“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!” Ben said, admiring it. There was carving all over it, and a little stand for a lamp to set on, to light the music. “Can I try to play something on it?”
Papa said, “Yes, you may. You have to pump the pedals with your feet while you press the keys.” Ben tried, and got a little sound, but it was much harder than he thought.
Mama had learned to play the piano and organ before they moved to Missouri, so she would be the organist for the church. Ben thought he had never heard such beautiful music, and Mama looked like a picture, her dark brown hair swept up with curls on top her head, her blue eyes smiling as she played. He was proud of Mama, and looked forward to Sunday mornings when they all sang together.
The days had turned crisp and cold. The woods were aflame with yellow hickory, red oak, multi-colored sweet gum, and orange sassafras leaves.
“It’s time to butcher now,” Papa said.
Ben and Ray got up early Saturday morning to help Papa. The pigs had to be butchered for their meat supply for the year. As he cut up the meat, Papa laid aside the hams and bacon to smoke. He ground some sausage. After rubbing a salt cure on the hams and bacon, he hung them in the smokehouse. Ben and Ray cut some branches of hickory and apple wood. Papa kept just enough fire to make it smoky, which gave the meat a delicious flavor.
Mama cooked the rest of the meat, saving all the fat. She packed the meat into jars, and poured hot fat over it, turning the jars upside down, to seal them. Mama seasoned the sausage, cooked it; and then canned it like the other meat. She put the rest of the fat in a large iron kettle over a fire in the back yard, cooking it until all the fat was melted, and the cracklings were crisp. Scooping them out into a pan she salted them. The cracklings were a special treat.
“Now, it’s time to make soap,” Mama told the boys. Ben and Ray carried water and poured it into the trough of ashes they had saved from the cook stove and fireplace. The water running through the ashes drained into a bucket, and became lye. Mixing the lye with the fat, she cooked it in the big kettle outside, stirring with a big wooden paddle, until it was thickened. Then Mama poured it into a big wooden mold, lined with cornhusks, to cool.
After it hardened, she cut it into bars of soap. “You boys take the soap and put it in the soap crock in the cellar,” she told them. They used this soap for bathing, laundry, and washing dishes.
They were now prepared for the long winter just ahead, and Papa said it would be a cold one, because the animals were growing extra thick coats to keep them warm.
Ben and Ray spent Saturdays gathering walnuts and hickory nuts to last through the winter. Mama used them in baking, and they made a good snack anytime. The woods yielded many kinds of food for the pioneer families.
There were always acorns from the oak trees for the pigs to eat, along with any extra milk and table scraps.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Cold Winter
“Winter is almost here,” Papa said at breakfast one Saturday morning. “I’ll take the boys with me to the sawmill, and we’ll haul some loads of wood to the school.”
Ben and Ray stacked the wood along the back wall outside the school.
A big round stove sat at the back of the one room school, and the bigger boys took turns bringing in the wood supply each day. Wind blew in around the windows, and it was hard to stay warm unless your desk was close to the stove, then it was too warm. Ben and Ray’s desk was by the windows. The smaller children sat closest to the heat.
Miss Alley brought a pot of vegetable soup every day, and cooked it on the stove while they had morning classes. “This soup sure is good,” Ben told Ray. “Miss Alley is so nice to make it.” The students brought sandwiches from home for lunch, but the hot soup helped keep them warm.
Ben awoke one morning to a big ice storm. “Look, Ray! There’s a thick coat of ice on everything. There won’t be any school today.”
“No, we can’t get there anyway,” said Ray.
“When you get the chores finished,” Mama told them, “we’ll have school at home today.”
“Can I have school with them?” asked Becky. “I’m almost old enough to go to school with the boys.”
“Yes, you may,” answered Mama.
Becky sat at the table with them, and Mama read to her while the boys did their math. When they finished their lessons, Mama taught them some music.
Because of the ice storm, Papa couldn’t work at the sawmill. Ben heard Papa talking to Mama.
