There were two exciting things Janie thought about this snowy morning. One was that her birthday was tomorrow on Christmas Day.
The other exciting thing had to do with reading. Mrs. Hull had told them that on Christmas morning they would be reading aloud the story of baby Jesus as found in the Gospel of Luke. “We shall gather around the dining-room table, and thee shall take turns with the scripture verses,” she said. “Dr. Hull and I shared the reading of the Christmas story with our own children, and we would feel privileged to do the same with all of thee.”
At first nobody spoke. Then Mrs. Hull laughed gently. “Do not fear, young ones—we shall all share the difficult words!”
Of course, they had planned a succulent dinner, as well. A turkey stuffed with dressing would be roasting in the big black oven long before breakfast. Betsy and Maydean had been baking all week for the feast.
Janie had heard Mrs. Hull invite Maydean to come celebrate Christmas with them if her grandfather didn’t mind. “It’s just another day to him, ma’am,” Maydean responded matter-of-factly. “I’ll be here. Thank you, ma’am.”
All these things turned over in Janie’s mind as she watched the rising sun begin to color the fields a deep gold. She kicked back the quilt and gingerly slid to the floor. The wood planks were always so cold to her bare feet that she immediately hopped to the big rag rug a few feet away. There, Janie hopped from one foot to the other to get dressed. She still wore the pewter cross around her neck, and it bumped comfortably under her clothes as she hopped around.
Once dressed, Janie bounded down the stairs to the kitchen. Mrs. Hull turned from the stove. “Good morning, Janie. Thee is hungry?”
“Yes, ma’am, I am.” A piping bowl of oatmeal was set in front of her, followed by a glass of milk. Janie bowed her head and silently said grace. She opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled.
“Thee is happy this morning,” Mrs. Hull observed.
Janie nodded. “Tomorrow’s my birthday,” she blurted out.
Mrs. Hull turned to face Janie. “Really, child? On Christmas Day?”
Janie grinned and nodded vigorously.
“Well, this is cause for celebration.” Mrs. Hull sat down. “How is it that thee knows when thy birthday is, child?”
“Slaves didn’t work on Christmas, ma’am.”
Mrs. Hull’s face made a quick flinch. “Ah,” she said smoothly, “I see. How convenient to have been born on a day one can remember!”
Janie nodded again and poured corn syrup on her oatmeal.
“Does thee know the birthdays of thy friends, Janie?”
Janie stopped with her spoon in midair. Never had she even wondered about the birthdays of Aleta, Blue, or the twins. She simply accepted that they did not know. She always felt special, in fact, that she knew her own.
Janie set her spoon down. She looked at the tablecloth. “No, ma’am,” she said softly, “I don’t know their birthdays. The only birthday I’ve ever known is mine.” Somehow it sounded selfish when she said it out loud.
Mrs. Hull looked at Janie thoughtfully. “And does thee think it matters to them?”
Janie pondered that for a moment. “I think it matters to Lucy and Nathan, ‘cause they’s twins.”
“They are twins,” Mrs. Hull gently corrected her.
“Yes, ma’am, that’s what I meant. They have each other, blood and all, but that’s all they know.”
“What about Blue and Aleta?”
“I never heard them say nothin’—anything about it, ma’am.” “How old will thee be tomorrow, Janie?” “Twelve, ma’am.”
“We shall celebrate, young Janie.” Mrs. Hull gave her a rosy-cheeked smile. “A birthday is a special thing. And to celebrate thy birthday on the same day we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus is special indeed.” She stood and turned back to the stove.
An idea came to Janie. The twins knew they had been born in winter. Couldn’t they share Janie’s birthday with her? Couldn’t they simply decide that was their birthday, too? They could all turn one year older together. They could celebrate together.
Janie dipped her spoon into her oatmeal. She said nothing about her idea to Mrs. Hull.
But Janie had a plan.
CHAPTER 15
“And It Came to Pass”
Momma sat on the floor next to a fire and gazed at Janie. Momma’s eyes looked just as warm as the fire itself. She moved over next to Janie and completely encircled her in her arms. Then Momma took both of Janie’s hands and counted each finger out loud. She reached down and took Janie’s bare feet and counted each toe out loud. It tickled when she did that, and Janie giggled. Momma began to laugh along with her….
