Truly Yours Historical Collection December 2014

by Susan Page Davis, Paige Winship Dooly, Connie Stevens

  Harry nodded. “Did she mention how frightened she was of losing her home?”

  “Yes. I think that can be straightened out. She told me her father left the estate to Tenley, but of course he predeceased Oliver. That might complicate things, but I offered to look into it for her.”

  “That’s good of you, sir.”

  Richards shrugged. “I do many things to help my flock. I often meet Judge Ryerton in my travels. Our circuits intersect every couple of months, you see. The next time I see him, which I calculate will be soon, I’ll make a discreet inquiry on Miss McEwan’s behalf.”

  “Thank you,” Harry said. “If she needs to go into town and sign papers or anything like that, I’ll take her.”

  “It might help if she could find her father’s will,” the pastor said. “Lawyers like to see a document. They’d rather not take your word for something like that.”

  Harry frowned. “There must be a will. She was certain the property was left in her brother’s name.”

  “She says there is, but she’s not sure exactly where it is. It may be in her father’s room or in his desk, but things are in quite a jumble now. It may have been misplaced. I advised her to ask Tallie if she knows about it, since Tallie usually does the cleaning.”

  It was nearly noon, and Harry turned toward the house. They walked to the back door, and Harry showed Pastor Richards where he could wash in the lean-to. As they were finishing, Tallie looked out the kitchen door.

  “Mr. Harry, you ought to know better than to have comp’ny wash out here,” she said, her eyebrows almost meeting in a frown.

  “I’m sorry,” Harry told her. “I’ve gotten used to it, and I don’t stand on ceremony here.”

  “Well,” Tallie said, nodding, “that’s right. You’s family now. But the preacher is another story.”

  Mr. Richards laughed. “I’m all right, Tallie. You don’t have to give me a fancy china basin to wash in.”

  “Well, at least I can get you a fresh towel.” Tallie disappeared for a moment, and the pastor waited with his hands dripping over the tin washbasin. When she reappeared with a clean towel, he took it with a smile.

  “Thank you. You make a man feel right at home.”

  “Well, now, you just get around to the front door, both of you,” she replied. “I sent Miss Sadie into the dinin’ room, and she’ll sit down with you now.”

  Harry glanced at the pastor. Richards was holding his smile in check. They walked around to the front of the house, and Harry led the minister through the hall and into the dining room.

  Sadie whirled from the window as they entered. Her cheeks flushed as she met Harry’s gaze.

  “I’m so glad you could both join me for luncheon,” she murmured. “Mr. Cooper, will you sit here, please?” She touched the back of the chair at the head of the table.

  Harry looked at her in surprise. That was her father’s place, he knew, and in all the time since he had returned to the Spinning Wheel Farm in September, no one had sat in that chair.

  She was waiting for his response, he realized. He nodded and stepped forward.

  “Thank you,” she whispered. “And you here, Pastor, across from me, if you don’t mind.”

  Harry pulled out the chair in which Sadie customarily sat. Her flush was pronounced as she took her seat. Harry sat down in Oliver’s chair. Sadie wasn’t looking at him. Instead, she held the circuit rider’s gaze.

  “And, Pastor, if you would be so kind as to offer grace?”

  They bowed their heads, and as the pastor spoke, Harry breathed carefully. Things would work out. They had to.

  Please, Lord, he prayed silently, show me what to do next. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel Sadie’s energy. The pastor’s voice went on at length, seeking God’s blessing on Sadie and her dependents. Harry exhaled and sent up another prayer. Let her love me, Lord, even a tenth as much as I love her. And let her allow me to take care of her.

  At Richards’s amen, Harry opened his eyes. Sadie glanced at him, and he smiled. She smiled back with a hopeful gladness that spoke to Harry’s heart.

  Twenty

  “Careful now.” Sadie took her mother’s china figurines from Tallie’s hands and turned to place them with care on the mantelpiece.

  “At least we got back all your things.” Tallie ran her dust rag over the windowsill and the frames of the paintings.

  “Yes,” said Sadie. “The barn is the biggest loss. I’m afraid the buggy and harness will be costly. We may have to wait awhile to replace them.”

