The Deepest Sigh Read online

  She chuckled. "Don't you worry about me. You just make sure you don't oversleep yourself, Lang." Her voice teased, whether she meant to or not. With a laugh, she glided out the door with her empty pail.

  ~~~~~

  When Lang opened his eyes the next morning, dawn barely cracked the horizon. Chores awaited, despite the day's festivities to come. He hurried into his overalls and boots and slid into the same shirt he'd worn yesterday. He would wash up and change after the morning chores. He and the Eckerts gathered around the breakfast table at seven a.m.

  Delia scolded. "Theodore will be here by nine, and I have to get ready, so eat fast, everybody."

  Rilla's head came up. "Can we ride with you?"

  "We?"

  Her mother scooped eggs onto each of their plates. "Your father and I will be on our way by ten. You can always ride with us."

  "Ten!" Rilla pouted. "That's half way into the day."

  "Delia and Theodore aren't too old for a chaperone." Mr. Eckert spoke with the voice of reason.

  "Daddy, really."

  "Oh, don't take on about it," Rilla chided her sister. She turned to Lang, her eyes bright. "You can ride with us too. I mean, you might as well. Why go alone?"

  "I'll need to bring my horse if there are going to be races."

  "Just hitch him to the back. It's a holiday. It'll be more fun if we're all together."

  He glanced at Delia. She shrugged and conceded. "Might as well. Far be it for me to take on about having chaperones."

  "I guess I will then." He answered nonchalantly, while he hoped some hidden part inside Delia's heart wanted him to be there with her. Maybe before the holiday ended, there was a chance he could win her from Theo.

  Chapter Two

  The day was already growing hot, but at least the humidity wasn't as bad as it could be for a northern Wisconsin July day. The sun blazed across the meadows without a hint of bad weather to come, and buggies and automobiles lined the streets of downtown Spooner. Crowds gathered in the town square, and folks wandered along the walkways and into the shops. As exciting as the prospects of such a beautiful day appeared, Marilla wished the trip to town had lasted longer. She sat on the second seat of Theodore's surrey close to Lang and pretended to hardly notice when their arms brushed together by reason of necessity on the narrow conveyance. He'd cleaned up after chores and smelled of his shaving cream. She had never known a boy to smell so good, but Langdon Prescott was no boy.

  Theodore drove the surrey, and Delia looped her hand through his arm. Occasionally she would lay her head against his shoulder or gaze up at his face, her heart open for anyone to see. Marilla wasn't embarrassed by the couple’s open affection. It made her happy and hopeful. Lang brushed a finger on the bridge of his nose and turned his study upon the scenery, uncomfortable with the close proximity of their open display.

  "What did you do on Independence Day when you were growing up, Lang?" Marilla asked him, hoping to draw his attention her way.

  His glance her way didn't linger. "Sometimes we went to the ocean. We weren't far away, and it was something we could afford to do. Not much else. My parents weren't wealthy."

  "That's why you left home so young, isn't it?"

  He nodded. "Lots of mouths to feed, and I was capable of earning my way."

  "You weren't even as old as I am."

  "Fifteen is a man."

  Marilla studied him. Langdon Prescott was definitely a man. She could imagine him being a man already at fifteen, just as she was a woman at nearly eighteen.

  "What are you looking at?"

  She startled and blinked. "Oh. Nothing. You just made me wonder what it must have been like traveling so far from home at such an age. I've never been further than Eau Claire or Superior, and that was with my family. I can't imagine."

  "When you're fifteen, everything is an adventure. Isn't it? You're still a kid. You must feel that way."

  She frowned. "I'm hardly a kid, Langdon."

  He laughed and leapt off the wagon. Delia scooted into Theo's waiting arms. Marilla slid toward Lang. "Give me a hand, will you? I don't want to catch my dress."

  He held up his hand and she grasped it. He steadied her but didn't lift her down the way Theo did Delia. Marilla adjusted her bonnet and swept a hand over the skirt of her new, white, garden party dress. Lang was looking up the street.

  "Thank you."

  "No trouble."

  "What does everybody want to do first?"

