The Tender Years Read online

  Virginia looked after Jedd. She could hear his whistle as it drifted back on the warmth and stillness of the afternoon spring day. If only she had the nerve to follow suit.

  The trip to the hardware store was rather a letdown. Five neighborhood men sat around a large nail keg, checkerboard set out before them as Mr. Telsworth took on Mr. Teigs in what appeared to be a tight match. The others watched, eyes glued to the board, or clucked appreciatively as a brilliant move was made. When the ragtag band of school friends self-consciously entered the store, eyes lifted from the board to focus fully on all the young faces. Even Mr. Lougin himself seemed ready to welcome them if it meant a sale.

  “Help you young folks?” he asked good-naturedly as he moved toward them from his spot on an upturned barrel.

  Virginia could hear the shuffling of feet. No one spoke. There seemed to be nothing to say. Then Jenny managed to find her tongue.

  “We were wondering if you got in any of those six-inch-tall inkwells—like they carry in the city.”

  The man shook his head. “No tall inkwells. Have the standard—”

  “No, that’s not what we wanted. Tall ones hold more. We just thought …”

  “I’ll sure look into it. See what I can do.” Mr. Lougin pulled a stubby pencil from behind his ear and tugged the little note pad from the front of his bib coverall. He gave the pencil a bit of a lick before he put it to the paper to make himself a note concerning tall inkwells.

  “How many you thinking you might need?” he asked without even looking up.

  Jenny was backing slowly toward the door, her little cluster of followers slowly backing with her. For once she seemed to be losing control of the situation. “Uh … maybe … maybe six or eight.”

  Mr. Lougin’s left eyebrow shot up. “Half a dozen.”

  Jenny nodded. “They are rather pricey,” she said, her chin lifting as she seemed to recover her haughty spirit. “Pro’bly not many folks in this town can afford them.”

  The right eyebrow joined the left, but Mr. Lougin said nothing as his pencil scratched on. “Maybe a dozen,” he muttered to himself as he finished his writing.

  The little group backed themselves right out onto the side? walk. Virginia could feel a collective sigh pass through the entire company.

  “Six-inch-tall inkwells,” whispered Freddie. “Never heard of six-inch-tall inkwells.”

  Jenny gave him a scathing look. “Neither will Mr. Lougin,” she said with a toss of her head. “Not any such thing.”

  “You mean—?” Sammie Boycie began the question that he never did finish. Instead, as the light began to dawn he howled at the fun of it. It seemed to lighten the spirits of the entire little group. Jenny tossed her red hair and emitted a delighted giggle. The situation was redeemed. She was back in charge again. The trip had not been a total disaster after all.

  “Maybe you could talk to him.”

  Virginia was already shaking her head even as Jenny broached the suggestion.

  “He goes to your church, doesn’t he?”

  Virginia nodded. That was true. But what did that have to do with it? Besides, she simply could not understand Jenny’s determination to get Jamison Curtis to be one of her little set. Jamison had been approached a number of times. It was true that he could be as much fun as anyone, but it was also true that he had vetoed Jenny’s plans on more than one occasion. Yet Jenny kept persisting. Virginia could not understand it. She knew that if she had crossed Jenny as many times as Jamison already had, she’d be out. No parole. No forgiveness. No pardon.

  “He wouldn’t … he wouldn’t listen to me,” she was mumbling to Jenny.

  “’Course he would. I think he likes you,” cut in Ruthie and received a look from Jenny that stopped her rush of words. “Sort of,” she finished lamely.

  Virginia again shook her head. Jamison Curtis was a good two years her senior. He sat with the bigger boys in church. He took his faith seriously. Very seriously. The pastor himself had his eye on Jamison for great things. Oh, he’d never really come right out and said so, but Virginia could tell. He always smiled at Jamison in a special way, and he gave him unique little jobs to do with the young people. Every kid in church knew it—and accepted it. Jamison was geared for leadership—not for following. And especially not for following someone like Jenny.

  “He’ll never do it—no matter who asks him,” Virginia maintained stoutly, chancing Jenny’s wrath.

