Stage Fright / Goodbye, Sweet Prince / Brotherly Love

by Catherine Marshall

  “All right. Start over. Tell me exactly what you’re talking about,” Christy said as she lit her lamp.

  “You won’t believe me even if I tell you. How about I show you what I’m talkin’ about? Then you’ll know I ain’t a-dreamin’.”

  Christy put on her slippers. “Fine, then. You can show me. But after that, you’re going straight to bed so you can finish this nice dream—or whatever it is.”

  Ruby Mae grabbed Christy’s hand and led her down the staircase. The mission house was still, except for the soft sound of snoring drifting down from Miss Ida’s room.

  Outside, the wind was brisk and the sky was crowded with dazzling stars. “Shouldn’t you go put on some shoes?” Christy asked, hesitating on the porch.

  “I’m so excited I can’t feel a thing!” Ruby Mae exclaimed. “Come on, Miz Christy! Hurry!”

  Ruby Mae dashed across the dark lawn toward the little stable that housed the mission’s animals. It was just an overgrown shed that David had built with bits and pieces of leftover lumber, but at least it provided shelter from the weather.

  Shivering, Christy hurried toward the stable. When she was closer, she could hear Ruby Mae chattering away inside.

  “Ruby Mae, I really wish you’d tell me what this is about,” Christy said as she reached the doorway. But even before she’d spoken the words, she had her answer.

  “Prince!” Christy gasped.

  “Told you! Ain’t it a plumb fine miracle, Miz Christy?” Ruby Mae said, beaming. She planted a kiss on Prince’s nose. He responded with a polite attempt to eat her hair.

  “But . . . but how . . .”

  “All I know is, I was havin’ a wonderful dream that Prince had come back. All of a sudden I clean woke up, and sure as shootin’, I coulda swore I heard him nickerin’ below my window. So I went and looked, and who do you think I saw?”

  Christy scratched the great stallion’s ear. “He must have found his way home. You know, I thought I heard someone following us on our way back from Mr. Collins’. You don’t think he escaped from Great Oak Farm and followed us, do you?”

  “Prince is smarter than a whole passel o’ humans. I wouldn’t be surprised if you told me he could recite the alphabet backwards.”

  Christy laughed, but Ruby Mae’s expression grew grave. “Miz Christy, you ain’t a-goin’ to make him go back, are you? He come all this way ’cause it’s us he wants to be with.”

  “He belongs to Mr. Collins, Ruby Mae. I don’t see how we can keep him.”

  But I don’t see how we can send him back, either, she added silently. Not after what Miss Alice and I saw today.

  Ruby Mae thought for a while. “I’m stayin’ with him tonight. Could be it’s the last night Prince’ll be here.”

  “Ruby Mae, you can’t. You’ll catch cold out here. It’s freezing.”

  “I’m stayin’, and that’s all there is to it.”

  Christy knew all too well the determined look on Ruby Mae’s face. She also knew it was pointless to argue with her.

  “I’ll go get some blankets and some warm clothes for both of us,” Christy said at last.

  “Both of us?”

  “I’m not letting you stay out here by yourself, Ruby Mae.” Christy smiled at Prince. “After all, he’s my friend, too.”

  Twelve

  Have you ever seen them so happy?” Christy asked the next day.

  Christy, David, and Miss Alice were standing in the yard outside the schoolhouse during the noon break. Nearby, Ruby Mae and Hannah were leading Prince in slow circles, giving rides to the younger children.

  “It’s like a party,” David agreed, “and look at Prince. You can tell he loves being the center of attention again.”

  Miss Alice shook her head. “I still can’t believe he found his way home. It’s quite amazing.”

  They watched as Prince came to a halt. Carefully, Ruby Mae helped Little Burl down off the stallion. Mountie, who was next in line for a ride, smiled gleefully as Hannah helped her aboard Prince’s broad back.

  “I missed you, Prince,” Mountie said in a clear, joyful voice. “I sure am glad you decided to come visit for a spell.”

  Christy glanced at David, then looked away. That, of course, was the question—how long would Prince be a part of their lives this time?

