Cyrus glared at Adam and Ben for a few moments before turning abruptly, going to his bedroom and slamming the door. Ben raised his eyebrows as Adam took a seat in his chair.
"What DID happen upstairs between you and Lizzie?" Ben asked with a smile.
"Well, Pa," Adam drawled. "I don't think I'm going to tell you. I will tell you this, though, and I hope you'll help me with something."
Ben nodded.
"I want Lizzie to learn to say no, politely and respectfully, furthermore, I want her to learn to say no, when need be, even to those people she loves and respects."
Ben shook his head with a frown, not understanding.
"I'm not sure I follow."
"Twice, recently, Lizzie has said yes to someone when she knew she should have said no: Paul and today, Cyrus. She gave in and did things that she knew she shouldn't and found herself in trouble over it."
Ben put his chin down to his chest and smiled before looking up at Adam.
"She is such a sweet girl that even when she knows she should say no, she doesn't. She wanted to help Paul out and she wanted, I hope, to please her grandfather by going with him to that carnival," Adam said as he looked down at his hands thinking. "But now, I have told her she is not to tell anyone what just happened upstairs and how I dealt with her going to the carnival. I told her she needs to learn to say no politely, firmly and graciously, but make the no stick. She did fine with Cyrus just now, even though she was nervous. I want to help her practice, so I want you to ask her what happened upstairs."
Adam looked up to meet his father's eyes.
"And if she tells me?" Ben asked seriously.
"I told her she would be in trouble with me," Adam replied, never looking away from his father's eyes. "And she will be."
"So, you want me to set my granddaughter up and rat her out if she fails the test?" Ben asked with a laugh.
"Well, Pa, when you put it that way, it doesn't sound so good, but I don't know how else to give her the opportunity to say no, without there being consequences that I can't control if she doesn't. So, to answer your question, yes."
Ben was silent a long time while Adam waited.
"All right," Ben said quietly.
"Yes?" Adam asked.
"Yes, I don't like it, mind you, but I do see the necessity of it. I'll be your Judas goat." Ben said firmly.
"Now you're really making me feel bad about it. Do you think I'm wrong?" Adam asked worriedly.
"I'm sorry, Adam. I shouldn't have put it that way. No, I don't think you're wrong. I'll ask, but I'm not going to push too hard. I don't want her in trouble with you."
"I don't want her in trouble with me either," Adam said ruefully. "I just want her to learn that it's all right to say no."
Ben nodded and they both lapsed into silence.
They were both startled out of their thoughts, when Lizzie came into the house.
"Honey, it appears you and I both forgot to have you change your clothes after school today," Adam said noticing the hay strands clinging to Lizzie's dress.
"I know, Papa, but I was really careful," Lizzie said, coming over to him.
Adam put his arm around her waist.
"I'm sure you were, honey, but it's hard to have fun when you're trying to take care of your clothes. I appreciate you keeping it in mind, but why don't you run upstairs and change and then you won't have to be careful," Adam said, kissing her cheek.
Lizzie nodded and ran up the stairs as Cyrus came out of his room.
"Did I hear Lizzie?" Cyrus asked.
"Yes, you did, Cyrus, come sit down," Ben said waving him over.
"I'm not sure if I'm welcome," Cyrus said with a bit of sarcasm.
"You're welcome to join us, Cyrus, just don't try to talk my daughter into disobeying me," Adam said with a roll of his eyes.
"It was not my intent to get your daughter in Dutch with you. I was merely…" Cyrus started.
"I'm glad, Cyrus, because as I said, I do want you in Lizzie's life," Adam interrupted.
"Come on down, Lizzie. Join us," Adam said turning in his chair and looking up the stairs to where Lizzie stood, watching the exchange.
"I wanted to go out and play, Papa," Lizzie said, coming down the stairs, very slowly.
"You haven't had much time to spend with you Grandpa Cyrus and I don't know how long he'll be able to stay. Why don't you join us so we can visit?" Adam said, hooking his arm over the back of the chair and looking up at her.
Lizzie ran through all the ways to say no in her head, but seeing Adam's intent look made her reject all of them. So, she continued down the stairs and sat on the couch next to her Grandpa Cyrus. She sat quietly, swinging her legs and staring at the rug on the floor.
"So, Cyrus, why don't you tell us about what Lizzie's mama was like as a girl?" Adam asked with a big smile.
