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  And then she was asleep.

  Belinda’s thoughts went forward as she lay in bed beside Melissa. What were the days ahead going to be like? Would they like each other?Would they become good friends as well as kin? How would Amy Jo feel? She had seemed so happy over the books that Belinda was sincerely hoping Amy Jo would now also be pleased Melissa had come.

  It was not long until Melissa’s even breathing told Belinda she was asleep. Still, Belinda could not stop her thoughts from tumbling over one another. It was all so new and different—so strange. It was much later before she was able to quiet her busy mind and follow Melissa to dreamland.

  “She’s a real sweetheart, ain’t she?” asked Marty after she and Clark had settled themselves in bed.

  Clark chuckled. “Sweetheart—an’ a real chatterbox,” he responded.

  “She had a lot to talk ’bout. I’m glad she’s not tight-lipped. I woulda hated it iffen she had come from Missie an’ not told us anything ’bout what’s goin’ on there.”

  “She does a bit of talkin’,” Clark agreed, and he chuckled again.

  “She’s a pretty little thing, too,” Marty commented further. “Those flashin’ dark eyes an’ that glossy brown hair. Her smile is like her ma’s, though—but her colorin’ sure isn’t.”

  “Uh-huh,” agreed Clark.

  “An’ she has nice things, too. I didn’t know iffen I’d hafta git out my sewin’ machine to have her ready fer school, or what.”

  “Missie wouldn’ta sent her to us without the things she be needin’.”

  “No, I guess not. I shoulda known better.”

  The pressure of Clark’s hand on hers didn’t mean “I told you so,” but Marty realized Clark was right when he encouraged her not to worry about things.

  There was silence for a few minutes.

  “She’s not ‘uppity,’ though,” continued Marty.

  “Ya thought she might be?”

  “I wasn’t sure. Ya know how Missie always talked ’bout all those ranch hands makin’ such a fuss over her an’ all.”

  “Well, I’m right glad she’s not spoilt none,” Clark was quick to point out.

  Silence again.

  “Did notice me one thing, though,” said Clark thoughtfully.

  “What’s thet?”

  “Did you notice how edjacated she be?”

  Marty was silent. She had noticed something, come to think on it, but had not put it into words. “She’s had her one more year of schoolin’ than Belinda,” she said at last.

  “It’s more’n thet. She talks—well, she talks careful like . . . not . . . not like you’d ’spect someone from out west to talk.”

  “Her ma an’ pa was both edjacated.”

  “Yeah, but she’s even more careful than either of ’em. Didn’t ya notice?”

  “Guess I didn’t.”

  “You will,” promised Clark.

  “Maybe it’s got somethin’ to do with her wantin’ to be a teacher.”

  “Missie was a teacher.”

  Marty thought about it. Melissa did talk more carefully than any of them. Well, it wouldn’t hurt for them all to pay a bit more attention to how they spoke. It might be especially good for Belinda and Amy Jo.

  “Ya know what thet there trunk was full of?” Marty asked. “The one thet ya groaned over carryin’ it up the stairs?”

  “What? Felt like bricks.”

  “Books.”

  “Books?”

  “More’n half full of books,” announced Marty. “Saw it myself. An’ she was quick to share ’em with the other girls, too. Didn’t ya see Amy Jo a huggin’ one to herself like she’d never let go of it?”

  “So she’s a book lover, huh?” mused Clark. “Maybe thet’s why she talks so proper.”

  “Could be,” agreed Marty. But after thinking about it for a minute, she added another thought. “Do ya s’pose thet some of it might be Melissa’s schoolteacher, Henry’s wife, Melinda? ’Member how careful she always spoke?”

  “I’ll jest bet yer right. She probl’y drills her students on proper word talk. Melissa might notice a difference round here,” said Clark. He was quiet for a few moments. “We’ll hafta tread careful like,” he went on. “She’s got an awful lot of changes ahead of her.”

  “She has at thet,” agreed Marty. “Won’t be hard to be thoughtful of her. She’s ’most won my heart already.”

