surrounded the oak tree in the center of the garden. After lunch even Father and Uncle Bob helped with picking stones, and Father explained that there was still a lot of work to be done before the seeds could be planted. There would be disking and raking and making of rows. All summer, more rocks and stones could be picked out. Also, weeds would flourish and need to be pulled.

How glad they were when Father told them they had done a good job. “Run along and play a while. Look in the shed by the back door. There’s a surprise there for each one of you!”

Suddenly they forgot about being tired. They raced to the shed. There they found three barrel hoops and three sticks with a little crosspiece nailed at one end.

“What do we do with them?” Helen and Peggy were puzzled.

“Watch me!” Naomi called, as she already had started down the slope toward the trail, rolling the hoop before her and guiding it with the special stick Father had made.

Soon three little sisters were rolling hoops around the house and barn, and up and down the trail. Father and Uncle Bob smiled at their happy shouts.

“Maybe I could make a swing for them tonight. There’s plenty of rope hanging in the barn,” Uncle Bob said, thinking out loud. “That strong branch over there looks like it’s asking for a swing for three little girls!”

“I’m afraid our ladder is too short to reach that branch ... ”

“Don’t need any ladder!” Uncle Bob grinned at Father. “I haven’t seen a tree yet that I can’t climb if I take a mind to. But don’t tell the girls. This’ll be my surprise for them tomorrow!”

The next day, the new swing was greeted with more shouts of joy, and it was hard to take time from swinging and rolling their hoops to return again to work hard at picking stones. But Mother was anxious to get her garden planted while the weather was so good.

At last they were planting the garden and the girls helped Mother with that also. The men were working hard at finishing Aunt Sue and Uncle Bob’s house.

Then one day Mother had a good plan. “Let’s take a lunch over for Father and Uncle Bob, and the rest of us will row down to Indian Point for a picnic. You’ve been such good workers and helpers - I think we all need a change and a happy time.”

Naomi ran over to the new house with the lunch for the men while Helen and Peggy carried the iron frying pan and the bread and butter sandwiches to the boat. “We’ll fish on the way down to Indian Point and have fish sandwiches,” Mother said. Fish were plentiful, for the lake was large and few people lived in the big woods around it.

Indian Point was a favorite spot. It had lots of rocks and big logs to climb around on. It also had a nice sandy beach if they wanted to swim. It was always fun to explore around the Indian grave back in the woods a little way. A long, low house covered the spot where the Indian was buried. The Indian’s canoe was inside this house along with a few of his belongings. Outside it was painted a dark red, and at one end was a small opening where tobacco and bits of Indians’ favorite foods were put for his spirit to enjoy!

“Do you suppose he ever heard about the Lord Jesus dying for his sins?” the girls wondered.

“He may have. We just don’t know,” Mother said.

On the way, Mother rowed the boat and Naomi fished with a trolling line and a red-and-white lure. Helen shared the seat with her, and Peggy was in the tiny seat in the prow of the boat.

Halfway to Indian point, clouds covered the sun, and soon big drops of rain began to spatter around them.

“Oh no!” Helen cried with disappointment. “Look! It’s going to rain and we haven’t caught a single fish!”

As the boat touched the shore, Peggy Jean hopped out into the water. She was barefoot, and she knew that her job was to pull the boat up onto the sand. Looking back at the others, she noticed that Naomi was still slowly winding her trolling line in. Peggy wondered why she had not taken it in sooner, for there were weeds near the shore and fishing was not good there.

Suddenly she thought, “God could still put a fish on Naomi’s line! Of course there are only pickerel in as close to shore as this - but God can do anything! I’ll ask Him to put a big walleyed pike on her hook -a big one so that there will be enough for all of us!”

Right then Peggy Jean closed her eyes and asked the Lord to do just that! When she opened her eyes she heard Naomi saying, “Guess I’ve got weeds on my hook, it feels sort of heavy. I should have wound my line in sooner.”

