“You know Mr. Johnson better. Chief Appleby is a nice man.”
“He didn’t pick me up or swing me like Mr. Johnson does or take me for a ride in his car or buy me ice cream.”
“You shouldn’t like people only for what they do for you.”
“I hope he comes back before they find Jason.” Jill, with a mutinous look on her young face, folded her arms across her chest. “It would serve him right to see how bad he hurt Jason. But I guess he don’t care as long as he gets what he wants.”
“Jill, please.” Julie rolled her eyes down to Joy, who was listening intently to what Jill was saying.
“Is Jason hurt?” Joy asked, eyes filling with tears.
“No, honey. Jason is—” Julie stopped when she heard Sidney’s bark. “Oh, thank goodness,” she breathed when she saw Evan riding along the side pasture fence with Jason sitting in the saddle in front of him. Joe was riding beside them. “Jill, run pull the lever to start the blades turning so that Jack and Chief Appleby will know we’ve found him.”
“Here comes Papa and her.”
The car had turned into the lane and stopped beside the front porch by the time Jill pulled the lever and ran back to wait with Julie for the horse bringing Jason home. Thinking it great fun to be following the horses, Sidney ran around them and barked. Joe came on ahead. When he saw the car beside the porch, he knew that the dog would run and bark a greeting. Jumping off his horse, he caught Sidney just as the dog spied the woman and girl getting out of the car.
Joy broke loose from Julie and ran back toward the house. Visitors were more exciting than Jason coming home on a horse. At Julie’s nod, Jill ran to catch up with her.
Evan got off his horse and lifted Jason down.
“Honey, I was so worried.” Julie hugged the boy to her. Looking over Jason’s head to Evan, she said, “Thank you for bringing him home.”
Evan nodded. “He’ll be all right. We were on our way here when we met Joe.”
“Oh, honey, did you run all the way to Evan’s?”
“No. He met me…in the woods. That girl’s here,” Jason said accusingly. “I hate her.”
“It’s your right to dislike her, but try and not let it show in front of Papa. Now go help Joe find a good cool place in the barn for Sidney.” As soon as the boy left them, Julie turned her back to the house and looked up at Evan. “He’s bringing her here to stay until she can go to her in-laws’.” Her lips trembled. Evan wished they were out of sight of the others so that he could put his arms around her.
“Jason told me. He’s torn up about having to keep his dog tied up.”
“That’s why he ran off.”
“He wanted to know if he could live with me.”
“Oh, Evan. The poor little boy. Papa doesn’t know what he’s doing to the family. Jill wants to go the Jacobs’ and stay with Ruby May until she can write to our aunt in Iowa. Papa has demanded that we welcome Mrs. Stuart and her daughter. I don’t know if I can do it.”
“Ah, sweetheart. I wish there was something I could do to help.” The endearment slipped out without either of them noticing it. “All you can do is play her game. She’ll be all sweetness when Jethro is around. You can do the same and then it’ll be her word against yours when she complains about you.”
“That’s what Joe said to do. I don’t know how Jill and Jason will manage that. Jack is supposed to go practice this afternoon. Maybe he’ll take Jason with him.”
“Why don’t I take all of you to watch the game?”
“Evan. You don’t have to. I’ll—”
“I want to. It’ll keep you away from her for a while and give you a little breathing space.” He glanced over her shoulder and saw that Joe was helping his father carry Birdie’s trunk into the house. Evan reached out and squeezed Julie’s hand. “We’ll plan our strategy. It’s what we did during the war.” He smiled, attempting to lighten her mood.
“All right.” Her eyes were still misty bright, her mouth was taut and there was an air of unconscious dignity about her poised head.
“Please. Never hesitate to ask me for help.” He rubbed his fingertips back and forth across her arm. “Remember this, Julie. Mrs. Stuart can’t hold a candle to you. Don’t let her make you feel that you are in any way inferior to her, because believe me, you’re not.” He longed to kiss the bleakness from her eyes. “Promise me?”
“I promise.” She turned her hand over and gripped his. “I’d better go get dinner on. You’re welcome to stay.”
He laughed. “And make matters worse? I’ll get on home, but I’ll be back to take you to the ball game.”
Jack came riding into the yard. “You found him?”
“He was on his way over to Evan’s. Evan brought him home.”
“Hellfire,” Jack swore as he got off his horse. “I don’t know what Pa’s think in’ of. Jason is just a little kid and he loves that dog.”
