Spring had finally come to the small community of New Ceresco Nebraska. It had been a hard winter and many of the older residents worried over the river flooding again like it had 30 years ago. The children of the settlement didn't worry, they more anxious about school being over and getting to run around barefoot and play in the sun. School finally ended and now were the holidays.
It was a gorgeous Saturday morning and Ami was very excited as she skipped across the road to go see Craig. Her mama had just told her that next year she was going to Lincoln to go to school, and not only that but mama was also going to have a baby. She thought that Wil was all and good but she wanted a baby sister, someone she could boss around a lot better than Wil and some one that could play with her when the boys decided to leave her alone.
She walked up the stairs and petted the dog as she let herself into the house. She walked through the kitchen and stopped to talk to her aunt. "Are they up yet?"
"I don't know you want to go wake them up for me?" Rose smiled at her niece who was bobbing her head up and down at the prospect of waking the boys. The house itself was very old, her uncle Sid had helped his father build it when he was Crale's age and it had 2 floors and a cellar where Rose kept her canned goods. The boys' bedroom was up on the second floor. Ami climbed up the stairs skipping the ones she knew squeaked and snuck quietly into the boys' room.
The boys were sleeping in their beds soundly. A soft snore was coming from Craig and a not so soft one escaped from Crale, Ami wondered how Craig could sleep through that but figured they had been sharing a room as long as she could remember. She pondered which one to awaken first. She sat and thought for a good 3 minutes then made her decision, Craig was the harder sleeper, so if Crale decided to yell when she woke him Craig wouldn't hear it and Crale would help wake him up.
Ami walked over to Crale's bed and slowly climbed up onto it. She rose to her knees, and pondered how to do this. Her eyes lit up with an idea and she stood then suddenly two arms came and grabbed her she screeched and suddenly she was being tickled. She squealed and tried to get away from the tickling hands. The arms pulled her close and Crale's voice was in her ear. "Morning Kitten."
"Cray let me go." Ami struggled against the older boy's arms.
"Nope cause you were gonna jump on me weren't you?"
"No, I just waking you up like your mama said I could."
"But Kitten you were gonna jump on me weren't you?" Crale turned Ami around in his arms setting her on to his lap.
Ami looked down and then nodded, "Yes but you were snoring something awful I figured I should wake you up before you woke up Craig." She stuck out her lip, which caused Crale to laugh.
"That's cause I knew you were coming, come on lets wake him up." Crale set Ami down and led her over to the pitcher. He pantomimed out what they were going to do and Ami started to giggle before slapping her hands over her mouth. Crale picked up the pitcher and they went over to the still sleeping boy's form. Ami leaned down to Craig's ear and began to speak in a barely audible whisper, "Swan you need to get up now." She then stood up, "Don't think he's getting up."
Crale shrugged, "Oh well guess we have to drench him." He spoke as he poured the half full jug onto Craig's face. Craig came up sputtering and both of the other children made a break for it running down stairs and to the kitchen table for breakfast. Craig came down stairs a couple minutes later wiping shaking out his hair and a dirty look on his face, directed at the other two kids, who were laughing out right.
He took his bowl of oatmeal and scowled at Crale. Rose went to go check on the laundry outside and Craig finally spoke, "Just you wait Crale. I will get you."
"Sure little brother when Kitten here gets her first boyfriend."
Ami screwed up face, "Eeewwww boys are gross."
"It will before that just watch your back." Craig threatened.
Rose came back in and all the conversation stopped. She noticed that the children were all so quiet and began to talk to Ami. "So Ami how did the last day of school go for you?"
Ami made a face, "It was okay, Mr. Larson said if he was going to be here next year that I would be having my lessons with Craig's class."
"Really? What does Sarah think of that?" Rose was curious, they had known about Craig and Crale teaching Ami to read but hadn't thought it would mean she could skip 2 years of school.
Ami shrugged and moved the oatmeal around. "Mama says she wants me to stay with kids my age. Oh guess what Craig." Ami turned to her cousin who just grunted at her. She stuck out her tongue. "I am gonna be going to school in Lincoln with you and Cray."
Craig got a duh look, "No kidding, where else would you go to school."
"No I am gonna go with you, when you go next week." Ami looked extremely excited.
"What? You are like 5 and much too little to go to Lincoln with us."
"I am 6. And I ain't too little, mama says I am going with." Ami raised her nose superiorishly.
"No you aren't I ain't gonna take care of a 6 and a 7 year old, Ma." Crale protested.
"Yes you are, Sarah and I discussed it. Come this fall there will be no time for Lawrence or your father to take Ami into Lincoln. You will take care of them both." Rose said to her son.
"I am almost 8." Craig pouted.
