Page 16 (1/2)
Mary, looking worn, stared out theat the last of the black-eyed Susans along the back fence Her chin rested in one hand, the other hand smoothed the tablecloth
"So," I continued, "I’ lady ju over her chair "Praise Jesus! You were oes See hoe get along At least it will solve the proble off the top of a load of firewood, and one I lock my journal with its little key, tuck it under the sofa cushion, and open the door
For a week, Bitsy and I tiptoe around each other, careful not to offend At six AM I wake to hear her shaking the grate, taking out ashes, tossing in the kindling and split oak that Mr Cabrini and Thounnysacks full of small chunks of coal, spilled by the railway cars, that the Cabrini children had picked up along the tracks
The pile of black gold and the stack of oak and hickory areMrs Cabrini’s baby If you don’t count the golden crescent moon that Katherine dropped in my apron pocket before I left, it’s the best pay time
By the time I rise and dress in an old sweater and trousers, the downstairs is war on the top of the cast-iron cookstove Bitsy and I eat together in the kitchen (there’s nowhere else to eat), though I suppose she and Mary dined separately from the MacIntoshes We comment on the weather and discuss the chores for the day There’s no ht has dried up and is at Mr Hester’s, consorting with his bull
"Do you want some more toast?" Bitsy asks me
"No, I’ personal The habit of hiding my past is so much a part of me, I wouldn’t knohere to start We just tread the surface of the backwaters, never diving into the stream
I could ask Bitsy if she has a sweetheart Does he live in town? Does she miss him? I could ask what her favorite food is or what books she likes to read, but I just eat ets up and clears the table
At first I insisted she letup, but the young woman always rises before I do I had to draw the line when she got out the washtub and washboard and started to launder my underclothes!
Yesterday, at breakfast, a deer and her fawn crossed the yard just outside the picket fence that circles the house
"Bitsy," I hiss "Look!"
The set oes up sharply "No! Not the mother with her baby!"
"Most female deer will have babies this ti "They give birth in the spring, and by fall the young ones are following them around If you want to eat ot to hunt The fawn is old enough to survive"