Will heard Mary talking on the phone again. They had only been in the township a few months when neighbor women began calling with their problems: sick children, husband disputes, and cooking tips. Will hoped that the regard she was garnering among their neighbors would rub off on him, and help him gain support for the co-op he wanted.
He sipped at his coffee. “Mary, you make the best coffee in Iowa County. Is it the raw egg?”
“Get on with your blarney. Sometimes I’d swear you’ve visited the old country and kissed that famous stone.”
“Everyone agrees with me, yes they do, Mary. They don’t understand how you do it, you being English and all.”
“Cornish, Will. You should know by now there’s a difference.”
“You wouldn’t have a little sugar hidden someplace, now would you?”
“Don’t tell the girls.” Mary opened the cupboard and fished a sugar dish from behind the flour canister. “I just talked to Lydia Snell. She’s worried about her husband.”
“Oh, how’s that?”
“George Snell’s blood pressure is high. He gets so worked up over Franklin.”
“Why so?”
“He doesn’t come home until the middle of the night. George can’t get him up for milking in the morning.”
“Out howlin’ at the moon, huh?” Will shook his head and smiled. He knew that farmers fought a perpetual battle with sons who couldn’t balance their milking responsibilities with their social lives. He patted Mary on the bottom. “He’ll outgrow it—when he finds a good woman.”
“Will! This is serious. Lydia’s worried about George’s heart.” Mary refilled Will’s empty cup. “He gets so worked up trying to get Franklin out every morning.”
Will savored the hot liquid, smacked his lips, and dipped his cup toward Mary. “Best coffee in Iowa County, and that’s no lie.”
“She says he’s beside himself, hollering and screaming up the stairs. He’s threatened to kick Franklin out of the house.”
“He won’t do that. He can’t get by without his help, not with harvesting and all.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about it, and I have an idea.”
“Oh?”
“First, you go over and talk with George. He respects you. Maybe he’ll listen.”
“I don’t know what I can do. What do you have in mind?”
“I need to think on it awhile.”
Two mornings later, Ruby and Catherine joined Will and Mary for coffee. Ruby poured herself a cup. “Catherine, get me the cream.”
“Who’s your servant when I’m not around? Get your own cream.”
“Girls, it’s too early to squabble.” Mary handed the cream pitcher to Ruby. “Here.”
Catherine banged against the table as she flopped into the chair. “I don’t even like the stuff,” she said.
“My, my,” Mary said, “who got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?”
Catherine poured herself a glass of milk. “I’m tired of Ruby bossing me around.”
“You’re just mad because I said we had to leave 4-H early last night. You were all gaga over Franklin Snell.”
“Not so. He’s far too old, even for you.”
“Well, he did make eyes at you.” Ruby winked at her father. “She got red as a beet.”
“You’re just jealous because no one paid attention to you.”
“I get all the attention I want. Besides, Dad said we had to be home by ten o’clock, didn’t you, Dad?”
“The Snell boy was there?”
“He left when we left,” Ruby said. “He and his friends headed toward the Midtown Waterin’ Hole.”
“Did you talk to George yet?” Mary said.
“I saw him at the mill. I told him to stay calm, not to holler and scream over Franklin, not to get his blood pressure up.”
“What did he say?”
“He didn’t—just nodded his head. Maybe he’ll think about it.”
“I’d better talk to Lydia.”
Two busy days followed. The downed hay dried, so Will and the girls didn’t stop for coffee but went straight to milking. Hay must be harvested while the sun shined; so they had no time to waste. George Snell’s problem was the farthest thing from Will’s mind. They ate supper late after the milking that night, but the hay was in the barn, and Will was glad for that. He couldn’t have done it if not for his two daughters helping. Mary had wanted her daughters to learn housework, like other sensible young ladies, but Ruby and Catherine insisted they wanted to be outdoors with the animals. After many discussions, Mary finally relented. And he’d wanted boys. Just no telling what the Lord has in mind.
“I’m bushed,” Catherine said. “I’m too tired to lift a crumb to my mouth.”
“I’m not hungry either,” Ruby said. “I drank so much water that there’s no room for food. You’d think my body would beg for fuel after all the energy it used, but it just doesn’t care.”
“Girls, eat a little, and then go up to bed,” Mary said. “You’ll need nourishment. I’ll have bacon and eggs ready in the morning. Cold fries, too.”
Mary boiled a few extra potatoes each night so that she could slice the cold leftovers and fry them for the next day’s breakfast. Will thought those cold leftover potatoes, when they were fried, tasted better than freshly sliced new ones.
Before the girls came down for breakfast the next morning, Will asked about George and Lydia. “Did you talk to Lydia? Did you tell her your idea?”
“I rang her on the phone. She liked my idea, but she wasn’t sure George would cooperate. She said he’s completely irrational when it comes to Franklin. He’s getting desperate.”
“You’re a clever woman. Tell me your plan.”
“Not yet. I wanta see if it’ll work.”
The girls bounced down the stairs and dived into plates filled with two eggs easy over, bacon piled high, and hot and crispy cold fries hanging off the edge. “I’m famished,” Ruby said. “I feel like I haven’t eaten for a week.”
Catherine stuffed her mouth with fries.
Oh, to be young again, Will thought. If only a night’s rest restored his energy so quickly.
“Girls, you worked hard yesterday. After milking, you can go visit your friends. Take a break from the work. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“Do we have to wait until after milking?” Catherine said. “Can’t we go now?”
“Oh, my dear daughter, I do wish that I could release you from that awful chore, but the milking pays the bills, now doesn’t it?”
“I know, Daddy. I was just joshin’.”
Mary flinched when the telephone rang. “Who’d be calling so early in the morning?” She took the receiver off the hook.
“Hello? He won’t do it? You want Will to talk with him again? Okay, I’ll try. We’ll find a way, Lydia. I know you’re worried, but have faith. . . . Yes.” Mary hung up the phone. “Girls, you go do your chores. I want to talk with your dad.”
“What did Lydia say?” Will said. “It sounded like George’s being stubborn.”
“Lydia said he tried, but when Franklin didn’t respond, he got so worked up he didn’t think. He just screamed and ranted, then went out and started the milking alone. It’s not good for his blood pressure.”
“And I thought I wanted boys,” Will said.
“Adults holler far too much,” Mary said. “It’s not necessary. I learned that teaching those big farm boys. Some of them were in their twenties, and I was only eighteen.”
“You scared the bejeebers out of them, didn’t you?”
“You think so? They’d have laughed if I got worked up. They already got too much of that from their fathers. I couldn’t possibly measure up. Strategic action worked far better. Now, if Lydia can just convince George.”