Peggy Jean was so excited she could hardly breathe! She and God had a secret that none of the others knew. Those were not weeds on Naomi’s line — it was a big walleyed pike that God had put there — they would soon see!

The drops of rain were falling faster now, so Naomi hurried with the last of her line. “My, but it does feel ... ” she said as she drew in the last of her line and a beautiful, big walleyed pike flopped into the boat at her feet.

What happy laughter and joy there was then! With shining eyes, Peggy Jean helped the others pull the boat clear up out of the water and onto the sand. Then they tipped it over onto its side and propped the two ends on big rocks so that they could build a fire and sit under its shelter from the rain.

Mother soon had the fish cleaned and sputtering in the frying pan. How good it smelled! What fun it was to all sit close together, snugly sheltered from the rain pelting down on the boat overhead.

The fish was done. As they bowed their heads to give thanks, Peggy Jean whispered her special thank-you to the Lord for answering her prayer so wonderfully.

A Storm in the Night: Chapter 17

The wild strawberries were ripe! Every day the girls were busy picking them in the pasture, the sheep meadow and along the sides of the trail. Fingers and lips were often a rosy red, and sometimes the wagon wheels looked like they were dripping with red blood. Mother made such good things with the berries — strawberry shortcake, strawberry ice cream, jam for pancakes and her good, homemade bread.

Before long, the raspberries along the garden fence were ripe too, as well as the wild ones along the trail. Mother was even filling her canning jars and jelly glasses with their ruby-red sweetness.

One day Mother went farther than usual up along the trail toward the schoolhouse, where she found the very best patch she had ever seen. They were such big, lovely red-ripe berries that the branches bent down with their weight over a dry ditch. She found if she stood down in the shallow ditch, it was most comfortable to not even have to bend over to pick them. Her pail was nearly full when she heard someone coming.

“Oh dear!” she whispered to herself, “who can it be? They must have their eye on this special spot too.”

She picked rapidly for a few more moments, until she heard from the sound of the crackling of branches that she must look up and greet her visitor.

Carefully parting the branches, she smiled politely as she looked up - straight into the face of a big black bear!

For just a moment they stared at one another, almost face-to-face! Then Mother turned and ran down the ditch toward home, while Mr. Bear went crashing back the way he had come.

“We were so close to one another that I could see the saliva drooling from his mouth!” Mother said, laughing as she told the family at the supper table. “His mouth must have been watering at the sight of those big, juicy raspberries!” With great pleasure Mother showed us her pail. She had not spilled a berry, even in her hurry!

One night Peggy Jean startled awake. “My! What was that noise?” Claps of thunder seemed to be shaking the whole woods. During the vivid flashes of lightning, she could see the trees swaying and bending before the wind.

“Mother!” she called, “the rain is blowing in on my bed!”

Father had awakened too and was trying to hurriedly put on his shoes in the dark. Soon he was out in the rain, banging down the big shutters outside the screened windows on the three sides of their big porch where they were sleeping.

“Whew! This is a real storm that’s brewing,” he said as he came stamping in. “The rain is just starting, but it will soon be a downpour. And that wind! Just listen to it. Trees are crashing every few minutes!”

“What about those three big popple trees over that way? They’re right in the path of the wind, and if they fall, they’ll smash our porch roof right in, won’t they?” Naomi asked anxiously.

“Let’s pray and ask the Lord to keep us safe,” Mother encouraged, and together they prayed. Then they quoted a verse they all knew from memory, “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for Thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).

Soon the girls were sound asleep again — although the storm was raging.

The next morning, the sun was shining brightly and the birds were singing joyously. Had there really been a storm in the night, or had they dreamed it?

“It seems brighter than usual. Ohhh! Look, everybody! Those three trees we prayed about did fall!” Helen was looking out the screened door.

There was a rush to see, and the family soon stood outdoors around the twisted stumps of the three fallen trees.

“Just look at this!” Father exclaimed. “See the fibers of wood where the trees broke off? Notice how they’re twisted around? These trees started falling toward our house, and the Lord sent a ‘twister’ that made them fall the other way!”