  Delia hooked her arm through Theo’s. "Let's take a walk. I want to see if Judy and Glen are here yet." Judy was Delia's best friend.

  Theo bumped Delia’s shoulder with his. "I'm not going to lose you to her attention today, am I?"

  "Of course not. I just want to make sure we can find each other later, when you men are playing ball. Judy and I want to sit together."

  They strolled along for a ways, weaving through the gathering crowds and greeting acquaintances along the way. Marilla pointed across the street where a knot of women visited. "Oh look, it's some of the ladies from the Spooner Study Group."

  "The what?" Langdon asked.

  "The Study Group. They're all women who want to advance their knowledge by studying a variety of topics together. There are ways to continue your education even if you can't go to school, you know."

  "So I hear."

  Marilla clammed up. Right away, she realized she might have hurt his feelings. If he'd left home at fifteen to make his way in the world, how long had he even been able to stay in school? He had probably not gotten past the fifth or sixth grade. She reached for the words to make it up to him. "You know, Lang, it's not uncommon for boys or girls around here to leave school to work on their farms or to even take a good job on the railroad. That's what Theo did. I—I didn't mean anything by what I said."

  He winked at her, and for the space of five full seconds, her heart soared. "I'm not offended, Rilla. I know all that. You should join the women's group since you've graduated."

  His simple encouragement meant the world. "I plan to. This fall, after all the harvest and canning are done, I'm going to try."

  "Go as far as you can. Things are changing. Now that Europe's in a war, I suspect folks will start putting more value on their education here. The world might look different in a few years."

  He was smart, smarter than he let on. She liked hearing him talk about different things than just her father's farm.

  "You're a smart girl, Rilla. I always thought so."

  There it was again—her heart leaping up into her chest, nearly lifting her off the ground. "Lang, if you don't mind, can I ask you something?"

  "Go ahead." His gaze had wandered off now, and she wasn't sure how much he listened as he strolled beside her with his hands in his pockets.

  "How long do you think you'll keep working for my father? I mean, I'm glad you work for him. I was just wondering what your future plans are."

  He shrugged and paused to look into a storefront window. "I'm not sure. I thought about going up to Superior or Duluth and getting a job in one of the shipyards or even signing up with a crew on one of the lakers, but I like farming."

  "Did you farm when you lived out east?" She had never asked him such before. She just assumed he must have.

  "No. Not really. I hired myself to farmers working across the country though. I could have gotten work in the mines like my buddy Archie did, but that sort of work didn't appeal. I'd like to settle down on a farm of my own someday."

  Her heart beat a little faster. They were meant to be together. "It would be wonderful for you if you could. Do you miss your friend Archie?"

  "Sometimes. He was a good pal."

  "But you don't mind just having us? Me and Delia and Theo to hang around with now?" She knew he went into town sometimes on a Saturday night, but she never asked what he did or who he was with. She wanted to hear him say he liked them enough to stay. He liked her well enough.

  He moved on down the street and gave her a grin. "I don't mind. Y
ou're all right I guess. What's going on over there?" He pointed beyond them.

  Theo followed Lang's gaze. "Looks like that's where the parade will start. After the parade is the picnic, then we can get on to the real fun. The horse races."

  Lang shared Theo's enthusiasm in that regard. "I'm looking forward to it. Think you can beat me this year?"

  "I'm going to try." Theo tugged on Delia's hand. "Come on. Let's find a place in the shade."

  Marilla turned to follow them, but Lang headed off another way. "Where are you going?"

  "I'm going to have another look around. I'll see you all later."

  Marilla's heart fell a little; but, what did she expect? Lang wasn't hers, not yet. He'd join them when he got round to it, at least if he wanted to eat he would. After their picnic, there were the races and ball game, and last of all—the dance. Sooner or later, if everything worked out, she'd be both on and in his arms.

