Sleigh Bells

by Miller, Judith Mccoy

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. Did I hurt your foot, big brother?” she asked as they continued to move around the dance floor.

  “You intentionally stepped on my foot, Teddi,” Jonathan accused.

  “You’re right—I did,” she admitted with a sweet smile curving her lips. “And you’re intentionally trying to get me to admit I have feelings for Phillip. But I don’t. At least not the kind you’re talking about.”

  “Well, what kind do you have, then?” he doggedly insisted.

  “The bad kind. As I told you earlier, Phillip treated me shabbily when I was a little girl, and I haven’t forgotten that.”

  “What did you expect? That he would write long love letters pledging his undying devotion to my pudgy little sister? Come on, Teddi.”

  “He could have at least acknowledged the letters. Even a short note telling me I was a nice little girl, but I was too young for him would have sufficed. Something—anything. He could have returned my gift. I certainly suffered Father’s wrath for giving away my sleigh bell,” Teddi answered, her voice filled with remorse.

  “Sleigh bell?” Jonathan stopped dancing in the middle of the floor. The other couples were swirling about them as he stood there looking dumbstruck. “He did return your sleigh bell, Teddi. He gave your charm back to me years ago. You remember that little, carved wooden box of mine? I put your sleigh bell in there for safekeeping, and the charm has remained there ever since. I’m telling you the truth, I promise. I’ll send it to you as soon as I return to Washington,” Jonathan continued.

  They were standing in the middle of the dance floor. The music had ceased playing, and the floor had emptied. Now the other couples stood watching the brother and sister who were so engrossed in their own conversation that they seemed unaware of their surroundings.

  “Jonathan Yorke, how could you?” Teddi responded.

  “I told you—I forgot. Don’t make it sound like I intentionally set out to hurt you,” Jonathan replied.

  “Do you remember the punishment I suffered because I gave away that charm?”

  “You spent most of the summer indoors helping Mother, as I recall,” he said with a sheepish grin.

  “Not that punishment. Don’t you remember that Father had always given me a charm every year on my birthday? When I gave away the sleigh bell, he told me there would be no more charms. He said that if I didn’t value his gift enough to keep it, he wouldn’t purchase any more charms for my bracelet. And I’ve never received another since then,” Teddi said in an anguish-filled voice. “And to think you’ve had my sleigh bell hidden away. . . .”

  “It wasn’t hidden, Teddi. I put it away for safekeeping. You make it sound as though I was purposely trying to hurt you.”

  “Perhaps it wasn’t intentional, Jonathan, but that didn’t change the outcome, did it?”

  “No, and I’m not shirking my responsibility. But, if you’re going to direct your wrath at me, I hope you’ll let Phillip know that I’ve set the record straight,” Jonathan replied. “And I’ll explain to Father,” he quickly added.

  “Are you two going to spend the remainder of the evening entertaining us?” General Yorke called out from where he stood by one of the serving tables. “The rest of us are going to eat some of this sumptuous-looking food.”

  Teddi looked at her father, feeling as though she’d been pulled from a trance, and then glanced about the room. Everyone was staring at them, and she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. Jonathan, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the unsolicited attention, as he gazed about and gave the crowd a winsome smile.

  “Oh, Jonathan, quit making a further spectacle of yourself,” Teddi chided as she pulled her brother off the dance floor. The last thing she wanted was more embarrassment and another story for the local gossips.

  “Come along, my dear. You and Phillip are supposed to begin the serving line,” Isabelle instructed her daughter.

  “You and Jonathan certainly appeared to be engrossed in your conversation,” Phillip commented after they had filled their plates.

  “Part of that conversation was about you.”

  “Really?” he asked, his gaze immediately drawn to her eyes.

  “Do you remember the silver sleigh bell charm that I gave you years ago? When you were moving away to Fort MacKinac?”

  Phillip nodded his head. “I remember.”

