The O'Neal Girls Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Lofty Paul O’Neal quietly entered the dark house. The sounds of sleeping children filled the rooms. He and his wife, Lillian, had just adopted nine girls, in addition to their first adoption of one girl, and had a baby boy two months earlier. Paul had recently added another room to the cabin to house all the girls. The seven youngest girls—Elsie, Faith, Hannah, Jinger, Lynn, Megan, and Nadia—slept in the new room with Cassandra—the second eldest. The oldest—Belle—and third oldest—Danielle slept in the loft upstairs. 

The ten girls who were adopted by the O’Neals were all previous sisters. Their father and mother had died and left the girls and their four brothers to fend for themselves. Their four brothers ended up leaving the girls. The oldest brother knew that they had to go out and find work or they would all die up in the Black Hills. The girls stayed together and faithfully worked hard to try and make a living. One day they ventured to the city with their friends. The local sheriff imprisoned them because they were orphans. He said the girls would have to find new home. The girls were split into three different families. The O’Neal family, who had previously adopted Danielle, ended up adopting all ten of the girls. 

Paul smiled as Lillian crept into the parlor to greet him. Paul rubbed his small, black beard and held open his arms. 

​            “The baby’s asleep,” she said in her soft, musical voice. She allowed herself to fall into Paul’s huge, welcoming arms. 

​

“Little Oakley,” Paul said thinking of his son. Paul sat down on his chair and Lillian on the couch. Paul rubbed his black beard thoughtfully. His face turned down as he reached into his pocket and produced some bills. 

​            “What’s that?” Lillian asked. 

​            “All the money I have left to my name,” he replied grimly. He fanned out two bills. 

​            Meanwhile, sixteen-year-old Danielle peeked her chocolate head over the banister and peer at the bills. I wonder what they’re talking about, she wondered. 

​            Lillian gasped as she saw the bills. “Twenty-five dollars? That’s all?” 

​            “I’m afraid so. With the supplies for the extra room we built and the extra mouths to feed, I wasn’t prepared.” 

​            “What are we going to do?” Lillian left the couch and knelt by Paul’s chair. She bit her lower lip nervously. 

​            “I’m not sure…” 

​            “Can you take on more work?” 

​            “No.” 

​            “Can we sell anything?” 

​            “We can sell the goats,” Paul said mentally counting over the ten current goat residents. ”I know a man who will buy them.” 

“Why don’t I go find a teaching job,” Lillian suggested. “I have the experience.”

​            “You can’t! You have to take care of the house…we have Oakley to consider,” Paul replied.

​            “Then we’re going to have to trust the Lord to lead us through this.” Lillian stood and kissed Paul then turned around, “Now that we’re done talking, Danielle, please come down here.” Lillian’s eyes looked up at the loft and spied Danielle peering down at her.

​            Danielle sucked in a sharp breath as she realized she was caught. She hung her head in embarrassment.

​            “Come on down here,” Lillian called.

            Danielle quietly came down the steps and sat down beside Lillian on the couch.

            “Why aren’t you asleep yet?” Lillian asked.

            “I couldn’t fall asleep,” Danielle shrugged. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop…I just…I…” Danielle stopped lamely and blushed. “I’m sorry.”

            Paul chuckled, “Just do better next time, huh?”

            Danielle nodded her promise.

            “How much did you hear?”

            “Um…all of it.”

            Paul sighed and shook his head. “I hope you won’t mention this to anyone else.”

            “I won’t…but I do have an idea that might help us,” Danielle cautiously looked at the O’Neals.

            “Let’s hear it then,” Paul prompted.

​            Danielle took a deep breath, “I was thinking Belle, Cassandra, the twins, and I could go out and help you in the woods. We could help drag the trees back and we can chop too and—”

​            “No.” Paul said firmly. “I can do it. I don’t need help. Thank-you, but no.”

​            “What if I go into Fairburn tomorrow and look for a teaching job?” Lillian suggested.

            Fairburn was the closest town to the O’Neals’ cabin. It took about an hour to get there with a horse and buggy.

            “You know that you won’t be able to get a job,” Paul replied. “They already have a teacher at the school. Besides, they don’t hired married women to teach.”

