Treasures from Grandma's Attic (5 page)

9

Really Responsible

“Ma, why didn’t you have two more daughters instead of sons?”

We were canning vegetables, and I was in charge of boiling the jars. Ma stirred the tomatoes before she answered. “I didn’t have much choice about that,” she told me. “I’m thankful to have one daughter. Sons are pretty nice to have too.”

“I can’t think what for,” I retorted. “Why don’t they have to stand over a hot stove once in a while?”

“For the same reason you don’t spend the day in the field with Pa or milk the cows night and morning. It’s called a division of labor.”

“Not a very fair division if you ask me,” I grumbled. “I’d rather be outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine.”

“All right. I’ll watch the jars and you go get some peas and lettuce from the garden,” Ma offered. “It’s time to start dinner.”

“That’s not what I had in mind.”

“I know,” Ma replied dryly. “What you had in mind was sitting on the fence, gazing out across the field. But that doesn’t run a farm.”

While I washed the lettuce at the pump and shelled the peas, I dreamed about what I might be doing in five years. My dreams definitely didn’t include a farm.

“I think I’d like to go far, far away,” I announced to Ma as I carried the pans into the kitchen.

“You’ve already been far, far away,” she said. “You should be able to separate the pods from the peas better than this.”

“I was thinking of my future,” I told her.

“If your future is anything like your present, you’re going to need a caretaker,” Ma retorted. “I wish you’d learn to keep your mind on your work. Can’t you see that it takes twice as long to do a job over again?”

Later Sarah Jane dropped in, and we sat on the porch to talk.

“I’ve been making plans for my future,” I said. “There aren’t a whole lot of things a girl can do, but I’d like to do all of them.”

“How many lives are you planning on living?” Sarah Jane answered. “I’d be glad to think of one thing I’d like to do.”

I looked at her thoughtfully. “Your biggest talent is telling me when I’m wrong,” I said. “There must be some way you could build that into a career.”

I ducked as she swatted at me. “What are all these things you want to do?” she asked.

“I could teach school, or maybe be a nurse, or—”

“Or you could get married,” Sarah Jane finished for me. “I think your best choice is right there. You could be a farmer’s wife or minister’s wife or storekeeper’s wife or—”

“No, no,” I interrupted her. “I’ve been somebody’s daughter this far in my life, and I don’t want to be somebody’s wife the rest of it. I want to be successful on my own. I’d like to have a really responsible place in life.”

Sarah Jane shook her head. “You’re dreaming, Mabel. That would mean you’d be in charge of something. Can’t you imagine what a disaster that would be?”

“Sarah Jane! I don’t discourage you when you tell me about your dreams!”

“Of course not,” she replied. “I don’t want to try anything I’m not able to accomplish. What you have to do is suit your ambitions to your capabilities. When you get older, you’ll thank me for my advice.”

“Just don’t stand on one foot until I do,” I retorted.

But when I reported the conversation to Ma that evening, I admitted the truth of Sarah Jane’s remarks. “That’s the maddening thing about Sarah Jane—she’s usually right.”

“You’ve improved somewhat over the years,” Ma told me. “But you have a ways to go. I appreciate every little bit of progress.”

“I’ve never had any big responsibility to see if I could handle it, Ma. How does anyone know what I’d do?”

“Do you remember the parable of the talents that Jesus told? The master said that when the servant was faithful over a little, he would receive much. You have to prove yourself in small things, and then you’ll be trusted with large ones.”

“From now on, I’m going to be a responsible person,” I declared. “I’ll show everyone!”

“Responsible for what?” Roy asked as he came into the kitchen. “Seems to me you’re already responsible for everything that goes wrong around here. What more do you want?”

“Now, Roy,” Ma warned.

“I’ll ignore that,” I said.

A few days later, Ma asked me to sew some buttons on Pa’s shirt.

“Sure,” I replied. “Just as soon as I finish this chapter.” I took the buttons and slipped them into my apron pocket. Before I had reached the end of the page, Sarah Jane arrived with some exciting news.

“How would you like to take a trip to Eastman with me?” she asked. “We’re going to leave on the early-morning train and come back on the evening one. We’ll have all day to look around town and have a picnic in the park. Won’t that be fun?”

“I’d love to!” I exclaimed. “I think Ma would let me go. What day will it be?”

“Friday,” Sarah Jane replied. “The day after tomorrow.”

