Weedy glanced up as Jane came into the room, and his first impression was that she did, indeed, look like a historical figure, but, barefoot as she was, in the long, white garment, he thought she looked like the pictures of Jesus in the Bible, only she was blonde...and had braids...and was a girl.
At least, Addy thought, the girl was decently covered, and when she asked about her wet clothes, Addy took them from her. "Just have a seat, I'll see to 'em." She scooted a rocker close to the fire and flung the dress over the back, and the bundle, which she recognized for what it was, she just sat on the seat of the chair, leaving it intact.
"Now, then..." She settled at the table, then sliced the pie and dolled out generous pieces. "Now, doncha go expectin' dessert fer supper every night, but'cha gotta have fun now an' again, right? Time fer grace."
Quickly, she and Weedy bowed their heads -- they weren't the hand holding types -- and Addy prayed. "Dear Lord, thank ya fer th' food we're about ta partake, thank ya fer Weedy an' Jane an' Farley, even if he is a little rascal. In Jesus' name, amen."
Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
The bespectacled girl sound down very happily, wondering whether Weedy thought she looked like an Empress, too. She would have been less than thrilled to find out that she reminded him more of Jesus!
"Now, then..." She settled at the table, then sliced the pie and dolled out generous pieces. "Now, doncha go expectin' dessert fer supper every night, but'cha gotta have fun now an' again, right? Time fer grace."
Jane dutifully Jane put her hands together and closed her eyes. This was wonderful, sitting down together at table with her crush and saying grace together!
"Dear Lord, thank ya fer th' food we're about ta partake, thank ya fer Weedy an' Jane an' Farley, even if he is a little rascal. In Jesus' name, amen."
"Amen" repeated Jane. The Chappels said grace a different way to her family, but she wasn't too surprised at that. At home they always said:
Give us grateful hearts,
O Father, for all thy mercies,
And make us mindful
Of the needs of others;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Except when 'Uncle' Frank Baur was there he always said what sounded like "Again" at the end instead of "Amen", like he was impatient with all this praying all the time.
The polite girl waited for 'Mrs Addy' to start before digging in herself, but when she did so, she did so with gusto. Farley ambled over and looked up at the eating humans and gave a plaintive whimper.
Sit down, shut up, don't touch anythin'
Weedy dug into the pie before Addy changed her mind, then took a big gulp of milk before asking, "So, where did you find our puppy?" He worded his question in such a way that meant the puppy was meant to be there, and was going to stay there.
Addy was on to the boy, and while she had known from the get-go that the pup would be staying -- else she wouldn't have brought it home -- she'd tease the kids a bit.
"It's like this...I was comin' back from Oakdale, an' just as I'm comin' up on th' Dry Creek bridge, I hear this cryin' an' whinin', like th' wail of a polecat stuck in tree roots. Well, I'm thinkin', if I can grab me that ol', crusty polecat I can bring him back here, skin him up an' cook him into a stew."
Weedy stopped eating and his nose wrinkled up in disgust, just the reaction Addy was looking for!
"So, now, I hopped down an' grabbed my axe, then scrabbled down th' bank ta find supper. Th' noise as comin' outta some brambles, so I pushed them aside, an' whaddya think I seen? That there mutt, stuck all th' way up ta his ears in thick mud. Well, Addy, I thunk ta myself, can't be makin' stew, nor steaks outta a scrawny pup like that, no sirree! Ain't no point in goin' ta all th' trouble ta dig him out -- got no use for him. So, I turned back for th' wagon, an' swear, that pup talked ta me! 'Kind lady, please, help me an' you'll never hafta worry 'bout mice in yer barn again!'
"Well, now, that made good sense, so I went back down there, an' slogged into that mud, nearly lost my boots, sunk ta my knees, then had ta grab th' mangy mutt around his middle so I could tug on him." She shook her head. "One tug too many, an' out he come, suddenly all free-like, an' here I go, tumblin' onta my backside right in that mud!"
Pausing, she glared at the children. "No sniggerin' from either of ya, weren't funny! So, an', of course, he got away, tried ta run, an' got stuck again." She rolled her eyes. "So we done it again, two more times before I had him so's he couldn't escape. That's all there is t' it. An' once supper's done, I'll tie him in th' barn, an' that's that!" She looked toward Jane. "Unless you want a puppy?"
Weedy knew better, of course. Farley was here to stay, in the house, sleeping with Weedy. Yeah, Addy was a pushover!
Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
Addy's funny story had the kids in fits.
Pausing, she glared at the children. "No sniggerin' from either of ya, weren't funny! So, an', of course, he got away, tried ta run, an' got stuck again." She rolled her eyes. "So we done it again, two more times before I had him so's he couldn't escape. That's all there is t' it. An' once supper's done, I'll tie him in th' barn, an' that's that!"
"Awwwww, he can't go live in the barn can he, Mrs Addy? He's, he's all comfy!"
Weedy knew better, of course. Farley was here to stay, in the house, sleeping with Weedy. Yeah, Addy was a pushover!
She looked toward Jane. "Unless you want a puppy?"
"Oh yes please!!" the girl gasped, wide-eyed. Poor old Weedy!
Sit down, shut up, don't touch anythin'
Well, that hadn't been what Addy expected, nor Weedy, from the look in his face, and Addy knew she'd gotten herself into a pickle. That was, of course, if Jane's folks even let her keep the dog.
