Read Online Child of the Mountains by Marilyn Sue Shank - Free Book Online

know these things, BJ.”
    Mama put her hand softly on my shoulder, and weboth turned toward the bathroom. When we got there, the tears started pouring out of my eyes. Mama put her arms around me, and I sobbed into her. “I know. I know this is hard, sweet girl,” Mama said as she patted my back.
    When I quieted down, Mama ran some water on a paper towel and wiped my face. “Lydia, this doesn’t change what you done for your brother.”
    I looked in the mirror at my puffy face. “Mama,” I said, “when we get home, will you let me go in the house first? I want to get the train out from under the Christmas tree and put it in my closet. Maybe some little boy at church will want it.”
    “No, Lydia. That train stays under the tree for your brother. I think this might turn out different than you think. Let’s wait to see what happens Christmas day, okay?”
    I told her okay, but I wasn’t sure I believed her.
    When we got home, Mama told BJ that his new electric train was a Christmas present and belonged underneath the tree. He could play with it on Christmas day. My stomach had a knot in it for the next two days. I kept thinking how embarrassed I would be when BJ opened the gift I had made for him.
    The picture in the paper showed the basketball player sitting on the hospital bed with his arm around BJ. BJ’s eyes and mouth both grinned. Him and the basketball player held up the train box. The article said that a company donated toys for all them sick kids. Basketball players took time out of their busy schedules to deliver them.Mama put the picture and story in a old picture frame. She hung it in his bedroom. I felt real thankful that I didn’t have to go in there and see it.
    On Christmas day, we drank hot sassafras tea and ate cinnamon rolls while we opened our gifts. Mama said, “BJ, you hand out the gifts this year. You already know about your electric train, so why don’t you save that for last.”
    BJ sorted the gifts into piles in front of us. Mama told me to open my gifts first. I forgot about the knot in my stomach. I opened a crinoline Gran sewed for me. (I used to call them stick-out slips when I was little.) Mama made me a new blue dress (my favorite color) with a big white muslin collar and white cuffs on the sleeves. I knowed I would look like them kids in the magazines at the company store, even iffen it was a feed-sack dress. I held the dress up to me and ran to kiss Mama and Gran.
    Mama also made me a pine jewelry box lined with felt. Gran gived me a pearl ring that she always wore on the pinkie of her right hand. She said her grandmother gived it to her and now it was time for me to have it. I unwrapped a new whittling knife from Uncle William and Aunt Ethel Mae. BJ had drawed me a picture of me and Mama standing in front of our make-do house. There was a big heart drawed around us. Him and Gran stood off to the side. They had just let go of purple balloons.
    Then it was BJ’s turn. A knot tightened up in my stomach again. First he unwrapped the train whistle fromMama. He blew it.
Whooooooo whooooooo!
It sounded just like a real train. Then he opened a Jacob’s ladder, two string puzzles, and a marble puzzle that Gran made him. “I don’t know why I bother,” Gran said. “That boy’ll have them puzzles figured out afore day’s end.” Gran winked at BJ and he winked back.
    Mama had also whittled a dancing mountain man for him. A mountain man is real fun. His knees and arms have hinges so’s he can fling all around. He has a stick that you hold glued to his back, and he dances on a wood paddle. One end of the paddle is under your leg, and you hold him on the other end like he’s onstage. When you tap the paddle with your fingers, he bounces on it and sounds like he’s a-clogging his fool head off.
    Then BJ found my gift. I had wrapped it up in Sunday funnies Uncle William always saved for us. The knot in my stomach turned into dancing butterflies. I felt tears come up in my eyes. BJ tore