Will O Wisp (7 page)

“
No, I don't think so. Just
had the wind knocked out of me. Figures,” he said as he struggled
to his feet and brushed his back side off.

Gracie asked, “What figures? You never
did as long as I've known you ever finish what you were thinking so
the rest of us could understand you.”

Millard rubbed the dirt off his
trousers. “I can't remember a thing I ever helped you do, Gracie
Evans, that I didn't get the wind knocked out of me one way or the
other.” He looked up at her with a warm smile and tender eyes.
Millard's double meaning produced a rare blush on Gracie's
face.

“
Now I'm right sorry I
asked,” Gracie said softly. “We best get moving.”

“
Where you headed?” Millard
asked.

“
If it's any of your
business, for a ride to show the girl around the country,” Gracie
said.

“
Gracie! That isn't all.
Mr. Sokal, we're spending a month at Gracie's farm while the
renters are gone. Please stop by to visit. We'd love to see you
again, and come for a meal. We certainly should repay you some how
for being so much help this morning,” Melinda invited.

Gracie glared at her. Shana was glad
to see Gracie's evil eye didn't cause much effect on Melinda. She
just smiled her lady like smile in answer to the glare.

“
I'd love to do that, Miss
Melinda. I'm glad you told me about the farm visit. I figure with
all the trouble Gracie had out here the last time I might ought to
check on all three of you real often. Staying on Gracie's farm can
turn into a real headache sometimes,” Millard said, still watching
Gracie for a reaction.

“
Sawyer is waiting for us,
and now we're late. We got to get going.” Gracie snapped the
horse's lines. “Get up.”

Millard stepped back fast. “Try not to
speed, will you, Gracie?”

As the horse trotted down the road,
Melinda shouted back over her shoulder, “Thanks so much for all
your help, Mr. Sokal.”

He gave them a wave before he was lost
from sight.

“
Shame on you, Gracie.
Telling that nice man we're just out for a ride. You shouldn't fib
like that. You will get caught in a fib every time,” Melinda
scolded. She noticed Shana watching them intently. “Remember,
child. No fibbing.”

“
I had a good reason. I did
it, because I knew that man would say what he did. Now he will make
a regular pest out of himself, knowing we're at the farm.
Especially, since you offered him a meal. He lives alone and has to
cook his own meals. It won't be just one time he'll come over you
know. That man will be over every chance he gets for a home cooked
meal.”

“
Nothing wrong with that,
is there?” Melinda said in wide eyed innocent.

“
There is when it's Millard
Sokal eating with us, and you know it,” grumbled Gracie.

Melinda winked at Shana and got a
grin.

Chapter Five

Thad Sawyer and his white spotted dog
met their buggy. Gracie pulled back on the lines to whoa the horse
by the house. The dog circled the buggy, barking about their
arrival. He stopped at a back wheel long enough to lift his leg
before he continued to yip.

“
Dog, you hush now. This is
company.” At the rough sound of Thad's voice, the dog put his tail
between his legs and slinked over by the end of the porch. He
flopped down in the shade. “Morning, ladies, you're earlier than I
thought you might be.” Thad stared at the hole in the side of the
buggy. “Couldn't the livery stable find you a nicer buggy than this
one?”

Gracie shrugged.

Melinda said, “Gracie, we shouldn't
leave bad thoughts about the livery stable business with someone.
Thad, it didn't look this bad when we started out.”

“
Sure and a deer did the
damage when she stuck her head through the side of the buggy, Mr.
Sawyer. You should have seen it runnin' along side the buggy,
trying to keep up with the scared horse,” Shana said
excitedly.

Thad scratched a blond sideburn. “Is
that right? You're all right, aren't you?”

“
We are thanks to Mr.
Sokal. He stopped the horse for us when it got scared and ran
away,” Melinda shared.

“
That's good,” Thad said as
he looked from Gracie to Melinda to Shana. “Are all of you staying
here while we're gone?”

