Pastor Hoover had an interest in them, also. “I have looked, yet wasn’t successful either. I’d love to find anything from a bygone era. I had a professor once, in school, who was an archaeologist. He was of Mexican decent, an avid researcher, who did much traveling and searching for them. He was a noted authority and speaker, who inspired me greatly about ancient eras and cultures.”
Charles Earl then surprised them all even further on the subject. “I once found a fossil fern in a rock when I was young. It now seems like the perfect gift from nature for a would-be gardener.”
Delighted, the men questioned him about his find. Meanwhile, the three children giggled when Rachael handed them her candy, one piece at a time, while she counted, one, two, three. “I may as well teach numbers at the same time,” she laughed to the ladies.
“Yes,” Emma Hoover agreed at once. “What a wonderful idea, Rachael. Thanks, we’ve been working on our numbers, but any extra help is always welcome. Do you teach reading, too?”
“Sometimes, I do.” The twins rushed to show the last piece of candy to their parents, while the nanny put her arm around Lily and whispered. “I have something else for you. I made it myself.”
Eating her candy, the toddler now cocked her head in wonder, while studying Rachael. Next, she sat down beside her, and Nanny Rachael hugged her, smiling warmly.
John Davis watched closely as Rachael reached into her nearby bag. “It’s a dolly.”
“Dolly!” Lily repeated, when Rachael handed it to her. “Dolly!”
“Yes. I made it for you.”
All at once, the little girl laughed in delight and hugged the doll to her heart, rocking it.
“What do you say?” asked her father.
A wide-eyed Lily looked at him, questioningly. “Dolly.”
“Say thank you, Lily,’” he instructed her patiently.
“Tank you,” she drawled, bringing tears to Rachael’s eyes. This was another moment of bliss.
The group marveled over it when Lily took it to show those she knew. The children then went to do a clover dance, feeling happy and much loved with their new stuffed toys and special attention.
Rachael looked away to brush happy tears from her cheeks. Finally, she thought, little Lily might feel more friendly and secure with her, and comforted by the doll. She was thankful she could sew.
Monty saw this and imagined what she was feeling. “Would you care to walk, Miss Hathaway?”
“Why, yes,” she answered, surprised by his asking. But to everyone’s surprise, she instantly grabbed John’s hand. The two lifted from the quilt. “Let’s go down to Blue Slough Bridge, everyone! Come on, Emma, Pastor Hoover, Phoebe, Miss Callie, Miss Mariah, Crane, Charles Earl, and John’s family!”
“No, we’ll stay and watch the children,” Emma advised. “It’s okay. You go.” Charles, Crane, Miss Callie, Miss Mariah, and John’s family decided to walk in other directions, greeting some of their other friends.
Near the bridge, John picked up two smooth stones and gave one to Rachael. “Let’s pretend the slough’s a big wishing well. We will throw these stones in after we make our wishes.” Picking up two more, he went to hand them to Monty and Phoebe. “Make a wish before you throw these,” he advised. When his parents and grandparents joined them, he gave them stones to throw for wishes, as well.
“Oh, I haven’t done this in years, John,” Monty replied. “I’ve almost forgotten how,” he laughed.
“I have,” Phoebe laughed. “We did it at home in the Old Mill Brook. Remember, Rachael?”
“I do,” was the reply. “How high is the water there now?”
“Not high,” was Phoebe’s reply. After a few seconds, she informed everyone, “I’ve got my wish!” With a mighty throw, she heaved that stone into the water, causing a large splash. Laughter resounded.
“Good arm and good aim.” The lieutenant complimented her throw. Then he threw his in so that it didn’t splash as high as hers did. Together, they laughed at their efforts.
“You may need another chicken drumstick, Lieutenant Graham,” Rachael said with a laugh.
“I believe you’re right, Miss Hathaway,” he agreed, grinning.
“So, you did this growing up, Miss Hathaway?” John asked Rachael, returning to a more formal tone, which surprised her. She hoped that she had not offended him by taking his hand to get here.
