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At her parents’ house, Hannah cried silently as Theresa and Andrew Troyer explained the situation to Ruth and Big Sam. “Mister Zook, Abram was right mad this morning. He knows they are here, so you may get a visit. I’m going to go and tell the elders what happened.”
For the better part of the morning, Ruth helped Hannah to calm down. “You will stay here for more than a day or two. Abram has to learn that he can’t threaten you, yell at you, or hit you. Both of you are frightened!”
Before lunchtime, the elders came to visit Hannah, asking her for her side of the story. She confirmed that Abram hadn’t hit her, just yelled, frightening her into leaving with the baby. “Hannah, we are all in agreement. Abram needs to learn the consequences of his actions. Stay here for a few weeks. Send your daed to pick up clothing and items for you and the baby. Abram isn’t being banned, but the discipline has to increase for him to understand and take treating you right seriously.” The bishop ruffled the baby’s growing hair as he spoke.
Deacon King interjected. “Oh, and I told Abram to drop Hershberger as a customer. I checked around with his old community and he has a habit of this.”
Thus, the episode that showed Abram he needed to respect Hannah went into effect. He and Hannah missed each other, but he took the punishment seriously. Still, it would be several weeks, if not months, before she fully trusted him again.