“What a wonderful God we have!” Mother said softly. “Remember how God’s hand kept back the Red Sea so the children of Israel could cross on dry land? That same hand used the wind to turn these trees so that they would not harm us. This is another time the wind obeyed His voice.”

As they sat around the table for breakfast a little later, Father thanked the Lord for His loving care, and everyone said thank-you too in his or her heart.

One day a few days later, Father came hurrying into the house. “My bees are swarming, Lu! Can you come out and help me capture them as soon as I get my bee veil and outfit on?”

Soon Father was dressed in coveralls. The legs were tucked into his winter boots. He wore a funny hat with a wide brim and mosquito netting around the hat and his face, and tied around his neck. His hands were covered with heavy gloves.

Mother followed him out, dressed just as she was. “The bees seem to like me for some reason,” she smiled. “They don’t bother to sting me like they do Father.”

The girls watched from inside the safety of the screened porch. They saw their father bring a ladder to a nearby tree. About twelve feet up, they could see what looked like a long, black beard hanging from a branch. It was swaying slightly, and a few bees seemed to be working in and out.

Breathlessly they watched as Father carefully lifted the whole big bundle away from the tree and lowered it into Mother’s bare hands. A few bees began crawling on her arms and face, but she gently lowered the swarm into the box that Father had ready for them.

The bees soon flew away from Mother to join the others in the box.

“That’s a good job done,” Father said, smiling happily, as he removed his bee clothes. Mother washed her hands and face and arms, wherever the bees had been crawling, for she said the bees felt sticky.

“Saving that hive can mean quite a few pounds of honey for next winter,” Father said.

Aunt Sue Arrives: Chapter 18

Uncle Bob’s new house was finished. It was built on the slope of a small hill and looked out across the lovely lake. Trees were on all sides. Uncle Bob had made a small flower garden on one side, for he knew Aunt Sue loved flowers, and they were just beginning to bloom.

The house had four rooms: a nice-sized kitchen, a larger room that was both dining room and living room, and two small bedrooms and a screened porch looking toward the lake. Some furniture had already come on the freight train from their home in the East. Curtains were up in some windows, but others needed shortening or changing in some way.

The girls had filled the wood boxes and filled glasses with wild flowers for every room. Mother had helped Uncle Bob to think of all the foods to have on hand to begin housekeeping and cooking. The garden was now providing lots of good fresh vegetables.

Finally the day of her arrival came! Uncle Bob and Father went to town in the Model T to meet her. The girls had coaxed to go along, but there would not be room for them with the trunks and suitcases she would bring with her.

Everyone wore clean clothes, and the girls had to put on shoes and stockings. “Will we always have to wear them now?” Peggy Jean wondered.

“No dear,” Mother said, laughing. “I guess we just dress up a bit to honor someone if we haven’t seen them for a long time. You can go barefoot again tomorrow.”

“Ahwoooogah! Awooogah!”

“Here they come — here she is!” Everyone ran as fast as they could to meet Aunt Sue.

Oh my! Was that stylish-looking lady really Aunt Sue? She looked so tall and slim in her “city clothes.” A big feather curled about her dark straw hat, and her trim travelling suit seemed most elegant to the girls. Suddenly they felt shy and awkward, but Aunt Sue’s hugs and kisses soon brought back their smiles.

“My, my! How you girls have grown!” Aunt Sue repeated several times. “Living in these north woods must agree with you all.”

Everyone helped to show her the wonders of her new home and all the surroundings. Then she had lots of news to share about the folks and many friends “back East.”

“Jean is coming out too, in just a few weeks,” she announced. “And she’s bringing a fourteen-year-old girl, Alice, with her to live with us and help me with the work. I’ve met her, and I think you will all like her. She’s an orphan and needs a home. She seems strong and has nice manners.”

The girls looked at each other. This really was news. It would be fun to have another girl, even if fourteen did sound awfully grown up!

“I’m glad for you that you will have help, Sue,” Mother said. “I’m glad for you that she will be coming, for I know what a big help my girls are for me. I just don’t know how I could manage without them.”

