by Dort Wesley
Lori looked at MaryJane and shook her head ‘no’. “I’m not hurt, Sheriff,” she said, and then looked at Matthew to see if he was upset with her decision. To her relief, he smiled in understanding. She moved closer to him, and he took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Mr. Abner, what about you?”
“If MaryJane pays for the bowl, I won’t have her locked up,” he said, and then warned, “It ain’t cheap. It’s fancy crystal from back East!”
MaryJane blanched when he told her how much it was, and she opened her bag and started counting out the money, tears filling her eyes when she didn’t have half what she needed. “I don’t have enough,” she admitted, and her eyes immediately went to Lori, beseeching her help.
“My wife isn’t going to help you, MaryJane. If she even attempts to give you one dime, I will give her a hot bottom…”
“I will loan you the money, MaryJane Clark, but you will have to work it off. I’m having guests in two weeks time, and with the girls in school through the week, I need some extra hands to help me get my house thoroughly cleaned top to bottom. I expect a full day’s work, and I will want the cleaning done my way. I don’t appreciate slacking, either. Are you interested?” Mrs. Gillis asked sharply.
“I think that a ‘Yes, ma’am, thank you ma’am,’ would be the proper answer, young lady,” the Sheriff said firmly.
“She just wants to humiliate me!” MaryJane accused.
“It’s no skin off my nose if you want to go and sit in jail, young lady,” Sally Gillis replied tartly. “Mr. Abner, may I leave my list with you now, and I’ll send the girls to pick it up later? I need to get home and start my baking.”
“Of course, Mrs. Gillis,” he agreed, and took the paper from her hand with a smile.
Mrs. Gillis ushered her daughters toward the door, and was nearly outside before MaryJane said desperately, “Ma’am, I would like to work for you. Thank you for your offer to help me.”
“I’ll see you at seven o’clock Monday morning. Don’t wear anything fancy, MaryJane,” she ordered briskly. “Add the rest of the bowl to my total, Mr. Abner. I’ll pay you when the girls come back to pick up my order.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the shopkeeper replied.
The Sheriff nodded, and then said, “You made a wise decision, young lady. Now come along with me.”
“But… why?”
“I would suspect that you would rather have your punishment for causing this scene given in private, young lady, but if you want witnesses to watch and make sure I don’t take liberties, then I can toss up your skirts right here and now and give you to understand that I’m sick and tired of these types of scenes with you in the middle. Ever since I arrived in town two months ago I’ve witnessed at least five different situations in which people were upset because of your behavior. You need a spanking and you are going to get a spanking. You might not be going to jail, but I guarantee you are going to face a consequence you’ll carry with you for the next few days.”
“You CAN’T do that to me!” MaryJane was shocked.
“Actually, I can do that, and I am going to do that,” Ned was determined. “Your choice is to either come with me and we’ll do this in private so you won’t be embarrassed, or we’ll take care of it here and now and Mr. and Mrs. Johnson and Mr. Abner can watch you kick and scream while you get what’s due.”
“I’m too old to be treated like a child!” MaryJane argued.
“You’ve been behaving like a child,” Ned stated. “I think Mr. Abner would certainly agree that your behavior in throwing such an expensive bowl was extremely childish.”
“I would and I do, and I think it’s high time someone took that girl in hand. I won’t mind a bit staying closed while you do it right here, Sheriff, and if you want, I have a few good hairbrushes you are welcome to borrow.”
Matthew had to smile, but a glance at his wife told him how uncomfortable Lori was with the whole situation. She was biting her lip and looked as though she would cry at any moment. He was fairly certain that MaryJane wasn’t about to let the Sheriff spank her while others were watching, and he hoped she would come to that conclusion quickly. He didn’t want Lori upset any more than she was.
“I don’t want you to punish me in front of them,” MaryJane said with as much dignity as possible.
“Fine. We’ll leave now, and you will make your apologies later.” He took MaryJane’s arm and led her out of the store.