​            “I can at least try,” Lillian said. “We have to do something.”

            “You don’t need to worry about that anymore,” a voice said.

​            All three turned to see eighteen year-old Belle walking down from the loft. Her long golden hair hung down her back and her blue eyes sparkled in the dim light. “I’m taking the girls back to the cabin.”

​            “What?” Danielle cried out loudly. Lillian clapped her hand over Danielle’s open mouth and hushed her before she woke the others.

​            “Danielle,” Belle said, “we’ve cost the O’Neals enough already. I want to go back to our old life.”

​            “I don’t,” Danielle muttered stubbornly. “We have a better life here.” Danielle folded her arms angrily.

​            “No we don’t. If we stay, the O’Neals will starve!”

​            “Belle, we won’t starve,” Paul spoke up. “It will be tight but—”

​            “It’s too late, I want to take my sisters home—with your permission, of course.”

​            Paul glanced at Lillian, whose troubled eyes brought no relief. “I can’t say no,” Paul replied with a hint of reluctance.

​            “But you can’t!” Danielle said standing up and glaring at Belle. “We have nothing back home!” A rage of anger rushed through Danielle’s body.

​            “We have enough,” Belle said through clenched teeth. “Go upstairs and go back to bed.”

​            Danielle didn’t move an inch. She stared defiantly back at Belle. “Make me.”

​            “Danielle,” Belle said again. Her voice wavered nervously.

            “You aren’t in charge of me anymore.” Danielle turned to the O’Neals. “They adopted me. I’m not going back with you!”

​            “Danielle,” Lillian said laying a hand on Danielle’s arm. “Why don’t you both go back to bed and we can discuss this in the morning?”

            “I’ve made up my mind and I won’t change it.” Belle looked down at her feet. “I’m sorry for all the trouble we caused you.”

            “You were no trouble at all,” Paul said quietly.

            Belle ignored Paul’s comment. “I’ll be taking the girls back tomorrow morning; that way it will be easier on all of us.”

            Danielle stared at Belle, “So soon?! But…but!”

            “Danielle,” Belle cut Danielle off. “Stop it.”

            Danielle balled her fists. She opened her mouth to say something rude and nasty, but nothing came out. Danielle spun around and rushed back into the loft. She threw herself on the bed and ducked under the blankets. Belle has no right to take us back to the farm! Danielle thought to herself. Our life was awful back there. It was no fun and we were always just barely getting by. The O’Neals like us…they want to be our friends…they want to help us. Why can’t we let them help? Danielle heard Belle enter the room and lay down on the bed next to her. Danielle stiffened and rolled as far away as she could.

            “Goodnight, Danielle,” Belle said.