“Jason is afraid the girl will hit Sidney; and if she does, the dog will bite her.” Evan held on to Julie’s hand even when she tried to pull it away.
“Pa said he’d shoot him. I can’t believe he’d do that, but Jason thinks he would.”
“I’d better go see what Jill’s up to.” Julie tugged on her hand again. “Thanks again, Evan.”
“What time is your game, Jack?”
“Mr. Poole said to be there about three.”
“I’ll be back here at two-thirty, Julie.” Evan reluctantly let go of Julie’s hand. He and Jack watched her hurry toward the house.
“She’ll have a rough time with that woman here.” Jack’s gaze flicked to Evan’s. “You like my sister, don’t you?”
Evan betrayed no surprise at the question. “Yes, I do. Do you mind?” He sensed, rather than heard, the boy sigh.
“I’m glad,” Jack said slowly. “She’ll never leave the kids here. You need to know that.”
“I know it. If she’ll have me, she’ll not have to leave them.”
Jack’s head whipped around. “Are you shittin’ me?”
“No.” Evan laughed. “It’s early for me to say anything, so keep it under your hat.”
“It’s a relief to know she’ll have someone after Joe and I are gone. Joe’ll be glad, too.” Jack’s young face lost its grin. “I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with Pa. There are several nice women in town he could have courted. Miss Meadows, the preacher’s sister, is one of them. There wouldn’t be the ruckus there is now if he’d chosen her.”
“There’s a saying in the army that when a man’s pecker get’s hard, his brain gets soft. Let’s hope that while that’s going on, your pa doesn’t marry Mrs. Stuart.”
* * *
Determined to keep her dislike for Birdie under control, Julie went through the kitchen and crossed the hall to stand in the doorway of her father’s room. Birdie was taking clothes out of her suitcase. Her daughter was lying on the bed. Joy leaned against it, trying to get Elsie to go out and play.
“I’ll push you in the swing,” Joy coaxed. “I’ll show you where my red hen lays her eggs.”
Elsie ignored Joy’s pleadings.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you arrived,” Julie said, louder than she had intended.
“Hello, Julie. I hope we’ll not be an inconvenience. Jethro insisted that we come here.”
“It will take some adjusting for both of us, Mrs. Stuart. Is there anything you need?” Not waiting for an answer, Julie continued, “If not, I’ll get dinner on. Come help me, Joy.”
“Call me Birdie, dear.”
“I can’t do that, Mrs. Stuart. I try to set an example for the younger children by not calling older people by their first names.”
Julie beckoned to Joy and failed to see the tightening of Birdie’s lips. As Julie and Joy turned to go down the hall to look for Jill, she heard Elsie’s whiny voice.
“Ma … Ma. I don’t like it here.”
“She doesn’t like me,” Joy said and sniffed back tears.
“Don’t w
orry about it. I like you more than any little girl in the whole world.” Julie opened the screen door and looked out onto the vacant porch.
“Why don’t she like me? I didn’t do anythin’ to her.”
“I’m sure you didn’t, honey. Try to not pay attention to what she says. Do you know where Jill is?”
“Upstairs.”
“Then you’ve got to help me by setting the table.”
Jethro was in the kitchen combing his hair. He moved back away from the wash dish when Julie poured water to wash her hands.
“Where’s Jill?”
“Joy said she went upstairs.”
“She’d better get herself down here and act decent.”
“She’s fixing herself a place to sleep.” Julie wet a cloth and washed Joy’s face and then her hands.
“What’s for dinner?”
“Chicken and dumplings, peas, carrots and … corn bread. I baked it right after breakfast. It only needs warming up.” She looked at him and away. “There’ll be nine at the table. We only have seven chairs and Joy’s stool. You’ll have to bring in the short wash bench from the porch.”
When Jethro went to the porch, Julie whispered to Joy, “Go up and tell Jill to come down.”
It was a quiet group that gathered on the back porch waiting to be called in for dinner. Normally they would have been in the kitchen, nagging Julie to hurry. When Julie set the large bowl of chicken and dumplings on the table, Jethro knocked on his bedroom door.
“Birdie, dinner is ready.”
The door opened immediately. Birdie, wearing a soft pink dress as if she were going to church, came into the kitchen. Elsie, in a white skirt and middy, white knee-high stockings and black button slippers, clung to her hand. Long fat curls hung over her shoulders. Across the top of her head was a white, flat bow. The thought crossed Julie’s mind that Birdie’s late husband had been a good provider.
