THE HOMEPLACE

by Gilbert, Morris

  “It wasn’t nothin’ very definite, but I got skeered last night. I felt like I did the time we was in Oregon and the Injuns went on the rampage. They was burnin’ houses, scalpin’ men, attackin’ women, and carryin’ off children and all sorts of devilment. We was right in the middle of it. I was so skeered I couldn’t even swallow, and I cried out to the Lord. He didn’t say nothin’ in no words, but all of a sudden all my fear went away.” The old woman’s eyes dimmed with tears. “I ain’t never forgot that. God took all that fear away, and the same thing has been happenin’ to me lately. Every time I try to tell God how to handle this business and tell Him how skeered we all are, He don’t answer me, but the fear and the aggravation just all goes away. It’s kind of like He has me inside a big ball. Outside there are storms and wind and meanness and all kinds of bad things, but inside there’s just me and the good Lord.”

  Lanie smiled. “That’s wonderful, Aunt Kezia.”

  “Yes it is. You just hang on now. God’s gonna rear back and do a miracle!”

  “We won’t be havin’ many more meals in this house.”

  It was Maeva who spoke. They were gathered for breakfast, but none of them had much appetite except Aunt Kezia. As usual, she ate like a field hand. With her mouth full of scrambled eggs, she said, “You don’t know that, Maeva.”

  “This is the day that they’re gonna foreclose, ain’t it?” Maeva muttered.

  “Maybe so, maybe not. There ain’t no sense you sittin’ there lookin’ like you et green persimmons.”

  “What are we going to do, Lanie?” Davis said. “Where are we gonna live?”

  “We’re probably going to move into that house by the stockyards, out by the siding.”

  “That old shack!” Cody said. “Why, a good wind would blow it away. It ain’t been lived in years.”

  “It’ll have to do,” Lanie said calmly. To her amazement she awakened on this day, the worst of her life, the day they were scheduled to lose their home, and a sense of peace had come to her. She thought at once of how God had shielded Aunt Kezia emotionally during the Indian attack, and now she was able to smile and say, “There’s a whole new tomorrow out there that hasn’t been touched yet. God hasn’t given up on us.”

  “If we only had the money to pay that durned old note!” Cody exclaimed.

  Aunt Kezia dug into the strawberry jam with a spoon and liberally layered a biscuit with it. “If a toady frog had wings, he wouldn’t bump his rear!” She grunted. “Now you hush up, Cody!”

  They finished breakfast, but they sat at the table talking about how they would have to get someone to move their furniture to the shack. Maeva lifted her head. She was holding Corliss in her lap. “Somebody’s comin’. I hear a car.”

  “Probably that danged old Langley come to get his pound of flesh,” Davis said.

  Lanie got up. “Now you be nice no matter who comes or what they say.” She walked to the window and looked out, then said with surprise, “Why, it’s not the bank! It’s Miss Patton, and there’s a man with her.”

  “Who is it?” Aunt Kezia demanded. “Does he look like law?”

  “No, he doesn’t look it.”

  The man was short and fat and he had a dark complexion.

  “You all remember—no complaining.”

  She walked to the door and opened it before Miss Patton could knock. “Come in, Miss Patton. You’re just in time to have breakfast. There’s plenty left.”

  Elspeth Patton stepped inside and smiled. “No, we didn’t come for breakfast, but we have business.”

  “Well, come in.”

  Miss Patton did not introduce the man with her. He wore a dark suit with a snow-white shirt and a solid gold watch chain spanned his generous belly. He had thick hands with stubby fingers. His nails were manicured and he smelled like the barber shop, with some sort of lotion.

  In the kitchen, Miss Patton said, “Good morning, children. I want you all to meet someone. This is Mr. Otto Franz.”

  Mr. Franz had taken off his hat and now bowed slightly. “I am glad to meet you all.” Mr. Franz was some sort of a Yankee. He spoke with an accent that none of them recognized.

  “Let me fix you some coffee at least,” Lanie said.

  “No, we’re here on business.” Every eye turned to the man beside Elspeth. “I’d like for you to let Mr. Franz look over your house.”

