The Cories come over for dinner with the O'Neals in this chapter and some crazy events unfold!
Chapter 15
Tuesday came and
Lillian made sure Danielle didn’t sneak away to help Paul. She caught Danielle
trying to slip out the back door.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Lillian said,
catching Danielle by the arm. “I need your help.”
Danielle sighed but
followed. “What do you want me to do?”
“I need you to
sweep the parlor right now.” Lillian handed Danielle the broom.
Danielle meekly
took the broom and went to sweep. Belle waltzed in a few minutes later. She
headed into the kitchen where she and Lillian began baking some bread.
Cassandra came into the room then and busily mopped behind Danielle. Lillian
was very strict about housekeeping. She never let the girls slack.
Belle and Lillian
busily rolled out the bread dough and kneaded it thoroughly. They worked
quietly until Belle broke the silence.
“You know, I was
thinking,” Belle began softly, “that Mama and Papa would have wanted the girls
to call you and Mr. O’Neal Ma and Pa. I know Danielle has started calling
you both that and I spoke with the other girls and they wish to call you Ma and
Pa too, they were just waiting for my permission.” Belle’s face turned pink in
embarrassment. “I told them they could call you Ma and Pa and you can even use
their nicknames that Mama gave them too if you’d like.”
Lillian turned to
smile at Belle. “That means so much to me, Belle.”
“Mama would’ve
loved to get to know you,” Belle said. “You two would’ve been fast friends.”
Belle looked out the window as she spoke. “Mama would be honored if you would
continue calling the girls by their nicknames.”
“I’m the one who is
honored,” Lillian said, setting the bread down in a pan. “Honest.”
Belle nodded and
smiled.
“Do you mind
going over the nicknames for the girls? I want to be sure I get them right.”
“Sure. Nadia is
Sweetheart, Megan is Pearl, Lynn is Pixie, Faith is Rose, Elsie is Sunlight,
Danielle is Darling, and Cassandra is Dreamer.” Belle rattled off the names
with ease.
Lillian mentally
went over the names. “Do you mind explaining the nicknames? I don’t understand
all of them.”
“Nadia is
Sweetheart because she was Mama’s last child and Mama only knew her briefly.
Megan is Pearl because Mama loved pearls and the name Megan means pearl. Lynn is
Pixie because was just three she wandered off, searching for
fairies. Faith is Rose because Faith loves roses so much. Elsie is
Sunlight because she is always cheerful no matter what. Danielle is Darling
because even though Danielle is a tomboy, Mama knew that there is a young lady
deep inside of her. And Cassandra is Dreamer because she is always dreaming
about her future and her Prince Charming.”
Lillian smiled,
“Well now I see how they each fit their nicknames. Your Mama did well in
nicknaming them.”
“She did,” Belle
nodded.
~~~
At four, the
youngest girls arrived home from school. They were sent to their rooms to
finish any homework while Lillian and Belle labored over the stove. By five
fifty-five, everything was ready. The table was set, the food was waiting, the
O’Neal family was all dressed in their good clothes, and the house was spick
and span. Paul was in his best blue shirt and had his beard trimmed. Lillian
had her white top and forest green skirt on. The three eldest all had their
store-bought gowns on; Belle had her sky blue gown, Cassandra had her white
one, and Danielle had her green one. Elsie and Faith had their newly made
yellow gowns on while Lynn, Megan, and Nadia had their pink dresses. The
sound of a creaking wagon brought the girls to the windows.
“It’s the Cories!” Faith
confirmed.
Paul swung open the
door and welcomed the family inside. Small flurries of snowflakes tumbled out
of the darkening sky. It was a pretty background for the Cories to walk
through.
Grandma Corie came
through first. She was dressed in a long purple dress with a big sash tied
around the center. She seemed to glow with happiness. William and
Silas strolled in next. Both had on crimson red
shirts, black suspenders, and black pants. Their hair was still damp
from their baths earlier that day and it was combed neatly out of their
eyes. Titus sauntered in last. His hair was slicked back and he had
an orange shirt with black pants and black suspenders. He
actually looked very respectable.
Everyone was
beckoned to the table to eat. Everyone talked and ate heartily. Paul and
Lillian kept the conversation rolling by including everyone in on the
conversation. Titus seemed like he didn’t want to talk much but he was
constantly being asked questions from Paul.
Grandma Corie was
full of joy. She chatted with Lillian, the twins, and Belle the entire meal.
Danielle and Cassandra listened to William tell story after story. Even Lynn,
Megan, and Nadia were interested. William could a whopper of a tale and make it
seem real by the way he described the story.
After supper,
Danielle and the twins volunteered to wash the dishes. The twins were always
seeking to be helpful and Danielle didn’t feel listening to the older
women talk about latest dress fashions and the like. Belle, Cassandra, and
Lillian sat on the couch and Grandma Corie eased into the rocker. Paul offered
Titus the nice chair and Paul sat on the other couch. Lynn and Megan
shyly asked William and Silas if they wanted to play checkers. William and
Silas agreed kindly and helped set up the board. William and Lynn played first.