“Something smells delicious.” Then, eyeing the table, “Goodness’ sakes, it looks like a regular feast. I’ve heard that you’re a wonderful cook, Julie.”
“Sit here, Mrs. Stuart. Elsie can sit on the bench beside you.”
The boys filed in. Joe and Jack nodded to Birdie. Jason walked around the table and took his place next to where Julie sat between him and Joy. Jill took her place, then Jethro. The family bowed their heads and Jethro prayed aloud in a clear, calm voice.
“Dear Lord, we thank Thee for the provisions Thou hath provided for us, your children. Bless this food for the nourishment of our bodies. We ask Thee to bless this family and our guests. Amen.” He looked at Birdie. “Pass your plate, Birdie. This bowl is too big to pass around.”
“Oh, my, it looks just scrumptious, but don’t give me very much and give Elsie just a tiny bit until we see whether or not she likes it.”
There was silence until all the plates were filled. Julie tried to think of something to say and finally said, “This is the last of the fresh peas.”
“They are certainly delicious. You are a good cook, Julie.”
“Thank you, but it doesn’t take much skill to boil peas.”
“Everything is so good.”
Elsie tugged at her mother’s sleeve. Birdie tilted her head toward her daughter.
“I don’t like this,” Elsie said in a loud whisper and pushed the dumpling around on her plate with her fork.
“Then eat your chicken and corn bread.”
“I don’t like the chicken either. It’s … tough.”
“She’s a finicky eater.” Birdie looked at Julie with an apologetic smile. “She doesn’t like peas or carrots. There aren’t many things she likes.”
“Why don’t she like peas and carrots, Julie? I like ’em.” Joy’s voice overrode Birdie’s last words.
“I like ice cream,” Elsie said, and looked up at her mother for confirmation.
“We don’t happen to have ice cream today, Elsie.” Julie smiled. “You’ll have to make do with milk and corn bread.”
“Chief Appleby came by on his morning run, Pa.” Joe edged in to change the subject.
“He poured water on his head,” Joy added. “Then he went to find Jason.”
“Why?” Jethro asked. “Where was Jason?”
“He was riding with Evan on his horse. Joe was with them,” Julie spoke matter-of-factly. “Save room for bread pudding, Joy.”
“Bread pudding?” Birdie smiled down at her daughter. “You like bread pudding.”
“Not if it doesn’t have raisins,” Elsie whispered, but loud enough for everyone at the table to hear.
“Does it have raisins in it?” Joy asked.
“No, honey, it doesn’t,” Julie replied quietly.
Jethro asked Jack about the baseball practice and who was on the Fertile team. Jack gleefully told him how he had edged out Scott Graham as team catcher.
When the chicken and dumpling bowl was empty, Jill removed it from the table and brought the pan of bread pudding and a pitcher of cream.
“You’ll like this, sugar, even without raisins.” Birdie added a generous amount of cream to the pudding in her daughter’s bowl.
Julie’s eyes met Joe’s briefly, then went to her father, whose face seemed anxious. He was watching Birdie serve her daughter.
Julie was relieved when the meal was finished. She had eaten automatically. When the boys pushed back their chairs and left the table, Jason rose, too.
“Finish your pudding, Jason.” When his father spoke, the boy slumped back down on the chair and spooned the pudding into his mouth at a fast pace until the bowl was empty. He looked at his father, then left the table and hurried outside.
After Julie lifted Joy from her stool and washed her face and hands, the child went to Elsie.
“Come play with me, pl-ease!”
“You’re gettin’ me dirty.” Elsie pushed Joy’s hands from her dress.
“I am not. My hands just got washed.” She held her palms up.
“I don’t want to play with you. You’re too little.”
Joy backed away. “I don’t like you, either. So there!” She turned and ran toward the door. Jethro caught her up in his arms before she could go outside.
“She’ll play with you later, punkin. This place is strange to her now.”
“I don’t like her. She’s mean. Jason don’t like her, either.” Joy wriggled, trying to get down. Jethro set her on her feet and she ran out the door.
Julie caught Jill hiding a smile behind a dish towel.
“Oh, Jethro. I’m so sorry. Elsie has been alone so much that she doesn’t know how to act with other children.”
Jethro always insisted the children eat what they put on their plates. Julie wondered how he would react to the chicken and dumpling Elsie left on her plate and to the half-filled dish of pudding when she left the table to go stand beside her mother.
“What can I do to help, Julie?” Birdie began gathering dishes from the table.
The Edge of Town Page 26