chapter 32

Behind Hannah, I could see the worried faces of all the quilting ladies and their husbands, Mr. Gilpin, and even Mr. Hazelton, all of them crowded into our little bathroom. I sank deeper into the water, hoping there were enough soapsuds to cover me up.

“Thank the Lord you’ve come back to us,” said Mrs. Potter. “We were worried sick.”

“Now, Hortense, don’t be jumping on the girl,” Mr. Potter said. “Just be glad she’s all right.”

“Of course I’m glad she’s all right,” Mrs. Potter said. “Can’t you see I’m glad?” And she burst into tears. Mr. Potter patted her on the back. I could see tears in his eyes, too.

Were they crying over me?

“Thank goodness Hannah and Raleigh were out looking for you,” Esther said.

I tried to follow what they were saying. Hannah and Raleigh had been out looking for me? I’d thought they were at the pageant.

“Well, it was a good thing Clem happened to be fishing, too,” Mr. Gilpin said. “He’s the one that saved Dolly.”

“I was coming from the creamery, headed to the celebration, when I saw the fish were jumping,” Mr. Hazelton said. “You know, fish always bite better after a storm. So there I am fishing when I hear that water a’comin. Got to higher ground just in time. But when I saw poor ol’ Dolly coming down the river, I took the rope holding the milk cans and lassoed her!”

Mr. Hazelton grinned.

“Biggest catch I ever pulled out of that river, I can tell you!” he said.

“The bravery of that young man, to jump in to save Blue,” Mrs. Wells said. “How’s he doing?”

I took it that she was talking about Raleigh, but none of this was making any sense. Raleigh was terrified of water. But he’d jumped in the river?

To rescue me.

“Doc says he’s got a concussion and some water in the lungs,” Mr. Gilpin said, “but he’s going to be all right. Said he about had to tie Raleigh down to keep him from coming over here, he’s that worried about you, Blue.”

“We were all worried about you,” Mrs. Fitch said. “We all care about you so much, Blue.”

I could see a dozen heads bobbing vigorously.

“Without you, it’d be pretty dull around here,” Mrs. Barclay said. “Us old folks need someone like you to liven things up.”

More nods.

“And we’re hoping you’ll join the quilting group,” Mrs. Thompson said. “I’ve got a good pattern for a beginner.”

“Too bad we couldn’t add you to the quilt,” Mrs. Barclay said. “You and Raleigh are part of the town’s history now.”

“Gracious, yes,” said Mrs. Potter. “It’s a story they’ll be telling around here for years.”

“I think—” began Mrs. Gallagher, but Mr. Gilpin interrupted her.

“I think we need to give this girl some privacy, now that we know she’s all right,” he said. He herded everyone toward the door, except for one person I hadn’t noticed until now.

Nadine.

“I thought you’d already left,” I said.

“I had to make sure you were all right,” Nadine said. “You’re my best friend, you know.” I don’t know why that made the back of my throat ache, but it did.

“Are your folks still going to sell the camp?” I asked.

Nadine nodded. “But Mama says I can come visit you next summer. If that’s okay with you.”

I nodded right back at her. It was more than okay. She wasn’t old Nadine or new Nadine anymore.

Just Nadine. My best friend, now and always.

“I wonder what will happen to the Wright brothers, causing such a stir,” Hannah asked.

“Well, they hightailed it out of town,” Mr. Gilpin said. “I imagine it’s going to be some time before they dare show their faces around here again. They’re lucky no one was killed, that explosion only punched a hole in the dam. If it’d blown the whole thing, well, that would be a different story. As it is, there are quite a few flooded buildings, including the Monitor.”

“What a day,” Hannah sighed. “Too bad about the celebration, Wallace. All that work you put into it, and now the whole thing will have to be cancelled.”

“Who said anything like that?” Mr. Gilpin thundered. “I’m not cancelling the celebration. The history that I wrote washed away, but we’re still putting on the pageant.”

“You can use the history that Blue wrote,” Nadine piped up.

I swiveled my head to look at her. How did she know about that? I wondered. I hadn’t told Nadine I was doing it.

“I came by your house this morning to say goodbye,” Nadine told me. “I went upstairs, looking for you, and that’s when I found it.”

Mr. Gilpin fixed his eyes on me.

“You didn’t tell me you were writing a history,” he said.

“It’s j-just stories I wrote down that Hannah and the quilting ladies told,” I stammered. “It’s not very good.”

“It is too!” Nadine almost shouted. “I wasn’t supposed to read it, but I did, and it’s really good.”

“If Blue wrote it, I’m sure it is,” Mr. Gilpin said. “I’m eager to read it. But right now I’m off to finish writing up this story before Roy scoops me, and get the paper out.”

“But how?” Hannah asked. “The Monitor’s flooded.”

“Roy says I can print the paper at his office till we can get everything dried out,” Mr. Gilpin said. “I’m certain he won’t mind if we print up Blue’s history, too.”

I was sure I hadn’t heard right.

“Mr. Allard is going to let you print there?” I asked.

“Of course,” Mr. Gilpin said, as if that were the most normal thing in the world. “I’d do the same for him.”

“I did manage to rescue one thing from the office,” Mr. Gilpin went on, and plopped his dictionary down on the chair beside the tub. “Thought you might be needing it.”

I looked at him, not understanding.

“I’m offering you a job, after school and summers,” Mr. Gilpin said. “That is, if you’re planning on staying.”

Hannah must have told him I’d run away, I thought. If so, he probably knew about the college fund jar too. I ducked my head in shame and gave a weak little nod.

“Good,” Mr. Gilpin said. “Speaking of rescues—you were going to rescue his animals, weren’t you?”

I wondered how he knew that, but I nodded again.

“That’s what you were trying to tell me at Old Home Day, wasn’t it, about Raleigh’s animals?” Mr. Gilpin said, as if reading my mind.

I looked at him in surprise, and he grinned.

“I’m not an investigative reporter for nothing, you know,” he said. “Anyway, I want you to write up a story about Raleigh and how he’s been rescuing and caring for those animals all these years, and we’re going to see if we can’t build him a wildlife sanctuary, where he can take care of birds and animals for as long as he wants to. I think it’s his calling.”

I thought so, too, and I thought how happy Raleigh would be that he could help even more animals.

“You’ll be an apprentice, and work your way up, just like I did,” Mr. Gilpin said. “That was a good piece of detective work you did, finding out about those missing animals, even if it did turn out to be Raleigh instead of the Wright brothers. Shows you’ve got the makings of a good reporter. Might even be your calling.”

Mr. Gilpin opened the door, but paused, his hand on the doorknob.

“Who knows,” he said. “You might even take over the paper someday.”

He gave a little smile and clicked the door shut behind him.