“
Yip,” Gracie
said.

“
That is all right, isn't
it, Mr. Sawyer?” Melinda questioned.

“
Sure is. It will be good
that Miss Gracie isn't out here alone. That did kind of worry me
when I asked her to come after all that happened last time,” he
said as he eyed Gracie.

“
Like you said yourself
there's n
ot likely to be a repeat of the
same kind of thing this time so stop worrying. Matter of fact, I'm
getting tired of hearing about how bad that last visit was. I say
we don't need to mention it anymore. It's old history,” Gracie
groused. “Say, are the Indians back yet?”

Thad nodded. “They are. I caught a
glimpse of some of them along the river when I checked the cows a
while back, but come to think of it, I ain't seen anything of them
since. Oh well, you know how that goes. The Indians only let you
see them when they want to be seen.”

“
Well, there you go. Just
the same I feel better knowing they're out there. I always have my
own built in guards when they are here. Now let us get down, and
you show us around so you can get going. I know Ivy is anxious to
visit with her mother,” Gracie said gruffly.

“
Give me your hand, Miss
Gracie.” While he helped her out of the buggy, Shana jumped out of
the other side and ran to meet Thad's daughter, Abigail, tromping
down the porch steps. “Hi, Shana.”

The dog jumped up and joined them. His
tail thumped into Shana's legs. She rubbed the top of his head
which made him lean into her. “What's your dog's name,
Abigail?”

“
Spot.”

Shana grinned. “I reckon I can see how
the dog got his name with all those black spots.”

“
Want to meet my cat,
Bluebell. She has kittens. They just came yesterday,” Abigail said,
heading toward the barn with Shana behind her. She turned to the
dog tailing them. “You go back by the house, Spot. Bluebell doesn't
like you.” As soon as the dog turned around, Abigail started for
the barn. She said, “I sure am going to miss playing with my new
kittens. They will be so big they won't know me when I get back.
Will you play with them Shana while you're here so they're tame
when I get home?”

“
Sure and I can do that,”
Shana said eagerly.

“
Look at those two go on
the run to the barn,” Melinda said, pointing after the
girls.

“
Abigail sure is proud of
the new kittens. She's worrying about them getting feisty while
she's gone. It will be good the youngun is here to keep them tame.
Abigail has been dragging her feet because of those kittens. That
will make my girl feel better about leaving,” Thad said. “Now, Miss
Gracie, you know all I know about how to do chores. Come to the
barn. I can show you how much I feed the milk cow.”

Gracie asked, “You got a milk cow now
instead of that goat?”

“
Pardon me,” Melinda
interrupted. “I can go in and say hello to Ivy. She can show me
where everything is in the house since I may be doing most of the
cooking.”

“
Go on then,” Gracie
consented and started for the barn. “Now, Thad, what kind of cow
did you get?”

“
A jersey,” he
said.

“
Best kind. Good rich milk
and plenty of cream for butter,” Gracie assented.

When they entered the barn, Gracie
made out the top of Shana's flaming red head and the golden hair of
Abigail hunkered down in the hay manger. “You two all right over
there?”

“
Come see. Tis the sweetest
baby kittens Bluebell has,” Shana said.

Gracie peeked in the manger. The
purring gray cat was stretched out in a hollowed out spot in the
loose hay. A pile of gray and black kittens squirmed over her
stomach, trying to nurse. “How many kittens did she have anyway?
That's a mess of them.”

“
Six, Miss Gracie, but that
isn't unusual for Bluebell. She always has six,” Abigail
explained.

“
You girls have fun with
the kittens. I'm going to show Miss Gracie around. When I holler,
Abigail, you come running. We have to leave soon,” Thad reminded
her.

“
Yes, Papa,” the girl
said.

“
Now, the feed is behind
that door.” Thad pointed. “Just a couple scoops of each kind of
feed will do the cow until you're done milking her. Her stanchion
and trough is on the end of the manger. She walks right into it.
Gentle as can be. No kicking or anything. Think you can milk her,
Miss Gracie?”

