Samuel and Sarah looked at each other and grinned. They had finally gotten away from that cramped, stuffy house. They had better get a move on before Aunt Rachel’s voice lassoed them back to the crowded house to do more dreaded chores. And there were plenty of chores to be done because there were eleven children in the house. It seemed like they were always cooking, cleaning, washing, mending, and doing so many other things. Sometimes the twins felt bad about leaving the other children and Aunt Rachel to do all the work, but then they had a wonderful time on their adventures, and they soon forgot. Aunt Rachel was always saying, “Those children will be the death of me,” but she always said it with a smile and twinkle in her eye because she remembered how mischievous she had been when she was their age.
“Sarah,” whispered Samuel, “go get the bait, fishing lines, and hooks. I’ll go down by the fishing hole and cut the poles.”
“Okay, Sam,” replied Sarah. “I’ll meet you down there.”
Samuel whistled merrily as he skipped down the well-trodden path. It was a beautiful day for fishing.
“Sarah, is that you?” Sarah froze in her tracks. How had Esther known where she was? Sarah made a desperate dash for the barn, but Esther caught her around the waist. “Sarah, where are you going?” Esther asked as Sarah struggled to free herself from Esther’s grasp. “I need your help with the washing.”
“Esther, please let me go!” begged Sarah. “I am going fishing with Samuel!”
“You can go fishing later. Right now your help is needed with the washing,” answered Esther, leading the unfortunate girl into the house.
Samuel fished around in his pocket for his pocket-knife. After a few unsuccessful tries and a jab from a needle he had found in the garden, he drew the prized, well-worn knife from his pocket. Samuel then dumped the rest of the loot he had withdrawn back into his pocket and started toward a willow tree by the fishing hole. The branches were young and green, which were perfect for fishing. After he cut the poles, Samuel sat down on a rock and whittled a stick while he waited for Sarah.
Sarah hauled bucket after bucket for the washing from the well to be used for the laundry. The Lewis family washed once a week, and it was a big event when they did wash. Everyone’s clothes had gotten quite dirty so, naturally, it was a monstrous load. The younger children hauled water while Aunt Rachel and the older children scrubbed the clothes. Sarah often wondered how the clothes could possibly stay together during the washing, for Aunt Rachel and the older children scrubbed so vigorously that Sarah always expected the clothes to come apart in their hands. After hauling her seventh bucket of water, Sarah was ready for a break.
“Esther,” she moaned, “My back is aching from having to keep bending over. The rope on the well and the bucket is going to blister my hands and my arms feel like they’re going to fall off from carrying the buckets. Can’t we please have a break?” Sarah’s cousin, Micah, concurred with her plea.
“Yes, Esther,” Micah pleaded. “All of us are aching and Lydia keeps saying that she’s going to faint if she goes on much longer.”
“All of you are over-reacting,” responded Esther sharply. “It’s not that hard to haul water. You’ve already had enough of a break while standing here whining. Now you need to get more water. I need fresh water for this next stack of clothes.” Sarah groaned as she headed back to the well to get more water.
Samuel stood up and looked around. “Where is Sarah?” he mused. “She should have been here by now. I wonder if she got caught.” After a moment’s hesitation, Samuel decided to go spy to see if Sarah had indeed been caught. As he came to the edge of the woods, Samuel caught sight of Sarah pulling a bucket of water from the well.
“Psst, Sarah!” he hissed. “Did you get caught?”
“Yes,” she sighed, “I have to haul water for the washing. Do you have any idea how I can get away?”
“Yes,” Samuel replied mischievously. “Come here and I’ll tell you.” Sarah quickly slipped over to Samuel while he explained his plan.
“Alright,” she said. “I hope it will work.” Sarah walked back to the well and made sure no one was watching. She spied the muddy puddle that had been made at the base of the well from water sloshing out the sides of the buckets, and she threw herself down into it.
Sarah ran over to Esther and Aunt Rachel.
“I fell in the mud,” she wailed. “May I please go change my clothes?”
“Sarah!” scolded Aunt Rachel, “I’ve never known you to be so careless. Yes, you may change your clothes, Dear, but be quick about it. Give us your dirty clothes after you’ve changed. We might as well wash them since it is wash day.”
“Oh, Sarah,” sighed Esther, holding back her frustration.
Sarah turned meekly around and walked into the house. Samuel sneaked to the back door and waited for Sarah. Soon she emerged in a clean, flowered dress and a fresh, white apron.
“Your acting was very good, Sarah,” Samuel complimented. “Even I almost fell for it.” Initially, Sarah beamed with pleasure from Samuel’s compliment, but then suddenly she felt a twinge of guilt at her deception. Her cheeks grew flushed, but she quickly pushed the guilt out of her mind.