“Why don’t you folks go on and get yourselves a bite to eat at the hotel, and once I clean up this glass, I’ll finish your order and you can pick it up after you’re done eating,” Benjamin Abner suggested. “Miss Lori, you don’t fret now,” he said kindly, patting her shoulder in a paternal manner. “That MaryJane needs a good spanking to settle her down. She was left on her own at too young an age and still needed guidance, and she still does. The Sheriff won’t harm her, and she’ll learn she can’t behave like she has been. And,” he winked, “I wouldn’t have let her go to jail over a silly bowl. I would have let her work it off instead, but I figure Mrs. Gillis will set her straight in a way I couldn’t. It’s for the best, honey. You go and eat now.”
********************
“You embarrassed me in front of those people!” MaryJane accused once Ned walked her to her home.
“No, you did that before I arrived,” Ned told her matter-of-factly. “Let’s go inside, unless you want your spanking here on the porch…?”
“It isn’t proper for you to come inside,” she turned up her chin.
“Fine, I’ll take a seat right here on the steps,” Ben said.
“No! You can’t really mean to spank me? I thought that was just for Mr. Abner’s benefit… so he wouldn’t press charges!” MaryJane protested.
“Let’s get something straight, young lady,” Ben looked down at her. “You are going to get a sound spanking right on your bare bottom. You aren’t going to sit well for the next few days as a result. And, each and every time there is a scene with you in the middle of it, I am going to take you over my knee and punish you, irregardless of what other consequences you might reap. Is that clear?”
She looked at him in shock and didn’t answer.
“Now, outside or inside? You have two seconds to decide.” He took her arm, but when he tried to pull over to the steps so he could sit down, she shook her head no and resisted.
“Please, not out here!”
“Then get the door open, MaryJane. This spanking is going to happen right now.”
MaryJane took off running the moment the front door was open and she heard Ned give it a slam and then come after her. She rushed up the steps and down the hallway to her bedroom, but she wasn’t quick enough to get the door locked against the Sheriff. He was right behind her and gave the door a shove and she went flying across the room. Just that quickly he scooped her up and grabbed her hairbrush from her dressing table and then took a seat on her bed. MaryJane gasped when he literally tossed her over his lap and spanked with the brush in the very same moment! She felt it even through the layers she was wearing! “Owww!” she cried out, more in embarrassment than actual pain.
“You’ll be saying a lot more owwws before this is done,” Ned promised, taking the time to toss up her skirts.
“Don’t do this, please!”
Ned ignored her and brought the hairbrush down on her drawers over and over. He wanted her to regret her behavior and he was determined to give her the hiding she needed to behave. It didn’t take long for her to start kicking her legs and begging him to stop. He didn’t, of course, at least until she started cursing!
“What did you just call me, young lady?” he demanded furiously.
“You are hurting me!” MaryJane excused herself. “Let me up right now! I need to see a doctor!”
“A doctor!” Ben snorted in disbelief. “A Doctor?” He laughed, and then said, “It would serve you right if I marched you right over to Doc’s office and had him examine your butt. He wou
ld probably tell me I hadn’t spanked you long or hard enough and offer to show me how it’s done… Wasn’t it his granddaughter you called the ‘ugliest little girl you’ve ever seen’ the other day when you when to Sandra’s Dress Shop?”
MaryJane burst into tears. “I don’t know why I said that!” she admitted. “I felt terrible when she started crying… and I didn’t know how to fix it.”
“I know how to fix it,” Ned promised and he reached under her and untied the ribbon holding up her drawers.
“No, please don’t! It wouldn’t be right!” MaryJane argued. In spite of what people thought, she was still innocent, and the thought of a man looking at her bare fanny was too humiliating for words.
“What isn’t right is the way you treat folks, little girl. It stops, as of today.” He picked up the hairbrush once more, and this time he was through playing around. It was time to give the young woman a spanking she would never forget. He made the brush sing as he applied it to her upper thighs and her sit spot over and over, and when she was sobbing too hard to be understood, Ben focused his attention on her cheeks again.