“Well, yes. Didn’t everyone? Yet, I didn’t throw all of them into the brook. Smooth stones are one of my favorites. In fact, I collect rocks.” She hoped her use of the word ‘well’ would make him smile.
It did. “You do? Well, so do I. That’s another thing we have in common.” John sounded amazed that they both shared the same hobby. “But I like my fossils, too.”
“Oh, you do?” Rachael teased. “Sorry, I haven’t had the pleasure of collecting fossils.”
“I was lucky. I only have those I mentioned to you, though.”
“You were fated to be the one to find them, you know.” She spoke with a certain air of awe.
“What?” He was poised to throw his rock, yet stopped at hearing her comment, and chuckled.
“Well, you found some special fossils. Others might not have even looked for one,” she reasoned.
“Watch this.” He tossed his stone into the water only a few feet from them. “It’s your turn.”
“To be lucky?” she teased. “Oh, no. First, tell me what your wish was?” She dared to ask.
“No, it’s your turn to throw yours in. Make a wish first,” he advised. “Then I may tell you mine.”
“I can’t throw mine in because I can’t think of a wish. I wished for Lily to like me and now I honestly think she does. I believe the doll did that. It made us friends, John,” she confided in a whisper.
“I believe it did, too,” he whispered warmly, moving close to her. “We’re friends. Now, I want for us to be best friends. So, do you want me to make your wish for you?” he teased, reaching for her rock.
“No.” She turned away, hiding her stone. “We are friends. That’s why I first want to know what your wish was. Was it about me?”
They both laughed. “Of course, it was,” he told her, laughing, while Monty and Phoebe intently studied waterfowl along the shoreline with his spyglasses he’d brought. “Are we best friends?”
Shouts from John’s folks interrupted them, as they threw their stones for wishes and decided to head back toward the shaded picnic area. “We shall see you all later,” his mother called with a wave.
“We’re friends,” she declared, quietly. “Was that your wish?”
John and Rachael waved in return. “You are persistent. Will it come true if I tell you, Rachael?”
“I don’t know,” she laughed. “I’ve never studied whether wishes come true or not, if told.”
“Hey, are you two ready to go back for another piece of chicken, or would you like to view the waterfowl?” Monty questioned, holding up his glasses. “I’m feeling pretty weak and in need of some meat, perhaps a chicken drumstick,” he laughed. “That might do you some good, too, John, since you’re trying to heal.”
As everyone chuckled and agreed to Monty’s comments, John shook his head and remarked with a grin, “No. We’re still wishing, Monty.”
“We’re going back then. Miss Hathaway, well, Miss Phoebe Hathaway, is rather tired after her long journey yesterday,” Monty explained. “Plus, I obviously need some more food, and possibly doughnuts.”
John laughed, but Rachael hurried to her sister and hooked an arm with her. Her quick movement caused some nearby foraging geese to take flight. “You are coming home with me, aren’t you, Phoebe?”
“Just look at that!” Phoebe gasped in delight. “Aren’t they graceful?” She pointed to the waterfowl now flying low over the water.
“Home, I do like the sound of that and the w
ay you say it, Miss Hathaway,” John remarked quietly from behind her, an amused look upon his face.
Hearing his comment, Rachael turned to him, torn between the two conversations. “Home,” she repeated, laughing. “Home.”
“Now you’re making fun of me,” he insisted.
“No, I’m just teasing,” she assured him.
Lieutenant Graham folded his arms over his chest and studied the pair.
The two sisters began to slowly walk back across the bridge. But, Rachael couldn’t keep from turning to look at John. She now became apologetic. “Please don’t be offended.”
“I’m not, but don’t forget to make your wish for a fossil, before you go,” he called, as if hurt at being left behind, even though Monty was beside him, laughing. Next, he added, to keep her interest, “By the way, Miss Rachael Hathaway, before I forget, I have in my possession a letter for you from one, Wren Hathaway, in case you are interested. If not, I could keep it, read it myself, give it to someone else, say Monty, or toss it away, if you like.” He was teasing her in return.