  “Why, of course, Miss Patton,” Lanie said. “Mr. Franz, you’re thinking about buying the house?”

  “The house? No, I don’t buy houses. I buy furniture.”

  Miss Patton said, “Mr. Franz owns one of the largest antique stores in St. Louis. When I was here the last time I noticed the clock over the mantel in the living room, and I also saw that you had a great many old pieces.”

  “We sure do,” Davis said. “All of it’s old. We never get to buy no new stuff.”

  “That may be a very fortunate thing, young man,” Mr. Franz said with a smile.

  “We can’t sell our furniture. It’s all old and used, but it’s all we have,” Lanie said.

  Miss Patton laughed. “Oh, I think you may be able to come to some sort of terms. Is it all right if we look around?”

  “Why sure, but like I said, we’ve got to hang onto our furniture.”

  “Come along, Otto.” The two left the room, and Aunt Kezia said, “Maybe we can sell enough of the furniture to make the payments for a couple of months. I think they might put up with that.”

  “I don’t think so. Even if we made our payments that are past due, we couldn’t keep them up. But maybe we can sell some of the things for enough to fix that old house up.”

  They waited, but apparently Otto Franz was not in any hurry. Finally they did the dishes and started their chores, but Otto and Miss Patton continued to walk around the house, going into every room.

  Finally they came out, and Miss Patton said, “Don’t you have some furniture stored out in the barn?”

  “Yes, up in the loft. It’s just old dressers and stuff like that,” Lanie said.

  “We’d better look at it,” Mr. Franz said. He was smiling broadly, and he winked at Lanie. “You never know when you find a treasure.”

  “You won’t find any treasures in that loft,” Davis said. “Come on and I’ll show you.”

  “I’ll wait here,” Miss Patton said. “You go with Davis, Otto. I think I’ll take that coffee now if I may.”

  “Oh, yes, there’s plenty. You sure you won’t have some eggs or a biscuit or something?”

  “No, thank you.”

  Lanie poured the cup full of coffee and put it in front of Elspeth. She sat down and watched as the woman put sugar and cream in it. “It was real nice of you, Miss Patton, to think of us like this.”

  “We’ve had every church in town praying for you, and when I saw that clock, I thought of my friend Otto. He knows antiques like no man I ever saw. As a matter of fact, I would like to buy some of your furniture myself.”

  “Oh, yes, anything you want!”

  “Better wait.” Elspeth’s eyes were dancing. “This furniture may be worth more than you think.”

  Otto Franz returned with Davis and insisted that the family gather in the living room. He waited until they were all seated, rubbed his hands together, and nodded three times. “Yes, yes, yes! You have many fine things here, and I would like to make you an offer on all of it.”

  “Remember, Otto, I know a little bit about prices myself.” Miss Patton smiled. “You’re not going to give these children a bad price.”

  “Would I do such a thing?” Otto Franz rolled his eyes. He walked to the clock that Elspeth had admired. “If I were buying this by the piece, I would make you an offer on this. I would offer you two hundred dollars.”

  “Two hundred dollars!” Maeva yelled. “We’ll take it.”

  “Not so fast!” Miss Patton laughed. “That clock is worth more than that.”

  “I have to make a profit, Elspeth,” Otto protested, “but maybe I could go as high as thre
e.”

  “For that old clock! Why, it don’t even run,” Cody said.

  “You don’t understand antiques,” Miss Patton explained. “The thing that makes this furniture valuable is how many are available. This clock is very rare, so it’s worth a lot of money.”

  “You see that table over there?” Otto gestured at a table that bore a lamp beside the settee. “That’s a Majolica Jardiniere stand. It’s worth at least four hundred dollars.”

  “We’ll take six!” Aunt Kezia yelped.

  Otto’s eyes widened, and he grinned. “I see you have a bargainer here. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. “Well, I have made a list of the things I can use and put a price beside each one. As I say, I would like to take the whole lot. There are some pieces out in the barn that would have to be restored, but they are good pieces.”

  “How much?” Maeva demanded.

  “Yes, how much?” Aunt Kezia said.

  Otto Franz looked around the room and smiled. “I cannot offer you more than seven thousand for the whole lot.”