  “We aren’t going to do anything bad,” insisted Jenny. “Just have a bit of fun. Maybe just … just go for a malt … or soda or something.”

  Virginia thought back to that other time they had gone for a soda. It had been fun. She loved sodas. But she sure wondered if yielding to the temptation had been worth it. She still remembered all those nights of dishwashing. She didn’t like doing dishes. And she didn’t like being on the outs with her family.

  Her mind hurried on, wondering almost against her will if Freddie might have another nickel that he would be willing to spend so they could share another soda together. That had been fun, too. At the time. But things were changing somehow. She didn’t know how or why, but she didn’t feel the same way about Freddie that she once had. It bothered her when he pushed close up against her side and seemed to think he had a right to be there. Sort of like she was his girl or something. In one way, it made her feel a bit special. In another way, it made her feel cornered. And what if her parents ever saw that? She wanted to back away—or push Freddie back a step.

  But Jenny was speaking again.

  “Just a quick soda.”

  That seemed a rather tame plan after some of the other proposals that Jenny had made. For one moment Virginia considered being Jenny’s messenger. Then she hesitated.

  “He has chores,” she said flatly.

  “Every night?”

  Virginia nodded.

  “Well, he can still do his chores. It only takes a few minutes to have a soda.”

  “He goes right home.”

  “Well surely he doesn’t need—”

  “You ask him,” cut in Virginia and was rewarded with a withering glare. She stammered, trying to think of some way to express her thoughts without challenging Jenny.

  “I … I just … well …” She shrugged. “What do we need him for anyway? Why bother?”

  It was a total mystery to her. What was Jenny’s reason for continuing to pursue Jamison? He had made it quite clear that he had no intention of doing her bidding. Or was that what this was all about? Was it a challenge of wills? Did Jenny feel threatened when she wasn’t in control—of everyone? Yet there were several of the other fellows and girls that Jenny never bothered with at all. So why Jamison? Virginia couldn’t sort it out.

  “She thinks he’s cute,” Ruthie offered, giving a titter as she disclosed the information.

  Virginia’s eyes opened wide. Never once had she thought of Jenny nursing a crush on Jamison. They were so … so different. So totally unlike each other. Surely Ruthie was teasing.

  A quick elbow aimed at Ruthie’s ribs made the girl gasp. “Shut your mouth, Ruth,” Jenny said sharply, but her face was flushed, and there was no denial on her lips.

  It was true. It was really true. Jenny had a crush on Jamison. If Virginia had dared, she would have laughed at the very thought. But she did not dare. She only stared, open-mouthed, unable to say a word.

  Then she shook her head again.

  “He wouldn’t come,” she insisted, her words carefully chosen and hardly above a whisper. “Not for me, he wouldn’t. Not for you, either. He … he never crosses his parents. Never.”

  Jenny gave the angry flip of her red mane. “Is he totally boring?”

  “No. He’s fun.” Virginia was too quick with her answer. She softened her voice and continued because Jenny was staring at her, waiting for her to go on. “He’s … he’s fun at Youth Group. He … laughs and … everything. Makes us laugh. He—”

  But Jenny seemed to have heard enough. She reached out a hand
that pushed Virginia aside. “Maybe I’ll just have to go to Youth Group,” she said with another toss of her head. And as she turned to give Virginia a smug look, her green eyes were flashing again.

  CHAPTER 6

  I’ve got it!” was Jenny’s greeting to Virginia the next morning when they met at the corner for the last few blocks to school. Her face was flushed with her excitement, and Virginia felt her own pulse quicken.

  “Got what?”

  She was sure that the answer would have something to do with Jamison Curtis, so she was surprised when Jenny answered, “A way to get ole nosy Parker.”

  Virginia blinked. She thought that Jenny had given up on her little plan of revenge. She wanted to ask about the plan, and at the same time she feared to do so. She had a foreboding that she might enter into Jenny’s scheme in some way.

  “We’ll give her something to talk about,” Jenny hurried on.

  Virginia swallowed. She was right. Jenny was using the word “we.”

