Read Online Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble: A Novel by Ann B. Ross - Free Book Online
Authors: Ann B. Ross
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said, whirling out of the room. “She’s in the kitchen.”
And sure enough, smoke was drifting out of the kitchen as I ran through the dining room. The smoke alarm began shrieking loud enough to wake the dead and both babies upstairs. Hazel Marie had the back door open while she flailed away with a broom, batting the alarm to make it stop.
“What happened?” I asked as soon as she knocked the alarm off the wall and quiet descended—except for the wailing from the cribs upstairs. “Where’s the fire?”
She leaned against the wall and pointed to the sink, where a skillet still hissed as water ran over it. “I was fixing James a grilled cheese sandwich, and the pan just started smoking. I guess it got too hot.”
I guess it did,
I thought, looking at the shriveled, blackened, water-soaked sandwich in the skillet. “No harm done, Hazel Marie. You go on and see to the babies. I’ll fix lunch.”
After Hazel Marie’s attempt, I felt quite competent making two nicely grilled cheese sandwiches, one for her and one for James. Putting one sandwich, along with a glass of milk, on a tray, I took them in to James.
His mouth turned down at the sight of the milk. “A Co-Cola’d go a whole lot better with that,” he said.
“You need the calcium,” I said, mainly because I hadn’t been able to find any soft drinks. “Good for the bones, you know.”
Later, as I dragged myself tiredly into the kitchen at home, I said, “Lillian, I am going to find some help for Hazel Marie if it’s the last thing I do.” And the way I felt after that strenuous morning, it could very well be the last thing I did.
Chapter 8
Before she could respond, I headed for the telephone on the counter by the refrigerator. “I hate doing this,” I said, knowing full well that a ringing telephone was the last thing Hazel Marie needed. “But I forgot to tell her something.”
“Tell her ’bout that man callin’ her, if that what you forget.”
I nodded, listening as the phone rang so long that I was about to hang up and run back over there. When Hazel Marie finally answered, she sounded beside herself, in spite of the fact that I’d spent most of the day helping her.
“Hazel Marie, honey, I’m sorry to interrupt whatever you’re doing, but . . .”
“Oh, Miss Julia,” she sobbed, “I almost killed him!”
“Who?”
“James! He has to go to the bathroom and I tried to help him get up, but he lost his balance and fell back in the chair and I fell on top of him. I don’t know what to do and he has to go real bad.”
“Okay, listen. Here’s what you do: Put the phone down and run to the pantry. Find a fruit jar or some other large watertight container with a lid and take it to him. Pour something out if you have to. Take it to him right now, then come back to the phone. I’ll wait.”
She gasped at the simplicity of it, flung down the phone, and left. I waited, hearing her footsteps as she ran through the house and hearing also the mumble of their voices as she and James spoke.
“Miss Julia?” she panted as she picked up the phone. “I’m back. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that, except he probably wouldn’t have used it if I had. But when I told him it was your idea, all he said was, ‘I sure hope you close that door.’” She took a deep breath, pulling herself together. “I guess I’ll have to go empty it.”
“No, that’s why I’m calling. I wanted to tell you not to try to move him by yourself. Sam will be over there in a little while and he’ll empty it and get him back to bed. I’m sorry, Hazel Marie—I should’ve thought to tell you before I left.”
“That’s all right. I’m just, well, I’m not thinking too good myself. Everybody needs something at the same time. I’ll be so glad when J.D. gets home.”
You and me,
I thought but didn’t say. “Well, here’s something else I keep forgetting to tell you. Lillian says that some man has called you a couple of times, but he
And sure enough, smoke was drifting out of the kitchen as I ran through the dining room. The smoke alarm began shrieking loud enough to wake the dead and both babies upstairs. Hazel Marie had the back door open while she flailed away with a broom, batting the alarm to make it stop.
“What happened?” I asked as soon as she knocked the alarm off the wall and quiet descended—except for the wailing from the cribs upstairs. “Where’s the fire?”
She leaned against the wall and pointed to the sink, where a skillet still hissed as water ran over it. “I was fixing James a grilled cheese sandwich, and the pan just started smoking. I guess it got too hot.”
I guess it did,
I thought, looking at the shriveled, blackened, water-soaked sandwich in the skillet. “No harm done, Hazel Marie. You go on and see to the babies. I’ll fix lunch.”
After Hazel Marie’s attempt, I felt quite competent making two nicely grilled cheese sandwiches, one for her and one for James. Putting one sandwich, along with a glass of milk, on a tray, I took them in to James.
His mouth turned down at the sight of the milk. “A Co-Cola’d go a whole lot better with that,” he said.
“You need the calcium,” I said, mainly because I hadn’t been able to find any soft drinks. “Good for the bones, you know.”
Later, as I dragged myself tiredly into the kitchen at home, I said, “Lillian, I am going to find some help for Hazel Marie if it’s the last thing I do.” And the way I felt after that strenuous morning, it could very well be the last thing I did.
Chapter 8
Before she could respond, I headed for the telephone on the counter by the refrigerator. “I hate doing this,” I said, knowing full well that a ringing telephone was the last thing Hazel Marie needed. “But I forgot to tell her something.”
“Tell her ’bout that man callin’ her, if that what you forget.”
I nodded, listening as the phone rang so long that I was about to hang up and run back over there. When Hazel Marie finally answered, she sounded beside herself, in spite of the fact that I’d spent most of the day helping her.
“Hazel Marie, honey, I’m sorry to interrupt whatever you’re doing, but . . .”
“Oh, Miss Julia,” she sobbed, “I almost killed him!”
“Who?”
“James! He has to go to the bathroom and I tried to help him get up, but he lost his balance and fell back in the chair and I fell on top of him. I don’t know what to do and he has to go real bad.”
“Okay, listen. Here’s what you do: Put the phone down and run to the pantry. Find a fruit jar or some other large watertight container with a lid and take it to him. Pour something out if you have to. Take it to him right now, then come back to the phone. I’ll wait.”
She gasped at the simplicity of it, flung down the phone, and left. I waited, hearing her footsteps as she ran through the house and hearing also the mumble of their voices as she and James spoke.
“Miss Julia?” she panted as she picked up the phone. “I’m back. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that, except he probably wouldn’t have used it if I had. But when I told him it was your idea, all he said was, ‘I sure hope you close that door.’” She took a deep breath, pulling herself together. “I guess I’ll have to go empty it.”
“No, that’s why I’m calling. I wanted to tell you not to try to move him by yourself. Sam will be over there in a little while and he’ll empty it and get him back to bed. I’m sorry, Hazel Marie—I should’ve thought to tell you before I left.”
“That’s all right. I’m just, well, I’m not thinking too good myself. Everybody needs something at the same time. I’ll be so glad when J.D. gets home.”
You and me,
I thought but didn’t say. “Well, here’s something else I keep forgetting to tell you. Lillian says that some man has called you a couple of times, but he
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