Chapter 28

"Kindness is the language

the blind can see and the deaf can hear."

~Helen Keller

On Saturday evening, Abigail and Olivia were strolling back to the cafe after watching the "Coal Valley Follies" presented by Rosemary and Mrs. Ramsay. "Well, that was an interesting production," Abigail remarked. She looked sideways at Olivia and they both started to laugh. "That's one way to describe it," Olivia said around a laugh.

"The musical selections were good," Olivia observed. "Yes, they were the best parts," Abigail agreed. "But, what were all those recitations?" she asked.

Olivia shook her head. "Well, it's very popular for people to recite poems at garden parties," Olivia informed Abigail. "However, poetry recitation may be a little too highbrow for Coal Valley."

"People didn't seem to care for them very much," Abigail concurred. "Gabe tried so hard but seemed a little lost in 'The Charge of the Light Brigade.' Poor young man! On the other hand, Cat did an excellent job accompanying Rachel."

Olivia nodded. "And I especially enjoyed that little Irish girl and her mother singing the lullaby. They were so sweet! Tell me their names again."

"Rosaleen and Molly Sullivan. That was wonderful!" Abigail agreed.

The women climbed the stairs and entered the cafe. "Would you care for some tea, Olivia?" Abigail asked. "Tea sounds divine," Olivia gushed. Abigail smiled and began preparing the tea.

Olivia looked back at the door to the cafe. "How long do you think Elizabeth will be?" Abigail grabbed some cups and saucers from a shelf. "She shouldn't be long. She wanted to compliment her students on their excellent work in the Follies." Olivia nodded. "The children worked so hard. Though, Rosemary didn't seem quite satisfied with the production," Olivia observed.

"She didn't seem to be smiling as much as usual," Abigail agreed. Olivia observed, "Well, Jack's out of town. So, that has to put a kink in her plan to make me think he's seeing her behind Elizabeth's back." Abigail smiled and shook her head.

"I wonder if there's any way we could get that girl to leave town?" Olivia asked Abigail. Abigail spun around to face Olivia. "Short of forcing her on the stagecoach? It would be nice if she would leave, but for some strange reason she seems to want to stay here." She sighed as she turned back to making the tea.

Olivia mumbled, "Hmmm... it is strange..." as she turned to the table and settled into a chair. She sat quietly for a few minutes as Abigail worked on their tea. Abigail set the table with the cups and saucers, a small pitcher of milk, the sugar bowl, and then the teapot.

"So, Olivia," Abigail began as she slid into a chair across from her. "Do you think you'll be heading to your daughter's home soon?" Olivia looked up and frowned at Abigail's question. Noting her frown, Abigail quickly explained, "Oh, please don't think I'm trying to rush you out of here. Absolutely not! You are welcome as long as you'd like to stay. But, we will have to plan a farewell dinner for you when you do decide to head on to see your daughter and her family."

Olivia's frown faded somewhat but she did not smile. "I'm really not sure," she replied. "Do you think the tea is ready?" she asked as she reached for the teapot.

Abigail, surprised by Olivia's reaction, answered after a moment, "Ummm...yes, I think it is."

Olivia poured a cup for herself then poured one for Abigail. She prepared her tea with milk and sugar before taking a sip. "This is just what I needed!" she exclaimed, smiling at Abigail. Abigail smiled back as she studied Olivia, perplexed. Something was most definitely not right, she feared.


Just a little note of thanks: I want to take a moment and thank you so much for reading! I especially want to thank everyone who has so kindly sent the very lovely reviews! Some parts of this story were so easy to write- they almost wrote themselves! The court scenes, however, were a bit scary to write. I realized that if I wanted to tell the other stories, then I was going to have to tackle the court case. So, that court ruling in Chapter 25 is just something I saw as a possibility and, actually, it turned out to be more fun to write than I'd imagined it would! Again, thanks so much for your kind words of encouragement. I hope you'll keep reading!