  Clark reached out a hand to smooth Marty’s hair back from her face. “I’m glad she came,” he said softly. “Glad we’re gettin’ a chance to know her a bit. Makes one glad an’ sad all at one time, don’t it—doesn’t it?” he corrected himself.

  Marty agreed. As usual, he had read her thoughts perfectly.

  NINE

  Cousins

  The rest of the family were all anxious to meet Melissa, so after the next Sunday’s church service, they planned to gather at Clark and Marty’s. They had all been introduced to her in the churchyard, but Marty was sure Melissa would never be able to keep all her cousins straight after just one meeting. And it was important to Marty for Melissa to really know her own kin.

  Melissa had already mailed a fat letter home to her family, telling all of her experiences on the trip east and how exciting it was to meet her grandparents. She covered a whole page about Belinda and another about Uncle Clare and his family.

  Marty had carefully planned the Sunday dinner and the time the family would spend together. The grown-ups were to sit at the table in the big kitchen, but the children would be allowed to take their dinner out on the wide back veranda. Marty debated about where to put Melissa. Would she feel more comfortable with the youngsters or the adults? Marty was getting herself in a stew over it when Clark interrupted her little argument with herself.

  “Be good for Melissa to git to know her cousins afore school starts. Why, with the ’ of all of ’em, she oughta know ’bout half the school.” He chuckled at his own little joke.

  Marty knew he was exaggerating, but she made no reply.Clark’s comment served to make up her mind. She would put Melissa on the veranda with the rest of the youngsters. There were already enough adults at the table. Mary and Jane always wanted to sit at the table with the grown-ups. That made twelve and that was about all the big table could hold. Marty instructed Belinda about the setting of the table.

  It wasn’t long until the teams began to arrive, filling the farmyard with excited voices as cousins noisily greeted one another.

  Melissa, who was busy helping cut apple pies, smiled as she heard the racket.

  “Wouldn’t Mother love to be here?” she commented.

  Marty smiled back, sure that Missie would.

  Arnie’s family was the first to come into the house. Clark took care of introductions.

  “Now, ya’ve met Arnie an’ Anne at church. They have three rascals. They all look alike—only come in different sizes. Silas is the oldest. He’s thet big fella carryin’ thet lemon pie.”

  Silas smiled a rather shy smile, and Melissa greeted him warmly.

  “Then there’s John. Don’t call ’im Johnny. He might not mind—but his ma won’t like it.” Clark winked playfully at Anne, and she smiled at the good-natured ribbing.

  John gave his cousin a big grin, and Melissa smiled back immediately.

  “An’ this here little fella—make thet, ‘this here big fella’—is Abe.”

  Abe grinned quickly and looked ready to bolt. They all could tell he would rather be out with the boy cousins his own age. Melissa chuckled as he give her a quick hug and then was gone.

  Luke’s family came in next, Abbie carrying a large potato salad. This family had been introduced at church, and Melissa now was able to repeat all their names. Thomas and Aaron were both anxious to get out to play, as well. Aaron was the baby of the bunch. Clare’s Dack and Thomas were about the same age. Aaron wrapped his chubby arms around Melissa for a big bear hug, but Thomas backed shyly away.

  Clare and Kate joined the group. Except for Amy Jo, their chil
dren did not come inside, but Melissa had already become acquainted with Dan, Davey, and Dack.

  Nandry and Josh were the last to arrive. Mary and Jane, both a bit shy, welcomed Melissa. Somewhat plain and retiring like their mother, they were friendly and warm after they got to know Melissa better. Mary went to work in the kitchen and Jane went in search of Aaron, her special charge. Aaron did not object. He basked in all the special attention showered on the youngest. Free to pick his activity, his first choice was Grandpa’s porch swing, and Jane willingly obliged.

  They were just ready to sit down to their chicken dinner when Dan brought a wailing Davey in. He had fallen from the steps and cut his forehead. Uncle Luke had him patched up and smiling again in no time.

