A New Day Rising by Lauraine Snelling Page A

his bottom lip between his teeth as he cautiously pulled each fold of the parcel open. When the white granules lay before him, he raised questioning eyes to the man across the table.

    "Wet your finger and dip a taste."
    The boy did as told. "Sugar! Real, white sugar." He grinned up at his mother. "You do it." She tasted the treat and rolled her eyes in delight.
    "Ah, sugar and coffee. And we were all out of honey, too. You couldn't have thought of anything better, Mr. Bjorklund. Out here we never take coffee or sugar for granted."
    Or anything else, Haakan felt like adding.
    Andrew banged his spoon on the table. "Me, me." Ingeborg dipped her finger in the treat again and put the tip of it in the baby's mouth. Andrew grabbed her hand and sucked again on her finger when she tried to withdraw it.
    "That is one smart little fellow. He knows a good thing when he gets it."
    "And he don't let go." Thorliff sneaked another quick taste and grinned at his mother when she frowned the teeniest bit and shook her head.
    "We will put this away for a very special treat." She rewrapped the packet. "What do you tell Mr. Bjorklund?"
    "Mange takk," Thorliff said, flashing a grin at the same time.
    "1 believe since we are related by marriage, no matter how distant, you could call me Haakan." He looked across the table at her, willing her to agree. Why did it make any difference to him what she called him? After all, he would only be here until fall, and then he'd return to the north woods. He ignored the questioning of his mind and waited for her response.
    Ingeborg nodded. "All right. And I am Ingeborg. Soon you will meet Kaaren-she was Carl's wife-and her new husband, Lars Knutson. He ran the steam threshing machine and the crew that came through here in the fall." She looked down at the packet in front of her. "Kaaren's two little girls died in the same flu that took Carl."
    "And Roald?" He called himself all sorts of names for asking.
    "Inadvertently. After Carl died and the blizzard let up, he went to check on some of our neighbors. The northern blizzard came back, and we think he was stranded in it and died. He might have fallen prey to the flu ..." Her voice trailed off. She sighed, a sound that tore at his heart. "We'll never know for sure what happened, just that he never came back."
    Haakan caught himself before asking the question that burned in his mind. You mean to say he left you and your children alone? To fend for yourselves in the storm? "I'm so sorry. You needn't talk about it if-"

    "No, I'm finding it easier now. Talking about it seems to help, somewhat." She cut a piece of meat for Andrew and fed him a bite. "So, how was your journey from the logging camp? Did you walk all the way?"
    "Ja. And while I saw rich and beautiful country, the next time I would like to take a train." Haakan entertained them for the rest of the meal with tales of his travels and life in the logging camp. But when they began talking of relatives, Thorliff lost interest.
    "Mor, can I go outside?" Shifting restlessly on his seat, Thorliff leaped in when there was a pause.
    "Ja, that you can." Ingeborg looked up from moving her fork around. She looked over to Andrew to find him with his cheek on the table, sound asleep. "Ah, what have I been thinking? You go draw water for the sheep, and after Andrew wakes from his nap, we will go to Tante Kaaren's."
    On a "Ja, Mor," Thorliff flew out the door, whistling for Paws as he went.
    "Would you care for more coffee?" Ingeborg stood to pick up Andrew. His head lolled on her shoulder and one finger made its way to his mouth.
    "I could go help Thorliff."
    "If you like. I'll clean up the kitchen and then show you around the farm. The sheep are Thorliff's special charge, so he will delight in introducing you to his friends."
    Haakan pushed his chair back. "Mange takk fer'matten."
    "Velbekomme." Ingeborg was alrealy bending over to lay the sleeping child in one of the beds.
    Haakan followed Thorliff outside. The