The smells of freshly turned earth mingled with the after sent of a
cleansing rain. The songs of birds excited about spring drifted through the
open door of the homestead. Inside the kitchen the smell of lye soap was
strong and the brush strokes on the wooden floor was in perfect rhythm to
the birds' songs. Kit sat up stretching out the kinks in her back as she
placed the scrubbing brush into to bucket of water. It never ceased to
amaze her the amount of mud the twins and their friends would tramp into
the house no matter how many times she told them to wipe their feet off
before coming in. It had been two years since the first time she had set
eyes on New York City and a little over a year and a half since Spot had
left. Many changes had occurred in the lives of the little group.
The biggest change had been when Cray and Mills had gotten married last spring, which was followed by the birth of their baby girl nine months later. Mills still blushed hotly if anyone mentioned how quickly it had all happened. They had named the baby Miora Rose after both of their mother's.
Swan had gotten his teacher's license not long after the wedding and had reopened the one room school house down the lane the pervious fall, much to the delight of the parents in the area but to the chagrin of the students. He also took the opportunity to court Tack properly over the past winter and Kit wouldn't be too surprised if they were married by the next spring.
The twins and the girls were happy, all four had started at Swan's school and were doing fine. Though the girls had a hard time calling Swan Mr. Swanson and as such many of the younger students were calling him Mr. Swan.
Their sisters had been unwilling to move back to the one room school house and leave behind the selection of boys that the town had offered. So they continued to stay with Karen and Joel in Lincoln coming home on the long breaks with Wil when he came home from Creighton College. Kit was proud of him as he was well on his way to becoming a doctor.
Josh and Jeremy hadn't stayed much longer after Spot had left. And before the first flakes of winter had fallen they were back at Jeremy's ranch as cowboys. Though before they had left both Josh and Jeremy had apologized to Kit for their behavior. Their friendships weren't where they had been as children but when she saw them leave a part of her was sad to see them go.
The coming of the pervious spring had also brought with it the shadow of death. Sid passed on in his sleep the day after the first robin of spring had sung in the tree by his window. Rose hadn't taken his death well and so after the wedding Mills and Cray had moved in to the big house to keep her company.
Over the past year and a half the newsie nicknames fell by the way side, Cray was still Cray, but Mills had allowed everyone to call her Katie and Tack preferred to be called Jessie. For Kit being at home meant everyone except her friends called her Ami and so only Cray and Spot in his letters still used Kit. The twins had been harder to move back to their given names but slowly, with a lot of practice at school they had gotten used to being called Andy and Chris instead of Jolly and Bait, though they still answered quicker to their nicknames when Kit was mad.
Kit and Spot wrote each other faithfully over the months that had followed his leaving. Their letters were full of news and sweet nothings, which Kit treasured above any other thing in her life. But as the pervious winter had progressed his letters became fewer and farther between. But she still looked forward to the arrival of at least one every month. He never talked about what he was doing in Brooklyn, mostly his letters were about missing her and notes from different people to pass on to Mills or the twins. But it was obvious that the business he thought would only take a couple of months was dragging on longer than he had planned.
Kit was getting worried though, for the first time in over a year she hadn't received even on letter from him in two months. She had thought of sending him a telegram, but was persuaded not to by both Cray and Mills. But she wasn't going to allow that to bother her today. Because today was the last day of school for the year, school had let out at lunch time but Cray and Swan had taken Katie, the baby, Jessie, the twins and the girls into town as a celebration and to bring back Ally, Heather, Celeste and Wil the next day.
Kit had offered to stay behind to keep Rose company and after she had finished her cleaning she was doing and Brian and Joe came she was going up to the big house. Brian and Joe were Wil's fiancée's younger brothers, they were coming to care for the stock for the evening and had been told to stop down at the small house for directions. A small part of her was disappointed that she had stayed behind because it was her birthday. But another part of her realized that today was the only day that they could have gotten together to get her gift, which was what the side reason for everyone going had been as Becky had let slip out the night before.
Kit finished the last of her scrubbing and placed the bucket by the door for the boys to take and dump out when they came. Then she went to her room to change out of her wet dress and straighten her hair before going to see Rose. As she sat in front of the vanity she heard the back door open. "You better have had wiped your feet before coming into this house or I'll cut them off at the ankles." Kit said loudly without looking to see who had come in.
