| |
The next morning, I made breakfast for Da and Caleb, ate mine and cleaned up before heading over to the parsonage. Today would be evaluation day.
I knocked on the front door when I arrived. The pounding of two pairs of feet raced from inside. When the door opened there were two grinning, happy faces framed in the doorway. “Good morning, John and James.”
“Let her inside, you two,” a deeper male voice commanded. I could hear the smile in his voice, although I couldn’t see him.
John and James both scurried out of my way and I stepped into the parsonage for the first time. As I looked around, I was surprised how clean it really was. The floors had been swept in the last week and there was very little clutter around. I hoped the kitchen looked this good.
Miles’ voice interrupted my thoughts. “Do you have any questions before I leave?”
“Discipline,” I said. “We never discussed what I should do if they misbehave.”
Miles nodded his head. “Most likely that will be when, not if. What do you think boys? How should Miss Stuart punish you if you misbehave?”
John stared at his father. “You actually want our opinion?”
Miles chuckled. “I was teasing you. How about you two go into the kitchen and clean up breakfast while we talk?” He phrased it as a question, but it was more of a command.
“Yes, Pa,” John said. James gave a quick nod and both of them trudged toward the back of the house.
“Now,” Miles said, “I think the best thing would be for you to sit them down, tell them what they did wrong and have them tell me when I get home. Then I will punish them.”
I nodded slowly. “Yes, I think that will work very well.”
“Good, then I will get off to church and leave you to whatever it is you need to do.”
“There is one more thing, Miles,” I said. “I am going to go through your house and evaluate what is needed, especially for clothes and food. Shall I leave a list of what you need?”
“Yes, then I can look it over and you can get the supplies on Friday.”
“I will do that. Have a good day at work.”
Grief flashed in his eyes before he turned and walked out the door. Did I say something wrong? I didn’t have time to think about it before dishes clattered to the floor. I sighed. Boys in the kitchen. This should be a fun day.
After our minor catastrophe with a broken plate, the day calmed down a little. I got them sent off to school with a sack lunch and then went through all of the boys’ clothes and found some things that were in desperate need of replacement. When that was done, I ate a quick lunch and went through the pantry.
The pantry wasn’t too bad considering it had been three young men here for over two years. They were low on some essentials, but all in all, it was halfway decent. No canned goods, but that didn’t surprise me in the least. Our garden harvest would be more than enough to supply both households. Thank You, Lord, for my seeming insanity this spring when I planted twice as much in the garden as I should have. Now I know why; because You knew I would need it.
I reorganized the pantry and finished writing out the list of things that would be needed. When the list was done, I gave myself a thorough tour of the house, taking stock of what rooms needed the most scrubbing down and which rooms could wait. The living room was the first to be done. I decided to wait until John and James got home. Once they were finished with their homework, I could get them to help me with the scrubbing, beating the rugs, dusting, and sweeping. Meanwhile, I would get supper put together.
By the time John and James crashed through the door, I had a batch of cookies cooling on the table, stew on the stove, and cornbread ready to go in the oven.
Four feet scurried through the house as the two boys put their school books away and then rushed into the kitchen.
“Are those cookies?” John asked, surprise in his voice.
I turned around with a grin. “Yes, they are. Has it really been that long since you had cookies?”
“Naw, we get some at church dinners, but not for after school snacks.”
“Who said they were for your snack?” I teased.
James’ eyes grew wide and he put his thumb and fingers together and moved them to his mouth while shaking his head with a confused look on his face.
I laughed. “I was teasing your brother, James. They are for snack today and dessert tonight, and whenever else your pa lets you have some.”
“Yippee!!” John squealed as he rushed to the table.
“Only one for snack,” I ordered. “We don’t want you to spoil your dinner.” They each took a cookie. “Now, do either of you have any homework?”
“Not very much,” John said with a mouthful of oatmeal cookie.
“Chew and swallow before you speak, young man.”
John chewed and gulped down the bite of sugary sweetness. “Yes, ma’am. I don’t have very much homework. Pa usually has us do it after supper.”
