Julia. Sarah was still kind, as she had been when Julia knew her at school. She wouldn't turn them away. Julia nodded. "Yes. Bonnie and Vance. Children, this is your Aunt Sarah."
"I'm pleased to meet you." Sarah smiled at the children. "My little girl will be so happy she won't know what to do. Emily?" She turned her head to call Emily from the kitchen, but naturally, she was already there, watching the scene curiously. "Emily, these are your cousins. Why don't you take them inside? They might like some of those cookies we baked a while ago."
Sarah turned back to Julia, and her glance went curiously to the man beside her. "This is Micah Harrison," Julia said, answering Sarah's unspoken question. "He, uh, helped me and, uh, carried my case for me. He's been very kind."
"She done fainted on the road," Micah explained bluntly.
"What! Oh, my goodness! Here I am, making you stand out in the sun, talking. Come inside and sit down." Sarah took Julia's arm and propelled her up the stairs and into the house. At the door, she paused and turned to Micah. "Would you like something to eat?"
"That'd be real nice."
"Let me get Julia settled, and I'll bring you something."
The children were sitting on the floor of the kitchen, a cookie in each hand. Sarah grinned. "Well, you all look as if you're doing fine."
She steered Julia to the table and pulled out one of the chairs for her to sit in. "Now, what's the matter? Why'd you faint? Are you sick?"
"Oh, no. Please, don't worry." It warmed Julia to have Sarah express concern about her, it hadn't happened often in her life. "I didn't eat lunch, that's all, and I guess I was a little tired from walking."
"You walked out here from town?"
Julia shook her head. "From home, just the other side of Gideon."
"Gideon! You walked all that way!" Sarah stared in astonishment. "It must have taken you days."
Julia nodded. "We left Wednesday."
"My goodness." Sarah could think of nothing to say that would adequately express her dismay at the thought of this frail woman and two small children walking for three days.
"Well, what am I doing? You must be starved. I'll fetch you something to eat."
She brought the children to the table and poured them glasses of milk. She put on a pot of beans to heat while she sliced a loaf of bread and spread several slices with pale yellow butter, which melted instantly on the hot bread. Sarah laid the plate of bread and a pot of preserves on the table and set the table with plates and eating utensils. She added a platter of cold sausage and bacon left over from breakfast and a bowl of the warmed-up butter beans.
Seeing how hungrily Julia and her children gulped down the food, Sarah suspected that it had been more than just lunch today that they had missed. How had they managed on the road three days?
Sarah heaped another large plate with food and gave it to Micah. He took it gratefully and sat down on the porch steps to eat it. Sarah thought that he, too, had been awhile without food. It had been good of him to stop and help Julia. "Are you from around here?" she asked him.
"No, ma'am, sure ain't. Jus' passin' through."
"Are you looking for work?"
"I be steady lookin' for that."
"My husband will be in from the fields soon, if you'd like to talk to him about work."
Micah looked up at her, and Sarah found his face as blank and unreadable as Julia had. "Thank you. I 'predate that."
"No trouble." Sarah stepped back inside. There was something different about that man. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was something about the way he carried himself, the way he looked at her. Even his accent was a little odd. He didn't need to say it for her to know he wasn't from around here.
Julia ate until she was stuffed, but it was all so good and plentiful that she wished she could have eaten even more. Sarah bustled about the kitchen while the others ate, preparing supper and cleaning up the pans she had used for baking. Julia knew she should get up and help
"I'm pleased to meet you." Sarah smiled at the children. "My little girl will be so happy she won't know what to do. Emily?" She turned her head to call Emily from the kitchen, but naturally, she was already there, watching the scene curiously. "Emily, these are your cousins. Why don't you take them inside? They might like some of those cookies we baked a while ago."
Sarah turned back to Julia, and her glance went curiously to the man beside her. "This is Micah Harrison," Julia said, answering Sarah's unspoken question. "He, uh, helped me and, uh, carried my case for me. He's been very kind."
"She done fainted on the road," Micah explained bluntly.
"What! Oh, my goodness! Here I am, making you stand out in the sun, talking. Come inside and sit down." Sarah took Julia's arm and propelled her up the stairs and into the house. At the door, she paused and turned to Micah. "Would you like something to eat?"
"That'd be real nice."
"Let me get Julia settled, and I'll bring you something."
The children were sitting on the floor of the kitchen, a cookie in each hand. Sarah grinned. "Well, you all look as if you're doing fine."
She steered Julia to the table and pulled out one of the chairs for her to sit in. "Now, what's the matter? Why'd you faint? Are you sick?"
"Oh, no. Please, don't worry." It warmed Julia to have Sarah express concern about her, it hadn't happened often in her life. "I didn't eat lunch, that's all, and I guess I was a little tired from walking."
"You walked out here from town?"
Julia shook her head. "From home, just the other side of Gideon."
"Gideon! You walked all that way!" Sarah stared in astonishment. "It must have taken you days."
Julia nodded. "We left Wednesday."
"My goodness." Sarah could think of nothing to say that would adequately express her dismay at the thought of this frail woman and two small children walking for three days.
"Well, what am I doing? You must be starved. I'll fetch you something to eat."
She brought the children to the table and poured them glasses of milk. She put on a pot of beans to heat while she sliced a loaf of bread and spread several slices with pale yellow butter, which melted instantly on the hot bread. Sarah laid the plate of bread and a pot of preserves on the table and set the table with plates and eating utensils. She added a platter of cold sausage and bacon left over from breakfast and a bowl of the warmed-up butter beans.
Seeing how hungrily Julia and her children gulped down the food, Sarah suspected that it had been more than just lunch today that they had missed. How had they managed on the road three days?
Sarah heaped another large plate with food and gave it to Micah. He took it gratefully and sat down on the porch steps to eat it. Sarah thought that he, too, had been awhile without food. It had been good of him to stop and help Julia. "Are you from around here?" she asked him.
"No, ma'am, sure ain't. Jus' passin' through."
"Are you looking for work?"
"I be steady lookin' for that."
"My husband will be in from the fields soon, if you'd like to talk to him about work."
Micah looked up at her, and Sarah found his face as blank and unreadable as Julia had. "Thank you. I 'predate that."
"No trouble." Sarah stepped back inside. There was something different about that man. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was something about the way he carried himself, the way he looked at her. Even his accent was a little odd. He didn't need to say it for her to know he wasn't from around here.
Julia ate until she was stuffed, but it was all so good and plentiful that she wished she could have eaten even more. Sarah bustled about the kitchen while the others ate, preparing supper and cleaning up the pans she had used for baking. Julia knew she should get up and help
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