  “Jonathan just now told me that you returned my charm years ago. Unfortunately, he failed to give it back to me. So I owe you an apology. All these years I thought you’d probably discarded it or, worse yet, given it to someone else,” she said, looking down at her plate as she murmured the last few words.

  “My dear Teddi, I would never have given your silver charm to another girl. Besides, I had already returned it to your brother before I started buying gifts for girls,” he said with a chuckle. “Does this mean that perhaps you’ve forgiven me, and we can be friends?”

  “Yes, Phillip, you’re forgiven, and I apologize for behaving so boorishly since your arrival,” Teddi replied.

  “Your apology is accepted. Why don’t we seal our new friendship by doing something special together? What about the skating party tomorrow—may I be your escort?”

  She thought for only a moment. “Yes, Phillip, I’d love to go to the skating party with you. Provided you don’t mind Jonathan and George tagging along. They’re not about to stay home when there’s a party to be enjoyed.”

  “The more the merrier. It will be a good time, I’m sure of it,” he said. “You can’t imagine how relieved I am that we’ve finally settled our differences,” he said, giving her a broad smile.

  eight

  The morning dawned crisp, the pale blue sky laden with heavy white clouds. Teddi’s father referred to them as “snow clouds,” more out of his desire for snow than any weather-predicting ability, she suspected. The bedroom window was frosted both inside and out, evidence of a significant drop in the temperature during the night. Teddi burrowed a little more deeply under the covers. The embers in the bedroom fireplace had grown cold hours ago, and the only thing that would now warm the chilled bedroom was heat rising from the kitchen below. She could hear Florence downstairs. It wouldn’t be long until a fire was blazing in the kitchen and breakfast was cooking. Teddi decided she would venture out from the warmth of her nest once the smell of frying bacon wafted up the stairway and drifted into her room.

  She rolled over and relished the idea of the day that lay ahead. After breakfast she would need to check several patients at the hospital and study her Sunday school lesson; after lunch, she’d go off to the skating party. Phillip hadn’t mentioned if he’d be at the hospital this morning, but surely he would be there to see to his patients’ progress. The thought of seeing Phillip almost made her want to get out of bed. Almost, but not quite, she decided.

  “Teddi! We’re going to start breakfast without you if you don’t come downstairs this minute,” General Yorke called.

  “Coming, Father,” she replied as she quickly set about buttoning her white percale shirtwaist.

  Teddi was fashioning a bow of dark red silk under the collar when she finally entered the dining room several minutes later.

  “Were you planning on having Florence fix you a separate breakfast today?” her father asked as Teddi settled into one of the straight-backed dining-room chairs and then waited for Jonathan to pass the tureen of scrambled eggs.

  “No, I would never expect special favors from Florence—unlike some other people seated at this table. If I’m late for a meal, I’m perfectly capable of heating up leftovers or finding something to fix for myself—also unlike some others seated at this table,” Teddi replied with a note of satisfaction in her voice. “Isn’t that right, Florence?” she asked as the maid carried a pot of fresh coffee into the room.

  “Yes, indeed. I don’t think I’ve ever been asked to perform any extra duties for you, Miss Yorke, except maybe to press a special shirtwaist, or soak and wash bandages for the hospital pa
tients, or air out your bedding and pillows every day, or. . .”

  “Guess she got you on that one, Teddi,” the general chortled.

  “You do enjoy getting the best of a situation, Father. But I’m not going to let it ruin my good spirits.”

  “Are you in good spirits because you’re off to work at the hospital while George and I relax here at home?” Jonathan gibed.

  “No, I’m in good spirits because there’s an ice-skating party this afternoon, and Phillip offered to escort me.”

  “Is that a fact? Nobody mentioned the skating party to me,” George sulked. “Surely you planned on inviting Jonathan and me along.”

  “As if I could stop the two of you from going to a party, invited or not,” Teddi replied, giving her brother a smile. “I told Phillip that I was sure the two of you would be tagging along.”