“What? Wait a minute, dear Phoebe. I need to settle this, I believe,” Rachael chuckled. Turning, she completely ignored John’s comment about the letter from her cousin, for a moment, as if to show him that it was not very important to her. Instead, she asked, “What exactly is a fossil, Dr. Davis?”
“Save me, Monty,” he implored, laughing, while waving Rachael’s letter in the air. “I wasn’t expecting interrogation, but I would say that it’s a stone with an imprint or the actual plant or animal remains, an old one, an ancient one. Am I right?”
“I would say that you are mostly correct,” his friend replied. “It could be the actual bone or skeleton, though.”
Rachael stopped directly in front of John, rigid, like a soldier at attention, with outstretched hand in front of her, in order to receive the letter.
This stopped John Davis in his tracks. Silently, he motioned at the stone in her other hand. “Make a wish first.”
Almost immediately she went to drop the rock just beyond the edge of the bridge, making the nearest and smallest splash of them all. “There, are you satisfied, for I’ve made my wish?”
“Yes, and I can make your fossil wish come true for you, I believe, Rachael,” Dr. John said in a somewhat jovial voice. “We can probably find it at Dragonfly Pond soon,” he explained, whispering, as he leaned toward her to tell his secret. “I’ll meet you there.”
“Well, for your information, you may be surprised to learn that I did not wish for a fossil, sir,” she said in a dead serious, almost indignant tone. Then, she laughed and asked for her letter.
“Mercy, please, I’m John, and by all means, here, Miss Hathaway, a special delivery for you.”
“Thank you.” Grabbing the envelope, she then took his hand, pulling him along, which was so unlike her. Yet, he didn’t seem to mind and she was having the time of her life with these new friends and her sweet sister. “Come on. Let’s go!” Laughing, she linked arms with Phoebe. “Come on, Monty. More chicken awaits us! I obviously can’t throw well without another drumstick, either.”
“It is time for a second course, isn’t it, since we were talking more than eating during the first one?” John asked, quite thrilled with all of the attention Rachael was affording him.
“Dolly! Dolly!” they heard Lily call when she saw them reappear. Running, the little girl came right to her nanny with outstretched arms. Rachael picked her up, kissed her, and held her while turning in a complete circle. They both were happy. Lily giggled in delight, and Rachael loved every second of it.
“Evidently the dolly has done it,” she whispered toward Lily’s father.
“It certainly has.” He was thrilled, too. That was evident in his smile. “You’re a wonder.”
The toddler had hardly let go of her doll for one minute, after she first laid eyes upon it, and that was only so Minnie could hold it for awhile. Dr. Davis beamed his approval. His family and friends were happy, too. The twins, Minnie and Quinny danced around Rachael and Lily, laughing and singing until Rachael put her down to join them.
“Hey, let’s read your letter,” John suggested, nodding toward a tree grove some distance away. “It’s private there.” He took Lily from Rachael and placed her near the twins. “Play with your friends for a little while, honey. Daddy and Rachael will be right here.”
“Oh, what makes you think that you may hear my letter from Wren with me?” Rachael whispered, with a grin upon her face.
“I’m very special to you. I’m your new best friend, remember, and I wish to know about every aspect of your life?”
“But Wren is my guardian angel, and you, Dr. Davis, are quite bold to ask for this letter’s contents, aren’t you? I’d much rather read it to Phoebe.”
“Please,” he begged. “I shall make it up to you.”
She finally agreed, not waiting for an answer. “Fine, but have you a letter to read to me?”
“No, but Phoebe can hear yours at a later time,” he suggested.
“I do not wish for everyone to hear this, I dare say. Let’s move to the oaks, as you suggested.”
“Good,” he whispered, as they strolled and she removed the letter from its envelope.
“‘Dear Cousin Rachael,
I am pleased to inform you that I will be arriving this next week, with marbles.” Rachael and John both laughed. “People have been playing games with them for thousands of years, you know, and so I will continue to do so, too. I do have some of the finest, in these parts, at least. Did you know marbles have even been found in the tombs of ancient Egypt, according to a professor I met at the feed store, who has been there?