“Well, how about we see if you can do your homework now and then you can have some time to play games or something with your pa after supper instead of doing homework,” I suggested.
“Really? You think Pa would do that?”
James clapped his hands together and glared at his brother. “Of course he would,” James signed. “Pa only has us do it after supper, so he can help us if we need help. Miss Stuart can help us now that she’s taking care of us.”
I smiled and looked over at John. John was flushed. “Right, I hadn’t thought of that. Okay.” He ran out of the room and came back with his and James’ school books. “Here ya go, James.”
I cleared my throat and John looked at me. “What?”
“Try saying that again, this time with a proper use of your personal pronoun.”
“Huh?” John’s face clouded up with confusion.
“He, she, it, you, your, his, hers, and they, are all personal pronouns. Use the correct pronoun in your sentence.”
“Oh. I shoulda said ‘Here YOU go, James.”
“Yes, and ‘shoulda’ should have been ‘should’ve’.”
John wrinkled up his nose. “Sometimes I wish I was mute like James. Then I wouldn’t have to worry so much about proper grammar.”
I chuckled. “It’s good to learn anyway, John. Now, you two get started on your homework and if you have any questions, I’ll be cleaning up in the living room.”
“Yes, ma’am,” John said as James’ head bobbed up and down.
Half an hour later, John and James joined me in the living room. “Everything done?” I asked.
“Yep. What’re we going to do next?” John asked.
“I would like to get this room thoroughly cleaned. So, we need to beat the rugs, dust, scrub the walls, and sweep the floors. And it needs to be done in that order. I was thinking you two could beat the rugs while I dust, then we can let them air out while we all scrub the walls together. How does that sound?”
The ear to ear grins on both faces gave me all the answer I needed. Together, we took the rugs outside and hung them on the clothesline. Then John and James left in search of sturdy sticks while I took a rag and removed as much of the dust in the room as I could. I finished first and went out to see how they were doing. What I saw when I got outside brought a smile to my face.
John and James stood on either side of the rug, stick in hand while John chanted out the rhythm. First one boy would hit the rug, then the other in perfect rhythm. I wished for some way to capture this moment so Miles could see it. Not wanting them to know I had been watching them, I sneaked back into the house and gathered rags and three bowls of soapy water and started moving the furniture away from the walls.
The last chair barely had time to settle on all four legs when laughter came toward me from the kitchen. “Well, we beat those rugs into submission, Miss Stuart,” John said. “They revealed all their dirt and got rid of it.”
The three of us burst into laughter at his almost-serious statement. By the time we stopped laughing, we each had tears streaming down our faces.
“Oh, John, you are funny,” I gasped. “What do you say to starting on the walls?”
“Sounds great!” John exclaimed. “Where shall we start, General?”
I put on my most serious face and looked them each up and down. “Private John, you take that bowl and two rags and start where that stool is. Once I am done on my stool, you will get on the stool and start as high as you can reach. Private James, you take that bowl and two rags and start where Private John leaves off. Understood?”
“Aye, aye, Sir! Er, ma’am.” John saluted and I chuckled again. As we scrubbed the walls, John and I sang as many hymns as we could think of. As I scrubbed the last wall, there was a lull in the singing as we both ran out of ideas. Suddenly, one came to mind and I sang:
Bi thu mo Lèirsinn, a Thighearna mo chridhe;
Naught gum bi a h-uile eile rium, gun a shàbhaladh thu;
Thu mo as fheàrr Thought, le latha no air an oidhche,
Dùsgadh no cadal, do làthaireachd mo solas.
I finished my part of the scrubbing before I was done with the hymn, but I kept singing as I watched the boys conclude their scrubbing. By the time the last note faded, John and James were done with their scrubbing and stood watching me.
“That was beautiful,” a deep voice behind me said.
I jumped and put a hand over my heart. “Pastor Jenkins, when did you get back?”
“Just in time to hear an angel singing in an unknown language,” he said with a smile.