It was a fairly quick game. William finally cornered Lynn and captured her
pieces. Silas played William next. This game was long and heated. William would
be ahead, then Silas. In the end, Silas managed to win. William was a good
sport and congratulated his brother. Megan and Silas began playing each other
soon after. Nadia was resting in Belle’s lap. She listened as Lillian
discussed dress styles with Grandma Corie. Belle and Cassandra were intently
listening too. Grandma Corie was going on and on about how much the style had
changed since she was a girl.
Danielle
finished drying the last dish and Faith put it away. Elsie peeked out the
window as she closed the curtain. She gave a short gasp at the sight. Snow was
flying out of the sky and charging at the ground. Elsie turned and hurried to
the parlor.
“Pa! You might want
to look outside.”
Paul and Titus
leaped from their seats and hastened to the door. There was nearly two feet of
snow staring back at him with more snow falling by the second. Paul shut the
door and leaned his back against it. He looked grimly at Titus.
“I don’t think you’ll
be able to go home any time soon.”
Titus
sighed. “Well, what will we do?”
“Stay here of
course,” Lillian spoke up. “If you men go sleep in the sod house behind the
barn, there will enough room for everyone.”
Paul didn’t
hesitate. “She’s right. Titus and I will go to the sod house and the rest
of you can sleep here.”
Everyone went to
work right away. Belle, Cassandra, and Lillian went to find night shirts for
William and Silas. Lillian even found an extra for Titus. Meanwhile, Danielle
and the twins fetched blankets for the men. Paul and Titus took supplies and
prepared to rush out through the snow.
“Goodnight,
girls,” Paul said as he hugged them goodnight. He picked up Oakley and
smiled at his son. “Sleep well,” he whispered. He handed Oakley to
Cassandra and turned to Lillian. “Goodnight, my love.”
Titus bid his
sons goodnight and waved to Grandma Corie. The door was opened and the two
fathers disappeared out into the blur of white. Once the men were gone, Lillian
went to fix up the bedroom for Grandma Corie and the boys. She decided it would
be best for the Cories to take the big bedroom. While Lillian hauled Oakley’s
cradle and some clothing out of the bedroom, Grandma Corie busily followed
Lillian.
“Please don’t do
this,” she pleaded feebly. “The boys and I can sleep here in the
parlor.”
Lillian shook her
head. “No, I won’t have it. I’ll just sleep with the girls tonight. No
sense in me and Oakley in that big room when there are three of you who need a
place to sleep.”
An hour later,
Lillian said goodnight to the Cories and walked into the parlor. Belle,
Cassandra, and Danielle were all standing there.
“Everyone else is
in bed,” Belle announced.
“Good,” Lillian
said. “Danielle, please take Oakley’s cradle and place it in the loft.”
Danielle took the cradle
upstairs into the loft. Cassandra, Lillian, and Oakley followed. Lillian placed
Oakley in the cradle and kissed him goodnight.
“Goodnight, Oakley,”
she whispered.
Danielle laid out
some blankets on the floor. “I’ll sleep on the floor and you and Cassandra can
share the bed.”
“Thank-you,”
Lillian smiled.
Danielle crawled
between the blankets and Lillian and Cassandra climbed into the bed.
Within minutes, everyone in the house was fast asleep.
~~~
The next morning a
banging noise woke the ladies up in the loft. They hurried out of
bed and down the stairs. Belle was coming out of the
bedroom. Lillian reached the door first. She swung open the door
to behold Paul was standing outside the door.
“Morning!” he
called.
“Good morning,” the
four ladies returned.
“When will
breakfast be ready?” he asked his wife.
“Thirty
minutes,” Lillian answered.
“Good,” Paul
turned around and went back outside. It had stopped snowing and a fresh, new,
wonderland was sparkling. Lillian shut the door as a gust of frosty
air whipped through the open door. The four ladies returned to their rooms to
change into dresses.
A half
hour later, Paul and Titus entered the house. The welcomed the warmth of
the fire and the delicious smell of the food. Everyone crowded around the table
and waited as Paul prayed for the food.
“When do you think
the Cories will be able to get back to their farm?” Lillian asked as she
placed food on a plate for the baby.
“Afternoon at the
earliest,” Paul returned.
“The sun is shining
so hopefully some will melt enough for me to get my wagon going,” Titus added.
After the dishes were done, Lillian gave the girls permission to play outside.
William, Silas, and all the girls bundled up. They ran around in the soft snow.
They had a great snowball fight and then went on a hike in the woods. There was
a problem though. Everyone wanted to go a different way. Danielle wanted to go
north, Lynn and Faith wanted to go west, and Cassandra, Elsie, Megan, and
Nadia wanted to go east. So it was decided that they would all go their
separate ways and William and Silas could tag along with whoever they wanted.
Silas chose to follow Cassandra’s group and William went with
Danielle—to protect her, should anything happen.
Lillian, Paul, and
Grandma Corie rested in the parlor while the children played
outside. Grandma Corie was reading through some of the old newspapers Paul had
while Lillian read a novel. Paul was busy adding up figures.
“What happened to
Titus?” Paul asked looking around.
Lillian looked up
from her book, “He was just here...”
