Maisy strolled down an aisle of the General Store scanning the various merchandise stocked on the shelves. "Why is everything so damn expensive?" she asked herself quietly as she looked at the price tags.
"Maybe because that's what Mr. Guthrie wants to charge," a voice behind her answered.
A startled Maisy spun around to see her older brother Luke leaning against one of the shelves with his arms folded across his chest.
"Don't ya know it's rude to sneak up on people?" she scowled.
"You're one to talk," he smirked.
"I don't sneak up on people," she said defensively.
"No, but ya sure are rude," he laughed.
"Shut up," she mumbled.
Luke ignored Maisy's verbal indiscretions. There seemed to be an understanding between the two when it came to ratting each other out – they didn't. After the incident last Christmas, Maisy and Luke had been getting along much better; so much in fact that the pair had become partners in crime on the ranch. If there was any mischief on the Ponderosa, the first ones Adam and Evelyn always suspected were Maisy and Luke.
"So, why ya so riled up about the prices?" Luke asked.
"Pa's birthday is coming up and I want to get him something real special," replied Maisy.
"Well how much money ya got?"
"Only thirty-nine cents," she said dismally.
"He likes black liquorice, why don't ya get him some of that?" Luke suggested.
"I said something special, Luke, not some dumb bag of candy!"
"It was just an idea, Margaret Jane! You don't have to bite my head off!"
"I'm sorry," she apologized, "it just has to be special, it just has to be."
"Why?"
"You wouldn't understand," Maisy answered quietly.
"I know I'm not as smart as Benny, but I ain't stupid either, Maisy. Just tell me," he encouraged.
A sombre expression appeared on Maisy's face. "After my mama died I thought no one could ever love me like she did," she began softly, "but I was wrong. Ma and Pa love me and Jake like we was really theirs. I need to get him something great, Luke, something to show that I love him just as much."
"Maisy, Pa never expects us to buy him anything for his birthday; we have always made him something. This year I'm making him a new tool box. Why don't you draw him a picture?"
Maisy rolled her eyes at the suggestion. "A crummy drawing ain't good enough. I need something better, something like..." She paused when her eyes caught sight of the perfect gift. At the end of the aisle, hanging on a hook, was the prettiest saddlebag Maisy had ever seen. "Something like that," she cooed as she walked towards the item and took it off the hook. The accessory was hand-crafted out of soft, deep, reddish-brown leather with a finely embossed star pattern bordering the edges. The double-sack contraption was finished off with a single strap on each side that fastened tightly to the main body with the help of an engraved metal buckle. It was the perfect gift for her pa. He would love it.
Luke followed her and burst out laughing when he saw the price. "$13.75! Good luck with that, little sister!"
"Oh shut up, it's not that much."
"Maisy, you have 39 cents. Unless you're planning on robbing a bank, I think ya better draw Pa a picture."
"I just gotta figure out a way to make some money, is all," she shot back, her eyes still fixated on the leather packs.
"And how do you plan on making money?" he asked sceptically. "You'd have to save a year's worth of allowance to get even half."
"Who said anything about allowance? I'm talking about REAL money."
Luke rolled his eyes. "Like I said, how ya planning on doing that?"
"Not sure right now, but I'll think of something," Maisy assured him.
As Luke and Maisy continued to examine the craftsmanship of saddlebag, their younger sister, Mary, came skipping down the aisle behind them.
"Whatcha doing?" she asked sweetly.
"Nothin'," Maisy muttered, still examining the bag.
"Sure ya are," Mary corrected her, "tell me whatcha doing."
"Why, so you can squeal on us again?" retorted Luke. He was still sore at Mary for ratting him and Maisy out to their parents last week after they snuck away to go fishing instead of finishing their chores. Not only were they given extra chores as punishment, but Adam saw fit to keep close by supervising, which bothered Luke the most. Luke was a hardworking boy but his attention span was something that needed work. With his father watching on, Luke wouldn't be able to have one of the many breaks he tended to take while doing chores. Yes, Mary had spoiled a good thing indeed.