“That would be a nice trip,” Ma said when we asked her. “It was kind of your folks to invite Mabel to share the day with you. Will you be taking the seven-thirty train?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sarah Jane replied. “And Mabel won’t need to bring anything. Ma will have enough lunch for all of us.”

“Perhaps you could pick up some yard goods and thread for me, Mabel,” Ma said. “That is, if you aren’t having such a good time you forget it.”

“I told you I was going to be reliable,” I said. “Of course I won’t forget it.”

Sarah Jane and I went outside to talk about the trip. “You shouldn’t be promising things like being more reliable,” she said. “You know how easy it is for you to have something on your mind and not remember stuff.”

“If you weren’t my best friend, I wouldn’t have anything to do with you,” I said. “Don’t you think people can change for the better?”

“Certainly ‘people’ can,” Sarah Jane replied. “It’s just you that I don’t have much hope for. But never mind, I’ll help you remember what your ma wants.”

I didn’t have to be called from my room on Friday morning; I was up as soon as I heard Ma in the kitchen. My good dress and shoes were ready to put on, but I would wait until after breakfast to get dressed. As I set the table, I went over what Ma had asked for.

“You want six yards of a pretty blue print, eight yards of white shirting, and three spools of white thread. Is that right?”

“Yes,” Ma said, “that’s it. I’ll surely be glad to have it. Pa and the boys need shirts in the worst way. Which reminds me—Pa is going to town this morning, and the only shirt he has to wear is the one you sewed buttons on the other day. Where did you put it?”

“I’ll go see,” I said hurriedly. “I think it’s in my room.” I knew it was in my room, hanging over my chair. But where were the buttons? I didn’t have much time to find them and get them sewed on. I couldn’t tell Ma that I’d forgotten about it. Frantically I tried to remember what I had been doing when she gave them to me.

“Mabel,” Ma called. “You’d better hurry if you’re going to eat. Here’s Sarah Jane coming up the steps now.” But I couldn’t find the buttons anywhere.

I looked everywhere I thought the buttons could be and then went back and looked again. I could hear Ma and Sarah Jane talking in the kitchen, and I knew I couldn’t stay in my room forever. Reluctantly I took the shirt and went out to face Ma.

“You’ve either done something you shouldn’t or you haven’t done something you should,” Sarah Jane said with a sigh. “I can tell by the look on your face.”

“I didn’t sew the buttons on Pa’s shirt, and now I don’t know where they are,” I blurted out.

“I’m not surprised,” Ma replied. “I thought when I saw you put those buttons in your pocket that they’d be out of sight, out of mind.”

“Oh! That’s right! They’re in my apron. But I won’t have time to do what I was supposed to and still go. It’s my fault; I can’t blame anyone else.” I looked imploringly at Ma. “Would you do it for me, just this once if I promise not to forget again?”

Ma looked sorry, but she shook her head. “I don’t think I will, Mabel. I’m afraid there’s no other way for you to learn than to repair your own mistakes.”

I nodded and went back to my room to get the buttons. I couldn’t help crying as I thought of the beautiful day Sarah Jane and I had planned. It was all spoiled, and it was my own fault.

When I returned to the kitchen, Sarah Jane was still sitting at the table. I wiped my eyes, sat down, and jabbed at a button.

“You’d better hurry up,” I said to her. “There’s no sense in both of us missing the trip.”

“Shall I tell her before she finishes the job?” Sarah Jane asked Ma.

“Tell me what?”

“I just came by to let you know that we can’t go this morning because Pa hurt his foot. We’re going tomorrow instead. Now aren’t you glad you have another opportunity to prove how reliable you can be? You won’t get a second chance every time, you know.”

“I’m sorry your pa hurt his foot, but I’m glad I can go. And who knows, Sarah Jane. I might live long enough to become as upright and virtuous as you are.”

“Never mind,” she said with a grin. “I’m willing to do anything I can to help you improve. After all, you are my best friend!”

10

The Tangled Web

“Mabel, it’s time to get up,” Ma called to me. Before I opened my eyes I knew what kind of day it was. Rain streamed down the window, and thunder rumbled across the fields.

Oh, not today!
I thought.
How can we go to an outdoor birthday party in this weather?

As I threw back the covers and sat up, the room seemed to spin around. My head felt light, and I was aware that my throat was scratchy. Well, Ma mustn’t find out how I felt or she wouldn’t let me go, even if the weather did clear.

