Three weeks had passed since Ruthie Kauffman had agreed to go to the circus with him, and she hadn’t changed her mind. He’d seen her in church Sunday nearly a week ago, and she’d even smiled at him before looking away. Her shyness intrigued him. He’d seen a change in Pop ever since they’d known Abe Glick. Even Mom had noticed it and said she liked how he’d taken his eyes off his own plight and concentrated on his spiritual life. She’d been trying to get him to go to church with her ever since Charles could remember, but he’d always found some excuse not to go. Charles doubted she expected Pop to embrace the Mennonite life so eagerly. Between being too tired and using bad weather as an excuse for not wanting to go anywhere, Pop had managed to attend church merely a handful of times each year. As a small child, Charles had gone to Sunday school, but as he got older, he’d become more like Pop. Mom had finally given up. Charles had to laugh about Mom’s reaction when Pop started talking about going to the Mennonite church.