“Thanks, Sam!” she choked out. “Now, let’s go fishing!” The two went to the brook and Sarah did her best to enjoy herself.
When it was about supper time, the two walked leisurely home and arrived into the yard with traces of dirt and mud on their clothes, but triumphantly holding their bountiful catch. The other children stared at them open-mouthed, but Daniel darted forward and whispered, “You’re sure gonna get it! Aunt Rachel was fuming when she found out you were gone, Sarah.” Sarah paled with fright.
“Why, Aunt Rachel won’t be mad. She’ll be pleased when she sees all the fish we caught,” Samuel nervously chuckled.
“Oh, I would be pleased, would I? I would be pleased that two of the children willfully deceived me and disobeyed my instructions?” queried Aunt Rachel from behind them.
Samuel and Sarah jumped and slowly turned around to see the weary, disappointed face of Aunt Rachel. Her slender form seemed weighed down and burdened as she stood in the doorway. Samuel began to fidget and tears welled up in Sarah’s eyes.
In an attempt to ease the tension in the air, Samuel held up the fish with hopeful expectation. “Look what we caught, Aunt Rachel,” he said sheepishly. “We’ll have a good supper tonight with all these fish.” At this point, Sarah could hold back the tears no longer, and they began quickly streaming down her cheeks. Aunt Rachel sadly shook her head.
“Don’t you know that to obey is better than the bounty of fish for supper? How can you expect me to enjoy the labor of your disobedience? Had you gone with permission, we could rejoice over your catch. But these fish were caught through the ruse of deception. We won’t be able to enjoy them, and I’m sorry that they were caught. Both of you need to come in and quietly go to the loft. We’ll discuss this in a little while,” said Aunt Rachel. “Daniel, please take the fish and go clean them. Micah, you go help him.”
Supper was a quiet affair. Samuel and Sarah were not present during the meal and the rest of the children ate their food in silence. Aunt Rachel had never looked so tired and worn out as she did during that meal. She barely touched her food and instructed the children to clean up after supper. She wearily climbed the stairs to the loft to talk to Samuel and Sarah.
“Aunt Rachel,” Sarah quietly cried, “I am so very sorry that I deceived you. I knew that what I was doing was wrong, but I went ahead and did it anyway. I should have stayed behind and helped with the chores.” Sarah slowly let her eyes slip down to look at her shoes.
“I’m sorry, too, Aunt Rachel,” Samuel added hoarsely. “I feel the same way as Sarah. And I feel really bad because I put Sarah up to the deception. I told her to fall into the mud so that she would have a way to get out of doing the chores. And I was hiding so that I wouldn’t have to do anything, either. I know that it was wrong and I’m ashamed of it now.”
Aunt Rachel slowly nodded her head. When she finally spoke, there was a crack in her voice. “I’m glad to hear that you both feel that way. You need to understand that you not only lied to me, but more seriously, you lied to God. He has put you children into my care, and you demonstrate your love for Him by respecting my authority. I love you both very much. That doesn’t change, no matter what you do. But, you have broken the trust I have in you, and there are consequences to that.”
“Yes, Aunt Rachel, we understand. We deserve the punishment,” whispered Samuel.
“Children, there is going to be a loss of privileges for a while, and there will also be some extra chores that you are going to have to do. I would like to give you an opportunity to earn back my trust, but that is going to take time and a demonstration on your part that you are trustworthy,” answered Aunt Rachel.
Aunt Rachel prayed with Sarah and Samuel and then left them so they could get ready for bed. The twins went to bed disappointed, but also somewhat hopeful that they would earn back the trust that they had lost.
The next few days were rather dull for Samuel and Sarah. They were busy doing extra chores and did not have time for play. One day, unexpectedly, two of the younger children came down with croup. Aunt Rachel was managing their care, but when two more children got sick a few nights later, Samuel was sent to town to fetch the doctor.
“Hurry, Samuel!” urged Esther with anxiety in her voice.
“I’ll go as fast as I can,” answered Samuel. He quickly darted out of the yard and disappeared from sight. As he ran along, Samuel looked around at his surroundings. The stream glistened in the moonlight. The tall pines and firs were silhouetted against the night sky. The gentle murmuring of the brook as it danced over the jagged stones in the stream-bed soothed his spirits as he ran. The sweet smell of the berry bushes and the sharp smell of the pines also comforted him as he ran along. His feet pounded over the bumpy ground. A thorn jabbed into the sole of his right foot, and with the pain came the realization that in his haste to get to the doctor, he had forgotten to put on his shoes.
“Oh, well! “ Samuel panted as he ran, “It’s too late to turn back now. I must keep going! “
Aunt Rachel, Esther, and Sarah were doing everything they could do to help the young children breathe. Sarah and Esther bundled the younger ones up and took them outside into the cool, night air in hopes of opening of the airways of the sick children. The children still struggled to breathe and Sarah and Esther were filled with worry.
