Read Online Voices at Whisper Bend by Katherine Ayres - Free Book Online

buster. You either, Charlotte.”
    â€œBut, Ma … It’s for the war.”
    â€œIt’s too dangerous,” Ma said. “I’ve got enough on my mind, worrying about Jim.”
    â€œBut, Ma, it’s for Jim. Could I please keep working? I’ll be really careful. I’ll wear gloves.”
    â€œI’ll think about it. But neither of you picks up as much as a tin can until I decide. Hear me?”
    â€œYes, Ma.”
    â€œBuster?”
    Robbie didn’t reply. He’d fallen asleep.
    With Robbie’s hand needing to heal, all the chores landed on Charlotte. Ma probably didn’t mean it as a punishment, but it felt like one. Washing clothes on a rainy Friday afternoon, then pinning them up in the cellar to dry—that wasn’t Charlotte’s idea of a weekend. Neither was cleaning and ironing all day Saturday. But she couldn’t complain; Ma worked twice as hard.
    When Sunday dawned, it was the third rainy day in a row. Charlotte made her way to the kitchen, where her parents read the paper over coffee.
    â€œI’ve got a sweet roll still warm in the oven for you,” Ma said. She stood and gave Charlotte a hug. She pointed to Robbie, who was reading the funny pages. “Had to hide it from that brother of yours. Something about stitches seems to make fellas hungry.”
    â€œThanks, Ma. I’ll help you with the cooking after church. It’s a mean day outside.”
    â€œBad weather or not, I’ve got lines to check,” Pa interrupted. “That Rowley boy just joined the Army, so I’m down a deckhand.” He turned to Charlotte. “I need you on the Rose this afternoon.”
    Her stomach tightened. “But, Pa, can’t Robbie help?”
    â€œHe’d get his bandages all wet.”
    Robbie looked up from the comics. “I want to go. Please, Pa. I’ll be careful. I can wrap my hand.”
    â€œYou can come if you want, but you can’t work. You’ll just keep us company. Lottie, I really need you today.” Pa folded up his paper and went to dress for church.
    That morning in church, Charlotte prayed as she always did—for the war to end, for Jim and all the soldiers and sailors to come home safe. She added a couple extra prayers at the end.
    â€œPlease, God, forgive me for letting Robbie get hurt. And for thinking and saying bad stuff about Paul Rossi.” She closed her eyes tighter. “And if I have to help on the boat, could it maybe stop raining?”
    Either God wasn’t listening, or he’d decided that a little rain was good penance, for the clouds only got grayer as afternoon came and she, Pa, and Robbie walked to the docks. Since the war had started, Sunday was about the only day the docks were quiet. Still, there were signs of activity inside the nearby mill buildings. Charlotte shivered and wished she could help indoors instead of on the tug in the rain.
    They neared the mooring where the Rose bobbed in rough water, shedding rain like an oversized duck. The Rose wasn’t a big tug like the ones that hauled long strings of barges from the Great Lakes to New Orleans. But she wasn’t small, either. The engines took up most of her wide belly, the pilothouse sat above the front, and tall exhaust stacks poked up behind, making her nearly as high as she was long. With her blunt nose hitched close to the dock, she looked clumsy and bulky, but on the water with a barge or two in tow, she was shipshape enough. If a person cared for ships.
    Pa climbed aboard and held out his hand, first to Robbie, then to Charlotte. She looked down as he swung her onto the deck. High water, rushing and brown with all the rain. The worst time to be on the river.
    â€œWe need to check all the lines and all the cables,” Pa said. He unlocked the door, which led up to the pilothouse and down to the engine room. “Let’s get oilskins on so we don’t get completely soaked.” He opened a