“Owwwwwww! Owwwwwwww! No more, please! Owwwwww! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” MaryJane begged. “No more! Stop! Owwwwwww! It hurts. I’m dying!”
“You aren’t dying, but I guarantee you aren’t going to sit down for a while.” He continued to spank her until her bare butt was too hot to touch and then he stopped and got to his feet, letting her tumble on the bed. “I’ll let myself out, MaryJane. You have the rest of today to pout and sulk, but I will be at the Gillis house every day for the next two weeks to make sure you are honoring your promise with Mrs. Gillis. If, for any reason, she is not satisfied with your work or your attitude, you will get another dose of your hairbrush. Your days of gossiping and making up stories about people are over, MaryJane.”
MaryJane sobbed into her pillow for a long long time, and when she finally stopped, it was to get up and go and survey the damage in her mirror. Her poor butt looked scalded, and there were bruises starting to form already. The Sheriff punished her thoroughly, and it was going to be days before she could sit without hurting. Mary Jane removed her clothing and slipped into a loose nightdress. The thought of putting drawers on, or having a petticoat touch her skin was unbearable, and her nightdress was made of very soft cotton. She scrubbed her face until it was complete free of the make-up she used to make herself look pretty, and then she brushed out her hair and put it in a long braid down her back. The face looking back at her in the mirror was full of sadness, and MaryJane was forced to be honest… The spanking didn’t hurt nearly as much as knowing she’d lost Lori’s friendship. Now there was no one to care…
Chapter Five
“You aren’t enjoying your meal,” Matthew said, looking at Lori.
“I can’t help feeling sorry for MaryJane,” Lori admitted, blinking her eyes to keep from crying. “I know you don’t care for her, Matthew, but she wasn’t always like this. Her Dad died when she was fifteen, and her Mom got married a short time after… and started another family. When her Mom’s new husband got a better job in California, he made it clear that MaryJane wasn’t welcome to join them. He didn’t want a daughter her age… and MaryJane has been on her own since she was sixteen.”
“How does she support herself?”
“She has a trust fund from her father, but she only gets a small allowance each month until she marries or turns twenty-five. It’s enough to live on, but there isn’t much extra for nice things,” Lori explained. “MaryJane is lonely and she needs someone to love her.”
“She’s going about it in the wrong way,” Matt said firmly.
“I know,” Lori agreed, “but I still feel sorry for her.”
“I don’t. She threw a glass bowl at you, called you names, and tried to make me angry with you. She did her best to keep you upset with me, too,” he stated without a doubt.
“Yes, and I shouldn’t have listened to her. I feel terrible about that, Matthew,” Lori apologized.
“It’s over now, honey,” he said, patting her hand. “Now eat your soup like a good girl, and I’ll order us some pie for dessert.” His teasing earned him a smile and Matthew hoped it was the end of things.
********************
“Not again!” Benjamin Abner shook his head. “Miss, you’d better not be coming in here to cause trouble like you done three weeks ago!”
Lori turned to see who he was talking to and was surprised to see MaryJane standing there. The expression in her blue eyes was uncertain, and Lori could see she was upset.
“I’m not going to cause trouble, Mr. Abner, I promise,” MaryJane answered him. “I wanted to speak to Lori and I hoped she would be in town today.”
“Miss Lori, your husband won’t like this,” Benjamin felt compelled to warn her.
“Lori, I only want a minute or two of your time… Please?”
She looked so upset that Lori didn’t have the heart to be rude. “We can talk outside.”
“Thank you,” MaryJane looked relieved. Once they were outside, Lori led the way to a bench down the street a ways and suggested they sit there. “Lori, I won’t mince words. I am sorry for the way I treated you and more than a little ashamed for the horrid things I said. The truth is, I’m a very jealous, hateful person, and you are the only one in this town who even tried to see some good in me, and it wasn’t until I lost your friendship that I realized how much it meant to me. You always had your Father, and I lost mine. You lost your Mother, too, but mine chose to leave me behind and go with her husband and her new children. My allowance is so small, and I know my Father never once thought it would be my sole source of support… It was to be for extras… How could my Mother just walk out and leave me to fend for myself?” MaryJane’s eyes filled with tears of anger. I don’t know how to trust people, and I strike first, before they can hurt me. I truly regret turning my ugliness on you, Lori, and I pray that you will forgive me someday.” Once the words were said, MaryJane jumped to her feet and took off running.