Samuel arrived in the dark town thirsty and sweaty. He didn’t come to town very often, so the temptation to get distracted by all there was to see was pulling on him, but he remembered the sick children and the important task he had been given. He had to find a doctor! Even though it was night, there were a few people strolling through the town, enjoying the night air. He stopped the first person he came to.
“Please,” he pleaded, “can you tell me where I can find a doctor?”
“What’s the hurry, young man?” asked the stranger.
“Four of my younger siblings are seriously ill,” Samuel responded. “I need to find a doctor before it’s too late!”
“Well,” answered the man calmly, “I believe Dr. Robert Cunningham’s office is at 25 Price Way…”
“Thank you!” Samuel interrupted. He quickly dashed off. After searching many streets and lanes, he finally found the doctor’s office. It was a small, tidy-looking place constructed of bright red bricks. With trembling hands Samuel climbed the porch steps and knocked on the wide, framed, oak door. Almost immediately, the door was opened by a girl of about fifteen who was wearing a black dress and starched pinafore.
“How may I help you?” the girl asked politely.
“Is this the office of Dr. Robert Cunningham?” Samuel queried.
“Yes, it is,” the girl answered promptly, “but Dr. Cunningham is out on his monthly calls. He may not be back until morning. Would you like me to leave a message?” While she had been talking, the color drained from Samuel’s face.
“Oh, no!” he groaned inwardly, “what if the doctor doesn’t get to our home in time to save the children?” But Samuel decided to leave a message with the girl anyway.
“Yes,” he answered. “Please tell him that four of the Lewis children are dangerously ill and we would much appreciate it if he came as quickly as possible.”
“Yes, I’ll do just that,” the girl replied sympathetically. “Your farm is quite a few miles away, isn’t it? Did you run all the way here to fetch the doctor? You must be thirsty from your run. Would you like to come in and get a drink and rest yourself before you start back?” Truthfully, Samuel was very thirsty and the idea of sitting down by the nice warm fire on a comfortable couch and having a long, refreshing drink sorely tempted him. But then he remembered Aunt Rachel and the girls at home working themselves to the bone to care for the sick children and he knew he could not stay.
“Thank you very much for the offer. If I could just have a quick drink of water then I will be on my way. I have to get back quickly to help care for the children,” Samuel answered.
After a quick drink, Samuel jumped off the porch and began his long run home. When he was nearly there, he heard the sound of a carriage behind him. He turned and was surprised to see a buggy coming toward him. Inside the buggy was the doctor.
As the buggy pulled up to Samuel, the doctor shouted out, “Are you the Lewis child who called at my house a little while ago?”
“I am,” answered Samuel. “Are you the doctor?”
“Yes,” replied Robert Cunningham. “Hop into the buggy and I’ll give you a ride to the house.”
The next few minutes were like a dream to Samuel. He dozed on and off, as he was exhausted from his long run. When the buggy at last reached the house, Samuel had fallen into a deep sleep.
Samuel awoke suddenly. He was in his bed in the loft. Sarah was sleeping soundly beside him and sunlight was streaming in through the window. Just then, Samuel heard Aunt Rachel calling up the ladder.
“Children!” she shouted, “It’s time to get up! Breakfast is on the table.” Sarah’s eyes fluttered open. She yawned and stretched as she sat up in bed.
“It’s time for breakfast,” Samuel whispered to her. Sarah nodded, and the two climbed down the creaky, old ladder to the delicious breakfast Aunt Rachel had prepared. There were pancakes with maple syrup, sausages, ham, eggs, and bacon. When they all sat down to breakfast, Samuel asked the question that was burning in his mind.
“Aunt Rachel, what happened last night?” he curiously ventured out loud.
“Well, the doctor examined the children and gave them some medicine he thought would help them. He stayed with us a little while after that, giving us some help and showing us what to do. About an hour after the doctor left, the children’s fevers broke and they started to do better. Then I sent Sarah to bed. She had helped so much that I knew she was exhausted. There were times throughout this episode that I wasn’t sure that the children were going to make it, but I thank God for his mercy in sparing them. And, Samuel, I am so proud of you! You ran all that long way to fetch the doctor. Because of how you and Sarah helped, the children recovered.”
It warmed Samuel to think of how his actions had helped to save the children, but he thought, “I mustn’t get too proud.” As he walked to do his chores that morning, he replayed the events of the last few days in his mind. He had made some poor choices, to be sure, but he had also had a part in helping in a very significant way. The little ones were going to recover and life would go on happily ever after. At least, happily ever after until the next adventure landed him into mischief.