“And what about Harry and Edith, how are they?” someone asked.

“They’re both busy and well. Your Aunt Edith told me to be sure to give her love to you three girls and to tell you she really misses you.”

Naomi and Helen smiled with pleasure, but Peggy squirmed miserably. She could remember a visit with Aunt Edith shortly before coming west that had ended very unhappily for her.

It had been Easter time, and Aunt Edith, who loved to plan nice surprises for the girls, had invited them to her house to hunt for Easter baskets.

Naomi and Helen found theirs quite quickly.

Then Peggy found hers tucked almost out of sight between the folds of some dark red velvet curtains. The basket was a lovely little sewing basket that she could still use after the eggs were gone.

In the center of a nest of jelly beans was a big chocolate Easter egg. Even Peggy could read her own name written in crinkly, white frosting across the top.

Naomi and Helen each took a little bite from their big, delicious chocolate egg, but Peggy had eaten every bit of hers!

After thanking Aunt Edith, the girls had taken them home carefully to show Mother and Father. How much nicer Naomi’s and Helen’s looked than Peggy’s! The others could share a bit with Mother and Father, but of course Peggy could not.

The next day, they still had most of their big eggs. While they were out playing, Peggy stood looking enviously at the eggs, and she was doing what the Bible calls the sin of coveting. Suddenly, she decided to steal their eggs. Taking them quickly from their baskets, she ran upstairs, looking for a good place to hide them.

Under Mother’s bureau! That would be just the place! The other girls would never think to look for them there. She took a nibble of both, and then ran quickly out to play.

There were tears when Naomi and Helen discovered their eggs were gone. When they asked her, Peggy lied and said she didn’t know where they were. Every once in a while after that, when the girls were not watching, Peggy would slip into Mother’s room and under the bureau for a quick bite.

It seemed to be a mystery to everyone, but God has said, “Be sure your sin will find you out.” He also said, “He that [hides] his sins shall not prosper.” When Saturday came and Mother was cleaning house, she swept under her bureau and found the bits of the chocolate eggs that were still there.

A very unhappy time followed! Peggy had to be punished, and Naomi and Helen were very disappointed in her to think that she would do such a thing.

Peggy was beginning to learn that Satan is a deceiver and a liar! He made her feel she couldn’t be happy without those Easter eggs, but they had brought her nothing but unhappiness! Now she heard Aunt Sue saying, “Edith and Harry hope to make a trip and get up to see us all next summer. They want to see how we live up here in these big north woods.”

Everyone else was happy about their coming to visit, but Peggy hoped she would not remember about the Easter eggs.

Lost in the Woods: Chapter 19

One happy, summer day after another sped by, all filled with work and play. Rainy days were now often spent in the haymow of the log barn. Naomi would read out loud to the others while the rain drummed pleasantly on the roof overhead. There were kittens to play with, and it was always fun to see them wrestle with one another.

“Oh! Come see what I’ve found! But come quietly, don’t scare her.” Helen called them to see a mother hen, almost hidden out of sight in the hay, sitting on a nest of warm eggs.

How thrilling it was when the baby chicks began to peck their way out into the world. The girls would have liked to keep them there to play with them, but Mother had other plans. She had fixed a “broody pen” for them in the chicken yard where they would be safer from weasels or skunks.

When Alice came, she and Naomi soon became good friends. They often went berry picking together and sometimes herded cows together along the trail.

One day, the cows had been grazing here and there along the trail in “Indian Land.” When it was milking time, Naomi and Alice whistled for Mollie and started out to look for them.

“There’s not much grass for good grazing here, it’s so thickly wooded, so it’s hard to say how far the cows have gone,” Naomi explained to Alice. “We’ll have to keep listening for cowbells. Mollie! Your ears are better than ours — go find the cows!”

Mollie barked as though she understood, but continued to follow the girls.

“I’m glad that you know the woods better than I do, Naomi,” Alice said, shivering. “Aren’t there lots of dangerous, wild animals?”

