Typhoid & Gossip Ch 16: Davy - Frank Bell's Birthday, an anne of green gables series fanfic

Author's Note:

Enjoy the story!

Faith-hope-and-glory - Yes this is rather unusual, none of us would want to be in their shoes, but we do enjoy reading their story unfold with popcorn... This all started with what if Anne & Gilbert ran into each other and Anne was stuck with Gilbert with Typhoid alone... And three sets of Hammond twins, I think she'll handle that better then the intimacy. She can focus on memories of the twins and pull her mind out that it's Gilbert and she's cleaning his butt.

YodaChick - Oh they're in a big scrape and it'll likely just get worse and worse as time goes on...

TLWtwl - I did some research and it's implied that Prissy is likely a cousin and not a sister to Jane. Does Anne know that the Mr. & Mrs. Teddy are the affectionate names for her cousin and husband from Clara and not their actual names and that they're actually Mr & Mrs Theodore Philips? Oh she's not going to learn that for some time.

Guest - Thanks for the review :)

Annneomine: Yes! That's what she gets for being curious. And yes she did... she cleaned... and if you reread again... he didn't tell that to Mr. Philips - exactly. Oh Mr Philips will be a sore in their sides... How much TBD.

— Davy —

Monday, June 21st, 2:00pm

Bell Residence, Avonlea, PEI

I'd permission from Marilla to drive the horse and buggy to the Bell's residence as it's on the Newbridge road, and I'd be on my way to Bright River to fetch Anne after. She'd sent me off with strict orders to not keep Anne waiting if by some miracle the train actually was on time. Every islander knows that the trains on the Island never are. Gilbert had explained it to me once three years before. Something about the tracts were laid so oddly that they'd constantly had problems. I wondered why and added that to his list briefly.

The fellas were quite impressed I'd driven myself and hadn't been dropped off as Milty had. Though of course many of the fellas had come with their sisters and mothers as several of the ladies had gathered for the sewing circle. Not Marilla though due to a migraine that had come on that morning, and Mrs. Lynde had insisted on coming with Mrs. Harrison.

Us fellas had cake and lemonade on the porch while Frank showed us his gift. The most amazing book ever, The Boys Own Book, a book with every sort of knowledge that a boy might want to know. So we'd been sitting reading it. Quite forgetting what ever Frank's brother had planned, even him listening keenly as we learned about how to start a fire with just a stick, a board, and your shoe lace. Or how to set a bear trap. Really important information you know.

Well, we'd been in the middle about learning how to navigate by the stars when Mrs. Harmon Andrews came late as usual, her shawl flapping as she ran up the drive. She'd not even brought any sewing something most of the gossips would at least pretend to work on. Instead she held an open letter in one hand. She'd passed us and stood in the entrance of the door. Her back to us fellas, but facing the ladies in the open parlor. We'd done our best to ignore their chatter inside, but really with all the windows open to get any sort of breeze in the June heat, it'd been hard. She'd paused and I don't know why us fellas stopped reading, we'd ignored the gossip up until then. Well, it was Anthony Pye then reading. But even though I kicked him to keep reading, he just stared as Mrs. Harmon Andrews spoke.

"I've a letter from my daughter Prissy. She and her husband run that hotel out on Nova Scotia. It's quite a fine establishment. They had some rather well known guests!"

"The Prime Minster?" Mrs. Sloane asked.

"Oh not so famous. More Locally famous." She strung her words until everyone had her attention, I wondered who it might be? The prime minister? "Mr. Gilbert Blythe."

Josie Pye laughed. "And that's the news? Gilbert Blythe had the money to stay in a hotel?"

"Well..." Mrs. Harmon Andrews paused. "Prissy wrote he was quite proud to be checking in, for he'd married that day and was honeymooning with his bride."

"Bride?" One of the ladies asked. I scratched my brain trying to remember if I'd seen Mrs. Blythe or her sister Mrs. George Fletcher arrive that day. Only to remember I'd seen the two as I'd driven past sitting on the Fletcher's porch with Mrs. Fletcher, Mrs. Blythe's sister having her foot propped up, and wrapped like she'd hurt it.

"No Prissy was quite certain she recognized him and his bride. His bride is rather red headed and hard to miss in a crowd. The former Miss Anne Shirley. I guess he was a bit tipsy or sick and he'd blurted out more then he meant too... Kept talking about the wedding had been that day and Anne was expecting..." There were gasps at her words, and all were silent though when she continued. "Prissy said she saw all the signs of it on them. I should have known all those years those two would have eloped, because they got into trouble no less."

Of course even the fellas were in a uproar over that. That Anne and Gilbert eloped. And even I knew the Andrews weren't ones for making up stories. They don't have the imagination to do so. In the end it was Mrs. Lynde who calmed all the folks down. Reminding them that if Anne and Gilbert had done something as fool hearty as to elope. We could to let them tell folks. Anne would be home soon, and most likely then not, there wasn't much truth to it.

So it became established fact that folks would wait for Anne and Gilbert to actually show up and give any credence to that. For as Mrs. Sloane reminded everyone Gilbert was nearly engaged to some music student according to her son and everyone in Kingsport was talking about Anne's beau Roy Gardiner and that they'd be married by the end of summer. And so when I'd fetch Anne tonight it would be likely to spread the news of that engagement, not her eloping with Gilbert. Pity. That could be the best birthday gift ever. Getting Gilbert as my brother!

Well it came close to five and I'd sighed. We'd lost all progress in the boys own book now and I'd gotten tired of all the talk about Anne and Gilbert. I mean I wouldn't mind if they eloped. Weddings I hear are a pure nuisance with flowers and lace. But what they'd mean Anne was expecting? I figured that was a science question so while I waited at the bright river station I wrote that down in Gilbert's list. Did she and Gilbert go and order a baby from Mrs. Berry's catalogue. I'd tried to get a look for the baby section and couldn't find it in any of Marilla or Mrs. Lynde's catalogues, and I'd tried to peak at the Bell's catalogue hanging in the outhouse. Was ordering a baby part of getting married? I hoped not. Don't think I will let Dora marry Frank Bell after all I thought. Not if ordering a baby was part of getting married. I mean I knew girls ordered a trunk full of things, I didn't realize a baby came with it. Must be a special catalogue that only girls filling their hope chests got. Because I couldn't find it.

So I'd waved farewell to the fellas who were still reading, and sighed. Even if they had to order a baby, I sure wished Anne would bring Gilbert home. He could share my room with me, and I'd have the best big brother to plan my birthday party. I wondered what the signs were, Mrs. Harmon Andrews spoke of the signs. I added that to Gilbert's list. That just didn't make sense. But then I remembered when Mr. Sloane had ordered that new four seater buggy last winter and it'd taken six months to be custom built. We all saw the signs on his face as his dream carriage was being built. With fringe and all. I shrugged and just got the horse going. Or maybe it was like Diana Wright, course her mother worrying her certainly has gotten her fat.

—*—*—*—*—

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed! And now the gossip has reached Avonlea. And Mrs. Berry's catalogue!