Lariats, Letters, and Lace

by Agnes Alexander

  “You did? What was it?”

  “My pet toad. I brought him to school in my pocket. Only, when I put it in her hands, she shrieked. And then, she punched me in the gut. I guess we felt differently about toads. I explained it to her, though, and said I meant no harm. She thought I was picking on her—being the new girl and an orphan and all. She apologized for hitting me, and decided she had been rash in her reaction. After that, we played with the toad together and had the best time. We built a castle with a moat around it out of sticks—for the toad—and we—”

  “This is very interesting, but this is a very small card. There isn’t room for your history lesson. How about we jump ahead about ten years?”

  “But you see, our history together is part of our story. She was the best ‘best friend’ I ever had.”

  “Why? What was so special about being with her?”

  “She’s smart. You don’t have to explain things to her twice. Sometimes, you don’t have to explain things to her once. It’s like we have one mind. We always enjoyed doing the same things. We could sit for hours on the bridge, dropping sticks in the creek from one side of the bridge, and then run over to watch them float out the other side. All the while, we’d make up stories about princes, knights, and fair damsels who lived in castles. None of the boys wanted to do that with me. And we had our ‘detective service,’ we called it. We made up mysteries for each other and tried to solve them. Sometimes, it took days.”

  “How about later? What did you like about spending time with her when you’d outgrown imaginary play?”

  “She’s funny. And she thinks I’m funny, too. She and I would see things other people didn’t see.”

  Melody narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you talking about spirits?”

  “No, no! Little things. Like how Mr. Morgan squeezes the end of his nose twice before he hands you your change like he hates parting with money.”

  “I never noticed that.”

  “See! But she did, and I did. We liked to talk about stuff like that. We could always chat away the afternoon. But it was okay to be quiet together, too. She’s a very comfortable person to be with. Until…”

  “Until what?”

  “Until I became a man, and she became a woman. A desirable woman. I started having these feelings…I wanted to kiss her all the time. I was afraid if I did, it would be the toad all over again. I thought about kissing her every time we were in the same room. That’s all I could think about. I played it over again and again in my mind, how I’d lean over and put my lips on hers. But then, I imagined her looking shocked and never speaking to me again. So many other boys like her. I watch them sidle up next to her, and how she gets this look on her face like she’s breathed a bug up her nose. I couldn’t stand it if she looked at me like that. Maybe this is a bad idea, after all.”

  “Don’t be a goose. Maybe she’s been waiting for the right guy to sidle up to her. Anyway, it’s not like you speak to her now. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, a wise man once said. And do you know who that wise man was?”

  “Benjamin Franklin.”

  “That’s right.”

  “He also said, ‘By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.’ I don’t think I’ve thought this out. I’m not a good planner.”

  “We will prepare you, Harmony! From now until the dance, you will be my project!”

  Chapter 3

  Being careful not to damage the fragile paper lace, Harmony read the card over one more time before sealing the envelope.

  Miss Olivia at the post office window was giving him her sour face because she was anxious to get back to work behind the partition, and he was keeping her waiting. Blocking out Lemon-Face, he recited the words to himself. After much experimentation, he and Melody had settled on a simple message of love.

  “Where my voice fails me, let this card speak. I loved you from a-near. I loved you from a-far. Love you today, loved you yesterday, and will love you tomorrow and forever more. Will you be my Valentine? I will make myself known to you at the dance, where I hope you will be my partner. Signed, a secret admirer of long standing.”

  “Mail it! Mail it now, quick!” shouted Melody, bursting through the door.

  Before he could react, she grabbed the card and handed it over to Miss Olivia.

  “That will be five cents.”

  Harmony handed over the money to her and turned back to his sister. “What has gotten into you?”

  She pulled at his sleeve and led him across the room, barely half his height but surprisingly strong. “I was talking to Myra Wiggins out there while I was waiting for you, and she tells me that Johnny Harper is telling the boys he’s going to ask Alice to be his girl at the dance,” she whispered.

  “No! I have to get that card back!”

  “You will do no such thing!”

  “I’ll look such a fool. Miss Olivia, I forgot something. Can I have my letter back?”

  “No, I already dropped it in the bin. It’s a crime to tamper with the mail.”

  “Well, now I don’t know if taking back my own letter—”

  “Stop it, Harmony! You can’t let anyone stand in the way of true love. I see now there is more urgency to my project. Come on. Let’s go home and practice your look and walk again.”

  The image of Johnny Harper with his perfect straight hair popped into his mind. He was going to inherit his father’s ranch one day. It was the biggest ranch in the county, having swallowed a few neighboring ranches, including Harmony’s own family’s. The Harpers were rich. What could he, Harmony, offer Alice? She was so perfect and deserved so much. And she was used to an easy life, what with her uncle being a lawyer. He hadn’t thought out that part of his plan. A bitter taste rose in his mouth at the thought of that sonofabitch getting both the ranch and the girl. How much defeat could one man suffer? He ignored his sister pulling at his arm like a little dog.

  “Harmony? What are you thinking about? You look queer.”

  “I was thinking Alice might make a better match with someone like Johnny.”