Janie woke up slowly, smiling. She lay in bed for a minute, letting the dream run through her mind. Momma. She’d been as real as if she’d been in the room.
It had been years since Janie had dreamed about her mother. These days she dreamed about Aunty Mil or the others left behind at Rubyhill. Once she had even dreamed about the white boy back near Tennessee—that he gave her a big basket full of live baby rabbits to play with, his blue eyes twinkling.
But this rare dream about Momma felt so real. Janie lay in bed awhile longer, half-asleep, letting the feel of Momma’s almost forgotten presence stay with her.
When she heard rustling in the room, Janie reluctantly got up.
Lucy lay in the trundle bed next to the high-poster bed. She had asked to sleep upstairs with Janie and Aleta just for Christmas Eve, so that night Dr. Hull had carried Lucy up the stairs and placed her in the trundle bed. Aleta had tucked warm quilts around her, and Lucy drifted off to sleep right away.
Now Janie leaned over and looked down to find Lucy’s eyes open. “Good morning, Lucy. How you doing?”
“Good morning, Janie,” Lucy responded. “I’ll be up in a minute.” But Lucy’s eyes closed again. Lucy never bounced out of bed these days. Janie knew she still needed time to gain back her strength.
Aleta rolled over. “Hey, you two—ready to get up?”
Janie and Aleta hopped onto the rugs, avoiding the cold wood floor as always, and they cleaned and dressed. Then Aleta sat at the foot of Lucy’s bed. “Hey, little girl, want me to help you get up and dressed?”
Lucy opened her eyes, nodded, and sat up.
“I’ll go downstairs and see if Maydean’s come yet,” said Janie. She bounded out of the room and down the stairs.
Twelve! Janie thought as she opened the door to the warm kitchen. I am twelve years old today! Momma’s face from the dream flashed in her mind, and she felt a momentary twinge of sadness alongside her excitement.
Betsy set down the blue-speckled coffeepot and looked up. “Merry Christmas, Janie,” she said.
Blue stood at the door with his heavy clothes on, drinking from a mug of coffee heavily laced with cream and sugar. “Mornin’, Janie-bird. Merry Christmas, girl. And happy birthday, too!”
“Yes,” Betsy beamed. “Happy birthday to you!” She paused and added, “‘Janie-bird?’”
It had been awhile since anyone had called Janie that, and it was bittersweet. “That’s what Aunty Mil called me,” she explained.
Betsy smiled. “Because you made a ‘joyful noise,’ yes?” Janie grinned and nodded.
Blue set down his mug. “I’ll be back ‘fore long. Got to help Dr. Hull with the snow.” He headed for the back door. “Maydean’s not here yet?” asked Janie.
“Not yet.” Betsy opened the oven and pulled out hot biscuits, which she dumped onto a linen towel. Then she stirred applesauce on the stove and added cinnamon to it. “Hungry?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Janie sat at one of the table places set with dishes and silverware. “Betsy, I been thinkin’ on something.”
Betsy picked up the applesauce pan and poured its contents into a heavy dish. “What’s that?”
“I want to share my birthday with Lucy and Nathan.”
Betsy kept her eyes on the hot items. “How do you mean?”
Betsy stopped working and looked at Janie. “Why, I think that’s a grand idea.” She sat down across from Janie. “How do you want to do this?”
And plans were made.
That day, the Hulls, Betsy, and the Rubyhill Five did what Mrs. Hull had promised they’d do on Christmas morning. After breakfast, they gathered in the dining room, where a fire burned nicely. Mrs. Hull lit tall candles in the center of a fine mahogany table upon which sat a very large black Bible. Dr. Hull took a seat at the head of the table and invited the others to join him.
First Dr. Hull offered a short prayer of thanks. Then he opened to the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke and began to read, “‘And it came to pass….’” The big Bible was passed around, and each person took his or her turn reading a few verses from the Christmas story.
The story unfolded of Mary and Joseph’s difficult journey, the birth of baby Jesus, the shepherds, the angels—all of it very exciting to Janie. It wasn’t easy for the young readers to pronounce all the words they came upon, but they did their best. Janie felt very special taking part in the reading.