  “I don’t see how we can take him back to Great Oak,” David said, “knowing what we know. It just wouldn’t be fair.”

  “He doesn’t belong to us, David,” Miss Alice reminded him. “He’s still the property of Jared Collins.”

  “Maybe if we just stall for a while,” Christy suggested. “We might come up with a solution, if we just give it some time. At least—” she lowered her voice as some of the children ran past, “at least we’ll know Prince is safe, for the time being.”

  Miss Alice leaned against an oak tree, watching Hannah lead Prince around the yard. “Stalling is hardly a solution,” she said.

  “I know,” Christy sighed. “But what else can we do?”

  “I’ll tell you one thing,” David said firmly. “I am not going to be part of any decision to send Prince back to Great Oak Farm. When I think of him being whipped and abused, it just makes my blood boil—”

  “David. Shh.” Christy grabbed his arm. “Ruby Mae is coming—”

  “Hello, Ruby Mae,” David said cheerfully, spinning around to greet her, “and what can we do for you?”

  Ruby Mae cocked her head to one side, eyeing him doubtfully. “Who got whopped?”

  “Ruby Mae, that conversation was between David and Miss Alice and me,” Christy interjected. “You have no right to be eavesdropping.”

  But Ruby Mae was determined. “This is about Prince, ain’t it?” she demanded, her expression hardening. “He done got hisself whopped over at Great Oak, didn’t he?”

  “This doesn’t concern you, Ruby Mae,” David said wearily.

  Ruby Mae planted her hands on her hips. “Was they treatin’ him bad over at that fancy farm?” she cried. “I’ll bet that’s how come he run away!” She frowned at Christy. “We stayed with him all last night, and you didn’t even tell me! And you call yourself his friend?”

  Christy rubbed her eyes. “There wasn’t any point in worrying you, Ruby Mae. And it doesn’t seem like there’s anything we can do. Prince belongs to Mr. Collins—”

  “So that makes it all right to hurt him?”

  “No, of course not. But—”

  “So what are you plannin’ now? You goin’ to give him back, like a cup o’ sugar you borrowed? Send him back to those bad people like nothin’s wrong?”

  Ruby Mae didn’t wait for an answer. She stomped off across the lawn, her red hair flying.

  “So what are we planning?” David asked softly.

  Christy shrugged. “Let’s just say we’re hoping for divine guidance. The sooner, the better.”

  That night, Christy awoke to the sound of the downstairs door closing. She sat up in bed, alert and listening. Were those footsteps she’d heard, or was it just the wind?

  Cautiously, she tiptoed down the stairway. Her lamp spread a golden glow over the dark house.

  “Miss Ida?” she asked, but the only answer was the sound of a branch creaking outside.

  Christy checked the door and scanned the parlor. Nothing. With a sigh, she headed back upstairs. She was probably just imagining things. Of course, last night Ruby Mae had imagined that she’d heard a horse outside her window—and she’d been right!

  When she passed Ruby Mae’s door, Christy peeked inside. Ruby Mae was sound asleep, snoring softly and looking angelic. Christy smiled. Children always looked so peaceful and innocent when they were asleep.

  Quietly, Christy closed Ruby Mae’s door. It was a shame Ruby Mae had overheard David’s comment today. There was no point whatsoever in worrying the children about Prince. They had enough pain to deal with every day.

  It wasn’t until she was climbing into bed that Christy realized something hadn’t quite been right wit
h the angelic impression she’d had of Ruby Mae. Was she imagining things, or had one of Ruby Mae’s feet been sticking out from the covers—and wearing a shoe?

  Curious, Christy returned to Ruby Mae’s room and cracked open the door.

  Ruby Mae’s shoes were on the floor. Both of them.

  Christy yawned. Once again, her imagination was getting the better of her.

  Thirteen

  He’s gone,” David said the next morning when Christy came downstairs.

  Christy blinked, taking in the scene in the dining room. David was sitting at the table with Miss Ida and Miss Alice. All of them looked grim. Apparently, Ruby Mae wasn’t awake yet.

  “Who’s gone?” Christy asked, but the look on David’s face told her all she needed to know.