"Not yet you ain't. What are we gonna do with her? We can't have her following us everywhere." Crale tried to point out.
"Figure it out, Mr. Jacobson was nice enough to give you boys jobs as newspaper boys I am sure he won't mind letting Ami help." Rose tried to sooth Crale's pride. "Now go get dressed, and do your chores and maybe your Papa will let you go swim."
Both boys ran upstairs to get changed, the idea of going to swim was reason enough to get the chores done. Ami sat at the table eating a piece of bread, waiting for them to get back down so she could follow them around. She was supposed to help them plant the garden that her mama and Rose shared and was already dressed for it. Soon all three children were out to at the garden plot, doing assigned duties.
The brown earth had been turned over by their fathers the week before and was already sun warmed and felt good to their bare feet. Crale went first making the rows with Ami following behind dropping seeds into the earth. Craig brought up the rear covering the seed with dirt and tapping it down. They planted 10 rows of sweet corn, 3 rows of beans, half a row of pumpkins and some melons, they also planted a row of cucumbers. Next was to work on weeding and turning earth in the herb garden. They were half way through the herb garden when the lunch bell rang. And they took their tools out of the garden and ran for the house.
Sarah had brought Wil over to the other house and she and Rose had made lunch for the children. It was just bread and bacon but to the famished children it was a feast. They got fresh milk and the bread was slathered in butter. When they were done Sarah gave them Wil and told them to watch him so that she and Rose could go out to give the men folk their food.
Ami grumbled watching the 3 year old wasn't her idea of fun, and for a rare moment she understood how Craig and Crale must of felt when she tagged along after them. They headed back to the garden and gave Wil some dirt to play with as they went back to work, each keeping an eye on the adventurous toddler. " 'Me I wanna 'elp." Wil toddled over to his big sister who looked at him with exasperation.
"You are too little you can't help."
"Can too." Wil stuck his lip out in a pout, which caused Craig and Crale to laugh, as it was an exact replica of Ami's pouts.
"Can not, you go play over there and when we're done we will go play at the creek okay?" Ami tried to bribe him and it work.
"O'tay." Wil toddled back to the edge of the garden interested in a dirt patch and a small shovel that they had left. He began to dig and squealed in amusement when he found bugs.
The garden work didn't last much longer and soon they went back to the house to tell their mothers where they were and make sure Wil could come along. Sarah and Rose agreed and soon all 4 children had stripped to their underclothes and were splashing in the creek. Enjoying the early summer day.
It was a gorgeous Saturday morning and Ami was very excited as she skipped across the road to go see Craig. Her mama had just told her that next year she was going to Lincoln to go to school, and not only that but mama was also going to have a baby. She thought that Wil was all and good but she wanted a baby sister, someone she could boss around a lot better than Wil and some one that could play with her when the boys decided to leave her alone.
She walked up the stairs and petted the dog as she let herself into the house. She walked through the kitchen and stopped to talk to her aunt. "Are they up yet?"
"I don't know you want to go wake them up for me?" Rose smiled at her niece who was bobbing her head up and down at the prospect of waking the boys. The house itself was very old, her uncle Sid had helped his father build it when he was Crale's age and it had 2 floors and a cellar where Rose kept her canned goods. The boys' bedroom was up on the second floor. Ami climbed up the stairs skipping the ones she knew squeaked and snuck quietly into the boys' room.
The boys were sleeping in their beds soundly. A soft snore was coming from Craig and a not so soft one escaped from Crale, Ami wondered how Craig could sleep through that but figured they had been sharing a room as long as she could remember. She pondered which one to awaken first. She sat and thought for a good 3 minutes then made her decision, Craig was the harder sleeper, so if Crale decided to yell when she woke him Craig wouldn't hear it and Crale would help wake him up.
Ami walked over to Crale's bed and slowly climbed up onto it. She rose to her knees, and pondered how to do this. Her eyes lit up with an idea and she stood then suddenly two arms came and grabbed her she screeched and suddenly she was being tickled. She squealed and tried to get away from the tickling hands. The arms pulled her close and Crale's voice was in her ear. "Morning Kitten."
"Cray let me go." Ami struggled against the older boy's arms.
"Nope cause you were gonna jump on me weren't you?"
"No, I just waking you up like your mama said I could."
"But Kitten you were gonna jump on me weren't you?" Crale turned Ami around in his arms setting her on to his lap.
Ami looked down and then nodded, "Yes but you were snoring something awful I figured I should wake you up before you woke up Craig." She stuck out her lip, which caused Crale to laugh.
