April 15, 1942
Will charged from the tool shed. “Catherine, have you seen that axe I bought last week? I put it inside the door, but it’s not here.”
“No, Dad, I haven’t seen your axe.”
“It’s my new hickory-handled, double-bladed axe. Cost me five dollars.”
“Where’d you last use it?”
“I haven’t used it. I put it right inside the door.”
“Did you ask Petr?”
Will rushed toward the house while Catherine turned toward the horse stalls. She hollered after him, “Dad, I’m going to take Fanny Too for a ride. We need the exercise.”
Will knew that Catherine loved her time with Fanny Too, and he understood the feeling. “Be back by lunch. I want you and Ruby to shell corn this afternoon.”
“Okay, Dad,” Catherine called as she dashed toward the barn.
Will hurried toward the house to find Petr, but when he swore that he’d not seen the axe, Will turned to Mary. “Have you seen my new double-bladed axe?”
“Now what would I be doing with a double-bladed axe? I haven’t seen it since you put it in the tool shed.”
“That’s what I thought, but it’s not there.”
Will seethed as he reached behind the crosscut saw for his old single blade axe. Having depleted his past winter’s wood supply, Will decided it would be a good time, while the weather was still cool, to begin cutting for next year. He planned to spend the morning splitting logs that he’d already cut into stove length pieces. But his old axe was so dull that he had to sharpen the blade. “Who would have taken that new axe?” he muttered as he swung at the first log and winced when the blade stuck in the splintered wood.
By noon, worn to a frazzle, Will dropped the axe and headed toward the house for lunch. “Mary, hasn’t Catherine returned yet? I told her to come back and help Ruby shell corn.”
“I haven’t seen her.” She set a plate of potato salad and sliced ham in front of Will.
“That girl. She gets on Fanny Too and forgets everything. But it’s not like her to be late when I’ve asked for her help.” He piled ham on bread and spread some horseradish and mustard. “Are you sure that you haven’t seen that axe?”
“If you’d bought me that carving knife, I wouldn’t have to steal your tools.” She flipped her dish towel toward Will’s head.
After dinner, Will started back to the woodpile but remembered that he had planned to get Ruby started shelling corn.
“Where’s Catherine?” Ruby said.
“She went riding.” Will handed her the Little Speedy corn sheller. “I’ll send her here as soon as she gets back.”
A half an hour later, Catherine found her father and dismounted Fanny Too. “Dad, I’m sorry. I get out in the meadows with the birds, the butterflies, the small animals and I lose all sense of time.”
Will wanted to be stern, but he couldn’t chastise his playful daughter. He shook his head and puckered his face into his best imitation of an angry father. He wished that he had more time to ride, too. He pointed toward Ruby who leered at them as they talked. “Go help Ruby shell corn. She may not be so understanding.”
* * *
Catherine worked faster than usual all morning. Will knew she must have something on her mind. She didn’t even carry on her usual conversation with Ruby while they scrubbed the cans and pails. He heard Ruby ask Catherine if she was angry because she had snatched the last piece of bacon, but Catherine answered, “No, Ruby, I didn’t want that bacon anyhow.”
“Well, you sure aren’t very friendly this morning.”
“I want to get the work done.” She threw the sponge down and grabbed a pitchfork.
She had thrown half the soiled straw into the spreader before Ruby joined her, but Ruby didn’t ask more.
Catherine finished the calf pen, raced out the side door, but took the pitchfork along. Will supposed she was headed to the loft to throw hay down the chute. She usually didn’t do that until just before night milking. What demon possessed that girl today?
Then at lunchtime his youngest daughter caught him in the entryway. “Dad, I’ve got all my work done. Can I take the afternoon and go riding?”
Will wasn’t surprised, but it seemed she was taking Fanny Too out more often than usual. “You’re spending lots of time with that horse, now aren’t you? I think your sister feels neglected.”
“I just have to get away from Ruby, be alone for a while. And Fanny Too needs the exercise.”