As the reading went on, Janie marveled at how the very Son of God had been born in such a humble way, right in a barn among the animals. Why, Aunty Mil’s cabin would have been more comfortable than that, thought Janie.
She wished Aunty Mil were right here so that Janie could read this exciting Christmas story to her. The dear old woman loved Jesus, but Janie wondered how much of this story—or any of the Bible—Aunty Mil really knew. Then the thought came to Janie: Aunty Mil lives with Jesus. She knows all of this now. It was a wonderful thing to consider.
When the reading was done, a comfortable silence settled over the group. The fire crackled, and candle flames waved gently in the house drafts as the meaning of the good words lingered.
Only one thing marred the reading of Luke this snowy Christmas morning.
Maydean had not come.
CHAPTER 16
Where’s Maydean?
No doubt about it, Christmas dinner was the most delicious feast any of the Rubyhill Five had ever experienced in all their young lives.
Dinner was held at midday in the dining room, where the Bible reading had been. The long mahogany table was spread with a thick, lacy tablecloth, flowered china, and silverware Janie had not seen before. A vase of yew branches and holly graced the center. The table looked very handsome.
Janie was glad Betsy had taught them how to use silverware. None of the Rubyhill youths had ever held a fork before arriving at the Hull farm. They’d actually never even sat together around a table for meals before arriving here. Slaves did not have access to fancy silverware or table linens—or even dinner tables, for that matter. So table manners were taught kindly at the Hull kitchen school, right alongside reading and arithmetic.
After everyone was seated at the festive table, Dr. Hull offered grace. Then Betsy and Mrs. Hull served the meal. There was roast turkey, cornbread stuffing loaded with sausage and sage, potatoes and gravy, butternut squash, green beans cooked with bacon, side dishes of sweet pickles and succotash, and more flaky, golden biscuits than they could possibly finish. It came as no surprise that everyone was too full for dessert, so Mrs. Hull suggested they eat that later on.
Janie leaned back in her chair and stopped herself from fingering the outline of the pewter cross under her bodice. She felt so full she thought she would burst.
She thought about her wonderful day so far—the vivid dream about her mother, the morning Bible reading, the satisfying feast. In spite of it all, though, Janie found herself with one nagging worry.
Maydean still had not shown up.
Nobody had come up with any possible explanation for her absence, and this special holiday at the Hull farm was simply carrying on without her. Janie could not imagine Maydean intentionally missing that Bible reading on Christmas morning. And she certainly never missed meals at the Hull place, either—something Janie understood all too well. So where was Maydean?
Betsy stood and clapped her hands. “Everyone, we have a surprise for you!” Janie knew this had to do with birthdays.
But suddenly there was a knock on the front door. Betsy looked at the Hulls briefly then hurried out to the foyer. When the door opened, a gust of wind came into the dining room. In the hallway, they heard Betsy cry out.
Dr. Hull rose quickly and put up his hand to indicate that they were to remain quiet. He hurried into the hallway. “Oh, child,” they heard him say. “Come in, come in.”
Maydean? Janie abandoned her new table manners, jumped up from the table, and ran to the hallway.
Maydean stood in the hallway, covered with snow. Janie could see that she had no coat or boots on under that snow—just pants, a man’s shirt, a sweater, and what looked like slippers. Her hair hung wild, no longer braided, and it, too, was covered with snow.
When Janie stepped closer, she saw that Maydean’s face was swollen. Then she saw that one side was covered in deep purple bruises. Maydean didn’t even look like Maydean.
“What happened, child?” said Dr. Hull in a kind but tight voice. Betsy cried silent tears as she peeled the snow-covered sweater off Maydean and dropped it onto the rug.
“He was out all night, drunk,” Maydean said simply.
“Thy grandfather?”
The girl nodded. “I got up and around this morning like usual. I was gonna come here soon as I could. He was there, drunker than I ever seen him. He gets mighty mean, so I tried to stay outta his way.” Maydean paused and touched her head. “I had my braids still pinned up on my head, like you and me did ‘em yesterday, Miss Betsy.”