  “Ah, we’d best get some extra rest this morning so we’ll be well rested for a busy afternoon of skating with the gorgeous young ladies from Junction City. They will be attending, won’t they?” Jonathan inquired.

  “I’m sure the young ladies and the young men from Junction City will be in attendance,” Teddi teased as she rose from the table. “Well, I’m off to the hospital. I should be back by eleven o’clock.”

  “Wait, Teddi. I’ll take you in the sleigh,” Jonathan offered.

  “That’s not necessary. I go to the hospital by myself every day. Besides, you’ll just have to come back later, and you may be busy helping Mother with her chores by then!”

  “But I want to take you,” he insisted.

  They had hardly gotten into the sleigh when Teddi realized just why Jonathan was so determined to accompany her. He questioned her incessantly, desiring every detail of what had occurred between Phillip and her. He wanted to know why she had suddenly accepted an invitation to attend a social function with Phillip, if he had explained the mishap regarding the missing charm, and if she had been gracious in her acceptance of his explanation. Jonathan absolutely insisted upon knowing if she had apologized for her rude behavior. By the time they arrived at the hospital, Teddi had fielded more questions than would a soldier being interrogated at his own court-martial.

  “For the first time, Jonathan, I must say that I’m glad to get away from you,” Teddi said with a sigh of relief as he offered his hand to assist her out of the sleigh.

  “Too many questions for you?” he asked with a laugh.

  “Far too many, and no means of escape. I’m going to remember this device the next time I want to wheedle information from you or George,” she promised.

  “It won’t be necessary. We have no secrets,” he answered, taking the reins into his gloved hands. “I’ll be back at eleven, and I’ll spend the next several hours making up a list of additional questions I forgot to ask.”

  She started to respond, but he laughed, slapped the reins, and waved over his shoulder as the horses jerked the sleigh into motion. Teddi stood listening as the jingling of the sleigh bells grew faint in the distance.

  “Good morning,” Phillip greeted Teddi as she walked into the hospital. “It’s a good day for ice-skating, don’t you think?”

  “Good morning to you. And, yes, it’s a perfect day for ice-skating. By the way, at breakfast this morning I mentioned that there was an ice-skating party this afternoon. Jonathan and George didn’t surprise me. They immediately sought an invitation,” she told Phillip while hanging her cloak on a wooden hook in the vestibule.

  “Did you tell them I didn’t need any more competition for the pretty, young women?” he asked, giving her a laugh. “They are more than welcome, and I’m sure you told them so,” he added.

  “Yes, but knowing my brothers, I imagine they would come along anyway, welcome or not. I’d better get busy. Jonathan said he would come back for me at eleven. I want to finish my Bible study before going skating this afternoon,” she told him.

  “Well, that’s certainly a praiseworthy endeavor. Fortunately, my sermon has been prepared for several days, or I would need to give up the party this afternoon. I’ll be in my office if you need me. There are some medical records I want to review. Just in case I don’t see you again before you leave the hospital, I’ll plan to come by your quarters at two o’clock.”

  “That will be fine,” she replied as she exited the room and walked down the hallway.

  Teddi quickly made her way through the ward, checking each patient, making notations on the charts that hung on their beds, and moving on to the next patient. She attempted to make small talk with the men, but her mind kept wandering back to Phillip’s remark about her brothers providing him with competition for the pretty, young ladies. Since he was escorting her to the skating party, why was he concerned about the other girls who would be attending? After all, if he wanted to keep company with one of the other girls, why hadn’t he invited one of them? Or had he merely been jesting—making a casual remark that meant nothing at all. Most likely she was spending the morning worrying about something that was of absolutely no consequence. What was that verse in the Bible? “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Yes, that was it—she was borrowing trouble. Trouble that would only spoil the good time that she intended to have later today!