Lori looked after her, and then squared her shoulders. Matthew would just have to understand, and if he didn’t, well she would take the spanking she’d earned for disobeying him.
********************
Matt growled all the way into town. Why didn’t the darn handle on the pitchfork break BEFORE Lori left for town? He had to have another one today, and that meant a trip into town. He spotted the buggy in front of the Mercantile and smiled. He’d surprise Lori and take her out for lunch. He walked inside and was a bit surprised when he didn’t see Lori right away. “Where’s my little wife, Mr. Abner?” he asked with a pleasant smile.
Benjamin turned and said, “That MaryJane Clark came looking for Miss Lori and she went outside with her. They were sitting on a bench, but then MaryJane took off running, and Miss Lori went after her. I don’t know more than that, but I warned Miss Lori you wouldn’t be pleased,” he added darkly.
Matt wasn’t pleased, but he kept that to himself. “Add a pitchfork to my wife’s order, please,” he instructed, and then went to find Lori. She was in for a lesson with a strap the moment he got her home.
“Hey, Matt,” Ned Turner greeted the other man. “Who has you scowling already today?”
“MaryJane Clark,” Matt answered shortly. “She came looking for Lori this morning, and my wife went with her somewhere. I’m checking her house first.”
“I’ll come with you, Matt,” Ned offered. “My guess is that MaryJane wanted to apologize to Lori. I’ve been spending some time with her every day, and she’s making a real effort to change. She misses Lori’s friendship.”
“She misses the things Lori was buying for her.”
“She told me she’d give them all back if Lori would give her another chance to be a better friend,” Ned defended the blonde.
“How many times have you spanked the girl?” Matt snorted.
“A couple,” Ned smiled in understanding. “And I’ll do it again if she’s caused
trouble for Lori,” he promised.
“Lori disobeyed me by having anything at all to do with MaryJane. I don’t want my wife hurt, Ned,” Matt was clearly unhappy. Things had been going so well, and she’d blatantly disobeyed him… after promising him she would stay away from the other female. Matt wouldn’t put up with that, no matter the excuse.
“MaryJane regrets her behavior, Matt. I hope you can see past it and give her a second chance.” The other man didn’t reply, and Ned hoped that Lori could change her husband’s mind.
They reached the house and Matt didn’t hesitate to knock on the door. “Lori, are you in there?” he bellowed loudly.
Lori’s face turned pale, but she got up and went to let Matthew inside.
MaryJane followed her. “Let me talk to him, Lori,” she offered in a whisper.
“MaryJane?” Ned opened the door and called inside just as they reached the entryway.
“Yes, we are here, Ned. Come on inside,” she smiled at the tall Sheriff, and then turned to her friend’s husband. “Matthew… I hope you won’t be angry with Lori. I can explain,” she insisted.
“My wife is not supposed to be talking to you, young lady, and she disobeyed me. I think that is all the explanation I need. Lori, you come with me right now!” he ordered sharply.
“Matthew, please… Will you at least listen to MaryJane? The last few weeks have been difficult for her…”
“That is her own fault.”
“Yes, it is,” MaryJane conceded. “I am sorry for the way I treated Lori, Matt. I was horrid and I know it. I can’t undo it, either, but I can swear it will never happen again and mean it with all my heart. I don’t deserve her forgiveness, but it would mean everything to me,” she proclaimed.
Matt was startled to realized he believed her. Her faced was scrubbed clean of the make-up she wore all the time, and her hair wasn’t all fancy. She looked more like a scared kid than a grown woman. “You can have our forgiveness, MaryJane,” he found himself saying. “It doesn’t mean, however, that I will permit Lori to disobey me and get away with it!”