  ~~~~~

  The parade didn't last long. Spooner was bigger than Shell Lake, but it was still a small town. Lang stood among the crowd watching the fire brigade pulling their wagons, the festooned automobiles carrying the men representing the railroad, all the prancing horses, and the patriotic wagon floats. Parading soldiers from the National Guard buoyed the entire town with a sense of American preparedness, and the marching band took the street, playing with gusto for the waving crowd. A group of women from the Spooner Study Group passed out handmade bookmarks, but he declined when one was offered.

  Lang had seen longer parades in bigger towns from the east coast cities to Madison, but everything he wanted was right here. He and his best friend Archie Bristow had worked their way from New Jersey across the country. Archie stopped in the southern part of the state to become a badger in the mines, but Lang decided he might just work his way north to Superior and, in time, get on a boat. The day he'd gotten work on the Eckert dairy farm and begun his headlong fall for Delia, however, he knew he was done traveling.

  No, the small town of Spooner, and the even tinier village of Shell Lake closer to the Eckert farm, felt quite homey to him now. Homier than any place he'd ever landed, including the New Jersey ward he was born in. Even his favorite haunts along the Hackensack River had stopped feeling like home about the time he turned fourteen, when he sensed the pressure of being the oldest child in a bursting apartment with little income to support the household. He blessed them all by leaving. Now he hoped to become indispensable to Delia's father, so maybe he would never have to leave again unless it was with the farmer's daughter.

  He found their family after the parade. Mr. and Mrs. Eckert had arrived with the picnic feast. The women were spreading it out on a tablecloth under the shade of an oak tree while Mr. Eckert and Theodore stood in discussion.

  Theo looked up as Lang strolled toward them. "Hey, Lang, did you happen to see Joe Siddel's new horse in the parade? Delia’s father and I were just talking about it."

  "I did. He'll be a tough one to beat in the race, if Joe plans to run him."

  "Oh, you can bet your bottom dollar he'll run him. Joe's been bragging about his horse since March."

  "Where did he get him?" Mr. Eckert asked.

  "Bought him from a horse trader down in Chippewa Falls. He won't get much work out of that animal. He's built for running, not farming."

  Lang smirked. "I suppose that's what got Joe's attention."

  Mr. Eckert nodded. "Someday, he'll want a work animal. Those kinds of horses don't belong on a farm."

  "By the time he realizes it, he'll want himself a car," Theo said, wagging his head.

  Mr. Eckert nodded. "I'm surprised it hasn't come to that already."

  "Are you fellows going to stand there yapping, or are you going to sit down and eat?" Delia asked. She patted the blanket next to her for Theo.

  "Come and grab a sandwich. We have to eat them all. They won't keep in this heat." Mrs. Eckert handed Lang a wrapper. He unfolded an egg salad sandwich.

  Rilla gave him a sly grin. "Don't worry about that, Mama. Lang's always hungry."

  "Feed your own tapeworm."

  She tossed him an apple, a little harder than he expected.

  He caught it in the chest and laughed. "Maybe you ought to pitch in the ball game this afternoon."

  "I'll pitch another right at your head if you don't watch it."

  "I'm not afraid of a skinny little girl like you."

  "Ooh!" She growled at him, but her face reddened. They were all a little warm.

  "Hello there, Mr. and Mrs. Eckert. Hi, Marilla."

  Lang turned at the sound of a voice he recognized. Jacob Hessman, the owner of a general store on the south end of Shell Lake, approached. Jacob couldn't be any older than Lang, in his mid-twenties. He had taken over his family’s store when his father died of a heart attack last year. Lang had never met Jacob's mother. She died when Jacob was still of school age.

  Lang had Jacob Hessman figured for a simple man, content to stay in the town where he'd been born. Tall and strong across the shoulders, he carried a little extra around his middle. He was friendly, did a fine job with the store, and always had just the thing they needed or was able to get it soon. Mrs. Eckert and the girls traded their butter and eggs at Hessman's Store, along with Delia's baked goods.

  "I saw all of you over here so I just thought I'd say hello."

  Mrs. Eckert smiled at him. "Hello, Jacob. Won't you join us?"

  "I don't need anything. I will get something from one of the shops later."

  "Oh, please take one of my mother's sandwiches." Rilla extended a sandwich piled thick with egg salad. "If you don't, she'll stuff us all."

  Jacob smiled at Rilla, his face going round and a bit pink. "All right then. If you say I should."

  "Have a seat." Delia invited him, directing her gaze at an empty place on the blanket near Rilla.