“Since the railroad has come through Pine Valley, these big lumber companies are coming in and buying up a lot of land,” said Papa. “I tell you, they’re going to shut down all the little sawmills. I may have to go to work for one of them, but I don’t like what they’re doing. The way they are cutting off all the timber, the hills will be ruined. The land will erode, and we’ll have only brush on the hills. All the big pines and oak will be gone. I don’t like what I see coming.”
“You’re right,” Mama said. “But it doesn’t look like you can do anything to stop it.”
Ben worried about Papa’s job. Without it, what would they do? There was a big knot in Ben’s stomach, a kind of sick feeling. He felt sick, too, at the thought of them taking all the big, beautiful trees.
“Can we make enough from trapping when they have cut off all the timber?” he asked.
“We’ll manage some way,” Papa replied.
“Why don’t you go outside and play awhile?” Mama said, “But do be careful on the ice.”
The fresh, cold air put Ben in a better mood, and he and Ray laughed as they slid around on the ice.
Soon Mama opened the door and called out to them, “Go out to the smokehouse and get some ham for supper.”
The meat hung in the smokehouse all winter to keep it from spoiling. They stopped and stared at the ground by the smokehouse door. There were prints in the mud underneath the ice.
“Someone was here before the ice storm,” Ray said.
“I wonder why we never seem to hear or see the thief,” Ben said. “I’d sure like to get my hands on him!”
Looking around, they saw one of the hams had a chunk cut off the end.
“If we don’t catch him soon, we’ll have to tell Papa,” said Ray.
Ben and Ray got the meat, and started to the house, when Ben slipped on the ice and started sliding down the hill. There was nothing to stop him, and he slid right smack dab into a tree.
Ben cried out, “I think I broke my leg! It hurts really bad.”
Ray helped Ben up. “Here, put your arm around my neck.” Ben hopped on one foot, which was hard on the slippery ice. When they finally got back to the house, Ben dropped into a rocking chair.
Mama looked at Ben’s leg. “I’m afraid it’s broken. We’ll have to get you to Pine Valley to the doctor.”
“I can’t take him today,” Papa said. “The horses won’t be able to control the wagon on this ice. We’ll just have to put a splint on for today, and I’ll take him as soon as the ice melts.”
The next morning the sun came out, and the ice started melting.
Papa hooked up the horses to the wagon. Lifting Ben into it, Papa covered him with quilts that Mama brought out, to keep him warm. Every bump in the road made his leg hurt even more, but Ben tried to be brave. He hadn’t slept last night because of the pain.
Doctor Bradford examined Ben’s leg and said, “Yes, it is broken, but the break should heal well.” He made a cast for Ben’s leg, and told him, “Just be careful until it is healed. Come back in six weeks and we’ll take the cast off.”
“We’ll stay all night with Grandma tonight,” said Papa. “It’s too late to try to go back home this evening.”
Ben loved to visit Grandma in Pine Valley.
“Well, come in!” Grandma said. “I just took a blackberry cobbler out of the oven. Sit down here at the table and I’ll get us some dishes.” Grandma poured Ben a glass of milk to go with his cobbler.
“I’m sorry
about your leg,” Grandma said, “but I’m so glad to see you.”
“Mmm,” Ben said, “this is my favorite dessert! Thanks, Grandma.”
The next six weeks seemed like the longest weeks Ben had ever known. But eventually the time came to get the cast off, and before long Ben felt as good as new.
It seemed the winter would never end. Some nights it was so cold the water in the wash pan they used to wash their hands froze into ice. And the bucket of drinking water had ice on it.
To take a bath, they heated water on the wood stove, poured it into one of the big round washtubs, put it next to the stove, and bathed there. They sat by the stove or fireplace while their hair dried.
Ben and Ray went to their room early nearly every evening. It was getting close to Christmas, and they were working on presents for Mama and Papa. Getting out their pocketknives and whittling wood, they worked on the presents.
“What do you think?” Ray asked, holding up the houn’ dog he was whittling.
“Looks just like Old Red!” Ben replied. “How does the cross look that I’m making for Mama?”