  “Well, Mr. Harry says we can get the lumber in and have a new barn raised before long.” Tallie began to hum as she plumped the cushions on the settee.

  Sadie bit her lip. She wasn’t sure how to take Harry’s actions. Apparently he and Zeke were already deep into their plans for a community barn raising. Did that mean he would stay here for several more weeks? They definitely needed to discuss some things.

  Zeke had insisted on carrying Harry’s luggage to Tenley’s bedroom. Sadie had consented to this arrangement on condition that Tallie sleep in the little room off the kitchen. To her surprise, neither Tallie nor Zeke had objected this time.

  After the pastor left, Harry and Zeke had gone out to poke around the ruins of the barn, and Sadie didn’t expect to see Harry again until suppertime. She and Tallie had begun to clean up the parlor in earnest. Nothing seemed to be missing or broken. Harry had already cleaned up the broken glass from the window and replaced the pane. How many things had he done for her today? From the moment he’d galloped into the yard and leaped on Dan Mitchell, he had gone about making things right at the McEwan farm. Sadie would never be able to express her gratitude to its full extent.

  As if her thoughts had drawn him, Harry appeared in the parlor doorway. His endearing smile warmed her, and she marveled that she felt so contented when only a few hours ago she’d been in turmoil.

  “I wanted to tell you, Zeke and I think we can salvage a lot of hardware from the barn.”

  “Praise the Lawd,” Tallie said.

  Sadie smiled. “Yes, that will be a savings for us.”

  Harry nodded. “The only saddle that survived is the one Pax had on Clipper, but at least we have that one saddle and bridle. Oh, and we have some boards Zeke had stored behind the chicken coop. We thought we’d knock together a few benches for seating at the memorial service on Wednesday.”

  “Do you think many people will come?” Sadie asked.

  “Judging by the turnout last night, I wouldn’t be surprised if quite a few came, and the pastor said he’ll spread the word in town. If the weather is fine, you can hold it outside near the graveyard.”

  Sadie nodded, looking around at the parlor. “If it rains, I suppose we’ll have it in here.”

  “Oh, we’d best do some baking tomorrow!” Tallie closed her eyes and smiled.

  “Folks will bring food, won’t they?” Sadie asked.

  “Yes, they surely will, but the dainties they’ll talk about most will come right out of our kitchen.”

  Sadie laughed. “Careful, Tallie. You’re getting mighty proud of your cooking.”

  “With good reason,” Harry said with a grin. “Now don’t you ladies wear yourselves out with cooking and cleaning.”

  “Two of the neighbor ladies are comin’ tomorrow to help us, and my Ephraim’s wife, Dulcy,” Tallie assured him. “I sent Pax over to tell Ephraim what happened, and Dulcy said she’ll come right after breakfast and bring her big girl, too.”

  “Good,” said Harry. “I’m glad you’ll have some help.”

  “They’s soot and ashes everywhere,” Tallie said. “It’ll take us a week to get everything clean, but we’ll make sure this parlor and the dining room sparkle on Wednesday for Mr. Oliver’s service.” She stooped and picked up an envelope that had slid along the floor and was almost hidden under the settee.

  Harry looked toward Tallie then took a step nearer Sadie. “May I count on having some time alone with you this evening?” />
  Sadie drew in a slow breath, savoring the moment. “Yes, Harry.”

  He smiled and reached to give her hand a squeeze, and she thought her heart would burst.

  “Oh, glory, glory!” Tallie shrieked. “Praise the Lawd! Praise the Lawd!”

  “What is it?” Sadie asked.

  Tallie held out the envelope she had retrieved. “This be what you said to look for, Mr. Harry. It’s that paper Mr. Oliver signed when Mr. Tenley went away with the army. He had me and Zeke put our marks to it.”

  Sadie’s hand trembled as she reached for it and took the document from the envelope. She had never seen it, but she knew at once what it was. “She’s right, Harry. It’s Papa’s will.” She sat down in one of the cherry side chairs, feeling a bit unsteady. “Would you mind reading it?”

  She held it out to him, and Harry took it, his face full of compassion.

  “If you’re sure you want me to.”

  “Yes! Waiting any longer won’t do us any good.”

  Tallie clasped her hands at her breast and watched as he glanced over the sheet then separated it from a second one and stood staring at it, frowning.