“No, not so many. Most of them are more afraid of us than we are of them, my father says. They hear us and run away before we ever see them.”

They climbed over logs and pushed through thick brush as they talked. Every little while, they would stop and listen for cowbells.

“Mollie, get the cows! Can’t you hear their bells either? Mollie — why Mollie! Where are you?” Naomi called and whistled, but Mollie was gone, and neither of the girls had noticed until now.

“Look Alice, it will be dark before we know it. We’d better stop hunting the cows and find our own way home.”

Alice agreed, so they turned around and started homeward. “Oh, Naomi! How dark it is already!” she said. “It will soon be pitch dark, and we’re a long way from home!”

“I’m afraid so,” Naomi answered. “It does get dark awfully fast here in these big woods. Let’s hurry. Where did Mollie go?”

In about half an hour they could scarcely see one another. “We’d better stop or we’ll get dreadfully lost,” Naomi finally said. “I can’t tell which direction is which now that the sun is down. We’ll just be going around in circles. Let’s try calling — maybe someone is out looking for us.”

So they called again and again, but as they listened for an answer, they heard only the echo of their own voices and the hooting of an owl. Again and again they tried, until Alice began to cry with fright.

Naomi sat her down on a log she had stumbled against and tried to comfort her. “I’m not afraid,” she reassured Alice. “The Lord will take care of us. Let’s pray right now and ask Him to.”

The two girls sat together with their arms around each other as they prayed. Naomi was so glad that she had taken the Lord Jesus as her Savior, and she knew that He was her Friend and would help her. She wasn’t sure that Alice was saved yet. She wouldn’t be so frightened if she was, Naomi was sure.

After praying, Naomi suggested, “I think we should sleep right here on the ground. The leaves are nice and dry, and it’s not cold. We can find our way home in the morning when the sun comes up.”

But Alice only sobbed the more!

The night grew darker and seemed to be filled with many strange sounds. Now and then they thought they heard a call, but it only proved to be an owl or night bird.

“What was that sound? I thought I heard a bark! Did you hear it too? Look! Look Alice — over there! Ohhh! It’s gone. No! there it is again! And I’m sure that’s Mollie barking. It IS a light — and that’s Father calling.” Springing to their feet, the girls began to shout.

Immediately an answer came, and soon the girls found themselves in the light of Father’s lantern with Mollie jumping about them and barking for joy. How wonderful to be found and on the way home in the safety of Father’s care.

“Why didn’t you follow Mollie?” Father asked.

“She wouldn’t stay with us, she just disappeared,” the girls answered tearfully. “And we never did find the cows!”

“Mollie came home with the cows some time ago,” Father replied. “If you had kept your eye on her and followed her, you would not have gotten lost! God has given collie dogs wonderful instincts to always find their way home. So remember, when you hunt for the cows, don’t make Mollie follow you. You follow Mollie!”

Under Peggy's Hat: Chapter 20

It was good to have Aunt Sue living up in the big woods near them. In no time, three pairs of bare feet had worn a twisty path through the woods between their two houses!

Aunt Sue even had her piano shipped out from the East. Mother could play hymns, and many evenings they enjoyed a “hymn sing.” Uncle Bob played his mandolin, and the girls thought it sounded just beautiful.

When school started again in the little schoolhouse up the trail, Peggy Jean still liked to go too when the weather was nice. But often she stayed with Aunt Sue.

There were so many interesting things to see in Aunt Sue’s house. There were things she had brought from “home in Scotland,” where she had lived until she was eighteen. Then she had lots of fascinating things she had bought when she had visited France and Switzerland on one of her vacations.

She had two little dolls that Peggy liked especially. One was a Swiss “goat boy” with a knapsack on his back. When you pushed the knapsack to the one side, there was a little mirror underneath.

The other was a dear little kewpie doll. It had one curl on the top of its head, and it stood with its hands out on both sides of a pretty flared skirt. Somehow, Peggy felt sure Aunt Sue planned to give it to her someday — but that was so far away! How could she ever wait?