Well, I told Lizzie that her mother was curious about things and that's why I wanted to take her to the carnival," Cyrus started.
"What else was she curious about?" Ben asked quickly, seeing Lizzie start to get angry and open her mouth to say something.
"She loved nature." Cyrus continued, "There wasn't an animal or bird that she didn't like."
"That sounds like you, Lizzie," Adam said with a smile.
"She used to bring home all sorts of strays and injured wild things and she was never more happy than when they were healed enough to be set free," Cyrus reminisced. "I was always worried she would get attached and want to keep the animals, but she used to say that they deserved to be free to live in the wild where they belonged instead of in a cage."
"She was very wise," Ben said with a smile.
"I remember she used to try and make peace between people too. That got her in trouble with me a few times," Cyrus said quietly as he lapsed into silence.
"Can you tell us about one of those times, Cyrus?" Ben asked softly.
"Well, there was this one time. There was this old peach tree on the neighbor's property. The man that lived there was an ornery old cuss and he mostly kept to himself. Well, Sarah thought that was just not right and that he should have friends and people who cared about him. Her mother and I told her again and again to just leave him be, that he was entitled to his peace, but she wasn't swayed. I think she looked at him the same way she looked at the wounded animals she brought home," Cyrus took a big breath and sighed it out before he started again, looking down at his hands.
"Well, she took to taking peaches off of his tree and leaving them with notes around town that implied that the peaches were from him. No one could believe that he'd changed so much that he would be leaving peaches for people because, as I said, he wasn't too sociable. I'm sure he took to watching his tree and then one day Sarah got caught and that old man grabbed her by the arm and brought her to me. I made her apologize and I promised him that I would make sure it didn't happen again. Millicent and I weren't sure how to handle things with Sarah, we felt that her heart was in the right place, but we had told her to leave the man alone and she needed to obey us."
Cyrus chuckled as he said, "I went upstairs to her room and she was immediately on the offensive. Daddy, she said, he needs friends; he needs to have people care about him. She was pacing around the room and flinging her arms around."
Adam laughed, "She used to do that with me too when we were having an argument."
Cyrus smiled.
"That may be, I said, but stealing and lying to get them for him is not something I am going to let you get away with. I spanked for her for the lying and the stealing, but not for the caring. She came up from over my knee just plain furious. Daddy, she said, Mr. Whitaker needs a friend and you can spank me as much as you want, but I'm going to find him one. Not by lying or stealing, you aren't, I said. No, she said, with tears in her eyes, but I am going to find him one.
I told her, Sarah, don't force this, when you are working with your animals, do you try to force them to accept you? No Daddy, she said, I want them to be what they are. Then let Mr. Whitaker be who he is I said. She had her arms crossed over her chest and she was chewing on a thumbnail and I could tell she was thinking about Mr. Whitaker, not about the spanking she had just received. Sarah, no more lying or stealing? I asked. No, Daddy, I promise. I see you planning something, I said. I expect to hear about it before you do anything, am I clear? Yes, Daddy she answered."
Lizzie had gotten interested in the story at that point, and asked, "Did she come up with a plan?"
"She did, Lizzie," Cyrus replied. "The next morning, she came to find me in the barn. I thought about what you said last night about my animals, she said. I've decided I am going to be his first friend. I'm going to go over there and apologize for the lying and the stealing. Because you're sorry? I asked seriously. I was thinking I might need to reinforce the lesson with another trip over my knee. I didn't want her manipulating him with an apology. Yes, Daddy, she said. She said she had thought about why I was angry with her and that she really was sorry. It's not fair to deceive people about him she said. Daughter, I am about to take you back over my knee, I threatened. Daddy, she said, I know I shouldn't lie or steal ever, even if I think it's for a good cause. I need to find an honest way to help him. So, that's why I'm going to be his first friend. Mother said she would help me make cookies so I can take him some when I go over there to apologize.
Are you asking me or telling me, Sarah? I asked. Well, that brought her up short and I think she could see that she was about ready to earn another spanking. She got real respectful then and asked if she could go and apologize to Mr. Whitaker and take cookies. I asked her what she would do if I said no. If I told her I wanted her to leave that man alone. She got tears in her eyes and said, I would mind you, Daddy. I said, good, because I am going with you on this apology trip and at the end of it I will decide if there is going to be another. She flung her arms around me and thanked me and that was the beginning of a friendship that lasted with Mr. Whitaker until he died."