“It’s beautiful. You’ve done a good job.” Ray answered.
“What can we make for Becky?” asked Ben.
“Do you think we could whittle a little doll for her?” suggested Ray.
They agreed that would be a good idea. They could take turns working on it.
Christmas Eve came. “Let’s go find a tree,” Papa said to the boys. They went to the woods to cut a cedar tree. Ben and Ray took turns dragging it home. Papa made a stand and nailed to the bottom of the tree.
“Let’s pop some corn to string for a garland,” Mama said. Mama got out needle and thread for Becky, Ray, and Ben, while Papa popped the corn in a big kettle on the stove.
While they made the garlands, Mama pulled a box out from under the bed. In it were lots of little wooden ornaments; red sleighs, trains, rocking horses, little soldiers, and dolls. She gave each of them some decorations to hang.
“Ray, you can decorate the top part of the tree. Ben, you do the middle, and Becky can do the bottom branches.” After it was finished, they stepped back to admire it.
Ben and Ray went to their bedroom early. Waiting until everyone was asleep, they sneaked in to the tree, and put the presents they had made under it. They tiptoed quietly back to their room, and soon fell asleep.
Early Christmas morning the boys were awake. “Get up, Mama and Papa, it’s Christmas morning!” Ben said. Becky woke up and jumped out of bed.
“Can we open presents now?” she asked.
Ben, Ray, and Becky each had a sock filled with an orange, some candy, and an apple. Ben and Ray got shirts, and there was a dress for Becky.
“Open your presents from us!” Ben and Ray were anxious to see how Papa, Mama, and Becky liked them.
“What a beautiful cross!” Mama said. “You did such a good job on it.”
“And I really like the carving of Old Red,” Papa said.
“Isn’t my doll beautiful, Mama?” asked Becky.
“Yes, dear, they did a wonderful job making it. Papa’s carving looks just like Old Red, doesn’t it?”
After the chores were done, the family spent some time singing Christmas carols.
Later, they sat down to a special Christmas dinner of wild turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans, hot rolls, and apple pie. Papa offered a prayer of thanks for their family and all the blessings they enjoyed.
Ben could never have imagined that springtime would bring them much more to be thankful for.
CHAPTER NINE
Catching the Thief
Spring finally came, a time Ben loved. Everything came to life. It was a busy time on the farm, with baby animals to care for, and planting to be done.
Papa hooked up the horses to a hand plow. Walking behind the plow he turned the ground to get it ready for planting. “Papa, I can plow,” said Ben.
“Okay,” said Papa, handing him the reins.
Ben took the reins and put his hands on the plow handles. “Get up!” he told the horses.
By the time Ben made it to the end of the row and back he was ready to hand the plow back to Papa. “That’s pretty hard! There are too many rocks,” he said.
Papa looked at the crooked rows and laughed. “Crooked as a hound’s hind leg!” he said.
As they planted the potatoes, Old Red followed along, picking them up and running off with them for a game of chase. “Come back here, Red,” Ben scolded, and Old Red came slinking back and dropped the potatoes back in the hole.
Later, when it was time to plant corn and beans, Ben and Ray raced to see who could get their rows planted first, and covered over with dirt. Always anxious to see the new plants come up, Ben went to the garden every day to see if they were peeking through the ground.
In the early springtime there were wild greens for salads, and wild strawberries. The berries were small, and it took a lot of them to make strawberry shortcake, but it was a special treat Ben always looked forward to.
“Boys, I want you to go pick some poke and dandelion greens, and some strawberries for supper,” Mama told them, handing each a bucket. “I’ll make strawberry shortcake, if you get enough.”
They found some greens, and picked them first, then headed for the fields where they knew the berries would be. By now they were quite a ways from the cabin, and were busy picking berries, when suddenly Ray shouted, “Ben, come here!”
Ben ran over to see what Ray was shouting about. “There,” said Ray, pointing to the ground. Ben couldn’t believe his eyes. There were bear tracks in the wet ground! Papa had told them there were black bears in the woods, but they had never seen any, so they weren’t sure about it, until now.