Gracie walked to the back door and
looked behind the barn. “Never seen a cow yet I couldn't milk.
Right fine looking milker. What's her name?”

“
Clara. She can go out to
pasture with the other cows, but she's usually pretty good about
coming in at milk time.”

Gracie craned her neck to see in all
corners of the barn yard's back pen. “Still got the
goat?”

“
Nah, I gave her to Neff
Graves down the road. I doubt she gives enough milk to do all the
kids he has, but I thought the goat might help Mrs. Graves out some
with the cooking,” Thad explained.

“
That was right kind of
you, Thad,” Gracie said. “I feel sorry for that family myself.
Every time I look at Neff's dirty old hide I feel like scratching.
He's no good, and he ain't about to change.”

“
Reckon not. He was over
here a couple weeks back. He wanted to know if I had any extra
chickens. He said his all died, and he needed some laying hens so
he had eggs to eat.”

Gracie slanted her head over her
shoulder. “Did you give him any?”

“
Sure, I gave him a dozen.
I might not of if it been just Neff, but I can't stand to see them
younguns going hungry,” Thad said.

“
Lookee here, might be you
got too kind hearted. We can't feed every poor family in this
county. That's for sure,” Gracie scolded.

“
Yes, ma'am, I know,” Thad
said, sheepishly. “Now any questions?”

“
None that I can think of.
I figure I can handle most anything around here,” Gracie
bragged.

“
I thought you could,” Thad
said, smiling at her. “Now want to go to the house, and say hello
to Ivy before we leave?”

“
Sure thing,” Gracie
said.

At the door, Thad turned. “Abby, say
good bye to them kittens and head for the house. We got to get
going now.”

“
All right,” the girl said
slowly.

Ivy was showing Melinda
the pantry when Thad and Gracie walked into the kitchen. “You,
ladies, help yourself to any food in here, and whatever you want
from the cellar. Not much ready in the garden yet, but radishes and
lettuce might be ready before we get back. Even the peas, so you
just pick what you find fresh from the garden. Rhubarb is about
ready to pull and horseradish.” She came to the pantry door.
“Morning, Miss Gracie. Sure is kind of you to help us out again
like this. I can't hardly wait to see my mother again.”

“
I know what you mean. I
always enjoy spending some time here. This will always be my home,
and I get tired of city life,” Gracie admitted. “You all right with
Melinda and the girl being here this time? That means more food
will be ate up.”

Ivy nodded her head.
“
I think that's a right smart idea to have
someone here with you. It won't be so lonesome.”

“
That's just what I told
her,” Thad said.

“
Good,” Ivy said. “Thad,
are we ready to leave now?”

“
Yip, and I told Abby to
hurry it up in the barn, but I might have to holler at her again
when we get to the wagon,” he said.

Once Abigail was seated in the back of
the buckboard, Gracie, Melinda and Shana waved goodbye until they
couldn't see the Sawyer wagon for the trees.

“
Now what, Gracie?” Melinda
asked.

“
Did Ivy show you the
bedrooms and such?”

“
No,” Melinda
said.

“
Oh, before I forget it,
over yonder is the outhouse,” Gracie said, pointing to the small,
wooden structure. “The knob slides down on the outside by itself
sometimes and locks the door with a body in it. I doubt Thad ever
replaced my wire. Until I find a piece to stick over the nail
inside by the door just holler if you get locked in. I will let you
out, and I'll holler so you can let me out.”

“
Good to know,” Melinda
said.

“
Now let me show you the
rest of the house, and we best fix a bite to eat,” Gracie
said.

“
This house is where you
always lived?” Shana asked.

“
Mostly, but when we first
homesteaded Papa built a sod house over in the trees. It's about
gone now, but I'll show it to you when we get around to walking
that direction. After while, he built us this house. I lived here
until I moved to town.”