  “What is it?” Sadie asked.

  Harry looked up. “It’s. . .Sadie, did you know your brother made a will?”

  “I. . .no.” She caught her breath and turned to Tallie. “Did you know of such a thing, Tallie?”

  Tallie shook her head. “I never.”

  Harry nodded slowly, looking at the papers again. “Well, this first sheet is Mr. McEwan’s will all right, and it’s as you said, Sadie. He’s left his entire estate to his son, with the provision that Tenley would give you tenancy here at the farm as long as you want it.” He slid that paper behind the other. “This second sheet appears to be a will that Tenley made when he joined the army. It’s witnessed by a private and a corporal. Apparently he entrusted it to your father, and Mr. McEwan placed it in the envelope with his own document.”

  Sadie felt tears flooding her eyes once more. “Papa never told me.”

  Tallie was also weeping openly, and she mopped her eyes with her apron.

  Harry stepped closer to Sadie and placed his warm hand on her shoulder. “Sadie, dearest, your brother left his worldly goods to you.”

  “Bless that boy,” Tallie cried. “Oh, Mr. Harry, does that mean Miss Sadie gets to keep her home?”

  “I think it does.”

  “Glory, glory! Thank You, Lawd!”

  Sadie couldn’t help but smile. “Tallie, if you’d like to go and tell Zeke. . .”

  “Yes’m, I’ll do just that!” Tallie rushed out the doorway.

  Sadie sniffed and blinked a couple of times then wiped her cheeks with her handkerchief. “What do I do now, Harry?”

  “Pastor Richards mentioned a judge who comes around on a circuit.”

  She nodded. “Judge Ryerton. He’s dined here before.”

  “Well, Pastor Richards will be here Wednesday for the memorial service. Perhaps he’ll advise you on the best way to contact the justice and take care of this. I confess, I’m not up on legal matters, but probably these will go through probate court.”

  Sadie sighed. “Papa never said a word, even after we heard Tenley was dead. But perhaps he was waiting for Judge Ryerton to come around again.”

  “I’m not an expert,” Harry said, “but God has allowed us to find these papers, and I think what it says here should comfort you.”

  “It does.” She stood and looked at him, managing a trembling smile. “So does your presence, Harry.”

  He leaned toward her and brushed her lips with a soft kiss then stepped back as they heard Tallie’s footsteps in the hallway.

  ❧

  On Wednesday Sadie sat beside Harry on a wooden bench just outside the graveyard fence. Forty neighbors and friends filled the benches behind them, and more than a dozen men stood at the back. Zeke, Tallie, Pax, Ephraim, Dulcy, and their children stood to one side. Pastor Richards led them in hymns of praise to God then spoke with affection and respect for Oliver McEwan’s life.

  The late October breeze was cool but not bone chilling. Zeke and his sons had gathered late blooms from the flower beds and heaped them over Oliver McEwan’s grave. No one asked how long he had been buried.

  At Sadie’s request the pastor included Tenley in the memorial. Her brother’s body was buried outside Mexico City and would remain there, but Sadie had decided to have a small stone prepared in Tenley’s memory when she had her father’s done and have it placed it between the graves of their parents.

  Her sorrow made a fresh assault on her as she listened, and she soaked both the handkerchiefs she’d stowed in her pockets. Harry’s eyes were moist, too, as he reached over to squeeze her hand. She clung to him, and he held her hand through the closing prayer.

  The neighbors lingered to commiserate with Sadie over strong tea and luncheon. The women of the neighborhood had contributed enough food to provision a small army. Tallie’s roasted haunch of beef and berry pies took pride of place on the dining room table. Guests filed through and filled the plates loaned for the occasion by the women of the neighborhood then found places to sit in the parlor, on the porch, or on benches the men had brought up from the cemetery to the dooryard. Harry never left Sadie’s side.

  The sun was falling over the mountains to the west before the guests left. Elizabeth Thurber and her mother lingered to help with the cleanup while Mr. Thurber engaged Harry and Pastor Richards in conversation.

  “You didn’t tell me about your beau,” Elizabeth whispered to Sadie as they cleared the table.

  “My. . .you mean Harry?”