  Lang was the only person who saw Rilla's eyes widen at Delia as Jacob kneeled down beside her.

  "Pass the jug of lemonade, please." Delia reached for the jug her mother handed her and poured a cup for both her and Theo. "Would you care for some, Jacob?"

  "Yes, please. It's another hot Fourth of July."

  "Will you race your horse later?" Theo asked.

  He shook his head. "Oh, no.” He chuckled. “Not me. I came in my motor car. My mare would hold a grudge against me if I made her run. I'd best stick to the ball game and other events."

  A bullhorn sounded down the street, and the mayor announced the day's schedule.

  Lang brushed crumbs off his hands. "Sounds like we'll be racing soon. I'd better go take care of Sandy." He stood a good chance today. He might not win, but he could possibly outdistance Theo, in more ways than one.

  "Good luck! I'll be cheering for you," Rilla said, as he turned to ready his horse.

  "Thanks, I'll need it." He glanced toward Delia too, but she was lost in Theo's gaze.

  Chapter Three

  Joe Siddel won the race, as expected. It didn't matter to Marilla of course. Lang could have come in dead last for all she cared. Her pleasure rested in watching him lean into Sandy's mane with his legs wrapped tight to her girth. His white shirt pressed against his chest as he rode. He was a sight for her to behold, and with everyone cheering on their favorites, she could clap for him without heed to anyone's notice. He came in ahead of Theo, and Marilla didn't think Delia cared either. She was just as enamored of her fellow as Marilla was of Lang.

  Lang and Theo brushed down their animals, watered them, quenched their own thirsts as well, and gathered with the family for the other events. The backward races and potato sack races came next. Most of the younger set played those games. The announcer called for participants in the three-legged race, and Marilla stepped closer to Lang as Theo tugged on Delia.

  "Come on, honey. Let's see if we got it."

  "Oh, Theo, really, I don't want to. You go ahead."

  "I don't have a partner. Come on. It'll be fun."

  "No, really, Theo."

  Marilla tu
rned toward Lang. "La—"

  He cut her off. "Rilla will be your partner, won't you, Rilla?"

  Marilla jerked. Her mouth fell open. She was just about to ask him to be her partner. "I—I don't know..."

  "Go ahead. You'll probably win."

  "It's okay. Go ahead," Delia said.

  Theo set his hands on his hips, his knees slightly bent like they hadn’t entirely unfolded from the saddle. His face was still a bit flushed from the horse race. "Marilla? Want to join me? Free ice cream for the winners." He rubbed his palms together.

  Marilla looked between them feeling just a little incensed. Delia knew she'd planned to ask Lang. How could she have forgotten? Marilla stood up and tossed her straw hat on the blanket. She gave Delia and Lang one last glance. "All right, Theo. Lead the way. Let's show these two how it's done."

  He laughed and grabbed her hand. They jogged off to the starting line where a boy was handing out lengths of rope to bind their ankles together.

  "I'll do it." She bent to tie the cord. If it were Lang, she would have let him handle her ankle. With a final tug to secure the knot, they hobbled into place.

  "Pardon me." Theo put his arm around her. She wrapped hers around his waist. Up and down the line, pairs of racers bobbled and hopped. A couple of them tipped over, laughing in the grass. Rilla and Theo made a few practice walks and turns and had settled into place back along the starting line when an unexpected couple hobbled up beside them.

  Delia and Langdon! Rilla gaped.

  Theo pretended shock. "What?" He sounded more amused than upset.

  Lang raised a brow in Theo's direction. "I convinced her to give it a try, to see if she could best you."

  "Do you see that, Rilla?" Theo said. "I guess we have to win for sure now, don't we?"

  Marilla was still too stunned to speak. She nodded.

  A loud voice echoed over the bullhorn, "On your mark!" She and Theo held on. "Get set!" They leaned into the ready position. The starting gun fired, and they were off. Marilla was a tall girl, not much shorter than Theo. They made a good team and easily found their stride, but when she cast a quick glance over her shoulder, she saw Lang wasn't going to let them win. He was a good ten inches taller than Delia, and he was practically lifting her sister off the ground with one arm and carrying her, his two strides to Delia’s one.