A Hope for Hannah by Jerry S. Eicher Page B

prayer.
    They finished their supper in silence by the light of the kerosene lamp. Afterward, Jake helped dry the dishes, and after the last plate was done, he returned to the living room while Hannah lingered in the kitchen, putting away the rest of the things.
    She could hear the soft rustle as Jake turned the pages of whatever book he was reading. Through the window she watched the moon rise above the Cabinet Mountains. It was full, a circle of shimmering glory suspended above the tops of the last pine trees that formed the boundary between land and sky.
    Here in Montana the moon stirred her in ways it never had in Indiana. She had never understood why and often wondered if it was the lack of factory lights or towns on the horizon. Perhaps the mountains themselves caused this feeling of wildness, this untamed shiver that ran down her back.
    This land had always seemed to be her friend, especially on nights like this when the moon ruled the sky. Yet now she had a deep unsettled feeling that nature had a mind of its own, a mind unfriendly to the presence of humans, and that it regarded them as interlopers, much as she viewed insects in her garden. She shook her head but was unable to shake the sense of uneasiness.
    Hannah finally hung up her apron and joined Jake in the living room.
    “It quit raining,” Jake said, trying his best to make casual conversation.
    “It has,” she agreed.
    “I’m going into town tomorrow, to Libby.”
    “Oh?” She looked up in surprise, wondering what Jake would want in town. They had little money or need to spend it, with or without his joblessness.
    “Bishop Nisley mentioned the hardware store might have a job. The manager had asked him about Amish labor the other week. I just thought of that.”
    “What do they pay?” Hannah said, wondering aloud.
    “I don’t know, but anything is better than what I have now.”
    “I would hate to see you just give away your time. They can’t pay much.”
    “We will make it,” Jake said. “God will help us. It starts, though, with doing what you can do even if it doesn’t pay that much.”
    The room settled into silence for a few minutes, and then Jake asked, “Has the Family Life come this month?”
    “Yesterday. It’s in the bedroom.”
    Jake left the room, returned a minute later, and settled back in his chair, scanning the table of contents and then flipping quickly to a specific page.
    Curious, Hannah leaned over to read the title of the article, “Learning to Make Home Businesses Profitable.”
    “Interesting,” Jake mumbled, his eyes on the page.
    “What’s interesting?”
    For an answer he read out loud, “The larger Amish communities have long prospered in the area of small business, many of them having ready and willing buyers available in the pool of tourists who visit their areas. This has produced cottage industries of furniture makers, vegetable growers, goat farmers, and a number of others specific to the area.
    “Now, though, the need for small businesses is growing, especially in our smaller communities without readily available factory jobs. They also provide options for younger families in communities where farmland now sells at exorbitant prices.”
    Jake stopped and then said, “The article goes on with some good ideas on how to start and what one might do.”
    “You’re thinking of starting your own business?” Hannah asked.
    Jake shrugged, his eyes returning to the article. “I don’t know. Maybe I could.”
    “What would you do?”
    “I don’t know yet.”
    Hannah felt like probing deeper but decided against it. It had been enough for one day.
    Not long after, the two headed for bed.
    “Do you think the bear will return tonight?” Hannah asked.
    Jake glanced out the window, pondering the bright night sky. “I don’t think so. It didn’t find much here last night. Maybe it’s done.”
    “I hope so,” Hannah said.
    She fell asleep easily, listening to Jake’s steady breathing beside her. She