  “Johnny? He toys with the girls and he’s full of himself. Are you going to let him step in and steal the girl you cherish?”

  Harmony stood up straight and tall, hitching his shoulders back. “I am not! He doesn’t know how to play detective or know her mind the way I do.”

  Melody looked up at him. She was smiling but there was a look in her eyes he knew. It was the look she got during the spelling bee when she wasn’t sure she got an answer right.

  “What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  She hesitated and then took in a deep breath. “I was just remembering something. Remember, this summer at the ice cream social when you were doing rope tricks?”

  “With all the other boys? Yes.”

  “Well, I was standing behind Alice. I heard Sally say to her, ‘That Harmony is a fine-looking man. Would you mind if I made a play for him?’”

  “What did Alice answer?”

  “She said, ‘I have no claim on him. Do as you like.’”

  Harmony’s heart lurched, but then he thought of something. “How did she sound when she said that? Did she say it like it made her sad? Or matter-of-factly, like she didn’t care one way or the other?”

  Melody bit her lip while she thought about it. “She sounded annoyed.”

  “That’s good, right?”

  “Could go either way. Harmony? What do you think your chances are—I mean what does your heart tell you?”

  Harmony’s mind went back to that hot summer day. Some of the boys were having a trick rope competition, but in the end, everyone stopped to watch Harmony because there was no contest when he was involved. The other young men joined the group of girls and they all stood in a circle around him. The contest became a show of skill.

  It was a scorcher of a day. Harmony took off his leather cuffs meant to keep his sleeves from catching in the rope. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and got to work. Before long, his shirt becam
e soaked in sweat, his skin under his arms chaffed, but he couldn’t stop.

  Harmony remembered every trick his grandfather had taught him. First, he did the vertical loop, and then the flat loop. Seeing that he had his audience’s attention, he moved on to fancier moves. The merry-ground, the butterfly, the wedding ring, and even the impressive Texas Skip where he jumped in and out of the spinning loop.

  Grandpa had always told him he was made for roping, with his long arms. Everyone was cheering. He felt he should put down his rope and let someone else have a turn. He didn’t mean to show-off, but he simply couldn’t stop. He got that way when he was doing something he enjoyed. Like his parents were with music.

  So, he went on spinning the rope, repeating tricks, even though he’d forgotten his glove and the rope was starting to burn through his calloused hands and his shoulders ached. He couldn’t stop. He spun the loop at the ground around his feet, the rope kicking up small clouds of dust, then he made the rope raise up around his body in slow, easy loops.

  He dared to look at Alice, whose eyes were intent on following the rope’s progress. She had a softness about her face, her lips slightly parted, breathing though her mouth. When the loop reached his hips, he let the loops linger longer. His fingers worked rhythmically on the spoke of the rope like he was playing on a flute. That was the trick—keeping your fingers moving, or the rope would kink up on itself after a while.

  As he watched, the tip of Alice’s tongue darted out, making a circuit of her lips. Then she sucked in her bottom lip and began worrying it with her teeth. There was a look in her eyes like somebody put a warm apple pie in front of her, only she couldn’t have it until she ate her stringy mutton. He continued to watch her, free to study her face while her sights were trained on the rope dancing around his hips. He could see her bosom heaving with rapid breathing and her skin was glowing.

  The rope rode up his body to his waist. Then, his chest and shoulders. Her hand went up to her hair, twisting one loose strand before drawing it across her lips. He looked at his own arm where her eyes were trained. The ropey muscles in his forearm were dancing under his sun-browned skin. When the loop spun over his head, their eyes met—their eyes met for the first time in months. There was a sadness in her eyes, but something else. Longing?

  He remembered, at that moment, Sally leaned over and said something in Alice’s ear. Everyone cheered again when the rope was high over his head. One of the boys asked if he could do tricks with two ropes. He nodded yes and a second rope was held out to him. He let his rope fall, took the second rope and fed the end through the brass honda to make a loop. His hand was trembling from both exertion and emotion. When he looked up Alice was gone. Sally was in her place.

  He thought again about Melody’s question. What did his heart tell him?

  “I think my chances are pretty good.”

  ****

  Later that evening while their parents were playing piano and singing in the music room, Harmony and Melody set to work in the parlor. They’d pushed back the furniture so there was a clear path from one corner of the room to the other. Melody stood in the far corner pretending to be Alice. For the fourth time, Harmony shifted his features into his look of serious intent before starting toward his sister.

  “No, that was too quick. Go back to your corner again. You have to look at Alice a long time until everybody in the room except you fades from her vision. Let her know it’s her you’re fixing your look on, not the refreshment table. Or, let me put it in terms you understand.” She made a motion like she was twirling a lariat over her head. “Pretend like she’s calf you have to rope. Set your loop around her, and when she’s secure, you make your move.”

  In his mind, Harmony saw himself swinging the lariat around and around, his eyes fixed on his target. When he was sure his aim was true, he let it rip. He imagined the rope hovering over Alice’s head and then falling around her shoulders. He tightened his rope so it held her firm around her arms. Then, swinging one long leg in front of the other, he made his way slowly across the room, following his imaginary rope. He led with his shoulders. First the right and then the left shoulder like he was making his way through a crowd, all the while his eyes focused on his target.