            Danielle squeezed her eyes shut and pretended not to hear Belle. Belle let Danielle alone and soon both girls were asleep.

~~~​ 

​            At eight o’clock the next morning, Danielle sat upstairs in her bed and sadly stared at her pillow. She was thinking of something she could do to stop Belle. She didn’t want to go back. She wanted to stay with the O’Neals.

​            “Belle’s waiting for you,” a soft voice said. Lillian entered the loft and looked at Danielle.

​            Danielle glanced up for a moment then back at the pillow. “I don’t want to go. You and Paul adopted me…keep me with you,” Danielle begged Lillian.

​            “We can’t do that. You’d miss your sisters,” Lillian attempted a smile. She walked over to the bed and looked down at Danielle.

​            “I know…” Danielle felt tears blur her vision. She sniffed but the tears kept coming. “I just wish we all would stay.”

​            “Danielle…please don’t make this any harder on me,” Lillian said in a shaky voice.

​            Danielle glanced at Lillian and she could see the sadness etched on Lillian's face, “You and Paul want us to stay! Make us stay with you, please! You legally adopted all of us but Belle. Keep us with you and if Belle really wants to live at the old farm, she can live by herself. We don’t have a good life back home…we have a good life here! I was just beginning to think of this as…as home.”

​            “Danielle…please…just go.” Lillian rushed down the steps to her bedroom.

​            Danielle dried her eyes, grabbed her bag, and went to meet her sisters. Belle and Cassandra were climbing onto the front seat, Lynn, Megan, and Nadia were huddling together in the back of the wagon under the seat, and Hannah and Jinger were sitting beside Elsie and Faith in the middle. Danielle climbed onto the back of the wagon and allowed her feet to hang down above the ground. Paul let go of the horses and waved goodbye.

​            “I’ll return the horses within two days,” Belle said fastening her bonnet. ​  

            “So long, girls,” Paul lifted his hand. The horses trotted forward; towards the Hansen cabin.

​~~~

            No one talked the whole trip. Everyone was miring in their own thoughts; especially Danielle. Danielle was so angry she wouldn’t even look at her sisters.

            Shortly after noon, the girls stopped to eat lunch. Danielle remained seated in the back of the wagon while the rest of her sisters sat on the side of the road, eating their picnic lunch.

            Danielle suddenly hear Faith speak up, “Isn’t that Ruth and Esther?”

            Danielle looked out and saw two stocky Clydesdale horses grazing in a meadow further up the road. Danielle instantly recognized the creatures as the Hansen’s old wagon horses.

​            Belle walked over to the wagon, “Danielle, will you and the twins go fetch the horses?”

            Danielle stood and grabbed the loop of rope. She walked towards the animals with Faith and Elsie following. The horses seemed startled at first and it took a while until Faith, Elsie, and Danielle calmed them down. Danielle finally tied a piece of rope around each neck and with the twins help, she led them back to the wagon.

​            “Here,” she said tying the end of the rope to the wagon.

​            “Thank-you,” Belle said returning to the other girls to finish their lunch. “Aren’t you going to eat anything?” she inquired when Danielle didn’t follow her.

            “I’m not hungry.”

            Belle walked back to Danielle, “What is wrong? You’ve been cross all day!”

            “You know why!” Danielle snapped glaring at her older sister. How could Belle not know why she was sad?

            Belle sat down beside Danielle. “I’m just doing what’s best for us.”

            “What’s best for us? Or for yourself?” Danielle challenged. She turned her head and locked her eyes on Belle’s.

            Belle seemed flustered at Danielle’s challenge. “For all of us! We’re a family…we need to stay together.”

            “The O’Neals want to be our family now, why can we stay with them?”

            “I don’t want to impose on them.”

            “They adopted us, they want us to impose,” Danielle sighed angrily. “The girls need a real family…someone for them to rely on…” Danielle paused and looked away from Belle. “We all need that.”

            Belle nodded slowly in response. “I suppose they do…I just…” Belle sighed and stared thoughtfully of into the distance. I don’t want to go back! she thought. I want to start over again. We don’t need the O’Neals! They are making my sisters forget about Mama and Papa. Belle looked over at her sister and sighed. If I take them back home…they’ll hate me. And it is true…we do have nothing at home…but Mama wanted me to raise them…not Mr. and Mrs. O’Neal. But the O'Neals have more to offer…. Belle stopped and turned back to Danielle. “Danielle, maybe we should go back.”

            “Really?” Danielle looked up in surprise.

            “I think I made a hasty decision…you girls deserve a real home. I wish I could’ve given you one but I can’t.”

            Danielle jumped up from the ground and threw her arms around Belle. Danielle lifted her slim sister right off the ground and spun her around. “Belle, I’m sorry for sulking, but I’m so glad we’re going back. I know this is the right choice.”

​            ​Belle laughed a light, nervous laugh as Danielle set her back down. “As long as we’re together; we’ll be fine.” Belle hoped that statement would prove to be true. 

​            The two headed over to the others and spread the news. Danielle wasn’t the only excited one. Everyone happily cheered and piled back into the wagon. Danielle climbed up to the front with Belle and slapped the reins across the two O’Neal buskin horses, Strawberry and Midnight, and the horses started back home. 

~~~ 

Paul smiled at his sleeping son and crawled into bed. ​”Lillian? Are you done brushing your hair yet?”  

Lillian looked up from the chair she was sitting in. “I’m almost done,” Lillian said. She tied her hair into a thick braid that trailed down her back and stood up. “I’m going to go say goodnight to the—” Lillian stopped in mid-sentence and sighed. She was still thinking the girls were in the house. 

