Page 32 - Life's Outtakes 8
P. 32

the mother was barely conscious. Liza continued to
work to stabilize both of them.

      For many days Liza worked to help the young
mother and the baby. Other women came to help, and
Liza directed their combined efforts. Mr. Winthrop did
everything she asked, and he was there with his wife,
helping Liza during many sleepless nights.

      It was almost a full week before Liza felt
everything was all right, and she knew that the next day
she would finally be able to return home. But each
night she had stayed there, the weather had grown a
little colder. And that last night the temperature
dropped so low she knew the beets in the ground would
be frozen.

      The next day, as Mr. Winthrop hitched the team to
take her home, she could barely hold back the tears. It
was a long ride home as she wondered if she would
have to move and start over again. But as they finally
turned onto the road on her farm, to her surprise, she
saw empty row after empty row of already harvested
beets.

      When they pulled into the yard, her children ran to
greet her. “David, how did you get the beets all

                                                     27
   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37