  Melody thought the addition of the shoulder move was a nice touch because it was sure to be crowded at the dance.

  Melody’s eyes danced, her lips twitching with suppressed amusement. Harmony had yet to make it across the room before one or the other of them burst out laughing. This time, he made it to the far corner and with a slight bow and tilt of the head, he extended his hand.

  “Alice, would you be my partner?”

  Melody clapped her hands. “That was perfect! If she doesn’t melt, she’s lost all feminine sensibilities.”

  “Let’s take a break,” he said, sitting on the velvet love seat.

  She plopped down beside him. The horsehair stuffing crunched under her weight.

  “I remembered something today about Johnny Harper,” he said.

  “What?”

  “Do you remember when Alice got the rheumatic fever?”

  “Do I ever. We couldn’t get you to sit still, and you kept asking if a person could die from ‘romantic fever.’ You were so worried about her. You would have run over to her house every hour if Ma didn’t stop you. She said you were making a nuisance of yourself, and one visit a day to check on her was sufficient.”

  “I forgot about that part. But anyway, they had to cut off her hair to reduce the fever. She’d always been so proud of her hair. The first day she returned to school with cropped hair, Johnny pointed and laughed at her.”

  “I remember that. He said he didn’t know Alice had a brother. Some kids laughed along with him. I could tell she was going to cry.”

  “It was a terrible thing to do. She almost died, and the doctor was worried she’d suffered permanent heart damage. Johnny made her feel bad the minute she’d gotten back on her feet. I never felt like fighting another boy until that day. I wanted to push his face in the ground and make him eat dirt.” Harmony clenched his fists at the memory.

  Melody laid a hand on his arm. “I remember what you did, instead. You stood between her and the other kids and put your hand on her hair. You said it was as soft and fine as a baby’s. You told her that with her hair out of the way, you could see how pretty her face was, and you suspected the other girls were going to be faking a fever so they could get their hair cut off, too.”

  “That’s right. Then, I told her how happy I was to see her back at school, hair or no hair, because the place lost its sparkle without her.” Harmony shook his head. “Johnny doesn’t deserve her. I’m going to fight for her.”

  “What are you going to wear?”

  “Why, my suit of course. My brown wool suit. The only one I have.”

  “I don’t know if that will do. The last time you wore it, the sleeves and pants were too short. Remember? You couldn’t sit down because the hem rode up your legs. And that was a year ago. You’ve grown more, since.”

  “I’ll ask Ma to let out the hems again.”

  “I don’t think she can do that one more time. You’ve run out of hem.”

  “It will have to do. I can’t borrow one of Pa’s. I’d look more ridiculous swallowed up by his big suit. And it’s too late to get a new one, even if I had the money.”

  Melody bit on her thumb nail. “I’ll think of something.”

  Chapter 4

  “That suit hasn’t seen action since the Civil War. Where’d you find it?” Harmony said, laughing.

  Melody was holding out a long, black frock coat. She was squinting one eye as she calculated its measurements against his long, lean frame.

  “I found it in Pa’s old theatrical trunk up in the attic.”

  He pulled a dusty, brown cobweb out of her hair. “I can see you’ve been busy. But you can’t be serious. You want me to wear this thing?”

  “It looks like a perfect fit, and this is quality material. I can
tell.”

  “I ain’t gonna wear that suit. I’ll be a laughing stock. Smells, too,” he said, wrinkling his nose at the musty smell.

  “I can brush it off and freshen it up. Trust me. You can wear your old brown suit, which was cheap to begin with and is going to make you look like a twelve-year-old with your wrists and ankles sticking out, or you can cut a dashing figure in something that fits. Which do you think Alice would prefer? And before you answer, you can be sure Johnny is going to be looking real fine. I heard he went all the way to Lubbock to get himself new duds especially for this dance. You think about that.”

  And with that, his sister swept out of the room with the suit.

  Harmony sat down and put his head in his hands. As he’d been doing for days, he thought about Alice. Then, the thought intruded of Alice with Johnny, looking like a fine couple. It was one thing to get up the courage to tell her how he felt, and even if she felt the same way, then what? What could he offer her?

  He remembered overhearing a conversation once between his mother and another lady after church one day.

  “She used to be a bright, young thing. Prettiest girl in the county,” his mother had said under her breath, pointing her chin in the direction of a woman standing with a toddler hanging off of her arm.

  He’d known the woman in question was the same age as his mother, and it surprised him to hear this shriveled up woman with the ashen face and distant look in her eyes had once been pretty.

  “Jeannette’s had a hard life married to that man of hers. It shows. When you’re young, you think love is all you need. Then you start having babies one after another, and it gets harder to put food in everyone’s belly. Ed Jessop isn’t a bad man, but he never was a good provider. He’s only ever been a hired cowhand. You got to think of the practicalities. But try telling that to two young people who can’t see beyond each other’s faces,” said the other woman, standing shoulder to shoulder with his Ma.