On the other hand, I wanted to inform you that I have invited Viola out to have lunch and go shopping with me, and also, at times, with some friends, both male and female. She seems to be adjusting to single life as well as can be expected and I expect someone will wish to call upon her very soon. I have asked her to accompany me on my trip, but so far she has declined.
That professor that I mentioned was inquiring about what to feed the deer in his pasture this coming autumn and winter, being new to this vicinity. I suggested apples and grain. Do you think that I am correct in advising that? I shall see you very soon.
Love, Your Favorite Cousin, Wren
P.S. Is there anything I can bring you when I come, some of the fine clothes from your closet, perhaps, or food, or a gentleman caller? All of my friends are fine gentlemen, Rachael, as you well know. (Laugh, for that could bring you back to us, a fine gentleman caller whom I might bring with me. Just say the word.)’”
She did laugh, yet only for a few moments, until she looked upon John’s handsome face.
He was studying her, once again, not laughing, nor even smiling. “He is a funny man, your cousin. I can hardly wait to meet him, and by the way, tell him not to bring a fine gentleman caller with him when he visits you. I cannot approve that kind of competition, since I am your fine gentleman caller.”
“Afraid?” she asked in a word, laughing.
“No,” he replied in a word, but changed his mind. “Yes, I am afraid of losing you, and I want to apologize, because I was not a gentleman the other night when I wanted you to stay at the table. I do apologize. Please forgive me, Rachael. I shall do better. Please let me prove that, since I am the one you need.”
“Apology accepted.”
He smiled and gently placed an arm around her waist. “Shall we join the others, darling?”
“Yes, John,” she replied, thrilled by his mature decision to apologize. “I’ll help you do better.”
“Hey, everyone, it’s time for our annual Easter Parade On The Avenue!” Pastor Hoover happily announced, in an elated voice, to the happy group gathered in Blue Slough Park near the church. “Easter has been delayed long enough, in our neck of the woods, as you all kno
w, due to the snowstorms.” Immediately, picnic baskets were repacked and placed into the buggies. Older children ran to grab their decorated bicycles or wagons. Little ones gathered near their families for the happy occasion, a walk in the tree-lined town in their Easter finery.
Men were dressed in their distinctive suits, vests, and hats. The ladies were adorned in their empire waist, high neck, long-sleeved dresses in various pastel hues ~ Emma Hoover wore a pleasing mixture of navy and light blue. Aggie’s ankle length dress was a lovely robin’s egg blue. Rachael was radiant in sunshine yellow. Phoebe had chosen a light green dress and jacket. Amber beamed in a light shade of amber, of course. Her mother wore creamy white. Miss Callie’s dress was lavender. Miss Mariah was attired in pink. Their Easter bonnets, a welcome sun shade, were well matched to their frocks. All of the hats in their particular circle were adorned with fresh flowers supplied by Rachael and Miss Mariah, from the spring offerings at Magnolia Gardens. Many carried purses matching their dress in color or fabric. Most of the ladies held parasols, too, and wore low-heeled shoes appropriate for walking the distance ~ The Easter Lane, as it was called today, and every Easter thereafter, at Velvet Villa Village.
“Girls, we look like bridesmaids in a wedding party!” called Emma, complimenting everyone.
Merry laughter prevailed as they lined up at the edge of the park, behind Pastor, Emma, Minnie, and Quinny. The group then became quiet when Pastor Hoover raised his hand. He took just a moment to collect his thoughts before addressing the residents gathered for their short, joyful journey.
“It is with great sadness that we pause for a moment to reflect upon our President Abraham Lincoln’s untimely passing. Yet, let us find hope in America, a nation that he and we can be proud of, because there is much to be thankful for, and much to be done. Let me assure you that we are doing it, day by day. Thanks to all of you for the part you play in helping each other and Twelve Ponds Territory grow. Now, let us move forward. The children are eagerly awaiting their Easter egg hunt, and we must not disappoint them. Thank you all for coming today. To the egg fields we go!”
Sanctuary Page 22