Grandma Corie put
down her newspaper. “He probably went for a walk.”
“Oh,” Paul and
Lillian said.
~~~
Danielle and
William trudged along.
“It’s really purdy
here,” William remarked. “Nice woods.”
“Yeah. I enjoy
hiking here,” Danielle breathed in deeply. She admired the tall pines
hovering over her and the aspens creeping up beside her.
“Ya know, fer a
girl, you are mighty fun to be around.” William shuffled through the snow
on Danielle’s left.
“Thanks,” Danielle
replied with a smile. “You’re fun to be around too.”
“You’re purdy
too,” he said. “Not that I like you or nuttin’ jest sayin’.”
“I see. Thanks
again.” Beneath all his roughness, Danielle saw a sweet young boy on the
verge of becoming a young man.
Suddenly two
gunshots fired a few yards ahead of them. Danielle glanced around in alarm.
William jumped in surprise.
“Look!” he
hollered. “It’s Pa!”
In a clearing up
ahead was Titus Corie waving two pistols around. He shot off another bullet all the while whooping and shouting.
“Mr.
Corie!” Danielle cried, rushing over to Titus. “Please stop! You’ll
hurt someone!”
Titus tilted his
head sideways and pushed Danielle aside. “Git outta heeah, girl.” Titus
slurred his words together.
Danielle came back
and grabbed the gun in Mr. Corie’s right hand. “Please, sir...”
Titus angrily
swiped the gun across Danielle’s face. Danielle felt the sharp, cool metal
slap and cut into her cheek. She fell to the ground.
“Pa!” William shouted. “You
hurt her!” He stepped near his Pa. “Stop it!”
Danielle put her
hand up to her face. She drew her hand back and saw the blood on her hand. Her
eyes widened.
Another gunshot
rang out. This time a cry shouted. Danielle looked over and saw Titus tumbling
forward.
“Pa!” William
yelled. He hurled himself at his pa. “You’re shot!”
Danielle took one
look at Mr. Corie’s ghostly white face and jumped up and ran. She ran
faster and faster. Her only thought was to get away from that terrible
scene.
After some time,
Danielle found herself in front of the O’Neal’s log cabin. She stumbled inside. Lillian shot up from the couch when she saw Danielle’s
face. The left side of Danielle’s cheek was still dripping with blood from her
wound.
“Ma...” Danielle
said weakly.
Lillian ran over;
ready to clean Danielle’s face with her apron.
“Not your new
apron,” Danielle managed to whisper.
“Here, use
mine.” Belle was suddenly beside Danielle and handing Lillian another
apron. The next thing Danielle knew, Paul picked her up and began carrying
her slowly and gently to the couch. Lillian was at Danielle’s side
holding the apron against Danielle’s gash. Danielle was laid on the couch
and Lillian continued to clean the wound.
“What on earth
happened?” Lillian asked.
Danielle stiffened
against the couch. “I…”
Lillian gazed at
Danielle. “What?”
“I fell.” Danielle
ceased talking.
“Did you hurt
anything else?” Lillian inquired.
“No.”
Lillian placed a
bandage over Danielle’s cheek. Danielle sucked in a breath as she felt the
pressure against her wound. “I’m sorry, Darling,” Lillian whispered. “This may
hurt.” She pressed the bandage to be sure it was on tightly before she let go.
“There, how’s that?”
“Fine,” Danielle
nodded.
“Good. You just
rest.”
~~~
The door burst open
again twenty minutes later and Elsie flew in.
“Pa! Pa! Mr. Corie
has been shot and he needs help!”
Paul ran out the
door with Elsie. "Where is he?"
“In the clearing
about three miles north of here.” Elsie looked up at Paul. “Cassandra is with
him now but it’s really bad.”
“Go fetch Doctor
Young.” Paul went in the barn to get Ruth before rushing into
the snowy woods. He and galloped through the trees at a perilous speed.
They reached the scene at a remarkable time and Paul rushed over to where
Cassandra and William were doing their best to help Titus. Nadia, Megan, and
Silas were standing back a ways. They were watching wide-eyed.
“He is still barely
alive,” Cassandra whispered as Paul knelt beside her.
Paul looked at
Cassandra. Her face was almost as pale as Titus’s
face. “Cassandra,” he said gently. “Take the children home; they
don’t need to see this.”
Cassandra stood up
and walked to the children. She took hold of her younger sisters’ hands
and walked away. Silas stood rooted in his place. Cassandra turned around. “Silas?”
she called.
“I wanna
stay with my Pa,” he said quietly.
Cassandra didn’t
argue and took the girls home.
Paul and William
watched Titus. He was breathing hard and sweating bad. Silas numbly watched
behind the other two.
“What
happened?” Paul asked.
Williams’s eyes
were cold and dark. “He got drunk. Starting shooting and shot himself by
accident.” He glared at his pa. “Oh, Pa! Why did you do this?”
Paul laid his hand
on William’s shoulder. “I guess he just couldn’t stand the trials God
placed on him.”
“So God is takin’ him...?”
“Yes, son.”
“To
heaven?” William asked softly.
“I surely hope
so.”
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