Alma nodded as she reached up to touch Nelly’s nose over the stall door. “My Dat makes up silly stories, too.”

Ellie hugged her. “Our family does have some interesting storytellers.”

Alma’s words echoed in Ellie’s mind long after Lydia and her family had left for home. Then after Dat and Mamm headed for bed, she decided to stay dressed and wait on the porch steps for Evan’s return. Besides, it was so hot in her top-floor room.

It was almost midnight when he pulled into the lane. Quickly, he unhitched and led Cupcake to the stable, then pushed his buggy into the carriage shed. Ellie could hear him whistling as he made his way across the yard toward the house. When he looked up, she waved to him.

“Still awake?” he asked, sounding a little hoarse as he sat down next to her.

Evan’s breath smelled strange, but she tried to ignore it. “Can’t a girl wait up for her brother?”

He smiled. “Did ya have a nice time with the family?”

She said she did and told him what little Alma had said about him.

“Alma’s a sweetie,” he said, then leaned forward, staring at the ground.

“You okay?”

“Prob’ly had a little too much to drink after we left the Herr place.”

So that’s what she’d smelled on his breath. “Oh, Evan. What were ya thinkin’?”

“There were drinks at the Herrs’, too.”

“You spent time with Jack’s family, then?”

“Not long, really.” Evan sat up straighter now. “Chuck Herr talked me into tagging along with him and a few other guys to Long’s Park in Lancaster, where a live band was playing antiwar songs. Chuck’s so mad ’bout Jack’s death that he said he needed to march around with others protesting, so I went with him for somethin’ to do. He was chanting with that crowd till his voice nearly gave out.”

“Chanting what?” She wondered why her brother had gone at all, especially if he wasn’t going to register as a conscientious objector.

“Just some stuff ’bout Tricky Dick and a no-reason war.”

“’Bout who?” Ellie asked, puzzled.

“President Nixon. He keeps tryin’ to end the war but can’t pull it off—or so Chuck says.” Evan rubbed his chin. “There must’ve been a thousand people at the park tonight, maybe more. And policemen everywhere.” He sighed. “Some guys were burnin’ American flags. Several were arrested for it—I saw ’em being handcuffed and taken away.”

Ellie shuddered. “Arrested? That’s awful.”

Evan nodded.

“You took a big risk by goin’, don’t ya think?”

“It was pure chaos, but I wasn’t anywhere near those arrested. Stayed clear of that.”