Frank had been away at university since the year I was born. Sharl and Julie had both gotten married before I was two, and Peter had gone off East to school in the same year. Diane had moved out the year before, to keep the books for a candy-making business one of Papa’s friends owned. Even Charlie, who was going off to university in the fall, was older enough that I didn’t see him much. They felt more like strange grown-ups I had to be polite to than like family. Except for Charlie, I’d really only ever seen them on special occasions.

A formal Family Council was special enough for anybody. Papa hardly ever called for one; the last time, Rennie told me, was when she and Hugh were seven and Papa and Mama found out that their thirteenth child was going to be another set of twins. So, trouble though it was, everyone made the effort to come. Sharl brought cherry pie, Julie brought fritters, and Diane brought butter fudge from the candy store. Mama and Rennie and Nan made a dinner nearly as big as Harvest Feasting, and everyone ate until they nearly burst.

Even so, you could just tell that it wasn’t an ordinary family sit-down. Everyone was twitchy, wondering what the news would be this time. But Papa didn’t believe in doing business at the dinner table, so we all had to wait.

When the last of the plates had been removed and all the crumbs wiped up, everyone looked at Papa. “I told you all this was a Family Council,” he began, “but this is more in the way of an announcement than a discussion. Your mother and I wanted you all to hear this from us, and this was the only way we could think of to be sure no one would be left out. I have been asked to take a position at one of the new land-grant colleges out in the North Plains Territory, and I’ve accepted. We’ll be moving at the end of next month.”

Papa said that as if it was a settled thing, but he couldn’t have thought that that would be the end of it.