Julia's Last Hope Part 8

Along with the busy days for Julia and Hettie, John and Tom were also pressed with responsibilities. The garden needed constant care. They had a wood supply to maintain, lawns to mow, and shrubbery to trima"not only at the Harrigan house, but also at empty neighborhood homes.

In addition, Mrs. Hammond never stopped making suggestions as to how the Harrigans could make her and her family more comfortable.

"Surely, you must have attic s.p.a.ce. If your youngsters used it, my girls could each have her own room. They are not used to being crowded together, you know."

"If this porch was screened in, it would be much more pleasant."

"The gardens would be more becoming if there were more flowers and fewer vegetables."

Julia tried to let it all pa.s.s. She ticked off each day as she left the kitchen at night. In the meantime she and Hettie devised little ways of meeting the demands.

They kept water boiling at all times. Two teapots were put into service, so there was always a hot pot at teatime.

Hettie made hearty lunches for Hadley so the whole family did not need to wait for him to return from his exploring before sitting down to dinner.

Mrs. Hammond was undisturbed on the porch swing, additional cushions borrowed from the committee members.

Men loitering in front of the train station told Mr. Hammond enough stories of bears and mountain lions to convince him that the area was truly wild and dangerous. He would have many stories to tell when he returned to the city.

And the two bickering girlsa"they were ignored as much as possible.

Eventually the two weeks ended, and the suitcases were repacked. Mr. Hammond took one last walk, hoping to see an elusive grizzly bear. Mrs. Hammond wriggled free of her cushions, stood up, and ate her last chocolate as she left the porch. Miranda and Fredrika whined over who would get the window seat on the return trip, and Hadley roared up and down his sawdust trail one last time before being force cleaned for the train journey. Then they were on their way.

The whole Harrigan household breathed a sigh of relief. It was over. They had made it.

"I never would have survived without you," Julia admitted to Hettie. "I was so close to giving up."

Julia drew the payment from her ap.r.o.n pocket. It really wasn't much for all the work involved, but it would helpa"and it was a start.

"I hope the Greenwald guests are easier to manage," Hettie stated.

"Oh my! I had forgotten. They arrive tomorrow, don't they?"

Hettie nodded. The committee had decided that each member would have a turn at keeping guests. Mrs. Greenwald was to host a young couple starting the next day.

Julia looked about her disrupted home. She was eager to restore it to its proper state. The whole place needed a good cleaning.

Hettie knew her thoughts. "We'll get to it," she a.s.sured her mistress.

"I'm sure we will," Julia stated, "but first let's have a cup of tea."

"Hot?" asked Hettie, a twinkle in her eyes.

"Very hot!" said Julia, laughing.

Chapter Eleven.

New Visitors Only Julia and three other committee members had the room and the desire to keep overnight guests. The other ladies hoped to make their living by selling goods from their craft shop. Julia was beginning to wonder if each of the four ladies would even get one turn at playing hostess.

Mrs. Greenwald's young couple quickly became bored with the small town and left before their time was up. Mrs. Clancy's first clients made other plans and did not show up at all. That meant Mrs. Clancy would have the next people on the list. Eventually an elderly couple wrote for accommodation.

Julia had received permission from four shop owners to use their facilities. The women, along with their husbands, got busy preparing the s.p.a.ce to display merchandise. They expressed some disappointment at the meagerness of their stock as they tried to make so few items fill such big shelves.

"It will be much better next year," Julia encouraged. "We will have all winter to prepare things for the stores."

Although the women looked a bit more hopeful, Julia knew they were all wondering where they would get the funds needed to buy supplies to make the items.

"These will have to do for now," Julia continued. "It does look much better to have some of the boards off the shop windows along Main Street."

Summer was drawing to a close when two letters arrived. A family of three wanted a quiet accommodation for a two-week period and a "genteel" couple requested two rooms for an undetermined number of days. Julia hastily called a committee meeting for that afternoon.

"We don't have much time," she told the group. "Both parties plan to arrive next week."

The Adams family was next on the list, so the committee decided they would get the guests staying for the more certain period of time. Julia was given the genteel couple.

"Will you need help getting ready?" Julia asked Ruth Adams.

"Thank you, but I'm as good as ready right now. After all, I've been waiting all summer."

"Is there anything you need?" asked Julia. "Vegetables? Linens?"

"I could use some new potatoesa"and perhaps a few carrots," the woman admitted.

"I'll send the girls over with some," promised Julia.

Next Julia asked for a report from the craft shop.

Matilda Pendleton shook her head. "We haven't had much business this summer. One couple bought three or four things to take home to family, and some men from the train looked in. One bought a lace collar for his wife. That's all."

It was a discouraging report but Julia tried to make the best of it.

"Well, that's a start. We're getting a good stock of summer jams and jellies now. Once word gets around, the train crews might do a lot more purchasing."

The other women didn't look too hopeful.

Julia sensed their discouragement and brought the meeting to an end. "Hettie, I think we could all use some tea," Julia prompted. As the ladies gathered around the serving table with cups of steaming tea and lemon tarts, their spirits were lifted in friendly chatter.

"Do you think it will be like the last time?" asked Felicity when the family gathered for family worship in the evening.

