Chapter Two
“I’d have to agree, Mrs. Ehlers,” Mrs. Kerwyn conceded. “This is the best strudel I think I’ve ever tasted.” She took another bite of the pastry. “Who did you say made it? Mrs. Manning? Now, Kate here makes a very good strudel herself, don’t you, Kate?”
Kate nodded absently, not really paying attention to the conversation.
She had succeeded in getting herself to the annual potluck dinner, which was no small feat, as Mrs. Kerwyn had faltered not twice, but three times in the space of a week as to whether or not Kate should attend.
The latest vacillation had occurred just last night, and it had been Edmund who had finally convinced Mrs. Kerwyn, promising that he would look after Kate (as if she needed looking after!) and that he would drive her back home if she grew tired or felt ill in any way.
Kate was grateful for Edmund’s intervention, but she was becoming increasingly exasperated with her mother. She was perfectly fine! Well, almost.
Kate scoured the crowd again, hoping to spot Sheriff Norris. She wanted to waste no time in finding him in case he left early. Edmund, who had at first stood dutifully at her side, had gotten sidetracked by several other young farmers and was now drifting toward the long tables of food.
Kate took a few steps from her mother, still engaged in a deep conversation with Mrs. Ehlers, and peered into the corners.
Half the town seemed to be here, and she had to quiet her desire to escape into the cold air outside.
Imogene and Esmerelda Kaufmann were clustered in a corner, and nearby were what looked to be all of the Merriweathers: Mrs. Merriweather and Melody’s little sister—what was her name again?
—were sitting glumly at a table, while Melody, of course, was chatting away with a little crowd gathered around her.
Her brother, Fred, stood awkwardly on the periphery, looking a bit lost and forlorn.
Near to him was Mrs. Haufbrau, speaking animatedly to several town ladies, and next to them stood Frank Churchill and Julius Fairfax, who were also in the thick of a little group, Frank eagerly engaging everyone around him while Julius stood silently at his side, unobtrusively munching on what looked like a cucumber sandwich.
Only Harriet was missing. Kate would welcome a chat with her friend right about now.
Throughout the whole of Kate’s illness, Harriet had loyally come nearly every day to visit, but she had since dropped off as Kate grew stronger, no doubt busy with her work at the Merc and now the preparations for her upcoming wedding to John Schneider.
Perhaps she was simply late, Kate guessed, and perused the crowd again, remembering that she was supposed to be looking for Sheriff Norris.
Finally, she spotted the tall frame of Mrs. Norris.
The sheriff stood near her, discussing something with Mayor Hopkins.
Kate watched them, her courage suddenly failing.
What had she been thinking? Was she just going to march up to Sheriff Norris and ask him to recount an incident that had happened fifteen years ago—especially one he probably considered trivial?
Sheriff Norris was an exceptionally fat man, almost completely bald, with small, dark eyes that were nearly squeezed shut from the layers of bags beneath them.
Though it was a social event, he was in uniform, his brown shirt straining to hold in his large stomach.
Kate’s eyes fixated on the shiny gold star on his chest. The mayor moved away, and for a moment the sheriff was alone.
This was her chance . . .
Kate glanced sideways at her mother and then, taking a slow, steadying breath, made herself walk toward the sheriff.
He unfortunately spotted her before she reached him, however, his beady eyes tracking her and making her feel awkward and self-conscious.
It seemed to take forever to get to him, her legs heavy, as if she had forgotten how to walk.
When she finally stood in front of him, he looked her up and down, taking a deep puff of his cigar as he did so.
“What can I do for you, little lady?” he asked.
“I . . . I’m Kate Kerwyn.” Kate swallowed hard. “You probably don’t remember me.”
The sheriff’s eyes narrowed as he studied her for a few moments. “You’re that kid I picked up, aren’t you?” he said through clamped teeth, his cigar firmly planted between them.
Kate blinked in surprise. “Yes, I . . . I am.”
The sheriff offered no help, just waited for her to continue. When she did not, he asked in a mocking voice, “Can I help you with something?”
Kate shook her head, breaking her momentary paralysis. “I . . . I was hoping I could ask you about . . . about the time I was found.”
“Like what?” He frowned.
Kate let out a quick exhale. “I was told you went to Prairie du Chien and inquired with the Sauk tribe if I belonged to them.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, I’ve . . . I’ve recently found out there wasn’t a Sauk tribe, or any tribe, up there.”
“Yeah?”