"We'll ask yer parents when we take ya home," she addressed the girl, then she glanced at Weedy. "Ya know, Mr. Millegan's ol' hound had pups a few weeks back an' he'll be lookin' fer homes fer 'em..." In case she was wrong about Jane's parents. Seemed like a puppy was in Weedy's future one way or another.
"Now, how ya likin' yer supper?" Jane's folks would likely think her a heathen, but Addy was accustomed to that!
Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
"We'll ask yer parents when we take ya home," she addressed the girl, then she glanced at Weedy.
"Gee thanks, Mrs Addy... Oh this is wonderful! I've wanted a puppy all my life, I'm sure my Mommy will say yes!" she beamed.
"Ya know, Mr. Millegan's ol' hound had pups a few weeks back an' he'll be lookin' fer homes fer 'em..." In case she was wrong about Jane's parents. Seemed like a puppy was in Weedy's future one way or another.
"Now, how ya likin' yer supper?" Jane's folks would likely think her a heathen, but Addy was accustomed to that!
But Jane wasn't thinking about supper any more, and her face had drained of colour. The girl was quick on the uptake and realised the import of Addy's words to Weedy.
"Oh no! I just remembered!" she said, with a decided lack of acting skill "I can't have Farley because... my... er... oh yeah, because my brother's scared of dogs!" she lied, deftly crossing her fingers under the table. "Porter... would you look after Farley instead? You can change his name, too, if you don't like Farley. Like 'Scamp' or something." suggested the kind girl.
When Addy suggested that Jane could have the puppy, Weedy felt betrayed, but he tired not to show it, and he did perk up a bit when Addy confirmed that he could get some kind of puppy. Even if it was a different one, it was something, right? But then Jane mentioned that her brother was afraid of dogs, so she couldn't have one.
"Farley's a good name," Weedy insisted, that was the least he could do, since poor Jane couldn't have her own dog.
"It's a real good name," Addy agreed, recognizing what the little girl had done, "an' yer welcome ta come an' visit 'im, help Weedy take care of 'im."
"Sure thing! We can play with him, too!" Weedy was all-in for having a puppy and playing with it! And it could go with him when he went riding on Milan. It would be fun!
"After ya finish yer homework," Addy reminded him. She was no fun!
Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
"It's a real good name," Addy agreed, recognizing what the little girl had done, "an' yer welcome ta come an' visit 'im, help Weedy take care of 'im."
Jane, who had been sitting there with the usual proud yet sad look of the martyr on her phiz actually brightened at this: for she realised that her act of self-sacrifice had given her a good excuse to call on Weedy whenever she got the urge to.
"Sure thing! We can play with him, too!" Weedy was all-in for having a puppy and playing with it! And it could go with him when he went riding on Milan. It would be fun!
"After ya finish yer homework," Addy reminded him. She was no fun!
"Eww, I hate that homework Miss Bowen gives us... it's too easy!" Jane sniffed. Then she looked slyly at Weedy and said, in a gossipy tone "Hey, Porter, did you hear about her and Miss Mudd?"
Homework was too easy?
Weedy frowned, he hated homework and only did most of it because Addy made him. History was okay, but math and spelling and all that...yuck! But then, Addy reminded him, all too often, how important a 'good education' was.
"Hey, Porter, did you hear about her and Miss Mudd?"
"Now, there'll be no gossip here, Miss Jane," Addy chided gently, although the way Weedy'd cheeks had started to glow red, she had to wonder if he knew of what Jane was speaking. And, honestly, she was curious herself, as she always was where Miss Arabeller was concerned.
"So, then, Jane, what's it ya like best in school? Weedy likes history, readin' all 'bout pirates an' knights an' whatnot. Fanicies he's gonna off with Wyatt an' steal a ship, go huntin' treasure."
That only caused Weedy's cheeks to redden even more, and he wanted to crawl under the table!
Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
"Now, there'll be no gossip here, Miss Jane"
"Sorry, Ma'am" Jane apologised as Mrs Addy shut her down. She looked sideways at Weedy and mouthed the words I'll tell ya later... Then she jumped and sat up straight as Weedy's adoptive Mom asked her a direct question.
"So, then, Jane, what's it ya like best in school? Weedy likes history, readin' all 'bout pirates an' knights an' whatnot. Fancies he's gonna off with Wyatt an' steal a ship, go huntin' treasure."
That only caused Weedy's cheeks to redden even more, and he wanted to crawl under the table!
Jane frowned... that seemed a bit babyish.
She looked at him again, searching for an excuse for him; the poor lamb was bright red.
"Wyatt Redmond is a little immature, I think, I expect you just have to humor him, don't you Porter?" she suggested.
Then she remembered that she'd been asked a direct question.
"Oh, I like Art best, but Miss Bowen doesn't let us do it much, not since one of the boys drew something rude on their picture." she informed Addy with an air of scandalised propriety "... but he got the switch in front of the whole class, so that taught him a lesson! I think those boys who had that photygraph of Miss Mudd should have gotten the switch too, don't you, Porter? Instead of Miss Bowen goin' after Miss Mudd about it. I know it wasn't a very nice photygraph, but that's just what actresses do, I guess"
There, she'd got her bit of tasty gossip out there after all... all by accident.
As for the little bespectacled girl sticking up for Arabella, when she was meant to have just had an argument with her, well... if Weedy was any better at arithmetic, he might have put two and two together and got four.