Will knew the feeling, and he supposed it did Fanny Too some good. She’d been inside all winter. “A little fresh air will be good for her. Get back before milking. You better not cross Miller’s stream. There’s lots of water flowing off the bluffs.”
Catherine turned and ran toward the horse barn.
What could be wrong between his girls? He seldom saw them have serious disputes, not Catherine and Ruby. Will sighed. He supposed it was just a stage that teenagers go through.
When Catherine didn’t return for dinner, Will called Ruby from her room. “Whatever is wrong between you girls? She should be back by now.”
Ruby looked worried, too, but without a word, she brushed past him to the dinner table.
And when Catherine still wasn’t home for night milking, Will grabbed Ruby’s coverall strap and spun her around. “Ruby, tell me, are you girls having a fight?”
“I think she feels guilty.”
“Guilty, why should she feel guilty?”
“I promised I wouldn’t tell.”
Will turned to his wife who busied herself over the sink. “Mary, talk to this girl. Something’s wrong between her and her sister. What shouldn’t you tell, Ruby?”
“Tell us,” Mary said.
“I can’t.” Ruby pulled away. “You wouldn’t want me to break a promise, would you?”
Mary took Ruby’s hand. “Catherine should be back by now. Do you know where she went?”
“She didn’t tell me.”
Will knew the girls weren’t talking before Catherine left. “I’m worried about her. Do you know anything?”
“Maybe she went to the county land, east of Miller’s stream.”
“I told her not to cross Miller’s stream.”
Ruby stomped her foot and looked defiant. “I promised.”
“This may be serious,” Will said.
“She told me she found her puppet man.”
“Who?” Mary said.
“Remember that man we saw at Heinzelman’s circus when we were little?”
“At Hinton?” Mary said.
“That was my brother Jesse,” Will said. “What’s this about the puppet man? Tell me, Ruby.”
“He lives in an old shack on the county land. Catherine’s been stealing food from the root cellar and taking it to him.”
Mary grabbed her arm. “Why didn’t you tell us, Ruby? Anything could have happened to that girl. Alone with an older man. Will, do something.” She turned back to Ruby. “If anything happens to that girl, I’m holding you responsible.”
“I told her you’d be angry, but she said he was a poor, injured war veteran who needed help.” Ruby pulled away and ran up the stairs, but she turned back at the top landing and shouted down. “I told her she shouldn’t be stealing.” She started down the hallway but shouted back, “You always helped war veterans. Why shouldn’t she?”
“Will, you’ve gotta find her. You said that Heinzelman sent Jesse away because he molested little girls.”
“Mary, he didn’t… ” but it was no time to quibble now. Will rushed toward the horse stalls to get Lyda, but before he reached the barn, he heard hoof beats in the distance and saw Fanny Too lumbering down the lane toward the house, but with no rider. He ran to her and saw that she was mud covered. Will pulled himself up. “Let’s go, Fanny Too,” he called as he dug his heels into her side.
When he reached the end of the lane, he turned toward the marsh and hadn’t gone another hundred yards when he saw them. Jesse staggered toward him with Catherine over his shoulder. Will slapped Fanny Too’s neck. “Move it, old girl.”
He hollered at Jesse, “What happened? Is she okay?” He could see they were both soaked and muddied.
“Will, get her to a doctor. She almost drowned.”
Catherine moaned as Will and Jesse laid her across Fanny Too’s withers, and Will grabbed her mane and pulled himself up. “Follow me to the house,” he shouted back as he turned Fanny Too and kicked at her ribs. “Move it, Fanny Too. We gotta get this girl home.”
Fanny Too seemed to know that speed was urgent. Will hadn’t seen her move so fast since she was a colt. He balanced Catherine between his arms and held onto Fanny Too’s mane. Mary must have heard them coming; she held the gate open when he got there. He pushed Fanny Too through and directed her toward the house. Petr ran from the house but pivoted back inside when Will shouted, “Call Dr. Snyder. Get him out here right away.”