  “He’s splendid!” Elizabeth picked up two pie tins. “Poor Wilfred was despondent. Did you notice?”

  “No,” Sadie admitted.

  “Of course not. You weren’t thinking about things like that today.” Elizabeth gave her a squeeze. “I love you, Sadie. I’m sorry about your father.”

  “Thank you.” Sadie hugged her back. “You and your family are good friends.”

  “Well, if you need anything or you just want to have a good talk, ride over and see me.”

  “I will.”

  At last Elizabeth’s family drove away in their wagon, with Mr. Thurber assuring Harry he would be back with his farm wagon on Saturday to help cut some logs to make beams for the new barn. Pastor Richards declined supper and left on horseback, promising Sadie a speedy resolution to her legal situation. Ephraim and his family were the only ones remaining, and they were staying for a supper of leftovers in the kitchen with Zeke, Tallie, and Pax.

  Sadie tried to enter the kitchen to help with the meal preparation, but Dulcy shooed her away, so she hastened upstairs. She’d been in her room only minutes when Tallie knocked on her door.

  “I brung you some warm water,” Tallie said, carrying in a steaming pitcher.

  “Thank you. I just want to wash up and fix my hair before dinner. I’m rather windblown, I’m afraid.”

  “Let me help you, child.”

  Tallie reached to unbutton Sadie’s black dress, but Sadie shook her head. “I’m going to wear this tonight.”

  Tallie frowned. “Seems to me you ought to spruce up a bit for Mr. Harry after all he’s done for us.”

  Sadie felt the blood rush to her cheeks. “Harry doesn’t expect me to try to dazzle him.”

  “All the better,” Tallie said. “Surprise him. If you put on that green velvet dress, he’ll know you did it just for him.”

  Sadie bit her lip. “Today was my father’s funeral,” she whispered.

  Tallie nodded. “I know it, and Mr. Harry knows it. Your papa wouldn’t want you to mope around in black, and you know it. Why, if he was here he’d say, Pretty up for your guest tonight, Sadie, and be a good hostess like your mama used to be. Then git up at dawn and go ride one of them hosses with Mr. Harry.”

  Sadie smiled. “He wouldn’t really say that.”

  “Oh, wouldn’t he just? He liked Mr. Harry. You know he did.” Tallie
opened the wardrobe and lifted the heavy green gown out. “This is what we been prayin’ for. The man you love is downstairs waiting.”

  Sadie closed her eyes for an instant, seeking guidance. She went to Tallie and took the hanger from her hands, returning the gown to the wardrobe. “I’ll save it for another evening, Tallie. Tonight I just need to be. . .plain Sadie.”

  Harry talked quietly during dinner, explaining to her his plan to help Zeke and the neighbors build a new barn.

  “It will be smaller than the old one, but it will get you through the winter,” he said. “If we can put it up and get the roof on within two weeks, I think I can get to Kentucky while the mountains are still passable.”

  She nodded, fighting the lump that was forming in her throat. Harry was leaving again. She had expected it, but it hurt.

  “Do you think you’ll be all right for a while if I do that?” he asked.

  “I. . .yes. We’ll be fine, Harry. You’ll want to get the mares home as quickly as possible.”

  His eyes widened. “Well, no, I. . .thought I’d leave them here. If it’s all right with you.”

  Tallie removed their plates, frowning but silent.

  Sadie looked up at Harry. “I don’t understand.”

  He took a breath then glanced toward Tallie’s retreating figure. “Sadie, could we. . .perhaps we could go into the parlor now.”

  “You don’t want dessert?”

  “No, I’m fine, and I need to speak to you alone.”

  She swallowed hard. Tallie returned from the kitchen carrying two dessert plates.

  “Please bring Mr. Harry’s coffee into the parlor,” Sadie said, rising.

  Tallie blinked at her in astonishment then turned to Harry. “I’ve got pecan pie, Mr. Harry.”

  “Oh, Tallie, that sounds wonderful, but I ate so much after the funeral that I think I’d better pass on the pie tonight. Will you save me a piece for tomorrow?”

  “ ’Course I will. Go on now.”

  Harry held his hand out to Sadie, and she took it. She went with him into the parlor and sat down on the settee, unable to meet Harry’s burning gaze.