The Sunday afternoon passed, pleasantly enough, until later, when Charlie was entertaining herself by playing with the kittens in
the loft of the barn, and she heard the sound of an approaching buggy.
Looking out the loft opening, Charlie felt a surge of disappointment and annoyance. It was Lucy-and her father.
Charlie gave a groan. What were they doing here?
She hoped she wouldn't be put upon and forced to entertain Lucy. After the debacle a couple weeks before when Lucy had hidden and
everyone had been searching for her around the ranch, well-Murdoch and Scott had both commented that they understood well more
about how annoying Lucy could be. Or, at least a comment along that line. So, hopefully, she wouldn't be called down to play or talk with
Lucy.
Charlie went back over to the center of the loft, sitting back down on the hay, and cuddling the kittens.
She heard voices, as Murdoch came to the door, and greeted Mr. Stone.
She could hear Lucy, too, as she piped up, asking where Charlie was at.
"She's busy around here somewhere," Murdoch said, and Charlie felt a wave of appreciation for Murdoch. He likely knew she
was in the barn, or at least in the vicinity, so he wasn't letting on to that, or calling to her.
A few minutes later she heard Lucy's high-pitched voice singing, and looked out the loft opening again. Lucy was swinging high
on the swing at the side of the house. On her, Charlie's swing. And, though she knew it was somewhat childish, Charlie felt another wave
of annoyance. Annoyance that Lucy was on her swing. Charlie made a hurried decision, and scrambled down the ladder, depositing
the two kittens gently on the barn floor.
She walked to the swing, and Lucy, seeing Charlie approach, brought the swing to a slower rhythm.
"Hello, Charlie," Lucy called out.
"Hi."
"Where were you?" Lucy asked. "They all said they didn't know."
"I was playing with the kittens."
Immediately Lucy stuck out a foot, and stopped the swing's movement. "You have kittens?" she asked, with interest.
"Yes," Charlie said, proudly. "Four of them."
"I want to see them," Lucy said, and, although Charlie thought Lucy demanding, instead of asking, as she should have, Charlie
decided she would still show Lucy the kittens.
The girls walked to the barn, where the kittens were rolling and playing in the dirt in front of the barn.
"Ohhh," Lucy said, surprising Charlie when she knelt down there, in the dust, to scoop up one of the kittens.
Charlie sat down opposite Lucy, and the two girls sat for a long while, taking turns holding all the kittens.
"I wish I could have one," Lucy said. She looked hopefully at Charlie. "Could I?"
Charlie knew that it was Murdoch's wish that the kittens find new homes. There was already three adult cats around
the ranch now. He said that was enough. Still-part of her didn't want to let any of the kittens go. She was hoping to be able
to keep all of them.
"I'm not sure," Charlie said. "We're probably going to keep them a while longer yet."
"Can't they leave their mother yet?" Lucy asked plaintively.
The kittens were weaned. Only just weaned-but-Charlie still felt reluctant.
She settled for a half-truth. "The mother cat's trying to wean them," she said.
"Oh," Lucy said, looking disappointed. She sighed. "It's lonely at my house," she said. "It would be nice to have a kitten to
keep me company."
Charlie cuddled one of the kittens to her chest, looking at Lucy, perplexed.
"Why is it lonely at your house?" Charlie asked.
Lucy shrugged. "It just is. I don't have anybody to really talk to."
"Can't you talk to your family?" Charlie asked.
"No. My sister doesn't want me bothering her. She's always worried about her suitors. And my mother gets nervous
headaches, and has to rest alot," Lucy said.
"Oh." Charlie studied the other girl, still puzzled. She was thinking of Teresa, and how the dark-haired girl never made her feel as
though she was in the way.
"Doesn't she let you watch her get dressed for when she goes out?" Charlie asked, remembering doing just that with Teresa, and
sometimes helping to fasten Teresa's buttons, and other such.
"No," Lucy said, looking as though Charlie was asking something totally shocking. "Sometimes my mother helps her, but May
doesn't like me going in her bedroom, or bothering with her things."
"Oh," Charlie said, again, feeling a flicker of sympathy for Lucy.
In the next instant, though, Charlie's sympathy passed.
"Sometimes I go in her bedroom, anyway," Lucy said. "I use her powder and try on her dresses and things."
"Aren't her dresses too big for you?"
"Of course they are," Lucy said.
Charlie wrinkled her brow. "Then why do you do it?"
"Because it annoys her. She doesn't like her things to be mussed."
"Why do you want to annoy her?" Charlie asked, curiously.
"Because she's not nice to me. So I leave her dresses off the hangers and make a mess of her powder." Lucy giggled. "She gets so
upset!"
"That sounds sort of spiteful," Charlie said.
For a moment, Lucy's eyes widened, and she looked offended. Then she shrugged. "She should be nicer to me, then."
"Don't you get into trouble? When you muss up her things?"
"Of course not. When she complains to my mother-I just use those tricks I told you about-play crying, and accusing her
of not wanting me for her daughter-" Lucy said.
"Oh," Charlie said. She had her own thoughts on those tricks of Lucy's. Still, she was glad that Teresa wasn't like Lucy's older
sister.