By the time he lifted Catherine off Fanny Too, Mary was by his side. “What did Jesse do?”
“She’s been in the water and she’s cold as an iceberg. Get some blankets.”
Mary didn’t protest further but held the door for Will to rush Catherine through. He took her to the divan where Mary removed her wet clothes, while he heaped blankets on her, then rubbed Catherine’s arms to restore circulation.
They continued to work over Catherine until Will heard Ruby call, “Puppet Man’s here. He’s pacing outside the door like a mad man.”
“Let him in,” Will called.
“Will,” Mary said, “do you think we should?”
When Catherine muttered, “Puppet Man? Please bring him here,” Will called again, “Ruby, let him in.”
Catherine smiled and held her hand out when he entered the room. She turned to her father. “I want to sleep, Daddy. I’m so tired.”
“I don’t think she should sleep,” Jesse said. “One of our circus riders got kicked in the head, and they wouldn’t let her sleep. Try to keep her awake.”
They continued to work over Catherine, and they talked nonstop, did their best to keep her from dozing.
Mary talked as she paced back and forth in front of her on the sofa. “He should be here by now,” she said.
“He said that he’d come right out,” Petr said.
“He’s slowed a bit, and he doesn’t drive so fast anymore,” Will said. “He must be sixty years old, now, maybe more. He’ll get here soon, you can bet on that.”
When Dr. Snyder arrived, he rushed to the living room. “You fellas wait in the other room while I examine this young lady.”
When Mary turned to leave, Dr. Snyder said, “Stay here and help me.”
Will led Jesse to the kitchen. “I’ll get some coffee,” Will said. “Where’d you come from?”
“Fanny came alone to my shack.”
“Fanny?” Jesse didn’t know that Fanny was gone, Will thought.
“When I saw Fanny covered in mud, I knew she’d been in the water and I feared the worst. I’d seen the high water and knew the stream couldn’t be crossed below your bean field. The current raged down there. But I didn’t know that Catherine would come today.”
“Where?”
“She’s been visiting since last fall.”
“You’ve been near here since last fall?”
“Even before, but I told her not to tell.”
“Jess, it’s been years. Why now?”
“It’s a long story.”
Will left the table and peeked into the living room. Dr. Snyder was examining his daughter but she seemed to be moving. He turned back to Jesse. “How’d you find her?”
“If she went into the water where she usually crossed, I knew she’d be swept downstream, so I started at the river and then worked my way up Miller’s stream until I saw her.” Jess lowered his head. “I was afraid of what I’d find. Afraid it was too late.”
“You saved my little girl.”
“At first, I thought she was gone, but my prayer was answered when she reached out to grab my hand. That girl’s got some grit.”
“Why’d you come back, Jess? How’d you know we were here?”
“Went to the Springs first. Bennie said you’d moved.”
“Why now?”
Will tried not to be obvious. He paused a moment to scan his brother’s terribly maimed face—the left side constructed of tin with a painted eye overlay, the right side with a sunken cheek and a depressed jawbone. Will hoped that the injured from the current war were treated better. He felt relieved when Jesse didn’t seem to notice his momentary attention.
“I liked the circus, but small circuses are dying. I wandered around a few years but thought it time to come home.” Jesse lifted his cup, sipped, then smiled. “Good coffee.” He licked his lips before continuing. “I live in that fishing shack. Over east on the county land. No one ever comes there, no one but Catherine.”
“She didn’t tell me.”
Jess sipped at his coffee. “I didn’t want anyone to know. Not yet anyhow.”
“You’re her uncle.”
“She doesn’t know that.”
“I came looking for you,” Will said. “I went to see Heinzelman’s in Cedar Rapids. You’d already left.”
“Did you meet Mildred and Louise?”
Dr. Snyder called from the living room. “You can come in now. I think she’ll be okay.” He pulled a blanket tight to Catherine’s chin. “Keep her warm and let her rest. This young lady is plumb tuckered out.”
