interference, I might add. I had just finished breakfast when I heard hoof beats in the yard. I went out the door and there were two teenagers riding horses. Then I remembered they were the Jarrod twins, Seth and Sam looking after the place.
“Hello, Seth. Hello, Sam.” I made sure to address them separately. I remembered some twin girls in school. They got very upset when people would get them mixed up. They said they wanted to be treated as individuals not as a packaged set of something.
“Good morning, Ma’am. We didn’t know you were back. Do you still want us to take care of the chores?”
“Yes, if you would please, and then come into the house. I’d like to talk to both of you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” They dismounted, tied their horses to the hitching rail by the barn and went inside.
In a little while, one of the boys came in the door carrying a bucket of milk. “We been giving this milk to the hog, but we figured since you’re here, you might want some of it.”
“Thank you. Yes, I would like some fresh milk. Whatever’s left over I’ll feed to the hog. Thank you again.”
“It weren’t nothing, ma’am. Glad to do it. We’ll both be in to talk to you, like you asked, after we run the fence-line to make sure no cows have crossed over.”
“No hurry, I’ll be here.” I checked the cookie jar. There was half a dozen sugar cookies in it. I tasted one. It wasn’t too old. I would have cookies and milk for them when they returned.
I began the old ritual of cleaning the house. It was going to be hard after lazing around Mildred’s house for those days. Why did I think of Mildred? Thinking of Mildred caused me to think of Nate. Somehow the feelings that I thought I had for him had dimmed. I guess that's what happens when someone breaks your heart. It changes your feelings toward that person.
It was close to noon before the boys came back in. I had opened some jars of vegetables and fried some johnnycakes so they could have more than cookies and milk.
“Come on inside after you wash up and you can have dinner with me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” They about knocked one another down getting to the well to wash up.
“Please have a seat at the table. I’ll fix a plate for each of you. You can eat while we talk.”
“There’s only two chairs, ma’am, where are you gonna sit?”
“I can sit on this barrel. You boys just sit down and dig in. It feels good to see someone eating something that I fixed.”
As they ate, I explained how I was all alone and I didn’t know anything about running a ranch. If we could reach some kind of agreement for them to keep helping me, I would appreciate it very much. I explained I didn’t have any money, but as soon as we sold the herd, there should be plenty for all. I remember that was Roscoe’s answer for everything. When we sell the herd.
“I don’t know, ma’am, we’ll have to talk it over with Pa. He’s gonna be needing our help all the time before long.”
“Do you want me to talk to him? Explain everything that we’ve talked about?”
“No, ma’am, we can do that. Maybe if we took turns helping you it would work out for everybody. How would that be?”
“That sounds great. I’m sure now that I’m here, I can help more as I learn more. You boys can help me learn, can’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am. We can surely do that. Now we need to be getting back to our place.”
“Hold on, how would you like some cookies and milk before you go? And one more thing. You must call me Rose. No more of this, ma’am stuff. Deal?”
“Yes, ma’am. I mean Rose. That sounds just fine. One of us will be here in the morning. And if you keep feeding us milk and cookies, there may be a fight as to which one comes first. Good bye to you, Rose.”
“Goodbye Seth. Goodbye Sam. See you tomorrow.”
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
We settled into a kind of routine. Either Seth or Sam would show up and take care of most of the outside chores, much as Roscoe did. I was
“Hello, Seth. Hello, Sam.” I made sure to address them separately. I remembered some twin girls in school. They got very upset when people would get them mixed up. They said they wanted to be treated as individuals not as a packaged set of something.
“Good morning, Ma’am. We didn’t know you were back. Do you still want us to take care of the chores?”
“Yes, if you would please, and then come into the house. I’d like to talk to both of you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” They dismounted, tied their horses to the hitching rail by the barn and went inside.
In a little while, one of the boys came in the door carrying a bucket of milk. “We been giving this milk to the hog, but we figured since you’re here, you might want some of it.”
“Thank you. Yes, I would like some fresh milk. Whatever’s left over I’ll feed to the hog. Thank you again.”
“It weren’t nothing, ma’am. Glad to do it. We’ll both be in to talk to you, like you asked, after we run the fence-line to make sure no cows have crossed over.”
“No hurry, I’ll be here.” I checked the cookie jar. There was half a dozen sugar cookies in it. I tasted one. It wasn’t too old. I would have cookies and milk for them when they returned.
I began the old ritual of cleaning the house. It was going to be hard after lazing around Mildred’s house for those days. Why did I think of Mildred? Thinking of Mildred caused me to think of Nate. Somehow the feelings that I thought I had for him had dimmed. I guess that's what happens when someone breaks your heart. It changes your feelings toward that person.
It was close to noon before the boys came back in. I had opened some jars of vegetables and fried some johnnycakes so they could have more than cookies and milk.
“Come on inside after you wash up and you can have dinner with me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” They about knocked one another down getting to the well to wash up.
“Please have a seat at the table. I’ll fix a plate for each of you. You can eat while we talk.”
“There’s only two chairs, ma’am, where are you gonna sit?”
“I can sit on this barrel. You boys just sit down and dig in. It feels good to see someone eating something that I fixed.”
As they ate, I explained how I was all alone and I didn’t know anything about running a ranch. If we could reach some kind of agreement for them to keep helping me, I would appreciate it very much. I explained I didn’t have any money, but as soon as we sold the herd, there should be plenty for all. I remember that was Roscoe’s answer for everything. When we sell the herd.
“I don’t know, ma’am, we’ll have to talk it over with Pa. He’s gonna be needing our help all the time before long.”
“Do you want me to talk to him? Explain everything that we’ve talked about?”
“No, ma’am, we can do that. Maybe if we took turns helping you it would work out for everybody. How would that be?”
“That sounds great. I’m sure now that I’m here, I can help more as I learn more. You boys can help me learn, can’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am. We can surely do that. Now we need to be getting back to our place.”
“Hold on, how would you like some cookies and milk before you go? And one more thing. You must call me Rose. No more of this, ma’am stuff. Deal?”
“Yes, ma’am. I mean Rose. That sounds just fine. One of us will be here in the morning. And if you keep feeding us milk and cookies, there may be a fight as to which one comes first. Good bye to you, Rose.”
“Goodbye Seth. Goodbye Sam. See you tomorrow.”
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
We settled into a kind of routine. Either Seth or Sam would show up and take care of most of the outside chores, much as Roscoe did. I was
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