When a few minutes later, Teresa herself came to the back door, and called out to the girls, telling them that
there was cake being served, Charlie got to her feet, dusting off the seat of her overalls.
Lucy, meanwhile, sat where she was, and Charlie looked at her questioningly.
"Don't you want some cake?" she asked.
"I'd rather keep playing with the kittens," Lucy said. "I'll have some cake later."
Charlie considered, but then went on to the back doorway, and inside, to the kitchen. Teresa was slicing pieces of chocolate cake,
and placing them on the flowered china plates.
"Where's Lucy?" Teresa asked.
"She says she wants to stay outside, and that she'll have cake later on."
"This isn't a restaurant," Teresa said, sounding irritated.
Charlie turned from washing her hands at the kitchen pump. "Lucy does what she wants to do."
"Yes, I know she does," Teresa said, with a sigh. She went to look out the window, to check on Lucy. "I hope she doesn't take it into her
head to do another of her disappearing acts today." She lifted a tray with coffee cups and coffee pot on it, and gestured to the other tray, with
the plates of servings of cake on it.
"Can you help me, and carry that?" she asked Charlie.
"Okay," Charlie said, and picked up the tray, following Teresa, and balancing it carefully.
In the library, Scott, Murdoch, and Mr. Stone were sitting and talking. Scott and Mr. Stone on the settee, and Murdoch in his large chair.
Teresa set her tray down, and began pouring coffee for the men, and Charlie set her own down, as well. Scott smiled at her, and Mr. Stone
looked behind Charlie, as if expecting to see his precious princess.
"Where's Lucy gotten to?" he asked Charlie.
"She's playing with the kittens," Charlie answered.
"Oh," he said, looking relieved. "I imagine she'd like to have one."
Charlie didn't respond to that, but went to sit beside Murdoch in the large chair, taking a serving of cake for herself. She ate the chocolate
cake, thinking that Teresa's baking skills were becoming quite proficient.
Mr. Stone made conversation, and picked up with a topic that Charlie thought they must have been discussing previously, since Murdoch nor Scott
looked surprised. Something about the school board's visit to the school classroom.
Charlie listened, trying not to appear too obvious about it.
She wondered why they were planning to do such, but then, when Lucy's father went on, talking about the disruptive behavior
that was occurring, she figured that was why. Thinking it was sort of silly, since Charlie thought the children would behave while the
men from the board were present, and then return to the behaviors when the men had gone. What would it accomplish, she wondered to
herself. She'd finished her cake, and Scott took notice of that, because he said, quietly, "You can take your plate to the kitchen, Charlie."
Charlie looked at him, and he gave a brief nod. Not an irritated air about him, or such, but Charlie knew that he wanted her to be
away from the adult conversation.
She stood, and went out, taking her plate to the kitchen, where she put it in the sink, and then took a long drink of cool water.
She went back outside, and Lucy was still in the same location she'd been before, cuddling the kittens.
Just as Charlie walked up to her, Lucy was preparing to stand. "Is there still cake for me?" she asked.
"I think so," Charlie settled for saying. It was up to Teresa to decide if she would fetch Lucy her delayed dessert.
"Good," Lucy said, standing, and dusting off her dress. "Now I'm all dirty," she fussed.
Charlie felt like rolling her eyes. What did she expect, sitting on the ground that way?
Lucy paused, and then gave Charlie a look. "I know something that's going to happen," she said, with the air of having
a secret.
Charlie picked up the kitten that was her favorite. When she didn't respond, Lucy tapped her boot impatiently.
"Don't you want to know what it is?" she demanded.
"I guess," Charlie said.
Lucy cast a look towards the house, and then said, "The school board's going to visit the school. To see who's behaving and who's not. And see
how Miss Hummle is handling everything."
"I heard your father say that," Charlie said.
Lucy looked deflated, but only for a moment. "Well, I know when it is, too-do you?"
Since Scott had ushered her out of the room, Charlie did not know that detail.
She shook her head, and Lucy said, importantly, "It's going to be tomorrow, after lunch."
"Oh," Charlie said. She still thought it was not going to solve anything.
Lucy, apparently thinking that Charlie wasn't reacting with enough dismay, said, slyly, "Maybe they'll find out about that song that you made up."
Charlie felt the air go out of her lungs, and she stared up at Lucy, in horror. While it was no set secret about who had devised the insulting
song, among the school children, she hadn't been sure that every single kid knew. She'd hoped that Lucy would not.
Charlie felt fury rise up and nearly overtake her. She stood up swiftly, still holding a kitten, and said, "Lucy Stone, don't you tell that!"
Lucy shrugged, not looking bothered. "I didn't say I was going to."
Charlie clinched her fist, wishing she could push Lucy down into the dust. Angered-she had been being nice to Lucy, and now Lucy was
threatening her.
Luckily, or perhaps, unluckily, Mr. Stone chose that time to come out the front door of the house, with Murdoch behind him.
"Read to go, Lucy?" Mr. Stone called out to his daughter.
"Yes." Lucy dusted off her dress, and said to Charlie, as if she hadn't just dangled a threat, "Bye, Charlie. See you at school tomorrow."
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