Cyrus wiped a tear from his eye and said, "That was my Sarah. I miss her so much!"
"I miss her too, Cyrus," Adam said quietly.
"You took her from me," Cyrus said with resignation. "She would not have died if she hadn't come with you."
"Cyrus, you don't know that," Ben said, shaking his head.
"You brought her far from home, out away from civilization, and proper doctors and she would still be here today, if you hadn't done that, Adam," Cyrus said sadly as he got up and went to his room.
Lizzie watched him leave and her mouth fell open.
"I don't understand," she finally said.
"Your Grandpa Cyrus is still grieving, Lizzie," Adam said tiredly.
"But why? She's been gone for a long time," Lizzie said looking back at the door.
"Grief takes as long as it takes, Lizzie," Adam said softly, looking at the door Cyrus had gone through.
"But why is he blaming you?"
"Because he is angry and hurt and upset and I am someone he can blame for something that he couldn't control. Fathers want to protect their daughters and sometimes they just can't, so they look for someone to blame," Adam said, leaning forward and taking her hand.
"I don't like it!" Lizzie said angrily.
"I don't either, Lizzie, but we have to take him as he comes," Adam said, sitting back. "Now, why don't you go out and play until dinner time?"
Lizzie sighed and went out the door.
"You're going to have to address that attitude," Ben said quietly.
"Cyrus? Yes, but how?" Adam laughed and Ben joined him.
"I know, Pa," Adam said seriously, picking up the book Lizzie had been reading in the barn earlier that afternoon. "I'm thinking about how to do that. She is a compassionate little girl and I think I just need to tap into that and if we can make it to bedtime without too much attitude leaking out, I think the story of Mr. Whitaker and this book will help me do just that."
After Adam had reread the book Lizzie had been reading and thought for a while, he roused himself.
"I guess I need to get those cattle I sold this morning in the books and prepare a bill of sale. The buyers are coming back tomorrow with some hands to get them to their ranch," Adam said walking towards the desk.
"I should look over this contract I've been putting off too," Ben said, reaching over to the table and picking up a sheaf of papers. "I always need to read these contracts from the Lazy S carefully. They tend to try and sneak things in on me."
"Pa, you know Jed just likes to see what he can put over on you. He's not malicious," Adam said with a laugh as he pulled out the accounting books he needed.
Ben growled and started to read.
After an hour of quiet work, Adam stood and stretched.
"Can I interest in you a bourbon, Pa?" Adam asked as he moved towards the table with the decanters on it.
"You can indeed," Ben replied, "I believe Hop Sing has some branch water in the kitchen."
Adam nodded and headed to the kitchen. Ben looked back to the contract in his hand and set it aside with a sigh. Jed Pickens was not an attorney, but he sure did write contracts like he was. Ben was lost in thought when Lizzie came in the door.
"Hi, Grandpa," she said coming over to him
"Well, hello yourself. Did you have fun outside?"
"Yes, Lady's kittens are getting so big! Do you think Papa has found homes for all of them?"
"I expect he has," Ben said, pulling her into his lap. "Your papa wants those kittens to have good homes as much as you do."
"I wish he would let me keep one. There's an orange and black one that's so pretty and sweet."
"I think that Lady might be jealous if you were to get another cat," Ben said settling back into the chair. "I'm sure your papa is just looking out for Lady the same way he was looking out for your today when he said no to the carnival. I'm sorry you got into trouble with him."
"I should have said no to Grandpa Cyrus," Lizzie said sadly.
"I think that's right," Ben said patting her arm. "I hope your papa wasn't too hard on you about saying yes?"
"No, Grandpa," Lizzie said.
"Do you want to tell me about it?" Ben asked with a smile.
Lizzie sighed.
"I do Grandpa, but Papa said I need to not tell anyone what happened with him because I went to the carnival. He said I need to practice saying no when he tells me to say no. I want to tell you, but I can't," Lizzie said sadly and looked down at her hands. "Are you mad?"
"I am not angry with you for obeying your papa. You know I always expect you to mind him, so if he says not to tell me, then you shouldn't tell me," Ben said putting her on her feet. "You run upstairs and wash up. I think dinner is about ready."