​            Paul smiled weakly. “I’m sorry, my love. I miss them too.” 

​            Lillian walked to the cradle where Oakley slept peacefully. ”You’re all I have left,” she said as she kissed his light strawberry blonde hair. A sudden jangling noise brought Lillian to the window. 

​            “Lillian, come to bed,” Paul called from the bed. 

​            Lillian peeked out the window and saw a wagon in front of the barn. “What…?” Lillian grabbed her robe and walked to the front room and opened the door. Ten girls piled into the house.

​            “We’re back!” Nadia’s voice screeched loudly. 

​            “Nadia? Megan? Lynn? Jinger? Hannah? Faith? Elsie? Danielle? Cassandra? Belle?” Lillian sputtered out each name with question and joy. “You’re back!” 

​            “I felt that the girls needed a better home than what I could give them,” Belle said softly.  

            Danielle smiled at Lillian and Paul. “I’m so glad we’re back!”

            “I’m glad you’re back too,” Lillian said touching Danielle’s shoulder. She turned to face all the girls. “I’m so glad you’re all back!”

​            Paul ushered the rest of the girls inside. “Come on in and get settled back into your rooms. I’m sure you’re all exhausted.”

Lamps were lit as the girls moved back into their rooms. Danielle and Belle crawled into their bed at nine-thirty; exhausted. Lillian’s and Paul’s voice floated up to the loft.

​            “Goodnight girls.”

​            “Sleep well.”

~~~

Belle, Cassandra, the twins, and Danielle woke up at six and quickly dressed. Belle and Cassandra helped Lillian in the kitchen while Danielle and the twins helped Paul in the barn. Hannah and Jinger set the table while the youngest girls made all the beds. 

​            “Someone go check the eggs!” 

​            “Don’t drop that plate!” 

​            “Tell Faith we need the milk!” 

​            “Lillian! The baby’s crying!” 

​            Cassandra rushed to the eggs, Hannah steadied the plate, Belle ran to find Faith, and Lillian hurried to Oakley. 

​            Belle opened the front door and leaned her head outside. ”Faith! We need the milk,” Belle called. 

​            Faith came out of the barn with a bucket of milk. “Here you go,” Faith said passing off the bucket. ”We’ll be right in!” 

“Already?” Belle asked, “Breakfast won’t be done for another ten minutes.” 

“We don’t have to feed the goats anymore,” Faith reminded. The outdoor tasks had certainly dwindled since Paul had sold off all his goats.  

​            “Oh I didn’t know he sold them,” Belle said taking the bucket inside. 

​            Lillian was holding a crying Oakley when she returned and Cassandra was screaming at Hannah. Lillian traded Belle the baby for the milk bucket and hurried into the kitchen. 

​            “You said you could watch the eggs!” 

​            “I was but Jinger needed me!” 

​            “You almost cost us breakfast!” 

​            “I’m sorry!” 

​            “Sorry doesn’t help!” 

​            “Enough!” Lillian shouted stepping between Cassandra and Hannah. “What happened?” she asked looking at Cassandra. 

​            “Hannah said she would keep an eye on the eggs while I fixed the bacon. She forgot about them and they almost burned!” 

​            “Hannah?” 

​            “I was watching them but Jinger needed me so I left—only for a little. I came right back and Cassandra began yelling.” 

​            “Well,” Lillian said looking at each girl, “Hannah, next time tell Cassandra you need to leave. Cassandra, the eggs didn’t burn, so everything’s alright.” 

​            Both girls nodded sullenly and returned to their work.  

Danielle poked her head in the door. ”Aren’t you glad we’re back?” She grinned at Lillian.

Lillian shook her head as she took Oakley back from Belle. “I am glad you’re home…honestly.”

Belle walked into the kitchen and helped finish breakfast. Home. Home isn’t here…it shouldn’t be here. It should be back at our farm; not here with the O’Neals. Belle frowned and poured the milk into a pitcher. Yes the O’Neals have more to offer but they aren’t our family. They’re interfering! 

Chapter Two