Redeeming-Love-By-Francine-Rivers

R E D E E M I N G L O V E
Angel threw on her shawl and started out the door. Laughing, Miriam
halted her. “You don’t want to come back to a burned-down house, do you?”
Angel grabbed a sack of dried corn and dragged it well away from the fireplace.
Angel hurriedly lifted the seed corn to the table and swung the other
sack near the bed. They ran most of the way. “Oh,” Miriam said. “I didn’t
even think to tell Michael—”
“He’ll know,” Angel said, walking fast to catch her breath before she
raised her skirts and ran again.
Heaving for breath, Angel plunged into the Altman cabin, Miriam on her
heels. Elizabeth sat calmly before the fire, stitching on a shirt. The children
glanced up from their work. They were sitting calmly around the table doing
lessons.
Only John was agitated and came out of his chair like a shot. “Thank
God!” he said, taking Angel’s shawl quickly and tossing it in the direction of
the wall hook. He lowered his voice. “Her pains are close together, but I
can’t get her to go in and lie down. She says she has mending to do!”
“I’m almost finished, John,” Elizabeth said. She set one shirt aside and
took up another. She went very still, and her face tightened in silent concentration.
Angel stared at her, watching for signs of agony, waiting for a bloodcurdling
scream. Elizabeth closed her eyes for a long moment and then let
out a soft sigh and began working again. The children scarcely noticed until
their father groaned.
“Lizzie, go to bed!”
“When I’m finished, John.”
“Now!” he boomed so abruptly, Angel jumped. She had never heard John
Altman use such a tone on anyone in his family.
Elizabeth raised her head with dignity. “Leave me be, John. Go feed the
horses or chop wood. Go muck out a stable. Go shoot something for dinner.
But don’t bother me right now.” She said it all in such a calm voice, Angel
almost laughed. John tossed up his hands and stormed out of the cabin,
muttering about women. “Bar the door, Andrew.”
“Mama?”
“He’ll come right back in if you don’t,” Elizabeth said with an amused
smile. The children laughed and went on with what they were doing.
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