  “What are you …?”

  “We,” Jenny confirmed. “I’ll tell you all about it at recess. I can hardly wait. I sorted it all out last night in bed. Just wait. The whole town will know she’s just a meddlin’ ole fool.”

  Virginia’s frown deepened. The whole town already knew about all there was to know concerning Mrs. Parker. Folks just, well, accepted her for the way she was, ignoring most of what she prattled on about. Who paid any mind to Mrs. Parker?

  They couldn’t talk as they hurried on to reach the school yard before the bell rang. It was too hard to walk fast and talk at the same time.

  Virginia did not know if she wanted recess to arrive or not. In some ways, the very thought of Jenny’s excitement made her heart quicken in similar fashion. Yet it frightened her a little bit, too. It was sure to be something that would get her in more trouble at home—unless they could lay their plan carefully and not get caught at whatever it was Jenny intended for them to do.

  When the bell was given a little tinkle to announce the recess break, Virginia looked up to see Jenny’s eyes already upon her. With a nod of her head toward the door, Jenny indicated that Virginia was to leave the room and meet her around the east corner, their usual rendezvous spot.

  Wordlessly she slipped her books back in her desk, rose from her seat, and followed Jenny from the room.

  Her mouth felt uncomfortably dry. She tried to swallow, but there was nothing there.

  Jenny continued walking until she had rounded the corner and turned to lean against the warmth of the brick from the brightness of the early rising sun. A grin spread over her face.

  “You know that grove of poplars just down from Parker’s house?” she began.

  Virginia nodded.

  “Well, we’re gonna give Mrs. Parker something to really set her tongue a waggin’.”

  “But—”

  “We’re gonna meet down there—sort of a secret meeting.”

  “She won’t even see us.”

  “Oh, yes she will. She’s always watching whatever’s going on.”

  “She won’t even know it’s us.”

  “That’s just the point. We don’t want her to know. It’s the not-knowing part that will drive her near crazy.”

  Virginia frowned. She was not following Jenny’s logic at all.

  “She’ll get out her spyglass and try and try to figure out who’s doing the meeting.”

  “She has a spyglass?”

  “’Course she does. How else do you think she sees everything?”

  Virginia shrugged. She had no idea how Mrs. Parker kept track of the goings-on of a whole town.

  “If she has a spyglass she will know it’s us,” Virginia argued. “We won’t be able to hide that from her. She knows both of us. Has known me since I was born. And you with that red hair. Nobody else in town has hair that color.”

  “We’re gonna be in disguise,” Jenny said smugly.

  “Disguise?”

  It was sounding more and more dangerous to Virginia. What would they be doing that they would need to disguise themselves?

  “I have to go right home from school,” she argued defensively. “I don’t want to get in trouble again.”

  “We aren’t going to do it after school. We’ll go on Saturday. Your folks let you out on Saturday, don’t they?”

  Virginia was angry. Jenny made it sound as though her folks kept her caged up or something. “Of course they let me out Saturday,” she exploded. “I can do whatever I want after I finish my chores.”

  “There,” said Jenny with satisfaction, making Virginia wish she hadn’t made the bold statement. “When are you finished with your chores?”

  Virginia hedged. She still had not heard the plan. After a bit of hesitation she asked, “What are you planning? I don’t want anyone to get hurt, and I sure don’t want to get in trouble, either.”

  “No one will get hurt. It’s just a harmless little gag, that’s all.”

  Then Jenny turned defensive and angry. “Boy, are you a soggy day. You can’t see the fun in anything. I’d hate to live in a family of woe-betiders. Is that what your ole church teaches—that no one never ever has any fun in life? First Jamison—now you. Are you all a bunch of ole cloud-hangers over there?”

  Virginia’s chin came up. “’Course not,” she responded hotly. “And how would you know a thing about our church? You’ve never been there. You likely wouldn’t know the way if one led you by the hand.”

  It was as close as they had ever come to open confrontation. Virginia had never challenged Jenny’s power so directly before. She didn’t really understand why she was bold enough to do so now, but bringing her family and her church into the argument made her upset and ready to stand up to Jenny.

