You ain’t Mama or Pa, and if I ain’t got neither a’ them no more, I can decide stuff for myself! I don’t need you tellin’ me—”
“You think you’re grown up, do you, Kirk Thomas?” Lizbeth fumed. “You’re not but thirteen, and you still got a pa! And me! And you’re not gonna act otherwise. Now get up there an’ help!”
Beside me, Katie shook a little. I knew she hated yelling. She hated arguing. And Bert and Emmie were both staring at us, taking in the commotion.
“Kirk,” I said quietly, hoping to calm things a little. “It’s all right to want to go home. I understand that. But please wait till Mr. Wortham gets here. Even as big as you are, I hate the thought of you heading out through the timber again alone tonight.”
“There ain’t nothin’ out there but cold,” he scoffed.
“The cold is bad enough,” I said. “So is the aloneness.”
“Maybe Joe or Willy’d go with me,” he offered.
“Willy likes to stay with Robert,” Lizbeth said more calmly. “An’ I could use Joe’s help here if any of the younger ones is sick in the night.”
“You ain’t gotta wait at home for Pa,” Franky suddenly said from across the room. “He knows t’ find us here if he wants. But he won’t look tonight.”
“What d’you know?” Kirk scoffed.
“I know he tol’ us ’fore we lef’ this morning to mind Mrs. Wortham good.”
“He always means for us to do that,” Kirk continued his argument.
“But he don’t always say it.”
Kirk and Lizbeth both stared at Franky. But Rorey was the one to speak up. “That don’t mean nothin’! Not nothin’ at all!”
“Hush,” Lizbeth told her and turned her attention immediately back to Frank. “I was busy with Emmie this morning. Did he say anythin’ else?”
Franky shook his head. “I jus’ thought a’ that. Jus’ now.”
“It don’t mean nothin’,” Kirk echoed Rorey’s words. “He jus’ knowed we was stoppin’ here ’fore school like always, that’s all.”
Franky didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. The coldness of the idea that their father may have planned to leave settled over me as well as over Kirk and Lizbeth. But Berty just didn’t understand.
“Pa gonna sleep here tonight too?” he asked his big sister. “We gonna make him a bed?”
“If he comes with Mr. Wortham,” I said quickly before Lizbeth had a chance to answer. “We can fix him a bed when he gets here.”
Lizbeth looked at me in question.
“Who’s gonna do chores over t’ home in the mornin’?” Kirk suddenly asked.
“Any of you boys could go,” I said. “Once it’s daylight, all right?”
“Please, Kirk,” Lizbeth added. “Let’s stay together tonight. I don’t wanna be wonderin’ ’bout you too.”
“I wouldn’t go nowhere but home,” he said softly.
“I know. But the doctor kinda wanted us all to stay in anyhow, ’case any of the rest of us was to catch somethin’. Remember? Even tomorrow.”
Joe and Robert were maneuvering down the stairs with Katie and Sarah’s mattress. Willy followed with one of the blankets that had been on top.
“You should pull the mattress off our bed too,” I told the boys. “That way I think we can keep everybody off the wood floor.”
Without a word, Kirk headed into the bedroom for the mattress. There was no more talk of anyone leaving that night.
I pulled out all of the spare sheets and blankets we had and got all the bedding situated for everybody. Of course, the beds wouldn’t be quite so comfortable tonight without the top mattresses, but we’d all make do. Katie and Sarah on their bed, Willy and Robert on his. And Samuel with me, when he got home. I’d put Kirk and Franky on the mattress in Robert’s room and Harry and Berty on one down here. Rorey really wanted to sleep in Sarah’s room, but Lizbeth thought she ought to stay downstairs with her and Emmie on the other mattress since she’d been sick too. I fixed a bed for Joe on the davenport where he’d
“You think you’re grown up, do you, Kirk Thomas?” Lizbeth fumed. “You’re not but thirteen, and you still got a pa! And me! And you’re not gonna act otherwise. Now get up there an’ help!”
Beside me, Katie shook a little. I knew she hated yelling. She hated arguing. And Bert and Emmie were both staring at us, taking in the commotion.
“Kirk,” I said quietly, hoping to calm things a little. “It’s all right to want to go home. I understand that. But please wait till Mr. Wortham gets here. Even as big as you are, I hate the thought of you heading out through the timber again alone tonight.”
“There ain’t nothin’ out there but cold,” he scoffed.
“The cold is bad enough,” I said. “So is the aloneness.”
“Maybe Joe or Willy’d go with me,” he offered.
“Willy likes to stay with Robert,” Lizbeth said more calmly. “An’ I could use Joe’s help here if any of the younger ones is sick in the night.”
“You ain’t gotta wait at home for Pa,” Franky suddenly said from across the room. “He knows t’ find us here if he wants. But he won’t look tonight.”
“What d’you know?” Kirk scoffed.
“I know he tol’ us ’fore we lef’ this morning to mind Mrs. Wortham good.”
“He always means for us to do that,” Kirk continued his argument.
“But he don’t always say it.”
Kirk and Lizbeth both stared at Franky. But Rorey was the one to speak up. “That don’t mean nothin’! Not nothin’ at all!”
“Hush,” Lizbeth told her and turned her attention immediately back to Frank. “I was busy with Emmie this morning. Did he say anythin’ else?”
Franky shook his head. “I jus’ thought a’ that. Jus’ now.”
“It don’t mean nothin’,” Kirk echoed Rorey’s words. “He jus’ knowed we was stoppin’ here ’fore school like always, that’s all.”
Franky didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. The coldness of the idea that their father may have planned to leave settled over me as well as over Kirk and Lizbeth. But Berty just didn’t understand.
“Pa gonna sleep here tonight too?” he asked his big sister. “We gonna make him a bed?”
“If he comes with Mr. Wortham,” I said quickly before Lizbeth had a chance to answer. “We can fix him a bed when he gets here.”
Lizbeth looked at me in question.
“Who’s gonna do chores over t’ home in the mornin’?” Kirk suddenly asked.
“Any of you boys could go,” I said. “Once it’s daylight, all right?”
“Please, Kirk,” Lizbeth added. “Let’s stay together tonight. I don’t wanna be wonderin’ ’bout you too.”
“I wouldn’t go nowhere but home,” he said softly.
“I know. But the doctor kinda wanted us all to stay in anyhow, ’case any of the rest of us was to catch somethin’. Remember? Even tomorrow.”
Joe and Robert were maneuvering down the stairs with Katie and Sarah’s mattress. Willy followed with one of the blankets that had been on top.
“You should pull the mattress off our bed too,” I told the boys. “That way I think we can keep everybody off the wood floor.”
Without a word, Kirk headed into the bedroom for the mattress. There was no more talk of anyone leaving that night.
I pulled out all of the spare sheets and blankets we had and got all the bedding situated for everybody. Of course, the beds wouldn’t be quite so comfortable tonight without the top mattresses, but we’d all make do. Katie and Sarah on their bed, Willy and Robert on his. And Samuel with me, when he got home. I’d put Kirk and Franky on the mattress in Robert’s room and Harry and Berty on one down here. Rorey really wanted to sleep in Sarah’s room, but Lizbeth thought she ought to stay downstairs with her and Emmie on the other mattress since she’d been sick too. I fixed a bed for Joe on the davenport where he’d
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