“Well . . .” Kate looked around uneasily. “Well, why did you say that?” She forced her eyes to return to the sheriff’s. “Why did you tell that to the Kerwyns? All these years, I’ve believed I’m was a Sauk Indian, and now I find out I’m not?”
The sheriff let out a disgruntled sigh. “Look.” He took another puff of his cigar.
“I did ask a few Indians when I was up there. Wasn’t no tribe, per se, but there was a few stragglers.
Carryovers. Rejects or runaways from the tribe, you might call them.
There’s always a few of ‘em roaming around. Or lyin’ on street corners, more like.
” He took another puff and looked at her through squinted eyes.
“You never know. You could still be an Indian. More likely, though, by the look of you, you’re from a gypsy family.
Coulda been passing through and maybe didn’t have enough to feed you and left you behind. ”
“That can’t be true.” Kate’s stomach tightened.
The sheriff shrugged. “Happened quite a bit after the Crash, ‘specially in the cities, but it happened around here some, too. Parents killing themselves or abandoning the kids. Plenty a people went plum crazy back then.”
Hot tears sprang to Kate’s eyes. “Then I could be anyone.”
“Well, far as I’m concerned, you’re a Kerwyn. You got lucky. I was all set to take you to St. Joe’s in Milwaukee, but when I came to fetch you, Mrs. Kerwyn says, ‘No, we’ll keep her.’ ‘You sure?’ I says. ‘Yes, we’re sure,’ she says. So, I don’t know what you’re complaining about.”
“I . . . I’m not complaining.” Kate’s throat ached. “I just wanted to know.”
“Well, now you know,” he said gruffly.
“Who’s this, Ted?” Mrs. Norris snipped, joining the conversation and giving Kate a quick once-over.
Mrs. Norris was as different to her husband in physique as a couple could possibly be—while he was short and fat, she was exceptionally tall and thin.
It reminded Kate of the rhyme about Jack Sprat and his wife, though in this case it was reversed.
Mrs. Norris had very pale skin, a hooked nose and a cleft chin; she looked exactly like what Kate imagined a witch would.
All that was lacking was a disfiguring wart.
But while the couple in front of her were opposites in bodily shape, they seemed to be of one mind in their disdain for the general public.
“That kid I picked up aways back. ‘Member? Kerwyns took her in.”
Mrs. Norris gave her another look up and down. “Oh, yeah?”
“Spent her whole life thinkin’ she was an Indian,” Sheriff Norris said amusedly, as if this were all a big joke.
“Indian?” Mrs. Norris scoffed. “She ain’t no Indian.
I told you that at the time, Ted. More than likely you were from one of those immigrant camps that used to be down at the bottom of Magnolia in New Grimsby,” she directed at Kate.
“Don’t know what they were. Romanians or Hungarians or something like that, maybe.
Some kind of foreigners. They’re all gone now, thankfully.
” She raised an eyebrow. “What does it matter, anyway? Got a good home with Gus and Caroline. Not all girls is so lucky. Ted can tell you that, can’t you, Ted?
Number of runaway girls he’s come across in his time.
Most of ‘em turn up dead. Or worse. Would make you sick, some of the things he’s seen. ”
Kate did feel sick. She wanted desperately to get away from the Norrises. She looked around for Edmund, but she didn’t see him. “Well, thank you,” she mumbled. “I need to find my mother.” She needn’t have bothered with any niceties, as the sheriff had already turned his attention to Chief Meyers.
Kate wandered in the direction of Mrs. Kerwyn, who was still in conversation with Mrs. Ehlers. Before she could reach her, however, Kate was intercepted by an excited Harriet Mueller. Both her affianced and her mother were in tow. All three of them had plates piled high with food.
“There you are!” Harriet exclaimed. “Your mom said you were here somewhere. I’m so glad you’re feeling better.”
Kate smiled weakly, grateful that her friend had finally arrived.
“Yes, how are you, dear Kate?” Rosemary Mueller inquired kindly. “We’ve been ever so worried about you, haven’t we, Harriet?”
“I’m well, thanks, Mrs. Mueller. Hello, John.” Kate said to the young man at Harriet’s side.
John Schneider took a moment to shift the food in his mouth to one side and mumbled, “Hello.”
Kate did not actually know John all that well, as he had been several years ahead of her in school, but he had always seemed nice enough.
And her father always said the Schneiders ran a good farm.
One thing was for sure, Kate decided as she observed John staring puppy-eyed at Harriet: he was head over heels in love with her friend, which made Kate glad.
She was grateful Harriet had seen sense in the end and avoided Melody Merriweather’s misguided attempts to marry her off to Wesley Elton.