The Gifted by Ann H. Gabhart Page B

would have told of how Jessamine’s desire to see parasols had led them on a wild-goose chase through the woods. But perhaps it was as God intended. Perhaps angels had led them to that place solely for the purpose of helping that poor man.
    She peeked up at Sister Sophrena, who had her eyes shut and was now pinching her lower lip instead of the bridge of her nose. It was not a good sign. She was waiting for something more from Jessamine. In her mind, Jessamine flipped back through the sins she’d confessed. Disobedience. Willfulness. Lack of proper consideration of her sisters and brothers, especially of Sister Annie. Deception in leading Sister Annie so far into the woods with no proper concern of fulfilling her assigned duty to pick raspberries.
    “Have you confessed all your sins, Sister? The unburdening of your sins is necessary in order to live the pure life of a Believer and to find favor from the Eternal Father and our Mother Ann. Unconfessed sin in your heart is like a worm inside an apple. On the outside the apple may appear fine, but inside there is ruin. Don’t let sin eat away at the insides of your heart.”
    “Nay, I’ll pray not to let such happen.” Jessamine put her hand over her bosom. She frowned slightly. “Did Sister Annie tell you some sin I may have forgotten? If so, I will gladly repent of it.”
    “Repentance isn’t merely lip service to me. It’s a changing of your will. More even than that. A surrendering of your will to that of the Lord’s will for your life.”
    “But if I can’t recognize an action as a sin, how can I know to repent of it?” It seemed a reasonable question to Jessamine, but she knew she should not have voiced it when a frown flickered across Sister Sophrena’s face.
    “The rules of a committed Believer’s behavior are drawn out in the Millennial Laws passed down from the Ministry in New Lebanon. You have but to read and apply those rules to your behavior. Obedience to the way is much to be desired if you wish to sign the Covenant when you turn twenty-one.”
    Jessamine turned her mind away from the thought of the Covenant. For months Sister Sophrena had been talking of her committing to the Shaker way when she reached twenty-one. Not just for this day, this month, but for forever. To sign a document promising to be a good and faithful Believer and never look for love other than the perfect love of the Lord and her sisters and brothers. To put behind her all thoughts of improbable fairy tales and childish stories. To set her feet on the Shaker path and look forward to years of peace and service with the reward of true salvation.
    She did want salvation. When her granny first told her about the Lord’s great love years ago, she had opened her heart to that love. And she’d been ready to do as her granny’s worn Bible said she must and love God in return and her neighbor as herself. Since, at that time, Jessamine knew no person other than her granny and the old preacher who brought them supplies, obeying that commandment had seemed as easy as breathing.
    After she’d come among the Believers, Sister Sophrena said Jessamine’s granny was right to teach about the need to love God and her neighbor, but that more was required. Proper behavior and obedience to the Ministry rules was as necessary as love and would not be burdensome once one firmly set her feet on the Shaker path.
    “I do try to be obedient and remember the rules,” Jessamine said now. “I never fail to step up on the stairs with the proper foot and kneel on the right knee to say my prayers as a dutiful Believer before and after each meal and all the other times too. I labor the songs and dance and whirl with fervor.”
    Sister Sophrena leaned across the table toward her. “But, my sister, is the fervor of your whirl because the spirit takes hold of you or merely for the joy of whirling?”
    Jessamine looked down at her hands clasped in her lap as she tried to come up with an answer that would not