“And who might that be?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“What song and language was that, anyway?” Miles asked, ignoring my question.
“Me mither’s favorite hymn in her native tongue: The Gaelic version of ‘Be Thou My Vision’,” I said with an air of mock haughtiness and in an Irish accent—I liked to switch intermittently between my mama’s native accent and my da’s.
Miles cocked an eyebrow at me and smiled. “It looks nice in here.”
“I couldn’t have done it without John and James helping me out,” I said.
“Pa,” John exclaimed. “Can we do something fun tonight? We’ve already got our homework finished.”
Miles chuckled. “It sounds like we could.” When John looked about ready to ask another question, Miles held up his hand. “Let me talk to Anna first and send her on her way home. Then we can talk about everything you did today.” He looked at the clock. “You two go get washed up for supper and set the table.”
“Yes, Pa,” John said.
James gave his da a hug as he passed by.
“How did it go?” Miles asked me as they walked out the door.
“Way too fast. I left you a list on the table. There are a few food items you are low on and the boys’ clothes are starting to get rather worn. Before Friday, could you find some time to go through yours so I know what you might need as well?”
Miles nodded. “I can do that. Nothing that needs to be reported?”
I shook my head. “No, I think they were too excited about having me here to make trouble or get into trouble. Give them a couple of weeks. When the newness wears off, then they’ll start being trouble. Oh, and there’s cornbread in the oven that should be done in a few minutes.”
“You’re probably right. Thank you, Anna.” He held out his hand to me and I put mine in his and shook it.
“You’re welcome,” I said.
Miles stepped aside and I walked past him and out the door to go feed my hungry men.
***
Thursday seemed to creep by while I cleaned our home and waited for school to be let out. Then it flew. After charging through our front door, John and James literally stuffed their snack into their mouths and John ran out to the fields to help with whatever Caleb concocted for him to do in the barn. James and I looked at what still needed to be planted for our fall crop.
As I evaluated what needed planting when, I realized the garden needed to be weeded. A smile formed on my lips. Weeding was the perfect Saturday chore for two energetic boys.
All too soon, I saw the time had come for the boys to head home. “James, go find your brother and tell him it is time to go home, please.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he signed.
After the boys were on their way, I finished planning our Saturday weeding before I went inside to fix some cornbread, beans, and apple pie for Da and Caleb.
After evening chores, Caleb sat down at the table for one last piece of apple pie.
“How did John do?” I asked.
Caleb looked up at me and shook his head. “That boy is smart and fast. I couldn’t believe how quickly he got the harnesses done. And he did a great job on them. If he weren’t so young and we had enough money, I’d hire him. And he is always asking questions about farming and harvesting and planting and things like that.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “I’m not surprised.”
“How was James?” Caleb asked as he put the last bit of pie in his mouth.
“He was really quiet today.”
“Isn’t he always quiet?” I could tell Caleb was confused.
“Yes, but he usually at least talks to me with his hands. Granted, I kept him busy weeding, but he still seemed...I’m not really sure what to call it. More subdued, maybe?”
“He might need some time to get used to the idea of having a woman around again. It’s been two years and he was pretty young when his mama died.”
I nodded. “That’s probably what it is. Oh! I almost forgot. Do you have any plans for the boys on Saturday?”
“No. Why?”
“I would like them to help with the weeding. I’ve neglected it this week and it is starting to get out of hand.”
Caleb grinned. “Anything so I don’t have to.”
I put a hand on my hip. “And here I thought I could use you as a good example for them and have you show them what to do.”
Caleb stood up and held his hands in the air. “Nope. Nothin’ doin’. You want them to do it, you can show ‘em how it’s done. I’m going to bed now. See you in the morning.”
I laughed as Caleb beat a hasty retreat up the stairs. Brothers, I thought as I cleaned up Caleb’s plate and headed to my own bed.