  The mothers fixed plates of food for all who were to eat on the veranda. Even Aaron was allowed to join them, “all by myself,” he announced proudly as he knelt on the bottom step in front of his food placed on the next step up. Belinda promised to keep an eye on him. Melissa wouldn’t have known what went on around the big folks’ table, but her delighted expression indicated she wouldn’t have given up her spot on the veranda for the world.

  Over the babble of excited voices, Dan and Silas tried to outdo one another in telling jokes. Most of them were corny, but their audience laughed heartily anyway.

  Amy Jo spent most of her time scolding her young brothers. Dan was too silly, Davey too careless, and Dack too . . . too everything, she announced in exasperation while she went to get a rag for his spilled milk.

  John was sitting nearest to Melissa. He eyed her openly and then asked in awe, “Do ya got yer own horse?”

  Melissa nodded. “I have three of them, in fact,” she told him.

  “Three! Wow! All yer own?”

  “All my own.”

  “What’re their names?”

  “Sandy—he was my first horse. He’s getting quite old now. Pepper is black and really pretty, and there’s Star. She has a white patch on her forehead that looks like a star. She’s Pepper’s mother.”

  “Wow!” said John again.

  “Do you have a horse?” asked Melissa.

  “No. Not my own. We have a pony—but we all gotta share it.”

  “Do you like horses?”

  John’s face answered the question even before he said, “Sure do. I’d give anything to have my own. Anything!”

  “I’ve got a book about horses,” offered Melissa. “You can look at it if you want to.”

  John’s face lit up. He’d love to look at a book about horses.

  “It tells all about the different kinds and how to train them and everything,” Melissa said.

  “Wow!” said John again.

  “I’ll get it for you as soon as dinner is over,” promised Melissa.

  From that moment on, Melissa could have asked whatever she wished and John would have done his very best to oblige her.

  True to her promise, after they had finished their meal she brought the book for John to see. Several other cousins clamored to be close enough to look at the pictures, too.

  “I have other books,” said Melissa generously. “Would you like to see them?”

  Several of the cousins declared that they would, and Melissa turned to Belinda.

  “Do you mind if we go up to your room?” she asked, and when Belinda assured her that would be fine, Melissa led the way up the stairs. Soon the bedroom floor was covered with young bodies poring over all the exciting books. John was given the book about horses and the others were allowed to choose ones of interest to them.

  “Boy!” said Silas. “How’d ya git ya so many? It’s even more’n we have at our school.”

  “They’ve all been given to me,” explained Melissa as she gently caressed the cover of one of her treasures.

  Never had the household been so quiet on a Sunday when all the Davis family members were gathered together at home. Soon this little fellow or that began to coax for a book to be read aloud, and one after the other Melissa read some of the shorter ones. All eyes were on her face, all ears attentive to the reading.

  Downstairs the adults interrupted their conversation to wonder where all of the children had gone.

  “With this much peace an’ quiet, they’re all either asleep or in a heap of trouble!” Luke declared from his comfortable position on the davenport.

  Kate eventually climbed the stairs to peek into Belinda’s room. There she saw arms and legs crisscrossed over the rugcovered wooden floor as children listened in fascination to the voice of Melissa. Kate stood and stared in disbelief before she tiptoed back down the stairs.

  “Yer never gonna believe what I jest saw,” she informed the others. “The whole passel of ’em, all in Belinda’s room, listenin’ as quiet as can be whilst Melissa is readin’ to ’em.”

  “You’re kidding,” stated Luke.

  “Cross my heart,” Kate insisted. “The whole bunch of ’em— jest spellbound.”

  “We shoulda brought thet there little gal out here years ago,” Clare said loudly. “Jest think of the gray hairs it woulda saved.”

  The others laughed.

  Marty could not resist quietly going up to see for herself. Just as Kate had said—there they all were, sprawled on the bed or on rugs and pillows across the floor of Belinda’s room, all eyes fixed on Melissa. No one even stirred as Marty peeked around the door.

  Well, I declare, she said to herself. If that don’t beat all.

  She went back down the stairs to assure the rest that Kate had 91 not been fooling.