  ❧

  Phillip leaned back in the leather-upholstered chair that sat behind his desk and, with a deliberate snap, closed the medical book he had been reading for the past hour. If he hurried, he would have time to get back to his quarters, change out of his uniform, and arrive at the Yorkes’ on time. Good sense dictated that he should have gone directly to his quarters after having lunch in the dining hall, but during the noon meal he had decided there was sufficient time to catch up on some long overdue reading. Now, he wished he’d taken the book instead. Muttering to himself, he locked the office door and strode out of the hospital, anxious to be on his way.

  An afternoon of skating would provide additional opportunity for him to socialize with some of the young adults from Junction City. And perhaps he would be fortunate enough to spark some interest in the Bible study and social activities he hoped the parishioners of the chapel would sponsor throughout the winter. Fortunately, he was now back in Teddi’s good graces. She could provide valuable information about the folks living in and around the military reservation and might even agree to make arrangements for some of the activities.

  His mind was filled with ideas as he bounded up the steps to the Yorkes’ quarters a short time later, knocked on the front door, and was met by George, who was already wearing his coat and heavy gloves.

  “Teddi and Jonathan were sure you had stood us up, but I assured them you wouldn’t do such a thing,” George said as he held open the door.

  “Don’t believe a thing he tells you. I thought you might have an ill patient at the hospital,” Teddi quickly defended. “It was Jonathan who commented that you’d probably found better company!”

  “How could I possibly find better company?” he asked with a broad smile. “Let me help you with your coat,” he offered, his hand brushing against hers as he took the coat.

  “We’re leaving, Mother,” Jonathan called out as he bounded out of the kitchen with several of Florence’s freshly baked sugar cookies in his hand, his coat flapping about as he made his way out the door and down the front steps.

  “I think you may want to fasten your coat and make sure you have some gloves,” Teddi instructed as Jonathan piled into the sleigh.

  They all laughed as he stuffed the remaining cookie in his mouth and retrieved a pair of gloves from deep inside his coat pockets, waving them in the air.

  “I have gloves,” he announced when he’d finally swallowed the mouthful of cookies.

  “Good! Then we’re on our way,” Phillip announced, flicking the reins. The horses snorted and shook their heads, as if to ward off the icy chill, before beginning their journey.

  The runners of the sleigh cut through
the ice-crusted layer of snow, which broke the serenity that blanketed the vast expanse of rolling hills and prairie. The group’s laughter echoed through the quiet countryside as a light snow began to fall. However, the flurries only added to the excitement of the day and somehow seemed appropriate for the first skating party of the season.

  “You know what’s wrong with this sleigh?” Teddi asked as they were nearing the creek.

  “Nothing!” the three men called out and then laughed cheerfully at their unified response.

  “Yes, there is something wrong with it,” Teddi insisted.

  “Please tell me, and I’ll see that it’s remedied,” Phillip replied with a glint in his eye.

  “This sleigh doesn’t have any bells. It needs sleigh bells!”

  “Well, of course. We all know that sleigh bells are a necessity. Otherwise, a sleigh just won’t operate properly, Phillip. How could you possibly own a sleigh without bells?” Jonathan bantered.

  “Teddi has a valid point. I rather like the sound of sleigh bells myself,” Phillip agreed. “I’ll have to see if I can rectify the problem. Thank you for bringing it to my attention,” he added.

  “I’m sure that Teddi would be happy to help you find just the right sleigh bells,” George offered.

  “Oh, stop it, George, or I’ll tell all the girls that you’re not worth their time,” Teddi retorted.

  “Looks like quite a crowd has already gathered,” Jonathan said as they approached the creek. “Give me your hand, Teddi. I’ll help you out of the sleigh.”

  A small group of men and women were already on the ice as the foursome walked down to the edge of the creek. Several skaters were warming themselves at a crackling fire that was being fueled with branches from a nearby dead tree. The women, with brightly colored knitted scarves tied tightly around their heads, were discussing whether to move away from the fire while the men were devising a plan to pull a sled onto the ice with a heavy piece of rope.

  “Let’s go over to the fire, and you can make some introductions,” Phillip suggested while her brothers quickly nodded their heads in agreement.