  Silence took over the room until Aunt Kezia yelped, “Well, hallelujah, God’s done come through again!”

  Then they were all talking and yelling. Davis and Maeva were doing a dance around the living room floor, and Cody grabbed Corliss and was swinging her around. Lanie felt herself trembling all over. “That’s enough to pay off all the loan and have enough left to buy furniture.”

  “Let’s get new stuff,” Maeva said. “I’m tired of this old junk.”

  Elspeth Patton laughed. “I think it’s a fair price. I’ve gone over it with Otto. Lanie, I think you and I need to make a trip to the bank. Otto, if you’ll write a check, we’ll take it with us.”

  “Of course. You’re getting a good deal, but then, so am I.” Mr. Franz laughed. He whipped out a checkbook, sat down at the table, and made out a check for $7,000. He handed it to Lanie. “There you are, Miss.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Franz.” Lanie stared at the check, and the others gathered around her. She handed it to Aunt Kezia, who studied it and said, “You know what? I think we’d better stop right now and thank the good Lord for deliverin’ us. I see His hand in this.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Lanie said. They all bowed their heads, even Mr. Franz and Miss Patton, and Lanie prayed a simple prayer. “Lord, we all thank You for sending Mr. Franz and Miss Patton to help us. It’s Your doing. You used these good people, and we all thank You for it. And we continue to pray that You would deliver our daddy from prison. You’ve done so many miracles, and we ask for one more. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

  The news of the Freeman family’s great deliverance went all over Fairhope. In almost every house the telephones were ringing, and every church in town that had a bell began ringing it.

  One house, however, didn’t share in the celebrations. Otis Langley received a call from Effie Johnson. “The loan is paid in full, Otis. I know you’ll be sorry to hear that.”

  Otis was unable to answer. He went home that night and shared the news.

  “Roger will be glad to hear it,” his wife said, “and I think it is a good thing. I know you wanted that property, Otis, but it is the children’s home.”

  Louise said little. She had been waiting to see Owen when the news came by way of the nurse, and Owen’s face glowed with joy. He turned and hugged Bertha, lifting her clear up off the floor, and shouted, “Hallelujah!”

  Louise tried to play her role. “I’m so happy for them. Nobody really wanted to see them lose their place.”

  Owen scarcely heard. “I’ve got to get over there and congratulate them.” He seemed to notice Louise for the first time. “Would you like to come along?”

  “No, you go along. I’ll see them later.”

  At the Freeman house, Owen found a celebration in progress. He hugged every one of them, including Aunt Kezia, but when he came to Lanie, he found himself filled with inhibitions. She looked up at him, and he knew she was thinking of the kiss he had given her. Instead of hugging her, he stuck out his hand, and when she took it, he enclosed it with both of his. “I’m so happy for you, Lanie.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Merritt.”

  “Don’t you think you could call me something besides Dr. Merritt?”

  “Like what?”

  “Like Owen.”

  “Maybe someday.” Lanie smiled. “It is wonderful, isn’t it?”

  “It’s a glorious miracle.”

  “Doc Merritt,” Aunt Kezia said, “you done hugged everybody including this old woman. Now give that gal a hug.”

  Owen’s face suddenly flushed. “I can’t do that, Miss Freeman. She’s a grown woman now. One of her boyfriends might get jealous and beat me up.”

  Aunt Kezia cackled. “That fiancée of yours has already got you under her thumb. You just missed a mighty good huggin’ is all I’ve got to say.”

  “You hush, Aunt Kezia,” Lanie said. Her hand was still in Owen’s grip, and she looked up at him and smiled. “You’ll have to come over for supper and bring Miss Langley with you sometime. We’ve got a home now.”

  “Yes you have, and I thank God for it.” He grew conscious of her hand in his and dropped it suddenly. “Well, I’ve got to be going.”

  As soon as the door closed behind him, Maeva whispered, “You’re still stuck on him, ain’t you?”

  “Hush, Maeva!” Lanie said.

  “I can tell. And you can take him away from that stuck-up Louise Langley.”

  “Don’t be saying such things!”

  Maeva winked at her. “You can do it. He likes you. I can tell.”