Aunt Sue kept it standing on her bureau in her bedroom. Every morning when she came for the day, Peggy would run in to look at the doll before she even took her coat and hat off. Again she began to break God’s commandment, “Thou shalt not covet.”

One day, as she stood looking longingly at the doll, a wicked thought came into Peggy’s mind. If the doll should fall onto the floor, that wouldn’t be as wrong as to take it right from the top of the bureau — would it?

After that, she often tried to shake the bureau to help it fall, but the little doll stood firmly.

One morning the doll was gone! Down on her knees went Peggy Jean, and yes! there was the doll on the floor behind the bureau. Surely it wouldn’t be so bad to take it from down there. Why, she had not even shaken it this morning!

Quickly, she hid the doll under her coat and ran to the “company” bedroom where she usually laid her coat and hat. Very carefully she tucked the doll under her hat where it could not be seen.

Later that morning, Aunt Sue noticed that the little doll was missing. “Does anyone know what happened to the little doll I keep on my bureau?” she asked.

No one answered. Peggy Jean pretended to be very busy playing with some toys on the living room floor.

“Alice, come help me look, please. It can’t be very far away. I don’t see it on the floor ... ”

Together, Aunt Sue and Alice looked for the little doll. Finally they went to the bedroom where Peggy had laid her coat and hat. Peggy Jean became very uncomfortable.

“Aunt Sue!” Peggy called in a frightened voice.

“Yes, Peggy?”

“Don’t — don’t look under my hat!”

“Peggy Jean!” Aunt Sue came out of the bedroom with the doll in her hand and a very sad look on her face. “I did not think you would ever steal something that belonged to me. I will have to tell your mother when she comes home.”

What an unhappy day that was! When Mother came for Peggy, Aunt Sue told her all about the stolen doll. Mother sat down with Peggy Jean and read and explained Bible verses which told about the dreadfulness of sin and that God must punish sin because He is a holy God. She read Bible verses that even Peggy could understand about how wicked lying and stealing were.

When they got home to their own house, Peggy Jean had a spanking and had to go right to bed.

Snow came early that winter. Soon it was deep, and the Indians sometimes came silently through the woods and across the lake on their snowshoes, walking all the way to town for things they needed.

Father and Uncle Bob cut down trees and sawed them up for firewood. It took great stacks of firewood to keep their little houses in the woods warm in the long winters.

One wintry day, some exciting news went around the neighborhood. A fine Bible teacher, Dr. Walter Turnbull, was coming up to the north woods. He would be preaching every night for a week in their little Jasmir Schoolhouse.

The children helped to put everything in the very best order. The girls straightened all the books and washed the blackboards. The boys swept the floor and shoveled snow so the horses and sleighs would have a place to pull off the trail. Long planks of wood were brought in and placed from seat to seat to make more places for people to sit. Folks would be coming from far away too.

Every evening Mother and Father and the three girls dressed warmly for their ride in the sleigh. Father put fresh hay in the sleigh, and Mother wrapped hot sadirons in an old blanket to tuck under the girls’ feet. Queenie and Jenny seemed excited too and did not need to be coaxed to trot briskly. The runners hissed in the snow, and little sparks flew out from striking a hidden stone.

The sleigh ride was always over far too soon, but it was exciting to come into the warm schoolhouse, brightly lit by a hissing gas lantern hanging from the ceiling.

How different it looked with so many big folks, instead of just boys and girls, filling the room. The men and big boys sat in the back near the stove, and as the snow began melting from their boots, a “barn smell” filled the room, but everyone was used to that and did not mind.

“Isn’t there someone here who wants to be sure his sins are forgiven and he is on his way to heaven? If there is, why don’t you come up and sit on one of these empty seats in the front so I can help you.”

No one stirred. Then Helen slipped out of her seat and walked bravely up to the front.

Dr. Turnbull smiled lovingly at her, and then said, “God has said, ‘A little child shall lead them’! Won’t someone else follow this little child’s example?”