  “Prince.” David combed fingers through his tousled hair. “Vanished, without a trace. I followed some tracks, but I lost them in the woods after about a quarter-mile.”

  Christy took a seat at the table. “What do you think happened?”

  “Could be he ran away, but I doubt it. The latch on his stall was secure last night. I checked it before I went to bed.”

  Miss Ida poured Christy a cup of tea. “Maybe that awful Mr. Collins tracked him down and took Prince back.”

  “It’s possible,” Miss Alice said, “but in the middle of the night?”

  “Besides, if Collins had found Prince here, he would have confronted us about it, I’d think.” David leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. “Of course, there are other possibilities.”

  “Do you mean that terrible Lyle Duster and his brother Ed might have stolen Prince?”

  David looked surprised, then thoughtful. “That’s always a possibility,” he admitted. “Actually, I was thinking that our problem may lie closer to home. Somebody who loves Prince may have hidden him to protect him,” David replied.

  Just then, Ruby Mae sauntered down the stairs. She yawned, stretched her arms out over her head, and grinned. “Mornin’. Everybody sleep all right?”

  “Actually,” Christy said, “I had some trouble sleeping. I thought I heard someone come into the house late last night, so I came downstairs to check.”

  “Probably just the wind,” Ruby Mae said, looking away. She reached for a piece of toast and took her seat next to Christy. “It was mighty windy last night.”

  “Oh?” Christy asked. “Were you up, too?”

  “Me? I just got woke up by the wind noise, same as you. Only for a minute. The rest o’ the night, I slept just like a babe.”

  Everyone watched in silence as Ruby Mae gobbled down her toast and reached for another piece.

  “What?” she demanded. “Why in tarnation is everybody starin’ at me? Was I talkin’ with my mouth full again?”

  “Ruby Mae,” Miss Alice said, “Prince is missing.”

  Ruby Mae’s jaw went slack. She dropped her toast into her lap. “You mean—you mean they done took him back?”

  “We’re not sure what to think,” Christy said. “Do you have any idea what might have happened to him?”

  “Well . . .” Ruby Mae retrieved her toast and took a bite while she considered the question. “I s’pose he coulda run back to Great Oak all on his own, but that don’t seem likely.”

  “No,” David agreed, “it doesn’t.”

  “Or them awful, sneaky men at the auction could o’ made off with him.” David and Christy exchanged glances.

  “Or,” Ruby Mae continued, “he could be hidin’ somewheres on account o’ he’s afraid o’ goin’ back.”

  “All on his own?” Christy asked.

  “You know, Miz Christy, he’s a right smart horse.”

  “Not that smart.”

  Ruby Mae gulped down the rest of her toast and leapt out of her seat. “Well, I s’pose I ought to be gettin’ ready for school. I plumb overslept.”

  “You know, you don’t seem all that upset about Prince’s disappearance,” David noted.

  “Oh, I’m worried, Preacher. But it’s like I said—Prince is a right smart horse.”

  With that, Ruby Mae rushed back up the stairs, taking two steps at a time.

  Christy looked at the others. “What do you think?”

  “I think,” Miss Alice said, “that this problem just keeps getting more and more complicated.”

  “I think,” David added, “that Ruby Mae has great potential as a dramatic actress.”

  “What are you working on, Christy?” Miss Alice asked early that evening.

  They were sitting in the parlor by a crackling fire. Christy was curled up on the worn, old sofa, and Miss Alice was seated across from her, sipping on a cup of tea while she stared out the window at the darkening sky.

  Christy held up her diary. “I should be working on my lesson plans. But to tell you the truth, I was writing about Prince in my diary. Sometimes, when I write things down, it helps me clarify my thoughts.”

  “And this time?”

  “This time, I’m afraid it’s not helping. Miss Alice, the way the children acted today at school, I’m sure they know what happened to Prince. For one thing, there was far too much whispering and note-passing. For another, they hardly mentioned his disappearance. And as if that weren’t enough, they were unusually well-behaved.”

  “So you think after Ruby Mae overheard David, she decided to kidnap Prince?”

