Searching for Anna by Jenifer Carll-Tong (best classic books of all time .txt) π
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- Author: Jenifer Carll-Tong
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"Well, I'm leaving in the mornin'," Reverend Albright said. "Maybe they could help on the outside of the church? It could use some work before Sunday."
"Of course. I'll send 'em over tomorrow and you tell 'em what to do, alright Pastor Albright?"
Phoebe was thrilled. "Tomorrow will be fine, as long as it isn't an inconvenience to you?"
"It won't be. Alright, I'll leave you to your evening," Mrs. Speer said. She shook hands with Reverend Albright, then turned back to Phoebe. "Pastor, would you ever consider giving lessons to my little ones? I don't have much money, but I could pay you in eggs and milk and whatever we have around the farm that week."
Phoebe agreed happily. Whether it was the thought of fresh eggs and milk every week or the lingering scent of the fried chicken in the basket she held that made the thought of teaching those sweet children so enticing she wasn't certain, but the growl of her stomach told her she wouldn't regret it.
"Well," her father began after Mrs. Speer left. He wiped his hands on his handkerchief and chuckled. "Did you notice she called you pastor?"
Phoebe smiled. "I did. What a difference a day can make."
He nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "His mercies are new every morning." He stuffed his handkerchief back in his trouser pocket. "But I won't reach morning if I starve to death, so let's eat!"
Phoebe awoke early, just like the previous morning. She looked at her watch and realized that if she hurried, she could still catch her father at the train station. Rev. Albright, not being a fan of parting from loved ones, had insisted they say their goodbyes last night, but Phoebe was already missing her father and could not pass up the opportunity to see him one last time before he left.
Normally she would never think of leaving without pinning her hair, or at least braiding it, but not wanting to miss the train, she quickly dressed and dashed out the door. Besides, who would be out at this hour? she reasoned. She walked briskly up the street toward the train station, straining for sight of him in the distance. To her relief, the train was still there. She just hoped he hadn't boarded yet.
As she drew closer, she could see three State Troopers on the platform surrounding a man in a dark suit⦠her father.
Reverend Albright shook two of the troopers' hands, then clasped the third in a hearty embrace, and the sight of this brought her to tears. That was her father. He loved quickly and he loved whole-heartedly.
With each step she took, her pace quickened, and her vision became more and more blurred.
"Phoebe!" Reverend Albright exclaimed as she threw herself into his arms, nearly knocking the officer out of her way. She sobbed uncontrollably, not caring who saw her or what they thought.
"I know you told me not to come, but I had to, Daddy."
"Darlin', don't cry. We'll see each other soon. There'll be holidays, and you know your mother. There's no way I'll be able to keep her from you for long. I'm sure she's already planning a visit. Though, not sure she'd appreciate the free accommodations at the constabulary as much as I did."
Phoebe chuckled through her tears. "No, I can't imagine she would."
"I am so proud of you, child. And don't you worry. God has a plan, and he's already working it out. Of that, I am sure." He kissed Phoebe's forehead one last time, then boarded his train.
The last whistle blew, and the train chugged its way out of Iron Falls, taking part of Phoebe's heart with it.
When she could no longer see her father waving from his window, she took a deep breath and turned to face the officers that had been witness to her embarrassing display of emotion. But when she turned, mercifully, they had gone.
Phoebe stood and stretched her back. She had spent the past few hours working on her sermon for Sunday, but it was already ten o'clock. She couldn't wait any longer for the Speer boys - she needed to get the church grounds ready to receive congregants.
When she stepped out onto her front porch, she was greeted by not only the bright, morning sun, but also the sight of a well underway clean-up production.
She circled the church and found plenty of evidence of the boys' hard work - much of the grounds around the church already cleared of brush and debris - but no sign of the boys themselves. Finally, on the far side of the building, under the shade of a silver maple, she found the three eldest Speer boys resting, melted chocolate covering their hands and faces.
"Hello, boys. How long have you been here?"
"About three hours," said Jacob, the oldest and, apparently, the spokesman.
"Three hours! I'm so sorry. I would've come out had I known you were here."
"Nothin' to be sorry 'bout, ma'am. We didn't expect to see you at all. Ma told us we weren't allowed to bother you. She also said that we weren't to let ya help us, either. Said you had preachin' to prepare for."
She knelt in the shade next to them. "What's that you're eating?"
"It's called Goldenberg's Peanut Chews. The constable gave it to us."
"Constable?"
"Yep, he rode by and asked what we were doin'. When we told him, he said to wait here. Came back with these." Jacob held up the chocolate bar. "Said you can't buy 'em in stores. They was a treat for soldiers in the Great War. He only has a few left, but he said what we was doing was so nice, he wanted to share somethin' special with us."
"Would ya like a bite of mine, Miss Albright?" Jonathan Speer asked.
"Pastor Albright, you numb-skull!" Jacob chastised his younger brother.
"Miss Albright is just fine," Phoebe said.
"It's just fine if he wants a smack from Ma."
Phoebe smiled but tried to disguise her surprise at the turnabout in Mrs. Speer. "That was very kind of that constable. Did he say what his name was?" she asked.
All three boys shrugged.
"Officer somethin'," Jacob said. "Can't remember. Sorry. But he did say he would see us in church. That part I remember."
"And he took that old bookshelf with him," Peter said without looking up from his chocolate.
"Bookshelf?" she asked. "That nasty, old one my father threw out back? I was planning to burn that with the brush."
Peter shrugged. "He said he could fix it up."
Jonathan turned his candy bar around. "I haven't eaten off this end, Pastor. Come on, you gotta try this."
Unable to turn down the sweet boy's request, Phoebe sampled the candy. It was delicious and she said as much. Jonathan seemed very pleased.
"The constable told us he shouldn't have given us any. He said we was gonna fall so in love with it that we were never gonna want to fall in love with any girl, because no girl could compare with a Goldenberg Peanut Chew."
Phoebe suppressed a chuckle. "Is that so?"
"Yeah, but we told 'im that was fine by us, because there ain't no girl out there we wanna fall in love with anyhow."
Phoebe laughed out loud at this. The boys laughed too. They apparently thought the idea of love was ridiculous.
"Pastor Albright?" The youngest of the three asked shyly. "You been sick?"
"No, Peter. I haven't. Why would you ask?"
βBecause the constable asked how you were doin'. When we told him we hadn't seen ya, he kept looking at your cabin like he was all worried or somethin'."
Phoebe flushed, remembering the scene she had caused earlier that morning. "Was he here long?" She rubbed her neck to disguise the growing blush she felt creeping up it.
"He sat and had a peanut chew with us and talked a little, but he seemed to be in a hurry to get outta here. Prob'ly had some important investigatin' or arrestin' to
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