Julia's Last Hope Part 5

"You've done a good job," she informed the two. "It has gone so much faster with all of us working together."

Jennifer straightened and rubbed her back. "Are we done?" she asked.

"For now," answered Julia. "We will plant the rest when the weather is a bit more certain. We don't want frost to catch our new plants."

Felicity finished covering the last few seeds. "When will they start to grow?" she asked impatiently. "A couple of days?"

"Oh my, no!" laughed Julia. "But perhaps by next week some of them will be showing."

Felicity's face fell at the thought of such a long wait.

They put away the garden tools and went in to prepare for Hettie's evening meal. John would soon be home, and Julia wanted his womenfolk to greet him as usual in clean and orderly fashion.

Chapter Seven.

Adjustments Jennifer and Felicity made frequent trips to the garden. Julia was amazed at their interest. Wild whoops greeted the first glimpse of fuzzy green. Their hard labor was bearing fruit.

"The girls are growing up," mused Julia. "They still sound like children when they express their glee, but they are able to find enjoyment in doing a taska"even a hard one."

Julia decided that the girls should be given additional responsibilities to help run the household.

"You know that I have sent off letters advertising our home as a place for summer guests," Julia said to the girls at breakfast one morning.

They both nodded in reply, remembering the many times their mother had instructed them not to talk with their mouths full.

"Well, we will all have more work to do when guests arrive," Julia continued.

"Who's coming?" asked Felicity, for the moment forgetting that her mouth was not empty.

"Well, no onea"yet. I meana"I do not know of anyone yet. But it is still early. The advertising has hardly had time to be seen. But whena"when we do have guests, we all will have to help. There will be extra cleaning, and laundry, and jobs in the kitchen."

Julia saw concern, then interest, then excitement in the twins' eyes. "What do we have to do?" asked Felicity candidly.

"Well, I thought I might make a list of ch.o.r.es, and each of you can pick the ones you'd like to do."

"A whole bunch?" asked Felicity, a frown appearing. Jennifer's elbow nudged her.

"Not a whole bunch. Some. And it will depend on how many people are here," explained Julia.

"I'll collect the rent," offered Felicity, her eyes shining, and Julia and Jennifer both shared the joke.

"It won't be rent, really," explained Julia. "They will only stay for a short timea"so it will bea"fees, I guess. Lodging fees."

"I'll wait for the list," said Jennifer.

"Will there just be big people?" asked Felicity, her eyes holding Julia's.

"Perhaps not. I have said that we have three bedrooms and so could take families," Julia answered.

Felicity and Jennifer exchanged nervous glances. "Will we need to share our things?" asked Felicity.

"Your own private possessions, no. But the porch swing and the playhouse, perhaps. Tom is going to build a sandbox and a teeter totter. We want the children to have something to do. The parents will enjoy their stay more if their children are happy," Julia explained. "Then perhaps they will want to come againa"and tell others who might also enjoy visiting a quiet mountain town."

John supervised the dismantling of the equipment at the mill and watched as it was loaded on boxcars and moved down the tracks to be set up at another location. It wasn't until he stood watching the train roll from view around the bend of the mountain that the reality of it all settled in. Work at the mill had come to an end.

There was nothing to do but draw his final wage and go home. He had decisions to make. Difficult decisions. He had been holding them at baya"begging for timea"but he could delay them no longer. He had to face reality and find a way to provide for his family. He was proud of Julia. He hadn't known that she was made of such "strong stuff." She had rallied the town women, determined to fight to save her beautiful house on the mountainside. The house meant a lot to Julia, John reasoned. She was used to fine things. But John had the sickening feeling that no matter how hard she tried, she would end up brokenhearted. There was no way enough people would be drawn to Calder Springs. They had Banff, already becoming a major tourist attraction. And farther up the Rocky Mountain chain was Jasper. It too was growing in popularity. People already knew about Banff and Jasper, and there were only so many people with money to spend at resorts. There would be no additional dollars to spend in their little town, John figured.

It might have been different if they could have built up a clientele slowly, but no one in the town had money to cover their needs while they waited. The town would die. The rest of the people would be forced to move outa"just as some had already done.

John sighed deeply, his shoulders sagged. It was hard for him to see Julia lose what she loved so much. It was hard to face the fact that the girlsa"who had been born to plentya"might now have to do without.

He himself knew all about hardship. He could live simply. But his family? Except for the first few years of their marriage, John and Julia had lived well. And the girls had never known hardship.

It sometimes bothered John that it was Uncle George's money that had built the grand house, not money he had earned through his own hard work. But he had never begrudged Julia the house. She deserved it. He thanked G.o.d for the miracle that made it possible. He always thought of Uncle George's money as a miracle.

John recalled his secret dream of one day owning a business of his own. He had never told anyone. Not even Julia, for he deemed the dream impossiblea"selfish. Uncle George's money had been a temptationa"but only for a brief moment. He would not have considered using it to fulfill his own ambition. Julia's house was always uppermost in his mind.

Still, on occasion, he thought about that little business. A wood-shop. A place where he could take the rough wood that came from the forest and shape and polish it until it shone like glistening dark gold beneath his fingers. He loved the touch of wooda"the smella"the pattern of its grain.

If they could have sold the big housea"even for a fraction of what it was wortha"they might have had a possibility of starting over. As it was, they would lose the house, lose everything. John's jaw twitched and his eyes hardened. It would be tough giving it all up. He tried to shrug off his dismal mood.

"As Jule says," he reminded himself, "G.o.d didn't pack up and move off with the mill. He's still herea"still looking after us."