But there was no way to keep Ma from knowing. As soon as I opened my mouth, it was obvious that I had a cold.

“Eat your breakfast,” Ma said, “and I’ll get a blanket and pillow for the couch. You can be out here today.”

“Not all day,” I croaked. “If the rain lets up, Mrs. Brooke may still have the birthday party for her niece.”

“She’ll have it without you,” Ma answered. “You’re not going anywhere in this shape. Anyway, it rained all night. I’m sure her yard will be much too wet for a party.”

I knew Ma sympathized with me, and it wasn’t her fault that I had a cold, but I felt cross anyway. “I’ll be glad when I’m old enough to decide for myself when I’ll stay in bed,” I grumbled.

“So will I, Mabel.” Ma sighed. “I don’t enjoy this any more than you do. But until you are old enough, you’ll have to go along with what I say. Now, would you like a book to read, or are you going to lie there and complain?”

I chose a book and read until my eyes closed. I didn’t wake up till Pa and the boys came in for dinner. “It’s clearing,” Pa said. “That was a good rain. I think we can check fences this afternoon; the fields are too wet to work.”

The sun came out. I was sitting in a warm place on the porch when Sarah Jane came by. “You look awful,” she said.

“Thanks,” I replied. “There’s nothing like a visit from a friend to brighten one’s day. I don’t feel very good either, in case you’re interested.”

“I can tell you something that will make you feel better,” Sarah Jane said. “Mrs. Brooke isn’t having the birthday party today. She postponed it.”

“Oh, how wonderful! I don’t have to miss it after all! How long do I have to get rid of this cold?”

“Until Sunday.”

I stared at Sarah Jane in disbelief and then glanced toward the door to see if Ma was in earshot. “Sunday? Mrs. Brooke is having her party on Sunday?”

“Yep.”

“But we can’t go on Sunday. Our folks would never allow it.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” said Sarah Jane. “As far as I can see, the only way we’ll be able to go is for them not to know about it.”

“And just how do you plan to arrange that?” I asked. “My ma knows where I’m going, how long it takes to get there, and when I’ll be back every day of my life. And yours does too. If that’s as far as your plan goes, it’s not far enough.”

“I didn’t think it would be. But you’re good at devious plans. You come up with something.”

“You’re just full of compliments today, aren’t you?”

“Don’t be cross, Mabel. You want to go to this birthday party as much as I do. There has to be some way we can arrange it.”

“Maybe we’d better work on your idea,” I mused. “If our folks don’t know where we’re going, they can’t forbid it.” I thought a moment. “Did you tell your ma you were coming over this afternoon?”

“Didn’t have to. She knows if you’re not at our house, I’m at yours.”

“That’s the answer then. Ma will think I’m going to your place Sunday afternoon. Your ma will think you’re coming here. We can meet halfway and go on to the party.”

“Oh, Mabel! Do we dare?”

“Of course we dare. Who’s going to know?”

Sarah Jane looked at me sharply. “Are you sure your conscience isn’t going to kick you afterward until you tell someone what we did?”

“Consciences don’t kick; they prick.”

“Your conscience kicks,” she corrected me. “You’ve never gotten by with anything in your life, ’cause if your folks don’t find out, you tell ’em. Are you sure you won’t do it this time?”

“Of course I’m sure! I’m not a child anymore, you know.”

Sarah Jane got up to leave. “I’ll see you later. I’d feel easier about this whole thing if I didn’t know you so well.”

By Sunday my cold was better, and I got ready to go to church with the family. It was a beautiful morning, and Ma quoted a Scripture verse as we got into the buggy: “This is the day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” My heart sank, and I was tempted to tell her what we were planning. But the thought of Sarah Jane’s “I knew you would” kept me silent.

After dinner, I met Sarah Jane at the end of the lane, and we started toward Mrs. Brooke’s house.

“I’m proud of you, Mabel,” she said to me. “I was sure you’d back out.”

“I’m not proud of me,” I replied. “You know we’re being deceitful.”

“Oh, for goodness’ sake, Mabel. You can’t disobey your folks unless you do something they told you not to. We aren’t doing that.”

Her argument sounded logical, but deep down I knew better. I would go to the party because I’d said I would, but my heart wasn’t in it.

“Come on,” Sarah Jane said impatiently. “You look as if you were going to get castor oil instead of birthday cake. Can’t you cheer up a little?”

“Don’t you feel the least bit guilty?” I asked her.