As Lizzie ran up the stairs, Adam came out of the kitchen doorway where he had stood listening to the conversation. He poured his father and himself a bourbon and branch and handed his father a glass before taking a seat.
Ben raised his eyebrows and then raised his glass to Adam.
"Thanks Pa, I was sweating that a little bit," Adam said raising his glass to his father before taking a drink.
"You were? I was!" Ben said with a laugh. "She blamed you, but she said no."
"I guess I am to blame in this case and happy to take the blame," Adam said with a smile.
"I was pretty proud of her," Ben said.
"Me too and relieved," Adam said taking another drink just as Hop Sing came out of the kitchen announcing dinner and Lizzie clattered down the stairs.
Hop Sing went out to the porch and rang the dinner bell bringing Hoss and Little Joe running.
"Chicken and dumplings, my favorite!" Hoss said licking his lips.
Not seeing Cyrus come out of this room, Ben said, "Joseph will you invite Cyrus to dinner please? He is in his room."
"Sure, Pa," Little Joe said, heading to the guest room. He came out shaking his head.
"Cyrus says he is not hungry tonight and asks that you forgive his absence," Little Joe said with a laugh and a shake of his head.
"He has, I think, found another companion for the evening," Joe raised his eyebrows as he swung his leg over the back of the chair, picking up the spoon in the serving dish and filling his plate with chicken and dumplings.
Ben shook his head, but began to ask everyone about their day as the dishes were passed around the table.
After dinner, Hoss and Little Joe settled into a game of checkers, while Lizzie, Adam and Ben picked up their books and they passed the evening quietly. Soon it was bedtime for Lizzie.
"Head 'em up and move 'em out, Lizzie," Adam said with laugh as the clock chimed the half hour.
Lizzie giggled and moved around the room giving kisses and getting hugs before heading up the stairs.
Adam picked up the book Lizzie had been reading in the barn earlier and followed her upstairs.
"Papa, will you put my hair in a braid, please?" Lizzie asked coming out from behind the screen with her nightgown on.
"Yes, my lady," Adam said picking up her comb and taking a seat on the bed before starting to work the tangles out of her hair.
"I think you could stand to wash your face a bit before bed," he said, as he finished the braid and stood to pull back the covers.
Lizzie took the comb from his hand and went over to the wash basin and looked in the mirror as she quickly scrubbed her face.
"Papa, why do you think Grandpa Cyrus didn't come out of his room tonight?" She asked as she climbed into bed.
"I think your Grandpa Cyrus is still very sad about your mama and he wanted to be alone tonight. I also think he is a little bit sad he had a part in getting you into trouble today."
"He shouldn't have asked me to go to the carnival," she said angrily. "I think he should have apologized for asking."
"You are very right," Adam said. "But just like I let you decide when you should apologize, Grandpa Cyrus gets to decide when he wants to apologize."
"And you should not have said yes." He continued with a smile as he put his finger lightly on her nose.
Adam took a seat by her and picked up the book he had brought up with him.
"So, since we are talking about things people did that they shouldn't have done, and apologies, Lizzie, why were you reading about Eliza and the chocolate bunnies in the barn today?" Adam asked, putting his arm up over the pillows behind Lizzie's back and settling the book in his lap.
"I don't know, Papa, I guess I remembered you used to read it to me after I got in trouble with you," Lizzie said. "And I was feeling bad about going to the carnival."
"I did used to read it to you. I wanted you to remember that even when you get in trouble, I still love you," Adam said, kissing the top of her head.
"Is that why you want to read it to me? Because I was naughty?" Lizzie asked, blushing.
"No, I was thinking maybe I should read it to you tonight and you should think about how Eliza's brother and sister were with her."
"What do you mean?" She asked, frowning.
"Well, how about we read it and then maybe you'll understand," Adam said and he leaned back against the headboard. "I think maybe when we read this in the past, you were concentrating on Eliza and not Eddie and Ellie.
Lizzie nodded and snuggled in to listen.
"It was a week before Easter and Eliza Bunny was very excited…" Adam began.
When he had finished, he looked over at her. "Did you pay attention to Eddie and Ellie and what they did?"
Lizzie nodded.
"And?" Adam queried further.
"They tried to help Eliza out of trouble," Lizzie said, meeting his eyes, but clearly thinking about the story.
"And?" Adam asked again with a smile.