She heard the sound of shoes being scrapped off on the mud bar and smiled. She stood up called from the door. "There is a bucket of water next to the door with a scrub brush, clean up the mud and then dump out the water then we can talk about what your chores are." She sat back at the vanity and when the door reopened for a third time she called back out. "Why don't you come back to the hallway and we can discuss this while I finish tidying up in here." The person grunted and footsteps were heard coming to her doorway.
"Well you are later than I expected so I'll have to leave you two on your own to do the chores. The chickens have been fed so you only have to worry about the cows, horses and pigs. Put a forkful of hay for the horses and half a forkful for the cows, before you milk the cows. After you finish with the cows, let them and the horses out into the gated pastures. Then pour out a pie pan of milk for the cats. You shouldn't have to muck out the stalls, but if you do, you can figure where the manure goes I am sure. Oh work coveralls are hanging on a nail as you go in if you didn't bring any of your own and the pitchfork is by the stalls. You got any questions?"
"Well, Ise wondering if Ise could at least get a hug before Ise go and do that." The amused voice at the door responded.
Kit's eyes widened in surprise as she looked up in her mirror and caught the amused smile of Spot. She dropped her hairpins as she jumped up and ran to give him his requested hug. "Spot" was all she got out before being silenced by a kiss. When they finally broke apart Spot leaned his forehead to touch hers. "So did youse miss me?" He asked with a smile. Kit nodded as tears rolled down her checks. "Do youse like your birthday surprise." He asked and in return got another kiss.
"Well this isn't your only surprise." He said as he knelt down in front of her and took her hand. "Amelia Oberg. Ise know Ise don't deserve to ask, but would you consider to making me da happiest guy in da world? Will you marry me?" He slipped the ring on her finger as she nodded vigorously.
She pulled him up to his feet and kissed him soundly. Spot broke their kiss and pulled her into a hug. Then whispered into her hear "As nice as the kiss was youse didn't answer my question. Will youse marry me?"
Kit took a step back, then wrapped her arms around his neck and looked behind him to see Cray, Mills, Swan and Jessie standing in the kitchen. Her friends were nodding through their own tears and the two men wore smug grins as if to say "look what we did." Kit winked at the quartet before looking into Spot's eyes. Her face was a mask of serious concentration before she broke into a smile. "Well Robert Conlon after a lot of consideration and advice from my family. Yes."
The biggest change had been when Cray and Mills had gotten married last spring, which was followed by the birth of their baby girl nine months later. Mills still blushed hotly if anyone mentioned how quickly it had all happened. They had named the baby Miora Rose after both of their mother's.
Swan had gotten his teacher's license not long after the wedding and had reopened the one room school house down the lane the pervious fall, much to the delight of the parents in the area but to the chagrin of the students. He also took the opportunity to court Tack properly over the past winter and Kit wouldn't be too surprised if they were married by the next spring.
The twins and the girls were happy, all four had started at Swan's school and were doing fine. Though the girls had a hard time calling Swan Mr. Swanson and as such many of the younger students were calling him Mr. Swan.
Their sisters had been unwilling to move back to the one room school house and leave behind the selection of boys that the town had offered. So they continued to stay with Karen and Joel in Lincoln coming home on the long breaks with Wil when he came home from Creighton College. Kit was proud of him as he was well on his way to becoming a doctor.
Josh and Jeremy hadn't stayed much longer after Spot had left. And before the first flakes of winter had fallen they were back at Jeremy's ranch as cowboys. Though before they had left both Josh and Jeremy had apologized to Kit for their behavior. Their friendships weren't where they had been as children but when she saw them leave a part of her was sad to see them go.
The coming of the pervious spring had also brought with it the shadow of death. Sid passed on in his sleep the day after the first robin of spring had sung in the tree by his window. Rose hadn't taken his death well and so after the wedding Mills and Cray had moved in to the big house to keep her company.
Over the past year and a half the newsie nicknames fell by the way side, Cray was still Cray, but Mills had allowed everyone to call her Katie and Tack preferred to be called Jessie. For Kit being at home meant everyone except her friends called her Ami and so only Cray and Spot in his letters still used Kit. The twins had been harder to move back to their given names but slowly, with a lot of practice at school they had gotten used to being called Andy and Chris instead of Jolly and Bait, though they still answered quicker to their nicknames when Kit was mad.
