Typhoid & Gossip Ch 46: Davy - Birthday, an anne of green gables series fanfic

Author's Note:

I planned to update tomorrow morning… but it's coming early now :) Enjoy Davy's birthday.

A Talking Cat: Hope you enjoy the update below… Davy's birthday.

AmyAm: Smart deduction. Good job reading between the lines.

DrinkThemIn: Yes, I'm afraid that it would be unlikely they'd know much about birth control. And yes that's what they should do… marry quietly and tell everyone it was a false alarm. But then sometimes when we're stressed out we don't think straight and do what we should do…

Astrakelly - Smart deduction. And yes they have a solution now.

— Davy —

Tuesday, July 19th, 6:00am

Green Gables, Avonlea, PEI

While Anne spent a week at Green Gables I saw Gilbert nearly daily, either taking him fishing or coming over to help with things at Apple Bough. We got my birthday planned and he told me about writing to his great uncle to take Anne on a wedding tour to visit him out on the eastern side of the Island for a week before they'd return for a month. By that time Gilbert would be cleared of the typhoid and Mrs. Lynde and Marilla kept reminding me that Anne and Gilbert would live together then. Well, I figured since they stayed at Apple Bough earlier in the summer this time they could stay at Green Gables. Though Marilla talked about after Anne moved back to Kingsport with Gilbert they best convert Anne's East gable room for Dora. I mean, I guess even meek Dora might like to not share with Marilla.

Gaining a brother was great, but not at the loss of Anne home every summer. Well at least it was a short walk to Apple Bough. There was a good argument though about bedding at Apple Bough one afternoon when I went to help Gilbert and Mr. Blythe with the orchard. Aunt Mary Maria insisted on replacing all the beds with brass and that Mr. Blythe burn the spare room bed which was a massive wooden frame and over fifty years old. I guess it'd belonged to Mrs. Blythe's parents, was made of some fancy wood called Bird's-Eye Maple. And Beautifully carved. We all suggested if she was so horrified that it was still usable after being a sick bed she could return home. She didn't though. I could explain just what sort of woman she was, but if Marilla heard me I'd never see plum jam for a month. Anne would just lecture me. And Mrs. Lynde? She'd box my ears. So best not repeat just what sort of woman Aunt Mary Maria is. Though why she wanted to be called Aunt by even me, I wrote that on my list for Gilbert.

We planned my birthday though and while Dora was to have a tea party with some girls, I'd hinted at the boys own book to Mr. Blythe and when my birthday came, for we'd celebrate a few days later on Tuesday I gleefully opened the Boys Own Book. Which was how it was decided that us fellas put it to good use. We'd build our own canoe to sail in the bay.

So with Gilbert and Fred helped me, Milty, Sam, and Anthony get the wood and canvas we'd need and all week we worked on building it per the instructions. Then Saturday when all the rest of the fellas would come by, even Frank Bell, I'd put up with to show was a jolly canoe we'd have to sail. The best birthday ever! Truly not even Frank Bell could worsen the mood. So all week we built it and even Mrs. Berry and Mrs. Lynde helped with the canvas sewing some panels together. We made oars and were all excited when Friday evening came and we looked it over one final time in the Blythe barn.

I wanted to sleep in the barn with the boat, but neither Marilla or the Blythes would hear of that. So I was sent back to my own bed for the night. Not that I stayed. Soon as the house was quiet, I knew I shouldn't but I snuck out and slipped into the night to go check one final time on my boat.

Rather glad I did! I had snuck in and sat down in the boat holding the oars when I heard a commotion out in the yard between the barn and the house. Coming outside I found three men arguing with torch lights burning. I could still see the oil cloths hanging loosely off the ends of the thick clubs they held up in the air.

"Where's the whore?" One of them cried. "Rather clear from what Charlie Sloane was saying… Or don't you share. Guess you do for they say she was rather close to some other man. Second hand goods you got Gilbert Blythe?"

I stood in the shadows of the barn shaking staring wide eyed as Mr. Blythe rushed out to the shouting, shot gun in hand. "Just what are you implying Ephram Pye? That's my daughter in law you're slandering."

"Where is she?"

"None of your business."

"She's not at Green Gables." He shouted. "Not that desperate to settle for Mrs. Lynde or Miss Cuthbert. And the girl's too young…"

"Not too old for you not to kiss Rachel Lynde." Laughed a second man. She was a looker once."

"You'll stay off Green Gables and Apple Bough. Get your drunk behinds home and if I ever hear you accosting women folk again I'll shoot you where the sun don't shine such that you can't bother a woman again. Make you a gelding."

"Dad?" Gilbert had come down.

"I've got it." Mr. Blythe pushed him back. "They're just leaving."

One of the men though laughed. "I heard Charlie say that you two weren't busy studying but meeting secretly in the woods. Maybe that's where we should find that light skirt of yours, while she was courting another man. Got to wonder if that babe we've all heard about really is yours."

I was already seeing red, but Gilbert must have really been seeing red for he barreled past his Dad and went straight towards the men. They were near the barn door and soon the four were wrestling, and I couldn't leave my brother to fight alone so I barreled out and joined in. I bit, and kicked and hit and did my best to help Gilbert defend Anne's honor, but one of the torches must have fallen for next then we knew the barn was on fire and the burning building must have sobered up the men enough that they stopped fighting.

"Shame on you men." Mrs. Blythe yelled rushing past, dunking her shawl over her nightgown into the bucket next to the pump before tossing it to Gilbert. "Hurry up and save the animals. Buckets!"

My boat! I didn't bother with dampening anything instead rushed in past the flames and smoke by the door to save the boat.

"The animals Davy! We can make another boat!" Gilbert cried as he wrestled with the panicking animals. In tears I rushed towards him, grabbing one of the harnesses to lead one of the horses buckling past the flames out the barn door while the three drunk men had sobered up enough to start a fire brigade.

The Fletchers soon rushed over as did Mr. Barry when they saw the flames. Even Aunt Mary Maria came out of bed though she mumbled the barn was gone and we'd all burn to our deaths that night. We fought all night, but the fire spread too quickly. Part of the barn was saved, but my boat, and much of the barn was charred ashes come morning when we finally put out the last of the flames in time for breakfast.

About sunrise Mrs. Lynde had rushed over, gave me the biggest scolding for they'd discovered when the drunks came there I'd not been in bed. And my birthday was canceled. So while a Dora who'd been protected by Mrs. Lynde and Marilla from the drunks by a shot gun in Mrs. Lynde's arms and a sharp tongue from them both, and was her usual unruffled self when the girls came over. I'd spent the day instead with the men of Avonlea helping the Blythes clean up the wreckage of the fire with plans to rebuild soon as the Blythes could afford the wood after the apple harvest.

We were both beat up, Gilbert and I as we set up a lean too with what of the barn that was left for the animals. I didn't look forward to when Anne would come home that evening. We were both so exhausted that word was sent round about the fire and asking Paul Irving to escort Anne home to Green Gables. And with knowing I'd be grounded for ever, and the biggest black eye I'd ever seen I'd walked home exhausted with Gilbert to Green Gables. For with those drunks he'd insisted he'd stay at Green Gables until the threat was gone and the drunks knew not to mess with our lady folks. We set up a cot in my room for my brother and had just come downstairs when Paul Irving arrived with Anne. She took one look at us cried and rushed towards first Gilbert and then pulled me also in to her arms with him hugging us close.

—*—*—*—*—

Author's Note: What will they do now? And poor Davy - he lost his boat and his birthday now.