"I don't know, Papa," Lizzie said.
"Did they try to help her out of trouble with her papa, before or after she apologized for being mean?" Adam asked as he hugged her shoulders.
"Before," Lizzie said with a frown.
"Do you think that was right or should they have waited for an apology?"
"They had to help her right then, or it would have been too late," Lizzie said, frowning even further and snuggling under her father's arm.
"So, they were right to help, because she needed help right then, not after she had apologized?"
"Yes," Lizzie said slowly and nodding.
"Let me ask you another question, what do you think about your mama helping the next door neighbor who was so grumpy nobody wanted to be his friend? Do you think she was right?"
"She shouldn't have stolen the peaches, Papa," Lizzie said, shaking her head.
"That's true and she deserved to be punished for stealing, even though she thought she was doing it for a good reason. But that didn't stop her, did it? She found another way to be his friend," Adam said meeting her eye. "Do you think she was right to want to be his friend since he was lonely?"
Lizzie nodded.
"So, honey, if Eddie and Ellie were right to help Eliza before she apologized and your mama was right to help a grumpy man not be so lonely, do you think it might be right for you to try to be friends with Grandpa Cyrus and help him out even though he hasn't apologized?"
"And he's grumpy?" She giggled.
Adam laughed, "That too!"
Lizzie got really quiet.
"He's lonely and sad, like Mr. Whitaker, isn't he?" Lizzie said thoughtfully.
"I think he is, Lizzie," Adam said softly.
"He's hard to be friends with," Lizzie said.
"I'm sure Mr. Whitaker was hard to be friends with too, Lizzie, but your Mama thought it was important," Adam said, kissing the side of her head.
"But what if he wants to do something that'll get me in trouble?" Lizzie asked, looking up at him.
"I think you already know that answer to that after this afternoon, don't you?"
"Yes, Papa," Lizzie said, looking down at her hands.
"Tell me, honey," Adam said.
"Say, no respectfully and stick to my guns," Lizzie said timidly.
"That's my girl," Adam said with a big smile.
"Grandpa asked me about what you did this afternoon," Lizzie said, very quietly.
"And what did you tell him?" Adam asked seriously.
"I told him I wasn't allowed to tell him, that you had said I couldn't. Was that right?" Lizzie asked shyly, looking up at him.
"That was exactly right, Lizzie," Adam said with a smile and a hug. "I'm proud of you for being brave that way. I'm sure that was really hard for you."
"It was, Papa, I really wanted to tell him," Lizzie said earnestly.
"I know, Lizzie. Sometimes doing the right thing and saying no to people you care about is hard. That's why I wanted you to start practicing it now. You'll have to do it more than a few times over the course of your life, including to your children," he said.
"Just like sometimes, I have to say no to you, even though I don't like it. I am really proud of you for being brave and saying no to both of your grandpas today. It never gets easier, but you do get better at it," Adam said as he stood up and put the book back in the bookcase.
"Ready for bed, honey?" He asked as he pulled the covers up over her and kissed her cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too, Papa," she said as she tucked the pillow under head and closed her eyes.
"Will you think about being friends with Grandpa Cyrus?"
"Yes, Sir," Lizzie said, not opening her eyes.
"Sleep well and see you in the morning," Adam said as he turned out the lamp and closed the door softly.
Adam joined his father downstairs and picked up the glass of bourbon and branch he hadn't finished before dinner.
"How did it go?" Ben asked.
"Well, when I asked her to think about being friends with her Grandpa Cyrus, she said she would," Adam said with a sigh.
"That's good, why the sigh?"
"She called me sir when she said she would," Adam said seriously. "I think I will need to keep working on this knot."
"It sounds like you will, Adam, but you've planted the seeds."
"Yes, and she did ask if I thought Cyrus was lonely and sad, so she's working on some sympathy for him."
"She'll come around, Adam. I have confidence in my caring, loving granddaughter,"
"I do too, Pa," Adam said, picking up his book. "I just hope her Grandpa Cyrus doesn't do anything to sabotage that small shoot of sympathy that has sprouted."
Ben nodded and then laughed.
"Yes," he said. "I guess there is more than a small risk of that happening."
"Maybe I should see if I can get him to read about Eliza and the chocolate bunnies," Adam said as he rolled his eyes, crossed his legs and settled into read his book.