***
Friday was similar to Wednesday except that instead of going through clothes in the morning, I spent the morning shopping for material and food. I bought flour, butter, lard, sugar and the material needed for new shirts. The total I spent—with Pastor Jenkins’ money—was actually less than either of us were anticipating; only $1.70 instead of the $2.00 I was anticipating.
After school, the boys finished their homework and we scrubbed the kitchen down. The Jenkins men would have a cold supper, but it would be in an extra clean kitchen and at least two of them didn’t care as long as their da wasn’t doing the cooking.
The kitchen was clean, the table was set and supper was on the table. Pastor Jenkins wasn’t home when I left, but I had to get home or my da and Caleb would be grumping that their supper wasn’t ready. I left the boys with careful instructions on how to behave and what to do before their da got home.
When I stepped outside, I took a deep breath and worked up the energy to walk home. I couldn’t wait until their house was scrubbed so I could get on with some of the normal chores for once. Chores like bread baking and doing the laundry. Chores I used to dislike.
***
As soon as breakfast was cleaned up on Saturday, I gathered a wheelbarrow, two hoes, string, and four sturdy sticks. I pushed the wheelbarrow full of items to the garden. After I took a quick scan of the rows, I grabbed the sticks and string out of the wheelbarrow.
I walked a third of the way along the garden edge and put a stick in the ground. I then attached the string to the stick and walked across the garden. When I reached the other side, I put another stick in the ground and attached the string. Once it was tied securely, I pulled my jackknife out of the pocket in my skirt and cut the string. After that was done, I repeated the process.
As I cut the string for the third, and last, time, the sound of John chattering away to his brother reached my ears and walked to the road to meet them.
“What’s the plan today?” John yelled when he saw me.
I waited until they were closer before I answered. “Weeding. Today, gentlemen, we shall have a contest to see who can weed the fastest and best.”
John grimaced. “Weeding? Yuck!”
I turned to look at James. His eyes sparkled and his mouth curved upward into an excited grin.
“The sooner we get started, the sooner we can be done.”
While we weeded, I tried to keep at least a little conversation going. It was hard though, because I had the feeling I was leaving James out since he couldn’t weed and talk at the same time.
“How do you boys memorize Scripture so well?”
“We work together on it,” John said as he pulled some grass out of the potatoes. “We read the verse out loud together...Well, as best we can with James doing sign language instead. Then we alternate days we start quoting. For example, it was my turn to start today. After we read the verse, I looked it over a couple of times, then I tried to quote it from memory. If I messed up or couldn’t remember the next word, James would tell me what it was. When I was done, James quoted it.”
“So you work on it together? How do you decide what to memorize?” I asked.
James clapped his hands for my attention. He was almost buried as he knelt among the nearly half-grown corn. “We each take turns choosing a chapter or verse to learn,” he signed.
I nodded and returned to my weeding, thoughtful and quiet. How was I supposed to do that when I didn’t have someone to help me memorize?
We took a quick break to eat lunch. After lunch, I gave each of the boys a straw hat to wear to protect their faces from the hot sun. Then we headed back to the garden to finish the weeding.
As suppertime approached, Caleb came to the garden to find out how we were doing. John pulled his last weed and bounced over to Caleb. “Look what we did!” he exclaimed. “We’ve got the whole garden weeded! I didn’t like doing it, but I tried to do my best.”
Caleb looked at the garden. “That’s pretty impressive for first-time garden weeders.”
John had a look on his face that said he was about to talk our ears off. “You two need to get back home fast or your father will be coming here to find out what happened to you.”
John grinned. “Okay, let’s stay here, James.”
James grinned and nodded his head. “I want to stay and I want Pa to come, too,” he signed.
I shook my head and looked at Caleb with an appeal in my eyes.
“Don’t look at me,” he said. “If I had my way, I’d let ‘em stay, too.”
I scowled at him and he quickly backed up in surrender. “On the other hand, Da and Miles probably wouldn’t like it. How about I walk you two home?” Caleb asked.
“YES!” John shouted.
John and James both said hurried goodbyes and ran out to the road, dragging Caleb behind them.