  “Maybe I should get Ruthie,” Jenny said hotly.

  “Maybe you should,” responded Virginia with a toss of her own head. “Or maybe you should carry out your silly little scheme all by yourself instead of getting someone else in trouble.”

  “Nobody’s gonna get in trouble. I already told you. It’s just a little fun, that’s all.”

  “That’s what you always say. Just harmless fun. But you always end up getting someone in trouble. Freddie and George had to clean out Mr. Moss’ barns for three weeks after the bull teasing. Sam said he couldn’t sit comfortably for a week after you had him passing those notes in school about Mr. Henkel’s false hairpiece. And Ruthie got in awful trouble for painting those words on Mercer’s fence.”

  “This is different,” insisted Jenny. “This is just harmless fun. To teach Mrs. Parker a lesson. Your folks don’t got nothing against teaching people proper lessons, do they?”

  “Well … their idea of a lesson and your idea might be a fair bit different,” said Virginia. She couldn’t believe her own boldness now that her back was up.

  “Okay, if you don’t want to be friends …” Jenny began, slowly starting to turn away.

  The very words brought a chill to Virginia and took the last bit of rigidity from her spine.

  “Of course I—I want to be friends,” she stammered. “It’s just …”

  “Be there. One thirty, Saturday. Come in from the back way so that no one will see you. I’ll have the disguises.”

  And with those words, Jenny walked away before Virginia could even respond.

  Virginia was not in a good mood when she arrived home. Clara was stirring about the kitchen. Obviously she was making something. But Clara was always making something. Virginia didn’t bother to try to figure out what. She cast one glance toward the kitchen table. Likely she would have extra baking dishes to wash at supper. Clara had all of the fun of making her fancy foods, and she, Virginia, got the dirty task of washing up after her. It wasn’t fair.

  With one doleful look Clara’s way, Virginia started for her bedroom.

  “Don’t you want your milk and …”

  “No,” answered Virginia shortly. “I don’t need any more dirty dishes to wash than you are already making.”
/>   Clara shrugged and said nothing more. But whatever it was that she was baking did smell awfully good. Virginia’s stomach growled in response.

  Jenny did not talk again of the coming Saturday. All week long she seemed to tantalize Virginia with her silence about the plans. In fact, they talked very little through the days that led up to Saturday.

  Ruthie hung around like a hornet ’round a water puddle. Her very presence irritated Virginia. She knew that she couldn’t ask any questions with Ruthie hanging around. Jenny had made it clear enough that the little outing, whatever it was to be, should be kept totally secret.

  The three of them walked the first few blocks from school on Friday. Just as they separated at their usual corner, Jenny turned and looked directly at Virginia. “Be there” was all she said, but Virginia could hear more than a suggestion in the two words.

  Ruthie looked from one to the other and opened her mouth as though to speak but changed her mind after staring at the two faces.

  And so the next day, feet dragging and heart thumping wildly, Virginia found herself working around the back way to the little patch of poplar trees at the foot of the Parker horse pasture.

  “Over here.” Virginia heard Jenny’s whispery call and swung around to see where the sound was coming from.

  Jenny knelt behind a tangled willow bush, her hand resting on a large gunnysack lying on the ground at her side. Virginia cast a nervous look about her, then quickly covered the distance between them.

  “What’s that?” she whispered, the words coming out in a raspy, breathless fashion.

  “Our disguises.”

  From the depths of the gunnysack Jenny began to withdraw bits and pieces of odd-looking clothing.

  “I don’t see how putting on funny clothes is going to keep Mrs. Parker from knowing us,” Virginia stated firmly.

  “We’ll keep our backs to her,” replied Jenny.

  “Then why do we need these silly clothes at all? She doesn’t know …”

  But Jenny was holding up to herself a red plaid shirt and a pair of boy’s overalls. “Here’s the plan.” She indicated a crumpled, full-skirted dress that lay in a heap on the ground. “You dress in that. And put that hat on to hide your face. I’m a little taller than you. I’ll be the man.”