Arthur, Illinois

Priscilla Herschberger shivered as she hurried across the yard, anxious to get out of the cold. It was only the first week of December, but with fresh-fallen snow and blustery winds, it felt like the middle of winter. Despite her chattering teeth and tingling hands and feet, this weather stirred Priscilla’s feelings like it had when she was a child, filling her with hope that they might have snow for Christmas. Entering the small store where she and her mother sold jams, jel- lies, and several other types of home-canned goods, she quickly shut the door. Business was slow this time of year, so they opened the store only a few days a week. Priscilla had come to get several jars of strawberry jam to serve at a dinner for tourists hosted by her friend Elaine Schrock. Elaine’s helper, Karen Yoder, couldn’t be there this evening, so Priscilla had volunteered to take her place. She looked forward to going—not only to help but also to spend time with Elaine.

“Sure hope everything goes okay,” Priscilla murmured. She’d never helped with one of Elaine’s dinners before, but she had plenty of experience in the kitchen, helping her mother. It should be fun, she told herself, placing the jars inside a cardboard box. From what Elaine had told Priscilla, these dinners often provided unexpected chuckles. Once when Elaine’s grand- mother was alive, her parakeet, Millie, had gotten out of its cage and cre- ated quite a stir among their dinner guests. Another time, a man had made everyone laugh by his constant burping. He’d later explained that, in his country, burping was a custom that showed appreciation for a good meal. Priscilla always enjoyed listening to Elaine’s stories, but she hoped nothing she said or did tonight would cause anyone to laugh.

Leaving the store, she put the box in her buggy and headed back to the house to tell her mother good-bye. She found Mom in the sewing room, cutting a pattern for a new dress. “I got the jam, and I’m leaving for Elaine’s now.”

Mom looked up and smiled.“What time do you think you’ll be home?” Priscilla shrugged. “I’m not sure how long the dinner will last. It starts at six o’clock, so it may be over by eight or so. Of course, I’ll stay awhile after that to help Elaine clean up and do the dishes.”

“Please be careful. The roads could be icy tonight.” Mom’s depth of concern was revealed in her ebony-colored eyes.

“I’ll take it easy. Tinker is a good horse. I’ve never had a problem with her in the snow.”

“There’s always a first time.” Mom’s face tightened. “Just because a gaul is easygoing, doesn’t mean it won’t spook. Remember to keep a tight rein. Some people don’t take the road conditions seriously enough.”

“Try not to worry, Mom. I’ll be okay.” Priscilla knew her mother was concerned, but sometimes she tended to be overprotective. Maybe it was because Priscilla was the youngest of five children and the only girl. Once I’m married and living in a place of my own, Mom won’t worry about me so much. Of course, that won’t happen if Elam never asks me to marry him.

~

Priscilla hugged her friend. “It’s not a problem. I’m glad you asked.” Before Elaine hired Karen, Priscilla and their friend Leah had offered to help Elaine many times, but Elaine had always said she could man- age by herself.

“How are the roads?” Elaine questioned.

“Not too bad. Right now they’re just wet, but they could get worse when the temperature drops.” Priscilla motioned to the jars of jam.

“Where would you like me to put these?”

“You can put them in glass bowls and place two on each of the tables I’ve set up in the other room.” Elaine smiled. “I appreciate all this jam and will gladly pay for it.”

Priscilla shook her head. “There’s no need.”

“You won’t let me pay you for helping tonight, so I insist on paying for the jam.”

Priscilla knew she wouldn’t get anywhere arguing with her friend, so she nodded and took the jam and dishes into the generously sized room next to the kitchen. Elaine’s grandfather had added it on to the house when his wife started serving dinners for tourists many years ago. It could accommodate as many as one hundred people and had been used to hold church services when needed, in addition to groups of people who came for the meals. Elaine had continued offering the dinners after her grandparents died. It gave her something meaningful to do and had become a favorite event for tourists, as well as some of the locals.

Priscilla looked around as she set the bowls of jam on the three tables. Elaine had covered each table with a bright red cloth and draped white lace over the top. Beside each plate was a green cloth napkin, and chubby red pillar candles with a bit of greenery at the base served as centerpieces. Between the tantalizing aromas coming from the kitchen, the scent of pine from the greenery, and the overall festive appearance, the room was ready to welcome their guests. Just being in it made Priscilla look forward to Christmas.