Mary left when Jesse walked into the room.
Will rushed to Catherine’s side, but Jesse held back. “Can we move her upstairs, to her bedroom?” Will said.
“Sure,” Dr. Snyder said, “if she’d be more comfortable.”
“No, Dad, not yet.” She smiled toward Jesse. “I want to stay here.”
Will grasped his brother’s hand and pulled him to the divan. “You should know, young lady, your puppet man is my brother. He’s Uncle Jess.”
“He’s my uncle?” Catherine reached to touch Jesse’s hand. “Even back then when I was only seven years old, I knew that Mr. Heinzelman was wrong about you. But I didn’t know you were my uncle.” She smiled toward Jesse. “Come live with us, Uncle Jess?”
Jesse smiled at Catherine, stammered, “I don’t think so,” then turned away.
Will felt relief when Jesse excused himself and stepped out the door. He remembered the last time he’d housed Jesse—the bloodied Mrs. Vanevenhoven and Mary’s lost promotion. He didn’t want to face that again.
Catherine recovered rapidly and was soon helping with chores. One morning she caught her dad in the loft after he finished throwing hay down the chute. “Why wouldn’t Uncle Jesse come stay with us? Is it Mother?”
“Before the war, Catherine, Jesse frightened Mother when he was drinking. You know how she hates liquor. But the circus ladies, Mildred and Louise, said he doesn’t drink anymore. And Mother’s been sympathetic since he came home with those awful injuries. It’s Jess who’s reticent. I don’t think Mother would object to his coming here.”
“What happened to him, Daddy?”
“His face got shot away in the last war. They fixed him as best they could.”
“Well, I think he should live with us.” She stood a bit straighter and set her jaw. “I’m still going to help him.”
“Could I keep you away?”
“Uncle Jess saved me twice.”
“He’s mighty fond of you. I can see that.”
* * *
In June news came that Jake McGried was killed when the USS Yorktown was sunk by a Japanese submarine during the Battle of Midway. Mary packed food, placed a Bible in her bag, and, once more, left on a mercy mission. She called home at nine o’clock to say that Jackson and Eleanor were so upset that she thought it best to stay the night. And to Will’s surprise, she said that Marge Roberts called, and soon after, Earl Roberts and Arnie Johnson showed up to do Jackson’s evening chores. And they’d come back the next morning, too.
“I’ll come over after I finish milking,” Will said.
Will placed the phone in its cradle, slumped into his horsehair, and lit his Meerschaum. How small their co-op problems seemed now.
War news continued to fill the airways, casualties mounted. Will began to avoid the broadcasts. But soon, he felt compelled to listen, no matter how awful the news. “I think I’ll tune to Gabriel Heater,” he said to Mary. “He always has something bright to report.”
And Heater didn’t disappoint. As usual, he opened his August 10th, 1942 broadcast with an optimistic story. “Ah, there’s good news in the world tonight. Our Marines have landed on Guadalcanal. Victory will soon be ours.”
A week later, the good news turned bad when Earl and Marge Roberts received a telegram announcing that their Jimmie died in that battle.
Mary and Will left immediately for the Roberts’ house. Jackson McGried was there when they arrived. Marge said that Jackson told Earl, “Stay with Marge tonight. I’ll milk your cows.”
Will joined Jackson in the barn.
“I never thought it would come to this,” Jackson said. “I couldn’t know how soon our boys would be gone.” He slammed a pail against the wall. “How could I have taken my anger out on Earl? I’d thought that Jake’s death was my punishment, but now—if I’d only known.”
“Jackson,” Will said, “there’s many a time I’d have done things differently.” He picked the pail out of the gutter and walked to McGried, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You’re not responsible for anyone’s death.” Will remembered how he felt when Esther Nesbitt was killed. “But—you try to do better the next time.” Will grabbed a pail from the milk house. “Let’s finish these cows.”