  “Never seen nothin’ like it,” she stated. “Every last one of ’em. Quiet as you please.”

  “Guess she’ll make her a schoolteacher, all right,” said Arnie. “Anyone who can keep my three rascals quiet can handle ’bout anything.”

  “Sure didn’t take her long to get acquainted,” put in Luke.

  “She already shared one of her books with Amy Jo,” Kate told them. “I’ve never seen the girl so excited. Been copyin’ it, she has. Tries to draw every picture. Some of ’em are kinda hard, too, but Amy Jo does a fair job of ’em, iffen I do say so.” She paused to gaze reflectively out the window. “She sure has been eager to git to ’em. Never argues ’bout her chores now, ’cause she knows thet she is free to draw jest as soon as they are done.”

  Marty’s eyes filled with tears. “It sure is nice to have Melissa here,” she said softly. “Missie’s gonna miss ’er. She’s the sweetest thing ya ever saw.”

  Clare nodded in agreement. “She’s sweet, thet’s fer sure—but let’s not put the burden of perfection on ’er.”

  Marty looked at Clare in surprise.

  “Meanin’?”

  “Well, she’s human after all, Ma. Let’s leave her some room to make some mistakes—have some flaws. She’s gonna find plenty of ’em in us, her kin. Reckon we ought to allow her a few, as well.”

  Marty reflected on that for a while. Clare was right. Melissa was bound to have some weaknesses. They just hadn’t seen them yet. Well, whatever they were, Marty would still love her, she decided. But even as Marty assured herself of that, she couldn’t imagine anything that could possibly be wrong with Missie’s little girl.

  In spite of the rather rocky beginning during their drive home from the station, Marty was very happy at how well the three girls seemed to be adjusting to one another. There were times when two of them were together when the third girl was not included, but it was not a case of two shutting the other out. When the third girl arrived on the scene, she was always warmly welcomed to become part of the little group. There was no gossiping or vying for position or attention that Marty could see, and she thanked the Lord for that.

  All three had their own unique personalities. Amy Jo, vibrant, alive, and artistic in nature, was apt to act and react spontaneously and sometimes to regret it later. She was quick to speak her mind, but quick to initiate a restoration of the relationship if she felt she had done or said something out of line.

  Belinda had always been
warm and compassionate. She felt it deeply if someone hurt her or was hurt. She was slow to become upset and quick to offer her aid. She loved to share and give. At times her loving nature brought her pain, and she suffered deeply with the suffering of another. But Belinda did not find it as easy to put aside words spoken in the heat of the moment. Often, the impetuous and careless barbs of Amy Jo could cause Belinda grief for days. She forgave, but it was difficult for her to get over the memory of her pain, and it affected her appetite, her rest, and her very being.

  Melissa was somewhere in between the two. She loved to be with people and to share in their experiences. She was open and caring without taking charge, as Amy Jo was wont to do. Melissa was a communicator, though she chose her words with more care and consideration of the other person’s feelings than Amy Jo, and her words never seemed to be used as a weapon. Melissa spent very little of her time alone, whereas Belinda could entertain herself with her own thoughts and company for hours on end. Amy Jo liked people if she was in the right mood.

  And so the three girls interacted with one another, learning and growing from their friendship. Marty felt the experience would benefit all three of them.

  All three went to town with Marty on the day Melissa was to choose her room colors and fabrics. From her previous experience, Marty wondered at the wisdom of taking three girls to choose for one room, but Amy Jo and Belinda wanted to be a part of it, and Melissa begged for them to be included. Clark smiled encouragingly at Marty as he handed her the reins for the team. She was sure he understood her misgivings.

  The girls had worked themselves up to a feverish pitch at the thought of their trip to town. Amy Jo this time was doing most of the high-spirited chattering.

  “I already found the most beautiful print,” she was informing Melissa. “You’ll jest love it—I know ya will.”

  “Oh, Amy Jo,” admonished Belinda. “Remember, Melissa gits to choose for herself. We aren’t gonna tell her what she should git.”