Kit and Spot wrote each other faithfully over the months that had followed his leaving. Their letters were full of news and sweet nothings, which Kit treasured above any other thing in her life. But as the pervious winter had progressed his letters became fewer and farther between. But she still looked forward to the arrival of at least one every month. He never talked about what he was doing in Brooklyn, mostly his letters were about missing her and notes from different people to pass on to Mills or the twins. But it was obvious that the business he thought would only take a couple of months was dragging on longer than he had planned.
Kit was getting worried though, for the first time in over a year she hadn't received even on letter from him in two months. She had thought of sending him a telegram, but was persuaded not to by both Cray and Mills. But she wasn't going to allow that to bother her today. Because today was the last day of school for the year, school had let out at lunch time but Cray and Swan had taken Katie, the baby, Jessie, the twins and the girls into town as a celebration and to bring back Ally, Heather, Celeste and Wil the next day.
Kit had offered to stay behind to keep Rose company and after she had finished her cleaning she was doing and Brian and Joe came she was going up to the big house. Brian and Joe were Wil's fiancée's younger brothers, they were coming to care for the stock for the evening and had been told to stop down at the small house for directions. A small part of her was disappointed that she had stayed behind because it was her birthday. But another part of her realized that today was the only day that they could have gotten together to get her gift, which was what the side reason for everyone going had been as Becky had let slip out the night before.
Kit finished the last of her scrubbing and placed the bucket by the door for the boys to take and dump out when they came. Then she went to her room to change out of her wet dress and straighten her hair before going to see Rose. As she sat in front of the vanity she heard the back door open. "You better have had wiped your feet before coming into this house or I'll cut them off at the ankles." Kit said loudly without looking to see who had come in.
She heard the sound of shoes being scrapped off on the mud bar and smiled. She stood up called from the door. "There is a bucket of water next to the door with a scrub brush, clean up the mud and then dump out the water then we can talk about what your chores are." She sat back at the vanity and when the door reopened for a third time she called back out. "Why don't you come back to the hallway and we can discuss this while I finish tidying up in here." The person grunted and footsteps were heard coming to her doorway.
"Well you are later than I expected so I'll have to leave you two on your own to do the chores. The chickens have been fed so you only have to worry about the cows, horses and pigs. Put a forkful of hay for the horses and half a forkful for the cows, before you milk the cows. After you finish with the cows, let them and the horses out into the gated pastures. Then pour out a pie pan of milk for the cats. You shouldn't have to muck out the stalls, but if you do, you can figure where the manure goes I am sure. Oh work coveralls are hanging on a nail as you go in if you didn't bring any of your own and the pitchfork is by the stalls. You got any questions?"
"Well, Ise wondering if Ise could at least get a hug before Ise go and do that." The amused voice at the door responded.
Kit's eyes widened in surprise as she looked up in her mirror and caught the amused smile of Spot. She dropped her hairpins as she jumped up and ran to give him his requested hug. "Spot" was all she got out before being silenced by a kiss. When they finally broke apart Spot leaned his forehead to touch hers. "So did youse miss me?" He asked with a smile. Kit nodded as tears rolled down her checks. "Do youse like your birthday surprise." He asked and in return got another kiss.
"Well this isn't your only surprise." He said as he knelt down in front of her and took her hand. "Amelia Oberg. Ise know Ise don't deserve to ask, but would you consider to making me da happiest guy in da world? Will you marry me?" He slipped the ring on her finger as she nodded vigorously.
She pulled him up to his feet and kissed him soundly. Spot broke their kiss and pulled her into a hug. Then whispered into her hear "As nice as the kiss was youse didn't answer my question. Will youse marry me?"
Kit took a step back, then wrapped her arms around his neck and looked behind him to see Cray, Mills, Swan and Jessie standing in the kitchen. Her friends were nodding through their own tears and the two men wore smug grins as if to say "look what we did." Kit winked at the quartet before looking into Spot's eyes. Her face was a mask of serious concentration before she broke into a smile. "Well Robert Conlon after a lot of consideration and advice from my family. Yes."