She wondered if the holiday would be special for her and Elam. Last year she’d hoped for that, too. Unfortunately, nothing had changed—they were still courting, but Elam had not proposed. It did no good to analyze his reasons, so she reminded herself to focus on other things.

Priscilla returned to the kitchen, where Elaine was slicing freshly baked bread. “That room sure looks festive,” Priscilla commented. “I had to look closely at the candles before I realized they were battery operated.”

Elaine filled a basket with bread and began slicing another loaf. “Besides being safer, battery-powered candles last for hours, with no dripping wax to worry about.”

“That’s true. Now, what would you like me to do?” Priscilla questioned.

“The salads are made and the chicken’s in the oven. Why don’t we have a cup of tea and visit until it’s time to start the potatoes?”

“Are you sure? I came here to work, you know.”

Elaine chuckled. “Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty to do as soon as our fifty guests arrive.”

Priscilla’s mouth opened wide. “Fifty? I didn’t realize there would be so many people to serve.”

“Guess I forgot to mention it, but don’t worry, we’ll manage okay.” Elaine poured tea, and they took seats at the table. “The people coming here tonight are family members who wanted to do something different to celebrate Christmas.”

“This is only the first week of December. Why would they celebrate Christmas so early?” Priscilla scooted her chair closer to the table.

“Some people who’ll be coming live in the area, but others are from out of town. They’re having a get-together now because it’s the only time they could all manage to gather.” Elaine pushed a strand of shiny blond hair back under her white head covering.

Priscilla took a sip of the warm tea, enjoying the familiar pumpkin- spice flavor. “Speaking of Christmas, if you haven’t made plans, I’d like you to come over to our place that day.”

“I appreciate the invitation,” Elaine replied, “I’ll be joining Ben’s fam- ily for Christmas Eve dinner, but I have no plans for Chrismtas Day.”

“You two have been seeing each other awhile now. Has there been any talk of marriage?”

Elaine nodded. “Ben proposed several weeks ago.” “Really? How come you’re just now telling me?”

“Since I haven’t given him an answer yet, I figured there was no point mentioning it.” Elaine blew on her tea. “Ben’s a wonderful man, and I care for him, but I’m not sure what I feel is deep enough for a marriage commitment.”

“That makes sense.” Priscilla knew Elaine had once been in love with Jonah Miller, but in all the time Ben had been courting her, Priscilla had never seen Elaine look at him the way she used to look at Jonah. It was unfortunate that Jonah’s wife, Sara, had died. Recently, Priscilla had wondered if Jonah and Elaine might get together again someday. Of course, she’d never voice her thoughts to Elaine. It hadn’t even been a month since Sara fell from a ladder in their barn. It was too soon for Jonah to take another wife, although he might eventually feel the need for someone other than his folks to help care for his baby girl and stepson.

Elaine bumped Priscilla’s arm. “You’re awfully quiet all of a sudden. What are you thinking about?”

“Love and marriage.”

“Has Elam finally proposed?”

Priscilla sighed, looking down at the table. “No, and maybe he never will. I’d probably be smart to break things off with him.”

“As I recall, you were thinking about breaking up once before.” Elaine placed her hand on Priscilla’s arm, giving it a motherly pat. “You love him very much, don’t you?”

“Jah.” Priscilla lifted her head. “But if he doesn’t want to marry me, I may as well accept it and move on with my life.”

“I’m sure Elam loves you, Priscilla. You just need to be patient. He’s probably waiting for the right time to propose.”

“Maybe so.” After a brief pause, she said, “I haven’t talked to Leah for a while. Do you know how things are going with her and Adam?”

“I dropped by their place yesterday, to give the girls some cook- ies. Leah said things are going well. Unfortunately, though, Adam still hasn’t resolved things with his mother.”

“It’s a sad situation any way you look at it. I was glad when Leah finally explained how Adam’s mother had abandoned him and his sister when they were children. It’s ironic that Cora used to practice reflexology.” Priscilla directed her gaze across the room to look at the clock. “Guess it was the reason Adam was so set against Leah working on people’s feet. Most likely, it reminded him of his mother.”

