“Why—you, Sam?” exclaimed Eliza. “I hope nothing has happened to Mary Jane.” Sam was not one to make early calls.
“No, the missis is all right. She just sent me over to get the lend of your kraut-cutter. You hain’t using it, I calculate.”
“Mercy, no. I’ve got mine made long ago. The cutter’s out in the wash-house. You’ll find it hanging up behind the door.”
“We’re a little slow somehow about making ours. ‘Pears to be so much to do. There’s chores, and then I had some carpenter work to do on the chicken-coop. But last night, the cold nipped the top layer of the cabbage heads, so Mary Jane said we’d better make the kraut right off or it would all be spoiled. She spoke to set up with Livia Burtsch to-night.”
“Livia Burtsch?” exclaimed Eliza. “What’s wrong with her?”
“Got water-soaked the night of the church-supper and took ‘monia’. They’ve had the doctor from the Bend. The parson’s been to see her. She’s right bad. Somebody’s had to set up with her every night now for three days. She gets out of her head.”
Sam moved on to get the sauer-kraut cutter. There was no question in Eliza’s mind as to her duty.
“I’m going over to see Mrs. Burtsch, Beth,” she said. “I’m not sure that I’ll be back in time for dinner. You can take some bread and milk. I don’t want you to fuss with the fire and try to cook while I’m away. Mrs. Burtsch is sick and may need me.”
There were more ways than one in which Mrs. Burtsch would need help. Eliza knew that. Olivia was not one to “cook up” anything. She was generally out of bread and never made jelly, or canned what she called “truck”. Eliza knew how she would find matters in the Burtsch household, so she took her biggest basket and filled it with some fresh bread, some jelly and several bottles of home-made grape-juice.
She wasted no time in apology or explaining when she entered the Burtsch household.