John headed for the office to pick up his check. Time was pa.s.sing quickly and he'd be late for the evening meal if he didn't hurry.

Julia stopped by the bedroom where the girls were preparing for supper.

"How about wearing your blue gingham dresses tonight?" she asked them.

Two sets of eyes lit up. "Are we going out?" asked Felicity.

"No."

"Are we having guests?" asked Jennifer.

"Noa"it will just be us." Then Julia answered the question that she could read in their faces. "They're Papa's favorite dresses," she explained.

Jennifer turned to study her mother. Julia also was wearing one of John's favorite dresses.

"Will Papa be feeling sad tonight?" she asked.

Julia tried to keep her voice steady, her chin from quivering. "Hea"he may be. Just a bit. The mill is gone now. Papa hated to see it go. This was a hard day for him."

Jennifer's face grew serious. Felicity looked more buoyant. "Should I tell him my joke?" she asked.

"I'm not sure he will be ready for jokes," Julia said softly. "Just try to be cheerfula"and as agreeable as you can be. No fusses."

Both girls nodded.

Julia closed the door quietly behind her as she left the room.

"I think I should tell him my joke," insisted Felicity.

"What joke?" asked Jennifer.

"A man had twins and they were both the same size and had the same color hair and the same color eyes, so how did he tell them apart?"

Jennifer looked dubious. She slipped her blue calico over her head and then asked the question Felicity was waiting to hear, "How?"

Felicity whisked on her own blue dress, her eyes sparkling in antic.i.p.ation of the punch line.

"The boy wore britches and the girl didn't!" she exclaimed, then laughed uproariously at the humor of her story.

Jennifer did not even smile. "It's silly," she declared. "Silly and stupid."

But Felicity was still laughinga"so hard that she could not tie the bow of her sash.

"It's silly," Jennifer said again.

Felicity's face sobered. "You're just cross 'cause you didn't think of it," she challenged.

"Am not," Jennifer shot back. "I'd never tell such a silly joke."

"You never tell any jokes at all," Felicity threw at her. "You are soa"so soura"anda"and dull. You never even laugh."

"I laugh when things are funny."

"No, you don't. You never think anything is funny."

"I do too," Jennifer declared. "When Papa tells a funny jokea"I laugh."

"Papa doesn't tell jokes."

"He does too."

Felicity shook her head. "He hasn't told a joke sincea"sincea""

"Well, he used to tell them. And he will again whena""

Jennifer stopped as her tears began to fall. Would Papa ever tell jokes again? Would he ever laugh and play with them? Would he ever tease Mama good-naturedly? When would their world get back to normal again?

"See! You don't even know how to laugh. You just cry," Felicity taunted.

Jennifer slapped her.

Julia was not at the door to greet John when he arrived home. She was in the bedroom settling the dispute between her daughters. Both girls were in tears, and Julia herself felt ready to cry. She had wanted a warm, serene welcome for John on this most difficult day. Hettie had fixed his favorite dinner, and Julia had groomed herself to please him. The girls were to have presented themselves in their father's favorite dresses, hair carefully combed, happy faces inviting him into the warmth of the family circle. But it had all gone wrong.

"Poor John. Poor, poor John," wept Julia.

Chapter Eight.

Hard Work The scene that greeted John as he entered his home that night did more to lift his spirits than Julia could have imagined. Weeping daughters and a distraught wife reminded him in a very real way that he was still needed.

His eyes lifted to Julia's tearfilled ones as he wordlessly asked the reason for the fuss. Julia shrugged weary shoulders and her tears increased. He nodded her from the room, followed her out and shut the door softly behind them.

"What's the problem?" he asked, turning Julia to face him.

Julia blinked back her tears. "It's justa"just a little spat over some silly joke." As soon as she said it she realized that it was really much more than that. "Oh, John," she sobbed, leaning against his broad chest. "I thought we could have a special night toa"toa"" She couldn't say "celebrate." The day's events hardly called for a celebration. "To show our thanks that we are herea"together," she finished lamely. "I wanted your favorite dinner, a happy family, the girls in their prettiest dressesa"but the girlsa"the girlsa"" Julia burst fully into tears and buried her face in his shoulder, the sobs shaking her.

John held her and stroked her back to ease her tension. He still didn't understand what the trouble was all about.

When the tears began to subside John spoke again. "Should I discipline the girls?" he asked.

Julia jerked to attention, her eyes opening wide. "Oh my, no," she quickly responded. "That would spoil our dinner."

John pulled her close again.

"It's so strange," Julia murmured against him. "I thought they had becomea"soa"soa"grown up. They worked so harda"and so well in the garden with me. Why, I've been thinking that they are now young ladies. I was all set to enjoy their companya"their helpa"and thena"all of a suddena"this." Julia sniffed.

"Have you forgotten their age?" John asked, patting her shoulder. "They're only thirteen. I don't think anyone knows at that age whether she is an adult or a child. Remember?"

Julia shook her head. She couldn't remember. She had been forced to go from childhood to adulthood when her mother died.

"I do hope you are not implying that I'm going to have to live with thisa"this fluctuationa"for some time," Julia said as she wiped her eyes and blew her nose on a lace handkerchief. A sparkle of humor had returned to her eyes.

John nodded.

"Oh my!" exclaimed Julia. "We'll never know from one minute to the next whether we have children or adults!"

"Would you like me to talk to them about this incident?" John's arm tightened.

"No, I will," Julia said softly, straightening her shoulders. "You wash for dinner. Hettie will be anxious to serve us before the meal gets cold."