“That’s understandable, at least from a child’s point of view. But as an adult, Adam should have been able to see past all that and realize Leah is nothing like his mother.” Elaine paused to drink some tea. “It seems a shame that Adam’s mother is now living here in Arthur, and yet Adam won’t have anything to do with her.”

“I hope everything works out for them. Life’s too short to hold grudges that can separate people from their families.” Elaine pushed away from the table. “Guess I’ll get the potatoes out now and start peeling.”

~

Priscilla gasped. “I am so sorry.” She handed Evie several napkins.

Blotting her skirt, Evie chuckled. “Don’t worry, dear. It’s only water. It won’t leave a stain.”

Relieved, Priscilla hoped the rest of the evening would go by with- out any other mishaps.

During the meal, everyone visited, and several people told jokes or humorous stories. After Elaine brought out three kinds of pie, they all settled down, and for a while everything got quiet.

“This apple pie is delicious, darlin’,” a dark-haired man wearing a battery-operated lighted Christmas tie spoke up. “Would ya mind sharin’ the recipe with my wife?”

Elaine’s cheeks flushed. “I’m glad you like it. The pie has no refined sugar in it, so it can be enjoyed by those whose diets are restricted. I’ll be happy to give you a copy of the recipe before you go home.”

“That’d be wonderful.”The bells in Evie’s hair tinkled as she bobbed her head. “You should put together a cookbook and sell it to those who come here for your delicious dinners. I know I would enjoy having a few of your recipes.”

Elaine’s eyes sparkled. “I’ve thought of doing that but haven’t taken the time.”

“If you decide to do a cookbook, I’d be happy to help you with it,” Priscilla volunteered.

“It’s nice of you to offer. I may just take you up on that, because it’ll be a lot of work to do on my own.”

“Well, just let me know whenever you’re ready to begin.”

Elaine and Priscilla headed back to the kitchen to get more coffee for the guests.

“Everyone seems to be having a good time,” Priscilla commented.

“They’re in the Christmas spirit, and it gets me excited, too.” Elaine gave Priscilla’s shoulder a tender squeeze. “I appreciate you helping me tonight.”

“I’m glad I could do it. It’s been fun, even if I did spill water in Evie’s lap.” Elaine snickered. “She took it quite well.” She moved toward the stove but paused before picking up the coffeepot. “Umm. . . I have a favor to ask, Priscilla.”

“What’s that?”

“Karen won’t be coming back to work for me.”

“How come?”

“She and her family are moving to Indiana next week. Since I have two more dinners scheduled between now and Christmas, I’m kind of in a bind. Would you be able to help until I find someone to take Karen’s place? I’ll pay you what I paid her, of course.”

Priscilla smiled. “I’d be happy to help, and you don’t have to worry about finding anyone else. Mom and I won’t have much to do in the store until spring, when we’ll make more jams and jellies to sell. I just have one question. Are all your dinners like this one?”

Elaine shook her head. “Every group of people is different, but they’re all quite entertaining.”

Priscilla grinned. “I’m sure it’ll be an experience.”

~

Priscilla shook her head. “I should be fine if I leave as soon as we finish washing the dishes. If I don’t show up, my folks will worry. Even if I call and leave a message, they probably won’t check their voice mail till tomorrow morning.”

“I suppose you’re right. You’d better go now then, before the snow gets any worse.”

“What about the dishes? I don’t want to leave you stuck with those.” “I don’t mind.” Elaine gave Priscilla a hug. “You go on now and be safe.”

“Okay, if you insist.” Priscilla put on her outer garments and headed for the door. “I’ll call you tomorrow morning,” she called over her shoulder.

A short time later, Priscilla headed down the road with her horse and buggy. She’d only gone a short ways when she caught sight of a motorcycle going in the opposite direction. Wondering why any- one would be riding a cycle on a night like this, Priscilla gripped her horse’s reins a little tighter. Suddenly, a flash of brown ran in front of the motorcycle. When the driver swerved to avoid hitting it, he slid off the road and slammed into a stop sign. The bike flipped over, sending the driver into the snowy ditch.

“Whoa, Tinker! Whoa!” Priscilla directed her horse to the side of the road. She had to see if the rider was hurt.