“Do you think it’s still around?” asked Ben.
“I don’t know, but I don’t want to chance meeting a bear,” Ray said, as they ran for the cabin, looking over their shoulders every few minutes.
Breathlessly, they told Mama about the bear tracks. “Black bears usually stay away from people,” she said. “Unless they think you’re too close to their cubs, they won’t bother you. If you see a cub, don’t go near. It was probably eating strawberries.”
Well, Ben thought, since a bear is a lot bigger than me, and can run awfully fast, I’m going to keep an eye out from now on!
Ben and Ray went out to pick more strawberries and greens, but in a different location, looking in all directions every now and then as they picked, staying away from the area where they had seen the bear tracks.
Ben found some mushrooms at the edge of the woods. They picked several, and Mama fried them for supper. “Yum,” Ben said, “I’m glad I found these, they’re delicious.”
Late spring brought an abundant harvest of huckleberries. The little blue, sweet berries were also known as wild blueberries. Mama sent the boys out with buckets to pick some. Their buckets were about full, when Ben looked at the ground ahead. Bear tracks again! He knew bears liked huckleberries, and might be nearby. “Come on Ray, let’s leave the rest for the bears,” Ben yelled, as he took off for home as fast as he could run.
Out of breath, they deposited the buckets of berries on the table, went to their room, and plopped down on the bed.
“Why don’t we go back to Jam-Up Cave and look for a secret passage?” Ben suggested.
“Maybe we can go this Saturday,” Ray answered. “Let’s ask tonight.”
After supper Papa went out to sit on the porch. Ben and Ray followed. “The weather is perfect this time of year,” Ben said. “Ray and I want to go back to Jam-Up Cave and see if we can find a secret passage. Can we go Saturday?”
“You can go Saturday, but you will have to be home before dark. You can’t camp this time,” Papa told them. “But what makes you think there’s a secret passage?”
“Well, you know how you said the Indians used the cave for meetings? We thought it would be a lot of trouble climbing up the hill all the time, so we thought they might know a secret passage at th
e back somewhere,” Ben said.
“Okay, but be sure you take lanterns with you, and be careful,” Papa answered.
Saturday morning Ben and Ray finished their chores extra early. Mama packed a lunch for them, and they set off in the boat.
After three days of rain, the river was up. This time they didn’t have to watch for rocks the boat might get hung up on. They paddled hard, wanting to get there as soon as possible, anxious to start exploring.
Tying the boat to a tree, they climbed the hill to the cave entrance.
“Ray,” Ben whispered, “I see someone down there.”
Whoever it was, he had his back to them. “Let’s creep a little closer and see if it’s anybody we know,” said Ray.
The boys moved down stealthily. Then it came to Ben in a flash. “That’s Roscoe!” he said. “I wonder what he’s doing here.”
“Hey, Roscoe,” Ray yelled. He saw that Roscoe had a campfire. “Are you camping out?”
Ben and Ray walked on down to talk to him.
Roscoe looked frightened. “Please don’t let anybody know I’m here,” he pleaded. “I ran away from home.”
“Why?” Ben and Ray wanted to know.
“Well, when my pa gets drunk he beats on me. One night he beat me really bad, and I just ran away. I hid out in the old Rushing Springs Cave, but Pa found me and made me go back home. I stayed home a little while, but when he beat me again I ran away, farther this time, so he wouldn’t find me.”
“Does your ma know you’re here?” asked Ben.
Roscoe shook his head. “She knows I’m okay, but I told her I was staying at my friend’s house.”
“So that’s why we haven’t seen you at school for a while?” Ray asked.
Roscoe nodded. “I couldn’t take a chance on my pa finding me.”
Suddenly Ben knew Roscoe was the food thief. “So you’re the one who has been stealing food,” he said. “Did you steal food from the store at Rushing Springs when you were hiding out in the cave there?”
Roscoe nodded again. “But I was really afraid I’d get caught! After I hid out here,
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