Betsy began rubbing Maydean’s red hands and said nothing.
“Kept hittin’ on my face,” Maydean continued. “Then he pulled on my hair ‘til all the braidin’ was gone. I guess I’m lucky I still got any hair left.” Maydean sighed and touched her bruised face. She winced. “I got away and run here.”
“Janie, please get Mrs. Hull,” said Betsy.
Janie turned and almost collided with Mrs. Hull, who was carrying a crocheted blanket from the front room. Mrs. Hull draped the blanket around the shoulders of the shivering Maydean and squeezed her tightly. “There, there. Thee is safe now,” she heard Mrs. Hull say.
Aleta and Janie ran upstairs and gathered warm clothes for Maydean. As they hurried about, they heard Dr. Hull ask Maydean if she’d been hurt anywhere else. She had not, but she was terribly cold.
When the girls started back downstairs, they saw Dr. Hull pick the frozen girl up and carry her to the kitchen. Then he pulled Mrs.
Hull into another room to talk to her, leaving Maydean in Betsy’s care.
Janie and Aleta hurried into the kitchen where Maydean stood in front of the oven. Betsy began to peel the rest of her snow-packed clothing off. She wrapped Maydean in a big flannel blanket and rubbed the girl’s arms and legs vigorously through that.
Betsy began toweling Maydean’s hair, all the time chattering away. “We’ll get that swelling down, and we’ll get you into these warm clothes. I’ll brush your hair out all nice, sweetie, and I’ll braid it up for you again.”
Maydean simply stood in silence, staring straight ahead. She looked wobbly to Janie.
Mrs. Hull bustled into the kitchen, a gentle smile on her face. “Maydean, child, thee shall stay here tonight. It’s all arranged. Lucy goes back to her own room today, so thee can sleep in her bed upstairs.”
Maydean turned to Mrs. Hull, her eyes wide and anxious.
Mrs. Hull seemed to understand. “Dr. Hull has decided to deliver Christmas food to thy grandfather, child. He and Blue are arranging this as we speak.” She paused
, then continued. “Alcohol is an evil thing, and it can overpower the goodness in any man. But the Lord has been known to break many a stubborn heart, so we shall pray for thy grandfather, Maydean. For now, thee shall stay here with us. Dr. Hull will not allow thee to be harmed again. And he will approach thy grandfather in peace.”
Maydean’s shoulders slumped and her eyes welled up with tears. Janie touched her friend’s chapped hands. “You’ll stay upstairs with Aleta and me, Maydean. You’ll like it up there.”
With that, Maydean sat down at the kitchen table and finally cried.
CHAPTER 17
A Happy Birthday
Dusk fell over the snowy fields of the Hull farm. In the warm, white farmhouse, dinner dishes had been washed and put away. Lucy and Mrs. Hull were taking naps in their rooms while Aleta finished tidying up the kitchen.
In the front room, Betsy turned on oil lamps for Nathan, Janie, and Maydean. The young redhead sat curled on a sofa. She was now clad in a warm flannel nightgown and robe, and she kept a heavy coverlet over her lap. It had taken a long time to warm Maydean up after her cold journey. Now all nice and snug with some hot food in her stomach, Maydean looked ready to go to sleep.
Nevertheless, Maydean’s sleepy eyes followed the comings and goings of the others in the room. She seemed content to say nothing but to simply bask in the warm safety of the Hull home. She especially liked it when Nathan and Janie took turns reading aloud to her from the second chapter of Luke. They wanted her to hear the beautiful story in the Bible’s own words while the day was still Christmas.
Aleta dashed into the front room. “They’re back from your granddaddy’s,” she said to Maydean. “I ran out when I saw them come into the yard. Blue told me your granddaddy accepted the food from Dr. Hull and was even polite about it.”
Maydean looked very relieved to hear this.
“That’s not all,” said Aleta. “Blue says Dr. Hull told your granddaddy straight out that his grandbaby’s not safe, not while he’s living with the bottle. Dr. Hull told him you’ll stay here until your granddaddy’s in his right mind again. Blue says the old man took it all right. Even thanked Dr. Hull!”
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