"That's cause I knew you were coming, come on lets wake him up." Crale set Ami down and led her over to the pitcher. He pantomimed out what they were going to do and Ami started to giggle before slapping her hands over her mouth. Crale picked up the pitcher and they went over to the still sleeping boy's form. Ami leaned down to Craig's ear and began to speak in a barely audible whisper, "Swan you need to get up now." She then stood up, "Don't think he's getting up."
Crale shrugged, "Oh well guess we have to drench him." He spoke as he poured the half full jug onto Craig's face. Craig came up sputtering and both of the other children made a break for it running down stairs and to the kitchen table for breakfast. Craig came down stairs a couple minutes later wiping shaking out his hair and a dirty look on his face, directed at the other two kids, who were laughing out right.
He took his bowl of oatmeal and scowled at Crale. Rose went to go check on the laundry outside and Craig finally spoke, "Just you wait Crale. I will get you."
"Sure little brother when Kitten here gets her first boyfriend."
Ami screwed up face, "Eeewwww boys are gross."
"It will before that just watch your back." Craig threatened.
Rose came back in and all the conversation stopped. She noticed that the children were all so quiet and began to talk to Ami. "So Ami how did the last day of school go for you?"
Ami made a face, "It was okay, Mr. Larson said if he was going to be here next year that I would be having my lessons with Craig's class."
"Really? What does Sarah think of that?" Rose was curious, they had known about Craig and Crale teaching Ami to read but hadn't thought it would mean she could skip 2 years of school.
Ami shrugged and moved the oatmeal around. "Mama says she wants me to stay with kids my age. Oh guess what Craig." Ami turned to her cousin who just grunted at her. She stuck out her tongue. "I am gonna be going to school in Lincoln with you and Cray."
Craig got a duh look, "No kidding, where else would you go to school."
"No I am gonna go with you, when you go next week." Ami looked extremely excited.
"What? You are like 5 and much too little to go to Lincoln with us."
"I am 6. And I ain't too little, mama says I am going with." Ami raised her nose superiorishly.
"No you aren't I ain't gonna take care of a 6 and a 7 year old, Ma." Crale protested.
"Yes you are, Sarah and I discussed it. Come this fall there will be no time for Lawrence or your father to take Ami into Lincoln. You will take care of them both." Rose said to her son.
"I am almost 8." Craig pouted.
"Not yet you ain't. What are we gonna do with her? We can't have her following us everywhere." Crale tried to point out.
"Figure it out, Mr. Jacobson was nice enough to give you boys jobs as newspaper boys I am sure he won't mind letting Ami help." Rose tried to sooth Crale's pride. "Now go get dressed, and do your chores and maybe your Papa will let you go swim."
Both boys ran upstairs to get changed, the idea of going to swim was reason enough to get the chores done. Ami sat at the table eating a piece of bread, waiting for them to get back down so she could follow them around. She was supposed to help them plant the garden that her mama and Rose shared and was already dressed for it. Soon all three children were out to at the garden plot, doing assigned duties.
The brown earth had been turned over by their fathers the week before and was already sun warmed and felt good to their bare feet. Crale went first making the rows with Ami following behind dropping seeds into the earth. Craig brought up the rear covering the seed with dirt and tapping it down. They planted 10 rows of sweet corn, 3 rows of beans, half a row of pumpkins and some melons, they also planted a row of cucumbers. Next was to work on weeding and turning earth in the herb garden. They were half way through the herb garden when the lunch bell rang. And they took their tools out of the garden and ran for the house.
Sarah had brought Wil over to the other house and she and Rose had made lunch for the children. It was just bread and bacon but to the famished children it was a feast. They got fresh milk and the bread was slathered in butter. When they were done Sarah gave them Wil and told them to watch him so that she and Rose could go out to give the men folk their food.
Ami grumbled watching the 3 year old wasn't her idea of fun, and for a rare moment she understood how Craig and Crale must of felt when she tagged along after them. They headed back to the garden and gave Wil some dirt to play with as they went back to work, each keeping an eye on the adventurous toddler. " 'Me I wanna 'elp." Wil toddled over to his big sister who looked at him with exasperation.
"You are too little you can't help."
"Can too." Wil stuck his lip out in a pout, which caused Craig and Crale to laugh, as it was an exact replica of Ami's pouts.
"Can not, you go play over there and when we're done we will go play at the creek okay?" Ami tried to bribe him and it work.
"O'tay." Wil toddled back to the edge of the garden interested in a dirt patch and a small shovel that they had left. He began to dig and squealed in amusement when he found bugs.
The garden work didn't last much longer and soon they went back to the house to tell their mothers where they were and make sure Wil could come along. Sarah and Rose agreed and soon all 4 children had stripped to their underclothes and were splashing in the creek. Enjoying the early summer day.
