Northern Light by Annette O'Hare

her apron. “But now I know how horrible it is. And to think, I’ve hated the Union all these years for no good reason. If they actually are fighting against slavery, then they fight for a noble cause.”
    “Aye now, but ye did have a good reason for your feelings. After all, yer fiancé died at the hands of the Union army. That would cause anyone to have hatred in their heart.”
    “I don’t know what to feel anymore. I’m so confused. Everything I’ve always believed as truth doesn’t seem to make sense anymore. Why does God let these things happen, Thomas?”
    He folded his arms and watched a seagull take wing and fly across the slough. “I’ve asked myself that many a time after what happened to my family and my homeland. There was so much death and betrayal and people unwilling to help their fellow man. It’s enough to make anyone question God.”
    “Oh, my heavens, you know so much about me and I hardly know a thing about you. Please tell me about your family…about Ireland.”
    This sudden interest in him thrilled Thomas, and excitement filled his heart as he turned and straddled the log so he could face her. “Goodness, where do I start? I suppose you know about the great hunger in Ireland.”
    “Oh yes, Papa read the story in the paper to Mama and me. Such a horrible thing.”
    “After my baby sister, Elizabeth, died from the fever, Mam didn’t last very long after that. I’ve a feeling she starved herself to death so we could eat.”
    Margaret clasped her hands over her mouth. She was going to cry again. “You lost your mama and your sister? That’s so sad, Thomas. Were they all you had?” Tears streamed down her face.
    “No, I still had my pap and two brothers. We were just boys then. Not as feisty as we once were due to the famine. But nevertheless, we had to bury our dead. And since we had no money, we were evicted from our cottage and had nowhere to go.”
    Margaret wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. “What did you do?”
    “Like so many other homeless families, we were put on boats and promised five pounds from an agent when we arrived at our destination. Fifty-three days later, we found ourselves in Montreal, Canada.
    “Oh, lass, it was a horrible trip indeed with all the fever, retching, and dysentery. I had no idea how bad things really were until we got off the boat and saw my dead countrymen stacked like cordwood on the banks of the St. Lawrence. And, of course, there was no agent to be found. It was just a story we were told. So we were put into temporary shacks with loads of other families, or what was left of them.”
    Margaret wiped her cheeks and put her hand over his. “It must have been awful for you. How could you possibly bear it?”
    Thomas slid his other hand on top of hers. “I don’t think I would be here today, had it not been for a missionary by the name of Leeland Montgomery. He said he heard about what the Irish had been through and came from New York City to help. Bless him, he brought hearty soup and bread and nursed as many of us as he could back to health. Then he shared the gospel with us and I learned the true love of God. That night, our bellies were filled with the milk of human kindness and our souls were filled with the Spirit.”
    “You mean you didn’t know Jesus before then…what about your mama and baby sister?”
    “After the famine and their deaths, I decided I didn’t want anything to do with religion. So yes, my mam and sister are safe in Jesus’s arms, but in my pain and anger I refused to believe. Praise God, Mr. Montgomery found me when he did. I’ve been serving the Lord ever since.”
    She rubbed his hand. “Thank you for sharing your story with me, Thomas. It’s amazing how you can be so cheerful of heart after having been through so much in your life.”
    “Aye, it’s the grace of God, lass.”
    “So how did you end up in America?”
    “After we regained our strength, Pap refused to live under British rule another