There was a stir here and there, and several others came up to the front seats.

Peggy Jean had not been listening as carefully to Dr. Turnbull’s message as Helen had. She had thought he was just talking to the grown-up people. But the next day, as Helen and Peggy sat out on the doorstep where it was warm in the sunshine, Helen tried to explain all about it to Peggy. Helen was a good big sister and always loved to share everything with her little sister.

“Peggy, I got saved last night and I know now for sure that I will go to heaven — and I want you to come to heaven too. You need to get saved, because you are a sinner — you know that, don’t you, Peggy? You steal and tell lies about it, and lots of times you’re naughty.”

Peggy Jean nodded her head miserably, for she remembered the stolen doll, her sisters’ Easter eggs, Mother’s cheese — and oh so many other things she had stolen and then lied about to escape punishment.

“Listen carefully now, and I’ll try to explain it from the Bible, just like the preacher told me. He read this verse in the book of John, chapter five and verse twenty-four.”

Helen found the place in her little New Testament, explaining as she read. “It’s the Lord Jesus talking, and He starts by saying, ‘Verily, verily.’ That means He is saying something very important that everyone should listen to because it’s real true — ‘I say unto you, He that heareth My word’ — and you’ve heard His words, Peggy. You’ve heard that you’re a sinner, but God loved you so much He sent the Lord Jesus to die for you on the cross.”

Peggy nodded her head, and Helen continued, “Then it says next, ‘And believeth on Him that sent Me’ — do you believe God sent Jesus to be punished for your sins?”

Very seriously Peggy said, “Yes, I do.”

“Then look what God says next!” Helen continued happily. “He says you have everlasting life and won’t come into condemnation, but you are already passed from death to life! That’s a little hard for me to understand, but he explained Jesus was already condemned and punished for my sins, and that means for yours too, Peggy!”

With a happy face, Peggy Jean jumped to her feet and ran into the house to tell Mother the good news. “Mother! I’m saved too,” she cried.

But to Peggy’s disappointment, Mother didn’t get very excited. She was afraid Peggy was just being a copycat of her big sister Helen. She was peeling potatoes for dinner, and she asked quietly, “What makes you think you are saved, Peggy?”

Peggy Jean stood looking solemnly at Mother for a moment. Then she asked, “Didn’t Jesus die for the sins of little children, as well as for big folks?”

“Yes, He did!” Mother answered. “The Bible says He died for the sin of all who trust in Him.”

“If Jesus died for me, I’m saved!” Peggy responded happily.

Mother put some raisins in their pockets, and the two girls ran out to play.

What a happy day that was! Peggy Jean’s heart was bubbling over with joy. Oh, how wonderful it was to know that God knew all about her, and He still loved her so much that He had sent the Lord Jesus to be punished and to die for her sins.

That night, as she knelt to pray, she thanked God that this wonderful treasure was hers - the treasure of His love, and His salvation that would last forever. She thought about what Mother had told them the night she had cried because her balloon was broken.

She could remember other things that had been a disappointment. There was the doll whose nose got smashed when she dropped it, the skates that became too small for her growing feet and lots of other things.

Peggy Jean knew in her heart that this treasure would never disappoint her, and no one could take it away from her. It would even become more wonderful and satisfying, the more she learned to understand about it.

This treasure would last forever! It was God’s gift of eternal life, the treasure given to a little girl named Peggy Jean — and to think she had found this treasure in the big woods!

Many years have gone by, and Peggy Jean is now a great-grandmother. She has not forgotten the joy God put in her heart when she learned about God’s forgiveness, so she has written the story of her life in the big woods so that you can put your trust in the Lord Jesus, for He loves you and died for you as well!

Preface

Many years ago a little girl by the name of Peggy Jean lived in the big woods of northern Minnesota. All the exciting things this book tells about it really happened. I know that they are true, for I am Peggy Jean, now a grown-up great-grandmother!

The wonderful treasure I found while living in the big woods is a treasure you may find, too, wherever you live. I will be praying that you will discover it as you read my story.