"Impossible!" John answered. "The world couldn't contain two such families." He rolled his eyes and put a horror-stricken look on his face to entertain his daughters.

Felicity laughed and Jennifer smiled at John's antics.

Julia hoped John was right but she feared that two such families just might exist. She breathed a quick prayer that she might not be called upon to endure them both in one summer.

"This will be a new family," John reminded them. "They may be *different'a"but that's what makes this venture exciting. We never are quite sure what kind of folk we will be entertaining."

"I hope they don't have a boy!" exclaimed Jennifer, remembering the last one.

"If they do, we'll need to tie down the flower pots," put in Felicity.

"And chain down the swing," added Jennifer. "Anda""

"They don't have a boy," said Julia. "The next guests are just a couple."

"Old?" asked Felicity.

"I don't know. The letter just said *genteel.' "

"What's genteel?" asked Jennifer.

"Well, that means they have good mannersa"good breeding. They are used to fine things," Julia explained.

Felicity rolled her eyes at her sister. "Oh-oh," she said. "The children-should-be-seen-and-not-heard kind."

John and Julia laughed.

"Well, it could be that you will need to keep down your chatter for a few days," Julia admitted, "but that shouldn't be too hard."

"I keep forgetting," said Felicity. "When I am serving in the dining room or putting fresh towels in the bath, I keep forgetting that I am not to talka"just serve."

"I know," Julia smiled. "It's difficult to shift roles, isn't it?"

John fidgeted. He hated to see his family become servants in their own home. His girls were hardly more than children and they were serving the table, doing dishes, cleaning bathrooms, and making beds. Julia had tried to a.s.sure him that the experience was good for them, but John would rather have had them learn their duties under different circ.u.mstances.

"Enough chatter for now. We all have things to do if we are to be ready for tomorrow," Julia went on. "Let's be quiet while Papa reads the Scriptures."

The girls settled themselves to listen to the scripture lesson that John had chosen for the evening reading. Then each one prayed, asking G.o.d to keep them within His will. Felicity went a step further. "Dear G.o.d," she prayed, "bring us good guestsa"not like the last time. Thank you that they don't have wild boys or grumpy girls. Help us to do our best to care for them and might they pay good money for all of us to live on. Amen."

The buggy did not carry many suitcases when Tom arrived with the guests the next afternoon. Each visitor had one small piece. Tom looked pleased as he carried the two cases to the second floor bedrooms.

"Do come in," Julia greeted the couple. "You must be weary after your long train ride. Hettie will show you your rooms and the hall bath where you may refresh yourselves. We will have tea in the main parlor in fifteen minutes."

The gentleman nodded, giving Julia a kind smile, and took his wife's arm to follow Hettie. The woman climbed the stairs with hesitation, causing Julia a moment's concern. But she completed the climb with no apparent ill effects. Julia put aside her worry and went back to the kitchen.

In fifteen minutes, just as Julia had arranged, the couple entered the parlor. They made no demands. Mr. Williams led his wife to a chair and helped her be seated. He pulled another chair up close to hers and seated himself.

"Cream and sugar?" Julia asked.

"Just sugar for me," replied the woman, "but Mr. Williams will have a bit of both."

Julia served the tea and pa.s.sed the dainty sandwiches.

"My, you have a lovely home. So pretty. Nota"not stark and cold likea"like some places," the woman observed as she helped herself to a sandwich.

"Thank you," responded Julia. She enjoyed having her home receive proper respect.

"I love the pictures," the woman went on. "That one in the hall, of the stream and the children. I could almost taste the water the boy is offering to the girl."

Julia enjoyed the compliment. The picture was one of her favorites.

"Who is the artist?" the woman asked.

"He was an acquaintance of my father," Julia stated. "The picture was a wedding gift."

"Then I don't suppose you want to sell it?" the woman asked, her brows arched over her lifted teacup.

"No," said Julia, shaking her head. "I think not."

Julia pa.s.sed the cupcakes. Mr. Williams accepted one, but Mrs. Williams politely turned down the sweets.

"I would like another cup of that lovely tea, though," she murmured. "Quite the nicest cup of tea I have had for some time."

Julia smiled. "I suspect that our cold, clear spring water has something to do with that."

"Yes," agreed the woman. "Yes, I suspect so." Then she turned to her husband. "Do you suppose we could get our water from the spring?" she asked him.

"We will drink nothing but spring water while we are here," he promised.

"I mean for our tea."

"Yes, dear. For our tea."

"But shouldn't we pay them if we are going to use their water?" she asked.

"My dear, we will pay them," he tried to a.s.sure her.

"But I didn't see you pay."

"We pay when we leave," he tried to reason.

"Are we leaving already? Goodness! It seems that we just got here," she said, rising to her feet.

Julia could not understand the strange exchange. She wondered if she should leave the room and give the man an opportunity to calm his disoriented wife.

The man stood also. "No, dear, we are not leaving yet." He eased her back into her seat. "And you are quite right," he hurried on. "We do owe this lady for her fine tea, made of fresh spring water. Here. I will pay her. See! Right now." He reached into his pocket and drew out a bill, which he handed to Julia. His wink told Julia to take the money without comment.

Julia accepted the bill with a trembling hand. "Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Williams," she managed.

Mrs. Williams settled back in her chair.