Page 45 of A Joyful Ring
“Oh, Gunder, my dear. It’s a tragedy. How terrible they wrecked your belongings and stole from you.” Mrs. Baldwin pulled back and took a handkerchief from her apron pocket, dabbing at her eyes. “I insist you have dinner and stay the night. You’ve been so good to chop wood when I needed it or haul things for me. I’d be so pleased if you’d stay.”
Gunder didn’t know how he could refuse, and, truth be told, he didn’t really want to. The mine was the last place he wanted to be tonight. Lars would have let him stay at his place, but that didn’t seem much better than the mine at this point.
“I’m gonna run along, Mrs. Baldwin, but you keep a good eye on our boy,” Lars said, smiling at the woman, then giving Gunder’s shoulder a squeeze before he rushed back outside.
“Pastor Thomas, please show Gunder upstairs. We’ll put him in the room next to yours for tonight.” Mrs. Baldwin motioned to the stairs. “Both of you wash up, and then dinner will be on the table.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Baldwin,” Gunder said, bowing his head to her in gratitude. At the moment, he felt overwhelmed and was grateful when Pastor Thomas left him in a comfortable room upstairs.
Suddenly weary, Gunder set down his things and removed his coat and hat, along with his scarf. He walked over to the window and looked outside, able to see the lights at the mine in the distance. He returned downstairs and steeled himself to make his way through the meal.
As soon as it was polite to escape upstairs, Gunder readied for bed, then sat propped against the headboard in the dark, praying for Risa, his loved ones, and guidance for his future.
Chapter Eleven
“For those of you who haven’t heard, a thief is walking among us. Walked right into the midst of us,” Pastor Thomas intoned, letting his gaze roam over the congregation gathered at the church on Sunday morning.
Gunder sat still, afraid if he looked around and saw someone who appeared guilty, he’d be unable to keep from grabbing that person and shaking them until their teeth rattled.
Lars placed his hand on Gunder’s shoulder from the seat beside him, although whether out of sympathy or restraint, Gunder didn’t know. There weren’t many men in town or at the mine who could subdue him if he truly lost his temper, except maybe the enormous mine security guards.
He forced his attention back to the pastor, rather surprised by the man’s sermon topic. PastorThomas had assured him during breakfast at Mrs. Baldwin’s that he intended to make sure everyone at the service knew what had happened. Gunder had thanked him and expected a mention at the end of the service.
But it appeared the pastor had changed his sermon to the sins of stealing.
“Stealing is a terrible sin. A sin that harms others and the community where they live. It shows disrespect for others and their possessions. It’s taking the gifts God has given you, like hands to do good work and a mind to think good thoughts, and throwing them back at the Creator.” Pastor Thomas paused for effect, letting his words sink in.
Only by sheer will of force did Gunder keep his gaze glued to the pastor as he heard rustling and nervous shifting on creaking pews.
“Stealing, quite often, is rooted in selfishness and laziness. Whether they acknowledge it or not, one who steals is deceptive. They take shortcuts to getting what they want by stepping on the hard work of someone else.” The pastor went on to read a few Bible verses. “In Exodus 20:15, for those following along, it says: ‘Thou shalt not steal.’ It doesn’t get any simpler than that, friends. Thou shalt not steal.”
Pastor Thomas paused again and looked over at Gunder. “One of our flock—one who has faithfully attended services every Sunday since July—arrived home yesterday to find not only things precious to him had been stolen, but also that the thief had deliberately broken and destroyed many things that came to him at a dear cost. No one here can affordto replace necessities that were needlessly and heedlessly broken by a person of dishonor. A person of poor character. A person who has no thought for others beyond himself. Now, I ask you, if any of you know who committed this sin and caused this sorrow, please come forward. You can speak to me in private or before us all, but please share if you know anything. We just want what was lost to be returned.”
Enveloping, deafening silence fell over the congregation. One minute turned into two that felt as though they might stretch to eternity.
“Pastor Thomas?” a childish voice asked from behind Gunder, who couldn’t help turning to look at Dinah Dutton. The little girl held her hand raised as though she were in school, as she sat close to her mother’s side. Dinah, unlike her sister Maybelle, was a quiet, sweet child. Risa had commented more than once she must be the only light to her mother’s heart.
“Yes, Dinah?” the pastor asked, smiling kindly at the child who couldn’t have been more than nine or ten.
“Is it a sin if you know something that someone did and don’t tell?”
“Yes, Dinah. We’d call that a sin of omission. We know from the sermon a few weeks ago that all sins, no matter how big or small, separate us from God. That’s not a good thing, is it?”
The little girl shook her head as tears welled in her eyes.
“Would you like to come whisper what you know in my ear?” the pastor asked, stepping outfrom behind the pulpit.
Dinah nodded. With a nudge from her mother and a scowl from her sister and father, the child bravely walked up the aisle to the pastor. He hunkered down and listened as she whispered something in his ear.
“Thank you, Dinah. You’re a brave, good girl.” He patted her back, then sent her back to her seat. “Let us sing ‘Amazing Grace,’ then I’d like the Dutton family to remain as well as Gunder Birke, Lars Hoffman, and Mr. Goodwin.”
It was a good thing Gunder knew the words to the old familiar hymn by heart, or he wouldn’t have been able to focus on the words enough to sing them. As it was, he could hardly keep from turning around and glaring at Maybelle. He had no idea why he knew, but there was an assurance in his mind as clear as the sunny winter sky outside that Maybelle had something to do with what had transpired in his tent.
“Go in peace, my friends, and have a blessed week. Oh, and don’t forget our Christmas Eve service will be next Sunday with refreshments afterward for those who’d like to stay.”
Since Gunder had been seated at the end of the pew, he stood and stepped into the aisle. As soon as others began to leave, he saw Maybelle trying to scoot past her mother and Dinah, looking intent on leaving despite the pastor’s request for the family to stay.
He stepped over to the end of the pew to block her in. She gaped at him, then turned, panic driving her to seek a means of escape, but Lars hustled toblock the other end of the pew.