  Aunt Kezia had been taking all this in. “That’s right. I know how to get men. You and me will have to have some lessons together.”

  “You’re both being foolish!” Lanie said and angrily turned away. “Don’t ever mention such a thing again.”

  The house was different now, for a big truck had backed up and emptied it of all of its antiques. Cash in hand erased any regrets about the old furniture, and Lanie and the others had fun buying replacements. Much of what they got was secondhand, but Lanie was thrilled with a brand-new electric icebox that made its own ice. Cody was even more thrilled. “Now I won’t have to empty that dumb ol’ drip pan anymore!” he said exultantly.

  The furniture arrived, yet Lanie could not take it all in. They went to church the following Sunday, and everyone applauded when she and her family entered. Pastor Prince declared a day of thanksgiving for God’s deliverance of one of their own. Lanie heard later that the same sort of celebration took place in the Presbyterian church, in the Pentecostal church, and in the Methodist Episcopal church as well.

  On Thursday, Orrin Pierce dropped by for a visit. Lanie was cooking supper, and she wiped her hands on her apron and invited him in. “I’ve got the papers from the bank,” he said, handing her an envelope. “This place is paid for and in the clear. Congratulations again, Lanie.”

  “It was the Lord that did it, but, of course, He used Miss Patton and Mr. Franz.”

  “Have you told your father yet?”

  “Not yet. We’re going to see him tomorrow, all of us.”

  Orrin hesitated. “I’ve got some news, and I’m not sure your father needs to hear it just yet. But I’m going to tell you, and you can decide.”

  Lanie set the papers on the counter and sat down with a sense of foreboding. “What is it, Mr. Pierce?”

  “Pardue found out that there was another witness to the shooting of Duke Biggins, a Thelma Mays. She left town and Pardue was told she went to Los Angeles. Doc Merritt’s brother Dave is a policeman in Los Angeles. He’s on the hunt for this woman.”

  “What does it mean?” Lanie said.

  “It means we’ve got a witness who might tell us the truth about what happened on the day Duke Biggins was shot. I’ve never believed Alvin or Ethel. They’d perjure themselves in a minute.”

  “You mean there’s hope my daddy might get out of prison?”

  Pierce hesitated. “It�
��s just a chance, Lanie. Dave’s working on it, so don’t give up.”

  “I’ll never give up, Mr. Pierce.”

  “Do you think you’ll tell your daddy?”

  “I think I will. He needs all the hope he can get. Thank you so much for trying to help us like this.”

  “Then you tell him I’m working on it.”

  “I will, Mr. Pierce.”

  Forrest was sitting on a bench stroking the silky ears of Booger, his favorite of the warden’s bloodhounds. He knew the dogs were used to run down escaped prisoners, but he couldn’t help loving them. The big dog rested his chin on Forrest’s knee and looked up at him with soulful eyes. Warden Gladden stuck his head out the back door. “Forrest, you’ve got visitors! The whole bunch of ’em, even the old woman. She’s threatened to shoot me if I didn’t get you there.”

  “Well, she might do it, Warden.” He chuckled and put Booger back in the pen with the rest of the bloodhounds. He went to the visiting room and was swarmed, as always, by the children. Maeva held him tightly. “You look good, Daddy. You’re all tanned, and you’ve gained weight.”

  “It’s a pretty good job I’ve got, just taking care of a bunch of dogs and one horse. It doesn’t pay much, but it’s easy.”

  The warden had come in with Forrest, and he sat to one side talking with Cody, who wanted to know all about the prison, “You got any cold-blooded killers here, Warden?”

  The question amused Gladden. “Well, I ain’t taken the temperature of their blood, but we’ve got some men who are here because they killed folks.”

  “I’d like to meet the meanest one you got.”

  The warden laughed. “Why in the world would you want to do that?”

  “I may want to become a lawyer, and I need to know what they’re like.”

  “Well, I think you’d make a good one, boy. But I’ll tell you, instead of meeting a killer, why don’t you come on with me. I’ll introduce you to our dogs. You like dogs?”

  “Sure.”

  “I do too,” Davis said. “Can I go, Warden?”

  “Anybody can go that wants to.”