  “Horse-nap, is more like it. But I’ll bet it wasn’t just Ruby Mae. I wouldn’t be surprised if several of the children were involved.”

  “A conspiracy, in our very midst. If you’re right, they could have hidden him anywhere. In these mountains, it could take months to find him. Years, even.”

  “If the children took Prince, I’m sure that’s what they’re hoping.” Christy sighed. “The truth is, I wish I knew for sure they took him. It would certainly be a relief to know that Prince is safe. Of course, it also presents another problem: The children need to learn that they can’t go around taking other people’s property.”

  “Christy, you’re limited in what you can do until you’re sure what’s really happened. This is turning into quite a messy story.” Miss Alice pointed to Christy’s diary. “You know, speaking of stories, you told me a while ago that you might let me read that article about Prince.”

  “It still doesn’t have an ending. And besides, it’s really not very good, Miss Alice.”

  “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”

  Reluctantly, Christy opened her worn diary to the page where her story about Prince began. She passed the book to Miss Alice.

  While the fire crackled away, Miss Alice read, smiling occasionally. When she was done, she closed the diary and wiped away a tear.

  “That was lovely, Christy. You truly captured the way Prince changed the children’s lives.” She paused. “I think I was wrong when I said the folks in Cutter Gap might be offended by an article. Why don’t you send this to the editor in Asheville? I’ll bet he’d be proud to publish it. And I think the children would be honored to see it in print.”

  “Oh, Miss Alice, I’m not sure I’d have the nerve. Besides, it doesn’t have an ending. We don’t even know what’s happened to Prince.”

  “I’m not sure it needs an ending. It’s beautiful, just the way it is. This is a story about a group of loving children, and the way their love for an animal helped them through some hard times. Whatever happens with Prince, that won’t change.”

  Christy thumbed through the pages of her diary. “I suppose I could send it in. Who knows—the editor might even pay me something for it. And the Lord knows we could use the money.”

  “Well, that’s one thing settled,” Miss Alice said. “Now, if we could just decide what to do about our missing horse.”

  “Let’s give the children some time. I have a feeling they’ll tell us the truth eventually.”

  “Let’s hope so.”

  Christy grinned. “A wise woman once told me never to give up hope.”

  Miss Alice smiled ba
ck. “She was right.”

  Fourteen

  Ready or not, it’s time for your spelling test,” Christy announced one afternoon.

  A week and a half had passed since Prince’s disappearance. So far, no one had stepped forward to admit any involvement. In fact, the children hardly mentioned Prince at all—a sure sign, in Christy’s mind, that they were keeping a very big secret.

  “While the test is going on, I want the younger students to practice writing the alphabet on their chalkboards,” Christy instructed. “Are the rest of you ready?”

  “Ain’t never ready for spellin’ tests,” Creed muttered.

  “Actually, spelling is very important, Creed,” Christy said as she erased the chalkboard at the front of the room. “If we can’t spell correctly, we can’t communicate with each other as efficiently. And communicating with each other is very important.” She gave the class a meaningful look. “Even when it’s very difficult to do.”

  She perched on the edge of her battered, wooden desk. “All right, then. Your first word is prince.”

  A low murmur went through the room, but soon the children were concentrating on their small chalkboards. The only sound was the soft tap-tap-tap of the chalk as they wrote.

  “The next word is,” Christy continued, “honesty.”

  She noticed Ruby Mae and Lundy exchanging a glance before they began writing. A few other students looked a little uncomfortable.

  “And your next word is hiding.”

  Ruby Mae grimaced and raised her hand.

  “Miz Christy? I got a spellin’ question for you,” she said in an accusing voice. “How do you spell whoppin’?”

  The other students nodded in agreement. It was clear everyone understood what Ruby Mae really meant.

  “Well, that’s a good question, Ruby Mae,” Christy said guardedly. “And I—”

  “Excuse me for interruptin’,” came a gruff voice at the doorway.

  It was Uriah Wynne, along with two other stable hands Christy recognized from Great Oak Farm.

  “Mr. Wynne!” Christy cried, her heart leaping into her throat. “This really isn’t a good time. As you can see, I’m in the middle of teaching a class.”