"I'm not gonna squeal," Mary replied innocently.
"There ain't nothin' to squeal over, Mary, cuz we ain't doing anything. We're just looking around," Maisy assured her, hoping to defuse the situation a little.
Before Mary could respond, younger brother Morgan came down the aisle. "Ma says it's time to go and she says we can each get a stick of candy too," he announced happily.
Hearing the word 'candy', Luke and Mary made a dash for the front of the store.
"Ya comin' Maisy?" Morgan asked, seeing that his sister did not budge from her spot.
"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute," she replied, her eyes still fixated on the leather sacks.
"Better hurry or Ma might not let ya get any candy."
Maisy spun around to face Morgan. "You deaf? I said I'd be there in a minute," she barked.
"Fine, don't have any candy, see if I care!" he snapped back then marched away to join the others.
At the front of the store Evelyn had purchased a bag of assorted candy sticks which she placed in her small fabric purse. "You'll get a candy stick after lunch, Jake," she explained upon seeing her son's disappointed look. "I'll not have you spoiling your appetite on sugar."
"Yes, Ma," the boy sighed as he followed his mother and siblings outside.
Adam was loading the recently purchased supplied into the family buckboard as Evelyn and the children exited the mercantile. Filing into the wagon, Adam did a quick head count of his children. "There's only six here, who's missing," he asked the others.
"Maisy; she's still in the store, Pa," Morgan explained in a huffy tone. "I told her we were going now, but she wouldn't come."
Evelyn began to make her way off the buckboard's main seat but was stopped by her husband.
"I'll get her, Evvy," he told her then turned and strode back into the store. Seeing the girl at the end of one of the aisles, Adam called out saying, "Margaret Jane Cartwright, if you are not in that wagon by the count of five, you are walking home, young lady! 1...2...3..."
Maisy darted to the front of the store just in the nick of time. "Sorry, Pa, I guess I just got caught up in looking," she apologized then turned toward the elderly proprietor behind the counter. "Ya sure got some nice things in your place, Mr. Guthrie. Hope ya didn't mind me looking around for a while."
"Not at all, my dear," smiled Mr. Guthrie. He then reached into one of the large glass jars on a shelf behind the counter and pulled out a skinny stick of butterscotch candy. "I believe you didn't get one of these yet," he said as he handed the confection to Maisy.
Maisy's eyes lit up as she looked at the sweet stick then at her father. After Adam gave a quick nod of approval, Maisy took the candy out of Mr. Guthrie's hand. "No, sir, I didn't get one. Thank you very much Mr. Guthrie!" she beamed. "You've got to be the nicest old man I ever met, but don't tell my grandpa I said that."
"Your secret's safe with me, Maisy," laughed Mr. Guthrie.
"Maisy," Adam said then jerked his head in the direction of the store's front doors.
"Right," she remembered, turning a bit red from embarrassment. "Thanks again, Mr. Guthrie. See ya next time," she waved then scurried out of the building.
Adam shook the man's hand. "Thank you, Eli, much obliged."
"My pleasure, Adam; she sure has changed since I first laid eyes on her. The poor thing was nothing but a mousy pile of skin and bones, and now look at her. It's been over a year now, hasn't it?"
"Yes, it has," replied Adam.
"The girl's grown so much. Pretty soon you'll be watching out for all those young suitors that'll be knocking down your door."
"Maisy still has a year and a bit before she's thirteen and even then she'll be waiting a while before I'll allow any sort of that kind of activity to occur. I already have Lizzie to worry about and the twins will be teenagers in less than two months. Don't know if my or Evelyn's nerves could handle Miss Margaret Jane being a teenager at this moment," he chuckled slightly.
"I see what you mean," grinned Eli, "she's a spitfire, that one."
"She is indeed, Eli," Adam remarked with a smile as he turned and walked towards the doors, "she is indeed."