“I probably would if I thought about it,” she said with a shrug. “So I don’t think about it.”

I determined to stop thinking about it too and have a good time at the party. A number of people were there when we arrived, and the yard looked very festive. Mrs. Brooke had tied streamers in the trees, and a large table full of little sandwiches and cakes was set up in the shade.

Sarah Jane grabbed my arm. “Mabel, whatever you do, don’t pour punch down your front or sit on someone’s cake. If you get anything on that dress, your ma will know for sure where you’ve been.”

“You sound like an old mother hen,” I told her. “Why don’t you just look out for your own dress?”

“I’m just trying to help you. I’m a naturally tidy person, but you’re inclined to have an accident every chance you get.”

I glared at her, but before I could reply, Mrs. Brooke saw us. “Oh, hello, girls. I’m so glad you could come. Have you been over to get refreshments?” She led us over to the table with an invitation to help ourselves.

We were so interested in the activity around us that we didn’t notice when the sky turned black and a wind came up.

Mrs. Brooke called for everyone to go into the house, and the young men carried the table and chairs to the porch. No sooner had we taken shelter than the skies opened up and the rain came down in torrents.

“It’s raining so hard that it shouldn’t last long,” Mr. Brooke predicted. But he was wrong. The storm showed no sign of letting up.

“We’ll need a boat to get home in this,” I said as Sarah Jane and I stood by the window and watched the storm. “We can’t stay here much longer, or—” We looked at each other. We both had the same picture of her pa going to my house to get her and my pa going to her house to get me. When they found out we weren’t at either place, there would definitely be trouble.

“Shall we make a run for it?” Sarah Jane asked.

“In our good shoes? If you think we’d be any better off by going home soaked to the bone, you’re mistaken. They’d want to know why we didn’t wait where we were until someone came for us.”

Sarah Jane sighed and looked back out the window.

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive,” she quoted.

“This is a fine time to think of that,” I said. “If you’re going to recite something, make it Scripture.”

“Do you think God is angry at us for going to a party on a Sunday when we knew our folks wouldn’t want us to?” Sarah Jane wondered.

“I don’t think so,” I replied. “The Bible says He causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike, so it must not be a punishment. We brought this one on ourselves.”

“You’re probably right,” Sarah Jane agreed. “And that means we have to take the consequences ourselves too.”

Mrs. Brooke came over to where we were standing. “Is someone coming after you girls?” she asked.

“No, ma’am,” I answered. “I don’t think so.”

“No one even knows where we are,” Sarah Jane blurted.

“Oh, dear. You mean your folks don’t know you’re here?”

We nodded.

“We’ll have to see that you get home,” Mrs. Brooke said. “I’m sure the Carters will drop you off.”

They were glad to, and we were soon on the way home. I was the first to be let out, and when I ran into the kitchen, I saw at once that what we feared had happened. Mr. Clark was sitting at our table, and Pa was nowhere to be seen.

“Mabel!” Ma cried. “Where have you been? And where is Sarah Jane?”

“She’s on her way home, Ma. The Carters brought us.”

“What were you doing at the Carters’?” Mr. Clark asked me. “We thought Sarah Jane was here.”

“We weren’t exactly at the Carters’,” I replied.

“And where exactly were you?” Ma wanted to know.

“We went to the birthday party at Mrs. Brooke’s.” I looked down at the floor, and the silence in the kitchen seemed to get louder. I wished Ma would say something.

Finally Mr. Clark cleared his throat. “Well, I’d better be getting on home. I’m glad you’re back safely.”

Ma saw him to the door. Then she turned and said, “You’d better get your clothes off, Mabel. They’re damp.”

“Aren’t you going to punish me?”

“We’ll talk about it when Pa gets back. Go along now.”

Pa was drying himself off by the time I got back to the kitchen.

“I’m sorry, Pa. I know I did wrong.”

“Do you know why we’d rather you didn’t go to a party on a Sunday?” he asked me.

“Yes, it’s the Lord’s Day.”

Pa nodded. “And we believe that Sunday is set apart for worship and rest. There are six other days to work and play.”

“We didn’t do anything but eat and talk. We didn’t play games.”

Pa put his arm around me. “You’re getting old enough now to decide some things for yourself. How you spend your time is one of them. I hope you remember, though, that if you have to scheme to get something, you would probably be better off without it.”

“Thanks, Pa. I’ll remember,” I said as I hugged him. Then I went off to bed, happier than I had been all day.